In The Heights (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)
One of the unfortunate box office disappointments this summer was Lin-Manuel Miranda’s big offering of the musical In The Heights. One of the best reviewed movies of the year (And judging from social media reaction, it was very well received), it failed to strike anything at the box office. In addition, the numbers of its simultaneous HBO MAX release were underwhelming as well. Perhaps with it available through digital purchase and rental as well as physical media, it can begin to build a cult audience and shine on for years to come. Said physical media release is getting a boffo 4K disc with an Atmos track and plenty of extras and watching options (Sing-Along) to enjoy the film by. You can pre-order the film using the paid Amazon Associates link below so you can have one when it releases on August 31st.
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In what seems like an incredibly perfect match, Shout! Factory will be releasing new digitally remastered versions of the first four films from the wonderful stop-motion animation studio, LAIKA. Those films include Coraline, ParaNorman, The Boxtrolls and Kubo and the Two Strings. In addition to the new restorations, every release will feature new bonus features while carrying over the old ones. Also, a booklet is included inside the packaging. For today’s review, we’ll be taking a look at 2014’s The Boxtrolls, which really pushed their animation team to some all new levels which really pushed and challenged them in evolving their aesthetic. The Boxtrolls and Coraline are the first two arriving from Shout! Factory on August 31st. The other two films will be following them with a September release. You can land yourself a copy of The Boxtrolls by clicking the paid Amazon Associates link that follows the review.
In August, Warner Archive is dipping into the 80s teen comedy genre with the classic One Crazy Summer that loaded up a cast of John Cusack, Demi Moore, Bobcat Goldthwait and Curtis Armstrong. This feels like it could been an easy bargain bin title for Warner Bros many moons ago, but alas, in 2021 it is making its first appearance on Blu-ray. There’s a commentary from the DVD edition (That was re-issued by Warner Archive back in 2016) featuring director Savage Steve Holland, Goldthwait and Armstrong that is carrying itself over to this new Blu-ray release. Aside from that, no other bonus materials are found or have been commissioned for this disc. It arrived on the format back on August 10th. You can land yourself a copy by clicking on the paid Amazon Associates link that follows the review.
Warner Archive Collection turns to the legendary Sidney Lumet this month for one of its titles. Prince of the City was a police corruption drama based on a book of the same name. It received an Academy Award nomination for its screenplay and launched the career of one Treat Williams. This new Blu-ray edition comes with the previously available The Real Story mini documentary about the subject matter and book with which the movie itself was based on. You can order the film, which is releasing on August 24th, using the paid Amazon Associates link that follows the review.
When stone cold home video classics hit milestones, you damn well know they are going to be taken advantage of with a brand new release. Thus, the second release of Labyrinth on 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray for its 35th anniversary. However, this isn’t just the same discs in fancy new clothes. They’ve also gone back and tweaked the transfer, added the stereo track in lossless form and supplied new bonus material in the form of deleted scenes and never before seen audition tapes. I have to say, they’ve put quite the marvelous package together which includes nifty packaging and a booklet. You can order the new edition from the paid Amazon Associates link below as it arrived back on August 17th.
Known as the second most fruitful and successful cinematic universe, The Conjuring series has done so quite effortlessly and as casual as ever. It hasn’t been until recently that it was really even being tagged as such a thing. The Warren-led films as the well to which to return, but Annabelle, The Nun and other upcoming spin offs are making some ground on their own. Entry number three, The Devil Made Me Do It has been one of the films this summer that has shared a day and date theatrical and streaming release to rather solid success as it was available for one month as a part of HBO MAX when it released to theaters. It now comes to 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray, making it the first with the Warrens to be on the format but second in the series after The Nun (Of note: there was a planned but scrapped 4K release of the second Conjuring). This possession horror film will be hitting shelves on August 24th and you can pre-order it using the link below.
The bounce from month to month for the Paramount Presents series is a lot of fun. It really moves and shakes from different eras, genres, stars and filmmakers. There’s really no bias here at all. Mommie Dearest is getting to celebrate its 40th anniversary this year with a debut on Blu-ray into this collection’s catalog. The chesse-fest classic was released back at the start of June (the 1st actually), but there were some issues/delays/whatever with the replication for it and it appears review copies are now just starting to find their way out their to us writers. Better late than never nonetheless. It features a new 4K transfer, commentary and Filmmaker Focus featurette to go with plenty of legacy bonus features. You can order the film to have a copy for yourself by using the paid Amazon Associates link that follows this wonderful review.
To think its been 35 years since, like other little boys my age, I felt the despair and sadness of losing a hand drawn hero in his own big movie. One of the more fascinating bits of children’s entertainment in film history has been The Transformers: The Movie. Its a case of toys driving decisions, wanting only to make the best you can but not fully understanding what you have and what your audience was looking for. And with time, there have been newer ways of taking in the appreciation of this relic of 1980s children’s entertainment. As an adult, I actually think I appreciate, enjoy and admire this film more than I even did in my youth. And Shout! Factory is giving me yet another new way to look back on it and enjoy once again. Their 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray edition, with a brand new transfer, audio and bonus features will be arriving August 3rd. Feel free to pre-order yourself a copy of it by using the paid Amazon Associates link following the review.
Celebrating its 35th anniversary this year, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off arrived in a classy steelbook in June to celebrate the occasion! Did they lavish the film with anything new besides the nifty new packaging? Read below for more on that, and be sure to give a click to the associates link at the end, as this edition comes with a very attractive price tag too!
In the pandemic times, Disney’s handling of their Pixar titles has been rather interesting to say the least. First, Soul’s theatrical release was postponed and then became a Disney+ exclusive, available for free on Christmas Day and a period after. Now, Pixar’s follow up film, Luca also shared the fate of passing over a featured theatrical release and went straight to Disney+ as an exclusive. And these are not the “Premiere Access” titles either, where you pay a $29.99 premium to have it early on the app. Luckily for us physical media enthusiasts, they aren’t skimping out or forgetting us like they are the theaters. Luca, like Soul before it, is arriving on 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray right in line with the theatrical to home video window. You’ll be able to purchase this sea monster takes to land tale when it arrives on August 3rd. There is a paid Amazon Associates ordering link below the review if this is a film you fancy adding to your collection.
Paramount’s a pretty timely studio when it comes to 4K Ultra-HD upgrades. If you have a franchise you like or a film that’s getting remade, they probably have a 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray release ready to go around the time it comes out. With the new GI Joe film Snake Eyes out in theaters, it was high time to get those former entries into the mixer for 4K goodness. Oddly no new Atmos track or bonus features here, so you’ll have to float on whether you think the new transfer alone will do it. This review will cover 2013’s Jon M. Chu directed sequel, GI Joe: Retaliation, which puts the whole Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson “franchise Viagra” theory to the test. That arrives with the preceding film, GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra, on 4K Ultra-HD Blur-ay July 20th. You can land yourself copy of this one by using the paid Amazon Associates link below. 
June saw the first half of the DC Animated Universe’s adaptation of the seminal Batman comic book arc, The Long Halloween. It was a pretty big deal, as its been such an influential story any way you shake it regarding the caped crusader. And what better crew to have done it justice than that of the well regarded animation unit they have going on. This second half arrives to conclude things on August 10th. Aside from the Blue Beetle short if features no bonus features about the film itself. Please note, that there will also be a 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray release later this year for the whole she-bang of Part One and Part Two for a complete The Long Halloween release for bats. If Blu-ray is your bag and just grabbing these two parts is it for you, go ahead and use the paid Amazon Associates link following the review to land yourself a copy in time for release.
Paramount’s a pretty timely studio when it comes to 4K Ultra-HD upgrades. If you have a franchise you like or a film that’s getting remade, they probably have a 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray release ready to go around the time it comes out. With the new GI Joe film Snake Eyes out in theaters, it was high time to get those former entries into the mixer for 4K goodness. Oddly no new Atmos track or bonus features here, so you’ll have to float on whether you think the new transfer alone will do it. This first review will cover 2009’s Stephen Sommers film, GI Joe: The Rise Of Cobra, which I oddly found myself a fan of when it came out, despite it being largely dismissed. That arrives with the other film, GI Joe: Retaliation, on 4K Ultra-HD Blur-ay July 20th. You can land yourself copy of this one by using the paid Amazon Associates link below.
If people want to see something, they WILL go to the theaters for it, as proven by one of the “return to cinemas” biggest hits in A Quiet Place Part II. The first film was wildly successful a few years back, so of course you know Paramount would want to capitalize on those big box office dollars. With a shortened home video window now, it feels like a literally just saw the film a few weeks ago (Tho its been 2 months). But nonetheless, here it comes to 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray after an exclusive period on Paramount+. It has a nice array of bonus features, but one of the coolest things is that this is a modern movie with a native 4K presentation. There’s a lot of (nice) 4K upscales out there when it comes to today’s blockbusters. You’ll be able to grab this one (Also available on a double feature release with the first one) when it arrives on 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray July 27th. You can pre-order the film using the paid Amazon Associates link following the review.
Last year, Paramount released a multi-movie set of Stephen King films which featured the long awaited debut of David Cronenberg’s The Dead Zone on Blu-ray. I had an inkling at that time that the following year we’d get a Scream Factory Collector’s Edition of the 1983 film. I’ll pat myself on the back here, because on July 27th, I’ll be proven right. They’ve done the film up nicely with a load of new extras, including a Brooke Adams interview and 4 commentaries. In addition, this also features a brand new 4K scan of the film (and in its correct 1.85:1 aspect ratio, too). Its surprising the film has taken so long to get to Blu-ray in the first place, being both good, notable and having both a name star director and actor in it. But, alas, better late than never. And better a big Collector’s Edition than bare bones. You can pre-order the release via the paid Amazon Associates link below the review to ensure yourself a copy for release day, July 27th!
Coming to you on Blu-ray July 20th is the modern slasher film, Initiation (I don’t know how to make the exclamation point upside down). The film is the product of director, co-writer and co-producer John Berdado. Its based off of his short film Dembanger, which was also the original title of this film. It was set to be a South By Southwest premiere film, but the pandemic had other plans for it and wound up premiering at the Screamfest Horror Film Festival last year. For those at home, its been available via streaming rental/purchase since May, but now finds itself with a Blu-ray that has some neat little bonus features to accompany the release. You can own Initiation (And its Day 1 is a rather decent price for a new movie) by using the paid Amazon Associates link that follows the review.
This month from Warner Archive Collection sees a pair of classic noir tales being restored and brought to the Blu-ray format for the very first time. One of those is the 1948 American film noir I Wouldn’t Be In Your Shoes directed by William Nigh, starring Don Castle and Elyse Knox. The film is based on the 1943 Cornell Woolrich novel of the same name. Warner Archive Collection is putting it out, like Step By Step, with a short film and a cartoon as bonus features. The film is making its debut to the Blu-ray format on July 20th. You can pre-order it using the paid Amazon Associates link that follows the review.
Welp, for many people, a big bucket list item is being crossed off. For as long as I can remember over the last ten years, The Wraith has been at the top of many people’s wishlists to make the jump to Blu-ray. Years ago when Lionsgate introduced the Vestron Video line, peoples’ hopes grew bigger. Then there was rumor a year or so ago that it was indeed being worked on. FINALLY – no more speculation – its here! And they’ve done a heck of job putting together some new bonus materials for the release. And can you believe that for day 1 they are only charging $12 for this beauty? Its out now (It hit shelves on July 20th). You can easily order yourself a copy by using the paid Amazon Associates link following the review.
