New to View: March 16

By Bob Bloom
The following titles are being released on Tuesday, March 16, unless otherwise indicated:
Promising Young Woman (Blu-ray + digital)
Details: 2020, Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Rated: R, sexual material, drug use, violence, language
The lowdown: “Promising Young Woman” is a #MeToo-age thriller, featuring an astounding performance by Carrie Mulligan as Cassie.
Cassie does not live life — she walks through it.
A trauma has killed her soul and emotionally cut her off from everyone, including her parents.
All Cassie seems to want is revenge for her best friend and forgiveness for herself.
Cassie is an avenging spirit who punishes men for their transgressions against women. She tortures and abuses them verbally, mentally and emotionally. Her goal is to make a man think twice about how he treats women and create a modicum of fear about the next woman that man meets.
Mulligan gives a chameleon-like performance, changing her appearance when she goes out so as to entice men. She is quick to switch from semi-helpless drunk who slurs her speech and stumbles when she walks, to a menacing woman who usually scares the bejesus out of any man unlucky enough to fall for her ruse.
The premise of writer-director Emerald Fennell is that it’s a man’s world and, despite society being more “woke,” the old-boy network remains solidly engrained even in younger men.
Mulligan quietly exudes an air of menace. You fear her and also fear for her. The film is electric whenever Mulligan is on screen.
The movie impressed critics who awarded it a 90 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English 2.0 DVS, French 5.1 DTS digital surround and Spanish 7.1 DTS high resolution; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus features include a commentary track with Fennell, a featurette with Fennell discussing her inspiration for the movie, a look at Mulligan and how her hair and makeup helped express her characterizations and a behind-the-scenes talk as cast members discuss their reactions to the movie.

Damn Yankees (Blu-ray)
Details: 1958, Warner Archive Collection
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: It’s spring! Spring training is under way and teams are preparing for the 2021 baseball season.
So it seems an apropos time to release this movie adaptation of the popular Broadway show.
Basically, the movie is “Faust” in a baseball uniform as an avid Washington Senators fan says he would sell his soul to be a great ballplayer and help his perennial losers win the pennant.
Enter the Devil, going by the nom de plume of Applegate (Ray Walston), who grants the fan’s wish — in exchange for his soul, of course.
The fan is transformed into young slugger Joe Hardy (a robust Tab Hunter), who begins leading the team to the promised land.
The cast also includes Gwen Verdon as Lola, Applegate’s sexy temptress.
The songs, which include “Heart” and “Whatever Lola Wants,” were written by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross, who also did the songs for “The Pajama Game.”
George Abbott and Stanley Donen shared the directing duties, with Bob Fosse crafting the choreography.
The release is a made-on-demand Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection and can be found at www.warnerarchive.com or other online 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.

Russian Raid (Blu-ray)
Release date: March 9
Details: 2020, Well Go USA Entertainment
Rated: Not rated, action violence
The lowdown: Nikita, former Russian operative whose secret agent father was killed in a missile factory raid, is hired to neutralize the large security force at that same factory.
The man who hired Nikita and his team wants to extort the business from the factory’s owner. Unknown to Nikita and his team, the factory actually is owned by a treacherous warlord with ties to the Russian military.
What no one else knows is that Nikita has his own agenda — avenging his father’s death by taking out the most dangerous man in Russia.
The big sell of this Blu-ray is that it features a bevy of Russian mixed martial arts stars.
The movie imagines itself as an Americanized — as Russians believe — action flick.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 (16:9 enhanced) widescreen picture; Russian 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.

Runaway Train (Blu-ray)
Details: 1985, Kino Lorber
Rated: R, violence, language
The lowdown: Jon Voight and Eric Roberts star as escaped convicts from an Alaskan prison who hop a freight train to what they believe is freedom.
Also on board is a railroad worker, Rebecca De Mornay).
When the train’s engineer dies of a heart attack, the trio find themselves trapped about a speeding train hurtling toward disaster.
They must figure out some way to stop the train or die when it crashes.
The movie was adapted from a script by legendary Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa. It was directed by Andrei Konchalovsky (“Tango & Cash.”
The film, which received three Academy Award nominations — Voight for actor, Roberts for supporting actor and Henry Richardson for editing — garnered an 85 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a commentary track with Roberts and film historians David Del Valle and C. Courtney Joyner and a “Trailer From Hell” segment with filmmaker Rod Lurie.

Rent-A-Pal (Blu-ray)
Release date: March 9
Details: 2020, Scream Factory
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This thriller, set in 1990, centers on David (Brian Landis Folins), a lonely bachelor who takes care of his aging mother.
Seeking an escape, David, while seeking a partner through a video dating service, discovers a strange VHS tape called Rent-A-Pal.
It is hosted by the charismatic and affable Andy (Wil Wheaton), and offers David the company, compassion and friendship he so desperately craves.
As David watches, he soon realizes that Andy’s friendship comes with a cost that David must struggle to afford.
One of the movie’s lessons is that technology cannot replace nor substitute for actual human connection.
The movie earned a 69 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.40:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Supplemental materials include a making of featurette and a “Meet Your Matches” featurette.

Taffin (Blu-ray)
Details: 1988, Kino Lorber
Rated: R, violence, language
The lowdown: Pierce Brosnan stars as a no-nonsense debt collector asked by the people of his community to help rid the town of developers who want to construct a hazardous chemical plant on the outskirts of town.
The developers have sent a couple of heavies into the community to quiet the dissenters among the townspeople.
Brosnan’s Mark Taffin is quick with his wits as well as he is with his martial arts moves. Taffin takes on the heavies, paid assassins and ruthless executives. Along the way, he uncovers a conspiracy that leads to powerful political figures.
The movie costars Alison Doody, Patrick Bergin, Ray McAnally and Patrick Bergin.
It’s an OK feature that provides some explosive action.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.

The Last Remake of Beau Geste (Blu-ray)
Details: 1977, Kino Lorber
Rated: PG, rude humor
The lowdown: Marty Feldman, directed, cowrote and stars in this tepid satire of the French Foreign Legion action movies of the past.
Feldman’s movie is Mel Brooks-lite; it’s funny in spots, but lacks the affection Brooks instilled in his sendups such as “Blazing Saddles,” “Young Frankenstein” and “High Anxiety.”
“The Last Remake …” features Michael York as the dashing Beau Geste and Feldman as his brother, Digby. (A third brother, John, has been dropped here.)
The movie follows the basic parameters of the well-loved 1939 Gary Cooper version of “Beau Geste,” including the theft of a priceless family jewel and the brothers fleeing to Morocco and joining the Foreign Legion.
The movie does include an interesting supporting cast, including Ann-Margret, Peter Ustinov, James Earl Jones, Henry Gibson, Trevor Howard, Roy Kinnear, Spike Milligan, Hugh Griffith and Avery Schreiber.
The film’s reception was tepid, but fans of Feldman may appreciate it more than others.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus materials include two commentary tracks, an interview with York and a “Trailer From Hell” segment with film historian-screenwriter Alan Spencer.

Positive I.D. (Blu-ray)
Details: 1986, Kino Lorber
Rated: R, violence, language
The lowdown: This offbeat revenge thriller centers on an obsessed woman a year after she was raped.
A year after her brutal violation, housewife Julie Kenner (Stephanie Rascoe) cannot shake the horror of the crime.
Her mental state worsens when she learns her attacker will soon be paroled. Kenner is determined to get revenge. To do so, she creates a totally new identity, a femme fatale barfly named Bobbie King, who she believes will be the perfect target for her attacker.
Soon, she discovers that separating her real life from fantasy creation is slowly fading. The movie is a study of the mental abyss not only of the original crime, but of the quest for vengeance.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.66:1 picture; English DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: A commentary track is the main extra.

The Invisible Man Appears/The Invisible Man vs. the Human Fly double feature (Blu-ray)
Details: 1949, 1957, Arrow Video
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: In postwar Japan, special effects filmmaker Eiji Tsuburaya was blacklisted from studios because of his work on propaganda films during World War II.
To get work, he started his own company to supply special effects to Japanese studios. His company was contracted by Daiei Studios to do the effects on this 1949 reimagining of H.G. Wells’ “The Invisible Man.”
“The Invisible Man Appears” is about a scientist who invents a formula to turn things invisible. His only interest is scientific, but a crook learns about his discovery and makes himself invisible so he can steal some expensive jewelry.
To his chagrin, the crook learns that no antidote exists to make him visible again and he begins to go mad.
In 1957’s “The Invisible Man vs. the Human Fly,” centers on a disgruntled scientist who has invented a gas that shrinks humans to fly size so they can carry out his murders.
Another scientist has invented a ray that makes people and objects invisible. A police officer is made invisible and is able to learn what the evil scientist is up to.
This movie is rather funny, since it features a fly-sized individual buzzing around with no wings and in a business suit.
Tsuburaya, by the way, later went to work for Toho, where he created the effects for “Gojira” (“Godzilla”).
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 full-screen picture; Japanese LPCM monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Supplemental options include an interview with critic-movie scholar-author Kim Newman on the history of the Invisible Man in movies and a booklet with essays about the movies.

In God We Trust (Blu-ray)
Details: 1980, Kino Lorber
Rated: PG
The lowdown: Marty Feldman stars in, cowrote and directed this satire on organized religion and television evangelists in particular.
The movie’s humor is obvious and really adds nothing to previous jabs on the subject.
Feldman plays Brother Ambrose who is sent on a quest to come up with $5,000 to save his monastery.
He travels to Los Angeles, where he meets a con man (Peter Boyle), a prostitute (Louise Lasser) and a not-very-honest televangelist (Andy Kaufman).
Kaufman’s character sees Ambrose as a way to make even more money for his Church of Divine Profit — I said the jabs were obvious.
The cast also includes Richard Pryor and Wilfrid-Hyde White.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include two commentary tracks and a “Trailer From Hell” segment.

Wonder Showzen: The Complete Series (DVD)
Details: 2005-06, MTV-Paramount Home Entertainment
Rated: Not rated, explicit content, adult language & situations
The lowdown: A four-disc set featuring this satire that is an inappropriate and chaotic mix of puppetry, animation and live-action hijinks.
The 16-episode series, which feature puppets named Chauncey, Wordsworth, Sthugar and Him, news segments from A.P. Gibralter and puppet-on-the-street skits with Clarence, is dark, subversive and definitely not for kids.
The shows tackle some subjects that my seem irrelevant, but do have a point to make.
Technical aspects: 1.37:1 full-screen picture; English 2.0 Dolby digital.
Don’t miss: Among the extras are Clarence and Beat Kids outtakes, commentaries on a couple of episodes, a Beat Kids featurette, extra annoying games and more than an hour of time wasters, auditions and outtakes, a “Storytime with Flava Flav” featurette, guest commentaries, a music video and a sneak peek cartoon.

That Click (DVD)
Details: 2019, Omnibus Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A documentary that profiles photographer for the stars, Douglas Kirkland, who has captured more than 60 years of pop culture with his camera.
He has shot Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Angelina Jolie and hundreds of others.
The film includes Sharon Stone, Nicole Kidman, Andy Garcia, Michelle Williams and Baz Luhrmann talking about Kirkland and his work.
The movie looks at Kirkland’s style and influence, as well as showing many of his timeless images.
Technical aspects: 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital; English closed-captioned subtitles.
Don’t miss: A “That Click” backstage featurette is the main extra.

Other titles being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated:
Abandoned: Angelique’s Isle (DVD & VOD) (Indican Pictures)
The Cat Returns: Limited Edition Steelbook (Blu-ray) (Studio Ghibli-GKids-Shout! Factory)
Dark Web: Cicada 3301 (Blu-ray & DVD) (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)
Don’t Tell a Soul (Blu-ray & DVD & digital) (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)
Hawk & Rev: Vampire Slayers (DVD & VOD) (Freestyle Digital Media)
Jumbo (DVD & VOD) (Dark Star Pictures)
Little England (DVD) (Corinth Films)
The Parish (DVD & digital & VOD) (Uncork’d Entertainment)
PG: Psycho Gorman (Blu-ray & DVD) (RLJE Films)
Sacrilege (DVD & digital) (Devilworks)
Todd (DVD & digital) (Bayview Entertainment-Shoreline Entertainment)
Whisper of the Heart: Limited Edition Steelbook (Blu-ray) (Studio Ghibli-GKids-Shout! Factory)

DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, STREAMING or VOD
Waffles + Mochi (Netflix)
With: A Journey to the Slow Life (Apple TV)
Wonder Woman 1984 (Warner Home Entertainment)
Operation Varsity Blues (www.netflix.com/OperationVarsityBlues) (Netflix, March 17)
After the Murder of Albert Lima (Crackle, March 18)
Back: Season 2 (Sundance Now, March 18)
Groomed (Discovery+, March 18)
Nate Bargatze: The Greatest Average American (Netflix, March 18)
Playing for Keeps: Season 2, Episode 5 (Sundance Now, March 18)
Country Comfort (www.netflix.com/countrycomfort) (Netflix, March 19)
Follow Alana: Switzerland (Aurora Media-Wildwood Studios-JAN Media, March 19)
The Little Things (Warner Home Entertainment, March 19)
The Tangle (Damn Warrior Productions, March 19)
The Attaché (Acorn TV, March 22)
Bad Lucky Goat (Sundance Now, March 22)
Bloodlands: Episode 2 (Acorn TV, March 22)
The Deep Blue Sea (Sundance Now, March 22)
Saving Britain’s Worst Zoo (Acorn TV, March 22)

I am a founding member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. I review movies, 4K UHD, 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 at ReelBob or the Indiana Film Journalists Association. My movie reviews also can be found at Rotten Tomatoes: www.rottentomatoes.com