New to View: Nov. 18
By Bob Bloom
The following titles are being released on Tuesday, Nov. 18, unless otherwise noted:
Hell’s Angels: Special Edition (Blu-ray)
Details: 1930, The Criterion Collection
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: During his lifetime, Howard Hughes was an aerospace engineer, business magnate, investor and filmmaker.
“Hell’s Angels,” a World War I epic, is considered one of his finest films. It is the story of two British brothers, Monte Rutledge (Ben Lyon) and Roy Rutledge (James Hall). Monte is a womanizer, while Roy is more proper.
When the war breaks out, the brothers enlist in the Royal Flying Corps.
The movie’s flying and dogfight sequences are spectacular, considering the technology of the time.
“Hell’s Angels” also is remembered for Hughes’ extravagances. The movie originated as a silent film, but, before the start of principal photography, the release of “The Jazz Singer,” had movie audiences clamoring for sound pictures.
Hughes decided to incorporate sound into the half-finished movie, causing the firing of Norwegian actress Greta Nissen as Helen, the brothers’ love interest. She was replaced by the unknown Jean Harlow.
The film’s long production schedule included fatal accidents that claimed the life of a couple of pilots as well as an aerial accident in which Hughes was severely injured.
While the movie was visually spectacular, the dramatics on the ground were rather lame and cliched.
Some color shots also were included. The movie cost Hughes nearly $3 million — a large sum for the era it was made. The Blu-ray features the restoration of the Magnascope road-show version of the movie.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 and 1.54:1 full-screen picture; English LPCM monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus materials include an interview with Robert Legato, the visual-effects supervisor for the Hughes biopic “The Aviator,” on the groundbreaking aerial visuals of “Hell’s Angels”; an interview with critic Farran Smith Nehme about Harlow; outtakes from the movie with commentary by Harlow biographer Donald Stenn; and an essay about the movie.
Caught Stealing (4K Ultra HD + digital)
Release date: Nov. 11
Details: 2025, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: R, strong violence, language, nudity, sexual content, drug use
The lowdown: Former high school baseball phenom Hank Thompson (Austin Butler) can’t play anymore, but everything else in his life seems satisfactory.
He has a wonderful girlfriend, Yvonne (Zoë Kravitz), tends bar at a popular New York City dive and his favorite baseball team is making an underdog run for the pennant.
But his life turns chaotic when his punk-rock neighbor Russ (Matt Smith) asks Thompson to take care of his cat for a few days.
Soon, Thompson finds himself being threatened by various gangsters who all want a piece of him. The problem for Thompson is that he doesn’t know why. He uses all his wiles to keep ahead of those out to get him, while also trying to stay alive and discover what they want with him.
The movie, directed by Darren Aronofsky, is a fun feature that co-stars Regina King, Live Schreiber, Vincent D’Onofrio, Benito Martinez Ocasio Griffin Dunne and Carol Kane. It earned an 84 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 2160p ultra-high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English Dolby Atmos (7.l Dolby TrueHD compatible), 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and 5.1 Dolby digital audio description track; English SDH, English, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: A featurette with Aronofsky and screenwriter-author Charlie Huston about the genesis of the film, the process of adaptation and how to keep the audience guessing; a look at the cast; a featurette on the movie being a love letter to New York City; and a featurette on Butler’s physical performance.
HIM: Collector’s Edition (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + digital)
Release date: Nov. 11
Details: 2025, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: R, strong bloody violence, language sexual content, nudity, drug use
The lowdown: A supernatural thriller that examines the dark side of the pursuit of excellence in sports and the lengths athletes will attempt to become the G.O.A.T.
The focus of the movie is Cameron “Cam” Cade (Tyriq Withers), a rising football star who, after a head injury, accepts an offer to train at the desert compound of legendary San Antonio Saviors quarterback Isaiah White (Marlon Wayans), who is contemplating retirement, and seeks to determine in Cade can be a worthy successor.
At the compound, Cade is put through many disturbing and violent drills, but he continues his brutal regimen.
The movie comes up short of the goal line in its Faust-like tale. And while the premise is intriguing and potential is promising, like many rookie quarterbacks, it falls short on substance.
Critics thought so as well, giving the movie a 30 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 4K: 2160p ultra-high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English Dolby Atmos, French 7.1 Dolby digital 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, French 7.1 Dolby digital and Spanish 7.1 Dolby digital plus; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus options include an alternate ending, deleted end credits, deleted scenes, a featurette on the training of Withers and Wayans for their roles, a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the movie, two anatomy-of-a-scene breakdowns, a look at the movie’s musical score and a commentary track with director-co-writer Justin Tipping.
Secret Mall Apartment (Blu-ray & DVD)
Details: 2024, Music Box Films
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A documentary about eight Rhode Island artists who in 2003 created a secret apartment inside the bustling Providence Place Mall and lived there for four years.
They made a home for themselves by sneaking in furniture, constructing walls, tapping into the mall’s electricity and smuggling in more than two tons of cinderblock — all the while filming it along the way.
For the artists, the apartment became a personal expression of defiance against local gentrification efforts and a boundary-pushing work of public-private art in which large charitable art projects were planned involving the Oklahoma City Federal Building and Ground Zero.
The apartment project can be considered one of those as well — a 750-square-foot middle finger to The Man.
The movie, which garnered a 98 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes, is a thoughtful human-interest portrait of community and creativity.
Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles; DVD: 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include question-and-answer sessions with director Jeremy Workman and executive producer Jesse Eisenberg; a mini-documentary about the making of the movie; deleted and additional scenes; a recreation set timelapse; Eisenberg reading Letterboxd reviews; a conversation with Eisenberg and Michael Townsend; and a Townsend tape art featurette.
Howards End (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)
Details: 1991, Cohen Film Collection
Rated: PG, violence, sexual content, language
The lowdown: This Merchant Ivory classic stars Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson heading the cast in this superb adaptation of E.M. Forster’s novel about class relations and the changing social climate in Edwardian England.
Thompson, as liberal Margaret Schlegel, won a best actress Academy Award for her performance in this drama that also features Helena Bonham Carter and Vanessa Redgrave.
Schlegel and her sister, Helen (Carter), become involved with two couples — wealthy, conservative industrialist Henry Wilcox (Hopkins) and his wife, Ruth (Redgrave), and the downwardly mobile working-class Leonard Bast (Samuel West) and his mistress, Jackie (Nicola Duffett). The interwoven fates and misfortunes of these families all are connected to the ownership of Howards End, the dying Ruth’s beloved country home.
The movie garnered a 94 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes. The three-disc set features a 4K Ultra HD and two Blu-ray discs.
Technical aspects: 4K: 2160p ultra-high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles. Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus materials include a commentary track with film critics Wade Major and Lael Lowenstein on the 4K UHD and first Blu-ray disc and, on the second Blu-ray disc, a conversation with director James Ivory, an interview with Ivory and Redgrave, a question-and-answer session with Ivory, a 1992 behind-the-scenes featurette, featurettes on the building and design of “Howards End” and Ivory sharing his memories of his filmmaking partner Ismail Merchant.
Harley Flanagan: Wired for Chaos (Blu-ray + DVD)
Release date: Nov. 11
Details: 2024, Lightyear Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A documentary that focuses on the founder of the pioneering band Cro-Mags Harley Flanagan, who also is a legend of the New York City hardcore scene.
The movie details how Flanagan, a punk rock icon, has defied the odds and come out the other side. The film touches upon Flanagan the man as well as his music; an artist who is a survivor of neglect, sexual abuse, drugs, violence and PTSD.
Interviews with Flea, Henry Rollins, Ice-T, Michael Imperioli and Matt Serra are some of the artists appearing in the movie.
Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby digital; DVD: 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby digital.
Don’t miss: More interviews with such personalities as Brooke Smith, Kate Schellenbach, Sacha Jenkins, Denise Mercedes, Anthony Bourdain, Scott Ian, Lucy Sante and Ian Mackaye also talk about Flanagan.
Red Planet: Limited Edition (4K Ultra HD)
Details: 2000, Arrow Video
Rated: PG, language, sci-fi violence, brief nudity
The lowdown: An ecological crisis sends an expedition to Mars to discover why, after 20 years, the efforts to terraform the planet with atmosphere-producing algae is failing as oxygen levels have mysteriously begun to decrease.
The mission is jeopardized when a solar flare damages the ship as it reaches the planet.
Members of the crew are launched to the surface, where they face many challenges as well as casualties.
The movie lacks originality and imagination even with a cast that includes Val Kilmer, Carrie-Anne Moss, Tom Sizemore, Benjamin Bratt, Terence Stamp and Simon Baker.
Technical aspects: 2160p ultra-high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include interviews with special effects supervisor Jeffrey A. Okun and helmet and suit designer Steve Johnson; deleted scenes; a visual retrospective with film critic Heath Holland; and a collector’s booklet.
The Ogre of Athens (Blu-ray)
Details: 1956, Radiance Films
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A Greek comedy of errors about Thomas, a shy and modest bank teller who struggles to maintain the pace of modern life.
Soon his life is upended when he is mistaken for “The Ogre,” an infamous criminal mastermind who rules the streets of Athens. Suddenly, men respect Thomas and women are interested in him — which is all he ever has wanted.
However, everything comes with a price and Thomas is soon out of his depth when his unwitting white lie unravels.
The satirical crime drama, a mix of physical comedy and social commentary, is now considered a classic of modern Greek cinema.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 full-screen picture; Greek 2.0 LPCM monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: An introduction by from Jonathan Franzen, interviews with critic Christina Newland and Greek film expert Dimitris Papanikolaou and a booklet with essays about the movie.
“Wicked Games: Three Films by Robert Hossein”: Limited Edition (Blu-ray)
Details: 1955-61, Radiance Films
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: French star Robert Hossein was behind the camera and starred in this trio of movies.
Hossein directed and co-wrote “The Wicked Go to Hell” (1955), in which two inmates join forces to stage a daring prison break. They end up in a small house by the sea where they meet a beautiful young woman who becomes their obsession, going so far as to kill her lover.
“Nude in a White Car” (1958) finds Hossein doing double duty as star and director. He plays a drifter seduced into a night of passion by a pair of mystery blondes, one of whom picked him up earlier, then pulled a gun and forced him from her car.
He traces the car to a beautiful villa where he finds two seemingly sweet and harmless sisters.
“The Taste of Violence (1961), starring and directed by Hossein, is a political tale about a revolutionary who kidnaps the daughter of a local dictator and, with his two lieutenants, must lead her through hostile territory in hopes of exchanging her for some of their imprisoned comrades.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1full-screen picture (“The Wicked Go to Hell”) and 1.66:1 widescreen picture (“Nude in a White Car”) and 2:35: 1 widescreen picture (“The Taste of Violence”); French LPCM monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras on this three-disc set include a commentary track on each film by critic and author Tim Lucas; a making of featurette on “The Wicked Go to Hell” and a featurette on Hossein and his work; “Nude in a White Car” includes an archival interview with actor Marina Vlady and a visual essay by critic Samm Deighan; an appreciation by filmmaker Alex Cox and author C. Courtney Joyner on Zapata westerns including “The Taste of Violence”; and a booklet.
Other titles being released in the upcoming week include:
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, STREAMING or VOD
All’s Fair: Episode 5 (Hulu)
The Christmas Writer (Tello Films)
Lesbian Space Princess (Cineverse)
Reawakening (Level 33 Entertainment)
Riefenstahl (Kino Film Collection)
Sauna (Breaking Glass Pictures)
Souleymane’s Story (Kino Film Collection)
Vanguard: Episodes 1 & 2 (Viaplay)
Vindication Swim (Freestyle Digital Media)
NOV. 19
Champagne Problems (Netflix)
Down Cemetery Road: Episode 5 (Apple TV+)
Loot: Season 3, Episode 7 (Apple TV+)
The Mighty Nein (Prime Video)
The Morning Show: Season 4, Episode 10 (Apple TV+)
Murdaugh: Death in the Family: Episode 8 (Hulu)
Palm Royale: Season 2, Episode 2 (Apple TV+)
NOV. 20
A Life’s Worth: Episode 5 (Viaplay)
Angry Harvest (Kino Film Collection)
The Apartment (Kino Film Collection)
The Roses (Hulu)
NOV. 21
The Family Plan 2 (Apple TV+)
Good Boy (Shudder)
Jailbird (Film Movement+)
The Last Frontier: Episode 8 (Apple TV+)
The Nipple Talk: Episode 3 (Film Movement+)
Pluribus: Episode 4 (Apple TV+)
The Propaganda Game (Film Movement+)
Reverence (Saban Films)
Sebastian Maniscalco: It Ain’t Right (Hulu)
Time Travel Is Dangerous (Level 33 Entertainment)
Train Dreams (Netflix)
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, on Facebook at ReelBob and on Bluesky at @bobbloom1948@bsky.social or the Indiana Film Journalists Association. My movie reviews also can be found at Rotten Tomatoes: www.rottentomatoes.com.