By Bob Bloom
The following titles are being released on Tuesday, May 26, unless otherwise noted: The Invisible Man (Blu-ray + DVD + digital) Details: 2020, Universal Studios Home Entertainment Rated: R, graphic and bloody violence, language The lowdown: In the last few years, Universal has been trying to reboot its “Classic Monsters” series of the 1930s and ’40s — and with very little success. “Dracula Reborn,” “The Wolfman” and “The Mummy” were critical disasters — all receiving rotten scores at Rotten Tomatoes — 24 percent fresh for “Dracula Reborn,” 34 percent for “The Wolfman” and 16 percent for “The Mummy.” Now, we have “The Invisible Man,” starring Elisabeth Moss, Aldis Hodge and Oliver Jackson-Cohen, written and helmed by writer-director Leigh Whannell (“Saw” and “Insidious” franchises). This “Invisible Man” can serve as a template on how to make relevant and contemporize an old horror–sci-fi chestnut, making it more accessible and appealing to modern, young audiences. This version does away with laboratory Bunsen burners and beakers and relies on something viewers can relate to — technology — as the impetus for its man whom no one sees. Plus, the focus of the story isn’t Jackson-Cohen’s Adrian Griffin, but his mistreated girlfriend, Cecilia Kass (Moss). The film is told from her perspective, after she flees her abusive relationship with Griffin. And Griffin’s background as a technological genius allows us to accept that he can create a device to make it seem that he is invisible. Whannell makes a wise choice emphasizing the plight of Cecilia, rather than the tired old clichés of an invisible man running amok. It makes it easier for the audience to accept the premise and identify with Cecilia’s plight. The movie is grip-your-armchair tense, filled with ominous music and sounds that rivet us to the screen. Critics were impressed with the film, giving it a 91 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes. Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English Dolby Atmos, 2.0 DVS and French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; 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 an interview with Moss about the challenges of playing her character, a featurette with Whannell during the making of the movie, deleted scenes, a featurette with cast members talking about their characters, a behind-the-scenes look at how Whannell re-imagined the character through the use of modern technology and a commentary track.
“Scorsese Shorts”: Special Edition (Blu-ray) Details: 1963-78, The Criterion Collection Rated: Not rated The lowdown: This Blu-ray is comprised of five short films made by director Martin Scorsese from his time in college in the early 1960s through the late 1970s. The set depicts Scorsese’s artistic growth behind the camera and his choices of subject matter. The films, which range in running time from five to 55 minutes, are “What’s a Nice Girl Like You Doing in a Place Like This” (1963, 10 minutes), a strange story about obsession; “It’s Not Just You, Murray!” (1964, 16 minutes), a short about a delusional gangster; “The Big Shave” (1967, 5 minutes), while shaving, a young man continually cuts himself; the film is an allegory about America’s involvement in Vietnam; “Italianamerican” (1974, 49 minutes), is Scorsese’s loving look at his parents; and “American Boy (1978, 55 minutes), a profile of a larger-than-life of a raconteur. The movies display Scorsese’s versatility with subject matter and cinematic style, previewing the talent that has made him one of the nation — and the world’s — finest filmmakers. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition 1.33:1 full-screen picture; English LPCM monaural; English SDH subtitles. Don’t miss: Bonus materials include a conversation between Scorsese and film critic Farran Smith Nehme’ a discussion about Scorsese with filmmakers Ari Aster and Josh and Bennie Safdie; a 1970 radio interview with Scorsese; and a booklet featuring an essay about Scorsese and storyboards, treatments and correspondence from the director’s archives.
The Deer Hunter: Collector’s Edition (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray) Details: 1978 Shout! Factory Rated: R, graphic violence, strong language, sexual situations The lowdown: Michael Cimino’s second directorial effort is a Vietnam War story about blue-collar buddies from a Pennsylvania steel town who go to fight and the impact the war has on their lives. The movie not only depicts the brutality and hell of war, but the disturbing aftermath and how the experiences of Vietnam impacted the lives of those who returned. The all-star cast includes Robert De Niro, Meryl Streep, Christopher Walken, who won a supporting actor Academy Award, John Savage, John Cazale, Rutanya Alda and George Dzundza. The film also won Oscars for best picture, best director for Cimino, film editing and sound. Technical aspects: 4K Ultra HD: 2160p UHD, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles; Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles. Don’t miss: Extras include a commentary track, deleted and extended scenes and interviews with Savage, producer Michael Deeley and film critic David Thomson.
Thousand Pieces of Gold (Blu-ray) Details: 1990, Kino Lorber Rated: Not rated The lowdown: Rosalind Chao (“The Joy Luck Club”) stars as Lalu, a poor Chinese girl sold by her impoverished family against her will. She is taken by a “wife trader” to a mining town in 1880 Idaho, where she is again sold, this time to a successful Chinese merchant who, instead of marrying her as she expected, tells her she must work as a prostitute in his saloon. The merchant, Hong King, changes Lalu’s name to China Polly, but the young woman violently refuses to become a prostitute. She convinces Hong King to allow her to work as a servant and saloon maid so she can raise the money to pay him back for her purchase. His price is a thousand pieces of gold. She endures many hardships and, after Hong King begins to have financial problems, he loses Polly in a card game to Charlie (Chris Cooper), his silent partner. Polly moves in with Charlie, and they sleep in separate quarters. Over time, the two fall in love, marry and leave the Idaho town. The film is an intense look at the travails endured by Chinese immigrants to the American West in the 19th century. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English and Mandarin 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles. Don’t miss: Extras include a radio interview with director Nancy Kelly, a commentary track and a booklet essay about the movie.
Escape from L.A.: Collector’s Edition (Blu-ray) Details: 1996, Scream Factory Rated: R, violence, language The lowdown: Director John Carpenter and actor Kurt Russell reunite for the further adventures of legendary mercenary Snake Plissken. This time Snake is sent into a Los Angeles that, years earlier, had been demolished by a massive earthquake. His assignment is to retrieve a doomsday device, and he only has several hours to do so before a poison injected into his system is released. The movie is not as much fun as the earlier “Escape from New York,” but, then again, there’s more character and danger in the Big Apple than in the City of Angels. Russell and Carpenter collaborated on the script with producer Debra Hill, who shares a producing credit with Russell. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles. Don’t miss: Supplemental options include interviews with actors Stacy Keach, Peter Jason and Georges Corraface, visual effects artist David Jones and special effects artist Jim McPherson and an audio interview with Bruce Campbell.
Mystery of the Wax Museum (Blu-ray) Release date: May 12 Details: 1933, Warner Archive Collection The lowdown: Universal Pictures set its horror films in remote mid- and eastern European locales. But Warner Bros., known for their gritty urban gangster movies set its horror thrillers in the heart of New York. Such it was with “Mystery of the Wax Museum,” which starred Lionel Atwill as the deformed mad sculptor Ivan Igor who uses cadavers to create his lifelike statues. Fay Wray costars as the beauty who attracts Igor’s fiendish attention because of her close resemblance to his former statue of Marie Antionette, which, along with his other wax figures, were destroyed years earlier in a London fire that disfigured Igor. Fast-talking Glenda Farrell is the hotshot, wisecracking reporter who figures out what Igor actually is doing, while Frank McHugh is her short-tempered editor. This wonderful restoration has corrected the color and eliminated many of the lines and cracks that existed in earlier copies of the movie. The movie’s dialogue simply crackles with wit and double entendres. The film was directed by the legendary Michael Curtiz. The release is a made-on-demand Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection and can be found at www.wb.com/warnerarchive or other online retailers. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 (4x3) full-screen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English SDH subtitles. Don’t miss: Bonus materials include a featurette on Wray, a comparison of before and after restoration sequences and two commentary tracks, including one by Alan K. Rode, author of a biography on Curtiz.
Justice League Dark: Apokolips War (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + digital) Release date: May 19 Details: 2020, Warner Home Entertainment Rated: R, bloody violence, language, sexual references The lowdown: In this latest animated installment from the DC Animated Universe, the Justice League sets out to defeat Darkseid on his home world of Apokolips. Matters take a turn for the worst, and within a couple of years, Earth is a wasteland with remnants of the Justice League scattered to the wind or missing. But Justice never dies, and those left alive, begin to put aside their differences to reunite and decide to make another attempt to defeat this godlike super-villain. This is a very violent feature, as its R-rating indicates. It is a culmination of 15 interlinked, direct-to-video features that began with “The Flashpoint Paradox” from 2013 and last touched upon in 2019’s “Wonder Woman: Bloodlines.” The presentation in the 4K UHD and Blu-ray formats are impressive. Fans of the DC Universe will not feel shortchanged by this offering. Technical aspects: 4K Ultra HD: 2160 UHD, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles; Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles. Don’t miss: Bonus offerings include “DC Showcase: Adam Strange” short; a short featurette on Darkseid and other godlike villains; a look at the next DC feature, “Superman: Man of Tomorrow”; previews of “Justice League Dark” and “Batman and Harley Quinn”; and three shorts from the DC vault.
Inside Daisy Clover (Blu-ray) Release date: May 12 Details: 1965, Warner Archive Collection Rated: Not rated The lowdown: Natalie Wood was 27 years old when she starred in this drama about a teenage girl, Daisy Clover, who rises to fame on the silver screen in the 1930s before being discarded by a fickle public. The movie is one of those tales about the cruelty of Hollywood and how it chews up and spits out talent. The film costars Robert Redford, in one of his earliest film roles, as the movie star who marries, then abandons, Daisy; Ruth Gordon as Daisy’s mentally unstable mother; and Christopher Plummer as the ruthless studio boss. The movie, while not critically received, has gained somewhat of a cult following. The release is a made-on-demand Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection and can be purchased at www.wb.com/warnarchive or other Internet dealers. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English SDH subtitles. Don’t miss: A classic Warner Bros. cartoon, “War and Pieces,” is the main extra.
Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + digital) Release date: April 28 Details: 2020, Warner Home Entertainment Rated: R, strong and bloody violence, language The lowdown: After the killing of his family, Hanzo Hasashi is exiled to the Netherrealm where, in exchange for servitude to the evil Quan Chi, he is given the opportunity to avenge their deaths. Hasashi is resurrected as Scorpion and begins his quest for revenge. On Earthrealm meanwhile, Lord Raiden enlists a group of elite warriors — Shaolin monk Liu Kang, Special Forces officer Sonya Blade and action star Johnny Cage — to save humanity. To do so, they must compete a vicious horde of Outworld gladiators and win the Mortal Kombat tournament. Fans of the “Mortal Kombat” franchise will not be disappointed by this offering, which features very sharp audio and visual transfers. Technical aspects: 4K Ultra HD: 2160p UHD, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles; Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles. Don’t miss: Extras include a short overview of the franchise’s history; a look at the movie’s costume design, character origins, concept art and weapons; profiles of the main characters; a look at the film’s sound design; and a commentary track.
Other titles being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated: Adventures of Rufus: The Fantastic Pet (DVD & digital & VOD) (Lionsgate Home Entertainment) Girls Just Want to Have Blood (DVD & digital & VOD) (Wild Eye Releasing) Maniac (Blu-ray) (Blue Underground) Zombie (Blu-ray) (Blue Underground)
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, STREAMING or VOD Funny Pains (Passion River Films) Hannah Gadsby: Douglas (Netflix) The Hunt (Universal Studios Home Entertainment) I’m No Longer Here (Netflix, May 27) Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich (www.netflix.com/filthyrich) (Netflix, May 27) Bad Mothers: Episode 4 (Sundance Now, May 28) Being Human: Season 3 (Sundance Now, May 28) Sanctuary: Episode 6 (Sundance Now, May 28) The High Note (Focus Features, May 29) Space Force (www.netflix.com/SpaceForce) (Netflix, May 29) Dead Still: Episode 4 (Acorn TV, June 1) The Hours (Sundance Now, June 1) The Illusionist (Sundance Now, June 1) The Intervention (Sundance Now, June 1) McLeod’s Daughters: Series 1 (Acorn TV, June 1) Seachange: Paradise Reclaimed (Acorn TV, June 1) Three Days in June (Sundance Now, June 1)
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.