New to View: Feb. 13
By Bob Bloom
The following titles are being released on Tuesday, Feb. 13, unless otherwise noted:
The Deuce: The Complete First Season (Blu-ray + digital)
Details: 2017, HBO Home Entertainment
Rated: TV-MA, language, sexual content, nudity
The lowdown: James Franco and Maggie Gyllenhaal star in this HBO drama that traces the evolution of the porn industry in New York City’s Times Square in the 1970s as the business of sex blossoms into a billion-dollar industry.
Franco, who plays twins, and Gyllenhaal give their usual solid performances in this rough series that is dark and dirty.
The characters include prostitutes, pimps, bar owners, cops — corrupt and honest — and Johns, who all ride a merry-go-round of sex, crime and drugs.
The show, featured in a three-disc set with all eight episodes, was created by David Simon of “The Wire” and George Pelecanos of “Treme.”
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French, German and Castilian 5.1 DTS digital surround and Latin Spanish 2.0 DTS digital surround; English SDH, French, Castilian, Latin Spanish, German, Brazilian Portuguese, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus materials include an inside look at the series with comments from cast members, a featurette that looks at New York City in the 1970s with comments from cast and crew and commentaries on two episodes.
Drag Me to Hell: Collector’s Edition (Blu-ray)
Details: 2009, Scream Factory
Rated: Not rated & PG-13, horror violence, terror, disturbing images, language
The lowdown: Sam Raimi directed this horror feature about an ambitious, young bank loan officer, Christine Brown (Alison Lohman), who decides to evict an elderly Gypsy woman from her house, and incurs an evil curse for publicly humiliating the Gypsy.
Brown has three days to keep a dark spirit from stealing her soul before she is dragged to hell for eternal damnation.
This vengeance thriller is scary and intense.
The set features the theatrical and unrated versions of the movie, which garnered a 92 percent fresh rating at Rottentomatoes.com.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.40:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus offerings include production video diaries that include interviews with Raimi, Lohman and co-star Justin Long, interviews with Lohman, co-star Lorna Raver and composer Christopher Young.
Orchestra Rehearsal (Blu-ray)
Details: 1979, Arrow Academy
Rated: R, language
The lowdown: Federico Fellini directed this allegorical feature, originally made for Italian television, about a group of musicians, who serve as a metaphor for Mankind.
The lives, frustrations, triumphs, joys and sorrows of the various musicians are explored as they rehearse and bicker among themselves.
The orchestra leader is revealed as God, making the metaphor complete.
Technical aspects: 1.37:1 full-screen picture; Italian audio; English subtitles.
Batman: Gotham by Gaslight (4K UltraHD + Blu-ray)
Release date: Feb. 6
Details: 2018, Warner Home Video
Rated: R, violence
The lowdown: The latest offering in the DC Universe Movie series is set at the turn of the 20th century as Gotham City is experiencing a golden era of discovery and industry, led by rich and famous businessman Bruce Wayne, sponsor of the city’s World Fairs.
But behind the glamour, in Gotham’s darkest alleys, a killer is preying on the city’s women.
Police commissioner James Gordon vainly attempts to calm the fears of Gotham’s residents, while a masked vigilante, Batman, goes to work hunting the cruel murderer, known as Jack the Ripper.
Batman is aided by the beautiful Selina Kyle in his quest to capture the killer.
Technical aspects: 4K UHD: 2160p, 1.78:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles; Blu-ray: 1080p, 1.78:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French and Castilian Spanish 2.0 Dolby digital and Latin Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Supplemental offerings include a featurette entitled, “Caped Fear: The First Elseworld,” a commentary track, two bonus cartoons and a sneak peek at the next DC Universe animated offering, “Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay.”
Line 41
Details: 2015, Film Movement
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A documentary about Lodz Ghetto survivor Natan Grossmann who returns to Poland 70 years after losing contact with his brother in 1942.
Grossman wants to discover the fate of his sibling, and in his search, he meets Jens-Jurgen Ventzki, the son of the former Nazi Head Mayor of Lodz.
Both men, in tracing their family histories, discover a unique blend of victims, perpetrators and bystanders. The men confront their feelings about the past — and each other.
The film’s title refers to the streetcar line that passed through the Lodz Ghetto without ever stopping to pick up a Jewish passenger.
Technical aspects: 1.78:1 widescreen picture; German and Polish 5.1 Dolby digital surround and 2.0 Dolby digital stereo; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: The major extra is about 25 minutes of bonus footage.
The Finger Points (DVD-R)
Release date: Jan. 30
Details: 1931, Warner Archive Collection
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This pre-Code Warner Bros. gangster movie was written by John Monk Saunders (“Wings”) and W.R. Burnett (“Little Caesar”) and centers on a small-town boy corrupted by the big city.
Richard Barthelmess stars as Breckenridge Lee, a naïve, young Southerner who comes to Chicago to seek fame and fortune as a newspaper reporter.
His first story gets him a byline, leads police on a raid and lands Lee in the hospital.
Clark Gable, in one of his earliest roles, plays criminal fixer Louis Blanco, who advises Lee on how to make a name for himself, which means the reporter signs on as a syndicate stooge.
Lee’s fellow reporters, played by Fay Wray and Regis Toomey, worry that their new colleague is getting in over his head.
When Lee makes an attempt to meet with the leader of the underworld, the consequences are life changing.
The feature is a made-on-demand DVD-R from the Warner Archive Collection and can be ordered at www.wb.com/warnerarchive or other online dealers.
Technical aspects: 1.37:1 (4×3) full-screen picture; English Dolby digital monaural.
Dealt
Details: 2013, IFC Films
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A documentary that follows magician Richard Turner who amazes audiences worldwide with his sleight of hand.
What is truly astounding is that Turner is completely blind.
The movie chronicles Turner’s life from his tumultuous childhood to the present.
The film shows how Turner overcame obstacles as it showcases his determination, talent and force of will that lead to his success.
“Dealt” offers an insider look at the secretive world of magic as well as a candid look at a man who lives by ignoring his limitations.
Technical aspects: 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital and descriptive audio; English SDH and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a behind-the-scenes featurette and deleted scenes.
I Like Your Nerve (DVD-R)
Release date: Jan. 30
Details: 1931, Warner Archive Collection
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Loretta Young and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. star in this romantic drama about a playboy, Larry O’Brien (Fairbanks Jr.), who gets thrown out of one Latin American country only to begin a romantic involvement in another.
O’Brien captures the fancy of Diane Forsythe (Young), who is being chauffeured past the cantina where O’Brien is enjoying the local beverages.
The two meet up and begin a series of romantic escapades, including the reason for Diane’s engagement to a much older man.
This is a breezy, pre-Code excursion with a quick appearance by a then-unknown Boris Karloff.
The feature is a made-on-demand DVD-R from the Warner Archive Collection. It can be found at www.wb.com/warnerarchive or other online retailers.
Technical aspects: 1.37:1 (4×3) full-screen picture; English Dolby digital monaural.
Paradise
Details: 2016, Film Movement
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Olga is a Russian countess and member of the French Resistance during World War II. Jules is a French-Nazi collaborator, who is assigned to investigate her case. Helmut is a handsome, high-ranking German SS officer who once was madly in love with Olga.
The movie shows how their lives intersected before and during the war, when Olga is shipped to a concentration camp where Helmut is stationed.
The film goes back-and-forth from the camp to their days before the war, as director Andrei Konachalovsky collapses their identities, while offering a new perspective on the Holocaust and the morally complex choices people must make during the darkest of moments.
Technical aspects: 1.33:1 full-screen picture; Russian, German, French and Yiddish 5.1 Dolby digital surround sound and 2.0 stereo; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: The major extra is a short film, “Red Snow,” about a young German lieutenant who must convince a captive resistance fighters to betray his comrades or 100 civilians will be executed.
Chances (DVD-R)
Release date: Jan. 30
Details: 1931, Warner Archive Collection
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Douglas Fairbanks Jr. stars in this pre-Code World War I romantic drama about a love triangle involving two good friends and a woman from his past.
The sparks fly as Fairbanks and his buddy clash over the love of the young woman, portrayed by Rose Hobart.
The movie was directed by Alan Dwan. It features not just the love story, but sequences of tragedy set in the trenches of Western Europe.
The release is a made-on-demand DVD-R from the Warner Archive Collection and can be found at www.wb.com/warnerarchive or other Internet sellers.
Technical aspects: 1.37:1 (4×3) full-screen picture; English Dolby digital monaural.
Other titles being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated:
#artoffline (IndiePix Films)
Seijun Suzuki: The Early Years Vol. 1: Limited Edition (Blu-ray)
Teenage Cocktail (MPI Video)
FOR KIDS
Ben 10: Villain Time (Cartoon Network-Warner Home Video)
Blaze and the Monster Machines: Heroes of Axle City (Nickelodeon-Paramount Home Entertainment)
Hey Arnold! The Jungle Movie (Nickelodeon-Paramount Home Entertainment)
DIGITAL DOWNLOADS, STREAMING and VOD
Coco (Pixar-Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment)
Defective (Uncork’d Entertainment)
Justice League (Warner Home Video)
LEGO DC Super Heroes: The Flash! (Warner Archive Collection)
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (Fox Home Entertainment)
Dead Shack (Shudder, Feb. 15)
Honor Up (Lionsgate Home Entertainment, Feb. 16)
Looking Glass (Momentum Pictures, Feb. 16)
Poop Talk (Comedy Dynamics-Party of Seven, Feb. 16)
Scotch: The Story of Whiskey (Acorn TV, Feb. 19)
Coming next week: The Covered Wagon
I am a member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. I review movies, Blu-rays and DVDs for ReelBob (ReelBob.com), The Film Yap and other print and online publications. I can be reached by email at bobbloomjc@gmail.com. You also can follow me on Twitter @ReelBobBloom and on Facebook. My movie reviews also can be found at Rottentomatoes: www.rottentomatoes.com.