New to View: July 8
A political thriller in which a CIA decoder uses brains rather than brawn to achieve revenge on the killers of his wife. That and other new releases are featured in this week's short New to View at Re
The following titles are being released on Tuesday, July 8, unless otherwise noted:
The Amateur (Blu-ray + digital)
Details: 2025, Buena Vista-Disney-Fox Home Entertainment
Rated: PG-13, strong violence, language
The lowdown: Academy Award-winner Rami Malek stars as Charlie Heller, a brilliant, but deeply introverted CIA decoder in this spy thriller, co-starring Laurence Fishburne, Rachel Brosnahan and Caitriona Balfe.
Heller, who works out of a basement office in Langley, learns that his wife has been killed in a terrorist attack in London. When his supervisors refuse to act, Heller takes matters into his own hands by embarking on a dangerous odyssey across the globe to track down those responsible.
His brains serve as the ultimate weapon for eluding those pursing him as well as exacting his revenge.
A smart script, deft editing and filled with action, spotlighting a heretofore unforeseen side of Malik.
The movie garnered a 61 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, 2.0 Dolby digital descriptive audio and French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus options include a featurette on the cast and filmmakers explaining what drew them to the project, a look at the combination of actual locations and set design, a behind-the-scenes look at how the sky pool sequence was conceived, a featurette on the score and deleted scenes.
Sugar Hill (Blu-ray)
Details: 1974, Kino Lorber-Kino Cult #32
Rated: PG, violence
The lowdown: A combination blaxploitation-horror-zombie movie in which the Diana “Sugar” Hill (Marki Bey) uses black magic to help her avenge the killing of her boyfriend, the owner of the exotic Club Haiti, by mobsters.
Sugar enlists voodoo priestess Mama Maitresse (Zara Cully) to help her.
Together they summon lord of the underworld Baron Samedi, who resurrects from the bayou a squad of silver-eyed cobwebbed zombies to enact Sugar’s revenge.
“Sugar Hill” may sound crazy, but, despite its fast paced and enjoyable with the oddity of the killer zombies actually being the good guys for a change.
The film also costars Robert Quarry, Don Pedro and Richard Lawson.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include two commentary tracks, one with director Paul Maslansky, and the other with film historians Howard S. Berger, Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson, and interviews with Maslansky, Colley, Lawson and Charles Robinson.
Other titles being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated:
Give Me a Word: The Collective Soul Story (Blu-ray & DVD & VOD) (ShineHouse)
Graves of the Fireflies (Blu-ray & DVD) (GKids-Shout! Studios)
Until Dawn (4K Ultra HD & Blu-ray & DVD) (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, STREAMING or VOD
A Better Tomorrow (Shout! Studios)
A Better Tomorrow II (Shout! Studios)
A Better Tomorrow III (Shout! Studios)
Baby (Dark Star Pictures-Uncork’d Entertainment)
Ghost Trail (Music Bx Films)
Mia (Breaking Glass Pictures)
JULY 9
The Buccaneers: Season 2, Episode 4 (Apple TV+)
Stick: Episode 8 (Apple TV+)
JULY 10
Deadly Circuit (Kino Film Collection)
Johanna Mölles — Sweden’s Most Hated Woman (Viaplay)
Mafia: Episode 4 (Viaplay)
Suspicious Minds: Season 1 (Hulu)
Vice and Virtue (Kino Film Collection)
JULY 11
Amongst the Wolves (Sunrise Films)
Bang (Saban Films)
Foundation: Season 3, Episode 1 (Apple TV+)
Hot Springs Shark Attack (Utopia)
Husbands and Lovers (Film Movement Plus)
Murderbot: Episode 10 (Apple TV+)
Push (Shudder)
Smoke: Episode 4 (Apple TV+)
Tiny Lights (Film Movement Plus)
The Wild Ones (Apple TV+)
Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires (Disney+)
JULY 14
City Hunter: Angel Dust (Shout! Studios)
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.