New to View: April 12
By Bob Bloom
The following Blu-rays and DVDs are being released on Tuesday, April 12:
The Forest (Blu-ray + Ultraviolet)
Details: 2016, Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Rated: PG-13, disturbing content and images
The lowdown: A young woman heads to Japan to search for her sister who disappeared in that nation’s infamous Suicide Forest.
In this psychological horror-thriller, the young woman, played by “Game of Thrones” Natalie Dormer, finds a world tormented by angry spirits waiting to pounce on those who ignore warnings not to stray from the forest’s path.
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: Bonus materials include a featurette exploring “The Forest,” a commentary track, storyboards and photo galleries.
Grace and Frankie: Season One
Details: 2015, Lionsgate Home Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin star in this Netflix’s comedy series about two women who have been at odds with each other for years, but who are forced to come together and forge an unlikely bond after their husbands, played by Martin Sheen and Sam Waterston, ask for divorces so they can marry each other.
The interaction between Fonda and Tomlin is the main reason to watch the series, though Sheen and Waterston do hold their own in their secondary roles.
The three-disc set features the entire first season.
Technical aspects: 1.90:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Among the supplemental offerings are a sneak peek at the second season, a featurette on the making of the series, a gag reel and commentaries on several episodes.
The Lady in the Car With Glasses and a Gun (Blu-ray)
Details: 2016, Magnolia Home Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A psychological thriller about a secretary who steals her boss’ sports car and drives to a seaside town where everyone seems to recognize her and know her name, even though she swears she has never set foot in the vicinity prior to her visit.
To make matters even stranger, she becomes the prime suspect in a murder when a body shows up in the trunk of the “borrowed” car.
Now the young woman has two mysteries to solve: who was murdered and why, and how do the townspeople know her despite her claim that she has never visited the place.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English and French 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH, English and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: An interview with the movie’s director and a look at her paintings comprise the major bonus features.
Only Angels Have Wings: Special Edition (Blu-ray)
Details: 1939, The Criterion Collection
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Legendary director Howard Hawks was behind the camera for this classic drama centering on an airmail company that services towns in dangerous and remote mountainous terrain.
Cary Grant plays the daredevil pilot who heads the company, Jean Arthur is the traveling entertainer who becomes involved with Grant, while Rita Hayworth plays “the other woman.”
The cast also includes Thomas Mitchell and Richard Barthelmess.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 full-screen picture; English LPCM monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Among the bonus offerings are excerpts from a 1972 interview between Hawks and filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich, a new interview with film critic David Thomson, a documentary, “Howard Hawks and His Aviation Movies,” with film scholars Craig Barron and Ben Burtt, a 1939 “Lux Radio Theatre” adaptation of the movie with Grant, Arthur, Hayworth, Mitchell and Barthelmess and an essay by critic Michael Sragow.
Justice League vs. Teen Titans (Blu-ray + DVD + Ultraviolet)
Details: 2016, Warner Home Video
Rated: PG-13, fantasy action violence, suggestive images
The lowdown: A frustrated Robin leaves the Justice League to work with the Teen Titans in this new animated feature from the DC Universe.
There, he teams up with Raven, Beast Boy, Starfire, Blue Beetle and Nightwing.
Trouble looms after Raven’s father, Trigon, escapes from an inter-dimensional prison and begins spreading his demonic forces around the world. He also infiltrates the minds of the Justice League members, forcing them to do his bidding.
It is up to the Teen Titans to save Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and Cyborg, capture Trigon and return him to prison and save the planet.
Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French and Spanish (Latin) 5.1 Dolby digital and 2.0 Spanish (Castilian); English SDH and French subtitles; DVD: 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English, French and Spanish (Latin) 5.1 Dolby digital and 2.0 Spanish (Castilian); English SDH and French subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include featurettes on growing up Titan, Raven and Trigon; two bonus cartoons from the DC Comics vault, plus a sneak peek at the next movie, “Batman: The Killing Joke.”
Bride of Re-animator: Limited Edition (Blu-ray)
Details: 1989, Arrow Films
Rated: R, not rated, graphic violence, nudity
The lowdown: In this gory sequel, Dr. Herbert West (Jeffrey Combs), undeterred by the failure of his initial experiment as well as its bloody aftermath, continues in research into re-animation.
This time, he plans to create life by starting with the heart of his young protégé’s deceased lover, Meg.
Of course, things go south again, allowing some gross and outrageous special effects by Screaming Mad George, to take center stage.
This three-disc set features the R-rated and unrated versions of the movie, which was directed by Brian Yuzna, as well as a DVD.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 PCM stereo; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: The set offers several extras, including a featurette on the special effects that includes interviews with the team of magicians who created them; deleted scenes; a featurette with Yuzna looks back on the making of the movie, two commentary tracks, a collector’s booklet and an archive making of featurette.
A Tale of Two Cities (Blu-ray)
Details: 1980, Shout! Factory
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Chris Sarandon takes on the duel role of London lawyer Sydney Carton and French aristocrat Charles Darnay in this made-for-TV miniseries adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic.
As most people know, the story is set against the backdrop of the French Revolution and centers on Lucie (Alice Krige), who both men love and who one is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to protect and save.
The cast also includes Peter Cushing, David Suchet and Barry Morse.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Too Busy to Work (DVD-R)
Release date: April 5
Details: 1932, Fox Home Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Will Rogers was more than an entertainer. He was a newspaper columnist, a satirist and an observer of the American character.
He also made movies — silent and sound.
In “Too Busy to Work,” Rogers plays a Depression-era vagabond who is searching for his wife and daughter, who left him years earlier.
During his travels, he meets and is assisted by a diverse assortment of characters.
The release is a made-on-demand DVD-R from the Fox Cinema Archives collection and can be found at www.foxconnect.com and other online dealers.
Technical aspects: 4×3 full-screen picture.
Village of the Damned: Collector’s Edition (Blu-ray)
Details: 1995, Scream Factory
Rated: R, violence, science fiction terror
The lowdown: Christopher Reeve and Kirstie Alley star in John Carpenter’s Americanized adaptation of the early 1960s British science fiction feature.
The story is set in the coastal town of Midwich where, after an unseen alien force invades, 10 women find themselves pregnant.
Reeve and Alley play doctors who join forces when the women give birth simultaneously.
As the children grow, so does the terror.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Supplemental materials include a making of featurette, a featurette on revisiting the movie’s shooting locations, a profile of Carpenter and vintage interviews and behind-the-scenes footage.
You’re My Everything (DVD-R)
Release date: April 5
Details: 1949, Fox Home Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Dan Dailey and Oscar-winner Anne Baxter star in this musical about a successful stage dancer who gets a screen test.
When his wife steps in to help him, she gets a movie contract and becomes a major star, while he returns to the stage.
It’s kind of a silly story, conceived by longtime entertainer George Jessel.
The release is a made-on-demand DVD-R from the Fox Cinema Archives series and can be found at www.foxconnect.com or other online retailers.
Technical aspects: 4×3 full-screen picture.
Other Blu-rays and DVDs being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated:
Flight 7500 (DVD + Ultraviolet) (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)
The Kingdom of Zydeco (Blu-ray) (MVD Visual Entertainment, April 8)
Zydeco Crossroads: A Tale of Two Cities (Blu-ray) (MVD Visual Entertainment, April 8)
Sierra Baron (Fox Home Entertainment) (Fox Cinema Archives DVD-R, April 5)
FOR KIDS
Power Rangers Dino Forces: Resurgence (DVD + Ultraviolet) (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)
Power Rangers Wild Force: The Complete Series (Shout! Factory)
DIGITAL DOWNLOADS
The 5th Wave (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)
Ride Along 2 (Universal Studios Home Entertainment)
Coming next week: The Lady in the Van
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.