Black Panther (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)
Its slightly odd to be here writing a Blu-ray review for a movie that is not only still playing in theaters on its first run, but was STILL in the top 10 last weekend at the box office. A film that is going to cross 700 million dollars in the United States and has made over 1.3 billion dollars worldwide. But, here we are, in the middle of a phenomenon and at the home video demands and scheduling of modern times. Black Panther was a massive phenomenon and quite an unstoppable force in theaters pretty much all 2018 so far (Once February hit). Of course, there’s a new Avengers movie out right now, too, so you have to get Black Panther out on all formats so that the 5 people who didn’t see it can catch up for the big Thanos expedition. This 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray comes courtesy of Disney and comes piled with some really nice bonus features. Its available now, so grab yourself a copy and hopefully the Amazon link works, so you can grab yourself a copy and say Why So Blu sent ya! Continue reading ‘Black Panther (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)’
For thirty years now there are people who still endlessly debate and call the action movie Die Hard a Christmas film.
Braveheart is one of those Top 10 films of mine that I will continue to re-purchase without any thought or hesitation every time its available on a newer/better home media format.
When it comes to the catalog title 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray game, Paramount seems to have a better handle on what to pick early on to upgrade. They seem to either go for something that’s pretty popular to being with in terms of something that always gets picked up no matter the format or they release something prestigious that there’s no question why they would put it out. And often, they do a rock solid job of their new transfers and audio. With Gladiator, they are kind hitting on the best of both options; a super popular film in DVD/Blu-ray found in collections as well as being a Best Picture winner from a very notable director. No new bonus features, but this one has already been loaded with them in the past and they all port over here. You can pre-order to have it ready to put on the shelf for its release on May 15. 
When collecting and following the releases of Shout! Factory (And the subsequent Shout Select and Scream Factory), its not hard to take notice of some of their favorite filmmakers that they gun to have as many releases as they can for. But, when it comes to actors, it seems they are big fans of Peter Weller. And with good reason, he’s a top notch performer who seems to have always flown just under the radar. Previously they’ve done Robocop 2, Leviathan, Buckaroo Banzai and recently Shakedown to name some. Now comes the George P. Cosmatos film Of Unknown Origin that stars Weller. While not a Collector’s Edition, this one will feature a new transfer and three new interviews. You can add to your own Peter Weller collection by pre-ordering a copy below in time for its release on May 22nd. 
Just as summer is about to hit, let us look back and recognize that Peter Rabbit is currently one of the Top 5 films at the box office for 2018 (Top 10 worldwide). Assuredly, it won’t even be Top 10 by years end if even by the end of summer. But, it managed to be a popular family/kids film to check out where #Justice4Paddington didn’t seem to catch fire no matter how much the raves came in for the sequel. Something stuck though, with it making solid bank through competition like Black Panther, the continued dominance of Jumanji, A Wrinkle In Time and Sherlock Gnomes coming out. You’ll be able catch the film again or for the first when you’re able to own the film on 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray on May 1st. You can order a copy using the Amazon link below. 
Earlier this year we were treated to Batman: Gotham By Gaslight, a one-off elseworld tale of the dark knight in a unique style and visual setting. In that review, I mentioned that this was the kind of stuff I’d like to see more of. More wild and crazy variations or adaptations on a superhero that pretty much everyone is familiar with. Now, just a couple months later, my wish has been fulfilled. Now Batman is being presented with a tale in the spirit of the culture of the Eastern hemisphere. And its being visually brought to us in the visual style of anime. This film created some big buzz when it was unveiled at the New York Comic Con last year and its finally landing upon us. You’ll be able to check out the film when it arrives on Blu-ray May 8th. 
If you’re a Region Free enthusiast like myself, you’ll know David Lynch’s Wild At Heart has had various Blu-ray releases over the years in different countries. In the United States, however, there’s been just one. It was a Twilight Time release that has been out of print for many years. Limited releases is their business model, like it or not. Their license on the film must have run out because now we have a brand new collector’s edition of the film from Shout! Factory putting it under the Shout Select banner which is very exciting. The new release with feature a new interview with the author of the book the film is based on, a special on the 40th anniversary screen and over an hour of deleted scenes to go along with previously released featurettes. Its available May 22nd, so get your pre-orders in below! 
Iconic Cult director Larry Cohen broke onto the scene with a pair of iconic blaxploitation films starring Fred “The Hammer” Williamson in the early 70s. Following, he’d begin to carve his legacy as a unique face in the world of horror with It’s Alive. The film proved to be sort of his well he’d return to between God Told Me To’s and Q: The Winged Serpents with two sequels; It Lives Again! and Island Of The Alive. Scream Factory has been fond of Cohen’s works and is now bringing his famed trilogy to Blu-ray for the first time in this new box set. It features some new interviews as well as commentaries on each film from Larry Cohen himself. Scream Factory is releasing it on May 15th and you can pre-order it on Amazon to make sure yours arrives in time for day 1. 
Not only has telling stories of World War II brought director Steven Spielberg Academy Award attention in the form of Best Director nominations and his two Oscar wins, the historical subject has brought forth some of his best and most passionate work. His second Oscar win for director is actually his sixth exploration of the second great war in some way, shape or form. Twenty years have come since this film that began the Spielberg-Tom Hanks relationship that also likely paved the way for the phenomenal HBO mini-series Band of Brothers. In celebration, Paramount is debuting the film on 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray on May 8th. This year (As well as last) is seeing plenty of Spielberg jumping to the format and they can keep on rolling. Hopefully Jaws and Munich aren’t too far away either! 
They may have different years of released attached to them, but Steven Spielberg had two big releases in three months. He’s no stranger to multiple films in a calendar year, as a quick peruse of his filmography will show many double features. Three months before Ready Player One, Spielberg had an Oscar caliber film in The Post (Which wide released in 2018, so you could argue its the same year for most people). Starring Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep, the political thriller based on the attempt of the Washington Post to publish The Pentagon Papers may have been on of the most overlooked and taken for granted candidates for Best Picture. Scoring only a Best Actress nomination for Streep, in a crowded year of great films, Spielberg’s period piece could have easily argued for a lot more consideration. Heck, on another given year, it might’ve been a shue in for more gold. The film is already available on 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray, so if you haven’t already, you can pick yourself up a copy and see for yourself. 
Twenty eight years following the original cult classic horror/action/comedy/monster movie hybrid, here we arrive at the sixth Tremors film. As long as Michael Gross wants to come back, I’ll gladly keep up with the series. Its one that’s never really felt completely overdone, having its most output from 2001-2004 where we got two direct-to-DVD films and a short lived televisions show (That starred Dean Norris). Tremors: A Cold Day In Hell will be following the previous film Bloodlines a little more closely, returning Jamie Kennedy’s Travis Welker (The son of Burt Gummer) to our hero’s side. These films truly know what they are and mostly how to deliver. You’ll get to see if this sixth entry continues the trend when it releases on Blu-ray May 1st. 
Duncan Jones launched onto the directorial scene with the heavily praised science fiction film, Moon. One that you really could call a modern cult classic. Moon was exciting a debut as one could have, landing on everyone’s radar, excited to see where Jones would end up next. Currently, Jones has contributed the Warcraft movie that has its fans but was a rather notable failure in the US and the Netflix film Mute that didn’t receive much positive response. Coming off Moon, he did Source Code, a thriller featuring the Groundhog’s Day-like storytelling device about having a short window over and over again to stop a bomb on a train. It received rave reviews and was a solid box office hit. So Jones is on the bad side of batting 50/50 (Even John Boorman had Zardoz and Exorcist II back to back). On the good side, Source Code is coming to 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray on May 8th! 
