New to View: Oct. 21
By Bob Bloom
The following titles are being released on Tuesday, Oct. 21, unless otherwise noted:
Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore (Blu-ray)
Details: 2025, Kino Lorber
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Marlee Matlin is an Academy Award-winning actor, receiving her Oscar in 1987 at the age of 21 for her performance in “Children of a Lesser God.”
The acclaim and recognition she received gave her the impetus to challenge the film industry that was unprepared for her talent. She emerged as a trailblazer as a performer, activist and author. She continually advocated for greater inclusion and accessibility in Hollywood and beyond.
Matlin, who also appeared in “The West Wing” and the Oscar-winning film “CODA,” reveals much about her personal and professional struggles, including her rise to fame, the challenges of navigating a mostly hearing industry, the pain of a turbulent high-profile relationship, getting sober and years of being overlooked by filmmakers.
She also discusses her many triumphs.
Director Shoshannah Stern elevates American Sign Language (ASL) as the film’s foundation, while removing traditional voiceovers and including open captions, thus creating a visually immersive experience.
The documentary, which garnered a 98 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes, features interviews with deaf and hearing contributors. People who have followed Matlin’s career will definitely enjoy this very interesting, honest and insightful feature.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles and open English captions.
Don’t miss: Outtakes and a question-and-answer session with Stern and Matlin, moderated by writer Esther Zimmerman comprise the extras.
The Beast of the City (Blu-ray)
Release date: Sept. 30
Details: 1932, Warner Archive Collection-Allied Vaughn
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Walter Huston stars in this pre-Code gangster film from MGM as dedicated police captain Jim Fitzpatrick who, demoted for political reasons, but because of public outcry about gangsters, is soon promoted to police chief.
Fitzpatrick’s younger brother, Ed (Wallace Ford), is a police detective who becomes involved with Daisy Stevens (Jean Harlow), a moll of gang boss Sam Belmonte (Jean Hersholt). Needing money to sustain the relationship, he conspires with Belmonte’s henchmen in a truck hijacking that results in the deaths of a child and a police officer.
A crooked lawyer gets those involved in the hijacking off, which inflames Ed’s feelings of guilt.
He confesses to his brother, telling Jim that he wants to go to the newspapers to tell them what he knows about Belmonte. Jim says that instead, he should tell Belmonte to his face at the gangster’s celebration party.
Jim also tells his brother that he and the police force will be there in case there is an altercation.
Ed enters the party and finds Belmonte and his guests insulting Jim, including a mannequin dressed as his brother. Ed slaps Belmonte and Jim and the police enter. A gunbattle ensues in which mostly everyone on both sides, including Daisy and Jim, are killed.
The chastised Ed takes his brother’s hand as Jim dies.
The Blu-ray 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; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include two cartoons, “Goopy Geer” and “Bosko and Bruno.”
Shari & Lamb Chop (DVD)
Details: 2025, Kino Lorber
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Before “Sesame Street” and “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” other shows were on the air to entertain little children — “Captain Kangaroo” was one, another was “The Shari Lewis Show.”
Lewis made her first television appearances on “Captain Kangaroo” Her popularity there earned Lewis her own show which included musical-comedy sketches, educational segments and Lewis’s puppet friends Lamb Chop, Charlie Horse and Hush Puppy.
Lewis originally wanted to be a dancer, but her career was sidelined by an injury. She then channeled her creativity into a passion for ventriloquism.
Her show aired on NBC from 1960 to 1963; from 1968 to 1975 it aired on the BBC.
Lewis made a triumphant comeback in the 1990s entertaining a new generation of children.
The documentary is a testament to the spunk, talent and perseverance of this children’s television pioneer.
The movie features interviews with ventriloquists inspired by Lewis, clips from her shows and home movies.
Her little-known back story also is interesting as you learn more about this talented performer.
Technical aspects: 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby digital; English SDH subtitles.
The Racket (Blu-ray)
Release date: Oct. 14
Details: 1951, Warner Archive Collection-Allied Vaughn
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A film-noir feature starring Robert Mitchum, Robert Ryan and Lizbeth Scott.
Mitchum plays Tom McQuigg, an old-fashioned, honest cop whose main focus is getting bad guys off the streets.
Ryan is Nick Scanlon, a ruthless gangster who, if crossed, settles his disputes with a fist or a bullet.
The world around the two has changed; corruption is prevalent on both sides.
Scott is femme fatale Irene Hayes.
The politicians and other crooks would not be too sad if McQuigg and Scanlon just eliminate each other.
The movie was released at a time when gangsters were in the headlines as a Senate investigating committee was holding hearings on crime in the nation.
The cast also includes William Talman, Ray Collins, Robert Hutton, William Conrad, Walter Sande and Les Tremayne.
The Blu-ray can be found at www.moviezyng.com or other online sellers
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 (with side mattes) (16×9 enhanced) full-screen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: The main extra is a commentary track by Turner Classic Movies host Eddie Muller.
“Furious Swords and Fantastic Warriors: The Heroic Cinema of Chang Cheh”: Limited Edition Collection (Blu-ray)
Details: 1967-83, Eureka Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: The Hong Kong cinema movies of Chang Cheh are bloody affairs but also carry thematic emphasis on the bonds of brotherhood and masculine sacrifice.
The 10 movies in this five-disc set highlight the versatility of Chang’s six-decade career, which included various genres, including Chinese opera, kung fu films, wuxia pian historical epics and supernatural stories.
This set includes “King Eagle” (1971), “Trail of the Broken Blade” (1967), “Wandering Swordsman” (1970), “Men from the Monastery” (1974), “Shaolin Martial Arts” (1974), “New Shaolin Boxers”(1976), “Iron Bodyguard” (1973), “The Fantastic Magic Baby” (1975), “The Weird Man” (1983) and “Trilogy of Swordsmanship” (1972), in which he contributed a segment.
“The Fantastic Magic Baby” is one of Cheh’s opera films, while “The Weird Man” is a supernatural fantasy.
The set should please any die-hard fan of Asian cinema and Cheh.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; English (dubbed) DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Supplemental options include commentaries on “Men from the Monastery, “Trail of the Broken Blade” and “The Weird Man” by film critic David West; commentaries on “King Eagle,” “The Wandering Swordsman,” “Trilogy of Swordsmanship” and “The Fantastic Magic Baby” by action cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema; commentaries on “Shaolin Martial Arts,” “Iron Bodyguard” and “New Shaolin Boxers” by East Asian film expert Frank Djeng and martial artist-filmmaker Michael Worth; a commentary by Djeng on “The Fantastic Magic Baby”; two video essays by Jonathan Clements, author of “A Brief History of China”; an interview with martial arts cinema expert Wayne Wong on “Trilogy of Swordsmanship”; and a limited edition collector’s booklet featuring new writing on Chang Cheh and the films in the set by film critic-writer James Oliver.
Radioland Murders (Blu-ray)
Details: 1994, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: PG, violence, language
The lowdown: George Lucas was executive producer and wrote the story for this comedy-murder-mystery set during the glory days of live radio.
The movie’s setting is Chicago radio station WBN, which is celebrating its first night on the air — featuring live dramas, comedy acts and orchestral interludes.
The real drama, though, is behind the scenes where someone is killing the company employees one by one.
Station secretary Penny Henderson (Mary Stuart Masterson) and her estranged writer husband, Roger (Brian Benben), must put aside their differences and join forces to find the killer.
The suspects, as well as potential victims, include Zoltan (Christopher Lloyd), the eccentric sound man; Gen. Walt Whalen (Ned Beatty), the hard-nosed station owner; Dexter Morris (Corbin Bernsen), the smooth announcer, and Walt Whalen Jr. (Jeffrey Tambor), the vain director.
The frantic night includes romance, chases, narrow escapes and a thrilling climax.
The movie, directed by Mel Smith from a script by William Huyck and Gloria Katz and Jeff Reno & Ron Osborn, also features appearances by George Burns, Harvey Korman, Bobcat Goldthwait, Scott Michael Campbell, Michael Lerner, Stephen Tobolowsky and Larry Miller.
Technical aspects: 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 an interview with Benben and a commentary track with journalists-authors Bryan Reesman and Max Evry.
Rampage (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)
Details: 1987/1992, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: Unrated, R, strong violence
The lowdown: William Friedkin directed this drama about Charles Reece (Alex McArthur), an all-American, handsome and well-liked young man who does charity work and faithfully cares for his mother.
One day, Reece buys a gun and goes on a terrifying and deadly killing rampage.
Liberal-minded district attorney Antony Fraser (Michael Biehn) is assigned to prosecute Reece. His objective is not only a conviction, but the death penalty, even though that goes against his personal beliefs.
As Fraser digs deeper and deeper into the case, he is outraged by a system that would set a killer free by deeming him criminally insane.
The prosecutor soon realizes that he and Reece share the same conviction — sometimes a life must be taken.
This is not one of Friedkin’s best movies, but it is a nice addition to his canon.
“Rampage,” which features a score by the great Ennio Morricone, includes the 1987 original cut, which was shelved for five years, before it was released in 1992, with five minutes edited out of the feature.
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 commentary tracks on both versions of the movie by film historians Howard S Berger and Nathaniel Thompson on both discs; and, on the Blu-ray disc, interviews with McArthur and true-crime writer Harold Schechter.
King and Country (Blu-ray)
Details: 1964, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Dirk Bogarde and Tom Courtenay star in this British anti-war feature set during the First World War.
Courtenay portrays Private Arthur Hamp, who volunteered at the outbreak of the war. He is the sole survivor after his company was wiped out. In the aftermath, he decides one day to “go for a walk.”
He is picked up by the military police and sent back to his unit to face a court-martial for desertion.
Bogarde is Capt. Charles Hargreaves, an arrogant officer, who reluctantly accepts the assignment to defend Hamp.
During the proceedings, and as testimony is given, Hargreaves begins to feel sympathy for the sincere and traumatized Hamp.
And for the first time in his military career, Hargreaves begins to question the army’s methods and attitudes toward its men.
The movie was directed by Joseph Losey, who also directed Bogarde in the acclaimed feature “The Servant.”
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.66:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus materials include a commentary track with film critic-author Simon Abrams, an interview with Courtenay and an archival interview with Bogarde.
Three / Three … Extremes (Blu-ray)
Details: 2002, 2004, Arrow Films
Rated: R, violence
The lowdown: A trio of Asian supernatural tales of terror comprise both these Blu-rays.
Korean director Kim Jee-won opens “Three” with “Memories,” tells two tales that slowly intertwine. The first is about a husband and a wife with no memory of how they fell apart discover the horrible truth about their separation. The second deals with a woman who wakes up in the middle of a street, can’t remember who she is and tries to remember her identity and what happened to her.
Thai director Nonzee Nimbutr created “The Wheel,” in which a group of cursed puppets haunt a group of puppeteers living and performing in rural Thailand. The short is the bloodiest of the trio.
Hong Kong filmmaker Peter Ho-Sun Chan made “Going Home,” in which a single father who moves with his son into a rundown apartment complex. The movie takes a sinister turn when the son disappears.
“Dumplings,” directed by Fruit Chan, is the first offering in “Three … Extremes.” The story revolves around an aging actor who discovers that the dumplings she has been eating for their miraculous rejuvenating benefits contain a revolting secret ingredient.
“Cut,” by noted Korean director Park Chan-wook, deals with a wealthy filmmaker who is caught in a twisted game when a vindictive actor takes his wife hostage.
Japanese director Takashi Miike helmed “Box,” in which a novelist plagued by nightmares of her past as a child circus performer with her long-lost twin sister, receives an odd invitation to return to the site of the old circus.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; Korean and Cantonese 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and 2.0 LPCM stereo; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras on “Three” include interviews with Peter Ho-Sun Chan, Kim Jee-won, a 2005 interview with Ho-Sun Chan, “Memories” cinematographer Hong Kyoung-pyo, “Going Home” actor Eugenia Yuan; archival interview with Ho-Sun Chan and Kim Jee-won; and a making of featurette. “Three … Extremes” includes a commentary track on Box” by Miike; interviews with Peter Ho-Sun Chan, Fruit Chan, Miike, a 2004 interview with Fruit Chan, a 2005 interview with “Dumplings” actor Bai Ling; making of featurettes on all three segments; and trailers, including one for the feature-length version of “Dumplings.
Death Packs a Suitcase (Blu-ray)
Release date: Oct. 14
Details: 1972, Kino Lorber-Kino Cult #38
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Jess Franco directed his thriller about a black-gloved killer stalking London, packing the suitcases of the victims before killing them with an exotic dagger.
A charming detective is surrounded by potential suspects, but lacks any hard evidence to make an arrest.
The detective turns to famous crime-novelist Charles Barton for help.
Franco worked within the genre of the German “Krimi” film, while also adding flourishes of his own, including a jazz soundtrack.
The film has a pulp vibe to it. It is not one of Franco’s better movies, but his fans will appreciate most of his touches.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.66:1 widescreen picture; German 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: A commentary track with film historians Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson is the main extra.
#shakespearessh*tstorm: Special Edition (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)
Details: 2020, Troma Entertainment
Rated: Not rated, violence
The lowdown: The “Bard of Avon” is given the Troma treatment with this musical adaptation of Shakespeare’s “The Tempest.”
Scientist Prospero Duke is betrayed by his sister, Antionette, and Avonbard pharmaceutical mogul Big Al, wrecking Prospero’s career after he had found a cure against opioid addiction.
He first dumps tons of whole laxative into the sea, thus ruining their investor cruise.
The resulting storm causes the ship to crash on the shores of Tromaville, New Jersey, where the vengeance-seeking scientist and his blind daughter, Miranda, await
The movie was directed by Troma’s Lloyd Kaufman, who also with a quartet of others, worked on the script..
Fans of the studio’s movies will find this feature enjoyable and, as an added benefit, may create enough curiosity to appeal to a viewer to read Shakespeare’s original.
Technical aspects: 2160p ultra-high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital surround; Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital surround.
Don’t miss: Extras include producers and cast commentaries; “A Heaping Serving of Troma!” featurette; a behind-the-scenes documentary; original songs from the movie; and other behind-the-scenes looks at the production.
Other titles being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated:
Evangelion 1:1: You Can (Not) Advance (Blu-ray) (GKids-Shout! Studios)
Evangelion 2:2: You Can (Not) Advance (Blu-ray) (GKids-Shout! Studios)
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, STREAMING or VOD
Chad Powers: Episode 5 (Hulu)
Chain Reactions (Dark Sky Films)
Coyotes (Aura Entertainment)
The Long Walk (Lionsgate)
Only Murders in the Building: Season 5, Episode 9 (Hulu)
Riefenstahl (Apple TV+-Prime Video)
The Roses (Searchlight Pictures)
The Summer Book (Music Box Films)
OCT. 22
The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (Hulu)
Loot: Season 3, Episode 3 (Apple TV+)
The Morning Show: Season 4, Episode 6 (Apple TV+)
Murdaugh: Death in the Family: Episode 4 (Hulu)
Slow Horses: Season 5, Episode 5 (Apple TV+)
OCT. 23
The Kardashians: Season 7 (Hulu)
Name of the Game (Kino Film Collection)
Night of the Juggler (Kino Film Collection)
Reasonable Doubt: Season 3, Episode 7 (Hulu)
OCT. 24
A House of Dynamite (Netflix)
The Last Frontier: Episode 4 (Apple TV+)
Last Stop Rocafort St. (Omnibus Entertainment)
The Spirit of Halloweentown (Amazon Prime-Apple TV+)
Sudden Outbursts of Emotion (Film Movement Plus)
Tenement (Dark Sky Films)
Where the Wind Blows (Level 33 Entertainment)
OCT. 25
Stiller & Meara: Nothing Is Lost (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 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.