By Bob Bloom The following titles are being released on Tuesday, Oct. 27, unless otherwise noted:
Parasite: Special Edition (Blu-ray) Details: 2019, The Criterion Collection Rated: R, language, graphic violence, sexual content The lowdown: The Kim family — father, mother and adolescent son and daughter — has nowhere to go but up. They live in a cramped basement apartment, surviving by folding pizza boxes for money. But the family, especially father Kim, has aspirations. The elder Kim is more schemer than dreamer. And the foursome, thanks to a friend of son Kim Ki-woo may have found a way to begin climbing their first rung up the ladder to a better life. That appears to be the premise of Bong Joon Ho’s “Parasite.” But similar to the director’s earlier movies, what you see can be deceiving or change in an instant. Circumstances allow the family — one by one — to go to work for the rich Park family and, step-by-step, they infiltrate themselves into that family’s life. Bong, though, has more on his mind than a story about a family of grifters. This Academy Award-winning movie is all about improving your lot in life, gaining wealth and security and the consequences of resentment and disappointment. What Bong began as a social satire is transformed into an upsetting and ominous manifesto about dashed dreams and sunken expectations. To divulge any more details would be a crime. “Parasite” needs to be seen unencumbered by too much knowledge. Bong provides a master class in filmmaking; his visual style and framing of shots keeps you involved and anxious about what is to come. Critics exalted the film, giving it a 99 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; Korean Dolby Atmos and 7.1 Dolby TrueHD; English subtitles. Don’t miss: Bonus options include a black-and-white version of the movie with an introduction by Bong, a commentary track with Bong and critic Tony Rayns, a conversation between Bong and critic Darcy Paquet, interviews with the movie’s director of photography, production designer and editor, a featurette on the New Korean Cinema movement, a 2019 Cannes Film Festival press conference with Bong and cast members, a master class with Bong from the 2019 Lumiére Festival in Lyon, France and an essay about the movie.
Fatima (DVD) Details: 2020, Universal Studios Home Entertainment Rated: PG-13, strong violence, disturbing images The lowdown: This faith-based drama, inspired by actual events, takes place in 1917 in the parish of Fatima, Portugal, where a 10-year-old girl and her younger cousins reportedly witness multiple visitations of the Virgin Mary, who tells them that only prayer and suffering will bring an end to World War I. The movie is related in a simple and straightforward manner. It is beautifully shot, and the devotion of the children is touching and inspiring. The Virgin Mary, referred to as Our Lady of Fatima, supposedly performed some miracles in October 1917 involving some unusual solar activity. Like most films related to true events, “Fatima” takes some liberties, but not enough to deter you from enjoying the feature. Technical aspects: 2.39:1 anamorphic widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles. Don’t miss: Bonus materials include a look at the making of Andrea Bocelli’s recording of the movie’s theme song, “Gratia Plena”; a featurette on the vision of director Marco Pontecorvo; a look at the movie’s young actors; a featurette on the cast; a look at reimagining of “The Miracle of the Sun”; a behind-the-scenes featurette with the crew; and featurettes on the set and costume designs.
Save Yourselves (Blu-ray + digital) Release date: Oct. 6 Details: 2020, Universal Studios Home Entertainment Rated: R, language The lowdown: This is a quirky gumbo of millennial satire and science fiction about a Brooklyn couple who, addicted to their computers and smartphones, decide to refresh their relationship by abandoning technology for a week and getting away from it all. Their destination is a friend’s secluded cabin in upstate New York, where there is no signal for Wi-Fi or Internet. The movie, written and directed by Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson, is a witty apocalyptic survival outing that, while not offering big laughs, elicits smiles of recognition about a self-centered generation that seems tethered more to technology than humanity. Fischer and Wilson slowly build their premise as Su (Sunita Mani) and Jack (John Reynolds) come to realize they spend more time connecting with their devices than with each other. Su and Jack are your stereotypical millennials. They constantly discuss bettering their lives or opening various businesses, but it is all talk. They are too busy connecting with their friends online to move on with their lives. The two are so self-involved that they fail to realize an alien invasion is happening around them. Even during their various misadventures and face-offs with the alien “poofs,” Fischer and Wilson continue to satirize the couple’s self-absorbing obsessions. A vast majority of critics enjoyed this clever feature, awarding it an 88 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and 2.0 Dolby digital DVS; English SDH and Spanish subtitles. Don’t miss: Extras include deleted and extended scenes, a blooper reel and a commentary track.
High Plains Drifter (Blu-ray) Details: 1973, Kino Lorber Studio Classics Rated: R, graphic violence, sexual content, rape, language The lowdown: “High Plains Drifter” starred and was directed by Clint Eastwood. It was his second directorial effort and his first time behind the camera for a Western. Eastwood plays a variation on his “man with no name” persona. He is “The Stranger,” who rides into the mining town of Lago, where is coldly met by the townspeople, who share a dark secret. Circumstances force the townspeople to reluctantly hire the Stranger to protect them from three gunfighters returning to Lago to exact revenge for being double-crossed by its residents, who stood by while the trio whipped the town’s marshal to death. The Stranger agrees, but makes some peculiar demands on the residents, which they grudgingly accept. The Stranger dispatches the outlaws when they arrive, then rides out of town. Director Sergio Leone’s influence on Eastwood is evident in many shots and situations. The screenplay implies that the Stranger is the spirit of the murdered marshal, leaving that to the interpretation of the viewer. The film scored a 96 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English subtitles. Don’t miss: Supplemental options include a commentary track with filmmaker, Alex Cox; interviews with cast members Mitchell Ryan, Marianna Hill and William O’Connell; a vintage making of featurette; and two “Trailers From Hell” shorts.
The Ipcress File (Blu-ray) Details: 1965, Kino Lorber Studio Classics Rated: Not rated The lowdown: This Cold War spy thriller made Michael Caine a star, following his breakout supporting performance in “Zulu” the year before. Caine stars as former thief Harry Palmer, now reluctantly working as British secret agent. Palmer is called in to investigate a strange occurrence among a number of leading scientists. All the scientists were kidnapped, then returned a few days later brainwashed and useless. During his investigation, Palmer uncovers a tape with the word “Ipcress” on it. The movie was the first of three films starring Caine a Palmer, a character based on a series of mysteries by Len Deighton. The film was produced by Harry Saltzman, who was behind many of the early James Bond movies. It was directed by Sidney Furie and featured a score by John Barry. The movie’s strong supporting cast includes Nigel Green, Sue Lloyd, Guy Doleman and Gordon Jackson. The movie, which earned a 100 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes, is considered a classic of the genre. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English subtitles. Don’t miss: Bonus options include two commentary tracks, interviews with Caine and production designer Ken Adams and a “Trailers From Hell” episode.
The Last Starfighter (Blu-ray) Details: 1984, Arrow Video Rated: PG, violence, language The lowdown: This delightful science-fiction adventure stars Lance Guest as Alex Rogan, an arcade-game whiz recruited to help fight in an interstellar war after achieving the highest score possible on Starfighter, his favorite game. Alex learns from Centauri (Robert Preston), the game’s creator, that the game was designed as a training ground to find pilots to help defeat a sinister enemy armada. Alex is flown from his hum-drum trailer park existence to a distant planet, where he must use his gaming skills to defeat the armada from destroying dozens planets, including Earth. This release features a newly restored 4K scan and a 4.1 audio mix originally created for the film’s 70mm release. “The Last Starfighter” is a very engaging feature that still holds up, more than 25 years after its original release. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 and 4.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and 2.0 LPCM monaural; English SDH subtitles. Don’t miss: Extras include a four-part, archival documentary on the making of the movie, a commentary track with filmmaker Mike White, a “Heroes of the Screen” archival featurette, a commentary track, a poster and O-Card and a collector’s booklet.
Welcome to the Circle (Blu-ray) Details: 2019, Artsploitation Films Rated: Not rated, violence The lowdown: This Canadian horror film centers on a young girl and her father whose camping-trip misadventure forces them into a demon-worshiping cult known as The Circle. As the two become trapped in the cult’s increasingly frightening and violent sphere of indoctrination, there only hope is to try and escape. Help may come from a hardened cult deprogrammer and his two clients who were hired to retrieve a cult member. The movie contains some graphic and grisly violence that may offset some viewers. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and 2.0 Dolby digital stereo.
Cold Light of Day (Blu-ray) Details: 1989, Arrow Video Rated: Not rated The lowdown: A British thriller about a serial killer who was reminiscent of Jeffrey Dahmer. In February 1983, detectives are called to a residential address in a London suburb following reports that the drains have been clogged by human remains. One of the property’s residents is Dennis Nislen, a mild-mannered civil servant, who was arrested. The movie, though based on the Nislen case, renames its protagonist Jorden March. The story is told in flashback after March’s arrest. The film has some very graphic moments as March, like Dahmer, dissected his victims. Before he slices them up, he enjoys keeping their corpses in his bed for company. The movie looks back at March’s life and the incidents and people who helped shape him into what he became. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.33:1 full-screen picture; English 2.0 LPCM monaural; English SDH subtitles. Don’t miss: Extras include two commentary tracks, two short films, interviews with actors Steve Munroe and Martin Byrne-Quinn, a featurette on locations where the film was shot and an insert booklet.
Bonanza: The Official Eleventh Season: Volumes 1 & 2 (DVD) Details: 1969-70, CBS DVD-Paramount Home Entertainment Rated: Not rated The lowdown: The men of the Ponderosa, led by Cartwright patriarch Adam (Lorne Greene), return for an 11th season of Western action and drama. The two volumes feature seven discs, encompassing all 28 episodes. Among the season’s guest stars are Bruce Dern, Tom Bosley, Sally Kellerman, Jo Van Fleet, John Astin and Ted Cassidy. Joining Greene are Michael Landon as “Little Joe” Cartwright, Dan Blocker as “Hoss” Cartwright, David Canary as Candy and Victor Sen Yung as Hop Sing. Technical aspects: 4:3 full-screen picture; English Dolby digital monaural; English SDH subtitles. Don’t miss: Extras include commentaries on some episodes and behind-the-scenes and on-location photos.
Mr. Topaze (Blu-ray) Details: 1961, Film Movement Classics Rated: Not rated The lowdown: This movie is notable as the sole directorial effort of Peter Sellers, who also stars in this character study-comedy about an honorable but poor French schoolteacher. Topaze loses his job when he refuses to change the failing grades of one of his students, who happens to be the grandson of a local baroness. A local lounge singer, Suzy Courtois (Nadia Gray), knowing Topaze’s reputation for honesty, convinces her lover, the corrupt city councilman Castel Benac (Herbert Lom, Sellers’ future foil in the “Pink Panther” movies), to hire Topaze as a front for his illicit business activity. At first unaware of how he is being used, Topaze finally grasps the situation and turns the table on the grifters. The film is not contained full-throated laughs as it does whimsical situations. The movie is based on a play by Marcel Pagnol. The cast also includes Leo McKern, Billie Whitelaw and Michael Gough. It has been restored using 35mm prints in the British Film Institute National Archives. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; English LPCM 2.0 monaural; English subtitles. Don’t miss: Extras include a remembrance of Leo McKern by his daughter, Abigail; a video essay about Pagnol; “Let’s Go Crazy,” a short film featuring Sellers in many roles; and a booklet about the film.
The President (DVD) Details: 2014, Corinth Films Rated: Not rated The lowdown: This political feature centers on a dictator who rules with an iron fist. When his government is overthrown, the president flies his wife and daughters out of the country, but he stays behind with his grandson, who is much too young to grasp the events around him. The deposed leader is forced to trade his splendid attire for lice-infested rags and escape to the countryside after his personal escort and bodyguards turn on him. The former president soon learns he is the most wanted fugitive in the country and, with his grandson, begins a dangerous journey toward the coast, where a ship is waiting to take him to safety. Among his ploys is posing as a street musician and trying to blend in with a group of newly-released political prisoners. He uses survival skills he learned years earlier to keep his grandson safe and away from the bloodthirsty mob that dogs them wherever they go. The film, inspired by the Arab Spring revolutions, was co-written and directed by exiled Iranian filmmaker Mohsen Makhamalbaf. Technical aspects: 1.85:1 widescreen picture; Georgian Dolby digital; English subtitles. Don’t miss: Among the extras are deleted scenes, a making of featurette and a behind-the-scenes look at the film.
Haunt (Blu-ray) Release date: Oct. 22 Details: 2019, Ronin Flix Rated: R, horror violence & gore, language The lowdown: Another Halloween-themed horror outing featuring teenagers. So, what can go wrong? Plenty as this group of friends visit an extremely haunted house that vows to feed on their fears. And, as they sadly learn, some nightmares are very real — and deadly. The movie mixes tension and frights with grisly sequences as it delves how what’s under a person’s outer façade can lead to unthinkable and fatal consequences. Eli Roth is one of the movie’s producers, and it was written and directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, the pair who wrote “A Quiet Place.” Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles. Don’t miss: Supplemental options include making of and behind-the-scenes featurettes, two commentary tracks, deleted scenes, a look at the movie’s music, an introduction with filmmakers, a “Popcorn Frights” question-and-answer session and a short film, “The Sleepover.”
Other titles being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated: Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets: Special Edition (Blu-ray) (Utopia) The Comey Rule (MOD DVD) (CBS DVD-Paramount Home Entertainment) Paulistas (DVD) (IndiePix Films) Redwood Massacre: Annihilation (DVD & digital) (Uncork’d Entertainment) Three Comrades (DVD) (IndiePix Films)
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, STREAMING or VOD The Antidote (Better World Projects-Radical Media) The Dakota Entrapment Tapes (Sundance Now) Incision (Eleven-Seven Productions-Amazon) Memories of Murder (Neon) Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets: Live at the Roadhouse (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment) Noise in the Middle (Terror Films) Nomad: In the Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin (Music Box Films) Train to Busan Presents Peninsula (Well Go USA Entertainment) The Craft (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Oct. 28) Holidate (www.netflix.com/holidate) (Netflix, Oct. 28) Des: Episode 3 (Sundance Now, Oct. 29) The Split: Season 2, Episode 5 (Sundance Now. Oct. 29) Witches: A Century of Murder (Sundance Now, Oct. 29) His House (Netflix, Oct. 30) Planet of the Humans (Rumble Media, Oct. 30) Spell (Paramount Home Entertainment, Oct. 30) Greatland (Indie Rights, Nov. 1) The Painted Veil (Sundance Now, Nov. 1) Accidental Anarchist (Sundance Now, Nov. 2) It Takes a Worried Man: Series 1 (Acorn TV, Nov. 2) James White (Sundance Now, Nov. 2) My Friend Dahmer (Sundance Now, Nov. 2) Mystery Road: Series 2, Episode 5 (Acorn TV, Nov. 2) Prince Charles: Inside the Duchy of Cornwall (Acorn TV, Nov. 2) The South Westerlies (Acorn TV, Nov. 2)
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 Rotten Tomatoes: www.rottentomatoes.com.