New to View: March 30

By Bob Bloom
The following titles are being released on Tuesday, March 30, unless otherwise indicated:
Wonder Woman 1984 (4K UHD + Blu-ray + digital)
Details: 2020, Warner Home Entertainment
Rated: PG-13, action, violence
The lowdown: “Wonder Woman 1984” is a solid movie, but it lacks the awe and majesty of its 2017 predecessor.
Like that film, “WW84” was directed by Patty Jenkins and stars Gal Gadot reprising her role as Diana Prince, the Amazonian warrior who lives among us, secretly helping people in need.
Because it is set in 1984, a more glowing and vibrant era, “WW84” is more colorful — pastels and brighter costumes abound. And like its setting, “WW84” overflows with excess — from its 151-minute running time to its oversized storyline, centering on wanting and the dangers of overreach to satisfy it.
“WW84” is basically a multimillion-dollar update of the 1902 supernatural short story, “The Monkey’s Paw.” The moral of that tale is be careful what you wish for as it may come true.
The main problem with “WW84” is that the storyline seems so trivial — almost childish. In “Wonder Woman,” Diana defeated Ares, the god of war, to end World War I. This follow-up is more a tale about unbridled greed and ambition.
The movie’s threadbare plot and familiar superhero situations is a disservice to this promising franchise.
Critics were nearly split on the film, awarding it a 59 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes. (As a comparison the 2017 “Wonder Woman” received a 93 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.)
Technical aspects: 4K UHD: 2160p UHD, 2.39:1 & 1.90:1 widescreen picture; English Dolby Atmos TrueHD, English descriptive audio, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles; Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 & 1.90:1 widescreen picture; English Dolby Atmos TrueHD and English descriptive audio, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus features include a making of featurette, a look at the relationship between Gadot and costar Kristin Wiig, a behind-the-scenes look at the costars having fun, breakdowns of the open road and mall sequences, a featurette on the Amazons, a gag reel, a “Black Gold” infomercial and a “Wonder Woman 1984 Retro Remix.”

Our Friend (DVD)
Details: 2019, Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Rated: R, language
The lowdown: This compassionate feature, based on a true story, follows the lives of journalist Matt Teague (Casey Affleck), his wife, Nicole (Dakota Fanning), and their best friend, Dane Faucheux (Jason Segel).
When Nicole is diagnosed with terminal cancer, Matt’s responsibilities as caretaker, husband and father to their daughters becomes more and more overwhelming.
Dane offers to help out. He puts his life on pause for his friends.
The impact of his sacrifice proves greater and more profound than anyone could have imagined.
The movie impressed critics who gave it an 85 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Supplemental options include a behind-the-scenes look at the film with members of the cast and crew.

Monster Hunter (Blu-ray + digital)
Release date: March 2
Rated: PG-13, creature action and violence throughout
The lowdown: Action star Milla Jovovich stars as Capt. Artemis in this B-movie style feature about a team of soldiers transported by another world behind our own in which they must battle enormous monsters immune to the firepower from the soldiers’ weapons.
As they fight to survive, the soldiers meet the Hunter (Tony Jaa), whose skills keep him ahead of the giant creatures.
As Artemis and the Hunter begin to forge a trust, she discovers that he is part of a team led by the Admiral (Ron Perlman).
Realizing that the danger afoot could threaten their world, the warriors unite for a showdown that could determine the fate of worlds.
The movie did not receive a very warm reception, garnering a tepid 46 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English 5.1 audio description track and French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, English, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Supplemental materials include deleted scenes, a look at the cast and their characters, a featurette on the movie’s weapons and a from game to screen featurette.

Isle of the Dead (Blu-ray)
Details: 1945, Warner Archive Collection
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Boris Karloff stars in this moody and atmospheric production from RKO’s Val Lewton unit, which gave us such gems as “Cat People,” “The Body Snatcher” and “I Walked With a Zombie.”
The setting for this feature, directed by Mark Robson (“Valley of the Dolls”), is a small island off the coast of Greece during the first Balkan War.
Karloff portrays Gen. Pherides, who has come to the island to visit the grave of his late wife. When he finds the grave empty, the general and Boston journalist Oliver Davis (Marc Cramer) try to find his wife’s missing corpse.
The pair visit a nearby residence where they meet Swiss archaeologist Dr. Aubrecht (Jason Robards Sr.), who explains that the local gravesites were looted by villagers 15 years earlier.
He invites them to stay.
The movie’s scenario takes a grimmer turn because of a plague that is gripping the island. On a smaller scale, the plague divides those in the household into two factions — one which blames the outbreak on superstition and those who choose to follow science.
Parallels to today’s situation are eerily similar which, under Pherides orders, include hand-washing and social distancing. There’s even a person who is seen wearing a mask.
The general grows ill, which leads him to suspect that Thea (Ellen Drew), a member of the household, is a “vorvokala” — a vampire that is responsible for all the deaths.
This 71-minute movie short on horror but loaded with suspense.
The Blu-ray is a made-on-demand release from the Warner Archive Collection and can be found at www.warnerarchive.com or other online sellers.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 (16×9) full-screen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: A commentary track by film historian Steve Haberman is the main extra.

Gattaca (4K + Blu-ray + digital)
Release date: March 23
Details: 1997, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: PG-13, violent images, language, sexual situations
The lowdown: A science-fiction movie that looks at the impact on people of genetic engineering.
Ethan Hawke stars as Vincent Freeman, of the last “natural” beings born into a genetically engineered world. Freeman has none of the DNA that will guarantee him success in this new world.
Freeman wants to explore space. In is desperation, he assumes the identity of the genetically superior Jerome Morrow (Jude Law). Soon, Freeman becomes a rising star at Gattaca Aerospace, where an attraction with coworker Irene Cassini (Uma Thurman) begins to grow.
But when the program’s flight director is murdered, a clue left at the scene threatens to upend Freeman’s plans.
The movie was generally praised by critics, who awarded it an 82 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 4K UHD: 2160p, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English Dolby Atmos (7.1 Dolby TrueHD compatible), English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, English, French and Spanish subtitles; Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, English, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a “Welcome to Gattaca” featurette, a “Do Not Alter?” documentary, deleted scenes, a substance test outtake and a featurette about the making of the movie.

Lust Caution (Blu-ray)
Details: 2007, Kino Lorber
Rated: NC-17, explicit sexual content
The lowdown: Oscar-winning director Ang Lee helmed this period romantic drama set during World War II.
The plot revolves around a secret agent, played by Tang Wei, who must seduce, then assassinate an official (Tony Leung Chiu Wai) who works for the Japanese puppet government in Shanghai.
Her mission becomes more difficult when she begins to fall in love with her target.
This erotic thriller runs 157 minutes and is well worth the time. It is visually stylish and emotionally demanding.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; Mandarin 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: A featurette on Lee and the making of the movie and a commentary track with film historian Eddy Von Mueller are the major extras.

The Projectionist (Blu-ray)
Details: 2019, Kino Lorber
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Movie buffs will enjoy this documentary by filmmaker Abel Ferrara that profiles theater owner Nicolas “Nick” Nicolaou, charting, through him, the history of film exhibition in New York City from 1970s Times Square adult film houses, city regulations, chain takeovers and cultural shifts in movie viewing.
Nicolaou emerges as one of the last of the city’s independent theater owners.
The film is a tribute to Nicolaou, his friendship with Ferrara, his determination and his vast love of movies.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD surround; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: “Cinevangelist: A Life in Revival Film,” a short documentary by Matt Barry, is the main bonus component.

Journeys Through French Cinema (Blu-ray)
Details: 2017-18, Cohen Media Group
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: The two-disc set is filmmaker Bertrand Tavernier’s follow-up to his 3½-hour look at the history of French cinema.
The acclaimed director’s new series features all new material that explores famous and forgotten filmmakers, how the German occupation during World War II shaped the industry and how the New Wave of the early 1960s changed it again.
The series also spotlights little-known women filmmakers.
Among the subjects covered are René Clément, Henri-Georges Clouzot, Julien Duvivier as well as several composers who created scores for these movies and the actors who appeared in these movies.
For film buffs who like to venture outside the United States, this series is a thorough introduction to the French films.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; French 2.0 LPCM; English subtitles.

Austin City Limits: Country (DVD)
Release date: March 2
Details: 1974-2018, Time Life
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Country fans will embrace this 10-disc set that offers 164 performances from this iconic PBS series.
Beginning with a 1974 concert by Willie Nelson, “Austin City Limits” spotlighted such artists as Randy Travis, Vince Gill, Dolly Parton, Miranda Lambert, Sheryl Crow, Kris Kristofferson, Loretta Lynn, Marty Robbins, Alan Jackson and many others.
The set covers five decades of the finest country music ever performed.
The discs also feature some wonderful collaborations such as Roger Miller and Nelson, Gill with Pure Prairie League and Dwight Yoakam and Buck Jones.
Fans of the genre will spend hours watching and listening to these performances.
Technical aspects: widescreen picture; English Dolby digital.
Don’t miss: Extras include interviews with stars such as Brooks & Dunn, Kenny Chesney, Gill, Parton, Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley and Keith Urban.

A Pain in the Ass (Blu-ray)
Details: 1973, Kino Lorber
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: The French title of this dark, action-comedy is “L’emmerdeur,” which translates as “the bother” or “troublemaker.”
The film stars Lina Ventura as a hired killer whose attempts to kill his contract as constantly interrupted or bungled by the neurotic salesman in the hotel room next to his.
The salesman, played by Jacques Brel, is distraught because his wife has left him. He is a bumbler who cannot even kill himself.
Ventura’s Ralf Milan must prevent Brel’s Francois Pignon from killing himself to avoid attracting attention to the hotel and himself.
Soon, an unlikely friendship develops between Milan and Pignon.
The movie was reworked in 1981 as “Buddy Buddy” with Walter Matthau in the Ventura role and Jack Lemmon in the Brel part. Billy Wilder directed the film, which was a critical flop.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.66:1 picture; French 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: A commentary track with film critic Nick Pinkerton is the main extra.

Stiletto (Blu-ray)
Details: 1969, Kino Lorber
Rated: R, violence, language
The lowdown: This thriller covers familiar territory. Alex Cord plays a rich playboy with a secret life as a hitman for the mob.
When he tries to retire, he becomes the target as the mob bosses fear he knows too much and where all the bodies are buried.
At the same time, he becomes involved in an investigation of New York’s mafia leader, who — to complicate matters even more — once saved his life.
The movie does not overlook any mob-gangster movie cliché.
The supporting cast includes Britt Ekland, Joseph Wiseman, Barbara McNair and Patrick O’Neal.
The film is based on a novel by Harold Robbins and was directed by Bernard Kowalski.
Technical aspects: 1.66:1 picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: A commentary track is the major bonus offering.

Rosebud (Blu-ray)
Details: 1975, Kino Lorber
Rated: PG
The lowdown: Otto Preminger directed this thriller that features an all-star cast including Peter O’Toole, Richard Attenborough, Raf Vallone, Cliff Gorman, Isabelle Huppert, Claude Dauphin and Kim Cattrall.
Unfortunately, the movie does not live up to the talent involved.
The story headlines O’Toole as Larry Martin, a reporter who works for the CIA and is tasked by his agency, as well as Israeli intelligence, to work for the release of five wealthy girls kidnapped by the Palestinian Liberation Army from a yacht named Rosebud.
Attenborough portrays Edward Sloat, the extremist leader of Black September, who is connected with the kidnapping. He is ultimately hunted down after his plans for a globalized terrorist network are discovered.
The film, at 126 minutes, is rather lethargic and features a few loose ends.
It is not one of Preminger’s better efforts.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: A commentary track is the main extra.

Isn’t She Great (Blu-ray)
Details: 2000, Kino Lorber
Rated: R, language
The lowdown: Bette Midler stars in the over-the-top comedy based on the life of author Jacqueline Susann, author of such trashy novels as “Valley of the Dolls.”
Along with her husband, Irving Mansfield (Nathan Lane), they hit the road to build publicity for her novel through independent and mom-and-pop book shops.
Her book is a success propelling her into international celebrity, despite her books, which included “The Love Machine” and “Once Is Not Enough,” being trashed by critics, but being embraced by the public.
“Isn’t She Great” is pedestrian, with most critics panning Midler and Lane’s very broad performances.
It is a film only the most devout fans of either performer will be able to tolerate.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: The main extra is a commentary track.

Honor Killing (Blu-ray)
Release date: Feb. 9
Details: 2018, Troma Video
Rated: Not rated, violence
The lowdown: Mercedes the Muse wrote, directed and stars in this grindhouse feminist revenge feature from Troma Entertainment.
Mercedes plays a young woman with no name who is brutally assaulted. Turning to her family for help, she is further betrayed when her father shoots her in an honoring killing ritual.
The woman survives and is consumed by revenge. She finds a bounty hunter who trains her in ways to inflict pain.
With her new skills, she begins the search for father. Along the way, she uses whatever weapon she has available to overcome any male obstacle in her way.
At a mere 67 minutes, the movie provides much mayhem as it rolls along.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 16:9 (enhanced) widescreen picture; English audio.
Don’t miss: Extras include early test footage and a music video.

Nightbeast (Blu-ray)
Release date: Feb. 23
Details: 1982, Troma Entertainment
Rated: Not rated, violence
The lowdown: A spacecraft crashes near a small town on Earth. An angry alien emerges and immediately begins killing people.
The local sheriff organizes a group of townspeople to help him battle the creature.
The movie features a lot of gory carnage, some of which is marred by the limited special effects created on a low budget.
Still, many sci-fi fans will enjoy this Troma outing.
Technical aspects: 1080p, 1.33:1 (16:9 enhanced) full-screen picture; English audio.
Don’t miss: Supplemental materials include outtakes and bloopers, a visual FX gallery and an introduction by filmmaker Lloyd Kaufman.

Other titles being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated:
My Mexican Bretzel (DVD) (IndiePix Films)
The Toll (Blu-ray + digital & DVD) (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)
The Widow (Blu-ray & DVD & digital & VOD) (Shout! Studios)

DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, STREAMING or VOD
Witness Infection (Freestyle Digital Media)
Fargo (Sundance Now, April 1)
Pan Am (Sundance Now, April 1)
Playing for Keeps: Season 2, Episode 7 (Sundance Now, April 1)
Judas and the Black Messiah (Warner Home Entertainment, April 2)
Raya and the Last Dragon (Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, April 2)
The Voices (Vertical Entertainment, April 2)
Bloodlands: Episode 4 (series finale) (Acorn TV, April 5)
The Brokenwood Murders: Series 2, Episode 7 (Acorn TV, April 5)
Diana (Sundance Now, April 5)
Ida (Sundance Now, April 5)
The Norman Conquest (Acorn TV, April 5)
Only Foals and Horses (Acorn TV, April 5)
The Sheriff (Sundance Now, April 5)

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.