The Curse of Frankenstein (1957, Warner Archive Collection, 2 4K Ultra HD discs + 1 Blu-ray, NR, 82 min.). Hammer Films' controversial adaptation of Mary Shelley's “Frankenstein, or, The Modern Prometheus” (1818) was a runaway hit, cementing the studio's reputation after its success in 1955 with “The Quatermass Xperiment.” Not only did it pave the way for dozens of Hammer horror productions during the next few decades, it paired Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee in career-making performances that led to them appearing in more than 20 films together.

“The Curse of Frankenstein” routinely is at or near the top of any list of Hammer Studio’s greatest films due to the acting of Cushing and Lee, as well as the supporting cast, and the strong cinematography by Jack Asher and the music by James Bernard. The sets were good as well, even if mostly done merely in a house, in this breakthrough moment for Gothic horror, which had mostly disappeared after Universal Studios’ early landmark run.

Directed by Terence Fisher (“Horror of Dracula,” “The Curse of the Werewolf”), Cushing played Victor Frankenstein, creator of the once-undead creature, played chillingly by Lee.

The film starts with Dr. Frankenstein awaiting execution in prison. He recounts to a priest what led to his current circumstance. That tale starts with him inheriting his family's wealth after the death of his mother when he was a young man. Frankenstein (the young version is played by Melvyn Hayes of “Summer Holiday”) hires Paul Krempe (Robert Urquhart of “Knights of the Round Table”) as his tutor and he immediately develops an interest in medical science. After several years, he and Krempe become equals and Frankenstein develops an interest in the origins and nature of life.

After successfully re-animating a dead dog, Frankenstein sets about constructing a man using body parts he acquires, including the hands of a pianist, the body of a hanged prisoner and the brain of a renowned scholar. Krempe becomes both repulsed by what his friend is doing and concerned for the safety of the beautiful Elizabeth (Hazel Court of “The Masque of the Red Death”), Frankenstein's cousin and fiancée who has come to live with them.

Striking scenes include the first reveal of the creature, who immediately tries to strangle his creator, and the creature’s interaction with a blind man, as well as the ending.

The release includes several versions of the film. Disc one has the film’s U.K. theatrical version in 1.66:1 aspect ratio, with optional new audio commentary by Kim Newman, Barry Forshaw and Stephen Jones; and the open matte 1.37:1 aspect ratio, with 2012 audio commentary by Marcos Hearn and Jonathan Rigby. New extras include “Beside the Seaside” (50:17), about an exhibit on the legacy of Cushing with author Wayne Kinsey and actress Madeline Smith (who worked alongside Cushing in “The Vampire Lovers” and “Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell”); “Reviving The Curse of Frankenstein” (8:11), a restoration featurette; and an alternative eyeball scene (1:11).

Disc two contains the film in the U.S. theatrical aspect ratio of 1:85.1, with new audio commentary by film historians Heidi Honeycutt and Toby Roan, and 2020 commentary by Dr. Steve Haberman and Constantine Nasr. New extras include “Recreating the Creature” (34:41), with Igor Studios' Lou Elsey and Oscar-winning makeup artist Dave Elsey recreating Phil Leakey's iconic Frankenstein facade on actor James Swanton, plus brief comments by Leakey from an unearthed vintage audio interview and recent interview clips with Leakey's son, Peter; “A Fitting Vocation” (10:11), a tribute to long-time Hammer costume designer Molly Arbuthnot by Professor Melanie Bell and the British Film Institute's Jo Botting; “Topped and Tailed” (16:21), an interview with actor Hayes, who, with Melanie Bell and Jo Botting, pays more respects to Arbuthnot and her uncredited costume work in Hammer films; “Good or Tuesday?” (39:06), a documentary on screenwriter Jimmy Sangster and his journey through the production ranks at Hammer to become one of the studio's key creative contributors and a lasting influence on future talents; “Painting with Fine Brushes” (11:49), Dick Klemensen’s tribute to long-time Hammer cinematographer Asher; “A Gothic History of Frankenstein” (24:15), screenwriter Stephen Volk talks about Shelley's original novel, its various film adaptations and this film’s legacy; and an image gallery (13:48).

The third disc, the Blu-ray, features older featurettes, including “Frankenstein Reborn” (2012; 34:45), a making-of with interviews of actor Hayes, Hammer experts Denis Meikle and Jonathan Rigby, and David Huckvale, James Bernard's biographer; “Life with Sir” (2012; 12:31), Cushing’s secretary and long-time friend Joyce Broughton recalls his hobbies and life; “The Resurrection Men” (2020; 21:51), a chat with Richard Klemensen (publisher of the horror magazine Little Shoppe of Horrors)  on his lifelong appreciation for the genre and this film’s massive impact in the stagnant 1950s horror landscape; “Hideous Progeny” (2020, 22:49), author and cultural historian Sir Christopher Frayling gives an entertaining history lesson on Gothic horror -- mostly on the printed page, circa the 16th and 17th centuries -- and subsequent horror period pieces; “Torrents of Light” (2020; 15:14), cinematographer David J. Miller on Asher’s use of lighting; “Diabolus in Musica” (2020; 17:05), composer Christopher Drake discusses James Bernard’s scores, both for Hammer and others; and the 8mm home movie abridgement (1965, B&W; 10:35). Grade: film 4.5 stars; extras 5 stars

Rating guide: 5 stars = classic; 4 stars = excellent; 3 stars = good; 2 stars = fair; dog = skip it

Battle of the Bulge: 2 Movie Collection (2018 and 2020, Cineverse, Blu-ray, NR, 180 min.). The two movies, “Wunderland” (95 min.) and “Winter War” (85 min.) mostly deal with the same set of characters as it tells the tale of undermanned American military efforts to forestall an unexpected final German offensive on the Western Front during World War II. I was told my father was involved in the Battle of the Bulge, but he never talked about his military experiences.

The first film opens on Dec. 16, 1944 as more than 200,000 German troops and nearly 1,000 tanks prepare to move into the Ardennes Forest, a 75-mile stretch, mostly guarded by American soldiers there for rest or seasoning. The German aim was to drive to the English Channel, thereby splitting the American and British forces.

A small group of soldiers led by Lt. Gene Cappa (Steven Luke of “War Pigs”) are sent to hold Lanzerath in Belgium. With bad weather wiping out aerial surveillance, Major McCulley (Tom Berenger of “The Big Chill,” “Inception”) had no idea what the men would be facing. Lanzerath was critical to the Germans as it had the only road that could bear their tanks and other heavy equipment.

The rather simple, plain film has the Americans facing a lot of German soldiers. It has a cliffhanger ending, then 10 minutes of credits that include the war records of 16 U.S. soldiers who were involved in the fighting.

“Winter War” is the direct sequel, although resolution of the cliffhanger is never shown; it is just accepted as happening. This time Lt. Cappa’s men must guard, or destroy, the fuel supplies stored at Eisenborn Ridge and Lanzerath. Things are complicated because advance German soldiers are masquerading as U.S. military police. Billy Zane (“The Phantom,” “Titanic”) joins the cast as Gen. Omar Bradley. Grades: Wunderland 2.5 stars; Winter War 2 stars

The Racket (1951, Warner Archive Collection, Blu-ray, NR, 89 min.). The film is about the clash between straight-arrow cop Capt. Tom McQuigg (Robert Mitchum of “The Longest Day,” “The Night of the Hunter”) and old-time gangster Nick Scanlon (Robert Ryan of “The Wild Bunch,” “Bad Day at Black Rock,” “The Dirty Dozen”). In the past, Scanlon has thwarted McQuigg’s attempts at peace-keeping and prevented him from getting some promotions, but now McQuigg has been assigned to the precinct where Scanlon and the mysterious “Old Man” boss operate.

William Talman (TV’s “Perry Mason”) plays young policeman Bob Johnson, whom McQuigg sees promise in and moves from a beat cop to an investigator. The film humanizes both policemen in scenes with their wives – Joyce Mackenzie (Jane in “Tarzan and the She-Devil”) plays Mary McQuigg, while Virginia Huston (Jane in “Tarzan’s Peril”) is Lucy Johnson.

Scanlon’s weak point is his no-good brother Joe (Brett King of “Battleground”), whose girlfriend is nightclub singer Irene Hayes (Lizabeth Scott of “Too Late for Tears,” “The Strange Love of Martha Ivers”). An investigating reporter who gets involved is Dave Ames (Robert Hutton of “They Came from Beyond Space”).

Crooked District Attorney Mortimer X. Welsh is played by Ray Collins (“Citizen Kane,” “Touch of Evil,” “The Magnificent Ambersons”), while Det. Sgt. Turk is played by William Conrad (TV’s Cannon”) as, for one growing up in the 1950s, there are a lot of familiar faces in the film.

The sole extra is audio commentary by film noir historian Eddie Muller. Grade: film 3.25 stars; extra 2 stars

Lovely to Look At (1952, Warner Archive Collection, Blu-ray, NR, 102 min.). The MGM musical features music by Jerome Kern, with lyrics by Otto A. Harbach, and additional and revised lyrics by Dorothy Fields. Standout songs include the title song, “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” and “I Won’t Dance.”

A trio of producers trying to mount their Broadway musical are having trouble finding funding. They are performer Tony Naylor (Howard Keel of “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers,” “Annie Get Your Gun,” “Show Boat”), dancer Jerry Ralby (Gower Champion of “Show Boat,” “Hello, Dolly!”) and writer Al Marsh (Red Skelton of “Du Barry Was a Lady,” TV’s “The Red Skelton Hour”).

Suddenly Marsh receives a letter stating that he has inherited half of a Parisian dress salon, called Roberta’s. (The film is a remake of the musical “Roberta.”) They borrow money from Naylor’s girlfriend, Bubbles Cassidy (Ann Miller of “You Can’t Take It with You,” “Kiss Me Kate,” “On the Town”), and fly to Paris, intending to sell Marsh’s half-share to fund their show.

Love intervenes with that plan though. The other two co-owners are clothes designer Stephanie (Kathryn Grayson of “Anchors Aweigh,” “Kiss Me Kate”) and her sister Clarisse (Marge Champion of “Show Boat,” “Give a Girl a Break”; she was married to Gover Champion until 1973). Naylor falls for Stephanie and Ralby falls for Clarisse. Marsh also falls for Stephanie, but ends up with someone else.

Zsa Zsa Gabor has a small part as Zsa Zsa, the girlfriend of wealthy Max Fogelsby (Kurt Kasznar of “Casino Royale,” “Kiss Me Kate”). In a meta moment, which I would bet was an ad lib, during his comedy routine at a party, Skelton as Marsh says, “You knew I wasn’t Howard Keel when I came out here.”

The film ends with a lengthy fashion show with music and dance. I could not get into this musical as much as others of the era, because Keel’s character was unlikeable. Extras include the Pete Smith Specialty “Have You Ever Wondered?” (9:53); the Tom and Jerry cartoon “Dog Trouble” (7:57); and the ability to go directly to 11 musical moments or any of the six parts of the fashion show. Grade: film 3 stars; extras 1.5 stars

A Summer Place (1959, Warner Archive Collection, Blu-ray, NR, 130 min.). The melodrama stars Sandra Dee (“Come September,” the “Gidget” films) and Troy Donahue (“Cry-Baby,” “Imitation of Life”) as young lovers Molly Jorgenson and Johnny Hunter, who meet, love at first sight through binoculars, when Molly’s father Ken (Richard Egan of “Love Me Tender,” “The 300 Spartans”) rents a yacht and brings her and his wife Helen (Constance Ford of “Rome Adventure,” TV’s “Another World”) to Pine Island, off the coast of Maine. Ken used to be a lifeguard at the Pine Tree Inn as a teenager and now hopes to settle on the island, as he has become a millionaire.

Owners of the Pine Tree Inn are Johnny’s parents, his usually drunk and always useless father Bart Hunter (Arthur Kennedy of “Lawrence of Arabia,” “Bright Victory”) and his mother Sylvia (Dorothy McGuire of “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn,” “The Spiral Staircase”). As suspected, the viewer soon learns that Ken and Sylvia used to be lovers before she married Bart, and Helen knows all about it. Thus, there are two loveless marriages only held together because Ken does not want to lose Molly and Sylvia does not want to lose Johnny.

Nonetheless, the two former lovers reconnect, during nights at the boat house. However, Helen forbids Molly to see Johnny anymore, after his sailboat sinks during rough seas and they spend a night alone on an island beach. As the marriages break up, Molly is sent to a girl’s school in New England and Johnny is shipped to a school in Virginia.

An interesting touch is that Bart and Sylvia’s new beachside house is said to have been designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. The music is by Max Steiner and the unforgettable main theme became a hit.

The only extra is a Bugs Bunny cartoon, “A Witch’s Tangled Hare” (6:24). Grade: film 3 stars; extra 1 star

Rafferty and the Gold Dust Twins (1975, Warner Archive Collection, Blu-ray, R, 91 min.). In this quirky film, directed by Dick Richards (“Tootsie,” “Farewell, My Lovely”) and written by John Kaye (“Forever Lulu,” “Where the Buffalo Roam”), Gunny Rafferty (Alan Arkin of “Argo,” “Little Miss Sunshine,” “Edward Scissorhands”), who works as a driver exam tester and lives in squalor near Hollywood, does not put up much of a fight when kooks McKinley “Mac” (Sally Kellerman of M*A*S*H,” “A Little Romance”) and Rita “Frisbee” (Mackenzie Phillips of “American Graffiti,” TV’s “One Day at a Time”), who is 15, hijack him for a ride to New Orleans.

Rafferty, a former Marine for 20 years, is sort of charmed by the drifters and is kind of fed up with his life. (His misadventures shown with three driving exams are more sad than funny.) His car looks like a wreck; he even has to use a rear door to enter it and then climb over into the front seat. The three drive to Las Vegas and later Tucson, where their bond unravels, although he first ditches them for a brief while at a gas station the first day.

In Las Vegas they encounter Vinnie (Alex Rocco of “The Godfather”), who sets a fire in a restaurant so he can avoid paying for the meal he was “treating” them to. Some excitement happens on the road when Rafferty’s car loses its breaks as they are going down a hill behind a slower car.

In Tucson, Frisbee meets soldier Alan Boone (Charles Martin Smith of “Starman,” “American Graffiti”), whom she talks into sharing a hotel room, then robs him of $20 and runs off. About the same time, Mac reconnects with Billy Winston (Harry Dean Stanton of “Repo Man,” “The Green Mile”) and joins Johnny Young (Earl Smith) onstage to sing and becomes a band member.

This is a film that had no characters to root for or even like. Grade: film 2.25 stars

Some new TV releases

The Day of the Jackal: Season One (Universal, 3 Blu-rays or 4 DVDs, NR, 8 hours 42 min.). The exciting series revisits the elite assassin known as the Jackal, first introduced in Frederick Forsyth’s 1971 novel of the same name and made into a film by Fred Zinnemann in 1973 that starred Edward Fox. In the earlier incarnations, The Jackal was hired to assassinate French President Charles de Gaulle.

Here, the elite sniper, who is a master of disguise and a highly trained killer, is played by Eddie Redmayne (“The Theory of Everything,” “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them”), who is perfect to play the taciturn killer.

Following a successful long-range kill of a high-profile, notorious politician in Berlin – set up by wounding the man’s son in an office building the night before so he would visit the hospital where he was killed – The Jackal is offered his riskiest job yet, but one that could pay him enough to leave his work for good. The victim would be program developer Ulle Dag Charles (Khalid Abdalla). He is offered at least $10 million but says such a target should be worth 10 times that.

Meanwhile, the Berlin hit, because the shot’s 3,850 meters distance broke the world record by 310 meters, has attracted the attention of Bianca Pullman (Lashna Lynch), a tenacious British intelligence officer, whose world-class expertise in firearms makes her the ideal candidate to hunt him down.

The series involves a cat-and-mouse chase across Europe, as The Jackal works to carry out his new mission, while being pursued by Pullman. As the hunt continues and more casualties are caught in their crossfire, it becomes clear that there may be other forces pulling the strings. Both Bianca, who has a husband and school-age daughter, and The Jackal's (a girlfriend in Spain) personal lives clash with their work.

Extras include three short featurettes: a breakdown of the Melon scene, becoming The Jackal and becoming Bianca. Grade: season 3.75 stars; extras 1.5 stars

St. Denis Medical: Season One (Universal, 2 Blu-rays or 2 DVDs, NR, 6 hours 39 min.). At St. Denis Medical Center in Oregon, the dedicated doctors and nurses try their best to treat patients without completely losing their own minds, as they are overworked and often underappreciated. The show, which has begun its second season on Peacock, is a mockumentary sitcom, created by Justin Spitzer and Eric Ledgin. The characters often speak directly to the audience, as they are supposed talking to an unseen documentary crew.

Among the characters are Joyce (Wendi McLendon-Covey of TV’s “The Goldbergs”) as the ambitious, but kooky executive director; Alex (Allison Tolman of “Krampus,” TV’s “Emergence”), an empathic, supervising nurse with workaholic tendencies; Bruce (Josh Lawson of “Mortal Kombat”), cocky trauma surgeon desperately seeking adulation; Ron (David Alan Grier of TV’s “The Cool Kids,” “Crank Yankers,” “Life with Bonnie”), a curmudgeonly emergency physician; Val (Kaliko Kauahi of TV’s “Superstore”), a nurse administrator and surly, no-nonsense veteran of St. Denis; Serena (Kahyun Kim of “Cocaine Bear”), a self-assured travel nurse with a wild streak; and Matt (Mekki Leeper of TV’s “Jury Duty”), a newly-hired registered nurse from a religious community in Montana.

The humor is rather mild. Extras include a set tour, a gag reel and real fake medical advice.  Grade: season 3.25 stars; extra 1.25 stars

Happy’s Place: Season One (Universal, 2 Blu-rays or 2 DVDs, NR, 6 hours and 18 min.). Country music legend Reba McEntire returns to comedy with the new muti-camera sitcom “Happy's Place,” in which Bobbie (McEntire) inherits her father's restaurant in Knoxville, Tennessee, which she has run for 10 years. Bobbie is less than thrilled to discover that she has a new business partner in the half-sister she never knew she had. McEntire helped develop the pilot, which made me laugh twice, something unusual.

The series stars McEntire (TV’s “Reba”) and Belissa Escobedo (“Hocus Focus 2”) as her Mexican American half-sister Isabella, whom she initially finds annoying because she always second-guesses Bobbie’s decisions. The rest of the bar/restaurant’s staff are Melissa Peterman (TV’s “Reba”) as the over-talkative, needy barkeep Gabby; Pablo Castelblanco (TV’s “Alaska Daily”) as the germophobic obsessive-compulsive Hispanic accountant Steve; Tokala Black Elk (TV’s “American Primeval”) as Native American waiter Takoda; and Rex Linn (“Rush Hour,” “Cutthroat Island”) as isolationist, soft-spoken cook Emmett.

Also carried over from “Reba” are three guest stars: Steve Howey as Gabby’s friend Danny; Christopher Rich as Maverick, a tattoo artist who has suffered a stroke; and, in season two which begins Nov. 7, JoAnna Garcia Swisher as Kenzie. Grade: season 3 stars

Robot Chicken: The Complete Series (2005-2022, Warner Bros., 24 DVDs, NR, 2,420 min.). The series is an adult stop-motion animated sketch comedy television series created by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich for Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim nighttime programming block. The 12-minute show consists of short unrelated sketches that usually satirize pop culture characters or celebrities. Toys are employed as the players, animated via stop motion, supplemented by Claymation. The voice cast, which changes every episode, features many celebrity cameos. The writers, most prominently Green, also provide many of the voices. “Robot Chicken” has won two Annie Awards and six of its 23 Emmy Award nominations.

The 11-season set includes 228 episodes, among them the 12 longer specials themed around DC Comics, “Star Wars,” “The Walking Dead,” “Archie” Comics and Christmas. The milestone release celebrates 20 years of the rapid-fire “channel flips” that propelled viewers through Robot Chicken’s twisted takes on nostalgia, pop culture and everything in between. Fueled by a crew of deeply disturbed toys, the show defined a generation of late-night animated sketch comedy.

What sets the series apart from other parodies is that the show pushed its sketches to disturbing extremes. Early examples included Optimus Prime getting his prostate checked and the disembodied head of Walt Disney going on a rampage -- via a mechanized body -- to satiate his hunger for the flesh of Cuban children.

The set has a special bonus in an exclusive 20th-anniversary featurette that includes many past guest stars.

While the show is great – especially the “Star Wars” specials – the box it comes in, not so much. There is nothing to tell what is on which disc and, more critically, the discs are stacked two on each spindle, making them somewhat hard to remove -- not to mention that you have to remove the top disc to reach the second disc. Grade: show 4 stars; housing 2 stars