Kwaidan [Masters of Cinema] (Blu-ray Review)
April 27th, 2020 by Gerard Iribe
Winner of the Special Jury Prize at Cannes, Kwaidan features four nightmarish tales adapted from Lafcadio Hearn’s classic Japanese Ghost Stories about mortals caught up in forces beyond their comprehension when the supernatural world intervenes in their lives: “The Black Hair”, “The Woman of the Snow”, “Hoichi the Earless”, and “In a Cup of Tea”. Breathtakingly photographed entirely on hand-painted sets, the film is an abstract wash of luminescent colors from another world. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present the complete 183-minute original Japanese cut of Masaki Kobayashi s masterpiece on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK. Continue reading ‘Kwaidan [Masters of Cinema] (Blu-ray Review)’
Paramount is launching into a pretty exciting new endeavor and keeping us home video collecting enthusiasts relieved that some studios are putting some effort behind catalog titles. With the newly minted Paramount Presents line, the brand is promising collectible packaging, new bonus features and new transfers of classic films from all eras of their storied studio’s career. The Elvis Presley starring film King Creole will be making its debut on the Blu-ray format with this new home video brand. Directed by the famed Michael Curtiz (Casablanca, Robin Hood and many MANY more), this is exactly the type of film collector’s were potentially hoping to see more from on this line – catalog titles still hanging out in the vault collecting dust and still only being offered on outdated DVDs. Well, fear no more Elvis and Michael Curtiz fans, here comes King Creole! The Paramount Presents line launched on April 21st, and you can order King Creole now using the Amazon Associates link below. 
I have recently reviewed the new Paramount Presents Blu-ray of Alfred Hitchock’s 1955 film To Catch A Thief starring Grace Kelly and Cary Grant. For that release, Paramount has presented the film with a new 4K transfer. Said transfer is quite different and had some work done on it and some very notable differences as I mentioned in my review. For this one, I thought I’d go a step further and show a screencap comparison of the 2 editions to potentially illustrate the differences and to help you in deciding which one you would most prefer. As I mentioned, I’m sure there are those more happy with the more polished/scrubbed look of the new release. Personally, I’m of preference to the original color timing and grain-present look of the original. Click on to see my screen shots from similar shots of the 2 editions. Let me know in the comments which you like better. 
I’ve been digging what Blake Lively has been serving up for the most part the last few years. Highlights of such efforts include The Shallows and I absolutely LOVE A Simple Favor. I can’t say I know what she’s offered on a regular basis in terms of parts, but she seems to be carving a path out for herself with interesting parts and genres, showcasing an array of range and entertainment. It almost feels a bit Jake Gyllenhaal-like in a way. A sort of “I don’t care if everyone sees them or not, I just want interesting roles and interesting movies” kinda thing. Her latest comes from EON Productions (Famous for James Bond), and it was an absolute critical failure and box office disaster this past January. Those sort of things won’t keep me from seeing it and forming my own opinion, but are certainly cause for some hesitation going in. The Rhythm Section is scheduled to release from Paramount on Blu-ray April 28th, but as with what is going on in the world right now, that could easily push back a bit. 
Guy Ritchie has returned to form. For us that means a crime caper! The Gentlemen is just that. Foul language, violence, ridiculous amounts of money and a lot of twists to keep you guessing. Just what we’ve been waiting for through some not so great experiments. Read on about Ritchie, his film and the tech specs below! The Gentlemen is available on April 21st, so feel free to click the paid link at the bottom to order a copy!
For science fiction television buffs, one of the biggest events of all time was the 1983 NBC broadcast of the mini-series simply titled V. The show was high on production values, suspense, ideals and metaphors. It has gone on to see cult acclaim and a strong fandom resulting in a follow up mini-series, a full television season, books, comic books, video games, a rebooted series in 2009 and plenty more. Back in October, the Warner Archive Collection released the original 2-part mini-series on Blu-ray for the first time. Now, on April 14, they are following up and bringing the 3-part sequel mini-series V: The Final Battle to Blu-ray to complete the original story’s output. Starring the likes of genre familiars like Marc Singer, Michael Ironside, Robert Englund and Sarah Douglas, V continues to reflect, age well and impress even by today’s higher standards. Back when TV movies and mini-series meant something and had more backing behind it, V was one of the very best. Now you can own the action-packed conclusion, V: The Final Battle on Blu-ray.
Tiffany Haddish and Rose Byrne have both been steady contributors to comedy films over the last decade. Routinely we can count on them to make us laugh even if the films themselves aren’t great. They both bring something to the table as far as singular joy and consistently light up the screen when they’re on! Seeing ads for Like A Boss I knew a few things: One, even if no one had seen the film it would draw comparison to Bridemaids and Girls Trip, their best films respectively; Two, despite the comparison, the film would be ripped to shreds by critics; and Three, audiences wouldn’t go see it regardless. Right down to the comparisons to their other films, I was right. Read my thoughts on Like A Boss below and be sure to click the paid Amazon link below to grab a copy of the film which is available on 4/21!
Will Smith and Tom Holland team up in Spies in Disguise. The film was the first non-Disney/Pixar animated film since the big acquisition. This particular cartoon journey is centered in a super-cool spy situation. Will Smith’s super spy has a doppelganger on his hands… How does he clear his name and still stay hidden… Duh… Disguise! But… Does the film go for the gold, or does it come in dead last? Read in depth below, and check for a paid purchase link afterwards to grab a copy for yourself!
It saddens me to say, but quite possibly my largest blind spot in the Academy Award nominated films from 2019 was Greta Gerwig’s new adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women. Gerwig’s Lady Bird was one of my absolute favorite films of 2017 and (Like her acting output) I’ll see anything she directs. Unfortunately, for personal reasons, the holiday season wasn’t the easiest time for me to get out and see a movie this past season. I am very excited to finally be seeing it via Blu-ray for this review. I don’t know why Sony has opted to shaft it on getting a 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray release, but here we are. They have supplied it with a nice chunk of featurettes (But no commentary) which is nifty. If you are really itching for the 4K Ultra-HD presentation, infuriatingly it IS available that way via streaming for purchase and on-demand rental. This standard Blu-ray edition of the film will be available on April 7th, though I don’t know delivery for it will be getting to people by then (Hopefully it does!). You can roll the dice on that using the Amazon Associates link below if you’re feeling lucky!
Robert Downey Jr. returns after his epic demise in Endgame with a little family movie reimagining Dr. Doolittle. Rex Harrison’s first incarnation remains the one to beat, despite being dated. Eddie Murphy had a nice retread that worked for me in the 90’s but which wore off considerably as an adult. Does RDJ save the storied history of the doc who can talk to the animals? Or is it just as bad as you read it was?
One of 2017’s big surprises was Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle. It featured a fun concept, different from the original with humorous angle for its cast that absolutely nailed it. Even more surprising was hold well it was able to do so well alongside box office juggernaut Star Wars: The Last Jedi as well as the leggy The Greatest Showman. Holiday 2017 seasons was one prosperous time for the accountants at the studios as they counted all them big bucks for these movies. Obviously as sequel was an easy conclusion and it arrived just 2 years later with its victory lap in the form of Jumanji: The Next Level, also a substantial hit film at the box office. That film is on the 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray format, which you should definitely go and purchase. But for today, we’ll be talking about the standard Blu-ray version of the film and how it fares on the edition for the outdated format. Pre-order below if you’d like, and know that it is linked to an Amazon Associates account.
Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker gave us the finale of the Skywalker saga of the Star Wars Universe. Though ultimately that’s primarily been the crux of the whole thing, we’ll likely be seeing spin-offs and new efforts finding themselves even more separate from it as time wages onward for the Disney Lucasfilm investment. Perhaps a lot of streaming television programming is the majority of it, with The Mandalorian going over very well as a Cassian Andor and Obi-Wan Kenobi pair of series set to arrive in the future. As far as feature films, the allure of a Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, or Kylo Ren focused films are pretty much now in the rearview. And your collections will all find themselves complete one the ninth and “final” episode of the saga finds its way to your shelves on March 31st. It will be available in many different standalone versions and also as a part of the Skywalker Saga box set that includes all nine Star Wars episodes.
The Munsters or The Addams Family? What kind of a household are you? How about you can love and enjoy both of them! Its crazy how we had multiple horror based sitcoms at the same time, but here we are. Both were pretty popular too and pop culture staples. Scream Factory is taking on the feature film from The Munsters, aptly titled Munster, Go Home! And I got to hand it to them, they created quite a bit of excitement for me when they unveiled the special features for this that included a commentary not just with Butch Patrick, but also dragging Rob Zombie along for the ride. That might be the most exciting thing I’m looking forward to on this release. They also have included the TV film The Munsters’ Revenge, so its pretty much a double feature disc. Quite a fun release that other studios might not have done so much with. You’ll be able to collect this one when it arrives…well…during these times I’d say its safer to say “online”…March 31st!
