New to View: Jan. 11

Michael Myers is back, again depopulating the town of Haddonfield. Check out "Halloween Kills" and other titles coming for home viewing.

The following titles are being released on Tuesday, Jan. 11, unless otherwise noted:
Halloween Kills: Extended Cut (Blu-ray + DVD + digital)
Details: 2021, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: R & not rated, bloody & graphic violence, language, drug use
The lowdown: Michael Myers is the slasher gift that keeps on giving. As long as box office receipts continue to be strong, it is a certainty that Myers will always rise from the supposed dead.
This sequel begins where the 2018 reboot of the series ended, at the burning home of Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis).
Strode, who escaped the house with her daughter, Karen (Judy Greer), and granddaughter, Allyson (Andi Matichak), is rushed to the hospital believing the masked murderer is dead.
But Myers, having escaped from the cage in which he was locked, begins a new killing rampage in Haddonfield. Strode, leaving the hospital, rallies the townspeople to unite and fight Myers. Among those joining the fray are some survivors of Myers’ first rampage, and they are determined to put an end to Myers once and for all.
Yep, sure. That is until the studio decides they need another sequel to add some coin to their coffers.
While the 2018 movie earned a respectable 79 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes, this sequel only received a 41 percent fresh rating.
This set features the theatrical and extended versions of the movie. The extended version adds four minutes to the proceedings and includes an alternate ending.
The video and audio quality of the transfers are solid. I did not notice any blips or noise coming from the screen.
Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English Dolby Atmos, 2.0 DVS, French 5.1 Dolby digital and Spanish 7.1 Dolby digital plus; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles; DVD: 2.39:1 anamorphic widescreen picture; English, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital and English 2.0 DVS; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus features include deleted scenes; a gag reel; featurettes on the returning characters and their past encounters with Michael Myers and the team that created the movie; a discussion about the three generations of Strode women; a look at shooting new footage that matched the feel and look of the 1978 original; a featurette about how the fear of Myers changed the psychology of Haddonfield residents; and a commentary track with Curtis, Greer and director David Gordon Green.

Ema (Blu-ray)
Details: 2019, Music Box Films
Rated: R, strong sexual content, nudity, language
The lowdown: Pablo Larrain (“Jackie,” “Spencer”) directed and cowrote the script to this Chilean drama that looks at that nation’s culture, artistic temperament and the social pressures that demand conformity.
Ema (Mariana Di Girolamo) and her husband, Gastón (Gael Garcia Bernal), are artistic free spirits in an experimental dance troupe. Their lives are upended when their adopted son, Polo, is involved in a shocking event.
The marriage crumbles after their decision to abandon Polo. Ema, a reggaeton dancer, begins a journey of liberation and self-discovery, dancing her way into a daring and provocative new life.
The movie is a sensuous look at the individualism that drives an artist. Critics heaped praise on Di Girolamo’s performance and the movie as a whole, awarding it an 88 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; Spanish 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus options include select-scene commentary with choreographer José Vidal and a collector’s book featuring an interview with Larrain and an essay about the movie.

The Great Escape (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray {special features})
Details: 1963, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: At Ohio University in the late 1960s, a program called MIA (Movies in the Auditorium) was available every semester on Friday and Saturday nights.
I must admit that during my four years at OU, I saw “The Great Escape” at least six or seven times. So, yes, I have a soft spot for this movie.
And I cannot total the countless times I have watched it since on either DVD or Blu-ray copies or on television.
So seeing it again in 4K Ultra high definition was a pleasure.
The story is very well known. A group of Allied POWs, the vast majority of whom are clever escape artists, are gathered by the Germans and placed in a new maximum-security camp, Stalag Luft III, that is designed to hold them.
Fat chance, since now the most elite and wily escape team are now together.
The movie’s all-star cast includes Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough, Charles Bronson, James Coburn, Donald Pleasance, James Donald, David McCallum, Gordon Jackson and Nigel Stock.
With a memorable score by Elmer Bernstein, a taut screenplay by James Clavell and W.R. Burnett, based on the book by Paul Brickhill, and sturdy direction by John Sturges, “The Great Escape” is a keeper.
The classic wartime drama, which garnered a 94 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes, provides a vivid, sharp and clear new 4K UHD upgrade that complements the screening experience.
The extras are included on a Blu-ray disc.
Technical aspects: 2160p 4K Ultra high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus options include two commentary tracks, including one with Sturges, Coburn, Garner, Pleasance, McCallum and several crew members; a making of featurette; a series of behind-the-scenes featurettes; a look at the real person who was the inspiration for McQueen’s Virgil Hilts; a documentary on the real escape attempt; and additional interviews.

Gambit (Blu-ray)
Details: 1966, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Michael Caine and Shirley MacLaine team up for this comedy caper about Harry (Caine), an English cat burglar, who enlists the help of Nicole (MacLaine), a Eurasian dancer, to help him in an elaborate plan to steal an antique artifact from the heavily secured palace of a Middle Eastern tycoon (Herbert Lom).
The movie offers some twists at the outset, that sets the tone for the rest of the movie.
Unfortunately, Harry’s perfect-timing scheme begins to backfire almost from the outset, so he and Nicole must do whatever they can to stay a step ahead of the tycoon.
The movie was directed by Ronald Neame (“The Poseidon Adventure.” “Hopscotch”) and features a strong score by Maurice Jarre.
The Blu-ray’s audio and video transfers are solid, with no discernable blemishes noted.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Two commentary tracks, one of which is by Neame, are the main bonus features.

Double Walker (Blu-ray)
Details: 2021, Cranked Up Films-Kino Lorber
Rated: Not rated, violence
The lowdown: A supernatural thriller in which a young ghost (co-writer Sylvie Mix) haunts her old midwestern hometown trying to remember the horrific flashes of memories from her past.
One by one, she kills the men she believes were responsible for her death. Her plan is derailed, however, when she meets Jack (Jacob Rice), a kindly movie theater usher who accidentally comes between the ghost and her next victim.
Jack takes her in and offers her a glimpse of a normal life, but her yearning to avenge her murder continues to rage.
The movie, at a mere 71 minutes, is both complex and compelling, abetted by strong audio and visual transfers.
The movie garnered an 80 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.

The Card Player (Blu-ray)
Details: 2004, Scorpion Releasing
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Italian director Dario Argento’s thriller centers on a serial killer who taunts police with online video poker.
The price of the police losing a round is the life of a kidnapped girl, who is mutilated live on webcam.
An Italian detective and an Irish forensic expert join forces to catch the killer as quickly as possible and keep him from murdering another victim.
The movie is slow at times as Argento cannot fully integrate the digital aspects of the movie with the urgency of cinema.
The video and audio transfers are solid, no major flaws were concerning.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English and Italian DTS-HD Master Audio stereo; English subtitles.

Breaking In (Blu-ray)
Details: 1989, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: R, language
The lowdown: Burt Reynolds stars as Ernie, a veteran burglar ready to call it quits. On what will be his last job, the good-natured Ernie finds a young intruder, Mike (Casey Siemaszko), also on the premises.
Ernie recognizes some dormant talent in the directionless Mike and decides to take him under his wing, teaching him the ins and outs of the trade.
Together, they begin a series of profitable break-ins.
Ernie knows that there’s more to being a successful thief than just burglary. Ernie explains to Mike the need to invest and keep a low profile, as well.
But Mike ignores Ernie’s advice when he falls for a money-hungry woman and goes on a spending spree.
Too late, Mike learns that some lessons come with time — and serving time.
The movie was written by John Sayles (“Eight Men Out”) and directed by Bill Forsyth (“Local Hero”). The comedy earned a 90 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: A commentary track with Forsyth, Sayles and film historian-filmmaker Daniel Kremer is the major extra.

Maria’s Lovers (Blu-ray)
Details: 1984, Code Red-Kino Lorber
Rated: R, sexual situations, language
The lowdown: This erotic love story-drama is set just after World War II.
It involves childhood sweethearts Ivan (John Savage) and Maria (Nastassja Kinski) who marry shortly after Ivan returns from the war. Maria is overjoyed and looks forward to a long life of happiness with her love.
But Ivan’s wartime trauma creates problems on their wedding night and soon begins to create a wedge in their relationship.
The confused and sad Maria does what she can to help heal Ivan and rekindle his passion.
All the while, she is being courted by other suitors, whom she rejects.
But Clarence (Keith Carradine), a traveling musician, finally strikes the right notes with Maria. As her craving grows, she must fight temptation and maintain the bonds and sanctity of marriage.
The question is, can she?
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include interviews with Savage and co-star Vincent Spano.

The 7th Dawn (Blu-ray)
Details: 1964, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: William Holden stars in this drama set in Malaysia at the end of World War II. Holden’s Ferris was an American guerrilla fighter during the war, but now, with Dhana (Capucine) is the owner of a rich jungle plantation.
Trouble arises when Ferris’ former war buddy, Ng (Tetsuro Tamba, “You Only Live Twice”), returns from Moscow to lead an insurrection against the British and make Malaysia a Communist regime.
When Ferris is unsuccessful in convincing Ng to stop, the government links him to the uprising and arrests Dhana for treason. Ferris is caught in the middle and must choose between protecting his onetime comrade-in-arms or freeing his lover.
The movie, directed by Lewis Gilbert (“The Spy Who Loved Me,” “Moonraker,” “Educating Rita”) has not dated too well. It does offer a strong supporting cast, including Susannah York, Michael Goodliffe and Allan Cuthbertson.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English SDH subtitles.

The Pink Jungle (Blu-ray)
Details: 1968, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A comedy-adventure set in the jungles of South America involving a fashion photographer, his beautiful model and a treasure hunter. Oh, a supposedly a diamond mine is somewhere in the jungle.
Photographer Ben Morris (James Garner) and his model, Alison (Eva Renzi), are shooting an ad campaign in the jungle. Why Central Park wouldn’t do is never explained.
Things are going fine until Morris’ helicopter is stolen by explorer Sammy Ryderbeit (George Kennedy). When Morris and Alison catch up with Ryderbeit, he tells them about the mine. And off they go.
Unfortunately, a disreputable Australian, Dennis McCune (Nigel Green) and a rival band of treasure hunters, led by Michael Ansara, also seek the diamonds.
The movie was directed by Delbert Mann, who has done much better movies, such as “Marty” and “Separate Tables.”
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English SDH subtitles.

Impasse (Blu-ray)
Details: 1969, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: R, sexual situations, nudity
The lowdown: Dozens of movies have been created around the idea of caches of gold or other valuable items buried by Nazi or Japanese troops during World War II in Europe, China, the Philippines or other exotic locations.
This potboiler stars Burt Reynolds as Pat Morrison who learns of a gold treasure, buried by a group of American soldiers in the Philippines during the war. Morrison recruits the veterans to lead him to the site so they can dig up the cache.
These men, of course, are not the most reliable, which leads to challenges, as does Morrison’s attraction to two women, played by Anne Francis and Miko Mayama.
The cast also includes Clarke Gordon, Lyle Bettiger, Rudolfo Acosta, Vic Diaz and Jeff Corey.
The film is no great shakes and will appeal mostly to fans of Reynolds.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English SDH subtitles.

Journey to Shiloh (Blu-ray)
Details: 1968, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This Civil War-era Western highlights a group of young actors, many of whom — most notably James Caan and Harrison Ford — who went on to bigger and better things.
The story centers on seven Texans who, at the onset of the War Between the States, decide to travel to Tennessee and join General Hood’s Confederate forces.
They call themselves the Concho County Comanches and begin their journey with idealism and high hopes. But along the way, they encounter prejudice, injustice and growing danger.
They end up at the bloody Battle of Shiloh, where their courage is tested beyond their wildest dreams.
Besides Caan and Ford, the Comanches are portrayed by Michael Sarrazin, former child star Paul Petersen (“The Donna Reed Show”), Don Stroud, Michael Burns and Jan-Michael Vincent.
The large cast also includes Brenda Scott, John Doucette, Noah Beery, Tisha Sterling, James Gammon, veteran Rex Ingram and Albert Popwell.
Made during the Vietnam War-era, “Journey to Shiloh” is an allegorical tale about the reality and horror of war.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: An interview with Stroud and a commentary track with film critic-author Simon Abrams are the major bonus components.

The Mafu Cage (Blu-ray)
Details: 1977, Scorpion Releasing
Rated: R, violence
The lowdown: This is a disturbing Gothic thriller starring Oscar-winner Lee Grant and Carol Kane as sisters living in a dilapidated Los Angeles mansion bequeathed to them by their anthropologist father.
Ellen (Grant), the older sister, is an astronomer, while Cissy (Kane) is a dysfunctional and psychology unbalanced individual who lives most of the time in the living room’s “Mafu Cage,” where their late father, an African primatologist, kept wild animals for study.
Ellen has no social life, spending most of her time caring and obsessing over Cissy.
Things change when Ellen’s coworker, David (James Olson), takes a romantic interest in her.
Eventually, Cissy meets David, locks him in the cage, kills him and buries him on the grounds. Ellen, of course, finds out and later locked in the cage by Cissy, who is having a nervous breakdown.
Events spiral downward from there in this disturbing feature, directed by Karen Arthur.
The movie costars Will Geer, as the women’s godfather.
The film was released under various titles, including “My Sister, My Love” and “Don’t Ring the Doorbell.”
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English audio; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include two commentary tracks, one with Arthur the other with cinematographer John Bailey and film editor Caro Littleton; interviews with composer Roger Kellaway, Kane, Grant, Arthur, Bailey and Littleton; and an extensive stills gallery.

Laughing Heirs (Blu-ray)
Details: 1933, Kino Classics
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: The delights of Germany’s vineyards enchanted American audiences who had grown tired of Prohibition.
The movie is about a charming young bachelor who stands to inherit the vineyards of Brockelmann champagne. But the major condition of that bequest is that he abstain from alcohol for a month.
The movie is a pleasing and enjoyable tribute to German wine, released before darker days overtook the country as the Nazis came to power.
This breezy comedy was directed by Max Ophüls.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.33:1 full-screen picture; German audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: A commentary track by film historian Anthony Slide is the major extra.

The Man with the Answers (DVD)
Details: 2020, Artsploitation Films-Kino Lorber
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A charming romantic film about Victor, a 20-something former diving champion who is working in a furniture factory and taking care of his sick grandmother in a seaside town in Greece.
After her death, Victor decides to drive to Germany and visit his estranged mother.
On the ferry to Italy, Victor meets Matthias, a young German, who is very talkative and inquisitive. He, too, is going to Germany. Matthias persuades Victor to take him along.
As in many, many movies of this sort, the personalities of the two men clash — Victor is more repressed than the free-spirited Matthias. As they travel together, they find common emotional ground.
The movie is a tender and unpretentious love story that will warm your heart.
Technical aspects: 1.85:1 (16x9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English, Greek, German and Italian 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby digital; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: A short film by the movie’s director Stelios Kammitsis is the main extra.

“The Corinth Films Historical Drama Collection” (DVD)
Details: 2009-16, Corinth Films
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A five-film collection featuring movies based on true events.
The set contains:
“Within the Whirlwind” (2009), about a Russian literature professor arrested on false charges and sentenced to 10 years in a Siberian gulag during Stalin’s reign of terror. There she meets and falls in love with the camp doctor, also a political prisoner. The relationship reignites her will to live and survive. The movie stars Emily Watson.
“Haberman” (2010) tells the story of a wealthy German mill owner in the Sudetenland who wants nothing to do with the Nazis or their ideology. His town is occupied by Nazis in 1938 and, as the war begins and drags on, the local Nazi commanding officer takes advantage of Haberman’s workers to exploit the owner
“Remembrance” (2010) is a love story set in 1944 in the most horrific place — a Nazi concentration camp in Poland. There, Tomasz rescues Hannah, his Jewish fiancée, whom he met in Auschwitz. He smuggles her out of the camp, but, as the Nazis pursue them, they are separated, as Tomasz rejoins the resistance.
“Calm at Sea” (2011) is the story of Guy Möquet, a 17-year-old and one of 100 French political prisoners ordered by Hitler to be shot after two German officers are assassinated in broad daylight in Nantes. The movie chronicles Möquet’s last days.
“The Chronicles of Melanie” (2016) tells of the brutal mass deportation of residents of Soviet-occupied Latvia in June 1941. At first, Melanie and her husband are torn apart at gunpoint. Melanie is then sent to a Siberian prison camp, where she spends the next 16 years before learning of her husband’s fate.
This is a set that will appeal to lovers of foreign films and historical events.
Technical aspects: Widescreen pictures; German, French, Polish Russian Dolby digital; English subtitles.

Other titles being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated:
Amityville Uprising (DVD & digital & VOD) (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)

DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, STREAMING or VOD
Algren (Apple TV+)
Breeder (Uncork’d Entertainment)
Diary of a Grizzly Man (Shout! Studios)
The Legend of La Llorona (Saban Films)
Old Strangers (Gravitas Ventures)
The Eternals (Marvel-Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, Jan. 12)
Cheer: Season 2 (www.netflix.com/cheer) (Netflix, Jan. 12)
Borrego (Saban Films, Jan. 14)
Sex Appeal (Hulu, Jan. 14)
Shattered (Lionsgate Home Entertainment, Jan. 14)
The Surprise Visit (Vertical Entertainment, Jan. 14)
The Tragedy of Macbeth (Apple TV+, Jan. 14)
The Whaler Boy (Film Movement, Jan. 14)
Why Is We Americans (Corinth Films, Jan. 14)

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.