New to View: May 14

By Bob Bloom
The following titles are being released on Tuesday, May 14, unless otherwise noted:
Dune: Part Two (4K Ultra HD + digital)
Details: 2024, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment
Rated: PG‑13, strong violence, suggestive material, language
The lowdown: As much as I loved Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune,” I found Part Two a bit of a letdown.
Though running 166 minutes, it felt rushed as if Villeneuve just wanted to get it over and done with.
It’s not that I did not enjoy the movie, I simply felt let down, mainly because Villeneuve — working to squeeze in new characters and story arcs — was not able to linger on any of the characters.
The main protagonists — Timothée Chalamet’s Paul Atreides, Zendaya’s Chani, Rebecca Ferguson’s Lady Jessica, Javier Bardem’s Stilgar and Stellan Skarsgård’s Baron Harkonnen — seem to be on treadmills, reprising without any development or growth, their portrayals from the first movie.
Even the additions of Austin Butler as Feyd‑Rautha Harkonnen, Florence Pugh and Princess Irulan and Christopher Walken as Emperor Shaddam IV fail to ignite any sparks — though Butler comes the closest with his sociopathic-like performance.
The movie feels more like a place‑holder, setting the table for an upcoming third movie, which Villeneuve will be directing sometime in the next few years.
The audio and visual components on this release are top notch; the picture is crisp, the audio tracks are pristine.
The movie, which garnered a 92 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes, is, despite some of my complaints, a definite must-see experience, despite its inability to live up to or surpass its predecessor.
Technical aspects: 2160p ultra‑high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English Dolby Atmos, English TrueHD and English, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus features include featurettes on the costuming, Chakobsa training, creating the Fremen world, finding the worlds of “Dune,” worm-riding, Buzz Around the new “Thopter,” Becoming Feyd and “Deeper into the Desert: The Sounds of the Dune.”

Orphan: Collector’s Edition (Blu‑ray)
Details: 2009, Scream Factory
Rated: R, disturbing violent content, language, sexuality
The lowdown: A disturbing horror‑thriller about a family that has suffered a tragedy and, as part of their healing process, adopts Esther, a 9-year‑old Russian girl, from a local orphanage.
Soon, alarming events begin to bedevil the family. Tension between the parents, Kate (Vera Farmiga) and John (Peter Sarsgaard), whose marriage was on shaky ground prior to Esther’s adoption, begin to re-emerge and accelerate, because of the machinations of Esther.
People die and are injured throughout the movie, which leads to a surprise reveal that most astute moviegoers can probably figure out before its denouncement.
The movie, which garnered a 58 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes, spawned a 2022 sequel, “Orphan: First Kill.”
The performance of Isabelle Fuhrman as Esther is one of the film’s highlights.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 and 2.0 DTS‑HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include deleted scenes and an alternate ending and a “Mama’s Little Devils: Bad Seeds and Evil Kids” featurette.

Vitagraph Comedies (Blu-ray)
Details: 1907‑22, Kino Classics
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Before Chaplin and Keaton, Vitagraph Studios released comedies starring music hall artists such as John Bunny, Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Drew, Maurice Costello, Florence Lawrence, Frank Daniels, Constance Talmadge and Larry Simon.
This three-disc collection features 39 comedies, ranging in length from three to 29 minutes.
The set’s main benefit is spotlighting early comedians who are not known today because most of their films have not survived.
Each disc includes an introduction by curator Rob Stone, archivists Lynanne Schweighofer and George Willeman and film historian Rob Farr.
This is a comedic window into the early years of cinema that any film buff will enjoy. Each short features a musical score that complements the on‑screen antics.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.33:1 full‑screen picture; English intertitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include interviews with Stone, Schweighofer, Willeman and Farr and commentaries for every short by film historian Anthony Slide.

Noryang: Deadly Sea (Blu‑ray)
Details: 2023, Well Go USA Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: “Noryang: Deadly Sea” is the finale of director Kim Han‑Min’s epic nautical trilogy of legendary Korean admiral Yi Sun‑shin, who faces his final battle in the naval engagement that changed the course of human history.
The film is set in 1598 during the Japanese invasions of Korea that happened in the Noryang Strait.
“Noryang: Deadly Sea” follows “The Admiral: Roaring Currents” (2014) and “Hansan: Rising Dragon” (2022).
In “Deadly Sea,” Yi Sun-shin, learning that the Japanese army, is trying to quickly retreat from Joseon, decides to form a joint fleet with the Ming Dynasty to annihilate the Japanese and end the war for good.
However, he is betrayed by the Ming Dynasty governor, who had accepted a bribe and plans to open an escape route for the Japanese forces.
The film’s action sequences are impressive and very well done.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 (16:9 enhanced) widescreen picture; Korean 5.1 DTS‑HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: The main extra is a character history featurette.

Alam (DVD)
Details: 2022, Film Movement
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: The current conflict in the Mideast adds an urgency to this movie about Tamer, a Palestinian teenager in Israel.
He is a typical high school student who, along with his friends, flirt with girls, play video games, awkwardly search for drugs and slack off at school.
All that changes for Tamer when a beautiful new student, Maysaa’, joins the class. Tamer is immediately attracted to her. Maysaa’ is a political activist, which also intrigues Tamer.
Together, they join with another classmate, Safwat, to covertly raise the Palestinian flag and peacefully disrupt the celebrations planned for Israel’s Independence Day.
To the Palestinians, the day is a dark reminder of their displacement decades before.
The film, which received a 100 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes, is an examination of the pressures and price young Palestinians are willing to pay for freedom.
Technical aspects: 2.39:1 widescreen picture; Arabic and Hebrew 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby digital; English subtitles.

Queen Tut (DVD)
Details: 2023, Fae Pictures-Kino Lorber
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: After the death of his mother, 17-year-old Nabil (Ryan Ali) moves from Egypt to Toronto to live with his traditionally-minded father.
Nabil, a closeted, aspiring drag queen, soon meets Malibu (Alexandra Billings), who is on a crusade to protect her drag queen nightclub-gay haven, Mandy’s, from demolition.
With the help of Nabil, they rally the gay community to help fight for the survival of the bar.
The dramedy’s topics include family, connection and friendship.
The film is bolstered by Billings’ dynamic performance.
Technical aspects: 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital.
Don’t miss: Extras include a behind-the-scenes featurette that includes cast and crew interviews, a deleted scene, and lyric and karaoke videos.

Other titles being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated:
The Coffee Table (DVD & VOD) (Cinephobia Releasing)
The Gate: Steelbook (Blu-ray) (Lionsgate Home Entertainment
Imaginary (Blu-ray & DVD & digital) (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)
The Lair of the White Worm: Steelbook (Blu-ray) (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)

DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, STREAMING or VOD
Adam the First (Obscured Pictures-Electric Entertainment)
MAY 15
Acapulco: Season 3, Episode 4 (Apple TV+)
Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies and Scandal (Netflix)
The Big Door Prize: Season 2, Episode 6 (Apple TV+)
Dark Matter: Episode 3 (Apple TV+)
Loot: Season 2, Episode 8 (Apple TV+)
Under the Bridge: Episode 6 (Hulu)
MAY 16
Borje — The Journey of a Legend: Episodes 5 & 6 (Viaplay)
Bronx Zoo ’90: Crime, Chaos and Baseball (Peacock)
I … for Icarus (Kino Film Collection)
MAY 17
The Big Cigar: Episodes 1 & 2 (Apple TV+)
End of the Rope (Saban Films)
Faceless After Dark (Dark Sky Films-MPI Media Group)
Franklin: Episode 8 (Apple TV+)
In the Morning of Le Petite Mort (Film Movement Plus)
Nightwatch: Demons Are Forever (Shudder)
Pitch People (Amazon Prime)
Sugar: Episode 8 (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.