New to View: Jan. 27
By Bob Bloom
The following titles are being released on Tuesday, Jan. 27, unless otherwise noted:
Kiss of the Spider Woman: Combo Edition (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)
Details: 1985, The Criterion Collection
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: William Hurt, who won an Academy Award for his performance, and Raul Julia star in this political drama about love, gender and revolution.
Julia is Valentin, a militant leftist activist; Hurt is Molina, a gay, cinema-obsessed window dresser. A harsh military dictatorship has locked them in the same cell.
Molina, who it turns out is spying on Valentin for the secret police who have promised him a parole, passes the time telling Valentin about his favorite movies to distract him from the harshness of their situation and his separation from his love, Marta.
Slowly, the two prisoners form a bond that changes the way they understand politics, masculinity and sexuality.
Sõnia Braga, costars as Marta as well as two characters in Molina’s movie.
The film,, directed by Héctor Babenco, and based on the novel by Manuel Puig, garnered an 87 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 4K: 2160p ultra-high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles; Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English LPCM monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus offerings include a feature-length making of documentary, an interview with Suzanne Jill Levine, biographer of Puig, a short program on Puig and an essay about the movie.
Orwell: 2 + 2 = 5 (Blu-ray)
Release date: Jan. 20
Details: 2025, Decal Releasing-Allied Vaughn
The lowdown: It is frightening how the writings of George Orwell, especially his classic “1984,” which foretold of an authoritarian future, seems to be metamorphosing from fiction to reality.
This documentary from director Raoul Peck interweaves clips, readings form Orwell’s diary, movie references and modern-day footage to create a portrait of the writer, but a fresh take on hos prophetic his work has become.
Peck, though mostly criticizing the right, details how the manipulation of language, especially Orwell’s doublespeak, media, beliefs and actions, lead to misleading impressions on the minds — on both sides of the political spectrum.
Examples used by Peck include the Iraq War, the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the rewriting of the Jan. 6 attack.
Like the nation itself, the movie has received divided views from both extremes. I suggest seeing it for yourself and making up your own mind.
The Blu-ray can be found at www.moviezyng.com or other online sellers. And despite the divisiveness associated with the movie, it garnered an 84 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and 2.0 audio description; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
The Narrow Margin (Blu-ray)
Details: 1952, Warner Archive Collection-Allied Vaughn
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: The underrated Charles McGraw stars as a police detective on train from Chicago to Los Angeles assigned to guard a gangster’s moll, played by the equally tough Marie Windsor, who is on her way to testify before a grand jury.
Also on the train are hitmen determined to stop her. Only they do not know what she looks like.
At 72 minutes, “The Narrow Margin,” which contains several plot twists, is a grip-your-seat, film-noir thriller, with no letup.
The movie, which also costars Jacqueline White, Peter Virgo, David Clarke, Gordon Gebert and Peter Brocco, was directed by Richard Fleischer.
The Blu-ray can be ordered at www.moviezyng.com or other online dealers.
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: Supplemental options include a commentary track with director William Friedkin and an audio interview with Fleischer; a short subject “So You Never Tell a Lie” and a cartoon, “The Super Snooper.”
Bullet in the Head (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)
Release date: Jan. 6
Details: 1990, Shout! Studios-Radial Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: John Woo directed this addition to Shout!’s Hong Kong Cinema Classics series.
Tony Leung, Jacky Cheung and Waise Lee star as three childhood friends who battle to prove their place in the world when they flee Hong Kong to seek a new life in war-torn Saigon in the 1960s.
In Saigon, they run into a series of bloody, violent troubles with ruthless gangs and corrupt militia.
The experience shapes the trio of young men in unexpected ways, including being taken prisoners by the Viet Cong, which eventually threaten both their bonds of friendship and their lives.
While filled with action, Woo eschews some of the glamor of criminal life he brought to other movies. It also is a movie that will drain you emotionally as it chronicles the impact of the Vietnam War on the young men.
The three-disc set features the original theatrical release on the 4K and one Blu-ray disc and a festival cut of the film on the second Blu-ray disc.
Technical aspects: 4K: 2160p ultra-high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture and various widescreen aspect ratios on the festival cut; Cantonese and English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus materials include a commentary track by film critic Frank Djeng on the 4K UHD and Blu-ray discs and, on the second Blu-ray, an alternate boardroom ending, interviews with Woo, Lee, producer Terence Chang, editor David Wu, production planner Catherine Lau and professor Lars Laamann; and an inside look at the movie with author Grady Hendrix.
Illustrious Corpses: Limited Edition (Blu-ray)
Details: 1976, Radiance Films
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Lino Ventura stars as Inspector Rogas, tasked with solving the killings of several Supreme Court judges and discovering the reasons for the killings.
What begins as a procedural noir feature, transforms into a complex conspiracy thriller as corruption and institutional power merge.
The movie deftly captures the cynicism and violence of the Italian political scene in the 1970s and ’80s. Very little action is featured in the film, but its heightened suspense and tension grips you.
The cast also includes Charles Vanel, Max von Sydow and Fernando Ray.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; Italian 2.0 LPCM monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Supplemental materials include a commentary track by filmmaker Alex Cox, archival interviews with Ventura and director Francesco Rosi and a new interview with author Gaetana Marrone, author of “The Cinema of Francesco Rosi,” who explains how the movie varies from its source novel.
Red Dust (Blu-ray)
Details: 1932, Warner Archive Collection-Allied Vaughn
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Clark Gable and Jean Harlow shine in this pre-Production Code romantic drama set on a rubber plantation in Indochina.
Gable portrays Carson, who runs the plantation, and Harlow is Vantine, a prostitute on the run from Saigon authorities. Carson sizes her up as an easy mark for his masculine charisma.
But when a research engineer, played by Gene Raymond, and his elegant wife, Barbara (Mary Astor), come to the plantation, Carson turns his back on Vantine and sets his sights on Barbara.
The sparks begin to fly as a steamy rivalry develops between the two women — one that leads to rage and violence.
The movie, a combination of steamy drama and erotic comedy, was directed by one Victor Fleming, one of Gable’s favorite directors.
“Red Dust” can be purchased at www.moviezyng.com or other online sellers.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 (16×9 enhanced), with side mattes, full-screen picture; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include two MGM Technicolor shorts — “Over the Counter” and “Wild People” and a Spanish-language trailer for the movie.
The Nude (DVD)
Details: 2018, IndiePix Films
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A young woman walks through the galleries and halls of a museum, admiring and imitating the gestures of the marble sculptures all around her.
She is a figure art model who poses nude for skilled painters and sculptors. She has the ability to exhibit total control over her body; aware of every muscle and its function.
She uses her trained eye and natural instincts to guide her movements that help her express the mysteries of the human form.
The woman is selective about her assignments. She decides to accept a job with a still photographer, a session that allows her to move more freely than ever before.
However, this newfound freedom of fulfillment makes her miss the intimate connection between artist and model that she feels while working in the traditional arts.
Technical aspects: 1.85:1 (16:9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 2.0 Dolby digital.
Sabrina (Blu-ray)
Details: 1995, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: PG, language
The lowdown: Sydney Pollack directed this remake of filmmaker Billy Wilder’s 1954 romantic comedy that starred Humphrey Bogart, Audrey Hepburn and William Holden.
Pollack’s version stars Harrison Ford as busy business tycoon Linus Larrabee, Greg Kinnear as his playboy brother, David, and Julia Ormond as Sabrina, the daughter of the family chauffeur.
John Wood, as Sabrina’s father, sends her to Paris for a fashion internship. She returns a glamorous and sophisticated young woman. She immediately catches the eye of David, which endangers his upcoming wedding to Elizabeth, whose father runs Tyson Electronics, which is in the midst of a business deal with the Larrabee Corp.
Linus, to save the deal, manipulates his brother, then begins courting Sabrina himself.
In the end, everyone eventually lives happily ever after in this fairy tale-like rom-com.
While the movie is not as well regarded as the original, it still remains magical.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: The main bonus component is a commentary track by film historian-writer Julie Kirgo and writer-filmmaker Peter Hankoff.
Blood of Revenge: Limited Edition (Blu-ray)
Details: 1965, Radiance Films
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A gangster drama set in 1907 Osaka in which the Hoshino gang tries to kill the leader of the Kiyatatsu syndicate, which holds a grip on the city’s construction business.
The assassination attempt fails setting in motion a reign of violence as the Hoshino sabotage building sites and kill a junior syndicate member.
When his old boss dies of his wounds, senior lieutenant Kikuchi, decides to go after the Hoshino gang alone.
“Blood of Revenge” is the first yakuza movie from director Tai Kato. It features bold set design, strong colors and interesting shot compositions that elevate the film, which is a tale of honor and vengeance.
The performance of Koji Tsuruta as Kikuchi is the movie’s foundation.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; Japanese LPCM monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a short film by Kato, a visual essay about the movie and a booklet.
Cheap Thrills: Limited Edition (Blu-ray)
Details: 2013, Arrow Video
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A combination of black comedy and thriller centers on Craig (Pat Healy) who, fired from his job and facing eviction, is drowning his sorrows in a bar, when he runs into Vince (Ethan Embry), a childhood friend whom he hasn’t seen in years.
Their reunion takes an unexpected and ultimately ominous turn when they are approached by Colin (David Koechner) and Violet (Sara Paxton), an eccentric, wealthy couple with a strange offer — complete a few dares for cash.
At first it sounds like easy money until the stakes and dares start becoming more and more twisted.
The movie is a contemporary parable about greed, desperation, exploitation and bravado.
It is dark and savage feature that takes you the limits of morality. The movie earned an 87 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.45:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a commentary track by director E.L. Katz and Healy; a second by film critic-author Alexandra Heller-Nicholas; interviews with Katz and producer Travis Stevens, actors Healy, Embry, Koechner and Paxon, writers Trent Haaga and David Chirchirillo and special effects-makeup artist Hugo Vilaseñor; an archival making of featurette and another about the movie at the 2013 Fantastic Film Festival; a gallery of photos taken by Paxton’s character as seen in the movie; and a collector’s booklet.
Hold That Blonde! (Blu-ray)
Details: 1945, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Preston Sturges favorite Eddie Bracken stars in the so-so comedy as Ogden Spencer Trulow III, a kleptomaniac who turns to stealing when he was spurned by a girl.
His psychiatrist, played by George Zucco, advises him to find another girl for a cure. It is low at first sight when Ogden sets his eyes on Sally Martin (Veronica Lake), who is working for a gang of jewel thieves to steal a valuable necklace.
Complications, of course, place detours in the road to true love, and it also does not help that the chemistry between Bracken and Lake does not spark.
Veteran George Marshall was behind the camera and even he could not breathe much life into the picture.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition 1.37:1 full-screen picture; English 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 main extra.
Infinite Summer (DVD)
Release date: Jan. 20
Details: 2024 IndiePix Films
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: The setting is a long, aimless summer in Tallinn. Teenage Mia drifts between the sea, promenade and the party circuit with her older friends Grete and Sarah.
But when they encounter a strange man known as Dr. Mindfulness, peddling a bizarre meditation app that promises transcendence. They realize he’s a grifter, but discover his app delivers uncanny, mind-altering results. Grete and Sarah go all in, while Mia hesitates.
But the pull is strong and the summer days stretch longer and longer.
Soon, events get stranger as two Interpol agents arrive with news that Mindfulness is connected to Eleusis Biotechnologies, a company linked to the Tallinn Zoo, where animals and humans are beginning to change, dissolving them into something between pollen and dust.
Mia, on the run, is torn between helping her friends and the strange bliss that has changed them.
Technical aspects: 1.85:1 (16:9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English and Estonian 2.0 Dolby digital; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: The main extra is a short film by “Infinite Summer” director Miguel Llansó.
King of Beggars: Limited Edition (Blu-ray)
Details: 1992, Eureka Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Stephen Chow stars as So Chan, a gifted martial artist. But he is lazy, unmotivated and spoiled by his wealthy parents.
Love, though, forces So Chan to make something of himself after he becomes infatuated with a prostitute, Yu Sheung (Sharla Cheung), who agrees to marry him on the condition that he enters and wins an upcoming imperial court martial arts tournament.
He enters the competition to win Yu Sheung’s hand, but doing so leads him to become embroiled in a feud with the famous Beggar Clan as well as a corrupt government official.
The character, who was a master of drunken boxing, has been the focus of a few earlier movies. This is the first release of “King of Beggars” outside of Asia.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; Cantonese and English (dubbed) 2.0 LPCM monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a commentary track with Frank Djeng, an interview with director Gordon Chan and a video essay by East Asian cinema scholar Gary Bettinson on Chow’s career and the famed character he portrays.
Once a Thief (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)
Details: 1991, Shout! Studios-Radial Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A heist comedy, another offering from the Hong Kong Cinema Classics collection, finds three friends turned burglars go to the French Riviera in search of one final score.
The movie, directed and cowritten by John Woo, is part heist thriller and love triangle.
The cast features Chow Yun-fat, Leslie Cheung and Cherie Chung as the thieves. The three are orphans raised and trained as professional thieves by a sinister crime boss. The also befriend as another father figure a kind-hearted police officer.
The storylines include the theft of a Modigliani painting, an armed fight in which one of the trio is presumed killed, and a twist for them to get even with their crime boss mentor.
This is not the best of Woo’s movies, but it is an entertaining excursion.
Technical aspects: 4K: 2160p ultra-high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; Cantonese and English DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English subtitles; Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, , 1.85:1 widescreen picture; Cantonese and English DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Both discs feature a commentary track by Hong Kong film critic James Mudge, while the Blu-ray contains interviews with Woo, screenwriter Clifton Ko, cinematographer Poon Hang-Sang, producer Terence Chang, editor David Wu; an inside look at the movie with author Grady Hendrix; a featurette by film critic Frank Djeng on actor Leslie Cheung; and an archival interview with actor Kenneth Tsang.
Other titles being released in the coming week:
He Loves Me Not (Blu-ray & DVD & VOD) (Magnolia Home Entertainment
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, STREAMING or VOD
7 Keys (Level 33 Entertainment)
Ella McCay (20th Century Fox)
Revolver Lily (Well Go USA Entertainment)
Skywatch (Breaking Glass Pictures)
Tell Me Lies: Season 3, Episode 4 (Hulu)
Untitled Home Invasion Romance (Republic Pictures-Paramount Pictures)
JAN. 28
Drops of Gold: Season 2, Episode 2 (Apple TV+)
Hijack: Season 2, Episode 3 (Apple TV+)
JAN. 29
Archipelago (Kino Film Collection)
Scenes After a Marriage: Episodes 1 & 2 (Viaplay)
Stayer: Episodes 5 & 6 (Viaplay)
JAN. 30
Aliens Uncovered: Invasion (Breaking Glass Pictures)
Grizzly Night (Saban Films)
Pike River (Brainstorm Media)
Tehran: Season 3, Episode 4 (Apple TV+)
The Tsugua Diaries (Film Movement+)
Yo Gabba Gabbaland!: Season 2 (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, 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.