New to View: Feb. 16
By Bob Bloom
The following Blu-rays and DVDs are being released on Tuesday, Feb. 16:
Black Mass (Blu-ray + DVD + Ultraviolet)
Details: 2015, Warner Home Video
Rated: R, graphic violence, language, drug use, sexual references
The lowdown: Johnny Depp portrays a monster, Boston mobster James “Whitey” Bulger, a cold and barbaric killer, a psychopath who disdains the rules of civilized society and follows his own code, in this dark thriller.
The crux of “Black Mass” is the unholy alliance between Bulger and the FBI in the person of John Connolly, a fellow “Southie” who grew up with Bulger.
Depp dominates the movie. His Bulger is a cold-blooded reptile, a human cobra ready to strike at the slightest provocation. His eyes, which director Scott Cooper emphasizes in several close-ups, always are on the alert for betrayal or the slightest sign of weakness.
And that characteristic stands out while watching the film on a big-screen television. You get the feeling that the character is boring directly into you.
Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.40:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English 5.1 audio descriptive 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, Spanish and French subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a featurette on the manhunt for the real Bulger, a look at Depp’s transformation into Bulger and a featurette on the making of the movie.
Trumbo (Blu-ray + Ultraviolet)
Details: 2015, Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Rated: R, language, sexual references
The lowdown: The movie centers on screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, who in the late 1940s, led the opposition to the congressional witch hunt of Hollywood that was trying to discover and ferret out writers, performers and others who were believed to be communists or had communist leanings.
Bryan Cranston gives a wonderful performance as Trumbo, earning a best actor Academy Award nomination.
The problem with the movie is the dialogue; it seems as if Trumbo always is giving a speech or lecture, rather than simply talking.
What “Trumbo” needed more than anything was a rewrite by a screenwriter with the brains and talent of Dalton Trumbo.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: The major bonus offerings look at the real Trumbo as well as Cranston’s transformation into the writer.
The 33 (Blu-ray)
Details: 2015, Warner Home Video
Rated: PG-13, disaster sequences, language
The lowdown: A drama based on the 2010 disaster in which 33 Chilean miners were buried alive for 69 days while rescue operations were planned to bring them back to the surface.
Antonio Banderas and Lou Diamond Phillips head the cast of miners, while Juliette Binoche, James Brolin and Gabriel Byrne portray family members and rescue officials.
This story of courage and fortitude — unfortunately — cannot avoid the pitfall of clichés — both below and above the ground.
Despite, the drawbacks, “The 33” is compelling drama that looks and sounds great for home use.
The disaster sequences definitely transfer well to the home screen.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.40:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English 5.1 descriptive audio and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus offerings include a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the mine disaster and a look at the actual disaster, featuring news footage from around the world and interviews.
Girls: The Complete Fourth Season (Blu-ray + Ultraviolet)
Details: 2015, HBO Home Entertainment
Rated: TV-MA, sexual content, nudity, language
The lowdown: The Golden Globe-winning HBO comedy’s fourth season finds the 20-something young women creeping into maturity.
Writer-director-actor Lena Dunham and her fellow cast members, including Allison Williams, Jemma Kirke and Zosia Mamet, change directions in their lives as they attempt to leave their comfort zones.
Dunham’s Hannah attends the Iowa Writers Workshop in the hopes of becoming a serious writer, while Marnie (Williams) chases a musical career, Shoshanna (Mamet) graduates and begins job hunting and Jessa (Kirke) joins AA.
The set includes all 10 episodes combing humor, drama and heartbreak.
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: Among the bonus materials and deleted and extended scenes, an inside-the-episodes featurette, a making of featurette, a gag reel, Marnie’s “Riverside” performance, Marnie and Desi’s “Breathless” performance and seven commentary tracks.
Labyrinth of Lies (Blu-ray + Ultraviolet)
Details: 2015, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: R, sexual content
The lowdown: This German feature centers on a young prosecutor who, in 1958, begins to investigate a teacher who was recently identified as a former guard at the Auschwitz death camp.
Despite the protests of his superior, the prosecutor, Johann Radmann (Alexander Fehling), delves into the case and finds a web of denial and repression, but also idealization from people who want the truth known.
His crusade costs him professionally and socially, but what he uncovers will change Germany forever.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; German 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH, English and French subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a question-and-answer session at the Jewish Film Festival with director Giulio Ricciarelli and Fehling, deleted scenes and a commentary track with the director and star.
99 Homes (Blu-ray)
Release date: Feb. 9
Details: 2015, Broad Green Pictures
Rated: R, language, violence, sexual references
The lowdown: A single father, played by Andrew Garfield, is evicted from his home.
The only way he can get it back is to go to work for the businessman, played by Michael Shannon, who kicked him out.
The conflicted Garfield takes the job, knowing he has made a deal with the devil. His family’s security is his main priority until the situation escalates and turns more violent than he ever imagined.
Shannon’s performance has earned him a supporting actor Academy Award nomination as well as recognition from various critics and film groups.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.40:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and Spanish 5.1 DTS digital surround; English SDH and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: A deleted scene and a commentary track comprise the bonus offerings.
Togetherness: The Complete First Season (Blu-ray + Ultraviolet)
Details: 2015, HBO Home Entertainment
Rated: TV-MA, language, sexual content
The lowdown: Indie actor-directors Jay and Mark Duplass are the driving forces of this HBO series that follows four adults living under the same roof as the battle to keep their dreams and relationships working.
All are nearing 40 as the series examines the painful and, sometime comic, struggles these people face while remaining friends, spouses and siblings.
Technical aspects: 1.78:1 (16×9) widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French and German 5.1 DTS digital surround and Spanish 2.0 digital surround; English SDH, French, Spanish and German subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include inside looks at the episodes, deleted scenes and interviews with cast members Amanda Peet and Steve Zissis.
The Kid: Special Edition (Blu-ray)
Details: 1921, The Criterion Collection
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Charlie Chaplin expanded into feature films with this poignant comedy about The Tramp raising an orphan.
The film introduces Jackie Coogan, one of the earliest and most successful of child stars, whose performance is comedic as well as heartbreaking.
The making of the films was beset by problems as Chaplin was going through a nasty divorce at the time.
With “The Kid,” Chaplin set out to prove that he was a serious director not confined to the short-film format.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.33:1 full-screen picture; Music LPCM monaural.
Don’t miss: Bonus features include a commentary track with Chaplin historian Charles Maland, a video essay about Coogan, a program about silent films, interviews with Coogan and actress Lita Grey Chaplin, excerpts from interviews with Chaplin cameraman Rollie Totheroh and film distributor Mo Rothman, deleted scenes and title cards, “Charlie on the Ocean,” a 1921 newsreel covering Chaplin’s return to Europe, footage of Chaplin conducting his score from the film, a 1922 short featuring Chaplin and Coogan and an essay about the movie.
A Mighty Wind (Blu-ray)
Release date: Feb. 9
Details: 2003, Warner Archive Collection
Rated: PG-13, sex-related humor
The lowdown: Writer-director-actor Christopher Guest again assembles a cast of friends to improvise their way through this satiric look at 1960s-era folk musicians.
The strong comic cast includes Eugene Levy, who co-wrote the script, Catherine O’Hara, John Michael Higgins, Jane Lynch, Michael McKean, Parker Posey, Harry Shearer and Fred Willard.
For added support, there’s Bob Balaban, Ed Begley Jr., Jennifer Coolidge, Paul Dooley and Larry Miller.
The premise is that these onetime giants of folk reunite for a concert in New York.
The film, like most of the Guest and pals collaborations, is hilarious.
This is a Warner Archive Collection release that can be found at www.wbshop.com or other online dealers.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include additional scenes, a commentary track, a live TV broadcast of the New York concert and “Vintage” TV appearances of the bands.
“The Vincent Price Collection III” (Blu-ray)
Details: 1961-70, Scream Factory
Rated: Not rated, R, violence
The lowdown: Vincent Price stars in five more tales of horror and fright making their debut on Blu-ray.
This set includes “Master of the World” (1961), “Tower of London” (1962), “Diary of a Madman” (1963), “An Evening of Edgar Allan Poe” (1970) and the R-rated “Cry of the Banshee” (1970).
With the exception of “Tower of London,” the rest of the films are in color.
In the 1960s and early ‘70s, Price was the undisputed go-to actor for Gothic thrillers. He made a series of films based on the works on Poe for American-International Pictures, most of which were directed by Roger Corman.
Price never played down in these roles, taking his acting seriously and, when called for, having his tongue firmly planted in his cheek.
These films offer some fine examples of his acting prowess.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, widescreen and full-screen presentations; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio and monaural.
Don’t miss: A plethora of extras, including profiles of screenwriter Richard Matheson, commentaries, interviews, behind-the-scenes photos, posters and trailers.
Death by Hanging: Special Edition (Blu-ray)
Details: 1968, The Criterion Collection
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A dark satire, made in the late 1960s as part of Japan’s New Wave period, focuses on a Korean man sentenced to death who survives his execution.
The event creates a frantic problem for Japanese officials about what to do next, since they cannot execute him again.
The movie is surreal and subversive, a political statement about capital punishment as well as the treatment of Korean immigrants in Japan.
The movie’s director, Nagisa Oshima, was one of the most influential of Japan’s New Wave filmmakers.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; Japanese LPCM monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include Oshima’s 1965 experimental short documentary, “Diary of Yunbogi,” an interview with film critic Tony Rayns and an essay about the film with a statement about the movie by Oshima.
“The Taviani Brothers Collection” (Blu-ray)
Details: 1982-93, Cohen Film Collection
Rated: R, not rated
The lowdown: The Taviani brothers are among Italy’s most prestigious moviemakers.
This set includes three of their movies, “The Night of the Shooting Stars” (1982, not rated), “Kaos” (1984, R) and “Padre Padrone” (1993, R).
“The Night of the Shooting Stars,” which won multiple awards at the Cannes film festival, tells of a night in 1944 when a small Tuscan town defied their Nazi occupiers. “Kaos” adapts five short stories by Luigi Pirandello. “Padre Padrone” deals with a family curse and its origins.
All three films are rich with atmosphere and production values.
Technical aspects: Widescreen pictures; Italian Dolby digital monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Interviews with the Taviainis are the major bonus features.
These Three
Release date: Feb. 9
Details: 1936, Warner Archive Collection
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Miriam Hopkins, Merle Oberon and Joel McCrea star in this watered down adaptation of Lillian Hellman’s 1934 play, “The Children’s Hour.”
William Wyler directed and Hellman adapted the play, changing the substance of the lie that is the center of the movie from lesbianism to a romantic triangle, but it still retains its power.
A young Bonita Granville plays the vindictive student, earning a best supporting actress Academy Award nomination.
This was the first of eight movies Wyler directed for producer Samuel Goldwyn. The two fought many times because Goldwyn loved to interfere, but Wyler learned to adapt and, despite the intrusions, made some classic films for the producer.
The movie is a video-on-demand DVD-R release from the Warner Archive Collection and can be found at www.wbshop.com and other online dealers.
Technical aspects: 1.37:1 (4×3) full-screen picture; English Dolby digital monaural.
Saints and Strangers
Details: 2015, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This miniseries focuses on the Pilgrims’ dangerous voyage to the New World, their battle for survival and their relationship with the Native Americans they encounter.
A tense alliance is formed and tested as the Pilgrims work for a foothold in America, while the Indians keep a wary eye on the newcomers.
The series offers a new perspective on these early settlers and the men and women who helped create this nation.
Technical aspects: 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, English and French subtitles.
Don’t miss: Deleted scenes comprise the major bonus offering.
The Cowboy and the Lady
Release date: Feb. 9
Details: 1938, Warner Archive Collection
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Gary Cooper and Merle Oberon star in this Samuel Goldwyn-produced romantic comedy about a rich girl (Oberon) and a slow-talking rodeo cowboy (Cooper).
The two meet on a blind date during which Oberon’s Mary Smith falls madly in love, impulsively marrying her cowpoke aboard a ship to Galveston.
There are the usual bumps in the road until true love wins out and the pair is united to live happily ever after.
The release is a movie-on-demand DVD-R from the Warner Archive Collection and can be found at www.wbshop.com or other online sellers.
Technical aspects: 1.37:1 (4×3) full-screen picture; English Dolby digital monaural.
Paulette (Blu-ray)
Release date: Feb. 9
Details: 2013, Cohen Media Group
Rated: R, sexual content, language
The lowdown: A French import about Paulette (Bernadette Lafont), an opinionated retiree, who discovers an interesting — and illegal — method to supplement her pension.
Paulette begins selling cannabis and becomes rather successful in her new endeavor.
The movie is charming and amusing.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, widescreen picture; French DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Deleted scenes comprise the major bonus feature.
Other Blu-rays and DVDs being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated:
FOR KIDS
Blaze and the Monster Machines: Rev Up and Roar! (Nickelodeon-Paramount Home Entertainment)
The Brady Kids: The Complete Animated Series (CBS DVD-Paramount Home Entertainment)
Hatched (Cinedigm)
Wiener Dog Internationals (DVD + Ultraviolet)
Digital downloads
The Danish Girl (Universal Studios Home Entertainment)
Coming next week: Spotlight
The Good Dinosaur
Secret in Their Eyes
My All American
Bob Bloom is a member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. He reviews movies, Blu-rays and DVDs for ReelBob (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.