New to View: Oct. 1
By Bob Bloom
The following titles are being released on Tuesday, Oct. 1, unless otherwise noted.
Robin Williams: Comic Genius
Details: 1978-2009, Time Life
Rated: Not rated, language
The lowdown: Another in a series of Time Life DVD sets focusing on the comic talents of Robin Williams.
This five-disc set features his quintet of HBO specials, starting with 1978’s “Of the Wall”, followed by “An Evening with Robin Williams” (1983), “An Evening at the Met” (1986), “Live on Broadway” (2002) and “Weapons of Self Destruction” (2009).
And while these stand-up performances are extraordinary and spotlight the quick mind, sharp wit and improvisation and riffing skills of Williams, there also is a touch of sadness.
In these times, a comic of Williams’ stature is sorely missed.
Who knows what he would think about the current national situation, but I am sure he would have made several prescient points that would have made us laugh heartily.
Technical aspects: Widescreen and full-screen pictures; English Dolby digital; English SDH and closed-captioned subtitles.
Don’t miss: Hours of bonus materials include early stand-up performances, TV show appearances, HBO promo shoots and press interviews, interviews with Williams’ manager David Steinberg and fellow comic Lewis Black and “People’s Choice Award” appearances.
Child’s Play (Blu-ray + digital)
Release date: Sept. 24
Details: 2019, Fox Home Entertainment
Rated: R, graphic and bloody violence, language
The lowdown: This re-imagining of the 1988 horror movie stars Aubrey Plaza as Karen, a single mom who buys her lonely son, Andy (Gabriel Bateman), an A.I. enhanced doll named Chucky.
Unbeknownst to Karen, Chucky’s safety restrictions have been disabled. Soon a series of gruesome events unfold. Karen tries to convince authorities that the doll is responsible, and soon Andy becomes Chucky’s latest target.
The movie, which features Mark Hamill voicing Chucky, updates the story from the supernatural premise of the original. Making artificial intelligence as the malevolent forcing driving Chucky makes the movie more contemporary as well as more unsettling.
The movie is bloody, but offsets it with some humorous moments.
A majority of critics liked the movie, giving it a 64 percent fresh rating at Rottentomatoes.com.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and descriptive audio and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus offerings include a commentary track, featurettes on the making of the movie and bringing Chucky to life and Lee Hardcastle’s Claymations.
Pavarotti (Blu-ray + DVD + digital)
Release date: Sept. 24
Details: 2019, Lionsgate Home Entertainment
Rated: PG-13, language, war-related images
The lowdown: Academy Award-winning director Ron Howard helmed this documentary that looks at the life, career and impact of opera singer Luciano Pavarotti, whose voice and oversized personality is credited with expanding the popularity of opera.
The film features performances, interviews and never-before-seen footage that centers on the singer and the man.
The movie fails to capture all the complexities of Pavarotti, but it goes deep enough to provide an appreciation of who he saw world as his stage.
The film includes interviews with friends and colleagues, but it seems to gloss over some the tenor’s shortcomings.
Still, “Pavarotti” is delightful and the film’s digital transfers, especially its audio track, does justice and captures the magnetism that made Pavarotti a worldwide sensation.
Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 7.1 Dolby TrueHD, English descriptive audio; English SDH, English and Spanish subtitles; DVD: 1.78:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, English and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include more interviews with friends of Pavarotti, a look at the entertainer and a featurette with Howard talking about the tenor.
The Circus (Blu-ray)
Release date: Sept. 24
Details: 1928, The Criterion Collection
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This is the last film Charlie Chaplin made during the silent era.
In it, the Little Tramp, thought to be a pickpocket, flees into the ring of a traveling circus, where his antics soon make him the star of the show.
The Little Tramp falls for the circus’ bareback rider, played by Merna Kennedy. But, much to his dismay, she prefers the new, handsome tightrope walker.
This was one of Chaplin’s most difficult productions — even though he was given an Academy Award for his versatility as an actor, writer and director — because his mother died during the production, he was being pursued by the Internal Revenue Service, which claimed he owed $1 million in back taxes and his studio burned down.
For years, Chaplin ignored the movie, finally returning to it in 1969 to record a new musical score — as well as a new song he composed and sang — for its reissue.
This version of the movie is its 1969 rendition.
“The Circus” mixes comedy and sentimentality as well as hints of drama. It is not one of Chaplin’s best-known films, but it remains a treasured feature that highlights Chaplin’s many talents.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.33:1 full-screen picture; LPCM monaural musical track.
Don’t miss: Extras include a commentary track with Chaplin biographer Jeffrey Vance, a 1969 interview with Chaplin, an interview with Chaplin’s son, Eugene, a look at the movie’s visual effects and production design, a 2003 documentary that examines the film, excerpts from a 1998 audio interview with Chaplin musical associate Eric James, unused sequences and outtakes, excerpts from a recording session for the 1969 re-release opening song, “Swing Little Girl,” footage from the 1928 Hollywood premiere and an essay about Chaplin and the movie.
“Ida Lupino Filmmaker Collection” (Blu-ray)
Release date: Sept. 24
Details: 1949-53, Kino Lorber
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Ida Lupino was an actress who, while under contract to Warner Bros. in the late 1930s and ’40s, referred to herself as “the poor man’s Bette Davis,” taking on some roles that Davis rejected.
Lupino, however, made her mark in such films as “They Drive by Night,” “High Sierra” and “The Hard Way.” But she never really enjoyed acting, finding it boring.
She was more intrigued about the processes behind the camera.
In the late 1940s, Lupino and her then-husband, Collier Young, formed an independent company, The Filmakers. It’s aim was the produce, write and direct low-budget, social-issues movies.
This four-disc set features a quartet of movies that Lupino directed and co-wrote.
The first movie, “Not Wanted,” actually lists veteran Elmer Clifton as the director, but he suffered a heart attack during production and Lupino took over. She did not take directorial credit, respecting the work Clifton already had done.
“Not Wanted” (1949) is a drama about out-of-wedlock pregnancy. The movie stars Sally Forrest as a naïve young woman who is ditched by her musician boyfriend, played by Leo Penn (father of Sean).
Lupino’s full-fledged directorial effort was “Never Fear” (1949), again starring Forrest as a promising young dancer crippled by polio. Her illness makes her bitter and angry, and she is consumed by self-pity. Lupino, who dealt with polio as a child, cowrote the script with Collier.
“The Bigamist” (1953) stars Edmond O’Brien as a traveling salesman with two wives, played by Joan Fontaine and Lupino. The movie offers a sympathetic take on the dilemma of O’Brien’s character.
The gem of this set is “The Hitch-Hiker,” a film-noir masterpiece featuring a fearsome performance by William Talman as the homicidal title character. It is the only feature in the film-noir genre to be directed by a woman.
This set offers an insightful look at a pioneering director who tackled subjects major studios shied away from. Lupino fans will not be disappointed.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 full-screen and 1.66:1 widescreen picture; English DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include commentary tracks on all four movies and a booklet about Lupino, the films and her career behind the camera.
Local Hero: Special Edition (Blu-ray)
Release date: Sept. 24
Details: 1983, The Criterion Collection
Rated: PG, language, adult situations
The lowdown: Director Bill Forsyth’s comic take on Scottish life and folklore propels this delightful comedy that brought Scottish cinema to the attention of the world.
Peter Riegert (“National Lampoon’s Animal House”) stars as Mac, a Texas oil executive who is dispatched by his eccentric boss, played by Burt Lancaster, to a remote seaside Scottish community.
Mac’s instructions are to buy out the town and develop the region for an oil refinery. But the longer he remains in the town — and gets to know its residents — he begins to have doubts about his mission.
Forsyth fills the movie with droll one-liners, deadpan jokes and a celebration of small-town life.
The movie offers a sly and satirical look on corporate greed, conservation and our legacies.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English LPCM monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus options include a commentary track, a conversation between Forsyth and film critic David Cairns, a 1985 documentary about cinematographer Chris Menges, a 1983 episode of “The South Bank Show” about the production of the movie, a making of featurette, a 1983 interview with Forsyth and an essay about the movie.
The Gangster, the Cop, The Devil (Blu-ray)
Details: 2019, Well Go USA Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A Korean crime thriller about a crime boss brutally attacked after a car accident on a stormy night.
The gangster fights back and escapes his assailant, but his fierce reputation is severely damaged.
To restore his honor and his image, he must find his attacker and extract revenge. To do so, he teams up with a detective.
The gang boss soon learns that his attacker is a serial killer. The detective, getting no support from his superiors, must use the gang boss’s underlings and resources to help hunt down the murderer, known as “K.”
This is a high-octane thriller that offers some laughs, and features winning performances from Don Lee and Kim Moo Yul and sure direction by Lee Won-Tea.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 16:9 enhanced widescreen picture; Korean DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: A making of featurette and a look at the characters comprise the main bonus components.
The Set-Up (Blu-ray)
Release date: Sept. 17
Details: 1949, Warner Archive Collection
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Robert Wise directed this film-noir look at the seedy side of boxing.
Robert Ryan, in one of the finest performances of his career, stars as Stoker Thompson, a veteran fighter who believes he is one win away from a big payoff.
What Thompson does not know is that his manager wants him to take a dive, which Thompson will not do.
The film is one of the best boxing films ever produced. It features a strong supporting cast headed by Audrey Trotter as Thompson’s loyal and supportive wife.
Others in the cast include George Tobias, James Edwards, Alan Baxter and Wallace 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 dealers.
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 main extra is a commentary track with Wise and Martin Scorsese.
An Angel at My Table: Special Edition (Blu-ray)
Release date: Aug. 6
Details: 1990, The Criterion Collection
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Director Jane Campion, who won an original screenplay Academy Award for “The Piano,” tells the harrowing story of Janet Frame, New Zealand’s most distinguished author.
Three actors appear as Frame, with Kerry Fox giving a splendid performance as the adult author, in this journey that takes us from an destitute and tragic childhood to a misdiagnosis of schizophrenia that resulted in electric shock therapy and a narrowly escaped lobotomy to her triumph as a world-renowned writer.
The movie, though very personal to Campion, also allows her to capture the splendor of various New Zealand landscapes.
The film is a celebration of the creative mind, offering heartbreak and inspiration.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Supplemental offerings include a 2005 commentary track, a short documentary about the making of the movie, deleted scenes, a 1983 audio interview with Frame, excerpts from Frame’s autobiography and an essay about the movie.
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? (Blu-ray)
Details: 1975, VCI Home Entertainment-MVD Visual Entertainment
Rated: PG, violence
The lowdown: This documentary covers the 12 years — from the 1929 Wall Street crash to the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor — that were among the most turbulent and painful years in the nation’s history.
Most of the nation was consumed by the Great Depression, which put men out of work, dispossessed families and labor unrest.
The film, directed by Philippe Mora, juxtaposes newsreel footage with scenes from Hollywood films of the era, such as “Wild Boys of the Road,” “Golddiggers of 1933” and “Lady Killer.
Mora details how movies of the time mirrored the nation’s mood — its anxiety and, at times, optimism.
Two influential characters emerge — Franklin D. Roosevelt, elected president in 1932, who assured the nation in his 1933 inaugural address that “the only thing we have to fear, is fear itself; and actor James Cagney whose pugnaciousness masked a heart of gold. The film also includes glimpses of Shirley Temple, Clark Gable, Fred Astaire, Judy Garland and Humphrey Bogart.
The movie also uses songs from the era, which helps complement the nation’s mood as the nation’s economy worsened and then slowly began, under Roosevelt’s various programs, to improve.
The film is a history lesson about an unforgettable era in America.
Technical aspects: 1.33:1 full-screen picture; English DTS-HD Master Audio.
Don’t miss: The major extra is an hour of Pathé newsreels from the era.
My Favorite Year (Blu-ray)
Release date: Sept. 17
Details: 1982, Warner Archive Collection
Rated: PG
The lowdown: This affectionate comedy recalls the heyday of live television and the variety shows that dominated during prime-time.
The movie affords Peter O’Toole one of his endearing roles as Alan Swann, an alcoholic, past-his-prime swashbuckling movie star, loosely modeled on Errol Flynn.
Swann is scheduled to appear as a guest star on King Kaiser’s “Comedy Cavalcade,” an exaggerated version of Sid Caesar’s “Your Show of Shows.”
Junior writer Benjy Stone (Mark Linn-Baker) is assigned to take care of Swann for the week, make sure he shows up for rehearsals and the show and — most importantly — try to keep him sober.
During the week, the two bond, as Swann gives Stone advice on his love life and Benjy brings Swann home to Brooklyn to meet and dine with his family.
The movie, set in 1954, marked the directorial debut of actor Richard Benjamin. It was produced by Mel Brooks’ BrooksFilm Limited company.
“My Favorite Year” is one of those movies you can watch over and over not just because it’s funny, but because of the many characters who take part in the events — most notably Lanie Kazan as Benjy’s mother, Joseph Bologna as King Kaiser and Ramon Sison as Benjy’s stepfather, former Filipino banter-weight boxer Rookie Carroca.
The release is a made-on-demand Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection and can be found and ordered at www.wb.com/warnerarchive or other Internet sellers.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: A commentary track by Benjamin is the main bonus component.
Gunsmoke: The Fifteenth Season: Volumes 1 & 2
Details: 1969-70, CBS DVD-Paramount Home Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Matt Dillon polices and protects the streets of Dodge City from killers, rustlers, bank robbers, con men and thieves in this seven-disc, two-volume set that features all 26 episodes from the 15th season of this venerable Western TV series.
Among the season’s guest stars are Jodie Foster, Ron Howard, Academy Award-winner Eileen Heckert and famed stuntman-director Hal Needham.
James Arness’ Dillon is aided by Deputy Festus Haggen (Ken Curtis), Miss Kitty (Amanda Blake), Doc Adams (Milburn Stone) and Newly O’Brien (Buck Taylor).
The marshal must contend with a psychopath and some misleading mail-order brides. But as always, Marshal Dillon wins the day.
Technical aspects: 4:3 full-screen picture; English Dolby digital monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: The main extra consists of previews on select episodes.
Lost City of the Jungle (Blu-ray)
Details: 1946, VCI Home Entertainment-MVD Visual
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: By 1946, Universal Pictures was phasing out its serial department. Only one chapterplay would follow this 13-chapter adventure set in the fictional Himalayan jungle province of Pendrang.
The serial centers on the search by war profiteer Sir Eric Hazarias for the elusive element, Meteorium 245, which supposedly the only defense against the atomic bomb.
Hazarias wants it so he can sell it to the highest bidder, thus ensuring the start of World War III.
Opposing him is stalwart Rod Stanton, special agent for the United Peace Foundation, Pendrang native Tal Shan and Marjorie Elmore, daughter of scientist Dr. Elmore, who is unwittingly helping Hazarias.
“Lost City of the Jungle” is best known not for its storyline, but because it was the final curtain for character actor Lionel Atwill, who played Hazarias. Atwill, who was featured in such horror classics as “Mystery of the Wax Museum,” “Doctor X” and “Son of Frankenstein,” as well as a memorable supporting role in Errol Flynn’s “Captain Blood,” was dying of cancer when filming began and only shot a few scenes before having to leave the production.
The script was rewritten to make Hazarias a secondary villain and a double, usually shot from behind or wearing a disguise, filmed the remainder of his scenes.
Like most Universal serials, “Lost City of the Jungle” utilized sets and stock footage from other releases, including plane scenes from Columbia Picture’s “Lost Horizon” and the sulphur pit from Universal’s “Son of Frankenstein.”
The cast also included Russell Hayden, best known for his portrayal of Hopalong Cassidy’s sidekick, Lucky Jenkins, in the late 1930s as Stanton; dependable character actor Keye Luke as Tal Shan and Universal contract player, Jane Adams, best known as the hunchbacked nurse, Nina, in “House of Dracula,” as Marjorie Elmore.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.33:1 (4×3) full-screen picture; English 1.0 LPCM monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: The major extra are liner notes from film historian Patrick McCabe.
Popeye the Sailor: The 1940s, Volume 3 (Blu-ray)
Release date: Sept. 17
Details: 1948-49, Warner Archive Collection
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Well, blow me down! Popeye is back for 17 more, spinach-eating adventures, which finishes off the sailor man’s output for the decade.
The color on the cartoons are vibrant looking, practically jumping off the screen.
An aspect of the set that may bother some collectors is that many of these Popeyes are reworked remakes of earlier Fleischer Studios cartoons.
As usual, Popeye’s main antagonist is the brutish Bluto, who always seem to have a craving for the sailor man’s girlfriend, Olive Oyl.
And while many of these cartoons are not up to the level of earlier releases, they still offer enough laughs to satisfy any animation fan.
The release is a made-on-demand Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection and can be found at www.wb.com/warnerarchive or other online sellers.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 full-screen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English SDH subtitles.
The Prey: Limited Edition (Blu-ray)
Details: 1984, Arrow Video
Rated: R, graphic violence, language, sexual situations
The lowdown: This horror-slasher offering tells the grisly tale of three couples who set off for the mountains for a weekend of hiking, drinking and sex.
What they do not know is that they have entered the territory of a crazy man — a predator who was horrifically burned as a child. He was the sole survivor a fire that ravaged his gypsy camp.
He now roams the area looking for his next human prey.
The movie was filmed in 1979 and 1980, but not released until 1984.
This two-disc set features three versions of the movie — the original theatrical U.S. release, an international cut and a composite cut, which combines footage from the U.S. and international releases.
Slasher fans will most likely appreciate the various versions of the movie.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English LPCM monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include interviews with cast member, a visit to the shooting locations in Idyllwild, Calif., a question-and-answer session from the 2019 Texas Frightmare Weekend and an audience reaction track from a screening of the film, a BD-ROM of the original script, about 45 minutes of outtakes, two commentary tracks and an audio interview with director Edwin Scott Brown.
Other titles being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated:
Anna and the Apocalypse (Cinedigm)
FLCL: Progressive (Cartoon Network-Warner Home Entertainment)
Killer Sofa (DVD & VOD) (High Octane Pictures)
Once Upon a Time in Deadwood (DVD & digital download & VOD) (Uncork’d Entertainment)
Replace (DVD & VOD) (Uncork’d Entertainment)
The Stand (CBS DVD-Paramoount Home Enterteainment, Sept. 24)
FOR KIDS
Scooby-Doo! Return to Zombie Island (Warner Home Entertainment)
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, STREAMING or VOD
Genius Party & Genius Party Beyond (Shout! Factory-GKids)
Marianne & Leonard: Words of Love (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)
Stuber (Fox Home Entertainment)
Toy Story 4 (Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment)
Doc Martin: Series 9, Episode 2 (Acorn TV, Oct. 3)
Surprise Me! (Indie Rights, Oct. 4)
Wonder Woman: Bloodlines (Warner Home Entertainment, Oct. 5)
Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries: Series 3 (Acorn TV, Oct. 7)
Mount Pleasant: Series 1 (Acorn TV, Oct. 7)
Coming next week: Annabelle Comes Home
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.