By Bob Bloom The following titles are being released on Tuesday, Nov. 4, unless otherwise noted:
The Nun (Blu-ray + DVD + digital) Details: 2018, Warner Home Video Rated: R, terror, violence, disturbing and bloody images The lowdown: This prequel to “The Conjuring 2” is heavy on atmosphere, but also falls back on the usual tropes of jump-cut scares and other horror-film tricks used in many, many other genre pieces. The movie is set at a cloistered abbey in Romania, where a young nun takes her own life. A priest with a haunted history and a novitiate, on the threshold of her final vows, are sent by the Vatican to investigate. Once at the abbey, the uncover its unholy secret and confront the evil force in the form of a demonic nun. The nun, the same who scared audiences in “The Conjuring 2,” turns the abbey into a battleground between good and evil. The vast majority of critics were not impressed with “The Nun,” giving it a 27 percent fresh rating at Rottentomatoes.com. Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.40:1 (16x9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English 5.1 Dolby digital descriptive audio and French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles; DVD: 2.40:1 (16x9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital and English 5.1 Dolby digital descriptive audio; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles. Don’t miss: Bonus features include a featurette on the nun as a new horror icon, deleted scenes, a look at “The Conjuring” chronology and a “Gruesome Planet” featurette.
The Serpent’s Egg (Blu-ray) Details: 1977, Arrow Academy Rated: R, violence, language The lowdown: This was Ingmar Bergman’s second English-language production, and his first non-Swedish feature. The movie set in early-1920s Berlin, centers on two Jewish trapeze artists who are stranded in the city after the suicide of the woman’s husband. The woman, played by Liv Ullmann is a cabaret singer and her brother-in-law, who, with his brother performed a trapeze act, is played by David Carradine. After various misadventures, their characters end up working a medical clinic that is actually a site for Nazi-like “racial” experiments that either madden or kill their subjects. The movie portrays Berlin as a sinister hotbed of cruelty and anti-Semitism. Critics failed to embrace the movie, especially for its improbable-like story and the casting of Carradine. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.66:1 picture; English LPCM monaural. Don’t miss: Extras include a featurette about Bergman, an archival featurette with Ullmann and Carradine, a commentary track with Carradine and an archival piece with author Marc Gervais.
The Crown: The Complete Second Season (Blu-ray) Release date: Nov. 13 Details: 2017, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Rated: Not rated The lowdown: The second season of this highly acclaimed British TV series follows Queen Elizabeth (Claire Foy) from 1956 to 1964, which were troublesome times for the monarchy. Elizabeth’s sister, Margaret, was featured in the tabloids because of her various escapades, the government had to deal with the Suez Canal crisis and the resignation of Prime Minister Harold Macmillan under scandal as well as the impact of the assassination American president John F. Kennedy. Throughout, Elizabeth remained rooted to her duty to her nation, her family and, most importantly, herself. The set features all 10 second-season episodes. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.02:1 widescreen picture; English and French 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English 5.1 Dolby digital audio description; English SDH, English, French and Spanish subtitles. Don’t miss: Bonus components include a look at the various scandals of the era, a “Tea Time Trivia” featurette for every episode, royal rules of etiquette featurette and a look at the queen’s horses and hounds.
School Daze: 30th Anniversary Edition (Blu-ray + digital) Release date: Nov. 13 Details: 1988, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Rated: R, adult situations, language, nudity The lowdown: Spike Lee wrote, directed and costarred in this offbeat, often comedic, look at black college life. The movie, set at fictional Mission College, follows the romances and relationships as well as rituals and rivalries, during the college’s homecoming weekend. Questions about self-identity and self-esteem are examined in this musical comedy, that features lively songs and choreography. Lee used his own experiences as a student at Morehouse College. The movie stars Laurence Fishburne and Giancarlo Esposito. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French and Latin American Spanish DTS-HD Master Audio monaural and Castilian Spanish DTS-HD Master Audio stereo; English SDH, English, French and Spanish subtitles. Don’t miss: Extras include a 30th anniversary question-and-answer session with Lee and cast and crew members; a music video, two commentary tracks and three behind-the-scenes and making of featurettes.
Becoming Iconic: Jonathan Baker Details: 2018, Random Media Rated: Not rated The lowdown: First-time director Jonathan Baker picks the brains of such filmmakers as Jodie Foster, Warren Beatty, John Badham, Taylor Hackford and Adrian Lynne to get their views on the challenges and pitfalls of being a filmmaker. Actors such as Faye Dunaway and Nicolas Cage also are featured in the movie, which will serve as a helpful roadmap for potential directors. Technical aspects: Widescreen picture; English Dolby digital; English closed-captioned.
Other titles being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated: A Moment in the Reeds (DVD + VOD) (Wild Beast Productions) Bloody Ballet (High Octane Pictures) The Cabin (High Octane Pictures) Elizabeth Harvest (Scream Factory) Elves (DVD + VOD) (Uncork’d Entertainment) I Am Paul Walker (Virgil Films) Letters From Masanjia (DVD + VOD) (Gravitas Ventures-Parade Deck Films) Snowflake (Blu-ray & DVD & VOD) (Artsploitation Films) Till Death Do Us Part (Blu-ray + DVD + digital + VOD) (Gravitas Ventures) New Wave: Dare to Be Different (DVD + VOD) (MVD Visual, Dec. 7)
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, STREAMING or VOD The City of Gold (High Octane Pictures) Funny Tweets (Upstream Flix) Lucifernia (Artsploitation Films) Martyr (Breaking Glass Pictures) Pod Save America (HBO Home Entertainment) Prodigy (Uncork’d Entertainment) Smallfoot (Warner Home Video) Bernie the Dolphin (Lionsgate Home Entertainment, Dec. 7) The Brokenwood Mysteries: Series 5, Episode 2: The Bride Not to Be (Acorn TV, Dec. 10) Queen Elizabeth’s Battle for Church Music (Acorn TV, Dec. 10) Secret Daughter: Series 1 & 2 (Acorn TV, Dec. 10)
Coming next week: Smallfoot
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 Rottentomatoes: www.rottentomatoes.com.