New to View: April 25
By Bob Bloom
The following titles are being released on Tuesday, April 25, unless otherwise noted:
Small Axe: Special Edition (Blu-ray)
Details: 2020, The Criterion Collection
Rated: Not rated, language, violence
The lowdown: “Small Axe” is an anthology of five films by director Steve McQueen that offers a rich panorama of West Indian life in London from the late 1960s through the early 1980s.
It was a time defined by police violence, the empowering awakening of political activism and consciousness and the exciting reggae scene.
The movies in this three-disc set are “Mangrove,” “Lovers Rock,” “Red, White and Blue,” “Alex Wheatle” and “Education.”
“Mangrove” centers on the trials of nine Black activists and community leaders who are accused of inciting a riot in Notting Hill in 1970. McQueen uses the movie to castigate the British legal system.
“Lovers Rock” is a warm and powerful film that examines Black joy and a living-room reggae rager.
“Red, White and Blue” deals with a Black police officer who endures hostility from his community and fellow officers.
“Alex Wheatle” is a biopic about the Black British novelist who was sentenced to prison after the 1981 Brixton uprising.
“Education” is a moving story that details how some London councils adhered to an unofficial policy of transferring disproportionate numbers of Black children from mainstream education schools to the so-called “educationally subnormal.” This policy was exposed in 1971.
Actors appearing in the various movies include John Boyega, Letitia Wright, Shaun Parkes, Michael Ward, Amarah-Jae St. Aubyn and Sheyi Cole.
At Rotten Tomatoes, the movies’ ratings ranged from 96 to 99 percent fresh.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture (“Mangrove”), 1.78:1 widescreen picture (“Lovers Rock”), 1.85:1 widescreen picture (“Red, White and Blue”), 2.00:1 widescreen picture (“Alex Wheatle”) and 1.60:1 widescreen picture (“Education”); English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus components include a conversation between McQueen and writer-professor Paul Gilroy; behind-the-scenes featurettes with filmmakers, cast members and writing consultant Alex Wheatle; “Uprising,” a three-part 2021 documentary, co-directed by McQueen and James Rogan, about the tragic 1981 New Cross house fire; an audio conversation among McQueen, music producer Dennis Bovell and Beastie Boys member Mike D; and an essay by film programmer-critic Ashley Clark.
Justice League x RWBY: Super Heroes & Huntsmen, Part One (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + digital)
Details: 2023, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment-Rooster Teeth-Warner Animation-DC
Rated: PG, action, violence, language
The lowdown: To their surprise, members of the Justice League — Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Cyborg, Green Lantern and Vixen — find that not only have they materialized on a strange world called Remnant, but they’ve also been transformed into teenagers.
Meanwhile, the heroes of Remnant — Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang — discover that their world has been somehow altered.
Now members of the Justice League and RWBY must combine forces to figure out how to return Remnant — and Earth’s super heroes — to normal before Grimm, a superpowered being, destroys everything they know.
Fans of both franchises will enjoy this mash-up of heroes.
Technical aspects: 4K: 2160p ultra high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles; Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus options include a featurette exploring the world of Remnant, the Huntsmen who fight for it and how the Justice League members are forced to adapt; a featurette explaining the new look of the Justice League members; and two bonus cartoons from the DC Vault.
His Dark Materials: The Complete Third Season (Blu-ray)
Details: 2022, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: In the third and final season of this series based on Philip Pullman’s award-winning trilogy, Lyra (Dafne Keen) and Will (Amir Wilson) are separated but are determined to travel through multiple worlds to find — and protect — each other.
Lord Asriel (James McAvoy) is intent on waging war against the Authority. To do so, he amasses a great army of allies and leaders from across all worlds.
The two-disc set includes all eight episodes of the series, which features shifting alliances, betrayals and sacrifice.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and French 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH and French subtitles.
The Green Hornet (Blu-ray)
Details: 1940, VCI Entertainment-MVD Visual Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: “The Green Hornet” debuted on WXYZ, the Detroit radio station that also originated “The Lone Ranger.”
“The Green Hornet” proved popular with juvenile listeners, to the extent that Universal Pictures acquired the rights to the character and produced two serials, “The Green Hornet,” and, in 1941, “The Green Hornet Strikes Again.”
This two-disc set features the first serial, a 13-chapter adventure in which the masked vigilante and his inventor-sidekick, Kato, battled a crime syndicate whose racketeers were extorting many businesses throughout the city.
Newspaper editor Britt Reid (Gordon Jones) takes on the guise of the Green Hornet, who with Kato, battles the underworld thugs.
This Blu-ray upgrade features a very sharp picture as well as a clear audio track.
The cast also includes Keye Luke as Kato, Wade Boteler, Anne Nagel and Cy Kendall.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 full-screen picture; English LPCM monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: The main bonus feature is liner notes by author Martin Grams Jr.
The Assassination Bureau (Blu-ray)
Details: 1969, Arrow Films
Rated: PG, violence
The lowdown: Diana Rigg and Oliver Reed star in this black comedy set in 1908 London.
Rigg portrays journalist and women’s rights advocate Sonia Winter who uncovers the headquarters of the Assassination Bureau Limited, a clandestine organization that has existed for decades by killing the rich and powerful — but only if there is a good moral reason to do so.
She is determined to put an end to the bureau’s activities. Bankrolled by her boss, press baron Lord Bostwick (Telly Savalas), Winter commissions the bureau to assassinate its own chairman, Ivan Dragonmiloff (Reed).
The gentlemanly Dragonmiloff responds to the challenge, daring his own board members to complete the contract — if they can.
The film, directed by Basil Dearden, also features Curd Jürgens, Philippe Noiret and Warren Mitchell.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English LPCM monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a commentary track and an appreciation of the movie.
Police Story 3: Super Cop (4K UHD + Blu-ray)
Details: 1992, 88 Films
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Jackie Chan and Michelle Yeoh star in director’s Stanley Tong’s action-packed feature in which Chan reprises his role as maverick detective Chan Ka-Kui.
The story has Interpol recruiting the detective to infiltrate the operations of a drug lord.
He is paired with Capt. Yang (Yeoh), a tough, ass-kicking Chinese cop. Together they must use their skills and wits to survive the most dangerous mission of their respective careers.
The movie features amazing stunts, acrobatic martial arts and Chan’s patented comedic skills.
The set includes the 96-minute Hong Kong version of the movie and the 91-minute version shown in the United States. The movie earned a 92 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 4K: 2160p ultra high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; Cantonese Dolby Atmos, 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural and English (dubbed) 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English SDH and English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus materials include a commentary track; featurettes on Chan, Yeoh, Tong and stunt performer Ken Lo; a 2004 interview with Tong; outtakes and behind-the-scenes looks at the film; six replica lobby cards; and an 80-page booklet about the movie.
Heat (Blu-ray)
Details: 1986, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: R, language, violence
The lowdown: Las Vegas serves as the backdrop for this Burt Reynolds feature about ex-mercenary Nick Escalante, a soft-hearted bodyguard who works to keep his violent nature in check, in this action flick.
But when a gangster’s son brutally beats Escalante’s old girlfriend, he explodes, going after the son and he mob, culminating in a cat-and-mouse finale.
The movie is not one of Reynolds’ best features, as his character fails to ignite. The cast also features Karen Young, Peter MacNicol, Nel Barry, Howard Hesseman and Diana Scarwid.
The screenplay was by William Goldman.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: An alternate ending and a commentary track are the main extras.
All-Star Superman (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + digital)
Release date: April 18
Details: 2011, Warner Bros. Discovery Home, Entertainment
Rated: PG, action, violence, language, some sensuality
The lowdown: In this DC animated feature, Superman is oversaturated by radiation from the sun after an ill-fated rescue mission that was sabotaged by Lex Luther.
The radiation accelerates the Man of Steel’s cell degeneration. Sensing that the end is near, Superman begins fulfilling some dreams he has had on hold, including revealing his true identity to Lois Lane.
But when Luthor reveals his plan to control the world, with no alien hero to stop him, Superman, despite his fading powers, begins a deadly battle to protect his adopted world and the people he loves.
The vocal talent includes James Denton, Anthony LaPaglia, Christina Hendricks and Ed Asner.
Technical aspect: 4K: 2160p ultra high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles; Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras, all on the 4K disc, include an “All-Star Adaptation,” an “All-Star Salute to the Silver Age” and “The Creative Flow: Incubating the Idea with Writer Grant Morrison” featurettes; a commentary track with Morrison and producer Bruce Timm; a “Superman Now” featurette; and an “All-Star Superman” digital comic.
Backtrack (Blu-ray)
Details: 1990, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: R, violence, language, sensuality
The lowdown: Dennis Hopper directed and starred with Jodie Foster in this crime-thriller-comedy that features an all-star cast but fails to live up to its potential.
Foster portrays Anne Benton, an artist who witnesses a mob murder. The police want her to testify, but the mob boss, played by Vincent Price, wants her silenced for good.
Benton flees to another state and changes her name. But that can’t stop Milo (Hopper), the hitman sent to kill her. Except that, after seeing her, Milo has a change of heart and wants her love, not her life.
Together, this mismatched couple is on the run from the cops and other mobsters, all the while trying to sort out issues of trust.
The cast also includes Dean Stockwell, John Turturro, Fred Ward, Julie Adams, Tony Sirico, Catherine Keener and Charlie Sheen. It also features uncredited cameos by Bob Dylan, Joe Pesci, Toni Basil and Alex Cox.
The Blu-ray features Hopper’s 116-minute cut of the film. He disowned the 100-minute theatrical version, released as “Catchfire,” insisting on the director’s credit of “Alan Smithee.”
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: A commentary track by filmmaker Alex Cox and actress-screenwriter Tod Davies in the major extra.
Moonlighting Wives & Naked Fog (Blu-ray)
Details: 1966, Film Movement Classics
Rated: Not rated, sexual situations
The lowdown: Director Joseph W. Sarno was a pioneer of sexploitation cinema. Today, his films look rather tame, but they did raise eyebrows in the 1960s.
This Blu-ray features a pair of Sarno’s efforts.
“Moonlighting Wives” tells of Joan, a disgruntled housewife, who turns her stenography service into a thriving prostitution ring when she discovers her male clients are more interested in her stenographers.
Her new business has law enforcement baffled. To grow her business, she needs more housewives and wealthy clientele.
She gives Frank, an adulterous and well-connected golf pro, a piece of the action, which sparks a chain of events that lead to blackmail and the police breathing down her neck.
“Naked Fog,” considered one of Sarno’s “lost movies,” tells of a bored jet-setter who begins a new life as a writer in East Coast suburbia. She begins suffering from writer’s block, but then finds inspiration at the town’s brothel.
Both movies star Tammy Latour and Gretchen Rudolph.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.33:1 full-screen picture; English stereo.
Don’t miss: Extras include a 2006 interview with Sarno, a 2007 interview with cinematographer Jerry Kalogeratos and a commentary track by film historian Tim Lucas for “Moonlighting Wives.”
The Big Bus (Blu-ray)
Details: 1976, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: PG, rude humor, language
The lowdown: Before there was “Airplane,” there was “The Big Bus.”
This disaster movie spoof, directed by James Frawley (“The Muppet Movie,” “Kid Blue”), is not as well known, though it is a decent spoof of the then-popular disaster-movie genre.
The movie is about the world’s first nuclear-powered bus — a 75-ton behemoth on 32 giant wheels — on its maiden voyage from New York to Denver.
So, the world’s greatest bus driver, Dan Torrance (Joseph Bologna), is behind the wheel. His co-pilot, Shoulders (John Beck), is given to sudden blackout and has a habit for driving on the shoulders of the road.
Of course, villains, one portrayed by Oscar-winner Jose Ferrer, want to destroy the bus from the beginning, offering a bit of suspense as the bus — and comedy — progress.
The cast also includes Stockard Channing, Ned Beatty, René Auberjonois, Oscar-winner Ruth Gordon, Harold Gould, Larry Hagman, Sally Kellerman, Richard Mulligan, Lynn Redgrave, Bob Dishy, Stuart Margolin and Howard Hesseman.
While a bit uneven, the movie earned a respectable 64 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: A commentary track with film historians Howard S. Berger and Nathaniel Thompson is the main bonus component.
Terminal Invasion (Blu-ray)
Details: 2002, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: R, violence
The lowdown: Bruce Campbell stars in this sci-fi feature as convicted murderer Jack Edwards, who, during a snowstorm, is being escorted to death row by two guards.
When their car crashes, the guards and Edwards must seek shelter in a private airport in which the passengers are angry about being grounded because of the storm.
A series of strange killings begin to occur with the bodies vanishing after the deaths. The surviving passengers believe it is Edwards, but they soon discover that there are aliens among them.
The rest of the movie is spent trying to determine who is human and who is not. The movie, directed by Sean S. Cunningham (“Friday the 13th”), is reminiscent of John Carpenter’s “The Thing” and the classic “Twilight Zone” episode, “Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up.”
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Supplemental materials include an alien costume test and a commentary track with Cunningham and executive producer Chuck Simon.
New Gods: Yang Jian (Blu-ray + DVD)
Details: 2022, GKids-Shout! Factory
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: An action-fantasy based in Chinese mythology that follows Yang Jian who, 13 years earlier, had imprisoned his sister, now, also known as Erlang Shen, makes a meager living as a bounty hunter.
When a mysterious woman hires him, Yang Jian finds himself chasing Chenxiang, his long-lost nephew, who is searching for a powerful, but deadly, artifact.
Along the way Yang Jian must confront his past, face dangerous vigilantes whose aim is to wreak destruction.
The movie features an original steampunk-inspired world that is sure to please fans of the genre.
Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English and Mandarin 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH, English and Spanish subtitles; DVD: 2.39:1 anamorphic widescreen picture; English and Mandarin 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, English and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include an interview with director Zhao Ji, a featurette on animating the movie, cast interviews and an “Arts and Culture Spotlight” featurette.
The New Godfathers (Blu-ray & digital)
Details: 1979, Raro Video-Kino Lorber
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: In this Italian crime drama, American Mafia families are pooling their resources to bring large quantities of cheap heroin into the country.
An Italian customs agent, Ivano Radevic (Gianni Garko), allows authorities to intercept the drugs that are en route to the United States.
Radevic enters into an unlikely partnership with a Naples mob boss, whose specialty is cigarette smuggling. Together, they enter into a violent war on drugs.
The Blu-ray features two versions of the movie — the original Italian release and a cut released in the United States.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; Italian 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Mike Malloy discussing “The New Godfathers” is the main extra.
Pilgrimage: The Voyages of Fernão Mendes Pinto (DVD)
Details: 2017, IndiePix Films
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This Portuguese import showcases the larger-than-life exploits of 16th-century Portuguese explorer Fernão Mendes Pinto who, over a span of 20 years, traveled throughout Asia as a soldier, merchant diplomat, missionary and pirate.
He was shipwrecked and taken prisoner many times, was one of the first Europeans to visit Japan and was sentenced to a year of hard labor on the Great Wall of China.
The movie was adapted from Pinto’s posthumously published memoirs. The film features songs from Portuguese folk musician Fausto Bordalo Dias.
Technical aspects: 2.39:1 widescreen picture; Portuguese 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby digital; English subtitles.
Lovers Lane (Blu-ray)
Details: 1999, Arrow Video
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A teen slasher film that begins with a secret tryst cut short in a lovers lane on Valentine’s Day.
Thirteen years later, the children of the man and woman — a pair of cheating spouses — killed in that incident learn that the man, known as “The Hook,” arrested in those killings has escaped from a mental asylum.
Mandy (Erin J. Dean), the daughter of the slain woman, reluctantly must come together with Michael (Riley Smith), whose father was the other victim, and Mandy’s sister, Chloe.
The movie offers a few twists and turns and, since there are three killers, it gets a bit confusing who is the actual “Hook” and who killed who.
But fans of slasher films should enjoy this outing, which is no better or worse than several others released over the years.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen and 1.33:1 full-screen picture; English stereo; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Supplemental materials include a featurette about the film with cast members and filmmakers, a commentary track and a collector’s booklet.
A Handful of Water (DVD)
Details: 2019, IndiePix Films
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Jürgen Prochnow (“Das Boot”) stars in this German feature as a cantankerous old man who strikes up an unlikely friendship with Thurba, an 11-year-old girl.
Prochnow’s Konrad, who is 85, shoots and hurts Thurba when she breaks into his home to escape immigration police, who want to ship her and her Yemeni family to Bulgaria.
But that only can be accomplished if all the children are there, so the resourceful Thurba fled her home, seeking shelter and food in Konrad’s basement, where he shoots her, thinking she is a burglar.
Despite Konrad’s initial rejections, he and Thurba form a tender relationship that changes both their lives.
Technical aspects: 2.39:1 widescreen picture; German 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby digital; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: A commentary track with the movie’s director is the main extra.
Other titles being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated:
Arab Israeli Dialogue / Imagine Peace (DVD) (Milestone Cinematheque)
Invitation to a Murder (DVD & digital & VOD) (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)
Jesus Revolution (Blu-ray + digital & DVD) (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)
Kompromat (Blu-ray & DVD & VOD) (Magnolia Home Entertainment)
The Man Who Fell to Earth (Blu-ray + DVD + digital) (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)
My Happy Ending (DVD & digital & VOD) (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)
Whaam! Blam! Roy Lichenstein and the Art of Appropriation (DVD) (Virgil Films-Kino Lorber)
Woodcutters of the Deep South / Working Together (DVD) (Milestone-Kino Lorber)
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, STREAMING or VOD
Centurian: The Dancing Stallion (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)
The Magic Flute (Shout! Studios)
The Russian Woodpecker (Kino Lorber)
APRIL 26
The Big Door Prize: Episode 7 (Apple TV+)
Saint X: Episodes 1-3 (Hulu)
Sam — a Saxon (Hulu)
Schmigadoon: Season 2, Episode 5 (Apple TV+)
Ted Lasso: Season 3, Episode 8 (Apple TV+)
APRIL 27
A Tourist’s Guide to Love (www.netflix.com/ATouristsGuideToLove) (Netflix)
Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies: Episode 5 (Paramount+)
APRIL 28
Champions (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment)
Freaks vs. the Reich (VMI Releasing)
From Black (Shudder)
Hell’s Half Acre (Terror Films)
The Last Thing He Told Me: Episode 4 (Apple TV+)
Radiance (Film Movement)
Snag (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)
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.