The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse [Masters of Cinema] (Blu-ray Review)
After enjoying fantastic success with Fritz Lang’s two-part “Indian Epic” in 1959, German producer Artur Brauner signed the great director to direct one more film. The result would be the picture that, in closing the saga he began nearly forty years earlier, brought Lang’s career full-circle, and would come to represent his final celluloid testament by extension: his final film masterpiece. The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse [Die 1000 Augen des Dr. Mabuse] finds that diabolical Weimar name resurfacing in the Cold War era, linked to a new methodology of murder and mayhem. Seances, assassinations, and Nazi-engineered surveillance tech all abound in Lang’s paranoid, and ultimate, filmic labyrinth. One of the great and cherished “last films” in the history of cinema, The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse provides a stylistic glimpse into the 1960s works on such subjects as sex-crime, youth-culture, and LSD that Lang would unfortunately never come to realize. Nonetheless, Lang’s final film remains an explosive, and definitive, closing statement. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present Fritz Lang’s final film on Blu-ray. Continue reading ‘The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse [Masters of Cinema] (Blu-ray Review)’
Warner Archive Collection extends its library in June with the release with a bit of an ambitious film from the glorious year of 1982. David S. Ward’s Cannery Row was the bold attempt to pair two novels together, which is a bit of a love story. Personally I’ve not seen the film before, but after the Blu-ray debut of Urban Cowboy a few weeks ago, I suppose I’m on a Debra Winger kick and was more eager to check this one out. They also tout it as an “atmospheric gem” and I’m excited to see what that’s all about. Somebody over at Warner Archive Collection deems it pretty worthy as they gave it a 4K transfer. Unfortunately nothing new or vintage in terms of bonus features is available to fill the disc up, but like many of these older titles now, a fresh transfer and the ability to own it are bonus enough. Cannery Row released on June 9th and is available to order by using our paid Amazon link below or finding it on the WB Shop.
Time again for a round of comparing some screen shots. This finds us taking a look at the transfers from the new Scream Factory Collector’s Edition of Kiss of the Vampire against the 2016 Universal Hammer Horror 8-Film Collection release. That particular one shared a disc with another film, whereas Scream Factory’s it does not. Below are 10 shot comparisons between the two. I’ve decided to not include any captures from the 1.66:1 presentation on the Scream Factory disc and just use the more direct comparison of the 1.85:1 since that how it was presented on the Universal release.
Pretty crazy to think that the Academy Award Best Picture winner Gladiator turned 20 years old this year. But hey, here we are. In celebration of that, Paramount is releasing a new Steelbook edition for the 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray they brought out two years ago. This is coming out in tandem to celebrate Braveheart’s 25th anniversary with a 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray steelbook. Gladiator‘s 4K steelbook features Russell Crowe’s Maximus in a battle ready pose, oversized for the space provided on the cover. Disc content-wise, this is the very same release from a couple years ago, the identical discs inside that include one 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray and two standard Blu-ray discs. Both cuts of the film are here like that set as well. As is, enjoy the images of the steelbook to accompany the review I wrote in May of 2008. You can find yourself a paid Amazon pre-order link at the bottom. 
Paramount has been rolling right through releases for their new Paramount Presents line. I have been looking forward to each release, finding interesting choices (Ahem…some of these were already available…) in each wave of releases. My colleague Brandon Peters has been ripping through the releases, giving amazing commentary on the films and the tech specs. I hope to live up to his astute reviews as I delve into the Paramount Presents edition of Pretty In Pink. I am a John Hughes fanatic, and love even his lesser efforts so I was super excited to see this one added to the Paramount Presents line and finally getting a blu-ray release. Dive in below and If you’ve been wanting to own Pretty In Pink on Blu-ray, as always, feel free to use the paid Amazon link following the review. It both helps our site and helps you to get the product for which you’ve been seeking.
The Hunt appeared to by a normal Blumhouse release til it became a controversial one and delayed thanks to Tweets from a certain dolt running the country I live in. Nonetheless it just moved to a later time and then wound up hitting theatrical release the weekend before theaters closed up shop for the pandemic. It then wound up a headliner for the theatrical at home push for digital streaming while folks have been couped up. What a crazy history for this little Blumhouse thriller. Nonetheless, Its finally getting a Blu-ray release (Including a digital code) to bring a little relief in that its coming to the format with ease. While, I was sure it would come to physical media, part of me was curious if it would, due to a wonder if it was necessary with the at home push being so strong and appealing early on digitally. Alas, Blu-rays are still going pretty well and this one is out and available for you to purchase, so you can using the paid Amazon link below. 
Fridvay The 13th turned 40 years old this year. Granted, it happened during the beginning of the pandemic and lockdowns initiating so it feels it kind of had an underwhelming celebration. Happily, my friends Jason Coleman and James Oster were able to hold their rad Flicks For Fans event honoring the film. With the film in legal troubles, no further entries are able to cash in on the milestone. Maybe its the fact that multiple Fridays a year, the film gets highlighted by the same rankings, “Things you didn’t know”, top 10 kills lists and more that it waters the excitement down. Paramount could have brought some excitement with a 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray debut for (at least) the original film. But instead we are seeing the same disc that released in 2009 repurposed again (So long ago that I worked on it before I moved out of Los Angeles) with different packaging. And even that got delayed and couldn’t hit the anniversary (Just announced on the day). Regardless, the packaging utilizes the original poster and is pretty cool looking. We’ll have a look here at it in this review. 
Hard to believe, but until last month (May 19th to be precise), the popular and well regarding biopic of the 1990s late Tejano pop sensation Selena had never made it to Blu-ray. The 1997 famously launched icon Jennifer Lopez from a supporting player to a lead star all on its own and also put her musical talents to the forefront as well. There are many a strange late additions or still not on Blu-ray titles out there and some even surprise me as I research this stuff constantly and do a wishlist piece on them every year. The film debuts on the format with a new transfer and a ported upgrade over its 2007 DVD special edition with its bonus features intact and offering up two separate editions of the film (Theatrical and Extended Edition). If you’ve been wanting to own Selena on Blu-ray, as always, feel free to use the paid Amazon link following the review. It both helps our site and helps you to get the product for which you’ve been seeking. 
Warner Archive Collection capped off May of 2020 (Which already feels so long ago) with the release of the 1958 film, The Reluctant Debutante. The cast features Rex Harrison and Kay Kendall at the top of the chain, but also notably stars Angela Lansbury, John Saxon and Sandra Dee. It was directed by Vincente Minnelli, father of Liza Minnelli and husband to Judy Garland. In other words, its stacked with somebodies. Some might not realize that the film was actually remade in the first part of this century with 2003’s What A Girl Wants that starred Amanda Bynes and Colin Firth. Crazy, I know. Warner Archive Collection release The Reluctant Debutante into its Blu-ray library on May 26, making it available and ready for you to order as soon as you complete reading my wonderful words, soon to be policed by the wonderful haters of our site. Thank you all in advance for the corrections, so I can save the time on doing them. 
As I have been doing lately with some Blu-ray debuts or newly minted transfers, here are more screen captures to tell the tale of the debut of 1980’s Urban Cowboy on the format. Below you’ll find 20 screen shots from this release. Paramount’s Blu-ray of the film starring John Travolta and Debra Winger is available now (Released June 2nd). Take a look through the pictures, read my full review by 
One of the best archival efforts going on with Scream Factory the past year has been their Universal Horror Collection series. Now hitting Volume 5, with Volume 6 already announced, they are highlighting and saving four horror titles from the Universal vaults that aren’t quite as well known as the standard Classic Monsters fare. Usually there will be a theme to it, or sometimes it feels a film would be picked up because of an actor associated with horror. This fifth volume feels like a fresh new lot as it showcases a more ape/jungle type theme with the films involved. A closer look finds a standalone film that closely relates to a trilogy within the set. The “Cheena, The Ape Woman” films all are included here. Not familiar with them, I’m excited to be introduced. One of them has never been on DVD or Blu-ray before and the others have only just recently had Universal DVDs in the last 5 years, or been subject to those bargain bin and 100-Sci Fi Films collections which aren’t known for having the best of transfers. You can pre-order the set to have when it becomes available on June 16th! 
Sonic the Hedgehog made its awareness even more well known thanks to online fan whining and pouting about the look of the character after the first trailer. This lead to the movie being pulled and set for a later date in order to improve the animation. And I’ll agree, it did look better, but old and animation or new, the movie itself was still going to be the same despite that irrelevant detail getting a fix. And the film got in and made itself some money just in time before theaters began closing their doors. The film also received an advanced digital release upon that shift in movie watching climate, but now is available on 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray to own (Released on May 19th). You can relive or check out for the first time all the speedy animated hedgehog versus crazy 90s-like Jim Carrey antics paired with James Marsden smolder when you order it from the paid Amazon Associate link below. Thanks in advance to Lt. Grammar Police for the gripes. 
