New to View: Sept. 27

The latest Thor adventure headlines a nice variety of new releases for home viewing. Check them all out at New to View at ReelBob.

The following titles are being released on Tuesday, Sept. 27, unless otherwise noted:
Thor: Love and Thunder (Blu-ray + digital)
Details: 2022, Buena Vista-Marvel Studios-Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
Rated: PG-13, intense sequences of science fiction action & violence, language, suggestive material, partial nudity
The lowdown: “Thor: Love and Thunder” is like a partygoer who had too much to drink. The guest is entertaining in a crazy way, but also fails to make much sense because of slurred words and alcohol-fueled concepts no one can fully understand.
This fourth Thor movie unevenly mixes bizarre situations, laughs and dark circumstances. It is a thematic pinball machine.
In his follow-up to “Thor: Ragnarok,” director Taika Waititi attempts again to balance action and humor, except it does not work as well this time.
“Thor: Love and Thunder” is scattershot, awkwardly jumping around without any apparent cohesion. It hurriedly careens around the cosmos without much thought or depth.
Despite its shortcomings, the movie is corny fun, mostly because of its cast.
One of the movie’s more humorous sequences occurs at Omnipotence City, a luxury resort-like metropolis in which gods from throughout the universe hang out. It is ruled by an egotistical Zeus, played as a clownlike despot by
Russell Crowe, who speaks in a strange Mediterranean accent that makes him sound like a Greek date peddler.
The movie is overloaded offering too many distractions for its own good, including big-name star cameos and throwaway bits, instead of concentrating on its main story.
Despite its shortcomings, “Thor: Love and Thunder” is a fun romp, blending laughs and thrills. A majority of critics agreed, awarding the movie a 64 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, 2.0 descriptive audio and French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus materials include a featurette with stars Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman discussing their characters, a featurette with Christian Bale describing how he brought his character, Gorr the God Butcher, to life, a featurette on Waititi, a commentary track with Waititi and others, deleted scenes and a gag reel.

Sound of Metal (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)
Details: 2019, The Criterion Collection
Rated: R, language, brief nude sequences
The lowdown: Riz Ahmed received a best actor Academy Award nomination for his portrayal of Ruben, an intense punk-metal drummer who, after a series of adrenaline-fueled, one-night stands with his singer girlfriend, Lou (Olivia Cooke), begins to experience intermittent hearing loss.
Soon, Ruben loses much of his hearing, which starts him on a journey — through denial, anger, grief and, eventually, acceptance, to understand what it means to live as a deaf person.
Ruben later discovers that his deafness is not a disability, but a community with a rich culture.
Much of the movie’s success, it earned a 97 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes, is because of director Darius Marder’s immersive sound design that allows the viewer to experience the world as Ruben does.
Technical aspects: 4K: 2160p ultra high definition and Blu-ray: 1080 high definition; 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus options include a French-dubbed soundtrack, a conversation between Marder and filmmaker-co-screenwriter Derek Cianfrance, a featurette on the movie’s sound design with Marder and sound editor Nicolas Becker, a music video and an essay about the movie.

Outlander: Season Six (Blu-ray + digital)
Release date: Sept. 20
Details: 2022, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: In the sixth season of this popular Starz series, adapted from Diana Gabaldon’s best-selling books, Claire and Jamie Fraser (Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan) fight to protect their home and those they love as the American Revolution looms on the horizon.
The Frasers seek to maintain peace and prosper in their colonial society which, as Claire knows, will come to an end  as a new nation emerges.
They must defend their home from external forces as well as from strife within their community as the winds of war swirl.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English and French 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH, English and French subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include two blooper reels, deleted scenes, episode commentaries, Balfe and Heughan’s original auditions, a behind-the-scenes look at the shootout at Fraser’s Ridge, a look into the animation “Outlander Untold” featurette and a “Family Matters: The Ghosts of Trauma” featurette.

In Bruges (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)
Details: 2008, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: R, strong & bloody violence, language, drug use
The lowdown: Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson star in this crime thriller-dark comedy written and directed by Martin McDonagh (“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”) about Ray and Ken, a couple of Irish hitmen, told to lay low in the Belgian city of Bruges after their latest assignment.
Hitmen do not make the best tourists, so Ray (Farrell) and Ken (Gleeson) soon find themselves in a life-and-death struggle of epic and comic proportions against Harry (Ralph Fiennes), an angry, foul-mouthed crime boss.
While in the storybook city, Ray finds romance, while he and Ken also experience encounters with tourists, locals and an American dwarf.
The film starts off a bit sluggishly, but picks up speed the more you stay with it. A majority of critics enjoyed it, awarding the movie an 84 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 4K: 2160p ultra high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English Dolby Vision English SHD subtitles; Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus features include deleted and extended scenes, a gag reel, four behind-the-scenes featurettes and EPK cast and crew interviews and B-Roll.

The Chocolate War (Blu-ray)
Details: 1988, MVD Rewind Collection
Rated: R, language, violence
The lowdown: Actor Keith Gordon (“Christine”) directed this adaptation of Robert Cormier’s controversial novel, an allegory of abusive power set in a Catholic boy’s school.
The conflict centers on a school fund-raising chocolate sale. Jerry (Ilan Mitchell-Smith) is a student who refuses to participate in the sale. His actions undercut the ambitious school administrator, Brother Leon (John Glover).
Leon secretly enlists Archie (Wally Ward), a sadistic student and mastermind of the school’s resident gang, to force Jerry to cooperate.
Jerry stands his ground, asserting his individualism, despite extreme pressure and coercion to conform.
The film was applauded by critics who awarded it an 83 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio surround and LPCM monaural; Spanish LPCM monaural; English, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: A commentary track and an interview with Gordon are the major extras.

Rain: 90th Anniversary Edition (Blu-ray)
Details: 1932, VCI Entertainment-MVD Visual Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Joan Crawford was seen more as a movie star and performer than a solid actress.
One of her best performances was in this pre-Code adaptation of W. Somerset Maugham’s short story about Sadie Thompson, a prostitute stranded on the South Pacific island of Pago Pago with other passengers after a possible cholera outbreak on a ship on which she was traveling to Samoa.
Also stationed on Pago Page is a group of American Marines. Sadie spends her time drinking and partying with the Marines. One Marine, Sgt. Tim O’Hara, falls in love with Sadie.
Another passenger from the ship, self-righteous missionary Alfred Davidson (Walter Huston), confronts Sadie about her behavior and decides to save her soul. When Sadie declines his offer, Davidson uses his influence to have the local governor order her deported to San Francisco, where she is wanted for a crime.
After a fierce argument between Sadie and Davidson ensues, with the woman experiencing a religious conversion and agreeing to return to San Francisco.
On the night before she is to leave, Sadie seduces Davidson. The next morning, the missionary is found dead on the beach — a suicide.
His death allows Sadie to revert to her former self. She leaves for a new life in Sydney, Australia, with O’Hara.
The movie, directed by two-time Academy Award-winner Lewis Milestone, earned an 89 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes It shocked viewers upon its initial release with its frankness about sex and religious hypocrisy.
The movie also features William Gargan as O’Hara, Beulah Bondi as Mrs. Davidson and top character actors Guy Kibbee and Walter Catlett.
This is the 94-minute uncut version of the movie. Also included is the 76-minute 1938 reissue version.
Maugham’s story was adapted as a play in 1922, which served as the source of a 1928 silent film starring Gloria Swanson. The movie also was remade in 1953 with Rita Hayworth.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 full-screen picture; English LPCM monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a commentary track by “San Francisco Chronicle” writer and film historian Mike LaSalle, another commentary by author-film historian Richard Barrios, liner notes, a Betty Boop cartoon and a newsreel.

The Automat (DVD)
Release date: Sept. 20
Details: 2021, Kino Lorber
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Years before the American landscape was overrun by fast-food chains, there was the Automat. People would sit at communal tables, eat and talk about their struggles, hopes and dreams.
This documentary recounts the forgotten history of the iconic restaurant chain Horn & Hardart, which served affordable food to millions of New Yorkers and Philadelphians for more than a century.
The chain, founded in 1888 by Joseph Horn and Frank Hardart, revolutionized the nation’s restaurant scene with technology that captured the public’s imagination — and prices they could afford.
The customer put nickels into slots and little windows appeared to reveal the customer’s pick — whether it was a slice of pie, a Salisbury steak or macaroni and cheese.
The chain’s biggest contribution to the nation was its acceptance of anyone who could pay — immigrants, working-class people, Blacks and women.
The film includes interviews with a diverse group of people including Mel Brooks, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Colin Powell, Carl Reiner and Elliott Gould.
The movie is a combination of social history and nostalgia, served up on a sweet cinematic plate.
Technical aspects: 1.78:1 (16x9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 2.0 Dolby digital stereo; English closed-captioned subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus options include an audio introduction by Brooks, an extended interview with Brooks, Horn and Hardart archival footage and a commentary track with director Lisa Hurwitz.

The Oblong Box (Blu-ray)
Release date: Sept. 6
Details: 1969, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: R, graphic violence
The lowdown: Vincent Price and Christopher Lee are featured in this horror outing, another movie inspired by the works of Edgar Allan Poe.
The setting is England in the 1860s, with Price portraying Julian Markham, who has returned to the family’s English estate from Africa. There, Markham’s brother, Sir Edward (Alister Williamson), who was badly disfigured in an African voodoo ceremony for a transgression against the native population, is locked away by the guilt-ridden Julian.
Sir Edward quickly tires of his captivity and blames to escape by faking his own death.
But, as usually occurs in such movies, events go awry and Sir Edward winds up in the hands of the unsavory Dr. Newhartt (Lee), who is forced to shelter the nobleman.
A series of murders occur, Julian discovers the truth about his brother and, in the end, death and tragedy ensue.
The movie, directed by Gordon Hessler, received mixed reviews. The release is the complete 96-minute version of the film.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a commentary track by film historian Steve Haberman and a narration of Poe’s “Annabel Lee” by Price.

Jason’s Lyric (Blu-ray)
Details: 1994, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: R, strong violence, sexuality & language, drug use
The lowdown: An urban romance starring Allen Payne, Jada Pinkett Smith, Bokeem Woodbine, Eddie Griffin and Forest Whitaker about two brothers, left fatherless by a family fight that spun out of control.
Jason (Payne) is trying to make good and leave Houston’s ghetto, while Joshua (Woodbine) takes up a life of crime and drugs.
Jason finds a kindred spirit in Lyric (Pinkett Smith), who also dreams of leaving the city, hoping that the two can find a better life together somewhere else.
Despite his love for Lyric, Jason is torn between leaving and his obligation to his family. Meanwhile, Joshua will stop at nothing to see that Jason stays — even if that fight results in the same conclusion that befell their father.
The movie’s finale is dark and shocking.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English subtitles.

South: Ernest Shackleton and the Endurance Expedition (Blu-ray)
Release date: Sept. 20
Details: 1919, Milestone Films-Kino Lorber
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This documentary chronicles one of the greatest survival stories ever captured on film — and it’s all true.
Ernest Shackleton set sail on a ship, the Endurance, on Aug. 8, 1914. His plan was to cross the continent of Antarctica via the South Pole.
Among those traveling with Shackleton and his crew was Frank Hurley, a cameraman who brought photographic equipment with him.
Trouble, however, struck at the beginning of the journey when the ship was trapped in a very heavy ice pack. After waiting several months for rescue, the Endurance finally sinks, stranding Shackleton, the crew and Hurley.
Ultimately, Shackleton, using only a sextant, leads the group in an open boat on an 850-mile journey through dire conditions to a whaling station.
This new release coincides with the 2022 discovery of the Endurance at the bottom of the Weddell Sea.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.33:1 full-screen picture; English intertitles; musical score by Neill Brand 2.0 DTS-HD monaural.
Don’t miss: Bonus options include a commentary track with film historian Luke McKernan; audio recordings by Shackleton; a 1908 eight-minute film of the departure of Shackleton’s British Antarctic Expedition from Lyttelton, New Zealand; a one-minute film of Sir George Newnes’ farewell to officers and crew; short films — “Shackleton: South Georgia Birds” (1920, 13 minutes), “Southward on the Quest” (1922, 3 minutes) and “Shackleton’s Boat Journey” (1999, 31 minutes) produced by Harding Dunnett and John Bardell for the James Caird Society.)

Cinematographer (Blu-ray)
Details: 2022, Lightyear Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Movie aficionados will appreciate this documentary that looks at the art of filmmaking and spotlights some legendary cinematographers who shot some of the most famous movies of the 1970s and ’80s.
The movie is filled with exciting and beautiful clips from movies such as “The Graduate,” “The French Connection” and “Unforgiven.”
The movie shows how cinematographers impacted and help shape movies directed by Clint Eastwood, Steven Spielberg, John Carpenter and others.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital.

Ace High (Blu-ray)
Release date: Sept. 20
Details: 1968, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: PG-13, Western violence
The lowdown: Eli Wallach stars as Cacopoulos in this spaghetti Western with comedy overtones about a rascal who takes $300,000 from two bounty hunters.
The two finally catch up with Cacopoulos, but they then have to join forces to defend themselves against a murderous outlaw.
The trail finally leads to a crooked Mississippi gambling house, involving a gun battle and, ultimately, lots of money for everyone involved.
The movie features genre regulars Terence Hill and Bud Spencer as well as Brock Peters and Kevin McCarthy.
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 commentary track by filmmaker Alex Cox is the main extra.

Preman: Silent Fury (Blu-ray)
Details: 2021, Well Go USA Entertainment
Rated: Not rated, violence
The lowdown: The son of a deaf gangster witnesses a murder committed by a notorious crime boss.
The son’s father must go up against his former allies — including a sociopathic assassin — to protect the boy.
This Indonesian action feature is flashy, with traces of dark humor, but it also throws too many ideas at its audience. Still, fans of the genre will enjoy the movie.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 (16x9 enhanced) widescreen picture; Indonesian and English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.

A Fugitive From the Past (Blu-ray)
Details: 1965, Arrow Video
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This Japanese crime drama is considered one of the best movies in Japanese history.
It begins in 1947 when a freak typhoon causes a ferry running between Hokkaido and mainland Japan to sink. Hundreds of lives are lost in the accident.
During all this chaos, three men are seen fleeing a pawnshop in the Hokkaido town of Iwanai. Arson and theft are suspected.
And when a detective, Yumisaka, discovers the burned remains of a boat and the corpses of two men, he sets out to find the third individual.
Meanwhile, the enigmatic Takichi Imukai takes shelter with a prostitute named Yae. Their brief time together will have consequences that shape the rest of their lives.
For the detective, the trail goes cold But a decade later, Yumisaka is called back by his successor, Ajimura, after two new dead bodies are discovered.
The movie is based on a 1,700-page novel and is a high-water mark in the career of director Tomu Uchida.
The film chronicles the social upheaval and legacies of postwar Japan as it traces an individual’s struggle to escape his past.
The Blu-ray features the restored 183-minute cut of the movie.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.40:1 widescreen picture; Japanese LPCM monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Supplemental materials include scene-specific commentaries by several Japanese film scholars, a booklet about the movie, a Uchida filmography and an introduction to the movie by writer and curator Jasper Sharp.

The Jackie Stiles Story (DVD)
Details: 2022, Virgil Films-Kino Lorber
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A documentary that looks at the life and career of Jackie Stiles, a Kansas girl who was one of the finest women’s basketball players to take the court.
Stiles became the all-time leading scorer in NCAA history, a record she held for 16 years.
The movie examines her career, family and work ethic.
Stiles played professional basketball, but injuries cut her career short. She also coached on the collegiate level.
The movie includes interviews with her coaches and teammates.
Technical aspects: 16:9 picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital; English closed-captioned subtitles.

The House of the Lost on the Cape (Blu-ray + DVD)
Details: 2021, Shout! Factory-Eleven Arts
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Another fantasy-tinged anime, this one from director Shinya Kawatsura.
Yui, a 17-year-old runaway, and Hiyori, an 8-year-old who lost her family and her voice, have no place to go.
Then they meet Kiwa, a strange old lady who offers them a place to stay in a slightly dilapidated house overlooking the sea.
The house, a Mayoiga, offers comfort to the girls who soon discover that the dwelling is a legendary abode that is said to look after lost travelers.
The house and Kiwa slowly help heal both girls damaged hearts. One day, though, strange beings who Kiwa calls “Fushigitto” begin popping up around the house.
The girls must face their fears to save their new home from the menace.
The movie is heartwarming, balancing the real world and the supernatural.
Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; Japanese and English (dubbed) 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH and English subtitles; DVD: 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen picture; Japanese and English 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH and English subtitles.
Don’t miss: A question-and-answer session with Kawatsura and a Yui and Kiwa’ secret recipes featurette are the main extras.

Other titles being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated:
Blood of the Chupacabras / Revenge of the Chupacabras double feature (Blu-ray) (Visual Vengeance)
We Found Something (DVD & digital) (Wild Eye Releasing)

SEPT. 29
The Acid King (Wild Eye Releasing)

DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, STREAMING or VOD
A Love Song (Bleecker Street)
Bullet Train (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)
Control (Saban Films)
Fall (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)
The Great Kidnapping (Kino Lorber)
Haunted Trail (Level 33 Entertainment)
Medusa (Music Box Films)
Nix (1091 Pictures)
Reboot: Episode 4 (Hulu)
Ten Tricks (Cinedigm-Fandor)
SEPT. 28
The D’Amelio Show: Season 2, Episodes 1 & 2 (Hulu)
Eat the Rich: A Gamestop Saga (Netflix)
The Handmaid’s Tale: Season 5, Episode 4 (Hulu)
Tell Me Lies: Episode 5 (Hulu)
SEPT. 29
José Feliciano: Behind the Guitar (Peacock-Telemundo)
SEPT. 30
After She Died (Cranked Up)
Bad Sisters: Episode 8 (Apple TV+)
Central Park: Episode 6 (Apple TV+)
Devil’s Workshop (Lionsgate)
The Greatest Beer Run Ever (Apple TV+)
The Justice of Bunny King (FilmRise)
Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon (Saban Films-Paramount Pictures)
Ramy: Season 3 (Hulu)
See: Season 3, Episode 6 (Apple TV+)
Vesper (IFC Films)
What We Leave Behind (Netflix)
The Wild Man (Terror Films)
OCT. 1
Huluween: Dragstravanga (Hulu)
Two Witches (Arrow Films)
OCT. 3
Legacy: The True Story of the L.A. Lakers: Episode 9 (Hulu)

I am a founding member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. I review movies, 4K UHD, 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.