Last Christmas (Blu-Ray Review)
Rom-coms that stray from time-tested formulas risk alienating audiences. Last Christmas, a movie about a would-be London singer who works at a year-round Christmas-themed shop while trying to navigate a very hectic life is one of those films. Despite a strong cast and a director with a solid track record, the film failed to connect with theatergoers last holiday season. I, too, was one of those viewers that couldn’t quite wrap my head around director Paul Feig and writer Emma Thompson’s high concept Christmas love story with a plot twisty last act, filled with wall-to-wall tunes from the late, great George Michael. Yet, here we are months later, and it’s a Christmas miracle, aka the joyous rewatch. I may have wished this was a 4K release, but I couldn’t have hoped for a better reevaluation. I liked Emilia Clarke even more this time around. Henry Golding had me wanting to dance and jump around the U.K. There was a bit more to this tale than I had originally understood. And man, does this package have amazing stocking stuffers via extras! Last Christmas is here, just in time for… Valentine’s Day.
Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn is a movie title I like saying over and over. It rolls off the tip of my tongue like belly skin does over a wet 
After eight remarkable seasons, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment and DC mark the end of an epic era with its final installment of the suspenseful and action-packed series with the release of Arrow: The Eighth and Final Season on Blu-ray & DVD April 28, 2020. Get ready for nonstop action from start to finish with all 10 action-packed episodes from the eighth and final season, plus the show’s 2019 Comic-Con Panel, the broadcast special Arrow: Hitting the Bullseye and deleted scenes! A limited edition bonus disc featuring all five DC Crossover Event: Crisis on Infinite Earths episodes will be available exclusively for fans who purchase the Blu-ray. Arrow: The Eighth and Final Season is available April 28 for the Blu-ray which includes a Digital Code (U.S. only). Arrow: The Eighth and Final Season is also available to own on Digital via purchase from digital retailers. 
Am I reading this wrong or has the title been switched up a little bit? It has, right? It used to be Hansel & Gretel… but its Gretel & Hansel now? This is Gretel & Hansel? Well Gretel & Hansel it is then. Anyway I went to see Gretel & Hansel (2020) earlier this week. It shouldn’t seem like such a foreign tale, regardless of the names of our main characters being switched around in the title. However, you would be surprised at how different this new take on the tale can be. Well let’s pack a few treats and trudge through the dark and mysterious forest. Shall we?
As we all know, Doctor Sleep is the continued story of Danny Torrance, the tortured son of Jack in The Shining. We are following him on his own journey into the madness. What overtook his father once has lived in him for the last 40 years. There was a time when Danny couldn’t fight those frightening images. He was afraid to face those who tried to steal his shine. We learned a little bit about The Shining from Dick Halloran in the first film, but here, we get further in-depth on the subject. Just like this review! Look for far more on The Shining via Doctor Sleep, in stores this Tuesday.
Edward Norton’s second crack at directing makes its way home on Blu-ray sans any Oscar nominations but is nonetheless a solid adaptation of Jonathan Lethem’s award-winning novel. There are have been plenty of gumshoe detective tales in cinema. Some like Chinatown are masterworks, while too many are forgettable – like that one that with ‘Mulholland‘ in the title but not David Lynch under ‘directed by.’ A 4K release of a good-looking period tale would have been preferable. Still, this 2K transfer is no slouch for anyone who loved the film or even folks like me who were anxious to play catch up. The strong cast includes Alec Baldwin, Willem Defoe, Bruce Willis, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, and Norton himself as the lead. There’s corruption afoot, so let’s venture into a Motherless Brooklyn to see what a junior private investigator uncovers.
The riveting story of a courageous attorney who uncovers a deadly secret and blows the lid off a monumental cover up, DARK WATERS comes home on Digital February 18, 2020, and Blu-ray™, DVD and On Demand on March 3, 2020 from Participant and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. Directed by Academy Award® nominee Todd Haynes (Far From Heaven, Carol), this taut drama goes behind the scenes of one of the most shocking scandals in recent history as a former corporate lawyer takes on a seemingly unbeatable opponent in a fight for social justice that affects us all. Filled with emotional and suspenseful moments from beginning to end, audiences can now see captivating DARK WATERS bonus content here first when the film arrives on Blu-ray™, DVD and Digital. The never-before-seen insightful featurettes take viewers deeper into the story of an incredible real-life hero and unearths the staggering scale of corruption and greed.
1981’s My Bloody Valentine first made its way onto Blu-ray to coincide with the Todd Farmer/Patrick Lussier remake of the same name. A Paramount film, Lionsgate put out that release, which included a never before seen uncut version of the film featuring footage thought to be lost forever. That version had since gone out of print and was going for astronomical prices on the secondary market. For those of you who missed out on it the first time, hopefully you held out and didn’t pay out the wahzoo for it, as Scream Factory will be bringing it back to Blu-ray via a brand new 2-disc Collector’s Edition. This updated release will feature 4K scans of both the theatrical and uncut versions, previously a deleted scenes/branching option, as well as a plethora of brand new interviews and director commentary. As one would expect, Scream Factory is wasting no opportunity with their new Paramount deal, and giving this film the rock star release it has always deserved. Fans can finally own or upgrade their old copy when My Bloody Valentine – Collector’s Edition arrives on February 11th. Just in time to crack open a Moosehead and enjoy with your bloody valentine.
While it feels a lot longer to me than just a mere 10 years Shutter Island has always held a warm spot in my heart. Both the book and movie adaptation brought to us by Martin Scorsese managed to thrill and excite me. Truth be told I just revisited the film on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray this past summer by acquiring an Australian import of it. I don’t know why, but I didn’t think Paramount would ever deliver a U.S. release. Obviously I was so wrong. If I would have just had a little patience, I could have saved myself some bones last year. However, I digress. Shutter Island is officially on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray in the U.S. and I couldn’t be happier! Let’s discuss the film and pertinent specifics down below. 
Harriet Tubman seems to never be noticed for the sacrifices and struggles she sustained through. Harriet was a woman of great strength and perseverance; whose resilience saw her become one of the greatest civil rights heroes of all time. Her story is told here through Kasi Lemmons’ ever solid direction. The story takes us on a wild and occasionally tense ride through the story of The Underground Railroad and as mere passengers, we too are just as drawn into the story. Check out more in-depth below on Harriet which arrives in stores this Tuesday!
Despite not being all too popular, Disney’s Maleficent still wrangled up three quartets of a billion dollars back in 2014 and Angelina Jolie’s look and take on the character became visually iconic instantly. A sequel was pretty much just playing with (Mouse) house money and it was a go. Seen as a disappointment at the box office, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil was liked by (Online accounted for) audiences more and wound up still crossing half a billion dollars worldwide. Forbes’ Scott Mendelson would refer to this as Angelina Jolie’s second “Tomb Raider trap”, or may she was clearly taking it back or telling others to simply get off of her palace lawn. Doubtful it is that we will see Maleficent: Season of the Witch any time soon, as I’m sure Disney will take the money and run with this one. Thankfully Disney still sees the correct path of bringing Maleficent: Mistress of Evil to home video with a 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray release, available now (Link below is from a paid Amazon Associates account).
The Oscar-nominated provocative real story of three ambitious and strong women who risked everything to stand up to the man who made them, Bombshell arrives on Digital February 25 and on Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD March 10. This empowering drama commended by critics and audiences alike is nominated for three Academy Awards including Best Actress (Charlize Theron), Best Supporting Actress (Margot Robbie), and Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling (Kazu Hiro, Anne Morgan, and Vivian Baker).
One of my favorite films of 2009, doubling as one of my favorite undead films as well, was Ruben Fleischer’s Zombieland. Back then, I was hoping and hoping for a sequel, but so many years passed that when it was announced they were finally doing it ten years later, my excitement was pretty middling (Though, I enjoyed the trailer). Oddly enough, people were actually pretty excited to return to the comedic land of zombies as the film almost even with the original and improving international numbers for a bigger global take. You’d think this had been bigger, more heard about a success story, but it came and went pretty quietly. Perhaps we will get a Zombieland: Triple Tap in 2029. But, for now, we can relive Zombieland: Double Tap on 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, and DVD (released January 21, 2020) as it is available now. Ordering from the link below should be noted that it is from a paid Amazon Associates account.
