By Bob Bloom The following titles are being released on Tuesday, July 7, unless otherwise noted: Trolls World Tour: Dance Party Edition (Blu-ray + DVD + digital) Details: 2020, DreamWorks-Universal Studios Home Entertainment Rated: PG, mild, rude humor The lowdown: A musical sequel that will entertain the kids as Poppy (Anna Kendrick) and Branch (Justin Timberlake) return. In this outing, they discover that six other Troll tribes are scattered over various lands, with each devoted to its own style of music: Funk, Country, Techno, Classical, Pop and Rock. Poppy and Branch try to stop hard-rock Queen Barb (Rachel Bloom) and her father, King Trash (Ozzy Osbourne), from destroying all other kinds of music so that theirs rules supreme. The vocal talent also includes James Corden, Kelly Clarkson, Mary J. Blige, George Clinton, James Dornan, Sam Rockwell and Kenan Thompson. Critics enjoyed the movie, giving it a 70 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes. Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; English Dolby Atmos and 2.0 DVS, French 5.1 Dolby digital and Spanish 7.1 Dolby digital plus; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles; DVD: 2.35:1 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 a dance party mode viewing option, deleted scenes, a “Tiny Diamond Goes Back to School” short, a tourist guide map to the six realms of the Troll Kingdom, a featurette with cast members and filmmakers about the history of music featured in the movie and a backstage, behind-the-scenes making of featurette.
The War of the Worlds (Blu-ray) Details: 1953, The Criterion Collection Rated: Not rated The lowdown: Despite being a bit dated, this Cold War-era updating of the popular H.G. Wells novel remains one of the best science-fiction films in history. The adaptation by Barré Lyndon, the direction of Byron Haskin, the music of Leith Stevens and especially the visual and audio effects meld into a timeless classic that you never tire of watching. The setting has been relocated from England to a small California town where invaders from Mars launch their attack to conquer Earth and wipe out mankind. The story is so well known that I need not go into details. What is striking is the visual and audio upgrades, the colors are striking and the audio track, depending on your volume, can shake your viewing room whenever the Martians use their weapons. To be succinct, the movie looks fabulous. It was an enjoyable experience to view, and one I will do again and again and again. Also aiding the George Pal-produced film is the narration by Sir Cedric Hardwicke, as well as the cast, headed by Gene Barry, Ann Robinson and Les Tremayne. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 full-screen picture; English LPCM monaural and 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles. Don’t miss: Bonus options include a “Movie Archaeologists” featurette, in which visual effects supervisor Craig Barron and sound designer Ben Burtt talk about the movie’s production history and the way the film’s sound effects were created and utilized; a featurette on the 2018 restoration of the movie; an archival commentary track from 2005 featuring director Joe Dante, author Bill Warren and film historian Bob Burns; an archival documentary that looks at the history and continuous appeal of the movie; Orson Welles’ infamous 1938 radio adaptation of Wells’ novel that created a national panic; a 1940 interview with Wells and Welles; and excerpts from a 1970 interview with Pal.
The Day the Earth Caught Fire (Blu-ray) Details: 1961, Kino Lorber Rated: Not rated The lowdown: This anti-nuclear treatise is not so much science fiction as science speculation. The movie, directed by Val Guest, who cowrote the screenplay with Wolf Mankowitz, examines what would happen when the United States and Soviet Union simultaneously set off nuclear explosions. The film, told through the perspective of London’s Daily Express reporters, played by Edward Judd and Leo McKern, follow and report on the strange changes in weather around the world. Digging deeper, the reporters discover that the blasts have knocked the Earth off its axis and sent it heading toward the sun. The movie focuses more on the societal and political ramifications of the disaster rather than any science-fiction tinged efforts to set things right. The movie is well regarded for its realism, dialogue and its provocative finale. And though the idea of nuclear testing seems to have gone by the wayside, the world’s reaction to other possible catastrophe’s — such as climate change and global warming — makes the movie all the more chilling to view. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; English DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles. Don’t miss: Two commentary tracks are the major bonus offerings.
The Flesh and the Fiends (Blu-ray) Details: 1960, Kino Lorber Rated: Not rated The lowdown: Peter Cushing heads the cast in this remake of the Burke and Hare story, popularized in Val Lewton’s “The Body Snatcher.” The setting is Edinburgh in 1827. Irish immigrants Burke (George Rose) and Hare (Donald Pleasance) decide they can make money by selling the bodies of recently deceased individuals to famous surgeon Dr. Robert Knox (Cushing) for his experiments. He believes the only way to advance medicine is through vivisection of corpses. Knox forms a tense alliance with the body snatchers. However, when their supply of corpses begins to run out, they decide to acquire more bodies by murdering the poor and the homeless. Even as the body count rises, Knox ignores their methods to continue his research. The tipping point comes when one of Knox’s medical students is murdered. Knox, must use all his skills and brains to avoid being implicated and disgraced in Burke and Hare’s murderous rampage. This release features the original 95-minute British version of the movie as well as the 74-minute U.S. cut, known as both “The Fiendish Ghouls” aka “Mania.” Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; English DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles. Don’t miss: A commentary track is the major supplemental piece.
Go Go Mania! (Blu-ray) Details: 1965, Kino Lorber Rated: Not rated The lowdown: This British musical revue film features the crop of the English groups that invaded America, including The Beatles, Herman’s Hermits, Eric Burdon and the Animals, The Spencer Davis Group and Peter and Gordon. It’s a tuneful time capsule that will catapult back to the swingin’ ‘60s as the Beatles belt out “She Loves You” and “Twist and Shout,” the Animals wail to “The House of the Rising Sun” and “Please Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” and Herman’s Hermits sing “I’m Into Something Good.” This is 70 minutes of nostalgia when music lovers looked forward to the phrase, “The British are coming.” Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; English DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles. Don’t miss: The major extra is a commentary track.
Inferno of Torture (Blu-ray) Details: 1969, Arrow Video Rated: Not rated, violence The lowdown: This is another feature from Japanese exploitation director Teruo Ishii, whose movies are an acquired taste. Ishii does push the envelope in subject matter and “Inferno of Terror” fits right into his oeuvre. The movie follows Yumi, a young woman who, unable to repay a lender, accepts an offer to work as a geisha for two years, being promised her freedom once her debt is repaid. Yumi quickly realizes that she has entered not a house of geisha, but a cruel brothel that specializes in Western customers who have tattoo fetishes. Yumi’s body soon becomes a battleground for rival tattoo artists vying for favor with the Shogun. This is a violent and sensationalistic feature that contains many disturbing sequences. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; Japanese LPCM monaural; English subtitles. Don’t miss: Bonus materials include a commentary track, a condensed version of a lecture about this genre of Japanese filmmaking and a booklet.
Burden (DVD) Release date: June 23 Details: 2020, Universal Studios Home Entertainment Rated: R, disturbing and violent content, language, racial epithets The lowdown: This dramatization of true events is set in South Carolina. It deals with Michael “Mike” Burden (Garrett Hedlund), a zealous Ku Klux Klan member who rose to the rank of Grand Dragon before walking away from the organization. Burden was helped by the new love in his life as well as an African-American minister and social activist, the Rev. David Kennedy (Oscar-winner Forest Whitaker), who risks his life and that of his family, to aid his new friend. Complications ensue, including objections from members of Kennedy’s congregation and a manipulative KKK leader portrayed by Tom Wilkinson. The cast also includes Andrea Riseborough, Tess Harper, Crystal Fox and Usher. Technical aspects: 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH and Spanish subtitles. Don’t miss: A behind-the-scenes featurette is the main extra.
Other titles being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated: Belzebuth (Blu-ray & DVD & digital & VOD) (RLJE Films) Homewrecker (DVD & digital & VOD) (Dark Star Pictures-Uncork’d Entertainment) Parts Unknown (DVD & digital) (Wild Eye Releasing) The Prince (Blu-ray & DVD & VOD) (Artsploitation Films)
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, STREAMING and VOD Battlefield 2025 (digital & VOD) (Uncork’d Entertainment) Inmate No. 1: The Rise of Danny Trejo (digital) (Universal Studios Home Entertainment) Secret Weapon (digital) (4Digital Media) Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend of Walter Mercado (www.netflix.com/muchomuchoamor) (streaming) (Netflix, July 8) The Bureau: Season 5, Episode 4 (streaming) (Sundance Now, July 9) The Fall: Season 2 (streaming) (Sundance Now, July 9) Liar: Season 2, Episode 6 (streaming) (Sundance Now, July 9) Deany Bean Is Dead (digital) (Digital Global Releasing, July 10) First Cow (digital) (A24, July 10) The Old Guard (www.netflix.com/theoldguard) (streaming) (Netflix, July 10) Palm Springs (streaming) (Hulu, July 10) Relic (VOD) (IFC Films, July 10) Sometimes Always Never (VOD) (Blue Fox Entertainment, July 10) Trackers: Season 1 (digital) (Warner Home Entertainment, July 11) Madonna: Goddess of Pop (streaming) (Sundance Now, July 13) McLeod’s Daughters: Series 3 (streaming) (Acorn TV, July 13) The Nest: Episodes 1 & 2 (streaming) (Acorn TV, July 13) New Homeland (streaming) (Sundance Now, July 13) Wainwright Walks: Series 1 (streaming) (Acorn TV, July 13)
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.