New to View: March 10
By Bob Bloom
The following titles are being released on Tuesday, March 10, unless otherwise noted:
Somewhere in Time (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)
Details: 1980, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: PG, sexual situations, violence
The lowdown: Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour star in this lush fantasy-tinged love story, written by Richard Matheson, based on his novel, “Bid Time Return,” and directed by Jeannot Szwarc.
Reeve portrays Richard Collier a college playwright who, after the debut of his play, is given an antique gold watch by an elderly woman who pleads with him to return in time to her.
Years later, Collier, battling writer’s block, takes a road trip and ends up at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Michigan.
There, in the hotel’s Hall of History, he spots a photograph of Elise McKenna, an early 20th-century stage actress. He discovers that she is the woman who gave him the watch.
Eventually, Collier uses self-hypnosis to travel to 1912 where he meets McKenna. The two fall in love, but he returns to his own time when he finds a modern-day penny among his affects.
He awakens in his own time and his attempts to return to 1912 are not only unsuccessful but prove fatal.
One of the movie’s major assets is John Barry’s score, which uses Rachmaninoff’s 18th variation on “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini” several times throughout the movie.
Technical aspects: 4K: 2160p ultra-high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English subtitles; Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus options on both discs include three commentary tracks — one by novelist-critic Tim Lucas, a second by film historian-writer Julie Kirgo and writer-filmmaker Peter Hankoff and a third by Szwarc — and, on the Blu-ray disc, a “Back to Somewhere in Time” documentary and a short featurette on the Somewhere in Time fan club.
“Peter Sellers Early Classics” (Blu-ray)
Details: 1959-63, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Peter Sellers shows off his comic chops in this multidisc Blu-ray set featuring five of his early movies — “Man in a Cocked Hat” (1959), “I’m All Right Jack” (1959), “Two Way Stretch” (1960), “The Wrong Arm of the Law” (1963) and “Heavens Above!” (1963).
Sellers shows his versatility in playing a corrupt prime minister in “Man in the Cocked Hat,” dual roles in the labor-relations satire “I’m All Right Jack,” a criminal “mastermind” in “Two Way Stretch,” the leader of a gang of thieves in “The Wrong Arm of the Law” and an idealistic chaplain in “Heavens Above!”
Some of the humor in these movies is droll, other times physical antics draw laughs. But no matter which, Sellers always is entertaining to watch.
Among his costars are Terry-Thomas, Irene Handl, Liz Fraser, Miles Malleson, Basil Dignam and John Glyn-Jones.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1:67:1 widescreen picture (“Man in a Cocked Hat,” “I’m All Right Jack,” “Two Way Stretch), 1.66:1 widescreen picture (“The Wrong Arm of the Law,” Heavens Above!”); English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles (“The Wrong Arm of the Law”) and English SDH subtitles on the other four movies.
Don’t miss: Bonus materials include commentary tracks on all five movies, interviews with “I’m All Right Jack” costar Fraser and “The Wrong Arm of the Law” screenwriter John Antrobus.
Scott Joplin (Blu-ray)
Details: 1977, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: PG, thematic content
The lowdown: Billy Dee Williams stars as the great ragtime composer in this biopic, originally made for television, but first given a theatrical release.
The story traces Joplin’s rise to fame as his music gains popularity, while he faces racism and battles syphilis.
It is the later part of his life that is the focus of the majority of the movie’s 96-minute running time, which basically siphons much of the verve out of the movie.
The cast includes Art Carney, Margaret Avery, Clifton Davis, Godfrey Cambridge as well as Taj Mahal, Eubie Blake and Otis Day.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: A commentary track by director Jeremy Kagan, moderated by film historian-filmmaker Daniel Kremer, is the main extra.
Picture of a Nymph (Blu-ray)
Details: 1988, 88 Films
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A supernatural story of love and art set in ancient China.
The story follows a gentle scholar whose encounter with a mysterious young woman leads to a love that transcends the boundaries of life and death.
But when he unwillingly releases a vengeful demon from centuries of imprisonment, the spirit of his beloved becomes the demon’s only vessel for regaining power.
To protect her, the scholar paints her likeness, allowing her to hide within the portrait. His devotion, however, soon draws the wrath of dark forces.
“Picture of a Nymph” is a beautiful and rich feature that blends romance, fantasy and spectacular martial arts sequences.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; Cantonese 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include commentary tracks by Hong Kong cinema expert Frank Djeng and Hong Kong cinema expert David West.
Highway to Hell: Collector’s Edition (Blu-ray)
Details: 1990, Visual Vengeance
Rated: Unrated
The lowdown: Toby Gilmore (Benton Jennings), a convicted mass murderer, has escaped from prison.
Soon, the open desert becomes his ground for sadism and destruction. Determined to stop him after failing to execute him years earlier, officer Earl Dent (Richard Harrison) sets out on an inexorable pursuit that soon transforms into a deadly game of cat-and-mouse.
Gilmore, however, has an ace up his sleeve — a hostage, Fran Tucker (Blue Tompson), a young woman caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.
As the chase continues, Dent inches closer to his objective, soon setting up an explosive reckoning between the two foes.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.33:1 full-screen picture; English audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Supplemental materials include the 1992 movie “Redneck County Fever,” directed by Gary Kennamer; a commentary by “Highway to Hell” director Bret McCormick; interviews with McCormick, Harrison, Thompson, screenwriter Gary Kennamer, actor Tom Fegan; a “Redneck County Fever” commentary with McCormick and Kennamer; interviews with McCormick and Kennamer about “Redneck County Fever”; and a mini-poster.
Elvis ’56 (Blu-ray)
Release date: Feb. 20
Details: 1987, Lightyear Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A documentary that covers various, mostly from television shows such as “The Dorsey Brothers Show” and “The Ed Sullivan Show,” that chronicles the skyrocketing career of Elvis Presley that hit its stride in 1956.
The movie, narrated by musician-actor Levon Helm, features more than an hour of rare footage and performances captured during the year when Presley became a national phenomenon.
The movie features 18 songs performed by Presley, including “Hound Dog,” “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Heartbreak Hotel” and “Love Me Tender.”
Presley fans will enjoy this Blu-ray filled with nostalgic moments about their onetime teenage idol.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.33:1 full-screen picture; English 2.0 Dolby digital.
Coven of the Black Cube (Blu-ray)
Details: 2024, Blood Sick Productions
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A strange, supernatural movie in which a mysterious coven helps unhappy wives murder their husbands, a deadbeat stoner turns a pizzeria into a video rental headshop and a lost soul falls in love with a serial killer.
This is a throwback-style movie that is not for everyone’s tastes. It is filled with cheesy ideas and nearly amateurish production values that recall old-school, low-budget, indie filmmaking.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, widescreen picture; English 2.0 Dolby digital.
Don’t miss: Extras include a behind-the-scenes featurette, outtakes and a commentary track by writers Brewce Longo (who also directed), Zoe Angeli, Josh Schafer and director of photography Michael DiFrancesco.
Busted Babies (Blu-ray)
Details: 2024, Blood Sick Productions
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A horror-comedy that is difficult to describe or explain. It involves a secret flesh into glass is part of the storyline. The rest is basically indecipherable.
A lot of death, a green amulet and a wood chipper all are featured in this crazy quilt of a movie.
This is a film you just have to see to believe — or understand. It features a cast of no-names, one of whom, Kasper Meltedhair, also wrote, directed and starred.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, full-screen picture; English 2.0 Dolby digital.
Don’t miss: Extras include a short film by Meltedhair, outtakes, a behind-the-scenes featurette and deleted scenes.
Other titles being released in the upcoming week include:
Blue Sunshine (4K Ultra HD & Blu-ray) (Synapse Films)
Little Amelie or the Character of Rain (DVD) (GKids-Shout! Studios)
Whitest Kids You Know’s Mars (Blu-ray) (Whole Grain Pictures)
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, STREAMING or VOD
BFFs (Breaking Glass Pictures)
Do Not Open (Cleopatra Entertainment)
Nathan-ism (Outsider Entertainment)
The Testament of Ann Lee (Searchlight Pictures)
Trucker (Breaking Glass Pictures)
The Ugly (Well Go USA Entertainment)
MARCH 11
Drops of God: Season 2, Episode 8 (Apple TV+)
Shrinking: Season 3, Episode 7 (Apple TV+)
Sunny Nights: Season 1 (Hulu)
MARCH 12
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives: Season 4 (Hulu)
The Stroke: Episodes 1-4 (Viaplay)
MARCH 13
Agent Zero (Saban Films)
Bodycam (Shudder)
Ice Poison (Film Movement+)
The Last Thing He Told Me: Season 2, Episode 4 (Apple TV+)
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters: Season 2, Episode 3 (Apple TV+)
The Road to Mandalay (Film Movement+)
Twisted Yoga: Episodes 1-3 (Apple TV+)
MARCH 16
Paradise: Season 2, Episode 6 (Hulu)
Coming next week: Is This Thing On?
Testament
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.