By Bob Bloom The following titles are being released on Tuesday, Aug. 18, unless otherwise noted: “Gamera: The Complete Collection” (Blu-ray) Details: 1965-2006, Arrow Films Rated: Not rated The lowdown: Gamera first appeared in 1965 as a rival to Toho’s Godzilla. Like Godzilla, Gamera was awakened in the aftermath of an atomic bomb blast. However, Gamera, who resembles a giant turtle, can fly and shoot flames from his mouth. This eight-disc set features all 13 movies in the Gamera series, beginning with 1965’s “Gamera, the Giant Monster.” In the majority of movies, Gamera basically battles other monsters, while defending Earth and protecting humans, especially children. The movies are divided into two eras, the Shõwa period and the Heisei, which rebooted the franchise in 1995. The others titles in the set are: “Gamera vs. Barugon” (1966), “Gamera vs. Gyaos” (1967), “Gamera vs. Viras” (1968), “Gamera vs. Guiron” (1969), “Gamera vs. Jiger” (1970), “Gamera vs. Zigra” (1971), “Gamera: Super Monster” (1980), Gamera: The Guardian of the Universe (1995), “Gamera 2: Attack of the Legion” (1996), “Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris” (1999) and “Gamera the Brave” (2006). All the films contain the original Japanese audio as well as English dubbed tracks. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1, 2.35:1 and 2.39:1 widescreen pictures; Japanese and English monaural; English subtitles. Don’t miss: Extras include commentary tracks on all movies; “Gammera the Invincible,” which is the American version of the first film; various behind-the-scenes looks at the movies and interviews with filmmakers involved in the series; alternate English credits on several of the films; a documentary that looks at the complete series; a montage of special effects cuts; collector’s art cards and posters; and an 80-page book that offers a retrospective of the franchise.
The Comfort of Strangers: Special Edition (Blu-ray) Details: 1990, Criterion Collection Rated: R, sexual situations The lowdown: Rupert Everett and Natasha Richardson star as a young English couple in this erotic thriller adapted by Harold Pinter from a novel by Ian McEwan and directed by Paul Schrader. The couple, Colin and Mary, are working on their relationship while on holiday in Venice. They are befriended by another couple, played by Christopher Walken and Helen Mirren, who invite them to stay at their opulent villa. There, an unsettling seduction begins as Walken’s Robert and Mirren’s Caroline, draw Colin and Mary into a series of sexual and emotional games that soon transform into violence. This tense drama gets under your skin, and will most likely attract fans of Walken and Mirren. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.66:1 widescreen picture; English LPCM monaural; English SDH subtitles. Don’t miss: Extras include interviews with Schrader, Walken, cinematographer Dante Spinotti and film editor Bill Pankow as well as new edits of archival interviews with Richardson and McEwan and an essay about the film.
Blue Bloods: The Tenth Season (DVD) Details: 2019-20, CBS DVD-Paramount Home Entertainment Rated: Not rated The lowdown: This four-disc set features all 19 episodes of this popular CBS police-family drama featuring an ensemble cast headed by Tom Selleck, Donnie Wahlberg and Bridget Moynahan. Among the season’s story arcs are Jamie Reagan (Will Estes) and his new wife, Eddie (Vanessa Ray), learning to balance work and their professional lives; Moynahan’s Erin Reagan confronting the political realities of her new position; Selleck’s Frank Reagan dealing with problems at 1 Police Plaza and Wahlberg’s Danny Reagan and his partner, Maria Baez (Marisa Ramirez), uncovering and solving various crimes throughout New York City. However no matter what problems various Reagan family members face, they also are able to gather for their traditional Sunday dinner. Technical aspects: 16:9 full-screen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH subtitles. Don’t miss: Extras include a dinner with Reagans featurette, deleted scenes and a celebration of the series’ 200th episode.
Emperor (DVD) Details: 2020, Universal Studios Home Entertainment Rated: PG-13, violence, language, racial epithets, disturbing images The lowdown: This historical drama, inspired by true events, tells the story of Shields “Emperor” Green, a slave from South Carolina, who escaped, made his way North, joined up with abolitionist John Brown and took part in Brown’s failed raid on the federal armory at Harper’s Ferry in Virginia. Like many films in this genre, it is difficult to discern between fact and fiction. Dayo Okeniyi plays Green and James Cromwell portrays John Brown. The cast also includes Bruce Dern, Mykelti Williamson and Harry Lennix. Technical aspects: 2.39:1 anamorphic widescreen picture; English 5.1 and DVS Dolby digital; English SDH and Spanish subtitles.
Deathstroke: Knights & Dragons: The Movie (Blu-ray + DVD + digital) Details: 2020, Warner Home Entertainment Rated: R, bloody violence, language, sexual content, nudity The lowdown: The latest DC animated feature centers on devoted family man Slade Wilson, alias Deathstroke, a mercenary and masterful assassin. His two worlds collide when the terror group known as H.I.V.E. targets his loved ones and take his young son captive. To save him, Deathstroke must atone for past sins to gather the strength to save the boy and have the will for his upcoming battles. Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles; DVD: 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles. Don’t miss: Bonus options include a featurette on the character of Deathstroke.
Wake Island (Blu-ray) Details: 1942, Kino Lorber Studio Classics Rated: Not rated The lowdown: “Wake Island” is one of the earliest movies released by Hollywood after America’s entry into World War II. The movie recounts the valiant efforts of a Marine garrison to withstand and combat an overwhelming horde of Japanese air, land and sea forces who assault the island following the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. Eventually, the Japanese take the island, killing most of the Marines and civilian contractors in the process. The film features a strong cast headed by Brian Donlevy, Robert Preston, William Bendix, Albert Dekker, Macdonald Carey and Walter Abel. John Farrow directed from a script by W.R. Burnett and Frank Butler. The movie was nominated for four Academy Awards — best picture, director, Bendix for supporting actor and original screenplay. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 full-screen picture; English DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles. Don’t miss: The main extra is a commentary track by filmmaker-historian Steve Mitchell and “Combat Films: American Realism” author Steven Jay Rubin.
S.W.A.T.: Season Three (DVD) Details: 2019-20, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Rated: Not rated The lowdown: This five-disc set features all 15 third-season episodes of the action-packed police series starring Shemar Moore as Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson, who leads his team into life-threatening situations to protect and serve. The episodes intertwine professional and personal issues involving “Hondo” and the members of his unit as they take to the streets of Los Angeles to help rescue a kidnapped police officer, battle organized crime and go after a gang of high-tech thieves. Technical aspects: 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, English and French subtitles. Don’t miss: Deleted scenes and a blooper reel comprise the major extras.
Clara’s Heart (Blu-ray) Details: 1988, Warner Archive Collection Rated: PG-13, language, adult themes The lowdown: Whoopi Goldberg stars in this drama as a Jamaican woman who comes to America to work for a well-to-do family. Goldberg’s Clara and the family’s young son, David (Neil Patrick Harris), who is mourning the death of his baby sister and his parents’ separation, form a bond. Clara, who also recently lost a baby, feels David’s pain and loss and together they begin a healing process. The movie was directed by Robert Mulligan and adapted by Mark Medoff. The release is a made-on-demand Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection and can be found at www.wb.com/warnerarchive or other online sellers. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.
Soldier Blue (Blu-ray) Details: 1970, Kino Lorber Studio Classics Rated: R, graphic violence, rape, nudity The lowdown: This revisionist Western released at the height of anti-Vietnam War sentiment is considered an allegory aimed at the unpopular fighting in Southeast Asia. The movie, starring Candice Bergen, Peter Strauss and Donald Pleasance, is a fictional account of a real-life event in which a peaceful tribe of Native Americans were massacred by U.S. soldiers. “Soldier Blue” is a very disturbing and violent feature that deliberately evoked the My Lai massacre that was still fresh in the minds of many Americans. Early in the film a cavalry patrol is ambushed by Cheyennes, with Bergen’s Cresta and Strauss’ Honus the only survivors. That event sparks a retaliatory attack on a peaceful Cheyenne village in which the men, women and children are slaughtered. At the time of its release, “Soldier Blue” was labeled as one of the most violent features ever released. Technical aspects: 2.35:1 widescreen picture; English DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles. Don’t miss: A commentary track is the main bonus feature.
She Should’a Said No! / The Devil’s Sleep: Forbidden Fruit: The Golden Age of the Exploitation Picture: Volume 6 (Blu-ray) Details: 1949, Kino Lorber Classics Rated: Not rated The lowdown: These two movies came late in the exploitation film genre, which basically flourished in the 1930s and early 1940s. Actress Lila Leeds, who was arrested in a high-profile marijuana bust with then-rising star Robert Mitchum, stars in “She Should’a Said No!” as a party girl recruited by tough cop Lyle Talbot to help nab an evil dope-pusher, played by Alan Baxter, who was responsible for the death of her brother, played by David Holt. The film was also released as “Wild Weed” and “The Devil’s Weed.” It also features one of the earliest appearances of legendary character actor Jack Elam as well as Leo Gorcey’s younger brother, David, who also appeared in many of the Bowery Boys B-movies of the 1940s and ‘50s. “The Devil’s Sleep” features Charlie Chaplin’s former child bride Lita Grey in a story about a gangster using a gymnasium as a front to push pills to teenagers. Character actor Timothy Farrell makes his first appearance as gangster Umberto Scalli, a role he would repeat in two later exploitation features. Also making appearances are Robert Mitchum’s brother, John, and Mr. America George Eiferman. This double feature will probably appeal to fans of this subgenre of movies. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.33:1 full-screen picture; English audio. Don’t miss: The major extra is a commentary track on “She Should’a Said No!”
A Dog’s Courage (Blu-ray) Details: 2018, Well Go USA Entertainment Rated: Not rated The lowdown: This Korean animated feature centers on Jacob, a dog abandoned by his owners, who joins a pack of strays. They begin a journey that features several adventures and life lessons as they seek a new home where they will be loved. The animals find the perfect location — the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea. The film is an allegory about freedom and self-identity that the entire family can enjoy. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 (16:9 enhanced) widescreen picture; Korean and English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH and English subtitles.
Other titles being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated: The Barge People (Blu-ray & DVD & digital & VOD) (RLJE Films) Biography: Kenny Rogers (DVD) (Lionsgate Home Entertainment) Cannibal Corpse Killers (DVD & digital) (Indican Pictures) Clownface (DVD & digital) (Wild Eye Releasing) Cursed Films (Blu-ray & DVD) (RLJE Films) Escape to Dunkirk (DVD & digital & VOD) (Trinity Creative Partnership) Escape: Puzzle of Fear (DVD & digital) (Uncork’d Entertainment) Open 24 Hours (DVD & digital & VOD) (4Digital Media) Prevenge (Blu-ray & DVD & digital) (RLJE Films) The Terror: Infamy: The Complete Second Season (DVD) (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, STREAMING or VOD Bombardier Blood (Believe Limited) Pretending I’m Superman — The Tony Hawk Video Game Story (D’Amato Productions) Skin (Quiver Productions) The Suspect: Episode 1 (Sundance Now) The Bureau: Season 5, Episode 10 (Sundance Now, Aug. 20) The Secrets She Keeps: Episode 6 (Sundance Now, Aug. 20) Upright: Episodes 5 & 6 (Sundance Now, Aug. 20) Whitmer Thomas: The Golden One (HBO Home Entertainment, Aug. 20) American Street Kid (Kandoo Films, Aug. 21) Hoops (www.netflix.com/Hoops) (Netflix, Aug. 21) Tesla (IFC Films, Aug. 21) A Difficult Woman (Acorn TV, Aug. 24) Family Business: Series 1 (Acorn TV, Aug. 24) Jose (Sundance Now, Aug. 24) Vegas Baby (Sundance Now, Aug. 24) The Vicious Kind (Sundance Now, Aug. 24)
I am a founding member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. I review movies, 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. My movie reviews also can be found at Rotten Tomatoes: www.rottentomatoes.com.