New to View: ‘Fury’ a brutal battlefield drama
By Bob Bloom
The following Blu-rays and DVDs are being released on Tuesday, Jan. 27:
Fury (Blu-ray + Ultraviolet)
Details: 2014, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: R, graphic violence, disturbing images, sexual situations, language
The lowdown: Brad Pitt stars in this brutal World War II drama about an American tank crew fighting for survival in the waning days of the conflict.
This drama eschews high ideals and glory. Writer-director David Ayer paints a blue-collar portrait of these GIs. They are not seeking medals or a chance to win the war single-handedly. They are men simply doing a dirty job and trying to survive.
Available at Redbox.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.40:1 widescreen picture; English and French 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English 5.1 Dolby Digital audio descriptive track and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital; English SDH, English, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Deleted and extended scenes, Ayers’ combat journal, a featurette on the real soldiers who manned Sherman tanks and a featurette on how to drive the tank and handle its weapons comprise the major bonus materials.
The Judge (Blu-ray + DVD + Ultraviolet)
Details: 2014, Warner Home Video
Rated: R, language, sexual references
The lowdown: Despite a strong cast headed by Robert Downey Jr. and best supporting actor nominee Robert Duvall, “The Judge” is a hodge-podge of courtroom dramatics and familial dysfunction, neatly wrapped in a conventional feature
.
It’s the pyrotechnics between the Roberts that is the main attraction to this otherwise routine feature.
Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.40:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles; DVD: 2.40:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: A featurette with cast members and filmmakers on the making of the movie, a commentary track and a featurette with costar Dax Shepard interviewing Downey Jr., Billy Bob Thornton and Vincent D’Onofrio are the main bonus offerings.
Kill the Messenger (Blu-ray + DVD + Ultraviolet)
Details: 2014, Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Rated: R, language, drug content
The lowdown: Jeremy Renner stars as Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Gary Webb who stumbles across a story linking U.S. government intelligence agencies and Colombian drug smugglers.
Webb’s stories alarm the CIA and government officials, and a smear campaign to destroy Webb’s credibility is launched.
The real tragedy of the story is that other news organizations were quick to follow the government’s lead, instead of doing their own thorough investigation of Webb’s allegations.
Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.40:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles; DVD: 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby Digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Among the bonus offerings are deleted scenes, a featurette on the cast, a look at the crack epidemic in the United States, a behind-the-scenes look at filming in Georgia and a commentary track.
The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness
Details: 2013, Cinedigm
Rated: PG
The lowdown: A documentary that takes viewers into Japan’s Studio Ghibli, where such anime masterpieces such as “Princess Mononoke,” “My Neighbor Totoro” and “Spirited Away” were created.
The film follows legendary director Hayao Miyazaki, producer Toshio Suzuki and director Isao Takahata for a year as the studio rushes to complete “The Wind Rises” and “The Tale of the Princess Kaguya.”
The film offers a fascinating glimpse of the studio’s inner workings and the dedication of these master filmmakers.
Technical aspects: Widescreen picture; Japanese 5.1 Dolby Digital surround; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: A featurette and a short film are the major extras.
The Case Against 8
Release date: Jan. 13
Details: 2014, HBO Home Entertainment
Rated: TV-14
The lowdown: An HBO documentary that follows the movement to challenge the constitutionality of and overturn California’s Proposition 8 law.
The film follows the legal team and four plaintiffs in the case that basically ended marriage discrimination in the state.
Technical aspects: 16:9 widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby Digital.
Don’t miss: Deleted scenes and a panel discussion with the plaintiffs and filmmakers.
The Remaining (Blu-ray)
Details: 2014, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: PG-13, intense sequences of terror, violence and destruction, adult themes
The lowdown: While attending a wedding, a group of friends must fight for survival after a series of apocalyptic events that seem to be biblical end-times prophecies come to fruition.
The survivors seek safety as the world around them disappears in death and destruction.
The question for them is to decide to put their faith in God or simply try to survive?
Available at Redbox.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English, English audio descriptive and French 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: A making of featurette and a deleted scene comprise the major supplement materials.
Open Windows (Blu-ray)
Details: 2014, Cinedigm
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Elijah Wood stars as a fan who wins a dinner date with his favorite actress. But when she refuses to honor the contest, the fan’s world is shattered until he is offered the chance to secretly watch the star from a computer.
The fan doesn’t realize that his actions are putting himself and the actress in danger.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: A making of featurette and a visual effects reel comprise the major supplemental materials.
Sanctimony
Details: 2000, Olive Films
Rated: Unrated
The lowdown: A serial killer, known as “The Monkey Maker,” begins to taunt police by taking part in their investigation of his brutal murders by claiming to be a potential witness.
When the police come close to unmasking the killer, he grows more insane and decides to end his career with a mass killing.
Technical aspects: 2.35:1 widescreen picture.
Don’t miss: No bonus features.
The Palm Beach Story: Special Edition (Blu-ray)
Release date: Jan. 20
Details: 1942, The Criterion Collection
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: The brilliant Preston Sturges wrote and directed this very wacky examination of marriage starring Joel McCrea and Claudette Colbert.
The movie features the usual blend of Sturges’ physical comedy and verbal repartee as well as fine supporting performances by Mary Astor and Rudy Vallee.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 full-screen picture; English LPCM monaural audio; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include interviews with film historian James Harvey and actor-comedian Bill Hader, a 1941 propaganda film by Sturges, a 1943 radio adaptation of the film and a booklet with essays about the film.
My Winnipeg: Special Edition (Blu-ray)
Release date: Jan. 20
Details: 2007, The Criterion Collection
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Filmmaker Guy Maddin’s feature is a homage to his birthplace.
Winnipeg is the geographical center of North America and is the star of Maddin’s combination of memory and imagination.
He shows a city populated by hockey fanatics and sleepwalkers; a city that hosts an annual scavenger hunt and features a racehorse frozen in the river as a tourist attraction.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.33:1 full-screen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: A 2008 “My Winnipeg: Live in Toronto” featurette, a conversation between Maddin and critic Robert Enright, four 2014 film essays on various aspects of Winnipeg, five Maddin shorts and a booklet with an essay about the film.
Fugly! (Blu-ray)
Release date: Jan. 13
Details: 2013, Olive Films
Rated: Unrated
The lowdown: John Leguizamo wrote the screenplay and stars in this feature about an artist/comedian who, while faking a suicide, accidentally knocks himself out in the bathtub.
As he sinks in the water, he begins to reflect on his life and the mistakes he has made.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture.
Don’t miss: No bonus features.
The Bride Wore Black
Release date: Jan. 13
Details: 1968, MGM-Fox Home Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: The lovely and talented Jeanne Moreau stars in this drama about a young woman who marries her childhood sweetheart than witnesses his murder on the church steps.
The bride, Julie, begins losing her mind as she also pursues the men responsible for killing the love of her life. She sees that each of the killers meets their deserved fate.
The feature is part of the MGM Limited Edition Collection and can be found at www.foxconnect.com or at other online retailers.
Technical aspects: 16:9 widescreen picture.
Don’t miss: No bonus materials.
The Sword of Doom: Special Edition (Blu-ray)
Release date: Jan. 6
Details: 1966, The Criterion Collection
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Tatsuya Nakadai and Toshiro Mifune star in this historical drama about a wandering samurai who is a gifted swordsman who kills without remorse or mercy.
The film is a cautionary tale of a man who devotes his life to evil and the cost of the decision.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; Japanese LPCM monaural audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: A commentary with film historian Stephen Prince and an essay by critic Geoffrey O’Brien comprise the bonus features.
The Mouse on the Moon
Release date: Jan. 13
Details: 1963, MGM-Fox Home Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This sequel to the hilarious “The Mouse That Roared” offers some fun moments, but lacks the presence of Peter Sellers.
This effort spoofs the space race as the tiny country of Grand Fenwick convinces the U.S. government to give it $1 million that will be used for the nation’s space program — which is nonexistent.
But then a local professor discovers the region’s wine makes a perfect rocket fuel and the nation is off to the stars.
The release is part of the MGM Limited Edition Collection and can be found at www.foxconnect.com or other Internet retailers.
Technical aspects: 16:9 widescreen picture.
Don’t miss: No extras.
Wigstock the Movie
Release date: Jan. 13
Details: 1995, MGM-Fox Home Entertainment
Rated: R, sex-related material, language
The lowdown: This outrageous feature, set in New York, spotlights one of the most extravagant celebrations of drag — the annual Wigstock Festival.
The movie goes behind the scenes to show the personalities who participate in this famed drag festival.
The release is part of the MGM Limited Edition Collection and can be found at www.foxconnect.com or other online retailers.
Technical aspects: 16:9 widescreen picture.
Don’t miss: No extras.
Big Driver (DVD + Ultraviolet)
Details: 2014, Lionsgate
Rated: TV-14
The lowdown: A writer, facing a long drive home after a book signing, is assaulted after her car breaks down and she is given a lift by a serial killer.
Left for dead, the woman recovers and is determined to get revenge. This made-for-TV film is based on a story by Stephen King.
Available at Redbox.
Technical aspects: 1.78:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby Digital; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: No extras.
“James Stewart 3-Film Collection”
Release date: Jan. 13
Details: 1950-63, Fox Home Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: James Stewart spotlights is dramatic and comedic talents in this trifecta of features.
The set, part of the Fox Cinema Archives collection, includes “The Jackpot” (1950), “No Highway in the Sky” (1951) and “Take Her, She’s Mine (1963).
Among her costars are Marlene Dietrich, Glynis Johns, Jack Hawkins, Sandra Dee, Barbara Hale and Natalie Wood.
The set can be found at www.foxconnect.com or other online DVD sellers.
Technical aspects: 1.33:1 full-screen picture (“The Jackpot” and “No Highway in the Sky”) and 2.35:1 widescreen picture (“Take Her, She’s Mine.”)
Don’t miss: No extras.
Art and Craft
Details: 2014, Oscilloscope Laboratories
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This movie profiles Mark Landis, one of the most prolific art forgers in U.S. history, whose works span 30 years that cover a wide range of styles and periods.
Landis, though, was not forging for the money. Rather, he posed as a philanthropist and donated his paintings across the country.
When he is finally exposed, Landis must face himself as well as some angry museum professionals.
Technical aspects: 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby Digital surround and stereo; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus features include a commentary track, deleted scenes, a question-and-answer session with Landis and a featurette with a pair of film subjects.
Miss Julie
Release date: Jan. 13
Details: 1999, MGM-Fox Home Entertainment
Rated: R, sexual content, language
The lowdown: Set in the late 19th century, this drama relates the scandalous relationship between a count’s footman and the count’s daughter.
These two people are trying to escape the confines of their lives, but can a commoner and a noblewoman overcome their obstacles and survive?
The wonderful Saffron Burrows stars in this production, part of the MGM Limited Edition Collection. The DVD can be found at www.foxconnect.com or other online dealers.
Technical aspects: 16:9 widescreen picture.
Don’t miss: No bonus features.
Seventh Heaven
Release date: Jan. 13
Details: 1942, Fox Home Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: James Stewart and Simone Simon star in this remake of the Janet Gaynor silent classic about a Parisian sewer worker, the young woman he marries and their life together, which is disrupted by war.
The film lacks the cinematic poetry of the original and the All-American Stewart doesn’t fare well as a Frenchman.
The release is part of the Fox Cinema Archives series and can be found at www.foxconnect.com or other online DVD dealers.
Technical aspects: 4×3 full-screen picture.
Don’t miss: No supplemental materials.
“The Loretta Young 3-Film Collection”
Release date: Jan. 13
Details: 1938-49, Fox Home Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Loretta Young was one of Fox’s biggest stars for two decades.
Among her costars were Tyrone Power, David Niven and Joel McCrea.
This set from the Fox Cinema Archives collection offers “Suez” (1938), “Three Blind Mice” (1939) and “Come to the Stable” (1949), for which she received an Academy Award nomination.
The set can be found at www.foxconnect.com or other online retailers.
Technical aspects: 1.33:1 full-screen picture.
Don’t miss: No bonus offerings.
“Rex Harrison 3-Film Collection”
Release date: Jan. 13
Details: 1947-69, Fox Home Entertainment
Rated: Not rated, PG, R
The lowdown: A Fox Cinema Archives release spotlighting three movies starring Rex Harrison.
The set features “The Foxes of Harrow” (Not rated, 1947), co-starring Maureen O’Hara, Victor McLaglen, Gene Lockhart, Richard Haydn and Patricia Medina. The comedy, “A Flea in Her Ear” (PG, 1967), costars Louis Jourdan, Rosemary Harris and Rachel Roberts. Finally, Harrison and Richard Burton portray a gay couple in “Staircase” (R, 1969), directed by Stanley Donen and featuring music by Dudley Moore.
The set can be found at www.foxconnect.com or other online DVD dealers.
Technical aspects: 1.33:1 full-screen picture.
Don’t miss: No extras.
Konga
Release date: Jan. 13
Details: 1961, MGM-Fox Home Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A scientist, played by Michael Gough, returns from Africa with Konga, a baby chimpanzee as well as a serum extracted from a rare carnivorous plant that accelerates growth.
And like most mad doctors, Gough then uses the overgrown chimp to get back at his enemies. Of course, he gets his just desserts and Konga meets the fate of all giant primates.
The release is part of the MGM Limited Edition Collection and can be found at www.foxconnect.com or other online sellers.
Technical aspects: 16:9 widescreen picture.
Don’t miss: No extras.
Taffin
Release date: Jan. 13
Details: 1988, MGM-Fox Home Entertainment
Rated: R, violence, language
The lowdown: Pierce Brosnan stars as a tough debt collector in this action flick about an evil corporation that resorts to brutal tactics to silence townspeople opposed to the company’s chemical plant.
Brosnan’s Taffin comes to the defense of the people, battling the corporation’s assassins and thug.
The release is part of the MGM Limited Edition Collection and can be found at www.foxconnect.com and other online dealers.
Technical aspects: 16:9 widescreen picture.
Don’t miss: No extras.
The Monster That Challenged the World
Release date: Jan. 13
Details: 1957, MGM-Fox Home Entertainment
Rated: G
The lowdown: This is one of the myriad of science fiction-creature features that were popular in the 1950s.
Former cowboy star Tim Holt has the lead in the film about ocean-dwelling prehistoric creatures that rise to the surface after an earthquake awakens them.
It’s all fun and nonsense that the genre fans will enjoy.
The release is part of the MGM Limited Edition Collection and can be ordered from www.foxconnect.com or other online dealers.
Technical aspects: 4×3 full-screen picture.
Don’t miss: No extras.
Other Blu-rays and DVDs being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated:
Blackwoods (Olive Films)
Born of War (DVD + Ultraviolet) (Lionsgate)
La Cienaga: Special Edition (Blu-ray) (The Criterion Collection)
Mas Negro Que La Noche (DVD + Ultraviolet) (Lionsgate)
A Bet’s a Bet (Cinedigm, Jan. 20)
Cracked (BBC Home Entertainment, Jan. 20)
Save Our Skins (BBC Home Entertainment, Jan. 20)
Wolfblood: Season Three (Cinedigm, Jan. 20)
Attention Shoppers (MGM Limited Edition Collection, Jan. 13)
The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant: Special Edition (Blu-ray) (The Criterion Collection)
Five on the Black Hand Side (MGM Limited Edition Collection, Jan. 13)
Getting Even With Dad (MGM Limited Edition Collection, Jan. 13)
“Ginger Rogers 3-Film Collection” — Teenage Rebel/Dreamboat/Change of Heart (Fox Home Entertainment-Fox Cinema Archives, Jan. 13)
Rikky & Pete (MGM Limited Edition Collection, Jan. 13)
Warm Summer Rain (MGM Limited Edition Collection, Jan. 13)
“Warner Baxter 3-Film Collection” — The Road to Glory/Wife, Husband and Friend/Earthbound (Fox Home Entertainment-Fox Cinema Archives, Jan. 13)
Ice Cold Gold: Season One (Cinedigm, Dec. 16)
Coming next week: The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby
Bob Bloom is a member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. He reviews movies, Blu-rays and DVDs for ReelBob.com. The Film Yap and other print and online publications, He can be reached by email at bobbloomjc@gmail.com. You also can follow Bloom on Twitter @ReelBobBloom and on Facebook. Movie reviews by Bloom also can be found at Rottentomatoes: www.rottentomatoes.com.