‘Mockingjay’ hungers for more action, less intrigue
By Bob Bloom
The following Blu-rays and DVDs are being released on Friday, March 6, and Tuesday, March 3:
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 (Blu-ray + DVD + Ultraviolet)
Release date: March 6
Details: 2014, Lionsgate
The lowdown: Katniss Everdeen reluctantly adopts the mantle of the Mockingjay to battle the evil President Snow and free Peta from his grasp.
The film is more political intrigue than action, basically setting the table for the all-out confrontation that ends this series.
The movie lacks the intensity of the first two features, but is carried along by Jennifer Lawrence’s sincere performance.
Available at Redbox.
Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.40:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English Dolby TrueHD Atmos mix, English 2.0 Dolby Digital for late-night listening, Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital and DTS Headphone X; English SDH, English and Spanish subtitles; DVD: 2.40:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital and English 2.0 Dolby Digital late-night listening; English closed-captioned, English and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus offerings include a making of featurette, commentary track, a tribute to Philip Seymour Hoffman, a songs of rebellion featurette, deleted scenes and a music video.
Foxcatcher (DVD + Ultraviolet)
Details: 2014, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: R, violence, drug use
The lowdown: Steve Carell received a best actor Academy Award nomination for his portrayal of eccentric multimillionaire John du Pont in this disturbing and creepy drama that is based on actual events.
The film 
co-stars Channing Tatum as Olympic gold-winning wrestler Mark Shultz and supporting actor Oscar nominee Mark Ruffalo as his brother, Dave.
The film, superbly directed by Bennett Miller, will make you feel twitch and squirm.
Available at Redbox.
Technical aspects: 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen picture; English, French and English audio descriptive track 5.1 Dolby Digital; English SDH, English, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus offerings include a making of featurette and deleted scenes.
Outlander: Season One, Volume One
Details: 2014, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A two-disc set featuring the first eight episodes of this Starz series based on Diana Gabaldon’s best-selling book series about a British combat nurse who, after walking through an ancient stone circle, finds herself in 1743 Scotland, where she faces danger and romance.
This has become one of Starz more popular series as it blends history, romance, sex, intrigue and fighting.
Technical aspects: 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby Digital; English SDH, English and French subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a look at the adapting the book series and a featurette on the costumes.
Blacula/Scream Blacula Scream (Blu-ray)
Details: 1972, 1973, Scream-Shout! Factory
Rated: PG, violence
The lowdown: Blaxploitation entered the horror field with these two features starring William Marshall as the vampire.
In “Blacula,” a racist Count Dracula puts the bite on an African prince who had sought his aid to abolish the slave trade. He curses the prince and renames him Blacula.
Two hundred years later, Blacula — his coffin shipped to Los Angeles — is awakened and begins his biting spree, all the while romancing a sister who is the spitting image of his late wife.
In “Scream Blacula Scream” the son of a voodoo high priestess unwittingly resurrects the vampire who resumes his blood-draining rampage.
Both movies are rather cheaply made, but are interesting in the way they mesh the stereotypes of the urban black action film and the horror genres.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Commentary tracks and a interview with “Scream Black Scream” actor Richard Dawson comprise the bonus features.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: 10th Anniversary Edition (Blu-ray)
Details: 2005, Warner Home Video
Rated: PG, mild language, strange situations, violence
The lowdown: Johnny Depp and director Tim Burton reunite for this retooled adaptation of Roald Dahl’s classic children’s book.
Depp gives his usual eccentric interpretation of Willy Wonka. Young Freddie Highmore costars as the main the Golden Ticket entry.
This anniversary release features a photo book and director’s letter.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby TrueHD and English, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include an in-movie experience as Burton explains how he brought to film to life as you are watching it. Other bonus offerings include a commentary, a featurette on turning one actor into hundreds of Oompa-Loompas, a behind-the-scenes look at the squirrel attack, a profile of Dahl and a music-track highlighting Danny Elfman’s score.
Kiss Me Kate (Blu-ray 3D)
Details: 1953, Warner Home Video
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Cole Porter wrote the music and lyrics for this adaptation of Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew.”
Howard Keel; and Kathryn Grayson star, with wonderful support from Ann Miller, Keenan Wynn, James Whitmore, Bob Fosse and Bobby Van.
The release is part of Warner’s Blu-ray Musicals Collection, which also includes “Singin’ in the Rain,” “The Band Wagon” and “Calamity Jane.”
To view “Kiss Me Kate” in 3-D, you will need a 3D HDTV, compatible 3D glasses, a Blu-ray 3D player or Playstation 3 System and a high-speed HDMI cable.
This release also includes a 2D version of the movie.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and English and French 1.0 Dolby Digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: A documentary “Cole Porter in Hollywood: Too Darn Hot,” hosted by Ann Miller, a featurette on New York City and a cartoon comprise the major bonus offerings.
The Humbling (Blu-ray)
Details: 2014, Millennium Entertainment-Alchemy
Rated: R, language, sexual situations, violence
The lowdown: Al Pacino stars as an aging suicidal stage actor trying to rekindle his passion for life.
He finds his spark in a young lesbian, played by Greta Gerwig, who has had a crush on the actor since she was a child.
The two begin a relationship that reinvigorates the actor, despite the disapproval of many of his friends.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 16×9 widescreen picture; English Dolby TrueHD; English SDH and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: A making of featurette is the major bonus offering.
The Better Angels
Details: 2014, Anchor Bay-Amplify
Rated: PG, mature themes, smoking
The lowdown: Terrence Malick produced this drama that looks at the childhood of Abraham Lincoln and the events that influenced and shaped his life.
The debut film from writer-director A.J. Edwards is lovely to look at, but also is somewhat pretentious and distant.
The stark black-and-white photography does add atmosphere to the project.
Technical aspects: 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby Digital; English SDH and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: No extras.
The Captive (Blu-ray + Ultraviolet)
Details: 2014, Lionsgate
Rated: R, violence and language
The lowdown: Ryan Reynolds and Rosario Dawson star in this thriller from writer-director Atom Egoyan about a father who, several years after the disappearance of his daughter, who risks everything he has to get her back, and the two detectives investigating the girl’s disappearance.
The movie does not hit on all cylinders and suffers from some narrative problems.
Available at Redbox.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.40:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH, English and Spanish subtitles.
Don’s miss: Among the bonus offerings are deleted scenes, an alternate ending, a featurette on the making of the film and a commentary track.
Innocence (Blu-ray)
Details: 2014, Cinedigm
Rated: PG-13, bloody violence, disturbing images, sexual content, drug content
The lowdown: A 16-year-old girl and her father move to Manhattan after her mother dies in a freak surfing accident.
She enrolls in an exclusive school, where she meets her first love. She also meets her teachers, some of whom will do anything to stay young, including killing students.
The film is not very original, but it does have a few goosebump moments.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, widescreen picture; English DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: No extras.
Tinker Bell and the Legend of the NeverBeast (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital HD)
Details: 2014, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
Rated: G
The lowdown: Tinker Bell and her friend, Fawn, are curious about the myth of a massive creature that is not welcome in Pixie Hollow.
Meanwhile the scout fairies are determined to capture the creature that they fear will destroy their homes.
Fawn though wants to rescue the beast and works to convince her friends to help her.
Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles; DVD: 1.78:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English, Spanish and French 5.1 Dolby Digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Among the bonus offerings are the essential ingredients to the making of the film, a featurette on the true story of the NeverBeast, a guide to real-world NeverBeasts, deleted scenes, a look at animal groupings, an introduction to the NeverBeast and a behind-the-scenes look at the film’s premiere.
Other Blu-rays and DVDs being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated:
The Dog Who Saved Easter (DVD + Ultraviolet) (Lionsgate)
Victori: The Truth Just Can’t Be One Thing (Garden Thieves Pictures)
DragonHeart 3: The Sorcerer’s Curse (Blu-ray + DVD + Ultraviolet) (Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Feb. 24)
Intruders (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Feb. 24)
Breaking Amish Los Angeles: Season 1 (Cinedigm, Feb. 17)
FOR KIDS
Bubble Guppies: Fin-Tastic Collection (Nickelodeon-Paramount Home Entertainment)
Lalaloopsy: Festival of Sugary Sweets (DVD + Ultraviolet) (Lionsgate)
Leap Frog Letter Factory Adventures: Amazing Word Explorers (DVD + Ultraviolet) (Lionsgate)
Paw Patrol: Marshall and Chase On the Chase! (Nickelodeon-Paramount Home Entertainment)
Julius Jr.: Pirates and Superheroes (DVD + Ultraviolet) (Lionsgate, Feb. 24)
Coming next week: Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb
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.
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