By Bob Bloom The following titles are being released on Tuesday, June 18, unless otherwise noted: Us (Blu-ray + DVD + digital) Details: 2019, Universal Studios Home Entertainment Rated: R, graphic violence and terror, language The lowdown: “Us” gets under your skin and make you question your place in the world. Jordan Peele’s follow-up to “Get Out,” like many horror films throughout the decades, uses the genre to question the norms and rules of society. “Us” is a move that looks at the forgotten and disenfranchised — literally those who live in the shadows and have no real place in our world. What happens, though, when these people decide to step into the light? That is what Peele is questioning and examining in “Us.” The movie contains shocks and violence, but it relies more on performances than blood and brutality. All the actors — including Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke, Elizabeth Moss and Shadadi Wright-Joseph and Evan Alex — perform double duty — as themselves and their doppelgangers. The movie is more unsettling than scary. Yes, it provides a few goosebumps, but its impact is more disquieting than shocking. Critics were mightily impressed with “Us,” awarding it a 94 percent fresh rating at Rottentomatoes.com. Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English Dolby Atmos and 2.0 DVS and French and Spanish 7.1 Dolby digital plus; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles; DVD: 2.39:1 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 behind—the-scenes look at the making of the movie and how the cast was able to portray two characters each, deleted scenes, a profile of Peels and his views on horror, outtakes, an extended version of the dance sequence and a look at Nyongo’s’ performance as “Red.”
Hotel Mumbai (Blu-ray + DVD + digital) Details: 2019, Universal Studios Home Entertainment Rated: R, disturbing violence, bloody images, language The lowdown: This dramatization focuses on the horrific terrorist attack on the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai, India, in 2008 that killed more than 30 people. In all, more than 160 people were killed across the city as terrorist cells targeted other locations, as well. The movie centers on the actions of the staff and guests at the Taj, including the hotel’s chef, Hermant Oberoi (Anupam Kher) and a waiter, played by “Slumdog Millionaire’s” Dev Patel. The cast also includes Armie Hammer, Jason Isaacs, Nazanin Boniadi and Angus McLaren. The movie is a chilling thriller that celebrates the bravery of the hotel’s staff, the anxiety and fright of the guests and the deadly determination of the terrorists. At times, the movie is difficult to watch and stomach. It’s a reminder, not only of the cruelty of men, but of the courage and sacrifice fostered by horrific circumstances. A vast majority of critics applauded the film, giving it a 76 percent fresh rating at Rottentomatoes.com. Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and 2.0 Dolby digital DVS; English SDH, Hindi and Spanish subtitles; DVD: 2.39:1 anamorphic widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital and 2.0 DVS; English SDH, Hindi and Spanish subtitles. Don’t miss: Bonus materials include a discussion with filmmakers and cast members on how the heroism of the staff and guests inspired them; a behind-the-scenes story about the how the director and cast first discovered the true story of the attacks; a look at the pre-production process of reaching out to survivors to learn their stories; and a tribute to the real-life heroes who inspired the film.
The Beach Bum (Blu-ray + digital) Details: 2019, Universal Studios Home Entertainment Rated: R, drug and alcohol use, language, nudity, strong sexual content The lowdown: Matthew McConaughey stars as Moondog, a former stoner poet and nonconformist who lives by his own rules. This subversive comedy from director Harmony Korine, follows Moondog’s various misadventures, which, after a while, become repetitious and tedious. It is McConaughey’s performance that keeps the movie moving. The Academy Award-winning actor is supported by Snoop Dog, Isla Fisher, Zac Efron, Jonah Hill and Martin Lawrence. The movie, which received a 56 percent fresh rating at Rottentomatoes.com, will not please everyone. It is basically aimed at those who enjoy movies that travel their own paths. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.40:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.
Killing Eve: Season Two (Blu-ray) Details: 2019, BBC Home Entertainment Rated: Not rated The lowdown: This two-disc set features the complete second season of this cat-and-mouse thriller series from the BBC that follows MI6 operative Eve Polasri (Sandra Oh) and her interaction with psychopath assassin Villanelle (Jodie Comer). Season two begins seconds after the first-season finale with the disappearance of Villanelle and with Eve — who stabbed her — having no idea whether she is alive or dead. Eve sets out to find Villanelle, but discovers she is not the only one looking. Plus, Eve’s husband, Niko, will do anything to protect his beloved wife. This is a twisted series with complicated characters that bind to the TV screen. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 (16:9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 51. DTS-HD Master Audio surround; English SDH subtitles. Don’t miss: Extras include a featurette on picking up directly from season one, a look at the worlds of Eve and Villanelle, a script-to-screen featurette, a look at costumes, locations and new characters and a Carolyn’s world featurette.
Captive State (Blu-ray + digital) Release date: June 11 Details: 2019, Universal Studios Home Entertainment Rated: PG-13, science-fiction violence and action, sexual content, language, drug use The lowdown: This sci-fi thriller is set a decade after alien invaders have occupied the planet, promising peace, prosperity and unity, but delivering on none of that. Most of the action takes place in Chicago, where police officer William Mulligan (John Goodman) is tasked with keeping the peace and rooting out subversives and militants. The movie explores the lives and motives of dissidents and collaborators alike. The film offers some good ideas — many relevant to today’s political climate — but lacks the punch to deliver its message clearly and concisely. The cast, which also includes Ashton Sanders, Vera Farmiga and D.B. Sweeney, do what they can within the script and budget limitations. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, 2.0 DVS and French 5.1 DTS digital surround; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles. Don’t miss: Extras include a behind-the-scenes look at how the cast achieved a high degree of realism about an alien invasion story, a look at filming in Chicago and a commentary track.
Swing Time: Special Edition (Blu-ray) Release date: June 11 Details: 1936, The Criterion Collection Rated: Not rated The lowdown: “Swing Time” is one of the most beloved of the 10 movies Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers made together. The story, about an irresponsible gambler and a shrewd dance instructor, is secondary to the music and dancing. The songs by Dorothy Fields and Jerome Kern including the Academy Award-winning “The Way You Look Tonight” as well as the delightful “A Fine Romance.” The dance numbers feature the classics “Never Gonna Dance,” “Waltz in Swing Time” and Astaire’s “Bojangles of Harlem” number, a tribute to black performer Bill “Bojangles” Robinson. The movie, directed by George Stevens, features the choreography of Hermes Pan. If you’ve never seen an Astaire-Rogers musical, this would be a good place to start. It was the duo’s sixth collaboration and showed them at the pinnacle of their partnership. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 full-screen picture; English LPCM monaural; English SDH subtitles. Don’t miss: Bonus components include a commentary track from 1986 with John Mueller, author of “Astaire Dancing: The Musical Films”; archival interviews with Astaire, Rogers and Pan; a new interview with George Stevens Jr.; a featurette on the movies’ choreography and soundtrack; an interview with film scholar Mia Mask on the “Bonjangles of Harlem” number and an essay about the movie.
“Universal Horror Collection Volume 1” (Blu-ray) Details: 1934-40, Scream Factory Rated: Not rated The lowdown: Fans of classic Universal horror features will appreciate this four-disc set that pairs Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi in a quartet of thrillers. The set also traces the trajectory of both men. In “The Black Cat” (1934), Lugosi is the nominal hero, with Karloff as the villain; in “The Raven” (1935), Lugosi as a surgeon crazed by the love of a young woman, gets more screen time than Karloff, who plays his unwilling assistant; “The Invisible Ray” (1936) finds Karloff as the “mad scientist” and Lugosi in the heroic, but lesser role, as another scientist trying to capture him; finally, “Black Friday” (1940) finds Lugosi relegated to the minor role of a gangster, with Stanley Ridges playing the unfortunate victim of one of Karloff’s dangerous experiments, has most of the screen time. These movies show both iconic actors at the height of their popularity and talent. While not technically horror movies, they do contain the usual Universal elements of scares, murders and madmen. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.33:1 full-screen pictures; English DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English SDH subtitles. Don’t miss: Extras include commentaries on all the movies, featurettes about the teaming of Karloff and Lugosi and all four movies, a “Black Cat Contest” promo, Lugosi reading “The Tell-Tale Heart” and “Inner Sanctum” radio program with Karloff performing “The Tell-Tale Heart,” a featurette on the classic cinema of Edgar Allan Poe and a booklet with stills from the movies.
The Brink Details: 2019, Magnolia Home Entertainment Rated: Not rated The lowdown: This documentary follows Steve Bannon for a year, leading up to the 2018 mid-term elections. The movie also sheds light on his efforts to mobilize far-right parties in an attempt to win seats in the May 2019 European Parliamentary elections. Director Alison Klayman shows how Bannon, though no longer in the Trump White House, continues to say minds and influence others — rebranding himself as the self-appointed leader of a global populist movement that places nationalism above all else. The movie details Bannon’s gifts of self-promotion and manipulator of the press. Love him or hate him, you must admit that Bannon has become an influential figure in world politics. Critics, perhaps, were manipulated as well, giving the movie an 82 percent fresh rating at Rottentomatoes.com. Technical aspects: 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH and Spanish subtitles. Don’t miss: The major extras are additional scenes and interviews.
Mississippi Burning (Blu-ray) Details: 1988, Kino Lorber Rated: R, violence, language The lowdown: Gene Hackman and Willem Dafoe costar as FBI agents assigned to investigate the 1964 disappearance of three young Civil Rights activists in Mississippi. The movie is more fictional than factual, as the easy-going, former Southern sheriff Anderson (Hackman) and the straight-laced, by-the-book Ward (Dafoe), must overcome their differences to work together, solve the case and see that justice is served. To do so, they must prove that members of the local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan were the culprits, but finding witnesses who will talk proves more difficult as violence and intimidation are used to maintain silence. The cast, masterfully directed by Alan Parker, also includes Frances McDormand, Brad Dourif, Michael Rooker, R. Lee Ermey and Stephen Tobolowsky. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles. Don’t miss: A commentary track by Parker is the major extra.
The Silent Partner (Blu-ray) Details: 1978, Kino Lorber Rated: R, graphic violence, language, sexual situations The lowdown: Elliott Gould stars in this “sleeper” Canadian thriller about a mild-mannered bank teller, Miles Cullen, who, when his bank is being robbed, is able to first stash $50,000 in a safe deposit box. The robber, Reikle, a soft-spoken psychopath superbly played by Christopher Plummer, realizes he was shortchanged during the holdup. He plans revenge as well as to get the money he believes is due him. A cat-and-mouse battle ensues between the now emboldened Cullen and Reikle. The movie is filled with intrigue, romance and twists. The cast also features Susannah York, Celine Lomez and John Candy is one of his earliest roles. The screenplay was adapted by Curtis Hansen. If you’ve never seen “The Silent Partner,” here is your opportunity to view this rarely-seen feature. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles. Don’t miss: Supplemental offerings include an interview with Gould, a commentary track and a radio spot.
Between the Lines (Blu-ray) Details: 1977, Cohen Film Collection Rated: R, language, sexual situations The lowdown: Joan Macklin Silver directed this low-budget drama set in the offices of a Boston “alternative” newspaper. The newsroom environment is positive and open-minded. The staff includes Max (Jeff Goldblum), the music critic, who uses his position to secure dates; and Harry (John Heard), a news reporter, who is dating Abbie (Lindsay Crouse), the paper’s lead photographer. Their days, however, may be numbered after a major publishing company buys the paper, which leads — of course — to changes, some of which rankle the independent-spirited staff. Others in the cast include Jill Eikenberry, Gwen Welles and Bruno Kirby. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English LPCM monaural; English SDH subtitles. Don’t miss: The major extra is an interview with Silver.
T-34 (Blu-ray + DVD) Release date: June 11 Details: 2018, Well Go USA Entertainment Rated: Not rated The lowdown: A historical drama set in 1944 during World War II involving Russian POWs who plan an escape, using a half-destroyed T-34 tank. The movie opens with Lt. Nikolay Ivushkin (Alexander Petrov) and his crew fighting overwhelming odds as the Nazis invade the Soviet Union. He and the survivors of his crew and captured and taken to a concentration camp, where he and his crew are recruited to serve as target practice for German tankmen learning how to use their vehicles. The tables are turned with Ivushkin and his crew discover some live shells hidden in the tank. This leads to their planning an escape, using the tank. The movie makes up in action for what it lacks in logic. Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; Russian and English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles; DVD: 2.39:1 widescreen picture; Russian and English 2.0 Dolby digital; English subtitles.
Modest Heroes: Ponoc Short Films Theatre (Blu-ray + DVD) Details: 2018, Shout! Factory-GKids Rated: PG, some thematic elements and peril The lowdown: An animated anthology that tells three stories of courage and heroism from Japanese animators. The title of the shorts are “Kanini & Kanino,” “Life Ain’t Gonna Lose” and “Invisible.” The stories involve two crab siblings who must survive underwater perils to reunite with their father, a young boy and his mother who learn to live with a life-changing allergy and a man who struggles with his fading existence. Studio Ponoc was founded by Academy Award-nominated producer Yoshiaki Nishimura, who utilized the talents of directors Hiromasa Yonebayashi, Yoshiyuki Momose and Akihiko Yamashita to create the stories. Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 1.77:1 widescreen picture; Japanese and English 5.1 DTS-HD; English SDH, English and Spanish subtitles; DVD: 1.77:1 anamorphic widescreen picture; Japanese and English 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, English and Spanish subtitles. Don’t miss: Bonus offerings include a press conference about the movie and interviews with Japanese vocal talent cast members.
Other titles being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated: Crypto (Blu-ray & digital download) (Lionsgate Home Entertainment) Felix Austria (IndiePix Films) Kanarie (DVD & VOD) (Breaking Glass Pictures) Lola (IndiePix Films) One More Shot (IndiePix Films) The Running Man (Arrow Academy) Slaughterhouse Rulez (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment) Swingtown: The First Season (CBS DVD-Paramount Home Entertainment)
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, STREAMING or VOD Adam Devine: Best Time of Our Lives (Netflix) Cinderella (Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment) Fast Color (Lionsgate Home Entertainment) Martin Clunes’ Islands of America (Acorn TV, June 24) Penelope Keith’s Village of the Year, Series 5-8 (Acorn TV, June 24) The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes, Series 1 (Acorn TV, June 24)
Coming next week: Dumbo Cinderella
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.