Scream Factory’s VALENTINE – Collector’s Edition Stabs You Through The Heart On Blu-ray February 12th!
Revenge is sweet, just like Valentine’s Day chocolates. At least, that is what a vengeful, Cupid-masked killer thinks in the teen slasher Valentine. Making its Blu-ray debut February 12th, 2019 from Scream Factory, this Collector’s Edition of Valentine also includes a plethora of new bonus features, including an audio commentary with director Jamie Blanks and filmmaker Don Coscarelli moderated by author Peter Bracke, new interviews with actresses Denise Richards, Marley Shelton, Jessica Cauffiel, an interview with co-writers Gretchen J. Berg and Aaron Harberts, over two hours of never-before-seen behind-the-scenes footage from director Jamie Blanks’ personal archive, additional cast and crew interviews, and much more! Fans can order their copies now on ShoutFactory.com Continue reading ‘Scream Factory’s VALENTINE – Collector’s Edition Stabs You Through The Heart On Blu-ray February 12th!’
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. 
Scream Factory is continuing on its promise to dive into the Hammer catalog and release us some swell editions of these classics that seem to be lacking in representation in the US. Last month, they opened up the gates with a release of Dracula: Prince of Darkness that seemed to have a mixed reaction in terms of what version of the film people thought looked “better” but also revealing that some of these probably aren’t in the best condition with their elements. Here in January, The Plague of the Zombies is finally seeing a release here in the United States. This zombie film predates Romero’s genre game-changing Night of the Living Dead and is considered by many to be one of the most essential and seminal films in the Hammer Horror catalog. Boasting a restored audio track, a still gallery and World of Hammer episode, the rest of the release looks to be similar to the previous UK Studio Canal Blu-ray. You can get your hands on this one by pre-ordering a copy, which is being released on January 15th. 
Gillian Flynn’s written work came to light and broke out when David Fincher adapted her novel Gone Girl, which opened to major success back in 2014. The Rosamund Pike/Ben Affleck/Carrie Coon thriller was THE adults get a babysitter flavor of the season. Now, HBO has taken another of her works, the novel Sharp Objects, and turned it into a mini-series starring Amy Adams and Patricia Clarkson. The series ran to great acclaim back in the summer of 2018. You can bring home Sharp Objects today as the eight-episode limited series is now available for Digital Download, and Blu-ray™ and DVD (It released November 27th of 2018, but we are a bit behind on it). The “haunting and riveting” (The Hollywood Reporter) series is directed by Jean-Marc Vallée (HBO’s “Big Little Lies”) and created by Marti Noxon (“Dietland”). The Digital Download, Blu-ray™ and DVD will include an exclusive*, never-before-seen feature showcasing the creation of the fictional town of Wind Gap. 
Back in 1999, I was pretty psyched for 8MM as it was the follow up film from the writer of Seven. Its well known the film Andrew Kevin Walker and David Finher delivered back in 1995 and there weren’t many like it. 8MM promised to deliver some kind of spiritual sequel to it. When it arrived, I found myself pretty satisfied with the film. In fact, the Joel Schumacher film that followed Batman & Robin was one of the first DVDs I ever purchased for my collection. Since, it’s never seen a Blu-ray upgrade. Thirteen long years later, the film is finally arriving, not because Warner Bros finally got there, but thanks to Scream Factory’s interest in putting it out. It carries over the previous bonus material and adds a nice new Joel Schumacher interview to tack on. You’ll be able to watch (If you can) when the film finally hits the shelves of your favorite virtual retailer on January 8th. 
Families everywhere can ring in
I’m not last, but posting the day after Aaron Neuwirth is a tough act to follow. He’s the most informed of us here and is able to see an impressive amount of films released in a given year. For me personally, 2018 felt like I didn’t see as much as I would have liked to in order to have formed a good opinion for a Top 10 for the masses (I still haven’t seen A Star Is Born). As a matter of fact, I almost bowed out of doing a Top 10 films of 2018. But I realized, at the end of the day my “I didn’t see as much as I’d have liked to” is still probably a lot larger sample of films watched in the year than a lot of people. And thus, this is my favorite of the boatload of films I did see. And crazy enough, I realized I had seen plenty when 2018 contained films from some my favorite filmmakers or collaborations that wound up not making the cut (Coen Bros-The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, Wes Anderson-Isle of Dogs, Diablo Cody/Jason Reitman/Charlize Theron-Tully). And as much as I loved Mandy, that didn’t make it either. Worth noting too, that this is the first time in the Disney-Lucasfilm era that a Star Wars film didn’t make my list (And I did like Solo). But, enough rambling, here are my 10 favorite films of the year 2018. 
One of the more buzzed about shows in the streaming world for the year of 2018 was the Hulu original program called Castle Rock. This marked a merging of sorts between legendary writer Stephen King and film and television directing and producing savant JJ Abrams. Castle Rock promised to be a sort of singular town all built around things found in the written works of Stephen King. The show has already been renewed for a second season on the streaming giant, but its unknown when that season will have its premiere. The first season had a late July one, so that could still be in the cards for the show’s sophomore season. In the meantime, Warner Bros is releasing the Hulu show onto 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray on January 8th. This is a smart move as many King collectors will want to have it in an forma of physical ownership and not a licensing agreement that could change on a whim. 
From the studio that brought you Anastasia and Ever After comes a fairy tale that doesn’t go by the book. Everyone’s favorite disreputable Super Hero returns with a twist on Deadpool 2 that the whole gang can enjoy. Watch Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) as he teams up with Domino (Zazie Beet), Cable (Josh Brolin) and the rest of the X-Force to prove that family is not an F-word. With over 20 minutes of new footage and jam-packed with surprises, you’ll wonder why the fudge they even bothered with the original version.
Celebrate the iconic and heart pounding music of Queen and Freddie Mercury with the highest-grossing biopic of all-time when Bohemian Rhapsody comes to Digital and Movies Anywhere January 22 and 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD February 12th. Fans can experience the story behind the band and the making of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” the #1 streamed song of the 20th century and other favorites like “We Will Rock You,” “Somebody to Love,” “We are the Champions” and more, for a music adventure that will make you laugh, sing, dance and cry. 
Every year this Top 10 movie list gets harder and harder to write.
For the 40th anniversary of his original killing spree on Halloween night in Haddonfield, Illinois in 1978, Michael Myers returned to theaters bigger than ever. Backed by Blumhouse, scored by John Carpenter and starring Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode, director David Gordon Green along with Danny McBride and Jeff Fradley once again set forth a new timeline for the longtime slasher series. Everything obviously sold on being the film people wanted to see, as this 2018 Michael Myers/Laurie Strode Halloween story became the biggest Halloween movie ever and one of the highest grossing horror films of a all time. Now, and quickly I must add, Universal is unmasking the 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray of the film to start off the new year. You can ensure yourself a copy of The Shape’s latest trail of brutally murdered bodies by pre-ordering from the Amazon link below to have when it releases on January 15th, 2019. It’s Halloween, everyone’s entitled to one good copy! 
