New to View: June 27
By Bob Bloom
The following titles are being released on Tuesday, June 27, unless otherwise noted:
Evil Dead Rise (Blu-ray + DVD + digital)
Details: 2023, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment
Rated: R, strong and bloody horror violence and gore, language
The lowdown: The “Evil Dead” franchise was launched in 1981, igniting the careers of filmmaker Sam Raimi and actor Bruce Campbell.
“Evil Dead Rise” is the fifth move in the franchise. And, like the other movies, the blood flows liberally and bodies are ripped asunder as the demonic “Deadites” return to wreak havoc.
Most of movie takes place in a rundown apartment building where Beth (Lily Sullivan) goes to visit her sister, Ellie (Alyssa Sutherland), a single mom with three children — teenagers Danny and Bridget and younger sister, Kassie.
After an earthquake shakes the building while the children are in its basement parking lot, a secret chamber is uncovered.
Danny investigates and finds religious artifacts, a trio of phonograph recordings from 1923 and one of the three volumes of the “Naturom Demonto,” which comprise the “Necronomicon ExMortis,” an ancient Sumerian text.
Naturally, all hell breaks loose and the body count escalates.
The movie garnered an 84 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English Dolby Atmos, 7.1 TrueHD, Dolby digital descriptive audio and French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles; DVD: 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital and English descriptive audio; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Big George Foreman: The Miraculous Story of the Once and Future Heavyweight Champion of the World (Blu-ray + digital)
Details: 2023, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: PG-13, sports violence
The lowdown: The movie, with a mouthful of title, is a conventional and safe biopic about the former heavyweight champion that relies more on depicting his external life than his inner battles.
The movie follows Foreman from his impoverished childhood to his winning an Olympic Gold Medal to his rise as heavyweight champion.
A near-death experience changes the course of his life as Foreman moves from the ring to the pulpit.
Later, to help his struggling community, Foreman returns to the ring and reclaims his heavyweight crown, becoming the oldest boxer to ever claim that title.
The movie is more a chronicle of Foreman’s life. It fails to go deeply into what made Foreman tick and the struggles he had to face.
A majority of critics agreed, giving the movie a 43 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English and Spanish 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and English 5.1 audio description track; English SDH, English, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a featurette on the making of the movie, a look at the Foreman & Ali ring battles and deleted scenes.
Will Penny (Blu-ray)
Details: 1968, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Charlton Heston stars in this acclaimed Western as an aging cowboy whose prospects are on the downturn.
After a trail drive ends, he and two friends — Blue and Dutchy — go their separate ways, with Will looking for work at the Flat Iron ranch.
When Blue and Dutchy get into a dispute with the Quint family over who shot and killed a elk, Will arrives and kills one of the Quints. Will, Blue and the wounded Dutchy travel on to find a doctor to treat Dutchy’s gunshot wound.
Will get a job at the Flat Iron ranch and, arriving at a far-off, line-rider’s cabin, he founds a woman, Catherine, and her son, Horace. He tells them they must leave within the week. Later, Will is ambushed, beaten and stabbed by the surviving Quints.
He crawls back to the cabin where he is nursed by Catherine. Over time, he and Catherine fall in love. Later, the Quints burst into the cabin, where they threaten Catherine.
Will, with help from Blue and Dutchy, rout and kill the Quints. Realizing he is too old to change his ways, Will reluctantly says good-bye to Catherine and Horace and rides off with his friends.
“Will Penny,” written and directed by Tom Gries, is considered a modern Western classic, garnering an 85 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
The movie costars Joan Hackett as Catherine, Jon Gries as Horace, Donald Pleasance as Preacher Quint, Lee Majors as Blue, Anthony Zerbe as Dutchy and Bruce Dern as Rafe Quint. The cast also includes Ben Johnson, Slim Pickens and Clifton James.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus options include a commentary track, and two archival featurettes with Heston and Jon Gries.
Waterworld: Limited Edition (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)
Details: 1995, Arrow Video
Rated: PG-13, action violence, language
The lowdown: At the time of its release, “Waterworld” was the most expensive movie ever produced.
It received mostly negative reviews, based mostly on the characters and performances.
Kevin Costner stars as “The Mariner” in this post-apocalyptic feature in which the polar ice caps have melted covering most of the land on Earth.
The plot revolves around the search for the mythical “Dryland.”
The movie costars Jeanne Tripplehorn, Tina Majorino, Michael Jeter and a hammy Dennis Hopper as the main villain.
This three-disc set features the theatrical, extended European “Ulysses” cut and the extended U.S. television version of the movie.
The film received a 45 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes, with many reviews criticizing Costner’s humorless performance and the overall dullness of the script.
Technical aspects: 4K: 2160p ultra high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English Dolby Atmos and 7.1 TrueHD; English SDH subtitles; Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus options include an exploration of the ecologically themed end-of-the-world film subgenre with film critic Glenn Kenny; an archival featurette on the film’s production; a making of documentary with cast and filmmaker interviews; six collectible postcards; a double-sided fold-out poster; and a 60-page book featuring writing and archival articles about the movie.
The Tank (Blu-ray)
Details: 2023, Well Go USA Entertainment
Rated: R, violence, bloody images, language
The lowdown: Ben and his family inherit a mysteriously abandoned coastal property.
Ben and his family visit the site, with Ben wondering why his mother never told him about it.
However, her reasons for secrecy soon become apparent when the family accidentally frees the ancient, long-dormant creature that has terrorized the region for generations.
The creature is one of the highlights of this predictable, routine horror outing, which received a 33 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: A making of the creature featurette and a look inside the making of the movie comprise the extras.
The Old Man and the Sea (Blu-ray)
Details: 1958, Warner Archive Collection
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Spencer Tracy stars in this adaptation of Ernest Hemingway’s novella about an aging Cuban fisherman who, after 84 days, without success, catches a huge marlin and battles to bring him into his boat.
At first, the marlin, which is bigger than the fisherman’s skiff, slowly pulls him out to see.
For three days and nights he battles the marlin before finally landing the fish. The old man also must fight off sharks who are feeding on his prize while he tries to return to his village.
The film, which received an 80 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes, was awarded an Oscar for Dimitri Tiomkin’s score.
The Blu-ray can be purchased at www.moviezying.com or other online retailers.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: A behind-the-scenes documentary, “Hemingway: The Legend of the Sea,” is the major bonus component.
A Zed & Two Noughts and The Falls: Two Films by Peter Greenaway (Blu-ray)
Release date: June 20
Details: 1980, 1985, Zeitgeist Films-Kino Lorber
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A two-disc set showcasing why Peter Greenaway is considered a singular filmmaker.
“The Falls” (1980) is a pseudo-documentary about a mysterious occurrence called Violent Unknown Event or V.U.E. that has affected the planet.
It has caused immortality and disability. Greenaway’s movie examines 92 case histories of affected by the apocalyptic phenomenon that is related to birds, flying and bizarre invented languages. The victims examined I the film all has surnames that begin with the letters F A L L.
The three-hour picture is a challenge, but if you are a fan of Greenaway’s works, you will find it interesting.
“A Zed & Two Noughts” (1985) is a dark and disturbing take on erotic obsession and death.
Identical twin brothers, both zoologists, lose their wives in a horrific car accident caused by a white swan. A third woman in the car survives but loses her leg.
The brothers, Oliver and Oswald (Eric and Brian Deacon), fixate on their wives bodies and slowly become obsessed with evolution and decomposition. They begin making time-lapsed films of decaying animals.
They both also have affairs with Alba (Andrea Ferréol), the surviving woman. When she loses her other leg, and ultimately dies, the twins film their own deaths.
“The Falls” received an 83 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes and “A Zed & Two Noughts” garnered a 76 percent rating.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.66:1 widescreen picture (“A Zed & Two Noughts”) and 1.37:1 full-screen picture (“The Falls”); English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio stereo; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus materials include a Greenaway commentary and introduction to “A Zed & Two Noughts,” six “decay” sequences, two short films by Greenaway, “Vertical Features Remake,” a 44-minute film by Greenaway and Greenaway’s video pieces of “The Fall” and “Vertical Features Remake.”
La Chèvre (The Goat) (Blu-ray)
Details: 1981, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Gérard Depardieu and Pierre Richard star in this comedy about the search for a very unlucky and accident-prone girl — the daughter of a very rich French tycoon — who disappeared in Mexico.
Depardieu plays Campana, the hard-boiled detective who spent more than a month vainly looking for the girl.
A psychologist tells the girl’s father that to find her, he must send someone who is as unlucky as she is. The father sends Campana back to Mexico, saddling him with Perrin (Richard), an accident-prone accountant.
Once in Mexico, Perrin begins to blindly stumble onto clues, which greatly upsets Campana.
The chemistry between Depardieu and Richard is one of the film’s greatest assets, as is its slapstick humor.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.66:1 widescreen picture; French 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: A commentary track is the main extra.
Mallrats: Limited Edition (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)
Details: 1995, Arrow Video
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: “Mallrats” was actor-filmmaker Kevin Smith’s second directorial feature after the success of “Clerks.”
“Mallrats,” though, was not as readily toasted as its predecessor.
The basic story follows two friends who were simultaneously dumped by their girlfriends. Comic book obsessive Brodie (Jason Lee) and TS (Jeremy London) plan to ease their heartbreak by visiting and shopping at the local mall.
At the mall, the friends learn that it is being used as the venue for a dating show, and that TS’s ex, Brandi, is one of the contestants.
This revelation inspires TS and Brodie to devise a plan to win back the loves of their lives. They enlist Jay and Silent Bob (Jason Mewes and Smith) to hijack the game show so TS can win back Brandi.
Brodie, meanwhile, carries out his own plan to win back Rene (Shannen Doherty), who has attracted the attention of Brodie’s nemesis, Shannon (Ben Affleck).
The two-disc set features the theatrical and extended versions of the film. The movie, which is a bit rough and chaotic, also features Joey Lauren Adams, Priscilla Barnes and Michael Rooker. The movie garnered a modest 58 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 4K: 2160p ultra high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles; Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Supplemental features include a commentary track on both cuts by Smith, producer Scott Mosier, archivist Vincent Pereira and Lee, Affleck and Mewes; an archival introduction by Smith and Mosier to the extended cut; an archival question-and-answer with Smith filmed for the movie’s 10th anniversary; deleted scenes; outtakes and behind-the-scenes footage; cast interviews; a making of featurette; an animated making-of documentary featuring Minnesota crew members; interviews with Smith and Mewes; a tribute by Smith to producer Jim Jacks; Easter eggs; a soundtrack EPK; and a booklet.
The White Buffalo (Blu-ray)
Details: 1977, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: PG
The lowdown: Charles Bronson stars as Wild Bill Hickok unsatisfying Western about the obsessive hunt for a killer white buffalo.
Bronson portrays Hickok as an older man, plagued by fears and seeking to make peace with himself. He also is having nightmares about a white buffalo and decides to put an end to those dark visions, he must hunt for and kill the beast.
Also hunting for the creature is Sioux war chief Crazy Horse (Will Sampson), who must kill the buffalo so the soul of his daughter, killed by the animal, can rise to heaven.
The movie, which costars Jack Warden, Kim Novak, Clint Walker, Slim Pickens and Stuart Whitman, is uneven, with some dull stretches and substandard special effects.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: A commentary track with Paul Talbot, author of the “Bronson’s Loose!” book series, is the main extra.
Les Compères (Blu-ray)
Details: 1983, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Gérard Depardieu and Pierre Richard reteam for this comedy in which they are asked by a Christine (Anny Duperey), a former lover, to help find her 16-year-old son who ran away.
Separately, Christine, going around her husband, convinces Depardieu’s Lucas, a newspaper man, and Richard’s Pignon, a fragile neurotic, that they are each the boy’s father.
The men follow the boy’s trail to Nice where they proceed to unload decades worth of dubious parenting into a few hectic days of battling Riviera bikers, casino racketeers and, most often, each other.
The film was remade in Hollywood as “Fathers’ Day” starring Robin Williams and Billy Crystal.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.66:1 widescreen picture; French 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: The main extra is a commentary track.
Duet for One (Blu-ray)
Details: 1986, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: R, sexual situations, language
The lowdown: Julie Andrews stars as Stephanie Anderson, a world-famous violinist suddenly afflicted with multiple sclerosis, who, instead of giving up, finally takes control of her life to confront and conquer the despair that has overwhelmed her.
Andrews’ performance is the high point of the movie, which, at times, falls into melodrama.
Anderson’s husband, a composer-conductor, flees from his wife’s illness by beginning an affair with his secretary.
Anderson, feeling that her life is without value, gravitates into a state of bitterness and isolation against the advice of her psychiatrist, played by Max von Sydow.
Soon Anderson’s desperation forces her to re-enter the world and put her sadness behind her.
The cast also includes Rupert Everett and Liam Neeson.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: A commentary track is the main extra.
Millennium Mambo (Blu-ray)
Details: 2001, Metrograph Pictures-Kino Lorber
Rated: R, language, drug content, sexuality
The lowdown: A drama set in the techno-scored, neon nightlife of Taipei, stylishly directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien.
The film stars Shu Qi as Vicky, an aimless bar hostess who is drifting away from her loud, blowhard boyfriend and towards Jack (Jack Kao), a suave, but sensitive, gangster.
The movie is structured as a flashback from to then-present from the then-future of 2011.
The film is a dense, transfixing and poetic, garnering an 84 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; Mandarin 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: A commentary track and a video essay comprise the extras.
“Enter the Video Store: Empire of Screams” (Blu-ray)
Details: 1984-89, Arrow Video
Rated: PG, PG-13, R, violence, language, sexual situations
The lowdown: A five-disc set featuring a quintet of movies from Empire International Pictures, founded by Charles Band. His studio’s films became a mainstay at video stores as they offered catchy titles, exploitation-like B-movie plots, outlandish art and movies that offered viewers a good time.
The movies in the set are: “The Dungeonmaster” (1984, PG-13), “Dolls” (1987, R), “Cellar Dweller” (1988, not rated), “Arena” (1989, PG-13) and “Robot Jox” (1989, PG).
“The Dungeonmaster” (also known as “Ragewar”) deals with a computer whiz who finds that he has been chosen by an evil wizard who has been searching for centuries for a worthy opponent. At stake, the fate of the computer guy’s girlfriend.
“Dolls” deals with a family that must, because of a violent storm, seek shelter in a nearby mansion. The residents are an elderly couple who are avid dollmakers, and plan to unleash their toys on their unsuspecting guests. The movie received a 60 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
“Cellar Dweller” is a creature feature about a comic book artist who, 30 years after the death of another comic book artist, unleashes a demon that artist created after she draws it.
“Arena” is a sci-fi feature about a human short-order cook on a “starstation” who, after being fired for brawling, is convinced to enter a fight tournament populated by various alien species.
“Robot Jox” is a futuristic tale in which global wars have been eliminated and in which super powers settle disputes in one-on-one battles between trained champions.
The set includes three versions of “The Dungeonmaster” — a theatrical, pre-release and international cut.
None of these movies are what you would call classics, yet they have a low-budget charm to them.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture and alternate 1.37:1 full-frame version of “Robot Jox”; English LPCM monaural (“The Dungeonmaster”), 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and 2.0 LPCM monaural (“Dolls”), 2.0 LPCM monaural (“Cellar Dweller,” “Arena” and Robot Jox”); English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus options include commentary tracks on each film except “The Dungeonmaster”; actor and filmmaker interviews; behind-the-scenes footage and appreciations; and a booklet.
Prison Girls 3D (Blu-ray)
Details: 1972, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: Not rated, sexual situations
The lowdown: The movie, promoted as “The First Real Adult Film in 3-D!”, was directed by exploitation filmmaker Tom DeSimone.
The story is about six female prisoners who are given a weekend furlough in preparation for their upcoming parole.
While free, the young women have various sexual experiences — some good, some bad and a few are shocking.
You will have to check the movie out to see where and how the 3-D effects are utilized.
The cast includes Jacqueline Giroux, Uschi Digard, Candy Samples, Annik Borel, Tracy Handfuss, Maria Arnold and Linda York — household names all.
The movie was remastered by 3-D Film Archive.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.75:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a commentary track and a deleted scene.
Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman (DVD)
Details: 2022, Zeitgeist Films-Kino Lorber
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: An animated French fantasy featuring a giant talking frog and an elusive cat who help a listless bank employee, his traumatized wife and a lonely accountant seek meaning in their lives and possibly save Tokyo from catastrophe.
The story begins in 2011 in Tokyo. After Kyoko leaves her husband Komura after spending five days watching the news on television, Komura takes a week’s leave from work and heads north to deliver a box and its unknown contents to two young women.
Meanwhile his colleague, Katagiri, a loner, returns home one evening to find a 7-foot-tall frog asking for his help in saving Tokyo from a tsunami.
The DVD offers English and French language versions of the movie. This rather strange feature earned a 77 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 1.85:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English and French 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby digital; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include behind-the-scenes featurettes.
Other titles being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated:
In Viaggio: The Travels of Pope Francis (DVD & VOD) (Magnolia Home Entertainment)
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, STREAMING or VOD
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)
Barbie Nation: 25th Anniversary Director’s Cut (Bernal Beach Film)
Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman (Kino Lorber)
La Chèvre (Kino Lorber)
Les Compères (Kino Lorber)
Confidential Informant (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)
The Dogman Triangle (1091 Pictures)
Here. Is. Better. (Greenwich Entertainment)
How I Met Your Father: Season 2, Part B, Episode 6 (Hulu)
Knights of the Zodiac (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)
Makeup (Red Blazer Productions)
Montréal Girls (Level 33 Entertainment)
R.A.D.A.R.: The Adventures of the Bionic Dog (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)
Sin La Habana (Breaking Glass Pictures)
Sisu (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)
Smoking Causes Coughing (Magnolia Home Entertainment)
T.S. Eliot’s Four Quartets (Kino Lorber)
JUNE 28
Anthem (Hulu)
The Clearing: Episode 7 (Hulu)
Hijack: Episodes 1 & 2 (Apple TV+)
Platonic: Episode 8 (Applet TV+)
JUNE 29
Secret Chef (Hulu)
JUNE 30
Book Club: The Next Chapter (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment)
The Crowded Room: Episode 6 (Apple TV+)
Devilreaux (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)
In the Company of Rose (Greenwich Entertainment-Kino Now)
Is It Cake, Too? (www.netflix.com/IsItCake) (Netflix)
The Last Autumn (Film Movement)
Love Gets a Room (Buffalo 8)
Nimona (www.netflix.com/nimona) (Netflix)
Silo: Episode 10 (Apple TV+)
Swagger: Season 2, Episode 2 (Apple TV+)
JULY 1
South of Sanity (All Channel Films)
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.