The Black Phone (Blu-ray Review)
One of summer’s most profitable movies this year has been Scott Derrickson’s return to original horror with The Black Phone. Reuniting with Ethan Hawke and C. Robert Cargill, Derrickson tells a tale of child abduction with supernatural zest set upon the late 1970s. The biggest bummer about it coming out on home video now is that its going the path of standard Blu-ray and no 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray release. Unless you’re Michael Myers, it appears Blumhouse is going to continue the straight to Blu-ray and maybe later a 4K (Get Out) release down the road a little later. This Blu-ray does come with plenty of supplemental material as well as a digital copy and that always highly coveted DVD disc. The Black Phone arrives on August 16th, and you can pre-order yourself a copy to own by using the paid Amazon Associates link below the review.
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A staple of the Lionsgate home video catalog has been Dirty Dancing releases. Though it be DVD, Blu-ray or 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray, this is one of the titles they’ll repackage discs countlessly. Last year, it debuted on 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray in a limited edition steelbook, exclusive to Best Buy. Well, now it will be consumable for the masses on the optimal format. On August 23rd, you’ll be able to purchase the film’s 35th Anniversary Edition in a standard amaray case with a slipcover featuring some new key art. All the bonus features, menu art and yada yada remain the same as the one that came out on its 34th anniversary. If you missed out or didn’t know about that one, well, here we are with the regular bells and whistles version. You can pre-order yourself a copy of this edition by using the the paid Amazon Associates link after the review.
Scream Factory has been on a mission to update previous Collector’s Edition Blu-rays that rocked our world many moons ago onto the 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray format. It makes for a perfect time to upgrade and also to revisit some of these that maybe haven’t been picked up since they had last come out. Going back through the films and the extras and brushing back up on things is quite fun. Case in point, Paul Schrader’s Cat People is back from them with a brand new 4K transfer and all of its lovely extras back in tow. It’ll be here to own on August 30th. You can pre-order using the Shout! Factory website or by clicking on the paid Amazon Associate’s link that follows the review at the bottom of the page.
Early on into the 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray era, there was a Director’s Definitive Edition release of Michael Mann’s Heat onto standard Blu-ray that everyone picked up anyway but was baffled why an upper echelon title didn’t just hit up the new format with a new edition that had a 4K restoration. Well, after 5 years of waiting, we are finally getting that 4K release of that version of the film. Heat’s debut on 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ay will be a 3-disc set that carries over that standard Blu-ray edition with all the goods. There aren’t any new features exclusive to this one (which isn’t necessary). The release is set to arrive on August 9th. You can get yourself a copy by easily scrolling down to the end of this review and clicking on the paid Amazon Associates link that follows.
Child’s Play 3 caps off the original run of films that would actually follow that title moniker. From here on out, everything would just be labeled “of Chucky” with the TV show merely called Chucky. This film isn’t the most popular of the bunch, but there’s a nostalgic good in its fit into the series and it still delivers many of the goods that you enjoy in the first two films. Scream Factory is giving it all the love you could want though with a brand new Collector’s Edition and bumping the film to 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray. Available on August 16th, this new edition contains a load of brand new interviews, including Perrey Reeves, scenes from the television cut and two commentary tracks. You can order yourself a copy by using the paid Amazon Associates link that follows the review at the bottom.
Scream Factory has your horror August jackpot in the form of bringing the first 3 Child’s Play films to 4K Ultra-HD for the first time. Child’s Play 2 has largely been one of the most popular entries, many preferring it to the original even. One thing it hasn’t had before is some love on the home video front. For the first time, we are getting a Collector’s Edition treatment to the film in the form of commentary, interviews and deleted scenes. It’s long been overdue for the movie and will be available for you to have on August 16th. You can order yourself a copy by using the paid Amazon Associate’s link following the review. Also available that same day are the original film and Child’s Play 3 on 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray for the first time as well.
Paramount Presents continues to be one of the most fun and varied lines of specialty Blu-ray releases month in and month out. Case in point the throwback beach party movie from 1987, Back to the Beach, is debuting on the format in this line. Releasing August 9th, its being giving the typical Presents line packaging, but also the tradition filmmaker focus interview and a new 4K restoration just for this release. The comedy’s filmmaker focus will be none other than its director, Lyndall Hobbs. Pre-order yourself a copy to have for at or around release day by using the paid Amazon Associates link following the review.
Scream Factory got their hands on the original Child’s Play six years ago and put out a boffo Collector’s Edition of the film, finally giving it some justice in the extras department, to go with a new transfer. Now, they get to introduce Chucky to the 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray format. Rather than just coast on what they had, they’ve put in overtime! No only is there a new transfer, but they’ve remixed for Dolby Atmos and added five brand new interviews including major players like Don Mancini, Alex Vincent, Chris Sarandon and David Kirschner! Now a 3-Disc set, it will be available, along with Child’s Play 2 and Child’s Play 3 on 4K Ultra-HD on August 16th. Get yourself a pre-order in using the Shout Factory site of the paid Amazon Associates link that follows the review.
Alex Garland is one of our most interesting and hungry filmmakers working today. If he makes a movie, no matter your thoughts on the trailer or plot synopsis, you buy a ticket and you go. So far, so good. His latest, Men, came out at the start of the summer was met probably with the most mixed of his reviews and not much to brag about in box office receipts. Nonetheless, like his previous film Annihilation, perhaps people will find it or appreciate it after its too late. Lionsgate is bringing out to standard Blu-ray on August 9th. It comes only with one featurette in addition to the DVD version and digital copy. Perhaps a 4K upgrade could be in the cards down the road, but this looks to be it for now. You can order yourself a copy using the paid Amazon Associates link that follows the review down below at the bottom of this page.
25 years ago, The Shining in space came and went and really wasn’t the bees knees upon its arrival. However, over the years and people finally checking it out, Event Horizon has not only become a cult classic, but considered one of the best horror movies from the entirety of the 90s. So much so, that we celebrate its milestones with brand new home video releases each time. Paramount is now putting the film out on 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray for the very first time and packing it up in a beautiful new steelbook. The release will carry over all the previous bonus features which come with the standard Blu-ray edition that is included here. You can pre-order it now and have it in time for release on August 9th by using the paid Amazon Associates link that follows on at the end of the review.
The Lost City looked like a last hope for saving the box office and theater going from being only franchise tentpoles all the time. And hey – there are still some stars that’ll put the butts in the seats. There are few better at that than the incredible Sandra Bullock. She does her thing and people follow. Someone able to walk the line between big theater movies and Netflix original movies. This 100 million plus domestic earner will be hitting 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray on July 26th. The release will come with a digital code (no back up Blu-ray, as per usual with Paramount), Atmos sound and a host of little quick featurettes to satisfy post-viewing. You can order yourself a copy to own by using the paid Amazon Associates link that follows the review.
Spider-Man and Doctor Strange opened up the multiverse in Spider-Man: No Way Home and the Sorcerer Supreme (and Doctor Strange) explore it themselves in Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness. Along the way introducing quite possibly the most important character yet in the MCU; the Pizza Poppa. Sam Raimi returned to mesh both his super hero and horror expertise in this wicked spin through Marvel. It’ll come to you on 4K Ultra-HD on July 26th. The release has an Atmos track, commentary, deleted scenes, multiple featurettes and Aaron Neuwirth’s favorite – the Gag Reel. Sure, you’ve beeen able to watch this on Disney+ for a month, but own the better presentation of the film with this disc. You can order one by using the paid Amazon Associates link that follows this review at the bottom.
Edge of Tomorrow was a film we all couldn’t shut up about 8 years ago. We were all debating on how better it could have been marketed or released with the studio even going by a tagline more than its title when it first came to home video. Nonetheless, its live to be a sort of modern cult film in that people loved it but not enough people ever really saw it. And it must be such a well doer on home video as Warner Bros has put it out on 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray. Released on July 5th, it has a new Atmos track and comes with all the bonus feature that had been released on the prior Blu-ray. If you’d like to own yourself a copy of Edge of Tomorrow, you can use the paid Amazon Associates link that follows the review.
Paramount+ has been overloading us with Star Trek shows since back when it was called CBS All Access. Year round there is some Star Trek show currently putting out new episodes and sometimes they’ve even had themselves some overlap. However, the one with the least amount of stakes and one with loads of light-hearted and deep Trek enjoyability has been the Adult Swim-ish Lower Decks. The animated sensation’s second season will be coming to Blu-ray on July 12th and will include multiple featurettes that go over specific episode details, as well as full on season overview. You can pre-order yourself a copy now to have when it arrives next week by using the paid Amazon Associates link that follows the review.
Paramount Presents continues to be a label that not only surprises and endures the passion of home video collecting every month, it supplies a varied catalog of all shapes and sized from different genres, eras, filmmakers, stars and more. On June 28th, they released the 1996 superstar comedy The First Wives Club to their arsenal. It features a brand new 4K restoration of the film and a new Filmmaker Focus featurette with the film’s screenwriter. The team up of Diane Keaton, Goldie Hawn and Bette Midler is one for the ages and the film was one of the bigger comedy success stories from the 90s. You can now finally own it (Probably overdue for making it to the format, no?) by using the paid Amazon Associates link that follows the review at the bottom of this page.
