New to View: Aug. 13
By Bob Bloom
The following titles are being released on Tuesday, Aug. 13, unless otherwise noted:
The Bikeriders: Collector’s Edition (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + digital)
Details: 2024, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: R, violence, language, drug use, brief sexuality
The lowdown: While the movie’s storyline is so-so, it’s the cast, headed by narrator Jodie Comer’s Kathy and the two main members of the midwestern Vandals motorcycle club, Austin Butler’s Benny and Tom Hardy’s Johnny, that propel the movie.
Johnny formed the club after watching “The Wild Ones” with Marlon Brando and gathered like-minded souls who chafe at society’s rules and merely want the freedom to do as they please — which is mostly ride their bikes.
Benny, Johnny’s younger brother, meets Jodie at the Vandals’ bar and is immediately drawn to him. Soon afterward, they marry.
Writer-director Jeff Nichols chronicles the evolution of the club from a gathering place for local outsiders into a dangerous underworld of violence.
The movie, inspired by the book, “The Bikeriders,” by Dennis Lyon, is mostly a study of rebellion against the mainstream constraints of American society.
Though mainly outsiders, most of the Vandals hold regular jobs, have wives or sweethearts and let off steam by riding, drinking and partying. They are a society unto themselves who follow their own simple rules.
But as the club grows, newer and younger elements ignore the founding principles, taking the Vandals down a darker path.
The movie, which costars Michael Shannon, Mike Faist, Boyd Holbrook and Norman Reedus, garnered an 80 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 4K: 2160p ultra-high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English and German Dolby Atmos and French, Italian and Spanish 7.1 Dolby digital plus; English SDH, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Spanish and Swedish subtitles; Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English Dolby Atmos and 2.0 DVS and French and Spanish 7.1 Dolby digital plus; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus options include featurettes on the three main performers and their characters, the authenticity of the era as captured by the film’s production team and Nichols’ overall vision of the movie; and a commentary track with Nichols.
NCIS: The Twenty-First Season (DVD)
Details: 2024, CBS Studios-Paramount Home Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A three-disc set that includes all 10 episodes of the actors-strike shortened 21st season of this popular CBS series.
The team, led by Supervisory Special Agent Alden Parker (Gary Cole) investigate a variety of cases, including the murder of a Marine captain, the kidnapping and death of a famous heart surgeon and one involving UFO conspiracies.
Also included is a touching tribute to longtime cast member David McCallum, who portrayed Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard, who passed away in September 2023.
Changes may be in the offing as, in the season finale, Agent Jessica Knight (Katrina Law) is offered a position as chief of training for the REACT team.
We will have to wait until the season 22 opener to see whether she remains with the series.
Also, a cameo by a former cast member is included in an early episode.
Fans of the series will not be disappointed by all the character byplay and action.
Technical aspects: 16:9 (enhanced) widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus materials include a featurette celebrating McCallum’s contributions to the series, a look at Daniela Ruah directing episodes of both “NCIS” and “NCIS: Hawai’i,” commentary tracks on select episodes, an overall view of the 21st season and a featurette on the series’ stunt work.
The Bat Whispers (Blu-ray)
Details: 1930, VCI Entertainment-MVD Visual Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This early talkie is the second film adaptation of the 1920 mystery play, “The Bat,” written by Mary Roberts Rinehart and Avery Hopwood.
It is one of the first of many “old dark house” whodunit thrillers to grace screens. The first version was a 1926 silent feature, and this version is the first sound adaptation.
What is intriguing about this two-disc set is that it contains three versions of this once-lost movie, a widescreen “Magnifilm” release, a standard full-screen release and a British full-screen version of the movie. The film was believed lost in the late 1930s, but, in 1988, the UCLA Film and Television Archive restored and preserved a 35mm foreign version and the 65mm Magnifilm release from the original camera negatives.
UCLA had gained access from the Library of Congress upon the death of Mary Pickford in 1979, who had willed the library her film collection, which included the 65mm version of “The Bat Whispers.”
The story centers on a mysterious criminal known as “The Bat,” who has been eluding police and plans to retire. Meanwhile, in the countryside outside the small town of Oakdale, the bank has been robbed.
Several people gather at the home of Fleming, the bank manager who supposedly is in Europe. These people are interested in finding the stolen bank loot, which many believe is hidden in the house.
Soon, people begin dying, lights go off and on and mysterious noises are heard throughout the house.
By the finale, the hidden room where the stolen money is found, the identity of “The Bat” is revealed and the curtain falls on the story.
Producer-director Roland West’s cast included Chester Morris, Una Merkel, Maude Eburne, Richard Tucker, William Bakewell and Gustav von Seyfferitz.
The movie, which runs 83 minutes, was remade in 1959 as “The Bat,” starring Agnes Morehead and Vincent Price.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.00:1 widescreen picture, 1.32:1 full-screen picture; English LPCM monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Supplemental options include a commentary track with author-film critic Mike LaSalle, booklet liner notes by author–film historian Richard Barrios, a video version comparison of the three versions, before and after restoration samples of the 1926 silent “The Bat,” a comparison of “The Bat” vs. “The Bat Whispers” and the 1959 version of “The Bat.”
Northwest Passage (Blu-ray)
Details: 1940, Warner Archive Collection-Allied Vaughn
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This adaptation of Kenneth Roberts’ historical novel about the search by Major Robert Rogers for a northwest passage through North America was divided into two parts.
But only the first part, directed by King Vidor, was filmed. That story, set in 1759 during the French and Indian War, is a fictionalized account of the real-life raid by Rogers’ Rangers on the Abenaki Indian stronghold of St. Francis is Canada.
Spencer Tracy stars as Rogers, with Robert Young as Langdon Towne and Walter Brennan as “Hunk” Mariner.
The bulk of the story follows the expedition from Crown Point to St. Francis, in which Rogers faces several challenges,, and the aftermath of the raid in which the surviving Rangers must trek 100 miles to Fort Wentworth, where British forces will meet the men with fresh supplies.
The epic story, filmed in Technicolor, was well received with the movie receiving an Academy Award nomination for best cinematography (color).
The Blu-ray can be ordered at www.moviezying.com or other online sellers.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 full-screen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: A vintage promotional featurette about the movie is the main extra.
June Zero (Blu-ray)
Details: 2022, Cohen Media Group-Kino Lorber
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: The preparations for the 1961 execution of Adolf Eichmann, a principal architect of the Holocaust, grips Israel.
The movie, directed by American filmmaker Jake Paltrow (brother of Gwyneth and son of the late filmmaker Bruce Paltrow and actress Blythe Danner), is told from the perspectives of three people — Eichmann’s Jewish Moroccan prison guard; an Israeli police investigator who also is a Holocaust survivor; and a precocious and clever 13-year-old Libyan immigrant.
Paltrow, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Tom Shoval, displays how the same historical events are often conceived differently by people around the world. The film also underscores the idea of trauma and how it has the power to forge strong bonds and create moments of triumph and connection.
“June Zero” faces it complexities head-on, detailing how the event impacted the lives of Israelis. This grim feature, which earned an 84 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes, resonates and makes you think.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.66:1 widescreen picture; Hebrew, Arabic and Spanish 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.
Nicholas Nickleby (Blu-ray)
Details: 1947, Kino Classics
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This Charles Dickens novel has been adapted numerous times for the big screen and television.
The story centers on the title character a heroic young man and his attempts to save his family and friends from the clutches of his greedy uncle, coldly played by Sir Cedrick Hardwicke.
Like most Dickens stories, the movie overflows with characters, a complex plot, coincidences and twists.
The cast, however, is first rate with Derek Bond as Nicholas, especially stalwart. Supporting players include Stanley Holloway, Cyril Fletcher, Alfred Drayton, Bernard Miles, Sally Ann Howes, Sybil Thorndike, Aubrey Woods and Mary Merrall.
This is one of the better film adaptations, which was written by John Dighton and directed by Alberto Cavalcanti, even though at 108 minutes much has been omitted from the novel.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.33:1 full-screen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a 1903 short film adaptation from the Library of Congress and an interview with British Film Institute Dickens Season curators Adrian Wootton and Michael Eaton.
“When Titans Ruled the Earth”: Limited Edition (4K Ultra HD & Blu-ray)
Details: 2010, 2012, Arrow Films
Rated: PG-13, fantasy action violence, frightening images, some sensuality
The lowdown: “Clash of the Titans” (2010) and “Wrath of the Titans” (2012) are the movies featured in these two-disc sets.
Greek mythology and the relationship between gods and men are at the forefront of the movies.
In “Clash of the Titans,” Perseus (Sam Worthington), son of Zeus (Liam Neeson), but raised as a man, is helpless to save his family from his uncle Hades (Ralph Fiennes) , the vengeful god of the underworld.
Perseus volunteers to lead a mission to defeat Hades before he can seize power from Zeus, thus unleashing hell on earth.
Perseus battles monsters and demons, but also must accept the power he can wield to be victorious.
The cast also includes Jason Flemyng, Gemma Arterton, Alexa Davalos, Mads Mikkelsen, Luke Evans, Lian Cunningham and Nicholas Hoult.
“Wrath of the Titans” is set 10 years later, with Perseus leading a quiet life by the sea with his young son. However, war is raging between the gods and Titans, and Perseus learns of a treacherous plan for world domination by the power-hungry uncle Hades and godly half-brother Ares (Edgar Ramirez).
To help the gods, Perseus joins forces with warrior queen Andromedia (Rosamund Pike), Poseidon’s demigod son Agenor (Toby Kebbell) and fallen god Hephaestus (Bill Nighy) to enter the underworld, rescue Zeus and overthrow the Titans.
Both films are heavy on action and CGI effects, but fantasy fans should be satisfied with the audio and video qualities of these new updates.
Technical aspects: 4K: 2160p ultra-high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles (“Clash of the Titans”) and 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles (“Wrath of the Titans”); Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles (“Clash of the Titans”) and 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles (“Wrath of the Titans”).
Don’t miss: Bonus options include several featurettes and behind-the-scenes looks at the movies, deleted scenes, a look at the various stunt work and a booklet with essays about the movies.
The Escort (DVD)
Details: 2023, IndiePix Films
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A Croatian thriller with Hitchcockian overtones about a married filmmaker who spends the night with a prostitute who was mysteriously sent to his hotel room after a business meeting.
After a drug-fueled night of sex, the filmmaker discovers the woman dead in the bathroom.
With no one to turn to, he enlists the help of the hotel doorman and desk clerk to cover up the accident.
Before long, however, his two accomplices come looking for him to return the favor. At first, it is small requests, but then their role in his life begin to grow.
The movie will keep you engrossed as you watch the filmmaker slowly lose control of his life.
Technical aspects: 2.35:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; Croatian 2.0 Dolby digital; English subtitles.
In the Line of Duty III (Blu-ray)
In the Line of Duty IV (Blu-ray)
Details: 1988, 1989, 88 Films
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Police inspector Okata vows revenge after an armed couple stage a jewelry robbery that ends in the death of Okata’s assistant in “In the Line of Duty III” (1988).
When the same Japanese thieves make their way to Hong Kong, rookie cop Rachel Yeung becomes involved in the case and she and Okata unite to bring the killer thieves to justice.
“In the Line of Duty IV” (1989) deals with a drug trafficking syndicate being investigated by two officers, played by Donnie Yen and Cynthia Khan. They discover that the drug syndicate has informers working in law enforcement agencies, so they break the rules to protect a witness.
The officers’ investigation puts targets on their backs from American assassins, Hong Kong gangs and the law itself.
Both films contain fast-paced action and stunts.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; Cantonese and English (dubbed) 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Both movies feature commentary tracks by Frank Djeng and Michael Worth; “In the Line of Duty III” contains an interview with John Sham, while “In the Line of Duty IV” offers an archival interview with Yen and an archival commentary with Hong Kong expert Stefan Hammond and lead actor Michael Wong.
Annie Laurie (Blu-ray)
Details: 1927, Kino Classics
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: In the mid- to late 1920s, Lillian Gish starred in a series of prestigious movies for MGM, including “La Boheme,” “The Scarlet Letter,” “The Wind” and this saga about civil warfare between the Macdonald and Campbell clans in 17th-century Scotland.
Gish portrays the title character, the daughter of the governor who seeks to negotiate a peace treaty between the clans.
However, constant raids, kidnappings and killings make peace efforts very difficult.
Plus, the romantic triangle between Gish’s Annie, Creighton Hale’s Donald Campbell and Norman Kerry’s Ian Macdonald complicate matters and events.
The film’ final act, filmed in early two-strip Technicolor, centers on what has become known as the Massacre of Glencoe in which the Campbells attack the Macdonalds. It is during these events that Gish performs a thrilling sequence where she sprints to a snowy mountaintop to light a warning signal.
“Annie Laurie,” which features a 2023 musical score by Robert Israel, costars Brandon Hurst, Joseph Striker, Hobart Bosworth, Patricia Avery and David Torrence. If you can spot him, John Wayne appears as an extra.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.33:1 full-screen picture; English intertitles and 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio for the musical score.
Don’t miss: A commentary track by Anthony Slide is the main extra.
Observe and Report (Blu-ray)
Details: 2009, Shout! Studios
Rated: R, language, nudity, drug use, sexual content violence
The lowdown: Seth Rogan stars in this black comedy-satire as security guard Ronnie Barnhardt, who rules over the Forest Ridge Mall with an iron fist.
Barnhardt, who is bi-polar, desperately wants to join the police force and also dreams about marrying Brandi (Anna Faris), a cosmetics sales clerk.
When a flasher begins terrorizing the mall, Ronnie’s desire to be a hero leads him down a dark vigilante path that also puts him in conflict with a police detective, played by Ray Liotta, assigned to the case.
The uneven movie succeeds more than it falls short.
The film, written and directed by Jody Hill (“The Righteous Gemstones”), is a subversive comedy that may make you feel uncomfortable while you are laughing.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus materials include an interview with Hill, a commentary with Rogen, Faris and Hill, a featurette about Rogen, a “Forest Ridge Mall Security Recruitment Video,” additional scenes, a gag reel and various outtakes with Rogen and Faris.
Demons (4K Ultra HD)
Demons 2 (4K Ultra HD)
Details: 1985, 1986, Synapse Films
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Dario Argento produced and Lamberto Bava directed this fan-favorite Italian splatter film in which a masked man offers tickets to a sneak preview of a horror film at a mysterious cinema.
When a patron is scratched by a prop displayed in the theater lobby, she transforms into a flesh-ripping demon. One by one the audience members mutate into terrible creatures hellbent on destroying the world, unless someone can figure out a way to stop them.
Argento and Bava return a year later with “Demons 2,” in which the residents of a high-rise apartment building are watching a scary movie on television.
A young birthday girl, also watching, releases an eternal demon through her television. Partygoers soon find themselves fighting murderous monsters. Acid blood, demonic dogs, possessed children and bloodthirsty zombies wreak death and destruction on the trapped tenants.
As more and more people are infected, a young couple fights to survive this hell on earth.
“Demons” features the full-length original cut and the shorter U.S. version featuring alternate dubbing and sound effects.
“Demons” received a 69 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes, while the sequel garnered a 67 percent positive rating.
Technical aspects: 2160p ultra-high definition, 1.66:1 widescreen picture; English and Italian 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio and English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: “Demons” extras include a commentary track with critics Kat Ellinger and Heather Drain, co-hosts of the “Hell’s Belles” podcast; a commentary with Bava, special effects artist Sergio Stivaletti, composer Claudio Simonetti and actress Geretta Geretta; a video essay about Argento’s career as a producer; interviews with Argento, Simonetti and longtime Argento collaborator Luigi Cozzi; featurettes about Bava and the movie, Argento producing the movies, Cozzi discussing the making of the movie and a critical perspective about the film; an interview with Ottaviano Dell’Acqua about the stunt work; and a question-and-answer program with Stivaletti at the 2019 United Kingdom Festival of Fantastic Films.
“Demons 2” features a commentary track by film critic Travis Crawford; an interview with Cozzi on the history of Italian horror; an interview with Stivaletti; a “Demonic Influences: Federico Zampaglione Speaks” featurette; Roy Bava discussing a legacy of lacerations; a “New Blood of Italian Horror” featurette with Stivaletti; a featurette on the legacy of the sequel with Lamberto Bava; an interview with composer Simon Boswell; and visual essay on the space and technology in the two movies.
Cocaine Werewolf (Blu-ray)
Details: 2024, Cleopatra Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A movie crew filming a horror flick in the mysterious woods of northern Pennsylvania comes face-to-face with an actual werewolf in this creature feature with comic overtones, directed by Mark Polonia.
The movie serves as a springboard to spotlight a Gothic Industrial Rock and Psychobilly soundtrack, courtesy of Cleopatra Records, features such groups as The 69 Cats, Pink Fairies, Front Line Assembly, Switchblade Symphony and The Brains.
The feature offers thrills, chills and laughs.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, widescreen picture; English stereo.
Don’t miss: The main extra is a commentary track with Polonia.
Other titles being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated:
Cursed Waters (Blu-ray & DVD) (Small Town Monsters)
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, STREAMING or VOD
Age of Humans (Amazon Prime-Apple TV+)
Alphaville (Kino Film Collection)
The Beast Within (Well Go USA Entertainment)
Bob Le Flambeur (Kino Film Collection)
Cannibal Apocalypse (Kino Film Collection)
Cursed Waters (Prime Video-Small Town Monsters)
Ingress (Amazon-Glass House Distribution)
It Came from Aquarius Records (MVD Visual Entertainment)
Le Doulos (Kino Film Collection)
Mother’s Instinct (Neon)
The Nature of Love (Music Box Films)
Satranic Panic (Dark Star Pictures)
Trust in Love (Gravitas Ventures)
AUG. 14
Bad Monkey: Episodes 1 & 2 (Apple TV+)
Daughters (Netflix)
Sunny: Episode 7 (Apple TV+)
Time Bandits: Episodes 7 & 8 (Apple TV+)
Women in Blue (Las Azules): Episode 4 (Apple TV+)
AUG. 15
Bel-Air: Season 3, Episodes 1-3 (Peacock)
Emily in Paris: Season 4, Part 1 (www.netflix.com/emilyinparis) (Netflix)
Jackpot (Amazon Prime)
Mouthpiece (Kino Film Collection)
When Night is Falling (Kino Film Collection)
White Room (Kino Film Collection)
AUG. 16
In the Rearview (Film Movement)
Lady in the Lake: Episode 6 (Apple TV+)
The Union (Netflix)
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.