New to View: Oct. 13
By Bob Bloom
The following titles are being released on Tuesday, Oct. 13, unless otherwise noted:
Finding Emily (Blu-ray)
Details: 2026, Universal Pictures-Allied Vaughn
Rated: PG-13, sexual references, language, drug reference, crude material
The lowdown: An enchanting and sincere romantic comedy that uses wit to satirize modern social mores as Owen (Spike Fearn), a lovesick musician, is given the wrong number for his dream girl. Picking up the phone is Emily (Angourie Rice), a struggling psychology student, who teams up with Owen to help him find the girl of his dreams.
Together, they ignite a chaotic campus-wide frenzy.
The movie is somewhat predictable, but its earnest nature and avoidance of cynicism allows for a pleasurable viewing experience.
The cast also features Mini Driver, Sadie Soverall and Phil Wang, all under the direction of Alicia MacDonald.
The Blu-ray can be ordered at www.moviezyng.com or other online sellers.
The movie earned a 90 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, 2.0 DVS and Spanish 5.1 DTS digital surround; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus options include deleted scenes.
Kim Novak’s Vertigo (DVD)
Details: 2025, Kino Lorber
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Kim Novak was a much sought-after star in the 1950s and ’60s appearing in such movies as “Picnic,” “Pal Joey,” “Bell, Book and Candle” and, most famously, Alfred Hitchcock’s “Vertigo.”
At what seemed the peak of her career, Novak abandoned Hollywood and embraced a life of solitude, self-expression and authenticity.
Novak was an individualist who defied the expectations of the studio system and celebrity. She chose individuality over image and conformity.
This documentary is an intimate portrait of Novak by filmmaker Alexandre O. Phillippe that blends rare archival footage with personal reflections and candid glimpses into her reclusive life along Oregon’s Rogue River.
If the documentary has one flaw, it’s concentrating too much on her role in “Vertigo.” Otherwise, the movie is a very interesting look at a star who forged her own path.
The film earned an 88 percent fresh rating on 25 reviews at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 1.85:1 (16:9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby digital; English SDH subtitles.
Little Shop of Horrors (4K Ultra HD + digital)
Release date: Oct. 6
Details: 1986, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment
Rated: PG-13, mature thematic elements, including comic horror violence; substance abuse; language; sexual references
The lowdown: Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene, Vincent Gardinia and Steve Martin star in this Frank Oz-directed adaptation of the Alan Menken-Howard Ashman musical, which in turn, was based on the low-budget 1960 black comedy, “The Little Shop of Horrors,” which was produced and directed by Roger Corman.
Moranis plays meek flower shop assistant Seymour who is in love with his co-worker, Audrey (Greene).
During a total eclipse, Seymour discovers a very strange plant, which he names Audrey II. The planet, which is extraterrestrial, feeds on human flesh and blood and begins to rapidly grow.
Audrey II attracts a good deal of business for the flower shop, which had previously struggled.
But Audrey II’s insatiable appetite for people and blood cause Seymour to eventually destroy it.
The movie, which earned a 91 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes, also features guest appearances by Christopher Guest, Jim Belushi, John Candy and Bill Murray.
The 4K UHD features the 94-minute theatrical and the more downbeat 103-minute director’s cut of the movie.
Technical aspects: 2160p ultra-high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English Dolby Atmos-TrueHD and, on the theatrical version English DTS-HD Master Audio and French and Spanish 2.0 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Supplemental options include a commentary on the theatrical version with Oz; four featurettes, including To Feed or Not to Feed: For the Love of Little Shop and Man Green Mother — Creating Audrey II; outtakes and deleted scenes; and director’s cut ending with commentary by Oz.
Moana (Blu-ray + DVD + digital)
Release date: Oct. 6
Details: 2026, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
Rated: PG, action peril, some scary images, rude humor, brief thematic elements
The lowdown: Disney continues its habit of churning out live-action adaptations of its animated features with mixed results.
“Moana” is another example of such a reworking falling short.
The story is basically the same — even some of the camera work imitates the animated version.
The movie settles for simply rehashing the story, not adding anything to bolster it.
Even Dwayne Johnson, whose vocal performance in the original was infectious, seems muted here.
Catherine Laga’ala as Moana has a lovely voice, but she, too, is thwarted by the lack of magical exuberance created in the original.
The movie is impressive visually, but not enough to carry the movie.
The best comparison — the 2016 animated feature garnered an impressive 96 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes, the soulless remake earned a disappointing 33 percent fresh rating.
Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 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; DVD: 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital and English 2.0 descriptive audio; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a sing-along with the movie; a go-directly song selection option; a nine-part making of featurette with cast and filmmakers’ interviews about various aspects of the movie, including about the casting of Laga’ala, reflections from other cast members, building the village of Motunui, and a look at the choreography, costumes and music, including a new song.
The Last Boy Scout: Limited Edition (4K Ultra HD)
Details: 1991, Arrow Video
Rated: R, violence, language
The lowdown: Bruce Willis and Damon Wayans star in this action feature written by Shane Black and directed by Tony Scott.
Willis portrays Joe Hallenbeck, a former Secret Service agent and burned-out private eye who seemingly hates the world and everyone in it. Wayans is Jimmy Dix, a former all-star quarterback thrown out of the game on gambling charges.
When Dix’s girlfriend, Cory (Halle Berry) is killed, despite hiring Hallenbeck to protect her, the men team up to find the killer. Instead, they become deeply involved in a mystery that will lead them down a rabbit hole involving politics, blackmail and sports gambling.
This buddy-formula flick mixes humor and violence. Unfortunately, current events have made “The Last Boy Scout” look like a relic of the past, with betting proliferating across the professional and collegiate sports landscape.
The movie earned a 50 percent fresh rating on 44 reviews at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 2160p ultra-high definition, 2.40:1 widescreen picture; English Dolby Atmos, 7.1 Dolby TrueHD, 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and LPCM monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a commentary track by film critics Josh Nelson and Martyn Pedler; an interview with Black; an interview with cast member Danielle Harris; an appreciation of Scott by film historian Stéphane Moïssakis; a 2025 interview with Black at the American Cinematheque; extended and alternate scenes; and a collector’s booklet.
Skyscraper Souls (Blu-ray)
Release date: Sept. 29
Details: 1932, Warner Archive Collection-Allied Vaughn
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A pre-Code MGM feature that takes a racy and scandalous look at the high-stakes world of corporate greed and illicit longing.
Warren William portrays David Dwight, a suave villain who is a silver-tongued financial scoundrel who rules Manhattan from the penthouse of his 100-story Art Deco skyscraper.
Dwight will use any means — fair or foul — to get what he wants, be it full ownership of the towering monument where he resides of the virtue of every woman who appears in his orbit.
During the day Dwight casually ruins investors, while, at night, juggling his sophisticated mistress, Sarah Dennis (Verree Teasdale) and trying to seduce an innocent new secretary, Lynn Harding (Maureen O’Sullivan).
“Skyscraper Souls,” directed by Edgar Selwyn, is a look at a world of penthouse seductions, corporate blackmail and unchecked decadence.
The cast also includes Gregory Ratoff, Norman Foster, Anita Page, Jean Hersholt, George Barbier and Wallace Ford.
The movie 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); English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include “Snow Birds,” an MGM short; a classic Warner Bros. cartoon, “Bosko and Bruno”; and a Warner Bros. short subject, “Rambling Round Radio Row #7.”
American Experience: Voice of Freedom (DVD)
Release date: Sept. 15
Details: 2021, PBS-Allied Vaughn
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This episode of the “American Experience” PBS series focuses on singer Marian Anderson whose talent and voice shattered barriers in the nation and around the world.
Her fame, though, was not enough to shield her from the indignities of racism, bigotry and segregation.
On Easter Sunday, 1939, she stepped up to a microphone in front of the Lincoln Memorial, having been barred by the Daughters of the American Revolution from performing before an integrated audience in Constitution Hall because of her race.
The documentary, narrated by Renée Elise Goldsberry (“Hamilton”), looks at Anderson’s life and career as well as exploring basic questions about talent, race, fame and democracy.
The DVD can be ordered at www.moviezyng.com or other online sellers.
Technical aspects: 1.78:1 (16:9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English Dolby digital stereo; English SDH subtitles.
The Cable Guy: 30th Anniversary Steelbook (4K Ultra HD + digital)
Release date: Oct. 6
Details: 1996, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: PG-13, dark thematic elements, crude humor
The lowdown: Jim Carrey takes a dark comedic turn as cable installer Chip Douglas who, raised on television sitcoms, insinuates himself into the life of customer Steven Kovacs (Matthew Broderick), seeing his chance for some real male bonding.
However, Chip’s idea of friendship — which includes physical assault, a game of Porno Password and a medieval joust — is becoming dangerous for Steven’s well-being.
And, as Chip tells Steven, “I can be your best friend … or your worst enemy.”
Ben Stiller directed the feature whose tone nearly borders on horror and divided audiences who considered it either hilarious or not much fun to watch. Stiller’s uncompromising approach was appreciated by a majority of people.
The cast also includes Jack Black, Leslie Mann, George Segal, Diane Baker, Eric Roberts, Janeane Garofalo, Owen Wilson, Andy Dick and Stiller.
“The Cable Guy” earned a 56 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 2160p ultra-high definition, 2.40:1 widescreen picture; English Dolby Atmos (7.1 Dolby TrueHD compatible), English, French and Spanish 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH, English, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Supplemental options include a Tribeca Film Festival 30th anniversary conversation with Stiller and Broderick; a commentary with Stiller, producer Judd Apatow and Carrey; a gag reel; deleted and extended scenes; an “HBO First Look: The Making of ‘The Cable Guy’ ”; rehearsal footage; a nightmare camera test; Mann’s audition; and a music video.
Burning (DVD)
Details: 2024, IndiePix Films
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This horror-thriller from Kyrgyzstan takes place in a quiet suburban village where a young couple is grieving the loss of their firstborn son.
In its aftermath, the mother wanders from door to door, pleading for help no one understands, then vanishes into the trees at the edge of the forest. Soon, her father arrives uninvited and unexplained. Then, one night, the house is burned to the ground.
What happened inside stays inside — except for what the neighbors think they saw. At the village shop, three witnesses trade fragments of the same night, each piece ferments into something darker than the last.
Some of the villagers believe it is a curse, other say it is grief turned monstrous. Along the way, each retelling shifts to a different member of the family. By the time the full picture emerges, the line between what actually happened and what the village needed to believe has dissolved entirely.
Between fact and folklore is the space no one can see as the real horror is waiting — patient and closer than anyone could imagine.
“Burning” is in the fractured-truth storytelling made famous by Akira Kurosawa’s “Rashomon.”
Technical aspects: 2.39:1 (16:9 enhanced) widescreen picture; Kyrgyz 2.0 Dolby digital; English subtitles.
This Old Man: Remastered Collector’s Edition (Blu-ray)
Details: 2025, Ruby Max Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: In the dead of winter a Drifter (Alf Lamers) treks through a silent forest fleeing the rubble of his past life.
He totes a knapsack filled with pans and cans that echo with every step, a sharp metallic rhythm echoing in the snowy void.
As the storm intensifies and daylight fades, he meets an impossibility — an Old Man (Mario Lucente) sitting on a rock half-buried in the snow.
The Old Man is wrapped in a heavy archaic World War II coat; he does not shiver, nor does any breath escape his lips in the freezing air. In his lap, he clutches a bundle of disturbing charcoal sketches — self-portraits showing his face transitioning from weary human to skeletal decay.
Without speaking, the Old Man rises and motions the Drifter to follow, leading him toward a rundown, vine-covered hotel hidden in the trees.
Inside this “frozen corpse of a building,” the old guide leads the Drifter into the lobby and suddenly vanishes near a dark corner. The Drifter, confused and freezing, notices a section of the wall that has been hastily hidden with rotting planks.
The Drifter, driven by a dark instinct, pries the wood loose, revealing a hidden, airless crawlspace.
Inside sits a rocking chair and slumped within it is a skeleton draped in the dust-covered, tattered remains of the World War II coat.
In the skeleton’s lap rests the bundle of drawings. The Drifter shines a light on them, realizing the truth — the Old Man had walled himself in years ago.
The sketches were his final diary — frantic, charcoal self-portraits drawn in the dark and documenting his starvation and death. On the final page is depicted a screaming skull. Thus ends this 23-minute chiller.
The set comes with soundtrack CD.
Technical aspects: 4:3 full-screen picture; English 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby digital; English subtitles.
Frankenhooker (4K Ultra HD)
Details: 1990, Synapse Films
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This horror-comedy twist on the Frankenstein story finds Jeffrey Franken (James Lorinz) mourning the death of his fiancée, Elizabeth (Patty Mullen), who was chopped to pieces by the blades of a remote-controlled lawnmower.
Franken decides to use his debatable medical knowledge to try and bring her back to life. He uses his home-made explosive, “Super Crack” to blow apart beautiful New York City prostitutes, thus resurrecting his beloved using their assorted body parts.
Unfortunately — and as in most Frankenstein-related tales — Elizabeth’s brain is scrambled. She runs amok on 42nd Street, turning tricks and bringing high-voltage death to her customers.
The movie combines graphic horror, outlandish comedy and an irreverent tone
This 4K UHD release features the uncut 85-minute version of “Frankenhooker,” which earned a modest 61 fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes on 18 reviews.
Technical aspects: 2160p ultra-high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus materials include a commentary by director Frank Henenlotter and make-up effects designer Gabe Bartalos, featurettes about Mullen, co-star Jennifer Delora, the make-up effects and Delora’s photo scrapbook.
The Inner Voice: Remastered Collector’s Edition (Blu-ray)
Details: 1995, Ruby Max Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A thriller centering on Johnny Penn (Walter Cox), who is driven by a lifelong obsession to become a movie director.
His chance comes via a charismatic, but low-budget producer, Leon Spickle (Brian Gromoff), who claims to have a deal with a major production company.
Despite warnings from his girlfriend, Veronica (Liese McDonald), and his friend, Rick (Lee Barringer) that Spickle can’t be trusted as well as his rumored history as a drug dealer, Penn, blinded by his own ambition, ignores their warnings.
Soon, Spickle claims that the financiers require immediate seed money to start shooting. Penn, facing a moral crossroads and the fear of losing his shot, ignores the advice of his childhood friend, Father Joe (Joe Barile), and secretly withdraws $20,000 from the saving account he shares with Veronica.
Penn convinces himself that the ends justify the means and begins filming his screenplay, “Fatal Suspicions” — a dark story about a childhood game of war that turns into a real-life cycle of revenge.
This edition also includes a soundtrack CD.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 4:3 full-screen picture; English 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby digital; English subtitles.
Models vs. Werewolves (Blu-ray)
Details: 2026, Full Moon Features-MVD Visual Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A quintet of sexy, self-centered influencers escape the city for a rural weekend away.
They soon discover, however, that they are not alone, as terrifying shape-shifting predators are prowling through the countryside and setting their sights on fresh, female flesh.
It seems the Airbnb the young women booked is right in hunting grounds of a pack of ancient werewolves who are awakened by a special full moon that occurs once every 500 years.
The 74-minute feature is a throwback-like horror movie with a wicked sense of humor and a decided lack of subtlety.
The cast features Bella Mraz, Rebecca Stoughton, Alexa Reddy, Sophie Swiszcz, Sarah Moliski and Hannah Hueston as the young women.
Also along for the ride is Dee Wallace, who appeared in “The Howling” and “E.T.: The Extraterrestrial.”
The special effects are decent with enough bloody gore to satisfy any horror-film buff.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby digital.
Don’t miss: A commentary track by director Danny Draven, a behind-the-scenes featurette, a screening introduction by producer Charles Band to the cast screening and an isolated music score comprise the extras.
Magick MTN. (DVD)
Details: 2026, Cleopatra Venom
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Ghoulish narrator Lord Mmorke takes the viewer through three fables all intersecting in a realm beyond the corporeal.
Rituals and retellings about a Deathrock squatter jailed by a sadistic psychiatrist, the evil regrets of a pair of criminal plumbers plunging further towards hell’s grips and the beer-soaked leather of the Sunset Strip and an architect’s ambition build upon the shaky bedrock of the Devil’s promise comprise the vignettes.
What begins as a tale ends in a spell cast upon unsuspecting characters and audiences alike.
The movie was written and directed by Hana Mae Lee and Hal Satin. The DVD features a cutting-room compilation with interludes and a peak behind the curtain of a live ritual.
Technical aspects: widescreen picture; English audio.
Don’t miss: The main extra is a commentary with filmmakers and cast members.
Other titles being released in the upcoming week include:
The Sky Has Fallen (Blu-ray & digital) (Unearthed Films)
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, STREAMING or VOD
Back to the Past (Well Go USA Entertainment)
Buddy (Saban Films)
Camp Night (Breaking Glass Pictures)
Deathgasm: Goremagedden (Raven Banner)
Desert Angel (Java Films)
Devour (Epic Pictures-Dread)
Don’t Move (Well Go USA Entertainment)
Following Harry (Blue Harbor Entertainment-Apple TV-Prime Video)
Let’s Have Kids! (Republic Pictures-Shinehouse)
OCT. 14
Brothers: Episode 5 (Apple TV)
Love of Your Life (Prime Video)
Slow Horses: Season 6, Episode 5 (Apple TV)
Small Prophets: Episode 2 (Apple TV)
VisionQuest: Episode 1 (Disney+)
OCT. 15
Crystal Lake: Episode 1 (Peacock)
OCT. 16
Dark Matter: Season 2, Episode 8 (Apple TV)
The Disciple (Netflix)
Elegies (Film Movement+)
Forever My Lady (Prime Video)
Hallowarrior (Shudder)
Katseye: Wild Heart (Disney+-Hulu)
Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars: Season 2, Episode 5 (Apple TV)
Norm: The Tale of Norm Macdonald (Netflix)
The Old Gun (Film Movement+)
Sacrifice (Netflix)
Tenzing (Apple TV)
Therapy Done Right (Netflix)
Wuthering Heights: House of the Damned (Saban Films)
OCT. 17 & 18
It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (Apple TV)
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.