STAR WARS 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray: What I’d Like To See
No, Lucasfilm/Disney/Fox have not announced the release of Star Wars on the 4K UHD Blu-ray format yet. I apologize to anyone who quickly saw that and got excited, but I couldn’t think of any other way to title the piece. Clickbait was not my intention. But, now that you’re here, please stay for a while and participate! With the strong embrace of streaming from the mainstream, we don’t exactly know how embraced the 4K Ultra-HD format will be in the years to come. If there is one certainty from the format, its that the classic Star Wars films will one day make the jump to 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray. Every format and collector eagerly awaits the debut of these films as they usually take a few years before arrival. And each time has come with both excitement and light controversy. Star Wars has released in a similar “business as usual” fashion ever since the mid-1990s. With this article, I’m hoping to present a different method, one that breaks from their traditional release pattern and style. This isn’t going to be a history of Star Wars on home video as I’d done for Halloween, but what I’d like to see going into the next format. I’d also love for people to join in on the comments and suggest their own (somewhat realistic) ideas. Continue reading ‘STAR WARS 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray: What I’d Like To See’
Writer-Director M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense, Signs) completes a mind-bending trilogy created nearly twenty years ago with GLASS, a comic book thriller available on Digital via the digital movie app MOVIES ANYWHERE on April 2, 2019 and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD and On Demand on April 16, 2019, from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. GLASS is a grounded-in-reality, comic-book thriller where the heroes and villains are people first. The thrilling culmination to the trilogy that started with Unbreakable and Split, stars James McAvoy (Split, Atonement), Samuel L. Jackson (Hitman’s Bodyguard, Avengers Franchise), Bruce Willis (Unbreakable, Die Hard), Sarah Paulson (Ocean’s Eight, “American Horror Story”) and Anya-Taylor Joy (Split, The Witch). Go inside the mind of master of suspense M. Night Shyamalan to uncover the connections and references that bring the three films together in one universe. Experience more than sixty minutes of never-before-seen features elaborating on his process and artistic vision including an in-depth look at the making of the film, deep insights on the characters, a never-before-seen alternate opening, and deleted scenes. 
Exciting news all! Finally! In space no one can hear you scream. The terrifying sci-fi adventure, ALIEN, celebrates 40 years with an all-new 4K Ultra HD™ master, available April 23. A limited edition 4K UHD™ steelbook of ALIEN 40th Anniversary Edition will also be available exclusively at Best Buy. 
Where do I even begin here? I don’t want to bore my readers over and over talking about how much these Rocky franchise of movies adoringly mean to me. They are absolutely everything to me! They are my main sources of both perseverance and inspiration in life. One could even them call them my soundtrack for success, but I digress. If you’re interested in knowing the full story, you can catch up 
With Scream Factory’s (And of course Shout! Factory overall’s) continued dive into the Sony catalog of horrors, The Craft is a perfect marriage in terms of a title to enhance via a Collector’s Edition. This feels the first of its super teen horror type since their release of Disturbing Behavior back in 2016. The Craft has been a rock solid generational touchstone for over two decades now, proving to be somewhat between a hit and a cult item over time. Very much a big title in the VHS/home video era, its now coming to Blu-ray for the second time around. Scream Factory has aligned some impressive names for new interviews, but unfortunately none of them happen to be any leads from the film which I’m sure its going to be a deal-breaker for many on the fence that would be considering an upgrade of the title. Scream Factory is bringing it out as a part of its March lineup at the top of the month on the 5th and you can pre-order to have it in your hands via the Amazon link below. 
Ridley Scott primarily has been known for mostly his genre and period work in his career and then there’s the little stop off on Thelma & Louise. However, he’s been known to dabble in just about everything to be quite honest. One of my personal favorite films of his is the Nicolas Cage led con-man comedy Matchstick Men. He’s long shown his chops in many avenues and one of his early proving grounds was 1987’s Someone To Watch Over Me. Admittedly, I’m not familiar with this film. Shout! Factory is making it another title to add to the quickly growing and amassing Shout Select line of films. They are putting it out on March 12th and will be including brand new interviews with the screenwriter from the film as well as Someone To Watch Over Me’s cinematographer Michael Poster. No word on what the transfer was on the film, but I’ll spoil it for you and tell you it looks pretty damn terrific. You can set yourself up with a pre-order to have day of release from using the Amazon link below. 
Where do I even begin here? I categorically knew nothing at all about this movie going in. All I knew is Why So Blu reviewers Aaron Neuwirth and Gregg Senko liked it. Aaron who can usually peg what he calls “Brian Movies” declared several months ago that this indeed is one of those. Therefore, since I didn’t take him seriously about it last year I jumped at the opportunity when the Green Book 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray set arrived on my doorstep this past week. While the synopsis of the film really didn’t tickle my fancy I took this opportunity to do so more as a way to see how good Aaron really knows me. Let’s see if his streak with 2018 “Brian Movies” holds true here. What do you say Aaron…are you up to the challenge? So without further ado I’ll put aside all my petty, personal sentiments and remarks to digress back to the reason you’re all here…I present to you Green Book on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray.
I love the Warner Archive Collection. With such a large and vast catalog the studio has, a ton of it still has not seen release to DVD, let alone Blu-ray. WAC picks up a lot of the slack with some good audio/video upgrades as they don’t really create new special features for their releases. And with their monthly releases they are announced usually a month before and usually they are from a wide variety of different decades and genres. And most of the time we have no clue what’s coming (Cleopatra Jones FINALLY next month! Cross it off the wishlist, HELL YEAH!). This month brings some excitement with Academy Award winning director Michael Cimino’s follow up to his notorious bomb Heaven’s Gate, the Mickey Rourke starring Year of the Dragon. Its available now, but I hear there’s a been a bit of a backorder on many sites, so it could take a minute to get to you (DiabolikDVD has come through, cuz “duh”). Pre-order using the link below. 
New Line Cinema was “The House That Freddy Built”, but in 1991 the studio bumped off their carpenter and noted breadwinner (Only to return three years later in Wes Craven’s New Nightmare). They were still a notable horror house and delivered many of the more interesting and mid-level pictures throughout the 1990s. Man’s Best Friend, along with the likes of Ghost In The Machine that same year, were of the horror films that came during the absentee Freddy years. It was also during that dreadful time for horror in the 1990s (That has more gems than you think) where the genre felt on a decline. Scream Factory is bringing Man’s Best Friend to Blu-ray finally on March 12th for the first time. Maybe Ghost in the Machine will be around the corner as well, considering the newfound relations with Warner Bros which also leads to New Line. It doesn’t have many bonus features to speak of, but fans will likely be happy just to have it with a new 2K scan. Pre-order is available below. 
Mary Queen of Scots will forever I’m afraid be known as Johnny Depp’s sequel to Alice in Wonderland where he reprises his role of the Mad Hatter.
A literary classic becomes a horror classic when given the Val Lewton touch. Scream Factory proudly presents The Body Snatcher for the first time on Blu-ray on March 26, 2019, featuring a new 4k scan of the original camera negative and new featurette. Fans can preorder the film now at shoutfactory.com. The two titans of horror Boris Karloff(Frankenstein) and Bela Lugosi (Dracula)come together in their last on-screen pairing in The Body Snatcher.
Disney’s “Mary Poppins Returns,” the irresistible, timeless sequel based upon the Mary Poppins Stories by PL Travers, has had audiences dancing in their seats and critics singing its praises, earning Academy Award® nominations for best original song, best original score, best costume design and best production design. Directed by Academy Award winner Rob Marshall, who helmed screen adaptations of “Chicago,” “Nine” and “Into the Woods,” and starring Emily Blunt, Golden Globe®-nominated for her role as practically-perfect nanny Mary Poppins, and award-winning composer, lyricist and performer Lin-Manuel Miranda as charming lamplighter Jack, the fantastical film arrives into homes instantly on Digital 4K Ultra HD™/HD and Movies Anywhere March 12 and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray™ and DVD March 19 — with a sing-along version and never-before-seen bonus features. 
Shout! Factory is bringing the cult classic Kalifornia to Blu-ray again, via their Shout Select label. Its finding itself as one of the coveted Collector’s Edition titles to boot. Sporting new artwork (Which admittedly is pretty damn good to my eyes), this release doesn’t boast much in the way of new interviews (Just one with the director), but does carry over all the old stuff and will feature the Theatrical edition of the film for the first time on Blu-ray. Each cut of the film will be on its own disc. This film features an early performance from Brad Pitt that has been to the liking of many fans. You can pick up this film when it releases on March 5th. Pre-order is available to have on release day from the Amazon link below.
When the 2003 film Willard was arriving in theaters back in 2003, it was just this strange film I saw a trailer for and thought it looked odd and was like “okay?”. Crispin Glover was a strange guy to me then. Little did I know, I’d find out that this film was also a remake of a film and the rat at the center was the inspiration for the Michael Jackson song “Ben”. The film came and bombed out, but for myself, and I’m assuming many others, we learned from it, sought out the original and/or found an appreciation in a movie that was nothing like anything else hitting theaters at the time. Scream Factory with its newfound Warner Bros relationship has found this film an instant home on Blu-ray and put one of their best special features crews on the job to help give this one some love. You’ll be able to have the film before the month is out on February 26th. Get your pre-order in now from the link below to be able to put on your shelf next to your copies of the original Willard and Ben from Scream Factory. 
The Academy Award® Nominee for Best Animated Feature Film, SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE, swings onto Digital February 26 and on 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack, Blu-ray Combo Pack, and DVD on March 19 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and Sony Pictures Animation. From Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the uniquely creative minds behind The Lego Movie and 21 Jump Street, the film offers a fresh vision of the Spider-Man universe with a groundbreaking visual style that’s the first of its kind.
I remember growing up and my mom adoring 1976’s A Star Is Born, which stars Barbara Streisand and Kris Kristofferson. Not so much the movie per se, but I remember the LP always being prominently displayed in her collection. I suppose this information severely dates me, but I’m really just trying to set the mood here. Years later I would find out that it was actually a remake of a 1937 movie of the same name, but I digress. What made me take notice though as I got into collecting home media formats like DVD and Blu-ray my mom would always ask me when does A Star Is Born come out for it. Now some 40 years later it’s kind of sentimental that I’m equally excited for the newest incarnation of A Star Is Born releasing on Blu-ray and 4K UHD Disc this February 19th. 
