From the Big Screen:

Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny

(2023) Harrison Ford returns to the role of the legendary hero archaeologist for final installment of the iconic franchise — a big, globe-trotting, rip-roaring cinematic adventure. John Williams, who has scored each Indy adventure since the original Raiders of the Lost Ark in 1981, has returned once again to compose the score. Finding himself in a new era, approaching retirement, Indy wrestles with fitting into a world that seems to have outgrown him. But as the tentacles of an all-too-familiar evil return in the form of an old rival, Indy must don his hat and pick up his whip once more to make sure an ancient and powerful artifact doesn’t fall into the wrong hands. Vitals: Director: James Mangold. Stars: Harrison Ford, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Antonio Banderas, John Rhys-Davies, Shaunette Rene´e Wilson, Thomas Kretschmann, Toby Jones, Boyd Holbrook , Olivier Richters, Mads Mikkelsen, Ethann Isidore. CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 154 min., Action Adventure, North American box office gross: $174.480 million, worldwide $383.827 million, Paramount. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray + Digital Code, 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital Code, 4K Ultra HD Steelbook + Blu-ray + Digital Code, VOD, Digital. Extras: Five-chapter documentary “The Making of Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny”; score only version of the movie: John Williams’ iconic music on an isolated track as you watch the film. Read more here

This Week’s Best Bets:

With “The Day of the Locust” (1975), Academy Award-winner John Schlesinger reunites with “Midnight Cowboy” screenwriter Waldo Salt, a victim of the 1950s McCarthy-era Hollywood blacklist, to adapt Nathanael West’s acid satire of Hollywood decadence and broken dreams. Painter Tod Hackett (William Atheron), working in the art department of a movie studio during the 1930s “golden age” of Hollywood, falls in unrequited love with aspiring starlet Faye Greener (Karen Black). He competes for her affections against other men: a pair of cowboys (Bo Hopkins and Pepe Serna), and a forlorn accountant (Donald Sutherland). As Faye’s career fails to take her beyond roles as an extra, her life becomes increasingly desperate and her relationships with men take a darker turn, reaching fever pitch at a red-carpet movie premiere that explodes into barbaric chaos. A bitter critique of Tinseltown’s empty promises and the lost souls cheated by them, featuring lush, dreamlike cinematography by Conrad Hall and stunning performances by its talented cast, “The Day of the Locust” remains a relevant and shattering experience. Brand new 2K remaster by Arrow Films from the original negative. High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation. Original restored lossless mono audio. Optional restored lossless 5.1 and 2.0 stereo audio options. A Blu-ray debut from Arrow Video/MVD Entertainment. Read more here … Swift, brutal, and blackhearted, Allen Baron’s New York City noir “Blast of Silence” (1961) is a sensational surprise. This low-budget, carefully crafted portrait of a hit man on assignment in Manhattan during Christmastime follows its stripped-down narrative with mechanical precision, yet also with an eye and ear for the oddball details of urban living and the imposing beauty of the city. At once visually ragged and artfully composed, and featuring rough, poetic narration performed by Lionel Stander and written by Waldo Salt (both uncredited), “Blast of Silence” is a stylish triumph. In a Blu-ray debut, director-approved edition, with new 4K digital restoration presented in two aspect ratios, 1.85:1 (widescreen) and 1.33:1 (full-screen), with uncompressed monaural soundtrack. Read more here. From The Criterion Collection … Hang ten and hang tough, Johnny. In “Point Break Collector’s Edition” (1991), rookie FBI agent Johnny Utah is learning to ride the waves. His mission: infiltrate a group of extreme surfers who may be the bank robbers known as the Ex-Presidents, and whose MO includes wearing masks of former White House denizens. Keanu Reeves portrays Johnny, Patrick Swayze plays charismatic thrill seeker Bodhi, and Oscar-winning director Kathryn Bigelow delivers an adrenaline rush of gnarly rides, skydives and danger. New master and restoration from a 2023 4K scan of the interpositive in Dolby Vision. In a 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo from Shout! Studios … In “Days of Heaven” (1978), one-of-a-kind filmmaker-philosopher Terrence Malick created some of the most visually arresting films of the 20th century, and his glorious period tragedy “Days of Heaven,” featuring Oscar-winning cinematography by Nestor Almendros, stands out among them. In 1910, a Chicago steelworker (Richard Gere) accidentally kills his supervisor, and flees with his girlfriend (Brooke Adams) and his little sister (Linda Manz) to the Texas panhandle, where they find work harvesting wheat in the fields of a stoic farmer (Sam Shepard). A love triangle, a swarm of locusts, a hellish fire — Malick captures it all with dreamlike authenticity, creating a timeless American idyll that is also a gritty evocation of turn-of-the-century labor. New 4K digital restoration, supervised and approved by director Terrence Malick, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. In the 4K UHD edition: One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special features. On Formats: Blu-ray, 4K UHD/Blu-ray Combo. Read more here. From The Criterion Collection.

Buzzin’ the ‘B’s:

In “The Caller” (2023), while house-sitting in a secluded rural lodge and working from home, customer service agent Izzy gets terrorized by an upset psychopathic caller. The real nightmare begins when he decides verbal abuse isn’t enough. She’s in for the fight of her life. Formats: DVD, VOD, Digital. From Uncork’d Entertainment. Read more here.

Special Interest:

Narrated by Annette Bening and directed by Alana DeJoseph, the documentary “A Towering Task: The Story of the Peace Corps” (2023) tells the remarkable story of the Peace Corps and takes viewers on a journey of what it means to be a global citizen. In 1961, President John F. Kennedy gave Americans the opportunity to serve their country in a new way by forming the Peace Corps. Since then, more than 240,000 of them have traveled to more than 140 countries to carry out the organization’s mission of international cooperation. Over 60 years later, Americans young and old alike still want to serve their country and understand their place in the world; current volunteers work at the forefront of some of the most pressing issues facing the global community. Yet the agency has struggled to remain relevant amid sociopolitical change; more than once it had to fight for its very existence, and now – with a rise in nationalist sentiment and deep cuts to governmental agency budgets – the Peace Corps is again confronting a crisis of identity: what role should it play around the world and in the lives of engaged citizens? From First Run Features.

From TV to Disc:

“Babylon 5: The Complete Series” (1994–1998) makes its Blu-ray debut with this 21-disc set with all 110 episodes. “Babylon 5” is an American space opera television series created by writer and producer J. Michael Straczynski that ran for five seasons from 1994–1998. The critically acclaimed franchise debuted in 1993 with the pilot film “The Gathering.” The series then launched a year later and ran for five seasons and 110 additional episodes. A future-history story covering the years 2257–2262, with each year corresponding to one season, “Babylon 5” was the first series to introduce viewers to the concept of a five-year arc, with a defined beginning, middle, and end, paving the way for a number of such later series. 2258 CE. Five hostile federations dominate the outermost regions of space. Heroes, thieves, and rare and exotic beings find refuge in this time of uneasy peace and the constant threat of war on a lone space station — the last and best hope for peace between a hundred worlds, alien and human alike — Babylon 5. From Warner … “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2” (2023) is a four-disc set with all 10 episodes. The crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise, commanded by Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount), confronts increasingly dangerous stakes, explores uncharted territories, and embarks on personal journeys that continue to test their resolve and redefine their destinies. Facing friends and enemies both new and familiar, their adventures unfold in surprising ways never seen on any “Star Trek” series. Includes a special crossover event with “Star Trek: Lower Decks,” the first ever “Star Trek” musical episode, and over two hours of special features. On DVD, Blu-ray, from Paramount.

All DVDs and Blu-rays are screened on a reference system consisting of an Oppo BDP-83 Blu-ray Disc Player w/SACD & DVD-Audio, a Rotel RSX-972 Surround Sound Receiver, and Phase Technology 1.1 (front), 33.1 (center), and 50 (rear) speakers, and Power 10 subwoofer.