New to View: June 3
By Bob Bloom
The following titles are available for home entertainment viewing:
The Woman in the Yard: Collector’s Edition (Blu-ray + digital)
Release date: May 27
Details: 2025, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: PG-13, terror, violent content, bloody images, language, suicide-related content
The lowdown: Another horror-film offering from Blumhouse, this one focusing on Ramona (Danielle Deadwyler), a recently widowed mother with two young children — a son, Taylor, and a daughter, Annie.
Ramona, who was disabled after the car accident that killed her husband, David (Russell Hornsby), is strict and emotionally distant from her kids.
Soon, a mysterious woman dressed all in black appears in the family’s front yard claiming that “Today’s the day.”
Ramona confronts the woman and, after their brief and disturbing conversation, tells the children to stay away from her.
|t later comes out that Ramona, not David, was driving the car that killed him.
The identity of the mystery woman is revealed by the finale, which is a bit of a letdown.
Deadwyler’s performance is the most solid aspect of the movie, which squanders its interesting premise.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English 7.1 Dolby TrueHD, English 2.0 DVS, French 7.1 Dolby digital and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Behind the veil and making of featurettes comprise the extras.
Black Bag: Collector’s Edition (4K UHD + Blu-ray + digital)
Release date: May 13
Details: 2025, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment-Allied Vaughn
Rated: R, language, violence, sexual references
The lowdown: Steven Soderbergh directed this intense spy drama written by David Koepp about intelligence agents George Woodhouse (Michael Fassbender) and his wife, Kathryn (Cate Blanchett).
When Kate is suspected of betrayal, George must decide between his loyalty to his wife or to his nation.
“Black Bag” is an consummate spy thriller.
The movie is tension-filled and clever, driven by wonderful dialogue as well as the performances of Fassbender and Blanchett. It eschews action for mind games and, at 94 minutes, seduces you.
“Black Bag,” which also features Marisa Abela, Tom Burke, Naomie Harris, Rege-Jean Page and Pierce Brosnan, earned an impressive 96 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
“Black Bag” can be purchased at www.moviezyng.com or other online retailers.
Technical aspects: 4K: 2160p ultra-high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English Dolby TrueHD, English 5.1 DVS and French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles; Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 (16:9 enhanced) widescreen picture; Dolby TrueHD, English 5.1 DVS and French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include featurettes on the cast members and the design of the movie as well as deleted scenes.
Three Comrades (Blu-ray)
Release date: May 27
Details: 1938, Warner Archive Collection-Allied Vaughn
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Frank Borzage directed this glossy MGM adaptation of Erich Maria Remarque’s novel set in the aftermath of World War I, the years of the Weimar Republic and the rise of Nazism.
Three German soldiers, Erich (Robert Taylor), Gottfried (Robert Young) and Otto (Franchot Tone), open an auto repair business, but work is slow and they struggle to survive.
The trio meet Patricia (Margaret Sullavan), a frail young woman being wooed by the older and rich Breuer (Lionel Atwill) after Erich’s jalopy, “Baby,” outraces Breuer’s luxury car.
Eventually, Erich and Pat fall in love and marry, despite her health problems. As the years pass, Gottfried is killed by a fascist thug on the day Pat is going to a sanitarium for her health.
Later Pat dies and Erich and Otto, disgusted with the political situation in their homeland, decide to move to South America.
The cast also includes Guy Kibbee, Monty Woolley, Henry Hull, Charles Grapevine and Henry Brandon.
The movie, with a screenplay adaptation by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Edward Paramore, can be found at www.moviezyng.com or other online sellers.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 (16×9 enhanced) full-screen picture with side mattes; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Two MGM shorts, “How to Raise a Baby” and “The Man Behind the Mask,” comprise the bonus features.
Kingdom of Heaven: Steelbook (4K UHD + Blu-ray + digital)
Release date: May 27
Details: 2005, Disney-Buena Vista
Rated: Unrated, R, violence
The lowdown: Ridley Scott directed this medieval epic set in and around Jerusalem during the Crusades.
Orlando Bloom stars as Balian, a young Frenchman, who has lost everything. He finds redemption through his courage, honor and faith as he fights to fulfill his destiny as a knight.
The three-disc set features the roadshow and director’s cut version of the movie, which costars Eva Green, Jeremy Irons, David Thewlis, Marton Csokas, Brendan Gleeson and Liam Neeson.
The 194-minute running time is much too long, allowing your attention to wander between various action sequences.
The movie is more fiction than history, as I stated in my original 2005, in which I wrote that, “As history, (William) Monahan’s script is suspect.”
“Kingdom of Heaven” garnered a tepid 40 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 4K: 2160p ultra-high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English Dolby Atmos and 2.0 Dolby digital descriptive audio track; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles; Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and 2.0 Dolby digital descriptive audio track; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus options include an introduction by Scott to the movie, a roadshow commentary by Bloom, two additional roadshow commentaries by filmmakers and “The Engineer’s Guide” on the roadshow version only. Other extras include “The Path to Redemption featurette, visual effects breakdowns, a featurette on the sound design, deleted and extended scenes, a featurette on Bloom and additional featurettes and behind-the-scenes offerings.
Nate and Hayes (Blu-ray)
Release date: May 27
Details: 1983, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: PG
The lowdown: Tone is the downfall of “Nate and Hayes.” It cannot decide if it wants to be a rollicking swashbuckler such as the kind featuring Errol Flynn or Douglas Fairbanks Jr. or a farce spoofing the pirate genre.
Tommy Lee Jones stars as Hayes as buccaneer Capt. “Bully” Hayes. Michael O’Keefe is Nathaniel “Nate” Williamson, an aspiring minister in this story set in the South Pacific in the 1800s.
When Williamson’s fiancée, Sophie (Jenny Seagrove), is kidnapped by the villainous Ben Pease (Max Phipps), Hayes and Williamson must reluctantly join forces to rescue her.
The movie is an uneven mix of action, adventure, romance and humor that fails to completely coalesce.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: The main extras are commentary tracks, one with film historian-author Dwayne Epstein, the other with action film historians Mike Leeder and Russell Wait.
Other titles being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated:
Raise Your Hand (DVD & VOD) (Freestyle Digital Media)
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, STREAMING or VOD
Aliens Uncovered: Moments of Disclosure (Breaking Glass Pictures)
Book of Joshua: Walls of Jericho (PartingSeas Productions-BMG Global)
Daydreamers (Dark Star Pictures)
Holy Cow (Kino Lorber)
Inheritance (One Tree Entertainment)
The Invisible Doctrine: The Secret History of Neoliberalism (Eat the Moon Films)
The Karamazovs (Other Shore-Gravitas Ventures)
Laugh It Forward (Hideout Pictures-Wonderland)
Párvulos: Children of the Apocalypse (Firebook Entertainment)
White With Fear (Dark Star Pictures)
JUNE 4
Carême: Episode 7 (Apple TV+)
Nine Perfect Strangers: Season 2, Episode 4 (Hulu)
Stick: Episodes 1-3 (Apple TV+)
JUNE 5
Don’t Call Me Son (Kino Film Collection)
Every Little Thing (Kino Film Collection)
JUNE 6
Barron’s Cove (Well Go USA)
Murberbot: Episode 5 (Apple TV+)
Predator: Killer of Killers (Hulu)
Rebel: The Director’s Cut (Giant Pictures)
Resurrection Road (Saban Films)
Solids by the Seashore (Film Movement Plus)
The Tundra Within Me (IndiePix Unlimited)
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.