By Bob Bloom The following titles are being released on Tuesday, Nov. 24, unless otherwise noted:
The Irishman: Special Edition (Blu-ray) Details: 2019, The Criterion Collection Rated: R, graphic violence, language The lowdown: The dialogue in “The Irishman” is rather mundane and dull, but the meaning behind the words — ah, that is something completely different. As a whole, it is scintillating. The way the words are used, the glances and facial expressions that accompany them, convey an entirely different connotation. Everyone speaks in euphemisms; it’s like a secret code understood only by members of an exclusive club. Martin Scorsese’s latest movie can be seen as a distant cousin to “Goodfellas,” sort of a “Geriatricfellas.” The film reunites Scorsese and two of his favorite actors-collaborators — Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci. Throw in Al Pacino, and you have a Mount Olympus of talent. The movie plays like a Scorsese’s greatest hits, a mashup of familiar types and situations he has examined in earlier efforts. And, like such movies as the aforementioned “Goodfellas” and “Casino,” “The Irishman” uses voice-over narration to propel and explain events, and it shows the same incidents from multiple perspectives. At nearly 3½ hours, “The Irishman” lacks the crackling energy and pace of earlier Scorsese movies. That is because, at its core, it is a melancholy story of an individual looking back on his life — alone and in his twilight years — and the irrevocable choices that defined him and his relationships, especially with his family. The movie is based on a book, “I Hear You Paint Houses,” which tells the story of Frank Sheeran, an assassin who supposedly confessed to the killing of former Teamsters president Jimmy Hoffa. The film is told in flashback by an aging Sheeran (De Niro) — old and sickly, living alone in a nursing home. “The Irishman” is a meditative feature in which Scorsese takes his time in creating a dark and dangerous world in which loyalty and absolute fidelity are the currency of the realm. “The Irishman” is like a veteran rock ‘n’ roll band on a farewell tour performing their golden oldies. Scorsese, De Niro, Pacino and Pesci infuse the movie with a lifetime of experience in front and behind the camera. They make every scene look so natural and effortless that you forget the preparation necessary to create their personas. “The Irishman” is a sad saga that fails to offer absolution to any of its characters. The film impressed critics, who awarded it a 96 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English Dolby Atmos; English SDH subtitles. Don’t miss: Bonus materials include a 2019 roundtable discussion with Scorsese, De Niro, Pacino and Pesci; a making of featurette that includes filmmakers and cast members; “Gangsters’ Requiem,” a video essay by film critic Farran Smith Nehme about the movie and Scorsese’s filmmaking style; an “Anatomy of a Scene” featurette; a look at the digital de-aging process used in the film; excerpted interviews with the actual Sheeran and Teamsters leader Jimmy Hoffa from 1999 and 1963; and an essay about the movie.
The Broken Hearts Gallery (Blu-ray + digital) Release date: Nov. 17 Details: 2020, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Rated: PG-13, sexual content, language, crude references, drug references The lowdown: A romantic and engaging rom-com about Lucy (Geraldine Viswanathan), a 20-something art gallery assistant in New York. Lucy is an emotional hoarder who has saved souvenirs from all her past relationships. After being dumped by her latest boyfriend, Lucy is inspired to create The Broken Heart Gallery, a space for items that love has left behind. As word of the gallery spreads, it sparks a movement and fresh starts for other romantics as well as Lucy herself. This amusing and endearing feature, written and directed by Natalie Krinsky, charmed a majority of critics, who gave it a 78 fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.00:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and 5.1 Dolby digital audio description track; English SDH, English and Spanish subtitles. Don’t miss: Extras include a gag reel and behind-the-scenes looks at the movie.
Mad Max (4K UHD + Blu-ray) Details: 1979, Kino Lorber Studio Classics Rated: R, violence, language The lowdown: The world was introduced to Mel Gibson in director George Miller’s post-apocalyptic feature set in a ravaged, near-future Australia in which most oil has been depleted and war, famine and chaos reign. Gibson plays Max, a police officer, one of the last vestiges of law and order who battles a savage motorcycle gang that rules the road and terrifies and kills innocent civilians. Max sets out to stop them, but the price he pays is high — the murder of his wife and son by the gang. The movie launched Gibson’s career as well as spawning a trio of sequels that transformed Max into an iconic figure. This two-disc release features a strong 4K UHD presentation that elevates picture and audio quality, making for an exciting viewing experience as well as a standard Blu-ray edition. The set features the original Australian and U.S. English dubbed versions of the movie. Technical aspects: 2160p 4K UHD, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English subtitles. Don’t miss: Bonus options include a commentary track, an interview with Miller, a featurette about Gibson, an overview of the movie, interviews with Gibson, costar Joanne Samuel and cinematographer David Eggby, and “Trailers From Hell” episode.
“He Came From the Swamp: The William Grefe Collection” (Blu-ray) Details: 1966-77, Arrow Video Rated: Not rated The lowdown: This four-disc set features seven movies from Florida exploitation filmmaker William “Wild Bill” Grefe, who used the Florida everglades as the backdrop for his low-budget offerings. These movies are not art, but they do keep you awake and engrossed. The double-feature discs offer: “Sting of Death” (1966) about a demented jellyfish man, teamed with “Death Curse of Tartu” (1966) about a group of college students who throw a dance party on the burial site of an ancient Indian medicine man, who returns from the dead as various animals to extract his revenge on those who desecrated his grave site. “The Hooked Generation” (1968) centers on a gang of dope peddlers who sail out to meet a Cuban boat, but are forced to throw their narcotics overboard when they are spotted by a young couple. The other movie is “The Psychedelic Priest” (1971) in which a priest gives up his calling, tunes in, turns on and drops out. Though filmed in 1971, the movie was not released until 2001. Believe it or not, “The Naked Zoo” (1971) stars Rita Hayworth as a frustrated matron who lives in Miami with her wheelchair-bound husband. When she beds a young author, murder ensues. The second feature is “Mako: Jaws of Death” (1976) is a far-out flick about a man who learns he has a mystical connection with sharks. A shaman gives him a strange medallion. The man begins to grow more and more alienated from society and develops the ability to communicate telepathically with sharks. He uses his power to the kill anybody who harms sharks, then graduates to using the killers to destroy anyone who has double-crossed him. Finally, there’s “Whiskey Mountain” (1977) in which four motorcyclists who arrive at Whiskey Mountain for a treasure hunt are menaced by a gang of murderous hillbilly drug dealers. This disc also includes the extended cut of the documentary, “They Came From the Swamp,” which looks at Grefe and his movies. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 full-screen picture, 1.85:1 and 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English LPCM monaural; English SHD subtitles. Don’t miss: Other than the documentary, extras include archival commentaries, an alternate cut on “The Naked Zoo,” behind-the-scenes footage on “The Hooked Generation,” a look at the early spook show years, a featurette on the history of rock ‘n’ roll monster movies and a booklet with interviews with Grefe.
The Lost Weekend (Blu-ray) Details: 1945, Kino Lorber Studio Classics Rated: Not rated The lowdown: Ray Milland won a best actor Academy Award for his portrayal of an alcoholic, would-be writer who, dissatisfied with his life, returns to the bottle, and goes on a three-day binge. This look at the effects of drinking is one of the most harrowing in film history. Director Billy Wilder, who, along with Charles Brackett, wrote the screenplay, did not sugarcoat the depths to which Milland’s character sinks in his need for a drink. The movie offers a few disturbing sequences that may make you squirm. Ironically, because of its subject matter, the movie was almost not released. Good thing it was because, beside the Oscar given Milland, the film earned Academy Awards for best picture, Wilder for best director and Wilder and Brackett for best screenplay. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 full-screen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English subtitles. Don’t miss: Extras include a commentary track with film historian-author Joseph McBride, a radio adaptation of the movie and a “Trailers From Hell” vignette.
Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula (Blu-ray + DVD) Details: 2020, Well Go USA Entertainment Rated: Not rated The lowdown: This sequel is set four years after the events in “Train to Busan,” in which South Korea had been decimated by a zombie plague. The movie introduces new characters who were not featured in the original as well as a series of plots and subplots that are distracting. The main storyline centers on a former Marine captain tasked with returning to Incheon to retrieve a truck containing a very large amount of cash. The movie also involves a rogue military unit, a mother and her children whom the Marine captain bypassed when he first left Korea and, of course, loads of zombies. The movie is not as good as the original, but it offers some moments of excitement with an undercurrent of humor. Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2:39:1 (16:9 enhanced) widescreen picture; Korean Dolby Atmos, Korean 7.1 TrueHD and English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles; DVD: 2.39:1 (16:9 enhanced) widescreen picture; Korean and English 2.0 Dolby digital; English subtitles. Don’t miss: A series of short interviews and looks at the making of the movie comprise the extras.
Riders of Death Valley (Blu-ray) Details: 1941, VCI Entertainment-MVD Visual Entertainment Rated: Not rated The lowdown: This 15-chapter Universal Pictures serial was dubbed “The Million Dollar Serial.” That, however, was not because of its production values, but more so for its cast, which included an all-star lineup of B-Western and serial performers. The good guys were led by Dick Foran, who jumped back and forth from “A” to “B” pictures quite easily, having appeared in such Warner Bros. films as “The Petrified Forest,” “Black Legion” and “Boy Meets Girl” before moving to Universal, where he appeared in “The Mummy’s Hand” and “In the Navy” with Abbott and Costello. In “Riders of Death Valley” he leads a group of vigilantes protecting miners from claim jumpers. He is aided by Buck Jones, Leo Carrillo, Guinn “Big Boy” Williams, Noah Beery Jr. and, in a change of pace from villainy, Glenn Strange, who went on to play Frankenstein’s monster and Sam the bartender on “Gunsmoke.” The head action villain is a snarling Charles Bickford, aided by Lon Chaney Jr. and a bevy of well-known cowboy bad guys including Roy Barcroft, Richard Alexander, Jack Rockwell and Ethan Laidlaw. The brains heavies are portrayed by James Blaine and veteran Monte Blue. The serial looks very good, with only the first part of chapter six lacking the crispness of the rest of the movie. Smartly, VCI has placed a disclaimer on the back cover explaining the reason for this change. Also, like a lot of Universal’s Western serials, this chapterplay is loaded with stock footage from earlier efforts, some going as far back as silent films. The same poor Indian and the same cowboy seem to be getting shot and killed every other chapter. Overall, “Riders of Death Valley” looks and sounds better than it has in years. Serial and B-Western fans will fine this a worthwhile and entertaining investment. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.32:1 full-screen picture; English 2.0 LPCM monaural; English SDH subtitles. Don’t miss: Commentaries on the first two chapters by writer-film historian Toby Roan and trailers from other serials comprise the major extras.
The Other Side of Madness (Blu-ray + CD) Details: 1971, The Film Detective Rated: R, violence The lowdown: This exploitation feature is a cinematic stew of documentary footage and re-enactments that was the first movie depiction of the Manson “family” murders. The movie, recreating the Tate-LaBianca killings, was filmed while the trial of Charles Manson and his followers was still in progress. Thus, the movie was banned from being shown in Los Angeles. The movie, shot mostly in Kansas City and partially at the Spahn Ranch, featured a cast of unknowns. People who have seen Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” will appreciate this movie for the time capsule that it is. The set also includes a CD with songs written and performed by Manson. The film was re-released in 1976, re-titled, “The Helter Skelter Murders.” Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 full-screen picture; English Dolby digital; English SDH and Spanish subtitles. Don’t miss: Supplemental materials include an interview with producer Wade Williams, a featurette “Mechanical Man: Wade Williams Meets Manson and a booklet about the movie.
Iron Mask (Blu-ray + digital) Details: 2019, Lionsgate Home Entertainment Rated: PG-13, action and violence, suggestive elements The lowdown: You can’t really go wrong with a movie featuring both Jackie Chan and Arnold Schwarzenegger, even if it is somewhat strange fantasy adventure. A kung fu master (Chan), in order to save his homeland from destruction, must escape from the maniacal James Hook (Schwarzenegger) to send his daughter a secret talisman that will allow her to control a giant and mythical dragon. The movie, which costars Jason Flemyng, Charles Dance and Rutger Hauer, includes such locals as the Tower of London, the fabled Silk Road and China’s Great Wall. The movie’s logic is suspect, the CGI is inferior, but, really, how many times will you see Chan and Schwarzenegger face off. By the way, if you don’t recognize the name of Schwarzenegger’s character, better read up on your “Peter Pan.” This is definitely a guilty pleasure feature that should be checked out. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.89:1 (16x9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English and Spanish 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles.
The Killing Floor (Blu-ray) Details: 1984, Film Movement Classics Rated: Not rated The lowdown: This movie, the first feature film directed by Bill Duke, dramatizes the true story of Frank Custer (Damien Leake), an African American sharecropper who leaves Mississippi to find work in a Chicago meatpacking plant. Custer was one of thousands of African Americans who came North during World War I to make a better life and find more racial equality. Custer’s job allows him to bring his wife, Mattie (Alfre Woodard), and family up north. All is well until Custer decides to support the call for a union in the plant. His best friends from the South are dismayed and, distrustful of a white-led union, turn against him. The film traces the ethnic and class conflicts that led to the deadly Chicago Race Riot of 1919. The movie, which premiered on PBS’ “American Playhouse,” was honored with a special jury award at the 1985 Sundance film festival. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.33:1 full-screen picture; English audio; English SDH subtitles. Don’t miss: Bonus options include an introduction to the movie by Duke, a question-and-answer session with Leake and producer Elsa Rassbach, making of pandemic-era conversations, an interview with Rassbach and a booklet with essays about the movie and era in which it is set.
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (Blu-ray) Details: 1979, Kino Lorber Rated: PG The lowdown: The original concept of this science-fiction feature was to be a pilot film for the later TV series. But, executives at Universal Pictures, hoping to cash in on the “Star Wars” craze, decided to first release the movie to theaters. Either way, the film served as a coming attraction for the later series. The film introduces us to Col. William “Buck” Rogers (Gil Gerard) who, on a shuttle mission, runs into a meteor storm that freezes him for 500 years. About 500 years later, Buck is rescued by the evil Draconians who, unknown to Buck, plant a tracker in his ship so they can get through Earth’s defenses and dispatch him to a planet he no longer recognizes. Here he meets Col. Wilma Deering (Erin Gray), Tim O’Connor (Dr. Huer) and other allies. The movie is so-so, but it ignited enough interest to launch the TV show Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English subtitles. Don’t miss: The major extras are a commentary track and nine-minute special theatrical preview.
Other titles being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated: Better Call Saul: Season Five (Blu-ray) (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)
Mellow Mud (DVD) (Corinth Films) 2067 (Blu-ray & DVD) (RLJ Entertainment, Nov. 17)
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, STREAMING or VOD Deathcember (Shout! Studios-Scream Factory) Hillbilly Elegy (www.netflix.com/HillbillyElegy) (Netflix) Mags and Julie Go on a Road Trip (REL Films) Sweet Parents (Quiver Distribution) Happiest Season (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment-Hulu, Nov. 25) B & B (Acorn TV, Nov. 26) Riviera: Season 3, Episode 4 (Sundance Now, Nov. 26) Vinyl Generation (Dark Star Pictures, Nov. 26) The Yorkshire Vet Countryside Specials (Acorn TV, Nov. 26) Princess of the Row (Gravitas Ventures, Nov. 27) Adele’s Wish (Sundance Now, Nov. 30) Fingersmith (Acorn TV, Nov. 30) Law & Order: UK, Series 2 (Acorn TV, Nov. 30)
Coming next week: Chernobyl
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 at ReelBob or the Indiana Film Journalists Association. My movie reviews also can be found at Rotten Tomatoes: www.rottentomatoes.com.