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Writer Eric Red and director Robert Harmon’s THE HITCHER (97 mins., 1986, R; HBO/Warner) has long been a cult favorite: a vividly shot, superbly acted, tense suspense-thriller about an enigmatic serial killer (Rutger Hauer) who picks a naive young man (C. Thomas Howell) for his latest prey along the dusty desert highways of the American Southwest. Yet does Hauer’s “John Ryder” want to merely toy with Howell’s Jim Halsey out on the open road, or does he have some other purpose involved in his psychotic behavior? Those are the questions raised, but mostly unanswered, in Eric Red’s script, which is light on explanations but heavy on mood, atmosphere and tension, all of it beautifully captured by Harmon and cinematographer John Seale.

“The Hitcher” is neither a feel-good movie or a conventional one: released by Tri-Star in February of 1986, this HBO Pictures production generated meager box-office, which is to be expected from a movie whose off-kilter mood is sustained right through to its concluding moments. There’s no release, no catharsis for its lead character here, yet the nightmarish feel of the film is hard to shake. Some viewers were (and still may be) turned off by the movie’s inherent nastiness, but the performances by Hauer – at his best here – and Howell, who was never better, raise the picture to a higher plane that stands tall amongst mid ‘80s genre films, with capable support turned in by Jeffrey DeMunn and Jennifer Jason Leigh.

Throughout it all, Harmon and Seale’s visual stylings are glorious to behold – especially in a 4K UHD Warner has newly released here in the U.S. This restoration, produced with Second Sight Films in the UK, offers a dynamic Dolby Vision HDR (2.39) grading of the film, conveying the impressive desert vistas of “The Hitcher” in an appropriately cinematic presentation domestic viewers should especially appreciate since the film never even received a Blu-Ray release in the U.S. (HBO has been notoriously stingy about releasing their theatrical back catalog in the post-DVD era, save for “Three Amigos!” Personally, I’m still waiting on a proper high-def edition of Michael Dinner’s “Heaven Help Us”).

The film’s soundtrack sports an ethereal Mark Isham score which has been remixed in a Dolby Atmos track that felt a little center heavy for my tastes; the original Dolby Stereo mix is the preferred one here, offered in a 2.0 DTS MA track that employs excellent use of the surrounds throughout.

Second Sight’s UK release is full of brand-new interviews and featurettes, plus (in its limited edition) a comprehensive hardbound book. Warner’s US UHD works off the exact same master but only includes a couple of welcome supplements: an interview with Robert Harmon plus an archival commentary with Harmon and Eric Red along with the trailer. For fans, highly recommended!


Also New on 4K UHD

VACATION 4K UHD (99 mins., 2015, R; Warner): Flaccid remake of the original “National Lampoon’s Vacation” puts Ed Helms through Chevy Chase’s paces as Rusty, now the head of the Griswold clan, who decides to set out on a cross-country trek with the fam (including wife Christina Applegate) to Wally World.

Part of the problem with this go-around from writers-directors Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley is that it has no reason to exist. The original “Vacation” was borne out of writer John Hughes’ adolescence, spinning autobiographical details into a larger comedic fabric that made the picture a classic. Here, Goldstein and Daley do little except repeat the formula while upping the raunch quotient and bodily fluid jokes, making the R-rated ‘83 “Vacation” look like a PG-rated release by comparison. Despite a few funny gags – including Chris Hemsworth parodying himself (the first of ultimately too many times) – this box-office underachiever is one of the sorriest, most pointless remakes of a cherished cinematic property to date.

Warner’s 4K UHD (2.39, 5.1 DTS MA) offers a perfectly serviceable Dolby Vision HDR master with extras reprised from the previous Blu-Ray: deleted scenes, a gag reel, “Griswold Odyssey” and “Return to Walley World” featurettes.

THE INTERN 4K UHD (121 mins., 2015, PG-13; Warner): Agreeably performed, if somewhat sleepy, Nancy Meyers outing places a retired 70-year-old widower (Robert DeNiro) in the midst of a fashion web start-up run by an ambitious young woman (Anne Hathaway).

Mustering up a respectable $70 million gross, “The Intern” is formula stuff for the most part: one can easily see how writer-director Meyers must have come up with its central May/December relationship by watching “The Devil Wears Prada” one night and reconfigured it – using that film’s star, Hathaway – as the basis for one of the filmmaker’s typical drama-edies. DeNiro and Hathaway work well off one another, but the problem is how much other stuff Meyers is keen to introduce into “The Intern,” from Hathaway’s marriage to DeNiro’s budding (if undercooked) relationship with a masseuse played by Rene Russo. Bloating the running time to a full two hours, “The Intern” overstays its welcome, but for those just looking for a star-driven throwback vehicle, it doesn’t provide an unwelcome viewing option.

Warner’s 4K UHD (1.78, 5.1 DTS MA) features Dolby Vision HDR and three featurettes taking viewers behind the scenes, culled from the original home video release.

TAG 4K UHD (100 mins., 2018, R; Warner): Mildly enjoyable, if immediately forgotten, ensemble comedy offers Ed Helms, Jake Johnson, Hannibal Buress, Jon Hamm and Jeremy Renner as lifelong friends still continuing their game of tag from when they were kids – right up to the game’s sole survivor’s (Renner) upcoming wedding. Mark Steilen based his script (written with Rob McKittrick) on an actual true story he wrote up for the Wall Street Journal – the resulting film from director Jeff Tomsic is pretty much by-the-numbers, R-rated studio comedy from the post-”Hangover” era. Still, the cast works well off one another and there are some laughs – and a bit of heart – that make for a decent enough time. Warner’s 4K UHD (2.4:1, 5.1 DTS MA) includes another good looking Dolby Vision HDR presentation with recycled extras (gag reel, deleted scenes, featurette) from the previous Blu-Ray/DVD.

Making its debut on 4K UHD from Paramount is ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES (94 mins., 1993, PG-13). It’s still hard to believe Barry Sonnenfeld’s 1991 “Addams Family” was an Orion movie the studio was forced to sell off to pay debts – the Raul Julia-Anjelica Huston starrer then became a blockbuster in the winter of 1991 for Paramount instead, leading to an uneven 1993 follow-up from Sonnenfeld and writer Paul Rudnick that didn’t do nearly as well at the box-office. This one again finds Fester (an ill-utilized Christopher Lloyd) getting intro trouble with scheming nanny Joan Cusack while the family attends to their newest baby arrival. Christina Ricci, meanwhile, gets the most laughs with Wednesday sent off to summer camp in an adequate sequel debuting on 4K UHD with a brand-new commentary with Sonnenfeld and Rudnick along with a featuette (Dolby Vision HDR, 1.85, 5.1 DTS MA).


New On Blu-Ray

VOYAGE OF THE DAMNED Blu-Ray (157 mins., 1976, PG; Imprint): Well-acted if soapy treatment of the 1974 bestselling book by Gordon Thomas and Max Witts. As adapted by Steve Shagan and David Butler, the film chronicles the horrifying journey of German Jews who set sail on the steamer SS St. Louis for Cuba to escape persecution at home – only to be denied refuge and eventually realize that the journey was simply an exercise in Nazi propaganda.

Stuart Rosenberg directed the Associated General production of “Voyage of the Damned,” which boasts an all-star cast: Max Von Sydow as the understanding captain of the St. Louis; Faye Dunaway, Oskar Werner, Lee Grant and Sam Wanamaker as some of the refugees onboard; and a huge supporting cast including Orson Welles, James Mason, Ben Gazzara, Malcolm McDowell, and a young Jonathan Pryce, all appearing in a film that feels like an abbreviated TV series. The script is honorable in its intentions but hokey in places and downright unbelievable in others, particularly with its chiseled, stock Nazi villains and melodramatic passages that seem primarily intended to give actresses like Dunaway and especially Grant some scenery-chewing moments (for Grant, it worked, with the actress nominated for a Supporting Actress Oscar for her efforts here). There are certainly some effective moments, and the story itself is compelling and worthwhile, but “Voyage of the Damned” isn’t a great movie, and has, since its original release, fallen through the cracks into becoming a footnote in the long line of ‘70s all-star-driven international epics.

Timeless/Shout previously released a Blu-Ray of the movie a decade ago and this new Imprint limited-edition release easily usurps it in terms of extras despite providing a similar technical presentation with a mediocre, aged HD master (1.85) with equally pinched mono sound. Once again, the source print utilized is banged up and seems to have suffered from the ravages of time, displaying faded colors and other issues, while the cramped soundtrack does little to help Lalo Schifrin’s score.

Where Imprint’s release shines is, expectedly, in its special features. The disc includes a copy of the movie’s longer version, albeit in standard-definition and culled off a VHS tape since no other element was on-hand. This 182-minute assembly offers longer scenes and a different chronological edit of the material, reportedly compiled by the movie’s editor before release. Other supplements include interviews with Malcolm McDowell and a career-spanning talk with cinematographer Billy Williams, plus a photo gallery, trailers, and commentaries from Matthew Asprey Gear (theatrical cut) and Daniel Kremer (long version).


Warner Archive New Releases

A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION Blu-Ray (106 mins., 2006, PG-13; Warner Archive): Offbeat and engaging collaboration between humorist-author Garrison Keillor and filmmaker Robert Altman takes a fictional look behind the scenes at Keillor’s long-running National Public Radio program, where an outstanding ensemble cast (Woody Harrelson, Tommy Lee Jones, Kevin Kline, Lindsay Lohan, John C. Reilly, Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin among others) portray the various characters on the final broadcast of “A Prairie Home Companion.” Things get a little dicey when Virginia Madsen shows up as an angel of death (?!?), but Altman’s idiosyncrasies are otherwise minimal in this career capper that functions as a highly entertaining, homespun yarn that captures the essence of Keillor’s radio program (if not the humor). Warner Archive’s Blu-Ray includes a lovely 1080p (2.39) transfer, 5.1 DTS MA sound, and extras culled from the DVD: extra scenes, a behind-the-scenes documentary, and a marvelous commentary with Altman and Kevin Kline.

BATHING BEAUTY Blu-Ray (101 mins., 1944; Warner Archive): Esther Williams’ first leading role came via this high enjoyable 1944 MGM Technicolor favorite, applying her aquatic prowess to an enjoyable mix of romance, comedy and music, the film offering top-billed Red Skelton as a songwriter who enrolls at a woman’s college, with Basil Rathbone, Bill Goodwin, Harry James and Xavier Cugat all along for the ride. George Sidney directs the Dorothy Kingsley/Allen Boretz/Frank Waldman script with appropriate comic flair and the set-pieces are dazzling. Warner Archive’s dynamite 1080p (1.37, mono) transfer sings in their new Blu-Ray with extras including Esther Williams’ “TCM Private Screenings” special with host Robert Osborne, the trailer, and a classic MGM cartoon and short making for a highly entertaining archival package all around.


New on DVD

SO HELP ME TODD: The Complete Series DVD (aprx. 23 hours, 2022-24; CBS): Marcia Gay Harden lead this CBS hour-long comedy-drama as an attorney working alongside her slightly wayward son (Skylar Astin) as they navigate assorted cases – together – after she hires him as her firm’s investigator. Familiar types of “legal drama” plot lines abound but the performances of Harden and Astin were enough to keep viewers engaged – but only for a couple of seasons, with CBS pulling the plug on the show despite its cliffhanger ending (and mostly positive reviews). The two-season run of “So Help Me Todd” has been compiled in a Complete Series DVD from Paramount and CBS, the seven-disc package offering two featurettes, deleted scenes and gag reels plus 16:9 transfers and 5.1 soundtracks.

EVIL: The Complete Series DVD (aprx. 40 hours, 2019-22, 2024; CBS): Katja Herbers and Mike Colter star in this decent CBS prime-time crime drama that finds the former as a skeptical psychologist who partners with a Catholic priest-in-training as they investigate the Catholic Church’s files of occult phenomena. This being a CBS series, the horror is dailed back but “Evil” still ranked as an agreeable variation on the usual network primetime time-killers, mustering a decent fan base even after the network moved the show to Paramount+ for its later years. CBS’ clamshell-cased DVD includes all 50 episodes of “Evil” in 16:9 transfers with 5.1 soundtracks, deleted/extended scenes, and featurettes.

 

NEXT TIME: More of the latest reviews! Until then, don’t forget to drop in on the official Aisle Seat Message Boards and direct any emails to our email address. Cheers!

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