By Bob Bloom The following titles are being released on Tuesday, Sept. 8, unless otherwise noted:
Bad Education (DVD) Details: 2020, HBO Home Entertainment Rated: Not rated The lowdown: Hugh Jackman and Allison Janney shine in this HBO movie, based on the true story of embezzlement and corruption in an upscale suburban Long Island school district. Jackman portrays superintendent Frank Tassone and Janney as Roslyn district business manager Pam Gluckin. Together, Tassone and Gluckin work to make the Roslyn schools, especially its high school, into one of the best in the nation. Their downfall comes when a dogged reporter for the high school newspaper inadvertently uncovers financial shenanigans that lead to the undoing of Tassone and Gluckin. The film is a splendid mixture of drama, comedy and audacity, abetted by solid supporting performances by Geraldine Viswanathan, Alex Wolff, Rafael Casal, Ray Romano and Annaleigh Ashford. Because of FTC guidelines, I must include the following: “Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the DVD I reviewed in this column. The opinions I share I my own. With or without this disclaimer, “Bad Education” is a stinging satire on the pressure put on school administrators to succeed at any cost. Technical aspects: 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH and Spanish subtitles. Don’t miss: Bonus components include a making of featurette and a virtual conversation with Jackman and Janney.
Bull: Season Four (DVD) Details: 2019-20, CBS DVD-Paramount Home Entertainment Rated: Not rated The lowdown: A four-disc set featuring all 20 fourth-season episodes starring Michael Weatherly as Dr. Jason Bull whose Trial Analysis Corporation (TAC) helps those who hire his firm select the best jury it can to help TAC’s clients get as fair a trial as possible. The season opens with the bombshell revelation that Bull is expecting a child with his ex-wife, a situation that created a rift between Bull and TAC staff attorney Benny Colon (Freddy Rodriguez). Bull finally, after apologizing, gets Benny back into the firm. Among the cases handled by the TAC team is that of a bartender facing trial for involuntary manslaughter. Other cases are just as interesting as Bull uses every means available to fight for those he and his firm represent. Technical aspects: 16:9 full-screen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH subtitles. Don’t miss: Bonus materials include an overview of the season and commentary tracks on two episodes.
The Naked City: Special Edition (Blu-ray) Details: 1948, The Criterion Collection Rated: Not rated The lowdown: This police procedural drama, directed by Jules Dassin, is best known for being shot on the streets of New York City, affording those outside the Big Apple a chance to view the “real” city as opposed to the studio backlot versions that appeared in many other films over the decades. The movie centers on the murder of beautiful model Jean Dexter. Detectives Dan Muldoon (Barry Fitzgerald) and Jimmy Halloran (Don Taylor) begin their investigation and soon latch on to playboy Frank Niles (Howard Duff), a good friend of Dexter’s. The detectives continue following clues that lead them to a doctor and a string of burglaries. What sets “The Naked City” apart from other film-noirlike features of the era is its narration, by newspaperman-producer Mark Hellinger, which give the film a newsreel-documentary-like feeling. The movie won two Academy Awards — for its cinematography and editing. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 full-screen picture; English LPCM monaural; English SDH subtitles. Don’t miss: Extras include a 1996 commentary track with Malvin Wald, one of the film’s screenwriters; a 2006 interview with film scholar Dana Polan; a 2006 interview with author James Sanders on the movie’s New York locations; footage of Dassin from a 2004 appearance at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; and a booklet with an essay and other writings about the movie.
Superman: Man of Tomorrow (4K UHD + Blu-ray + digital) Details: 2020, Warner Home Entertainment Rated: PG-13, violence, bloody images, language, suggestive material, smoking, partial nudity The lowdown: The latest animated offering from the DC Universe is an updated origin story about the last son of Krypton, his arrival on Earth and his gradual acceptance of his role as Superman. The Metropolis created for this movie looks and feels like a retro almost Golden-Age version of the city. Yet it is set in contemporary times with the appropriate technology — computers and smartphones — in use. Clark Kent begins working as an intern at the Daily Planet. He is aware of his powers, but not fully in control of them. The film also features J’onn J’onzz, aka The Martian Manhunter, Lex Luthor as well as adversaries Lobo and Parasite. The release continues the string of strong original animated feature being produced by the collaborative efforts of DC and Warner Bros. Technical aspects: 4K UHD: 2160p UHD, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles; Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles. Don’t miss: Among the extras are a history and profile of Lobo, an overview and history of the Martian Manhunter, a sneak peek at the next DC Universe feature, “Batman: Soul of the Dragon” and two episodes of “Superman — the Animated Series” from the DC vault.
The Grey Fox (Blu-ray) Details: 1982, Kino Lorber Studio Classic Rated: PG The lowdown: For years, Richard Farnsworth worked in Hollywood as a stunt man and in supporting roles in television shows such as “Laramie” and movie Westerns such as “Comes a Horseman” His breakthrough came at the age of 62 when he was cast as real-life bandit Bill Miner in “The Grey Fox.” The movie begins in 1901 after Miner, a famed stagecoach robber, is released after 33 years in prison. He is a polite and quiet man who has trouble adapting to the new 20th century. At first, he lives with his sister then, after seeing Edward S. Porter’s “The Great Train Robbery,” crosses the border into Canada, where he holds up the Canadian Pacific Railway Transcontinental Express. Afterwards, he hides out in an out-of-the-way corner of British Columbia, where me meets strong-willed feminist photographer Kate Flynn (a wonderful Jackie Burroughs). Miner again becomes restless and tries to hold up another train. He is unsuccessful, is captured, but later escapes. The movie and Farnsworth’s performance were highly praised as was the direction of Philip Borsos. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles. Don’t miss: Extras include interviews with producer Peter O’Brien and composer Michael Conway Baker, a look at the film’s restoration and a commentary track with filmmaker Alex Cox.
Kentucky Kernels (Blu-ray) Details: 1934, Warner Archive Collection Rated: Not rated The lowdown: Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey were a vaudeville and Broadway state comedy act who went into pictures in the late 1920s and were very popular throughout most of the 1930s. Wheeler was the always smiling innocent who was usually led astray or duped by the cigar-smoking and fast-talking Woolsey, whose schemes mostly got the pair in some kind of trouble. Their early films were filled with double-entendre jokes, but after the institution of the movie industry’s Production Code their jokes had to be softened. In “Kentucky Kernels,” Wheeler and Woolsey play Willie and Elmer, a pair of out-of-work vaudevillians. Through a strange plot contrivance, they become guardians of a young boy, Spanky Milford (Spanky McFarland). Willie and Elmer believe they have come into a fortune when Spanky inherits a farm in Kentucky. Unfortunately, the farm sits in the firing line of an ongoing feud between the Milfords and Wakefields. Willie falls in love with Gloria Wakefield (Mary Carlisle) and together they arrange a truce that young Spanky soon reignites. Wheeler and Woolsey were among the most popular comedy teams of the 1930s. Unfortunately, Woolsey’s health declined, and he died of kidney disease in 1938, depriving moviegoers of other gems such as this one. The movie is a made-on-demand Blu-ray by the Warner Archive Collection and can be ordered at www.wb.com/warnerarchive or other online retailers. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 (4x3) full-screen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Dr. Who and the Daleks (Blu-ray) Details: 1965, Kino Lorber Rated: Not rated The lowdown: The serialized adventures of Dr. Who debuted on British television in 1963 and was an instant success, so much so that by 1965, the character appeared on the big screen. Peter Cushing portrayed Dr. Who in this adventure that shows him inventing the TARDIS, a device that is capable of traveling through time and space. With his three young companions, Dr. Who begins a journey that takes him to the planet Skaro, which was devastated by nuclear war and is inhabited by two species — the peaceful Thals and the heavily mutated group encased in protective machines and known as the Daleks. Not only was this Dr. Who’s first appearance on the big screen, but it also was the first time one of his adventures was seen in color. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; English DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles. Don’t miss: Supplemental offerings include a look at restoring the movie, an interview with author Gareth Owen, “Dalekmania,” a 57-minute documentary and a commentary track.
Pitch Black (4K UHD Blu-ray) Release date: Sept. 1 Pitch Black (Blu-ray) Release date: Aug. 18 Details: 2000, Arrow Video Rated: R, sci-fi violence and gore, language The lowdown: Vin Diesel stars as Riddick in this science-fiction thriller about a group of space travelers stranded after their craft crashes on a planet that has no night because it is orbiting three suns. The survivors include a police officer, played by Cole Hauser and his prisoner, Riddick. Another survivor is junior pilot Carolyn Fry (Radha Mitchell). One of the other survivors is killed by a mutant that, along with others, lives underground. The mutants also have killed the planet’s other inhabitants. Riddick is an anti-hero who, at the end, makes the right decision to help the other survivors escape both the mutants and the planet. The film was successful enough to spawn a pair of sequels, “The Chronicles of Riddick” (2004) and “Riddick” (2013). Both the 4K UHD and Blu-ray releases contain the theatrical and director’s cut versions of the movie. Hours of extras enhance this release. Technical aspects: 4K UHD Blu-ray: 2160p ultra high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles; Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles. Don’t miss: Extras on both releases include new and archival making of featurettes, two commentary tracks, interviews with cast members and filmmakers, a behind-the-scenes featurette, “The Chronicle of Riddick: Dark Fury” that bridges the events between “Pitch Black and “Riddick,” extras from a 2009 Blu-ray release of the movie, extras from a 2004 special edition release, “Slam City,” a motion comic prequel to “Pitch Black,” a Sci-Fi channel TV special and a dance music event promoting the movie.
Daleks’ Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. (Blu-ray) Details: 1966, Kino Lorber Rated: Not rated The lowdown: Peter Cushing returns as Dr. Who in this sequel to “Dr. Who and the Daleks.” The movie is set in 2150 as the Daleks have conquered Earth, destroyed most of civilization and made what’s left of the human race into slaves. A group of freedom fighters hide deep within the London Underground and they are planning an attack. Coming to their aid is the mysterious Doctor. Of course, Dr. Who and his friends help defeat the Daleks and restore things to normal. The movie was rated better than the first with some exciting action scenes and special effects. However, both are fun and basic entertainment aimed at a younger audience. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; English DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles. Don’t miss: Extras include an interview with actor Bernard Dobbins and writer Gareth Owen, a commentary track and a “Dalekmania” documentary.
Caro Diario (Dear Diary) (Blu-ray) Details: 1994, Film Movement Classics Rated: Not rated The lowdown: Italian filmmaker-comedian Nanni Moretti recounts three entries from his “diary” in this very funny and self-reflective comedy. Throughout this comic travelogue, Moretti muses about the state of cinema while riding on his Vespa, during a trip to the Aeolian islands to work on a new screenplay and his search for health after breaking out in an annoying skin rash. Moretti was honored as best director at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival. The film is a wonderful introduction to the wit and talent of Moretti. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.66:1 widescreen picture; Italian, English and Mandarin 2.0 Dolby digital; English subtitles. Don’t miss: A making of featurette, a deleted scene and a booklet with an essay about the film comprise the major bonus offerings.
Beats (DVD) Details: 2019, Music Box Films Rated: Not rated The lowdown: This story, set in Scotland in 1994, centers on Johnno and Spanner, best friends who share a passion for electronic dance music. In temperament and personality, though, they are polar opposites. Johnno is leaving town with his mother and police-officer stepfather for a nice middle-class life, while Spanner is going nowhere as he lives with his crazy criminal brother, Fido. When the pals here of an unsanctioned underground rave, they decide to sneak out for one last wild night together. The film is set against Great Britain’s Criminal Justice and Public Order Act of 1994, which banned gatherings featuring music with “repetitive beats” throughout the United Kingdom. The movie is a simple story of a delicate and sustaining friendship. Technical aspects: 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital; English subtitles. Don’t miss: A making of featurette is the main extra.
Graveyards of Honor (Blu-ray) Details: 1975, 2002, Arrow Video Rated: R, violence, rape, sexual situations, language The lowdown: This two-disc set features two versions of the same story made by different directors. The first version, directed by Kinji Fukasaku, is set in post-war Japan, while the second, directed by Takashi Miike and released in 2002, is set during the 1980s and ’90s. Both cover disturbing subjects centering on a hot-tempered Yakuza soldier who is constantly getting in trouble. He is his own worst enemy. In both movies, he rapes a young woman who, inexplicitly, feels sorry for him and later shelters and cares for him. He argues with his boss and kills against orders. And in both, his life falls to pieces. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; Japanese 2.0 LPCM monaural; English subtitles. Don’t miss: Extras include commentary tracks on both movies, archival interviews and making of featurettes and a visual essay.
Five Corners (Blu-ray) Release date: Aug. 11 Details: 1987, Liberation Hall-MVD Marquee Collection Rated: R, adult situations, violence, language The lowdown: Jodie Foster, Tim Robbins and John Turturro star in this drama set an early 1960s New York neighborhood. Turturro portrays Heinz, a psychotic who, after being released from prison, returns to his old neighborhood to terrorize its residents, especially Linda (Foster), the girl he tried to rape, and Harry (Robbins), who protected her. The movie is set over a 48-hour period in the Five Corners section of the Bronx, where Harry, who has adapted pacifist ideals, must again try to protect Linda for the demented Heinz. This low-budget feature received generally good reviews, especially for its main cast members. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 LPCM monaural; English SDH subtitles. Don’t miss: Supplemental materials include biographies of the actors and a commentary track.
Pilgrimage (DVD) Details: 2017, IndiePix Films Rated: Not rated, violence The lowdown: This historical drama reimagines the voyages of 16th-century explorer and writer Fernão Mendes Pinto, who was one of the first Europeans to sail to and travel through India, Japan and other places in the Orient. The film is based on Pinto’s memoirs and is bolstered by choral renditions from Portuguese singer-songwriter Fausto’s 80s pop album, “Por Este Rio Acima.” The movie covers Pinto’s two decades of adventure as he searches the Orient for his brothers and his own fortune. Technical aspects: 2.40:1 widescreen picture; Portuguese Dolby digital; English subtitles.
Black Test Car + The Black Report (Blu-ray) Release date: Aug. 25 Details: 1962-63, Arrow Video Rated: Not rated The lowdown: A double feature of Japanese films directed by Yasuzo Masumura about the cut-throat competition in the Japanese auto industry. “Black Test Car” finds Tiger Motors trying to secretly build a new prototype model without anyone at rival Yamamoto Motors discovering the model. Of course, both corporations have spies within each other’s organizations, so nothing stays secret for long. “The Black Report” centers on the murder of a corporate executive, the subsequent police investigations and a look at the various suspects. While the two movies are not related, they do have some performers who appear as different characters in both movies. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; Japanese LPCM monaural; English subtitles. Don’t miss: The major extra is an appreciation of Masumura.
Evil Boy (DVD) Details: 2019, Well Go USA Rated: Not rated The lowdown: A Russian import about a grieving couple who, after the disappearance of their son years earlier, adopt a feral boy who begins to resemble their child. The wife believes they have found their son, but her husband is certain the boy died. He also suspects their new child may be something not entirely human. The film offers some tension as the identity of the child is slowly revealed. The DVD also offers an English-language track for those who dislike subtitles. Technical aspects: 2.25:1 (16:9 enhanced) widescreen picture; Russian and English Dolby digital; English subtitles.
Inside the Rain: Special Edition (Blu-ray) Release date: Aug. 11 Details: 2019, FilmRise Rated: Not rated The lowdown: Young filmmaker Aaron Fisher wrote, directed and stars in this quirky romantic dramedy about college film student Benjamin Glass, who has ADHD, OCD and also is bipolar. Glass, however, does not allow his various mental issues to define him, preferring the term “recklessly extravagant.” A misunderstanding threatens to get Glass expelled, but the young man pushes back, deciding to recreate the incident in question on video. He hires Emma Taylor (Ellen Toland), a moonlighting sex worker, to help clear his name. His challenge now is to raise the money he needs to make the movie. This charming underdog movie, which costars Rosie Perez and Eric Roberts, received an 85 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.
1275 Days: Special Edition (Blu-ray) Release date: July 14 Details: 2019, FilmRise Rated: Not rated The lowdown: A 15-year-old boy is sentenced to a 50-to-55-year prison sentence after a botched burglary involving the teen and four of his friends goes terribly wrong, resulting in the death of one of the boys. The 15-year-old, Blake Layman, and his three surviving friends, are charged with the murder of their dead friend. Blake, who lives in Elkhart, IN, with his single mother, is sent to Wabash Correctional Facility to begin his sentence. The main focus of this documentary is Blake’s mother, Angie and his girlfriend, Katherine, who do what they can to help Blake, including hold fund-raisers for his defense. The film covers the emotional toll on Blake’s family as they contemplate him spending most of his adult life in prison. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.
Other titles being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated: Ballbuster (DVD) (Indican Pictures) Evil Under the Skin (DVD & VOD) (Midnight Releasing) First Cow (Blu-ray & DVD & digital) (Lionsgate Home Entertainment) Ghost in the Shell (4K UHD + Blu-ray + digital 4K & digital 4K) (Lionsgate Home Entertainment) Range Runners (DVD & digital) (Dark Star Pictures-Uncork’d Entertainment) Retaliation (Blu-ray + digital & DVD) (Lionsgate Home Entertainment) “Rob Zombie Trilogy” (Blu-ray) (Lionsgate Home Entertainment) Up on the Glass (Blu-ray & DVD & digital) (Gravitas Ventures) Swans: Where Does a Body End (Blu-ray & DVD) (MVD Visual Entertainment, Sept. 11) Pit Stop (DVD) (MVD Visual Entertainment, July 14) Brutal Massacre: A Comedy (Blu-ray) (Mena Films July 7)
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, STREAMING or VOD Entwined (Dark Star Pictures) Immortal (Stonecutter-Different Duck Films) The Suspect: Episode 4 (Sundance Now) The Social Dilemma (www.netflix.com/TheSocialDilemma) (Netflix, Sept. 9) River (Sundance Now, Sept. 10) We Got This: Episode 2 (Sundance Now, Sept. 10) I Am Woman (Quiver Distribution, Sept. 11) The Duchess (www.netflix.com/TheDuchess) (Netflix, Sept. 11) The Badness of King George V (Acorn TV, Sept. 14) Blindsight (Sundance Now, Sept. 14) Encounters at the End of the World (Sundance Now, Sept. 14) National Bird (Sundance Now, Sept. 14) Outlander: Season Five: Collector’s Edition (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Sept. 14) The Sounds: Episode 4 (Acorn TV, Sept. 14) The Sum of Us (Acorn TV, Sept. 14) The Vicious Kind (Sundance Now, Sept. 14)
Coming next week: Succession: The Complete Second Season
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.