New to View: Aug. 20
By Bob Bloom
The following titles are being released on Tuesday, Aug. 20, unless otherwise noted:
Brightburn
Details: 2019, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: R, horror violence, bloody images, language
The lowdown: The simplest way to describe “Brightburn” is as the anti-Superman.
Basically, what would have happened if, instead of growing up to be the protector of mankind, the Man of Steel was its destroyer.
The mythos of “Brightburn” follows a similar path as that of the last son of Krypton. A childless Kansas farm couple find a baby in a crashed spacecraft and raise the child as their own.
But on his 12th birthday, the boy, Brandon Breyer (Jackson A. Dunn), begins hearing voices emanating from the ship that brought him to Earth.
Soon after, people begin to die.
The problem with the movie is that it fails to stay its true course and veers into horror tropes — quick cuts, menacing music that announces every upcoming atrocity and people unexpectedly jumping into frame.
That is too bad because, “Brighturn” had potential to tell an interesting story of nature vs. nurture.
And despite strong audio and visual transfers, the movie is just a gimmick. Many critics agreed with that assessment, awarding the movie a tepid 57 percent fresh rating at Rottentomatoes.com.
Technical aspects: 2.39:1 anamorphic widescreen picture; English, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital and English and French Dolby audio description track; English SDH, English, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus offerings include a “Nature vs. Nurture” featurette, short interviews with cast members and filmmakers and a commentary track.
The Hustle (Blu-ray + DVD + digital)
Details: 2019, MGM-Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Rated: PG-13, crude sexual content, language
The lowdown: Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson star in this comedy as odd couple con women.
Hathaway’s Josephine Chesterfield is a glamorous and seductive British woman who defrauds wealthy men, while Wilson’s Penny takes money from marks in neighborhood bars.
Despite their differences in class, temperament and style, the two are experts at what they do. And they usually target men who have wronged women.
The movie is a bit reminiscent of the Michael Caine-Steve Martin comedy “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,” except it lacks the execution of that comedic treasure.
The movie looks and sounds good, but it seems to lack soul. Critics savaged the film, giving it a 14 percent fresh rating at Rottentomatoes.com.
Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English 2.0 Dolby digital DVS, French 7.1 DTS-HD and Spanish 5.1 DTS digital surround; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles; DVD: 2.39:1 anamorphic widescreen picture; English, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital and English 2.0 Dolby digital DVS; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus materials include a look at the creation of the movie, a look at the cast and the comedic skills they bring to the film, a commentary track and a featurette on the film’s costume and production designers.
A Dog’s Journey (Blu-ray + DVD + digital)
Details: 2019, Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Rated: PG, thematic elements, danger, rude humor
The lowdown: This sequel to “A Dog’s Purpose” picks up where the original left off with Bailey (voiced by Josh Gad) needing to protect CJ (Kathryn Prescott), the granddaughter of Ethan (Dennis Quaid).
The movie finds Bailey — in his multiple lives — watching over CJ as she grows to womanhood in the big city.
The film’s simple plot belies a deeper meaning about how dogs can enrich people’s lives through unquestioned devotion and love.
The movie earned mixed reviews, garnering a 50 percent fresh rating at Rottentomatoes.com.
Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English 7.1 Dolby TrueHD, French and Spanish 7.1 Dolby digital plus and English 2.0 Dolby digital DVS; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles; DVD: 2.39:1 anamorphic widescreen picture; English, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital and English 2.0 Dolby digital DVS; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus materials include deleted and extended scenes, a gag reel, a commentary track, a featurette with returning cast members discussing the movie and their roles, cast members tell about their fondness for dogs, a behind-the-scenes look at working with dogs, a discussion about the bonds between humans and dogs and a featurette on the scoring of the movie.
The Harder They Come: Collector’s Edition (Blu-ray)
Details: 1972, 2006, Shout! Factory
Rated: R, violence, language, nudity, sexual content
The lowdown: Reggae legend Jimmy Cliff stars in this cult favorite, the latest release in the Shout Select series of films.
Cliff portrays Ivan Martin, an aspiring reggae singer hoping to make it big in the music industry.
Martin, robbed of his money and possessions finds unscrupulous music producers and corrupt police who exploit young musicals hopefuls like himself.
Martin turns outlaw, battling the executives and cops, all the while striving to fulfill his dream of musical stardom.
Martin begins to rise to the top of the pop charts as well as Jamaica’s most-wanted list.
This three-disc set also features director Perry Henzell’s film, “No Place Like Home,” which also began filming in the early 1970s, but because of lack of finances, was not completed.
In the early 2000s, Henzell retrieved the footage he had shot and completed the movie.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.66:1 picture (“The Harder They Come”) and 1.85:1 widescreen picture (“No Place Like Home”); English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural (“The Harder They Come”) and English DTS-HD Master Audio monaural (“No Place Like Home”); English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras on “The Harder They Come” include a commentary track, a featurette on the impact of the movie, a music video and a vintage interview with Cliff. Other extras include a look at the restoration of “No Place Like Home,” a documentary about Henzell, a look at Dynamic Sound Studios, a behind-the-scenes look at Henzell’s Kingston home and production center and interviews with Henzell’s family members and coworkers.
NCIS: New Orleans: The Fifth Season
Details: 2018-19, CBS DVD-Paramount Home Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A six-disc set featuring all 24 fifth-season episodes of this popular CBS action-procedural drama.
The men and women of the New Orleans office of NCIS, led by Special Agent Dwayne “King” Pride, protect the city from criminals and terrorists, both foreign and domestic.
The overall arc of the season deals with the NCIS team tracking and shutting down the covert group Apollyon.
It also was a season of change for the show as Scott Bakula’s Pride is promoted and Special Agent Hannah Khoury (Necar Zadegan) takes over as lead of the team.
Guest stars included Stacy Keach, LeVar Burton and, visiting from “NCIS,” Mark Harmon.
Technical aspects: 16:9 widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a celebration of the series’ 100th episode, an overview of the season, an interview with Zadegan about her new role as agent Hannah Khoury and interviews with cast members who discuss some of their favorite moments and worst jobs they ever held.
The Brink (Blu-ray)
Details: 2017, Well Go USA Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A reckless, renegade cop, played by Max Zhang, is obsessed with bringing down a shady smuggler at any cost.
His pursuit of justice, though, leads to a Triad mob boss and a global smuggling ring that transforms his focus from a local to a violent international investigation.
The movie is loaded with action and kick-ass fight sequences guaranteed to please fans of the genre.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 (16:9 enhanced) widescreen picture; Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: A making of featurette is the main bonus option.
Cruising (Blu-ray)
Details: 1980, Arrow Video
Rated: R, language, violence, sexual situations
The lowdown: Al Pacino stars as an undercover cop in this controversial thriller directed by William Friedkin.
The movie centers on the seedy S&M gay subculture of New York in which a serial killer is preying on patrons of the city’s underground bars.
The movie — and the novel on which it was based — were the topic of much protest because many gay activists believed they were being maligned and that the movie offered a false view of the gay community.
Despite all that, it is Pacino’s dark performance that rivets you to the film.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and 2.0 LPCM monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include two commentary tracks with Friedkin and featurettes on the making of the movie and on the controversy it stirred.
4D Man (Blu-ray)
Details: 1959, Kino Lorber
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: I have fond memories of this movie from my childhood where I saw it at least twice during Saturday matinees.
Robert Lansing stars as scientist Scott Nelson, who stumbles upon the discovery of his younger brother, Tony (James Congdon), a method of stimulating the molecular structure of solid objects so they can be joined or passed through one another.
Scott takes Tony’s experiment a step further and soon finds he is able to pass through doors and walls. But his newfound ability has unforeseen side effects — the energy expended begins aging Scott rapidly.
Scott finds that by touching other people and draining their energy — and their lives — can he maintain his correct age.
Another side effect is that the power is driving Scott mad.
Adding to all this is the love triangle between Scott, Tony and Scott’s girlfriend, played by Lee Meriwether, who has taken an interest in Tony.
The movie is more sci-fi thriller than horror and, its only distraction is a totally inappropriate jazz-like score that seems at odds with the action on-screen.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include interviews with Meriwether and the film’s producer Jack H. Harris and two commentary tracks.
Girls of the Sun (Blu-ray)
Release date: Aug. 6
Details: 2018, Cohen Media Group
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This war drama centers on an all-female battalion of Kurdish freedom fighters, “The Girls of the Sun,” led by Bahar, who is preparing to liberate her village from extremists and hoping to find her son, who is being held hostage with other villagers.
Mathilde, a French journalist, arrives to cover and report on the attack and tell the story of these courageous fighters.
The movie, written and directed by Eva Husson offers some grit, authenticity and tension, as it celebrates the bravery of women. But it also suffers from clichés about war, women and humanity.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; French, Kurdish, English and Arabic 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: The main extra is a question-and-answer session with Husson.
Blue Bloods: The Ninth Season
Details: 2018-19, CBS DVD-Paramount Home Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: The Reagan family returns for the ninth season of protecting New York on the streets and in the courtroom.
The five-disc set contains all 22 episodes. The series’ popularity rests in its successful blend of cops-and-robbers action and family drama.
As always, Tom Selleck’s Frank Reagan, the straightforward New York Police Commissioner, tries to oversee the NYPD and his brood in the most diplomatic way he can. Sometimes it works, but, at times, there are clashes with other New York officials as well as family members.
That is especially true of Frank’s relationship with his eldest son, Danny (Donnie Wahlberg), a first-rate detective who, at times, uses questionable methods to solve crimes.
Others in the cast include Bridget Moynahan as Erin, an assistant district attorney, and Will Estes as Jamie, who also is a cop.
The show’s winning formula will please its fans and casual viewers, and this new release will allow those who follow the series ample time to relive their favorite moments.
Technical aspects: 16:9 widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Supplemental offerings include deleted scenes, an overview of season nine, a behind-the-scenes look at life on the set with Abigail Hawk, who plays Detective Abigail Baker, a look at what’s involved in putting together a scene related to the technical aspects of the NYPD, a gag reel and two CBS Watch! Magazine behind-the-scenes photo shoots with cast members.
Wagon Master (Blu-ray)
Release date: Aug. 13
Details: 1950, Warner Archive Collection
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This Western, by the legendary John Ford, is one of the director’s favorite movies, though it may not be as well-known as his “The Searchers,” “Fort Apache” or “Stagecoach.”
Ford’s stock company of regulars, headed by Ben Johnson, Harry Carey Jr. and Ward Bond, star in this story of a group of Mormons, led by Bond’s Elder Wiggs, who hires two drifters, played by Johnson and Carey Jr., to lead their wagon train to the San Juan Valley.
Along the way, the train encounters many hazards, including Indians and the evil Clegg family.
Other members of the Ford stock company who appear in the film are Joanne Drug, Jane Darwell, Russell Simpson and Francis Ford.
The release is a made-on-demand Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection and can be ordered at www.wb.com/warnerarchive or other online sellers.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 (4×3) full-screen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: The major extra is an archival commentary track with Carey Jr., filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich and John Ford.
Billy the Kid vs. Dracula (Blu-ray)
Details: 1966, Kino Lorber
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This low-budget campy mash-up of Old West and European vampire is definitely a guilty pleasure release.
Veteran actor John Carradine, who hams it up and seems to have had a few drinks in him while filming, portrays Dracula — a role he assumed in two 1940s’ Universal releases — “House of Frankenstein” and “House of Dracula.”
Carradine was in beginning the downhill period of his long career as a character actor, even though he made several more movies before his death in 1988.
The plot here is inconsequential and involves Carradine’s Dracula posing at the uncle of a ranch owner so he can make her his next victim.
Opposing him is the ranch owner’s fiancé, William Bonney, aka, Billy the Kid, a reformed outlaw.
The movie was definitely exploitation drive-in fare and usually paired with “Jesse James Meets Frankenstein’s Daughter.”
Both movies were directed by William Beaudine, who helmed hundreds of B-movies and TV shows, many for Monogram Pictures in the 1940s. He was known for making movies quickly, usually shooting just one take.
The supporting cast of “Billy the Kid vs. Dracula” is rather impressive, and includes such familiar Western faces as Harry Carey Jr., Olive Carey (Harry’s mother), Bing Russell (Kurt Russell’s father) and legendary Republic serial and B-Western heavy Roy Barcroft as well as Virginia Christine and William Forrest.
And, yes, the movie’s special effects are laughable, but that is one of its charms. If you just watch for fun and go with the flow, you will get a kick out of the film.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: The major extra is a commentary track by film historians Lee Gambin and John Harrison.
“Akio Jissoji: The Buddhist Trilogy” (Blu-ray)
Details: 1970-72, Arrow Academy
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Akio Jissoji was a prolific filmmaker. He worked for about 50 years in Japan’s movie and television industries, and his output was diversified, ranging from science fiction to horror and mystery.
The three movies in this series were new wave features made for the Arts Theatre Guild, and came to be known collectively as “The Buddhist Trilogy.”
The movies are “This Transient Life” (1970), “Mandara” (1971) and “Poem” (1972). The trilogy’s overall link is the exploration of faith in Japan’s post-industrial climate.
“This Transient Life” is a controversial feature about a brother and sister from a rich family who defy the expectations placed on them. Their isolation and closeness lead to an incestuous relationship that leads to disaster.
“Mandara” also stirred outrage with its story of a cult that is dedicated to extolling the primordial human state through rape and agriculture. The cult’s aim is for its members to achieve true ecstasy through sexual release.
“Poem” centers on a faithful young houseboy devoted to his spiritual well-being who does not realize that his teacher plans on turning over his grandfather’s mountain property to realtors for profit. The set includes the 120-minute theatrical version and 137-minute extended version of the movie.
These imports are not as well-known in the United States as Japanese features from other filmmakers, but they offer a different perspective on that nation’s culture and range of subjects.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.33:1 full-screen picture (“This Transient Life”), 1.85:1 widescreen picture (“Mandara” and “Poem”); Japanese LPCM monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a bonus disc featuring Jissoji’s 1974 movie, “It Was a Faint Dream,” an introduction to the three movies by author-film historian David Desser, scene-select commentaries on all three movies and a booklet with writings about the movies.
Star Wars Resistance: Complete Season One
Details: 2018-19, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
Rated: TV-Y7, violence
The lowdown: This multidisc set features all 21 episodes of this animated “Star Wars” franchise series that focuses on Kazuda “Kaz” Xiono, a young pilot recruited by Poe Dameron for a top-secret mission to aid the Resistance.
Poe wants “Kaz” to spy on the growing threat of the First Order. To do so, he is stationed aboard an aircraft refueling station, where he finds it challenging to maintain his cover as a mechanic as well as gain the trust of new friends.
The series airs on Disney XD and the Disney Channel.
Technical aspects: 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital and French and Spanish 2.0 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Hours of extras include 12 bonus shorts, four commentaries, a look at the show’s past, present and future and 21 “Resistance Rewind” behind-the-scenes looks at the series.
Moonfleet (Blu-ray)
Release date: Aug. 13
Details: 1955, Warner Archive Collection
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Stewart Granger was MGM’s go-to star for adventure-swashbuckler-costume dramas in the 1950s, starring in such efforts as “King Solomon’s Mines,” the remakes of “The Prisoner of Zenda” and “Scaramouche,” “Young Bess” and “Beau Brummell.”
In Moonfleet, Granger portrays Jeremy Fox, a smuggler who takes in an orphaned lad, John Mohune (Jon Whiteley), out of love for the boy’s mother.
Fox is now the owner of the boy’s ancestral home. As time passes, Fox becomes attached to the boy, but their relationship is tested when John discovers Fox’s profession.
The movie was directed by Fritz Lang, who adds suspense and menace on the windswept moors of Devonshire.
The release is a made-on-demand Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection and is available at www.wb.com/warnerarchive or other online retailers.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.55:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio stereo; English SDH subtitles.
The Beatles: Made on Merseyside
Details: 2018, Omnibus Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This documentary traces the path taken by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo star — the Beatles — from Merseyside teenagers to the most famous band and popular band in the world.
The movie follows their rise from members of various college bands to the nightclubs of Hamburg, Germany, to The Cavern Club in Liverpool.
Along the way, the Beatles evolved from skiffle to rock ‘n’ roll to creating their own sound.
The movie features interviews with the band’s former drummer, Pete Best, Quarrymen members Colin Hanton and Len Garry, manager Brian Epstein’s business associate Joe Flannery, the band’s first secretary, Freda Kelly, original “Mersey Beat” magazine owner Bill Harry and flatmates of Lennon and the late Stuart Sutcliffe.
Fans of the Beatles will find this look at the group’s early years to be entertaining and edifying.
Technical aspects: 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 Dolby digital.
Ronja: The Robber’s Daughter: The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
Details: 2014-15, Shout! Factory-GKids
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A four-disc set featuring all 26 episodes of this television series produced by Studio Ghibli and directed by Goro Miyazaki.
The series centers on Ronja, a 10-year-old girl born inside a mountain fort that is headquarters to a band of robbers.
Ronja is an active child who soon discovers the forest, which offers her beauty as well as some danger because of the unusual creatures who inhabit it.
She also meets a boy, who is the son of her father’s rival.
The series looks at friendships and family loyalties as we watch Ronja grow and evolve as she begins to learn that differences can be bridged with the help of love and understanding.
The release offers original Japanese-language and English-dubbed versions of the episodes, which feature narration by Gillian Anderson.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.77:1 widescreen picture; Japanese and English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio and English descriptive audio; English SDH and English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus options include an interview with Miyazaki, a press conference and a making of featurette.
Other titles being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated:
The Assault (DVD & digital & VOD) (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)
Perception (Blu-ray & DVD) (Gravitas Ventures)
Socrates (DVD & VOD) (Breaking Glass Pictures)
Teddy Pendergrass (Blu-ray & VOD) (MVD Visual Entertainment, Aug. 23)
FOR KIDS
Shimmer and Shine: Legend of the Dragon Treasure (Nickelodeon-Paramount Home Entertainment)
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, STREAMING or VOD
Booksmart (Fox Home Entertainment)
Canal Street (Cinedigm)
Head Full of Honey (Warner Home Entertainment)
Ma (Universal Studios Home Entertainment)
Men in Black International (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)
Seaside (Gravitas Ventures)
Burn (Momentum Pictures, Aug. 23)
John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum (Lionsgate Home Entertainment, Aug. 23)
Art of the Heist: Series 1 & 2 (Acorn TV, Aug. 26)
Joy of A.I. (Acorn TV, Aug. 26)
Magic Numbers (Acorn TV, Aug. 26)
My Life Is Murder: Episode 5 (Acorn TV, Aug. 26)
Neil Dudgeon’s Top Ten (Acorn TV, Aug. 26)
Coming next week: Godzilla: King of the Monsters
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.