Mon Mon Mon Monsters! (Blu-ray Review)
February 2nd, 2020 by Gerard Iribe
A group of classmates doing community service discover two flesh-eating creatures hiding in an old building. One of the creatures is able to escape, but they capture the other one, torturing her while trying to learn what she really is. It soon becomes clear that the first creature’s escape has dire consequences, as she hunts them down and stops at nothing to free her sister. Continue reading ‘Mon Mon Mon Monsters! (Blu-ray Review)’
As we all know, Doctor Sleep is the continued story of Danny Torrance, the tortured son of Jack in The Shining. We are following him on his own journey into the madness. What overtook his father once has lived in him for the last 40 years. There was a time when Danny couldn’t fight those frightening images. He was afraid to face those who tried to steal his shine. We learned a little bit about The Shining from Dick Halloran in the first film, but here, we get further in-depth on the subject. Just like this review! Look for far more on The Shining via Doctor Sleep, in stores this Tuesday.
Edward Norton’s second crack at directing makes its way home on Blu-ray sans any Oscar nominations but is nonetheless a solid adaptation of Jonathan Lethem’s award-winning novel. There are have been plenty of gumshoe detective tales in cinema. Some like Chinatown are masterworks, while too many are forgettable – like that one that with ‘Mulholland‘ in the title but not David Lynch under ‘directed by.’ A 4K release of a good-looking period tale would have been preferable. Still, this 2K transfer is no slouch for anyone who loved the film or even folks like me who were anxious to play catch up. The strong cast includes Alec Baldwin, Willem Defoe, Bruce Willis, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, and Norton himself as the lead. There’s corruption afoot, so let’s venture into a Motherless Brooklyn to see what a junior private investigator uncovers.
1981’s My Bloody Valentine first made its way onto Blu-ray to coincide with the Todd Farmer/Patrick Lussier remake of the same name. A Paramount film, Lionsgate put out that release, which included a never before seen uncut version of the film featuring footage thought to be lost forever. That version had since gone out of print and was going for astronomical prices on the secondary market. For those of you who missed out on it the first time, hopefully you held out and didn’t pay out the wahzoo for it, as Scream Factory will be bringing it back to Blu-ray via a brand new 2-disc Collector’s Edition. This updated release will feature 4K scans of both the theatrical and uncut versions, previously a deleted scenes/branching option, as well as a plethora of brand new interviews and director commentary. As one would expect, Scream Factory is wasting no opportunity with their new Paramount deal, and giving this film the rock star release it has always deserved. Fans can finally own or upgrade their old copy when My Bloody Valentine – Collector’s Edition arrives on February 11th. Just in time to crack open a Moosehead and enjoy with your bloody valentine.
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. 
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. 
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. 
