New to View: March 18
By Bob Bloom
The following titles are being released on Tuesday, March 18, unless otherwise noted:
Moana 2 (Blu-ray + DVD + digital)
Details: 2024, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment-Buena Vista
Rated: PG, action, danger
The lowdown: In this sequel to 2016’s “Moana,” reunites the young woman, again voiced by Auli’i Cravalho) and Maui (Dwayne Johnson) for a new adventure with some unlikely companions.
The new journey begins when Moana receives a message from her ancestors, directing her to journey to the far seas of Oceania, The movie, while colorful and entertaining, lacks the magic of the original.
And the songs are not as memorable as those composed by Lin-Manuel Miranda for the original.
The story itself is not very earthshaking, with repeats of many familiar beats covered in the original.
Still, the youngsters should enjoy the overall production and the colorful sea- and landscapes. A majority of critics endorsed it with a 61 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.00:1 widescreen picture; English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English 2.0 Dolby digital description and French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles; DVD: 2.00:1 widescreen picture; English, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital and English 2.0 Dolby digital description; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus offerings include a sing-along with the movie, deleted scenes, a “Call of the Wayfinder” featurette, a look at creating the sequel and what it means to cast members and filmmakers, a featurette on the songwriting, a featurette on the Kakamora and a featurette that takes you inside the recording booth with cast members.
Wolf Man: Collector’s Edition (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + digital & Blu-ray + digital)
Details: 2025, Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Rated: R, bloody violent content, grisly images, language
The lowdown: Director-co-writer Leigh Whannell gives another Universal Pictures classic monster a modern reimagining with “Wolf Man.”
The setting has moved from the Old World to rural Oregon. Gone are the pentagrams, gypsies and full moons.
“Wolf Man” is a horror film, but it also is a psychological drama about family.
In a prologue set in 1995, young Blake Lovell is hunting with his father, Grady, in a remote mountain area in Oregon. They ignore speculation about some sort of creature lurking in the forest. Soon, however, they spot a mysterious humanlike individual lurking about and hide in an elevated hunting blind.
The film moves ahead 30 years with Blake Lovell (Christopher Abbott), living in San Francisco with his workaholic wife, Charlotte, and daughter Ginger.
One day, he receives a death certificate for his father, who had gone missing, as well as the keys to his childhood home.
He decides to vacation there with Ginger and Charlotte in hopes of saving his marriage.
Of course, on the way to the home, Blake is scratched on the arm by an unknown creature. Soon he slowly begins to change.
“Wolf Man” is more a body horror feature than a straight-out monster movie. And it really does not add anything novel to the lycanthrope mythos.
The movie divided critics, who awarded it a 50 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 4K: 2160p ultra-high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English Dolby Atmos and French and Spanish 7.1 Dolby digital plus; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles; Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 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: A featurette on the new take of an iconic monster, a look at designing the creature, a look at the movie’s most thrilling action sequences and the effects used to achieve them, an explanation of how sound effects and VFX gave us a monster’s POV of his abilities and a commentary track with Whannell.
The Penguin: The Complete First Season (4K Ultra HD)
Details: 2024, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment-Allied Vaughn
Rated: Not rated, violence, language
The lowdown: After his stint in “The Batman,” Colin Farrell returns as Oz Cobb, aka “The Penguin” in this eight-episode limited series that aired on HBO.
The series traces the rise of the former right-hand man of deceased crime boss Carmine Falcone as he schemes to become the big boss of Gotham City’s underworld.
Farrell’s Cobb is a deceitful, manipulative, ruthless individual whose methods include bribery, extortion and murder to get what he wants.
The series is dark and tension-filled, with a finale that sets in motion events for a second season. The cast also includes Cristin Milioti as Sofia Gigante (nee: Falcone), Rhenzy Feliz as Victor “Vic” Aguilar who becomes Cobb’s driver and enforcer and Deidre O’Connell as Cobb’s mother who suffers from Parkinson’s and dementia.
The three-disc set can be ordered at www.moviezyng.com or other Internet sellers.
Technical aspects: 2160p ultra-high definition, 2.00:1 widescreen picture; English Dolby Atmos TrueHD; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Supplemental options include “Introducing The Penguin,” “The Origin of Oz,” “Inside Gotham,” “Welcome to Gotham,” “Gotham Re-envisioned,” “Becoming the Penguin,” “Who Is the Hangman: Portrait of Sofia Falcone” and explorations of other supporting featurettes.
Tommy: 50th Anniversary Edition (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)
Details: 1975, Shout! Studios
Rated: PG, violence
The lowdown: The Who’s classic rock opera, “Tommy,” debuted in 1969, and by 1975 was popular enough to inspire filmmaker Ken Russell to adapt for the big screen.
The flamboyance and pounding sound of the album transferred well to the screen. Also helping was Russell’s casting choices: Roger Daltrey lead singer of The Who was cast as Tommy, Ann-Margret portrays his mother, Oliver Reed was his sleazy stepfather with guest stars including Tina Turner as the Acid Queen, Elton John as the Pinball Wizard, Keith Moon as the pervert Uncle Ernie, Eric Clapton as the Preacher and Jack Nicholson as the Specialist.
Russell’s visual imagination was one of the movie’s main assets.
The movie is erratic and gaudy, helping define the childhood memories of postwar kids who came of age in the 1960s.
At Rotten Tomatoes, “Tommy” received a 74 percent fresh rating.
Technical aspects: 4K: 2160p ultra-high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio surround and the original 5.0 Quintaphonic soundtrack; English SDH subtitles; Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio surround and the original 5.0 Quintaphonic soundtrack; English SDH subtitles.
Tulsa King: Season Two (Blu-ray)
Details: 2024, Paramount Pictures
Rated: Not rated, language, violence
The lowdown: A two-disc set featuring all 10 second-season episodes of this crime drama created by Taylor Sheridan and streaming on Paramount+.
Sylvester Stallone stars as Dwight “The General” Manfredi, a New York Mafia capo, who, after being released from prison after serving a 25-year sentence, is exiled by his boss to set up operations in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Manfredi, believing his mob family may not have his best interests in mind, slowly begins to build his own crew to help him establish his own empire in the southwest.
The second season finds Manfredi and his people fighting to keep the territory they have established, despite threats from the Kansas City mob and a powerful local businessman.
The opening of a their casino and weed shop draw the attention of law enforcement as well as from Kansas City and New York mobsters, but Manfredi and his people meet the challenges, but not without some losses.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby TrueHD; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a series of behind-the-scenes featurettes on Stallone, other cast members, and overviews of the season.
The Godsend (Blu-ray)
Details: 1980, Kino Cult #27
Rated: R, violence, language
The lowdown: This British feature fits into the demon- devil-child subgenre that sprang from the successful loins of “The Exorcist.”
Maybe because I am a parent — and grandparent — I found the movie objectionable and repugnant.
Alan and Kate Marlowe are on a walk with their four children when they meet a pregnant stranger. Because she is about the give birth, the Marlowes invite her to come home with them.
The woman goes into labor and gives birth to a baby girl. The next morning, the woman has disappeared, leaving the baby — whom they name Bonnie — with the family.
Over the next several years, all of Alan and Kate’s children die mysteriously — with Bonnie always nearby.
Much of the movie, though, centers on Alan and Kate fighting about Bonnie. Alan wants to send her away, believing she is somehow responsible for the deaths of their children, while Kate is very protective of the girl.
At the end, all of the Marlowes’ children have been killed, leaving only Bonnie. The finale is open-ended, perhaps the filmmakers thought about a sequel. Personally, I glad none came to fruition.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: The main extra is a commentary track with film historians Howard S. Berger, Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson.
Devils Stay (Blu-ray)
Details: 2024, Well Go USA Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A supernatural thriller from Korea that centers on a famous heart surgeon who refuses to face reality after the death of his daughter following an exorcism.
During the three-day funeral rites, the girl’s father and a priest argue over whether or not the child is really dead.
Adding to the drama is the strange changes to the girl’s body witnessed by mourners during the rites.
This creates doubts for the priest and possible hope for the girl’s father.
Even at a mere 95 minutes, the movie feels somewhat bloated with too few scary moments.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 16:9 (enhanced) widescreen picture; Korean DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
The General’s Daughter (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)
Details: 1999, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: R, graphic images, rape, nudity, violence, language
The lowdown: Despite its strong cast — John Travolta, Madeleine Stowe, Timothy Hutton, James Cromwell, Clarence Williams III and James Woods — this crime-thriller is lurid, messy, misogynistic and gratuitous.
The plot centers on the killing of Capt. Elisabeth Campbell (Leslie Stefanson), the daughter of a Lt. General Joseph Campbell (Cromwell).
The captain was found naked and staked down at Fort MacCallum on the base, of which her father was the commander.
Travolta’s Chief Warrant Officer Paul Brennan and Stowe’s Warrant Officer Sara Sunhill are brought in to investigate.
After a series of byzantine plot turns and cover-ups the mystery is solved and the killer identified. The cast is more compelling than the story.
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: Bonus materials include a commentary track with director Simon West on both discs and, on the Blu-ray, a behind-the-scenes featurette and four deleted scenes, including an alternate ending.
Deep Blue Sea (4K Ultra HD)
Details: 1999, Arrow Films
Rated: R, graphic shark attacks, language
The lowdown: Finding a cure for Alzheimer’s is a noble effort — unless you are genetically altering the brains of sharks in your experiments. What could go wrong?
Plenty, as demonstrated in director Renny Harlin’s “Deep Blue Sea.”
At an isolated research laboratory in the middle of the ocean, a team of scientists led by Dr. Susan McAlester (Saffron Burrows) is working on such a project.
But when one shark escapes and attacks a pleasure boat, the company sponsoring the research sends corporate executive Russell Franklin (Samuel L. Jackson) to investigate.
McAlester has 48 hours to prove the worth of her research. What she does not know is that her experiments have made the sharks smarter — and they no longer want to be guinea pigs.
A powerful storm disrupts and floods the facility and the humans, unable to escape, must contend with the hungry sharks in order to survive.
The film, which costars Thomas Jane, LL Cool J, Stellan Skarsgard, Jacqueline McKenzie, Michael Rapaport and Aida Turturro, and features a very sharp 4K restoration, garnered a 60 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomato.
Technical aspects: 2160p ultra-high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English Dolby Atmos and 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus options include a commentary track with screenwriter Duncan Kennedy, another with filmmaker-critic Rebekah McKendry, an archival commentary with Harlin and Jackson, an interview with production designer William Sandell, a visual essay by film critic Trace Thurman, two archival making of featurettes, deleted scenes and a 60-page collector’s book about the movie.
Quackser Fortune Has a Cousin in the Bronx (Blu-ray)
Release date: March 11
Details: 1970, VCI Entertainment-MVD Visual Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Gene Wilder affects a wonderful Irish brogue in this gentle romantic comedy about a young man who marches to the beat of his own drum.
Wilder’s Quackser Fortune, who lives in Dublin, has an unusual job — he follows the horses that make deliveries around the city, collecting their manure and selling it to housewives around town for use in their gardens.
One day, Quackser is nearly trampled by an American student, Zazel (Margot Kidder), who is studying at Trinity College. After hastily apologizing, Zazel later tracks down Quackser to properly apologize. A friendship and bit of romance develop, despite their economic and cultural differences.
One day, Quackser’s world is turned upside down when horse-drawn carriages are banned in Dublin. Quackser is now forced to re-examine his options, which may include leaving Dublin for the Bronx.
The movie, directed by Waris Hussein, was little seen and did not take in much at the box office, which is a shame.
This Blu-ray release offers a chance to catch one of Wilder’s early performance in this quirky comedy.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.33:1 full-screen picture; English Dolby digital; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: A commentary track by film buff, reviewer and artist Robert Kelly.
Trick or Treat (4K Ultra HD)
Release date: March 11
Details: 1986, Synapse Films
Rated: R, violence, language
The lowdown: Eddie Weinbauer (Marc Price), a bullied high-school metal head, is devastated after the death of his hard-rock idol Sammi Curr (Tony Fields) in a hotel fire.
His disc jockey friend, Nuke, to ease the teen’s pain, gives him a rare demo record — the last recorded by his idol.
After more bullying, Eddie plays the demo and soon realizes he can communicate with Sammi when it is rotated backwards.
Sammi uses Eddie’s loyalty and vulnerability to teach him how to exact revenge on his tormentors.
Events culminate at a high school Halloween dance that turns into a nightmare.
The cast also features Gene Simmons of Kiss as the DJ Nuke and Ozzy Osbourne as a minister.
Actor Charles Martin Smith (“American Graffiti,” “Starman,” “The Buddy Holly Story”) was behind the camera.
Technical aspects: 2160p ultra-high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a commentary track with Smith, moderated by filmmaker Mark Savage; audio interviews with writer-producer Michael S. Murphey and writer Rhet Topham, moderated by film historian Michael Felsher; an audio conversation with Paul Corupe and Allison Long, authors of “Satanic Panic Pop-Cultural Paranoia in The 1980s”; a making of featurette; a new retrospective featuring Smith, Price, actors Glen Morgan, Elise Richards and Larry Sprinke, writer-producer Joel Soisson, costume designer Jill Ohanneson, assistant set costumer Francine Decoursey, construction foreman Tom Jones Jr., special make-up effects artist Everett Burrell, music executive producer Stephen E. Smith, composer Christopher Young and Simmons; a tribute to actor Fields featuring interviews with family members and friends; a look at the filming locations; a music video; and a vintage electronic press kit.
The Black Tulip (Blu-ray)
Details: 1964, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Alain Delon plays stars as twin brothers in the swashbuckler that owes more to Zorro than its source novel by Alexander Dumas.
The movie, set during the days prior to French Revolution, has Delon as Guillaume de Saint Preux and Julien de Saint Preux. Guillaume disguises himself as The Black Tulip, who steals from fellow nobles to enrich his own pockets. The poor people of the region, however, believe he is a revolutionary fighting for them.
The chief of police, Baron La Mouche, believes Guillaume is the masked bandit and, when trying to arrest him, scars his face.
To avert suspicion, Guillaume summons Julien who soon learns that his brother has no principles or ideals. Julien adopts The Black Tulip disguise and soon becomes a supporter of a band of revolutionaries.
The movie co-stars Virna Lisi, Akim Tamiroff and Dawn Addams.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.20:1 widescreen picture; French 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: A commentary track by film critic-author Simon Abrams is the main extra.
Monster from the Ocean Floor: Special Edition (Blu-ray)
Release date: Feb. 4
Details: 1954, Film Masters-Allied Vaughn
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A low-budget creature feature that while just average fare is a landmark release because it marks the first movie produced by Roger Corman, setting him on a path that was highly influential in movie history.
“Monster’s” story is no great shakes — Julie Blair (Anne Kimbrell), an American vacationing at a sea-side village in Mexico, hears stories of a man-eating creature lurking in the nearby waters.
When she sees it, no one believes her, not even marine biologist Steve Dunning (Stuart Wade), until she brings him proof.
This is a rather low-key affair, mostly because of Corman’s miniscule budget — reports range it from $12,000 to $30,000. But, no matter, the movie made money and set Corman on a historic course.
The Blu-ray can be found at www.moviezyng.com or other online retailers.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 full-screen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural and 2.0 Dolby digital monaural; English closed-captioned subtitles.
Don’t miss: Supplemental options include a commentary track by author-film historian Tom Weaver, with archival contributions from Corman; an archival interview with Corman about his early career; a featurette, “Bob Baker: From Monsters to Marionettes,” that includes an interview with author Justin Humphreys about the career of Baker; and a booklet with liner notes by Weaver.
100 Tears: Director’s Cut (Blu-ray)
Release date: March 11
Details: 2007, Unearthed Films
Rated: Not rated, graphic violence, language
The lowdown: When I was a kid — back in the black-and-white days of television and Saturday matinee movies — clowns were symbols of joy and laughter.
The only “bad” clown I remember was a crook who masqueraded as a clown in an “Adventures of Superman” TV episode “The Clown Who Cried.”
In the Cecil B. DeMille Oscar-winning movie “The Greatest Show on Earth,” James Stewart was billed as “Buttons,” a clown who never took off his facial makeup because he is a fugitive doctor wanted for the mercy killing of his wife.
There may have been a couple of others but, for the most part, throughout film history clowns have been benevolent figures.
But since Stephen King wrote “It,” clowns have taken on a darker persona. Not to mention more publicity about coulrophobia, the psychological fear of clowns.
And that brings us to “100 Tears,” directed by Marcus Koch. The movie centers on a lonely circus performer accused of crimes he did not commit.
The man is a revenge tale as the performer sets out to get even with those who unjustly condemned him.
His vengeance sparks his inner demons that he cannot combat as his killings continue. As the years pass, he is now a feared serial killer fueled by hate.
On the trail of the killer clown are two reporters who seem the only ones who can figure out who he is. The movie is a combination of gory violence and dark humor.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.77:1 widescreen picture; English LPCM monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: A commentary track with director Marcus Koch and Unearthed Films president and founder Stephen Biro; an interview with Koch; a making of featurette; additional behind-the-scenes sequences; deleted scenes; outtakes; and Koch’s childhood short films comprise the extras.
College Confidential (Blu-ray)
Details: 1960, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This is one of those come-on movies, offering more titillation than it actually reveals.
The cast is headed by, of all people, legendary late-night host Steve Allen, who portrays Steve “Mac” MacInter, a sociology professor at Collins College who conducts a survey about the mores and lifestyles of the younger generation — including their sexual habits.
Since, the remnants of the uptight 1950s still pervades the society, the local townspeople are very upset.
When reporter Betty Duquesne (Jayne Meadows, Allen’s wife) receives an anonymous tip in protests of “Mac’s” study, an attraction develops between them.
At the same time, “Mac” faces a legal fight as the seemingly sexually repressed townspeople are aghast at some of the survey questions.
Allen’s professor, it should be noted, does feel a bit creepy and somewhat of a of a stalker.
The movie offers one of the stranger casts, including country star Conway Twitty, boxer Rocky Marciano, newspaper columnists Walter Winchell, Sheilah Graham and Earl Wilson, veteran actors Herbert Marshall, Elisha Cook Jr. and Mickey Shaughnessy and sexpot Mamie Van Doren.
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 by film historian David Del Valle and film historian-archivist Stan Shaffer.
Eating Miss Campbell (Blu-ray)
Release date: March 11
Details: 2022, Troma Films
Rated: Not rated, graphic violence
The lowdown: This is the usual Troma confection of horror and humor centering on 18-year-old Beth Conner (Lyndsey Craine), an angst-ridden vegan goth who has failed at her every attempt at suicide, but instead wakes up in a low-budget horror film — sort of like the ones produced by Troma.
Beth’s main wish is to find love and wake up in a romantic comedy so she can finally escape the horror-movie genre.
Life begins to change for Beth when she meets the high school’s new English teacher, Miss Campbell, who inspires Beth to annihilate the toxic patriarchy within the school.
Beth soon finds herself in a taboo relationship with Campbell, while also developing a cannibalistic craving for human flesh.
“Eating Miss Campbell” has been noted as one of the better movies from the Troma stable. It is bizarre and twisted, but very entertaining.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio.
Don’t miss: Bonus materials include an introduction by producer Lloyd Kaufman, a commentary track, a making of featurette, outtakes, a gore reel, a raw B-roll, cast interviews, a Frightfest premiere, behind-the-scenes footage and a VFX reel.
Other titles being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated:
FOR KIDS
Elmo’s World: Elmo Loves to Giggle (DVD & digital) (Sesame Workshop-Shout! Kids)
DIGITIAL DOWNLOAD, STREAMING or VOD
High Ground (Republic Pictures-Paramount Home Entertainment)
I Did It My Way (Well Go USA Entertainment)
Operation Undead (Well Go USA Entertainment)
Revenge of the Boogeyman (Breaking Glass Pictures)
MARCH 19
Good American Family: Episodes 1 & 2 (Hulu)
Mystic Quest: Season 4, Episode 9 (Apple TV+)
MARCH 20
The Beach Hotel: Season 3 (Viaplay)
Chained for Life (Kino Film Collection)
The Falling Star (Kino Film Collection)
O’Dessa (Hulu)
MARCH 21
The Ages of Lulu (Film Movement Plus)
Appalachian Dog (Buffalo 8 Distribution)
BE@RBRICK: 13 Episodes (Apple TV+)
Dope Thief: Episode 3 (Apple TV+)
Hood Witch (Dark Sky Films)
Jailbreak (Omnibus Entertainment)
McVeigh (Decal)
Millers in Marriage (Republic Pictures-Paramount Home Entertainment)
Severance: Season 2, Episode 10 (Apple TV+)
Surface: Season 2, Episode 5 (Apple TV+)
Victim (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 X @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.