Shutter Island – Limited Collector’s Edition Steelbook (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)
While it feels a lot longer to me than just a mere 10 years Shutter Island has always held a warm spot in my heart. Both the book and movie adaptation brought to us by Martin Scorsese managed to thrill and excite me. Truth be told I just revisited the film on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray this past summer by acquiring an Australian import of it. I don’t know why, but I didn’t think Paramount would ever deliver a U.S. release. Obviously I was so wrong. If I would have just had a little patience, I could have saved myself some bones last year. However, I digress. Shutter Island is officially on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray in the U.S. and I couldn’t be happier! Let’s discuss the film and pertinent specifics down below. Continue reading ‘Shutter Island – Limited Collector’s Edition Steelbook (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)’
Harriet Tubman seems to never be noticed for the sacrifices and struggles she sustained through. Harriet was a woman of great strength and perseverance; whose resilience saw her become one of the greatest civil rights heroes of all time. Her story is told here through Kasi Lemmons’ ever solid direction. The story takes us on a wild and occasionally tense ride through the story of The Underground Railroad and as mere passengers, we too are just as drawn into the story. Check out more in-depth below on Harriet which arrives in stores this Tuesday!
Despite not being all too popular, Disney’s Maleficent still wrangled up three quartets of a billion dollars back in 2014 and Angelina Jolie’s look and take on the character became visually iconic instantly. A sequel was pretty much just playing with (Mouse) house money and it was a go. Seen as a disappointment at the box office, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil was liked by (Online accounted for) audiences more and wound up still crossing half a billion dollars worldwide. Forbes’ Scott Mendelson would refer to this as Angelina Jolie’s second “Tomb Raider trap”, or may she was clearly taking it back or telling others to simply get off of her palace lawn. Doubtful it is that we will see Maleficent: Season of the Witch any time soon, as I’m sure Disney will take the money and run with this one. Thankfully Disney still sees the correct path of bringing Maleficent: Mistress of Evil to home video with a 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray release, available now (Link below is from a paid Amazon Associates account).
One of my favorite films of 2009, doubling as one of my favorite undead films as well, was Ruben Fleischer’s Zombieland. Back then, I was hoping and hoping for a sequel, but so many years passed that when it was announced they were finally doing it ten years later, my excitement was pretty middling (Though, I enjoyed the trailer). Oddly enough, people were actually pretty excited to return to the comedic land of zombies as the film almost even with the original and improving international numbers for a bigger global take. You’d think this had been bigger, more heard about a success story, but it came and went pretty quietly. Perhaps we will get a Zombieland: Triple Tap in 2029. But, for now, we can relive Zombieland: Double Tap on 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, and DVD (released January 21, 2020) as it is available now. Ordering from the link below should be noted that it is from a paid Amazon Associates account.
I was a bit too young when Body Parts, the latest Scream Factory vintage horror release, came out in theaters to be fully aware of it. I mostly remember the VHS box art and it being a rental house staple. Kind of rightfully so, as the movie didn’t really make a squeak at the box office in 1991. However, I was aware of Jeffrey Dahmer, like everyone else, in 1991. Eric Red’s Body Parts slightly tied into that apparently as it was required to remove billboards in Wisconsin after the Dahmer’s dismembered bodies were found under his home. The film is seeing its first Blu-ray release, thanks again to Scream Factory’s recent ability to dive into the Paramount catalog. And this one is loaded with some new interviews to go with the new presentation as well. It’ll arrive on January 28, and you can purchase it from Shout Factory’s website or by using the Amazon link following the review (Which is a paid Amazon Associates account link).
2019 saw the return of one of the first American families of horror; The Addams Family (The other being The Munsters). It marked their return after a 21 years absence (Canadian TV Show The New Addams Family and direct-to-video sequel Addams Family Reunion both in 1998), and the first feature film in theaters since 1993’s Addams Family Values (The BEST one!). This new take with old flavor on the Addams’ found itself to be somewhat of a decent hit at the box office and almost cleared $100 million domestically alone. Unfortunately, Universal has forgone releasing a 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray of the film, settling on just your standard Blu-ray. They are also restricting the digital copy code to being an iTunes-only exclusive (Blech). The film releases on Tuesday, January 21s, which you can pre-order using our paid Amazon link following the review if you so desire.
Scream Factory is wasting no time with the Paramount catalog being open and delivering the goods right off the bat. Obvious choices like April Fool’s Day and Escape From LA headline the new territory, but 1971’s Let’s Scare Jessica To Death is another obvious no-brainer choice. Perhaps you’ve not heard of it, but the film has had a healthy life as a cult classic, always under the scope of re-analyzing and constant discovery. Now, that discovery can be found on the glorious Blu-ray format. Reverend Entertainment provides some brand new extras to pad out the release, including an interview with the composer, historian Kim Newman and a commentary with the film’s director, John Hancock. There is even a featurette that toggles back and forth between the visual locations of the film and what they look like now. The cult classic psychological vampire movie is now up for pre-order (You can use our paid link at the bottom if you choose), arriving January 28th.
Terminator: Dark Fate is both a movie that never needed to be made nor one that I wanted made. I never even bothered to see it theatrically. Surprise, surprise, right? There was absolutely nothing about the trailer that appealed to me. NOTHING. I say that because I embarrassingly judged a book by its cover so to speak.
Now nominated for an Academy Award in the category that kind of feels like a grand victory for this little film, The Lighthouse has arrived on Blu-ray. It released on January 7th (My review copy came afterward) and hopefully will be one seen by those who didn’t have the luxury of it playing in a theater near them. This beautiful black and white film has been hailed as a modern masterpiece by many and it comes from Robert Eggers who delivered another film many like to tout the M-word with, The Witch. The Blu-ray has a short-list of extras, but they all provide a quality intake. The Lighthouse is not for everyone, but is the kind of unique, original, bold, challenging cinema many claim they are wanting nowadays. Whether you’re a fan or you want to take a nice chance, you can do so by ordering it from the (Paid associates account) Amazon link below. 
On February 11 Scream Factory will release the much anticipated My Bloody Valentine [Collector’s Edition]. Stacked with new bonus features including a new 4K scan and interviews with cast and crew, this is a collector’s must-have. Customers ordering directly from ShoutFactory.com will receive a limited edition deluxe offer that includes an exclusive 18″ X 24″ rolled poster featuring brand new artwork, a second exclusive 18″ x 24″ rolled poster featuring alternative new artwork, and an exclusive slipcover featuring alternative new artwork. (Only 2,000 will be made available.)
Ang Lee’s Gemini Man is probably one of the most noble box office disappointments of 2019. The Will Smith action-thriller couldn’t really sell itself for what it truly was, and merely came off looking like merely a “Hey, look at old Will Smith vs young Will Smith” de-aging movie. The real selling point isn’t the effects or the story, but in how that story was told. Unfortunately, theaters weren’t really equipped to show the trailer at the frame rate with which the film would play (And your theater had to be properly saddled with a projector to pull it off as well). For those who are locked in to the 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray technology, you’ll be able to sample it in such a way when it arrives for owning on January 14th. Are you curious about this high frame rate method, against it, for it? Take a look at the review, check out the film and let us know in the comments.
Well, this will be your final Blu-ray review coverage from me here on Why So Blu as the show came to its end in 2019. It took awhile to turn this one around to home video to the point where I had actually forgotten about it or just written it off as HBO not caring. I breathed a sigh of relief once this was actually announced. I breathed another sigh of relief when it was revealed that it would be coming out on Blu-ray. After what HBO did with Silicon Valley last year, I was scared that they would short change us and go DVD-only for VEEP’s swan song season. This one will provide the slim offerings as HBO has been doing the past couple of years with home video, but I’m thankful its even getting that. You’ll be able to pick this up or pre-order it to have when it arrives on January 14th.
Yes, I’m in the same boat as you. Why is this not a 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray release, Paramount? Us collectors don’t care for your boasting of 4K Ultra-HD streams to “own”. At least the new transfers are being used for the Blu-rays on this new set that also includes some “new” extras for the taking (Stuff culminated from old interviews). Its hard for people to remember now, but Beverly Hills Cop was one of the biggest movies ever in the 1980s and its box office success was an absolute phenomenon. Seriously, go back and track it and see how many times it was #1 and how long it stayed (And returned) to the Top 10 for 1984 through 1986 (Well, Box Office Mojo sucks now, so it might be more difficult now that I think of it). Pretty stunning for this little action comedy. Its the movie that solidified Eddie Murphy as a superstar and rolled out 2 sequels (And a fourth that maybe someday gets made). The three movies will be landing on Blu-ray January 14th and are already currently on digital with their new restorations. 
Warner Bros. has delivered a 4K disc that might be the best comic book movie home release of all time in terms of visual and audio clarity. Fans of Todd Phillips’ anti-superhero one-off (well, for now) can rejoice as the $1 billion grosser is finally ready for its 4K close-up. Dolby Vision showcases amazing HDR, from the streets of Gotham to Anytown U.S.A. For newcomers, now is the time to check out Joaquin Phoenix’s Golden Globe-winning performance. As for myself, I was curious to see if this Joker would hold up a second time. I was a fan when it opened last October but haven’t thought about it since. Should Arthur start booking gigs at The Improv and The Comedy Store? Did he finally get the last laugh?
