New to View: Aug. 4
By Bob Bloom
The following titles are being released on Tuesday, Aug. 4, unless otherwise noted:
The People vs. Larry Flynt: Limited Edition (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)
Details: 1996, Arrow Films
Rated: R, strong sexual material, nudity, language, drug use
The lowdown: Woody Harrelson gives a career-defining performance as “Hustler” magazine publisher Larry Flynt in this story that debates the necessity of free speech and criticizes a nation where democracy is being crushed by prudish and institutionalized religious backward thinking.
Harrelson portrays Flynt as a dissident, provocateur and unlikely champion of free speech as he battles against censorship for people’s rights to bad taste and self-expression.
The movie, produced by Oliver Stone and directed by Miloš Forman, is a look at an unapologetic iconoclast that screams loudly for the survival of a free press and the relevance of the First Amendment — no matter how distasteful to some the published material seems to be.
The strong supporting cast also includes rock star Courtney Love as Flynt’s wife, Althea, Edward Norton as Alec Issacmen, his very smart lawyer and James Cromwell as Charles Keating.
The film garnered an 88 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 4K: 2160p ultra-high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and 2.0 LPCM monaural; English SDH subtitles; Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and 2.0 LPCM monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Supplemental materials include a commentary track with Harrelson, Love and Norton and a second with screenwriters Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski on the 4K UHD disc and, on the Blu-ray disc, a new interview with Harrelson, interviews with Alexander, Karaszewski, former Columbia Pictures’ production president Lisa Henson and producer Janet Yang, an archival interview cinematographer Philippe Rousselot, a 1997 interview with Forman on “The Charlie Rose Show,” an archival featurette on the making of the movie, an archival featurette on Flynt narrated by Dennis Hopper, deleted scenes and a collectors’ booklet with new writing as well as essays and an interview with Forman about the movie.
Pressure: Collector’s Edition (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + digital)
Release date: July 28
Details: 2026, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: PG-13, war violence, bloody images, strong language, smoking
The lowdown: Who knew that weather forecasting could be so suspenseful and exciting?
Obviously, the filmmakers behind “Pressure” believed so.
This World War II drama centers on the 72 hours before the June 6, 1944, D-Day invasion, in which Supreme Allied Commander Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower (Brendan Fraser) and British Group Captain James Stagg (Andrew Scott), a meteorologist, must decide if whether conditions will allow for the massive Allied landings on the shores of Normandy or if the operation, years in the planning, will have to be delayed.
“Pressure” is interesting, even though it does play fast and loose with some of the known facts about the lead-up to the invasion.
Since this is a historical drama, much of the movie focuses on the conflict between Eisenhower and Stagg, over whether the conditions will be right for the invasion, with Stagg and another meteorologist, Irving Krick (Chris Messina), disagreeing about the forecast.
The cast also includes Kerry Condon as Eisenhower’s aide, Kay Summersby and Damian Lewis as British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery.
Still, the movie impressed critics enough to award it an 87 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 4K: 2160p ultra-high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English Dolby Atmos, 2.0 DVS and French 7.1 Dolby digital plus; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles; Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English Dolby Atmos, 2.0 DVS and French 7.1 Dolby digital plus; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus options include a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the movie and the props, set design and camera work that helped capture the period.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Blu-ray)
Details: 1935, Warner Archive Collection-Allied Vaughn
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: James Cagney, Joe E. Brown, Dick Powell, Frank McHugh and Mickey Rooney reciting Shakespeare? That is the case in this sumptuous adaptation of the Bard’s comedy about love.
What seems even more surprising is that the movie was produced by Warner Bros., best known for its hard-hitting crime dramas and films dealing with societal issues such as chain gangs and lynchings.
The movie, directed by Max Reinhardt and William Dieterle, with the music of Felix Mendelssohn arranged by Erich Wolfgang Korngold.
“Night’s Dream” is heavy on magic and whimsy, with the performances varying from struggling to standout — with Cagney, as always, receiving kudos for his performance.
The all-star cast also includes Olivia de Havilland (in her film debut), Ian Hunter, Victor Jory, Jean Muir, Anita Louise and Ross Alexander.
The story of lovers quarreling, separating and finally reunited is a popular Shakespearean comedy that translated well to screen, earning a 92 percent fresh rating on 12 reviews at Rotten Tomatoes.
The Blu-ray can be ordered 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: Bonus features include a commentary by film historian Scott MacQueen, De Havilland’s screen test for “Danton,” a featurette on the making of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” a musical short, “Shake Mr. Shakespeare” and six teaser trailers showcasing cast members.
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby: 20th Anniversary Steelbook (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + digital)
Details: 2006, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: Unrated & PG-13, crude and sexual humor, language, drug references, brief comic violence
The lowdown: Will Ferrell is behind the wheel in this comedy about Ricky Bobby, one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history.
Ricky Bobby is everything you would want in a dim-witted daredevil. He has a luxurious mansion, a very hot wife, played by Leslie Bibb, and all the fast food he can eat.
His turbo-charged lifestyle hits an unexpected speed bump when he is beaten by flamboyant Euro-idiot Jean Girard (Sacha Baron Cohen), who reduces him to a fear-ridden wreck.
Piling on to Ricky Bobby’s woes is the loss of his wife to his best friend and fellow fool Cal Naughton Jr. (John C. Reilly).
Ricky must do what he can to make a serious comeback and get his career back on track, defeat Girard and reclaim his fame and fortune.
The set features the 108-minute theatrical and 122-minute unrated versions of the movie, which garnered a 72 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 4K: 2160p ultra-high definition, 2.40:1 widescreen picture; English Dolby Atmos (Dolby 7.1 TrueHD compatible), 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and 5.1 Dolby digital audio description track; English SDH, English, French and Spanish subtitles; Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.40:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH, English, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a 25 years later commentary with director Adam McKay and cast members on the theatrical version, a commentary with McKay and friends on the unrated version, McKay’s video diary, two Line-O-Rama featurettes, a gag reel, deleted and extended scenes, Ricky and Cal’s commercials, Ricky and Cal’s Public Service Announcements, a Walker and Texas Ranger featurette, a Ferrell’s return to Talladega Nights featurette, raw takes, cast auditions and interviews.
The Seventh Cross (Blu-ray)
Details: 1944, Warner Archive Collection-Allied Vaughn
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Spencer Tracy stars in this Fred Zinnemann-directed World War II drama as an escaped concentration camp inmate. He was one of seven to successfully flee — six have been caught and executed.
And now, the Gestapo is hunting for the seventh man, George Heisler (Tracy).
“The Seventh Cross” is a tense and gripping thriller that examines the depths of human depravity and soars on moments of human charity and sacrifice. The movie offers subtle social commentary about ordinary Germans under Nazi oppression.
A very fine supporting cast appears with Tracy, including Signe Hasso, Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy (the couple’s first movie together), Agnes Moorehead, Ray Collins, George Macready, Steven Geray, Kurt Katch and Felix Bressart.
At Rotten Tomatoes, the movie received a 100 percent fresh rating on nine reviews.
“The Seventh Cross” can be found at www.moviezyng.com or other online retailers.
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: Extras include three short movies by Zinnemann — “One Against the World,” “Forbidden Passage” and “Your Last Act.”
Random Harvest (Blu-ray)
Details: 1942, Warner Archive Collection-Allied Vaughn
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Ronald Colman and Greer Garson star in this adaptation of a James Hilton novel about a shell-shocked World War I veteran who cannot recall his past and the supportive wife who to find ways to help him remember their life together.
Garson portrays Paula Smith who is the secretary of industrialist Charles Rainier (Colman). She also is his wife, which Rainier does not know because the trauma of the war led to his forgetting his former life as John Smith.
Paula is advised not to endanger Rainier’s fragile mental state so, as his secretary, so begins to find other ways to help him remember their life together.
The movie, directed by Mervyn LeRoy, received seven Academy Award nominations including for best picture and Colman for best actor.
At Rotten Tomatoes, it scored a 91 percent fresh rating on 11 reviews.
“Random Harvest” 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: Extras include two shorts, “Don’t Talk” and “Marines in the Making” and a 1944 “Lux Radio Theater” adaptation of the film with Garson and Colman.
Legends of the Lost Ark (DVD)
Details: 2026, Myriad Pictures-Kino Lorber
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A documentary that follows archaeologist Dr. Chris McKinny’s search for the Ark of the Covenant.
His quest is helped by insights from scientists, historians and biblical scholars.
McKinny explores three ancient legends pointing to a final resting place of the iconic relic.
The documentary, while not as flamboyant as “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” does not provide any definitive discoveries or answers to the whereabouts of the Ark, but McKinny’s journey is interesting viewing on its own merits.
Technical aspects: 1.90:1 (16:9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby digital; English SDH subtitles.
Hyperspace: 3-D Director’s Cut (Blu-ray)
Release date: July 28
Details: 1984, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: An early and crazy, low-budget ’80s science-fiction comedy written and directed by Todd Durham, the creator of the “Hotel Transylvania” franchise.
Chris Elliott plays Dr. William Hopper, a cocky UFO scientist on the trail of the evil Intergalactic Space Lord, who has unknowingly landed on the wrong planet — Earth, and in the rural south no less.
There, the alien bewilders the locals in his frustrated, determined search for stolen radio transmissions and a space princess he had been pursuing.
Will the Space Lord and his underlings meet their match when confronted by Hopper, some shrewd country folks and the itchy trigger-fingered National Guard?
The cast of this “Star Wars” spoof also includes Paula Poundstone, Alan Marx and Robert Bloodworth.
The Blu-ray also features Durham’s short film, “The Fright Before Christmas.”
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English DTS-HD Master Audio; English, French, German, Pig Latin and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a making of featurette, an isolated music track with commentary by composer Dan Davis and editor Bruce Stubblefield and a vintage pre-show look at the movie.
Other titles being released in the upcoming week include:
Broken Land (Blu-ray & DVD) (Well Go USA Entertainment)
AUG 7
Will Wood — Slouching Towards Branson (DVD) (Hostile City Industries)
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, STREAMING or VOD
The Isolate Thief (Radial Entertainment)
Rhythm Is a Dancer (Circle Collective)
The Shadow of the Sun (La Sombra del Sol) (Outsider Pictures-Apple TV-Prime Video)
Two Pianos (Kino Film Collection)
AUG. 5
A Shop for Killers: Season 2, Episode 4 (Hulu)
Lucky: Episode 5 (Apple TV)
Ted Lasso: Season 4, Episode 1 (Apple TV)
Trying: Episode 5 (Apple TV)
AUG. 7
Demon Hunters (Apple TV-Prime Video)
Lovers Are Wet (Omnibus Entertainment)
Silo: Season 3, Episode 6 (Apple TV)
Sugar: Season 2, Episode 8 (Apple TV)
AUG. 10
Furious: Episode 5 (Hulu)
Futurama: Season 14, Episode 3 (Hulu)
I am a founding member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. I review movies, 4K UHD, Blu-rays and DVDs at 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 Twitter @ReelBobBloom, on Facebook at ReelBob.com 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.