New to View: July 22
An acclaimed, but little seen, independent political drama headlines the nice selection of new releases spotlighted in New to View at ReelBob.
Northern Lights (Blu-ray)
Details: 1978, Kino Classics-Kino Lorber
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A powerful political drama that chronicles the formation of the Nonpartisan League in North Dakota in the mid-1910s.
The indie feature focuses on the plight of immigrant Dakotan farmers as they work and struggle against the combined forces of banks and the railroad.
Amid all this class tension, two young lovers find themselves swept up in the turmoil.
Writers-directors John Hanson and Rob Nilsson’s movie, shot in 16mm and black-and-white on location in the dead of winter with a mostly nonprofessional cast, won the Camera d’Or at the 1979 Cannes Film Festival.
The movie, in the vein of “The Grapes of Wrath,” is very moving, almost feeling like a documentary.
The most recognizable cast member is Joe Spano, who was a regular on “Hill Street Blues” and a frequent guest star on “NCIS.”
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: A commentary track with Hanson and Nilsson, moderated by film historian, Daniel Kremer, is the main bonus component.
“The Nightwatch Collection” (Blu-ray)
Details: 1994, 2023, Arrow Video
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Before he became a household name for his portrayal of Jaime Lannister in “Game of Thrones,” Nikolaj Coster-Waldau gained recognition for his portrayal of Martin, a law student who worked as a night watchman at the morgue in Copenhagen to help fund his studies in 1994’s “Nightwatch.”
Outside, the city is on edge because of a series of grisly murders. Plus, his night duties and friendship with the happy-go-lucky Jens (Kim Bodnia) puts a strain of his relationship with his girlfriend, Kalinka (Sofie Gråbøl).
Soon, a police inspector begins to suspect Martin may be behind the killings. To clear himself, Martin must quickly uncover the real killer.
“Nightwatch: Demons Are Forever,” set 30 years after the events of the original, finds Martin’s daughter, Emma, following in her father’s footsteps working nights at the Copenhagen morgue to better understand the events that impacted him so deeply.
However, a new series of killings begin and Martin (Coster-Waldau, again) must face his trauma and team up with Emma to stop history from repeating itself and find the killer.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen (“Nightwatch”) and 2.35:1 widescreen (“Nightwatch: Demons”); Danish 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio (both films); English SDH subtitles (both films).
Don’t miss: Bonus materials include a commentary track on “Nightwatch” by writer-director Ole Bornedal, an interview with director of photography Dan Lausten, a making of documentary, an appreciation of both movies by film critic and Nordic Noir specialist Barry Forshaw. Extras on the “Nightwatch: Demons Are Forever” disc include a video essay about the horrors of adulthood and a second essay about public and private life in the “Nightwatch” universe.
“Ultimate Gangsters Collection: Classics” (Blu-ray)
Release date: June 24
Details: 1931-49, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment-Allied Vaughn
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: The word “classic” is ofttimes overused when describing releases of older movies. In this case, though, the term is most apt.
Three of the four movies in this five-disc set feature films that made stars of their lead actors — “Little Caesar” (1931) with Edward G. Robinson, “The Public Enemy” (1931) with James Cagney and “The Petrified Forest” (1936) with Humphrey Bogart.
The fourth film, “White Heat” (1949) spotlights Cagney’s return to the gangster drama, which he basically had forsaken in the late 1930s.
Robinson’s portrayal of the snarling Caesar Enrico “Rico” Bandello in “Little Caesar” — was adapted from a novel by W.R. Burnett, and traces the rise and fall of “Rico” from small-time stickup man to the boss of the Chicago crime organization. The film made Robinson a star — and gave many comic impressionists a new character to mimic — as well as giving Robinson’s Rico a classic dying line — “Mother of mercy, is this the end of Rico?”
Cagney began his career on stage as a dancer, but when he arrived in Hollywood in the early 1930s, he found his niche in Warner Bros. popular gangster drama.
“The Public Enemy,” like “Little Caesar” traces the rise and fall of Cagney’s Tom Powers from petty crook to big-time gangster. Originally, director William A. Wellman had cast Cagney as Powers’ best friend, Matt Doyle, but later, deciding that Cagney would be more effective as the heartless Powers, had them switch roles.
Humphrey Bogart had appeared on Broadway as on-the-run gangster Duke Mantee in “The Petrified Forest.” When Warner Bros. purchased the rights to Robert E. Sherwood’s play, the studio signed the play’s, Leslie Howard, to reprise his role as Alan Squier, a failed writer, who is now a Depression-era drifter.
Originally, Warner Bros. wanted to case Robinson as Mantee, but Howard, who had secured script control in his contract, insisted Bogart be cast or he would not make the movie. (In 1952, Bogart and his wife, Lauren Bacall, named their daughter Leslie, in honor of Howard.)
Cagney played the psychopathic gangster Cody Jarrett in “White Heat,” one of his most ferocious performances. Jarrett is a heartless and ruthless killer, devoted to his mother, “Ma” Jarrett (Margaret Wycherly).
After a train robbery in which four crew members are killed, the government assigns undercover specialist Hank Fallon (Edmond O’Brien) to infiltrate the Jarrett mob, which he does.
The film features one of the most explosive finales in movie history, with the now totally crazy Jarrett, cornered atop a gas-storage tank that, after he is shot, looks to the sky and shouts, “Made it Ma! Top of the world” before the tank explodes.
“Ultimate Gangsters Collection” is a treasure for fans of Warner’s 1930s and ’40s crime dramas. The set can be purchased at www.moviezyng.com or other online venues.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 (16x9 enhanced) full-screen picture; English 1.0 DTS-HD Master Audio and Spanish 1.0 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: The four Blu-rays include commentary tracks and featurettes on each film. The DVD includes a feature-length documentary, “Public Enemies: The Golden Age of the Gangster Film,” and four classic gangster-themed cartoons, including “Racketeer Rabbit” and “Bugs and Thugs.”
Salem’s Lot (DVD)
Release date: June 24
Details: 1979, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment-Allied Vaughn
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Tobe Hooper directed this two-part TV miniseries adaptation of the Stephen King novel centering on a vampire plaguing the small town of Salem’s Lot, Maine.
David Soul stars as Ben Mears, a successful author, who returns to his hometown to write a book about the Marsten House, an old hilltop property with a reputation for being haunted.
Mears attempts to rent it, but discovers that another new arrival in town, Richard Straker (James Mason), who is getting ready to open an antique shop with his never-seen partner, Kurt Barlow.
Soon after a large crate is delivered to the Marsten House, townspeople begin disappearing and dying under strange circumstances.
As more and more townsfolk die, it becomes apparent that Barlow is a vampire feeding on the residents.
Eventually, Mears and his young friend, Mark Petrie, whose parents and two friends are killed by the vampire, joins with Mears to destroy Barlow. In the process, Straker is killed, the Marsten House is burned to the ground with the fire spreading also destroying Salem’s Lot.
The DVD can be purchased at www.moviezyng.com or other online sellers.
Technical aspects: 1.37:1 full-screen picture; English Dolby digital monaural; English and French subtitles.
Cobra: Limited Edition (4K Ultra HD)
Details: 1986, Arrow Video
Rated: R, violence, language
The lowdown: Sylvester Stallone rewrote the script (of what was originally “Beverly Hills Cop”) and stars in this very violent cop thriller as LAPD Lt. Marion “Cobra” Cobretti of the elite “Zombie Squad.”
The film’s opening of a mass shooting at a supermarket sets the town for the rest of the feature.
“Cobra” spends most of the rest of the movie battling a violent cult called “New World,” which hates society and believes in killing the weak.
An eyewitness to one of the “New World” killings, model Ingrid Knudsen (Brigitte Nielsen, who was married to Stallone at the time), is taken into protective custody by Cobra.
The remainder of the movie has Cobra killing various “New World” members as they try to kill him and Ingrid.
The disc features a TV version of the movie, which is about seven minutes longer than the theatrical release, containing deleted and alternate scenes.
Technical aspects: 2160p ultra-high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1, 4.0 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include an archival commentary track with director George P. Cosmatos and two new commentaries, one with film critics Kim Newman and Nick de Semlyen, the other with film scholars Josh Nelson and Martyn Pedler; an interview with the film’s composer, Sylvester Levay; a visual essay by film critic Abbey Bender on the movie and 1980s’ maximalist cinema; a visual essay by film critic Martyn Conterio on “Cobra” and the “Maverick Cop” genre; archival interviews with cast members Brian Thompson, Andrew Robinson, Lee Garlington and Art LeFleur; a making of featurette; a double-sided fold-out poster; and an illustrated booklet with new writing on the film.
Dark Victory (Blu-ray)
Release date: July 15
Details: 1939, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment-Allied Vaughn
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Bette Davis was the queen of the Warner Bros. lot, winning two best actress Oscars by the time she convinced producer Hal Wallis to make “Dark Victory,” which had been presented on Broadway starring Tallulah Bankhead.
Attempts to film the play were made in 1935 and ’36, but both fell through before Davis, who read the play in 1938, convinced Wallis to film it.
The story features Davis as Judith “Judy” Traherne, a young, carefree Long Island socialite and heiress with a passion for horses, fast cars, partying and too much smoking and drinking.
At first, she ignores episodes of dizziness and double vision, but when she has an accident while riding and tumbles down a flight of stairs, she sees the family doctor who refers her to a specialist, Dr. Frederick Steele (George Brent, a frequent Davis costar).
Steele is initially reluctant to see Traherne who is cold and antagonistic towards him. She shows signs of short-term memory loss but dismissed them.
The specialist finally convinces Traherne that her ailments are serious and potentially life-threatening and takes on her case.
Tests reveal a malignant brain tumor and Traherne agrees to surgery to have it removed, but Steele discovers that only a part can be detached and realizes that she has less than a year to live.
To give Traherne a few months of happiness, Steele lies to her, telling her the surgery was a success. Traherne’s best friend, Ann (Geraldine Fitzgerald), realizes Steele is lying, but agrees to remain silent so her friend can enjoy her remaining time.
Traherne, after arguing and reconciling with Steele, finally meets her end bravely over the dark because she no longer is afraid.
The movie, which earned an 85 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes, received three Academy Award nominations, including those for best picture and best actress for Davis.
“Dark Victory” can be found at www.moviezyng.com or other online retailers.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 full-screen picture; English 1.0 DTS-HD Master Audio and Spanish 1.0 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a commentary track with film historian James Urisini and CNN film critic Paul Clinton; a short, “Old Hickory”; a cartoon; a featurette, “1939: Tough Competition for ‘Dark Victory’ ”; and a 1940 “Lux Radio Theater” broadcast of the story starring Davis and Spencer Tracy.
Rosa la Rose, Fille Publique (Blu-ray)
Details: 1986, Radiance Films
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A French production centering on Rosa — “la rose” (Marianne Basler), a Paris hooker in the city’s Les Halles district.
She has no shortage of clients or friends and is spoiled by her understanding pimp, Gilbert (Jean Sorel).
Her life changes on her 20th birthday, when she meets Julien (Pierre Cosso), a blue-collar worker who sees something much deeper in Rosa.
The film is a combination of a love triangle, an examination of sex work and a study of women trying to cope and retain some power of their own lives.
At times, the movie is slightly tragic as Rosa may be admired by men, but she is detested by some of the more mature prostitutes.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.66:1 widescreen picture; French 2.0 LPCM monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus options include archival interviews with Basler, Sorel and director Paul Vecchialli and a booklet about the movie.
The Beast to Die (Blu-ray)
Details: 1980, Radiance Films
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A Japanese thriller about Kunihiko Date (Yûsaku Matsuda), a photojournalist scarred by his experience in Vietnam.
Date returns to Tokyo, where he begins plotting a series of killings and robberies, which are the prelude for a bank heist. The film is violent, but also deals with psychological issues centering on Date.
A subplot involves Date’s helper, Tetsuo, which is rather murky as you try to decide if he is a willing — or unwilling — accomplice.
The dark thriller, directed by Toru Murakawa, and was Matsuda’s final performance in his action hero persona.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; Japanese 2.0 LPCM monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include interviews with Murakawa, screenwriter Shoichi Maruyama and novelist-screenwriter Jordan Harper and a booklet about the movie.
Gigi (Blu-ray)
Release date: July 15
Details: 1958, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment-Allied Vaughn
Rated: G
The lowdown: The last of the great MGM musicals won nine Academy Awards, including best picture, best director for Vincente Minnelli, best adapted screenplay by Alan Jay Lerner, best song for Lerner and Frederick Lowe as well as best editing, cinematography, musical score, production design and costume design.
By today’s politically correct climate, “Gigi” would be an improbable movie to make, let alone release. The movie, based on a novel by Colette, is set in 1900 Paris and centers on Gaston (Louis Jordan) and Gilberte, also known as Gigi (Leslie Caron), who lives with her grandmother Madame Alvarez.
Following the “family tradition,” Madame Alvarez regularly sends Gigi to her grandmother’s sister, her great-aunt Alice, so Gigi can be groomed as courtesan, a kept mistress of wealthy men. Gigi is taught proper etiquette and charm, but she disdains the trivial love between a man and his mistress.
Gaston is a rich “bon vivant,” who is bored with life. He and Gigi are friends, with her considering him an older brother or a young uncle.
Also featured in Gaston’s uncle, Honoré Lachaille (Maurice Chevalier), who encourages Gaston’s womanizing.
Later Madame Alvarez and Alice agree to thoroughly train Gigi to become Gaston’s mistress.
Various setbacks and complications arrive until Gaston, realizing that Gigi, is now a young woman, asks for her hand in marriage, much to the relief of her grandmother.
The movie’s nine Oscars was a crowning achievement for MGM, a studio that has a rich history of musicals produced by Arthur Freed, including “An American in Paris,” “Singin’ in the Rain” and “The Bandwagon.”
The Blu-ray of “Gigi,” which earned an 89 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes, can be found at www.moviezyng.com or other online sellers.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.40:1 (16x9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby TrueHD and 5.1 Dolby digital, French 2.0 Dolby digital and German, Italian and Spanish 1.0 Dolby digital; English SDH, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish and Swedish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus materials include a commentary track with historian Jeanine Basinger with Caron; a retrospective documentary that explores the complicated history of the movie; “Million Dollar Nickel,” a 1958 propaganda short; “The Vanishing Duck,” a 1958 cartoon; and the 1949 French nonmusical adaptation of “Gigi.”
Silent Scream (4K UHD + Blu-ray)
Details: 1979, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: R, violence, sexual content
The lowdown: A horror film in which college student Scotty (Rebecca Balding) takes a room at a gloomy, old cliffside Victorian mansion, which is now a boarding house for students.
The home is run by Mrs. Engels (Yvonne De Carlo), who lives there with her son, Mason (Brad Reardon). Scotty befriends the three other co-eds also occupying rooms in the mansion.
Soon a series of killings ensue, capturing the attention of police Lt. Sandy McGiver (Cameron Mitchell) and Sgt. Manny Rusin (Avery Schreiber).
Two of the co-eds are killed before the mystery is solved, the murderer revealed and ultimately killed.
The cast, which also includes Barbara Steele, had a checkered history, with a large portion of it re-shot after it deemed unreleasable, and many cast members were replaced with De Carlo, Cameron and Steele added for name recognition.
Technical aspects: 4K: 2160p ultra-high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles; Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a commentary by writers Jim and Ken Wheat and Balding and a second commentary with Steele, moderated by film historian David Del Valle on both discs. Supplemental features on the Blu-ray disc include a “Scream of Success — 30 Years Later” featurette; featurettes on the original script and the Wheat brothers; and interviews with Balding and director Denny Harris.
The Tattooed Dragon: Limited Edition (Blu-ray)
Details: 1973, Eureka Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Writer-director Lo Wei, who was behind Bruce Lee’s hits, “The Big Boss” and “Fist of Fury,” created this movie to bring martial arts star Wang Yu to a global audience, which will still yearning for kung fu features in the aftermath of Lee’s death.
Jimmy Wang Yu stars as Dragon, a virtuous martial artist who makes it his mission to defend the defenseless.
After being injured in a fight, Dragon is taken in by a farmer and his sweetheart. He soon finds himself having to defend their village when it becomes the target of a gangster and his men.
Determined to get their hands on the village’s rich resources, the gangsters install a casino and encourage the locals to gamble away everything they own.
Dragon, though, has other ideas.
The movie is a showcase Wang Yu after he switched studios from Shaw Brothers to Golden Harvest.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; Mandarin and English (dubbed) 2.0 LPCM monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Supplemental options include a commentary track by East Asian cinema expert Frank Djeng and martial artist-filmmaker Michael Worth; a second commentary with action cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema; an interview with martial arts cinema expert Wayne Wong on the career of Lo Wei; and a collector’s booklet.
Detonation!: Violent Riders (Blu-ray)
Details: 1985, 88 Films
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A Japanese motorcycle gang action-drama featuring Sonny Chiba as Tsugami,, the overprotective brother of the sweet and innocent Michiko.
Motorbike mechanic Iwaki has big dreams of racing professionally, until he is tempted by the wild and seductive Mayumi, the lover of Mitsuda, the leader of the Red Rose gang, a group of speed freaks who are causing havoc in the town.
The brutish Mitsuda soon has plans to make Michiko his own property. The dilemma puts Iwaki at a crossroads.
It is interesting to see a Japanese take on the motorcycle gang features that usually the purview of A.I.P. with such titles as “The Wild Angels.”
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; Japanese 2.0 LPCM monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a commentary track by Ashley Darrow and Jonathan Greenaway of “The Horror Vanguard Podcast” and a video essay by Nathan Stuart.
The Stuff: Limited Edition (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)
Details: 1985, Arrow Video
Rated: R, violence, language
The lowdown: A silly horror outing about a new dessert treat that is sweeping the nation.
However, it turns out to have some nasty — and fatal — after effects.
Basically, the dessert has a life of its own in this feature from writer-director Larry Cohen. The treat takes over the minds of those who ingest it, making them crave for more — and do anything to get it.
It turns out the stuff is not of this earth.
The movie has that throwback appeal to 1950s sci-fi-horror features.
The cast includes Michael Moriarity, Paul Sorvino, Danny Aiello, Andrea Marcovicci and Alexander Scourby.
Technical aspects: 4K: 2160p ultra-high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 1.0 LPCM monaural; English SDH subtitles; Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 LPCM monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a commentary track by writers-critics David Flint and Adrian Smith; an archival commentary with Cohen; a featurette looking at the history of New York City’s infamous 42nd Street; an interview with Cohen and producer Paul Kurta; a making of featurette; and, on the Blu-ray disc, a pre-release cut of the movie featuring more than 30 minutes of additional footage and a different music score; and a booklet with essays about the films and promotional materials.
Mr. Peters’ Pets (Blu-ray)
Details: 1962-64, Kino Cult #33-Kino Lorber
Rated: not rated, nudity, sexual situations
The lowdown: A trio of silly and cringe-inducing comedy films in the short-lived “Nudie Cutie” genre are featured on this Blu-ray.
Alfred Hopson stars as a pet-store owner in “Mr. Peters’ Pets” (1962), in which he can transform himself in a variety of cuddly animals, allowing him to gain entry into the boudoirs of shapely female clients.
The disc also features the time-travel fantasy “50,000 B.C. (Before Clothing) (1963)” and the “Mad Magazine”-style TV parody “Everybody Loves It” (1964), which is narrated by a four-leaf clover.
These movies present naked women in the least objectionable way. They lack any true eroticism and are basically a relic of the time when the strength of Hollywood censorship was beginning to collapse.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.33:1 full-screen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a commentary track on “Mr. Peters’ Pets” by Eric Schaefer, author of “Bold! Daring! Shocking! True!: A History of Exploitation Films” and a booklet with essays about the movies and genre.
Other titles being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated:
The Trouble with Jessica (DVD) (Music Box Films)
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, STREAMING or VOD
Daniela Forever (Well Go USA Entertainment)
Ghost Killer (Well Go USA Entertainment)
The Killer (Shout! Studios)
Peking Opera Blues (Shout! Studios)
Red Eye (Hulu)
JULY 23
Acapulco: Season 4, Episodes 1 & 2 (Apple TV+)
Barbara Walters: Tell Me Everything (Hulu)
The Buccaneers: Season 2, Episode 6 (Apple TV+)
Stick: Episode 10 (Apple TV+)
Washington Black (Hulu)
JULY 24
The Anonymous People (Kino Film Collection)
The Bridge (Kino Film Collection)
The Congregation: Season 2: Bride of Christ (Knutby) (Viaplay)
Mafia: Episode 6 (Viaplay)
JULY 25
Foundation: Season 3, Episode 3 (Apple TV+)
Great Absence (Film Movement)
Happy Gilmore 2 (Netflix)
Last Swim (Sunrise Films)
Monster Island (Shudder)
Osiris (Vertical Entertainment)
Smoke: Episode 6 (Apple TV+)
Waterdrop (Film Movement Plus)
JULY 28
The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball (Hulu)
COMING NEXT WEEK: Thunderbolts*
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 X @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.