By Bob Bloom The following titles are being released on Tuesday, Sept. 4, unless otherwise noted: Bull: Season Two Details: 2017-18, CBS DVD-Paramount Home Entertainment Rated: Not rated The lowdown: This six-disc set features all 22 second-season episodes of the popular CBS series starring Michael Weatherly as Dr. Jason Bull, a high-end trial consulting firm who reads potential jurors to help his clients win cases. Many of the episodes also touch on the personal lives of Bull and members of his staff, adding a more human touch to the series. Guest stars included Brad Garrett, Dana Delany, Archie Panjabi and Minka Kelly. Technical aspects: 16:9 full-screen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH subtitles. Don’t miss: Bonus features include a look at the season’s major story arcs, Weatherly answering 20 questions from fans, a featurette on how the series evolved during the season, deleted scenes and a gag reel.
Paterno (DVD + digital) Release date: Aug. 28 Details: 2018, HBO Home Entertainment Rated: TV-MA, language, sexual references The lowdown: Al Pacino stars as legendary Penn State football coach Joe Paterno in this HBO movie that looks at impact of the Jerry Sandusky sexual scandal and its impact on Paterno, his family and the university. Director Barry Levinson leaves it up to the viewer to discern whether or not Paterno knew that Sandusky was a sexual predator who preyed on young boys. And Pacino’s performance abets Levinson’s approach to the story. This is a dark and dramatic feature about a university that looked the other way and ignoring warning signals from within its community. Technical aspects: 16:9 picture; English and French 5.1 Dolby digital and Spanish 2.0 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles. Don’t miss: Supplemental materials include Levinson, Pacino and costar Riley Keough discussing the story behind the movie and Levinson and Pacino talking about Paterno’s responsibilities relating to the scandal.
The Goldbergs: The Complete Fifth Season Details: 2017-18, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Rated: Not rated The lowdown: This three-disc set features all 22 fifth-season episodes of this popular ABC series about the tight-knit Goldberg clan, who, this season, see changes ahead. Daughter Erica (Hayley Orrantia) is going off to college, middle child Barry (Troy Gentile) is continuing to get in touch with his emotions, while trying to hone his rap skills and son, Adam (Sean Giambrone), continues to navigate the ins and outs of high school. Then, there’s dad Murray (Jeff Garlin), who enjoys his recliner, where he sits in his underpants while overseeing his family. Mom Beverly (Wendi McLendon-Covey) continues bedazzling her way through life, while grandfather Al “Pops” Solomon (George Segal) doesn’t act his age and he enjoys chasing women and enjoying interacting with his grandchildren. It’s all nostalgic fun for viewers who enjoy the show. Technical aspects: 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen picture; English and French 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, English and French subtitles. Don’t miss: Deleted scenes and a gag reel comprise the major bonus components.
Ghost Stories (Blu-ray) Details: 2017, IFC Midnight-Scream Factory Rated: Not rated The lowdown: A supernatural-horror anthology featuring three tales of haunting terror. The film’s foundation rests on Professor Goodman (Andy Nyman), a debunker of the paranormal, who receives a case file on three inexplicable incidents: the first involves a night watchman haunted by disturbing visions as he patrols an abandoned asylum; the second centers on an edgy young man involved in a car accident deep in the woods; and the third follows a wealthy former banker who is visited by the spirit of his unborn child. What is strange about all the cases is that they have some connection to the professor’s life. The movie is reminiscent of such omnibus features as “Tales From the Crypt” and “Vault of Horror.” Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.40:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH and Spanish subtitles.
Sid Caesar: The Works Details: 1950s-2014, Shout! Factory Rated: Not rated The lowdown: In the 1950s, when comedy was king on television, Sid Caesar sat on the throne. His “Your Show of Shows” was a variety hour loaded with sketches that had people howling. Caesar and his fellow comedians skewered everything from movies to marriage. Though his popularity waned in the 1960s and he was seen less frequently on television, his influence never dimmed. His touch can be felt in everything from “Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In” to “Saturday Night Live.” This five-disc compilation features Caesar’s works on “Your Show of Shows” to “Caesar’s Hour” to other shows and events in which Caesar made his mark. His supporting cast and writers was a who’s who of comedy, including Carl Reiner, Howard Morris, Mel Brooks, Neil Simon, Woody Allen, Imogene Coca, Larry Gelbart and Nanette Fabray. This set features the movie, “Ten From ‘Show of Shows’,” sketches from Caesar’s various variety shows, a 2104 Paley Center for Media tribute to Caesar that features, Brooks, Reiner and Billy Crystal and much, much more. This is a se that comedy fans should add to their collection. Technical aspects: 1.33:1 full-screen picture; English Dolby digital. Don’t miss: A booklet with information about the set is the major extra.
Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-in: The Complete Sixth Season Details: 1972-73, Time Life Rated: Not rated The lowdown: The skits, blackouts, one-liners, bits and non sequiturs continued for a sixth season as Richard Dawson and Larry Hovis, former POW mates on CBS’ “Hogan’s Heroes,” are in the cast that still included Arte Johnson, Henry Gibson, Jo Anne Worley, Teresa Graves, Judy Carne and, of course, ringmasters Dan Rowan and Dick Martin. Sure the routines were becoming, well, routine, but the rapid-fire comedy and willingness to never be politically correct and poke fun at whoever was in the public eye kept the show moving. And this six-disc set, featuring all 24 episodes proves that. Visiting the show during the season were Ernest Borgnine, Sammy Davis Jr., Robert Goulet, Rip Taylor, Johnny Carson, Don Rickles and Phyllis Diller.. Technical aspects: 1.33:1 full-screen picture; English Dolby digital.
Brothers Details: 2016, Well Go USA Entertainment Rated: Not rated The lowdown: Two brothers find themselves in opposite armies in this historical drama set during the battles between the Red Army and Kuomintang troops in China. Commander Tiejin is about to kill an opponent in hand-to-hand combat, when he realizes the other man is his brother, whom he lost five years earlier. Can the two bridge their differences and find peace — at least with each other — or will war keep them from reuniting? Technical aspects: 16:9 picture; Mandarin 5.1 Dolby digital; English subtitles. Don’t miss: A making of featurette is the major bonus offering.
Other titles being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated: Bloody Spear at Mount Fuji (Blu-ray) (Arrow Academy) Dragon Mountain (High Octane Pictures) Found Footage 3D (Blu-ray + DVD) (Shudder) Godard Mon Amour (Blu-ray) (Cohen Media Group) Hostile (DVD + digital download + VOD) (4 Digital Media-Shinehouse Group) It Lives Inside (High Octane Pictures) Truth or Dare (Cinedigm) UFO (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment) Venus (Wolfe Media)
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, STREAMING or VOD Dr. Brinks and Dr. Brinks (Gravitas Ventures) The Dawnseeker (Uncork’d Entertainment) The Gospel According to Andre (Magnolia Home Entertainment) Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (Universal Studios Home Entertainment) 800 Words: Season 3, Part 2, Episode 4 (Acorn TV, Sept. 5) Wyeth (PBS Distribution) Jack Irish, Season 2 (Acorn TV, Sept. 10) A Place to Call Home: Season 6, Episode 3 (Acorn TV, Sept. 10) The Rector’s Wife (Acorn TV, Sept. 10)
I am a 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.