Madame Web (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)
July 3rd, 2024 by Aaron Neuwirth
After a couple of Venom films and a Morbius, Madame Web is the latest swing and a miss in Sony’s Spider-Man-less Spider-Man universe. Granted, Tom Hardy has pulled in high numbers with his wild take on Eddie Brock, and who knows, maybe the upcoming Kraven the Hunter will spin this web of missed opportunities in a more vital direction. However, as it stands, for all the merit that could come with a film designed to be relatively standalone and focused on strong female characters that would ideally appeal to a teen girl audience, missing the mark in so many ways does no one any favors, and likely keeps Peter Parker swinging in a different direction.
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Taxi Driver is a benchmark of 1970s cinema. The film is dark, gritty, grimy and shocking. Travis Bickle is the man we witness descending into the bowels of his mental health. Desperate for some clean normalcy, but dragging himself into other more torrid directions, we travel the darkness of 1970s New York with him and we begin to feel his paranoia. And now, nearly 50 years later, we are given this film in a 4K UHD Blu-ray package that was once only available in Columbia Classics Vol. 2’s set of 6 films. Are there any improvements to the transfer included there? Anything new? Read on below and if you don’t have it already, be sure to click the cover art at the end to get yourself the new Steelbook!
Over the years, Alex Gardner has pushed the visual boundaries of whatever genre he is playing in. If we were fearing AI in Ex-Machina, or extraterrestrials in Annihilation or zombies in 28 Days Later, Garland was delivering. The next real threat? The government is now authoritarian, and regions of the US are now grouping together to rebel. In, Civil War, we are seeing something almost too real. I also could not look away. Find out more about Civil War below. Does it live up to the hype or does it fizzle under the over-expectation of good reviews? Be sure to click the cover art at the end if you feel so inclined to order a copy for yourself!
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy celebrates it’s 20th anniversary this year. It’s quite hard to believe considering how fresh and ever-referenced it is now. We even have a sequel that somehow managed to continue the good times almost ten years after the original. Now, realistically, today, this movie could not be made the same. For that, I’m grateful it came out in 2004. We live in a time where comedies like this just don’t exist anymore, and now, we have these 2000s classics to revel in, just before the film industry seemingly lost its sense of humor. Read on about Anchorman below, including a link to my colleague Brian White’s 2013 review, and my retrospective thoughts, along with the usual tech review! As always, you can get your copy of Anchorman by clicking the cover art at the end of the review!
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire marks the 6th installment in the Ghostbusters franchise. The first film also celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. Not to be outdone, this newest entry in the series sees some callbacks to the original and may satisfy fans of the old and the newcomers too! But what do I think? Discover the ghostly details below and see if this newest film about bustin’ made me feel good… OK, even that was too cheesy for me… but, I digress. Read on in depth and as always, feel free to click the cover art below to order yourself a copy of Ghostbuster: Frozen Empire.
Purple Rain remains one of the most iconic moments in 80’s history. Maybe even music history at this point. 1984 was a huge year for music and for films and to put the two together in such an excellent way was unheard of at the time unless you had a popular musical. Prince was already an established musical multi-hyphenate, with talent unmatched until his untimely death. 40 years later, how does Purple Rain stand up to other films like it? Go down memory lane with me about Purple Rain below and be on the lookout for the 4K UHD Blu-ray on June 25th! You can get a copy by clicking the cover art at the end of the review, too!
Do you ever see an anniversary of a film or album you have seen a lot and think of how old you are now that those films are celebrating that milestone? It came with some utter shock when I learned that South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut was celebrating it’s 25th year. The show came out a mere 2 years before the film, and like wildfire had taken TV audiences by storm. Sophomoric, gross and totally inappropriate for kids, the controversary and the praise has kept South Park going ever since. But now, 25 years after my first viewing, how does the film hold up? Read more about the 25th Anniversary 4K Blu-ray edition of South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut below and be sure to order yourself a copy by clicking the cover art at the end!
Guy Ritchie is a director we see a lot of films from, but at least for me, I don’t see a lot of people mentioning the variety of his work. From crime capers like Snatch, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, or The Gentlemen to historical (using the term loosely) fare like King Arthur (something I liked despite it getting 0 praise…) to war films like The Covenant (an underseen excellent film), Ritchie excels at making medium scale films. Even when hes given bigger budgets for films like Sherlock Holmes or The Man from U.N.C.L.E., you can tell Ritchie is making movies he’d probably love to watch too. They are crowd pleasing, fun and never boring. So how does The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (or TMOUW) stack up to the rest of his films? Find out below and order yourself a copy by clicking the cover art at the end!
Dev Patel came seemingly out of nowhere with his directorial debut Monkey Man. Based off of the Hindu tale of Hanuman, the film shows us a darker side of India than we have been shown before. This side features exploitation, violence, drugs and horrible human beings. All of this makes for a very interesting ride for movie fans. Read more on Monkey Man below and click the cover art at the end to order a copy of this action-filled romp!
Bring up Chinatown to any fan of movies and you’ll most likely get an “I love that movie” as a response. Yes, Chinatown is that good, and has been widely praised in the 50 years since it was first released. Now we have a new 4K UHD Blu-ray edition of Chinatown to collect and for some, this will be an incredible experience of seeing the film for the first time. Read more about my own love for Chinatown below, and also of course my thoughts on this new presentation! Clicking the cover art at the end of the review will take you to a paid link to order a copy too! “Forget it Jake, you’ll wanna order Chinatown”
American military films are divisive to say the least. Now more than ever, there is a general air of disdain for American military issues as they come to light over the years. We watch the films as either an escape or an awakening and some people view these films as the worst of propaganda. These feelings aren’t shared by everyone, especially those of us that are patriotic. Then there’s me. I can’t really categorize my feelings. I watch military based films as entertainment and take what I want from them. I don’t see propaganda and I don’t see jingoism. Unfortunately, my sentiment isn’t very general and frustratingly, the line seems to be drawn in the sand for eternity! Clint Eastwood’s American Sniper is based off an autobiographical book by Chris Kyle, who unfortunately was killed before the film could be made. Besides a garish CGI baby in one scene, some derided this film as military propaganda, and some saw it as an eye-opening portrait of mental health in veterans. Either way you slice it, Clint Eastwood made the film and for many of us, this is what makes the film worth seeing. Here we are 10 years later still discussing it and the film has debuted on 4K UHD Blu-ray too! Read more about American Sniper and its newest format version below and be sure to click the cover art at the end if you would like your own copy!
There is never going to be a debate that Francis Ford Coppola is a genius filmmaker. Some may even say that he’s a mad genius. Throughout his career he has been trying to make films that are personal and unique while still attempting to make them palatable for mainstream audiences. In the early days of his career after proving himself with The Godfather Parts 1 and 2, The Conversation and Apocalypse Now, there was absolutely no denying his style and his magical touch behind the camera. Cue the 80’s and likely still reeling from the years long filming, editing and release of Apocalypse Now, Coppola looked to make something totally different. That something was One From The Heart, a near notorious film “musical” filmed almost entirely on his Zoetrope Studios soundstages. The result was not well received despite being created in a very innovative new way. Read more about the movie and a few useless facts I’ve read about over the years below, and if you’re a fan of Coppola or the film, this new 4K edition is available at the cover art paid Amazon link if you wish to buy a copy!
Denis Villeneuve is a true auteur of modern commercial cinema. His visionary work can be challenging, surprising, and meaningful in equal doses. When Dune came out at the height of Covid, it was a blessing and a curse for the film to hit theaters and HBO Max at the same time. Some people got to witness the incredible spectacle in the theater when the rest of us stayed home and checked it out from our couches. I was in the latter category, but the effect the film had on me stayed with me completely. The visual style, the music, the performances, and the ability to translate the infamous Frank Herbert novel to screen had finally succeeded! Even with the Part One badge that followed the title, I knew if we didn’t get the whole story in one piece, we would be waiting for the next installment and hopefully not too far off from the original. Read more on the continuation of the Dune saga, Dune Part Two, and the incredible UHD Blu-ray presentation below. Also, do yourself a favor and click the cover artwork for a paid Amazon link, because you’re going to want to grab a copy of this stunning film!
There aren’t any conversations on western films where Sergio Leone doesn’t come up. His signature style and seamless way of making Italy look like the American West brought iconic images that are burned in film fans’ memories. Once Upon a Time in the West is one of Leone’s crowning achievements. This is a unanimous point. Even without seeing this or any of his films at length, I know you’re reading this envisioning sun-scorched faces of tough cowboys and busty strong women looking at you with emotional eyes. Come on, admit it. Now, Paramount as part of the Paramount Presents line has released a 4K Limited Edition of the film. Read on about my thoughts on the film and the presentation and click the cover art at the end for a paid link to order yourself a copy!
Heist films can be hit or miss from time to time. In 2001, when Ocean’s Eleven was released, it was something of a new renaissance for that particular genre. The con was on, and what a fantastic one it was. Followed by two solid sequels, The Oceans Trilogy has also had a long legacy on physical media. Out now in 4K, all 3 films come packaged together or individually in Steelbook form. Relive the iconic series below and be sure to check out the video and audio sections for more details! You can click the cover artwork at the end to order whatever variations you may want!
I can’t believe it’s been 30 years now. Wow! I feel old. Yep! It’s been 30 years since the theatrical release of The Crow. The movie is a very memorable one to me. So much so that it magically brought me out of writing retirement for the temporary time being. The Crow is also a very tragic release with the devastating loss of Brandon Lee who was killed on set. There will be time to mourn Brandon Lee shortly, but first I want to focus on why The Crow is so enthralling to me. It takes me back to a period of my life when I was trying to find myself. One could say I’m still trying, but I digress. LOL. So if you’re interested (and of course you are because you’re still reading), join me down below as I rewind the proverbial clock back to May of 1994. 
