Ghost Ship – Collector’s Edition (Blu-ray Review)
Well, 2002’s Ghost Ship is now worthy of the Scream Factory Collector’s Edition, eh? All right. Time to revisit it, then. At the very least, new interviews and bonus features can paint an entertaining story about a film I’m pretty sure most people thought was a disappointment. I think the popular word on this one was that “it had an amazing opening scene!” For this new Blu-ray release they’ve rounded up director Steve Beck for a commentary and for interviews they have Gil Adler, Isaiah Washington and Jason Baird. Funny enough, like Steve Beck’s Thirteen Ghosts which also had a Collector’s Edition release, Ghost Ship was once packaged as a multi-feature Blu-ray with the remake of House of Wax. Could a Collector’s Edition of that film be around the corner as well? I actually like that one, so I’d be pretty enthused. Ghost Ship arrives with this new Scream Factory Blu-ray at the end of the month on September 29th. If you’re a fan, use the paid Amazon Associates link after the review to pre-order a copy.
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Sherlock Holmes was not the film I thought it’d be. So much so that I was strongly apprehensive about the sequel. So much so that until I received my copy of Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows on 4K disc that I did not make a point to view the film. Where I was totally disappointed in the first film, the second in what is now the Sherlock Holmes trilogy is a horse of a different color. Check out more about A Game of Shadows below and be sure to click the paid Amazon link at the end if you’d like to snag a copy!
I’m a sucker for 1970s science fiction in either television or film. Its likely a bit of a love for the style and aesthetic that comes across, but there are some great ideas explored through the writing. In the television medium, these weren’t always about action and blasting all the time, they had to provide good drama and character explorations. Gene Roddenberry, famous for creating Star Trek, tried his hand at the genre on television again a few years after the crew of the Starship Enterprise had gone off the air. His new attempt was an Earthbound story of a man out of time. The first attempt, Genesis II wasn’t picked up for series, leaving its pilot as a standalone TV movie. Just a year later, it would be rebooted as another pilot called Planet Earth. That one would also not make it to series. A third try, without Roddenberry’s involvement (But with Planet Earth star John Saxon returning) also failed. Regardless of success, these curious television oddities, Genesis II and Planet Earth are now coming to Blu-ray from Warner Archive Collection on September 29th. Pre-order using the paid Amazon Associates link below.
When a new format breaks out, it should be mandatory that the entire catalog of Alfred Hitchcock be immediately upgraded, restored and released. Unfortunately, in these streamy times we live in, that doesn’t seem to be of interest as finally in 2020 we are delivered just a small sampling size of his collection of masterpieces. Luckily that sampling size comes in the form of 4 pictures many would have at the top of their favorites list. Universal delivers the “Classics Collection” which features Rear Window, Vertigo, Psycho and The Birds. Four films that definitely showcase the master in different areas. It comes complete with digital copies and the standard Blu-ray editions. All bonus material is ported over to this set as well. I don’t know what else to tell you, as this is a must have from the jump for any real film collector. This set arrived on September 8th, so if you haven’t already, make sure you get your order in now and start sinking your teeth into this lovely set.
Sherlock Holmes made its way to the premier 4K Blu-ray format last week! Has time been kind to the big budget Guy Ritchie revamp? Let’s relive 2009 with Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law and Rachel McAdams in a dingy dirty London and see how it holds up, shall we?
The multiple Emmy® and Golden Globe® Award-winning miniseries from HBO, Chernobyl, will be released on 4K Ultra HD Blu-rayTM Combo Pack by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. Available on December 1, 2020, Chernobyl features an ensemble cast that includes Jared Harris (The Crown, Mad Men), Stellan Skarsgård (Melancholia, Good Will Hunting) and Emily Watson (Hillary and Jackie, Breaking the Waves).
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment announced today that DC’s V for Vendetta, 2005’s thought-provoking action thriller from the creators of The Matrix trilogy, will be released on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack and Digital HD on November 3rd, 2020. From producer Joel Silver, V for Vendetta was written and produced by the Wachowskis (The Matrix Trilogy), and stars Natalie Portman and Hugo Weaving. The film was directed by James McTeigue (Ninja Assassin).
Young Sheldon is finding its annual way home to my beloved Blu-ray format September 1st courtesy of Warner Archives. I suppose if anyone is qualified to write about it on the website here that would be myself having covered The Big Bang Theory seasons for the last seven years. If interested, you can find all my reviews of the show archived right 
Prior to taking in Chelsea Christer’s energetic and enduring documentary, Bleeding Audio, I had no awareness of the pop punk quartet known as The Matches. Originating in Oakland in 1997 (as then, The Locals), the group hit the road hard. While finding success in their shows, signing to a record label and releasing 3 albums, they were never able to commercially take off as many industry scouts might have hoped. Continuing the push for 12 years, The Matches finally lost their spark and went their separate ways in 2009. With time passed, they found themselves rekindling and putting together some reunion shows years later to surprising resurgence. Bleeding Audio takes us through this frantic journey with the band, the people who supported them, collaborated with them and their fans.
On December 8, 2020, Scream Factory™ celebrates the politically-charged science fiction thriller THEY LIVE with a new 4K UHD/Blu-ray™ release, as well as a Limited Edition NECA action figure and Sacred Bones 7” vinyl. Horror master John Carpenter (Halloween, The Thing) directs this heart-pounding thriller in which aliens are systematically gaining control of the Earth by masquerading as humans and lulling the public into submission. The 2-disc UHD/Blu-ray™ combo release THEY LIVE
Sometimes it quite stunning what films haven’t had their time in the spotlight with the Blu-ray format yet. There are films that seem so obvious that when they are announced you realized you thought it was already out and readily available. I do an annual piece for this site highlighting those titles that haven’t seen a Blu-ray release yet in any region of the globe yet. And after seven years of those article (Including a year where it was an almost weekly piece), even I missed William Wyler’s 1953 film Roman Holiday. For crying out loud, its the breakout Academy Award-winning performance for screen icon Audrey Hepburn. I can see you’re as surprised as I am. Paramount is making good on its tardiness, as they debut it as a part of the Paramount Presents line. An extensive new restoration has been done as well as actually loading one of these releases with extras (Even coming with a digital code). Take note, the press release to announce the film did mention it as a limited edition. You’ll definitely want to pre-order the film (Use the paid Amazon Associates link below if you like) to have upon arrival September 15th.
William Shatner will boldly tell what no one has told before with the release of The Captains Collection, available for the first time on Blu-ray and collected together in a single set, on October 20, 2020 from Shout! Factory. Shatner’s incredible in-depth look at the creation, evolution and legacy of Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek comes to life in this collection of four documentaries. The Captains Collection will be available everywhere on digital and as a standard four-disc Blu-ray release and, exclusively from Shout! Factory, as a Special Edition five-disc Blu-ray set and as a bundle that pairs the Special Edition set with William Shatner’s Has Been on vinyl. Fans can pre-order their copies now by visiting ShoutFactory.com.
Paul Verhoeven’s sci-fi classic gets the ultimate high-definition treatment when Total Recall arrives as a 3-disc 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack (plus Blu-ray™ and Digital) and Digital 4K Ultra HD December 8 from Lionsgate. Restored in 4K from a scan of the original 35mm negative, the visionary film stars Arnold Schwarzenegger (Terminator franchise, Predator, The 6th Day), Rachel Ticotin (Con Air, Falling Down, The Eye), Oscar® nominee Sharon Stone (1995, Best Actress, Casino), and Michael Ironside (Starship Troopers, Scanners, Top Gun). Undertaken by STUDIOCANAL, the restoration was supervised by Paul Verhoeven himself. The restoration crew paid particularly high attention to preserving special-effects continuity, as Total Recall was one of the earliest films to use computer-generated images for special effects winning the Special Achievement Award for Visual Effects at the 1990 Academy Awards®. 
