New to View: Feb. 15
By Bob Bloom
The following titles are being released on Tuesday, Feb. 15, unless otherwise noted:
Eternals (Blu-ray + digital)
Details: 2021, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment-Marvel Studios
Rated: PG-13, action and fantasy violence, language, brief sexual content
The lowdown: Marvel’s newest blockbuster was too long, contained too many characters and was unevenly paced. If a Marvel movie could be described as plodding, it would be “Eternals.”
The movie, directed by Academy Award-winning director Chloé Zhao, is ambitious in scope as it chronicles the history of a group of ancient aliens who have been living on Earth secretly for thousands of years, mostly watching as mankind progresses.
But following the events of “Avengers” Endgame,” a tragedy forces these Eternals to reunite to battle mankind’s most ancient menace, the Deviants.
Zhao and co-screenwriters Ryan and Kaz Firpo, add more philosophical bent than you’d expect in a superhero saga, but 157 minutes, it allows for a lot of dead space.
The cast, including Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Kumail Nanjiani, Richard Madden, Gemma Chan, Brian Tyree Henry, Lia McHugh, Barry Keoghan and Ma Dong-seok, are fine. But with such a large cast, they all seem like walk-ons with little opportunity for fully developed characters.
Critics were nearly divided on the movie, awarding it a 48 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, 2.0 descriptive audio and French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus features include a gag reel, deleted scenes, a look at Marvel’s decision to bring the Eternals to the screen, a look at the large cast and a commentary track.
Summer of Love (… Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) (DVD + digital)
Release date: Feb. 8
Details: 2021, Fox Home Entertainment
Rated: PG-13, disturbing images, smoking, brief drug material
The lowdown: This documentary, the debut film of musician Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, is not only a music film, but a historical record created around an event that celebrated Black history, fashion and culture.
The event took place over six weeks in the summer of 1969, about 100 miles south of Woodstock. It was called the Harlem Cultural Festival, and it was held in Mount Morris Park (since renamed Marcus Garvey Park).
Unlike Woodstock, the footage shot for this festival was largely forgotten until now.
The documentary sheds a spotlight on the importance of history and its impact on spiritual well-being.
It also is a testament to peace and healing during a time of social upheaval, not only the Civil Rights movement but against the government’s policy in Vietnam.
Among the artists performing were Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Sly & the Family Stone, Gladys Knight and the Pips, the legendary Mahalia Jackson, B.B. King, The 5th Dimension and Abbey Lincoln.
The movie, which mixes politics and music, was nominated for an Academy Award for best documentary, was awarded a 99 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby digital and 2.0 Dolby digital descriptive audio track; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a commentary track, a featurette on Harlem then and now and a “Soul Searching” featurette.
Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + digital)
Release date: Feb. 8
Details: 2021, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: R, graphic violence and gore, language
The lowdown: This movie returns to the origins of the “Resident Evil” franchise. Raccoon City was once the headquarters of the pharmaceutical giant Umbrella Corporation.
Since the corporation left, though, the town is dying and the area has become a wasteland. Plus, something malignant is brewing below the surface.
When that evil rises a group of survivors must band together to uncover the truth about Umbrella and be able to survive the night — and beyond.
The movie was dismissed by a majority of critics, many complaining it failed to live up to its potential — thus its 30 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 2160p 4K Ultra HD, 2.40:1 widescreen picture; English Dolby Atmos (Dolby 7.1 TrueHD compatible), English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English audio description track, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, English, French and Spanish subtitles; Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.40:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and English audio description track, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, English, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include “Replicating the DNA,” “Cops, Corpses and Chaos’ and “Zombies, Lickers and the Horrors of ‘Resident Evil’ ” featurettes.
The Three Musketeers (Blu-ray)
Details: 1948, Warner Archive Collection
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This colorful MGM adaptation of the much-filmed Alexander Dumas novel is rather odd — in casting as well as tone.
Gene Kelly gives a very buoyant performance as D’Artagnan. Van Heflin is a brooding Athos. Frank Morgan is a comical King Louis XIII, Vincent Price is an oily Cardinal Richelieu, Lana Turner is an icy and villainous Lady deWinter, while June Allyson is a sweet Constance.
The movie continually jumps from whimsical to comedy to drama. At times, it plays like a Mel Brooks spoof of the story.
But the Technicolor is gorgeous, the cast, which also includes Gig Young as Porthos, Robert Coote as Aramis and Angela Lansbury as Queen Anne, is impressive.
Despite its uneven and annoying tone, the movie is a prime example of a major studio gathering a group of stars for what it considers a prestigious project.
The release is a made-on-demand Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection and can be ordered at the WAC Amazon store or other online sellers.
Technical aspects: 1.37:1 (16×9 enhanced) full-screen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a “Fitzpatrick Traveltalks” short and a vintage cartoon.
They Say Nothing Stays the Same (DVD)
Details: 2019, Film Movement
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Toichi, an aging ferryman, is the focus of this Japanese feature set in a remote Meiji-era community.
Toichi’s life and peaceful existence earns it meaning from the people, livestock and goods he ferries across the river.
His life is upended when word arrives of a bridge being built upstream. It seems clear that his services will no longer be needed.
Toichi’s life also is changed by the mysterious young woman he saves from drowning.
The film, which earned a 100 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes, has an old-fashioned, classical and formal appeal as it looks at how traditions can be sacrificed in the name of progress.
Technical aspects: 2.35:1 widescreen picture; Japanese 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby digital; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: The major extra is a short film.
Cosmic Dawn (Blu-ray)
Details: 2021, Cranked Up Films-Kino Lorber
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Aurora, a young woman who, as a child, believes she witnessed the alien abduction of her mother joins the UFO cult “The Cosmic Dawn” hopefully to find answers.
At the cult’s remote compound, Aurora experiences miraculous revelations and conscience-expanding flowers.
The only disturbing aspect is Elyse (Antonia Zegers), the cult leader.
After moving on from the cult, Aurora is forced to confront her past and pursue the real truth about The Cosmic Dawn.
The movie is eerie, odd and suspenseful offering a fresh perspective on the cynicism about cults.
The film’s five reviews at Rotten Tomatoes were all fresh.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.00:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio and audio description track; English SDH subtitles.
12 Angry Men (Blu-ray)
Release date: Feb. 8
Details: 1997, Kino Lorber
Rated: PG-13, language
The lowdown: This made-for-TV remake of playwright Reginald Rose’s 1954 teleplay and 1957 movie features an all-star cast headed by Jack Lemmon and George C. Scott as well as Ossie Davis, Courtney B. Vance, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Tony Danza, Dorian Harewood, James Gandolfini, Hume Cronyn, Mykelti Williamson, Edward James Olmos and William Peterson.
The director was William Friedkin, who had helmed “The French Connection” and “The Exorcist.”
Lemmon plays Juror 8, at first the only holdout of 12 jurors who must decide if a teenage boy is guilty of murder. As the proceedings progress, Juror 8 sways more of his fellow jurors to his view that the prosecution’s case is weak and that the young man may be innocent.
Scott plays Juror 3, the last holdout who, at the end, finally changes his vote.
This version is as strong as the previous adaptations and watching these 12 actors is a genuine pleasure.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen and 1.33:1 full-screen pictures; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Seobok: Project Clone (Blu-ray)
Details: 2021, Well Go USA Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: In this Korean thriller with science fiction overtones, a former special agent is recruited for a secret mission. He must escort and protect the world’s first human clone, whose body may hold the key to ending death.
But there are those who want to stop the clone and as they close in on the pair, the two are forced to make an impossible decision.
Adding to the drama, the former agent has a brain tumor that could kill him and is using hard-to-find drugs to alleviate his symptoms.
The clone, Seo Bok, has a port in his neck that allows him to transfer a living giving serum.
The film, which received a 78 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes, is popcorn-munching fun.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1(16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; Korean and English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and 2.0 Dolby digital; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a short making of featurette and a look at the characters.
Soumaya (DVD)
Details: 2019, IndiePix Films
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This French feature, set in the aftermath of the deadly attacks that killed about 130 people and injured about 350 others in Paris, focuses on the anti-Muslim hysteria that swept the country after the terrorist event.
The main character is Soumaya, a practicing Muslim, mother and wife and a longtime executive at a Paris airport transportation company.
Soon after the attack, she is fired without an explanation or warning. Later that night, she and her family see a TV news report linking her to a radical jihadist group.
These events occur only days after her apartment, where she and her young daughter live, is raided by police.
Soumaya is not sure how to respond to all of this. Searching for answers, she finally decides to exercise her right to respond in a court of law.
The movie puts a spotlight on the collateral damage inflicted on innocent people because of their color and religious beliefs.
Technical aspects: 1.85:1 widescreen picture; French and Arabic 5.1 Dolby digital; English, Arabic and Spanish subtitles.
Princess Tam Tam / Zou-Zou (Blu-ray)
Release date: Feb. 8
Details: 1934, 1935, Kino Classics
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Josephine Baker was a dynamic performer, but because she was Black, her options were limited in the United States.
So in the 1930s, the singer-dancer-comedian accepted an offer to work in France, where she shined as all her talents were able to be displayed.
In “Princess Tam Tam” (1935), Baker, in a “Pygmalion”-like comedy, portrays a shepherd girl who rises through society to become the toast of Paris nightlife.
“Zou Zou” (1934) tells a “42nd Street”-like story of talented Cinderella who saves the show and becomes an overnight star.
Both movies showed what timid and prejudice American producers as well as stateside audiences were missing.
Thankfully, now these movies are available and filmgoers can learn to appreciate Baker’s artistry.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.33:1 full-screen picture; French audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Three documentary shorts that look at Baker’s life, career and movies; a video tour of Chez Josephine featuring Jean-Claude Baker’s culinary exhibition of rare Josephine Baker paintings and posters; and a 1928 short film featuring Baker comprise the bonus options.
FX / FX2 Double Feature (Blu-ray)
Release date: Feb. 1
Details: 1986, 1991, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: PG-13, R, violence, language
The lowdown: Two movies featuring special effects wizard Rollie Tyler (Bryan Brown) who, in “F/X” (rated R) helps the Justice Department by staging the assassination of an important underworld witness.
After completing the job, Tyler is surprised to learn that he is being charged with the murder he staged.
The double-crossed Tyler is being hunted by those who hired him, and only is magic with special effects can save his life.
Brian Dennehy, Diane Verona and Cliff D. Young costar. In “FX2” (rated PG-13), Tyler has moved from special effects to making sophisticated electronic toys for a living.
But when his girlfriend’s police detective ex-husband persuades him to create an illusion to help capture a serial killer, Tyler agrees.
Like before, Tyler finds himself in danger, as he is trapped in a deadly maze of double crosses and deceit in which he must depend on his talent and his friendship with Dennehy’s Leo Mahoney to expose an underworld conspiracy.
“F/X” was a critical success, garnering an 88 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes, while its sequel was not as well received, earning a 40 percent fresh rating at the critics’ site.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture (both films);; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio (both films); English subtitles (both films).
Don’t miss: Supplemental materials include an interview with “F/X” director Robert Mandel and making of featurettes on both movies.
Liar’s Moon (Blu-ray)
Details: 1982, MVD Rewind Collection-MVD Visual Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A poor boy-rich girl romantic drama starring Matt Dillon during his smoldering youth period as Jack Duncan, a hardworking, athletic young man in the small Texas town of Noble.
Jack is just having fun, living life until he meets Ginny Peterson (Cindy Fisher), the town’s wealthiest young woman.
Despite their obvious and much different backgrounds, the two fall madly in love, much to the dismay of their parents who forbid the two to see each other.
Fat chance, the two sneak out and eventually elope. They hope to find happiness away from the small minds of Noble.
But a history between the couple’s parents threatens the newlyweds with tragedy and heartbreak on the horizon. The cast also includes such veterans as Broderick Crawford, Yvonne DeCarlo and singer Hoyt Axton.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English LPCM monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a making of featurette, a look at the film’s music and an alternate ending.
Murphy’s Law (Blu-ray)
Details: 1986, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: R, violence, language
The lowdown: Charles Bronson stars in this action-thriller as Jack Murphy, a detective out to stop a clever psychopath by any means necessary.
Murphy becomes a wanted man after being framed for the killing of his former wife. He is arrested by his colleagues but is able to escape and begin his hunt for the actual killer.
As he pursues a false trail, Murphy is being stalked by the actual killer — a psychotic woman, portrayed by Carrie Snodgress, who is seeking revenge for those, including Murphy, who had her institutionalized 10 years earlier.
The supporting cast includes Kathleen Wilhoite, Robert F. Lyons, Angel Tompkins, Lawrence Tierney and Richard Romanus.
J. Lee Thompson (“Guns of Navarone”) again directs Bronson. The two collaborated on “The White Buffalo,” “10 to Midnight,” “Cabo Blanco” and “The Evil That Men Do.”
The movie was appeal more to Bronson fans, as this is one of his lesser efforts.
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 Wilhoite and film historian Nick Redman and an interview with Lyons.
Privilege (Blu-ray)
Release date: Feb. 8
Details: 1967, Scorpion Releasing-Kino Lorber
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Paul Jones, lead singer of the rock group Manfred Mann, plays rock star Steven Shorter in this cautionary tale about how a corporation can engineer the success of an artist and use him for its own purposes.
Shorter has reached the pinnacle of success, but when artist Vanessa Ritchie (played by supermodel Jean Shrimpton) is hired to paint his portrait, she discovers an unhappy and unstable individual.
When matters take a serious turn, Shorter rebels in his own surprising manner.
The movie is shot in pseudo-documentary style by director Peter Watkins (“The War Games”). This is a dark and caustic satire that appears ahead of its time.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus materials include a commentary track by filmmaker-historian Daniel Kremer.
Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (Blu-ray)
Details: 1985, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: PG-13, language, violence
The lowdown: Fred Ward stars as a tough, street-smart New York Police Department cop whose death is faked by a secret government organization. The cop is given a new face and a new name — Remo Williams.
The reluctant and understandably angry Williams is trained as an assassin by an aged, acerbic and derisive Korean martial arts master, Chiun (Joel Grey).
Williams is taught how to dodge bullets, endure terrifying heights and thwart attackers with his hands.
He soon becomes the ultimate criminal killer. His next assignment is to deal with a corrupt millionaire and his cadre of minions.
This action-comedy is very uneven, with Grey’s portrayal being somewhat embarrassing. The movie costars Kate Mulgrew before she captained a starship in “Star Trek: Voyager,” Wilford Brimley, J.A. Preston and Charles Cioffi.
It is a bit of a letdown for director Guy Hamilton, who helmed four James Bond movies, including “Goldfinger” and “Live and Let Die.”
The movie was supposed to launch of series of adventure movies starring Ward as Williams, but the cool reception to the initial effort — it only earned $14.4 million at the box office and received a 39 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes — put the kibosh on that plan.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: A series of behind-the-scenes featurettes and a commentary track provide the bonus options.
The Final Option (Blu-ray)
Details: 1982, Kino Lorber
Rated: R, violence, language
The lowdown: A fanatical anti-nuclear group of terrorists — which sounds like an oxymoron — raids the American ambassador’s residence in London and take high-ranking hostages.
The movie was inspired by the 1980 Iranian Embassy siege in London.
Undercover with the terrorists is elite counterterrorism expert, Special Air Services Capt. Peter Skellen (Lewis Collins).
When Skellen is discovered, his wife and child also are taken hostage.
The tension-filled movie keeps you on edge throughout.
The film costars Judy Davis as the head of the terrorists, as well as Richard Widmark as the U.S. Secretary of State. Others in the cast include Tony Doyle, Edward Woodward, Robert Webber, Ingrid Pitt, Rosalind Lloyd, John Duttine and Kenneth Griffith.
The screenplay for the movie, also known as “Who Dares Wins,” was written by Reginald Rose (“12 Angry Men”).
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus materials include a profile of producer Euan Lloyd and a commentary track.
Ghost Riders (Blu-ray)
Details: 1987, MVD Rewind Collection-MVD Visual Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This horror outing is one of those return-from-the-grave-to-seek-revenge features that seems to have gone straight to video.
In 1888, outlaw Frank Clements uses his last breath to invoke a generational curse on the town preacher and his descendants.
Jump ahead 100 years, and Clements and his outlaw gang return from hell to exact their vengeance on Hampton, the great-grandson of the preacher and his family.
Hampton, with the help of his friends, Corey and Pam, must find a way to not only survive but find a way to stop these murderous phantom cowboys.
The movie’s limited budget is evident as the special effects are simply adequate.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 16:9 (enhanced) widescreen picture; English LPCM monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: An on-the-set documentary, a commentary track and a making of featurette comprise the main bonus options.
The Antichrist (Blu-ray)
Release date: Feb. 8
Details: 1974, Kino Lorber
Rated: Not rated, violence
The lowdown: This Italian horror film is an “Exorcist” rip-off about a paralyzed young woman who is possessed by a heretical ancestor and becomes a seductress with a proclivity for perversion that ultimately leads to her defilement by Satan himself.
Her only hope is an exorcism that will either cast out the Devil or lead to the birth of the Antichrist.
The movie is rather unpleasant, even though Ennio Morricone tries his best to help with another of his strong musical scores.
The movie’s cast includes Mel Ferrer and Arthur Kennedy. The Blu-ray offers English and Italian audio tracks.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English and Italian 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: A commentary track and a making of featurette comprise the extras.
Other titles being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated:
Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn (DVD & VOD) (Magnolia Home Entertainment)
Legacies: Season Three (DVD) (Warner Archive Collection)
Settlers (Blu-ray & DVD) (RLJE Films)
Zombae (DVD & VOD) (Indican Pictures)
The Legend of the Stardust Brothers (DVD) (SRS Cinema, Feb. 8)
Charli XCX: Alone Together (DVD) (Greenwich Entertainment-Kino Lorber, Feb. 1)
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, STREAMING or VOD
Flee the Light (Breaking Glass Pictures)
Gridlocked (Gravitas Ventures)
Help (Ridder Films)
Here Before (Saban Films)
La Liste: Everything or Nothing (Red Bull Studios-Adventure Entertainment)
Run & Gun (Paramount Pictures)
Somewhere With No Bridges (First Run Pictures)
Jeen-Yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy (Netflix, Feb. 16)
Pam & Tommy: Episode 5 (Hulu, Feb. 16)
A Banquet (IFC Midnight, Feb. 18)
The Afterparty: Episode 6 (Apple TV+, Feb. 18)
Downfall: The Case Against Boeing (www.netflix.com/TheCaseAgainstBoeing) (Netflix, Feb. 18)
The King’s Man (Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution, Feb. 18)
The Ledge (Saban Films-Paramount Pictures, Feb. 18)
Lincoln’s Dilemma (Apple TV+, Feb. 18)
Love Is Blind: Season 2: Episodes 6-9) (Netflix, Feb. 18)
President (Final Cut for Real, Feb. 18)
Pursuit (Lionsgate Home Entertainment, Feb. 18)
Severance: Episodes 1 & 2 (Apple TV+, Feb. 18)
Space Force: Season 2 (Netflix, Feb. 18)
Suspicion: Episode 4 (Apple TV+, Feb. 18)
Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Netflix, Feb. 18)
Coming next week: House of Gucci
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.