Dirty Rotten Scoundrels – Collector’s Edition (Blu-ray Review)
Shout! Factory is continuing their love of Steve Martin with a Collector’s Edition release of another one of his classic comedies, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. This famed 80s comedy classic teams him up with acting legend Michael Caine for some devious hijinx. The film also marks the second live action film directed by the legendary Frank Oz. And if I’m not mistaken, the first more straightforward film of his featuring human and no real puppetry. Shout! Factory has put this under its Shout Select line and is giving the film a brand new 2K transfer to go along with a new interview from the film’s writer. You’ll be able to pre-order this now to have it for release date on January 22nd.
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If I didn’t know any better, I’d think this was a movie about the first “caveman” given its “primitive” sounding title. I know that’s a complete stretch, but for some reason First Man came as a surprise to me. I initially knew nothing about it, but given the success and my adoration of 2016’s 
Disney has its share of high profile box office bombs, too, ya know. Notably this year, Solo: A Star Wars Story sadly couldn’t huff it as a more straightforward classic adventure in a galaxy far far away. The fairy tales/princess live action updates also can have their share of troubles, too. I’m sure some will argue this one doesn’t count, but The Nutcracker And The Four Realms seems like an attempt at that kind of big time modern update. It wound up getting beaten in the bicycle race by the fat bottomed girl that was Bohemian Rhapsody. Although now this holiday treat will find its way home on 4K Ultra-HD where it can hopefully find a second life as a seasonal tradition. You can pre-order a copy below to have for 2019’s end of the year December watch on January 29th. Prepare yourselves, for these nuts are about to crack!
Hot off my Top 10 films of 2018 list, here comes the Blu-ray debut of Luca Gudagino’s reimaging of Dario Argento’s Italian horror masterpiece, Suspiria starring Tilda Swinton and Dakota Johnson. Yes, the original is a masterpiece. Who in the world would have thought that they would counter it with another masterpiece and such a unique and very different take on the material. But, this Suspiria is not for everyone (Many probably would argue the first isn’t either, but I’d argue its far more accessible than this one). The film, an Amazon Studios production, had some festival shows and a smaller release following Halloween last year and to no surprise, didn’t rake in all the dough. Luckily, I was able to catch it in the theater, but many weren’t that fortunate or just didn’t want to make a huge drive. Now, everyone will get to see this divisive piece of art when it comes to Blu-ray (Boo! I wanted a 4K Ultra-HD!) on January 29th. Pre-order from Amazon using the link below. 
Every couple years, Scream Factory seems to dip its toes into the werewolf franchise pool that is The Howling. They’ve now released the original film in 2 different editions and the batshit crazy sequel that I love, The Howling II: Your Sister Is A Werewolf. Now they are going forth with the third film, frequently subtitled “The Marsupials”. I’m sure if this one does rather well, they may go fourth (wink) with another. Howling III is one I think they’ve had distribution rights for a little while now. And believe it or not, its not the first time its been on Blu-ray. BUT, its the first time being properly presented. The previous Timeless Media “trilogy” release of (III, V and VI…trilogy…okay) had the film in a 4×3 image that had to be a VHS rip. Now we are getting it done right, with a new commentary, interview, old interviews…but the real question is…will any of it make the film any better? Find out for yourself by pre-ordering a copy to have on release day, January 15th. 
While franchise horror made a big sandwich in September and October with slices of The Nun and Halloween dominating the box office, a little original slasher popped up in between them. While playing for a good stretch, Hell Fest never really took off the way many genre fans wanted it to. While it looks to be a profitable venture, it just cleared over 11 million in box office take (Budget was only 5.5 million). Maybe people were just okay with waiting for Halloween and not interested in wetting their slasher appetites with a an appetizer in the meantime, but as a slasher fan, I’m hoping for more of these to pop up. Here’s to them being supported. This will likely be seen more on home video and streaming. Speaking of which, its getting a Blu-ray release on January 8th!
One title that I’d also forgotten for many years when making my Brandon’s Blu-ray Wishlist articles was Screamers starring Peter Weller and Jennifer Rubin, based off of one of Philip K. Dick stories. I’d actually finally kept it noted to put on the next one and the Scream Factory went ahead and beat me to it. You never got to see the list Screamers, but know that you were always on my mind, just to be remember shortly after posting each year’s list. Well, the time has come and while its not getting a Collector’s Edition from Scream Factory, it IS getting some love. Plenty of it with some brand new interviews and a reversible cover. This forgotten 1990s thrillers was released just a year before Scream and I had always wondered why they wanted to call Scream “Scream” when this film with a similar title in the horror genre had just come out the year before. But, alas, we all know that not many saw this and it didn’t really matter. You’ll be able to pre-order this one now for when it arrives on Blu-ray January 29th. 
Bad Times At The El Royale was one of those movies that evaded me during its theatrical run in 2018. Try as I might there was never a good time to check it out. I regret not doing so having seen the film on many Top 10 lists as of late, but like always in life I digress. When it was initially announced for a 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release I took solace in the fact knowing I was going to experience Bad Times At The El Royale for the first time in its finest presentation possible. I mean what more can you ask for, right? So here we are. It’s the beginning of 2019 and with it we have on our first 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray releases, Bad Times At The El Royale on the format of choice here. Let’s take a closer look below at not only how everything looks and sounds on this 4K disc, but also how it was the first time around for me. Here’s to me for popping my Bad Times At The El Royale cherry!
Charles Bronson has previously appeared in a Scream Factory release via one of the films included in a Vincent Price set as well as Shout! Factory having released a special edition of Death Wish II. So, he’s no stranger, as are Cannon Films, which can be the bread and butter of independent labels. One of the most popular releases from the distributor Twilight Time was that of the slasher-meets-Charles Bronson film from Cannon called 10 To Midnight. Its in the vault of sold out titles there. Obviously rights are only for a limited amount of time for a boutique label and those have run out. Scream Factory is now taking 10 To Midnight, giving it Collector’s Edition status AND providing a new 4K transfer of the film from the original camera negative. So, if you’ve owned it before, they are doing their best to make you not even hesitate to retire that old edition. You can pre-order your replacement now to have for its release on January 22nd. 
Decades later, it feels the films of Amercian director Brian De Palma are rightfully be reanalyzed and more are finding the appreciation in his work. Long thought to be just a guy who kept knocking off Hitchcock, we’ve come around to see him for his own enhancements and volition, an extension of Hitchcock and fantastic filmmaker in his own right. Why not borrow or utilize the work of the best. Heck, the stuff De Palma was doing then is something we discover or appreciate filmmakers for doing in our modern climate. In terms of caring Blu-ray releases, his catalog in the US seems to be split between Shout! Factory and Criterion. Scream Factory has done Phantom of the Paradise and Carrie previously, and now will be adding the almost forgotten film in his oeuvre, Obsession, on January 15th. It will feature a couple new interviews and is available for pre-order to have when it releases. 
Scream Factory is continuing on its promise to dive into the Hammer catalog and release us some swell editions of these classics that seem to be lacking in representation in the US. Last month, they opened up the gates with a release of Dracula: Prince of Darkness that seemed to have a mixed reaction in terms of what version of the film people thought looked “better” but also revealing that some of these probably aren’t in the best condition with their elements. Here in January, The Plague of the Zombies is finally seeing a release here in the United States. This zombie film predates Romero’s genre game-changing Night of the Living Dead and is considered by many to be one of the most essential and seminal films in the Hammer Horror catalog. Boasting a restored audio track, a still gallery and World of Hammer episode, the rest of the release looks to be similar to the previous UK Studio Canal Blu-ray. You can get your hands on this one by pre-ordering a copy, which is being released on January 15th. 
Gillian Flynn’s written work came to light and broke out when David Fincher adapted her novel Gone Girl, which opened to major success back in 2014. The Rosamund Pike/Ben Affleck/Carrie Coon thriller was THE adults get a babysitter flavor of the season. Now, HBO has taken another of her works, the novel Sharp Objects, and turned it into a mini-series starring Amy Adams and Patricia Clarkson. The series ran to great acclaim back in the summer of 2018. You can bring home Sharp Objects today as the eight-episode limited series is now available for Digital Download, and Blu-ray™ and DVD (It released November 27th of 2018, but we are a bit behind on it). The “haunting and riveting” (The Hollywood Reporter) series is directed by Jean-Marc Vallée (HBO’s “Big Little Lies”) and created by Marti Noxon (“Dietland”). The Digital Download, Blu-ray™ and DVD will include an exclusive*, never-before-seen feature showcasing the creation of the fictional town of Wind Gap. 
Back in 1999, I was pretty psyched for 8MM as it was the follow up film from the writer of Seven. Its well known the film Andrew Kevin Walker and David Finher delivered back in 1995 and there weren’t many like it. 8MM promised to deliver some kind of spiritual sequel to it. When it arrived, I found myself pretty satisfied with the film. In fact, the Joel Schumacher film that followed Batman & Robin was one of the first DVDs I ever purchased for my collection. Since, it’s never seen a Blu-ray upgrade. Thirteen long years later, the film is finally arriving, not because Warner Bros finally got there, but thanks to Scream Factory’s interest in putting it out. It carries over the previous bonus material and adds a nice new Joel Schumacher interview to tack on. You’ll be able to watch (If you can) when the film finally hits the shelves of your favorite virtual retailer on January 8th. 
One of the more buzzed about shows in the streaming world for the year of 2018 was the Hulu original program called Castle Rock. This marked a merging of sorts between legendary writer Stephen King and film and television directing and producing savant JJ Abrams. Castle Rock promised to be a sort of singular town all built around things found in the written works of Stephen King. The show has already been renewed for a second season on the streaming giant, but its unknown when that season will have its premiere. The first season had a late July one, so that could still be in the cards for the show’s sophomore season. In the meantime, Warner Bros is releasing the Hulu show onto 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray on January 8th. This is a smart move as many King collectors will want to have it in an forma of physical ownership and not a licensing agreement that could change on a whim. 
For the 40th anniversary of his original killing spree on Halloween night in Haddonfield, Illinois in 1978, Michael Myers returned to theaters bigger than ever. Backed by Blumhouse, scored by John Carpenter and starring Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode, director David Gordon Green along with Danny McBride and Jeff Fradley once again set forth a new timeline for the longtime slasher series. Everything obviously sold on being the film people wanted to see, as this 2018 Michael Myers/Laurie Strode Halloween story became the biggest Halloween movie ever and one of the highest grossing horror films of a all time. Now, and quickly I must add, Universal is unmasking the 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray of the film to start off the new year. You can ensure yourself a copy of The Shape’s latest trail of brutally murdered bodies by pre-ordering from the Amazon link below to have when it releases on January 15th, 2019. It’s Halloween, everyone’s entitled to one good copy! 
You know that old saying don’t judge a book by its cover? Well that’s exactly what I did here with 2018’s Kevin Hart comedy Night School. I thought the trailer looked putrid and I honestly wanted nothing to do with ever seeing the film. Evidently the rest of my team shares those sentiments as when I received this title no one was clamoring to do the needful with. Therefore, I thought I was taking one for the team. What shocked me though is what I really found was a good time. The comedy I wanted nothing to do with won me over. Now don’t get ahead of me. It’s not going to win any movie of the year prizes or anything like that. However, unlike the majority of critics out there I found Night School to not only be above average, but one that I’m stoked about adding to my personal home media collection for future viewings of. 
2017 and 2018 have felt like the 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray format has been embracing and enjoying bringing us the back catalog of one Steven Spielberg. His latest films, The Post and Ready Player One, hitting the format right away of course, but we are getting the classics too, from all eras be it Close Encounters of the Third Kind or Jurassic Park. This year has also given us both films that have landed him his Best Director Academy Award wins. Capping off the year, we are being given the 4K Ultra-HD debut of the multiple Oscar winning (Including Best Picture) masterpiece about the Holocaust, Schindler’s List. The film was made available on the last new release Tuesday, December 18th, of the year and can be ordered by clicking the Amazon link below. 
For 50 years, Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey has blown away audiences and inspired some of our biggest and best films and filmmakers. In celebration of this milestone, front by Christopher Nolan, the film was restored and rereleased in IMAX theaters to commemorate the occasion. Its amazing that a film from 1968 was already perfect for the format and could make such an easy transition, but that is the genius and master stroke that is the film that escalated Stanley Kubrick from very good filmmaker to legend overnight. Warner Bros is also not hesitating and bringing it to the best possible home presentation when it released the film on December 18th to the 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray format. Originally slated for October 30th, the released suffered from a couple delays for reasons I’m not sure of, but if something’s going to be great, its always worth the wait (And indeed this one was). Don’t hesitate, order yourself a copy from the Amazon link below. 
