New to View: Nov. 1
By Bob Bloom
The following Blu-rays and DVDs are being released on Tuesday, Nov. 1, unless otherwise noted:
Bad Moms (Blu-ray + DVD + Ultraviolet)
Details: 2016, Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Rated: R, sexual content, nudity, language, drug and alcohol use
The lowdown: Mila Kunis plays an over-worked, over-stressed mom who, despite the seemingly perfect family and life, is about to snap.
She joins a couple of other moms, played by Kristen Bell and Kathryn Hahn, on a journey to liberate themselves from their traditional responsibilities.
They go on a wild binge, unleashing their wild sides with freedom, fun and self-indulgence.
Their actions put them on a collision course with a trio of PTA moms who are devoted to perfection.
The film struck a chord with some critics as it garnered a 60 percent positive rating at Rottentomatoes.com
Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.40:1 widescreen picture; English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles; DVD: 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus offerings include deleted scenes, a gag reel and interviews with cast members and their mothers.
Outlander: Season Two (Blu-ray + Ultraviolet)
Details: 2016, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: Not rated, violence, sexual content
The lowdown: The newest season of this Starz series finds Claire and Jamie arriving in France with the intention of infiltrating the Jacobite rebellion led by Prince Charles Stuart and stopping the battle of Culloden.
The two join the world of French society, where lavish parties, political skullduggery and intrigue all go hand-in-hand.
The plan to alter history begins to wear heavily on the two, as it puts strains in their relationship. Still, Claire and Jamie soldier on to try and prevent the historical event that could cause the extinction of Scottish life as they know it.
Fans history and romance will enjoy this series, based on Diana Gabaldon’s best-selling book series.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH, English and French subtitles.
Don’t miss: Among the supplemental offerings are an extended episode, an alternate scene, a featurette on Jamie and Claire, a look at the series’ costumes, podcasts, recreating 18th century Paris, deleted and extended scenes, a gag reel, a look at the second-season characters and examining the differences that transpired from book to screen.
Imperium (Blu-ray + Ultraviolet)
Details: 2016, Lionsgate Home Entertainment
Rated: R, language
The lowdown: Daniel Radcliffe stars as an FBI agent who infiltrates a group of extremists who have stolen toxic materials in order to build a dirty bomb.
The film, inspired by true events, follows Radcliffe’s Nate Foster, as he gains the confidence of a few in the group, hoping they will lead him to the head of the organization before a deadly catastrophe can be ignited.
The movie, which costars Toni Collette and Tracy Letts, received an 82 percent positive rating at Rottentomatoes.com.
And in these times when the flames of divisiveness are fanning across the country, “Imperium” has an urgency about it.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.40:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH, English and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: A featurette on the making of the movie, a commentary track, a look at the dangers and practices of living undercover and cast and crew interviews comprise the bonus materials.
Gleason
Details: 2016, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: R, language
The lowdown: A touching and inspirational documentary that looks at the life of former New Orleans Saints defensive back Steve Gleason who, at 34, was diagnosed with ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, and give between two and five years to live.
Weeks after his diagnosis, Gleason found out that his wife, Michel, was expecting their first child.
Gleason began a video journal as a gift to his unborn child, but it soon grew to a journal highlighting Gleason’s determination to solidify his relationships so he could build a foundation to help other ALS patients adapt to their declining conditions.
This is a raw and powerful movie that was embraced by critics who gave it a 96 percent positive rating at Rottentomatoes.com.
Technical aspects: 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, English and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: A commentary is the major bonus offering.
The Sea of Trees (Blu-ray + Ultraviolet)
Details: 2016, Lionsgate Home Entertainment
Rated: PG-13, adult themes, disturbing images, language
The lowdown: Matthew McConaughey stars as Arthur, an American professor, who travels to Japan in the midst of a personal crisis.
As Arthur roams through a forest with a dark past, he stumbles upon a stranger, played by Ken Watanabe, who is lost and hurt.
The two men begin a life-altering journey that is part spiritual and part survival. It is one that creates a bond of friendship and helps Arthur reconnect with the love he has for his wife.
The film did not get a big release; only 40 reviews are posted at Rottentomatoes.com, most of which were not impressed with the movie; thus its 10 percent positive rating at the review site.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.40:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: A featurette on the making of the movie is the major bonus component.
Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders (Blu-ray + DVD + Ultraviolet)
Details: 2016, Warner Home Video
Rated: PG, action violence, suggestive material, rude humor
The lowdown: Holy nostalgia! Adam West and Burt Ward return to voice Batman and Robin in this animated feature that finds the Dynamic Duo battling The Joker, The Penguin, The Riddler and Catwoman.
The dastardly demons of crime are using a replica ray, creating various Batman clones that are running around Gotham City, while the real Batman has come under a spell that turns him evil.
Can Robin, with the reluctant aid of Catwoman, set things right? You don’t have to wait until the next Bat time on some Bat station to find out.
Just check out this fun-filled release to get the answer.
Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and Spanish and French 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: Extras include featurettes on the villains and on the new voices that team up with West, Ward and Julie Newmar.
Papa Hemingway in Cuba (DVD + digital HD)
Release date: Oct. 25
Details: 2016, Fox Home Entertainment
Rated: R, sexuality, language, nudity, violence
The lowdown: This drama was set in 1959 when Miami journalist Ed Myers (Giovani Ribisi) travels to Havana to meet writer Ernest Hemingway (Adrian Sparks).
A friendship develops between the journalist and his idol, who mentors Myers in drinking, deep-sea fishing and discovering his own literary voice.
Meanwhile, all around them, the Cuban revolution is coming to a head.
The movie offers a different look at the latter years of this American literary giant.
Technical aspects: 2.40:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH and Spanish subtitles.
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street In Concert (Blu-ray)
Details: 2001, Shout! Factory
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This Blu-ray is part of Shout! Factory’s new Shout Broadway series, which will offer a lineup of stage favorites for home consumption.
This concert version of Stephen Sondheim’s macabre musical — later adapted for the screen starring Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter and directed by Tim Burton — features original Broadway star George Hearn as Sweeney Todd, Patti Lupone as Mrs. Lovett and Neil Patrick Harris.
Even if it is simply a concert version, the music and voices still retain the power to hold you.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English DTS-HD Master Audio.
Don’t miss: A behind-the-scenes featurette is the major bonus component.
Body Snatchers (Blu-ray)
Release date: Oct. 18
Details: 1993, Warner Archive Collection
Rated: R, violence, language, nudity
The lowdown: Director Abel Ferrara helmed this third version of the classic science fiction thriller, first produced in 1956 as “Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” directed by Don Siegel, and then remade in 1978 with Philip Kaufman behind the camera.
This version uses updated special effects to show the birthing of a pod and its horrible impact on the human host.
The movie, which stars Gabrielle Anwar, Terry Kinney, Forest Whitaker and Meg Tilly, is set on a military base, which diminishes the impact of the story, since most people at such a facility already are programmed to basically act the same.
The release is from the Warner Archive Collection and can be found at www.wbshop.com or other online retailers.
Technical aspects: 2.40:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.
Gypsy (Blu-ray)
Details: 2015, Shout! Factory
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This production of “Gypsy” from London’s West End stars Imelda Staunton as Rose, the unstoppable mother whose dreams of show business drives her daughters crazy.
The musical, with music by Jule Styne and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, is loosely based on the life of striptease artist Gypsy Rose Lee.
The show includes such memorable tunes as “Let Me Entertain You,” “Small World,” “Together” and “Everything’s Comin’ Up Roses.”
The release is part of Shout’s new Shout Broadway series.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English DTS-HD Master Audio stereo.
One Day Since Yesterday: Peter Bogdanovich and the Lost American Film (DVD-R)
Release date: Oct. 18
Details: 2015, Warner Archive Collection
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A feature that follows the life and career of director Peter Bogdanovich, who gave us such films as “The Last Picture Show,” “What’s Up, Doc?,” “Nickelodeon” and “Paper Moon.”
The film covers the highs and lows of Bogdanovich’s long career from his early years as a “boy wonder” director and his tragic love affair with Dorothy Stratten, who was later murdered.
Offering observations about the director are such stars and directors as Jeff Bridges, Cybill Shepherd, Quentin Tarantino and Wes Anderson.
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 sellers.
Technical aspects: 1.78:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH subtitles.
Candide in Concert (Blu-ray)
Release date: Nov. 4
Details: 2004, Shout! Factory
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Kristen Chenoweth, Patti LuPone, Paul Groves, Janine LaManna, Sir Thomas Allen and the Westminster Symphonic Choir bring Leonard Bernstein’s music to live in this concert version of the composer’s operetta.
The concert, based on the classic tale by Voltaire of an innocent young man’s comic odyssey, was recorded at Lincoln Center in New York City.
Bernstein was aided by a bevy of lyricists, including Stephen Sondheim, Dorothy Parker and Lillian Hellman.
The release is another in Shout’s new Shout Broadway series.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English DTS-HD Master Audio stereo.
Wheeler & Woolsey RKO Comedy Classics Collection Volume 2 (DVD-R)
Release date: Oct. 18
Details: 1930-36, Warner Archive Collection
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey were a popular comedy team in the early and mid-1930s who made the transition from stage to screen like some contemporaries such as the Marx Brothers.
The team is not remembered as well as Groucho, Chico, Harpo and Zeppo, but they do command a strong following among aficionados.
This collection offers five movies Wheeler and Woolsey starred in at RKO Pictures: “Dixiana” (1930), “The Cuckoos” (1930), “Too Many Cooks” (1931), “Cockeyed Cavaliers” (1934) and “Silly Billies” (1936).
A sixth film in the set, “Everything’s Rosie” (1931) features Woolsey without his partner.
In all their movies, Wheeler and Woolsey mixed comedy, sight gags and some ribald double entendres that seem tame by today’s standards.
The release is a made-on-demand DVD-R that is part of the Warner Archive Collection, and it 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.
The Id (Blu-ray)
Release date: Oct. 25
Details: 2016, Hutson Ranch Media-Panic Ventures, Inc.
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A psychological thriller about a woman who, for years, has felt trapped in her home because she had to care for her abusive father.
When someone from her past makes a surprising return, the woman wants to live the life she desires. But in order to do so, she must confront her father and attempt to escape his emotional and mental vise.
Dad refuses to let go, leading to a series of escalating acts that lead to paranoia, madness and, ultimately, violence.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital.
Don’t miss: Bonus offerings include a behind-the-scenes featurette, a commentary track, deleted and alternate scenes, audition clips and behind-the-scenes footage.
My Way
Release date: Nov. 4
Details: 2016, MVD Visual Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A documentary that follows Rebekah Starr who leaves the Midwest and the corporate life to pursue her dream of a career in rock ‘n’ roll.
She leaves everything behind and heads to Los Angeles’ Sunset Strip.
On her journey, Starr meets such rock legends as Guns N’ Roses Steven Adler and Poison’s Rikki Rockett.
The movie chronicles Starr’s path to pursue her lifelong ambition of making music and entertaining people.
Technical aspects: Widescreen picture; English Dolby digital stereo; Spanish and Italian subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include interviews with Rockett, Adler, Chip Z’Nuff of Enuff Z’Nuff and a couple of music videos.
Tales of Poe
Release date: Oct. 11
Details: 2014, Wild Eye Releasing
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A feature film retelling three tales by Edgar Allan Poe — “The Tell Tale Heart,” “Cask of Amontillado” and “Dreams.”
Two directors, Bart Mastronardi and Alan Rowe Kelly bring their visions to these reinterpretations of the trio of classic nightmarish stories.
The movie features some contemporary scream queens who help add some life — and death — to this anthology. Among those appearing are Zoe Daelman Chlanda, Adrienne King, Debbie Rochon, Amy Steel, Lesleh Donaldson and Caroline Williams.
Technical aspects: Widescreen picture; English Dolby digital.
Other Blu-rays and DVDs being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicate:
Carnage Park (Blu-ray) (IFC Midnight-Scream Factory)
Last Girl Standing (MPI Media Group)
Uncle Nick (Blu-ray) (Dark Sky Films)
Pandorica (Indie Rights Movies-MVD Visual Entertainment, Oct. 11)
FOR KIDS
My Little Pony Equestria Girls — Legend of Everfree (Shout! Kids Factory)
DIGITAL DOWNLOADS and STREAMING
Sausage Party (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)
Tickled (Magnolia Home Entertainment)
Deep Water (Acorn TV, Nov. 7)
Coming next week: Indignation
Morris From America
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.