New to View: Oct. 24
By Bob Bloom
The following titles are being released on Tuesday, Oct. 24, unless otherwise noted:
Red Dragon (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)
Details: 2002, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: R, graphic violence, grisly images, language, nudity, sexuality
The lowdown: Anthony Hopkins reprises his role as serial killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter in this prequel to “The Silence of the Lambs.
The movie opens with FBI agent Will Graham (Edward Norton), who was wounded when he originally captured Lecter, being called out of retirement to hunt down an killer of families known as “The Tooth Fairy” (Ralph Fiennes).
To succeed, though, the reluctant Graham must ask for help from Lecter. A cat-and-mouse game ensues as Lecter offers vague hints to his former adversary as Graham must stop the killer before he strikes again.
The cast also includes Harvey Keitel, Emily Watson, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Mary-Louise Parker.
The movie, directed by Brett Ratner, was first produced in 1986 as “Manhunter,” with William Petersen as Graham, Brian Cox as Dr. Lecktor and Tom Noonan as the killer.
Technical aspects: 4K: 2160p ultra high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles; Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus options include a commentary track with Ratner and screenwriter Ted Tally, an isolated score with commentary by composer Danny Elfman, a documentary about Ratner, a making of featurette, several other featurettes on various aspects of the movie, Ratner’s student film, and deleted, alternate and extended scenes.
The Crown: The Complete Fifth Season (Blu-ray)
Release date: Oct. 17
Details: 2022, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A four-disc set featuring all 10 fifth-season episodes of this British television series that airs on Netflix.
Changes are the overall arc of the season as the marriage of Prince Charles and Princess Diana begins to splinter as does her relationship with the rest of the royal family.
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip have difficulties adjusting to changes in the nation’s culture as many see them as out-of-step with modern subjects.
Marital problems also impact the queen and prince’s children, Andrew and Anne, who want to divorce their respective spouses or remarry new-found loves.
The most hurtful event for the queen is the refusal of the new government, led by Tony Blair, to not fund a new yacht with taxpayer money for the royal family.
The cast features Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth II, Jonathan Pryce as Prince Philip, Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret, Dominic West as Prince Charles and Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana.
The sixth and final season of the series begins airing on Netflix on Nov. 16.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.00:1 widescreen picture; English and French 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and English 5.1 Dolby digital audio description track; English SDH, English and French subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a featurette on Charles and Diana’s failing marriage, a script to screen featurette and “A Royal Transformation” featurette.
Christopher Strong (Blu-ray)
Details: 1933, Warner Archive Collection
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: After her film debut supporting John Barrymore in “A Bill of Divorcement,” Katharine Hepburn was given the starring role as the unconventional and beautiful aviatrix Lady Cynthia Darrington in “Christopher Strong.”
The movie, directed by Dorothy Arzner, costarred Colin Clive as the title character with whom Darrington has an affair.
The film, which runs a brisk 78 minutes, is regarded more today than on its initial release, which concentrated on some of the bizarre costumes worn by Hepburn’s Lady Cynthia.
This pre-Code melodrama also featured Billie Burke, Helen Chandler, Ralph Forbes, Jack LaRue and Irene Browne.
The restoration of this 90-year-old movie is top notch in video and audio quality.
The Blu-ray can be purchased at www.moviezyng.com or other online sellers.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 (16×9 enhanced) full-screen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include two short subjects, including “Plane Nuts,” which featured Ted Healy and His Stooges — Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Curly Howard, and “Tomalio,” which featured the fine performance of actor-comedian Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle and “Buddy’s Beer Garden,” an early Looney Tunes cartoon.
Cujo: 40th Anniversary Edition (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)
Details: 1983, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: R, scary images, violence, language
The lowdown: If you have issues with dogs, you may want to avoid this cinematic adaptation of a Stephen King story which, like most King stories, is set in Castle Rock, Maine.
A lovable 200-pound St. Bernard named Cujo is transformed into a rabid beast after being bitten by a bat. At the same time, Donna Trenton (Dee Wallace), and her son, Tod (Danny Pintauro), takes her beat-up old car to local mechanic Joe Camber (Ed Lauter) for repairs.
As the aging car dies near the mechanic’s remote farm, the now-transformed Cujo appears and traps Donna and Tod in the car. The majority of the rest of the movie is watching Cujo trying to get into the car to get at the two.
At times, even at just 93 minutes, the movie seems too drawn out and padded. It does offer some shivers and bite.
Technical aspects: 4K: 2160p ultra high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; 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: Supplemental materials include 2007 and 2013 commentary tracks with director Lewis Teague; a commentary by Lee Gambin, author of “Nope, Nothing Wrong Here: The Making of Cujo”; a roundtable discussion with Teague, Wallace, Pintauro and costar Daniel Hugh Kelly about their experiences on the movie; a making of featurette; and interviews with Wallace, composer Charles Bernstein, stuntman Gary Morgan, stuntwoman Jean Coulter, casting director Marcia Ross, visual effects artist Kathie Lawrence, special effects designer Robert Clark and dog trainer Teresa Miller.
The Iron-Fisted Monk (Blu-ray)
Details: 1977, Arrow Video
Rated: Not rated, graphic violence, including rape, nudity
The lowdown: Sammo Hung, here billed as Sammo Kam-Bo Hung, stars in and made his directorial debut in this violent and serious martial arts revenge feature.
Hung plays Husker who is taken in and trained by Shaolin monks after his uncle is killed by Manchu Bannermen thugs.
When Husker sees a monk easily defeat the Manchus, he takes him his temple for training. Growing impatient with his training, Husker leaves the temple and returns to his town, where he sees more evil and ferocious Manchus taking whatever and whoever they want.
Husker returns and joins with his mentor to take on and defeat the Manchus. Because of it notoriety, the uncensored version of the movie received the Hong Kong equivalent of an NC-17 rating.
The Blu-ray features two English dubbed versions — the original export and a newer one created for international presentations.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; Cantonese, Mandarin and English (dubbed) DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: An archival interview with featured actor Casanova Wong, two archival interviews with Hung, a commentary track with martial arts cinema expert Frank Djeng and a collectible booklet.
Marcel Pagnol: My Father’s Glory & My Mother’s Castle (Blu-ray)
Details: 1990, Film Movement Classics
Rated: G, PG
The lowdown: French filmmaker Yves Robert’s two films chronicle the life of filmmaker, novelist and playwright Marcel Pagnol’s nostalgic memories of growing up in Provence at the turn of the 20th century.
The films are based on Pagnol’s best-selling memoirs. In “My Father’s Glory” (rated: G), 11-year-old Marcel goes with his parents on a magical summer holiday to the Provence countryside, where he befriends a local boy, while also learning newfound respect for his gentle schoolmaster father.
“My Mother’s Castle” (rated: PG) finds 11-year-old Marcel wanting to return to the area he grew to love during that summer holiday. He is elated when his father is given access to a private path they can use to easily travel from Marseilles to Provence.
Years later, the adult Marcel purchases a castle and soon realizes it is the same estate his mother always was terrified to cross along their journey.
Both movies are loving and moving memory pieces that, like many of us, help look back with a fonder perspective than is gentler than reality.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; French 2.0 LPCM monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus materials include a video essay by Ludovic Cortade, associate professor in French literature, thought and culture at New York University; a featurette with Robert’s son, Jean-Denis, his grandson, Martin Drescher and cinematographer Robert Alazraki and a 16-page booklet with an essay by filmmaker, producer and writer Kat Ellinger.
Black Sabbath (Blu-ray)
Details: 1963, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Mario Bava directed this horror anthology — three tales of terror that will have you looking over your shoulder.
The three stories are introduced by Boris Karloff. In “The Telephone,” a woman is haunted by menacing phone calls from a former lover. Karloff stars in “The Wurdalak,” as a vampire hunter whose family is stalked by the spirit of an undead cadaver who feeds on human blood, especially those of loved ones.
The final story, “The Drop of Water,” is about a nurse who steals a ring from a corpse and the revenge the dead woman inflicts on the dishonest nurse.
This is the American International Pictures English-language version of the movie, which trimmed some sequences from the Italian version of the movie.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: The main extra is a commentary track by novelist and critic Tim Lucas.
Ride On (Blu-ray)
Details: 2023, Well Go USA Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Jackie Chan stars as a washed-up aging stuntman who gets a second chance after he and his stunt horse make a dynamic escape from debt collectors who attempt to seize his beloved partner.
After his escapes goes viral, the movie career of Chan’s Luo is revitalized. But amidst his triumphant return to film, the angry debt collectors return with a court order that neither he nor his four-legged friend can outrun or escape.
The movie, while not one of Chan’s best, does feature many exciting action and stunt sequences that will entertain younger audiences.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; Mandarin and English (dubbed) DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: A pair of behind-the-scenes featurettes are the main extras.
Titans: The Fourth and Final Season (DVD)
Release date: Oct. 17
Details: 2022-23, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This three-disc set features the final 12 episodes of this HBO Max series that follows the adventures of a group of young superheroes who are searching for where they belong all the while battling various villains in the DC Universe.
Among the characters featured in the series are Nightwing, Superboy, Robin, White Raven, Starfire, Beast Boy, Red Hood, Mother Mayhem and Brother Blood.
The Titans face many dangers, criminal and supernatural, as they fight to main justice and law and order.
Technical aspects: 200:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include “Welcome to Metropolis,” “Mystical Women” and “Baptism of Blood” featurettes.
Beast From Haunted Cave: Special Edition (Blu-ray)
Details: 1959-60, Film Masters
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Roger Corman produced and Monte Hellman directed this schlocky, low-budget horror outing that is a mixture of mobster and monster.
A gang of thieves plan to steal gold bars from a small bank. As a diversion, they plant a time bomb in a cave to attract the attention of the locals to clear their path.
Unfortunately, the explosion releases a spider-like thingy from the cave, while a blizzard traps the crooks in the nearby cabin of a ski instructor.
The monster, of course, comes a-knockin’ and it begins to pick off the crooks.
The movie offers humor and chills. Two versions of the film, the original 65-minute theatrical release, and a 72-minute television edition, are included.
A second movie, “Ski Troop Attack” (1960), is included as a bonus feature. The World War II movie uses the same location and much of the same cast in this story of a group of soldiers tasked with traversing a Nazi forest to get to a railroad bridge and blow it up.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture and 1.33:1 full-screen picture (“Beast From Haunted Cave”) and 1.33:1 full-screen picture (“Ski Troop Attack”); English DTS-HD Master Audio; English closed-captioned subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include commentary tracks on both films — film historian Tom Weaver and filmmaker Larry Blamire are featured on “Beast From Haunted Cave” and author C. Courtney Joyner and filmmaker Howard S. Berger tackle “Ski Troop Attack.” Also included is the documentary “Hollywood Intruders: The Filmgroup Story: Part One.”
And, on the menu page, if you go to the right and click on the beast, you will find an Easter egg.
Tombs of the Blind Dead: Special Two-Disc Edition (Blu-ray)
Details: 1972, Synapse Films
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: In this Spanish horror feature, three friends on a camping trip are confronted by a legion of long-dead Knights Templar who rise from their graves in search of human flesh.
When the Templars were originally executed for their cannibalistic rituals, they were hanged outdoors to die as crows pecked out their eyes. Now, armed with ancient swords and riding their skeletal undead horses, the hunt for prey — by sound alone.
This restoration is from the uncut original camera negative is fun and spooky, and popular enough to spawn a trio of sequels. The Blu-ray also features the alternate U.S. cut entitled “The Blind Dead.”
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; Spanish and English 2.0 LPCM monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include an alternate U.S. opening sequence, featurettes on the awakening of the Spanish horror genre and the history of the Spanish zombie film and three commentary tracks.
Messiah of Evil (Blu-ray)
Details: 1973, Radiance Films
Rated: R, violence
The lowdown: A young woman travels to a sleepy seaside town in search of her artist father only to discover the town is under the influence of a strange cult that weeps tears of blood and hungers for human flesh.
The movie, directed by Willard Huyck, and co-written by Huyck and producer Gloria Katz, who co-authored “American Graffiti,” “Howard the Duck” and “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,” create an atmospheric and dreamy atmosphere that belies the film’s zombie-like horror.
The cast includes Marianna Hill and veterans Royal Dano and Elisha Cook Jr.
The movies is intense and nightmarish. It also is known as “Dead People,” and has become a cult favorite.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 LPCM monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a commentary track with horror film experts Kim Newman and Stephen Thrower, an archival interview with Huyck, a making of documentary, a visual essay by critic Kat Ellinger and an 80-page booklet with essays about the movie.
3 Days in Malay (Blu-ray)
Release date: Oct. 17
Details: 2023, Well Go USA Entertainment
Rated: R, bloody war violence, language
The lowdown: This World War II movie, supposedly based on true events, in which a group of Marines is assigned to a remote, strategically vital airfield.
The Marines are at a disadvantage after many are wounded in an enemy airstrike. Those remaining most hold the post until reinforcements arrive. If they fail, the Japanese can use the airfield as a launching point for bombers to reach the United States.
The movie has many problems, starting with the title, since Malay is a language, not a country. Plus, if they are in Malaysia, no U.S. forces were on that island during World War II.
History buffs may be disappointed by this feature, which stars and was directed and written by Louis Mandylor.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 16:9 enhanced widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.
Alien Outlaw (Blu-ray)
Details: 1986, Kino Cult
Rated: Not rated, nudity
The lowdown: This low-budget, exploitation science-fiction movie deals with a UFO that crash-lands in the Appalachian backcountry, releasing a group of interstellar predators who destroy any humans unfortunate enough to cross their path.
But three of the aliens find opposition in a gun-toting blonde (Kari Anderson) and her mentor, played by one-time B-Western star Al “Lash” La Rue.
The movie is a send-up of the 1950s rubber-suit monster genre and a tribute to 1940s B-Westerns — with a brief appearance by cowboy star Sunset Carson.
And, yes,, it’s not art, but it is enjoyable.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Supplemental offerings include two commentary tracks, one by director Phil Smoot, and the other by cast and crew members; a featurette on the making of the movie; archival interviews and featurettes; and an interview with editor Sherwood Jones.
Deadgirl: 15th Anniversary Edition (Blu-ray)
Details: 2008, Unearthed Films
Rated: Not rated, nudity, language, violence, sexual content
The lowdown: Two high school misfits, Rickie and JT, ditch school and wind up in the crumbling remains of a nearby abandoned hospital.
There, they make a gruesome discovery — the body of a woman. She is naked, chained to a table and covered in plastic. Soon, they come to realize she is not dead.
The teens soon embark on a twisted and poignant journey that tests the limits of their friendship and forces them to decide just how far they are willing to stretch their understanding of right and wrong.
The film drew strong reactions — the majority of which were negative — from many critics who called it tasteless and nasty.
If you are a fan of zombie-like horror outings, you can check it out and make your own decision.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 and 2.0 LPCM monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include the audition tape of Jenny Spain who played Deadgirl; two commentary tracks; deleted scenes; and interviews with cast members and filmmakers.
Other titles being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated:
Caddy Hack (Blu-ray) (Wild Eye Releasing)
The Life and Times of Allen Ginsberg (DVD) (First Run Features)
Lycan Colony (Blu-ray) (Visual Vengeance)
Les Mépris (Contempt) (4K Ultra HD + digital) (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)
The Muppets Take Manhattan (4K Ultra HD) — Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)
Saturn Bowling (DVD & digital) (Dark Star Pictures)
Vampires and Other Stereotypes (Blu-ray & digital) (Visual Vengeance)
FOR KIDS
The Swan Princess: Far Longer Than Forever (DVD) (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, STREAMING or VOD
Camp Hideout (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)
Krishnas: Gurus. Karma. Murder. (Peacock)
Emanuelle’s Revenge (Kino Now)
The Life and Times of Allen Ginsberg (Kino Now)
My Sailor, My Love (Music Box Films)
Nightsiren (Breaking Glass Pictures)
The Priest from Hell (Viaplay)
Puppy Love (Cerise Films)
Salvation (Kino Lorber)
Spirited Away: Live on Stage (GKids-Shout! Studios)
Two Small Bodies (Kino Lorber)
What Doesn’t Float (Circle Collective)
You Are My Audience (Good Deed Entertainment)
OCT. 25
Invasion: Season 2, Episode 10 (Apple TV+)
The Morning Show: Season 3, Episode 8 (Apple TV+)
OCT. 27
Among Wolves (Shout! Studio)
Boudica: Queen of War (Saban Films)
Curses (Apple TV+)
The Enfield Poltergeist (Apple TV+)
Five Nights at Freddy’s (Peacock)
The Hive (Buffalo 8)
Lessons in Chemistry: Episode 4 (Apple TV)
Still Up: Episode 8 (Apple TV+)
Suitable Flesh (RLJE Films-Shudder)
OCT. 30
Hell House LLC Origins: The Carmichael Manor (Shudder)
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.