New to View: June 25

A brutal action-packed feature headlines the new nice variety of releases in New to View at ReelBob.

The following titles are being released on Tuesday, June 25, unless otherwise noted:
Monkey Man: Collector’s Edition (Blu-ray + DVD + digital)
Details: 2024, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: R, bloody violence, language, sexual content, nudity, drug use
The lowdown: Actor Dev Patel (“Slumdog Millionaire,” “The Green Night,” “The Personal History of David Copperfield”) makes his feature film directing debut with this brutal tale inspired by the legend of the monkey god, Hanuman, an icon embodying strength and courage.
Petal’s Kid is a man with no name who makes a meager living in underground fighting rings. But when he finds a way to begin rise and infiltrate the city’s corrupt elite, he begins an explosive campaign for retribution to settle a long-held score with the men who took everything from him as a boy.
This revenge thriller deftly combines vicious action with sociopolitical commentary and some comic moments.
“Monkey Man” impressed a majority of critics who awarded it an 88 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes. The audio and visual transfers on both discs is first rate and complements the action on screen.
Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English Dolby Atmos, 2.0 DVS and French 7.1 Dolby digital plus: English SDH and French subtitles; DVD: 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English and French 5.1 Dolby digital and English 2.0 DVS; English SDH and French subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus features include an alternate opening and ending, deleted scenes, a commentary track with Patel and others, a featurette with Patel on how the movie came about, a look at the action sequences, a featurette on cast members discussing their characters and a look behind the folktale that inspired the movie.

The Underground Railroad (Blu-ray)
Details: 2021, The Criterion Collection
Rated: Not rated, violence, language
The lowdown: A four-disc set that features all 10 episodes of this series that streamed on Amazon Prime. It is historical fiction in which African-American slaves trying to escape bondage in the mid-1800s board an actual underground railroad, complete with tracks, tunnels, engineers and conductors.
The main character is Cora (Thuso Mbedu), an escaped slave, and Joel Edgerton as Arnold, a slave catcher.
The episodes chronicle Cora’s various encounters on the railroad through Georgia, the Carolinas and into Indiana.
Along the way, she encounters people who help her and others who reject her and want her returned to slavery.
Barry Jenkins adapted Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 2016 novel. The episodes are brutal, harrowing and treacherous as Cora must overcome several obstacles to breathe the air of freedom.
The cast also includes Chase Dillon, Aaron Pierre, Peter Mullan and Sheila Atim.
The series garnered an impressive 94 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 and 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English Dolby Atmos; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus options include an alternate stereo track; commentary tracks on select episodes featuring Jenkins and others; a graphic-novel adaptation of “Genesis,” an unfilmed chapter of the series; “The Gaze,” a companion film by Jenkins; seven teasers created by Jenkins; a “Building the Underground Railroad” with Jenkins and production designer Mark Friedberg discussing the creation of the train-station sets; and an essay about the series.

Ennio (DVD)
Details: 2021, Music Box Films
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Film buffs will be enthralled by this documentary that looks at the life, career and music of composer Ennio Morricone, whose scores for such movies as “A Fistful of Dollars, “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly,” “Once Upon a Time in America” and “Days of Heaven” could be considered the soundtracks of many moviegoers lives.
The movie covers Morricone’s childhood, the people and musicians who influenced him, his creating process and the many scores and other pieces of music he composed.
The movie features insights from collaborators and contemporaries such as Bernardo Bertolucci, Clint Eastwood, Dario Argento, Joan Baez and Quentin Tarantino.
Excerpts from Morricone’s score coupled with sequences from the movies for which they were composed heighten the enjoyment of this rich documentary. At 156 minutes, you wish the movie, which received a 90 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes, was longer so you could enjoy more of Morricone’s music.
Technical aspects: 2.39:1 widescreen picture; Italian 5.1 Dolby digital; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a behind-the-scenes look at Morricone’s office concert, a “Democracy of Sound” bonus scene and an interview with director Giuseppe Tornatore.

The Flash: The Original Series (Blu-ray)
Details: 1990-91, Warner Archive Collection-Allied Vaughn
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A six-disc set featuring all 22 episodes of “The Flash,” which aired on CBS and starred John Wesley Shipp as Barry Allen, a police crime technologist endowed with super speed after a freak laboratory accident.
Allen, adapting the guise of The Flash, decides to use his power to help rid Central City of its criminal element.
The show remained pretty close to its comic-book counterpart.
Among the villains featured in the series, which was cancelled after one season, was the Trickster, played by Mark Hamill and David Cassidy as Mirror Master.
Others in the cast include Amanda Pays as “Tina” McGee, a S.T.A.R. Labs scientist who gives The Flash experimental weapons to fight crime and helps him learn more about his powers, and Alex Désert as Julio Mendez, a Central City scientist who is Allen’s coworker and close friend.
The show’s special effects were good for its era, and it was too bad the show was canceled so quickly.
The Blu-ray set can be ordered at www.moviezyng.com or other online sellers.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.33:1 full-screen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio stereo; English SDH subtitles.

Matinee: Collector’s Edition (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)
Details: 1993, Shout! Studios
Rated: PG, language, violence, sensuality
The lowdown: John Dante directed this paean to Saturday matinees and schlocky horror-sci-fi movies set during 1962’s Cuban Missile Crisis in which the world was on edge because of the threat of atomic warfare.
It's at this time that 15-year-old Gene Loomis (Simon Fenton) impatiently awaits the arrival of Lawrence Woolsey (John Goodman), a William Castle-inspired moviemaker promoter, who is bringing his latest atomic-power-gone-berserk feature, “Mant!”, to the Key West, Florida, local theater.
The comedy satirizes teenage love, juvenile delinquents, Cold War paranoia, monster movies and, most of all, Castle and his many gimmicks to entice viewers to the theaters showing his low-budget movies.
“Matinee,” made more fun to watch because of its 4K Ultra HD upgrade, will tickle those who remember the late 1950s and early 1960s when low-budget, black-and-white horror and science fiction movies filled many, many movie screens.
“Matinee” received a 93 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 4K: 2160p ultra-high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English Dolby Atmos and 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio and stereo; English SDH subtitles; Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio and stereo; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Supplemental options include, on both discs, a commentary track with film critics Drew McWeeny and Eric Vespe and, on the Blu-ray disc, interviews with actresses Cathy Moriarity, Lisa Jakub  and  Kellie Martin, actor David Clennon, Dante, editor Marshall Harvey, cinematographer John Hora, “Mant!” performer Mark McCracken and Mant designer Jim McPherson; a “Paranoia in Ant Vision” featurette; a vintage making of featurette; behind-the-scenes footage; and deleted and extended scenes.

Mr. and Mrs. Smith (Blu-ray)
Details: 1941, Warner Archive Collection-Allied Vaughn
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Alfred Hitchcock was dubbed the master of suspense for such films as “Suspicion,” “Strangers on a Train,” “Shadow of a Doubt,” “The Man Who Knew Too Much” and “Vertigo.”
Hitchcock also had the ability to inject some dark humor into many of his movies, but he directed only a very few outright comedies. “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” is one of those.
The movie, starring Carole Lombard and Robert Montgomery, is the story of a David and Ann Smith, married for three years, who discover that, because of a technicality, their union is not legally valid.
Earlier in the day, during a spat, David said that if he had it do all over again, he would not have married Ann — even though he loves her.
So, because the marriage is now void, Ann considers herself a single woman, takes back her maiden name — Krausheimer — and re-enters the dating world.
David does whatever he can to win her back, but all to no avail.
The movie is more screwball comedy and bedroom farce that, at times, works and at others, fall flat.
It is the presence of Lombard and Montgomery, both who also did fine work in serious movies, that keep “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” afloat, more so than Hitchcock’s directing.
The Blu-ray can be found at www.moviezyng.com or other online retailers.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 (16x9 enhanced) full-screen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a featurette about Hitchcock and the making of the movie; two radio adaptations of the film, one with Lombard and Bob Hope, the other with Errol Flynn and Lana Turner; a short subject, “Cinderella’s Feller”; and two classic cartoons, “Holiday Highlights” and “Stage Fright.”

Enter the Clones of Bruce (Blu-ray)
Details: 2023, Severin Films
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Even death could not keep Bruce Lee off movie screens. Shortly after the untimely death of the martial arts icon, Hong Kong movie studios began to produce hundreds of unauthorized biopics, spin-offs and rip-offs starring a series of Bruce Lee lookalikes.
Soon, “Bruceploitation” would become a staple of movies, starring such names as Bruce Li, Bruce Le, Bruce Liang and Dragon Lee, were being distributed around the globe.
Documentary filmmaker David Gregory examines this phenomenon via interviews with many of the Lee wannabes as well as other martial arts legends such as Sammo Hung, Angela Mao, David Chiang and Phillip Ko, plus producers, directors, distributors and experts that reveal the history, controversy and legacy behind one of movie’s most bizarre genres.
The documentary also includes many clips from these various rip-offs.
Genre fans will find the movie most interesting as it explores the power of movies to keep an actor’s brand alive, even after his death.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English and Chinese DTS-HD Master Audio stereo; English, French and Chinese subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a commentary track with Gregory, co-producers Frank Djeng, Vivian Wong and Michael Wong and director of photography Jim Kunz; a “Working at Shaw Brothers” featurette that includes outtakes with Godfrey Ho, David Chiang, Yasuaki Kurata, Lee Chu, Lo Meng, Mars and Phillip Ko; a “Bruce and I” featurette with outtakes from Ko, Hung, Kurata, Angela Mao, Andre Morgan, Lee Tso Nam and others; “The Lost World of Kung Fu Film Negatives” with outtakes with Ho, Joseph Lai, Mao, Nam and many film preservationists; a location tour of Lee’s Hong Kong with Djeng; and “Severin’s Kung Fu Theater” with actor-director-Bruceploitation expert Michael Worth.

“The Game of Clones: Bruceploitation Collection”: Vol. 1 (Blu-ray)
Details: 1974-2023, Severin Films
Rated: R, action violence
The lowdown: Even in death, movie studios worked hard to make money off the popularity and legend of Bruce Lee.
Dozens of imitators sprung up to star in movies with titles that recalled those featuring Lee.
This eight-disc set features 14 of those movies as well as the 2023 documentary, “Enter the Clones of Bruce Lee.”
It did not take much imagination to devise titles for the movies in this set: “The Clones of Bruce Lee” (1980), Enter the Three Dragons” (1978), “Enter the Game of Death” (1978), Goodbye, Bruce Lee: His Last Game of Death” (1975), “The Dragon Lives Again” (1977), “Bruce and the Iron Finger’ (1979), “Challenge the Tiger” (1980), “Cameroon Connection” (1984), “Super Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story” (1974), “The Dragon Lives” (1976), “The Dragon, the Hero” (1980), “Rage of the Dragon” (1980), “The Big Boss Part II” (1976) and “The Black Dragon vs. the Yellow Tiger’ (1974).
The actors in these films go by such names as Bruce Le and Bruce Li. But they all are imitations and lack the charisma of the original.
The weirdest move in the set has got to be “The Dragon Lives Again,” in which Bruce Lee somehow winds up in Hell, where he thwarts a takeover of the place by its most evil inhabitants. This one has to be seen to be believed.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture (“Enter the Clones of Bruce Lee”), 2.40:1 widescreen (“The Clones of Bruce Lee”), 2.35:1 widescreen (“Enter the Three Dragons,” “Enter the Game of Death,” “Goodbye, Bruce Lee: His Last Game of Death,” “Challenge of the Tiger,” Cameroon Connection,” “Super Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story,” “The Dragon, the Hero,” “Rage of the Dragon”), 2.39:1 widescreen (“The Dragon Lives Again.” “Bruce and the Iron Finger,” “The Dragon Lives,” “The Big Boss Part II,” “The Black Dragon vs. the Yellow Tiger”); English LPCM monaural all titles except “Enter the Clones of Bruce Lee,” which has English and Chinese audio tracks; English closed captioned on all titles; “Enter the Cones of Bruce Lee” — English, Chinese and French subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include commentary tracks, interviews or featurettes on most of the titles.

The Man I Love (Blu-ray)
Details: 1947, Warner Archive Collection-Allied Vaughn
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Ida Lupino stars as beautiful and smart torch singer Petey Brown in this noir salute to tough women directed by Raoul Walsh.
During the waning days of World War II, Brown returns home to her family for a Christmas holiday visit, expecting a merry time. Instead, she walks into a web of mobsters, cheating wives and war-traumatized veterans. She also unexpectedly steps into a fast romance that goes wrong quicker than it started.
The movie features a strong supporting cast, including Robert Alda (father of Alan Alda) as the womanizing nightclub owner where Petey gets a singing job while taking care of her family; Bruce Bennett as a legendary jazz-pianist AWOL from the Merchant Marines; Andrea King and Martha Vickers and Petey’ sisters; Warren Douglas as her brother; John Ridgley as her shell-shocked brother-in-law recuperating in a psychiatric hospital; as well as Don McGuire and Dolores Moran as neighbors.
The volatile relationship between Petey and Bennett’s San Thomas supposedly was the template used by Martin Scorsese for the relationship between Robert De Niro and Liza Minnelli in his “New York, New York.”
“The Man I Love” features some fine tunes, including the title song, written by George and Ira Gershwin.
The Blu-ray can be found at www.moviezyng.com or other Internet sellers.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 (16x9 enhanced) full-screen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Two classic Warner Bros. cartoons, “Roughly Squeaking” and “Slick Hare,” comprise the extras.

The Guyver: Limited Collector’s Edition (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + CD)
Details: 1991, Unearthed Classics
Rated: R, violence, language
The lowdown: Mark Hamill is top-billed in this sci-fi action-adventure feature about college student Sean Barker (Jack Armstrong), who discovers the Guyver, an alien mechanical device that merges with his own body transforming him into a super-cyborg fighting machine.
The device actually belongs to Chronos, an evil corporation run by human mutants who can metamorphize into monstrous soldiers called Zoanoids.
To get the Guyver back, Chronos leaders send a gang of Zoanoids to kidnap Barker’s girlfriend, Mizuki (Vivian Wu), whose father, a former Chronos researcher, was mysteriously killed.
Barker rescues Mizuki with the help of CIA agent Max Reed (Hamill), who wants to keep Chronos from reacquiring the Guyver.
The rescue attempt is not a complete success, as there are casualties.
Everything works out in the end, with the evil Zoanoids being destroyed and the Guyver is the hands of the good guys. The movie received a mix reception, with some reviews praising the creature effects and makeup design, while others thought the film was too comical.
Technical aspects: 4K: 2160p ultra-high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and 2.0 LPCM; English SHD subtitles; Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and 2.0 LPCM; English SHD subtitles.
Don’t miss: Supplemental materials include a commentary track with co-directors Screaming Mad George and Steve Wang, moderated by Dom O’Brien, author of “Budget Biomorphs: The Making of the Guyver Films”; a second commentary with actor/SFX artist Evil Ted Smith and creature shop lab tech-miniature supervisor Wyatt Weed; interviews with producer Brian Yuzna and Screaming Mad George; suit-test commentary by George and Wang; outtakes and a gag reel with commentary by the co-directors; and an alternate title sequence.

“Bettie Page Double Feature” (Blu-ray)
Details: 1954-56, Kino Cult
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Pinup queen Bettie Page stars in this triple feature of grindhouse classics celebrating the golden age of burlesque.
First up are “Varietease” (1954) and “Teaserama (1955), featuring Page and striptease legend Tempest Storm, in these full-color burlesque films. The movies also include performances by strip queens Lili St. Cyr, Trudy Wayne and “female impersonator” Vickie Lynn.
Also included are the requisite baggy-pants comics as well as singers.
Both movies are directed by girlie-pix impresario Irving Klaw, who also helmed the third film in the set, “Buxom Beautease” (1956), which incorporates the short-subject film “Striptease Revealed,” which features performances by Blaze Starr and Dorian Dennis.
The set will appeal to fans of burlesque.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 full-screen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus materials include the Something Weird video editions of “Varietease” and “Teaserama”; a commentary on “Teaserama” by Jo Weldon, author of The Burlesque Handbook”; a commentary on “Varietease” by film historian Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and a commentary for the Something Weird video editions of “Varietease” and “Teaserama” by David E. Friedman and Mike Vraney.

Bandits of Orgosolo: Limited Edition (Blu-ray)
Details: 1961, Radiance Films
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A rather bleak Italian drama about a small Sardinian town in which gangsters and thugs have free rein.
Michele, a Sardinian shepherd, is suspected of killing a policeman following his encounter with three bandits, who had stopped by his campsite with their stolen goods.
In order to survive, he flees in the opposite direction from the bandits. The police hunt Michele, who is afraid to stand trial and leave his sheep poorly protected by his younger brother, Peppeddu.
Michele decides to take his brother and sheep over the mountains, but half the animals die of exhaustion and thirst on the trek. Returning to his village of Orgosolo, Michele learns that he has been condemned for conspiracy to murder and that his creditors are threatening to sell his house, which would leave his mother homeless.
With his back against the wall, Michele gets a machine gun, steals some sheep and becomes a bandit, thus starting a new cycle of violence.
The movie, directed by Vittorio De Seta, is depressing and severe.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 full-screen picture; Italian LPCM monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Supplemental options include interviews with curator and filmmaker Ehsan Khoshbakht and cinematographer Luciano Tovoli and a booklet.

Common Law Wife / Jennie, Wife/Child: Backwoods Double Feature: Special Edition (Blu-ray)
Details: 1963, 1968, Film Masters
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: You know what you are getting when you watch two movies with characters named Shugfoot, “Baby Doll” Jonelle and Lulu Belle.
These Southern sleaze features are not art; they are drive-in movies that catered to a certain demographic in specific regions of the country.
“Common Law Wife” finds  rich old coot Shugfoot Rainey tiring of his longtime mistress, Linda, who he wants to trade in for his much younger niece, “Baby Doll.” But Linda will not go quietly and has a surprise for Shugfoot and “Baby Doll” — under Texas law, she is his common law wife.
That, however, does not deter the greedy Jonelle who has a moronic moonshiner put cyanide in Shug’s whiskey. The finale leads to a violent showdown between the two women. And you will have to watch the movie to see who comes out on top.
“Jennie, Wife/Child” deals with 20-year-old Jennie who is married to the much older Albert. Jennie is so unhappy that she begins to seduce Mario, the hunky hired hand. When Albert finds out about the pair, he drugs them, chains them in the basement and digs their graves.
It is at this juncture that Lulu Belle, the “town floozie” pays Albert a surprise visit. The most interesting aspect of “Jennie” is that it was photographed by Vilmos Zsigmond, who later was nominated for four Academy Awards, winning one for his cinematography of “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.”
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English DTS-HD Master Audio; English closed-captioned subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include an archival commentary track with “Common Law Wife” director Larry Buchanan, interviewed by Nathaniel Thompson of Mondo Digital; a new commentary on the movie by film programmer, writer and host of “I Saw What I Did” movie podcast Millie De Chirico and Turner Classic Movies film programmer Ben Cheaves;  a commentary on “Jennie” by De Chirico; “That’s Hicksploitation: The Origin of Southern Sinema,” a new documentary from Ballyhoo Motion Pictures; and “Backwoods Babes, Mean Old Men and Simple-Minded Studs,” an essay by Lisa Petrucci of Something Weird.

“Arthur Dong’s Asian American Stories” (Blu-ray)
Details: 1982-2015, Kino Lorber
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A Blu-ray that features four movies by filmmaker Arthur Dong chronicling the Asian American experience. The movies look at Hollywood’s portrayal of Asian Americans pop culture, tradition, immigration, racism and genocide.
“Sewing Woman” (1982) was nominated for an Academy Award for short documentary. It is based on the life of Dong’s mother. Hers was a bittersweet journey of her determination from an arranged marriage in old China to working-class comforts in America.
“Forbidden City U.S.A.” (1989) profiles the groundbreaking entertainers from the famed all-Chinese Forbidden City Nightclub in 1940s San Francisco.
Dong’s “Hollywood Chinese” (2007) is a smart and lively look at the ways the Chinese, including such performers as Anna May Wong and Philip Ahn, have been portrayed in the movies from the silent era to contemporary times.
“The Killing Fields of Dr. Haing S. Ngor (2015) look at the journey of the Cambodian doctor from his imprisonment by the Khmer Rouge to his escape to the United States to his Academy Award-winning performance in “The Killing Fields” and, finally, to his mysterious murder in Los Angeles’ Chinatown.
Dong is a master storyteller and these films shed light and understanding on the Asian American experience.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: The main extra is an alternate Khmer audio for “The Killing Fields of Dr. Haing S. Ngor.”

Arthur Dong’s LGBTQ Stories (Blu-ray)
Details: 1994-2002, Kino Lorber
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Four more movies spotlighting the storytelling talents of filmmaker Arthur Dong. This set covers the LGBTQ experience in America.
“Coming Out Under Fire” (1994) profiles gay and lesbian World War II service members confronting the military’s first anti-gay policies while fighting — and dying — for equal rights and personal freedom.
“Family Fundamentals” (2002) looks at the personal and political lives of conservative Christian families with gay and lesbian offspring.
“Licensed to Kill” (1997) is an uncompromising look at convicted killers of gay men and their feelings about the crimes.
“Out Rage ‘69” (1995) offers firsthand accounts of the Stonewall Rebellion, a chapter that began the modern battle for LGBTQ equality.
Like all of Dong’s works, these movies shed light on a part of society that many people know very little about or tend to dismiss or ignore.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, full-screen and widescreen picture; English DTS-HD Master Audio stereo and monaural; English SDH subtitles.

Sympathy for the Underdog (Blu-ray)
Details: 1971, Radiance Films
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A Japanese crime drama about a former gang leader who, returning from a 10-year prison sentence, finds that his territory has been taken over by his former enemy, who is now a large crime syndicate with a legal corporate front.
The former leader gathers his old crew and heads to Okinawa, a region ripe for the taking.
The movie, directed by Kinji Fukasaku, is a key work in the director’s progress before he embarked on a streak of stellar yakuza features.
Bloody action, shootouts and fistfights are dominant, but so is an underlying sadness of the old yakuza ways giving way to a new world of criminal.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; Japanese LPCM monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a visual essay on Okinawa, an interview with Fukasaku biographer Olivier Hadouchi and a booklet about the movie.

Roll With It (DVD)
Details: 2023, Shout! Studios
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: An infectious comedy starring comedian Chonda Pierce as Bonnie Taylor, a waitress at a Biscuit Barrel, who faces losing her home after she receives a tax lien for $20,000.
The widowed Taylor has 30 days to pay the tax or her house will be put up for auction.
Taylor, desperate to save her house, faces her biggest fears and enters the toughest singing competition around — the karaoke contest at the county fair — to try winning the big cash prize to save her home.
She receives support from her family and friends.
The movie will appear more to fans of Pierce rather than those unfamiliar with her work.
Technical aspects: 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen picture; English 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby digital; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: A blooper reel is the main extra.

Homework (Blu-ray)
Details: 1982, Unearthed Films
Rated: R, sexual situations, nudity
The lowdown: This movie has a problematic history. The story centers on Tommy, a handsome, young “rock star” who also is a virgin.
As Tommy tries to lose his virginity to local high school girls, a classmate’s mother, played by Joan Collins, decides to make a man out of him.
The movie unfolds through promiscuous, funny, and sometimes, touching life of a high schooler. And by the end of his senior year, he is ready to take on the world.
According to some stories, the day before the movie’s premiere Collins, Betty Thomas, Carrie Snodgrass and Lee Purcell took legal action to have their names removed from the credits. Collins claimed that the advertising was misleading because she only performed in a minor supporting role shot two years earlier. She also claimed a sex scene was later added using a body double to cash in on her celebrity status from the TV series “Dynasty.”
The other performers claimed they had been under a false impression about the kind of movie they were making.
Collins won a partial victory when the production company was ordered to stop using ads that showed Collins nude.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 LPCM monaural; English and English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: The main extra is an interview with producer Max Rosenberg.

Other titles being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated:
The First Slam Dunk (Blu-ray) (GKids-Shout! Studios)
The Hunger Games: 5-Film Collection (Blu-ray + DVD + digital) (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)

DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, STREAMING or VOD
Abigail (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment)
The Boy and the Heron (GKids-Studio Ghibli)
Diane Von Furstenberg: Woman in Charge (Hulu)
Francis Ferguson (Magnolia Pictures)
Hopeless (Well Go USA Entertainment)
I Am Celine Dion (Prime Video)
Infinity Baby (Magnolia Pictures)
It's Not Over (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)
Lousy Carter (Magnolia Pictures)
Solo (Music Bos Films)
Tastes of Horror (Well Go USA Entertainment)
TikTok Star Murders (Peacock)
JUNE 26
Acapulco: Season 3, Episode 10 (Apple TV+)
Dark Matter: Episode 9 (Apple TV+)
Land of Women: Episodes 1 & 2 (Apple TV+)
Presumed Innocent: Episode 4 (Apple TV+)
Trying: Season 4, Episode 7 (Apple TV+)
JUNE 27
Back to the Wall (Kino Film Collection)
Household Saints (Kino Film Collection)
JUNE 28
A Family Affair (www.netflix.com/AFamilyAffair) (Netflix)
The Devil’s Bath (Shudder)
The Escort (Prime Video-IndiiePix Unlimited)
Fancy Dance (Apple TV+)
My Pet and Me (Film Movement Plus)
Runner (Film Movement Plus)
WondLa (Apple TV+)
JULY 1
The Moor (Bulldog Film Distribution)

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 Twitter @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.