New to View: June 12: Update
By Bob Bloom
The following titles will be released on Tuesday, unless otherwise noted:
Love, Simon (Blu-ray + DVD + digital)
Details: 2018 Fox Home Entertainment
Rated: PG-13, sexual references, thematic elements, language, teen smoking
The lowdown: Seventeen-year-old Simon Spier (Nick Robinson) is the subject of this coming-of-age story about a teen finding himself and falling in love.
Being gay, does not make it easier for Simon to share his dilemma with his family or friends. Compounding it all, Simon does not know the identity of the anonymous classmate he’s fallen for online.
The movie is light, charming and romantic and also offers some emotional depth.
Critics were impressed with the movie, which garnered a 92 percent fresh rating at Rottentomatoes.com.
Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 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; DVD: 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital, English 5.1 descriptive audio and Spanish and French 2.0 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus offerings include a look at adapting the story from book to screen, deleted scenes, a #FirstLoveStory contest winner and a commentary track.
Tomb Raider (Blu-ray + DVD + digital)
Details: 2018, Warner Home Video
Rated: PG-13, violence, action, language
The lowdown: “Tomb Raider” is like a bologna sandwich, ordinary and acceptable.
It’s rote cinema, with the prerequisite scenes of action, violence and explosions.
And like that sandwich, the movie is satisfying for the moment, but not at all memorable.
Like most features hoping to create a money-making franchise,
“Tomb Raider” leans heavily on set ups for future adventures — why else would top talents such as Kristin Scott Thomas and Derek Jacobi take such small roles?
As it stands, “Tomb Raider” is exciting. It moves quickly, covering all the necessary plot angles associated with the genre.
The main plot wraps up rather quickly, so Lara can return to London and get the ball rolling for a planned sequel.
Only the box office gods know for sure if that will happen I’m not lighting any candles hoping for one.
“Tomb Raider” is easily digested, but also can be evacuated just as fast.
The film received a lukewarm reception from critics, who gave it a 49 percent fresh rating at Rottentomatoes.com.
Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.40:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; Dolby Atmos TrueHD, 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; DVD: 2.40:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Supplemental materials include a look at the “Tomb Raider” saga from video games to the big screen, a featurette on Vikander’s training for the role, a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the movie with cast members discussing the various challenges they faced and a breakdown of the exciting rapids sequence.
Loveless (Blu-ray)
Details: 2017, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: R, sexual content, nudity, language, a brief disturbing image
The lowdown: This Academy Award nominee for best foreign language film is so sad and depressing that it will be hours before you can shake the bitterness of this Russian import from your mind.
From the outset, director Andrey Zyagintsev, who co-wrote the script with Oleg Negin, sets a bleak and foreboding tone.
The movie opens in a wintry, gray and snowy forest landscape that foreshadows what is to come.
Alexey, a 12-year-old, walks through these woods on his way home from school. Like the rest of Zyagintsev’s palette, the school and the apartment building in which the boy lives are unattractive and dull in tone.
That also is the atmosphere in which Alexey lives. His parents are in the midst of a bitter divorce, their raised voices hurling invectives at each other that, even behind closed doors, assault the boy’s ears like thunder.
Alexey is an unwanted pawn argued over like a piece of old furniture to be discarded by his acrimonious parents. Neither want him.
“Loveless” is not so much about finding the boy, but about how easily a person can be discarded or abandoned by parents who — because of their resentments and recriminations — already have moved onto new lives.
Alexey, it seems, is collateral damage, a casualty of a two-person war.
“Loveless” is a gigantic downer. It is a shattering movie that you want to forget — but discover that you can’t.
Critics could not shake it off as well, giving the film a 93 percent fresh rating at Rottentomatoes.com.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; Russian 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English 5.1 Dolby digital audio description track.
Don’t miss: A making of featurette is the major bonus component.
The Strangers: Prey at Night: Unrated (Blu-ray + DVD + digital)
Details: 2018, Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Rated: Unrated & R, horror violence and terror, language
The lowdown: This sequel to the 2008 hit, “The Strangers,” finds a family on a road trip arriving at a secluded mobile home park to stay with relatives.
Things take a turn for the worst when three masked psychopaths drop by to test the family’s mental and physical limits.
The set features the theatrical and unrated versions of the movie, which received a 38 percent fresh rating at Rottentomatoes.com
Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and 2.0 DVS; English SDH and Spanish subtitles; DVD: 2.39:1 anamorphic widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital and 2.0 DVS; English SDH and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include an alternate ending, a music video, a look inside the making of the movie, a family fights back featurette and a look at the movie’s music.
Gringo (Blu-ray + DVD + digital)
Release date: June 5
Details: 2018, Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Rated: R, violence, language, sexual content
The lowdown: The hapless-hero subgenre of comedy has been around for decades, serving as a springboard of funny situations for actors such as Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, W.C. Fields, Bob Hope and Danny Kaye.
In this type of film, the protagonist is often looked down upon by others as clumsy, bumbling and a bit cowardly, and always is underestimated. He is often emasculated or betrayed by a wife or girlfriend.
Until the last reel, that is, when he — or at times, she — rises up, discovers their true strength and outsmarts and, or bests everyone.
In a sense, this is the trajectory of “Gringo” — at least for about half the movie.
David Oyelowo stars as Harold Soyinka, a middle manager at a Chicago pharmaceutical company, who is continually walked over by his bosses, Richard (Joel Edgerton) and Elaine (Charlize Theron).
Harold, who oversees the company’s drug-making facility in Mexico, is accompanied by Richard and Elaine on his latest visit to the plant.
In Mexico, things start going horribly wrong for Harold. He learns that his bosses are lying to him, that something is wrong at the facility and that, worst of all, his wife is having an affair and planning to leave him.
Harold, as you would expect, is devastated. He decides to get even, creating a fake kidnapping scenario from which he expects to net millions.
Things go south, of course, and so does the film, as it begins growing darker and darker.
“Gringo” is an undercooked stew. Subplots spring up like weeds in an untended garden.
Plus, the film’s first-rate cast, which also includes Amanda Seyfried, Sharlto Copley and Thandie Newton, fails to utilize their full potential.
The comic situations are mostly mean spirited, sexist and violent.
Keeping the movie grounded is Oyelowo’s performance. At first, it seems he is a helpless schmo, outfoxed by everyone around him.
But as “Gringo” progresses, Oyelowo begins to display a growth that allows him — if not take control — than at least have a say in all the crazy machinations swirling around him.
Oyelowo, who has proven his dramatic chops with his work in “Selma” and “A United Kingdom,” among others, shows a flair for comedy. Unfortunately, “Gringo” mostly undermines his efforts.
Critics were not impressed with the movie, giving it a tepid 39 percent fresh rating at Rottentomatoes.com.
Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.40:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and English 2.0 DVS; English SDH subtitles; DVD: 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital and 2.0 DVS; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus materials include a making of featurette, looks at the film’s stunts and filming in Mexico and a profile of Oyelowo’s Harold.
Death Wish (Blu-ray + DVD + digital)
Release date: June 5
Details: 2018, Fox Home Entertainment
Rated: R, graphic and bloody violence, language
The lowdown: The difference between Charles Bronson’s 1974 feature and Bruce Willis’ remake is that Bronson’s film felt as if there was a moral question about vigilantism, while Willis’ version feels as if his actions were being celebrated.
The character of Paul Kersey has been transformed from an architect in the original to a surgeon.
The remake fits right into the wheelhouse of the Trump era, as it denigrates minorities as murderers and rapists, while celebrating owning a weapon and using it to take the law into your own hands.
Critics were repulsed by director Eli Roth’s remake, giving the movie a paltry 17 percent fresh rating at Rottentomatoes.com.
Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.40:1 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; DVD: 2.40:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital; English 5.1 descriptive audio and French and Spanish 2.0 Dolby digital surround; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include deleted scenes, a commentary track, “Mancow Morning Show” extended scenes, a “Sway in the Morning” extended scene and a behind-the-scenes look at Roth directing the movie.
Will & Grace (The Revival): Season One
Details: 2017-18, Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A two-disc set featuring all 16 first-season episodes of the revival of this popular NBC series that aired for eight seasons.
The entire original cast — Eric McCormack, Debra Messing, Sean Hayes and Megan Mullally — return, along with the sharp jabs, jokes and martinis.
James Burrows, who directed every episode of the original series, returns behind the camera as well.
The revival features some familiar faces as guest stars, including Harry Connick Jr., Alec Baldwin, Bobby Cannavale, Jennifer Lopez and Minnie Driver.
Technical aspects: 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English, Brazilian Portuguese and Latin American Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, Brazilian Portuguese, French European and Latin American Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus materials include deleted scenes, a gag reel, a featurette with cast and crew members discussing what made so series so special and its relevance to today’s society, a featurette on how the revival came about and a featurette on creating and maintaining the laughs.
Orange Is the New Black: Season Five (Blu-ray + digital)
Details: 2017, Lionsgate Home Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A three-disc set featuring all 13 fifth-season episodes of this popular and powerful Netflix series.
The dynamics at Litchfield Penitentiary are altered in dramatic fashion, creating a new sense of chaos.
The inmates riot after the death of Poussey and gain control of the prison.
Some inmates take advantage of the situation by holding prisoner auctions, staging seances and making themselves look presentable for the morning news.
The overall are of the season asks the question if life at the institution will ever return to normal.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English descriptive audio and French 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: A gag reel, a “72 Hours in 6 Months: Stories of the Season” featurette and commentaries on select episodes are the prominent bonus offerings.
King of Hearts (Blu-ray)
Details: 1966, Cohen Film Collection
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A cult classic set during World War I follows a Scottish soldier, Pvt. Plumpick, who is sent on a mission to a village in the French countryside to disarm a bomb set by retreating German soldiers.
Plumpick stumbles upon a town occupied by the former residents of the local psychiatric hospital who escaped after the villages deserted.
Assuming roles such as Bishop, Duke, barber and circus ringmaster, they graciously accept Plumpick as their King of Hearts.
After completing his mission, Plumpick starts to prefer the acceptance of the insane locals to the insanity of the war raging around him.
The movie has become a cult classic, entertaining audiences for more than 50 years. Its new restoration enhances its presentation.
The cast includes Alan Bates, Genevieve Bujold, Adolfo Celli, Jean-Claude Brialy, Michel Serrault and Pierre Brasseur.
The film features a memorable score by Oscar-winner Georges Delerue.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; French 2.0 LPCM; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Supplemental materials include a commentary track, a new conversation with Bujold and IndieWire’s Anne Thompson and an interview with cinematographer Pierre Lhomme.
Edward II (Blu-ray)
Details: 1991, Film Movement
Rated: R, sexual content, violence
The lowdown: Director Derek Jarman offers this radical postmodern take on Christopher Marlowe’s 1593 Elizabethan tragedy about the young and weak King Edward II (Steven Waddington) and the palace revolt that ensued when the king takes the ambitious Piers Gaveston (Andrew Tiernan) as his lover.
Edward not only neglects his wife, Isabella (Tilda Swinton), but his royal responsibilities as he continually heaps honors onto Gaveston. At the same time the king indulges himself in a life of ease and pleasure, unaware of the discord around him.
The jealous Isabella consorts with the king’s enemies to depose him and exact her vengeance.
The movie has a purposely contemporary vibe that includes Annie Lennox singing Cole Porter’s 1944 classic, “Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye.”
The film is one of Jarman’s most powerful and personal efforts and resonates today as it did when first released.
Technical aspects: 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital surround and 2.0 Dolby digital stereo; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus materials include a documentary on the film and “Queenie Queens on Top,” an essay by Bruce LaBruce with a prologue by Swinton.
Greaser’s Palace (Blu-ray)
Release date: June 5
Details: 1972, Shout! Factory-Scorpion Releasing
Rated: R, violence, language
The lowdown: Robert Downey (father of the “Iron Man” star) wrote and directed this bizarre, very funny and unforgettable cult classic.
The film pokes fun at sacred cows with glee and a great sense of the absurd, plus a good measure of slapstick.
The movie is an allegory of Christ’s suffering that is set in the Old West. Allan Arbus stars as a zoot-suited drifter who performs miracles and attracts a massive following.
The drifter’s main ambition though is to sing and dance. He finally gets to play The Palace, a notorious saloon run by the ruthless Seaweedhead Greaser. The drifter’s a big hit.
In between his act, he also has some more miracles to perform.
The cast includes Herve Villechaize, Luana Anders and Robert Downey Jr., in his film debut.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English Dolby digital; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include an interview with Downey and liner notes by Jonathan Demme.
Hamlet
Details: 2015, Omnibus Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Hamlet traditionally has been portrayed by male actors — everyone from John Gielgud to Laurence Olivier to Kenneth Branagh and even Mel Gibson.
But over the decades, many female performers have tackled the iconic role of the Danish prince. The latest is Maxine Peake, who performed the role for the Royal Exchange Theatre.
Her Hamlet has a contemporary air to it. The production, staged by Sarah Frankcom, is stripped back and fast-paced, and very interesting.
Technical aspects: 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital surround and 2.0 Dolby digital stereo.
My Letter to the World
Details: 2017, Music Box Films
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Cynthia Nixon, who last year portrayed Emily Dickinson in the biopic, “A Quiet Passion,” narrates this in-depth look at Dickinson’s life and work.
The movie features behind-the-scenes footage from “A Quiet Passion” as it documents Dickinson’s life in 19th century New England.
It also features interviews and analysis from leading experts of Dickinson’s life, personal relationships and her poetry.
Technical aspects: 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 Dolby digital; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include recitals of poems by Nixon and filmmaker Terence Davies.
Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio Four
Details: 2016, FilmRise
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A documentary that looks at four Latina women wrongfully convicted of gang-raping two little girls, their fight against mythology, homophobia and the fervor of the prosecutors to get a conviction.
Director Deborah S. Esquenazi’s movie uses the women’s home video footage from more than 20 years ago as well as recent footage and interviews.
The movie explores the narratives of the women, the search for exculpatory evident to help during their trials and Esquenazi’s role as an investigator along with attorneys from the Innocence Project.
Also captured on film is the recantation by one of the initial victims.
Technical aspects: Widescreen picture; English Dolby digital; English subtitles.
Ninja III: The Domination: Collector’s Edition (Blu-ray)
Details: 1984, Scream Factory
Rated: R, violence, language
The lowdown: In this supernatural thriller, an aerobics instructor becomes possessed by the spirit of an evil ninja when she comes to his aid after he is gunned down.
Dominated by his rage, she sets out to attack his enemies and avenge his murder.
Meanwhile, the instructor’s boyfriend is very confused by her personality change and also is afraid that he might become one of her victims.
He recruits someone who can save his girlfriend by performing a life-threatening exorcism and taking part in a battle to the death.
This is great exploitation, drive-in fodder that long on both action and silliness.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English DTS-HD Master Audio stereo; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus features include interviews with performers Lucinda Dickey and Jordan Bennett and producer-stuntman Alan Amiel, audio interviews with production designer Elliot Ellentuck and co-composer Misha Segal, featuring isolated tracks from the original score and a commentary track.
I Called Him Morgan
Details: 2016, FilmRise
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: In 1972, jazz musician Lee Morgan was fatally shot by his common-law wife, Helen, during a gag at a New York City club.
The killing sent shockwaves through the world of jazz, and the memory of the murder continues to haunt many people who knew the couple.
Filmmaker Kasper Collin’s documentary is a tribute to two personalities and the music that brought them together.
Technical aspects: Widescreen picture; English Dolby digital.
Motherland (Bayang Ina Mo)
Details: 2017, FilmRise
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: The world’s busiest maternity ward is the center of this documentary that looks at the hospital’s hectic activity.
The film also introduces views to many of the women who are at the heart of this story.
The movie offers an intimate glimpse of their lives and challenges. The maternity word is in Manila, in the Philippines, and deals with the understaffed and overcrowded delivery rooms.
Technical aspects: Widescreen picture; Tagalog Dolby digital; English subtitles.
Supercon
Release date: June 5
Details: 2018, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: R, sexual content, drug use, language
The lowdown: A washed up ex-child star finds himself broke, desperate and totally down on his luck.
Hoping to improve his lot, he teams up with a group of former TV actors and comic book artists who make their living working at conventions. They decide to rob a comic book convention, taking the money from a crooked promoter and an overbearing former TV icon.
The movie is rather sophomoric and unevenly funny.
Technical aspects: 2.39:1 anamorphic widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Two commentary tracks are the main bonus offerings.
Other titles being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated:
Body of Deceit (FilmRise)
Funeral Day (DVD + digital + VOD) (Random Media)
The Good Postman (FilmRise)
Ice Mother (FilmRise)
Inflame (FilmRise)
The Mimic (Well Go USA Entertainment)
The Night of the Virgin (Cleopatra Entertainment)
Tormentero (FilmRise)
FOR KIDS
The Great Summer Campout (Nickelodeon-Paramount Home Entertainment)
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, STREAMING or VOD
2047: Virtual Revolution (Lidderdalia Productions)
The Jurassic Games (Uncork’d Entertainment)
Inheritance (Portola Entertainment, June 15)
Queer Eye: Season Two (Netflix, June 15)
The Year of Spectacular Men (MarVista Entertainment, June 15)
Fahrenheit 451 (HBO Home Entertainment, June 18)
The Ladies Paradise, Series 2 (Acorn TV, June 18)
Trivia, Series 1 & 2 (Acorn TV, June 18)
Coming next week: Pacific Rim: Uprising
Unsane
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.