By Bob Bloom The following titles are being released on Tuesday, July 21, unless otherwise noted: SCOOB! (Blu-ray + digital) Details: 2020, Warner Home Entertainment Rated: PG, action, language, rude suggestive humor The lowdown: After all these years of watching the adventures of Scooby-Doo and the gang of Mystery Inc., we finally get an origin story of one of the most famous friendships of all time — that of Scooby and Shaggy. This animated feature shows how Scooby and Shaggy met and joined Fred, Daphne and Velma as part of the crime-solving team. The plot of the movie has the gang trying to stop a plot to unleash the ghost dog, Cerebus, on the world and halt a possible “dogapoclypse.” Along the way, they discover that Scooby has a secret legacy and a destiny greater than anyone had imagined. The film features the vocal talents of Will Forte, Mark Wahlberg, Jason Isaacs, Gina Rodriguez, Zac Efron, Amanda Seyfried, Ken Jeong, Tracy Morgan and Simon Cowell. The movie divided critics who gave it a 49 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2,40:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English descriptive audio and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles. Don’t miss: Bonus features include deleted scenes, including an alternate opening; bloopers; a look at new friends and new villains; a tutorial on how to draw Scooby-Doo; and a “Puppies!!” featurette.
Castle Rock: The Complete Second Season (Blu-ray + digital) Details: 2019, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Rated: Not rated The lowdown: Season two of this series from Stephen King and J.J. Abrams features budding psychopath Annie Wilkes, author Paul Sheldon’s “greatest fan” from “Misery.” Wilkes finds herself in the odd and insular town of Castle Rock as violence erupts between the Merrills and a rival clan. At the same time, the town is preparing to celebrate its 400th anniversary. The season’s 10 episodes includes a storyline traveling back in time to see what Castle Rock’s earliest settlers were doing — and it was not good. The series combines mythological themes with iconic characters familiar to King fans. How one small part of Maine can contain so much evil is because of King’s talented writing. These episodes, which air on Hulu, are suspenseful and frightening as it weaves together many of King’s familiar tales. To comply with FTC regulations, I have to say that “Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray for review purposes. The opinions I share are my own” and not Warner Bros. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 200:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles. Don’t miss: Bonus materials include a featurette on Annie Wilkes.
Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (Blu-ray) Details: 1944, Kino Lorber Studio Classics Rated: Not rated The lowdown: In the early and mid-1940s, Jon Hall and Maria Montez made a series of six Technicolor “exotic” adventure movies for Universal Pictures. Their films were popular, and Universal dubbed the duo “the king and queen of Technicolor.” “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves” was the third of the Hall-Montez collaborations. The movie basically borrows the story title only from “The Book of One Thousand and One Nights.” The plot takes place after the Mongol conquest of Bagdad, in which the caliph is betrayed by one of his closest advisors and murdered. His young son escapes into the desert where he meets Old Baba and the 40 thieves. He joins their band which, through Ali’s influence, is transformed from a band of thieves into resistance fighters who bedevil the Mongols. This is a colorful and entertaining 87-minute feature with a nice supporting cast of character actors including Andy Devine Turhan Bey, Frank Puglia, Kurt Katch and Fortuno Bonavova. The Blu-ray’s color transfer is sharp. Technical aspects: 1080p 1.37:1 full-screen picture; English DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles. Don’t miss: The main extra is a commentary track by film historian Phillipa Berry.
Samurai Marathon (Blu-ray) Details: 2019, Well Go USA Entertainment Rated: Not rated The lowdown: In the feudal Japan of the 19th century, a young ninja operates undercover in the court of an aging lord and his rebellious daughter. The lord, to spur on his lazy samurai, challenges them to compete in a punishing marathon that crisscrosses the nation. The shogunate in Edo, getting word of this marathon, does not approve and dispatch spies and others to keep tabs on it and, if possible, end it. The movie features a score by iconic composer Philip Glass. Technical aspects: 16:9 (enhanced) widescreen picture; Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Arabian Nights (Blu-ray) Details: 1942, Kino Lorber Studio Classics Rated: Not rated The lowdown: “Arabian Nights” is the first of the six “exotic” Technicolor adventures produced by Universal Pictures and starring Jon Hall and Maria Montez. The story mixes action and comedy as Hall plays the caliph, Haroun al-Rashid, who is overthrown by his half-brother, Kamar (Leif Erikson). Kamar also has his eyes set on Sherazade (Montez), a dancing girl in a wandering circus. Among the other performers is acrobat, Ali Ben Ali (Sabu), who rescues and hides the deposed caliph. The movie is loaded with comedians, including Billy Gilbert as the circus owner, Shemp Howard as Siinbad the Sailor and John Qualen as Aladdin, whose running joke throughout the movie is rubbing any lamp he spies. The cast also includes Edgar Barrier, Turhan Bey and Thomas Gomez. The movie is not as good as some others in the series, but it is a fine introduction to the duo of Hall and Montez. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 full-screen picture; English DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles. Don’t miss: A commentary track by film historian Phillipa Berry is the main extra.
L’Innocente (Blu-ray) Release date: July 14 Details: 1976, Film Movement Classics Rated: R The lowdown: Legendary Italian director Luchino Visconti directed this historical drama set in late 19th-century Italy. The romantic drama centers on Tullio (Giancarlo Giannini), a sexually ravenous aristocrat who has grown bored with his timid wife, Giuliana (Laura Antonelli). Instead, he lavishes his attentions of a wealthy widow, Countess Teresa Raffo (Jennifer O’Neill). He later learns that his wife also is having an affair. The news is too much for Tullio, who becomes tormented by her infidelity and is driven mad. This was Visconti’s final film before he died. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; Italian LPCM monaural; English subtitles. Don’t miss: Extras include a video essay and a 16-page booklet about the movie.
Against All Flags (Blu-ray) Details: 1952, Kino Lorber Rated: Not rated The lowdown: By the time Errol Flynn starred in this pirate adventure, he was past his prime and beginning to show the effects of alcohol, drugs and too many women. But he still maintained enough box office clout to headline this historical feature that costarred Maureen O’Hara and Anthony Quinn. Flynn portrays Brian Hawke, a British naval officer, who, to infiltrate the pirate haven on Madagascar, poses as a deserter. He makes an impression on O’Hara’s “Spitfire” Stevens, the only female ship captain on the coast, as well as the raising the suspicions of Quinn’s Capt. Roc Brasilliano. All works out for the best, of course, in this routine action-adventure directed by veteran George Sherman. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 full-screen picture; English DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles. Don’t miss: The main extra is a commentary track by film historian Stephen Vagg.
The Wild Goose Lake (Blu-ray) Details: 2019, Film Movement Rated: Not rated The lowdown: A Chinese thriller about a mob leader on the run for accidentally killing a police officer. He has a bounty on his head from both the cops and other gangsters. The mob boss stops at Wild Goose Lake, where he becomes involved with a beautiful woman, who has an agenda of her own. The movie’s violence is offset by its visuals, which hold your attention. The movie earned a 93 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; Mandarin 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and 5.1 Dolby digital; English, Chinese and French subtitles. Don’t miss: “The Goddess,” a short Chinese film, is the main extra.
Other titles being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated: Deadtectives (DVD) (RLJE Films) The Room (Blu-ray & DVD & digital & VOD) (RLJE Films) Secret Weapon (DVD) (4Digital Media) Survive the Night (Blu-ray & DVD) (Lionsgate Home Entertainment) You Don’t Nomi (Blu-ray & DVD) (RLJE Films) Target: Philadelphia (IndiePix Films, July 14)
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, STREAMING or VOD Guest Artist (Indican Pictures) Murder Trial: The Disappearance of Margaret Fleming (Sundance Now) The Bureau: Season 5, Episode 6 (Sundance Now, July 23) The Secrets She Keeps: Episode 2 (Sundance Now, July 23) The Kissing Booth 2 (www.netflix.com/thekissingbothnetflix) (Netflix, July 24) Radioactive (Amazon Prime, July 24) The Rental (IFC Films, July 24) Yes, God, Yes (Vertical Entertainment, July 24 & 28) At Home With the Georgians (Acorn TV, July 27) Breaking a Monster (Sundance Now, July 27) Carol Channing: Larger Than Life (Sundance Now, July 27) The Nest: Episode 4 (Acorn TV, July 27) Rebecka Martinsson: Series 2 (Acorn TV, July 27)
Coming next week: James Cameron’s Story of Science Fiction
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 Rotten Tomatoes: www.rottentomatoes.com.