CLOVERFIELD And 10 CLOVERFIELD LANE On 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray January 23rd!
Wow, with just two weeks until release date, here’s our breakdown of the 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray releases of Cloverfield and its stealthy sequel 10 Cloverfield Lane from Paramount Home Entertainment. There is another film in the series on the horizon this year, but these are being released to mark the ten year anniversary of the original film (Which, was released on my birthday back in 2008). In short, the first film is getting a visual uptick and the second one is getting both video and audio upgrades. Their original releases look to be intact with all the bonus features. It’ll be interesting to see how the first one turns out to be honest, considering the intentional source of the video used for the film. For now, hurry up and get your pre-order in using the Amazon link below to have it on release day January 23rd! Continue reading ‘CLOVERFIELD And 10 CLOVERFIELD LANE On 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray January 23rd!’
Sam Raimi’s excellent 2009 horror film Drag Me To Hell, is coming to Blu-ray™ in the ultimate Collector’s Edition from Scream Factory on February 13. Drag Me To Hell [Collector’s Edition] boasts new HD masters of the theatrical and unrated cuts, both taken from the 2K digital intermediate, Production Diaries – with behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with co-writer/director Sam Raimi, actors Allison Lohman, Justin Long, David Paymer, Dileep Rao, Lorna Raver, special effects guru Greg Nicotero, director of photography Peter Deming, and more, vintage interviews with director Sam Raimi and actors Alison Lohman and Justin Long, a new interviews with actresses Alison Lohman, Lorna Raver, and composer Christopher Young, a still gallery, theatrical trailer, and TV spots. 
Blade Runner 2049 opened in the fall of 2017 to critical raves. However, the whole way along, many were concerned with the almost three hour runtime coupled with an R rating. The film also was the sequel to one of the biggest cult favorites of all time, but a notable box office bomb as well. And, like father like daughter (hehe), the film had a very low opening weekend leading to a box office disappointment. Had the film not cost 150 million, maybe it doesn’t hurt so much. This was a split juncture, with Warner Bros only being able to rake in the domestic take and Sony handling the overseas. As such, we are in the US and I’ll be here reviewing the 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray of the film from Warner Bros. They wow’d me last year with their presentation of the original, so I’m hoping for more of that here in this picture. You’ll be able to compliment the 5 cuts of the original film on Blu-ray with just this one theatrical version on January 23rd. 
The incredibly moving and heartfelt family film, Wonder, heads to Digital January 30 and 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack (plus Blu-ray and Digital), Blu-ray Combo Pack (plus DVD and Digital), DVD, and On Demand February 13 from Lionsgate. Based on the #1 New York Times bestseller, and USA Today’s top-selling book of 2017, by R.J. Palacio, writer-director Stephen Chbosky (Beauty and the Beast, The Perks of Being a Wallflower) brings to life the uplifting story of a boy who inspires and teaches others that true beauty is found within. Certified Fresh™ on Rotten Tomatoes and co-written for the screen by Steven Conrad and Jack Thorne, Wonder stars Academy Award® winner Julia Roberts (2000, Best Actress, Erin Brockovich), Academy Award® nominee Owen Wilson (2001, Best Writing, The Royal Tenenbaums), Golden Globe® nominee Mandy Patinkin (1984, Best Actor – Motion Picture – Musical/Comedy, Yentl; 1995, Best Television Actor – Drama Series, “Chicago Hope”; 2003, Best Supporting Actor – Limited Series or Television Motion Picture, “Homeland”), and Jacob Tremblay (Room, The Smurfs 2). 
Here’s a title that was both fitting of either the Shout! Factory branded line of Shout Select or Scream Factory: Joe Dante’s Matinee. Ultimately it went to that of the Shout Select line. A loving homage to the kitchy creature-features of the atomic age, the delightful comedy Matinee is a smart and sharp period comedy that captures of joy of growing up on cheesy b-movies. Shout Factory have put their work in here, loading it up with a bunch of new interviews and other bonus features. Unfortunately no John Goodman here, but hell, probably a stretch to get him anyway. Joining Hell Night, this is another highly requested and jam packed release full of brand new features specific to Shout Factory. You can preorder now to have your copy ready to go January 16th. 
With a brand new year ahead I have a desire to delve into all things cinema outside the US for a while and highlight some memorable movies with a fine foreign flair – welcome to the first 2018 Forgotten Friday Flick! Today we’re heading to the city of lights for a little sizzling sequel action that doesn’t require first film knowledge to seriously satisfy. Seems some ambitious government boys decide to pull a fast one on the regular folk and a rogue cop and his high-flying buddy must use their fast fists skills to take them down. (Alongside a bevy of brutal gang leaders out to do some damage of their own!) Set-ups, double crosses, corruption at the highest levels and a pinch of parkour – there’s gonna be trouble in…District 13: Ultimatum!
Just when movie going audiences thought it was finally safe to go back into The Further. Surprise! It is NOT! I bet you never saw a fourth Insidious film coming, did you? Given the low budget and success of the first three this was actually a no-brainer. I wish there were more surefire guarantees like this in life. I’d be a rich man, but I digress. Insidious: The Last Key is yes the fourth installment in the Insidious franchise, but if you’re going by chronology of the in-story timelines this is actually second in order. Confused yet? Don’t be! You just need to refresh up a bit down below before venturing into The Further blindly. Come on! I’ll show you around here. 
Olive Films has announced their January lineup, which includes Belle Epoque, Jamon Jamon, The Red Squirrel (La Ardilla Roja), Vacas, Tierra, and Preexisting Conditions (Trashology 2). Phew! What a great time to be alive!
What better way to celebrate today’s National Spaghetti Day, then announcing this February, Disney’s cherished animated classic, “Lady and the Tramp,” will join the highly celebrated Walt Disney Signature Collection! As one of the greatest love stories ever told, “Lady and the Tramp” is sure to melt the hearts of generations with its beloved characters, brilliant animation, memorable music and sweet sentiment. Every member of the family will treasure this timeless tale—loaded with three versions of the film, classic bonus material and three all-new features—when it heads home on Digital and on Movies Anywhere Feb. 20 and on Blu-ray on Feb. 27!
I’ve received thousands of emails asking where my list is, and I’m happy to report that the time has come! Sure, this is late, but it’s worth it, trust me. There were too many to list, so I just went ahead and LISTED THEM ALL! Below are all the best, listed in order of release date.
No matter what the final box office tally winds up being, that doesn’t matter in terms of the quality of films that 2017 delivered. While for a long time it seemed like it only had one true Best Picture frontrunner, that’s a whole different bag because there are a lot of awesome films we know they won’t let sniff a nomination. And, that whole Oscar thing seemed to fill out quite easily in the final months of the year. In terms of just speaking genre, specifically the falsely loathed super hero one, it was a pretty outstanding year. Aside from Justice League (Which I found to be a mess, but fun enough regardless), every output felt top tier, with Marvel seeming to have a welcomed comedic approach to its movies this year. There will be focus on box office misses, but that doesn’t make War For The Planet of the Apes any less incredible or Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets the best summer blockbuster film you didn’t go and see. Sure, there were turds and if you’re paying attention in this, you’ll know my bottom 5. 2017 produced a lot of greatness and this list was DAMN hard to whittle down to 10. It pained me to cut some favorites, but my next would be all films I loved quite a bit (Oddly, I’ll probably watch Happy Death Day as the years go by more often than some of these). But, anywho…here’s my 10. 
Just missing its tenth anniversary, Julie Taymor’s visionary Beatles-infused musical, Across the Universe will land itself on the 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray format in the second week of January. The film, nominated for an Academy Award in the category of costume design, was met with mixed reviews upon its delayed release by critics. It wasn’t a box office smash by any means either, but seemingly found some life and fandom in the home video afterlife as well as landing it on more than a few critics end of the year top 10 lists. Whatever your thoughts, there’s no doubt this movie is a terrific candidate for the 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray format. You can check it out for yourself by putting in a pre-order in the Amazon link at the bottom to have it on its street date, January 9th. 
What a year 2017 was and thanks to 
I had a fun time watching films this year. I got to go to South by Southwest again and that led to the viewing of 23 films over 9 days (22 new ones and a screening of Alien introduced by Ridley Scott). I got a Moviepass subscription and it allowed for the ability to watch a lot of stuff that I wouldn’t normally go and see. And my friends were super willing to watch weird stuff with me this year for some reason. So, while I didn’t see as many films in raw numbers as I did in 2016, I had a better overall movie-going experience. I hope that my top 10 list reflects the kind of year I had at the movies. And I hope the trend of fun continues into the new year. Have a great time with my list and I hope to have more discussions about film with everyone soon! 
