Archive for the 'Blu-ray Reviews' Category
July 11th, 2025 by Gerard Iribe
It doesn’t get more high-stakes than this. The High Noon 4K UHD Blu-ray from Eureka’s Masters of Cinema line brings new life to the 1952 classic — a lone marshal, a ticking clock, and a town full of cowards. This isn’t just a Western; it’s a moral showdown wrapped in stark black-and-white imagery and simmering tension. Eureka’s UK release delivers a Dolby Vision encode and a bulletproof set of extras. If you’ve been waiting for the definitive physical release, this just might be it. And yes — it looks better than ever, with a transfer that slices through the grain like a bullet through silence.
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July 6th, 2025 by Adam Toroni-Byrne
Lethal Weapon and its three sequels have sat firmly atop my 4K collector’s wish list—and no doubt many others—since the format’s debut in 2016. After years of anticipation, we finally have it. Now, 38 years after its theatrical release in March 1987, the iconic buddy-cop actioner arrives on 4K Ultra HD including a version I’ve always preferred: the studio-made Director’s Cut.
You may not remember this, but I do—there was an infomercial for the “Director’s Cut” releases of Lethal Weapon 1, 2, and 3 back in the day. I’ll get to that, along with all the technical and bonus details later. But first: I, and you, dear reader, are definitely not too old for this $#!%.
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July 5th, 2025 by Adam Toroni-Byrne
Shadow Force delivers exactly what you’d want from a summer action thriller: high-octane sequences, strong performances, and just enough emotional gravity to make it all mean something. With Kerry Washington and Omar Sy leading the charge, this film leans into its spy-thriller DNA while managing to bring a grounded, human story to the forefront. Directed by Joe Carnahan, the film doesn’t shy away from stylized violence or explosive set pieces — but at its core, it’s a story about family, trust, and survival.
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July 5th, 2025 by Adam Toroni-Byrne
The Amateur, directed by James Hawes and based on the 1981 film of the same name (itself adapted from Robert Littell’s novel), is a refreshing return to grounded espionage storytelling—gritty, personal, and driven more by character than chaos. While it may not revolutionize the spy genre, it delivers a gripping, emotionally invested narrative anchored by a compelling lead performance from Rami Malek.
Continue reading ‘The Amateur (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)’
July 3rd, 2025 by Gerard Iribe
When Amazon announced a live-action Fallout series, the reactions were split faster than a vault door under pressure. Could the bleak, bombed-out world of the beloved game franchise survive the transition from console to camera? And would newcomers be left behind in the wasteland? Now that Fallout: Season 1 has landed on 4K UHD, with an Amazon-exclusive SteelBook to boot — it’s time to crack open the Vault and see what this physical release really delivers.
Continue reading ‘Fallout: Season 1 (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)’
July 1st, 2025 by Jordan Grout
A Minecraft Movie relishes so gleefully in its absurd comedic chaos that I found myself absorbed completely. To say it’s stupid goes without saying. In fact, you’ve no doubt already made up your mind whether you’re going to watch this or not. Director Jared Hess and screenwriters Chris Bowman and Hubbel Palmer previously collaborated on 2015’s Masterminds and the Napoleon Dynamite TV series. While I didn’t see either of those, I can’t imagine they’re too far off in their comedic sensibilities from A Minecraft Movie.
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June 26th, 2025 by Gerard Iribe
Adilkhan Yerzhanov’s Steppenwolf Blu-ray Limited Edition arrives courtesy of Arrow Video, pairing gritty visuals with a story that blends bleak humor, violence, and emotional trauma. It’s a strikingly made film with moments that stick, even if not every element lands. The tone veers from absurdist to brutal without much warning, but that unpredictability is part of its appeal. This limited edition also includes Yerzhanov’s 2022 feature Goliath, along with a solid set of bonus features that will appeal to fans of bold, uncompromising cinema. Continue reading ‘Steppenwolf (Blu-ray Review)’
June 24th, 2025 by Gerard Iribe
They’re back — and this time, they’re adults (sort of). The American Reunion Blu-ray from 88 Films brings the original American Pie crew together again for one more chaotic weekend of nostalgia, regrets, and just enough heart to keep things from getting sticky. It’s been over a decade since the East Great Falls gang graduated, and this belated sequel aims to close the loop with a send-off that’s louder, raunchier, and – surprisingly — more grounded than expected. Fans can now own both the theatrical and unrated cuts in this Deluxe Collector’s Edition, which includes a 40-page photo book, a rigid slipcase, an O-ring slipcover with newly commissioned artwork, and a strong 1080p HD transfer backed by DTS-HD audio. Whether you grew up with this crew or are meeting them for the first time, this set goes big on presentation — and thankfully, it delivers.
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June 24th, 2025 by Gerard Iribe
There was a time when American Pie 2 felt like the gold standard for early-2000s summer sequels: more raunch, more chaos, and more Stifler. Revisiting it now, the laughs don’t quite hit like they used to — but nostalgia has its own flavor, and this deluxe 4K UHD Blu-ray from 88 Films serves it up with whipped cream on top. While the film itself may land closer to “fond smirk” than full-blown hysterics, the presentation is anything but half-baked. This is a surprisingly sharp and generously loaded release that gives the gang’s second outing a glow-up worthy of the party house it wrecks. This American Pie 2 4K UHD Blu-ray from 88 Films is a throwback with a fresh coat of gloss. Continue reading ‘American Pie 2 (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)’
June 22nd, 2025 by Adam Toroni-Byrne
Fury announced itself with a bang in theaters way back in 2014. The film is not just a war epic. The film discusses moral threads of war. It tests your own thoughts on what you would do fighting in a tank. The characters breathe life into the story and bring forth more than just another movie showing the senseless tragedies of war. Sony is revisiting the film now 7 years removed from its original UHD release, adding Dolby Vision and a collectible Steelbook to tempt Steelbook aficionados!
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June 21st, 2025 by Gerard Iribe
The Black Torment Blu-ray from 88 Films revives a moody slice of British gothic mystery that plays its shadowy cards like a proper whodunnit. Released in 1964 and long overshadowed by Hammer’s louder horrors, this low-key thriller builds tension with creaky staircases, hushed servants, and one very dead former wife. Is it a ghost story? A setup? Or just a nobleman slowly losing his grip? The final reveal lands somewhere between classic drawing-room suspense and a twist worthy of The Prestige — which makes it all the more fun to rewatch. Continue reading ‘The Black Torment (Blu-ray Review)’
June 20th, 2025 by Adam Toroni-Byrne
Disney continues its trend of reviving classic properties with (mostly) live-action remakes. The latest attempt?
Snow White—and it’s a doozy. Between questionable casting choices, a few original songs, and CGI dwarves that belong in a horror film, you might be asking yourself:
Is this new journey worth taking? So where do I land? Am I a princess purist, or does this reimagining of
Snow White breathe new life into the 1937 classic?
Continue reading ‘Snow White (2025) (4K UHD Steelbook Review)’
June 20th, 2025 by Adam Toroni-Byrne
When Bring It On burst into theaters in 2000, few expected a teen cheerleading comedy to become a pop culture touchstone. But 25 years later, it’s clear the film not only brought it, it stayed. Directed by Peyton Reed and written by Jessica Bendinger, Bring It On did more than showcase high-flying stunts and fierce rivalries—it tapped into larger conversations about race, privilege, and identity, all while keeping us entertained with whip-smart dialogue and cheer-worthy performances.
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June 20th, 2025 by Gerard Iribe
The Witch from Nepal Blu-ray from 88 Films brings one of Hong Kong cinema’s strangest supernatural curios back into the spotlight. Part romance, part mystical fever dream, part action-fantasy, this 1986 oddity stars Chow Yun-fat in a role that swerves from spiritual awakening to bare-chested brawling. Shot partially on location in Nepal, it’s a visually interesting but narratively chaotic ride. Now cleaned up in HD and dressed in slick collector packaging, this release might catch the eye of genre collectors. But not every oddity is a hidden gem.
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June 20th, 2025 by Gerard Iribe
There’s no mistaking it — Gate of Flesh Blu-ray is one of the grimiest, gutsiest cult releases 88 Films has ever put out. Originally released in Japan as Carmen 1945, this 1988 reimagining of postwar Tokyo dives deep into the neon-lit back alleys of desperation, sex work, and survival. Set in the ashes of defeat, where the only currency is flesh and power shifts with every glance, Gate of Flesh blends exploitation and melodrama with razor-sharp social critique. Now available on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK, this Blu-ray disc packs serious punch for collectors of transgressive cinema and fans of bold Japanese filmmaking. Continue reading ‘Gate of Flesh (Blu-ray Review)’
June 19th, 2025 by Adam Toroni-Byrne
It seems like just yesterday that I was writing up the 45th anniversary edition of Jaws. Brandishing a beautiful new transfer and stacked with bonus features and Dolby Atmos, the release was a highlight of lockdown in 2020. Now, Jaws is 50. Read it again. Fifty. 5. 0. And we still love the film so much. Steven Spielberg captured lightning in a bottle and made magic. People are still trying to make a movie this infectious and likable. We’ve had some, yes, but nothing beats this, arguably the first summer blockbuster. Now at 50, Universal has re-released Jaws in 4K and added a new documentary, Jaws @50, here on its own separate Blu-ray! Read on about Jaws 50th Anniversary Edition!
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June 19th, 2025 by Adam Toroni-Byrne
When I Know What You Did Last Summer hit theaters in October 1997, it arrived with a sharpened hook and a lot of baggage. Riding the coattails of Scream‘s slasher revival just a year earlier—and sharing the same screenwriter, Kevin Williamson—the film was poised to be a hit. And it was, commercially. But critically? Not so much. Now, nearly three decades later, it’s worth asking: Was the film unfairly dismissed at the time, or does it remain a glossy relic of the teen horror boom with more style than substance?
Continue reading ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer (4K UHD Steelbook Review)’
June 18th, 2025 by Gerard Iribe
If Monster Squad had been filtered through a Central European fever dream, you might land somewhere near Freckled Max and the Spooks — a long-lost Gothic oddity from Slovak auteur Juraj Jakubisko. Restored in all its haunted fairytale glory, this 1987 horror-comedy finally arrives on Blu-ray thanks to Deaf Crocodile Films and Comeback Company. Set in the shadow of Frankenstein’s castle, it’s a melancholic monster mash filled with slapstick, sorrow, and strange charm. And now, for the first time in the U.S., you can finally step into Max’s weird, whimsical world — fully subtitled and lovingly remastered. Continue reading ‘Freckled Max and the Spooks (Blu-ray Review)’
