Via Vision’s Imprint label has given movie buffs a plethora of gems including numerous Blu-Ray special editions over the last few years. This month their attention is turned toward several films that have never received widespread distribution in the home video era, with one being a title that was pulled from distribution altogether for several decades. The result is a trio of compelling curios that, even with their respective flaws, ought to captivate hardcore movie lovers.
The new Imprint title I found most satisfying was BUS RILEY’S BACK IN TOWN (93 mins., 1965), one of those moody character-based dramas Hollywood used to produce once upon a time, that finds Michael Parks’ discharged military vet returning to his small hometown and the assorted people who populated his life. These include mom Jocelyn Brando and sister Kim Darby, plus high schooler Janet Margolin and, most significantly, Ann-Margret as the girl he once loved that he left behind. She’s since moved on and (unhappily)-married a wealthy, older man, but that doesn’t stop her from fooling around with Bus, who’s also trying to navigate a career now that he’s back on land. That, naturally, also leads to some pitfalls including a mortician friend who has designs on Bus himself (quite suggestive for 1965) and initially snubbing a potential career working for auto mechanic James Doohan.
“Bus Riley” was written by William Inge of “Picnic” and “Bus Stop” fame, though some issues the writer had with how director Harvey Hart’s finished product turned out led Inge to remove his name and use the pseudonym “William Gage” instead. The movie still bears the hallmarks of Inge’s involvement, from the dysfunctional relationship between Parks and Ann-Margret, to Bus’ evolving character and realization that a more positive way forward – both socially and emotionally – is right in front of him.
This is a story where much of the appeal lies in watching our protagonist’s growth throughout the drama, and while there are no huge surprises in-store, there are lots of interesting characters and performances sprinkled throughout the briskly-paced picture. In addition to then-newcomer Parks (whose starring role was given a heavy amount of emphasis in the movie’s original ad campaign) and Ann-Margret, the movie includes a lovely performance from Margolin, whose relationship with Riley proves to be the movie’s most appealing element; comedic support from future “Match Game” panelist Brett Somers; early turns from Doohan and David Carradine; and even character actors like Larry Storch and Brad Dexter.
There are some goofy and odd elements in “Bus Riley” – including a credits sequence, backed by a chirpy Richard Markowitz score, that seems like it’s right out of a Don Knotts comedy! Maybe that’s what irritated Inge enough to take his name off the credits, but the movie, once it settles in after the first reel, is still very appealing as a “coming of age” picture with certain components that were ahead of its time. Its main issue seems to simply be the fact that it’s a product of the era in which it was produced, which holds the material back a bit. (Allegedly the movie also underwent a number of reshoots which Ann-Margret said changed her character around – something that might well explain the film’s unevenness as well).
Seldom shown on TV and last released on VHS, “Bus Riley” has been dusted off and remastered with a new 2K scan (1.85, mono) from the Universal vaults by Imprint. The print looks a little “speckly” here and there but this is a perfectly respectable, overall strong transfer for a long-forgotten mid ‘60s catalog title. Extras are light – just a commentary from the duo of Lee Peiffer/Paul Scrabo and a half-hour dissertation on Ann-Margret from film professor Lucy Bolton – but there’s sufficient entertainment to be found here for buffs nevertheless.
Reportedly taken out of circulation in the early ‘70s by Hollywood producer Robert Evans due to the release of the big-budget Robert Redford remake, THE GREAT GATSBY (91 mins., 1949) has at last been resurrected in high-definition by Imprint for this premiere Blu-Ray release.
Though much maligned by critics, turns out there’s at least as much entertainment to be found in this ‘40s Hollywood “noir reconception” of the F. Scott Fitzgerald book as there is in, say, Baz Luhrmann’s overheated 2013 Leonardo DiCaprio version. Alan Ladd is even halfway decent here as the enigmatic Gatsby, with Macdonald Carey essaying Nick Carroway, Betty Field as Daisy Buchanan, and Shelley Winters and Howard DaSilva as the Wilsons, who ultimately prove to be Gatsby’s undoing.
Future James Bond series scribe Richard Maibaum produced and co-wrote, with Cyril Hume, this Paramount studio product which strays far away from Fitzgerald’s plot at times and certainly misses its poetic side. On the other hand, enough of the book is captured – sometimes in ways you may not anticipate – that this strange and seldom-shown version is well worth seeing, especially for movie buffs and interested aficionados of the source material.
Imprint’s Blu-Ray debut of “The Great Gatsby” includes a 4K Paramount scan (1.37 B&W) from the original camera negative. It offers sufficient detail though the source material certainly bears some marks of the ravages of time, including occasional print damage and speckles/dirt. Extras include a new commentary by scholar Jason Ney and 2023 video pieces from professor Sarah Churchwell and critic Christina Newland, respectively. There’s also an Alan K. Rode-conducted interview with Ladd’s son, David, plus a 1999 documentary, “Alan Ladd: The True Quiet Man.”
The third Imprint release this month, THE SPIRAL ROAD (139 mins., 1962), is, honestly, a rough slog of an adventure epic. Rock Hudson plays a Dutch doctor – one of many “suspensions of disbelief” the viewer is asked to make – whose callow attitude changes after he heads to the East Indies and encounters native people, lepers, Burl Ives, and a young Gena Rowlands en route to becoming a missionary.
With Robert Mulligan directing and Jerry Goldsmith providing the score, you might expect more from this Universal outing than it delivers. Much of the film is interminably slow-going and unconvincing, from Hudson’s casting on down, making it the kind of film that’s going to appeal to folks who might’ve encountered it before – in the dusty corners of Saturday afternoon TV most likely – and have a nostalgia for it and its genre as a whole.
The transfer, though, is appropriately “Rock” solid via a 4K (2:1) Universal scan of the original negative. Goldsmith’s score is one of the film’s chief assets and comes across fairly well within the confines of its original mono mix, and extras include a Kim Newman interview on Hudson and a commentary by Daniel Kremer and David Del Valle.
Warner Archive New Releases
One of the quintessential adventure movies of Hollywood’s Golden Age, KING SOLOMON’S MINES (103 mins., 1950) is a rugged and refreshingly durable adaptation of the H. Rider Haggard pulp classic.
Stewart Granger fills the shoes of Haggard’s prototypical hero Allan Quatermain here, tasked with guiding an English woman (Deborah Kerr) into the wild jungles of Africa in search of her missing husband – and potential treasure. Richard Carlson co-stars as Kerr’s brother in a film strikingly shot on-location in Africa with actual tribesmen utilized, giving this particular version some cultural authenticity as the film doesn’t embrace traditional stereotypes as you might expect (at least far less so, for example, than Cannon’s 1985 remake with Richard Chamberlain, a more comedic exercise with, admittedly, broadly played characterizations across every performance).
This MGM spectacle even eschews an original score, playing up a realism that’s surprising to see today. Sure, Granger’s mannered performance doesn’t exactly come off like Indiana Jones, and there’s still time for a romance between Kerr and Granger, but even that manages to be more grounded than usual. In all, the “unadorned” approach employed by directors Compton Bennett and Andrew Marton lets the movie’s spectacular location shooting speak for itself, elevating this picture beyond the typical formula you’d ordinarily see from a genre movie of its era.
Warner Archive’s Blu-Ray is just spectacular as well in terms of its transfer, this remaster offering a gorgeously detailed 1080p (1.37) AVC encode with clear mono sound. This is one of the Archive’s finest presentations in many years, splendidly befitting the movie’s Oscar winning cinematography. An archival behind-the-scenes featurette is also included plus the trailer.
Also debuting on Blu-Ray is Vincente Minnelli’s memorable 1962 comedic drama THE COURTSHIP OF EDDIE’S FATHER (118 mins.), writer John Gay’s adaptation of Mark Toby’s novel which follows the adventures of Glenn Ford as the good-natured, widowed father of precocious son Ron Howard. A number of would-be spouses all vie for Ford’s attention, but it’s Shirley Jones who has the inside track in this MGM production shot in gorgeous Panavision widescreen. Warner’s Archive Blu-Ray includes another smashing 1080p (2.40) transfer with mono sound, a DVD commentary track with co-stars Jones, Dina Merrill and Stella Stevens, plus the trailer and MGM cartoon “Penthouse Mouse.”
One of the undisputed Greta Garbo classics, QUEEN CHRISTINA (99 mins., 1933) is looked upon as one of the star’s greatest performances, with Garbo essaying a 17th century Swedish queen ultimately torn between marriage to the King of Spain and his ambassador (John Gilbert). Rouben Mamoulian helmed this romantic and well-written picture packed with superb performances, an early MGM hit that Garbo fans should be thrilled with on Blu-Ray. The Archive’s new 1080p (1.37 B&W, mono) transfer is rich with detail for a film of its time, and includes the trailer and a 1956 “MGM Parade” TV episode focused on Garbo’s legacy at the studio.
A heavy-handed anti-war story of tolerance, THE BOY WITH GREEN HAIR (82 mins., 1948) offers Dean Stockwell as an orphan whose hair turns green – after it does, some of the townspeople around him turn into bigots in a Dore Schary production that wears its heart on its sleeve. Nostalgic buffs might still enjoy the film with its cast including Pat O’Brien, Barbara Hale and Robert Ryan, while the hit song “Nature Boy” originated from the Joseph Losey-directed RKO release. Another sparkling Warner Archive remaster awaits viewers here with the movie’s original Technicolor cues preserved in a satisfying 1080p (1.37, mono) presentation; the disc also sports the vintage short “A Really Important Person.”
Hanna-Barbera’s efforts were usually focused on the small-screen but the duo did attempt a few animated features over their many decades of work, starting off with HEY THERE, IT’S YOGI BEAR (89 mins., 1964). This is an agreeable if dated extension of the TV series with lovable Yogi causing trouble, as usual, after Ranger Smith attempts to send him off to the San Diego Zoo. An episodic succession of escapades for Yogi, Boo-Boo and Cindy results in some bubblegum songs but also a genial mood sustained over its 90-minute duration. Warner Archive’s Blu-Ray (1.85, mono) boasts another fine remaster showcasing the better-than-average (for Hanna-Barbera) animation along with the trailer and bonus episode from “The Yogi Bear Show.”
New this week from the Archive is CAGED (96 mins., 1950), the guilty-pleasure favorite starring Eleanor Parker as an innocent young bride who ends up behind bars and becomes a hardened con in the process. Cat fights, scenery-chewing performances and some campy moments make for a delectable ‘50s noir co-starring Agnes Moorehead, Hope Emerson and Ellen Corby, and scored by the great Max Steiner. Another Warner Archive remaster (1.37 B&W) awaits buffs here with extras including a 1951 radio dramatization, trailer, and classic Looney Tunes short “Big House Bunny.”
Director John Sturges and Warner Bros. gave Ernest Hemingway’s parable THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA (87 mins, 1958) the old college try as a movie. Even if the results didn’t entirely work, as Sturges’ film mostly comes off like a talky mix of poetry and “Moby Dick,” it’s an interesting film experience — especially for its time, and does offer both a superb central performance from Spencer Tracy and an excellent score by Dimitri Tiomkin that carries much of the drama. A behind-the-scenes doc and the trailer are available in Warner Archive’s sumptuously colored Blu-Ray (1.85, mono).
Film noir fans should be excited by the Warner Archive remaster of ANGEL FACE (92 mins., 1952), a wild exercise from director Otto Preminger starring Jean Simmons as a psychotic girl who successfully gets Robert Mitchum employed as her family’s new chauffeur — but with designs on murdering her wealthy stepmother. A delicious central performance from Simmons makes this Howard Hughes production worthwhile, as does another Dimitri Tiomkin score, especially as the picture careens towards its preordained finale. A commentary by historian Eddie Muller adds value to the Archive’s Blu-Ray (B&W 1.37, mono).
Finally, Esther Williams swam her way onto the big-screen in her best cinematic vehicle in 1953: DANGEROUS WHEN WET (96 mins.), the charming MGM musical-comedy that backs the Olympian with a strong supporting cast (Fernando Lamas, Jack Carson, William Demarest, Charlotte Greenwood and Denise Darcel) and an enjoyable premise involving farm girl Williams’ trip to Europe where she competes in a race across the English Channel. Esther’s well-known aquatic ballet with Tom & Jerry is one of the highlights of this fun studio product, which looks terrific here in its 1080p remaster (1.37) with clear mono sound spotlighting the songs of Johnny Mercer and Arthur Schwartz. An unused musical outtake, classic Tom & Jerry short, audio interview with Williams and Dick Simmons, Mercer’s demo recordings and the trailer comprise a robust supplemental package in Warner’s Blu-Ray, available — as are all the Archive titles — at moviezyng.com.
New From Criterion
TIME BANDITS 4K UHD/Blu-Ray (116 mins., 1981, PG; Criterion): One of director Terry Gilliam’s biggest U.S. box-office hits (and still one of his most satisfying films) receives a terrific new Criterion 4K restoration, this time with the benefit of Dolby Vision HDR, supervised and approved by the director.
The movie remains a disarming, time-travel ripping adventure with loads of imagination, star cameos (Sean Connery, Shelley Duvall, Gilliam’s Pythonites John Cleese and Michael Palin), ingenious special effects and plenty of laughs. One of my go-to VHS rentals when I was in 3rd and 4th grade, “Time Bandits” is Gilliam at his best – made on a relatively modest budget at the time, the film kept the director (somewhat) in-check in a way later (bloated, infamous) productions of his didn’t. It also looks like it was more expensive than it actually was, relying on his visual prowess to achieve a convincing fantasy environment that captivates kids as well as entertains adults – a mixture replicated by few films of its kind.
“Time Bandits” looks great here (1.85, Dolby Vision HDR) in Criterion’s UHD/BD combo pack and offers its original Dolby Stereo uncompressed PCM audio track. Supplements are carried over from Criterion’s earlier editions, including the label’s laserdisc-era, exclusive commentary featuring Gilliam, Palin, Cleese, and fellow stars David Warner and Craig Warnock; a David Morgan piece on the visual creation of the movie’s assorted historical periods; a 1998 film festival conversation between Gilliam and scholar Peter Von Bagh; a Tom Snyder “Tomorrow” show segment from 1981 featuring Duvall; a photo gallery; and the trailer.
Also new from Criterion on Blu-Ray is a deluxe edition of THELMA & LOUISE (130 mins., 1991, R), Ridley Scott’s feminist hit from writer Callie Khouri. This slickly produced Susan Sarandon/Geena Davis buddy picture receives a new 4K remastering (2.39) with a smattering of extras, including two archival (1996/2001) commentaries sporting Scott and the cast; new interviews with Scott and Khouri; two of Scott’s early short films; and extended/deleted scenes plus other assorted featurettes carried over from MGM’s previous releases. Highly recommended for fans.
New on 4K UHD
EVIL DEAD RISE 4K UHD/Blu-Ray (96 mins., 2023, R; Warner): A low-budget, murky-looking if reasonably well-executed recycling of familiar “Evil Dead” tropes, shot in New Zealand with a no-name Australian cast that continuously struggles with their American accents.
The plot, meanwhile, is straightforward as a California single Mom and her 3 kids – plus her wayward younger sister – come in contact with the Book of the Dead and predictable possession shenanigans that ensue in their dilapidated high rise.
Irish director Lee Cronin’s staging of the material mostly works but make no mistake, this is a grizzly, claustrophobic (the building, while affording an atypical-for-the-series urban setting, is still mostly deserted) horror film with ample gore and buckets of blood, treated seriously with one change from its predecessors – a lot of the tension is supposed to be served by kids being the ones who are put into jeopardy here. That part of the film, especially the youngest girl constantly being tossed around, I grew tired of, since it felt like a cheap scare gimmick, and Cronin’s film, while well-made, really isn’t much fun as a whole. Even Fede Alvarez’s 2013 remake possessed (no pun intended) a higher overall “fun factor,” generating an emotional release for its heroine that was earned and packed a satisfying punch. We keep waiting in “Evil Dead Rise” for that kind of moment, and while there is a climax that delivers the goods (and the lead, Lily Sullivan, is fairly fetching), it’s still rather mundane in its design and is promptly undone by an unnecessary bookending sequence that just leaves the door open for more sequels.
Overall I prefer my Deadites served up with more gusto and humor to spare – but if you prefer the original 1983 “Evil Dead” to “Dead By Dawn,” this one’s probably going to be for you, and Warner’s 4K UHD (2.39) boasts a HDR10 transfer and Dolby Atmos sound along with a Digital HD copy.
NATIONAL LAMPOON’S VACATION 4K Ultra HD (98 mins., 1983, R; Warner): As penned by John Hughes, the original 1983 hit “National Lampoon’s Vacation” offers an abundance of laughs as it chronicles Chevy Chase’s futile attempts to provide a perfectly engineered cross-country trip for his wife (Beverly D’Angelo) and kids (Anthony Michael Hall and Dana Barron). Hughes’ mixture of mirth and sentiment, Harold Ramis’ direction and an abundance of memorable sequences make the first adventure of the Griswold clan the second-best of the series (Hughes’ later “Christmas Vacation” improved just a bit on this picture’s formula), while supporting turns from Randy Quaid, Imogene Coca, John Candy and Christie Brinkley add further fun to the shenanigans.
Warner’s 4K UHD debuts a HDR10 (1.85) presentation of “Vacation” that offers a pleasing use of HDR but, more importantly, debuts a new remaster of the film itself that’s simply superb. A documentary on the film that aired on A&E is sadly absent from this UHD-only release, with the sole extra being an older group commentary featuring Chase, Ramis and Quaid among others, plus a Digital HD copy.
Another Warner production, CREEPSHOW (120 mins., 1982, R; Shout! Factory), scares up a new 4K UHD Collector’s Edition from Shout! this month. Not as much fun as, say, “Trick ‘R Treat,” this much-heralded collaboration between writer Stephen King and director George Romero offers riffs on E.C. Comics stories with an eclectic cast (Hal Holbrook, Adrienne Barbeau, Leslie Nielsen, Ted Danson, E.G. Marshall and King himself among them) serving up horror with genre-appropriate “just dessert” endings. Despite the names attached, this 1982 anthology offered little new in terms of storytelling but still satisfied fans of the genre – enough to generate some inferior sequels and a TV series revival.
A new 4K scan of the original camera negative, approved by cinematographer Michael Gornick (who directed the initial 1986 New World Pictures sequel), graces Shout’s UHD along with the addition of a new Dolby Atmos mix. The Dolby Vision HDR gives the previous HD master a little more oomph so to speak in terms of heightened contrast. Supplemental special features include Shout’s previously produced featurettes and loads of other goodies carried over from various international releases – these include deleted scenes, audio interviews, make-up great Tom Savini’s behind-the-scenes footage, multiple commentaries, restoration segments, a Horror’s Hallowed Grounds segment, and a slipcover.
THE COVENANT Blu-Ray/DVD (123 mins., 2023, R; MGM/Warner): One of director Guy Ritchie’s best films in some time, “The Covenant” may be fictional but still feels realistic in its portrait of the vital relationship between a U.S. sergeant (Jake Gyllenhaal) and the Afghan interpreter (Dar Salim) who saves his life; later, Gyllenhaal risks his own life to try and save Salim and his family from the Taliban after the U.S. fails to evacuate them. A topical and well-executed film on a number of levels, “The Covenant” offers no extras on Blu-Ray but still comes recommended with a strong a/v presentation (1080p, Dolby Atmos). Also featuring the DVD and a Digital HD code.
JOHN WICK CHAPTER 4K UHD/Blu-Ray (169 mins., 2023, R; Lionsgate): There’s not a lot to say at this point in the lifespan of the “John Wick” franchise, which sends its title hitman off to take on The High Table – while once again combating a network of assassins around the globe, resulting in another lengthy run of action scenes…really lengthy. In fact, even the largest fans of this series might find their patience tested by this near-three hour long sequel which finds Keanu Reeves doing his thing and director Chad Stahelski staging some impressive visuals. Yet, there’s the feeling – despite the bigger and more elaborate settings – that we’ve seen the height of this series already, as dramatically, the film has been banging the same note repeatedly since Part 1 finished. Lionsgate’s 4K UHD has it all in terms of a/v presentation: sizzling Dolby Vision HDR (2.39), thundering Dolby Atmos audio, and all the extras you’d expect (featurettes, etc.), but it’s still little more than watching a video game you can’t play.
THE TRUMAN SHOW 4K UHD/Blu-Ray (102 mins., 1998, PG; Paramount): It’s remarkable how prescient screenwriter Andrew Niccol was in chronicling the breakout rise of “reality TV” with his script for “The Truman Show” some 25 years ago.
In the years following the release of Peter Weir’s superlative film, “reality TV” very nearly turned into what Niccol saw: an all-knowing media, and specifically an entertainment industry, that could possibly lower itself to the level of fabricating a “life” for an unknowing participant in its ruse…all for the sake of ratings.
As for the movie itself, director Weir’s delicious fantasy is a constant visual treat, and Jim Carrey’s manic persona was modulated just enough to make him the perfect embodiment of a naive, literally sheltered man whose entire life has been fabricated for the purposes of producing a television program. Weir’s direction and Carrey’s performance were justifiably praised (in spite of the fact that some audiences thought the film, at least initially, was just another Carrey comedy), but equally worth mentioning are Niccol’s screenplay and several strong supporting performances, particularly from Laura Linney.
Niccol — who wrote the terrific “Gattaca” around the same time (a fascinating companion piece to ”Truman” due to its complimentary theme of a technological governing body controlling society) — penned a witty, thought-provoking script that works best as a quirky fantasy centering on a man escaping from what he perceives as his reality, with satirical overtones touching upon the ever-growing media and its involvement in our own lives. At what point does the medium become the message, and when does the audience take into account the consequences of their own voyeurism? Themes like these, touched upon in Niccol’s script, are what make “The Truman Show” such a relevant and interesting piece.
A movie that ranks as one of the best of the mid/late ‘90s, “The Truman Show” hits 4K UHD (2.39) this month from Paramount sporting an outstanding Dolby Vision HDR transfer and Dolby Atmos sound. This remaster is a far superior one to its older Blu-Ray, offering more clarity and dimension to the movie’s overall appearance.
In addition to the Blu-Ray and a Digital HD code, supplements are culled from the 2005 Special Edition DVD of the movie, and are highlighted by an excellent documentary on the picture’s somewhat turbulent production. Featuring interviews with Weir, producer Edward S. Feldman, co-stars Laura Linney, Ed Harris and Noah Emmerich, this is a candid and fascinating examination of how the film was produced, as well as its growing legacy. Weir and Feldman even discuss Dennis Hopper’s departure from the film (Hopper was the original Christof before being “fired”), though they don’t reference Hopper by name. Nearly 15 minutes of interesting deleted/extended sequences are shown in workprint form, while there’s a look at the visual FX in “Faux Finishing.”
Quick Takes
RODEO Blu-Ray (107 mins., 2023; Music Box Films): A contemporary French character drama about a girl whose skill and knowledge of motor bikes serves her well after she becomes involved with urban “rodeos” and the shady dealings associated with them, “Rodeo” offers some solid action to go along with its compelling central lead. Music Box brings Lola Quivoron’s acclaimed film to Blu-Ray (2.39, 5.1 French DTS) this month, the disc sporting a director interview, featurette, music video, isolated music/sound design track and more.
WHISPER OF THE HEART Blu-Ray (115 mins., 2022; MPI): Japanese live-action adaptation of a manga favorite follows the relationship between a girl (Nana Seino) who meets up with her childhood friend 10 years after the duo vowed to forge a future together. Tori Matsuzaka plays the aspiring cellist living out his dreams, with the couple trying to figure out if their fates are still intertwined, in this well-received picture from writer-director Yuchiro Hirakawa. MPI’s Blu-Ray (2.39) is now available sporting both 5.1 DTS MA audio in Japanese (subtitled) or an English dub.
INSIDE Blu-Ray (105 mins., 2023, R; Universal): Willem Dafoe gives a terrific performance in director Vaslis Katsoupis’ intentionally claustrophobic picture about an art thief whose latest job ends up locking him inside the penthouse – and its assorted pieces of art – he’s supposed to raid. Writer Ben Hopkins’ script enables Dafoe to craft one of his strongest performances in a movie that ultimately becomes tough to watch – though that’s also the point. Universal’s Blu-Ray (2.39, 5.1 DTS MA) is now available and includes deleted scenes.
LA BREA Season 2 Blu-Ray (aprx. 10 hours, 2022-23; Universal): One of the positively goofiest shows to surface in recent times returns with the fragmented Harris family attempting to get back together despite being separated by time, either in the distant (10,000 BC) or the near (1988) past, all after a sinkhole opens up, devastating Los Angeles. This NBC series managed to net a second season and it’s pretty ridiculous stuff, albeit with decent performances and production values. Universal’s Season 2 Blu-Ray (1.78, 5.1 DTS MA) is now available.
NBC had more success rebooting QUANTUM LEAP (12 hours, 2022-23), picking up from the adventures of time traveler Sam Beckett with physicist Ben Song (Raymond Lee) stepping into the former’s shoes and zipping from era to era — and storyline to storyline — in a reasonably entertaining continuation of the old ’80s/early ’90s series. Universal’s Blu-Ray of “Quantum Leap”‘s first season — co-starring Caitlin Bassett and Ernie Hudson — is now available featuring fine 1080p (1.78) transfers and 5.1 DTS MA soundtracks.
STARGIRL Season 3 DVD (536 mins., 2022-23; Warner): One of the more likeable super-hero shows wraps up with Brec Bassinger’s Courtney Whitmore working with stepdad Pat Dugan (Luke Wilson) in leading a revival of the Justice Society of America, alongside a revived Starman (Joel McHale). Meanwhile, a murder tests all of their mettle in Geoff Johns’ conclusion to this well-received CW series, concluding its run on DVD with 16:9 transfers and 5.1 sound. Extras include a pair of deleted scenes.
SKY MED Season 1 DVD (aprx. 7 hours, 2022; Paramount): Canadian series utilizes an interesting premise – an ensemble of nurses and pilots use “air ambulances” to reach remote areas of northern Canada – for what turns out to be a mostly standard-issue show with conventional, soap-opera styled sotrylines. The cast is attractive enough but deserve better in “SkyMed,” which hits DVD in a Season 1 release from CBS and Paramount (16:9, 5.1)
ASSASSIN CLUB Blu-Ray (111 mins., 2023, R; Paramount): Typical direct-to-demand thriller is certainly better cast than most, with Henry Golding starring as an assassin, tasked with taking out multiple hits around the world, who finds out his targets are other elite assassins trying to turn the tables on him. Daniela Melchior, Noomi Rapace and Sam Neill star in this overlong and overly convoluted film that’s watchable in spite of its flaws. Paramount’s Blu-Ray (1080p, 5.1 DTS MA) is now available.
THE MAN FROM TORONTO Blu-Ray (110 mins., 2022, R; Sony): Mistaken identity action-comedy pairs Kevin Hart and Woody Harrelson in a sporadically amusing but more often than not drawn-out affair. Director Patrick Hughes generates expectedly enthusiastic turns from Hart and Harrelson is appropriately engaged, yet the fat needed to be trimmed from the over-extended premise, while a solid supporting cast (Kaley Cuoco, Ellen Barkin among them) doesn’t get enough to do. Sony’s Blu-Ray (1.85, 5.1) debuts this Netflix release with six deleted scenes and a Digital copy also on tap.
NEXT TIME: A Fourth of July edition with the Kino Lorber rundown! Until then, don’t forget to drop in on the official Aisle Seat Message Boards and direct any emails to our email address. Cheers everyone!