Last Action Hero (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)
Seeing what catalog films get the 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray upgrade has been a bit of a wild card at times. Sometimes they are films obviously hitting some sort of milestone, but many times its like “Oh, okay”. Sony has been one of those studios turning out those “Oh, okay” titles on the regular. Their latest is the love it or hate it John McTiernan/Arnold Schwarzenegger team up for a satirical look at a the genre that both made them big names – Last Action Hero. In its original release, it’ll be in a collectible steelbook packaging, with the regular release slated for the street date of June 15th. The release finally comes with some bonus features, including deleted scenes presented in 4K, as well as a few archival features. You can order yourself a copy by using the paid Amazon Associates link that follows the review.
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There are many directors which the Shout Factory (And Scream Factory) label love to celebrate and try to continue to add titles to bolster their collection of. Obviously John Carpenter has a mug at the home office. One who has seen consistent output as well is Joe Dante. A popular director of both big hits and cult films of the 1980s, one of his last remaining productions of that decade is seeing itself removed from the wishlists. His follow up to Gremlins, which featured break outs by Ethan Hawke and River Phoenix, called Explorers is getting Collector’s Edition treatment on May 25th. This 2-disc set not only comes with two different versions of the film (Home Video Cut and Theatrical Cut), but managed to produce a documentary that includes participation by not just Dante and crew, but Ethan Hawke has come back for it as well. You can order this nice set by using the paid Amazon Associates link that follows the review. 
Like Eliza DooLittle in the film, My Fair Lady is getting an upgrade in class for the home video department. The Audrey Hepburn-starring best picture winner is getting a heck of an upgrade for 4K Ultra-HD that has many (Including myself) thinking it’ll be a candidate for best of the year before it even releases. Its received an 8K scan from original 65mm elements, which make us all realize they could be future proofing for the next home video jump whenever that may be. Also armed with an upgraded 7.1 track, it’ll carry the bonus disc from the previous 50th anniversary edition for the supplemental features. Spoiler alert on the review, they did a pretty damn fine job on this release. Pre-ordering this one is a no-brainer, and you can do so by using the Paid Amazon Associates link that follows the review.
Tom & Jerry: The Movie gets a distinction of being the first film in the pandemic era to exceed its box office expectations upon coming out. The film managed to do so while also having a dual release as part of the HBO MAX premium deal going on throughout 2021. And now, its time for the animated duo and their new pal Chloe Grace Moretz to come to Blu-ray. It’ll feature an Atmos track alongside an assortment of bonus features. It arrives on May 18th. You can pre-order the Blu-ray by clicking on the paid Amazon Associates review below, if you so please to do. Or not, that’s up to you.
Its interesting to think there are still a lot of very classic things still not on Blu-ray. And within that, there are still a lot of all things Charles Schulz’s Peanuts characters that aren’t on the format. We’ve even had some released on 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray. Paramount has restored and put together a little set featuring Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown, Race For Your Life, Charlie Brown, A Boy Named Charlie Brown and Snoopy Come Home. It arrives on May 18th, and you can order a copy using the paid Amazon Associates link following the review if you so kindly choose.
CBS All Access which became Paramount+ totally went into the Star Trek business with the streaming service. Launching with Star Trek: Discovery, there are now three different series that have aired with more others on the way. Each taking place in different areas of the series timeline. A standout among them is Star Trek: Lower Decks, which is an animated series hinged at amore adult comedic tone. They’ll be bringing that series to Blu-ray on May 18th. The 2-disc set comes with a plentiful wealth of featurettes and will have a steelbook edition that you can get as well. You can pre-order the first season using the paid Amazon Associates link that follows the review if you so choose.
Disney continued its premium Disney+ and theater same day offerings with their big spring animated release, Raya And The Last Dragon. The film came like any other of the current era, great reviews and people on the socials raving about it. A shame I wasn’t able to see this in the theater because it really felt like this one lent itself to utilizing a giant screen. Now, its coming to glorious 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray for folks to own it in the best quality possible with the best audio available. There’s a good load of zoom/remote recorded extras on here to boot, too. This one is a new arrival this week (May 18th) and you can order it using the paid Amazon Associates link below.
We have to be nearing the Warner Archive Collection release of Captain Blood, right? They seem to be strolling through the catalog of legendary director Michael Curtiz with an almost monthly regularity. He and actor Errol Flynn are also one of the earliest and most famed director/actor combinations of all time. This month of May, they are releasing their collaboration on The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex, which also stars the iconic Bette Davis as Queen Elizabeth and a breakout role for a young Vincent Price. They’ve done a 4K restoration from the Technicolor negative as well as ported over some of the original bonus features. It’ll hit the (online) streets on May 18th, and when you just hear “Michael Curtiz”, “Errol Flynn”, “Warner Archive” together, know its an instant pick up. Which you can do by pre-ordering using the paid Amazon Associates link following the review.
Every time I see a Tim Burton release set for a 4K UHD Blu-ray, I get excited. His films, even at their darkest are the kinds of films made for the format. They’re thought provoking, odd, and just a little different. Batman, Returns and Beetlejuice already made their debuts on the format in the last two years and nobody would say they were lackluster releases, making classics look and sound incredible. Big Fish is one of the films in his canon I hadn’t seen. I wasn’t even aware it was his movie. Shockingly, I pride myself on my Rain Man like ability to recall information about films, even ones I haven’t seen, so this is a shame for me… Big Fish is a special film and you can read all about why below. Be sure to click the paid link at the end to get yourself a copy of this 4K UHD unsung film too!
It’s sort of mind mind-boggling to think that Shrek was released 20 years ago. I remember it’s DVD release, picking it up at Costco, and loving how much they included in special features, and giving folks without HDTVs the option for a Pan and Scan version too. The thoughtfulness of that package was why I fell in love with physical media. The movie itself was also a blast, turning the family animated film on its ear and giving just as much good stuff to the adults as the children. Now the classic comedy celebrates its 20th anniversary with a 4K Blu-ray release. Will the film still delight, looking better than ever? Find out more below and click the paid link below to order yourself a copy!
The Little Things came and went as a blip on the HBO Max radar earlier this year. Middling reviews, and some tepid audience response made things a little interesting for me. A 90’s throwback thriller with some twists, and a dynamite main cast had me wondering if there was just a lost audience for a good movie. Discover my findings in the review below and click the paid link at the end if you feel so inclined to make a buy!
It’s very exciting times over at Warner Archive, even if the rumor mill wants to be pointing toward certain doom and gloom. As always, we’ll just have to see how true that random information showing up on Twitter will turn out to be. In the meantime, I’m excited to see them dipping into their Jackie Chan catalog with a proper release of Drunken Master II. This is a little bit different version than The Legend Of The Drunken Master film it was released as after Chan broke out in the 90s, but the proper version of the film has never been released here in the United States…until now. Mark your calendars, make your pre-orders (you can use the paid Amazon Associates link below) and get ready for some impressive action and comedy from the master on May 18th!
While not the most popular rendition for the 8th wonder of the world, not having the 1976 version of King Kong on Blu-ray (In the United States) has long been a bit of a glaring hole in cinematic history as represented by the current home video format. And fortunately, in this case, the wait is proving to be well worth it, as it is finally arriving in a boutique label release that gives it so much more than just a basic disc. Scream Factory has labored themselves with a load of new interviews, a restored extended TV cut and lots of really fun vintage marketing materials to make up a 2-Disc release for the Dino de Laurentis mega-budget picture. Perhaps, as always, this one may need another look or maybe it will have a new appreciation found when done sorting through the various bonus materials. This one hits the (likely virtual) shelves on May 11th (TODAY, as a I post this). It looks to be having some stock issues, but maye the paid Amazon Associates link below will be working so you can land yourself a copy of this very anticipated release.
The Animated DC Universe continues its impressive and well received run going back to the past again with Justice Society: World War II. We get the present meeting such as The Flash goes back and meets a younger Wonder Woman and crew. It’ll be arriving to 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray on May 11th. It’ll include a making of Featurette as well as a look at the highly anticipated Batman: The Long Halloween Part One. You can pre-order the film now and have it on or around the release date from the paid Amazon Associates link that comes after the review below. It helps the site and it helps you by landing a quality animated superhero film!
