New to View: Sept. 1

By Bob Bloom
The following titles are being released on Sept. 1 unless otherwise noted:
Once Upon a Time in the Cinema (DVD)
Details: 2026, Kino Lorber-Myriad Pictures
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: It’s 1984 and a small-town movie theater is the setting for this love letter to the magic of cinema.
This intimate movie follows the troubles of heater owner Earl Clancy (Colin Morgan) as he faces a series of disasters, any of which could put him out of business, as patrons flock to see Richard Gere in the remake of “Breathless.”
Clancy must deal with burst pipes and rats running wild in his cinema, but that is simply the backdrop of this tale about the communal experience of watching what is shown of the screen.
The intimate story, that features eccentric customers, malfunctions plaguing the establishment is anchored by Clancy’s determination to please his community and bring people together for a shared experience.
This charming feature will offer movie buffs a feeling of nostalgia for a time when theaters were a special part of daily or weekly life.
Technical aspects: 1.85:1 (16:9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby digital; English SDH subtitles.

Disclosure Day (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + digital)
Release date: Aug. 25
Details: 2026, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: PG-13, bloody images, action violence, strong language
The lowdown: Steven Spielberg always seems to have a benevolent attitude toward aliens; his feelings about humanity — especially government, shadow agencies or scientific officials — have grown darker as he ages.
“Disclosure Day” is a fast-paced combination of Spielberg’s optimism about the grace and empathy of unearthly visitors and his disdain for the extreme measures fearful government agencies will use to keep the rest of us from learning the truth — that we are not alone in the universe
“Disclosure Day” is part-chase, part-suspense thriller. The hunted in this case is Josh O’Connor’s Daniel Kellner, a former employee of the shadowy private cybersecurity company, WARDEX, tasked with keeping secret all the information collected over the last seven-plus decades about UFOs.
Meanwhile, in Kansas City, MO, local weather reporter Margaret Fairchild (Emily Blunt), is having problems of her own.
More importantly, she begins knowing things about Daniel and begins a journey to find — and connect — with him.
The movie is a sentimental journey that, at times, displays Spielberg’s uncanny ability to keep audiences involved, drawing them into his characters and story — whether or not you believe in UFOs and visitors from other planets.
For “Disclosure Day,” it’s not the outcome that matters as much as the process to grip us — and, perhaps, make us ponder the universe while being entertained.
“Disclosure Day” earned an 80 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 4K: 2160p ultra-high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English Dolby Atmos and French 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 and French and Spanish 7.1 Dolby digital plus: English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus options include a look at the making of the movie and a featurette on the collaboration between Spielberg and composer John Williams.

Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu (Blu-ray + digital)
Release date: Aug. 25
Details: 2026, Disney Home Entertainment-Buena Vista
Rated: PG-13, sci-fi violence and action
The lowdown: This entry into the “Star Wars” universe plays like a group of TV series episodes from the Disney+ show rather than a cohesive cinematic narrative.
Despite that drawback, the 133-minute adventure is loaded with action, humor, betrayal and excitement. And while it will please most fans of the “Star Wars” universe, it never reaches the magical level of its predecessors.
The story, set after the fall of the Empire, finds Imperial warlords scattered throughout the galaxy. The young New Republic works diligently to protect everything the Rebellion fought for.
Seeking help, they enlist the help of legendary Mandalorian bounty hunter Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and his young apprentice, Grogu, whose appeal help keep the movie lively.
The villains, on the other hand, are weak and lack depth.
The cast include Sigourney Weaver, Matthew Willig and Jonny Coyne as well as the vocal talents of Jeremy Allen White, Steve Blum, Shirley Henderson and Martin Scorsese.
The movie garnered a 60 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 and 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, 2.0 Dolby digital descriptive audio and French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus materials include a look at crafting the movie featuring the artists who bring the movie’s worlds, characters and creatures to life; a behind-the-scenes look at how director Jon Favreau and his crew constructed new worlds; a behind-the-scenes look at the construction of an entire “Star Wars” city; a look at how the holochess game tiny creatures were brought to life; and a commentary track with Favreau.

The Breadwinner (Blu-ray + digital)
Release date: Aug. 25
Details: 2026, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: PG, some mild suggestive references
The lowdown: Comedian Nate Bargatze stars as salesman Nate Wilcox in this comedy in which Wilcox’s wife, Katie (Mandy Moore), having invented a household invention that landed her on “Shark Tank” followed by a prolonged business trip, must figure out how to keep the house from falling apart and how to take care of their three daughters.
Bargatze, in his feature-film debut, co-wrote the script, which feels like an updated rehash of Michael Keaton’s “Mr. Mom.”
The jokes and storyline are predictable as we watch Wilcox try to adapt as a stay-at-home dad.
The family-oriented movie is bland and inoffensive with some laughs.
The supporting cast includes Colin Jost, Will Forte, Kumail Nanjani and, as the Wilcox daughters, Stella Grace Fitzgerald, Birdie Borria and Charlotte Ann Tucker.
Fans of Bargatze’s standup routines will most likely enjoy the movie.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English, French and Spanish 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and English and French 5.1 Dolby digital audio description tracks; English SDH, English, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Supplemental options include a making of featurette, a look at casting the movie; bloopers; deleted scenes, a commentary by director Eric Appel; line-o-ramas; and a “Standup on Set” extended short.

The Hot Spot (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)
Details: 1990, Radiance Films
Rated: R, language, sexual situations, nudity
The lowdown: Dennis Hopper directed this pulpy neo-noir drama that stars Don Johnson, Virginia Madsen and Jennifer Connelly in a story of blackmail, betrayal and greed.
Johnson portrays Harry, a drifter who comes to a small Texas town, talks his way into a job at a car dealership and soon becomes caught between two beautiful women — Dolly (Madsen), the boss’s scheming wife, and Gloria (Connelly), a naïve young accountant who is being blackmailed.
Harry soon decides to rob the local bank, but becomes snared in a deadly web of lust, greed and extortion with murder the only way out.
The supporting cast includes Charles Martin Smith, William Sadler, Jerry Hardin, Barry Corbin, Jack Nance and Leon Rippy.
At Rotten Tomatoes, the movie earned a 71 percent fresh rating on 28 reviews.
Technical aspects: 4K: 2160p ultra-high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles; Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a short interview with Hopper, interviews with Madsen and Sadler an interview about Hopper with Nick Dawson, editor of “Dennis Hopper: Interviews” a featurette about the source novel and its adaptation to screen and a booklet about the film and the erotic-thriller genre.

The Human Comedy (Blu-ray)
Release date: Aug. 25
Details: 1943, Warner Archive Collection-Allied Vaughn
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Mickey Rooney heads the cast in this heartwarming, wartime drama based on an original story by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright William Saroyan.
Rooney portrays high school student Homer McCauley who, with his father dead and his older brother, Marcus (Van Johnson), in the Army, works delivering telegrams throughout his small California home town.
World War II is raging so some of the telegrams he delivers informs families of sons killed in action.
The vast majority of the movie’s 117-minute running time deals with the lives of many of the people in the town as well as Homer’s younger brother, Ulysses (Jackie “Butch” Jenkins); his sister, Bess (Donna Reed); Willie Grogan (Frank Morgan), the veteran telegrapher; his boss, Tom Spangler (James Craig); and his mother, played by Fay Bainter.
Others in the cast include Marsha Hunt, Ray Collins, John Craven, Mary Nash, Darryl Hickman, Barry Nelson and, in non-credited roles, Robert Mitchum, Don DeFore and Carl “Alfalfa” Switzer.
The movie, directed by Clarence Brown, earned Rooney a best actor Academy Award nomination. “The Human Comedy” also was nominated for best picture, director, cinematography and won for best story.
“The Human Comedy” 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: Extras include a “Screen Guild Theater”-radio broadcast with Rooney and Morgan; a “Screen Director’s Playhouse” radio broadcast with Rooney and Brown; an MGM cartoon, “Blitz Wolf”; and an MGM short “Don’t You Believe It.”

Ten Women in Black (Blu-ray)
Details: 1961, Radiance Films
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: If a story of murder followed by a suicide can be considered a comedy, then this movie, directed by Kon Ichikawa, fits the bill.
Kaze Futaba (Fujiko Yamamoto), is a television executive with a wife and nine mistresses. They discover his faithless behavior, unite and plot to have him killed. Except one of the women really is in love with Futaba and wants him for herself.
Of course, things do not work out as planned and a surging series of misadventures ensue.
This black-and-white feature offers a group of Japan’s most beautiful stars who give disturbing and even frightening performances.
The executive learns of the plot and decides to fake his own death in front of the angry women.
Later, the women discover he still is alive and revive their original scheme to do away with him.
Some of the humor revolves around Futaba’s confusion and offense of the women’s reaction to his philandering. He cannot understand why they would want to kill him.
The movie has a perverse sense of humor that is infectious.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; Japanese LPCM monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Supplemental materials include a feature-length documentary about Ichikawa and a booklet.

The Wings of Eagles (Blu-ray)
Release date: Aug. 25
Details: 1957, Warner Archive Collection-Allied Vaughn
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara reunite again for this John Ford-directed feature about the life of Navy Commander Frank “Spig” Wead, a pioneer aviator and later a screenwriter, whose scripts included “Air Mail,” “Sea Devils,” “Destroyer” and “They Were Expendable.”
A crippling injury ended Wead’s naval career, so he took up writing. O’Hara plays his wife, Min, and Dan Dailey is featured as his friend and sidekick, “Jughead” Carson.
Ward Bond also appears as filmmaker John Dodge, a role modeled on Ford that gives the actor a fun outing to make fun of his frequent director.
The movie, as with most bio-pics, plays fast and loose with the facts, but it remains an enjoyable outing.
The Blu-ray can be found at www.moviezyng.com or other online retailers.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 (16:9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: The main extra is a U.S. Army short, “Drafty Isn’t It?”

Fatal Flying Guillotine: Collector’s Edition (Blu-ray)
Details: 1977, Visual Vengeance
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A reclusive master living in the forbidding Valley of No Return is driven to madness by his own obsessive training.
In this psychotic state he perfects a nightmarish weapon — the “Lightning Strike” — a savage and deadlier evolution of the flying guillotine with twin whirling blades, designed for maximum butchery.
Any intruder who dares to enter his domain faces instant decapitation with merciless efficiency.
But when a vengeance-driven warrior dares to enter the valley, seeking justice for his mother’s death, he must confront the master’s deadly invention and the head-chopping chaos it leaves in its wake.
If you like watching a mixture of martial arts and people losing their heads, than “Fatal Flying Guillotine” will probably be your cup of tea. The Blu-ray features
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; Chinese and English (dubbed) 2.0 Dolby digital; English SDH subtitles for English (dubbed) version.
Don’t miss: Extras include a commentary track by Justin Decloux of “The Important Cinema Club” podcast; a video essay on “The Brief History of Flying Guillotine Movies”; a video essay about martial arts choreographer Chan Siu-Pang; a 10 styles of Tamo demonstration by Chan Siu-Pang; an archival interview with actor Carter Wong; a “Dirty VHS” version of the movie; and a folded mini-poster.

The Magnificent Cuckold (Blu-ray)
Details: 1964, Radiance Films
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Claudia Cardinale and Ugo Tognazzi star in this Italian serio-comedy about a husband, Andrea Artusi (Tognazzi), who begins to have doubts about the faithfulness of his wife, Maria (Cardinale).
His doubts soon manifest themselves into obsession — probably because of his own infidelities — and he begins relentlessly stalking Maria.
Along the way, Artusi makes a complete fool of himself and his imagination soon takes control of his mind causing his irrational behavior.
Cardinale and Tognazzi enter into the spirit of the feature, which skewers the altering mores and prejudices of 1960s Italian society with wit and style.
Director Antonio Pietrangeli’s film brings Artusi’s fantasies to life in lavish dream sequences that highlight Cardinale’s charms.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; Italian LPCM monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus materials include an interview with Italian film expert Richard Dyer, a visual essay by Italian cinema professor Rémi Fourmier Lanzoni, alternate color sequences and a booklet.

Reanimator Academy (Blu-ray)
Release date: Aug. 25
Details: 1992, Visual Vengeance
Rated: Unrated, bloody images, violence
The lowdown: This straight-to-video release centers on Edgar Allen Lovecraft, a member of Delta Epsilon Delta fraternity, who spends most of his time locked in his room trying to cure death.
He eventually finds a serum that works on the severed head of a recently deceased comedian.
When a mafia gangster steals the serum to use on his murdered girlfriend, her reanimated corpse goes on a campus killing binge.
The movie, directed by Judith Priest (a pseudonym for Bret McCormick) and filled with corny puns and one-punch decapitations, is a comedy-horror with no-budget special effects. Smartly, it does not take itself seriously — and neither should you.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.33:1 full-screen picture; English audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include an interview and question-and-answer session with McCormick; a commentary by Sam Panico of “B&S About Movies” and Bill Van Ryn of “Drive-In Asylum”; a location tour featurette; an interview with cast member Tom Fegan and Fred the Head; a 2023 director’s alternate soundtrack cut; “Children of Dracula,” a 1994 movie by McCormick; an interview with McCormick about “Children of Dracula”; and a folded mini-poster.

Mutant Genesis (DVD)
Release date: Aug. 25
Details: 2024, Cleopatra Venom
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: In 2150, A.I. systems mutate, overthrow human authority and begin a purge designed to erase humanity from the planet.
The few remaining survivors must unite and fight back against relentless robotic killers deployed to complete the eradication.
“Mutant Genesis” comes from the same genre as the “Terminator” and “The Matrix” franchises — and those are the audiences it wishes to attract.
It is a decent enough sci-fi movie. It’s not groundbreaking, but it is not terrible.
Technical aspects: 2.39:1 (16:9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English (dubbed) and Chinese audio.
Don’t miss: A slide show is the main extra.

L.A. Guns — Live From the Guild Theatre (Blu-ray)
Release date: Sept. 4
Details: 2026, Cleopatra Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A concert film spotlighting this hard-rock band’s scorching performance, which celebrates the release of the group’s album, “Leopard Skin.”
The disc features a 17-song set that spotlights the energy and confidence that has made them one of the most defining acts from the Sunset Strip scene.
The film features such fan favorites as “Electric Gypsy,” “One More Reason” and “The Ballad of Jayne.”
New material also is included in the 83-minute concert.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 (16:9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 2.0 Dolby digital.

Other titles being released in the upcoming week include:
28 Days Later (4K Ultra HD + digital) (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)

DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, STREAMING or VOD
The Currents (Kino Film Collection)
Hunt for the Wilderpeople (Radial Entertainment)
Untold Raygun: Breaking Badly (Netflix)

SEPT. 2
A Shop for Killers: Season 2, Episode 8 (Hulu)
Ted Lasso: Season 4, Episode 5 (Apple TV)

SEPT. 3
Chad Powers: Season 2, Episodes 1-6 (Hulu)

SEPT. 4
A Woman Called Sada Abe (Omnibus Entertainment)
Burning (IndiePix Unlimited)
Dark Matter: Season 2, Episode 2 (Apple TV)
Heartless (Film Movement+)
Mayday (Apple TV)
Mr. Topaze (Film Movement+)
Parasomnia (Shudder)
Silo: Season 3, Episode 10 (Apple TV)

SEPT. 7
Ignition (GrimmVision)
The Spirit Lock (Seven Tales)

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.