Copshop (Blu-ray Review)
December 6th, 2021 by Adam Toroni-Byrne
This year has been a very interesting one for the film world. Some movies were sent straight into the home. Some had hybrid releases. Some came and went without so much as a peep. Copshop is one of the latter variety. The film came and went with little to no fanfare from its distributor Universal and even makes its debut on Blu-ray quietly tomorrow (12/7/21) with not much going for it publicity wise. I wonder if the filmmakers knew something we didn’t or if they were hoping audiences would find a diamond in the rough. Read on for my thoughts below and be sure to click the paid link at the bottom to get yourself a copy of Copshop.
Rolling on through their catalog and still putting out 4K physical media, I’m grateful Disney is still doing it and has also landed on 1988’s Who Framed Roger Rabbit? The Robert Zemeckis film not only was a hybrid of animation and live action, but also the perfect mesh of youth and adult enjoyment. The film comes to 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray with an upgrade in the picture department and a new Atmos track to hear it by. Unfortunately there are no new extras to add this time around, but the former Blu-ray is included for those. This arrives on the format on December 7th. At some point, the Amazon ordering link will reappear, and then I’ll post the paid Amazon Associates link if you so choose to order from this site. But until then, there are other places you can secure yourself a pre-order.
October was quite a crowded month in terms of big new theatrical releases. When that happens, of course some thing or things get left by the wayside and aren’t the prime choice of movie goers. One of the biggies that happened to was Ridley Scott’s The Last Duel. There’s been a lot of huffing and puffing about Ridley Scott’s hypothesizing as to why it didn’t pan out, but that’s beside the point. The film is excellent and you should certainly check it out whenever you have the time, wherever you can find it to watch (Hopefully not on your phone though, but if that’s your thing, so be it). Next to theatrical, its coming the best way for home possible, as a 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray release with an Atmos track. There is one featurette with it, but its over 30 minutes long, so that’s at least a nice conceit. The Last Duel arrives on the format online and in stores on December 14th. You can pre-order yourself a copy of it by using the paid Amazon Associates link that follows the review below.
Snake Plissken is back in the high-octane thrill-ride JOHN CARPENTER’S ESCAPE FROM L.A., arriving on 4K Ultra HD for the first time ever February 22, 2022 from Paramount Home Entertainment. Released in 1996, JOHN CARPENTER’S ESCAPE FROM L.A. was the highly anticipated follow up to the fan-favorite hit Escape from New York. Kurt Russell returns as anti-hero Snake Plissken, who is called upon to save the world from a doomsday device after a 9.6 quake levels most of Los Angeles. 
One of cinema’s greatest and most true blue, time honored cult classics is turning 50 years young this year, which is right smack dab in the middle of the age gap between our two leads. That fil is Hal Ashby’s dark romantic comedy Harold and Maude. Paramount is commemorating the milestone by adding it to the Paramount Presents line. The film is receiving a new 4K make-over from the original negative as well as a new 5.1 mix from newly discovered materials. Yusuf / Cat Stevens has sat down for a brand new interview and you get a commentary with Cameron Crowe and the writer of Ed Wood as bonus features. This new disc will arrive on December 7th, and you can order yourself a copy now by using the paid Amazon Associates link following the review.
Its rather nice and refreshing to have Rick and Morty back in regular rotation on Adult Swim. It feels almost too good to be true. The fifth season of the show just concluded its terrific run and we’ll be heading into a sixth season in the next year. Warner Bros and Adult Swim are putting it out onto Blu-ray, which will also come with a collectible steelbook packaging. The release comes with a nice array of short featurettes and a digital code for every episode of the season. You’ll be able to pick up the complete season on Blu-ray when it arrives in stores, both online and physical on December 7th. If you’d like to order one, you can use the paid Amazon Associates link that follows this review.
James Wan is one of our best mainstream working directors today. No matter what he’s working on, the minute it comes out you really need to see it. His craft and joy of movie making is infectious through every one of his projects. Personally, for me, I love the fact that he and frequent collaborator tend to make low budget movies made for ten bucks look like they were made for 100 million. Wan’s latest effort is a “one for me” film in that of Malignant, squeezing between Aquaman features. The film sadly didn’t fare so well at the box office and had a simultaneous release on HBO Max. Unfortunately, at this time, we aren’t getting a 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray release and simply a standard Blu-ray with a sole 15 minute featurette. If the film continues to find a following, perhaps we can get a deluxe release by someone somewhere down the line. For now, you can pick it up on physical media on standard Blu-ray and you can do so by using the paid Amazon Associates link following this review.
The Warner Archive Collection continued journey through the Michael Curtiz catalog ends the year on the longtime heralded Angels With Dirty Faces. This is a notable film in the canon of James Cagney. Of this release, Warner Archive Collection states “It’s back and looking better than ever! The acclaimed Warner Bros. gangster classic which paired off-screen pals James Cagney and Pat O’Brien for the sixth time in this timeless and unforgettable film. Cagney’s Rocky Sullivan is a charismatic ghetto tough whose underworld rise makes him a hero to a gang of slum punks. O’Brien is Father Connolly, the boyhood chum-turned-priest who vows to end Rocky’s influence. Other top talents join them including Humphrey Bogart as a scheming lawyer, Ann Sheridan (in her first major leading-lady role) as Rocky’s hard-edged girlfriend and the Dead End Kids as worshipful street urchins, all ably directed by the great Michael Curtiz (Casablanca). The 1938 New York Film Critics Best Actor Award came Cagney’s way, as well as one of the film’s three Oscar® nominations. Watch the film’s shocking finale and you’ll know why.” You can order this loaded release by using the paid Amazon Associate link at the bottom of the page.
One of the bread and butter best things Warner Archive Collection does is turn out beautiful restorations of old Technicolor produced films of Hollywood yesteryear. On December 14th, they’ll be stunning us with a brand new 4K restoration of the 1952 box office smash Ivanhoe, starring Elizabeth Taylor and Joan Fontaine. Of Ivanhoe, “M-G-M spared no expense and brought their top box-office talent to film this opulent Technicolor® epic to England to film this box-office smash which starred not one, but two Taylors. Related only as studio royalty, long-time leading man Robert Taylor played opposite the incomparable Elizabeth Taylor in this action-packed adaptation of Sir Walter Scott’s legendary novel.” The film comes with an Oscar winning Tom and Jerry cartoon as a bonus feature in addition to the trailer (All of which is in HD). You can order yourself a copy of Ivanhoe by utilizing the paid Amazon Associates link that follows the review at the bottom of the page.
It’s been 8 years since I published my first Blu-ray Wishlist article during my first year writing here at Why So Blu. In 2013, I decided to take something always on my brain and put it to text. From DVD to Blu-ray, late in their life, I have always been curious on just what films haven’t made the jump to the format. Not every theatrical film made it to VHS, BetaMax or CED. Even less made it to Laserdisc. And not every film on VHS made it to DVD. And it only continues to shrink from there. As many a cool release or double dip upgrade comes out on a title we love, so many are still missing. So many fans of those films continually waiting for a picture improvement from whatever format they currently cling to. The purpose for it was to have fun and see what other people would be wanting or bring to my attention that I hadn’t realized was missing. I even had too big of eyes and attempted it as a weekly series in 2014, but quickly realized I’m probably better suited for it as an annual piece. At the end of the day, it created an awareness and sometimes the distributors did indeed take note. Shout! Factory once responded to one of Twitter that they had attempted one of the titles I listed but were not successful. 
Paramount continues to lovingly and impressively dig into their back catalog, improving upon previous releases and finally getting around to some titles missing from the Blu-ray format. On November 30th, they are doing both ends of the spectrum with a pair of Warren Beatty films; 1978’s Heaven Can Wait and 1981’s epic Reds. Both of them having brand new 4K transfers. Reds was Beatty’s big sweeping epic from 1981. Its the one that landed him is Academy Award for Best Director. While nominated for a pretty outstanding 12 Academy Awards, it managed to go home with three. It comes with the bonus features from the 25th anniversary edition as well as the new transfer approved by Vittorio Storraro. You can order yourself a copy for a heck of deal by using the paid Amazon Associates link at the bottom of the page following the review.
Paramount continues to lovingly and impressively dig into their back catalog, improving upon previous releases and finally getting around to some titles missing from the Blu-ray format. On November 30th, they are doing both ends of the spectrum with a pair of Warren Beatty films; 1978’s Heaven Can Wait and 1981’s epic Reds. Both of them having brand new 4K transfers. Heaven Can Wait was Beatty’s directorial debut (Sharing credit with Buck Henry) and a remake of a 1941 screwball comedy classic. The film garnered 9 Oscar nominations, yielding 1 win, during the year Deer Hunter was the favorite. Paramount isn’t really doing much else as aside from the transfer and lossless mono track, only a digital code is provided. However, the price point is pretty fair, especially for a day 1 release. You can order yourself a copy using the paid Amazon Associates link below.
House of Gucci is the second film this year by legendary director Ridley Scott. The filmmaker is 83 years old and, like Taylor Swift, who turns 32 next month, has absolutely shamed my lazy butt during the pandemic. Imagine the fortitude to complete two epic-sized features (or, in Swift’s case, two Grammy-nominated albums and two more because #lifegoals) with an impressive roster of A-list talent. The true story of the Gucci empire through the turbulent seventies up to the nineties stars Lady Gaga, Adam Driver, Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons, Salma Hayek, and Jared Leto. The latter is unrecognizable under tons of makeup and ugly corduroy suits. Sadly, although the soundtrack includes George Michael, the Eurythmics, and Blondie, Swift’s tracks are absent because, well, she hadn’t been born for most of the story’s run time (Then again, Tarantino used David Bowie in his WWII-era flick Inglorious Basterds). Would this award-seeking film about the Italian fashion house earn one star higher if it included a montage of Gaga on the runway while “Bad Blood” played? Definitely. Regardless, Sir Scott had a full plate during COVID, so he can sashay away knowing he’s accomplished a ton.
An old school father and his plugged-in, filmmaker daughter struggle to relate as their family embarks on a road trip to her new college. Their drive is interrupted by a machine apocalypse that threatens to tear these unlikely heroes apart unless they can find a way to join forces and save humanity. From Phil Lord and Chris Miller, The Academy Award-Winning® Producers of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse comes The Mitchells Vs. The Machines! Available on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital on December 14th, with over two hours of new content, including an all-new short and Katie’s Extended Cut on Katie Mitchell’s Extended Edition, available on Blu-ray.
Opening exclusively in theaters, Resident Evil: Welcome To Raccoon City is the seventh live-action feature based on Capcom’s survival horror videogame series. Sony Pictures is relaunching a movie version just in time for the 25th anniversary of the Umbrella Corporation’s unhealthy obsession with turning the citizens of Raccoon City into zombies. Unlike the Milla Jovovich-led films by Paul W.S. Anderson, which grossed over 1.2 billion, 2021’s entry is a more faithful adaptation of the first two Resident Evil games. Both debuted on the original PlayStation in the 90s (Resident Evil 2 was recently remade in glorious 4K for the PS4 era). Will Crawl‘s Kaya Scodelario be the big screen Claire Redfield fans have been clamoring for? She definitely has a red leather jacket, so that’s a start, right?
