‘Midnight’ on Blu-ray March 14, 2022!
December 4th, 2021 by Gerard Iribe
Hearing impaired Kyung-mi (Ki-joo Jin) catches the attention of Do-Sik (Wi Ha-Jun; Squid Game), a mysterious serial killer that’s been stalking their neighbourhood. Do-Sik targets Kyung-mi, presuming her deafness will make her an easy target, sparking a twisted game where the killer hides in plain sight. An intense, unpredictable thriller from debut director Kwon Oh-seung; Midnight joins the pantheon of great South Korean thrillers. Midnight will be released on Blu-ray in the UK March 14, 2022!
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James Wan is one of our best mainstream working directors today. No matter what he’s working on, the minute it comes out you really need to see it. His craft and joy of movie making is infectious through every one of his projects. Personally, for me, I love the fact that he and frequent collaborator tend to make low budget movies made for ten bucks look like they were made for 100 million. Wan’s latest effort is a “one for me” film in that of Malignant, squeezing between Aquaman features. The film sadly didn’t fare so well at the box office and had a simultaneous release on HBO Max. Unfortunately, at this time, we aren’t getting a 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray release and simply a standard Blu-ray with a sole 15 minute featurette. If the film continues to find a following, perhaps we can get a deluxe release by someone somewhere down the line. For now, you can pick it up on physical media on standard Blu-ray and you can do so by using the paid Amazon Associates link following this review.
The Warner Archive Collection continued journey through the Michael Curtiz catalog ends the year on the longtime heralded Angels With Dirty Faces. This is a notable film in the canon of James Cagney. Of this release, Warner Archive Collection states “It’s back and looking better than ever! The acclaimed Warner Bros. gangster classic which paired off-screen pals James Cagney and Pat O’Brien for the sixth time in this timeless and unforgettable film. Cagney’s Rocky Sullivan is a charismatic ghetto tough whose underworld rise makes him a hero to a gang of slum punks. O’Brien is Father Connolly, the boyhood chum-turned-priest who vows to end Rocky’s influence. Other top talents join them including Humphrey Bogart as a scheming lawyer, Ann Sheridan (in her first major leading-lady role) as Rocky’s hard-edged girlfriend and the Dead End Kids as worshipful street urchins, all ably directed by the great Michael Curtiz (Casablanca). The 1938 New York Film Critics Best Actor Award came Cagney’s way, as well as one of the film’s three Oscar® nominations. Watch the film’s shocking finale and you’ll know why.” You can order this loaded release by using the paid Amazon Associate link at the bottom of the page.
One of the bread and butter best things Warner Archive Collection does is turn out beautiful restorations of old Technicolor produced films of Hollywood yesteryear. On December 14th, they’ll be stunning us with a brand new 4K restoration of the 1952 box office smash Ivanhoe, starring Elizabeth Taylor and Joan Fontaine. Of Ivanhoe, “M-G-M spared no expense and brought their top box-office talent to film this opulent Technicolor® epic to England to film this box-office smash which starred not one, but two Taylors. Related only as studio royalty, long-time leading man Robert Taylor played opposite the incomparable Elizabeth Taylor in this action-packed adaptation of Sir Walter Scott’s legendary novel.” The film comes with an Oscar winning Tom and Jerry cartoon as a bonus feature in addition to the trailer (All of which is in HD). You can order yourself a copy of Ivanhoe by utilizing the paid Amazon Associates link that follows the review at the bottom of the page.
Paramount continues to lovingly and impressively dig into their back catalog, improving upon previous releases and finally getting around to some titles missing from the Blu-ray format. On November 30th, they are doing both ends of the spectrum with a pair of Warren Beatty films; 1978’s Heaven Can Wait and 1981’s epic Reds. Both of them having brand new 4K transfers. Reds was Beatty’s big sweeping epic from 1981. Its the one that landed him is Academy Award for Best Director. While nominated for a pretty outstanding 12 Academy Awards, it managed to go home with three. It comes with the bonus features from the 25th anniversary edition as well as the new transfer approved by Vittorio Storraro. You can order yourself a copy for a heck of deal by using the paid Amazon Associates link at the bottom of the page following the review.
Paramount continues to lovingly and impressively dig into their back catalog, improving upon previous releases and finally getting around to some titles missing from the Blu-ray format. On November 30th, they are doing both ends of the spectrum with a pair of Warren Beatty films; 1978’s Heaven Can Wait and 1981’s epic Reds. Both of them having brand new 4K transfers. Heaven Can Wait was Beatty’s directorial debut (Sharing credit with Buck Henry) and a remake of a 1941 screwball comedy classic. The film garnered 9 Oscar nominations, yielding 1 win, during the year Deer Hunter was the favorite. Paramount isn’t really doing much else as aside from the transfer and lossless mono track, only a digital code is provided. However, the price point is pretty fair, especially for a day 1 release. You can order yourself a copy using the paid Amazon Associates link below.
An old school father and his plugged-in, filmmaker daughter struggle to relate as their family embarks on a road trip to her new college. Their drive is interrupted by a machine apocalypse that threatens to tear these unlikely heroes apart unless they can find a way to join forces and save humanity. From Phil Lord and Chris Miller, The Academy Award-Winning® Producers of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse comes The Mitchells Vs. The Machines! Available on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital on December 14th, with over two hours of new content, including an all-new short and Katie’s Extended Cut on Katie Mitchell’s Extended Edition, available on Blu-ray.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was the wonderful surprise and jolt to the Marvel Cinematic Universe we didn’t see coming. Coming in at the tail end of the summer and kicking all sorts of butt, the film provided a brand new flex for the MCU. Now its coming to 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray after already dropping on Disney+ a few weeks back to promote their IMAX aspect ratio option. This release comes with an Atmos track, some deleted scenes and a couple of featurettes. That awesome making of that’s on Disney+? Nowhere to be found. Nonetheless, this is how we physical media lovers will have to best enjoy the film. It arrives on 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ay on November 30th. The paid Amazon Associates pre-order link is currently non-existent, but we’ll do our best to have it up and added back to this review when it returns.
Wow, its been 30 years since The Addams Family found new life in cinematic form. A comic strip turned beloved television show, their legacy still carries strong today with new animated movies as well as a Netflix series around the corner. Paramount is celebrating the Barry Sonnenfeld film turning 30 with a new 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray. This disc will include a new interview with Sonnenfeld as well as a new cut of the film featuring a deleted dance sequence fully restored and inserted back in. One can only hope the superior sequel, Addams Family Values, will get some of this love in the near future. The 1991 film will be released on November 23rd and you can land yourself a copy by using the paid Amazon Associates link below.
My Blu-ray Wishlist article is right around the corner, and its fitting that I’m writing on one of my most wanted titles over the years; 1973’s The Last of Sheila. The Anthony Perkins and Stephen Sondheim scripted murder mystery at sea is an often overlooked and forgotten little gem in the Agatha Christie vein that I think many would rather enjoy. If you liked something like Rian Johnson’s Knives Out in recent years, surely give this a shot. Warner Archive Collection is bringing this beautifully restored transfer to Blu-ray for the first time (Was releases on November 9th) with the trailer and a commentary done by three of the cast members as a bonus feature. Is this a mystery you were able to solve on first watch? Does it hold together? Revisit the film or check it out for the very first time by ordering yourself a copy from the paid Amazon Associates link that follows the review.
A diabolical female vampire ravages the young girls and other townsfolk of a peaceful hamlet in eighteenth century Europe in revenge for the killing of her fellow vampires years earlier. A rousing hunt for the vampiress ensues as a group of men follow her bloody trail of terror through the countryside. Adapted from J. Sheridan Le Fanu’s novella Carmilla, THE VAMPIRE LOVERS stars Ingrid Pitt (Countess Dracula), Madeline Smith (Frankenstein And The Monster From Hell) and Peter Cushing (Horror Of Dracula, The Curse Of Frankenstein). On December 21, 2021, SCREAM FACTORY™ is thrilled to present the entertaining Hammer classic THE VAMPIRE LOVERS Collector’s Edition Blu-ray™, featuring an new 4K scan, audio commentary with film historians, a bountiful of new featurettes, and more!
Cameron Crowe’s American adaptation of Abre Los Ojos, Vanilla Sky, took a while to finally debut on the Blu-ray format. Now, six years later for its 20th anniversary, it’s returning again. The Paramount Presents line is one I’ve continually sung praises of, and its releasing better versions of films that have been out before is one of the many reasons why. While there’s not too much in the way of new bonus material (There was already a lot), they’ve improved in the most important area. It features a brand new 4K transfer that was supervised by Cameron Crowe, himself. This also being the 3rd film of Cameron Crowe introduced into the “Presents” line, following Almost Famous and Elizabethtown before it. Vanilla Sky arrives on November 16th. You can order a copy for yourself using the paid Amazon Associates link following the review.
Sony has followed up their well regarded and popular 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray Columbia Classics Collection with a second volume. Released on October 12th, the box set features the debuts of Anatomy of a Murder, Oliver!, Taxi Driver, Stripes, Sense and Sensibility and The Social Network. You can find reviews for each of these titles here on Why So Blu. This is a sort of set overview review, where I have included links to those reviews in one place. This also contains a look at the unboxing of the packaging as well as the contents of the bonus disc. You can place an order for the set (While they last, these are LIMITED) by using the paid Amazon Associates link that follows the review. As always, your helping the site is greatly appreciated.
Warner Archive Collection released a sweet lot of horror titles back in October. While late to the game on reviewing them, the review copies weren’t sent out til later on. In the current climate of home video physical media distributing, there have been many a fulfilment center delay on titles each and every month. So that’s not too surprising at the end of the day. Ron Howard’s Night Shift is probably the highest profile film in the month’s lot. While it doesn’t come with anything but a trailer, the Henry Winkler, Michael Keaton and Shelley Long starring film comes with a pretty impressive new HD master that needs to be seen. This is its first time on Blu-ray with a new 2021 1080p master, lossless audio and a trailer. The disc was released back on October 5th, but its available to order now from the paid Amazon Associates link below.
