Archive for the 'Blu-ray Reviews' Category
September 15th, 2024 by Adam Toroni-Byrne
Vikings was immediately a Netflix juggernaut, that saw huge viewership and plenty of love from viewers and critics alike! Set 100 years after the final Vikings episode, we now have Vikings: Valhalla. The first season has debuted on Blu-ray just as the fourth and final season of the show is now available to enjoy! Does this sequel show have the stuff of the original? Read on below to find out!
Continue reading ‘Vikings: Valhalla (Season 1) (Blu-ray Review)’
August 19th, 2024 by Adam Toroni-Byrne
Planet of the Apes is a franchise that was revolutionary in 1968. Coming right at the time of 2001: A Space Odyssey, these films ushered in new ideas for science fiction and the world in the future as we’ve never seen before. In the years since, there have been 4 sequels to the original, a single remake in 2001, and then a new series beginning in 2011. The newest series has proven to be not only critically but commercially successful, giving new life to the franchise at large and renewing interest in the lore of Planet of the Apes. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes became a no-brainer hit for Disney this spring, and now it’s coming home on 4K UHD Blu-ray! Read more about the 10th installment to the Planet of the Apes franchise and don’t forget, the cover art at the end is your link to order yourself a copy of the film!
Continue reading ‘Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)’
August 12th, 2024 by Adam Toroni-Byrne
When we were first introduced to Furiosa in Mad Max: Fury Road, she gave our boy Max a run for his money. She could drive and fight and had so much to live for. She was an incredible hero in a world full of hoarders and crazies. She never gave up and she held her own running from Immortan Joe and his goons. But we didn’t know much about her, except that she came from The Green Place. Now, we have Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga to give us more insight into how she became the hero of the last film. Origin stories are either important building blocks to a cinematic universe, or they get things to crumbling. So where does Furiosa land in the Mad Max world? Find out below, and if you’re ready to ride on through Furiosa’s life after reading, please click the cover art below to buy your own copy of Furiosa!
Continue reading ‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (Blu-ray Review)’
August 12th, 2024 by Adam Toroni-Byrne
I’ve always found decades and eras to be fascinating. Times change and sometimes things come back from bygone eras. Some things stay way back where they belong. Bikers and their clubs are often timeless and the stories they no doubt have are all probably vast in how their lives unfold together. The Bikeriders, based on the book by Danny Lyon is a story based off of one of those clubs, albeit a fictional one. So, read more on the story of The Vandals below, and if you feel like taking a ride for yourself, click the 4K Blu-ray cover art to get your own copy of The Bikeriders.
Continue reading ‘The Bikeriders: Collector’s Edition (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)’
August 12th, 2024 by Adam Toroni-Byrne
Did you ever have an imaginary friend? I admittedly was never that much of an imaginative kid. I was far too rooted in reality. I pretended to believe in those particular holiday symbols. I gave up the sham about age 10. I don’t remember having an imaginary friend, and it was OK with me. But those that had them… what were they like? What did they provide you when you needed them? Do you remember when you stopped needing them? These are all points that become relevant to this film – IF. John Krasinski has made some great films in the first Quiet Place installments and here he tries his hand at a family film. What’s the result you say? Read on for more below and if your imaginative curiosity gets the best of you, be sure to click the cover art at the bottom to get a copy of IF on 4K UHD Blu-ray!
Continue reading ‘IF (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)’
August 12th, 2024 by Adam Toroni-Byrne
When you think about sports shows or films, how many of them do you recall being comedic? There are a few – White Men Can’t Jump or Bull Durham come to mind and not just because of the Ron Shelton connection. There aren’t a lot that go straight for the laugh though. When a show is serious about the sport it reflects on, there must not be room for laughs. That is, until we came to Ted Lasso. Jason Sudeikis and a game supporting cast have gone for the pitch and kicked an incredible goal. Now, after premiering and a series finale on AppleTV+, we get Ted Lasso on Blu-ray! Read on below to learn more about the show if you don’t know already and be sure to click the cover art at the end if you’re like me and you love to collect your favorite shows or films! It’s the Blu-ray way!
Continue reading ‘Ted Lasso: The Richmond Way (Complete Series Blu-ray Review)’
August 10th, 2024 by Aaron Neuwirth
It’s been twenty years since the August 2004 debut of Michael Mann’s thrilling neo-noir Collateral. While the film had previously been released on 4K UHD back in 2020, Paramount saw fit to re-release the film with a snazzy new steelbook edition. No, there has been no change to film in any other way, let alone any new features added. However, for anyone who does not already own the Oscar-nominated Tom Cruise/Jamie Foxx flick, there’s plenty to enjoy here. The film remains a well-crafted, cool display of Mann’s precision fitting on a tense, high-concept story. The unique-for-the-time filmmaking choices (shooting on digital) also meant seeing a film take a different visual approach, leading to some interesting results for the home release. But hey, make the best of it, improvise, adapt. Gotta roll with it.
– Continue reading ‘Collateral – 20th Anniversary Steelbook Edition (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)’
July 31st, 2024 by Adam Toroni-Byrne
Horror films have many tropes that get reused over time. We have seen slashers, ghosts and crazy mothers scaring audiences forever. We have also got the religious sect of horror. Classics like The Exorcist and The Omen have been a benchmark and a launch pad for franchises that pale in comparison to the original films. The Omen franchise has had some particularly bad entries since the 1976 film. The First Omen is a direct prequel to that film, and there’s been a very warm reception to the film despite not being a huge money maker this year. Read more on the newest Antichrist horror below. Don’t forget, to order yourself a copy of the film, please click the cover art at the end!
Continue reading ‘The First Omen (Blu-ray Review)’
July 29th, 2024 by Brian White
Rocky movies mean the world to me. I know…I know. I sound like a broken record the number times I have said this now. The Rocky films are sacred to me and have personally got me through some tough times in life, which I’ll elaborate on in a moment. However, is the price of admission here to get these films on the 4K UHD Disc format worth it? I think that’s the more relevant question to be addressed here. Truth be told when these were announced I didn’t even get excited especially after how botched up The Rocky Knockout Collection was last year (see HERE). I’ve been so disappointed with the quality of some of the catalog films I have seen recently on 4K Disc that I just wasn’t whet with anticipation here. But come on man! We’re talking Rocky Balboa. So let me do this. Let me set aside some of the problems I have with the last “Knockout” release for the moment and tell you about my love for the Rocky and now Creed film franchises. Deal? Don’t worry. We’ll get to any beefs I may have soon enough.
Continue reading ‘Rocky I-VI Ultimate Knockout Collection (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)’
July 27th, 2024 by Aaron Neuwirth
There are many great moments in Captain Phillips, the drama that recreates the true story of the hijacking of a container vessel by Somali pirates that took place in 2009, based on the memoir by Captain Richard Phillips and Stephan Talty. One moment that comes to mind is a look that Tom Hanks gives during an early part of the film. It is a simple acknowledgment of something pivotal happening to his ship, but he finds precisely the right way to do this with just an expression on his face. This is an actor who had been working for over 30 years and still found new ways to impress me. It’s a shame the film did not end up scoring an Oscar nomination for Hanks, among its other accolades. Still, this Paul Greengrass-directed thriller is not just anchored by a terrific lead performance. Here’s a film that presents a challenging situation, sustains a level of tension, and steers away from tackling any more than it needs to.
Continue reading ‘Captain Phillips (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)’
July 25th, 2024 by Adam Toroni-Byrne
We are seeing more films than ever based on the lives of iconic artists. As we know, some of them are very successful in laying out a streamlined story of an actor, singer or public figure’s life. But some is not all, and we’ve seen quite a few films take sharp left turns into something more mediocre. It was surprising to learn that Amy Winehouse was also getting a biopic treatment. News of the film being made and approaching release came back very quickly and then for US audiences the film came and went from the theater faster than we could head out to see it. Were audiences scared away by the previews? Was the film an unnecessary exercise in dramatizing Amy’s life? Or was it another one of those greatest hits type of biopics which retreads a story we already know. Find out more about Back To Black inside the review, and if you are wanting to add this new musical film to your collection, don’t forget to click the cover art at the end to order your copy!
Continue reading ‘Back To Black (Blu-ray Review)’
July 22nd, 2024 by Brian White
A long, long time ago I would watch The Fall Guy TV show each week with my dad. I secretly had a crush on Heather Thomas at a very young age. That bikini she wore in the opening credit sequence each week…ooh la la. The Fall Guy is also special to me because it’s the very first TV show I ever recorded on a VHS tape. We were poor growing up so one day my grandfather gave my dad a brand new VHS deck. I was over the moon. I couldn’t believe it. We went home later that evening and I recorded that night’s episode of The Fall Guy. I was so in awe of the fact that I could record something and watch it back any time that I think I viewed that episode three more times that very same evening. Therefore, one can kind of come to the conclusion that The Fall Guy was responsible for my love of home media products and technology. That sounds good to me! Continue reading ‘The Fall Guy (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)’
July 17th, 2024 by Adam Toroni-Byrne
We have seen some interesting new horror films this year. From the queer representation of I Saw the TV Glow to reboots of The Omen to the refresh of vampire horror in Abigail, horror fans have had something to savor. Tarot came and went quickly but made a few bucks in theaters. Now we have it on Blu-ray and Digital to check out at home. How are the scares within Tarot? The fortune couldn’t be clearer! Look on below for more in-depth on Tarot, and as always, don’t forget to click the cover art at the end to purchase a copy of Tarot!
Continue reading ‘Tarot (Blu-ray Review)’
July 13th, 2024 by Adam Toroni-Byrne
Horror films are like preschoolers. They’re likely to test your limits and may even make you scream. The analogy is my own and it hits home for me. In my day job as an early childhood educator, I find myself in this predicament especially at the beginning of a new school year. When I approached Abigail for the first time, I wondered if the story of a captive child in danger would test my patience or test my jump-scare readiness. Did I hide my face in horror or balk at the silliness of it all. Read more on Radio Silence’s newest scare show below, and don’t forget to click the cover art at the end to order yourself a copy of Abigail on Blu-ray! Ballerinas be damned!
Continue reading ‘Abigail (Blu-ray Review)’
July 13th, 2024 by Aaron Neuwirth
It was an absolute pleasure to review The Criterion Collection’s Blu-ray release of this film back in 2017, and now here we are again with the 4K UHD release. Jean-Pierre Melville’s Le Samouraï is one of a couple of films from this timeframe that brought a modern sense of cool to practically all the movies about contract killers, hitmen, and assassins that proceeded it (I would also look to Point Blank and Tokyo Drifter). Thanks to a blend of elegance, straightforward storytelling, well-handled tension, and pitch-perfect lead performance, Le Samouraï is a true masterpiece that skillfully blends 40s gangster/noir sensibilities and the evolving nature of 60s new wave cinema. Now on a 4K Blu-ray and presented in HDR, the film can be experienced and enjoyed on an even grander level.
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Continue reading ‘Le Samouraï – The Criterion Collection (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)’
July 10th, 2024 by Aaron Neuwirth
I often see films that seem to ooze a lot of cool and pizazz, regardless of substance, from directors I enjoy. My go-to example of this tends to be Steven Soderbergh and Ocean’s Eleven. What helps is how that film and others like it also have a collection of actors turning in solid work, even amid a story that is more about having a fun time. American Hustle, from director David O. Russell (Silver Linings Playbook, The Fighter), has this vibe. Loosely based on a story, it’s been about a decade since I last watched the film, but revisiting the film now on its new 4K UHD release, the confidence in the filmmaking remains, even if it really doesn’t add up to a whole lot.
– Continue reading ‘American Hustle (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)’
July 3rd, 2024 by Adam Toroni-Byrne
Chances are that if you’re at whysoblu.com, you know we are likely similar. I bet you have some sort of home theater setup and no doubt, you, like me, have been waiting for a 4K UHD Blu-ray release of Twister. That day has come and rejoice, because it’s a doozy. A real F5 if you will. Join Jo, Bill, Melissa and the gang for this still wild ride which finally gets the treatment it deserves! Be sure to order yourself a copy by clicking the cover art at the end of the review! Gale force winds can’t stop you!
Continue reading ‘Twister (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)’
July 3rd, 2024 by Aaron Neuwirth
After a couple of Venom films and a Morbius, Madame Web is the latest swing and a miss in Sony’s Spider-Man-less Spider-Man universe. Granted, Tom Hardy has pulled in high numbers with his wild take on Eddie Brock, and who knows, maybe the upcoming Kraven the Hunter will spin this web of missed opportunities in a more vital direction. However, as it stands, for all the merit that could come with a film designed to be relatively standalone and focused on strong female characters that would ideally appeal to a teen girl audience, missing the mark in so many ways does no one any favors, and likely keeps Peter Parker swinging in a different direction.
– Continue reading ‘Madame Web (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)’