New to View: Jan. 2
A very slow week, but the sole title is one of the best movies of 2023. Check it out in my New to View at ReelBob.
The Holdovers: Collector’s Edition (Blu-ray + DVD + digital)
Details: 2023, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: R, language, drug use, sexual material
The lowdown: Paul Giamatti gives a stellar performance as a curmudgeonly teacher at a New England prep school who is forced to remain on campus during Christmas break to watch over the few students with nowhere to go.
He eventually forms a bond with one of them, a very smart troublemaker, damaged by family issues, and magnificently played by newcomer Dominic Sessa.
The movie, set in the late 1970s, also features Da’Vine Joy Randolph as the school’s head cook, who recently lost a son in Vietnam.
Director Alexander Payne received kudos for his work, mixing some comedy with moral and relationship issues.
The movie garnered a 96 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 1.66:1 widescreen picture; English 3.0 LCR DTS-HD Master Audio, English 2.0 DVS and French and Spanish 3.0 LCR DTS digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles; DVD: 1.66:1 anamorphic widescreen picture; English, French and Spanish 3.0 LCR Dolby digital and English 2.0 DVS; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus features include deleted scenes, a making of featurette, a look at working with Payne, an alternate ending, a “Road Back to Barton” featurette, a look at the cast and a featurette on ancient history.
Other titles being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated:
The Marsh King’s Daughter (Blu-ray + DVD + digital) (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, STREAMING or VOD
Norwegian Dream (Uncork’d Entertainment)
JAN. 5
For All Mankind: Season 4, Episode 9 (Apple TV+)
Man on the Run (Netflix)
Mayhem! (IFC Films)
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters: Episode 9 (Apple TV+)
Roadkill (Uncork’d Entertainment)
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