Flashdance – 40th Anniversary Edition (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)
Three years ago, Paramount Presents released an upgraded edition of 1983’s Flashdance with a brand new transfer. Upon reviewing that edition, the film shot up in my esteem by plenty of notches. The film isn’t just a flash in the pan 80s nostalgia dish, it serves as sort of that decade’s Saturday Night Fever from a female perspective. Now, Paramount will be presenting that transfer as it was intended to be seen, on a 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray disc. Coming on April 11th, it’ll feature the same audio and extras that were on the Paramount Presents disc. You can order yourself a copy now, to upgrade or own for the first time, by using the paid Amazon Associates link that follows the review at the bottom of this page.
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In the era of dwindling star power, Gerard Butler is still a guy who can open a movie pretty well. Granted, he’s more known for sort of mid-tier action movie, but there’s proven to be a pretty rock solid audience for that when he’s in them. His main franchise is the …Has Fallen series, but people will go see him in other things, which said other things are original action movies or knock offs. Plane is the most recent one, coming out to good reviews and decent business back in January. Its now making its way to home video with a 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray that is set to drop on March 28th. It comes loaded with a Dolby Atmos audio track and three featurettes. You can order yourself a copy by using the paid Amazon Associates link that follows the review.
A film that has oddly avoided being upgraded to Blu-ray all these years is 1981’s fantasy epic, Dragonslayer. Known for its terrific ILM effects, the film didn’t quite hit Star Wars numbers and has been relegated to cult classic in its lifetime. Now, 42 years later, Paramount is putting it out in a brand new 4K Ultra-HD edition with a restoration on both sight and sound that will be of worth great waiting for the fans. It also features a documentary on the film as well as a commentary with the director and Guillermo del Toro and screen tests. Dragonslayer will be releasing on March 21st in regular and collectible steelbook editions. Whether or not you want the full MacNicol, you can use the paid Amazon associates link following the review to secure yourself a copy of this sure collector’s item for physical media enthusiasts.
One of the funniest stories my friend Scott Mendelson and I have is when we snuck into a test screening of James Wan’s Dead Silence back in (I’m guessing) 2006. For those curious, the “Alternate Opening” and “Alternate Ending” on the bonus features were in the version we saw and the title was simply Silence. Working in the entertainment industry, Scott and I weren’t supposed to be allowed into those things, and if caught would be blacklisted from all test screenings around town. Long story short, I was almost caught because of how I answered a question with an organizer while in line and it led to her introducing me to Leigh Whannell before the film started. Well, I hadn’t seen the film since that screening – UNTIL NOW. Scream Factory is debuting the film on 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray on March 28th and I get to review it. It features new interviews with Wan and Whannell as well as the guy who mad the dumies for the movie. You can order yourself a copy by using the paid Amazon Associates link at the end of the review.
Nominated for three Academy Awards this past Sunday, Darren Aronofsky’s film adaptation of Samuel D. Hunter’s stage play The Whale is now out on Blu-ray. Releasing on March 14th, the film comes with a digital code and two featurettes. As with most A24 films, its only getting a standard Blu-ray release upon its home video debut. Of those three awards, it took home Best Actor (Brendan Fraser) and Best Hair and Make-up. The only one it didn’t snag was Best Supporting Actress (Hong Chau). Fraser’s win did help A24 pull off a clean sweep of all the acting awards as a studio at this year’s Oscars. If you’re wanting to own the film, you can use the paid Amazon Associates link at the bottom of the page, following the review.
The filmgoing year of 2023 has already begun to great success with the box office smash, well review and audience-liked horror comedy M3GAN. The film went beyond its viral marketing fun to become a film that stood all on its own just fine. One would have thought it would lead to a nice 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray release, but like many Blumhouse or James Wan projects, just a standard Blu-ray with mayyyyyybe a 4K later on down the road. M3GAN will include 3 featurettes and the Unrated Cut of the film (its not really a whole lot different). It will be available online and in stores on March 21st. You can order yourself a copy to be to you at or around the release by using the paid Amazon Associates link at the bottom of this review.
A creator’s big swing. A huge 3 hour Hollywood history epic. High Oscar hopes. Largely divisive reaction. Box office bombing. Minimal Oscar love. That’s the wild ride that was Damien Chazelle’s Babylon just a few months back during the holiday season. I, for one, loved the film but many were taken aback and almost turned into nuns when it came to what the film dished out. Nonetheless, its probably going to have a bit of a cult fanbase that grows in years to come. And one way to keepsake it or check it out is the 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray edition that is arriving on March 21st. It comes with some featuerettes as well as the option to put it on your shelf in collectible steelbook packaging. The Margot Robbie, Brad Pitt, Diego Calva fictional drama about Hollywood’s transition from silent to sound can be yours if you pre-order it now using the paid Amazon Associates link that follows the review at the bottom of the page.
Rocky movies mean the world to me. Let me start by saying that. 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. 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 this “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 my beefs soon enough. 
Whitney Houston lived an entire life in the public eye. From her early days as a background singer and model, to TV guest actress and finally singing superstar and leading lady, Whitney never really shed the pre-destined image of herself. She was a chameleon, working through each circle, code switching along the way. This drew sharp criticism from the peanut gallery and often caused her to publicly act out when she grew tired of putting on the brave face of America’s Sweetheart. Kasi Lemmons, Naomi Ackie, The Estate of Whitney Houston, Anthony McCarten, and Clive Davis among a huge number of others came together to create a definitive film portrait of the decade long gone Whitney, and for the sum of its parts, it feels a little flat. I go in depth below on Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody and you can click the paid link at the end if you want to get your own copy of the recently released Blu-ray.
When I was making my Top 10 films of 2022 list, Sarah Polley’s Women Talking was one of my very last cuts. Its a terrific film that wound up being pretty silent come awards season chatter whereas it seemed like it was going to be a big player. For the Academy Awards, its been nominated for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay. Nonetheless, some recognizing is better than none. You’ll be able to bring the film home on standard Blu-ray when it hits the market on March 7th. Unfortunately no 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray at this time, but a physical release is something to be grateful for (I’M STILL WAITING BARBARIAN ON AT LEAST REGULAR BLU-RAY!). The film with a stacked cast full of great performances is available to pre-order now and you can do so by scrolling all the way to the bottom of this page and clicking on the paid Amazon Associates link that follows the review.
Like a Scream sequel, Puss In Boots laid in hibernation for 11 years before returning to theaters with another adventure. Puss In Boots: The Last Wish came at the Holiday time in December and fare well against the mighty Avatar: The Way Of Water. The movie looked like something of an afterthought and then surprised and wowed audiences and critics alike. Now its coming home for hopefully more people to jump on board The Last Wish train. Released on February 28th, the movie will include an Atmos track and a slew of extras (including a new short) to keep the party going after the credits roll. You can order yourself a copy of Puss In Boots: The Last Wish by using the paid Amazon Associates link that follows the review at the bottom of the page.
Warner Bros is celebrating its 100th Anniversary with the release of many high profile classic titles new the 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray format. The look like they’ll all come with a nifty slip cover that has newer art and a header logo signifying the century of cinematic existence. I believe the first one under that look will be Antoine Fuqua’s 2001 Academy Award winning film Training Day (nabbing Denzel Washington the Best Actor trophy). In addition to a brand new 4K transfer, the police thriller will be getting a brand new Dolby Atmos track, the first time it will be presented at home in a lossless format. All of the extras originating from the first DVD release are carried over and provided here, too. Training Day will be released on February 28th and you can pre-order yourself a copy using the paid Amazon Associates link at the bottom of this review to secure yourself a copy. 
A couple months back, the fine folks over at Shout! Factory began the upgrade movement of the LAIKA films onto the 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray format with their first two films. Now, its time to complete that movement with their third and fourth as Kubo And The Two Strings and The Boxtrolls make their debut onto the format. As was before, these will feature new transfers and carry over all of the extras from the previous standard Blu-rays that were released by Shout! Factory. Again, there will be an option to pick these up in the collectible limited edition steelbook packaging if you’re wanting something spiffier for these wonderful movies. You can pre-order your copy now using the paid Amazon Associates link at the bottom of the review. The Boxtrolls and Kubo And The Two Strings will be available on 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray on February 28th. For this review, we’ll take a look at Kubo And The Two Strings. 
