Archive Page 70
May 2nd, 2021 by Brandon Peters
Warner Archive Collection has show no bias in terms of its quest of restoration projects across the catalog. In addition to golden era Hollywood movies, musicals, horror films and the like, there have been plenty of animated titles getting attention. April saw Thundarr The Barbarian resurrected and put on Blu-ray. Now, while it looks like a Hanna Barbara event, it is actually not. However, the show did come from people who spun out of there and modeled their business practice off of them. Thundarr The Barbarian will be arriving as a 3-disc set, newly restored, and porting over a previous bonus featurette that is a retrospective on the series as a whole. Before Arnold was Conan, before He-Man won over the hearts of children around the globe, there was Thundarr The Barbarian. And you can own every episode by using the paid Amazon Associates link that follows the review.
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Continue reading ‘Thundarr The Barbarian: The Complete Series (Blu-ray Review)’
May 2nd, 2021 by Brandon Peters
Last year, there was the doom and gloom word that catalog titles were damned in the eyes of Disney. That only their fresh, shiny new stuff “might” be getting 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray releases. Sorry about all of you that love those classic Fox titles, they care even less on those. Everything was going all into the era of Disney+. However, a stunner and sign of hope came with the announcement of Speed (and Heat) coming to the 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray format. And I can attest that Speed is very real. Word has it that the remaining Alien films will be coming too. Now, its unclear whether this is Disney’s doing or if this is some sort of clean up from things already finished or worked on at Fox before the buyout. Nonetheless, I’ll take the win and enjoyment. Speed is hitting the streets, well, online stores on May 4th. So, step aside star wars, Keanu and Sandra are going to give you some force this year. You can pre-order this using the paid Amazon Associates link following the review.
Continue reading ‘Speed (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)’
May 1st, 2021 by Aaron Neuwirth
When I first saw Judas and the Black Messiah in January 2021, a few weeks before its Sundance premiere and eventual theatrical release, I was convinced it had a good chance of winning Best Picture. Being a film that is so of the moment and constructed in such an accessible manner made it the kind of fiery drama that tends to work for the Academy, without feeling bogged down weighty issues other “prestige” films don’t always handle well. As it stands, while nominated in all of the major categories, the film still managed to win two Oscars, including a very deserved statue for Daniel Kaluuya. It’s for a good reason this story of Fred Hampton, and the Black Panther party received the acclaim that it did, and now the film has arrived on Blu-ray to continue to share that story in such a successfully dramatized way.
Continue reading ‘Judas And The Black Messiah (Blu-ray Review)’
April 30th, 2021 by Gerard Iribe
A streetwise young man becomes a bodyguard to score quick cash. He soon befriends a once disillusioned mercenary determined to make a fresh start with his new wife. Although the two men find themselves working together to foil an assassination attempt, their partnership is short-lived. Through uncontrollable circumstances, they will unknowingly be propelled toward the opposite sides of a deadly confrontation. A noir infused Hong Kong action thriller from Tsui Hark (Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain; Once Upon a Time in China) starring Nicholas Tse and Wu Bai (who would later appear together in New Police Story), Time and Tide was nominated for six Hong Kong film awards and remains one of Tsui’s most acclaimed features. Time and Tide is released on Blu-ray in the UK May 24, 2021! Continue reading ‘‘Time and Tide’ on Blu-ray May 24, 2021!’
April 30th, 2021 by Gerard Iribe
Chow Yun-fat gives a career best performance in Wild Search, his third collaboration with director Ringo Lam (City on Fire, Full Contact). Yun-fat plays Lau, a widowed police officer investigating a gang of gun runners. When a shootout with the criminals leaves a woman dead, and her daughter the only surviving witness, Lau must protect the young girl from the ruthless gang that wants her dead. A loose re-imagining of Peter Weir’s 1985 film Witness, Wild Search showcases Ringo Lam’s often underrated versatility as a director. With beautiful cinematography by Andrew Lau (Infernal Affairs) and a dreamy score by Lowell Lo, Eureka Classics is proud to present Wild Search in its UK debut on Blu-ray July 19, 2021! Continue reading ‘‘Wild Search’ on Blu-ray July 19, 2021!’
April 30th, 2021 by Gerard Iribe
The Far East meets the Old West in this iconic action-packed adventure from the inimitable Sammo Hung. Hung plays a loveable rogue who teams up with an incorruptible Sheriff (Yuen Biao; Project A, Wheels on Meals) to save their home town from certain destruction. Featuring an explosion of brawls, bandits, and bordellos; The Millionaires’ Express [Foo gwai lip che] is Sammo Hung’s loving tribute to classic Western tropes, but also one of his finest pieces of action cinema. An electrifying fast-paced fusion of dynamic martial artistry, death-defying stunts, and physical comedy. Also starring Rosamund Kwan, Richard Ng, and Cynthia Rothrock (plus an abundance of cameos from other Hong Kong cinema legends) – The Millionaires’ Express makes its UK debut on Blu-ray in this definitive edition as part of Eureka Classics. The Millionaires’ Express is released on Blu-ray in the UK July 26, 2021!
Continue reading ‘‘The Millionaires Express’ on Blu-ray July 26, 2021!’
April 30th, 2021 by Gerard Iribe
SPARE PARTS is set in a godforsaken bar in the middle of nowhere where an all-girl band – Ms. 45 – rips the stage apart with their punk spirit. But their performance impresses an enthusiastic fan who lures the girls into a trap, sedates them, and starts…customizing them. Slowly they begin to gain consciousness and, in total shock, realize their arms have all been replaced with axes and chainsaws to fight gladiator-style in a junkyard arena owned by a sadistic “emperor,” forcing them into the battle of their lives with one prize in mind – their freedom. RLJE Films, a business unit of AMC Networks, will release SPARE PARTS on VOD, Digital, DVD and Blu-ray on June 1, 2021. It will be available on DVD for an SRP of $27.97 and on Blu-ray for an SRP of $28.96. Continue reading ‘‘Spare Parts’ on Blu-ray June 1, 2021!’
April 23rd, 2021 by Gerard Iribe
Willem Dafoe stars in the dark and hypnotic thriller
SIBERIA, opening in select theaters and everywhere movies can be rented June 18, and on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital June 22 from Lionsgate. The keeper of a snowbound bar is pursued by sinister phantasms in this mind-blowing film written and directed by cult filmmaker Abel Ferrara (
Bad Lieutenant). Clint (Dafoe) tends bar at a snowbound roadhouse whose patrons speak a language he doesn’t understand, and things may not be what they seem. Desperate for answers, he drives a sled team to a nearby cave, but finds no peace. Are the spirits that confront him mere figments of his imagination — or will they slowly tear his body and soul to pieces? This mind-blowing psychological thriller is directed by Abel Ferrara (
Bad Lieutenant) and stars Willem Dafoe (
Spider-Man).
Continue reading ‘‘Siberia’ on Blu-ray June 22, 2021!’
April 19th, 2021 by Aaron Neuwirth
Making its return to the Criterion Collection with a Blu-ray upgrade, Anthony Mann’s 1950 western, The Furies, has arrived in a new packed set, featuring the fierce film, a cleaned-up transfer, a collection of extras, and the full 1948 novel on which the film is based. That’s certainly one way to appreciate this “Freudian Western” that pits an all-in Barbara Stanwyck against veteran Oscar-winner Walter Huston in his final performance.
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– Continue reading ‘The Furies – The Criterion Collection (Blu-ray Review)’
April 16th, 2021 by Brandon Peters
This felt inevitable after Warner Archive Collection released the original Josie and the Pussycats complete series a few months back as they’ve been going down, restoring and releasing their Hanna Barbera line. Josie and the Pussycats in Outer Space was a sequel/spin-off/rebranding of the show that took off in 1972. Unfortunately it didn’t last too long, but did indeed keep Josie and her Pussycats going for another year. Warner Archive has restored this to go along with the original series on your shelf. A nice two disc set, but includes no extras this time around. They released it on April 13th. So, you can go ahead and order yourself a copy using the paid Amazon Associates link following the review. Amazon, which is now sort of the main hub for all things Warner Archive Collection. Let’s just hope this sub-label of Warner Bros home video keeps alive as they do some of the very best work in the business these days!
Continue reading ‘Josie And The Pussycats In Outer Space: The Complete Series (Blu-ray Review)’
April 15th, 2021 by Aaron Neuwirth
This July, Andrei Tarkovsky’s most renowned and personal film, Mirror, a mesmerizing collage of his memories and dreams, will join the Criterion Collection. Bronzed and beautiful, Romy Schneider and Alain Delon bring palpable chemistry to the French Riviera in the slow-burn thriller La piscine. Bill Duke’s stylish and subversive Deep Cover stars Laurence Fishburne in a noir gem that doubles as a seething indictment of the war on drugs. Screwball sparks fly between Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant in Bringing Up Baby, the madcap classic from Howard Hawks, considered one of the greatest comedies of all time. And, long unavailable on home video, Lizzie Borden’s Working Girls offers an immersive, richly detailed portrait of a day in the life of a sex worker.
Continue reading ‘Bringing Up Baby, Deep Cover & More Coming to The Criterion Collection July 2021’
April 15th, 2021 by Gerard Iribe
RLJE Films, a business unit of AMC Networks, and Shudder, AMC Networks’ premium service for horror, thriller and the supernatural, will release SON on DVD and Blu-ray on May 18, 2021. In SON, after a mysterious group of individuals breaks into Laura’s home and attempts to abduct her eight-year-old son, David, the two of them flee town in search of safety. But soon after the failed kidnapping, David becomes extremely ill, suffering from increasingly sporadic psychosis and convulsions. Following her maternal instincts to save him, Laura commits unspeakable acts to keep him alive, but soon she must decide how far she is willing to go to save her son.
Continue reading ‘‘Son’ on Blu-ray May 18, 2021!’
April 13th, 2021 by Brandon Peters
The Bill Murray directed Quick Change came as a nice surprise to the April slate of releases from Warner Archive Collection. It found itself a quick kill at the 1990 box office, finding itself debuting in the bottom half of the top ten and out of theaters altogether after three weeks. In its defense, it came out around the same time as a lot of big name iconic films were making a push (Ghost, Dick Tracy), but couldn’t even manage to best even The Adventures of Ford Fairlane. Nonetheless, it has managed to find a cult following and life on home video. The film also produced plenty of surprise and excitement when this Blu-ray was announced. I’m not so sure I can say the same for the now out of print Blu-ray for that Renny-Harlin/Andrew Dice Clay vehicle (Which admittedly is quite something in its own right). You can pre-order it now using the paid Amazon Associates link at the bottom of the page to have around release day, April 27th.
Continue reading ‘Quick Change (Blu-ray Review)’
April 13th, 2021 by Brandon Peters
If it hadn’t been for the Twitter super buzz for it back in February, Barb and Star Go To Vista Del Mar might have flown by on my radar. For some reason, I hadn’t caught wind of it until then, oddly enough. I was going to rent it, but the review copy request came in the very next week and the release date for Blu-ray wasn’t that far away. So I practiced patience and here we are. It arrived on April 6th and comes complete with some deleted material and featurettes for the film. You can land yourself a brand new copy of it on Blu-ray, at the (currently) low price of $14.96 by using the pad Amazon Associates link that follows the review. You don’t really have to if you don’t want to, but it helps the site (and our self esteem) just a hair if you do. Plus, we are saving up to get matching pairs of culottes for the photo for our Why So Blu holiday card we are sending out at the end of the year. And you know you want to see Gerard in culottes, right?
Continue reading ‘Barb And Star Go To Vista Del Mar (Blu-ray Review)’
April 11th, 2021 by Aaron Neuwirth
Before Parasite won Best Picture and three other Oscars in 2020 (back when the world was in order), it was just one of several incredible films directed by the Academy Award-winning Bong Joon-ho. Memories of Murder is among them. However, much like the elusive killer in this film (and in real life), this film has sadly not been widely available, but that has fortunately changed. Whether or not people had a chance to recently see the film, this sophomore effort from Bong is a great reminder of his talent early on, let alone a great crime drama layered with dark comedy. Fortunately, the Criterion Collection has now provided a proper U.S. Blu-ray release for the film.
– Continue reading ‘Memories of Murder – The Criterion Collection (Blu-ray Review)’
April 11th, 2021 by Peter Paras
Polish developer People Can Fly toss their assault rifle on the looter-shooter pile with Outriders. A new franchise (fingers crossed) is always welcome in an industry with far too many sequels and spin-offs. Plenty of videogame series often get better with multiple installments. Still, it’s refreshing to watch an opening cutscene and create a character that holds my attention with the promise of the new. Although with Outriders, the word ‘new’ is purely a matter of semantics as the story is yet another post-apocalyptic tale featuring gameplay that’s a weird hybrid of Mass Effect’s RPG mechanics, Gears of War’s third-person cover, and Doom’s close-up carnage. So no, this will not be like the first time you booted up those three titles many years ago but darn it all, there is definitely, something here that has kept sinking countless hours into this past week. Like the space magic… yeah. Continue reading ‘‘Outriders’ Delivers Fun in a Familiar Shooter Setting (Video Game Review)’
April 9th, 2021 by Brandon Peters
One of the most beloved rivalries in history is reignited when “Tom & Jerry” arrives on Premium Video on Demand (PVOD), Blu-ray, DVD and Digital. The film is directed by Tim Story (“Fantastic Four,” “Think Like a Man,” “Barbershop”) and stars Chloë Grace Moretz (“Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising,” “The Addams Family”), Michael Peña (“Cesar Chavez,” “American Hustle,” “Ant-Man”), and Colin Jost (“How to be Single,” TV’s “Saturday Night Live”).
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. Continue reading ‘TOM & JERRY Debuts On Blu-ray May 18th!’
April 8th, 2021 by Brandon Peters
Atrocious serial killings on holidays in Gotham send The World’s Greatest Detective into action – confronting both organized crime and a mysterious murderer – in Batman: The Long Halloween, Part One, the next entry in the popular series of the DC Universe Movies. Produced by Warner Bros. Animation, DC and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, the feature-length animated film – which will be accompanied by the latest DC Showcase animated short, The Losers – is set for release on Digital and Blu-ray on June 22, 2021.
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. Continue reading ‘BATMAN: THE LONG HALLOWEEN PART ONE Arrives On Blu-ray June 22nd!’
