New to View: March 12
By Bob Bloom
The following titles are being released on Tuesday, March 12, unless otherwise indicated:
Green Book (Blu-ray + DVD + digital)
Details: 2018, Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Rated: PG-13, mature themes, language, including racial epithets, smoking, violence, suggestive material
The lowdown: This Academy Award-winning film doesn’t break any new ground nor unearth deeper insights about race relations.
What it does accomplish is detailing the journeys of two men from vastly dissimilar backgrounds, who, through circumstances, meet at a point where they can see each other as people instead of preconceived stereotypes.
Academy Award-winner Mahershala Ali, who earned a second Oscar for his performance in the movie, and Viggo Mortensen star in this odd-couple, road-trip feature, which is set in 1962.
In the movie, based on a true story, Ali plays Dr. Don Shirley, a world-famous pianist, set to begin a multimonth tour that will take him through the Midwest and then the Deep South.
Mortensen is Tony “Tony Lip” Vallelonga, a bouncer at the Copacabana nightclub, who, when the Copa closes for a few months for renovations, is hired to be Shirley’s driver.
Tony is hired to drive Shirley on this tour, serve as a de facto trouble shooter and be the guardian of the “Green Book,” a publication that informs black people at which hotels they can stay and at what restaurants they can dine, while traveling through the South.
One of the movie’s main drawbacks is, that like many movies set during this era, it is told from a white perspective, which seems disingenuous because Shirley is the one experiencing most of the soul-crushing incidents shown in the movie.
The film needed more subtlety, instead of the broad strokes director Peter Farrelly uses. Making “Green Book” a feel-good movie lessens the impact of the insidious practice of segregation, created to diminish and marginalize American citizens because of the color of their skin.
The film earned a respectable 78 percent fresh rating at Rottentomatoes.com.
Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.00:1 widescreen picture; English Dolby Atmos, French 5.1 DTS digital surround and English 2.0 DVS; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles; DVD: 2.00:1 anamorphic widescreen picture; English and French 5.1 Dolby digital and English 2.0 DVS: English SDH, Spanish and French subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus materials include a behind-the-scenes discussion with Mortensen and Ali about their characters and how they strived to accurately portray them, a look at the friendship between Don Shirley and Tony Lip and a discussion about the significance of “The Green Book.”
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (Blu-ray + DVD + digital + extended cut)
Details: 2018, Warner Home Video
Rated: PG-13, fantasy action and violence
The lowdown: This is a cluttered and messy production filled with numerous characters who share relationships so complicated and convoluted that they should have their names emblazoned on the backs of their wardrobe, so you can distinguish who is who.
And it does not help that the storyline seems to jump around without focusing on a single issue.
Basically, what the movie boils down to is one character’s search for his true identity.
For this, we have to sit through 134 minutes — 141 minutes if you watch the extended cut — of confusing exchanges that offer hints of dark deeds and darker intentions.
Somehow, and perhaps, by magic, the movie does indeed entertain — though you really need to be familiar with the writings of J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter lore to fully appreciate this prequel.
The one thing that never is made clear — what exactly are the crimes of Gellert Grindelwald?
Opposing Grindelwald is Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) who, working on behalf of his former teacher, Albus Dumbledore (a dapper Jude Law), is trying to rescue Credence Barebone (Ezra Miller) before he falls under the shadowy influence of Grindelwald.
Despite everything that is going on in “The Crimes of Grindelwald,” the movie feels as if it’s simply a prologue — a sneak peek at things to come.
That may be true, since three more movies are planned for this series.
Thus, the movie offers more questions than answers. It’s a frustrating cinematic carrot dangled from a stick meant to entice us back into theaters for the proposed sequels.
The best that can be said about “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” is that it’s serviceable, which, in the Potterverse, is faint praise. Critics basically agreed, giving the movie a 37 percent fresh rating at Rottentomatoes.com.
Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.40:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English Dolby Atmos TrueHD, 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 and English 5.1 descriptive audio; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus features include deleted scenes, featurettes, “J.K. Rowling: A World Revealed” and “Distinctly Dumbledore” and six behind-the-scenes “Unlocking Scene Secrets” featurettes.
Divide and Conquer: The Story of Roger Ailes
Details: 2018, Magnolia Home Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A documentary that chronicles the life and career of Roger Ailes, the chairman and CEO of Fox News and the longtime Republican strategist who, over 50 years counseled Republican presidents and politicians.
In the last half century — from President Nixon to the Tea Party to President Donald Trump — Ailes steered the conservative movement, making fear and anger the voice and strategy of the far right, on the ballot and on national television.
Fox News was his sounding board. It was there, with the backing of Rupert Murdoch, that he ignored traditional journalism and instituted a slash-and-burn, in-your-face brand of TV news that followed a set agenda.
The movie looks at the impact Ailes personal struggles had on his world view and how his own excesses led to his downfall.
The documentary earned a 90 percent fresh rating at Rottentomatoes.com.
Technical aspects: 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital; English closed-captioned.
Dark River
Details: 2017, FilmRise
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A drama set in rural England that centers on Alice (Ruth Wilson) who returns to her home after the death of her father to claim from her estranged brother, Joe (Mark Stanley), the farm that she believes is rightfully hers.
Reaching the farm, she reunites with her brother, whom she hardly recognizes; working the farm and taking care of their father has aged and broken him.
He is angered by his sister’s demands and finds her presence more than he can bear.
To defuse the situation, Alice must confront traumatic memories and family betrayals before both the farm and her ties to her brother are lost.
This dark and moody psychodrama features strong performances by Wilson and Stanley.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH subtitles.
The Last Ship: The Complete Fifth Season: The Final Season
Details: 2018, TNT-Warner Home Video
Rated: TV14, DLV
The lowdown: In the final season of this TNT series, the world is finally recovering from the deadly virus that wiped out much of the population. In the aftermath, though, global political unrest remains in play.
Tom Chandler (Eric Dane) has retired, and his former crew has scattered, with many rising in the ranks of the Navy.
Four of his former shipmates, however, are on a covert mission in Panama, and when they are blamed for an attack on the Panamanian president, the consequences for the United States are grave.
Chandler’s former ship, The Nathan James, must fight to prevent an invasion by Latin America — which could spark the next world war.
The action is brisk, the intrigue is engrossing and the finale is worth the wait.
Technical aspects: Widescreen picture; English and French 5.1 Dolby digital; English and French subtitles.
Don’t miss: Supplemental offerings include inside “The Last Ship” and a “Tales from the Bridge” featurettes.
Someone to Watch Over Me (Blu-ray)
Details: 1987, Shout! Factory
Rated: R, language, violence, adult situations
The lowdown: In this new Shout Select release, Claire Gregory (Mimi Rogers). a socialite who witnesses a mob killing,
is assigned an NYPD detective, Mike Keegan (Tom Berenger), to protect her.
Keegan takes up residence in the lobby of her building, but soon a romance develops between the married cop and the socialite.
This thriller is more style than substance, with strong performances by Berenger, Rogers and Lorraine Bracco as Keegan’s wife, Ellie.
Ridley Scott directed the feature, which costars Jerry Orbach and John Rubinstein.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include interviews with writer Howard Franklin and director of photography Steven Poster.
Showdown (Blu-ray)
Details: 1993, MVD Visual
Rated: R, violence, language
The lowdown: This latest release in the MVD Rewind Collection is a martial arts B-movie loaded with action.
Ken Marks (Kevin Scott) makes an enemy his first day at a new school when he talks to a girl named Julie.
What Ken doesn’t know is that Julie’s boyfriend is not only very possessive of her, but he is the champion of an illegal fighting operation.
Ken is beaten by the boyfriend, Tom, after he again talks to Julie.
Billy Grant, the school janitor and a former police officer, begins training Ken so he can defend himself. What Billy doesn’t know is that the man who runs the fighting operation and trains Tom is the brother of the man Billy, then a rookie officer, killed.
This all leads up to, of course, a battle between the students and between their teachers.
This is standard and exciting exploitation cinema that fans of low-budget movies will enjoy.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and 2.0 LPCM monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a making of featurette, a profile of director Robert Radler, a profile of Banks, a behind-the-scenes look at the movie’s fight sequences and an anatomy of a scene featurette.
The Craft: Collector’s Edition (Blu-ray)
Details: 1996, Scream Factory
Rated: R, terror, violence, language
The lowdown: This horror thriller combines the high school-vibe of “Heathers” with the clichés of witchcraft chillers.
Robin Tunney stars as Sarah, the new girl at St. Benedict’s Academy, who falls in with a group of outsiders. She soon learns something is different about her new friends. Instead of settling for being a group of powerless misfits, they have discovered The Craft — and plan to use it to their advantage.
The film, which costars Fairuza Balk, Neve Campbell and Rachel True, at first plays like a black comedy, then morphs into a special effects-laden feature that is similar to other movies in the genre.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus offerings include a commentary track, a making of featurette, deleted scenes, a “Conjuring ‘The Craft’ ” featurette and interviews with director Andrew Fleming, producer Douglas Wick, co-writer Peter Filardi and makeup effects supervisor Tony Gardner.
The Last Man (Blu-ray + digital)
Details: 2019, Lionsgate Home Entertainment
Rated: R, language, violence, nudity, sexual content
The lowdown: This dystopian thriller stars Hayden Christensen as a veteran suffering from PTSD who returns to a land beset by trouble.
The world is bad, as Christensen’s Kurt discovers, but a local street prophet, Noe (Harvey Keitel), proclaims that it will get even worse when a catastrophic storm hits.
Kurt takes Noe’s advice and prepares for the inevitable. Along the way, he meets Jessica, who also begins to believe Noe’s predictions.
So, even as the planet seems to be falling apart, Kurt, with Jessica’s help, sees his life finally coming together.
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.
Man’s Best Friend (Blu-ray)
Details: 1993, Scream Factory
Rated: R, animal terror and violence
The lowdown: Dog lovers are going to gnash their teeth at this sci-fi chiller about an ambitious journalist, played by Ally Sheedy, who breaks into a genetic research facility where she finds Max, a dog involved in a dangerous experiment, that transforms Max into a genetically enhanced guard dog with a vicious killer instinct.
Max has acquired superior sight, hearing, strength and intelligence that makes him faster, stronger, smart — and deadlier — than any other animal.
And without the drugs needed to curb his aggressive tendencies, Max’s predatory instincts surge out of control, especially after he tastes blood.
Lance Henriksen costars as the owner of the facility in this canine “Frankenstein” B-movie.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: The main bonus offering is a commentary track.
Then Came You (Blu-ray)
Details: 2018, Shout! Studios
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Maisie Williams (“Game of Thrones”) and Asa Butterfield (“Ender’s Game”) star as Skye and Calvin in this teen romance about living your life — no matter how short — to the fullest.
As like other movies in this genre, Skye is a spunky teenager with a terminal illness, while Calvin is a hypochondriac who is afraid of his own shadow. However, Calvin does help Skye carry out her bucket list and, along the way, he learns to confront and overcome his fears — which include falling in love with a beautiful girl named Izzy (Nina Dobrey), who seems out of his class and reach.
Despite its appealing cast, the movie features many of the clichés associated with the young adult movies, including being too cute and sappy.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: A behind-the-scenes featurette is the major extra.
Other titles being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated:
A.I. Rising (DVD + digital download & VOD) (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)
And Then There Was Eve (DVD & VOD) (Breaking Glass Pictures)
Carga (DVD & VOD) (Breaking Glass Pictures)
The Glorious Seven (DVD & VOD) (Uncork’d Entertainment)
Kolobos (Blu-ray) (Arrow Video)
Life in the Doghouse: Special Edition (Blu-ray) (FilmRise)
Lifechanger (Blu-ray & DVD) (Uncork’d Entertainment)
London Fields (Fox Home Entertainment)
Marquise (Blu-ray) (Film Movement Classics)
Over the Limit (Film Movement)
She Wolf (Omnibus Entertainment)
Tyrel (Magnolia Home Entertainment)
FOR KIDS
Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Nickelodeon-Paramount Home Entertainment)
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, STREAMING or VOD
Acts of Desperation (Gravitas Ventures)
Chasing the Win (Indie Rights Films-Bohemian Pirate Productions)
If Beale Street Could Talk (Fox Home Entertainment)
Jimmy Carr: The Best of Ultimate Gold, Greatest Hits (Netflix)
Mary Poppins Returns (Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment)
Second Act (Universal Studios Home Entertainment)
Vice (Fox Home Entertainment)
Triple Frontier (Netflix, March 13)
Mission of Honor (Cinedigm, March 15)
Nothing to Do (Nextnik Films, March 15)
The Case (Acorn TV, March 18)
Murdoch Mysteries: Series 12, Episode 14 (Acorn TV, March 18)
The Truth Will Out (Acorn TV, March 18
Coming next week: Mary Poppins Returns
I am a founding 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.