Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was one of the top grossing films of last year, and one that probably peaked the most curiosity of tentpoles. The loss of Chadwick Boseman was one of the most tragic and I’m sure we all convened together in fandom for this movie to be his wake. Its not time for it to hit the streaming and home video platforms. For us physical media collectors, the 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray release of the film will be arriving on shelves and online stores on February 7th. It comes with an Atmos track, a couple featurettes, commentary, deleted scenes and a gag reel (Aaron Neuwirth’s favorite special feature). Various retailers will have different version of it available (Steelbook, digibook, etc). You can order yourself the standard one by using the paid Amazon Associates link that follows the review.
;
Continue reading ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)’
Scream Factory is continuing to make a sweep of updating its former Blu-ray Collector’s Editions to 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray. Next up for them is the Don Coscarelli cult classic Bubba Ho-Tep that stars Bruce Campbell and Ossie Davis as an aged Elvis and man than thinks he’s JFK in a retirement home being attacked by an ancient mummy. All of the previous Collector’s Edition’s bonus materials are being carried over as well as the audio. You’ll be able to pick this one up on February 7th. You can order yourself one or buy the coolest gift for a loved one, by pre-ordering a copy using the paid Amazon Associates link that follows the review.
Following up the widely praised Suspiria, Luca Guadagnino has reteamed with his Call Me By Your Name star for another unique cinematic love story in Bones And All. The film didn’t quite set the box office on fire and wasn’t the awards darling it may have hoped for. With those goals, this was indeed a big swing, but its admirable that it was made in the first place. Unfortunately, I’m sure that non-success went into the decision making to only put it on standard Blu-ray for its home video debut. Though, after seeing something even more successful like Barbarian go streaming/digital only, I’m thankful for this dated format edition to exist. The disc arrives on January 31st, has an Atmos track and 5 VERY brief featurettes. You can order yourself a copy of it using the paid Amazon Associates link that follows the review at the bottom of the page.
In the Blu-ray era, when it comes to the horror genre, its nice to see that every movie has some sort of cult audience and that the format is more than willing to deep dive into these flicks. The Dentist was a series of films with Corben Bersen that I personally remember as video store staples. Probably somewhere under the B-grade even, but fun, fond memories nonetheless. Vestron Video is scratching that itch, to continue to go through the backlog of Lionsgate owned horror titles yet to hit the format and proving the wait for them is worth it. This 2 disc collection that includes commentaries and new interviews will be out on January 24th. Be sure and pre-order a copy from the paid Amazon Associates link below.
Much of the deep catalog for Jackie Chan has been lacking in the United States. Overseas in the UK, 88 Films and Eureka Entertainment have been delivering quality releases of it. Now, Shout! Factory has come through with not just “a” release, but a set that includes 7 of Jackie Chan’s earliest works. Loaded with bonus features and each film to their own disc, their set includes The Killer Meteors, Shaolin Wooden Men, To Kill With Intrigue, Snake & Crane Arts Of Shaolin, Dragon Fist, Battle Creek Brawl and Dragon Lord. Entitled The Jackie Chan Collection Vol. 1 (1976-1982), it promises to be the first of at least a couple. This set arrives on January 24th, but you can pre-order it now using the paid Amazon Associates link that follows the review at the bottom of the page.
Back in 2017, Scream Factory unleashed a pretty stacked 2-disc edition of Zack Snyder and James Gunn’s retread through the mall zombie epic Dawn of the Dead. That edition had 2 cuts of the film and discs full and full of new material and archival features. Now, its come time for them to give it the 4K Ultra-HD upgrade. This time around, only the video transfer is going to be new. They’ve polished up the Unrated cut of the film with a new 4K scan from the original negative (2K for the insert footage). Dawn of the Dead (2004) will release at the very end of January on the 31st. Be sure to get your pre-order in using the paid Amazon Associates link that will be there when you scroll to the bottom of this review.
Training Day, starring Academy Award winner Denzel Washington and Academy Award nominee Ethan Hawke and directed by Antoine Fuqua, will be released on Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack on February 28 and Digital on February 7, it was announced today by Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment. Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ 2001 crime thriller Training Day was directed by Fuqua (Olympus Has Fallen, The Equalizer) from a screenplay by David Ayer (The Fast & The Furious). Washington won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Detective Alonzo Harris, and Hawke was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Office Jake Hoyt.
Director Steven Spielberg brings a deeply personal portrait of a 20th century American childhood in the semi-autobiographical film, THE FABELMANS, available to own on Digital January 17, 2023 and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray™ and DVD on February 14, 2023 from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. Hailed by critics as “An enduring classic” (Peter Travers, ABC NEWS), THE FABELMANS is a heartfelt tale that “we’ve been waiting 45 years for Steven Spielberg to make” (Rolling Stone). THE FABELMANS comes with exclusive bonus content that takes viewers behind the scenes with Spielberg, filmmakers and the all-star cast as they bring the audience into the world that brought Spielberg’s story to life.
As per every year, the one genre you can count on for both original content and box office success is horror. 2022 offered a variety of delights to appetize, including The Menu back in November to play concurrent to Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Now, the Anya Taylor-Joy/Ralph Fiennes thrilling dark comedy will be coming to standard Blu-ray for you to own on January 17th. This entree will come with a dessert of a few featurettes glazed with some deleted scenes. A digital copy is also included as the cherry on top. You can pre-order the Blu-ray for The Menu by using the paid Amazon Associates link that follows the review at the bottom of the page.
This past October, Dwayne Johnson’s long courted passion project over at DC of bringing to life a film about the Shazam villain Black Adam, finally unleashed upon audiences. What promised to change the hierarchy of the DC Universe did so in many ways I think it did not plan on. Nonetheless, Johnson’s project DID finally get made. And now its coming to 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray on January 3rd, making it the first superhero comic book movie on home video in the year of 2023. This comes loaded with extras and a Dolby Atmos track. Pre-order yourself a copy by using the paid Amazon Associates link that follows the review at the bottom of the page.
In good years and “bad” years at the movies, there are still great films gifted upon us. Old faithfuls deliver and new voices step into the light. Small films will climb high and a blockbuster or two will remind people of why something needs to be seen on the biggest screen possible. And in every year, as a film writer, we craft together our Top 10, 20, 30…films of the year. No matter the year, its never an easy task for people who appreciate the art and love and live for the medium. For 2022, culminating a top 10 was aggravating as the cuts to make were pretty deep. There were films I’d love to highlight, but being honest with myself, I have to go with what meant more to me while at the same time not being phony in trying to include what I “should” or exclude something because plenty of other people will have it on their lists and I want to be hip and different just for the sake of trying to stand out. As I say every year, there were plenty of films I still wish I would have been able to get to, but at some point, you have to call “time” and just get to it. With all top 10s, its that person’s film experience for the year. Whether they were able to see 12 films of 200, their top 10 is their top 10. So, let’s get to cracking on my Top 10 Films of 2022! 
David Gordon Green’s alternate timeline of what comes after John Carpenter’s 1977 Halloween found its conclusion this past fall. The trilogy as a whole found itself a smashing success since 2018, raking in almost half a billion on merely 60 million for all three movies. The final piece, Halloween Ends will be arriving for 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray purchase on December 27th. So you can spend your holiday money on a movie for a different holiday. It features plenty of featurettes, deleted scenes and a commentary with a lot of people involved. You can pre-order it if you want, and hopefully it comes on the release date. And if you’re extra cool, you’ll use the paid Amazon Associates link below.
Kevin Smith’s Clerks series has appeared to be his most personal of the bunch. This third one coming now 16 years after the previous film (12 years between the first two). While Smith opts for a smaller theatrical run via his roadshow and the Fathom Event route, he’s still keen on Blu-ray releases. Clerks III arrived on December 6th. It features a pair of feature length documentaries on it, a commentary and some deleted scenes. As per any Askewniverse property, its loaded, in other words. Order now using the paid Amazon Associates link at the bottom of this review to get yourself a copy today
2022 is coming to a close as possibly the strongest year for 4K we’ve seen or may yet to see. Many gigantic staples of cinema made their jump this year as well as some regular offenders in the collectibles department. Blu-ray was solid, but this was the first year I noticed a shift and found it hard to scrape up a list. Or, moreso easier to. The 4K list could have been a top 50, but we are going to stick with 10. As I did last year, I’m doing these via videos again. One video is for my favorite standard Blu-ray releases of 2022 and the other my faves in the 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray department. As always, thank you for your reads, comments and pre-orders throughout the year. I’m already excited for 2023’s first couple months for 4Ks and am excited as the rest of the year unfolds. Next year I’ll also hit 10 years of writing physical media reviews here at Why So Blu? which feels utterly insane! 
Martin McDonagh’s latest film, The Banshees of Inisherin is probably going to be one of the more pushed and lauded film come awards season this year. There’s plenty of acting and writing accolades to be had from it. Unfortunately it didn’t quite get people out of their homes to go see it at the theater. But now, you can own the film on Blu-ray. Released on December 20th, the film has also been available on HBO Max and digital rental/purchase for a short time already. This one comes with a featurette on making the movie and some deleted scenes to add to the ownership experience. A shame there wasn’t a 4K release, perhaps maybe a Criterion down the road, but can grab yourself a copy if you want by clicking on the paid Amazon Associates link at the bottom of the review.
