Trapped Ashes (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)
Trapped Ashes is a twisted homage to classic horror anthologies like Tales from the Crypt and Creepshow, featuring four surreal and macabre tales directed by genre legends Joe Dante, Ken Russell, Monte Hellman, Sean Cunningham, and Oscar-winner John “Gaeta-Tron” Gaeta. When seven strangers — including John Saxon and Henry Gibson — become trapped in a haunted Hollywood studio house, they’re forced to reveal their darkest memories to survive. The stories include a cadaver-implant nightmare (The Girl With The Golden Breasts), a ghostly encounter in Japan (Jibaku), a seductive muse entangling young Kubrick (Stanley’s Girlfriend), and a grotesque womb-bound twin (My Twin the Worm). With striking visuals by FX legend Robert Skotak (Aliens, T2) and an eerie score by Kenji Kawai (Ghost in the Shell), the film is a visually rich, darkly surreal tribute to horror cinema. Trapped Ashes is now fully restored in 4K UHD Blu-ray! Continue reading ‘Trapped Ashes (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)’
25 years ago, I was 13 years old and getting into my cinema exploration. I’d loved movies forever of course. Now, though, was my time to really get into my own types of films. I found myself really drawn to thrillers and mysteries. Things that challenged me always got to the front of my movie queue. When I saw the trailer for What Lies Beneath way back when, I was sold based on the star power of Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer, and the creepy way the trailer toyed with my senses. Now, after what feels like a lifetime, What Lies Beneath lands on 4K UHD Blu-ray, and I’ve had quite an education on thrillers. So, how does the film stand up today? And how does Robert Zemeckis’ creep-fest look and sound in a new format?
This spring is the spring of the Clint Eastwood 4K disc! Debuting April 29th is not one but three classic Eastwood films. I’m excited to share with you my reviews of them all, but not as excited as I am first and foremost to write about Dirty Harry. A film loosely based on the infamous Zodiac killer that terrorized the Bay Area in the 60’s, Eastwood’s Harry Callahan was someone who either made you cheer or repulsed you. For me, he was a bad man in the best of ways. Now, 54 years removed from this first outing, a 4K disc is finally arriving. Here, I’ll dive into my thoughts on the legendary character and film and of course go over how the new transfer and Atmos mix are too!
Does anyone else ever feel like the time has been more fleeting than ever lately? It feels like just yesterday I was running into Walmart to purchase a copy of Lilo & Stitch on DVD for my mother. Then I get out of my own delusional head and realize that was way back in 2002. Now, here in real life, it’s 2025 and Lilo & Stitchis making its way back into cinemas for a live-action revival. Disney has been riding the wave, so to speak, and decided to re-release the original animated feature on 4K UHD Blu-ray, just in time for the new film’s theatrical release! So how does that gorgeous hand-drawn animation hold up in 4K you ask? Find out more and always remember: “Ohana means family, and family means no one gets left behind…”
The beauty of Westerns is that you always know what you’re going to get. There’s just something about them. Gunslingers, horses, dusty towns that are usually about one street deep. It’s a simple setup but one that usually sets up for some seriously good cinema. When Tombstone was initially released in 1993, Disney had no idea how to market the film. For some reason, even though Unforgiven had just wowed audiences and won Oscars, Tombstone was very quietly released. Critics couldn’t get advanced screenings, and it was a mess. Thankfully, word of mouth prevailed, and those critics went and saw the film itself. Now, the masterpiece we know is an icon in the genre. We’ve been waiting a long time for Tombstone to arrive on the 4K format. Now we’ve got a handsome Steelbook! Was it worth the wait? Read more on that, plus more about the film and a little something about Mr. Val Kilmer too… Forever our Huckleberry.
2025 already feels like a revival of the exploitation film. We’ve seen one with a superhero and one about a crazy pilot. Now we have one about a former assassin trying to do good. Love Hurts debuted just in time for Valentine’s Day this year and was poised to continue Ke Huy Quan’s comeback after his historic Oscar win. When the film failed to recoup its budget and went quickly to PVOD, it was fast tracked to physical media. So now, making its way to 4K and Blu-ray, how painful is Love Hurts? 
In this crazy time for America, artificial intelligence is a huge topic of debate. The use of AI has made things just a bit too creepy for some. When used for good of course AI is wonderful. We know though that that’s not always going to be the case. Now imagine a world where AI is used in those ways we would rather it not be used. Some of those nightmares are realized within the film Companion. Disguised as a romantic comedy at first, Companion turns into a nightmarish thriller that just so happens to be full of laughs too. Read on more about the Sophie Thatcher and Jack Quaid meet-cute shocker and don’t be fooled by its outward appearance because things are not as they seem.
Bob Dylan has been a source of incredible music since the early 60’s. His folk-inspired sound was original even when his debut was nothing but covers. He skated tremendous controversy upon his attempt to explore electric instrumentation with his now indispensable “Highway 61 Revisited” album. The music outraged the folk music fandom but led to the influencing of a generation and for many artist and music fans to come became a milestone in music history. Dylan’s career from the beginnings to the moment he “goes electric” are covered in James Mangold’s A Complete Unknown. Taking a quick line from the classic “Like A Rolling Stone” the film offers a sumptuous glimpse into the life of the reclusive music legend. So how, you ask, is the film and its 4K presentation? Find out within the review, and know the answer is not just blowin’ in the wind.
2019’s The Lion King was a technical marvel for the time. It’s lip-sync was a little creepy with talking animals looking a bit off, but the CGI otherwise was undeniable. The billion dollars the film made was no slouch either. When Barry Jenkins signed on for the inevitable follow-up, this time a prequel, I know I wasn’t the only one that was curious to see what would happen. Cue Mufasa: The Lion King. Much to my surprise, the visual flare of Jenkins works well with a mega budget and a bevy of stars. Read more about the “live-action” prequel inside the review and find out more about the once and future Lion King.
Did any of us have it on our 2025 bingo cards that Mark Wahlberg or Mel Gibson would be returning to theaters with a B-grade exploitation actioner? I definitely did not. Flight Risk, however, is just that. A quick and dirty 90 minutes, is Flight Risk worth all the hatred it received from critics and audiences? Will it work better at home? Find out in the review. Don’t forget to buckle up, there may be some turbulence ahead.
The Universal “Monster-Verse” has been up and down for what feels like decades now. The Wolf Man debuted in 2008 with a whisper. Way before that, in the late 90s, The Mummy set the tone for what could’ve been a legendary run of revived monster films. The Mummy series continued, but its returns weren’t as promising as the debut. Things went quiet until The Mummy and a rebranded Dark Universe were revived again, this time with Tom Cruise, and this time being a critical flop. Then, nothing once again. Cue Leigh Whannell’s 2020 remake of The Invisible Man. Told with a modern twist involving gaslighting and a strong female character, the film was a success during the pandemic, leading to renewed interest in Universal’s monster movie legacy. Now, 5 years later, we have Wolf Man. Not The Wolf Man – just Wolf Man. How does this modernized version of the classic werewolf tale go? Do we have another success or another miss? Prepare for some shocking transformations and some revelations about the 4K transfer of 2025’s first monster flick!
Comedy films are in short supply in 2025. The genre has always been a great comfort to me as a movie fanatic. This is easily the most populated genre in my collection. The genre is also the one that has many movie memories attached to it for me. One such film that holds memories for me is Tommy Boy. When Tommy Boy was first teased to come to 4K, I got super excited. Then nothing for a long time. Then boom – The real announcement came in. I was ecstatic. I went right back to the newly 9-year-old me that bought Tommy Boy on tape with his birthday money. So how does Tommy Boy hold up 30 years from its initial release? No guarantee on the steelbook, but I’m gonna take Tommy’s word for it that it holds up!
I’ve said it before previously, but I am a preschool teacher in my day job. I hear about animated films from the children and their parents. When it comes to Disney properties, I hear about them more often and sometimes overwhelmingly. Frozen and Moana are the films that are almost constantly referenced. Moana 2 emerged as a huge hit for Disney, and yes, I have heard plenty about the film and more than enough of the songs. But how did the film go down for my first viewing? Read on below and get to the nitty gritty not just on Moana’s newest adventure, but of this 4K Steelbook release too!
40 years ago, the past was having a bit of a resurgence. Linda Ronstadt was topping the pop charts with an album of old-time standards with a full orchestra. In theaters we were taken back in time with films like The Color Purple and Amadeus. With Amadeus, Milos Forman and playwright Peter Schaffer crafted a gloriously accessible period drama that could excite, stun, and incite laughter in anyone. Now in 2025, for the first time since 2002 the Theatrical Cut has been made available on home media for the first time. Amadeus won the Oscar for Best Picture along with seven other awards and deservedly so. Let’s go back with Wolfie and the orchestra and see what it was like living with a made-up rivalry with Antonio Salieri…
I did not have it on my bingo card to see a sequel to Den of Thieves. Regardless of how that first film ended, it just felt like a one-off film for me. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t my favorite either admittedly. When Den of Thieves 2: Pantera was first announced and my research told me it was finished in 2023, I wondered if it had been held back for any specific reasons and felt relief when it turned out to be a distributer issue. Now, all I had to do was turn my brain off and watch… So, what’s going on with “Big” Nick and Donnie these days? Find out where they’re at and what the next score is below! You may want to get in on it yourself!
