New to View: Sept. 24
By Bob Bloom
The following titles are being released on Tuesday, Sept. 24, unless otherwise noted:
Touch (Blu-ray)
Details: 2024, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment-Allied Vaughn
Rated: R, sexual situations
The lowdown: A romantic drama-thriller set after the subsiding of the pandemic.
Kristófer (Egill Ólafsson), realizing that his time is dwindling, embarks on a journey to try and find what really happened when his Japanese girlfriend, Miko (Kôki), vanished without a trace from London 50 years earlier.
Director Baltasar Kormákur (“Two Guns,” “Beast”) takes viewers on an emotional journey as Kristófer travels to various places to find answers.
The film moves between past and present with Palmi Kormákur portraying the young Kristófer, meeting Miko while looking for job in London while studying abroad from his Icelandic homeland. He sees a help wanted sign outside a Japanese restaurant, which is where he first sees Miko.
“Touch” is a heartwarming, bittersweet romance that received a 92 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes. It’s a departure for Kormákur, who is best known for his action features.
The Blu-ray can be found at www.moviezyng.com or other online sellers.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Deleted scenes comprise the main extras.
Despicable Me 4 (Blu-ray + digital)
Details: 2024, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: PG, action, rude humor
The lowdown: One-time supervillain Gru (voiced by Steve Carell), now an agent for the Anti-Villain League, begins a new chapter in his life as he, Lucy (voiced by Kristen Wiig) and their three girls welcome a new member to the family, Gru Jr.
The new addition delights in tormenting his father just as a new nemesis, Maxime Le Mal (Will Ferrell) and his vampish girlfriend, Valentina (Sofia Vergara), appears, forcing the family to flee.
The animated feature is the usual Illumination mixture of action and subversive humor.
Of course the Minions also are on hand with some gaining superpowers with slapstick results.
The movie is entertaining, though a bit formulaic, but will appeal to an audience who enjoys the family-friendly fun and simplicity of the series.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English Dolby Atmos, 2.0 DVS and French and Spanish 7.1 Dolby digital plus; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus materials include two Minion mini-movies; deleted scenes; a behind-the-scenes look at cast members, including Carell and Ferrell, performing in the recording booth; meet the cast and a making of featurettes; a “Mega Minion Mayhem” featurette that explains the development of the five most unique Minions; a look at villains from earlier “Despicable Me” and “Minions” movies; and a how to draw the Mega Minions featurette.
Valkyrie (Blu-ray)
Details: 2008, MGM-Allied Vaughn
Rated: PG-13, violence, language
The lowdown: Tom Cruise as Col. Claus von Stauffenberg heads a star-studded cast in this dramatization of the true story to assassinate Adolf Hitler in 1944.
After one — of many — failed attempts to eliminate Hitler, von Stauffenberg, who lost an eye and fingers in the North African campaign, joins a new plot by high German military and civilians leaders to kill Hitler.
Most of the movie is spent chronicling von Stauffenberg’s recruitment of like-minded comrades and his meticulous planning of the attempt.
Cruise is ably supported by Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Thomas Kretschmann, Terence Stamp, Eddie Izzard and Carice Van Houten.
Bryan Singer directed this riveting feature movie, which can be found at moviezyng.com or other online sellers.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital surround; English, French and Spanish subtitles.
Murder on the Orient Express: 50th Anniversary (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)
Details: 1974, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: PG, violence
The lowdown: Albert Finney as famed Belgian detective Hercule Poirot heads an all-star cast in this sumptuous adaptation of Agatha Christie’s whodunit.
When Ratchett (Richard Widmark), an American millionaire — who turns out to be a former gangster — is killed in the train’s Calais coach, Poirot’s friend Bianchi (Martin Balsam) prevails upon the detective to investigate the crime before the local police arrive.
The train’s passengers include a plethora of suspects played by Lauren Bacall, Sean Connery, Ingrid Bergman, Jacqueline Bisset, Jean-Pierre Cassel, John Gielgud, Wendy Hiller, Anthony Perkins, Vanessa Redgrave, Rachel Roberts and Michael York.
Sidney Lumet directed the movie, which earned six Academy Award nominations, with Bergman winning a best supporting actress statue. The cast also includes Colin Blakely, Denis Quiley and George Coulouris.
Even if you have seen the movie, the acting by the fabulous cast always makes it worth watching another time.
Technical aspects: 4K: 2160p ultra-high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles; Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus options include a commentary track with film historians Howard S. Berger, Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson on both discs; and, on the Blu-ray disc, a making of featurette and an interview with producer Richard Goodwin.
Body Double: Steelbook (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + digital)
Details: 1984, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: R, violence, language, sexual content
The lowdown: Filmmaker Brian DePalma again channels his obsession with Alfred Hitchcock in this violent thriller about Jake Scully (Craig Wasson), a struggling actor who suffers from claustrophobia and, after being fired from a film and leaving his apartment after catching his girlfriend cheating on him, is left homeless.
At a method acting class he meets Sam Bouchard and bares his soul to his new friend. Bouchard offers Scully a job as a house-sitter in the Hollywood Hills for a rich friend who is traveling in Europe.
While touring the house, Bouchard shows Scully a telescope pointed at the house of a female neighbor, Gloria Revelle, who erotically dances every night at the same time.
One night, he sees Gloria abused by an unknown man. He follows her the next day, notices a man following her and gives chase.
DePalma’s web of blurring reality and artifice continues, especially after Gloria is killed. Feeling guilty about her death, and suffering from insomnia, Scully watches a porn channel where he sees a young woman dancing exactly as Gloria.
The actress, Holly Body (Melanie Griffith), eventually helps Scully solve the case.
Traces of Hitchcock films such as “Rear Window,” “Vertigo” and “Dial M for Murder” are springled throughout the movie. Also. Gloria’s last name of Revelle is a homage to Hitchcock’s wife and collaborator, Alma Reville.
The film, though criticized on its initial release, has earned a 78 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 4K: 2160p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English Dolby Atmos (Dolby 7.1 TrueHD compatible) and 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH, English, French and Spanish subtitles; Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH, English, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus materials include four featurettes, “The Seduction,” “The Setup,” “The Mystery” and “The Controversy”; EPK interviews with DePalma, Wasson and Griffith; and the Frankie Goes to Hollywood “Relax” music video from the movie.
The Ladykillers (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)
Details: 1955, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Alec Guinness stars in this classic British gangster comedy who rents a flat from a sweet old lady.
Guinness’ Professor Marcus tells his landlady that he is a musician and academic and that fellow musicians will often be stopping by to rehearse.
In reality, Marcus is a master criminal and his visitors are the other members of his gang. Together, they are planning a major robbery.
Members of the gang are portrayed by Peter Sellers, in his first major film role, Herbert Lom, Cecil Parker and Danny Green.
This droll comedy, which earned a 100 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes, was directed by Alexander Mackendrik (“Sweet Smell of Success”) and scripted by William Rose (“The Russians Are Coming, the Russians are Coming”).
Technical aspects: 4K: 2160p ultra-high definition, 1:37:1 full-screen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English subtitles; Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 and matted 1.66:1 full-screen pictures; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include commentary tracks by film historian Philip Kemp and by film historian David Del Valle and film historian-producer Dan Marino on both discs; and, on the Blu-ray disc, a documentary about Ealing Studios; a featurette on the movie’s restoration; and interviews with writers Allan Scott, Ronald Harwood and Terrence Davies.
Black Belt Jones (Blu-ray)
Release date: Sept. 10
Details: 1974, Warner Archives Collection-Allied Vaughn
Rated: R, violence, language, sexual situations
The lowdown: After his explosive film debut in “Enter the Dragon,” Jim Kelly was tapped to star in this karate-blaxploitation feature as he takes on the Mafia to help save a karate school near downtown Los Angeles.
The Mafia wants the land on which the school is situated so they can sell it to the city, which wants to build a civic center, for an exorbitant price.
When Pop (Scatman Crothers) is killed during a dispute with thugs of the Mafia boss, his daughter, Sidney (Gloria Hendry) and Kelly’s Black Belt Jones team up to exact revenge by taking down the mob boss and his henchmen.
The movie is loaded with martial arts combat sequences as Kelly and Hendry take down as many goons as their fists and feet can hit.
The Blu-ray can be purchased at www.moviezyng.com or other online retailers.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master audio monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Below the Belt (Blu-ray)
Details: 1980, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: R, language, violence
The lowdown: Women’s wrestling is the storyline in this drama-comedy mixture about Rosa Rubinsky (Regina Baff), a young woman with a nowhere job and a boyfriend to boot.
After seeing her fend off unwanted sexual advances while working at a sports arena concession stand, promoter Bobby Fox (John C. Becher) believes Rosa could be a professional wrestler.
She decides to give it a try. Fox sends her to a professional wrestling school where Rosa is trained by real-life legend Mildred Burke, a pioneer in the sport as well as a world champion.
After training, Rosa goes on the road with Fox’s other wrestlers to watch and learn. She also learns about the camaraderie among the women as well as the loneliness they experience on the road.
Fox wants Rosa’s first match to be with Terrible Tommy J. (Joan O’Brien), the sport’s reigning queen, who has 40 pounds on Rosa and, even though wrestling is acting more than actual fighting, loves to dominate and exert her power over her opponents.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: A commentary track by Dave Meltzer, editor of the “Wrestling Observer” newsletter is the main extra.
The Threat: Limited Edition (Blu-ray)
Details: 1966, Arrow Video
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A Japanese crime thriller that is reminiscent of “The Desperate Hours.”
The home of a middle-class family is invaded by two prison escapees who previously had kidnapped the grandchild of a prominent doctor.
The escapees demand that the husband of the family get a package of money from his boss instead of a yakuza.
This suspenseful movie, directed by Kinji Fukasaku (“Battles Without Honor and Humanity,” “Battle Royale”) provides a quickening pace and solid acting. Fukasaku also keeps things a little off balance so you are never really certain how events will finally unfold.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; Japanese LPCM monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: An appreciation of the movie by critic and Japanese film specialist Mark Schilling, a commentary track by Japanese film expert Tom Mes and a collector’s booklet make up the bonus materials.
“The Brigitte Bardot Collection” (DVD)
Details: 1956-69, Kino Classics
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: The iconic Brigitte Bardot was a symbol of allure and sex appeal, especially in the uptight United States of the 1950s and early-to-mid ’60s.
This set features four of Bardot’s films — “Naughty Girl” (1956), “Please, Not Now!” (1961), “Two Weeks in September” (1967) and “Les Femmes” (1969).
“Naughty Girl,” written by her then-husband Roger Vadim, “Please, Not Now” and “Les Femmes” are comedies, while “Two Weeks in September” is a romantic drama.
Bardot’s acting showcases her wide range of talent that elevated her above being pigeonholed as a sex symbol.
Technical aspects: 2.39:1 widescreen picture (“Naughty Girl” and “Two Weeks in September”), 2.35:1 widescreen picture (“Please, Not Now!”) and 1.33:1 full-screen picture (“Les Femmes”); French Dolby digital; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus materials include commentary tracks on “Naughty Girl” by film historian Samm Deighan, “Please, Not Now!” by film historian Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, “Two Weeks in September” by film historian Adrian Martin and “Les Femmes” by film critic Manuelo Lazic.
The Shadow Boxing (Blu-ray)
Details: 1979, 88 Films
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A martial arts fantasy about two undertakers who transport dead bodies through magical means.
The ”corpse herders” work by putting hands-inked paper spells on the bodies, making them hop from town to town at night until they reach their home villages for burial.
Their latest trip proves complicated as a strong-willed young woman insists on traveling along with them but, even more importantly, one of the corpses may not actually be dead, as he is a fugitive wanting to pass through checkpoints to avoid capture by pursuing soldiers.
This kung-fu horror-comedy, which stars Gordon Liu (“Kill Bill”), was directed by Chia-Liang Liu.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; Mandarin 2.0 LPCM monaural; English subtitles.
My Favorite Spy (Blu-ray)
Details: 1951, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Bob Hope offers another of his “My Favorite” features, this one a spoof of spy thrillers.
Hope plays a dual role — burlesque comedian Peanuts White as well as suave spy Eric Augustine.
When Augustine is wounded and hospitalized on his way to Tangiers to purchase a microfilm containing vital war secrets, the U.S. government recruits White to impersonate the spy and complete Augustine’s mission.
White, briefed in the role of the suave Augustine, is whisked off to Tangiers where he meets — and falls for — the beautiful Lily Dalbray (Hedy Lamarr), who is Augustine’s sweetheart, but has now taken up with Karl Brubaker, the leader of the spy ring, played by Francis L. Sullivan.
The parody follows the formula of earlier Hope features with his cowardly and wisecracking character somehow outwitting the spies.
The movie also features Hollywood perennial bad guys Marc Lawrence and Mike Mazurki as well as John Archer, Frank Faylen, Arnold Moss and Morris Ankrum, all under the direction of Norman Z. McLeod.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 full-screen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: The main extra is a commentary track by film historian-writer Julie Kirgo and writer-filmmaker Peter Hankoff.
Tattooed Life (Blu-ray)
Details: 1965, Radiance Films
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A Japanese crime drama set in the mid-1920s centering on a gangster who kills a rival yakuza gangster and then, along with his brother, is forced to flee to Manchuria when his own gang tries to eliminate him.
The movie is more of a character study than action film as the yakuza fugitive hides as part of a tunnel construction crew.
“Tattooed Life” is a deft combination of style and substance, directed by Seijun Suzuki who made several films in the genre.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture: Japanese LPCM monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Supplemental materials include a commentary track by William Carroll, author of “Seijun Suzuki and Postwar Cinema,” interviews with Suzuki and art director Takeo Kimura and a booklet about the movie.
Before Dawn (Blu-ray)
Details: 2024, Well Go USA Entertainment
Rated: R, war violence, language
The lowdown: A World War I drama about a young man who leaves his Australian sheep farm in the outback to join his countrymen on the western front.
He hopes his contribution helps end the bloody conflict. But as the war continues and casualties mount, he starts to grapple with the deadly realities of trench warfare, especially efforts to keep himself alive without leaving others behind.
The movie doesn’t really offer any new insights into the futility of how the great war was fought nor about the toll it took on a young generation of idealized men.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and 2.0 Dolby digital; English SDH and French subtitles.
Don’t miss: A behind-the-scenes featurette is the main bonus component.
The Dragon Painter (Blu-ray)
Details: 1919, Milestone Cinematheque-Kino Lorber
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: The great Sessue Hayakawa stars in this silent Japanese drama as Tatsu, a painter-turned-hermit living in the wilds of Japan.
The local villagers think he is mad because he believes that his princess fiancée has been captured by a dragon. His obsession helps lead him to daily artistic inspiration.
His solitude is interrupted by a surveyor who is trekking across the mountains. The surveyor tells famed artist Kano Indara about Tatsu.
Kano is desperate to find an heir to teach his art. However, when Tatsu meets Kano’s daughter, Umé-ko, played by Hayakawa’s wife, Tsuru Aoki, he sees only his lost princess.
This creates tension and a clash of wills that propels the household to the brink of disaster.
“The Dragon Painter,” long been considered a lost film, is now able to spotlight Hayakawa’s talents and a prime example of Asian-American cinema.
The film’s 2023 4K restoration was done by the San Francisco Silent Film Festival, Eye Filmmuseum and the George Eastman Museum. The restoration also includes additional footage located at Eye Filmmuseum in Amsterdam.
The movie is a treat for silent film fans as well as those who enjoy Hayakawa’s acting.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.33:1 full-screen picture; English intertitles; Dutch, French, German and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include two scores for the film, one by Mas Koga, the other by Makia Matsumura; a featurette on the movie’s reconstruction; and two other movies starring Hayakawa, 1918’s “His Birthright” and 1919’s “The Man Beneath.”
A Man on His Knees (Blu-ray)
Details: 1979, Radiance Films
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Nino, a former car thief who spent a few years in prison, is targeted by a hitman, but he does not know why.
It turns out that a rich woman has been kidnapped and everyone involved in the crime is being killed off. The problem is that Nino has no connection with the abduction.
To save his own life, Nino has to discover who sent the killers and stop them before he is joins the list of those exterminated.
This bleak drama, set in Palermo, also looks at the stranglehold the Mafia has on the city, with a weak police force unable to cope with the criminal element.
Director Damiano Damiani’s film takes a rather pessimistic view of the entire situation.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; Italian LPCM monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: The extras include interviews with stars Giuliano Gemma and Tano Cimarosa, assistant director Mino Giarda and Alberto Pezzotta, author of “Regia Damiano Damiani” and a booklet.
Botany Bay (Blu-ray)
Details: 1953, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Alan Ladd stars in this historical drama set in the late 18th century. Basically, it’s the story of the birth of Australia — and its drawing of settlers from the prisons of England.
Ladd portrays Hugh Tallant, an American medical student falsely accused of highway robbery. Also on board is Sally Munroe (Patricia Medina), a young actress sentenced in a dispute over the ownership a necklace.
Both are “passengers” on a prison ship overseen by the cruel Capt. Gilbert (James Mason). The rebellious Tallant is flogged and keelhauled by the sadistic Gilbert because of Tallant’s escape attempts.
When the ship finally docks at Botany Bay, Tallant is kept busy battling a plague outbreak in New South Wales.
The movie, directed by John Farrow, is a poor man’s “Mutiny on the Bounty, and based on a novel by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall, the authors of “Bounty.”
A fine score by Franz Waxman also helps make the proceedings palatable.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 full-screen picture: English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: A commentary track by Heath Holland, host of the “Cereal at Midnight” podcast is the main extra.
“Two Taoist Tales” (Blu-ray)
Details: 1984, 1986, Eureka Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A two-disc set offering a pair of films — “Taoism Drunkard” and “The Young Taoism Fighter” that are linked to Taoist folklore.
“Taoism Drunkard” (1984) combines fantasy and humor in its story of a kung fu expert who also enjoys his wine. The man accidentally damages a sacred statue. To atone, he is asked by an angry Taoist priest to find a virginal boy to aid in the defending the temple from a demonic sorcerer.
The film is wild and very strange, going so far as to feature watermelon and banana monsters and a rat mobile.
The fight scenes are fine, but the comedy is better.
In “The Young Taoism Fighter” (1986), an expert in Taoist kung fu manages to separate his soul from his body before teaming up with a vengeful woman in combatting a sinister sorcerer as well as the evil leader of a rival kung fu school.
“Fighter” is more serious than “Drunkard” with solid martial arts fight sequences.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; Cantonese and English (dubbed) LPCM audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus materials include commentaries by East Asian film expert Frank Djeng and by action cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema; interviews with director-actor Yuen Cheung-yan and critic Andrew Heskins; and a booklet about Hong Kong fantasy and horror movies.
Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects (Blu-ray)
Release date: Sept. 10
Details: 1989, MGM-Allied Vaughn
Rated: R, language, explicit sexuality and drug use
The lowdown: The final collaboration between action star Charles Bronson and director J. Lee Thompson, whose previous films included “Messenger of Death,” “Death Wish 4” and “The White Buffalo,” is a sleazy affair about child sex exploitation and trafficking.
Bronson portrays Lt. Crowe, an LAPD vice officer, with a wife and teenage daughter, for whom he is very protective.
Crowe’s main target is a pimp named Duke (Juan Hernandez), who runs a prostitution ring that features under-age girls.
The movie is more of a B-feature than one that takes its topic seriously — rather it’s an excuse for Crowe to unleash his rage and disgust at Duke and some of his customers.
A subplot involves an uptight Japanese businessman whose daughter is kidnapped by the pimp and made to sell herself.
The Blu-ray is available at www.moviezyng.com or other online dealers.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio.
The Champions (Blu-ray)
Details: 1983, Eureka Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: An action-comedy starring Yuen Biao as a country bumpkin who flees his town after injuring a wealthy socialite during an innocent competition.
Along the way, he meets up with a soccer team who discovers his talents and induces him to join.
Many stunts include the use of soccer balls by the team and, despite some nearly implausible situations, the movie is well written.
The movie features a lot of action, but very little martial arts. It is a family-friendly feature with very little violence.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; Cantonese 2.0 LPCM monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a commentary track with East Asian film expert Frank Djeng, another with action cinema film experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema, a featurette looking at the 1967 Hong Kong celebrity football/soccer team, an interview with film critic Andrew Heskins about the movie and a booklet with new essays about the film.
The Million Eyes of Sumuru: Extended Version (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)
Details: 1967, Blue Underground
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Shirley Eaton (painted gold in “Goldfinger”) is good as new as Sumuru, a beautiful but deadly woman with plans for world domination, using her stunning female warriors.
Standing in her way are secret agents Nick West (George Nader) and Tommy Carter (Frankie Avalon) who have traveled to Hong Kong to infiltrate Sumuru’s organization.
The movie is more spoof than straight action. Avalon’s Carter plays the goofy sidekick to Nader’s more serious West.
The cast also includes Klaus Kinski, Wilfred Hyde-White and Maria Rohm. It was directed by Lindsay Shonteff and produced by Harry Alan Towers, who specialized in such non-serious action-spy thrillers.
The set features a new restoration from a recently found uncut original camera negative with 10 minutes of additional footage missing from the previous release.
Technical aspects: 4K: 2160p ultra-high definition, 2.40:1 widescreen picture; English 1.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles; Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.40:1 widescreen picture; English 1.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Supplemental materials include commentary tracks by film historians David Del Valle and Dan Marino and film historians Nathaniel Thompson and Troy Howarth on both discs and, on the Blu-ray disc, a documentary, “England’s Unknown Exploitation Eccentric: The Schlock-Cinema Legacy of Lindsay Shonteff”; and a RiffTrax edition of the movie with Mike Nelson, Bill Corbett and Kevin Murphy.
Link (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)
Details: 1986, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: R, violence
The lowdown: Elisabeth Shue and Terence Stamp star in this horror-suspense film centering on Shue’s Jane Chase, a graduate student in zoology, who accepts a position as the assistant to eccentric zoology professor Dr. Stephen Phillip (Stamp) at his remote home that he shares with two very smart chimpanzees and an older orangutan butler named Link.
Events turn dangerous when the professor disappears and Link grows more aggressive, not letting Jane leave the house or using the telephone.
The movie slowly builds as but gets scary after Link learns that, because of his age, the professor planned to have him euthanized.
After the disappearance of Phillip, the chimps also become more aggressive.
The film, directed by Richard Franklin, is no “Jaws” primate rip-off, but it is an uneven feature.
Technical aspects: 4K: 2160p ultra-high definition, 1.66:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles; Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 1.66:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus options include a commentary track with film historian Lee Gambin and film critic Jarret Gahan; deleted workprint scenes; an audio interview with Franklin and Jerry Goldsmith’s demo of the movie’s theme.
The Profane Exhibit (Blu-ray)
Details: 2013, Unearthed Films
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: An omnibus feature in which 10 directors known for their displays of violence and the macabre come together to share their nightmares with an unsuspecting world.
The movie is comprised of 10 short stories that are gory, sadistic and decadent from such directors as Ruggero Deodato, Nacho Vigalondo, Marian Dora, Sergio Stivaletti, Richard Stanley, Jose Marins, Uwe Boll and others.
Some of the names may not be familiar to the general movie-going public, but to a certain group of filmgoers who enjoy extreme and bloody horror offerings, the directors are well regarded.
The stories are built around a private club hidden in the underbelly of Paris where each member spins a tale of depravity to amuse the others.
Stories involve a wife who discovers her husband goes out at night to abduct and murder young women; a botched suicide attempt that provokes a drug-induced dream; a young girl whose overly religious parents believe she is possessed by a demon and the corrupt minister — with an agenda of his own — to call on for help; a nun is abducted in Rome, held for a year, turned into a feral creature, then unleashed on society; and a man who picks up a woman at a nightclub only to find himself at the mercy of women who want to sacrifice him to aid their dream of female domination.
You get the point. The movie is not for the faint of heart or weak of stomach.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 and 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 LPCM monaural; English and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Supplemental materials include interviews with directors Michael Todd Schneider, Jeremy Kasten and Boll and executive producer-story creator Amanda Manuel; a “Ten Years Later” mini-documentary by Dora; Stivaletti’s “Tophet Quorum”; and “Awakened Manna” short story.
Other titles being released on Tuesday unless otherwise indicated:
Bad Boys: Ride or Die (4K Ultra HD & Blu-ray + digital) (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, STREAMING or VOD
Beezel (Dread)
Cricket & Antionette (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)
Hayride to Hell (Breaking Glass Pictures)
Mountains (Music Box Films)
My Partner (Random Media)
Only Murders in the Building: Season 4, Episode 5 (Hulu)
Out There: Crimes of the Paranormal (Hulu)
Penelope (Netflix)
Prey for Rock & Roll (Kino Lorber)
Succubus (Shout! Studios)
Taelgia (Viaplay)
Tenants (13th Floor Productions)
When Houston Had the Blues (PhotoBooth Productions-Apple TV+)
SEPT. 25
American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez: Episode 3 (Hulu)
Bad Monkey: Episode 8 (Apple TV+)
Fly (Disney+-Hulu)
Midnight Family: Episodes 1 & 2 (Apple TV+)
Slow Horses: Season 4, Episode 4 (Apple TV+)
Tell Me Lies: Season 2, Episode 5 (Hulu)
Women in Blue (Las Azules): Episode 10 (Apple TV+)
SEPT. 26
Bel-Air: Season 3, Episode 8 (Peacock)
Colin from Accounts: Season 2 (Paramount+)
The Day and the Hour (Kino Film Collection)
Killer Heat (Prime Video)
Mille Millards de Dollars (Kino Film Collection)
Reasonable Doubt: Season 2, Episode 7 (Hulu)
SEPT. 27
Amber Alert (Lionsgate)
And Mrs. (Vertical Entertainment)
Bolt from the Blue (Good Deed Entertainment)
How to Die Alone: Episode 6 (Hulu)
I’ll Be Right There (Brainstorm Media)
La Maison: Episode 3 (Apple TV+)
Mother Nocturna (Buffalo 8)
Pachinko: Season 2, Episode 6 (Apple TV+)
Sleep (Magnet Releasing)
Violent Panic: The Big Crash (Film Movement Plus)
Will & Harper (www.netflix.com/willandharper) (Netflix)
Wolfs (Apple TV+)
Wolves, Pigs and Men (Film Movement Plus)
SEPT. 30
Futurama: Season 12, Episodes 7-10 (Hulu)
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.