New to View: Oct. 11
By Bob Bloom
The following Blu-rays and DVDs are being released on Tuesday, Oct. 11, unless otherwise noted:
The Legend of Tarzan (Blu-ray + DVD + Ultraviolet)
Details: 2016, Warner Home Video
Rated: PG-13, action violence, sensuality, rude dialogue
The lowdown: The character of Tarzan has been around for more than a century. He has been the subject of dozens of books, films, comic books, comic strips, radio shows and television series.
He has been portrayed by many former athletes and bodybuilders who, to put it kindly, were no Laurence Olivier in the acting department.
Yet in all these incarnations, Tarzan has never encountered one facet — boredom. That is, until this latest recreation of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ classic hero.
For “The Legend of Tarzan,” the Lord of the Jungle is played by Alexander Skarsgard, who — to put it kindly — is a bland and wooden as one of the CGI trees set on his soundstage Africa.
Skarsgard displays so little emotion or expression, you wonder whether or not he actually is part of the cast. His physique looks as if he spent more time in the gym than the jungle.
The movie offers no wow moments or exciting sequences that make your blood race and adrenaline pump.
It is slowly paced, overrun with fake CGI animals, and feels like a high-school drama class adaptation of Burroughs’ classic creation.
Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.40:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English Dolby Atmos, English 5.1 Dolby digital audio descriptive track 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 and English 5.1 Dolby digital audio descriptive track; English SDH, Spanish and French subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a featurette on adapting Tarzan for a new generation of filmgoers, a look at creating the virtual jungle and a featurette on the works of the visual effects and stunt teams.
Mike & Molly: The Sixth and Final Season
Details: 2015-16, Warner Home Video
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A DVD set featuring the final 13 episodes of this popular CBS sitcom starring Melissa McCarthy and Billy Gardell.
In these final episodes Molly continues her writing career, which creates problems with her Chicago Police Department officer husband.
Adding to the couple’s problems is Molly parents living under the same roof as the couple.
Despite tensions at home and at work, Mike and Molly always work things out and cement their loving bond.
Technical aspects: Widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, English, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: A gag reel is the main bonus feature.
X-Men: Apocalypse (Blu-ray + DVD + digital HD)
Release date: Oct. 4
Details: 2016, Fox Home Entertainment
Rated: PG-13, action, destructive and fantasy violence, language, suggestive images
The lowdown: “X-Men: Apocalypse” plays like a TV summer rerun.
Granted, the movie is a sequel — with characters we have seen many times before.
But that is not what generates the uneasy vibe of déjà vu that envelops as the action unfolds on-screen.
It is much more than that: Situations, character conflicts and lines of dialogue seem to be repeated — and reiterated, again — from previous “X-Men” movies.
You have Erik Lensherr aka Magneto (Michael Fassbender) flip-flopping from good to bad to good again. You have Professor Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) continually reminding that no matter how heinous are Erik’s actions, good still resides within him.
Plus, Xavier and Eric continue to debate about the worth of mankind
— and whether or not humans will accept or shun mutants.
On and on it goes, as you look at your watch and wonder why they even bothered to make another X-Men movie.
It does not help that the film’s major villain — Apocalypse — wastes the talents of Oscar Isaacs, whose clichéd character is mostly a one-dimensional creation.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.40:1 widescreen picture; English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English 5.1 audio descriptive track, French 5.1 DTS and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, Spanish and French subtitles; DVD: 2.40:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital; English 5.1 audio descriptive track and Spanish and French 2.0 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus materials include a “X-Men: Apocalypse” Unearthed documentary, a wrap party video, deleted and extended scenes, a gag reel and commentary track.
Les Cowboys (Blu-ray)
Details: 2015, Cohen Media Group
Rated: R, violent images, drug use
The lowdown: A drama that begins at a country and Western gathering on a prairie in the east of France.
Alain (Francios Damiens), a pillar of his community, sees his life and family fall apart when his daughter disappears.
Alain and his son, Kid (Finnegan Oldfield), begin a furious search for the 16-year-old girl, even though it not only takes them far from home, but shows them dark and unsettling places they never thought they would experience.
John C. Reilly is among the film’s costars.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, widescreen picture; French, English, Arabic, Flemish and Pashto DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: A making of featurette is the major bonus component.
Carrie: Collector’s Edition (Blu-ray)
Details: 1976, Scream Factory
Rated: R, graphic violence, nudity, language
The lowdown: Sissy Spacek created an indelible portrait of a lonely teenager who, when provoked, unleashes horrifying powers in this adaptation of a Stephen King novel.
The film is one of the earliest adaptations of a King work and also one of the best.
Spacek, along with Piper Laurie as a religious-crazed mother, strong performances that earned both Academy Award nominations.
The story, of course, deals with Carrie’s powers of telekinesis, and how the taunting and cruel tricks perpetrated by her classmates as well as her psychotic mother, finally send her over the edge, creating a vengeance-seeking individual whose wrath kills dozens of people.
The movie was directed by Brian DePalma with a screenplay by Lawrence D. Cohen.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus options include new and archival interviews with several cast members and filmmakers, a featurette revisiting the locations, a featurette on visualizing the movie, a look at “Carrie: The Musical,” behind-the-scenes photos and a text gallery about Stephen King and the evolution of “Carrie.”
Sherpa (DVD + Ultraviolet)
Details: 2015, Lionsgate Home Entertainment
Rated: PG
The lowdown: A documentary that looks at the Napalese guides who, year after year, risk their lives to provide for their families, by helping Western mountain climbers ascend Mount Everest.
The film chronicles a 2014 expedition and a deadly avalanche that spurred the Sherpas to make a stand for human rights and respect after many were killed in the disaster.
The feature examines the Sherpas impact on Everest’s history and their continued legacy and relationship with the mountain and those challenging to climb it.
Technical aspects: 2.35:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital; English closed-captioned subtitles.
Don’t miss: A making of featurette and deleted scenes comprise the major bonus offerings.
The Thing: Collector’s Edition (Blu-ray)
Details: 1982, Scream Factory
Rated: R, graphic violence, disturbing images, language
The lowdown: John Carpenter’s remake of the classic sci-fi short story, “Who Goes There” by John W. Campbell, is miles apart from the 1951 original that featured James Arness as a giant carrot from outer space.
Carpenter’s version, using a screenplay by Bill Lancaster, is set in the Antarctic like the 1951 film. Here, however, the alien can assume the identity of any of the crew at the isolated research station, which gives special effects artist Albert Whitlock and special makeup effects expert Rob Bottin plenty of opportunities to show off their handiwork.
The cast, headed by Kurt Russell, also features Keith David, Wilford Brimley, David Glennon and Richard Masur.
Carpenter does a fine job of creating an atmosphere of claustrophobia and paranoia.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Among the bonus offerings are new and archival commentary tracks, new cast and crew interviews, a documentary on the creation of the movie, a making of featurette, outtakes, the network TV version of the movie, a trio of vintage featurettes about the film, a vintage product reel containing a condensed version of the film with alternate footage, behind-the-scenes footage, location scouting and production art and storyboards.
Eat That Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words
Release date: Sept. 27
Details: 2016, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: R, nudity, sexual references, language
The lowdown: Music fans will enjoy this documentary in which Frank Zappa talks about his life and career.
The movie uses rare and never-before-seen footage that showcases Zappa’s 30-year-career.
This 93-minute joy ride features the outspoken musician performing and riffing on various topics.
Even those who are not passionate followers of Zappa’s career will find this an entertaining and interesting feature.
Technical aspects: 1.33:1 full-screen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, English and French subtitles.
Feed the Beast: Season One (DVD + Ultraviolet)
Details: 2016, Lionsgate Home Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: David Schwimmer and Jim Sturgess star in this short-lived AMC series about a pair of dreamers who fulfill their wish of opening an upscale New York restaurant.
But to do so, they must navigate the darker world of petty criminals, corrupt officials, violent gangsters and their own demons.
AMC, to the chagrin of fans of the series, decided not to renew it after its first season.
Technical aspects: 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: A look at creating the first season, a look at the show’s food, a featurette on building the show, deleted scenes, a gag reel and commentaries comprise the bonus materials.
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town: 80th Anniversary Edition (Blu-ray + Ultraviolet)
Details: 1936, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Frank Capra directed this classic screwball comedy about a small-town innocent named Longfellow Deeds who heads to New York to collect a $20 million inheritance.
There, Deeds, wonderfully portrayed by Gary Cooper, becomes the target of ridicule thanks to a series of newspaper articles by cynical reporter Babe Bennett (Jean Arthur).
Bennett’s demeaning stories makes Deeds the joke of the city.
So, when Deeds discovers that his sweet girlfriend is actually the hard-boiled Bennett, he becomes disillusioned and decides to give his fortune away, a charitable act that Deeds’ crooked lawyer will go to any lengths to stop.
Capra won a best director Academy Award for the film, which has been restored to its pristine black-and-white presentation.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.33:1 full-screen picture; English DTS-HD Master Audio monaural and French, German, Portuguese and Spanish (Castilian and Latin American) monaural; English SDH, English, Arabic, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Hebrew, Hungarian, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish (Castilian), Swedish and Turkish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a featurette, “Frank Capra Jr. Remembers … Mr. Deeds Goes to Town,” a commentary track with Capra Jr. and a vintage advertising gallery.
Vikings: Season 4, Volume 1 (Blu-ray)
Release date: Oct. 4
Details: 2016, Fox Home Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: In the fourth season of this action-packed TV series, King Ragnar returns from battle gravely ill.
Ragnar’s marriage is not going well at the same time he faces challenges from his two sons.
The king seeks solace from his slave, Yidu.
In other action during the season, a defiant Rollo remains in Frankia while Queen Kwenthrith plots to reclaim Mercia. Plus, the mysterious Harald Finehair appears.
The three-disc set features all 10 episodes — original and extended versions — that looks at a bloody period of history when the strongest sword ruled.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French 5.1 DTS and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital.
Don’t miss: Supplemental options include commentaries, featurettes on the transformation of Rollo and the seafaring prowess of Vikings and an interactive sons of Ragnar piece.
Phantom of the Theatre
Details: 2015, Well Go USA Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A Chinese thriller about a haunted theater that includes a cast of vengeful spirits of a performance troupe murdered 13 years earlier.
The restless dead are awaiting the reopening of the theater so they can recruit some new victims.
This period drama is set about 1930 in Shanghai. The cast features Ruby Lin, Simon Yam and Tony Yang.
Technical aspects: 16:9 widescreen picture; Dolby digital 5.1 Mandarin; English and Chinese subtitles.
The Hills Have Eyes (Blu-ray)
Details: 1977, Arrow Video
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This is one of Wes Craven’s most memorable features.
A family takes a detour in route to Los Angeles. Their campervan breaks down in the middle of the desert, where the family finds itself at the mercy of a group of cannibals living in the surrounding hills.
The family, with their lives in the balance, are forced to fight back any way they can.
The movie is one of the seminal works in the American horror genre.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English LPCM monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include an interview with composer Don Peake, a commentary track, a making of featurette, a booklet with essays about the movie and a DVD-ROM of the original screenplay.
The Last King (Blu-ray)
Release date: Oct. 4
Details: 2016, Magnolia Home Entertainment
Rated: R, graphic and bloody violence, sexual content
The lowdown: A historical drama set in Norway during the Middle Ages.
A civil war is raging between Norwegian King Hakon and the Church’s Bishopmen. After an assassination attempt, the dying king reveals to his closest confidants that he has a newborn son.
Two Birch Leg fighters swear to protect the newborn from those wanting to end the king’s bloodline. To do so, they undertake a dangerous journey to return the son safely to his kingdom.
The film features some fine action sequences.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; Norwegian and English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH, English, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus offerings include an interview with actor Kristofer Hivju and a music video.
Francesca (Blu-ray + DVD + CD)
Release date: Sept. 27
Details: 2016, Unearthed Films-MVD Visual Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A horror feature about Francesca who, as a little girl, disappeared.
Fifteen years later she has resurfaced, but is not the same as before her experience.
About the same time that she has returned, a psychopath begins stalking the community, aiming to rid the city of impure and damned souls.
Two detectives are assigned to find the killer, who may — or may not — be linked to Francesca and her traumatic childhood ordeal.
The set features the movie on Blu-ray and DVD. Also included is a CD with a soundtrack.
Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; Italian 2.0 Dolby digital; English subtitles; DVD: 2.35:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; Italian 2.0 Dolby digital; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus offerings include a behind-the-scenes featurette, an interview with filmmakers Luciano and Nicolas Onetti and deleted scenes.
Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil (Blu-ray)
Release date: Sept. 27
Details: 1997, Warner Archive Collection
Rated: R, violence, language
The lowdown: Clint Eastwood directed this adaptation of John Berendt’s best-seller about a murder and its aftermath in Savannah, Ga.
Kevin Spacey stars as noveau riche party host Jim Williams who kills a man at his A-list Christmas gathering.
John Cusack plays the New York journalist who covers the party and stays around after the killing to follow the events.
The movie, which also features Jude Law, Jack Thompson, The Lady Chablis, Alison Eastwood and Kim Hunter, is not as compelling as it should be.
Plus at more than 2½ hours, the feature feels too long and, at times, wheezes along.
The release is a made-on-demand Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection and can be found at www.wbshop.com or other online dealers.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Interviews with the real people involved in the events depicted in the film is the main bonus offering.
She Who Must Burn
Details: 2015, Midnight Releasing
Rated: Unrated, violence, language
The lowdown: A horror import from Canada about Angela, who is the only medical resource for women in a small mining town where stillbirths and cancer are becoming more and more common.
The local preacher and his flock blame Angela for all the tragedies.
Her deputy sheriff boyfriend can’t protect her from the wrath of the congregation.
The church members decide to take matters in their own hands and cleanse their town to appease the Lord.
This is a provocative feature that will ignite some discussion among viewers.
Technical aspects: 1:9:1 picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital.
I Love Lucy: Superstar Special #1
Release date: Oct. 4
Details: 1955, 1957, CBS DVD-Paramount Home Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This special, originally aired on CBS in 2015, features two classic episodes of “I Love Lucy,” in which Lucy rubs shoulders with celebrities.
In 1955’s “L.A. at Last!,” Lucy has a disastrous encounter with William Holden. When Ricky invites the actor to their home to meet Lucy, she must disguise herself so the star will not recognize her.
Of course, the usual comic contortions take place until the dust settles.
In 1957’s “Lucy and Superman,” Lucy looks for some special entertainment so kids will attend little Ricky’s birthday party instead of another boy’s planned for the same day.
Coming to the rescue is George Reeves’ Superman, but not before the TV superhero must help Lucy out of a predicament.
The DVD features both episodes in the original black-and-white as well as colorized versions.
Technical aspects: 4×3 full-screen picture; English Dolby digital monaural; English SDH and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: A commentary track on “Lucy and Superman” is the major bonus feature.
The Kwicky Koala Show: The Complete Series (DVD-R)
Details: 1981, Warner Archive Collection
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This Hanna-Barbera Classic Collection release is a return to the short-format, funny-animal anthology show of the studio’s old days.
Each show features three, six-minute episodes chronically the animated adventures of Kwicky Koala, the fastest bear in Australia; Dirty Dawg, the con-dog king of the garbage dump; and Crazy Claws, a razor-sharp wildcat.
Also, included are interspersed “short acts” spotlighting the Bungle Brothers, a pair of vaudeville wanna-be dogs.
The zaniness features contributions from the legendary Tex Avery.
The release is a made-on-demand DVD-R from the Warner Archive Collection. It can be found at www.wbshop.com or other Internet dealers.
Technical aspects: 1.37:1 (4×3) full-screen picture; English Dolby digital monaural.
Satanic (Blu-ray)
Release date: Oct. 4
Details: 2016, Magnolia Home Entertainment
Rated: R, bloody and graphic violence, nudity, drug use
The lowdown: A horror thriller about a group of college students who visit a place called Satanic Park in Los Angeles.
There, they wind up following the creepy owner of an occult store home — I guess these students are not attending Stanford or UCLA, or they would have had sense enough not to follow the guy.
Once back at the store owner’s home, they save a suspicious girl from an apparent human sacrifice, only to discover that the “victim” is much more dangerous than the cult from which they all escaped.
Genre fans may enjoy this outing, which adds nothing unique to the long list of college students involved in horror situations.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.40:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH, Spanish and French subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a making of featurette, a look at the cast, a behind-the-scenes featurette on the special effects and behind-the-scenes footage.
Other Blu-rays and DVDs being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated:
Impractical Jokers: The Complete Fourth Season (Warner Home Video)
Len & Company (IFC Films)
Sins of the Guilty (Pop Twist Urban-MVD Visual Entertainment)
Vamp (Blu-ray) (Arrow Video)
FOR KIDS
Adventure Time: The Complete Sixth Season (Blu-ray + Ultraviolet) (Warner Home Video)
Blinky Bill: The Movie (Blu-ray + DVD + digital) (Shout! Kids)
DIGITAL DOWNLOADS and STREAMING
Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders (Warner Home Video)
Doomed: The Untold Story of Roger Corman’s Fantastic Four (Uncork’d Entertainment)
Lights Out (Warner Home Video)
Nerve (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)
Pandorica (Indie Rights)
Papa Hemingway in Cuba (Fox Home Entertainment)
Coming next week: Alice Through the Looking Glass
The Night Of
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.