Reign Of The Supermen (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)
January 25th, 2019 by Brandon Peters
After being more than pleasantly surprised with last year’s The Death of Superman movie from the DC Animated Universe, Reign of the Supermen has become hotly anticipated for me. This is the second half of the story and after seeing the care crafted in the first half, you must be eager to see these four Supermen brought to life via the trusted hands of the DCAU. Once again, they are going all in here with the 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray format for a DCAU movie, which we know how that goes. But if you want the best you can grab, then you’ll be able to pick it up when it releases on the format on January 29th in stores and online.
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The first Goosebumps film with Jack Black took everyone quite by surprise a few years ago. It was a family horror film that wound up actually being really well done and had us all welcoming a sequel. Said sequel arrived in 2018, which had much less involvement from Jack Black this time around, trying to make a go of it without his presence almost. Marketing didn’t reveal his actual being part of the cast until much late in the game (Probably to not confuse with House With A Clock In Its Walls). Unfortunately it didn’t do as well as its predecessor but hopefully they’ll give a third film a go as I’d like see a kid’s horror franchise prosper. So many young people will have this as their gateway inspiration to check out more of the genre. Its available now on 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray for you to purchase from the Amazon link below! 
I kid you not, I absolutely love Sylvester Stallone’s Cobra. Its the most ridiculously over the top, dark and grimey 80s cop action/thriller you’ll ever find. The film both rocks and is one of the craziest things you’ll ever see in your life. Scream Factory giving the film a Collector’s Edition is both one something I never saw coming and something that excited me at the very same time. It’d actual make for a perfect double feature with another Collector’s Edition Scream Factory did this month in the Charles Bronson film 10 To Midnight. Unsurprisingly, both carry the Cannon Films motif on them. Cobra will feature some new interviews and scan for this release, which you can pick up at any time as it was release on the 22nd of January. Ordering is made super easy when you scrolling on through (After reading, please) and click the Amazon link at the bottom. So kick back with an original Coors, order a pizza cut by way of the scissor and watch one of the most entertaining Sylvester Stallone films ever made. 
While boasting a notable male cast and being in the heat of the pure action movie golden age, Stephen Hopkin’s Judgment Night didn’t really take off in theaters and wound up a $12 million dollar kinda also-ran, if even considered a small hit. Where I think this film did its business and became memorable was in being a hot rental title. Everyone seemed to have this one and Emilio Estevez was a pretty big name at this time to make one curious to check it out. Warner Archive Collection is giving the film its due by putting it out onto Blu-ray this month. Its a title that seemed to be on many’s wishlists over the last couple years and they can finally own this upgrade. Judgment Night is available for order now, and you can use the Amazon link below to own it. 
The Millennium series is a property that studio heads just really want to see take off in the United States for some reason. Deriving from acclaimed books and the Swedish film/TV-miniseries starring Noomi Rapace, the US debuted the high profile David Fincher helmed The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo to an underwhelming box office and put a cap on what appeared to be a surefire signed off and done trilogy. With years away, they’ve decided to make what hasn’t been done before, the fourth book that keeps key player Lisbeth Salander in focus and see what could go from there. Unfortunately, more lukewarm reviews and a box office bomb. Perhaps this could make for a good Netflix or Prime original movie series instead? Anyway, you can check it out for yourself on Blu-ray when it hits February 5th! 
A pretty big sign of the times changing in home media is perfectly exemplified by this 30th Anniversary Edition release of When Harry Met Sally from Shout! Factory. What was once a sure fire, A-catalog title, easy seller (Even in an upgraded form) has now been sub-licensed and outsourced to an independent “boutique” label. Not a bad thing at all, I love Shout! Factory and am happy to see them land a title like this, but When Harry Met Sally at one time probably would have received a “Hell no” reply from a major studio had it even been inquired upon. But, now, it can be given more care and improvement than even the big studios might have even considered. Already receiving high marks, our review is finally here and you can pick it up by ordering a copy below! 
In the early days, the Shout Factory horror line, Scream Factory, tested the waters of made for TV movies of yesteryear with a “TV Terrors” double feature DVD. That didn’t sell too hot, so that line quickly had an end put to it. But recently, we’ve seen them bump back into it, be it more likely the right film comes along. Last year saw the John Carpenter film starring Lauren Hutton, Someone’s Watching Me make its debut on Blu-ray courtesy of Shout Factory. Of course that made sense because of the Carpenter following, popularity and tradition with the distributor’s catalog. Another familiar face is that of Linda Blair. One of her more notable and praised efforts in the 1970s aside from The Exorcist was the TV movie Sarah T. – Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic which attempted to portray the very real issue of teen alcoholism. With a pretty star studded cast including Mark Hamill and Larry Hagman, Shout Factory seems to have made a good move here. They’ve really polished it up with a 2K scan and brought Blair and Donner in for new interviews. You can pick this up at the end of the month or pre-order using the link below. 
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.
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. 
