New to View: Dec. 31
By Bob Bloom
The following titles are being released on Tuesday, Dec. 31, unless otherwise noted:
The Spanish Main (Blu-ray)
Details: 1945, Warner Archive Collection-Allied Vaughn
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Paul Henreid most often played suave, sophisticated or romantic roles supporting Bette Davis in “Now, Voyager” and backing Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman in “Casablanca.”
He’s not the type you expect to see in the lead of a swashbuckling pirate adventure. Yet here he is as Capt. Laurent Van Horn, known throughout the waters of the Spanish Main as the Barracuda.
Henreid co-stars with the fiery Maureen O’Hara in RKO Pictures first Technicolor feature in which Van Horn is wrongfully imprisoned by the Spanish governor of the Caribbean, escapes with other unjustly incarcerated prisoners and begins his reign as the scourge of the pirate waterways.
O’Hara portrays Francesca, who is taken by Barracuda to save her from the evil governor Don Juan Alverado, played by Walter Slezak, but to avenge the injustices done to him and his crew by the Alverado.
Love and justice prevail in the final reel in this story with a screenplay by John Worthing Yates and Herman J. Mankiewicz, all under the direction of Frank Borzage, winner of two best director Academy Awards.
The Blu-ray can be ordered at www.moviezyng.com or other online sellers.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 (16×9 enhanced) full-screen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus materials include a classic Technicolor short, “Movieland Magic,” and two Warner Bros. cartoons, “Buccaneer Bunny” and “Captain Hareblower.”
The Searchers (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)
Release date: Dec. 20
Details: 1956, Warner Archive Collection-Allied Vaughn
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: John Wayne received best actor Academy Award nominations two times — for his Sgt. Stryker in 1949’s “Sand of Iwo Jima” and winning for his role as Marshal “Rooster Cogburn” for 1969’s “True Grit.”
Ironically, Wayne was overlooked for what many consider the best and most psychologically complex performance of his career — the dark and avenging Ethan Edwards in “The Searchers.”
In its time, this John Ford-directed feature was simply considered as another Western. Only years later did film critics and historians come to realize how deep and impactful it was.
In the movie, Edwards, along with Jeffrey Hunter’s Martin Pawley and Harry Carey Jr.’s Brad Jorgensen, search for Edwards’ young niece, Debbie, kidnapped by Comanches who also massacred Edwards’ brother and his brother’s wife, and also kidnapping Debbie’s older sister, Lucy (Pippa Scott).
Their search goes on for years and includes many dead ends and tragedies before Edwards finds Debbie and, despite wanting to kill her, brings her home.
The movie, which also features Ward Bond, Ken Curtis, Hank Worden, John Qualen, Olive Carey, Patrick Wayne, Lana Wood as young Debbie and Henry Brandon as Scar, the Comanche chief who is the mirror image of Edwards, has received an 87 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes, and was among the first 25 movies inducted in 1989 by the Library of Congress into its National Film Registry.
The movie is available at www.moviezyng.com or other online dealers.
Technical aspects: 4K: 2160p ultra-high definition, 1.85:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 2.0 Dolby audio monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus options included on the Blu-ray disc include an appreciation of the movie, a 1996 documentary about the movie, a commentary track with Ford biographer Peter Bogdanovich, vintage “Behind the Camera” segments from the “Warner Bros. Presents” TV series and outtakes.
Monte Walsh (Blu-ray)
Details: 1970, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: PG-13, violence, sexuality
The lowdown: Academy Award-winners Lee Marvin (“Cat Ballou,” “The Dirty Dozen”) and Jack Palance (“Shane,” “City Slickers”) top the cast of this look at the final days of the Old West.
Marvin’s Walsh and his fellow cowboys face a changing landscape where barbed wire and the railroad replace the freedom of the open range. As Walsh and his pals consider new work opportunities or settling down and drawing their guns for one last showdown.
The Western, directed by ace cinematographer William A. Fraker, deals with the march of progress and the psychological turmoil it exacts on Walsh and his friends especially Palance’s Chet Rollins.
The film also chronicles Walsh’s tender relationship with prostitute Martine Bernard (Jeanne Moreau, “The Bride Wore Black,” “Diary of a Chambermaid”).
This is more than a cowboy feature, it is a meditation on change and loss.
The movie, which also costars Mitchell Ryan, Jim Davis, G.D. Spradlin, Bo Hopkins and Michael Conrad, features a memorable score by John Barry.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: A commentary track with Marvin biographer Dwayne Epstein is the major extra.
Hatari! (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)
Details: 1962, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Screen legend John Wayne and legendary director Howard Hawks reunite for this African action-adventure-comedy about big-game hunters who, instead of using rifles, use strong ropes and cameras to capture animals for zoos and as circus attractions.
It’s an exciting and dangerous job that pits man against dangerous beasts, made even more so by Hawks’ claim that his actors did not use stunt doubles in the sequences in which they captured animals.
The movie is bookended by sequences in which Wayne’s Sean Mercer and his crew, attempt to capture a bull rhinoceros. Otherwise, the film mainly deals with the relationship between those working with Mercer — Hardy Kruger, Red Buttons, Bruce Cabot and Gérard Blain. Michèle Girardon plays their boss, Brandy, and Elsa Martinelli portrays photographer Anna Maria “Dallas” D’Alessandro.
“Hatari!” was filmed in Tanganyika (which is now Tanzania). The screenplay was by Hawks’ longtime collaborator Leigh Brackett.
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: 180p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: A commentary track by film historian-writer Julie Kirgo and writer-filmmaker Peter Hankoff is the major bonus option on both discs.
The Killer Is Loose (Blu-ray)
Details: 1956, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Joseph Cotten stars as Detective Sam Wagner whose investigation of a bank robbery determines that it was an inside job masterminded by mild-mannered teller Leon Poole (Wendell Corey).
Wagner heads to Poole’s apartment to make a peaceable arrest. Instead, a violent shootout ensues in which Poole’s wife is accidentally killed in the crossfire.
Poole is sent to prison, believing Wagner is responsible for his wife’s death. Poole is obsessed with revenge. He escapes prison and killings begin thereafter as the maniacal Poole is determined to repay Wagner by killing his wife, Lila (Rhonda Fleming).
Budd Boetticher, best known for his Western collaborations with Randolph Scott, helmed this gritty drama, which also features Alan Hale, Michael Pate, John Larch, Dee J. Thompson, Virginia Christine, John Bernadino and Paul Bryar.
Does Poole succeed in exacting his revenge? You’ll have to watch to find out.
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 film historian-screenwriter Gary Gerani is the main extra.
Internal Affairs (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)
Details: 1990, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: R, violence, language, sexual content
The lowdown: Richard Gere stars as Dennis Peck, a corrupt cop who can plant evidence, run a scam, fix a bad rap and even arrange or commit a murder — if the price is right.
Andy Garcia’s Raymond Avilla, who recently has joined the Los Angeles Police Department’s Internal Affairs Division, is partnered with officer Amy Wallace (Laurie Metcalf) to investigate a drug bust involving Peck and his partner, Van Stretch (William Baldwin), in which a man was killed.
The investigation originally centers on Stretch because of his drug abuse and his history of using excessive force. It soon shifts to Peck whose lifestyle doesn’t add up with his patrolman’s salary.
After many twists, turns, fights and killings, Peck is finally brought to justice, but not before Avilla and his wife, Kathleen (Nancy Travis), nearly reach the breaking point in their marriage.
The movie, directed by Mike Figgis, garnered a 79 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
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 features include a commentary track with film critics Alain Silver and James Ursini on both discs and, on the Blu-ray disc, interviews with Figgis, screenwriter Henry Bean and co-composer Anthony Marinelli and an alternate ending.
Snake Eyes (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)
Details: 1998, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: R, violence
The lowdown: Nicolas Cage and Gary Sinese star in this Brian DePalma-directed thriller set during a heavyweight championship fight in Atlantic City.
Cage plays Atlantic City police detective Rick Santoro, who is at the arena to watch the fight and cash in on the heavy betting action. He is at the fight with U.S. Navy Commander Kevin Dunne (Sinese), his best friend since they were kids, who is working with the Department of Defense to escort Secretary of Defense Charles Kirkland (Joel Fabiani) and Arena director Gilbert Powell (John Heard) to the fight.
During the first round, Dunne is distracted by Serena, an attractive redhead and leaves his seat, which is taken by Julia Costello, a mysterious woman dressed in white.
When one of the boxers is knocked out, Kirkland is assassinated by a sniper, who is then killed by Dunne. Dunne orders the arena locked down.
As the movie proceeds, Santoro discovers some clues that lead him to believe a conspiracy is afoot. His investigation leads him closer to home than he could ever had imagined.
The movie, despite some detours and red herrings, is formulaic and any keen film buff can guess the mastermind behind the plot.
“Snakes Eyes” earned a 43 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 4K: 2160p ultra-high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles; Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: A commentary track by film historians Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson comprise the extras on both discs.
Pray for Death: Special Edition (Blu-ray)
Details: 1985, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: R and unrated, violence, language
The lowdown: Japanese actor and martial artist Shô Kosugi stars in this action-packed thriller as Akira, a Japanese immigrant who starts a new life with his family in the United States.
Tragedy strikes after Akira stumbles upon the headquarters of a brutal gang of criminals. When the gangsters begin a murderous rampage that claims the life of Akira’s wife and threatens the lives of his sons, the mild-mannered man must step away from his peace-loving life and reveal his hidden identity — that of a perfectly skilled Ninja, the most lethal and mysterious of all martial arts.
Akira had warned the gang’s top thug Limehouse (writer-co-star James Booth) and his henchmen: “Stay away from my family or you will pray for death.” And Akira is a man of his word.
The two-disc set, which includes R-rated and unrated versions of the movie, also features a decent amount of martial arts action.
The supporting cast of this vigilante feature includes Donna Kei Benz, Norman Burton, Kane Kosugi, Shane Kosugi, Parley Baer, Michael Constantine, Matthew Faison and Robert Ito.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Supplemental options include a commentary track with action film historian Mike Leeder and UK Cult Movie Director Ross Boyask and “Sho and Tell Part 1,” an interview with Kosugi.
Rage of Honor (Blu-ray)
Details: 1987, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: R, violence, language
The lowdown: Shô Kosugi stars in another martial arts feast directed by Gordon Hessler. This time he plays an undercover agent whose best friend is killed by a vicious drug ring.
Kosugi’s Shiro, wanting revenge, is warned by his superiors to drop his vendetta. Shiro pretends to comply, traveling to South America with his girlfriend, Jennifer (Robin Evans), for a “vacation.”
Instead, he picks up the criminals’ trail in Brazil, forcing a confrontation, which backfires when Jennifer is kidnapped by the drug-runners.
Shiro, pushed to the limit, explodes in a vengeance-fueled, bone-crushing bloodbath as he fights to rescue Jennifer and bring down the corrupt drug-ring empire.
Martial arts mayhem is fast and furious and will please fans of the genre.
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 action film historian Mike Leeder and UK Cult Movie Director Ross Boyask, “Sho and Tell Part 2,” an interview with Kosugi, an interview with composer Stelvio Cipriani and a “American Ninjas” video essay by Chris Poggiali on the rise of the ninja film in the 1980s.
The Beast Within (Blu-ray)
Details: 1982, Kino Lorber-Kino Cult #22
Rated: R, violence
The lowdown: Teenager Michael MacCleary (Paul Clemens) is experiencing the most unusual set of growing pains in this body horror feature directed by Philippe Mora.
It all began when MacCleary’s parents, Eli (Ronny Cox) and Caroline (Bibi Besch), were newlyweds driving to their honeymoon destination when their car broke down outside a small Mississippi town.
While Eli went to get help, Caroline was raped by a horrible creature and soon was pregnant.
Michaell, now on the brink of manhood, discovers the evil he inherited in his blood is gnawing at his psyche and soul.
The young man must return to the Mississippi swamp lands to uncover the identity of his monstrous father before his unnatural predispositions force him to feed on the local population.
His desperate parents, meanwhile, struggle to understand what is happening to their son so they can help him anyway they can.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include three commentary tracks, one with Mora and film historian Calum Waddell, a second with Mora and Clemens, and a third with screenwriter Tom Holland; a making of featurette; and a short “Storyboarding the Beast” featurette.
Blood and Lace (Blu-ray)
Details: 1971, Kino Lorber-Kino Cult #23
Rated: R, violence
The lowdown: Melody Patterson (“F Troop”) portrays Ellie Masters who, after the killing of her prostitute mother and a john by a hammer-wielding psycho while they were asleep in bed, is sent to a remote orphanage run by the evil Mrs. Deere (Oscar-winner Gloria Grahame).
Mrs. Deere and her handyman run the place like a concentration camp, treating their charges very badly.
Soon terror begins to strike again and again, making it unclear who may be the bigger threat to Ellie — the homicidal hammerer or the sadistic Mrs. Deere.
This slasher movie, which also features Milton Selzer, Len Lesser and Vic Tayback, offers some strange plot twists and a very suspenseful finale.
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 with film historian Richard Harland Smith and alternate opening titles comprise the extras.
Cheerleaders’ Wild Weekend: Special Edition (Blu-ray)
Release date: Dec. 17
Details: 1979, MVD Visual Entertainment-MVD Rewind Collection
Rated: R, sexual content, language
The lowdown: A busload of cheerleaders is kidnapped by an embittered former football player. The young women are held for ransom in an isolated hideout.
They plot their escape — using their charm and curves to entice their captors. But soon the two sides are drawn together as they plot to steal the ransom money and foil the police.
This is a harmless sexploitation feature that will entertain fans of this genre.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 LPCM monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a commentary track with director Jeff Werner, actor Marilyn Joi and editor Gregory McClatchy, another with actors Kristine DeBell, interviews with actors DeBell, Jason Williams, Joi, Leon Isaac Kennedy and a collectible mini-poster.
Other titles being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated:
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, STREAMING or VOD
Wicked (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment)
JAN. 2
Call Her Applebroog (Kino Film Collection)
Lockerbie: A Search for Truth (Peacock)
JAN. 3
Aladdin 3477: The Jinn of Wisdom (Buffalo 8)
Isabel’s Garden (Iris Tuesday Productions)
Lady Like (Freestyle Digital Media)
Silo: Season 2, Episode 8 (Apple TV+)
I am a founding member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. I review movies, 4K UHD, Blu-rays and DVDs for ReelBob (ReelBob.com), The Film Yap and other print and online publications. I can be reached by email at bobbloomjc@gmail.com. You also can follow me on Twitter @ReelBobBloom and on Facebook at ReelBob or the Indiana Film Journalists Association. My movie reviews also can be found at Rotten Tomatoes: www.rottentomatoes.com.