New to View: March 15

By Bob Bloom
The following titles are being released on Tuesday, March 15, unless otherwise noted:
West Side Story (Blu-ray + digital)
Details: 2021, Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Rated: PG-13, violence, language, suggestive material, smoking, thematic content
The lowdown: Director Steven Spielberg’s remake of the 1961 movie version of the 1957 Broadway musical improves on some aspects that dated the ’61 movie, most notably in the screenplay’s dialogue and the era’s cultural, ethnic and sociological issues.
The updated movie’s opening immediately sets its subtext — the loss of neighborhood. Under the iconic whistle motif and overture is an overhead shot of rubble from demolished buildings being cleared off New York City’s West Side to make way for the new Lincoln Center complex.
The neighborhood presented by Spielberg and screenwriter Tony Kushner is a changed landscape that the Jets, led by Riff, desperately fight to keep.
They defiantly dance through a thriving area filled with Puerto Rican-owned stores and businesses, disrupting and vandalizing shops in a futile attempt to retain their turf.
Kushner’s update adds an ironic subset to the rivalry between the Jets and the Sharks. They are lashing out at each other to retain territory that, within months, will be displacing them. Progress — and city hall — it seems, is the most powerful gang in the city.
The tragic inevitability that propels this contemporary “Romeo and Juliet” love story is not so much the death of characters, but the demise of community and all that entails — good or bad.
And for all their bravado and posturing, members of both gangs understand how powerless they are against advancement.
If you are a fan of the 1961 movie, do not fear. Spielberg’s film makes a wonderful companion piece, keeping the spirit of both the original Broadway musical and the Oscar-winning film, while adding relevance that makes this new version a compelling and touching equal.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and 2.0 descriptive audio and French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus materials include featurettes on the movie’s opening, its prologue, the actors playing the Jets and the Sharks, a behind-the-scenes look at the dance at the gym, the Tony-Maria romance and the filming of the “America,” “Gee, Officer Krupke” and “Cool” numbers; a look at the new version of the “I Feel Pretty” number; a featurette on Rita Moreno and her rendition of “Somewhere”; a look at the finale; and a tribute to lyricist Stephen Sondheim.

Vikings: The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
Details: 2013-21, Warner Home Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This 27-disc set features all six seasons and 89 episodes of this series that aired on the History Channel.
The main character is Ragnar, a legendary Norse hero, who raided Anglo-Saxon England parts of France. The series traces his rise from simple farmer to a Scandinavian king.
The story is more fictional than historical, but viewers enjoying saga-like stories will enjoy the battles and intrigues that flow throughout the series.
Ragnar’s conquests and his interactions with his brother, shield maiden wife and sons are the crux of the episodes.
The show also looks at the challenges and betrayals that beset Ragnar as he raids and explores far-off lands.
The series stars Travis Fimmel as Ragnar; Katheryn Winnick as Lagertha, his wife; and Clive Standen as Rollo, his brother.
Among the guest stars who appeared throughout the series are Gabriel Byrne, Donal Logue, Linus Roche, Jonathan Ryes Meyers and Ray Stevenson.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio (seasons 2-5), French 5.1 Dolby digital (season 6, volume 2) and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital (seasons 2-5); English SDH, French (except for season 6, volume 1) and Spanish (seasons 1-5) subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus materials include featurettes on “The Epic World of Vikings,” a commentary track on the series finale and deleted scenes.

A Journal for Jordan (Blu-ray + digital)
Release date: March 8
Details: 2021, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: PG-13, sexual content, partial nudity, drug use, language
The lowdown: Michael B. Jordan and Chanté Adams star in this story of “New York Times” editor Dana Canedy (Adams) and her relationship with First Sgt. Charles Monroe King (Jordan), a soldier deployed to Iraq, who begins a journal of love and advice for his unborn son.
The movie, directed by Denzel Washington, is overly sentimental in its focus on the importance of family.
The film earned a 40 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes, with a majority of critics noting a lack of chemistry between Jordan and Adams as well as the movie’s awkward structure.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English and French 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English 5.1 Dolby digital audio description track and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, English, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include deleted scenes, a making of featurette, a look at the Charles-Dana relationship, a featurette on King’s journal and a gag reel.

An American Werewolf in London (4K UHD)
Details: 1981, Arrow Video
Rated: R, graphic and bloody violence, language
The lowdown: David (David Naughton) and Jack (Griffin Dunne), American students backpacking through Britain when they are attacked on the moors by a wolf. Jack is killed, but David survives.
Recovering in a hospital, David has nightmares of the slain Jack telling him that he is cursed and will become a werewolf.
The movie, directed by John Landis, mixes some cross-out violence with moments of humor.
The film is affectionately remembered for Rick Baker’s Academy Award-winning makeup effects and David’s initial transformation sequence from man to werewolf.
The movie remains an exciting horror excursion, aided by the performances of Naughton, Dunne and Jenny Agutter as David’s sympathetic nurse.
This new digital restoration is not perfect, but is an improvement over earlier releases.
The movie received an 88 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 2160p, 1.85:1 Ultra high definition, English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include two commentary tracks, a look at Universal Pictures’ history with werewolves, an interview with Landis about working in England, a featurette on the makeup and special effects, a featurette on the subtext of Jewish identity in the movie, cast and crew interviews, an interview with Baker, an archival interview with Landis, outtakes and storyboard comparisons.

A Hard Day’s Night (4K UHD)
Release date: Jan. 18
Details: 1964, The Criterion Collection
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: One of my most vivid memories of my youth was going to a movie theater to see “A Hard Day’s Night.”
And see was about all I was able to do. A packed house of screaming teenage girls drowned out most of the dialogue and songs. I’d catch snippets once in a while, but for the most part, it was if I was attending a silent film.
The movie is infectious, one of the best rock ‘n’ roll comedies ever made, thanks to the direction of Richard Lester and the natural and humorous performances by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr — as well as the supporting cast of Wilfrid Brambell as Paul’s troublemaking grandfather, Norman Rossington as Norm, John Junkins as Shake and Victor Spinetti as the put-upon television show director.
The film is a treasure, filmed in a documentary-like style, with the Beatles performing exaggerated versions of themselves.
The combination of the Lennon-McCartney songs, the winning personalities of the Liverpool quartet and a new 4K restoration of the movie, makes this a tuneful experience — and not just for Beatles fans.
(A note: This review was delayed because of issues with the original 4K UHD disc, which had to be replaced.)
Technical aspects: 2160p 4K Ultra high definition, 1.75:1 widescreen picture; English LPCM monaural, 2.0 LPCM monaural and 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Supplemental options include 1964 interviews with the Beatles, behind-the-scenes footage and photos, a commentary track, a making of documentary featuring a musical outtake, a 2002 documentary about the movie, a look at Lester’s early work, “The Running, Jumping and Standing Still Film,” a 1960 Oscar-nominated short film by Lester and a 2014 interview with Beatles biographer Mark Lewisohn.

Zoot Suit (Blu-ray)
Details: 1981, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: R, language
The lowdown: Luis Valdez directed this movie version of his play based on the “zoot suit” riots of 1940s Los Angeles.
Daniel Valdez, stars as Henry Reyna, a barrio leader who, with a group of his friends, are unjustly convicted on circumstantial evidence and sent to San Quentin.
Two activist lawyers, Alice Bloomfield (Tyne Daly) and George Shearer (Charles Aidman) fight the obvious racially motivated miscarriage of justice to try winning Henry and his friends their freedom.
The movie also stars Edward James Olmos as the mythical “Pachuco,” a role that raised his visibility in the movie community.
The movie, which features music by Daniel Valdez, is an indictment of prejudice that blends action, drama, romance and music.
A slim majority of critics enjoyed the movie, awarding it a 60 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include an interview with Luis Valdez and a commentary track with filmmaker-historian Daniel Kremer.

Redeeming Love (Blu-ray + DVD + digital)
Release date: March 8
Details: 2022, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: PG-13, mature themes, sexual content, partial nudity, violence
The lowdown: A faith-based romantic drama set against the harsh backdrop of the California Gold Rush in 1850.
Angel, a young woman, was sold into prostitution as a child. Rightfully, the experience has fueled her hatred and self-loathing.
That, however, begins to melt after she meets Michael Hosea, a farmer who wants to marry her.
For the first time in her life, Angel experiences love and feels loved. But her low regard for herself causes her to run away from Michael, who she does not believe she deserves.
When Michael sets out to find her, Angel finally realizes that she has the power to choose the life that she wants.
The film was criticized for its preachiness and narrow-minded view of the story, thus a reason why it earned a low 12 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles; DVD: 2.39:1 anamorphic widescreen picture; English 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a look at the casting, deleted scenes and a featurette on author Francine Rivers, on whose book the movie is based.

Signal: The Movie: Cold Case Investigation Unit (Blu-ray + DVD)
Details: 2021, Shout! Factory
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Two police detectives, one from the past, the other from the present, investigate a series of deaths that may lead to corruption in their own police department in this Japanese feature.
When detective Kento Saegusa picks up an old police radio that is about to be scrapped, it brings him into contact with another detective, Takeshi Oyama. Together, they have solved many cold cases.
Now they are undertaking a new investigation. In 2021 Tokyo, a high government official is killed when his chauffeur loses control on an expressway. Seagusa suspects it was not an accident.
Meanwhile, in 2009, parliamentary officials are dying in a series of car crashes. The police are writing them off as accidents, but Oyama believes otherwise.
The two work together to unravel the mystery and uncover the truth.
The movie is an adaptation of a popular Japanese crime series that, in turn, is based on a South Korean drama.
Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; Japanese and English (dubbed) 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles; DVD: 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen picture; Japanese and English (dubbed) 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH subtitles.

Fast Charlie … The Moonbeam Rider (Blu-ray)
Details: 1979, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: PG
The lowdown: David Carradine and Brenda Vaccaro star in this action-comedy, produced by Roger Corman, set in the 1920s.
Carradine’s Charlie Swattle is a World War I veteran and conman who dreams of being the first person to win a transcontinental motorcycle race.
To do so, he enlists his WWI buddies to help him fulfill his goal.
During the race on his classic Moonbeam motorbike, Charlie meets Grace (Vaccaro), a waitress, and her son.
The movie, directed by Steve Carver, also features R.G. Armstrong, L.Q. Jones, Terry Kiser and Jesse Vint.
The film features some nice motorcycle stunt sequences.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: A commentary track by film historian Eddy Von Mueller is the major extra.

Nightmare: Collector’s Edition (Blu-ray)
Details: 1964, Scream Factory
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This Hammer thriller features the much-used plot of trying to drive a psychologically fragile woman mad by gaslighting her.
In this case, the victim is Janet (Jennie Linden) who, as a child, witnessed her insane mother stab her father to death.
Janet is having recurring nightmares that convinces her she will follow in her mother’s footsteps.
The young woman, accompanied by her schoolteacher, Miss Lewis (Brenda  Bruce), goes to the home of her guardian, Henry Baxter (David Knight). Baxter has hired Grace (Moira Redmond) to help calm Janet.
It does not seem to work as the creaky old house only magnify Janet’s fears and nightmares. Is this all in Janet’s mind or is someone pulling the strings to drive her crazy?
Any film buff worthy of their credentials may be able to guess what’s coming, even though the film has a twist ending.
Technical aspects: 108p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; English DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a commentary track; interviews with author-film historians Kim Newman and Jonathan Rigby, actress Julie Samuel, continuity person Pauline Wise and focus puller Geoff Glover; a making of featurette that includes interviews with Linden, writer Jimmy Sangster and art director Don Mingaye; a complete interview with Linden; and “Madhouse: Inside Hammer’s ‘Nightmare’ ” that includes interviews with film historians Rigby, Kevin Lyons, Alan Barnes and John J. Johnson.

The Devil Strikes at Night (Blu-ray)
Details: 1957, Kino Classics
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Filmmaker Robert Siodmak returned to his native Germany to make this film-noir, black-and-white feature inspired by the true story of serial killer Bruno Lüdke, a German handyman who was murdering women.
The movie centers on a recently demobilized Nazi soldier, reassigned to the police force, investigating the killing of a Hamburg bar maid. The new police officer suspects a serial killer.
But his efforts to bring the killer to justice are hampered by the Third Reich, which fears that the culprit is Aryan. Nazi officials would rather see a foreigner, gypsy or Jew arrested for the crime.
Siodmak, best known for such film-noir efforts as “Phantom Lady” and “The Killers,” returned to Germany, which he left shortly after Hitler and the Nazis took power, to make the movie.
The film is more than a police thriller, it’s a psychological drama exploring how some people who did not flee the Reich struggled to maintain their morality and integrity against overwhelming evil and corruption.
The movie was nominated for a best foreign film Academy Award.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.33:1 full-screen picture; German 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: The main extra is a commentary track by Imogen Sara Smith.

The Whaler Boy (DVD)
Details: 2020, Film Movement
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This coming-of-age story centers on Leshka, a 15-year-old whale hunter living in a male-dominated community on the Baring Strait.
When the Internet arrives in his isolated community, Leshka becomes infatuated with a seductive webcam model from the United States.
The encounter awakens a desire to live outside the confines of his small world. Leshka, determined to meet the woman, sets out on a dangerous journey across the treacherous waters to find her.
The movie, which received an 86 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes, is a study of the porous border between fantasy and reality as well as the influence of social media on a young man and his awakening sexuality.
Technical aspects: 1.33:1 full-screen picture; Russian 5.1 Dolby digital; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: The main extra is a Chinese movie short.

Other titles being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated:
The Boy Behind the Door (Blu-ray & DVD & digital & VOD) (RLJE Films)
Sight: The Story of Vision (DVD) (IndiePix Films)
Sin Eater (DVD & VOD) (Indican Pictures)

DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, STREAMING or VOD
How Did We Get Here? (Shout! Studios)
Lost Angel (Left Films)
Mother Schmuckers (Dark Star Pictures)
MARCH 16
The Race to Save the World (Joe Gantz)
Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives (www.netflix.com/BadVegan) (Netflix)
MARCH 18
Deep Water (Hulu)
Human Resources (Netflix)
Life & Beth (Hulu)
Master (Amazon Prime)
Mau (Greenwich Entertainment)
Measure of Revenge (Vertical Entertainment)
Panama (Saban Films-Paramount)
Severance: Episode 6 (Apple TV+)
Stillwater: Season 2 (Apple TV+)
Suspicion: Episode 8 (Apple TV+)
The Torch (IFC Films)
WeCrashed (Apple TV+)

Coming next week: Nightmare Alley

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.