New to View: June 6
By Bob Bloom
The following titles are being released on Tuesday, June 6, unless otherwise noted:
The Event: The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
Details: 2010-2011, Mill Creek Entertainment
Rated: TV-14
The lowdown: A five-disc set featuring all 22 episodes of this science-fiction, conspiracy-thriller series that centers on Sean Walker (Jason Ritter) as he investigates the disappearance of his would-be girlfriend and ends up exposing a wide-range government cover-up that deals with aliens among us.
The series centers on the aftermath of the crash of a spacecraft in Alaska in 1944.
Some of the extraterrestrials who survived were taken by the government and have been locked away for 66 years when the series begins.
Others, known as Sleepers, were able to elude capture and have been living among us ever since. Over the course of the series, secrets are revealed, betrayals loom and trust are hard to discern.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Supplemental materials include a making of featurette, deleted scenes, episode commentaries and a behind-the-scenes “Dr. Dempsey Alternate Story” showcase.
A Good Person (Blu-ray + digital)
Release date: May 30
Details: 2023, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment
Rated: R, drug abuse, language, sexual references
The lowdown: Actor-filmmaker Zach Braff wrote and directed this story of redemption and forgiveness starring Florence Pugh and Morgan Freeman.
Pugh portrays Allison, a young woman whose bright future was derailed by a tragedy that claimed a life. Allison is brought together with Daniel (Freeman), the father of the woman whose death was Allison’s fault.
Daniel is now coping with raising his teenage granddaughter, while Allison wants to make amends.
Daniel and Allison slowly form a friendship and learn that even in the darkest of times forgiveness and hope can flourish.
The movie, which earned a 58 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes, was praised for the performances of its two leads, while the material itself was not as widely accepted.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and English Dolby digital descriptive audio; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
65 (Blu-ray + digital)
Release date: May 30
Details: 2023, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: PG-13, intense sci-fi action and danger, brief bloody images
The lowdown: Adam Driver stars in this science fiction thriller whose spaceship crashes on an unknown planet. Driver’s Mills and a young girl named Koa (Ariana Greenblatt) are the only survivors.
Mills soon realizes that they are stranded on Earth, 65 million years ago.
He and Koa must traverse a dangerous and hostile terrain filled with prehistoric creatures who would enjoy snacking on them in order to reach a rescue vehicle that will help them return home.
The movie is not as exciting as it should be despite being a brisk 93 minutes, it seems to drag in spots.
The film received a tepid 35 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English and French 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English audio description track and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, English, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Supplemental options include deleted and extended scenes, a concept to screen featurette, a look at creating the movie’s prehistoric world and a primordial planet featurette.
The Night of the Hunter (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)
Release date: May 30
Details: 1955, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Robert Mitchum gives one of the best — if not the finest — performance of the year as the Rev. Harry Powell, who roams the countryside spreading the word of God, while also leaving a trail of dead women in his wake.
Powell, who has “love” and “hate” tattooed on his knuckles, is out to find $10,000, which he learned about from a condemned inmate about the be hanged.
Upon his release from prison, Powell travels to the small West Virginia town where the widow, Willa (Shelley Winters), lives with her two children.
Powell marries Willa, but is unable to wheedle the whereabouts of the money from either Willa or her children, John and Pearl.
The children flee after Powell kills Willa. They find refuge with Rachel Cooper (Lillian Gish), an elderly woman who takes in stray children.
The movie marked the sole directorial effort of actor Charles Laughton, who brings a dark, fairy-tale like atmosphere to the drama.
The movie earned a 93 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 2160p ultra high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: The Blu-ray disc features the bonus options that include a talk by filmmaker Ernest Dickerson about the movie; interviews with actress Kathy Garver, who had an uncredited role in the movie, and artist Joe Coleman; and, on the 4K disc, a commentary track with novelist-critic Tim Lucas and an isolated music and effects soundtrack.
The Sorrow and the Pity (Blu-ray)
Release date: May 9
Details: 1969, Milestone Film & Video-Kino Lorber
The lowdown: Marcel Ophüls acclaimed documentary examines France and its citizens under Nazi occupation during World War II. Ophüls interviews the residents of the town of Clermont-Ferrand as well as government officials, writers, farmers, artists and German veterans.
All explained how they behaved during the occupation, showing, to the chagrin of the French government, a divided nation with resistance fighters on one hand and the puppet Vichy government on the other.
The movie, despite painting a rather grim view of the French people of that time, does display glimpses of humanity, compassion and courage. It also looks at anti-Semitism, fear of communism and xenophobia to explain why the Vichy government collaborated with the Nazis.
The movie earned a 100 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.66:1 widescreen picture; French and German DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: A featurette, “Marcel Ophüls Visual History” is the primary extra.
Warriors Two (Blu-ray)
Details: 1978, Arrow Video
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Sammo Hung directed and co-starred in this Wing Chun martial arts feature.
Casanova Wong is featured as Hua, who lives a simple life as a bank cashier. One of Hua’s foibles is continually giving life advice to his friend, Fat Chun (Hung).
When Hua discovers a deadly plot to overthrow the mayor, he is caught and left for dead. Chun urges his friend to protect himself by learning the Wing Chun style of fighting.
As Hua’s skills improve, his closeness to Leung, his martial arts master, put him in the sights of those who previously tried to kill him.
The movie is one of the earliest showcases of Wing Chun martial arts.
The Blu-ray features the Hong Kong release as well as the export cut of the film.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; Cantonese, Mandarin and English (dubbed) LPCM monaural; English SDH and English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include an interview with co-star “Beardy” Leung Kar-Yan, two commentary tracks, including one the export cut and archival featurettes and interviews on the making of the movie.
“Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema XIV” (Blu-ray)
Release date: May 30
Details: 1950-57, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
The lowdown: Another trio of movies that skulk through the dark alleys of the human condition are featured in this set.
The set features “Undercover Girl” (1950), “One Way Street” (1950) and “Appointment with a Shadow” (1957).
“Undercover Girl” stars Alexis Smith as New York city cop Christine Miller, who goes undercover to investigate the killing of her father. The cast also features Scott Brady, Richard Egan, Edmon Ryan, Gladys George, Gerald Mohr, Connie Gilchrist and Royal Dano.
James Mason heads the cast of “One Way Street” as a crooked doctor who steals the money and girlfriend of a crazy gangster, played by Dan Duryea, and flees to Mexico. The cast also includes Märta Torén, William Conrad, Basil Ruysdael and Rodolfo Acosta. Featured in small, uncredited roles are up-and-coming actors Rock Hudson, Jack Elam and James Best.
“Appointment with a Shadow” deals with an alcoholic reporter who, through a break, gets in on the arrest of a notorious gangster. But to get the scoop, he must stay off the booze for one day.
George Nader plays the reporter. The cast also includes Joanna Moore, Brian Keith, Virginia Field and Frank DeKova.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 full-screen picture (“Undercover Girl” and “One Way Street”) and 2.35:1 widescreen picture (“Appointment with a Shadow”); English DTS-HD Master Audio monaural.
Don’t miss: Extras include commentary tracks on the three movies.
The Longest Yard (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)
Release date: May 16
Details: 1974, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: R, violence, language, sexual content
The lowdown: This comedy-drama is one of Burt Reynolds most popular movies.
He portrays Paul “Wrecking” Crewe, a one-time NFL star quarterback, who is sent to prison after he gets drunk and takes his girlfriend’s car.
In prison, the football obsessed, self-righteous and sadistic Warden Hazen (Eddie Albert), pressures Crewe to form a team of convicts to play his semi-pro squad of prison guards.
Reluctantly, Crewe agrees as he knows the inmates have no chance of winning. But he slowly comes around and cobbles together a rough, unpolished team who regain their dignity and self-respect by holding their own.
The cast also includes Michael Conrad, James Hampton, Ed Lauter, Harry Caesar, Bernadette Peters, Richard Kiel and former and active pro football players such as Mike Henry, Joe Kapp and Ray Nitschke.
The movie earned a 78 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 4K: 2160p ultra high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English SDH subtitles; Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include two commentary tracks on both discs and, on the Blu-ray disc, an archival behind-the-scenes featurette looking at the genesis of the movie and a featurette on the authenticity of the football footage.
Joy House (Blu-ray)
Release date: May 30
Details: 1964, Kino Lorber
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: René Clément directed this French thriller that stars Alain Delon, Jane Fonda and Lola Albright.
Delon is Marc, a charismatic con man on the run from gangsters. He seeks refuge in the Riviera villa of widowed Barbara (Albright) and her young cousin, Melinda (Fonda).
Marc becomes embroiled in the passionate desires of both women, who also are full of ominous surprises.
The movie is a story of hidden desires and human corruption. It features a strong score by Lalo Schifrin.
The supporting cast includes Sorrell Brooke and George Gaynes.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; French and English DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: A commentary track is the main extra.
“Anna May Wong Collection” (Blu-ray)
Release date: May 2
Details: 1938-39, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
The lowdown: It is a pity that Anna May Wong rose to stardom in an era in which Asian-Americans were pigeonholed as “dragon ladies” or “butterflies.”
Wong was a very talented actress, who began in the silent era and worked in America and Europe in movies, on radio and television until her death in 1961. Unfortunately, her ethnicity prevented American filmmakers from seeing her as a leading lady.
Her silent films include roles in “The Toll of the Sea,” Douglas Fairbanks’ “The Thief of Bagdad” and “Old San Francisco.”
In the sound era, she costarred with Marlene Dietrich in “Shanghai Express” and with Sessue Hayakawa and Warner Oland in “Daughter of the Dragon.”
Her biggest disappointment was being passed over for the role of O-Lan in MGM’s adaptation of Pearl Buck’s “The Good Earth.” The role went to Austrian actress Luise Rainer, who went on to win the Academy Award for best actress.
The three movies in this set feature a trio of B-movies she made for Paramount Pictures — “Dangerous to Know” (1938), “Island of Lost Men” (1939) and “King of Chinatown” (1939).
These films are more rightly labeled programmers than B-movies. The cast featured such reliable actors as Akim Tamiroff, J. Carrol Naish, Sidney Toler, Anthony Quinn, Gail Patrick, Lloyd Nolan, Broderick Crawford and Philip Ahn.
The movies are not the best examples of Wong’s talents, but they do display her ferocity and determination.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 full-screen picture; English DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include commentary tracks on all three movies.
“Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema XIII” (Blu-ray)
Release date: May 2
Details: 1950-58, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A three-disc set spotlighting another trio of movies that examine the more sinister side of the human condition.
The set features “Spy Hunt” (1950), “The Night Runner” (1957) and “Step Down to Terror” (1958).
Howard Duff and Märta Torén head the cast of “Spy Hunt,” a Cold War thriller in which Duff’s Steve Quain escorts two zoo-bound black panthers on a train from Milan to Paris. Torén is Catherine Ullven, a Western spy who has hidden some microfilm in the collar of one of the panthers.
The train is derailed in the Swiss Alps, Quain and Ullven must search for the panther, recover the microfilm and ward off a group of deadly foreign agents. The cast also includes Robert Douglas, Walter Slezak, Philip Dorn, Kurt Kreuger and Ivan Triesault.
“The Night Runner” stars Ray Danton as a mental patient with violent tendencies who, against the advice of his doctors, is released because of budget cuts. Wanting to escape the pressures of the big city, he takes a bus to a small coastal town. He gets a job and all seems to be going well, until his past is uncovered, leading to murder and tragedy.
“Step Down to Terror” is a tepid remake of the Alfred Hitchcock classic, “Shadow of a Doubt.” In this iteration, Charles Drake is Johnny Walters who, learning the police are asking questions about him, flees to his mother’s home in California.
There, he begins wooing Helen (Colleen Miller), his brother’s widow, who also is being courted by plainclothes detective Mike Randall (Rod Taylor).
If you are familiar with the Hitchcock movie, than you know how this will end up.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 full-screen picture (“Spy Hunt”), 1:85.1 widescreen picture (“The Night Runner” and “Step Down to Terror”); English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Commentary tracks are featured on each movie.
Everything Went Fine (Blu-ray)
Release date: May 16
Details: 2021, Cohen Media Group-Kino Lorber
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A family drama from France about an estranged daughter and father who must reconnect after the parent contacts his child with devastating news.
After suffering a devastating stroke, André (André Dussollier) asks Emmanuèle (Sophie Marceau) to help him die with dignity. Emmanuèle faces a heart-rendering decision.
Writer-director François Ozon, adapting Emmanuèle Bernheim’s memoir, in a matter-of-fact style, elicits moments of humor and sensitivity that make this weighty topic more accessible.
The, which cast also includes Charlotte Rampling, garnered a 91 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; French 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Hustle (Blu-ray)
Release date: May 16
Details: 1975, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: R, violence, language, sexual situations
The lowdown: Burt Reynolds stars as Los Angeles detective Phil Gaines who is looking into the death of a teenage girl, which has been ruled a suicide.
The girl was a stripped and a prostitute, so Gaines ignores her connection with a powerful mob lawyer, played by Eddie Albert.
Meanwhile the girl’s father, played by Ben Johnson, tries to investigate the case on his own, which causes complications.
It also doesn’t help that Gaines is in a relationship with a hooker played by the gorgeous Catherine Deneuve.
The cast also includes Paul Winfield, Eileen Brennan, Ernest Borgnine and Jack Carter. Robert Aldrich, who directed Reynolds in “The Longest Yard,” again was behind the camera.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: A commentary track by film critics Alain Silver and James Ursini, authors of “What Ever Happened to Robert Aldrich? His Life and His Films,” is the main bonus offering.
There’s No Tomorrow (Blu-ray)
Release date: May 9
Details: 1939, Kino Classics
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Max Ophüls directed this bittersweet French drama about a middle-class woman who has been reduced to dancing in a disreputable nightclub to support her young son.
When her lost love, now a famous doctor, reappears in her life, she puts on a charade, hiding the real details of how her life has changed.
Her subterfuge is difficult to maintain in this tragic and sophisticated movie romance that features a strong performance from Edwige Feuillère as the woman who will do anything to protect her son and her dignity.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 full-screen picture; French 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: A commentary track is the main extra.
La Civil (DVD)
Release date: May 16
Details: 2021, Kino Lorber-Zeitgeist Films
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A thriller that looks at the human impact of drug cartels in northern Mexico.
Cielo learns that her daughter, Laura, has been kidnapped after a baby-faced teenager orders her to pay 150,000 pesos if she wants to see Laura again.
With the police unable — or unwilling — to help, Cielo begins her own investigation, learning about the rampant corruption throughout the country as she tries to find her daughter.
She finds an ally in Lamarque, an Army lieutenant, who believes Cielo will be able be useful in his own investigation. The collaboration between the two begins transforming Cielo, who is infected with all the cycle of violence around her.
One of the movie’s biggest strengths is watching the performance of Arcelia Ramírez as Cielo as she slowly transforms from loving mother to avenging activist.
Technical aspects: 1.85:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; Spanish 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby digital; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: A behind-the-scenes featurette and deleted scenes comprise the extras.
The Worst Ones (DVD)
Release date: May 16
Details: 2022, Kino Lorber
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Directors Lise Akoka and Romane Gueret made a splash at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival with their film-within-a film centering on a director who turns to the local Cité Picasso housing project to cast his movie.
The director, wanting to capture performances of gritty authenticity, chooses four working-class teenagers to act in his project.
His decision causes consternation and resentment in the community who question the director’s choice of “the worst ones” to act in his movie.
As the director and his crew audition, rehearse, film and interact with their cast, jealousies arise, lines are crossed and ethical questions abound. The results are though-provoking and darkly humorous.
The movie garnered a 100 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes, where the film was praised for its self-reflection, pacing and looks at class conflicts.
Technical aspects: 2.35:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; French 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby digital; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: A 2016 short film by the directors is the major extra.
Stone Cold (Blu-ray)
Release date: May 9
Details: 1991, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: R, violence, language
The lowdown: Former NFL linebacker Brian “The Boz” Bosworth made his feature film debut in this action thriller portraying John Stone, a tough cop who goes undercover to take down a gang of killer bikers.
Stone poses as an outlaw biker to gain the trust of the gang’s leader, Chains (the always fun Lance Henriksen and his right-hand man, the psychopathic Ice (William Forsythe).
He learns the bikers are planning a military-style assault on the state capitol where one of their men has been sentenced for execution.
This is a simple explosive and violent exploitation movie with a large body count and lots of gunfire.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Interview with Bosworth, Henriksen and costars Arabella Holzbog and Sam McMurray as well as a commentary track comprise the bonus materials.
The Treatment (Blu-ray)
Release date: May 2
Details: 2006, Kino Lorber
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A comedy in which an anxiety-filled schoolteacher, Jake Singer (Chris Eigerman), falls in love with Allegra Marshall (Famke Janssen), a wealthy widow.
Ian Holm portrays Dr. Morales, Singer’s psychiatrist, who warns his patient to keep his feelings in check. He also keeps popping up in the background whenever Jake and Allegra try to become intimate.
One of the movie’s conceits is trying to figure out if Morales is real or simply a manifestation of Jake’s imagination.
The tender love story’s cast also includes Harris Yulin, Stephanie March and Blair Brown. The movie earned a respectable 68 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio.
Don’t miss: Deleted scenes and a featurette with psychotherapists discussing the movie are the main bonus components.
Wartime Girls: The Complete First Season (DVD)
Release date: May 16
Details: 2023, Menemsha Films-Kino Lorber
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Three young Polish women band together to fight the Nazis in the first season of this series set during World War II.
The trio come from different backgrounds but are united in their love of country and hatred of their oppressors.
They meet in Warsaw as the war intensifies and decide to do what they can to free their country.
The three-disc set features all 13 first-season episodes.
Technical aspects: 1.78: widescreen picture; Polish and German 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby digital; English subtitles.
The Forger (DVD)
Release date: May 2
Details: 2022, Kino Lorber
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This movie, based on a true story, follows Cioma Schönhaus (Louis Hofmann), a young Jewish man who refuses to allow the political climate in Germany — especially the Nazis — take away his zest for life.
He realizes the best hiding places are in plain sight so Schönhaus, who has an art school background, forges himself an identity of a marine officer to escape deportation.
His talent draws him to join a network of underground rescuers. He becomes infamous for his masterful forged IDs that save the lives of hundreds of Jews by allowing them to escape Germany.
Meanwhile, Schönhaus throws himself into the city’s nightlife, even finding hope for love in the dark times surrounding him.
His talent and boldness creates more danger for him until his only chance to survive is one final forged document — with his own name on it.
The movie earned a 68 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 2.35:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; German 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby digital; English subtitles.
On the Edge (Blu-ray)
Release date: May 2
Details: 2022, Kino Lorber
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Leo, a Spanish subway train operator in Brussels, witnesses the death of his estranged son, Hugo, who falls to his death from the edge of the platform.
Leo is spurred to investigate the circumstances that led to his son’s death. He discovers that Hugo was involved in a bloody robbery. The knowledge puts Leo in the crosshairs of the police.
It turns out that Leo’s skills in tracking and apprehending violent criminals are not those of a public transit employee. Just think of Liam Neeson in a half dozen or more movies over the past few years.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; French and Spanish 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
UFOs: Seasons 1 & 2 (DVD)
Release date: May 9
Details: 2021, MHz Choice-Kino Lorber
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This French series has been described as a cross between “The X-Files” and “The Office.”
In season one, space engineer Didier Mathure sees is dreams dashed when his much-hyped new rocket explodes on take-off.
The failure derails his career and he finds himself placed as the head of GEPAN, an obscure and improbable research group that specializes in UFOs.
With the help of his new team, many of whom seem to be living on another planet, Mathure must solve various mysteries, including a shower of flamingos. Mathure is determined to escape this exile anyway he can, until an extraordinary event upends his convictions and opens the door to new possibilities.
In season two, Mathure, who has been ousted from GEPAN, has become a UFO believer, which upsets his former wife, Elise, a down-to-earth scientist who was recently promoted to the head of the French space agency.
A strange event, the appearance of a giant ball of cotton candy in a nuclear power plant, sets off alarms at the highest levels of government.
Mathure is called back to GEPAN to help solve this mystery. Mathure is convinced that an extraterrestrial being is trying to make contact and he will do everything he can to find the truth — even as other forces conspire against him.
The four-disc, 24-episode set is a fun blend of sci-fi and humor.
Technical aspects: 2.39:1 (16×9 enhanced) anamorphic widescreen picture; French Dolby digital; English subtitles.
My Man Godfrey (Blu-ray)
Release date: May 23
Details: 1957, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: June Allyson and David Niven star in this pale remake of the screwball comedy classic that starred Carole Lombard and William Powell.
The story is basically the same: spoiled socialite Irene Bullock (Allyson) finds Niven’s Godfrey under an East River bridge while on a scavenger hunt. Winning the contest, Irene makes Godfrey the family’s new butler.
Slowly, Godfrey wins over the family with Irene succumbing to his romantic charms. Only Irene’s jealous sister, Cordelia (Martha Hyer), is not convinced.
Allyson and Niven work hard, but they cannot rekindle the chemistry created by Lombard and Powell — who were once married — that made the original so memorable.
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 is the main extra.
Kamikaze (Blu-ray)
Release date: May 9
Details: 1986, Kino Lorber
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Filmmaker Luc Besson is one of the writers of this sci-fi-comedy-thriller about Albert, an unemployed bored and crazy old man, who is brilliant with computers.
Albert decides to get rid of the people he hates the most — those who appear on television. He invents a way to kill TV announcers on air from the comfort of his own home.
The police are baffled so Inspector Romain Pacot (Richard Bohringer) dedicates himself to solving the crimes.
The film works as a satire of couch-potato culture.
The movie features some suspense and shocks. It is an interesting premise and worth checking out.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; French 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include an interview with director-co-writer Didier Grousset, a documentary on the making of the movie and a commentary track with film historian Eddy Von Mueller.
The Experts (Blu-ray)
Release date: May 9
Details: 1989, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: PG-13, language
The lowdown: John Travolta, Arye Gross and Kelly Preston star in this misfire comedy about a couple of New Yorkers shanghaied by the KGB who believe they are relocating to a small town in Nebraska to open a nightclub.
They don’t realize they are in the Soviet Union to unwittingly serve as “experts” on all things American to help spies-in-training blend in when they arrive in the U.S.
Preston plays a Soviet agent who falls for Travolta — not difficult since they fell in love and married in 1991.
Eventually Travolta and Gross discover the ruse and devise an escape.
The world’s politics has sort of left this film in the dust — or has it?
The cast also includes Charles Martin Smith, James Keach, Deborah Foreman and Brian Doyle-Murray.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: A making of featurette with director Dave Thomas is the main extra.
River (DVD)
Release date: May 30
Details: 2021, Greenwich Entertainment-Kino Lorber
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Willem Dafoe narrates this documentary that examines the relationship between mankind and Earth’s rivers.
The movie is a visual and music exploration that is celebratory, cautionary and hopeful as it looks at the complexities and fragility of our water systems.
The documentary’s aim is to make us reflect on how we take care of our waterways.
At times, the film is meant to scare viewers, while other sequences are simply admirable and beautiful.
Technical aspects: 2.39:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby digital; English SDH subtitles.
Honey (Blu-ray)
Release date: May 16
Details: 1981, Raro Video-Kino Lorber
Rated: Not rated, nudity, sexual situations
The lowdown: This strange Italian import begins with a young woman author (Catherine Spaak) barging, at gunpoint, into the home of a publisher (Fernando Rey) and forcing him to read her manuscript out loud.
The movie then shifts into a re-enactment of the book, which tells of a young woman, played by Clio Goldsmith, who enters a hotel to spend the night.
During her stay, she witnesses the strange goings-on at the establishment and sees some of the eccentric characters who frequent the hotel.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; Italian 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Other titles being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated:
Assassin Club (Blu-ray & DVD) (Paramount Global Content Distribution)
The Devil Comes at Night (DVD + digital) (Uncork’d Entertainment)
First Contact (DVD + digital) (Uncork’d Entertainment)
For the Hits (DVD & VOD) (Indican Pictures)
The Neighbor (DVD & digital) (Dark Star Pictures-Uncork’d Entertainment)
JUNE 20
The Complete Story of Film (Blu-ray) (Music Box Films)
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, STREAMING or VOD
All Man: The International Male Story (Giant Pictures)
Are You There God, It’s Me, Margaret (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)
How I Met Your Father: Season 2, Part B, Episode 3 (Hulu)
Nelly & Nadine (Wolfe Video)
Sam Now (HaHa Productions)
The Severing (Kino Now-Amazon)
Somewhere in Queens (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)
JUNE 7
Arnold (Netflix)
The Clearing: Episode 4 (Hulu)
High Desert: Episode 6 (Apple TV+)
Platonic: Episode 5 (Apple TV+)
Secrets & Sisterhood: The Sozahdahs (Hulu)
The Ultimatum: Queer Love: Episodes 9-10 (Netflix)
JUNE 8
Based on a True Story (Peacock)
Never Have I Ever: Season 4 (www.netflix.com/NeverHaveIEver) (Netflix)
JUNE 9
Aloners (Film Movement)
Brooklyn 45 (Shudder-AMC+)
City on Fire: Episode 7 (Apple TV+)
The Crowded Room: Episodes 1-3 (Apple TV+)
Heroes of the Golden Mask (Gravitas Ventures)
High Desert: Episode 7 (Apple TV+)
Playing With Fire: Jeannette Sorrell and the Mysteries of Conducting (Global Digital Releasing)
The Secret Kingdom (Saban Films)
Silo: Episode 7 (Apple TV+)
The Snoopy Show (Apple TV+)
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.