The following Blu-rays and DVDs are being released on Tuesday, May 31, unless otherwise noted:
Pride + Prejudice + Zombies (Blu-ray + Ultraviolet) Details: 2016, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Rated: PG-13, zombie violence and action, suggestive material The lowdown: Jane Austen meets George A. Romero in this entertaining mash-up set in 19th century England. A zombie outbreak complicates Austen’s classic tale of tangled romantic relationships and class distinctions. In this rendition, heroine Elizabeth Bennet (Lily James) is an expert at weaponry and martial arts, while Mr. Darcy (Sam Riley) is a fierce zombie hunter and killer. He also remains the epitome of upper class prejudice. But the rising intensity of the zombie outbreak, forces the pair to forget their class differences and work together to defeat the undead and save their nation. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.40:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English audio description track and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, English and Spanish subtitles. Don’t miss: The bonus materials include a gag reel, deleted scenes, a Mr. Collins line-o-rama, a featurette on the badass Bennet sisters, a behind-the-scenes look at creating the Unmentionables, an introduction to the major cast members and a featurette on adapting Austen’s classic.
Race (Blu-ray + Ultraviolet) Details: 2016, Universal Studios Home Entertainment Rated: PG-13, mature themes, language The lowdown: This sports biopic about Jesse Owens, the black American athlete who competed in the 1936 Berlin Olympics and single-handedly debunked Adolf Hitler’s notion of a master race. The movie depicts that while Owens, fiercely portrayed by Stephan James, was a hero on the track, in American society, he was just another Negro. “Race” covers Owens’ struggles on and off the track, spotlighting his courage and determination to run the race of life on his own terms. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH, Spanish and French subtitles. Don’t miss: Bonus offerings include a making of featurette, a look at James’ transformation into Owens and a featurette with Owens’ three daughters offering insight about their father.
Triple 9 (Blu-ray + Ultraviolet) Details: 2016, Universal Studios Home Entertainment Rated: R, graphic violence, language, drug use, nudity The lowdown: A crime thriller about a couple of Atlanta police officers who suspect some members of their own team are involved in a bank robbery. The pair, not trusting anyone, race time not only to uncover the truth, but also keep themselves from becoming targets. The movie features a strong cast including Woody Harrelson, Anthony Mackie, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Aaron Paul, Norman Reedus, Casey Affleck and Kate Winslet. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.40:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles. Don’t miss: Among the major extras are deleted scenes, a featurette with cast members offering in-depth look at their characters and the many plot twists that permeate the film and a behind-the-scenes look at how the filmmakers worked to ground the movie in authenticity.
“Wim Wenders: The Road Trilogy”: Special Edition (Blu-ray) Details: 1974-76, The Criterion Collection Rated: Not rated The lowdown: Wim Wenders was one of the leaders of the New German Cinema movement of the 1970s. He was a director who enjoyed using the outdoors and its physical landscapes to help accentuate the emotional themes of his movies and their characters. This set features three of those movies, filmed in Germany and the United States: “Alice in the Cities” (1974), “Wrong Move” (1975) and “Kings of the Road” (1976). The trio all star Rudiger Vogler as Winders’ alter ego as his characters continually search for themselves during their various journeys. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.66:1 widescreen pictures; German 5.1 DTS-HD surround and LPCM monaural; English subtitles. Don’t miss: Commentary tracks on the three films, an interview with Wenders, interviews with Vogler and fellow actors Yella Rottander, Lisa Kreuzer and Hanns Zischler, outtakes and Super 8 footage, a 2015 short film about the restoration work done by the Wim Wenders Foundation, two newly restored short films from the late 1960s by Wenders and a booklet with essays on the movies comprise the bulk of the bonus features.
The Terror (Blu-ray) Details: 1963, The Film Detective Rated: Not rated The lowdown: “The Terror” is one of those Roger Corman quickie films that has become legendary. The movie, shot on sets left off from Corman’s “The Haunted Palace,” actually had five collaborative directors, including a young Francis Ford Coppola and co-star Jack Nicholson, in one of his early roles. The film stars Boris Karloff, who reportedly shot his scenes in about three days as the sets were being torn down around him. He plays an elderly baron haunted by the spirit of his dead wife. Also involved in the proceedings are Nicholson as a French army officer (Jersey accent, and all), Sandra Knight as the mysterious young woman and Dorothy Neumann as a witch out for revenge on the old nobleman and, of course, Dick Miller, who seems to have been in every American-International Pictures feature made by Corman. Technical aspects: 1.78:1 aspect ratio; English Dolby digital.
City of Women (Blu-ray) Details: 1980 Cohen Film Collection Rated: R, nudity The lowdown: Marcello Mastroianni plays a passenger in a railway coach who wakes from a nap, seduces a woman then follows her through a forest to a strange hotel. There, a feminist convention is being held. The anger of these female militants so unnerves him that he hides in the mansion of a female killer who has wooed and won thousands of hearts. Mastroianni’s Snáporaz goes through many trials and ordeals before again awakening on the train to realize his adventures all had been a crazy dream. The film, directed by Federico Fellini, is a surreal, over-the-top fantasy that was won high praise in Italy. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; Italian language track; English subtitles. Don’t miss: Bonus offerings include a 30-minute documentary about the movie and interviews with production designer Dante Ferretti and filmmaker Tinto Brass.
Blood Bath: 2-Disc Limited Edition (Blu-ray) Details: 1966, Arrow Video Rated: Not rated The lowdown: This is one of those Roger Corman films with an interesting backstory. Corman had invested in a Yugoslavian picture called “Operation Titian” just before it went into production. He insisted it be filmed in English and sent actors William Campbell and Patrick Magee as well as a young, uncredited story editor named Francis Ford Coppola to that nation to make a U.S.-friendly movie. Not satisfied with the results, Corman had the movie recut and re-scored, calling it “Portrait in Terror,” so it would be more satisfying for the targeted drive-in crowd. It was then handed over to filmmaker Jack Hill, then filmmaker Stephanie Rothman. Both supervised reshoots that resulted in a vampire feature entitled “Blood Bath.” Finally, to version viewable for television, scenes were cut and others were added, creating a film called “Track of the Vampire.” This two-disc set features all four versions of “Blood Bath,” culled together from the best materials still available. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English stereo; English SDH subtitles. Don’t miss: Extras include a visual essay in which Tim Lucas updates his three-part Video Watchdog feature that looks at the history of the movie and its multiple versions; an archival interview with Hill; outtakes from “Track of the Vampire”; an interview with “Blood Bath” actor Sid Haig; and a book with essays about the movie.
Teen Titans Go!: Eat. Dance. Punch!: Season 3, Part 1 Details: 2015, Warner Home Video Rated: Not rated The lowdown: A two-disc set featuring all 26 adventures of the Cartoon Network series featuring the Teen Titans. Robin, Cyborg, Raven, Starfire and Beast Boy unite to fight crime as well as dealing with daily adolescent issues. This is a set aimed directly at younger viewers. This animated series mixes action and laughs. Technical aspects: Widescreen picture; English Dolby digital surround stereo; English SDH subtitles.
Other Blu-rays and DVDs being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated:
DIGITAL DOWNLOADS Hello, My Name is Doris (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment) Strawberry Shortcake: Campberry Stories (Fox Home Entertainment) Fender Bender (Shout! Factory, June 3) Girl in the Woods (Candy Factory Films, June 3) Hitler’s Folly (streaming at Plymptoons, June 3)
Coming next week: Zootopia Hail, Caesar! Vinyl: The Complete First Season
Bob Bloom is a member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. He reviews movies, Blu-rays and DVDs for ReelBob (ReelBob.com), The Film Yap and other print and online publications. He can be reached by email at bobbloomjc@gmail.com. You also can follow Bloom on Twitter @ReelBobBloom and on Facebook. Movie reviews by Bloom also can be found at Rottentomatoes: www.rottentomatoes.com.