ReelBob's New to View: April 6
The first anime film in seven years from Studio Ghibli is among the latest releases for home viewing.
The following titles are being released on Tuesday, April 6, unless otherwise noted:
Earwig and the Witch (Blu-ray + DVD)
Details: 2020, Shout! Factory-GKids
Rated: PG, scary images, rude humor
The lowdown: This feature is the first animated release in four years from Japan’s renowned Studio Ghibli.
It centers on a young girl growing up in an orphanage in the British countryside.
Earwig does not know that her mother had magical powers. Her life is changed when a strange couple takes her in, forcing her to live with a selfish witch.
The determined girl sets out to uncover the secrets of her guardians. Along the way, she discovers a world of spells and potions as well as a puzzling song that could be the key to finding the family she always has dreamed about.
The movie was not as well received as previous Studio Ghibli releases, receiving only a 34 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English and Japanese 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and English DVS audio; English SDH and English subtitles; DVD: 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen picture; English and Japanese 5.1 Dolby digital and English DVS; English SDH and English subtitles.
Don’t miss: A look at the creation of the movie, interviews with the Japanese voice cast and feature-length storyboards are the major extras.
Songbird (Blu-ray + digital)
Release date: March 16
Details: 2020, Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Rated: PG-13, violence, bloody images, sexual situations, partial nudity, language
The lowdown: It’s rather cynical to exploit a pandemic as the focal point of a thriller, but that is exactly what the creators of this movie have done.
The premise of this picture rests on the United States being in the fourth year of a lockdown because of a devastating pandemic.
Infected Americans are taken from their homes and put in quarantine camps.
The focus of the story is Nico (KJ Apa), a courier who is immune to the deadly pathogen.
Nico finds love with Sara (Sofia Carson), though her lockdown keeps them apart.
When Sara is believed to have become infected, Nico scours the barren streets of Los Angeles searching for the one thing that can save her from the camps — or worse.
Because the current situation has caused so much death and grief across the country, the leaves a bad taste and won’t buck up anyone’s spirits.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and 2.0 Dolby digital DVS; English SDH and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus options include a look at the making of the movie, deleted scenes, a “Story of Songbird” featurette and a “Kingdom” promo video.
Death Has Blue Eyes (Blu-ray)
Details: 1976, Arrow Video
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Two lowlifes, a Greek gigolo and his American friend, take a job to protect a mysterious girl, Christina, and her mother, Geraldine, from a gang of killers.
When the gangsters kidnap the so-called bodyguards, they learn that Christina is not Geraldine’s daughter. They reveal that the older woman is an East German agent and medium and that Christina has potent telepathic powers, which Geraldine wants the younger woman to use the assassinate a Soviet diplomat.
At times the movie and its continuity are confusing.
The Blu-ray offers widescreen and full-screen versions of the film.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen and 1.33:1 full-screen pictures; English LPCM monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include interviews with director Nico Mastorakis and actor Maria Aliferi, tracks from the movie’s soundtrack and a booklet about the movie.
Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV (4K + Blu-ray + digital)
Release date: March 30
Details: 2016, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: PG-13, fantasy violence and action
The lowdown: This animated adaptation of the popular video game features the vocal talents of Aaron Paul (“Breaking Bad”) and two “Game of Thrones” alumni, Lena Headey and Sean Bean.
The fantasy adventure details how an elite force of soldiers, led by Nyx (Paul), fight to protect their magical kingdom of Lucis, protect their king, Regis (Bean), as well as guard the kingdom’s sacred Crystal.
The empire of Niflheim wants the crystal. As the overwhelming forces of the empire pressure his kingdom, Regis is faced with a very dire ultimatum; he must marry his son, Prince Noctis, to Princess Lunafreya of Tenebrae (Headey), a captive of the Niflheim, and surrender his lands to the empire’s rule.
Reluctantly, Regis agrees, but that will not stop the empire from achieving its ultimate prize — and only the elite Kingsglaive soldiers stand in their way.
If you are not familiar with the video game, the movie may not be of much interest to you as to those who play the game.
Technical aspects: 4K UHD: 2160 ultra high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English and French 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, English, French and Spanish subtitles; Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English and French 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, English, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a behind-the-scenes look at the vocal talent at work, a featurette on the building the movie’s world, a featurette on capturing the physical performances for the CGI-generated movie and a look at the scoring of the film.
Other titles being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated:
Dawn of the Beast (DVD & digital) (Uncork’d Entertainment)
The Grounds (DVD & digital) (Indican Pictures)
The Reckoning (Blu-ray & DVD) (RLJE Films)
The Slaughterhouse Killer (DVD & VOD) (Breaking Glass Pictures)
DIGITAL DOWNLOAL, STREAMING or VOD
Assault on VA-33 (Paramount Home Entertainment)
Embryo (Uncork’d Entertainment)
Khalid: Free Spirit (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)
The Pig Farm (Sundance Now)
Space Dogs: Tropical Adventure (Epic Pictures)
Bang: Season 2 (Sundance Now, April 8)
Playing for Keeps: Season 2, Episode 8 (Sundance Now, April 8)
The Power (Shudder, April 8)
City of Lies (Saban Films, April 9)
Thunder Force (www.netflix.com/thunderforce) (Netflix, April 9)
After the Storm (Sundance Now, April 12)
The Brokenwood Murders: Series 7, Episode 3 (Acorn TV, April 12)
Foreign Letters (Sundance Now, April 12)
Genesis (Sundance Now, April 12)
In Deep: Series 3 (Acorn TV, April 12)
Keeping Faith: Series 3, Episodes 1 & 2 (Acorn TV, April 12)
Coming next week: The Producers
Doctor X
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 Twitter @ReelBobBloom and on Facebook at ReelBob or the Indiana Film Journalists Association. My movie reviews also can be found at Rotten Tomatoes: www.rottentomatoes.com.
