By Bob Bloom The following titles are being released on Tuesday, Dec. 12, unless otherwise noted: The Trip to Spain (Blu-ray) Details: 2017, Shout! Factory Rated: Not rated The lowdown: Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon hit the road again for more culinary delights and comedic moments as they whet their appetites across Spain. The banter between Coogan and Brydon, including their celebrity impressions, is the major draw of this film and its two predecessors. They also get a bit more serious as they discuss adapting to middle age. The mixture of meals and mirth is delicious, making this a trip well worth taking. The majority of critics gobbled up this feature, giving it an 84 percent fresh rating at Rottentomato.com. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH and Spanish subtitles.
Home Again (Blu-ray + DVD + digital) Details: 2017, Universal Studios Home Entertainment Rated: PG-13, mature themes, sexual situations The lowdown: Reese Witherspoon stars as Alice, a recently separated mother of two, whose life is further upended when three young filmmakers move into her guest house. Alice begins a romance with one of the filmmakers, but complications ensue when her former husband returns home. This modern romance, produced by Nancy Meyers and written and directed by Hallie Meyers-Shyer, did not impress reviewers, who gave it a 31 percent fresh rating at Rottentomatoes.com. The supporting cast includes Michael Sheen, Lake Bell, Pico Alexander, Jon Rudnitsky and Candice Bergen. Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles; DVD: 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen picture; English and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles. Don’t miss: A commentary track with Meyers-Shyer and Meyers is the major extra.
Viceroy’s House Details: 2017, IFC Films Rated: Not rated The lowdown: For director Gurinder Chadha, the partition of India and Pakistan is personal. So, it is unfortunate that her passion project is compromised by a story saddled with a clichéd star-crossed love story that is unworthy of a political solution that ultimately cost about 1 million lives. “Viceroy’s House” follows Lord Mountbatten (Hugh Bonneville) who, in 1947, is dispatched by the British government with his wife, Edwina (Gillian Anderson) and daughter to India, where he will serve as that colony’s last viceroy as he oversees its transition to an independent nation. Mountbatten hopes for a peaceful transfer of power, but soon discovers that centuries of cultural and religious differences — many of which were purposely sowed by the British to secure their rule — has created a political climate that eventually will tear British India apart. Despite the distracting love story, the movie was greeted warmly by critics, who gave it a 71 percent fresh rating at Rottentomatoes.com. Technical aspects: 2.40:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH and Spanish subtitles. Don’t miss: The major extra is comprised of deleted scenes.
Election: Special Edition (Blu-ray) Details: 1999, The Criterion Collection Rated: R, language, sexual content, sex-related dialogue, drug use The lowdown: Reese Witherspoon plays perky, overachiever and super-ambitious Tracy Flick in this comedy, which costars Matthew Broderick as the high school teacher who can’t stand Tracy’s bubbly and perky personality. Things come to a head when Tracy runs for student-body president and the life of Broderick’s Jim McAllister begins to fall apart. McAllister decides to cut Tracy down to size by backing a dark-horse candidate and sabotaging her campaign. Alexander Payne who co-wrote and directed this satire, wanted to show parallels to real-world political life and some of its absurdities. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles. Don’t miss: Bonus offerings include a 1999 commentary with Payne, a new interview with Witherspoon, a 1990 UCLA thesis film by Payne, a 2016 behind-the-scenes documentary with on-set footage and cast and crew interviews, an Omaha local-news report on the film’s production and an essay about the movie.
Heat and Dust (Blu-ray) Details: 1983, Cohen Film Collection Rated: R, language, sexual situations The lowdown: This lush Merchant-Ivory feature is set in India and was written by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. The film, directed by James Ivory, cross-cuts between two generations as Anne (Julie Christie) searches for answers about the long-ago affair between her Aunt Olivia (Greta Scacchi) and an Indian prince (Shashi Kapoor). The feature immerses the viewer, as well as Anne, in the beauty and mystery of India, and its culture. Anne’s search also helps her define her future. This highly acclaimed movie received nine BAFTA nominations, among other honors. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.66:1 picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and English SDH subtitles. Don’t miss: Extras include a Merchant-Ivory short film, a commentary track, interviews with Merchant, Ivory, Jhabvala and composer Richard Robbins, a look back at the film with Scacchi and Nickolas Grace, a new conversation between Ivory and writer-director Chris Terrio and a question-and-answer session with actor Madhur Jaffrey.
Zoo: Season Three Details: 2017, CBS DVD-Paramount Home Entertainment Rated: Not rated The lowdown: A four-disc set featuring all 13 episodes of this summer series inspired by the book by James Patterson. The episodes are set in 2027 when the world is at a tipping point. The human population continues to decrease because of a sterility problem, while a new threat, “the hybrids” have formed an army to obliterate mankind. The hybrids are lab-created creatures that the estranged team of scientists must cope with if they want to save the human race. So, they put aside their differences and reunite to stop the hybrids and their mysterious creator — who has ties to their past. While far-fetched, this sci-fi series is exciting to watch and contemplate. Technical aspects: 16:9 widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH subtitles. Don’t miss: A gag reel, deleted scenes, season three sneak peek and VFX reel comprise the bonus selections.
Fargo: Year 3 Release date: Dec. 5 Details: 2017, Fox Home Entertainment Rated: Not rated The lowdown: Ewan McGregor plays a dual role in the latest season of this popular TV miniseries. McGregor portrays Emmit Stussy, the “Parking Lot King of Minnesota,” and his younger brother, Ray, a disgruntled parole officer. The 10-episode series centers on the chaos and trouble that the sibling rivalry creates in a small Minnesota town. Fans of the series will enjoy these episodes as McGregor gives strong performances, supported by Mary Elizabeth Winstead, David Thewlis, Kirsten Dunst, Patrick Wilson, Ted Danson, Billy Bob Thornton, Colin Hanks and Jesse Plemons. Technical aspects: 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles. Don’t miss: Extras include several behind-the-scenes featurettes spotlighting the episodes, cast members, scene breakdowns and locations.
Dolores Claiborne (Blu-ray) Release date: Nov. 28 Details: 1995, Warner Archive Collection Rated: R, violence, language The lowdown: A spellbinding adaptation of the Stephen King novel about a Maine woman accused of murder and the estranged daughter who returns home to help sort things out. Kathy Bates stars as Dolores, with Jennifer Jason Leigh as her daughter. Playwright Tony Gilroy adapted the book, and the movie was superbly directed by Taylor Hackford. The strong supporting cast includes David Strathairn, Christopher Plummer, John C. Reilly, Eric Bogosian and Judy Parfitt. 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 dealers. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.40:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio surround; English SDH subtitles. Don’t miss: A commentary track by Hackford is the major bonus component.
Pulp (Blu-ray) Details: 1972, Arrow Video Rated: PG The lowdown: Michael Caine stars in this oddball gangster flick from director Mike Hodges about Mickey King (Caine), a successful pulp novelist, who is invited to ghost-write the autobiography of a mystery celebrity. His client turns out to be a former actor, played by Mickey Rooney, who was well-known for his gangster roles and ties to real-life mobsters. Rooney’s character is dying, and King finds his commission much more complicated than anticipated. This is a sharp feature with some great one-liners and a few sight gags. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.66:1 picture; English DTS-HD Master Audio stereo.
Architects of Denial Details: 2017, Omnibus Entertainment Rated: Not rated The lowdown: A documentary that uses first-person accounts of genocide as told by survivors who link the connection between historical denial of such events with present-day mass exterminations in various conflict zones around the world. The movie issues a warning that those who are not brought to justice and confronted about perpetrating such atrocities will simply be setting the state for more such holocausts in the future. The film’s message is that genocide denied is genocide continued. Technical aspects: 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital; English closed-captioned subtitles.
Strictly Dishonorable (DVD-R) Release date: Nov. 28 Details: 1931, 1951, Warner Archive Collection Rated: Not rated The lowdown: Preston Sturges made his name as a premier screenwriter-director with such hits as “Sullivan’s Travels,” “The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek,” “The Lady Eve” and “Hail the Conquering Hero.” But before he conquered Hollywood, Sturges mastered Broadway, with his comedy, “Strictly Dishonorable.” The play is a ribald — for its time — romance filled with double entendres and other suggestive features. It was first brought to the screen in 1931 starring Sidney Fox as Isabelle, the Southern belle who decides to spend the night at a New York speakeasy after a fight with her fiancé. There, she is befriended by opera singer Tino Caraffa (Paul Lukas) and retired Judge Dempsey (Lewis Stone.) The 1951 version, which stars Ezio Pinza of “South Pacific” fame, enlarge the story’s opera elements to take advantage of Pinza’s voice. Janet Leigh plays Isabelle as the story is altered from the original. The release is a made-on-demand DVD-R from the Warner Archive Collection and is available at www.wb.com/warnerarchive or other Internet dealers. Technical aspects: 1.37:1 (4x3) full-screen picture; English Dolby digital monaural.
Renegades of the West (DVD-R) Release date: Nov. 28 Details: 1932, Warner Archive Collection Rated: Not rated The lowdown: Tom Keene was RKO Pictures main B-Western star in the early 1930s. His movies usually were fast paced and action packed. In “Renegades of the West,” Keene plays Tom Bagby, a former convict, who recently joined a cattle-rustling gang led by Curly Bogard. When Tom develops a cough, Bogard sends him to Dr. Fawcett, where he meets the Betty, the doctor’s daughter. When Fawcett learns of Tom’s background, he forbids her to see him. But, as usual in the genre, Tom turns out to be an undercover agent seeking to link Bogard to the murder of Tom’s father. This film has more complications than most usual oaters, as Tom later adopts a young boy. Soon, Tom discovers the true killer, and eventually everything is sorted out. The release is a made-on-demand DVD-R from the Warner Archive Collection and can be ordered at www.wb.com/warnerarchive or other Internet dealers. Technical aspects: 1.37:1 (4x3) full-screen picture; English Dolby digital monaural.
Other titles being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated: Bad Lucky Goat (Film Movement) Fuller House: The Complete Second Season (Warner Home Video) K-Shop (DVD + digital) (Breaking Glass Pictures) Manolo: The Boy Who Made Shoes for Lizards (Music Box Films) Mysteries of China (4K UHD + Blu-ray + digital) (Shout! Factory) One of Us (Monarch Home Entertainment) The Rift: Dark Side of the Moon (Cleopatra Entertainment) Whisky Galore (Blu-ray) (Arrow Films)
FOR KIDS Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Final Chapters (Nickelodeon-Paramount Home Entertainment)
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD and STREAMING Cutlass (Wild Eye Releasing) Dunkirk (Warner Home Video) Flatliners (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment) Judd Apatow: The Return (Netflix) The LEGO Ninjago Movie (Warner Home Video) School Life (Magnolia Home Entertainment) Hedgehogs (Lionsgate Home Entertainment, Dec. 15) Spent (Indie Rights, Dec. 15) The Accident (Acorn TV, Dec. 18) The Brokenwood Mysteries: Series 4, Episode 3 (Acorn TV, Dec. 18) Love, Lies & Records: Episode 5 (Acorn TV, Dec. 18) Morocco to Timbuktu: An Arabian Adventure (Acorn TV, Dec. 18) A Place to Call Home: Season 5, Episodes 9 & 10 (Acorn TV, Dec. 18)
Coming next week: Stronger Victoria and Abdul
I am a 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 Rottentomatoes: www.rottentomatoes.com.