New to View: ‘Exodus’ relies more on special effects than biblical reverence
By Bob Bloom
The following Blu-rays and DVDs are being released on Tuesday, March 17:
Exodus: Gods and Kings (Blu-ray + Ultraviolet)
Details: 2014, Fox Home Entertainment
Rated: PG-13, violence, disturbing images
The lowdown: Ridley Scott’s retelling of the story of Moses and his freeing of the Hebrew slaves from Egypt is less on pomp and biblical reverence than the classic Cecil B. DeMille treatments.
Christian Bale is a man-of-action Moses in this feature that uses the latest visual effects to bring the plagues of Egypt to the screen.
Available at Redbox.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.40:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and Spanish and French 5.1 Dolby Digital; English SDH and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Among the extras are deleted and extended scenes, a historical guide and trivia track to the Exodus and a commentary track.
Penguins of Madagascar (Blu-ray + DVD + Ultraviolet)
Details: 2014, Fox Home Entertainment
Rated: PG, rude humor
The lowdown: Those funny penguins from the “Madagascar” movies finally get their own film — but with mixed results.
In this feature, the penguins join forces with the elite North Wind to help save the world.
Among the new vocal talent joining the fun are Benedict Cumberbatch and John Malkovich, who joins the returning Tom McGrath, Chris Miller and Christopher Knight.
Available at Redbox.
Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English, French and Spanish 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles; DVD: 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital and French 2.0 Dolby Digital: English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a “Top Secret Guide to Becoming an Elite Agent,” a “He Is Dave” music video, a dance featurette, a “Celebrate” music video, a “Do the Penguin Shake with tWitch” lesson, a deleted scene, a “Madagascar” mash-up, a “Global Flight Plan” featurette and a “Cheezy Dibbles Ad” featurette.
Annie (DVD + Ultraviolet)
Details: 2014, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: PG, language, rude humor
The lowdown: This remake of the Broadway hit, as well as the ill-advised 1982 John Huston musical, fails to spark the imagination.
The acting is pedestrian and the musical numbers are badly staged. The music is the only thing that holds up.
Available at Redbox.
Technical aspects: 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen picture; English, English audio descriptive track, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital; English SDH, English, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: A making of featurette, commentary track and music video comprise the major bonus offerings.
Ride the Pink Horse: Special Edition (Blu-ray)
Details: 1947, The Criterion Collection
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Robert Montgomery directed and starred in this film noir thriller about an ex-GI who comes to a small New Mexico town to shake down a gangster who killed his best friend.
Co-star Thomas Gomez, who portrayed a friendly carnival worker, was the first Hispanic actor to receive an Academy Award nomination.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 full-screen picture; English LPCM monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: A commentary track featuring film noir historians Alain Silver and James Ursini, an interview with film historian and author Imogen Sara Smith, a “Lux Radio Theatre” adaptation of the movie and an essay about the film comprise the major supplemental offerings.
Turn: Washington’s Spies: The Complete First Season (Blu-ray + Ultraviolet)
Details: 2014, Anchor Bay Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This three-disc set contains all 10 first-season episodes of the AMC series about spies during the American Revolution.
The series centers on Abraham Woodhull, a farmer living in British-occupied Long Island, who bands together with a group of childhood friends to spy on the enemy as their way of fighting for what they believe.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby TrueHD; English SDH and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a featurette on the history of Washington’s spies, deleted scenes and a behind-the-scenes look at going from art to image.
The Last of Robin Hood
Release date: March 3
Details: 2014, Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Rated: R, sexual situations, language
The lowdown: Kevin Kline stars as Errol Flynn in this tawdry tale about the last years of Flynn’s life in which he had an affair with 15-year-old aspiring starlet Beverly Aadland.
The relationship brought Flynn some more notoriety as the actor continued to decline because of booze and drugs.
Technical aspects: 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen picture; English, Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese 5.1 Dolby Digital surround; English SDH, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Thai, Korean, Indonesian, Cantonese and Mandarin subtitles.
Don’t miss: No bonus features.
Star Trek: The Original Series — Captain Kirk’s Boldest Missions
Details: 1966-68, CBS DVD-Paramount Home Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A two-disc set featuring eight iconic episodes from the original “Star Trek” series including such favorites as “The City on the Edge of Forever,” “Space Seed,” “Balance of Terror,” “Mirror, Mirror,” “The Doomsday Machine” and “Return to Tomorrow.”
The set explores the legacy of Capt. Kirk by putting him in the spotlight through these episodes.
Technical aspects: 4×3 full-screen picture; English 5.1 Dolby Digital; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include an introduction William Shatner and Joan Collins and featurettes on what makes a good captain, the importance of the “Captain’s Log” and Kirk’s legacy.
Dexter: Most Shocking Episodes
Details: 2006-12, CBS DVD-Paramount Home Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This three-disc set contains the 10 most shocking episodes of this popular Showtime series about a vigilante serial killer.
The show aired for eight seasons and the body count was formidable as Dexter exacted his own brand of justice, all the while fighting his urges and to keep his secret.
Technical aspects: 16:9 widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby Digital surround and Spanish 2.0 Dolby Digital stereo; English closed-captioned.
Don’t miss: A three-part documentary on “Dissecting Dexter,” a look at the kill room, the first two chapters of “Dexter in the Dark” and the first episode of “Penny Dreadful” make up the major supplemental materials.
The Breakfast Club: 30th Anniversary Edition (Blu-ray + Ultraviolet)
Release date: March 10
Details: 1985, Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Rated: R, language
The lowdown: John Hughes’ teen drama has reached cult status as it tells its story of a group of high school students thrown together in a Saturday detention.
The cast includes Emilio Estevez, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, Ally Sheedy and Anthony Michael Hall.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: A 12-part documentary on the making of the film and its impact, a look at the origins of “The Brat Pack,” a commentary track and a “Breakfast Club” trivia track comprise the bulk of the major bonus offerings.
Maude: The Complete Series
Details: 1972-78, Shout! Factory
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Norman Lear created this series as a counterweight to the conservatives views spouted by “All in the Family’s” Archie Bunker.
And as obnoxious as Archie could be in his opinions, Maude, as portrayed by Bea Arthur, could be just as strident in her liberal outlook.
This 19-disc set features all 141 episodes of this hit CBS series that pushed the boundaries of network television with its honesty and look at topical issues of the day.
Technical aspects: Full-frame picture; English Dolby Digital; English closed-captioned.
Don’t miss: Extras include a 40-page commemorative book, two “All in the Family” episodes featuring Maude; a syndication sales presentation hosted by Lear, a featurette about “Maude,” a “Everything But Hemorrhoids: Maude Speaks to America” featurette and “Memories of Maude” featuring interviews with costars Bill Macy and Adrienne Barbeau.
Son of a Gun (Blu-ray + Ultraviolet)
Details: 2014, Lionsgate
Rated: R, graphic and bloody violence, language, nudity, sexual situations, drug use
The lowdown: Ewan McGregor stars in this crime thriller about a criminal who enlists a 19-year-old to accompany him and his crew on a gold heist.
But, like in the majority of such genre features, things go wrong, creating a deadly cat-and-mouse game that litters the landscape with corpses.
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’t miss: A making of featurette and a commentary track comprise the major bonus offerings.
Last Phases: Night of the Lone Wolf (Blu-ray)
Release date: March 10
Details: 2014, Dark Sky Films
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A blind war veteran moves to what he believes is a peaceful community only to discover that there’s a monster terrorizing his neighborhood.
The victims include his elderly neighbor and his seeing eye dog. The veteran goes on the hunt after being stonewalled by police and fellow town residents.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby Digital; English and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Among the extras are a making of featurette, an FX look at the film and a commentary track.
My Girl (Blu-ray + Ultraviolet)
Details: 1991, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: PG
The lowdown: Anna Chlumsky, Macaulay Culkin, Dan Aykroyd and Jamie Lee Curtis star in this coming-of-age story about an 11-year-old tomboy obsessed with death.
Culkin is Thomas J., the boy next door, who shares a summer of adventure, fun and romance with Chlumsky’s Veda Sultenfuss.
This is a warmhearted and appealing feature that includes grounded performances by its adult costars.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English and Portuguese 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; Italian, German, Spanish and Japanese Dolby Digital surround; English SDH, English, Portuguese, Arabic, Belgian, Czech, Danish, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Polish, Spanish, Swedish and Turkish subtitles.
Don’t miss: An original behind-the-scenes featurette, a day on the set featurette and a commentary track comprise the major bonus offerings.
The Big Shot
Release date: March 3
Details: 1942, Warner Home Video
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A year after starring as Sam Spade in “The Maltese Falcon,” Humphrey Bogart was again playing a gangster, although a reluctant one unwilling to participate in an armored car robbery.
But, being an ex-con, he is framed and returns to prison where only the love of a good woman keeps him from reverting to his old ways.
The release is part of the Warner Archive Collection and can be found at www.warnerarchive.com, www.wbshop.com or other Internet retailers.
Technical aspects: 1.37:1 (4×3) full-screen picture; English Dolby Digital monaural.
Don’t miss: No bonus offerings.
Anthony Adverse
Release date: March 3
Details: 1936, Warner Home Video
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Fredric March plays the title role in this adaptation of the Hervey Allen best-seller about the struggles of Anthony Adverse to claim his rightful place in the world despite his illegitimate birth.
The movie features Gale Sondergaard, the first winner of the best supporting actress Academy Award. The film won three other Oscars, including best score by the great Erich Wolfgang Korngold.
The movie, a part of the Warner Archive Collection, also features Claude Rains, Olivia de Havilland, Anita Louise, Donald Woods, Louis Hayward and Edmund Gwenn, and can be found at www.warnerarchive.com, www.wbshop.com or other online retailers.
Technical aspects: 1.37:1 (4×3) full-screen picture; English Dolby Digital monaural.
Don’t miss: A featurette on the making of the movie is the major extra.
Pioneer (Blu-ray)
Release date: March 10
Details: 2014, Magnolia Home Entertainment
Rated: R, language
The lowdown: A thriller set during the 1980s, the onset of the Norwegian oil boom, when vast oil and gas deposits were discovered in the North Sea.
Authorities want to bring the oil to shore through a pipeline set 500 meters deep in the Norwegian Sea. A famed diver, obsessed with reaching the bottom of the Norwegian Sea, takes on the mission of helping with the pipeline.
But tragedy strikes and changes his perception of everything.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; English and Norwegian 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH, English and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: A behind-the-scenes featurette, an AXS TV look at the film, a making of featurette and a look at three of the film’s actors working on set comprise the major bonus offerings.
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. — The Complete Series
Release date: March 10
Details: 1964-69, CBS DVD-Paramount Home Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A 24-disc set featuring all 150 half hour episodes of this spinoff from “The Andy Griffith Show,” starring Jim Nabors as Gomer Pyle, late of Mayberry, and now of the United States Marine Corps.
The core of the series is Pyle’s innocence and naiveté as opposed to his blustering Sgt. Carter (Frank Sutton).
This was a series that appealed more to small-town and rural America than the metropolitan areas of the nation.
Technical aspects: 4×3 full-screen picture; English Dolby Digital monaural; English closed-captioned.
Don’t miss: Among the extras are introductions to select episodes by Nabors, commentaries on select episodes, the pilot episode from “The Andy Griffith Show,” a “Lucy Show” episode featuring Nabors, Nabors on “The David Frost Show” and a clip from the “Jim Nabors Hour.”
The Adventures of Mark Twain
Release date: March 3
Details: 1944, Warner Home Video
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Fredric March portrays the famed creator of “Tom Sawyer” and “Huckleberry Finn” in this fanciful biography of the author and humorist.
This Hollywood biography doesn’t let the facts get in the way of a good story, so just the basic outlines of Twain’s life are highlighted.
The release is part of the Warner Archive Collection and can be found at www.warnerarchive.com, www.wbshop.com or other online outlets.
Technical aspects: 1.37:1 (4×3) full-screen picture; English Dolby Digital monaural.
Don’t miss: No bonus materials.
Troop Beverly Hills (Blu-ray + Ultraviolet)
Details: 1989, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: PG
The lowdown: Shelley Long appeared in various films, hoping to transfer the popularity she gained as a star on TV’s “Cheers” to the big screen.
Most of her attempts fell short, including this comedy about a rich Beverly Hills wife and mother who tries to win her husband back by showing she can be creative and energetic.
Her plan is to become the leader of her daughter’s Wilderness Girl’s troop, which leads to all kinds of formulaic and clichéd situations.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and French Dolby Digital monaural; English SDH, English and French subtitles.
Don’t miss: Deleted scenes, a featurette with Long talking about the film and a talk with Ava Ostern Fries, the model for Long’s character, and how she inspired the film from her real-life experiences, comprise the extras.
Other Blu-rays and DVDs being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated:
Revelation: The End of Days (Lionsgate)
Vice (Blu-ray + Ultraviolet) (Lionsgate)
Matlock: Greatest Cases (CBS DVD-Paramount Home Entertainment, March 10)
Petticoat Junction: Family Favorite Episodes (CBS DVD-Paramount Home Entertainment, March 10)
Code Black (Music Box Films, Feb. 24)
Watchers of the Sky (Music Box Films, Feb. 17)
FOR KIDS
Wolfy: The Incredible Secret (Random Media-Cinedigm)
Coming next week: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Into the Woods
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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