New to View: Sept. 20
By Bob Bloom
The following Blu-rays and DVDs are being released on Tuesday, Sept. 20, unless otherwise noted:
Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising (Blu-ray + DVD + Ultraviolet)
Details: 2016, Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Rated: R, nudity, sexual content, language, drug use, teen partying
The lowdown: Seth Rogen, Rose Byrne and Zac Efron return for this lowbrow comedy sequel that finds Mac and Kelly Radner (Rogen and Byrne) ready to emotionally enter maturity, sell their home and live quietly in the suburbs.
But their plans are disrupted by their new neighbors — a hard-partying group of sorority girls led by a wild Chloe Grace Moretz as Shelby.
The Radners call in former antagonist, now ally, Teddy (Efron), to help take down the young women of Kappa Nu.
Those who enjoyed the original film should have fun with this loud and loose sequel.
Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.40:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English 2.0 audio descriptive 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 audio descriptive track; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a making of featurette, a line-o-rama featurette, a gag reel, deleted scenes, a behind-the-scenes look at the return of the brothers from the Delta Psi fraternity, a look at the women of Kappa Nu, a behind-the-scenes look at the big tailgate sequence and a commentary track.
Beauty and the Beast: 25th Anniversary Edition (Blu-ray + DVD + digital HD)
Details: 1991, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
Rated: G
The lowdown: Has it really been 25 years since Belle and the Beast captured our hearts?
The first animated feature to receive a best picture Oscar nomination is all dolled up for its 25th anniversary release that allows you to recapture the magic of this enchanting tale.
The film features an Academy Award-winning score and song by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman.
This set features four versions of the movie — the original theatrical release, an extended version with the “Human Again” song sequences, a sing-along version and, digitally, a work-in-progress version.
Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p, 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 widescreen picture; English, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Hours of extras are offered, including a featurette on Disney composers — past and present — and the influence of the film on their music and careers; a look at the recording sessions; an interview with Paige O’Hara, the voice of Belle; a behind-the-scenes look at Walt Disney’s earlier attempts at developing the film; 25 fun facts about the movie; and a sneak peek at the upcoming live-action retelling of the story.
Cat People: Special Edition (Blu-ray)
Details: 1942, The Criterion Collection
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This is the first of the classic horror films Val Lewton produced for RKO Pictures during the early and mid-1940s.
Lewton’s movies relied on the imagination of the audience to conjure terror, instead of displaying them on the screen.
“Cat People” stars Simone Simon as a Serbian refugee in Manhattan who believes that any physical intimacy with the man she loves, played by the rather bland Kent Smith, will turn her into a catlike predator.
The movie, directed by Jacques Tourneur, uses shadows and stylistic camerawork to create an atmosphere in which the moviegoer must decide whether Simon’s transformation are real or a figment of her imagination.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 full-screen picture; English LPCM monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a 2005 commentary wit film historian Gregory Mank that include excerpts from an interview with Simon, a 2008 documentary, “Val Lewton: The Main in the Shadows,” a 1979 interview with Tourneur, an interview with cinematographer John Bailey about the look of the film and an essay about the movie.
The Meddler
Release date: Sept. 6
Details: 2016, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: PG-13, drug content, language
The lowdown: Susan Sarandon gives a performance that is as maddening as it is endearing in this feature about a widow who has no concept of personal boundaries.
Sarandon’s Marnie Minervini has been widowed for two years and has moved from New Jersey to Los Angeles to be near her daughter, Lori — a neurotic writer — vulnerably and angrily portrayed by Rose Byrne.
Marnie is adrift, spending most of her time hovering over her daughter, trying to help her through her various life challenges — and inserting herself into every aspect of Lori’s life.
Sarandon brings a universal quality to her portrayal. We all know mothers like Marnie — heck, some of us even have mothers who resemble her in one way or another.
Technical aspects: 2.39:1 anamorphic widescreen picture; English, French, Portuguese and Thai 5.1 Dolby digital and English 5.1 audio description track; English SDH, English, Chinese traditional, French, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish and Thai subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus materials include deleted scenes, a commentary track, a making of featurette and a featurette on the real Marnie.
A Bigger Splash (Blu-ray + DVD + Ultraviolet)
Release date: Sept. 6
Details: 2016, Fox Home Entertainment
Rated: R, nudity, sexual content, language, drug use
The lowdown: Ralph Fiennes, Tilda Swinton, Matthias Schoenaerts and Dakota Johnson star in this romantic drama about desire and sexual betrayal.
Swinton plays a famous rock star vacationing with her lover, portrayed by Schoenaerts, on a remote Italian island.
Their idyllic retreat is soon turned topsy-turvy by the arrival of her old flame, played by Fiennes and his daughter, Johnson.
This new dynamic creates a climate of jealousy, seduction and danger for all those involved.
Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English 5.1 audio description track and Spanish and French 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles; DVD: 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital; English 5.1 audio description track; Spanish and French 2.0 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus offerings include eight featurettes on various aspects of the making of the movie.
Aliens: 30th Anniversary Edition (Blu-ray + Ultraviolet)
Release date: Sept. 13
Details: 1986, Fox Home Entertainment
Rated: R, graphic violence, language
The lowdown: After 57 years in hypersleep, Ellen Ripley returns to planet LV-426 in James Cameron’s superior sequel that has become a science fiction classic.
Sigourney Weaver is back as Ripley, kicking ass as she protects a little girl who is the sole survivor of the planet’s colony, wiped out by the alien creatures.
This 30th anniversary edition contains the theatrical version as well as the 1991 special edition cut of the film.
No matter which version of the movie you watch, it remains a thrilling experience.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English 4.1 Dolby digital, English surround Dolby digital, French 5.1 DTS and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a commentary track, an introduction by Cameron to the special edition, deleted and extended scenes, James Horner’s final theatrical isolated score and his original isolated score, a featurette on the inspiration and design of the film, two making of featurettes, three pre-production galleries and a look at the casting.
Empire: The Complete Second Season
Release date: Sept. 13
Details: 2015-16, Fox Home Entertainment
Rated: TV-14, language, sexual situations, violence
The lowdown: This five-disc set features all 18 episodes of the hit Fox series starring Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson as Lucious Lyons and his former wife, Cookie, and the battles over their music empire.
The series deftly combines drama, music and romance with enough double-dealings and betrayals to keep you coming back for more.
During the second season, a betrayal forces the bickering family members to come together to protect what they have built and keep outsiders from taking over Empire Records.
An impressive list of guest stars visited the show, including Chris Rock, Alicia Keys, Ludacris, Vivica A. Fox, Marisa Tomei and Naomi Campbell.
Technical aspects: 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital and Spanish 2.0 Dolby digital surround; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include uncut music performances, an “Empire” around the globe USO tour, a Freda Gatz music video, studio sessions on various numbers and four featurettes on the look of the series.
“Bill and Ted’s Most Excellent Collection” (Blu-ray)
Details: 1988, 1991, Shout! Factory
Rated: PG
The lowdown: This offering from the Shout! Factory’s Shout Select line features Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter in 1988’s “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure” and 1991’s Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey.”
Bill and Ted are more interested in the music they make with their band, Wyld Stallyns, then schoolwork in “Excellent Adventure.”
About to flunk history, the duo are helped by Rufus (George Carlin), whose time traveling phone booth, allows them to call on the greatest names in history for help.
In “Bogus Journey,” evil lookalike robots are sent from the future to eliminate Bill and Ted, who then come face-to-face with the Grim Reaper, who helps them regain their righteousness.
Both films are innocuous and silly fun.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture (“Excellent Adventure”) and 1.85:1 widescreen picture (“Bogus Journey); English 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus offerings include featurettes looking back at the making of both films, featuring interviews with Reeves, Winter and others, commentaries, an air guitar tutorial, the linguistic stylings of Bill and Ted, a guitar pick and vinyl stickers for both movies.
Scorpion: Season Two
Release date: Sept. 13
Details: 2015-16, CBS DVD-Paramount Home Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A six-disc set highlighting all 24 second-season episodes of this popular CBS series about a group of geniuses who call themselves Scorpion and who use their collective brain power to solve the world’s most deadly problems and threats.
A tough, by-the-book Homeland Security agent, who, at times, is at odds with his charges, supervises the team.
The series delves into the personal lives of the team members as well as their adventures in the field.
Technical aspects: 16:9 widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH and Portuguese subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus offerings include a second season overview, commentaries on select episodes, deleted scenes, a featurette on the visual effects, a look at the show’s gadgets, a discussion with stars Eddie Kaye Thomas and Jadyn Wong about their characters’ relationship, a look at “Scorpion” the comic book, a gag reel and a featurette on the various locations used in the series.
Presenting Princess Shaw
Release date: Sept. 13
Details: 2016, Magnolia Home Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A documentary about Princess Shaw, an aspiring musician who so inspired YouTube artist Kutiman that the two collaborates, fulfilling Princess Shaw’s dreams of a career that brought her music to a new and growing audience.
Princess Shaw’s real name is Samantha Montgomery. By day, she cares for the elderly in one of New Orleans toughest neighborhoods.
At night, she dons her other persona and writes and sings her music on her YouTube channel, where Ophir Kutiel, known as Kutiman, discovered her.
Though 7,000 miles apart, the two begin to build a song.
The film spotlights generosity, compassion and artistry and the universal appeal of music and song.
Technical aspects: 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Deleted scenes and an interview with Princess Shaw comprise the major bonus components.
Pele: Birth of a Legend
Details: 2016, IFC Films
Rated: PG
The lowdown: A look at the life and career of the athlete who changed soccer and became one of the sport’s biggest worldwide stars.
The movie follows his life and career from the slums of Bauru, Brazil, to his leading his team to Brazil’s first World Cup.
Fans of the sport will really enjoy this feature.
Technical aspects: Widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: A making of featurette and behind-the-scenes shots are the main bonus offerings.
Batman Unlimited: Mechs vs. Mutants
Release date: Sept. 13
Details: 2016, Warner Home Video
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This animated feature from the DC Universe pits Batman, with the aid of Green Arrow, The Flash, Nightwing and Robin, against Mr. Freeze and a team of super-villains, including Bane, Clayface and Killer Croc, he has transformed into super-sized mutant monsters who are bashing Gotham City.
Fans of this series will love the action and the banter as the Dark Knight and his allies do their upmost to protect the citizens of Gotham.
Technical aspects: Widescreen picture; English, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: A bonus cartoon, “Night of the Batmen,” from the “Batman: The Brave & The Bold” series is the major extra.
Blue Bloods: The Sixth Season
Details: 2015-16, CBS DVD-Paramount Home Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: The Reagan family continues to protect New York on the streets and in the courtroom in this sixth season of the popular CBS series.
Whether facing terrorists threats, or hunting serial murderers, cop killers or escaped convicts, the family does all it can to fight crime in the Big Apple.
The family dynamic is one of the backbones of this drama as the Reagans gather every Sunday for dinner, no matter what is going on in the outside world.
Technical aspects: 16:9 widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH and Portuguese subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus materials include a two-part overview of the season, a Wilder trilogy that follows Danny Reagan’s fight for justice, a featurette on working with Donnie Wahlberg, cast and crew commentaries on select episodes, deleted and extended scenes, a gag reel and a behind-the-scenes featurette.
Where’s Huddles: The Complete Series (DVD-R)
Release date: July 26
Details: 1970, Warner Archive Collection
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This entry from the animated Hanna-Barbera Classic Collection centers on Ed Huddles, the quarterback for the Rhinos, his neighbor, Bubba McCoy, his center and their wives who try to keep these football players civilized.
This 10-episode series features the voices of Cliff Norton, the legendary Mel Blanc and comedian Paul Lynde as the disapproving neighbor of the Huddles and McCoy families.
The release is a made-on-demand DVD-R from the Warner Archive Collection and can be found at www.wbshop.com or other online dealers.
Technical aspects: 1.37:1 (4×3) full-screen picture; English Dolby digital monaural.
Gunsmoke: The Twelfth Season: Volumes 1 & 2
Details: 1966-67, CBS DVD-Paramount Home Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Two four-disc sets that feature all 29 action-packed episodes of this iconic, long-running TV adult Western.
This was the first season the series was broadcast in color, adding a bit of verve to the series as Marshal Matt Dillon (James Arness) fought bad guys who disrupted and threatened the peace and security of the citizens of Dodge City.
Such friends as Deputy Festus Haggen (Ken Curtis), Doc Adams (Milburn Stone) and saloon owner Miss Kitty (Amanda Blake) surround and help Dillon when needed.
Technical aspects: 4×3 full-screen picture; English Dolby digital monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Previews on select episodes are the major extras.
Other Blu-rays and DVDs being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated:
Dead End Drive-In (Blu-ray) (Arrow Video)
The Neon Dead (Wild Eye Releasing, Sept. 13)
In-Lawfully Yours (Cinedigm, Sept. 6)
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD and STREAMING
The Legend of Tarzan (Warner Home Video)
The Yellow House (Acorn TV, Sept. 23)
Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None (Acorn TV, Sept. 26)
Janet King: Series 2, Episode 6 (Acorn TV, Sept. 26)
Jericho of Scotland Yard (Acorn TV, Sept. 26)
The Night of (HBO Home Entertainment, Sept. 26)
The Yorkshire Vet, Series 1 (Acorn TV, Sept. 26)
Coming next week: The Shallows
Warcraft
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.