New to View: Aug. 25
By Bob Bloom
The following titles are being released on Tuesday, Aug. 25, unless otherwise noted:
Little Odessa: Combo Edition (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)
Details: 1994, The Criterion Collection
Rated: R, graphic violence, sexuality, language
The lowdown: A gangster tragedy with overtones of a Russian tragedy as an assignment takes Joshua (Tim Roth), an impulsive hitman, to the Brooklyn neighborhood where he grew up.
His return creates tension as his criminal life collides with the grim domestic world of his abusive father, Arkady (Maximilian Schell), ailing mother, Irina (Vanessa Redgrave) and his teenage brother, Reuben (Edward Furlong).
The movie, marking the feature film directorial debut of James Gray, channels the brooding fatalism of classic noir, as it creates a haunting reflection on violence that begins at home and flows outward.
It is gritty, haunting and emotional, filled with solid performances, including Moira Kelly and Paul Guilfoyle.
The emphasis of “Little Odessa” is more character than its gangster elements.
Technical aspects: 4K: 2160p ultra-high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles; Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus materials include a 2000 commentary with Gray, a making of documentary, a conversation between Gray and critic-podcaster Sean Fennessey and an essay by film critic Glenn Kenny.
The Fast and the Furious: 25th Anniversary Edition (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + digital)
Details: 2001, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: PG-13, violence, language, sexual content
The lowdown: How time races, and how little acorns grow to mighty oaks.
An adrenaline-rush movie about road racers, made for a modest $38 million, has — over the course of 25 years — turbo-charged its way into one of the biggest and most profitable film franchises in history.
And along the way, it has developed enough action sequences with various cars that would make Mr. Spock raise an eyebrow and say, “Fascinating, but illogical.”
The real stars of the series are the stunt drivers and special effects technicians that have made cars perform aerodynamics that have left audiences in awe.
But, let’s go back to the beginning.
Rob Cohen directed this unpretentious thriller about road racers on the streets of Los Angeles. The king of speed is Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel). He and his rival, Johnny Tran (Rick Yune), are the baddest and the best.
Soon, though, there’s a new hot shot on the scene — Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker) — whom Dom takes under this wing. Unknown to all O’Conner is an undercover detective who is working on a case involving dirty money and big-rig hijacking in which Toretto and Tran are both suspects.
Well, you know the outcome for this origin story — as the franchise has grown, expanded, added characters and become sort of a hot wheels James Bond series of encounters.
Technical aspects: 4K: 2160p ultra-high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; English Dolby Atmos and French and Spanish 5.1 DTS digital surround; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles; Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and French and Spanish 5.1 DTS surround; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus features include a featurette with cast members and filmmakers reflecting on the 25-year legacy of the series; deleted scenes; a making of featurette; a look at Dom’s charger; a featurette on the street racing phenomenon; a look at tricking out a hot import Mitsubishi Lancer, Evolution; a behind-the-scenes look at stunt sequences, special effects, editing sequences for approval by the Motion Picture Association of America; a visual effects montage; a storyboard-to-final feature comparison; music video; a speed news wrap; and a commentary by Cohen.
“Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema XXVII” (Blu-ray)
Details: 1941-56. Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Low-budget studio Republic Pictures was best known for its B-Westerns starring Gene Autry, Roy Rogers and others as well as its action-packed serials.
But once in a while, the studio ventures into other genres — mystery, horror and, in this case, film noir. This set contains three such examples of the latter.
First up is 1941’s “The Great Train Robbery.” This is more an action-heist movie than a dark, film noir outing. Western regular Bob Steele stars as railroad detective Tom Logan, who has vowed to halt the activities of his criminal brother, Duke (Milburn Stone) who, with his gang, has stolen an entire gold train, along with its passengers.
Directed by Republic regular Joseph Kane, the cast also includes Kay Stevens, Si Jenks, Helen MacKellar, Hal Taliaferro, Monte Blue, Jay Novello and legendary stuntman-actor Yakima Canutt.
Second up is “Unmasked” (1950), starring Raymond Burr as sleazy tabloid publisher Roger Lewis who tricks wealthy women into investing in his ventures. His latest mark is the rich wife of a once-successful producer who has spoiled her with expensive jewelry.
Lewis promises to marry her after she divorces her husband. Instead, though, she is murdered and her husband framed for the crime. Instead of Perry Mason, the publisher’s daughter, played by Barbara Fuller and a detective, played by Robert Rockwell, unmask the culprit.
The cast also includes Hillary Brooke, Paul Harvey, John Eldridge and Russell Hicks, all under the direction of George Blair, best remembered for directing more than two dozen episodes of the “Adventures of Superman” TV series.
“The Man Is Armed” (1956) completes the trifecta. It’s a revenge story starring Dane Clark as truck driver Johnny Morrison, who, framed for a crime he did not commit, serves a year in prison.
After his release, he confronts the man who framed him. Unfortunately for Morrison, the real culprit plunges off a roof to his death. Morrison later learns that it really was his old boss, played by William Tallman, who framed him and now sees an opportunity for blackmail.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 full-screen picture (“The Great Train Robbery” and “Unmasked) and 1.66:1 widescreen picture (“The Man Is Armed); English DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Supplemental materials include commentary tracks on all three movies — by film historian Gary Gerani on “The Great Train Robbery,” author-film historian Alan K. Rode on “Unmasked” and mystery- writer-filmmaker Max Allan Collins and Heath Holland, film historian and host of “Cereal at Midnight” podcast.
Identity: Limited Edition (4K Ultra HD)
Details: 2003, Arrow Films
Rated: R, graphic violence, language
The lowdown: James Mangold directed this horror-thriller that featured a strong ensemble cast including John Cusack, Ray Liotta, Rebecca DeMornay, Amanda Peet, Alfred Molina, John C. McGinley and Pruitt Taylor Vince in an Agatha Christie-style feature in which 10 people stranded at an out-of-the-way Nevada motel during a heavy rain storm are systematically killed one-by-one.
As the stranded guests are killed off, suspicion begins to shift from person to person.
The film’s finale is a bit of a surprise that divided audiences upon its release. In my 2003 review of “Identity” I wrote, “The more astute moviegoers may pick up where the film is heading more quickly than others, but ‘Identity’s’ payoff does not disappoint.”
The movie earned a 63 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
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 two archival commentaries, one with Mangold, the other with screenwriter Michael Cooney; new interviews with Vince and producer Cathy Konrad; an archival behind-the-scenes featurette; deleted scenes; storyboard comparisons; and a collectors’ booklet.
Till We Meet Again (Blu-ray)
Details: 1944, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Ray Milland and Barbara Britton star in this World War II sentimental drama directed by Frank Borzage.
Milland is John, an American pilot downed in France. Britton is Sister Clothilde, a novice at a convent orphanage.
The Resistance rescues John and takes him to the convent.
Clothilde is forced to help John escape when the woman who had arranged to pose as his wife was arrested by the Gestapo.
A non-romantic bond form between the married-with-children John and the sheltered Clothilde.
The film, which also deals with freedom, faith and family, and features a dark conclusion, costars Walter Slezak, Lucile Watson, Konstantin Shayne and Vladimir Sokoloff.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 full-screen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: The main extra is a commentary by film historian Imogen Sara Smith.
P.O. Box Tinto Brass (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)
Details: 1995, Cult Epics
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Italian director Tinto Brass is known as a cinematic master of erotica, with a talent of perfectly portraying the female body. And this gift has women sending him boxes of fan letters.
The movie is a collection of those letters, photos and videos of female sexual fantasies. It’s a comedy featuring Brass that contains sequences of exciting, sensational and sometimes even shocking material.
The set features the uncut release of the movie in its original Italian as well as the English dubbed version.
Technical aspects: 4K: 2160p ultra-high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; Italian and English (dubbed) 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: The main extra is a commentary track by Troy Howareth, Jeremy Richey, Nathaniel Thompson, Eugenio Ercolani and Heather Drain on both discs and a 20-page illustrated booklet with an essay by Ercolani., The Blu-ray disc also contains a 1995 interview with Brass.
Shogun’s Ninja: Limited Edition (Blu-ray)
Details: 1980, Arrow Video
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Hiroyuki Sanada showcased his physical talents as the lead in the madcap martial arts caper, enthusiastically directed by Norifuni Suzuki.
The great Sonny Chiba costars in this martial arts feature set during the Warring States period of Japanese history.
A lone man on a small boat approaches the shores of Japan. His name is Takamaru Momochi, heir to the Iga clan, returning after 10 years of hiding in China and wholly intent on finding the ruthless ninja Shiranui (Chiba), who betrayed and murdered his father.
But with Shiranui and his henchmen in control of the country, Takamaru must gather the scattered elements of his clan to train in the shadowy art of ninjutsu so they can mount a guerrilla resistance to defeat the corrupt Shiranui and restore the clan’s honor.
The movie is loaded with dynamic fight sequences and acrobatic stunts, devised by Chiba’s team of the Japan Action Club. The film is a frenzied blend of Japanese period drama, hyperviolent karate movie and action-comedy that is a memorable entry in Japanese martial arts cinema.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; Japanese and English (dubbed) 2.0 LPCM monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a commentary by Asian cinema expert Chris Poggiali, a new interview with Japanese cinema expert Clément Rauger and a booklet with new writing about the movie.
Maladonna and Malombra (Blu-ray)
Details: 1984, Kino Lorber-Raro
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This pair of erotic dramas from Italian director Bruno Gaburro star popular Eurosleaze actor Paola Senatore.
In “Maladonna” Senatore is Maria, a bored and rich member of the 19th-century bourgeoisie. She becomes involved with Alessio (Dan Stephens), who shows her other, more unusual ways of expressing love.
“Malombra” is a gothic and romantic mystery about Marco (Stefano Alessandrini), a young man who goes to stay with his strange uncle, whose wife, Carlotta (Senatore), died some time ago.
Marco soon witnesses strange sexual rituals by a red-headed woman who look like his dead aunt. Is Carlotta still alive or returned as a horny ghost?
You will have to watch to find the answer.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen pictures; Italian 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural (“Maladonna”) and Italian and English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: A commentary track on “Malombra” by Adrian Smith and Rod Barnett, film historians and hosts of “Wild, Wild Podcast” is the main bonus feature.
Cyclops: Collector’s Edition (Blu-ray)
Details: 1987, Visual Vengeance
Rated: Unrated
The lowdown: A Japanese V-Cinema splatter feature in which a secret team of scientists has crosse the boundary between medicine and madness by implanting embryos into human hosts in a series of gruesome experiments designed to create a new form of life.
But when their latest subjects kills herself before giving birth, the operation spirals into desperation. Accompanied by a malformed cyclops mutant as muscle, the researchers travel to the city seeking a new victim — dragging an unsuspecting young woman into a nightmare of medical horror that degenerates into a fury of deformed flesh, slimy transformations and mutant showdowns.
“Cyclops,” transferred from 16mm film elements, may gross out some people, but fans of such Japanese body-horror may enjoy it. With a running time of less than an hour, the movie was a direct-to-video unhinged and bloody feature with a chaotic finale filled with grotesque effects and plenty of gore.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.33:1 full-screen picture; Japanese audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: A commentary by Justin Decloux of The Important Cinema Club and Patrick Macias author of “Tokyoscope: The Japanese Cult Film Companion”; a new interview with “Cyclops” director Joji “George” Ida; a video essay about the films of Ida; a video essay about the mid-1980s Japanese direct-to-video market; a Koji Yamamura sketch gallery; a folded mini-poster; a 16-page liner-notes booklet and an eight-page liner-notes booklet comprise the extras.
Other titles being released in the upcoming week include:
The Behemoth (DVD & digital) (Cleopatra Venom)
Carolina Caroline (Blu-ray & DVD & VOD) (Magnolia Pictures)
Duke Mitchell Collection: Massacre Mafia Style & Gone with the Pope (Blu-ray) (Grindhouse Releasing)
Mutant Genesis (DVD & digital) (Cleopatra Venom)
Your Name: Steelbook (4K Ultra HD) (GKids)
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, STREAMING or VOD
Above & Below (Aura Entertainment)
The Dollmaker (Cinephobia Releasing)
Esta Isla (Tribeca Films)
Gerhard Richter Painting (Kino Film Collection)
Over/Under (Bulldog Film Distribution)
Reading Lolita in Tehran (Greenwich Entertainment)
The Snare (Obscured Pictures)
The Unmaking of a College (Kino Film Collection)
AUG. 26
A Shop for Killers: Season 2, Episode 7 (Hulu)
The Last Sunrise (Prime Video)
Ted Lasso: Season 4, Episode 4 (Apple TV)
Trying: Episode 8 (Apple TV)
AUG. 27
Olmo (Greenwich Entertainment)
AUG. 28
Dark Matter: Season 2, Episode 1 (Apple TV)
Elementary (Film Movement+)
Julie Keeps Quiet (Film Movement+)
Penny Lane Is Dead (Shudder)
Silo: Season 3, Episode 9 (Apple TV)
Threshold (Peacock)
Watcher in the Attic (Film Movement+)
AUG. 31
Furious: Episode 8 (Hulu)
Futurama: Season 14, Episode 6 (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.