New to View: Jan. 9
By Bob Bloom
The following titles are being released on Tuesday, Jan. 9, unless otherwise noted:
Odds Against Tomorrow (Blu-ray)
Details: 1959, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Robert Wise directed this heist caper feature, with a screenplay co-authored by blacklisted writer Abraham Polonsky, that starred Harry Belafonte, Robert Ryan and Shelley Winters.
Belafonte portrays Johnny Ingram, a black entertainer who, along with Ryan’s bigoted ex-con Earl Slater, is recruited by former police officer Dave Burke (Ed Begley) to steal $150,000 from a bank.
Slater does not like the idea of working with Ingram, but greed outweighs his prejudice until his hatred for boils over creating violent consequences for all involved.
The movie also features Gloria Grahame, Will Kuluva, Kim Hamilton, Mae Barnes and Richard Bright. It earned an 86 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a commentary track with author-film historian Alan K. Rode and archival post-screening interviews with Belafonte from 2009 and Hamilton from 2007.
Butcher’s Crossing (Blu-ray)
Release date: Dec. 26
Details: 2022, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: R, language, violence, bloody images, sexual content
The lowdown: Nicolas Cage stars in this period Western as Miller, buffalo hunter, who teams up with Harvard dropout Will Andrews (Fred Hechinger) seeking adventure.
The mysterious Miller is offering an amazing number of buffalo pelts in a secluded valley.
Miller, Andrews and their crew face harsh conditions on their difficult journey, which tests everyone’s resolve and grit, while also leaving their mental conditions on the edge of sanity.
The movie, which garnered a 74 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes, was Cage’s understated performance, its pacing and cinematography.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.00:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH and French subtitles.
The Flying Swordsman (DVD)
Details: 2022, Well Go USA Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A Chinese action feature centering on a map that tells of the hiding place of a hidden fortune, the plot to steal it and its eventual disappearance. The theft attempt led to the killing of two famed warriors.
When it is seemingly located a decade later, the eight assassins from the original plot re-emerge, but they are soon challenged by a lone, mysterious swordsman.
The movie features some exciting swordplay and adventure and will please fans of the genre.
Technical aspects: 16:9 (enhanced) widescreen picture; Mandarin 5.1 Dolby digital; English subtitles.
The Road to Hong Kong (Blu-ray)
Details: 1962, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: It had been 10 years since Bing Crosby and Bob Hope traveled the “Road to Bali. By the time they ventured to Hong Kong for their last journey, age was catching up with them.
Two vaudevillians — and who was still doing vaudeville in 1962? — are going nowhere and, as usual, need money. So, Crosby’s Harry Turner and Hope’s Chester Babcock decide to become con artists. But, like their vaudeville act, their new venture is stalling because Chester is having memory problems.
Luckily, Harry and Chester find a miracle cure in Tibet that works too well. Chester seems to remember everything, including the secret formula for space travel.
This,, of course, creates more problems for the duo, who are joined by a beautiful spy, played by Joan Collins.
The 91-minute, black-and-white movie hinges more on nostalgia for Crosby and Hope than its story. It features guest stars such as Dorothy Lamour, Peter Sellers, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Pat O’Brien and David Niven.
Hope and Crosby are a bit slower and their jokes, at times, fail to ignite, but it is fun seeing them together one last time.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.66:1 widescreen picture; English DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: The main supplemental feature is a commentary track with filmmaker-historian Michael Schlesinger and archivist-historian Stan Taffel.
Other titles being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated:
Lucy & Whitney (DVD) (Indican Pictures)
Magnum P.I.: The Final Season (Paramount Home Entertainment)
War Blade (DVD & digital & VOD) (Picture Perfect)
The Windigo (DVD & VOD) (Indican Pictures)
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, STREAMING or VOD
Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths — Part One (Warner Bros. Home Video)
The Exiles (The Milestone Cinematheque)
Hellhounds (Uncork’d Ent.)
The Outside Man (Kino Lorber)
Pianoforte (Greenwich Entertainment)
The Painter (Republic Pictures-Paramount Home Entertainment)
Reflect (Cranked Up Films)
Stroking an Animal (Breaking Glass Pictures)
JAN. 10
Criminal Record: Episodes 1 & 2 (Apple TV+)
JAN. 11
The Human Trap (Cinephobia Releasing)
I’ve Heard the Mermaid Singing (Kino Lorber-Amazon Prime)
Utama (Kino Lorber-Amazon Prime)
JAN. 12
A Place of Our Own (Collective, Elektra)
Destroy All Neighbors (Shudder)
First Time Caller (Buffalo 8)
For All Mankind: Season 4, Episode 10 (Apple TV+)
He Went That Way (Vertical Entertainment)
Hellhound (Saban Films)
Killers of the Flower Moon (Apple TV+)
Laced (Dark Sky Pictures)
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters: Episode 10 (Apple TV+)
The Night They Came Home (Saban Films)
Role Play (Amazon Prime)
I am a founding member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. I review movies, 4K UHD, Blu-rays and DVDs for ReelBob (ReelBob.com), The Film Yap and other print and online publications. I can be reached by email at bobbloomjc@gmail.com. You also can follow me on Twitter @ReelBobBloom and on Facebook at ReelBob or the Indiana Film Journalists Association. My movie reviews also can be found at Rotten Tomatoes: www.rottentomatoes.com.