New to View: Aug. 27
By Bob Bloom
The following titles are being released on Tuesday, Aug. 27, unless otherwise noted:
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (Blu-ray + digital)
Details: 2024, Fox-Buena Vista
Rated: PG-13, intense sci-fi action, violence
The lowdown: The franchise jumps ahead several generations after the reign of Caesar. Apes are still living harmoniously as the dominant species, with humans living in the shadows.
A new ape leader, a tyrant, is building an empire. A young ape who opposes him begins a journey that will cause him to question the past and make choices that will define a future for apes and humans alike.
The movie is thought-provoking, touching on such contemporary issues about the corruption of messaging and communications to suit an individual’s own ends.
Solid performances and impressive CGI add to the movie’s strengths. Critics agreed, giving the movie an 80-percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, 2.0 Dolby digital descriptive audio and French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus features include a making of featurette with director Wes Bell and others and deleted and extended scenes with optional commentary by Bell.
Star Trek: Discovery: The Final Season (Blu-ray)
Details: 20224, CBS Blu-ray-Paramount Home Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This four-disc set contains the final 10 episodes of this exciting and thoughtful edition to the “Star Trek” franchise.
The series, which aired on Paramount+, follows the adventures of Discovery and its crew, now part of a reconstituted Starfleet in the 32nd century, as they try to unravel a mystery that will send them on an amazing journey across the galaxy to find an ancient power whose existence has been hidden for centuries.
Capt., Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green), Antony Rapp’s Paul Stamets, Mary Wiseman’s Sylvia Tilly, Wilson Cruz’s Dr. Hugh Culber, David Ajala’s Cleveland “Book” Booker, Callum Keith Rennie as Raynor and Blu del Barrio as Adira Tal work together to find the clues to the technology created by the Progenitors, whom it is believed seeded life on hundreds of planets in the galaxy.
Also seeking the technology are two couriers, Moll and L’ak, who play cat-and-mouse with Burnham and her crew throughout the season.
The action-filled series ends on a positive note with the galaxy seemingly at peace — at least until the next “Star Trek” series premieres.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and French 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH and French subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus options include a look at the creative force behind the series, a featurette on Martin-Green’s Burnham, a featurette on the development of various characters, an overview of the season, deleted scenes and a gag reel.
Succession: The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
Details: 2018-23, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment-Allied Vaughn
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A 12-disc set that chronicles the machinations of the very dysfunctional Roy family, led by patriarch Logan Roy, whose grip on the media and entertainment conglomerate may be coming to an end as he deals with health issues.
This ignites the ambitions of his four children, each following his or her own agenda as they battle to curry favor with their father and win control of his empire.
“Succession” earned 75 Emmy nominations, winning 19 Emmy, during its four-season, 39-episode run on HBO.
The cast, headed by Brian Cox as Logan Roy, included Kieran Culkin, Alan Ruck, Sarah Snook and Jeremy Strong as Roy’s children from his various marriages, as well as Hiam Abbass as Roy’s third wife, Nicholas Braun, Peter Friedman and Matthew Macfadyen.
The Blu-ray set, which deftly mixes black comedy and drama, can be ordered at www.moviezyng.com or other online sellers.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 (16:9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and French and Spanish digital surround (season one); English SDH, French (season one) and Spanish (season one) subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus materials include inside the episode featurettes, character recaps and cast and crew interviews.
Alphaville (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)
Details: 1965, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: French New Wave filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard directed this futuristic noir sci-fi feature in which American secret agent Lemmy Caution (Eddie Constantine) is dispatched to the distant space city of Alphaville where he must find a missing person and kill the inventor of a fascist computer, Alpha 60.
Godard’s movie is a crazy mixture of science fiction and pulp characters that is surreal and fun.
The Alpha 60 has outlawed free thought as well as emotions, poetry and love.
Caution, a popular character that Constantine portrayed in many movies, eventually kills the inventor and incapacitates the computer by telling it a riddle it cannot comprehend.
The movie, which garnered a 92 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes, costars Anna Karina, Akim Tamiroff and Howard Vernon.
The set offers French and English audio tracks.
Technical aspects: 4K: 2160p ultra-high definition, 1.37:1 full-screen picture; French and English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English subtitles; Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 full-screen picture; French and English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus materials include an interview with Karina, a commentary track with novelist-critic Tim Lucas and an introduction by Colin MacCabe.
“The Mexico Trilogy”: Limited Edition (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)
Details: 1992-2003, Arrow Video
Rated: R, graphic violence, language
The lowdown: Filmmaker Robert Rodriguez wrote and directed these explosive, action-filled features about a guitar-playing loner turned avenging vigilante.
The first film, “El Mariachi” (1992), stars Carlos Gallardo, who also produced the film, as El Mariachi, who, looking for a job, stops at a bar in a tiny town where he is mistaken for a professional killer. Caught in the middle of a mob war, El Mariachi must shoot his way out to survive.
Amazingly, Rodriguez shot the on a $7,000 budget. The movie received a 91 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
He had more to spend on its immediate sequel, “Desperado” (1995), with Antonio Banderas portraying of El Mariachi. This time, he is hunting a the last of the infamous drug lords, Bucho (Joaquim de Almeida), aided by his friend, played by Steve Buscemi, and a bookstore owner, played by Salma Hayek.
The movie overflows with blood-splattered bodies.
The cast to this exciting action flock, which earned a 70 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes, also includes Cheech Marin and Danny Trejo.
The trilogy concludes with “Once Upon a Time in Mexico” (2003), which finds El Mariachi (Banderas) on the trail of another drug kingpin, Barrillo (Willem Dafoe), who is planning a coup against the president of Mexico.
Johnny Depp is involved as a corrupt CIA agent who enjoys killing, while Hayek returns as Mariachi’s love. The cast also includes Eva Mendes, Michael Rourke, Danny Trejo, Rubén Blades, Cheech Marin and Pedro Armendáriz Jr.
The violent finale earned a 66 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 4K: 2160p ultra-high definition,, 1.85:1 widescreen picture (“El Mariachi” and “Desperado”) and 2.39:1 widescreen picture (“Once Upon a Time in Mexico”); English 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles; Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture (“El Mariachi and “Desperado”) and 2.39:1 widescreen picture (“Once Upon a Time in Mexico”); English 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio and Spanish 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio (“Once Upon a Time in Mexico”); English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include commentary tracks by Rodriguez on “Desperado” and “Once Upon a Time in Mexico”; an interview with “El Mariachi” producer-star Gallardo; a featurette on the music in the trilogy; an archival “Ten Minute Film School” narrated by Rodriguez; “Bedhead,” a 1991 short film by Rodriguez; interviews with Rodriguez, “Desperado” producer Bill Borden, stunt coordinator Steve Davison, special effects coordinator Bob Shelley and visual effects editor Ethan Marquis; an appreciation of “Desperado” by filmmaker Gareth Evans; a “Ten More Minutes” Anatomy of a Shootout” archival featurette with Rodriguez; deleted scenes; a “Ten Minute Flick School” with Rodriguez; a featurette on Rodriguez’s Austin, Texas, studio; a “Film Is Dead” An Evening with Robert Rodriguez given in 2003; an archival featurette on the arc of El Mariachi; an archival featurette on the films’ special effects; and an illustrated booklet about the movies.
In Restless Dreams (Blu-ray)
Release date: June 25
Details: 2023, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment-Allied Vaughn
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: If you are a fan of the music of Paul Simon — and who isn’t? — than this 209-minute documentary chronicling his career will keep you humming or singing along with this iconic singer-songwriter.
The movie chronicles Simon’s life from his meeting and early songs and recordings with Art Garfunkel, through his being influenced by Bob Dylan after attending one of his performances, his up-and-down relationship with Garfunkel and his long solo career.
His “Graceland” album is discussed, as is his private life, including his marriages to Carrie Fisher and Edie Brickell.
Serving as the documentary’s bookends is Simon working on his new album, “Seven Psalms.”
The two-part documentary, directed by Alex Gibney, originally aired on MGM+. It can be purchased at www.moviezyng.com or other online sellers.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.
Aces High (Blu-ray)
Details: 1976, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: PG, war violence
The lowdown: Many movies have focused — and sometimes glamorized — the air warfare of World War I, such as Howard Hughes’ “Hell’s Angels,” William A. Wellman’s “Wings” and two versions of “The Dawn Patrol,” made by Warner Bros. in the 1930s.
“Aces High,” an adaptation of the R.C. Sherriff’s play, “Journey’s End,” is more somber, transferring the story from the trenches to the airfield.
Malcolm McDowell stars as Major Gresham, the commanding officer of the air squadron, knows that the life of a pilot is not dashing nor devil-may-care as his newcomers are led to believe. For most of his raw recruits, their life expectancy will be short.
Gresham keeps his distance, not wanting to get attached, as a way of keeping his mental health intact and softening the blow when a pilot is killed.
Peter Firth plays an idealistic young man recruited from McDowell’s alma mater, while Simon Ward plays a veteran pilot slowly going insane by all the death around him and the prospect of his own.
The movie is rather depressing, with McDowell giving a fine, subdued performance.
The cast also includes Christopher Plummer, John Gielgud, Ray Milland, Trevor Howard and Richard Johnson.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.66:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus options include interviews with McDowell and director Jack Gold, a commentary track with film historians Howard S. Berger and Steve Mitchell, a short film about the premiere of the movie and a restoration comparison.
Kingdom of the Spiders (Blu-ray)
Details: 1977, Kino Lorber Studio Classics-Kino Cult #14
Rated: PG, violence, language
The lowdown: William Shatner stars as veterinarian Dr. Robert “Rack” Hansen in this nature-on-a-rampage creature feature-thriller in which thousands of tarantulas, losing their food sources because of pesticides, begin munching on farm animals and — as expected — people in a small Arizona community.
It is up to Hansen and big-city entomologist Diane Ashley (Tiffany Bolling) to devise a method to combat and stop the eight-legged killers before they eat everyone out of house and home.
This definitely falls into the guilty pleasure category, a low-budget, B-movie, built — like many others in this era — on the shoulders of Steven Spielberg’s “Jaws.”
The cast also includes Woody Strode, Altovise Davis (in her movie debut), Lieux Dressler and David McLean. If you have arachnophobia, I advise sitting very far back from your screen when watching.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include three commentary tracks — one with film critic-author Lee Gambin, a second with director John “Bud” Cardos,, producer Igor Kantor, spider wrangler Jim Brackett and cinematographer John Morrill, moderated by Lee Christian and Scott Spiegel and a third with Kantor and Bolling, moderated by Marc Edward Heuck; and interviews with Bolling and writer Steve Lodge.
The Food of the Gods (Blu-ray)
Details: 1976, Kino Lorber Studio Classics-Kino Cult #10
Rated: PG, violence, language
The lowdown: Filmmaker Bert I Gordon, the godfather of the badly-matted “gigantic creature” genre (“The Beginning of the End,” “The Amazing Colossal Man,” “The ‘Spider,” “Village of the Giants”) returns to his favorite category with this very loose adaptation of a portion of an H.G. Wells story.
The story is set on a remote island where a mysterious substance is oozing out of the ground. A farmer, seeing that it acts as a growth hormone, believes his fortune is made.
But when rats, chickens, worms and wasps begin to digest the substance and grow, they transform into bloodthirsty giants — and humans are on their menu.
It’s up to the island’s few residents and visitors to destroy the substance before the animals overrun the island, the people and soon mankind.
The cast is headed by Marjoe Gortner as a hunter visiting the island. He is supported by Pamela Franklin (“The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie”), Jon Cypher, Ida Lupino, Ralph Meeker and Belinda Balaski.
The low-budget opus, though rather cheesy, is fun in a goofy way, especially the not very special effects.
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 Gordon, a second with film critics-authors Lee Gambin and John Harrison and an interview with actress Balaski.
Frogs (Blu-ray)
Details: 1972, Kino Lorber Studio Classics-Kino Cult #12
Rated: PG, violence
The lowdown: An early nature-gone-mad feature in which the wildlife on an island owned by a nasty and crazy millionaire has had enough.
Ray Milland stars as Jason Crockett, the aging and physically disabled rich man who invites his family to his island estate for a birthday party.
Crockett hates nature, poisoning anything that crawls on his property.
The night of his party coincides with payback time for nature as every as thousands of frogs stir up every bug and slimy thing that can slither or crawl into a toxic frenzy, dispatching some of the human invaders in their wake.
Sam Elliott, in one of his first films, plays Pickett Smith, a free-lance photographer taking pictures of the pollution in a swamp for an ecology magazine, when his canoe capsizes after being struck by a motor boat piloted by Crockett’s son and daughter, played by Adam Roarke and Joan Van Ark.
To make amends, the pair invite Smith to the party. On the island, Smith realizes it is infested with frogs and reptiles, pushing Crockett to order his real estate poisoned to get rid of all the amphibians and creepy crawlies.
As you’d expect, things go bad for the people on the island.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include an interview with Van Ark and a commentary track with film historian David Del Valle and film historian-producer Dan Marino, son of the legendary NFL quarterback.
Squirm (Blu-ray)
Details: 1976, Kino Lorber Studio Classics-Kino Cult #13
Rated: PG
The lowdown: Here is another in the endless parade of nature-gone-crazy features released in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
This one, set in the small town of Fly Creek, GA., deals with an infestation of large worms driven to the surface by a powerful storm and the downing of power lines on wet soil.
The combination drives the worms to bloody-thirsty rages in which they begin to burrow into the skin of the local residents and snacking on them.
The film offers some gross sequences — you’d be disappointed if it didn’t — as well as some scary moments and a few laughs, as well. “Squirm” is a serviceable creature feature with some decent special effects.
The one question never answered is — as in the old Universal mummy movies — why don’t the residents just run away? They are faster than the slow-moving worms — even if a couple of hundred thousand are going after the citizens.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Supplemental options include two commentary tracks, one with writer-director Jeff Lieberman, the other with film critics-authors Lee Gambin and John Harrison; a making of featurette; and a tour of filming locations with Lieberman.
Empire of the Ants (Blu-ray)
Details: 1977, Kino Lorber Studio Classics-Kino Cult #10
Rated: PG
The lowdown: A year after unleashing giant rats, chickens and wasps, filmmaker Bert I. Gordon tries his hand with giant ants.
Call it a low-grade “Them,” with laughable and inept special effects and matte work.
Joan Collins stars as a con artist who, with the help of a ship captain, played by Robert Lansing, takes suckers on a cruise of the Everglades and persuades them to invest in a housing development that never will be built.
But when she, the captain and her newest group of gullible investors go ashore, they discover that illegally dumped toxic waste has turned tiny little ants into giants that are hungry for human flesh.
The story, like Gordon’s previous “The Food of the Gods,” is supposedly based on a tale by H.G. Wells, who should have sued for defamation.
“Empire of the Ants” is another so-bad-it’s-good giant creature feature that must be seen to be believed. Fans of this genre will probably enjoy a laugh or two while watching.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus materials include a commentary track with Gordon and a second with film historian David Del Valle and filmmaker-historian Michael Varrati.
Viva La Muerte (Blu-ray)
Details: 1971, Radiance Films
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: The story focuses on Fando, a boy of about 10, who, near the end of the Spanish Civil War, is conflicted about his feelings towards his mother, who he suspects may have had a part in the arrest of his father by fascists.
His emotions manifest themselves as a nightmare assault of terrifying and strange imagery.
The movie, based on the experiences of co-writer-director Fernando Arrabal during the civil war, is shocking and provocative. It is surrealist as it explores Fando’s imagination as well as his friendships, views on sex, death and, most importantly, family upheaval.
Haunting images, involving Fando’s parents and the boy’s grotesque and sadistic daydreams — some of which are disturbing — fill the screen.
“Viva La Muerte” is very political and also somewhat anti-Catholic Church, which it alleges supported the fascist cause.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.66:1 widescreen picture; Spanish DTS-HD Master Audio stereo; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus materials include a booklet about the movie, an interview with Spanish cinema expert David Archibald, a short film following Arrabal on the set of the movie, a documentary about Arrabal and a podcast about the film.
Tokijiro: Lone Yakuza (Blu-ray)
Details: 1966, Radiance Films
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Tokijiro, a lone gambler, who is tired of the rigid codes of the underworld, wanders Japan seeking freedom.
However, escape seems impossible when an obligation to a gang boss forces him to kill a man. To atone, Tokijiro vows to take care of the man’s widow and son.
But the gang will not rest until they have killed the entire family — including the man who is preventing them.
This samurai movie is very stylized, breaking conventions of the yakuza genre and combing blood-flowing action with melodrama.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, widescreen picture; Japanese LPCM monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Supplemental options include a booklet about the movie, an interview with film critic Koushi Ueno about the movie and its place in the genre and a visual essay on star Kinnosuke Nakamura.
Sudden Death (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)
Details: 1995, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: R, strong, graphic violence, language
The lowdown: Jean-Claude Van Damme stars as former firefighter Darren McCord in this “Die Hard” variation set the Pittsburgh Civic Arena where McCord now works as a security guard.
It’s the seventh game of the Stanley Cup finals and McCord, to impress his kids, has scored them tickets. Also on hand is the vice president of the United States as well as a group of terrorists, led by Powers Boothe. Boothe is demanding a $1 billion ransom or he will blow up the arena and everyone in it.
It falls upon McCord to thwart the plot, which becomes more complicated when Boothe’s Joshua Foss, takes McCord’s daughter, Emily (Whittni Wright), hostage.
The movie, directed by Peter Hyams, is exciting, suspenseful and a bit preposterous, but Van Damme and action-genre fans will enjoy it.
Technical aspects: 4K: 2160p ultra high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles; Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a commentary track with film historian Mike Leeder and UK cult movie director Ross Boyask on both discs; and, on the Blu-ray disc, archival behind-the-scene footage and interview clips with Van Damme, Boothe, Hyams and Ross Malinger, who plays McCord’s son, Tyler.
Ride (Blu-ray)
Details: 2024, Well Go USA Entertainment
Rated: R, violence, drug use
The lowdown: A retired bull rider, desperate to raise money for his daughter’s cancer treatment, teams up with his estranged son to commit a robbery.
The heist goes badly, but the pair escape with the money. Keeping it and their freedom, though, create other problems as they must outwit a pair of determined local law enforcement officers, including a justice-minded sheriff who comes to suspect that the key to the case lies uncomfortably close to home.
The movie’s underlying theme is the inequities in our health care system and insurance industry, which force some desperate people to take extreme measures.
C. Thomas Howell, Annabeth Gish and Forrie J. Smith head the cast, which also includes director Jake Allyn and co-writer Josh Plasse.
The movie garnered a 70 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 (16:9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Supplemental materials include interviews with Gish, Howell, Smith, Allyn, Plasse and co-stars Laci Kaye Booth and Zia Carlock.
High Crime: Limited Edition (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + CD)
Details: 1973, Blue Underground
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Franco Nero stars in this Italian crime thriller that offers echoes of “The French Connection” and “Bullitt.”
Nero portrays vice Commissioner Belli, a head-strong Italian police officer who uncovers a series of killings in Genoa linked to Europe’s heroin trade.
With his boss, Aldo Scavino (James Whitmore), the two go after The Lebanese, a bigtime courier working for the local drug distributors. The courier is captured, but later killed when the car transporting him to the police station is blown up.
The loss the courier, causes Belli to devise a new strategy. He contacts Cafiero (Fernando Rey), an aging, semi-retired crime boss, and tricks him into cooperating.
More violence occurs, including the death of Scavino, before Belli eliminates the gangsters and cleans up the city.
Technical aspects: 4K: 2160p ultra-high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; Italian and English 1.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles; Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; Italian and English 1.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles and English, French and Italian subtitles for the Italian audio.
Don’t miss: Extras include three commentary tracks on both discs, one by co-writer-director Enzo G. Castellari, a second by Nero and filmmaker Mike Malloy and a third with film historians Troy Howarth, Nathaniel Thompson and Eugenio Ercolani; and an alternate ending. The Blu-ray disc also includes an interview with Castellari and Nero, and sole interviews with Castellari, actor-stuntman Massimo Vanni, camera operator Robert Girometti, composers Guido and Maurizio De Angelis; and a featurette with “Eurocrime!” director Mike Malloy.
A Man Called Tiger (Blu-ray)
Details: 1973, Eureka Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Jimmy Wang Yu stars as Chin Fu, a martial artist who suspects that his father’s apparent suicide was staged and that he actually was murdered.
Chin Fu’s quest for the truth takes him to Japan, where he becomes involved with the yakuza.
Helping Chin Fu find answers are a fellow countryman, Liu Han-ming (James Tien), and Keiko (Maria Yi), a nightclub hostess.
Using his martial arts skills, Chin Fu infiltrates Tokyo’s underworld, exposes a criminal conspiracy and uncovers the truth about his father’s death.
The Blu-ray features the 112-minute extended export version and 79-minute Hong Kong theatrical cuts of the movie.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; Mandarin and English (dubbed) DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a video essay by Brandon Bentley, two music videos, a commentary track on the export version by Mike Leeder and Arne Venema, a commentary on the Hong Kong release by East Asian film expert Frank Djeng and Michael Worth and a booklet with essays about the movie.
Door-to-Door Maniac: Special Edition (Blu-ray)
Details: 1961, Film Masters
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A little potboiler that features a young Johnny Cash as Johnny Cabot, a psychotic killer, who takes the wife of a bank executive hostage so that bank robber Fred Dorella (Vic Tayback) can extort $70,000 from executive Ken Wilson, played by Donald Wood.
The movie, also known as “Five Minutes to Live,” is rather preposterous with viewing Cash as a crazed killer one of its guilty pleasures. One of the movie’s writers, Cay Forester, costars as Nancy Wilson, the banker’s wife taken hostage.
The disc also includes “Right Hand of the Devil,” a sleazy crime drama, written, directed, edited by and starring Aram Katcher, as the brains behind a sports arena heist.
The movie features some brutal murder sequences that spices up the proceedings, but that is all it has to offer.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English DTS-HD Master Audio; English closed-captioned subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus options include commentary tracks on both movies, a visual essay about Katcher and a booklet with liner notes about the movies.
Terror Firma (Blu-ray)
Details: 2023, Dark Arts Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A science-fiction thriller in which Lola, a struggling artist who has nowhere else to go, reluctantly leans on her older brother, Louis, for help.
Their reunion is awkward — they have not seen each other for more than a year. Still, Louis invites his sister to stay with him in his run-down East Hollywood home.
However, there is one catch — Louis’ strange roommate, Cage, who takes an instant interest in Lola.
Soon after Lola’s arrival, Los Angeles goes into a vague, mysterious lockdown with not much information being released other than occasional police messages from a circling helicopter.
As the city keeps everyone inside their homes, a mysterious packet of seeds arrives from the outside with no label and no answers.
The curious Lola plants the seeds and waits. What follows is a strange, reality-bending journey in which Lola, Louis and Cage must deal with an ever-changing landscape.
Lola is trapped between a brother who mind is beginning to warp and Cage who is growing increasingly violent. The entire event ends in a twisted and bloody affair in which Lola must fight to survive her own creation.
The movie was produced, written and directed by newcomer Jake Macpherson.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Supplemental materials include a commentary track with Macpherson, a director’s extended cut and a behind-the-scenes photo gallery.
The Woman & Offspring: Limited Edition (4K Ultra HD)
Details: 2009-11, Arrow Films
Rated: Not rated, bloody violence, nudity, rape, torture, language, disturbing behavior
The lowdown: A pair of movies that have spurred controversy because of their themes and content. Both, written by horror novelist Jack Ketchum, may make viewers uncomfortable or even winch, depending on your tolerance for violence and gore.
“Offspring” (2009) centers on a clan of cannibals who, since the mid-19th century, has been ravaging the northeast coast of the United States.
The clan members are stalking an unsuspecting family wanting its baby girl in order to perpetuate its future. Can the family escape their fate? You will have to watch to find the answer.
“The Woman” (2011) features Pollyanna McIntosh reprising her role as The Woman in “Offspring.”
She is the last surviving member of the clan until she is captured by a lawyer out hunting in the woods. He captures her and decides to “civilize” her with the help of his wife, daughter and son.
The lawyer is a misogynist who cowers his wife and family and arrogantly believes he can tame The Woman by breaking her will.
Of course, he is proven wrong. “The Woman” was praised by a majority of critics, earning a 73 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 2160p ultra-high definition, 1,78:1 widescreen picture (“Offspring”) and 1.85:1 widescreen picture (“The Woman”); English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: The two-disc set features hours of extras, including webisodes to promote “Offspring”; an archival commentary with Ketchum, producer-director Andrew van den Houten and producer-cinematographer William M. Miller; a second commentary with van den Houten and digital colorist Matt McClain; archival behind-the-scenes featurettes, including one on the making of the movie; a restoration comparison; an extensive interview with Ketchum; a behind-the-scenes documentary; an interview with McIntosh and van der Houten; a 2011 panel discussion about the future of American independent horror movies with “The Woman” director Lucky McKee, van der Houten and others; a music video; a short featurette on the making of the movie; deleted scenes; a short film; an archival making of featurette; a behind-the-scenes documentary by Mike McGee, father of “Woman” director Lucky McKee; an interview with “Woman” costar Lauren Ashley Carter; an archival commentary with Lucky McGee; commentaries with McIntosh and critic Scott Weinberg; a commentary on “The Woman’ with Lucky McGee, editor Zach Passero, sound designer Andrew Smetek and composer Sean Spillane; archival Easter eggs; and a booklet about the movies.
Dragonkeeper (DVD)
Details: 2024, Shout! Studios
Rated: PG, violence, scary images, thematic material
The lowdown: An animated fantasy, based on the popular novel by Carole Wilkinson, about Ping, a girl who goes on a mission to save an imperiled dragon and the entire dragon family line.
She and the dragon begin a journey to find a mysterious stone that is essential to the dragon legacy. Complicating their quest is a brutal dragon hunter who is tracking them.
Can the pair overcome various challenges and save the last dragon egg before those who want to use it for their own selfish purposes take it?
To find out, you will have to watch this family-friendly, enchanting movie that will delight you.
Technical aspects: 2.39:1 widescreen picture, English 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby digital; English closed-captioned subtitles
Other titles being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated:
The Garfield Movie (Blu-ray & DVD) (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)
What You Wish For (Blu-ray & DVD & VOD) (Magnet Releasing-Magnolia Home Entertainment)
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, STREAMING or VOD
Aliens Uncovered: Portal Encounters (Breaking Glass Pictures)
Exorcism of Saint Patrick (Cranked Up)
Kinds of Kindness (Searchlight Pictures-Disney Home Entertainment)
Only Murders in the Building: Season 4, Episode 1 (Hulu)
The Other Laurens (Yellow Veil Pictures)
Possession (Kino Film Collection)
Rush (Shout! Studios-Amazon Prime-Apple TV+)
State Organs (Distribution Solutions)
AUG 28
Bad Monkey: Episode 4 (Apple TV+)
Sunny: Episode 9 (Apple TV+)
Women in Blue (Las Azules): Episode 6 (Apple TV+)
AUG. 29
Bel-Air: Season 3, Episode 5 (Peacock)
Gary (Peacock)
Reasonable Doubt: Season 2, Episode 3 (Hulu)
AUG. 30
Deadly Dealings (Wild Eye Releasing)
First Shift (Quiver Distribution)
Green Fish (Film Movement Classics)
K-Pop Idols (Apple TV+)
Oasis (Film Movement Classics)
Other People (Film Movement Plus)
Out Come the Wolves (IFC Films-Shudder)
Pachinko: Season 2, Episode 2 (Apple TV+)
Peppermint Candy (Film Movement Classics)
Poetry (Film Movement Classics)
Terror in the Midnight Sun (Film Movement Plus)
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.