Chain Lightning (Blu-ray Review)
June 28th, 2021 by Brandon Peters
Warner Archive Collection in the month of June once again has itself a nifty lineup of classics. And that group that includes some westerns and musicals also features a Humphrey Bogart film making its way to Blu-ray for the very first time. Bogey this time will have the Sturt Heisler helmed film Chain Lightning debuting. It was base on a story written by famous black listed writer Lester Cole. You’ll be able to grab this one when it arrives on the format on June 22nd. And if you’re wanting to pick this one up while also feeling so very generous to the site, you can use the paid Amazon Associates link following the review to land yourself a copy.
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Warner Archive Collection continues its seemingly effortless crusade to do some of the finest restoration on classic cinema of all eras and genres and bring it to Blu-ray for the first time month in and month out. Plenty of westerns of all types have been given their due in this line. A few of them come this month of June. One of which is 1970’s There Was Crooked Man… starring Kirk Douglas. Considering the big cast of Douglas, Henry Fonda, Burgess Meredith, Lee Grant, Warren Oates, Michael Blodgett, John Randolph paired with it being directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz; I’m surprised it took this long to make its way to the format. Nonetheless, it made its debut on June 8th. You can order yourself a copy today using the paid Amazon Associates link following the review. 
Incredible to think Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is 50 years old. So obviously its time for its candidacy for the 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray format to come to present itself. Warner Brothers is giving us a brand new edition, though its mainly for the new 4K transfer of the film. It looks as if they’ll just be carrying over the previous edition’s standard Blu-ray which is where you’ll find the extras. All well enough, what more can folks say about it on the bonus materials (Aside from wondering who the hell wants this Timothee Chalamet prequel thing they are dumping money into). The Gene Wilder classic arrives on the format June 29th. It’s available for ordering now and you can do so by using the paid Amazon Associates link following the review.
Paramount Presents has only been around for a year, but they have a heck of a track record so far. With fantastic presentations of films never before on the Blu-ray format and ones that are getting better versions than they had before, its covering a wide range. They come in a nifty little signature case and slip cover and feature great restorations. In June (back on the 15th to be exact), Paramount Presents is welcoming the John Sturges western Last Train From Gun Hill with Kirk Douglas and Anthony Quinn to the collection. Not much is added to the bonus features, but this has also never been on Blu-ray before. And woo-golly is this picture restoration a delight to behold. You’ll really need to see this with your own eyes! Its available now, and you can order it using the Amazon Associates link below the review.
I’m not alone when I say that Batman: The Long Halloween is one of my favorite and best tales of the Dark Knight ever laid to paper. So, it was with great excitement when I not only found out that the DCAU was producing an adaptation of it, but that they were also splitting it into two parts and trying to give the story a full appreciation. You’ll recall that Christopher Nolan and David Goyer were influenced a bit by this story when crafting the first two films in their Batman trilogy, but this is the one that is pulling it straight from the page. With a voice cast that boasts Jensen Ackles as Batman and Josh Duhamel as Harvey Dent, this summer is all about the pumpkins as Part One will land on Blu-ray June 22nd. Part Two will be arriving on August 10th. Both are available for pre-order and you can use the paid Amazon Associates link following the review to nab yourself a copy. Or you can wait for the 4K release that combines both parts later in the year.
Action flicks are in a rather good place nowadays. We seem to have moved into an era with relatively solid directors. Films that aren’t reliant on post production shaky cam or ones that know how to appropriately utilize the tactic for good effect. John Wick being the current mainstream posterchild for big action greatness, anything with someone associated is going to garner attention. Now comes Nobody from the guy who wrote John Wick. This pandemic blockbuster hit theaters and did a decent global haul considering the low budget and environment it came out it. Its also a perfect picture for the drive-in during this time. Now its coming to glorious 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray, where I’m sure more people are going to see and fall for this little gem. It arrives on June 22! You can order it using the paid Amazon Associates link below.
Low and behold, for the 40th anniversary of Raiders of the Lost Ark, we are gifted all the of the Indiana Jones film on the glorious 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray format. Sure, there will be a future set with the not yet as of now named Indiana Jones 5 filming for release in the summer of 2022. This new set is essentially what we were given for standard Blu-ray, with new transfers, audio and packaging providing the appeal. All previous bonus materials have been ported over. And if you’re thinking, “well, that’s not enough new or bonus for me”, then you haven’t had a look at these stunning new transfers (Along with the updated color timing and revamped image for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull). The set was releases on June 8th, but had some replication delays and has slowly been being dispersed around. So its very possible you’ve had this in your hands and watched it 3 times over before I could get this review up. And if not, please use the paid Amazon Associates link below to land yourself a copy. 
Back in March, far too many fans of the King of the Monsters and the Big Ape didn’t have the opportunity to experience their epic brawl, Godzilla Vs. Kong on IMAX (or any traditional theater, really) because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Most, if not everyone I knew in Los Angeles, avoided the big screens unless it was a drive-in. Fortunately, the fourth film in Legendary Pictures’ MonsterVerse was available, like other major releases from Warner Bros. this year, simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max for one month. For those of us with 4K TVs, this meant a pretty pristine – although small no matter how big your television was – presentation. And this is assuming you had a fast internet to stream that fancy 4K Dolby Vision with Dolby Atmos. So does this traditional boxed version hold up? Is it noticeably superior to what you saw on HBO Max? Let’s find out!
It doesn’t feel like it happens a lot anymore, but in the case of The Courier, titles can be changed from theatrical release to home video or whatnot. Sure, some get subtitles or shortened versions of their titles when they come to home video/digital. But, The Courier premiered at Sundance about a year and half ago and it was at that time titled Ironbark. That’s a much more interesting title, though The Courier is safer and does suit the film as well. So Ironbark is arriving on Blu-ray as The Courier and comes with a nifty little featurette on the making of the film along with the DVD and a digital copy of the movie. The film was released on Blu-ray on June 1st and you’re able to order it using the Amazon link below. 
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.
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.
