The Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)
February 19th, 2024 by Adam Toroni-Byrne
It feels like out of nowhere The Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes was announced and then released. The film did well financially and received mixed reviews out of the gate. As we all know, even with our reviews here, film criticism is divisive. So, does this prequel deliver the goods? Are we delving deeper into Panem lore or is none of this surprising? Get in on the action of the tenth annual Hunger Games below and be sure to click the cover art at the end to access a paid Amazon link to grab your copy of this newest installment of the Hunger Games saga.
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Taika Waititi quietly released Next Goal Wins first at Toronto International Film Festival and then in wide release in the fall of 2023. It was a film that just like so many lately came and went without much fanfare. As with all decades, we seem to get our fair share of underdog true story adaptations and we can surely add this one to the list. But does Next Goal Wins make the good list or the bad list. Find out in the review below and read all about the technical side in-depth as well! Be sure to click the cover art at the end for a paid Amazon link to grab a copy there and do your part to keep physical media alive!
Plagued by the great Marvel franchise fatigue of 2023, The Marvels failed to make waves at the box office. Led by a predominantly female team of actresses, writers, and director, the film may be something worth revisiting at home. The Marvels will do just that on February 13th, with a Blu-ray and UHD Blu-ray release. You can read my thoughts about the film, the presentation and whether my stance is shared by the majority. Be sure to click the cover art images at the end to get yourself a copy of the latest Marvel film.
Silent Night was quietly (no pun intended) released to theaters just in time for a Christmas release. It was a smaller movie for John Woo and brought back smaller returns at the box office too. It’s coming to Blu-ray in wide release and on 4K UHD Blu-ray in a Walmart exclusive steelbook. Is this a new John Woo classic? Has his style changed? Will the silent man reap his vengeance? Find out in depth inside and be sure to click the steelbook art to get a copy in 4K!
In my day job as a preschool teacher, Trolls and the music of Trolls has played a large part of my student’s classroom life. They love the music and talk about the characters a lot. I have never beyond the music seen or know anything about the Trolls universe. So I took the plunge, and started with this, Trolls Band Together, the third of the series. It’s hard to believe that the films are now a trilogy, but obviously Universal and Dreamworks are doing something right! Read more below and make sure to click the cover art below for the paid Amazon link to order a copy of this disc!
Joining the original Avatar film in its own deluxe Collector’s Edition is Avatar: The Way of Water. The hotly anticipated sequel became the undisputed box office phenom of 2022 and was released in standard and steelbook editions earlier this year. Now available for the physical media collector just in time for the holidays and sporting a new Dolby Vision HDR sheen and some expansive new special features. This 4-disc set is available now and you can secure your copy at the end of the review by clicking the Amazon Associates link you’ll find there.
Just in time for the holidays to brighten up the family Avatar fan is Avatar in a definitive new presentation on 4K UHD Blu-ray. Join Jake, Neytiri, Dr. Grace and all their friends and foes as we go back to the Hallelujah Mountains in eye-popping fashion. Read on below and be sure to snag yourself or your favorite physical media collecting family member a copy of this brand new collector’s edition, out now (12/19) courtesy of 20thCentury Studios Home Entertainment, via the paid Amazon link that follows this review.
The blockbuster phenomenon The 
In a world of constant IP dumps, one brand has remained strong since it launched in the 1980s – the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. This past summer they relaunched with a new movie, Mutant Mayhem. Not their first fully animated movie outing, but this one decided to be Spider-Verse and buck a traditional animation style for something a little more punk rock and innovative. And it succeeded in having outstanding reviews and strong box office despite stiff competition from the Barbenheimer moment. You’ll be able to bring it home on 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray with an Atmos track and some featurettes when it arrives on December 12th. You can order yourself a copy using the paid Amazon Associate link following the review.
Warner has spent a good part of their centenary dedicating themselves to restoring and putting out some of the best films in their history out on the 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray format. The final entry this year (and I DO hope 2024 just keeps the ball rolling) is Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of The Color Purple that was nominated for 11 Academy Awards (Including Best Picture) will arrive on December 5th. It features a new restoration, archival bonus features and a new one about the upcoming musical film adaptation that is only on the digital version. You can order yourself a copy of the film by using the paid Amazon Associate link that follows the review.
Harrison Ford took one last adventure with his signature character, Indiana Jones, this past summer. Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny found elder self getting a final bit of closure for Ford and (ideally) the Jones. While well received, it wasn’t something the theater going audiences were that interested in seeing. You’ll be able to own it this holiday season when it comes to 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray. This release boasts an Atmos track, score-only track and a 5-part making of documentary. Oddly enough, concurrent with this, Disney+ released a career documentary on Ford centered around this that is not found on this release (And would have suited it perfectly). You can check it all out when it arrives on December 5th. You can order yourself a copy from the paid Amazon Associate link that follows the review below.
One of the more refreshing releases of 2023 was Gareth Edward’s original science fiction fantasy film, The Creator. Like it or not, the prospect of getting some big scale, ideological special effects sci-fi offerings playing in theaters feels like a win and triumph just in getting there. The film received solid reviews, but unfortunately did not ignite the box office. Hopefully, it doesn’t perturb the studios from stepping outside of the IP safety net. You can own it on 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray on December 12th, complete with an Atmos track and near hour long documentary on making the film. Seems like a good package for a film that didn’t really rake in the dough. You can order yourself a copy by using the paid Amazon Associates link following the review.
The Disney+ television shows roll out to the 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray continues with the exciting dive into their Star Wars programming. And no better place than to star than with The Mandalorian. And not just the first season, they’ll be doing both seasons in steelbook packaging, complete with art cards, Atmos sound and a pair of never before seen featurettes for them. In this review, we’ll be looking at the second of the show, which really pivoted to what this and other Star Wars shows would start to become. You can order yourself a copy to own by using the paid Amazon Associates link that follows after the review. 
The Disney+ television shows roll out to the 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray continues with the exciting dive into their Star Wars programming. And no better place than to star than with The Mandalorian. And not just the first season, they’ll be doing both seasons in steelbook packaging, complete with art cards, Atmos sound and a pair of never before seen featurettes for them. In this review, we’ll be looking at the first season of the show. You can order yourself a copy to own by using the paid Amazon Associates link that follows after the review.
