New to View: Oct. 25
By Bob Bloom
The following Blu-rays and DVDs are being released on Tuesday, Oct. 25, unless otherwise noted:
Lights Out (Blu-ray + Ultraviolet)
Details: 2016, Warner Home Video
Rated: PG-13, sequences of terror, disturbing images, violence, mature themes, drug use
The lowdown: A horror thriller about a young woman, Rebecca (Teresa Palmer), who returns home to discover that her little brother, Martin (Gabriel Bateman), is experiencing the same nightmarish events that Rebecca did as a child.
It seems when the lights are turned off, Martin sees a menacing figure in the dark.
This mysterious entity has some connection to their mother, Sophie (Maria Bello). Rebecca must uncover the truth to protect and save her family when the lights go out.
This horror feature is one of the better entries in the genre this year, earning a respectable 77 percent positive rating at Rottentomatoes.com.
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 French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Deleted scenes comprise the major bonus components.
Nerve (Blu-ray + DVD + Ultraviolet)
Details: 2016, Lionsgate Home Entertainment
Rated: PG-13, mature themes involving dangerous and risky behavior, sexual content, nudity, language, drug content, drinking
The lowdown: Emma Roberts stars in this action thriller as a high school senior pressured by friends to join a popular online game called Nerve.
Roberts’ Vee signs up for one dare, but soon finds herself caught up in the competition, which becomes more sinister and dark.
Dave Franco plays the young man who joins her in the risky venture that could determine Vee’s future.
The film is not as exciting as it sounds, as it grows more and more preposterous as it advances.
Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.40:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English DTS X audio, DTS Headphone X audio, English 2.0 DTS digital surround audio optimized for late-night listening, English descriptive audio and Spanish 5.1 DTS digital surround; English SDH, English and Spanish subtitles; DVD: 2.40:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital and English descriptive audio; English SDH, English and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus materials include a 15-character pod featurette on creating “Nerve,” outtakes, a featurette on the Governor’s Ball takeover, an interactive game of “Dare,” a quiz on whether you are a watcher or player and player profiles.
Independence Day: Resurgence (Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray + digital HD)
Release date: Oct. 18
Details: 2016, Fox Home Entertainment
Rated: PG-13, science fiction action and destruction, language
The lowdown: An unnecessary sequel that is more of the same, only bigger, louder — and dumber.
The movie feels like a comfortable pair of old slippers, just more wore-torn and tattered.
The movie is obscenely overblown and gleefully destructive, but in a rather sanitized manner that obscures what should be the horror of such a calamity.
“Independence Day: Resurgence” adheres to a strict road map of clichés in plotline and characters.
Plus, the ending aims to take this franchise in a new direction, hinting at another sequel that may go above and beyond what we already have experienced.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English 5.1 descriptive audio and Spanish and French 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Supplemental components include a look at “The War of 1996,” deleted scenes, a commentary track, a four-part documentary going behind-the-scenes on various aspects of the making of the movie, a gag reel and an “It’s Early, ABQ!” featurette.
The digital HD version includes a making of featurette.
1 Nation Under Trump
Details: 2016, Ruthless-MVD Visual
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This 62-minute documentary looks at the life and career of the Republican presidential candidate.
It points out the highs and lows of his climb to the top, featuring speaking engagements, debates, TV spots and his public media feuds.
The feature takes a noticeable pro-Trump outlook.
The movie will not change anyone’s mind with less than three weeks to go to Election Day.
Technical aspects: 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English Dolby digital stereo.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Blu-ray + Ultraviolet)
Release date: Oct. 18
Details: 2000, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: PG-13, martial arts violence, sexual situations
The lowdown: Chow Yun Fat, Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Zyi star in director Ang Lee’s exciting and visual beautiful feature, set in 19th-century China, about two marital arts master warriors who must recover the fabled Green Destiny sword.
At the same time a young aristocrat, played by Zyi, gets ready for an arranged marriage. She later reveals her superior fighting skills.
These warriors face many challenges as they seek justice and redemption and come face-to-face with their worst enemy.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.40:1 widescreen picture; Mandarin (Taiwan) 7.1 Dolby Atmos (Dolby 7.1 TrueHD compatible), English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and French 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, English, French, Portuguese and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus offerings include deleted scenes, a retrospective featurette with Lee and others, a making of featurette, a music video, a conversation with Yeoh and two commentary tracks.
Men & Chicken (Blu-ray + DVD + digital)
Details: 2015, Drafthouse Films
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Mads Mikkelsen (“Hannibal,” “Casino Royal”) stars in this Danish comedy about a pair of socially-challenged siblings who discover, through their late father’s videotaped will, that they actually are adopted half-brothers.
The two begin a search for their real father, which lands them on the insular Danish island of Ork, where they meet three more half-brothers.
These three live in a rundown mansion overrun by barn animals, and they are not happy to see the newcomers. The visitors finally wear down the trio who invite them to stay.
As they learn to accept each other, the half-brothers uncover a deep family secret that binds them even closer.
This dark and slapstick comedy is a hoot, and watching with subtitles does not detract from the hilarity.
Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; Danish 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles; DVD: 2.35:1 widescreen picture; Danish 5.1 Dolby digital; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: The major bonus component is a 24-page booklet with behind-the-scenes photos.
The Exorcist III: Collector’s Edition (Blu-ray)
Details: 1990, Scream Factory
Rated: R, not rated, violence, language
The lowdown: A two-disc set featuring the theatrical version and director’s cut of this sequel to “The Exorcist.”
George C. Scott stars as police Lt. Kinderman who, even after 15 years, is troubled by the death of his good friend, Father Damien Karras.
At the same time, Kinderman gets involved in a case in which a boy is found decapitated and crucified. And it is just the first in a series of savage and bizarre religious killings.
The murders bear the marks of the Gemini Killer, who was executed 15 years earlier. A psychopath comes forward claiming to be the Gemini Killer, which causes Kinderman to question many aspects of the case and himself.
The film is part detective story, theological puzzle and horror outing.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Hours of bonus extras include a vintage featurette on the making of the movie, deleted scenes, alternate takes, bloopers, vintage interviews with writer-director William Peter Blatty, Scott, co-stars Jason Miller, Ed Flanders and others, a commentary with Blatty, interviews with filmmakers, including the composer and production designer, and costar Brad Dourif, and a look at the additional shoot and special effects.
“The Herschell Gordon Lewis Feast” (Blu-ray)
Details: 1963-72, Arrow Video
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A 17-disc set (nine Blu-rays and eight DVDs) that features 14 movies by Herschell Gordon Lewis, who changed the horror genre by inserting gruesome, stomach-churning sequences that have since become the norm.
The movies in the set are: “Blood Feast” (1963), “Scum of the Earth” (1963), “Two Thousand Maniacs” (1964), “Moonshine Mountain” (1964), “Color Me Blood Red” (1965), “Something Weird” (1967), “The Gruesome Twosome” (1967), “A Taste of Blood” (1967), “She-Devils on Wheels” (1968), “Just for the Hell of It” (1968), “How to Make a Doll” (1968), “The Wizard of Gore” (1970), “This Stuff’ll Kill Ya!” (1971) and “The Gore Gore Girls” (1972).
Fans of Lewis will embrace this set for the audacity of the filmmaker’s groundbreaking vision and his impact on the contemporary culture of the horror genre.
The set also includes the fun documentary, “Herschell Gordon Lewis: The Godfather of Gore.”
Technical aspects: Blu-rays and DVDs: 1080p high definition, widescreen and full-screen pictures; English DTS and DVD stereo.
Don’t miss: The set is loaded with extras, including behind-the-scenes featurettes, radio and TV spots, introductions, commentaries, outtakes, a visual essay on the South’s representation in cinema.
Dark Water (Blu-ray + DVD)
Details: 2002, Arrow Video
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Director Hideo Nakata, who brought the world “The Ring” and its sequel, returns with this supernatural outing, which takes the theme of the “dead wet girl” to new realms of fright.
The movie, based on a story by “Ring” author Koji Suzuki, follows a single mother who is fighting to gain custody of her child.
The two move into an old, rundown home within a forgotten apartment complex.
Soon after, the mother begins to experience strange visions and sounds, which calls her mental stability into question.
The movie successfully merges tension and a family’s emotional struggle.
Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; Japanese 5.1 DTS-HD audio; English subtitles; DVD: 1.85:1 widescreen picture: Japanese Dolby digital stereo; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Interviews with Nakata, Suzuki and cinematographer Junichiro Hayashi, a making of documentary and a booklet with essays about Japanese horror films.
Bruce Lee: Tracking the Dragon
Details: 2016, MVD Visual Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A documentary that follows Bruce Lee expert John Little as he tracks down actual locations of some of Lee’s most famous movies.
Most interesting is that many of the sites remain just as they were when Lee’s sequences were filmed.
Little presents a comprehensive view of Lee’s artistry, showcased in such films as “The Big Boss,” “Fist of Fury,” “The Way of the Dragon” and “Enter the Dragon.”
This is an interesting look of what remains of Lee’s cinematic world.
Technical aspects: Widescreen picture; English stereo; English closed-captioned.
Peggy Guggenheim — Art Addict
Details: 2016, Music Box Films
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Peggy Guggenheim was a colorful character. She was an heiress who used her fortune to become a central patron in the modern art movement.
Her history included interaction with such figures as Samuel Beckett, Jackson Pollock, Alexander Calder, Max Ernst and Marcel Duchamp.
Guggenheim built of the most important modern art collections that is housed in her Venetian palazzo.
The documentary shows how Guggenheim counted her mission despite having to deal with personal tragedies.
Technical aspects: Widescreen picture; English audio.
Don’t miss: Interviews with artists, curators, collectors and historians as well as a question-and-answer session with filmmaker Lisa Immordino Vreeland.
Suddenly (Blu-ray)
Details: 1954, The Film Detective
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Frank Sinatra plays a psychotic war veteran who wants to assassinate the president of the United States.
Sinatra’s John Baron and his henchmen take over a house near a train station where they hold the family that lives there hostage.
From the house, Baron has a perfect vantage point to shoot when the train arrives.
The movie is very brutal for its time.
Sterling Hayden, James Gleason and Nancy Gates costar.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 4×3 (1.75:1) full-screen picture; English DTS-HD Master Audio.
Steve McQueen — The Man & Le Mans
Details: 2015, Filmrise-MVD Visual Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: In Hollywood, Steve McQueen was known as the “King of Cool” because of such films as “Bullitt,” “The Thomas Crown Affair” and “The Great Escape.”
By 1970, McQueen had become a racing fanatic and had begun production on one of his passion projects, “Le Mans,” which centered on the 24-hour car race in France.
The making of the movie was handcuffed by financial troubles, on-set rivalries and McQueen’s personal issues.
The documentary uses newly-discovered footage, McQueen’s private recordings and original interviews to show the actor risked everything for his dream feature.
Technical aspects: Widescreen picture; English Dolby digital.
Other Blu-rays and DVDs being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated:
Gored (Filmrise-MVD Visual)
Subterranea (Birdman Films-MVD Visual)
DIGITAL DOWNLOADS and STREAMING
Finding Dory (Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment)
Gleason (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)
Indignation (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)
Nine Lives (Fox Home Entertainment)
The Unspoken (Starz Digital, Oct. 28)
Brief Encounters (Acorn TV, Oct. 31)
Outcast: Season One (Fox Home Entertainment, Oct. 31)
Outlander: Season 2 (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Oct. 31)
Coming next week: The Sea of Trees
Imperium
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.