New to View: Jan. 18
By Bob Bloom
The following titles are being released on Tuesday, Jan. 18, unless otherwise noted:
The Addams Family 2 (Blu-ray + DVD + digital)
Details: 2021, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: PG, macabre and rude humor, violence, language
The lowdown: The Addams family has been around for a long time. It started as a series of single-panel cartoons by Charles Addams that appeared in various magazines, including “The New Yorker,” between 1938 and Addams’ death in 1988.
In 1964, “The Addams Family” debuted as a TV sitcom. In the 1990s, the family was the subject of two movies.
In this iteration, the family is animated. “The Addams Family” was released in 2019, and now comes its sequel.
In this movie Gomez (Oscar Isaac) and Morticia (Charlize Theron) are upset that their children are growing up so quickly. Wednesday (Chloë Grace Moretz) and Pugsley (Javon “Wanna’ Walton) are skipping family dinners, spending most of their hours at “scream time.”
Gomez and Morticia decide to bring the family, including Uncle Fester (Nick Kroll), closer by hitting the road in their haunted camper for a well-needed vacation.
Of course, things don’t go as planned and they journey across America, where they have run-ins with various characters, including cousin It.
The voice cast also includes Wallace Shawn, Bill Hader, Bette Midler and Snoop Dogg.
The plot is rather thin, which is probably the reason the film earned a chilly 29 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes. Still, a road trip with the Addams Family offers some laughs and comic situations.
Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, 2.0 Dolby digital DVS, Spanish 7.1 DTS-HD high resolution and French 5.1 DTS-HD surround; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles; DVD: 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen picture; English, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital and English 2.0 Dolby digital DVD; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus components include a look at the voice talent; a featurette on the joys of being kooky; and a family road trip checklist.
The Dry (Blu-ray)
Details: 2020, RLJE Films
Rated: R, violence, language
The lowdown: Eric Bana (“The Time Traveler’s Wife,” “Troy,” “Hulk”) stars as federal agent Aaron Falk who, after 20 years, returns to his hometown to attend the funeral of a childhood friend, Luke, who supposedly killed his wife and child before committing suicide.
Falk reluctantly agrees to stay and investigate the crime, which opens up an old wound — the decades-earlier death of teenager Ellie Deacon. Slowly, Falk begins to realize that the despite the span of years, the two crimes are connected.
Falk struggles to prove not only Luke’s innocence, but his own as he deals with the prejudice and rage toward him by an angry community.
Director Robert Connolly, who adapted Jane Harper’s 2016 best-selling novel with Harry Cripps, keeps you engaged with a satisfying mystery and various twists.
Critics were impressed, awarding the movie a 90 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.40:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus materials include a look at transforming the story from page to screen, a behind-the-scenes with Harper on the set and various other behind-the-scenes featurettes.
Escape from Mogadishu (Blu-ray)
Details: 2021, Well Go USA Entertainment
Rated: Not rated, violence
The lowdown: A historical drama loosely based on true events, in which diplomats from North and South Korea are trapped in Mogadishu when civil war erupts between rebel factions and forces loyal to Somali dictator Mohamed Siad Barra.
The members of the delegations must put their differences aside and work together to survive and escape the city. The leaders of both groups realize that they must put their differences and suspicions aside in order to reach safety.
The violence in Somalia and Mogadishu also was covered in “Black Hawk Down.”
One nice touch about this movie is that it does not demonize the North or South Koreans.
The movie earned a 93 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 (16:9 enhanced) widescreen picture; Korean and English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a making of featurette and a production documentary.
Billions: Season Five (DVD)
Release date: Jan. 11
Details: 2020-21, Showtime Entertainment-Paramount Home Entertainment
Rated: Not rated, language, sexual situations
The lowdown: A four-disc set featuring all 12 fifth-season episodes of this Showtime series starring Paul Giamatti and Damian Lewis.
The episodes look at the reignited rivalry between Giamatti’s Chuck Rhoades and Lewis’ Bobby Axelrod. At the time, new enemies and challenges appear on the scene, including rival hedge-fund mogul Mike Prince (Corey Stoll) and the new Manhattan district attorney, played by Roma Maffia.
Business and family issues face Rhoades and Axelrod throughout all 12 episodes.
The season features a guest appearance by Julianna Margulies.
The sixth and final season of the series premieres Jan. 23, so now is a good time to catch up.
Technical aspects: 16:9 picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH subtitles.
Inherit the Wind (Blu-ray)
Details: 1999, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: PG, language, thematic elements
The lowdown: This made-for-TV remake of a mostly fictionalized and dramatized version of the Scopes “monkey trial” stars George C. Scott and Jack Lemmon.
A majority of film buffs are familiar with the 1960 movie that starred Spencer Tracy as defense attorney Henry Drummond and Fredric March as prosecuting attorney Matthew Harrison Brady.
In this version, Scott portrays Brady (in a 1996 theatrical revival, he portrayed Drummond) and Lemmon plays Drummond.
The play, written by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, was — as Lawrence explained in a 1996 interview — was a criticism of McCarthyism, which was then sweeping the nation.
No matter which version, the plot is basically the same: schoolteacher Bertram T. Gates (portrayed by Tom Everett Scott, “That Thing You Do”) is arrested for teaching Darwinism — the theory of evolution — despite a state law against it.
He is tried with Drummond working as his lawyer and Brady handling the state’s case.
The cast also features Lane Smith, Piper Laurie, John Collum and Beau Bridges as journalist E.K. Hornbeck, who was modeled on legendary journalist H.L. Mencken.
The Blu-ray’s digital transfer is very sharp; no major flaws were detected.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: A commentary track is the major extra.
The Toolbox Murders (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)
Details: 1978, Blue Underground
Rated: Not rated, violence, nudity
The lowdown: This slasher film was blasted as being exploitative and misogynistic by many critics upon its release. Over the years, however, it has gained a cult following.
The movie stars Cameron Mitchell, a fine character actor who has appeared in such movies as “Carousel,” “My Favorite Year” and “Love Me or Leave Me.”
In “Toolbox Murders” he portrays handyman Vance Kingsley who uses his tools to kill women he considers immoral.
The movie is not for the squeamish and definitely ranks as a politically incorrect feature.
The two-disc set offers 4K Ultra HD and a Blu-ray options of the movie.
Technical aspects: 4K UHD: 2160p 4K Ultra high definition, 1.66:1 picture; English Dolby Atmos and 7.1 TrueHD; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles; Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 1.66:1 picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and 1.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Supplemental materials include two commentary tracks on both discs. Blu-ray extras include interviews with director Dennis Donnelly; costars Wesley Eure, Kelly Nichols and Marianne Walter; a remembrance of Mitchell; a video essay; and a poster and still gallery.
Liar Liar: 25th Anniversary Edition (Blu-ray)
Details: 1997, Shout! Select
Rated: PG-13, sex-related humor, language
The lowdown: Jim Carrey stars as a fast-talking attorney and liar in this magical comedy about a young boy’s wish coming true and its consequences on his father.
Carrey’s Fletcher Reede often disappoints his son, Max, by breaking appointments with him. For his birthday, Max wishes that his dad would stop lying for 24 hours. To Reede’s chagrin, his son’s wish comes true.
So, what is a lawyer who now — for a full day — must tell the truth to do, especially since the biggest case of his career is on the day’s docket.
The movie costars Maura Tierney, Jennifer Tilly, Swoosie Kurtz, Cary Elwes and Justin Cooper as Max.
A majority of critics enjoyed Carrey’s antics, giving the movie an 82 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include looking back at the writing of the screenplay and the cast, outtakes, a deleted scene, a commentary track and a “Bridging the Comedy Chasm” featurette.
Expresso Bongo (Blu-ray)
Details: 1959, Cohen Film Collection
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Laurence Harvey stars as an opportunistic Soho talent agent who is always out to make some easy money.
He notices a rock ‘n’ roll singer and bongo player named Bert Rudge (Cliff Richard) who, even though reluctant to become a star, allows Harvey’s fast-talking Johnny Jackson to transform him into a teen idol named Bongo Herbert.
Soon Bongo is a new sensation, with Jackson pulling the strings. But, as time passes, both painfully learn that fame — and fortune — are fleeting.
This is the complete and original 1959 theatrical version of the movie, which includes several songs cut from the commonly available 1962 version, released at the time to capitalize on Richard’s popularity.
The movie costars Sylvia Sims and Hermione Baddeley. It was directed by Val Guest, best known for such Hammer Films releases as “The Quatermass Xperiment,” “Quatermass 2” as well as “The Day the Earth Caught Fire” and “When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth.”
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; English DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.
Three Women (Blu-ray)
Details: 1924, Kino Classics
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Ernst Lubitsch directed this sophisticated comedy, his third American movie.
Pauline Frederick and May McAvoy star as mother and daughter who find themselves competing for the same man, George (Lew Cody), who cares more about their fortune than the women.
The movie also features Marie Prevost as George’s mistress, who poses a threat to George’s romantic machinations.
This cynical comedy displays how the bonds between mother and daughter are sorely challenged.
The silent movie, with a 4K restoration by the George Eastman Museum, features an orchestral score by Andrew Earle Simpson.
The film appears dated by today’s standards, but is relevant for fans of Lubitsch who want to view his maturation as a screenwriter and director.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.33:1 full-screen picture; English intertitles.
Don’t miss: A commentary track by film historian Anthony Slide is the major extra.
This Game’s Called Murder (Blu-ray)
Details: 2021, Kino Lorber
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Ron Perlman stars in this wicked feature about murder, greed and betrayal in the Wallendorf family, headed by Perlman’s Mr. Wallendorf.
Wallendorf is a renowned women’s footwear designer. He also is a sadist. His wife, played by Natasha Henstridge, is just as bad.
And their troubled daughter, Jennifer (Vanessa Marano), is a social media celebrity with problems and ambitions of her own.
Basically, the Wallendorfs are a family of sociopaths. So, visit them at your own risk.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 200:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Interviews with the cast members comprise the extras.
Shock (Blu-ray)
Details: 1977, Arrow Films
Rated: Not rated, violence, language
The lowdown: Italian director Mario Bava was best known for such features as “Black Sunday,” “Black Sabbath” and “Blood and Black Lace.”
“Shock,” also known as “Beyond the Door II,” while not his best movie, was his last.
The story tells of a family, Dora (Daria Nicolodi) who, with her new husband, Bruno, and son, Marco, from her previous marriage, moves back into her old family home.
Dora’s former husband, who abused his wife and was a heroin addict, committed suicide. It’s hinted that because of these events Dora may have suffered a mental breakdown.
Bruno tries to be a positive influence on his stepson, who begins exhibiting strange behavior and seems possessed.
The film’s last few minutes are intense and scary.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; Italian and English DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a commentary track with film historian Tim Lucas; interviews with Lamberto Bava, who codirected the movie, and co-writer Dardano Sacchetti; a video essay on the use of puppetry in the movie; an overview of Mario Bava’s work; and an interview with critic Alberto Farina about Nicolodi.
Red Angel (Blu-ray)
Details: 1966, Arrow Video
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A Japanese film about a nurse during the 1939 Sino-Japanese war who is raped by patients on her ward.
After her assault, the nurse, Sakura Nishi (Ayako Wakao), is sent to a frontline hospital, where she becomes involved with a doctor addicted to morphine as well as a patient — a soldier who had both arms amputated.
The movie, directed by Yasuzo Masumura, is a brutal anti-war feature as well as a harrowing depiction of women in war.
Masumura does not spare viewers, providing graphic images of severed limbs as well as doctors and nurses soaked in the blood of their patients.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; Japanese LPCM monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Supplemental offerings include a commentary track by Japanese cinema scholar David Desser, an introduction to the film by Japanese cinema expert Tony Rayns, a visual essay by Jonathan Rosenbaum and a booklet with an essay about the movie.
Hive (DVD)
Details: 2020, Kino Lorber-Zeitgeist Films
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: An Albanian drama about a group of women in their patriarchal village whose hopes are fading for the return of their men during the war in Kosovo.
One of the women, Fahrije, to support her struggling family, gathers other widows from the village together to form a business, selling a local food product.
The new venture helps the women find healing and solace in community and considering futures without their husbands.
Soon, though, their newfound independence breeds hostility among the remaining men in the village. They condemn Fahrije’s efforts to empower herself and the other women, thus instigating a feud that threatens the newfound freedom of the women — as well as the financial future of Fahrije’s family.
The movie is set against the backdrop of civil unrest in Eastern Europe and the cultural impact of lingering misogyny. These barriers do not deter the women who join in the struggle to discover hope amidst an unclear future.
Technical aspects: 1.66:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; Albanian 5.1 Dolby digital; English subtitles.
A Walk in Her Shoes (DVD)
Details: 2020, IndiePix Films
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A documentary in which personal trainer and author Metra Lundy undertakes her own walk to freedom by retracing the steps of Harriet Tubman, who led escaped slaves from Maryland to Canada.
Lundy’s project is a quest to overcome obstacles in her life.
Lundy walked 245 miles, as did Tubman numerous times.
On this journey Lundy and the filmmakers interview Underground Railroad historians, social workers and community leaders, which helps bring Tubman’s accomplishments into a present-day context.
Technical aspects: 1.85:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a filmmaker commentary, a featurette on oral traditions, a profile of the director and a message from the editor.
Other titles being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated:
Akira (4k Ultra HD + Blu-ray) (Funimation Entertainment)
An Unquiet Grave (DVD) (RLJE Films-Shudder)
The Awakener (Blu-ray & DVD & digital) (Shout! Factory)
The Jack in the Box: Awakening (DVD & digital & VOD) (4Digital Media)
Nocturna: Side A: The Great Old Man’s Night (DVD & digital) (Breaking Glass Pictures)
Nocturna: Side B: Where the Elephants Go to Die (DVD & digital) (Breaking Glass Pictures)
Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy (Blu-ray & DVD & digital) (Film Movement)
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, STREAMING or VOD
How I Met Your Father (Hulu)
Live or Let Die (Shout! Studios)
Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)
Roommate Wanted (Indican Pictures)
Too Hot to Handle (www.netflix.com/TooHotToHandle) (Netflix, Jan. 19)
A Shot Through the Wall (Vertical Entertainment, Jan. 21)
Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock (Apple TV+, Jan. 21)
Servant: Season 3 (Apple TV+, Jan. 21)
Stop-Zemlia (Altered Innocence, Jan. 21)
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.