Beverly Hills Cop (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)
AH HA! Earlier this year, Paramount release The Beverly Hills Cop Trilogy to standard Blu-ray. It marked the first time the sequels were released on Blu-ray in the United States and boasted new 4K transfers for every film. We all wondered why not a 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray release of them, then? Well, Paramount heard us, or the dollars were there for that trilogy set to suggest they knew we loved these movies. So, here we are 11 months later and the original film is getting the upgrade! Hell yeah! I’m okay with that. Its arriving with the same bonus features and audio, just the films 4K restoration is now in its native form. I’m very excited that it is a part of this Eddie Murphy celebration that Paramount is seemingly having on December 1st! You’ll find reviews coming for Coming To America 4K and the Paramount Presents for Trading Places and The Golden Child in the coming weeks on this very site. But, let’s kick things off with some Axel F! Pre-order available from the paid Amazon Associates link below.
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One of the many odd titles never on Blu-ray before was Robert Altman’s contribution to the comic book movie lexicon in 1980’s Popeye. Sure, the film isn’t perfect, but its had a legacy of being remembered and stars the late and great screen legend Robin Williams in its titular role. Turning 40 years old, Paramount has now given it the green light for Blu-ray. Surprisingly, this would seem fit for the Paramount Presents label having never been released before and getting new supplemental features, but alas its getting regular release. Kindly enough, its debut price is of the most generous variety – $9.99 at the time of this review. Popeye: 40th Anniversary Edition will arrive (maybe) on shelves and in online stores December 1st.
Whether its movies or the TV series, I consider myself a Mission: Impossible fan. Its one of the best contributions we had from the spy fantasy entertainment phenomenon that took the 1960s by storm. With the breath of life and determination of one Tom Cruise, the series has maintained a pop culture staple for 54 years and counting. We have two more films still on the horizon from the current movie run. Paramount has left the television series absent from Blu-ray until now. On December 1st, they will be releasing every episode from the original 7 season run of the show on Blu-ray for the first time. Despite the massive 46 disc boxed effort, unfortunately no bonus features new or old are coming with it. That’s a damn shame, considering some already do exist. However, at this juncture I suppose we need to be grateful they have restored them and keep them living to die another day in a different format. Pre-orders are available now via the paid Amazon Associates link at the bottom of the review.
During my first year working in DVD quality control, one of the coolest things we worked on were the Warner Bros sets of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection. These things were a master class on the shorts, coming with great bonus material, conversations about racially insensitive material and more. Top to bottom, an entertainment and education in Looney Tunes. They were a hot item too and are now largely out of print. With Blu-ray, Bugs Bunny, Taz, Daffy Duck, Tweety, Wiley E. Coyote and the gang have been quite absent. Now, to celebrate the 80th birthday for Bugs Bunny, the first step has been made. In the Bugs Bunny: 80th Anniversary Collection, 60 original shorts have been restored proper to go with a new documentary, bonus cartoons and much more in this excellent box set from Warner Bros that includes an exclusive Funko Pop. Fans can only hope that maybe they take a character by character approach and a Daffy Duck or Roadrunner set could be on the horizon. This arrives December 1st and can be pre-ordered now from the paid Amazon Associates link below!
Rambo: The Complete SteelBook Collection may not be a necessity due to the double dipping nature of it all, but for the right fan it’s a very much appreciated way to house all the Rambo films on 4K Ultra HD Disc in 5 separate collectible steelbook arrangements within one hard shell vessel. Yes I know that was a long sentence. However, talking about Rambo movies makes me excited! The 5-movie set also comes with original art by some of today’s most celebrated illustrators (we’ll show you around in much more detail down below) featuring five uniquely designed steelbooks by Justin Erickson, Ken Taylor, Grzegorz Domaradzki, Vance Kelly, and John Guydo, housed in a large, custom SteelBook case. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that this the collection features all five action-packed Rambo films including First Blood, Rambo: First Blood Part II, Rambo III, Rambo, and Rambo: Last Blood. This was released on October 27th. We just got our review copy! And I’m very excited to show you all around. Read on! 
Yours truly has now covered the first season of HBO’s Westworld, also known as The Maze, on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray over 
It’s A Wonderful Life is almost 75 years old and continually remains a seminal holiday classic. Primarily, its connection to Christmas keeps it on most schedules come December in the United States. And, like clockwork, every year studios know how to repackage and rerelease it and others like it in new and exciting ways. Hence, last year saw the 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray debut of It’s A Wonderful Life from Paramount and this year brings us the steelbook version of those same discs in that set. And it actually tops last year’s release as it has the original poster art on the packaging and includes a poster. That’s pretty awesome in my book! It’s available on November 17th and you can pre-order it using the paid Amazon Associates link below.
There has been talk of a third Bill and Ted film for a long while. Even before the sweeping “bring back every franchise ever” stigma of Hollywood took full form. However, when it came time to actually make the film, it was looked upon with those lenses. Sure, greenlighting may have been easier, but the dream project from Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter has been envisioned long before it would have been forced. Unfortunately, Bill and Ted Face the Music had a bogus hand dealt to it in the year of the pandemic and had to suffice with going straight to video on demand for its release. However, its excellent reception may have more than made up for that. With a sigh of relief, I’m happy to see it getting a physical Blu-ray release (I’m weary sometimes of these digital only releases) and not too long after the premiere on digital. It arrived on November 10th, which means you can order it right now and have it within a matter of days!
Oddly, I Spit On Your Grave has gone from notorious cult horror film of the late 1970s to a full blown franchise film series in the last decade. It sat alone for 3 decades, but a 2010 remake wound up spawning 2 sequels. And then recently, the original director and star made a “true” sequel to the original. Five bloody, vengeful films now stand with the I Spit On Your Grave license. Ronin Flix is taking the original film and the most recent sequel and packaging them together with a brand new loaded limited edition that includes the documentary Growing Up With I Spit On Your Grave. There are new transfers and bonus features, including commentaries with the loveable, legendary Joe Bob Briggs. There are various bells in whistles (Video provided in the review) that come along with it as well. This new I Spit On Your Grave comes as an exclusive to the Ronin Flix website. A link below will take you there to order yourself this very fancy limited set.
Hot on the Hanna-Barbara train, Warner Bros Archive Collection is releasing Josie and the Pussycats: The Complete Series to Blu-ray. You’ll remember over the last few weeks we’ve seen Space Ghost and Dino Boy and The Flintstones complete series collections make the Blu-ray jump. Naturally, here come Josie and the Pussycats. Now, this is just the original run of the series and does no include any episodes from Josie and the Pussycats in Outer Space which was the show’s rebranded second year. These 16 episodes are on a 2-disc set and have a nice little pair of legacy bonus features intact. The release date for this was November 3rd, so you can order it right now from Warner Archive Collection or by using the paid Amazon Associates link following the end of the review. Here’s hoping they DO go forth and do the Outer Space season very soon.
Remember, remember the fifth of November. Warner Bros is also asking you this year to also remember, remember the third of November. That’s when they are releasing the very popular V For Vendetta onto 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray for the first time. The Natalie Portman-starring, Wachowski-produced adaptation of the popular graphic novel is getting a nice upgrade to a native 4K picture quality and dynamic Atmos sound. They’re not stopping there, as three new bonus features are being brought to home video for the first time. You get a new sit down conversation with producer Lana Wachowski and director James McTeigue, Natalie Portman’s audition tape and a vintage making of feature from around the time the film came out. There are also different editions of this release, but this review covers the standard one. V for Vendetta on 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray is available now and can be ordered using the paid Amazon Associates link below.
I really wanted to see Antebellum when it came out, but I wasn’t frisky enough to head to the drive-in and the price tag on the rental for something I knew I’d probably be reviewing in a few short months was a bit high. Nonetheless, here it is and on a 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray disc release nonetheless. Good things really come to those who wait. Lionsgate releases the film on November 3rd and its a surprisingly loaded with some quality bonus material (Feature length documentary) and Atmos sound. If you’re going to take it in at home, this is quite the way to be able to do so. The film has proven quite divisive, but trusted colleagues of mine have been on the minority end of it and loved the movie, so I’m optimistic going in. How’d it turn out? Well, you don’t usually find that out in the intro paragraph, but you’re not far from knowing. Its out now, and you can pre-order yourself a copy of this 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray edition of Antebellum by clicking the paid Amazon link following the review.
