X (Blu-ray Review)
Ever since I caught House of the Devil and it greatly impressed me and refreshed my love of horror, Ti West has had somewhat of a lifetime pass for me from that. And thus, I’ve generally enjoyed pretty much every original film he’s put out when he’s able to cut one. X was his latest, and it really had a terrific trailer and wound up managing to garner lots of curiosity and actually deliver on it. Lionsgate has forgone a 4K release on X, which is a shame. But, it is an A24 title, so perhaps like Midsommar before it, we’ll see a more deluxe limited edition for the film later on in the year for the 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray format (And maybe the Pearl trailer will be back, too?). But for now, you can secure yourself a copy of X, which was released on May 24th, by utilizing the paid Amazon Associates link that follows the review at the bottom.
Cloak & Dagger is often overlooked when it comes to 80’s child-centric cinema. An espionage thriller for kids that isn’t silly or over the top? How you say? Very well in fact. I was able to sit down with Vinegar Syndrome’s exceptional new 4K Collector’s Edition and take the kid friendly Hitchcockian thriller in. What a pleasant surprise! Read more on director Richard Franklin’s Cloak & Dagger below and be sure to visit vinegarsyndrome.com starting July 1st, 2022 to grab a copy of this unexpected, excellent release.
Jurassic World Dominion finally hits IMAX and normal-sized screens after production woes that included multiple shutdowns due to COVID. Like Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, this Colin Trevorrow-directed flick is marketed as an “epic conclusion” to the iconic series that changed VFX forever in 1993 with Spielberg’s top-notch direction. The hook for the third World pic is twofold: the dinos are finally (no, really, they are this time!) off the island, and a trio of original cast members have returned. True, Jeff Goldblum showed up for a couple odd judiciary scenes in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, but now he, along with Laura Dern and Sam Neill, are key players in Dominion. Jurassic World actors Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, and a host of others are back too. A trailer that featured a pair of DNA spliced velociraptors chasing motorcycle riding Pratt in Europe was intriguing. Universal hopes the nostalgia factor and audience’s seemingly endless love for dinosaurs will be more than enough to make this movie another smash hit at the box office. But is the film any good – or at the very least fun?
The mind-bending action-adventure Everything Everywhere All At Once arrives on 4K Ultra HD™ + Blu-ray™ + Digital, Blu-ray + Digital, and DVD July 5 from A24 and Lionsgate. The film stars Michelle Yeoh as an unlikely hero who must channel newfound powers to fight fearsome dangers from the multiverse. Directed and written by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, the writing-directing duo collectively known as the Daniels (Swiss Army Man), Everything Everywhere All At Once will be available on 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital, Blu-ray + Digital, and DVD, respectively.
When an ambulance is hijacked by two brothers after a bank robbery gone wrong, they must make an escape through Los Angeles in AMBULANCE, available to own on Digital May 23, 2022 and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-rayTM and DVD June 14, 2022 from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. Directed by Michael Bay, the action maestro behind high-octane blockbusters such as Transformers and Armageddon, comes an “over-the-top thrill ride” (Nick Schager, The Daily Beast) featuring Jake Gyllenhaal, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and Eiza González. Ambulance is being touted as “Bay’s best” (David Sims, The Atlantic) and is now packed with never-before-seen bonus content including six behind-the-scenes featurettes.
The Contractor asks a few age-old cinema questions. How does one provide for their family when their livelihood is cut down? How do you do a job you’re not so sure of without first thinking of the consequences of your actions in said job? What will your family think knowing what you do is “less than legal?” Does Chris Pine find those answers in his latest action thriller? Will you, the viewer, be on the edge of your seat or on the edge of pushing the “stop” button? Find these answers and more in our coverage of The Contractor below. Hitting home media on June 7th, The Contractor may be up your alley! Be sure to click the paid Amazon link at the end to grab a copy for yourself!
The first big interactive narrative adventure of 2022 has arrived, and the title: Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong, is indeed a mouthful. The height of choice-driven video games is, arguably, Quantic Dream’s 2018 masterwork Detroit: Become Human, which is also an ungainly thing to say aloud. Regardless, that was four long years ago. We’re waiting for the latest from that developer, which will be set in a galaxy far, far away, Star Wars: Eclipse. I look forward to receiving a trophy for cleaning my lightsaber via a sequence of triangles, squares, and circles. Until then, we have french developer Big Bad Wolf’s resurrection of a vampire series based on a ’90s tabletop game (No, I hadn’t heard of it, either). I took a chance on this tale of rival vampire sects set in modern-day Boston. Filled with deadly serious, seriously silly writing where the undead use words like Embrace (turn a human into a vamp), Vessels (humans used for blood) and Final Death. Terms that take on bigger meaning in genre fiction. Does this narrative adventure have bite, or does it suck?
Grease 2 really couldn’t stand a chance. Despite charismatic performances from Michelle Pfeiffer and Maxwell Caulfield and a bevy of character actors (The ones you’d call “that guy/girl from…” but not by name…), the film suffers from the inevitable sequel tropes. But revisiting this for a 40thanniversary Blu-ray may make you wanna go “back (back) back to school again!” Coming home in steelbook form, Grease 2 begs to be revisited. Read all the details below and don’t forget to click the paid Amazon link to get yourself a copy, cool rider!
After witnessing firsthand the murder of his father, a Viking prince (Alexander Skarsgård) devotes his life to avenge his father’s death, save his mother and reclaim his kingdom in THE NORTHMAN, available to own for the first time with exclusive bonus content on Digital June 6, 2022 and on 4K Ultra HD Collector’s Edition, Blu-rayTM Collector’s Edition and DVD June 7, 2022 from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. Visionary director Robert Eggers (The Witch, The Lighthouse) creates “an absolute beast of a movie” (Phil de Semlyen, Time Out) with his latest film, boasting an 89% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Featuring epic action sequences and “packed with phenomenal performances” (Ross Bonaime, Collider) by Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, and Ethan Hawke now with exclusive never-before-seen bonus features including nine deleted and extended scenes and exclusive behind-the-scenes featurettes. 
You gotta love it as a maestro’s catalog continues to upgrade through to whatever the most up to date format there is for home video. Brian De Palma is slowly but surely upgrading. Milestones help to bump things up to the top, as his film The Untouchables will join Mission: Impossible, Carlito’s Way and Scarface on the format. This notable classic gangster film is the one that nabbed screen legend Sean Connery his Oscar and turned his career around for its third act. You’ll be able to pick this 35th Anniversary Edition up in both a regular and steelbook packaging. All the legacy extras have been carried over and a digital copy is included (No standard Blu-ray disc is included). The Untouchables will grace the shelves (Likely physical and virtual) when it arrives on May 31st. You can pre-order yourself a copy of this bonafide classic by using the paid Amazon Associates link that follows the review.
Its a weird place to be where I don’t really NEED any more Batman, but I’m never going to turn down the opportunity for more Batman either. April finally saw the launch of the latest cinematic iteration of the caped crusader with Robert Pattinson in the role. Director Matt Reeves’ The Batman launched to big time accolades, citing it as the best Batman movie ever as well as audiences embracing it to a good chunk of change at the box office. Warner Bros has already put it out in the digital sphere, with rental and HBO MAX streaming now available, but does us collector’s a favor with a rather nicely packaged 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray release for “eternal” at home consumption. The Batman was release on May 24th and you can order yourself a copy by clicking on the paid Amazon Associates link that follows this very review.
