New to View: Creepy Gyllenhaal shines in dark ‘Nightcrawler’

By Bob Bloom

The following Blu-rays and DVDs are being released on Tuesday, Feb. 10:

Nightcrawler (Blu-ray + DVD + Ultraviolet)
Details: 2014, Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Rated: R, graphic violence, disturbing images, language
The lowdown: Jake Gyllenhaal gives you the creeps in this drama about a driven young man who discovers he has the talent to be a nightcrawler — a free-lance cameraman who covers crashes, fires, murders and other mayhem on the dark streets of Los Angeles.
Gyllenhaal’s Lou Bloom blurs the line between observer and participant as he does what is necessary to reach the top of his new profession.
Available at Redbox.
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: A making of featurette and a commentary track comprise the major bonus offerings.

Olive Kitteridge (Blu-ray + Ultraviolet)
Details: 2014, HBO Home Entertainment
Rated: TV-MA
The lowdown: Frances McDormand won a SAG Award for her performance in this HBO miniseries about a woman in a small New England town who uses her acerbic wit and stern demeanor to mask a compassionate heart and moral compass.
Richard Jenkins costars as her loving and patient husband as the series spans 25 years of their lives in a town wrought with crime, tragedy and illicit affairs.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French 5.1 DTS Digital Surround and Spanish 2.0 DTS Digital Surround; English SDH, French, Spanish, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish subtitles.
Don’t miss: No extras.

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (Blu-ray + Ultraviolet)
Details: 2014, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
Rated: PG, rude humor, language
The lowdown: A family-friendly adaptation of the best-selling children’s novel is a throwback to the kind of live-action film that Disney produced in the 1950s and ‘60s.
Alexander is upset that no one seems to care that he has had such a horrible day and wishes the rest of his family could have a day as bad as his.
Being that the next day is his birthday, his wish comes true.
Available at Redbox.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English 2.0 descriptive track and French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Author Judith Viorst and her son, Alexander, share the genesis of the book, a featurette on the Australian Outback yard party, a behind-the-scenes featurette, a blooper reel and a music video comprise the bonus offerings.

Before I Go to Sleep (Blu-ray + UV)
Release date: Jan. 27
Details: 2014, Fox Home Entertainment
Rated: R, graphic violence, language
The lowdown: Nicole Kidman stars in this thriller about a woman who wakes up each day remembering nothing because of an accident in her past.
As she tries to remember her former life, she uncovers things and events that she realizes leave her alone. She discovers that she can’t even trust her husband or her doctor.
The film features a twist ending that some keen viewers may see coming.
Available at Redbox.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus offerings include profiles of the three main characters played by Kidman, Colin Firth and Mark Strong and a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film.

Nurse Jackie: Season Six (Blu-ray)
Details: 2014, Lionsgate
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Edie Falco returns for the sixth season of this Showtime series about a nurse with a substance abuse habit.
Jackie is saving lives at work, taking care of her kids and enjoying the love of her boyfriend who likes the new Jackie.
What they all don’t know is that Jackie is using sobriety as the ultimate cover for getting high.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH, English and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: A featurette on Jackie’s ultimate comedown; deleted scenes, a “Growing Up Peyton” featurette and commentaries comprise the major bonus offerings.

Ouija (Blu-ray + DVD + Ultraviolet)
Release date: Feb. 3
Details: 2014, Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Rated: PG-13, disturbing, violent content, scary images and adult themes
The lowdown: A supernatural thriller in which a group of friends unwittingly release a dark power and are forced to face their most terrifying fears.
The friends have gathered after the death of one of their own and attempt to contact her using an ancient Ouija board.
Available at Redbox.
Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.40:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English Dolby Digital 2.0 descriptive audio track and French and Spanish 5.1 DTS Digital surround; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles; DVD: 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen picture; English, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital and English 2.0 Dolby Digital audio descriptive track; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Among the major extras are a featurette tracing the history of the Ouija board, a featurette with explanations on how the Ouija board works and a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the film.

101 Dalmatians: Diamond Edition (Blu-ray + DVD + Ultraviolet)
Details: 1961, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
Rated: G
The lowdown: This Disney animated favorite is not in the came class as “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” “Pinocchio,” “Sleeping Beauty” or “Peter Pan,” but it does contain laughs and thrills that still will please another young generation of viewers.
The story of Pongo, Perdita and their pups is heartwarming and exciting and still fun to watch.
Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 1.33:1 full-screen picture; English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; French 5.1 DTS-HDHR, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital and English original theatrical mix; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles; DVD: 1.33:1 full-screen picture; English, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital and English original theatrical mix; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Supplemental materials include the new animated short, “The Further Adventures of Thunderbolt”; “Dalmatians 101” hosted by Cameron Boyce of the Disney Channel; conversations with the Disney team; and a 1961 “Walt Disney Presents” episode, “The Best Doggoned Dog in the World.”

Gracepoint
Release date: Jan. 27
Details: 2014, Fox Home Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A three-disc set containing all 10 episodes of this mystery series centering on the murder of a young boy whose body is found on a beach.
The case and investigation turns neighbor against neighbor, creates a media frenzy and causes more turmoil and anguish for the dead boy’s family.
The cast includes Michael Pena, Nick Nolte, Jacki Weaver and David Tennant.
Technical aspects: 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English Dolby Digital.
Don’t miss: Extras include a making of featurette, a look at the visual effects and a “Who Dunnit?” featurette.

King (Blu-ray)
Release date: Jan. 27
Details: 1978, Olive Films
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Paul Winfield and Cicely Tyson star as Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife, Coretta, in this TV miniseries that covers the Civil Rights leader’s ascension from a Baptist minister in Memphis to his assassination in 1968.
The series, written and directed by Abby Mann, is not as textured as the recent “Selma,” but remains a riveting drama, nonetheless.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio.
Don’t miss: Among the extras is a making of featurette; a conversation with Mann and singer Tony Bennett, who portrays himself in the film; a profile of the Civil Rights struggle; and a look at the Civil Rights movement.

Laggies (Blu-ray + Ultraviolet)
Details: 2014, Lionsgate
Rated: R, sexual situations, language, teen partying
The lowdown: A friendship comedy between a 28-year-old woman (Keira Knightley) not ready to grow up and a 16-year-old girl (Chloe Grace Moretz) who is wondering about life after high school.
Knightley’s Megan panics after her boyfriend proposes and hides out in the house Moretz’s Annika shares with her single dad (Sam Rockwell).
As the two young women share more time together, they both learn to grow up and get on with their lives.
Available at Redbox.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH, English and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: A featurette with director Lynn Shelton, deleted scenes, a featurette on shooting in Seattle and a commentary track comprise the extras.

Kink
Details: 2013, Dark Sky Films
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A documentary produced by James Franco about Kink.com, the largest Internet producer of BDSM content.
The film looks at how the website’s producers and models strive for authenticity and upholds a set of values that foster a safe, sane and consensual environment.
They aim to demystify and educate about the BDSM lifestyle.
Technical aspects: 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 Dolby Digital stereo; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: A trailer is the main extra.

Return to Me (Blu-ray)
Release date: Jan. 27
Details: 2000, Olive Films
Rated: PG, adult themes, language
The lowdown: David Duchovny stars in this romantic drama as a man devastated by the death of his wife in a car accident.
He cannot overcome his grief until he meets Grace (Minnie Driver), a waitress at a restaurant where he is a dining.
A strong connection is apparent, and that is because the heart of his late wife was transplanted into Grace, who had been suffering from heart disease since childhood.
Being a mainstream Hollywood film, everything works out fine for everyone in the end.
Actress-comedian Bonnie Hunt co-wrote the script and directed the film.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture. English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio.
Don’t miss: A deleted scene, a music video and a commentary track comprise the major bonus features.

Sirens: The Complete First Season
Release date: Jan. 27
Details: 2014, Fox Home Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A two-disc set featuring all 10 episodes of this comedy series about a group of Chicago’s EMTs.
Among the show’s creators is Denis Leary, so the comedy does come with some bite.
Technical aspects: 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English Dolby Digital.
Don’t miss: No extras.

“Spencer Tracy 3-Film Collection”
Release date: Jan. 27
Details: 1932-39, Fox Home Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: In the early 1930s, Spencer Tracy was a contract player at Fox, where he starred in several films, most of which were routine programmers.
He did solid work in all, but was mostly unhappy at the studio, so he left in the mid-1930s and signed with MGM.
This set features three of Tracy’s Fox features. “Me and My Gal” (1932) co-stars Joan Bennett, who 18 years later reteamed with the actor at MGM for “Father of the Bride”; “The Power and the Glory” (1933) was written by Preston Sturges and is one of the best films Tracy ever made; “Stanley and Livingstone” (1939) marked a homecoming for the actor, who was borrowed from MGM to portray the newspaperman who sent to Africa to search for the famed missionary-explorer.
The set is part of the Fox Cinema Archives series and can be found at www.foxconnect.com or other online retailers.
Technical aspects: 1.33:1 full-screen picture.
Don’t miss: No bonus materials.

A Hole in the Head (Blu-ray)
Release date: Jan. 27
Details: 1959, Olive Films
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Frank Sinatra stars in this family comedy directed by the great Frank Capra.
Sinatra plays a widowed father living beyond his means and struggling to raise his young son. He reaches out to his older brother for help, claiming the boy is sick and he needs money.
This, of course, sets off a chain-reaction of misunderstandings and recriminations that are smoothed over by the time the lights come up.
The movie co-stars Edward G. Robinson, Eddie Hodges, Eleanor Parker, Carolyn Jones and Thelma Riddle.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; English DTS-HD Master Audio.
Don’t miss: No supplemental materials.

Addicted (DVD + Ultraviolet)
Details: 2014, Lionsgate
Rated: R, strong sexual content, nudity, language, drug use
The lowdown: An erotic thriller about a married woman drawn into a sexual affair with a painter-sculptor.
She finds the artist irresistible and risks her career, family and dignity to satisfy her lustful fantasies.
Available at Redbox.
Technical aspects: 1.78:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital; English closed-captioned and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: A featurette on Zane, the author of the novel on which the film is based; deleted scenes; and a featurette on the making of the movie comprises the extras.

“Susan Hayward 3-Film Collection”
Release date: Jan. 27
Details: 1951-61, Fox Home Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Susan Hayward was a popular star who reached her peak in the 1950s, winning a best actress Academy Award for her performance as murderer Barbara Graham in “I Want to Live.”
The set features three films that show Hayward’s work in drama and comedy: “I Can Get It For You Wholesale” (1951), “Untamed” (1955) and “The Marriage-Go Round” (1961).
The set is part of the Fox Cinema Archives collection and can be found at www.foxconnect.com and other online dealers.
Technical aspects: 1.33:1 full-screen and 16:9 widescreen picture.
Don’t miss: No bonus features.

“Victor McLaglen 3-Film Collection”
Release date: Jan. 27
Details: 1935-38, Fox Home Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Victor McLaglen was an Academy Award-winning actor, picking up the statue for his role in John Ford’s “The Informer.”
McLaglen also was a member of Ford’s unofficial stock company, appearing in many of the director’s Westerns as well as the Oscar-winning “The Quiet Man.”
This set features three movies in which McLaglen appeared either as the lead or a supporting player. The films are “Professional Soldier” (1935) with Freddie Bartholomew and Gloria Stuart, “This Is My Affair” with Robert Taylor and Barbara Stanwyck and “Battle of Broadway” with Brian Donlevy and Louise Hovick, better known as famed stripper Gypsy Rose Lee.
The set is part of the Fox Cinema Archives series and 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.

Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons: The Complete Series
Details: 1967, Timeless Media Group
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Another of the Gerry Anderson productions that uses puppets as its main characters.
Set in the year 2068, this series focuses on Spectrum, which is tasked with defending Earth against the Mysterons, an ancient race from Mars.
Leading the battle is Captain Scarlet who has been rendered virtually invulnerable from the Mysterons because he has obtained their special power of retro-metabolism.
The set contains the entire series, all 832 minutes.
Technical aspects: 4×3 full-screen picture; English Dolby Digital monaural.
Don’t miss: Extras include an interview with Anderson, featurettes on the puppets, writing and directing and commentaries on a couple of episodes.

Other Blu-rays and DVDs being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated:

Family Classics: The Easter Promise/Addie and the King of Hearts (CBS DVD-Paramount Home Entertainment)
Greatest Heroes of the Bible: Volumes One, Two and Three (CBS DVD-Paramount Home Entertainment)
On Any Sunday: The Next Chapter (Red Bull Media House)
Quiero Amarte (Cinedigm)
Ernest Borgnine 2-Film Collection: The Best Things in Life Are Free/3 Brave Men (Fox Home Entertainment-Fox Cinema Archives, Jan. 27)
Fox Cinema Archives 3-Film Collection: Remember the Day/A Life in the Balance/Tonight We Sing (Fox Home Entertainment, Jan. 27)

FOR KIDS
A Mouse Tale (DVD + Ultraviolet) (Lionsgate)
Chugginton: Turbo Charged Chugger! (Anchor Bay Entertainment)
Digimon Fusion: Season One (Cinedigm-Flatiron Film Co.)
Digimon Tamers: The Official Third Season, Volume 1 (Cinedigm-Flatiron Film Co.)
Dora and Friends (Nickelodeon-Paramount Home Entertainment)
Dorothy in the Land of Oz (CBS DVD-Paramount Home Entertainment)
Peter & The Magic Egg (CBS DVD-Paramount Home Entertainment)
Power Rangers Super Megaforce: The Silver Warrior (DVD + Ultraviolet) (Lionsgate)
Puff the Magic Dragon (CBS DVD-Paramount Home Entertainment)
Strawberry Shortcake Double Feature (CBS DVD-Paramount Home Entertainment)
Tarzan (Blu-ray + DVD + Ultraviolet) (Lionsgate)
The Aviators (Blu-ray + DVD) (Cinedigm, Feb. 3)

Coming next week: Birdman
Game of Thrones: The Complete Fourth Season
Life Itself

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.