By Bob Bloom The following titles are being released on Tuesday, Nov. 13, unless otherwise noted: The Meg (Blu-ray + DVD + digital) Details: 2018, Warner Home Video Rated: PG-13, action and violence, bloody images, language The lowdown: “The Meg” is like its title creature, oversized and perpetually in motion. The movie is basically “Jaws,” injected with a few hundred doses of steroids and testosterone. The movie offers a few surprises, which is basically rare for a feature of this caliber. Plus, it also allows action star Jason Statham to again show his warm, fuzzy and funny side as he did in “Spy” and most recently, “The Fate of the Furious.” “The Meg” centers on a megalodon, a prehistoric shark that was believed extinct until a team of scientist explore an uncharted trench in the Pacific Ocean. The meg is a giant chomping machine, with various people and fish serving as its all-you-can-eat buffet items. The movie belongs to the meg, who gobbles up all the scenery it can, flailing about as it bites down on various oceanic vehicles that get in its way. The fun is watching Statham go eye-to-eye with the beastie, without even breaking a sweat. “The Meg” is a movie made for home consumption; it’s loud and silly and popcorn worthy. Critics were not that impressed, giving it a 45 percent fresh rating at Rottentomatoes.com. Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.40:1 (16x9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English Dolby Atmos-True HD, 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, 5.1 descriptive audio and French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles; DVD: 2.40:1 (16x9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital and English 5.1 descriptive audio; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles. Don’t miss: Bonus offerings include a making of featurette and a look at creating the megalodon.
“Pixar Short Films Collection 3” (Blu-ray + DVD + digital) Details: 2012-18, Pixar-Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment Rated: Not rated The lowdown: One of the joys of seeing Pixar animated features, is the shorts that usually precede the movies. Most of these are nice little gems that put you in a happy and relaxing frame of mind before the main feature. This two-disc set features 13 such shorts produced between 2012 and 2018. They include the Academy-Award winning “Piper” (2017) as well as Oscar nominees “Sanjay’s Super Team” (2015) and “Lou” (2017). Other titles include “Riley’s First Date” (2015), “Party Central” (2013) and “Legend of Mor’du” (2012). Some of these shorts are better than others, but not one of them will disappoint. And the youngsters will definitely enjoy them. Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, widescreen picture; English 7.1 HD-MA, 2.0 descriptive audio and French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles; DVD: widescreen picture; English and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital and English 2.0 descriptive audio; English SDH and Spanish subtitles. Don’t miss: Extras include a couple of mini-movies, “Marine Life Interviews” and “Miss Fritter’s Racing Skool.”
Gas Food Lodging (Blu-ray) Details: 1992, Arrow Academy Rated: R, language, sexual content The lowdown: Allison Anders directed this film and adapted the screenplay based on a novel by Richard Peck. The coming-of-age movie, set in small-town Laramie, NM, centers on Nora (Brooke Adams), a truck-stop waitress who lives in a trailer park with her teen-age daughters, Trudi (Ione Skye) and Shade (Fairuza Balk). Each of the women are looking for love and happiness. Trudi, who sleeps around, finds herself pregnant, while Shade spends most of her time daydreaming at the local movie theater. The film spotlights the female bonding between Nora and her daughters as well as exploring issues concerning working-class women. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.
Narcos: Season Three Details: 2017, Lionsgate Home Entertainment Rated: Not rated The lowdown: The latest season of this explosive Netflix series introduces cocaine and the war on drugs as the Cali cartel, seeing an opening after the fall of Pablo Escobar, looks to expand its operations into the United States. Gilberto Rodriguez, godfather of the Cali group, creates an exit strategy that will allow cartel leaders to live happy and rich lives. But his plans are threatened by an informer inside the group who teams up with DEA agent Pena. The series is disturbing and exciting, as it details a drug invasion that has had repercussions for decades. Technical aspects: 1.78:1 (16x9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 2.0 Dolby digital; English SDH and Spanish subtitles.
Itzhak Release date: Nov. 9 Details: 2017, Kino Lorber Rated: Not rated The lowdown: This documentary, directed by Alison Chernick, is a love letter to an artist who believes in paying it forward — not only through music but through philanthropic works. Perlman’s love of the violin is magical. People, he says, are drawn to certain instruments because of their sound. A successful musician is one who makes his instrument sound as if it is coming from his heart. The movie follows Perlman as he performs around the world. Perlman is shown playing the National Anthem at Citi Field in New York — he and his wife, Toby, are big Mets fans — as well as collaborating with Billy Joel and also a Klezmer group. The most joyous moments in the movie are those in which Perlman is teaching, sharing his passion for music with students from all over the world. “Itzhak” is not intimidating. As a matter of fact, you will walk out of the theater wishing you could bump into Perlman and ask him to join you for a glass of wine or a beer. And, as Chernick portrays him, he would probably — and gladly —accept. The movie, like the man, is a treasure that should be cherished. Technical aspects: 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital; English closed-captioned. Don’t miss: Deleted scenes comprise the major bonus components.
Elementary: The Sixth Season Details: 2018, CBS DVD-Paramount Home Entertainment Rated: Not rated The lowdown: A six-disc set featuring all 21 episodes of this popular CBS series that imagines Sherlock Holmes living and solving crimes in contemporary New York City. Aiding Holmes in taking a bite out of crime in the Big Apple is Dr. Joan Watson. Among the season’s story arcs is one involving Holmes being diagnosed with Post-Concussion Syndrome, which, among other symptoms, causes memory loss. Still, Holmes, played by Jonny Lee Miller, and Watson, portrayed by Lucy Liu, push on helping the NYPD solve some very baffling cases. Technical aspects: 16:9 full-screen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH subtitles. Don’t miss: Among the extras are a gag reel, deleted and extended scenes, an overview of the season and the major storylines, a featurette on Holmes’ new friend Michael and a behind-the-scenes look at the writers discussing episodes written by others.
Topper Returns (Blu-ray) Details: 1941, VCI Entertainment Rated: Not rated The lowdown: In this third outing for Roland Young as Cosmo Topper gets a new ghost to contend with. This time it is a sassy heiress, played by Joan Blondell, who asks Topper to help her solve her own murder. Of course, Topper winds up being the prime suspect, but with the help of his ghostly companion, everything works out at the end. The supporting cast includes Carole Landis, Billie Burke, Dennis O’Keefe, Patsy Kelly and Eddie “Rochester” Anderson. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 full-screen picture; English LPCM monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Single White Female (Blu-ray) Details: 1992, Scream Factory Rated: R, violence, language, sexual content The lowdown: This urban thriller probably discouraged several people from advertising for a roommate — references or not. Bridget Fonda stars as Allison Jones who, after her fiancé leaves her, places a want ad — “SWF seeks female to share apt — and gets more than she bargained for. Jennifer Jason Leigh plays Hedra, the new roommate, who isn’t satisfied to take over Allison’s spare bedroom. She also takes her clothes, new boyfriend and her identity. Leigh, of course, give a solid performance as the psycho who stayed for dinner — and much more. The acting in this thriller is much better than the plot deserves. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English DTS-HD Master Audio stereo; English SDH subtitles. Don’t miss: Bonus options include a commentary track and interviews with director Barbet Schroeder, actors Peter Friedman and Steve Weber and screenwriter Don Roos.
Sleepwalkers: Collector’s Edition (Blu-ray) Release date: Nov. 6 Details: 1992, Scream Factory Rated: R, graphic violence, sensuality The lowdown: Stephen King wrote this story about shape-shifting vampires who travel from one small town to another seeking virtuous young women as prey. The dynamic between Charles (Bran Krause) and his seductive mother (Alice Krige) creates more than a whiff of sexual tension. Charles and his mom appear human to everyone except the town’s cats. And as the death toll mounts, and young Tanya (Madchen Amick), becomes the target of these monsters, the felines unite for a final showdown with the vampiric pair. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English DTS-HD Master Audio stereo; English subtitles. Don’t miss: Supplemental materials include a commentary track with Krause, Amick and director Nick Garris, interviews with Garris, Krause, Amick and makeup effects creator Tony Gardner and behind-the-scenes footage.
Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings (Blu-ray + DVD) Details: 2018, Well Go USA Entertainment Rated: Not rated The lowdown: In his newest mystery, Detective Dee is accused of wrongdoing and must not only clear himself but investigate a crime wave marked by strange and seemingly supernatural events. Detective Dee must defend himself from the Empress and, at the same time, recover a magical weapon. This is the third movie in the series, set during the Tang dynasty. The movie is the latest offering in the wuxia fantasy franchise. The movie was directed by Tsui Hark. Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 (16x9 enhanced) widescreen picture; Mandarin DTS-HD; English subtitles; DVD: 2.39:1 (16x9 enhanced); Mandarin Dolby digital; English subtitles.
Glastonbury Fayre 1971: The True Spirit of Glastonbury (Blu-ray) Release date: Nov. 9 Details: 1972, Odeon Entertainment-MVD Visual Entertainment Rated: Not rated The lowdown: This documentary showcases the birth of Glastonbury in 1971 as a festival that would be the prototype for an “alternative and utopian society.” The festival was given over to music, dance, art, poetry, theater, spontaneous performances and nudity. Then-young filmmaker Nic Roeg (“Don’t Look Now” and “The Man Who Fell to Earth”) brought his film crew to the second Glastonbury and recorded the people, music and summer of love. The movie is a time capsule of a visionary music festival that will entertain and inspire. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 full-screen picture; English 2.0 LPCM stereo. Don’t miss: A commentary track and a making of featurette are the main extras.
Other titles being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated: Bloodlines: The Art and Life of Vincent Castiglia (MVD Visual Entertainment) Heavy Trip (Doppleganger Releasing-Blood Disgusting) MDMA (Blu-ray & DVD) (Shout! Factory) Snowmance (Monarch Home Entertainment) Welcome to the Men’s Group (Leomark Studios, Nov. 19)
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, STREAMING or VOD Bloody Ballet (High Octane Pictures) Blue My Mind (Uncork’d Entertainment) The Equalizer 2 (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment) How Long Will I Love You (Well Go USA Entertainment) My Best Friend (Breaking Glass Pictures) The Negotiation (CJ Entertainment) Nico, 1988 (Magnolia Home Entertainment) Rising (AD Council-R-GA Great Guns Production) Searching (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment) The Last Race (Magnolia Home Entertainment) Speed Kills (Saban Films) Agatha Raisin and the Wizard of Evesham (Acorn TV, Nov. 19) Penelope Keith’s Hidden Coastal Villages (Acorn TV, Nov. 19)
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.