Sarah T. – Portrait Of A Teenage Alcoholic (Blu-ray Review)
In the early days, the Shout Factory horror line, Scream Factory, tested the waters of made for TV movies of yesteryear with a “TV Terrors” double feature DVD. That didn’t sell too hot, so that line quickly had an end put to it. But recently, we’ve seen them bump back into it, be it more likely the right film comes along. Last year saw the John Carpenter film starring Lauren Hutton, Someone’s Watching Me make its debut on Blu-ray courtesy of Shout Factory. Of course that made sense because of the Carpenter following, popularity and tradition with the distributor’s catalog. Another familiar face is that of Linda Blair. One of her more notable and praised efforts in the 1970s aside from The Exorcist was the TV movie Sarah T. – Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic which attempted to portray the very real issue of teen alcoholism. With a pretty star studded cast including Mark Hamill and Larry Hagman, Shout Factory seems to have made a good move here. They’ve really polished it up with a 2K scan and brought Blair and Donner in for new interviews. You can pick this up at the end of the month or pre-order using the link below. Continue reading ‘Sarah T. – Portrait Of A Teenage Alcoholic (Blu-ray Review)’
It’s Cujo meets The Terminator! The 90s cult favorite Man’s Best Friend debuts on Blu-ray on March 12, 2019 from Scream Factory, featuring a new 2k scan of the original film elements and with a new audio commentary with writer/director John Lafia. Pulse-pounding action and spine-chilling thrills put the bite into this sci-fi shocker starring Ally Sheedy (X-Men: Apocalypse, The Breakfast Club) and Lance Henriksen (Pumpkinhead, Aliens).
Shout! Factory is continuing their love of Steve Martin with a Collector’s Edition release of another one of his classic comedies, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. This famed 80s comedy classic teams him up with acting legend Michael Caine for some devious hijinx. The film also marks the second live action film directed by the legendary Frank Oz. And if I’m not mistaken, the first more straightforward film of his featuring human and no real puppetry. Shout! Factory has put this under its Shout Select line and is giving the film a brand new 2K transfer to go along with a new interview from the film’s writer. You’ll be able to pre-order this now to have it for release date on January 22nd.
If I didn’t know any better, I’d think this was a movie about the first “caveman” given its “primitive” sounding title. I know that’s a complete stretch, but for some reason First Man came as a surprise to me. I initially knew nothing about it, but given the success and my adoration of 2016’s 
Crispin Glover leads the pack inWillard, a skin-crawling thriller that takes an unforgettable journey into the mind of a madman! Making its Blu-ray debut February 26th, 2019 from Scream Factory, the 2003 version of the classic 70s film comes loaded with new bonus features, including a new 2K scan of the original film elements, new interviews with writer/director Glen Morgan and director of photography Robert McLachlan, a new audio commentary with writer/director Glen Morgan and director of photography Robert McLachlan, a new audio commentary with animal trainers Mark Harden and David Allsberry of Animals for Hollywood, and a new featurette with behind-the-scenes footage from Animals for Hollywood. Fans can pre-order their copies now by visiting ShoutFactory.com. 
I can’t say I ever thought the day would come where we’d be living in a world in which an exists a sequel to 2000’s Unbreakable whether lone two of them. I knew there was always interest in the property, but given the downward spiral of M. Night Shayamalan’s career for awhile I never thought we’d see anything spectacular from him again. A movie he wrote in 2010 called Devil semi peaked my curiosity, but imagine my surprise when early reviews of 2016’s Split came with mentions of a tie-in to the Unbreakable universe. That news practically broke the Internet (I’m exaggerating) and even further Split was actually a really great film to boot. James McAvoy got robbed of an Academy nod for his exceptional performance, but I digress. More importantly M. Night was suddenly back! People were instantly in his corner and from the looks of it as we’re gathered here today the third film in the trilogy, Glass, was fast-tracked for our viewing pleasure.
Fight for legacy, destiny and family when Creed II arrives on 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack, Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD and Digital. From Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures (MGM), Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema, Creed II stars Michael B. Jordan (“Black Panther,” “Creed”) and Sylvester Stallone (the “Rocky” films, the “Rambo” movies), reprising their roles as Adonis Creed and Rocky Balboa. Also returning are Tessa Thompson (“Thor: Ragnarok”), Phylicia Rashad (“Steel Magnolias”), Wood Harris (“Remember the Titans”), Andre Ward, Florian Munteanu (“Bogat”), Russell Hornsby (“The Hate U Give”) and Dolph Lundgren (“The Expendables” movies), returning to the franchise as Ivan Drago. 
From a lost age…horror crawls from the depths of the earth! Scream Factory proudly presents 
Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Ralph Breaks the Internet,” the animated adventure featuring video-game bad guy Ralph (voice of John C. Reilly) and fellow misfit Vanellope von Schweetz (voice of Sarah Silverman), raced to No. 1 opening weekend (the second biggest Thanksgiving opening of all time), winning the top spot at the domestic box office for three consistent weeks and grossing more than $435.1 million to date. In the hilarious, highspeed sequel to 2012’s Oscar®-nominated “Wreck-It Ralph,” the besties risk it all by traveling to the expansive, fast-paced world of the internet in an action-packed attempt to save Vanellope’s game Sugar Rush. “Ralph Breaks the Internet” is available instantly on Digital 4K Ultra HD™/HD/SD and Movies Anywhere Feb. 12 and physically on Blu-ray and DVD Feb. 26. 
Disney has its share of high profile box office bombs, too, ya know. Notably this year, Solo: A Star Wars Story sadly couldn’t huff it as a more straightforward classic adventure in a galaxy far far away. The fairy tales/princess live action updates also can have their share of troubles, too. I’m sure some will argue this one doesn’t count, but The Nutcracker And The Four Realms seems like an attempt at that kind of big time modern update. It wound up getting beaten in the bicycle race by the fat bottomed girl that was Bohemian Rhapsody. Although now this holiday treat will find its way home on 4K Ultra-HD where it can hopefully find a second life as a seasonal tradition. You can pre-order a copy below to have for 2019’s end of the year December watch on January 29th. Prepare yourselves, for these nuts are about to crack!
Welcome back to Hogwarts when “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald,” the second of five all new adventures from the Wizarding WorldTM created by J.K. Rowling, arrives on 4K UHD Combo Pack, Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD Special Edition and Digital. The 4K UHD Combo Pack and the Blu-ray Combo pack include an extended cut of the film with more than seven minutes of deleted scenes added, available as a digital download. Also featured is an audio introduction by director David Yates and over an hour of fantastic special features.
Hot off my Top 10 films of 2018 list, here comes the Blu-ray debut of Luca Gudagino’s reimaging of Dario Argento’s Italian horror masterpiece, Suspiria starring Tilda Swinton and Dakota Johnson. Yes, the original is a masterpiece. Who in the world would have thought that they would counter it with another masterpiece and such a unique and very different take on the material. But, this Suspiria is not for everyone (Many probably would argue the first isn’t either, but I’d argue its far more accessible than this one). The film, an Amazon Studios production, had some festival shows and a smaller release following Halloween last year and to no surprise, didn’t rake in all the dough. Luckily, I was able to catch it in the theater, but many weren’t that fortunate or just didn’t want to make a huge drive. Now, everyone will get to see this divisive piece of art when it comes to Blu-ray (Boo! I wanted a 4K Ultra-HD!) on January 29th. Pre-order from Amazon using the link below. 
Every couple years, Scream Factory seems to dip its toes into the werewolf franchise pool that is The Howling. They’ve now released the original film in 2 different editions and the batshit crazy sequel that I love, The Howling II: Your Sister Is A Werewolf. Now they are going forth with the third film, frequently subtitled “The Marsupials”. I’m sure if this one does rather well, they may go fourth (wink) with another. Howling III is one I think they’ve had distribution rights for a little while now. And believe it or not, its not the first time its been on Blu-ray. BUT, its the first time being properly presented. The previous Timeless Media “trilogy” release of (III, V and VI…trilogy…okay) had the film in a 4×3 image that had to be a VHS rip. Now we are getting it done right, with a new commentary, interview, old interviews…but the real question is…will any of it make the film any better? Find out for yourself by pre-ordering a copy to have on release day, January 15th. 
While franchise horror made a big sandwich in September and October with slices of The Nun and Halloween dominating the box office, a little original slasher popped up in between them. While playing for a good stretch, Hell Fest never really took off the way many genre fans wanted it to. While it looks to be a profitable venture, it just cleared over 11 million in box office take (Budget was only 5.5 million). Maybe people were just okay with waiting for Halloween and not interested in wetting their slasher appetites with a an appetizer in the meantime, but as a slasher fan, I’m hoping for more of these to pop up. Here’s to them being supported. This will likely be seen more on home video and streaming. Speaking of which, its getting a Blu-ray release on January 8th!
In 1918, Armand Tesla (Bela Lugosi), a 200-year-old Hungarian Vampire, prowls the English countryside, feeding from the jugulars of the villagers. But Tesla’s reign of terror is interrupted when a pair of scientists, Lady Jane and Sir John Ainsley, drive a railroad spike through his heart. The “un-dead” Tesla remains safely entombed for two decades until the impact from a stray Nazi bomb accidentally releases him. Along with his werewolf servant Andreas Obry, the resurrected vampire now plots vengeance on the family that put a halt to his nocturnal feasting. On February 19, 2019, SCREAM FACTORY™ is proud to present Bela Lugosi’s cult classic THE RETURN OF THE VAMPIRE on Blu-ray. Directed by Lew Landers (The Raven), this blood-curdling horror classic stars Bela Lugosi (Dracula), Frieda Inescort (A Place in the Sun), Nina Foch (Spartacus), and Miles Manders (The Man in the Iron Mask). A must-have for movie collectors and loyal fans of Bela Lugosi, this definitive Blu-ray release contains new audio commentaries by film historians, special features and more! Pre-order is available now at ShoutFactory.com. 
Can’t wait for this one! Produced by J.J. Abrams and directed by Julius Avery (Son of a Gun), the “wild and fantastically fun thrill fest” (Molly Freeman, Screenrant) OVERLORD lands on Digital February 5, 2019 and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD February 19 from Paramount Home Media Distribution. Embraced by critics, OVERLORD is Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and was hailed as “wonderfully tense and truly exhilarating” (Jonathan Barkan, Dread Central). The wildly entertaining genre mash-up boasts a stellar ensemble cast, non-stop action and plenty of wild twists you have to see to believe. 
