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Archive for the 'Blu-ray Reviews' Category

MaXXXine (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)

I’ll come out with it right now at the beginning.  I did not enjoy Ti West and Mia Goth’s X or Pearl.  I could see the potential and the intention and could also appreciate the filmmaking as a throwback to the 70’s that felt authentic. I could not get past what I believe to be snails pacing and some out of place acting from the supporting players.  Stylistically the films worked, but the substance wasn’t all the way there.  I made the choice to see the films to be caught up on the story of Maxine Minx going into MaXXXine. What I didn’t expect was to find a gem of a serial killer thriller in the film! Read more about MaXXXine below and don’t forget that the cover art at the end is your link to purchase your own copy of MaXXXine on 4K UHD Blu-ray!

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Inside Out 2 (Blu-ray Review)

I don’t think anyone could have foreseen the massive success that Inside Out 2 turned out to be.  The sequel to a film that is dawning on its 10th year, the new film tackled the main character Riley’s blossoming into a teenager in such a way that not only children flocked to see it in theaters.  After a string of box-office misfires, no doubt hobbled by Covid, Inside Out 2 brings Pixar back to the forefront, with another wonderful entry into a budding franchise! Read more about Inside Out 2 inside the review and as always, the cover art at the end is clickable, so click it to get yourself a copy of the film!

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Paramount Scares, Vol. 2 (Limited Edition 4K UHD Blu-ray Box Set Review)

Just in time for “spooky season”, Paramount is ready to give collectors another dose of the creeps with Paramount Scares, Volume 2! With a wide variety of titles ranging from the elder statemen of the group, Friday The 13th Part II, to the most recent entry, Orphan: First Kill, the films within the set are of every taste of horror/thriller.  Not only is there variety, but each film is presented in a new 4K UHD Blu-ray format for the ultimate home viewing experience! Strap in for more on this awesome new box set below and click the green cover art at the end to order a copy just in time for Halloween!

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Late Night with the Devil (Blu-ray Steelbook Review)

I was very excited by the premise of Late Night with the Devil, and the stellar reviews and buzz leading up to my initial viewing of the film certainly kept me hopeful. Fortunately, the film delivered. While its release may have run into some over-the-top stories regarding a minor aspect of the film aided by an unexpected talking point regarding the use of A.I., the film still proved to be an intriguing enough venture for audiences, scoring $15 million on a budget that was significantly less, coming out of a small studio. All this is to say, Late Night with the Devil was able to have its concept take hold in the best of ways, delivering a film horror fans could easily latch onto.

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Body Double (40th Anniversary Steelbook) (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)

I have been a fan of the thriller genre for a long as I can remember.  Whether it’s a mystery, or a police thriller, or a chase film, the genre has often been one I lovingly revisit as much as I can.  You cannot mention the thriller genre without mentioning Alfred Hitchcock and the same can be said for the man who often tries to emulate the iconic director by making his own iconic films: Brian DePalma.  Though DePalma has made everything from dramas to comedy to musicals, his biggest or most loved films tend to be his thrillers.  There are the earlier films like Sisters and Carrie that are fantastic films made with small budgets that continuously endure to fans. The 80’s happened and after the failure of Blow Out, A shock even now, because the film is a masterpiece, and the polarizing nature of Scarface, it was time for another thriller from the auteur.  Released 40 years ago, Body Double also was released to unsure critics and audiences.  Read more about all the sleazy fun below and don’t miss the in-depth look at the technical side of this 40th Anniversary 4K UHD Blu-ray edition!

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A League of Their Own (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)

Among quite a few gems in 1992 cinema, A League of Their Own stood out.  The fictional tale of the very true All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL), Penny Marshall delivered an unexpectedly beloved comedy. Stunningly straightforward and extremely entertaining, the film was immediately embraced by audiences and even now is a film that’s in the Library of Congress! As a definite A League of Their Ownfan since first seeing this as a wide-eyed 7-year-old, I am so happy to see the film getting a standalone release on 4K UHD Blu-ray following its inclusion in the first Columbia Classics box set! Read my retrospective on the film below and the tech section is not to be missed either! Batter up!

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Succession – The Complete Series (Blu-ray Review)

HBO tends to continue its lead on compelling series.  There is no doubt that we’ve loved shows as varied as The Sopranos, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Veep, or Six Feet Under before Succession dropped in on us.  A modern series that mimics the Fox Media empire in a fictional way, the bitingly funny black satire was an instant success critically and with audiences.  Now, Warner Brothers has lovingly released the series to Blu-ray and fans of the show have a great new addition to their physical media collections!  Read more on Succession in the review and click the cover art at the end to get your copy!

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Bringing Out The Dead (Paramount Presents #47) (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)

When Bringing Out The Dead arrived in theaters in 1999 it was up against a lot.  The film was touted as one thing and marketed as another.  Seeing the film showed you exactly what Martin Scorsese, Paul Schrader and their excellent cast were working for. The film has long gestated on DVD since 2000, where now, 25 years later, we have the film on 4K UHD Blu-ray. I hadn’t seen the film since about 2001, and so revisiting for this review revealed a lot of wonderful new nuances for me.  Read more about Bringing Out The Dead below. Perhaps the review will give you wonderful readers a reason to revisit this incredible film!

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Vikings: Valhalla (Season 1) (Blu-ray Review)

Vikings was immediately a Netflix juggernaut, that saw huge viewership and plenty of love from viewers and critics alike! Set 100 years after the final Vikings episode, we now have Vikings: Valhalla. The first season has debuted on Blu-ray just as the fourth and final season of the show is now available to enjoy! Does this sequel show have the stuff of the original? Read on below to find out!

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Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)

Planet of the Apes is a franchise that was revolutionary in 1968.  Coming right at the time of 2001: A Space Odyssey, these films ushered in new ideas for science fiction and the world in the future as we’ve never seen before.  In the years since, there have been 4 sequels to the original, a single remake in 2001, and then a new series beginning in 2011.  The newest series has proven to be not only critically but commercially successful, giving new life to the franchise at large and renewing interest in the lore of Planet of the Apes. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes became a no-brainer hit for Disney this spring, and now it’s coming home on 4K UHD Blu-ray! Read more about the 10th installment to the Planet of the Apes franchise and don’t forget, the cover art at the end is your link to order yourself a copy of the film!

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Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (Blu-ray Review)

When we were first introduced to Furiosa in Mad Max: Fury Road, she gave our boy Max a run for his money.  She could drive and fight and had so much to live for.  She was an incredible hero in a world full of hoarders and crazies.  She never gave up and she held her own running from Immortan Joe and his goons.  But we didn’t know much about her, except that she came from The Green Place.  Now, we have Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga to give us more insight into how she became the hero of the last film.  Origin stories are either important building blocks to a cinematic universe, or they get things to crumbling.  So where does Furiosa land in the Mad Max world? Find out below, and if you’re ready to ride on through Furiosa’s life after reading, please click the cover art below to buy your own copy of Furiosa!

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The Bikeriders: Collector’s Edition (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)

I’ve always found decades and eras to be fascinating.  Times change and sometimes things come back from bygone eras.  Some things stay way back where they belong.  Bikers and their clubs are often timeless and the stories they no doubt have are all probably vast in how their lives unfold together.  The Bikeriders, based on the book by Danny Lyon is a story based off of one of those clubs, albeit a fictional one.  So, read more on the story of The Vandals below, and if you feel like taking a ride for yourself, click the 4K Blu-ray cover art to get your own copy of The Bikeriders.

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IF (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)

Did you ever have an imaginary friend? I admittedly was never that much of an imaginative kid. I was far too rooted in reality.  I pretended to believe in those particular holiday symbols. I gave up the sham about age 10. I don’t remember having an imaginary friend, and it was OK with me.  But those that had them… what were they like? What did they provide you when you needed them? Do you remember when you stopped needing them? These are all points that become relevant to this film – IF. John Krasinski has made some great films in the first Quiet Place installments and here he tries his hand at a family film.  What’s the result you say? Read on for more below and if your imaginative curiosity gets the best of you, be sure to click the cover art at the bottom to get a copy of IF on 4K UHD Blu-ray!

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Ted Lasso: The Richmond Way (Complete Series Blu-ray Review)

When you think about sports shows or films, how many of them do you recall being comedic? There are a few – White Men Can’t Jump or Bull Durham come to mind and not just because of the Ron Shelton connection.  There aren’t a lot that go straight for the laugh though.  When a show is serious about the sport it reflects on, there must not be room for laughs.  That is, until we came to Ted Lasso. Jason Sudeikis and a game supporting cast have gone for the pitch and kicked an incredible goal.  Now, after premiering and a series finale on AppleTV+, we get Ted Lasso on Blu-ray! Read on below to learn more about the show if you don’t know already and be sure to click the cover art at the end if you’re like me and you love to collect your favorite shows or films! It’s the Blu-ray way!

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Collateral – 20th Anniversary Steelbook Edition (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)

It’s been twenty years since the August 2004 debut of Michael Mann’s thrilling neo-noir Collateral. While the film had previously been released on 4K UHD back in 2020, Paramount saw fit to re-release the film with a snazzy new steelbook edition. No, there has been no change to film in any other way, let alone any new features added. However, for anyone who does not already own the Oscar-nominated Tom Cruise/Jamie Foxx flick, there’s plenty to enjoy here. The film remains a well-crafted, cool display of Mann’s precision fitting on a tense, high-concept story. The unique-for-the-time filmmaking choices (shooting on digital) also meant seeing a film take a different visual approach, leading to some interesting results for the home release. But hey, make the best of it, improvise, adapt. Gotta roll with it.

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The First Omen (Blu-ray Review)

Horror films have many tropes that get reused over time.  We have seen slashers, ghosts and crazy mothers scaring audiences forever.  We have also got the religious sect of horror.  Classics like The Exorcist and The Omen have been a benchmark and a launch pad for franchises that pale in comparison to the original films.  The Omen franchise has had some particularly bad entries since the 1976 film.  The First Omen is a direct prequel to that film, and there’s been a very warm reception to the film despite not being a huge money maker this year. Read more on the newest Antichrist horror below. Don’t forget, to order yourself a copy of the film, please click the cover art at the end!

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Rocky I-VI Ultimate Knockout Collection (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)

Rocky The Ultimate Knockout Collection 4K UHD Blu-ray ReviewRocky movies mean the world to me.  I know…I know.  I sound like a broken record the number times I have said this now.  The Rocky films are sacred to me and have personally got me through some tough times in life, which I’ll elaborate on in a moment.  However, is the price of admission here to get these films on the 4K UHD Disc format worth it?  I think that’s the more relevant question to be addressed here.  Truth be told when these were announced I didn’t even get excited especially after how botched up The Rocky Knockout Collection was last year (see HERE).  I’ve been so disappointed with the quality of some of the catalog films I have seen recently on 4K Disc that I just wasn’t whet with anticipation here.  But come on man!  We’re talking Rocky Balboa.  So let me do this.  Let me set aside some of the problems I have with the last “Knockout” release for the moment and tell you about my love for the Rocky and now Creed film franchises.  Deal?  Don’t worry.  We’ll get to any beefs I may have soon enough.
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Captain Phillips (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)

There are many great moments in Captain Phillips, the drama that recreates the true story of the hijacking of a container vessel by Somali pirates that took place in 2009, based on the memoir by Captain Richard Phillips and Stephan Talty. One moment that comes to mind is a look that Tom Hanks gives during an early part of the film. It is a simple acknowledgment of something pivotal happening to his ship, but he finds precisely the right way to do this with just an expression on his face. This is an actor who had been working for over 30 years and still found new ways to impress me. It’s a shame the film did not end up scoring an Oscar nomination for Hanks, among its other accolades. Still, this Paul Greengrass-directed thriller is not just anchored by a terrific lead performance. Here’s a film that presents a challenging situation, sustains a level of tension, and steers away from tackling any more than it needs to.

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