Thriller: A Cruel Picture (Blu-ray Review)
While we have two labels putting out Thriller: A Cruel Picture this year, Synapse Films announced and has released theirs first. Later this summer, Vinegar Syndrome will debuting the film on 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray with a different transfer and extras. Synapse Film’s Blu-ray was released on March 8th. They previously had put the film on DVD in two different editions. The DVD featuring the censored US cut They Call Her One Eye is included in this release and the extras from their 2-Disc edition are ported over here. Vinegar Syndrome’s release is going to come with a heftier price tag, so I imaging Synapse Films is putting theirs out for a more affordable option for folks or for that attractive, quick pickup at the convention booth. Nonetheless, if that’s you or you’d like to support them, you can order a copy from their site or the paid Amazon Associates link following the review.
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What do you get when you pack a lot of female star power into an international spy thriller and roll it all into one? You get The 355, I guess. Simon Kinberg directs 4 leading ladies and a 5th for mysterious intrigue too. But does it delve deep into a meaningful, action-packed thriller, or does it melt into the cinematic equivalent of chocolate and mustard? Read on further down and if you feel so compelled to score a copy, a paid Amazon link will be waiting for you at the end of this review… Buckle up kids, it’s gonna get rough and tumble.
One of the biggest gaps in cult movie collecting over the years, and especially in the realm of 1980s sword and sorcery schlock is the aptly titled 1982 film The Sword and the Sorcerer. That’s getting taken care of now by none other than the folks over at Shout! Factory. And care indeed. In time for its 40th anniversary, the film is not only getting a Blu-ray release, but a 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray one to boot! Piling on is a load of brand new interviews from those like Albert Pyun, Kathleen Beller and many others. Its a heck of a release for those who have been hungering for this pre-Conan fantasy flick to have an updated release. You’ll be able to land it on March 15th. You can do so by going to Shout! Factory’s store on their website or by using the paid Amazon Associates link that follows this very review.
Nominated for four Academy Awards this year, Guillermo del Toro’s remake of the 1947’s Nightmare Alley will be coming to 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray on March 22nd. Currently playing on Hulu and HBO Max, the film was released over the Christmas holiday season last year to much acclaim abut little in the dollars. However, its been great seeing the distributors still getting these films out there and seen. And even better, still giving us the physical media option as well. Nightmare Alley will come equipped with a Dolby Atmos track as well as three little featurettes to go along with a digital code. You can see for yourself why del Toro is one of the best we have when you order it for yourself. You can do so using the paid Amazon Associates link following the review below.
At some point, in our IP driven entertainment society, it was going to be The Matrix’s turn to be resurrected for the sake of being resurrection. Thankfully, it was resuscitated from the breath of the maker. Arriving day and date in theaters and HBO Max, The Matrix Resurrections was unleashed with plenty of people having plenty of opinions on it. Truly divisive, it brought some interesting conversations regarding it. At the end of the day, that’s better than boring and safe, even if some of my best colleagues/friends and I are on polar opposite ends of the spectrum on it. Warner Bros brought it to 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray on March 8, complete with an Atmos track and a handful of featurettes featuring interviews with the cast and crew of the film. Where’d you side with the film? Are you going to be picking this up or are you #NotMyMatrix? If you’re of the former, you can use the paid Amazon Associates link that follows the review to land your copy if you’d be so kind.
While not making the box office dent one may have hoped for, Steven Spielberg’s new adaptation of the stage play for West Side Story still released to critical raves and has been nominated for 7 Academy Awards. Most importantly, it won the heart of this reviewer, as I was over the moon for this movie from the first shot. This is easily my favorite of his efforts since Munich. I’ve used the word “magical” to describe it and I don’t feel that it is an exaggeration. While its currently streaming on Disney+ and HBO Max, its even more exciting that it is coming to 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray on March 15th. Included with the best picture quality available and a Dolby Atmos track is a feature length documentary, the ability to watch the song numbers standalone and a redeemable digital code for the film. Get your preorder in to own a copy of Steven Spielberg’s take on West Side Story using the paid Amazon Associates link that follows the review.
Well, perfectly timed and released, The Batman: The Complete Series arrives around the time of the release of the Matt Reeves film The Batman. Its been a bit overdue for this series to make its jump to Blu-ray, and on March 1 that wait was no more. The show comes complete with archival bonus features as well as a new featurette for this Blu-ray set. Coming in an amaray case that houses 6-discs, its presented in the 1.78:1 format. Nothing special in fancy packaging, but right now you can at least nab a slip and it comes with digital copies of the episodes to boot. You can revisit this depiction of the early days in Gotham for Bruce Wayne by ordering a copy from the paid Amazon Associates link below.
Brace yourself for the long-awaited Hammer cult film classic debuting on Blu-ray. On April 19, 2022, SCREAM FACTORY™ is excited to present the highly anticipated Hammer Fim cult classic NIGHT CREATURES Collector’s Edition Blu-ray. Directed by Peter Graham Scott (The Avengers) and produced by John Temple-Smith (The Island of Dr. Moreau), this chilling classic stars Peter Cushing (The Curse of Frankenstein), Yvonne Romain (Circus Of Horrors), Patrick Allen (When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth), and Oliver Reed (Quatermass And The Pitt). A must-have for movie collectors and loyal fans of Hammer Films, this definitive Blu-ray release contains special bonus content, including new 2K scan of the interpositive, new audio commentary with film historian Bruce Hallenbeck, new interviews with author and historian Kim Newman, author and historian Jonathan Rigby and special effects artist Brian Johnson, and much more! 
We are at the penultimate Blu-ray release in Scream Factory’s crusade to fully upgrade the Universal Hammer Horror 8-Film collection from year’s back. Nightmare, from 1964, is given the Collector’s Edition treatment. This mental terror of horrific dreams and sadistic dreamscapes will be seeing a brand new 2K transfer from the interpositive as well as housing a slew of new and classic extras where it was once void of them before. You’ll be able to snag this one when it releases on the format on March 15. Pre-order links are currently available, so you can get yours in to have it on release day using the paid Amazon Associates link following the review. Only Night Creatures (Known by many as Captain Clegg) will cap off this run when it also receives a Collector’s Edition next month. Details on that should be not too far around the corner. 
Last year saw the classic winning combination of director Pedro Almodóvar and actor Penélope Cruz reunite for Parallel Mothers. The film has landed Cruz yet another Best Actress nomination at the Academy Awards (Perhaps she’ll take home her second Oscar). Composter Alberto Iglesias has also been recognized by the Academy for his score for the film. It’s arriving Blu-ray on April 5th from Sony. You can pre-order the film now from the paid Amazon Associates link below to have to own on or around the release date. And tune in to the Oscars to see if it makes any noise in its 2 categories.
To celebrate the 70th anniversary of the 1952 acclaimed and beloved film, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment announced today that Singin’ In The Rain will be released on Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack and Digital on April 26. Singin’ In The Rain is widely considered to be one of the greatest musical films in cinematic history. The musical romantic comedy was directed by choreographed by Gene Kelly (On the Town) and Stanley Donen (On the Town) and stars Kelly, Donald O’Connor, Debbie Reynolds, Jean Hagen, Millard Mitchel and Cyd Charisse. The film was written by Adolph Green and Betty Comden and produced by Arthur Freed. The music is by Nacio Herb Brown and the lyrics are by Arthur Freed. O’Connor won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, and Betty Comden and Adolph Green won the Writers Guild of America Award for their screenplay, while Jean Hagen was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. 
The Batman movie review title above says it all.
