New to View: July 26

By Bob Bloom

The following titles are being released on Tuesday, July 16, unless otherwise noted:
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (Blu-ray + digital)
Details: 2022, Marvel Studios-Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Rated: PG-13, intense sequences of violence and action, frightening images, language
The lowdown: Cloaked within the magical trappings of “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” is a poignant tale of maternal instincts gone berserk.
The latest Marvel Cinematic Universe offering follows up on plot threads introduced in two Marvel series that aired on Disney+ — “WandaVision” and the animated “What If …?”
In the finale of “WandaVision,” Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) was anointed the Scarlet Witch, becoming the most powerful magical being in the universe.
As the Scarlet Witch, Wanda begins searching the multiverse for the children whom she lost when her suburban dream world of Westview ended.
“Multiverse of Madness” is a bit different from other Marvel movies, because it was directed by Sam Raimi, who brings his singular vision to the movie, including more graphic and bloody violence than fans of the MCU are used to seeing. Be warned: this is a dark and scary movie with scenes that most likely will disturb younger filmgoers.
The crux of the film is Scarlet Witch’s determination to capture America Chavez, a girl from another universe who has the ability to travel throughout the multiverse. The only problem is, she does not know how to control that power.
America (Xochitl Gómez) meets Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) when she lands in our universe and is followed by a giant one-eyed octopus sent to grab her.
Strange and his mentor, Wong (Benedict Wong), now the Sorcerer Supreme, defeat the monster and rescue America.
Thus begins a whirlwind tour of various universes where other Marvel characters turn up in various iterations, as does Strange’s former love, Dr. Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams).
Despite some plot holes, the film was generally accepted by critics, who awarded it a 74 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 materials include a featurette on constructing the multiverse, a behind-the-scenes visit with crew members discussing Raimi, a profile of Xochitl Gómez, deleted scenes, a gag reel and commentary track with Raimi and others.

The Lost City (4K + digital)
Details: 2022, Paramount Home Entertainment
Rated: PG-13, violence, some bloody images, suggestive material, partial nudity, language
The lowdown: The chemistry between Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum propels this good-natured comedy adventure about a reclusive author of adventure novels who is kidnapped by an eccentric billionaire to help him find a fabled lost city.
Tatum is Alan, the handsome cover model who graces her books and, to prove his worth, sets out to rescue her.
The film is a rom-com throwback to such movies as “Romancing the Stone” and “The African Queen,” in which mismatched pairs must overcome their differences and work together to survive.
Bullock and Tatum’s enthusiasm make up for the shortfalls in the script.
The movie costars Daniel Radcliffe as the billionaire, Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Brad Pitt.
The film received a 79 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 2160p ultra high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English Dolby Atmos, English audio description and French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, English, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus materials include deleted scenes, bloopers, a behind-the-scenes look at Bullock and Tatum, a look at the Dominican Republic filming location, a behind-the-scenes look at the action and stunt pieces, a look at designing the purple sequin jumpsuit worn by Bullock’s character, a breakdown on her kidnapping scene, a featurette on building the lost city and a featurette on the film’s villains.

The Duke (Blu-ray)
Details: 2020, Sony Pictures Classics
Rated: R, language, sexual material
The lowdown: “The Duke” is a Robin Hood-esque tale — based on a true story — about a Don Quixote-like individual who tilts, not at windmills, but at what he perceives to be inequities in Britain’s 1960s social fabric that burdens the poor, veterans and others disenfranchised.
Jim Broadbent exudes wit, charm and an idealistic zeal as Kempton Bunton, a 60ish resident of Newcastle, who is more of a dreamer than a worker.
He continually loses jobs — being fired as a taxi driver for talking too much and allowing a veteran to ride for free, and as a bakery worker for standing up to his supervisor’s bigotry toward a Pakistani-born co-worker.
Bunton is a social activist, continually protesting the television-licensing fees the government charges people to watch the BBC. He also is a prolific playwright, though none of his works has ever been produced.
He lives in a cramped home with his long-suffering wife, Dorothy (Helen Mirren), who to help with expenses, cleans houses.
She is continually frustrated and angered by her husband’s antics, yet a loving bond — and a family tragedy — binds them.
Bunton’s tipping point is when he hears the announcement by British officials that the government paid 140,000 pounds for Goya’s early 19^th-century painting of the Duke of Wellington — commonly referred to as The Duke.
Bunton’s antics, which constantly embarrass Dorothy, reach their zenith when Bunton decides to “borrow” the painting. His plan is to return it in exchange for 140,000 pounds, which will be used to help the poor.
Director Roger Michell offers some witty sequences of police officials explaining how the culprit is a sophisticated international art theft ring, which makes Bunton choke when he hears that on the telly.
“The Duke” is neither a heist nor caper feature. That is secondary to the dynamics of the Bunton household and the family’s fractious, but loving, relationships.
“The Duke” is a crowd-pleasing, sweet, sentimental and a little messy story about an individual’s responsibility to his neighbor, even if the cost is more than he can pay.
Critics embraced the movie, awarding it an impressive 97 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: A making of featurette is the major extra.

The Killing (4K UHD)
Details: 1956, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This taut thriller is one of director Stanley Kubrick’s early features.
It tells the story of the planning and execution of a race-track robbery. This noir drama stars Sterling Hayden as Johnny Clay, the career criminal who masterminds the caper.
The cast also includes Elisha Cook Jr. as a shy track teller, Timothy Carey as a sharpshooter, Ted de Corsia as a corrupt cop and Joe Sawyer as a bartender, all in on the heist.
Clay’s plan is foolproof, until it’s not. The movie shows events and various points of views of its characters.
The movie was cowritten by Kubrick and Jim Thompson, and it features sharp black-and-white cinematography by Lucien Ballard.
The cast also includes Coleen Gray, Jay C. Flippen, Vince Edwards and Marie Windsor.
The movie was highly praised by critics, receiving a 96 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 2160p 4K ultra high definition, 1.66:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a commentary track with film historian-author Alan K. Rode.

Night Gallery: Season Two (Blu-ray)
Details: 1970-71, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A five-disc set featuring all 22 second-season episodes of this anthology series created and hosted by Rod Serling.
The stories involve science fiction, the supernatural, vampires, ghosts, a new look at the Dr. Jekyll-Mr. Hyde story, story featuring Edgar Allan Poe and a new take on “The Phantom of the Opera.”
Among the guest stars are Edward G. Robinson, John Carradine, David Carradine, Broderick Crawford, Cloris Leachman, Elsa Lanchester, Ray Milland, Leslie Nielsen, Gale Sondergaard, Orson Welles and Vincent Price.
Writers and directors included John Badham, Robert Bloch and Richard Matheson.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.33:1 full-screen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Among the bonus components are 32 commentaries by various actors, filmmakers, authors and film historians; four lost tales from season two; a look back at the series with various actors, directors, make-up artists and film historians; a look at the show’s troubled second season life in reruns; and a featurette on the paintings used in the series.

Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands (Blu-ray)
Details: 1976, Film Movement Classics
Rated: R, sexual content
The lowdown: This Brazilian sex comedy chronicles the strange events in the life of Dona Flor.
Dona Flor is married to Vadinho. He is wild and a philanderer, but she puts up with him.
When Vadinho suddenly dies, Dona Flor vows to marry more wisely. She weds Dr. Teodoro Madureira, who is a stable person with a successful career.
But he lacks passions, which Dona Flor misses. While she is married to Teodoro, Vadinho’s ghost appears and she happily welcomes him back into her life.
The film, which was nominated for a Golden Globe, stars Sonia Braga as Dona Flor. The movie earned an 80 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; Portuguese 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby digital; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus options include a commentary track with director Bruno Barreto, a behind-the-scenes featurette and a 16-page booklet with an essay about the movie.

Planet of the Vampires (Blu-ray)
Details: 1965, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Mario Bava directed this Italian-Spanish science-fiction effort with a few dollops of Gothic chills.
The futuristic story follows two giant spaceships that, in response to a distress signal, try to land on the foreboding, unexplored planet, Aura.
One ship crashes and the disembodied inhabitants of the planet use the bodies of crew members killed in the crash to stalk and kill other members of the crew.
The film was shot on a shoestring budget, but Bava used camera tricks, lighting and fog to create an eerie atmosphere that prevails throughout the movie.
The movie was later seen as an influence for such sci-fi movies as Ridley Scott’s “Alien” and “Prometheus,” as well as “Pitch Black” and “Mission to Mars.”
The movie, also released under the title, “The Demon Planet,” earned a 69 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English (dubbed) 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include two commentary tracks, one with Bava biographer Tim Lucas and the other with author-critic Kim Newman and writer-journalist Barry Forshaw; highlights from an alternate music score; the original Italian opening credits and two “Trailers From Hell” segments, one with director Joe Dante, the other with Josh Olson.

Time Out of Mind (Blu-ray)
Details: 1947, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This largely unseen Universal-International Pictures release is mostly remembered for all the wrong reasons: It was one of the few duds in the career of writer-director Robert Siodmak, and it was one of the few American films featuring British actress Phyllis Calvert, who disliked the entire experience.
The story, set in 19^th-century Maine, stars Calvert as housekeeper Kate Fernald, who falls in love with Christopher Fortune (Robert Hutton), the son of a wealthy ship captain. Young Fortune, to the chagrin of his family, would rather study music than go to sea.
Kate, knowing that their differences in social status will keep them apart, encourages Christopher to marry a woman from his own social class.
As the years go by, Kate is witness to Christopher’s frustration and unhappiness, which culminates in a fatal bout with alcohol.
The cast also features the lovely Ella Raines as Christopher’s sensible sister, Eddie Albert, Leo G. Carroll, Helena Carter and John Abbott.
The movie received a very limited theatrical release before being shelved by the studio.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 full-screen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: A commentary track with film historian-author Lee Gambin and costume historian Elissa Rose is the main extra.

“Giallo Essentials: Black Edition: Limited Edition” (Blu-ray)
Details: 1972-74, Arrow Video
Rated: Not rated, nudity, sexual content, violence
The lowdown: A three-disc set featuring a trio of Italian movies in that country popular Giallo genre.
The set’s titles are “Smile Before Death (1972), “The Weapon, the Hour, the Motive” (1972) and “The Killer Reserved Nine Seats” (1974).
“Smile Before Death” is a sleazy tale about a poor Italian nobleman who murders his wife, but makes her death look like a suicide. He is made administrator of his wife’s estate with that proviso that Nancy, his wife’s daughter from an earlier marriage, takes control when she turns 20.
After his wife’s killing Marco moves in with Gianna, his mistress, who lives in a swanky villa.
Soon, Marco is contacted by Nancy, who tells him she will soon be taking control of the estate. Gianna pushes Marco to kill his stepdaughter, but Marco soon falls in love with the younger woman, which complicates matters.
The film features a few twists and turns that may — or may not — surprise you.
“The Weapon, the Hour, The Motive” is a suspenseful drama about the investigation into the murder of a sexually-promiscuous young priest who was having affairs with two women and ended both before being killed.
One of the women is eliminated as a suspect after her throat is slashed.
This suspense chiller keeps you engaged until its finale.
“The Killer Reserved Nine Seats” centers on Englishman Patrick Davenant who, on the night of his birthday, invites eight friends to an abandoned theater that he owns but never visits.
Hostility abounds among the guests who, all cater to Patrick, since they are dependent on his wealth.
Soon, one of the guests is murdered. The survivors soon learn that the theater is cursed. So, is the killer some supernatural force or a flesh-and-blood person?
The movie, despite its many plot holes, offers claustrophobic suspense and chills.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture (“Smile Before Death”), 1.85:1 widescreen picture (“The Weapon, the Hour, the Motive” and “The Killer Reserved Nine Seats”); Italian and English (dubbed) LPCM monaural (“Smile Before Death” and “The Killer Reserved Nine Seats”), Italian LPCM monaural (“The Weapon, the Hour, the Motive”); English SDH, English subtitles (“Smile Before Death” and “The Killer Reserved Nine Seats”), English subtitles (“The Weapon, the Hour, the Motive”).
Don’t miss: Bonus options include commentary tracks on all three movies, interviews actors Howard Ross and Salvatore Puntillo, screenwriter Biagio Proietti and film journalist Stefano Amadio; and extended nude scenes not used in “Smile Before Death.”

Jesus Kid (DVD)
Details: 2021, IndiePix Films
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A tongue-in-cheek Brazilian comedy about the author of a once-popular Western novel who has fallen on hard times.
As sales of his books continue to decline, his publisher pressures him to ghostwrite a political biography.
Instead, the writer accepts a job to work on a screenplay. For three months he will write in complete isolation.
But while housed in a luxury hotel, the writer begins seeing visions of his most famous creation, the gunslinging “Jesus Kid.”
The movie contains some dark humor and political satire that should entice viewers of foreign movies.
Technical aspects: 1.85:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; Brazilian Portuguese 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby digital; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: The main extra is a behind-the-scenes featurette.

Other titles being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated:
Mid-Century (Blu-ray & DVD) (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)
One Moment (DVD & VOD) (Indican Pictures)
Species: Collector’s Edition (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray) (Scream Factory)
That Dirty Black Bag: Season 1 (Blu-ray & DVD) (RLJE Films)
They Live in the Grey (DVD & digital & VOD) (RLJE Films)
AUG. 31
Icon (Blu-ray & DVD & digital & VOD) (KDMG Inc.)

DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, STREAMING or VOD
Blackwood (Saban Films)
Endangered (Rebl HQ)
Gulliver Returns (Shout! Kids)
Jazz Fest: A New Orleans Story (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)
The Most Hated Man on the Internet (Netflix)
Neptune Frost (Kino Lorber)
Olga (Kino Lorber)
Paid in Blood (Well Go USA Entertainment)
Tey (Kino Lorber)
JULY 27
Jesus Kid (IndiePix Films)
JULY 29
Alone Together (Vertical Entertainment)
Amber Brown (Apple TV+)
Black Bird: Episode 5 (Apple TV+)
Hatching (Hulu)
It Snows All the Time (Gravitas Ventures)
The Moderator (Saban Films-Paramount Pictures)
My Tree (Level 33 Entertainment)
Not Okay (Hulu)
Paper Girls (Amazon Prime)
Paradise Highway (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)
Trying: Season 3, Episode 3 (Apple TV+)
JULY 31
A Day to Die (Hulu)
AUG. 1
Nomad (Amazon Prime)
Sibyl (Amazon Prime)

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.