By Bob Bloom The following Blu-rays and DVDs are being released on Tuesday, Dec. 29:
The Perfect Guy (Blu-ray + Ultraviolet) Details: 2015, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Rated: PG-13, violence, sexual situations, language, adult themes The lowdown: A successful young woman begins a relationship with a charming stranger after breaking up with her longtime boyfriend. The problem is, the man’s charm is a façade, and when the woman sees the real person, her life is put in jeopardy as he becomes angry and seeks revenge. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English and French 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English 5.1 Dolby digital audio descriptive track and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, English, French and Spanish subtitles. Don’t miss: A behind-the-scenes, making of featurette is the major bonus offering.
A Walk in the Woods (Blu-ray) Details: 2015, Broad Green Pictures Rated: R, language, sexual references The lowdown: Robert Redford and Nick Nolte star in this adaptation of Bill Bryson’s book about two old friends walking the Appalachian Trail. The film is a trifle; the conversations and interaction between Redford as Bryson and Nolte as his friend, Katz, is the appeal here. Also a plus is the scenery, with the forest greens looking sharp in the Blu-ray transfer. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.40:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and Spanish 5.1 DTS digital surround; English SDH and Spanish subtitles. Don’t miss: Featurettes include a look at the Appalachian Trail, interviews with cast members, a behind-the-scene peek at capturing the sounds of the film, a Redford “Call to Action” public service announcement, a look at exploring the Appalachian Trail, outtakes and tips on hiking the trail.
Hitman: Agent 47 (Blu-ray + Ultraviolet) Details: 2015, Fox Home Entertainment Rated: R, graphic violence, language The lowdown: A cartoonish action feature based on the video game franchise. Rupert Friend stars as a genetically engineered assassin with enhanced abilities who takes on a sinister organization that is planning on creating an army of killers using his DNA. In his quest to stop the group, he teams up with a young woman. He later discovers secrets about his origins and, of course, battles his deadliest enemy. Beside a lot of action, the film really has nothing much to offer. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English 5.1 Dolby digital audio descriptive track and French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles. Don’t miss: Extras include a hit counter, deleted scenes, a look at staging the film’s fights, a featurette on re-imagining “Hitman,” a digital comic book and a making of the comic book.
Ray Donovan: Season Three (Blu-ray) Details: 2015, Showtime Entertainment-CBS DVD-Paramount Home Entertainment Rated: Not rated The lowdown: Liev Schreiber returns as Hollywood’s top fixer in the third season of this Showtime series. The three-disc set features all 12 episodes as Donovan must extricate himself from a struggle between a billionaire, played by Ian McShane, and his headstrong daughter, portrayed by Katie Holmes. At the same time, Donovan is trying to rebuild his organization, while dealing with family issues, including his father, played by Jon Voight. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 16:9 picture; English 5.1 Dolby TrueHD and Spanish 2.0 Dolby digital stereo; English SDH subtitles.
Shameless: The Complete Fifth Season (Blu-ray + Ultraviolet) Details: 2015, Warner Home Video Rated: Not rated The lowdown: The Showtime series about the struggling Gallagher family returns, featuring all 12 fifth-season episodes set on Chicago’s South Side. The series stars William H. Macy and Emmy Rossum, who goes through various crises, including Fiona’s (Rossum) crush falling for her new boss, while dealing with a new husband. To complicate matters, an old boyfriend returns. Other issues facing the family and their friends are drugs, booze and changes in the neighborhood. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 (16x9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles. Don’t miss: Supplemental materials include unaired scenes, a commentary track on episode seven and two featurettes that look at season five.
Transporter Refueled (Blu-ray + Ultraviolet) Release date: Dec. 8 Details: 2015, Fox Home Entertainment Rated: PG-13, action violence, sexual content, mature themes, drug reference, language The lowdown: Ed Skrein takes over for Jason Statham as Frank Martin in the continuation of the franchise about the best driver money can buy. In this feature, a gang of thieves kidnap Martin’s father. Martin goes all out to rescue the old man. The film is filled with action and stunts that distract you from the weak script. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH and Spanish subtitles. Don’t miss: Extras include a featurette on the Martin character, a behind-the-scenes look at the female gang and one about the speed of the cars used in the film.
Heist (Blu-ray + Ultraviolet) Details: 2015, Lionsgate Home Entertainment Rated: R, violence, language, sexual content The lowdown: An action feature about two crooks who bungle an attempt to rob a casino owned by a infamous gangster, played by Robert De Niro. The crooks, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and David Bautista, flee on foot and hijack and bus, taking its passengers hostage. Not only the police, but also the gang lord’s deadly right-hand man, are in pursuit of the pair. However, things are not what they seem in this thriller caper. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.40:1 (16x9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH, English and Spanish subtitles. Don’t miss: Among the extras are deleted and extended scenes, a commentary track, a making of featurette and filmmaker and cast interviews.
Coming next week:
The Walk Sicario The Visit
Bob Bloom is a member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. He reviews movies, Blu-rays and DVDs for ReelBob (ReelBob.com), The Film Yap and other print and online publications. He can be reached by email at bobbloomjc@gmail.com. You also can follow Bloom on Twitter @ReelBobBloom and on Facebook. Movie reviews by Bloom also can be found at Rottentomatoes: www.rottentomatoes.com.