The Lighthouse (Blu-ray Review)
Now nominated for an Academy Award in the category that kind of feels like a grand victory for this little film, The Lighthouse has arrived on Blu-ray. It released on January 7th (My review copy came afterward) and hopefully will be one seen by those who didn’t have the luxury of it playing in a theater near them. This beautiful black and white film has been hailed as a modern masterpiece by many and it comes from Robert Eggers who delivered another film many like to tout the M-word with, The Witch. The Blu-ray has a short-list of extras, but they all provide a quality intake. The Lighthouse is not for everyone, but is the kind of unique, original, bold, challenging cinema many claim they are wanting nowadays. Whether you’re a fan or you want to take a nice chance, you can do so by ordering it from the (Paid associates account) Amazon link below. Continue reading ‘The Lighthouse (Blu-ray Review)’
Ang Lee’s Gemini Man is probably one of the most noble box office disappointments of 2019. The Will Smith action-thriller couldn’t really sell itself for what it truly was, and merely came off looking like merely a “Hey, look at old Will Smith vs young Will Smith” de-aging movie. The real selling point isn’t the effects or the story, but in how that story was told. Unfortunately, theaters weren’t really equipped to show the trailer at the frame rate with which the film would play (And your theater had to be properly saddled with a projector to pull it off as well). For those who are locked in to the 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray technology, you’ll be able to sample it in such a way when it arrives for owning on January 14th. Are you curious about this high frame rate method, against it, for it? Take a look at the review, check out the film and let us know in the comments.
Well, this will be your final Blu-ray review coverage from me here on Why So Blu as the show came to its end in 2019. It took awhile to turn this one around to home video to the point where I had actually forgotten about it or just written it off as HBO not caring. I breathed a sigh of relief once this was actually announced. I breathed another sigh of relief when it was revealed that it would be coming out on Blu-ray. After what HBO did with Silicon Valley last year, I was scared that they would short change us and go DVD-only for VEEP’s swan song season. This one will provide the slim offerings as HBO has been doing the past couple of years with home video, but I’m thankful its even getting that. You’ll be able to pick this up or pre-order it to have when it arrives on January 14th.
From Emmy Award-winning writer Lena Waithe (Netflix’s “Master of None”) and Grammy Award-winning director Melina Matsoukas (“Insecure,” Beyonce’s “Formation” and Nike’s “Equality”), comes the unflinching new drama, QUEEN & SLIM, arriving on Digital February 18, 2020, and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD and On-Demand March 3, 2020, from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. Hailed by critics as “urgent and beautiful” (Mark Kennedy, Associated Press) and “simply gorgeous” (Cate Young, Jezebel), QUEEN & SLIM is a timely and powerful love story that confronts the staggering toll of racism where it meets the shattering price of violence.
Yes, I’m in the same boat as you. Why is this not a 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray release, Paramount? Us collectors don’t care for your boasting of 4K Ultra-HD streams to “own”. At least the new transfers are being used for the Blu-rays on this new set that also includes some “new” extras for the taking (Stuff culminated from old interviews). Its hard for people to remember now, but Beverly Hills Cop was one of the biggest movies ever in the 1980s and its box office success was an absolute phenomenon. Seriously, go back and track it and see how many times it was #1 and how long it stayed (And returned) to the Top 10 for 1984 through 1986 (Well, Box Office Mojo sucks now, so it might be more difficult now that I think of it). Pretty stunning for this little action comedy. Its the movie that solidified Eddie Murphy as a superstar and rolled out 2 sequels (And a fourth that maybe someday gets made). The three movies will be landing on Blu-ray January 14th and are already currently on digital with their new restorations. 
Fly into the heat of battle with megastars like Golden Globe® nominee Aaron Eckhart (Thank You for Smoking), Golden Globe® nominee Patrick Wilson (TV’s “Fargo”), Ed Skrein (Deadpool, Alita: Battle Angel, If Beale Street Could Talk), Golden Globe® nominee Nick Jonas (2018, Best Original Song – Motion Picture, Ferdinand), and more! Midway arrives on Digital February 4 and on 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack (plus Blu-ray and Digital), Blu-ray Combo Pack (plus DVD and Digital), DVD, and On Demand February 18 from Lionsgate.
Read between the lies when “The Good Liar” arrives on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital. Legendary actors Helen Mirren (“The Queen,” “Hitchcock”) and Ian McKellen (“Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” “Gods and Monsters”) star together on screen for the first time, in this smart and suspenseful thriller about the secrets people keep and the lies they live.
Universal City, California, December 20, 2019 – Follow the inspirational journey of one of the bravest people and heroes in history, Harriet Tubman, as she risks her life to save others from the horrors of slavery in HARRIET, arriving on Digital January 14, 2020 and Blu-ray™️, DVD and On Demand on January 28, 2020 from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.
Dare to go back when director Mike Flanagan continues the story of Danny Torrance, 40 years after his terrifying stay at the Overlook Hotel in “The Shining” with “Doctor Sleep,” a screenplay based on the novel by Stephen King. Witness “A masterwork of suspense and fear.” (Kylie Mar, Made in Hollywood) on 4K Blu-ray, Blu-ray and DVD February 4th, 2020 and on Digital January 21st!
With the clock ticking down, an NYPD detective is plunged into the midst of a large-scale conspiracy, while trying to bring forth justice in 21 BRIDGES, arriving on Digital February 4, 2020 and Blu-ray™, DVD and On Demand on February 18, 2020 from STXfilms and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.
Another calendar year has come and gone in the “death of physical media” era we’ve been living in for years upon years now. While I think in the eyes of those of us collectors who prefer ownership, things are still thriving and benefiting us immensely (You SPOIL us, Reverend Entertainment!), 2019 has seen the desire of the big studios’ future plans come more to fruition. At Why So Blu alone, there have seen severe disappointments with announcements of digital only 4K Ultra-HD releases (The Limey, in particular) and new beloved movies only getting a standard Blu-ray release with bare minimum bonus features (Midsommar). On the brighter side, stingy big studios allergic to sub-licensing their catalogs have begun to soften their stance and the unthinkable of Warner Bros, Paramount and Sony (Moreso in terms of allowing new bonus features, something they used to not do) started unloading onto us in 2019. Your move, Lionsgate (The most head scratching and frustrating studio with catalog releases). As I’ve been saying for years, I don’t see a death for physical media ever happening, it’ll just be changing and a smaller output that has standards already have been practiced for almost 10 years now. It’ll evolve to look more like the current state of vinyl records in its future, and that’s okay. The people who are still passionate about putting these out know how to blast excitement into it (I mean, who doesn’t get antsy about the Vinegar Syndrome Black Friday sale every year?). But, enough about the future, let us get to the now, my Top 4K Ultra-HD and Top Blu-ray titles released in the 2019 calendar year. 
Shout Select will release retro classic The Wizard
Next March, John M. Stahl’s singular Hollywood masterpiece Leave Her to Heaven– a stunning Technicolor melodrama infused with the darkness of film noir and graced with a chilling performance by Gene Tierney- will join the Criterion Collection, making its Blu-ray debut in a new 2K restoration. Spike Lee’s provocative satire Bamboozled, a scathing indictment of racism in American pop culture, will also appear on Blu-ray for the first time. Irene Dunne and Paul Robeson star in James Whale’s beloved screen version of Show Boat, Oscar Hammerstein II and Jerome Kern’s classic American musical, featuring Robeson’s soul-shaking rendition of “Ol’ Man River.” Director-producer-star Barbra Streisand’s The Prince of Tides, an emotionally wrenching adaptation of Pat Conroy’s best-selling novel, will appear in a new 4K restoration. And that’s not all: the Maysles brothers’ Direct Cinema classic Salesman and Mikhail Kalatozov’s visually exhilarating Soviet-cinema landmark The Cranes Are Flying will arrive on Blu-ray, newly restored.
