ReelBob: Updated 2024 Holiday Gift Guide
By Bob Bloom
The holidays are just around the corner. That means it is time to race the clock and find the right gifts for your favorite movie lover or film buff.
And 4K UHD, Blu-ray or DVDs releases are smart and convenient holiday options.
So, below are nice selections of titles — plus some new ones just added — that may bring a family member or friend some cheer. A variety of titles and television series that are old and more recent, are available.
This year, I will not offer any prices with titles because they vary so much from store to store and from one online retailer to another. I urge you to simply check your favorite store on website to find a price that fits your needs.
And, as always, happy holidays.
4K ULTRA HD TITLES
Alphaville (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray) (1965, Kino Lorber Studio Classics, not rated)
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 as well as bonus features.
Brokeback Mountain (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray) (2005, Kino Lorber Studio Classics, rated R)
One of the biggest disgraces in the history of the Academy Awards was the snub of “Brokeback Mountain” as best picture of 2005, losing to the good, but not great, “Crash.”
The movie’s director, Ang Lee, was awarded an Oscar, as were Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana for best adapted screenplay and best original score for Gustavo Santaolalla.
Heath Ledger is Ennis, a ranch hand, and Jake Gyllenhaal is Jack, a rodeo cowboy in this story of two young men, hired as sheep herders in Wyoming. Soon, the two develop an intimate relationship that evolves into a strong and loving bond, despite the two marrying and, outwardly, living conventional lives.
The movie is a heartbreaking story of repressed love, elevated by the brave and sensitive performances of Ledger and Gyllenhaal.
“Brokeback Mountain” is a powerful today and as it was on its initial release. The movie costars Anne Hathaway, Michelle Williams, Linda Cardellini, Anna Faris and Randy Quaid.
It garnered an 88 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes. The two-disc set comes with extras.
High Noon (4K Ultra HD + Blu‑ray) (1952, Kino Lorber Studio Classics, rated PG)
Gary Cooper stars in this classic Western as Will Kane, marshal of the small town of Hadleyville. Kane as just married Amy (Grace Kelly), a Quaker and pacifist, and has retired from his job.
On the verge of leaving town to begin a new life with his bride, Kane is informed that outlaw Frank Miller, whom Kane sent to prison, has been released and is returning to Hadleyville to exact revenge on the marshal. His three gunmen companions already are waiting for the noon train that will bring him to the town.
When the townspeople refuse to help Kane, he must face the four villains alone.
“High Noon,” for which Cooper won his second best-actor Academy Award, was a controversial movie. Coming during the period of the “Red Scare,” Carl Foreman, the movie’s screenwriter, was blacklisted for refusing to name names and cooperate with the House Un-American Activities Committee.
The movie was seen by some as a rebuke of those who failed to confront the committee on what many perceived as their unconstitutional witch hunt and a tribute to the few who stood up to HUAC.
The movie, which runs 85 minutes also is remembered for its Oscar‑winning score by Dimitri Tiomkin and its title song sung by Tex Ritter.
“High Noon’s” supporting cast includes Lloyd Bridges, Katy Jurado, Thomas Mitchell, Otto Kruger, Lon Chaney Jr., Henry Morgan and, in his movie debut, Lee Van Cleef, who portrayed one of Miller’s gang.
The movie earned a 94 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes. This new 4K restoration, which includes extras, superbly complements the mood of the picture with its visual and audio transfers.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray) (1956, Kino Lorber Studio Classics, not rated)
A science-fiction classic that, though remade and copied many times, remains not only one of the greatest sci-fi features of the 1950s, but in cinema history.
The story is a perfect fit for the Cold War fear, paranoia, mass hysteria and dangers of conformity that dominated the decade.
Kevin McCarthy gives a memorable performance as small-town California doctor Miles Bennell, whose patients are becoming increasingly overwrought, claiming their loved ones are emotionless imposters.
That is because plant-like extraterrestrials have invaded Earth, taking possession of humans as they sleep and replicating them in giant seed pods.
Bennell, finding proof of the pods, finally is convinced of the danger and begins a terrifying race for his life so he can warn others before it is too late.
The cast also includes Dana Wynter, Larry Gates, King Donovan, Carolyn Jones, Jean Wiles and Ralph Dumke. Don Siegel’s expert direction heightened the suspense of Jack Finney’s story.
And the movie’s memorable ending in which a hysterical McCarthy runs through traffic shouting, “They’re here already! You’re next!” is one of the most chilling screen finales.
The movie garnered an impressive 98 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes. The two-disc set, which contains bonus components, features the film in two widescreen formats.
The Last Emperor (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray) (1987, The Criterion Collection, rated PG-13)
Bernardo Bertolucci’s bio-pic about Pu Yi, the last emperor of China, who ascended to the throne at the age of 3, was nominated for nine Academy Awards, including best picture and best director, and won in each category.
The movie, which features Peter O’Toole as the young emperor’s tutor, covers his life through decades of cultural and political change and upheaval in China, from Pu Yi’s isolated existence within the Forbidden City to Japan’s invasion of China in the 1930s to the civil war that, in 1949, transformed the nation into communism.
The sumptuous production design of Fernando Scarfiotti and breathtaking cinematography of Vittorio Storaro are among the impressive details that make “The Last Emperor” an interesting viewing experience.
The cast features John Lone as Pu Yi as well as Joan Chen, Victor Wong, Dennis Dun and Ruocheng Ying. The set offers extras.
Little Women: 30th Anniversary Edition (4K Ultra HD + digital) (1994, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment-Allied Vaughn, PG)
Gillian Armstrong directed this version of the Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel, featuring an all-star cast headed by Winona Ryder as the spirited Jo March and, as her sisters, Trini Alvarado as Meg, Claire Danes as Beth and Kirsten Dunst and Samantha Mathis as the younger and older Amy.
Partially set during the Civil War, the family is held together by Marmee (Oscar-winner Susan Sarandon) with the help of Aunt March (veteran scene-stealer Mary Wickes).
The cast also features Gabriel Byrne, Christian Bale, Eric Stoltz and John Neville.
And while this 1994 adaptation may not be as memorable as Greta Gerwig’s 2019 version, it is a solid and heartwarming rendition of a timeless story.
The 4K Ultra HD, which contains bonus features, can be found at www.movieZyng.com or other online sellers.
The Long Good Friday (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray) (1980, The Criterion Collection, not rated)
Bob Hoskins showcases a dynamic performance in this British underworld drama. Hoskins portrays Harold Shand, an ambitious London mobster finds his crime empire rocked by a series of attacks just as he is about the close a major real-estate deal with the American Mafia.
Shand begins a ruthless investigation to uncover those responsible. The film also features a memorable performance by Helen Mirren as Shand’s in-command moll.
This explosive feature, which contains bonus materials, is a gripping thriller that garnered a 97 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Mother (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray) (1996, The Criterion Collection, rated PG-13)
The interesting aspect of movies by filmmaker-actor-comedian Albert Brooks is that they make you think as well as laugh and entertain.
In “Mother,” Brooks portrays John Henderson, a science fiction novelist dealing with writer’s block after his second divorce.
Henderson, deciding to figure out where his life went wrong, decides to move back with his relentlessly disapproving and cheerfully passive-aggressive mother, Beatrice (a wonderful Debbie Reynolds).
Of course, his plan goes wrong as he and his mother are soon at odds.
The movie blends Brooks’ wit with insight into family — his mother considers his younger brother, Jeff (Rob Morrow) her favorite — as well as warmth. Plus, the movie serves as a showcase for Reynolds, who makes a formidable foil, which are equal parts cutting and charming.
While Brooks’ movies mostly were popular with critics — “Mother” received an 87 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes — they were not exceptionally strong at the box office, which is a shame because Brooks’ movies should be savored for their excellent blend of wit, laughs and acumen. The set features extras.
And if you are fan of Brooks, you will mostly likely enjoy
“Real Life” (Blu-ray) (1979, The Criterion Collection, rated PG), his feature-film directorial debut.
The movie, in which Brooks stars as a pushy, narcissistic filmmaker who persuades a Phoenix family to allow him to film their everyday lives. The comedy is a satire of the ground-breaking and controversial PBS series “An American Family.”
The difference is that in Brooks’ movie the comedian who plays a version of himself, intrudes and tries to control the family’s life. The film, which earned an 84 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes, is a parody about the perils and pitfalls of trying to capture the truth on film. The Blu-ray comes with bonus content.
Murder on the Orient Express: 50th Anniversary (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray) (1974, Kino Lorber Studio Classics, rated PG)
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 — as are the bonus options.
BOX SETS
“Columbia Classics 4K Ultra HD Collection: Volume 5” (4K UHD + Blu-ray + digital) (1949-2019, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, rated, G, PG, not rated)
The fifth set of classic Columbia Pictures — 13 discs in all — features six acclaimed movies — three of which — “All the King’s Men” (1949), “On the Waterfront” (1954) and “A Man for All Seasons” (1966) — were honored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences with Oscars and two others — “Tootsie” (1982) and “Little Women” (2019) — which received nominations.
Actors and directors from these movies also were honored with Oscars, including actors Broderick Crawford and Mercedes McCambridge and director-screenwriter Robert Rossen for “All the King’s Men”; actors Marlon Brando and Eva Marie Saint, director Elia Kazan, screenwriter Budd Schulberg as well as for art direction, cinematography and editing for “On the Waterfront”; actor Paul Scofield, director Fred Zinnemann and screenwriter Robert Bolt as well as for cinematography and costume design for “A Man for All Seasons”; and actor Jessica Lange for “Tootsie.”
Not bad for a studio that originally began as a Poverty Row operation.
This 13-disc set is loaded with extras, including commentaries, making of featurettes, interviews,, deleted scenes, screen test footage and behind-the-scenes featurettes.
An added bonus are four silent 1920s features from the Columbia Pictures library — “The Belle of Broadway” (1926) starring Betty Compson, “Ladies of Leisure” (1926), “The Desert Bride” (1928), which also stars Compson, and “The Scarlet Lady” (1928), which was directed by Alan Crosland, who a year earlier had directed “The Jazz Singer.”
This set complements the earlier collections of Columbia features released by Sony. It will please any film buff you know.
“Shawscope: Volume Three” (Blu-ray) (1967-83, Arrow Video, not rated)
Martial arts fans will get a kick out of this 10-disc set featuring 14 movies from the Shaw Bros. studio.
These early films channeled Japanese samurai epics and Italian spaghetti Westerns to create the popular Chinese wuxia pian, which drew stories from Chinese historical myth and legends of sword-wielding noble heroes.
The movies in the set include The One-Armed Swordsman Trilogy (“The One-Armed Swordsman,” “The Return of the One-Armed Swordsman” and “The New One-Armed Swordsman’), “Lady Hermit,” “Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan,” “The 14 Amazons,” “The Magic Blade,” “Clans of Intrigue,” “Jade Tiger,” The Sentimental Swordsman,” “The Avenging Eagle,” “The Killer Constable,” “Buddha’s Palm” and “Bastard Swordsman.”
A CD disc with music from the movies also is included. The movies feature Mandarin and/or Cantonese audio tracks, with nine of the movies feature English-dubbed audio tracks. All come with English subtitles.
Plus hours of bonus features also are included.
CONTEMPORARY MOVIES
A League of Their Own (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + digital) (1992, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, PG)
Baseball fans will enjoy this tribute to the All-American Girls Baseball League and the women who performed on the diamond.
The film set during World War II when most of the major leagues’ best players were in the military and attendance was declining, finds Geena Davis as Dottie Hinson, a catcher who enjoys the game, but whose heart is really with her husband, Bob (Bill Pullman), who is fighting overseas.
Tom Hanks shines as Rockford Peaches manager Jimmy Dugan, a washed-up, boozing former major leaguer, inspired by Hall-of-Famer Jimmy Foxx, who, at first, dismisses the women’s league as a stunt, but soon comes to respect their talent and drive.
The cast also includes Lori Petty as Dottie’s sister, Kit, as well as Madonna and Rosie O’Donnell as teammates.
The late Penny Marshall directed the film, which received an 82 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes, with an eye on the ball and smacks it out of the park. The set includes bonus material.
Bob Marley: One Love (Blu-ray + digital) (2024, Paramount Home Entertainment, PG-13)
Fans of reggae and ska, will enjoy this biopic celebrating the music, life and legacy of Jamaican-born singer-songwriter-musician Bob Marley, who used his voice to spread a message of peace, love and unity.
Kingsley Ben-Adir stars as Marley, as the film traces his life from his youth to overcome adversity to his ascent in the music industry go his surviving assassination attempts as he performs and creates music that he hopes will bring people together.
The movie chronicles how he helped popularize reggae music and the Rastafari movement around the world.
His struggles, both personal and professional, are detailed, but the movie always comes back to Marley and his music.
The Blu-ray comes with bonus materials.
White Dawn (Blu-ray) (1974, Kino Lorber Studio Classics, PG)
A historical drama set in 1896, directed by Philip Kaufman (“The Right Stuff”), about the culture clash between a trio of stranded sailors and a tribe of Inuit Eskimos in the Arctic.
The sailors, portrayed by Warren Oates, Timothy Bottoms and Louis Gossett Jr., are left behind when their ship gives up the search for them.
The Inuits accept the men, but tensions soon arise leading to tragedy. Despite Kaufman’s good intentions, the movie is somewhat formulaic.
A bright spot is the acting of the non-professional Inuits. The movie features bonus materials.
FAMILY MOVIES
IF (Imaginary Friends) (4K Ultra HD + digital) (2024, Paramount Home Entertainment, PG)
As children, many of us had imaginary friends in whom we could confide our aspirations, doubts and fears. But as we matured, our friends began to fade until they were no longer part of our lives.
This fantasy, written and directed by John Krasinski, follows Bea, a young girl who discovers she can see everyone’s imaginary friends and her determination to save the Ifs from extinction.
The magic, funny movie is a paean to the power of imagination.
Ryan Reynolds stars as Cal, who finds IFs to place with new children. Later, Bea and Cal realize it would be better to reunite the IFs with their now-grown kids.
The cast also includes Fiona Shaw, Alan Kim and Bobby Moynihan as well as the vocal talents of Steve Carell, Phoebe Walker-Bridge, Louis Gossett Jr., Emily Blunt, George Clooney, Bradley Cooper, Matt Damon, Bill Hader, Krasinski, Christopher Meloni, Keegan-Michael Key, Maya Rudolph, Amy Schumer and Jon Stewart.
The set also comes with extras.
HOLIDAY FARE
A Sudden Case of Christmas (DVD) (2024, Shout! Studios, not rated)
Danny DeVito heads the cast of this family-friendly story playing Lawrence Aramanetti who runs a grand hotel in the mountains of Italy. Every winter he hosts his extended family for Christmas.
This year, though, things are going to be different. Aramanetti is told that his daughter and son-in-law are divorcing, and he is given the difficult task of breaking the bad news to his granddaughter, Claire.
Realizing the family will not be returning together in December, Claire insists on having a last Christmas with the entire family — in the middle of the summer.
And, as the relatives gather, Claire and her grandfather concoct a plan to inspire her parents reconciliation as a last-ditch effort to keep the family intact.
This is an unpretentious movie for this time of year. The DVD does come with extras.
Blue Christmas (Blu-ray) (2024, VCI Entertainment, not rated)
This fantasy, set in 1942 Chicago, is a different riff on Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.”
It’s the Christmas Eve office party and private eye Richard Stone celebrates bribing his way out of the draft.
He’s a disappointment to his secretary-girlfriend Katie Crockett, whose brother, Ben, is fighting overseas; and his young employee Joey Ernest is guilt-ridden over the divorce-racket keyhole peeping he is forced to perform.
Also, a year earlier on Christmas Eve, Stone’s sleazy partner, Jake Marley, was murdered — a crime that Stone did not bother to solve.
Later that night, Stone is visited by an ankle-chained Marley, on leave from Purgatory, to demand that his murder be solved, telling Stone that three more “visitors” will arrive to “help” him one at a time — the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future. Christmas Past is Bonnie Parker of Bonnie & Clyde, Present is a recently deceased soldier and Future is a strange figure who just might be the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.
The movie offers a bit of the Christmas spirit with a little bit of film noir tossed in. The Blu-ray comes with bonus materials.
Infinite Santa 8000: Director’s Cut (Blu-ray) (2024, Synapse Films, not rated)
Here’s a different kind of Christmas movie. It’s an animated feature set in a post-apocalyptic world in which the old world is gone. Humanity has been wiped out; not much remains except for mutants, scum and robo-people.
Everyone must kill to survive — and that includes Santa. Are you ho-ho-hoing yet?
When Santa’s beloved Martha is kidnapped by the evil Dr. Shockelton, he and his robot reindeer fly into the dangerous wasteland to rescue her.
Blood flows as Santa fights his way through hordes of mutant creatures, including bat-sharks, kill-bots and even a giant Easter bunny so he can save Martha and carry on the Christmas spirit — no matter how many thingies he has to kill to do it.
And to add to the holiday cheer, the movie features a blasting heavy metal score to complement the blood and guts. This is the perfect gift for the film freak who doesn’t care for “Silent Night” or “Jingle Bells.
The Blu-ray does come with extras.
Silent Night, Deadly Night: 40th Anniversary Edition (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray) (1984, Scream Factory, R & not rated)
As a general rule, Christmas movies used to be merry and bright — adaptations and variations of Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” musicals such as “Holiday Inn” and “White Christmas” and feel-good movies such as “Miracle on 34th Street” and “Christmas in Connecticut.”
Heck, there used to be a time when “It’s a Wonderful Life” was the darkest Christmas movie of all.
But times have changed — and how! “Black Christmas,” “Krampus” and now, this 40th anniversary release of “Silent Night, Deadly Night,” a three-disc set coming in mid-December, just in time to watch with a stiff glass of eggnog.
As a child, Billy Chapman was traumatized by his parents’ Christmas Eve murder. Adding to his woes, Billy was brutalized by sadistic orphanage nuns.
So when an adult Billy dons a Santa suit and goes on a yuletide rampage, who can blame him for wanting to punish the naughty.
The set features theatrical and unrated versions of the movie, as well as bonus materials. So, for those not wanting to revel in holiday cheer, here’s the perfect bah-humbug vehicle to celebrate in your own unique manner.
TELEVISION SERIES
Blue Bloods: The Complete Series (DVD) (2010-24, CBS-DVD-Paramount Home Entertainment, not rated)
Tom Selleck heads the cast of this police-crime procedural that also doubles as a family drama. For 14 years, the Reagan family has helped protect the residents of New York City through various jobs in law enforcement as police officials, detectives and prosecutors.
Selleck is Police Commissioner Frank Reagan, Donnie Wahlberg is his eldest son, Danny, a NYPD detective, daughter Erin (Bridget Moynahan) is an assistant district attorney, youngest son Jamie (Will Estes) is a cop and veteran performer Len Cariou is Henry Reagan, a retired police commissioner who is the glue that binds the family.
One of the many highlights of this 77-disc set are the family Sunday dinners run through all 14 seasons and 293 episodes.
The set also includes more than 20 hours of bonus materials. The set will make a perfect holiday gift for fans of the series and police dramas in general.
The Crown: The Sixth and Final Season (Blu-ray) (2023, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, not rated)
A four-disc set of this highly-acclaimed series, which aired on Netflix, that showcases the years between 1997 to 2005 of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, touching on all the triumphs — her Golden Jubilee, for example, and the wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles — and tragedies — most notably, the death of Princess Diana, Elizabeth’s mother and her sister, Princess Margaret.
Dramatic events include the public outcry to the royal family’s muted response to Diana’s death, the growing relationship between Prince William and Kate Middleton and the queen’s seeking advice on how to modernize the monarchy from Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Imelda Staunton takes over the role of Elizabeth, who previously was portrayed by Olivia Colman and Claire Foy.
The cast also includes Jonathan Pryce as Prince Philip, Elizabeth Debicki as Diana, Princess of Wales, Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret, Dominic West as Prince Charles, Olivia Williams as Camilla and Bertie Carvel as Tony Blair.
If you have seen any episodes of this series, you will enjoy these final 10 looks at the life of England’s longest-serving monarch. The set features bonus options.
I Love Lucy: The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (1951-59, Paramount Home Entertainment, not rated)
Lucille Ball had toiled in Hollywood for many years, most of them at RKO and MGM where she basically had supporting roles in “A” pictures and leads in “B” movies.
Her career changed in 1948 when she was cast as a wacky wife opposite Richard Denning in the radio series “My Favorite Husband,” which aired on CBS Radio. CBS executives asked her to develop the show into a television series. Ball agreed, but only if she could work with her husband, bandleader Desi Arnaz, whom she married in 1940.
The series, retitled “I Love Lucy,” became an instant hit. The series was one of the first to be shot on 35mm film, using multiple cameras.
This 33-disc set features all 194 episodes of the series, including the half-hour and, later one-hour episodes.
The series not only propelled Ball to national prominence, but demonstrated her talents as a producer and executive. “I Love Lucy” was a landmark series that influenced many sitcoms that followed.
In 2012 survey by ABC News and “People” magazine, “I Love Lucy” was voted best TV series of all time.
This set will make an appealing gift for older family members or friends with fond memories of the series or as an introduction to younger people of a comedy legend.
Las Vegas: The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (2003-08, Universal Studios Home Entertainment-Allied Vaughn, not rated)
This 22-disc set stars James Caan as Big Ed Deline who runs an elite surveillance team at the Montecito Resort and Casino where high rollers come to play and others come to prey.
Deline and his team, including his right-hand man Danny McCoy (Josh Duhamel), are on the look-out for card-counting cheaters, costly streaks of luck as well as the schemes of rival casinos.
After Caan left the series, Tom Selleck joined the cast for the 2007-08 final season.
The set features all 106 episodes with an array of guest stars, including Sylvester Stallone, Alec Baldwin, Jill Hennessy, Jon Lovitz, Dennis Rodman, Wayne Newton, Gladys Knight, Jewel and others.
The show’s cast also includes James Lesure, Vanessa Marcil, Molly Sims, Nikki Cox and Marsha Thomason.
The set is loaded with some nice bonus features. So, roll the dice and give it a look-see.
Lawmen: Bass Reeves (DVD) (2023, Paramount Home Entertainment, not rated)
David Oyelowo gives an outstanding performance in this Paramount+ series created by Taylor Sheridan about one of the most legendary peace officers in the West.
The eight-episode series traces Reeves journey from slavery to one of the first Black U.S. deputy marshals west of the Mississippi River.
As portrayed by Oyelowo, Reeves has a strict moral code and a rigid sense of justice. Even though he arrested more than 3,000 outlaws, he killed others in self-defense while performing his duty.
Still, the weight of the badge was heavy, forcing him to wrestle with the emotional and spiritual toll of how his absences impacted his family.
The three-disc set includes bonus materials.
South Park: The End of Obesity: Special Event (Blu-ray) (2024, Paramount Home Entertainment, not rated)
This animated satiric series sets its sites on the weight-loss craze and the various drugs now on the market that touts their ability to help people become slimmer.
Everyone seems to have access to these wonder medicines — everyone, that is, except Cartman.
And when he is denied, his friends jump into action.
This is an apt title to be released this time of year, when we all indulge — or over-indulge — in holiday festivities and put on a few extra pounds that most of us don’t need.
Star Trek: Discovery: The Complete Series (DVD) (2017-24, CBS-DVD-Paramount Home Entertainment, not rated)
A 21-disc set that follows the journey of Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) from a disgraced Starfleet mutineer who evolves into a dynamic and essential leader.
The series begins about a decade before “Star Trek: The Original Series” and after a couple of seasons jumps about 1,000 years into the future.
Burnham’s past of being raised as a Vulcan, her relationship with her half-brother, Spock, and her adventures in the future in which she helps restore the depleted Federation after the cataclysmic Burn, are all featured in the set’s 65 episodes.
A strong supporting cast including Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh, Jason Isaacs, David Ajala, Doug Jones, Anthony Rapp and Mary Wiseman share in Burnham’s exploits. The set includes bonus features.
Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: The Complete Series (DVD) (2018-23, Paramount Home Entertainment, not rated)
John Krasinski follows in the footsteps of Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck and others to take on the role of CIA analyst Jack Ryan.
The 12-disc set, featuring all 30 episode plus bonus materials, showcases Ryan as he is pushed into dangerous field assignments around the world, including uncovering patterns of terrorist communications and networks in the Middle East to looking into suspicious cargo tied to conspiracies in South America.
Ryan also thwarts efforts to destabilize Europe as he works hard to protect his nation and, when necessary, its allies.
The series also features Wendell Pierce, Nina Hoss, Betty Gabriel, Noomi Rapace, Michael Kelly, Michael Peña and Abbie Cornish.
Fans of Clancy’s iconic character will enjoy his adrenaline-filled exploits featured in the series.
The Whitest Kids U’Know: The Complete Series (DVD) (2007-11, Shout! Studios, not rated)
A 10-disc set featuring this sketch comedy series that aired on various channels during its run. The group featured Trevor Moore, Zach Cregger, Sam Brown, Timothy Williams, Darren Trumeter.
The sketches often met with interference from the networks that aired them, claiming some of their bits were too extreme, vulgar and/or obscene.
Among the series’ best-known sketches are “Opposite Day,” Gallon of PCP,” “Sniper Business,” “Hunting Accident” and the “Civil War on Drugs” segments that reimagined the Civil War as a war on drugs.
Fans of extreme satire and cutting-edge comedy will enjoy this set that is filled with laughs that also make you view the world a little differently.
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.