Overview: For 9-year-old Sheldon Cooper it isn’t easy growing up in East Texas. Being a once-in-a-generation mind capable of advanced mathematics and science isn’t always helpful in a land where church and football are king.

While Sheldon deals with the world, his very normal family must find a way to deal with him. His father doesn’t understand him and his mother nurtures him in a town where he just doesn’t fit in. Sheldon’s older brother finds that it’s tough to be cool when you’re in the same classes with your odd 9-year-old brother, and his twin sister sometimes resents all the attention Sheldon gets but remains the one Sheldon can rely on to tell him the truth.

For 10 years on The Big Bang Theory, audiences have come to know the iconic, eccentric and extraordinary Sheldon Cooper. Now, we have the chance to meet him in childhood as he embarks on his innocent, awkward, and hopeful journey toward the man he will become.

DVD Verdict: After witnessing what was possibly the most heart wrenching series finale EVER that caused me to have a panic attack and breakdown like a little bizznitch, I can safely say that this prequel to The Big Bang Theory can go down in history for delivering a quirky and whimsical overall tone, whilst also bringing the thunder where and when it counted (especially in the show’s final moments).

The acting was pretty stellar and while some episodes in the series 7 season run had some misses, some up’s and down’s, it more so left you feeling complete by how it ended. All strings were tied to connect it to The Big Bang Theory and beyond, along with rounding out most of the story arcs for the main characters.

Along the way, and whenever I felt a little bored or tired of life, I would simply tune into one of the episodes (it didn’t matter which one) and a short time after my mood got boosted. From then on in, I just kept watching the episodes I could, feeling much better about life with each one, until I found it to be the early morning hours!

I mean, aside from this series having turned out to be one of the very best shows that CBS (or most any other channel) has brought to our sitting rooms in many a decade (save for the originator BBT, of course), I think the story of Sheldon was played impeccably by the little boy, Iain Armitage, from the off.

I loved watching this boy growing up before my very eyes with each passing season, but I also think the casting of the rest of the characters was rather spot on too. His sister (Raegan Revord) is cute as she can be, and is chock full of wise-ass sass, which makes her even more appealing. The brother (Montana Jordan) is adorable, his complete lack of concern about much of anything concerning Sheldon is funny alone! [and his accent is to die for!]

The dad (Lance Barber) is a little surprising, as older Sheldon always gave the impression that he wasn’t really close to his dad - although this series has most definitely shown some strong attachment in many an instance. The younger Mary Cooper (Zoe Perry) is perfect. She has older Mary Cooper’s voice, mannerisms, and, well, everything right down pat! And who doesn’t love MEEMAW (Annie Potts)! The first show where all of Sheldon’s teachers were complaining about him was hilarious, especially the guy with the wet armpits and with Sheldon volunteering to be his leader! (true Sheldon, I think we can all agree).

The writing is top-notch and the lack of a laugh track adds, rather than takes away, from the appeal of the show. I can find no fault with the show in and of itself, even after all these seasons, and thus this INCREDIBLE 14-Disc DVD Box-Set (from Warner Bros.) is one of the best investments that you will EVER make to bring into your home as the nights draw in.

Overall, if you’re looking for a great little sitcom that’ll make you chuckle (here, there and most definitely everywhere), while going the distance in the final three episodes (quite like I have never seen in TV land before), and making you feel like you’re in a glass case of emotion with no way out, then give Young Sheldon a shot. Or don’t, it’s up to you. I’m sure he wouldn’t care either way because he’s smarter than you and knows it!!

Special Features:
Six Behind-The-Scenes Featurettes

Overview: Made at the height of her fame following roles in Hapkido, Lady Whirlwind, Enter the Dragon and When Taekwondo Strikes, Broken Oath is one of Angela Mao’s very best films - and boasts action choreography orchestrated by Hsia Hsu (Drunken Master) and Yuen Woo-ping, one of the most respected stunt coordinators in both Hong Kong (The Magnificent Butcher) and Hollywood (The Matrix).

Lotus never had a chance. Her mother seethed with anger at being unjustly imprisoned for turning her attempted rapist into a cyclops. Mother repeatedly asked her good friend and fellow prisoner, Pickpocket, to urge Lotus to take revenge for her as an adult.

Lotus is given to a monastery and grows up there, but twenty years of peace and love make no impression on Lotus, who skips classes to practice pole and sword skills. Joining forces with Pickpocket and Big Rat, Lotus soon gets her chance at revenge!

Eureka Classics is proud to present the film on Blu-ray for the first time anywhere in the world from a brand new 2K restoration.

Blu-ray Verdict: Angela Mao (Bruce Lee’s sister in Enter the Dragon) plays a twenty year-old martial warrior who’s kicked out of her Buddhist monastery due to her wanton bloodlust, only to find herself on a quest to avenge her parents’ murders; in which she wields her bo staff with impunity and throws poisonous scorpions like ninja stars!

There’s solid fight choreography throughout, but the final 30 minutes truly reach an orgiastic crescendo of violence, featuring a young Sammo Hung and Han Ying-chieh as a villain who sports steel toe shoes and who breathes fire! In other words: if you’re a martial arts movie fan, you live for this shit!

When Mao is onscreen, stealthily placing scorpions on her enemies or unleashing Yuen Woo-ping-choreographed strikes, Broken Oath is a mean lean kung-fu blast. When the plot detours to the adventures of boring sidekick guy or sidelines Mao with debilitating poison, Broken Oath becomes blander, sluggish, and less fun.

That said, and with regard the aforementioned finale’s fight-crazy gauntlet, it most definitely culminates the movie on a high note though and with the score also being rather magnificent throughout, well, I simply cannot recommend this film highly enough.

Special Features:
1080p HD presentation on Blu-ray of the uncut theatrical version from a brand new 2K restoration
Original Mandarin audio and optional English dub tracks (original mono presentations)
Optional English subtitles, newly translated for this release
Brand new audio commentary by East Asian film expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival)
Brand new audio commentary by action cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema
Brand new interview with actor Bruce Leung (The Dragon Lives Again)
Patrick Macias on Lady Snowblood – new appreciation by film writer Patrick Macias
Trailer

Official Purchase Link

Overview: In the 1980s, Clive Barker changed the face of horror fiction, throwing out the rules to expose new vistas of terror and beauty, expanding the horizons for every genre writer who followed him. With Hellraiser, his first feature film, he did the same for cinema.

Hedonist Frank Cotton (Sean Chapman) thinks he has reached the limits of earthly pleasure. But a mysterious puzzle box will take him further than he can possibly imagine, opening the doors to a dominion where pain and pleasure are indivisible and summoning the Cenobites, whose experiments in the higher reaches of experience will tear his soul apart.

When he manages to escape, Frank returns to the world skinless and in need of help. Now his former lover Julia (Clare Higgins) must kill to make him whole again. But the Cenobites want Frank back, and there’ll be hell to pay when they find him.

Hellbound: Hellraiser II expands on Barker’s original vision as screenwriter Peter Atkins takes Julia Cotton, her step daughter Kirsty (Ashley Laurence) and the sinister Dr. Channard (Kenneth Cranham) into the dominion of the Cenobites themselves. Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth sees Pinhead set loose on the sinful streets of New York City to create chaos with a fresh cadre of Cenobitic kin.

Then, Hellraiser: Bloodline sinks its hooks into past, present and future with the story of Phillip LeMarchand, the 18th-century toymaker who made the lament configuration puzzle box, his descendent John Merchant – a 20th-century architect whose most recent building bears a striking resemblance to the lament configuration – and Dr. Paul Merchant, a 22nd-century engineer and designer of The Minos, a space station which is a great deal more than it seems.

Experience the sublime agony of this quartet of torment like you never have before in all-new 4K restorations from the original camera negatives. Hell has never looked better!

Blu-ray Verdict: Opening on the original Hellraiser (1987), a woman discovers the newly resurrected, partially formed, body of her brother-in-law and lover. She starts killing for him to revitalize his body and escape the demonic beings that are pursuing him after he escaped their underworld.

For me, Hellraiser is a film that manages to disturb viewers in all the right ways. It blurs the already nebulous line between pleasure and pain, mixing love with cruelty in a way that provokes curiosity into the raw vulgarity hidden within our subconscious. It’s a violent and visceral experience, but takes meticulous efforts not to waste a single drop of blood.

Despite the plethora of carnage there is no excess. Every disgusting detail serves to further explore a reality in which sin and vice are unfiltered by societal norms and where people wander endlessly in the pursuit of materialistic satisfaction. Within the tumult of lust and greed exist an order of demons referred to as the Cenobites.

The Cenobites act as the gatekeepers of chaos. They shield us from the harsh realities of human nature and maintain order between the savage beast and rational being that make up the contradiction that is mankind. Through the Cenobites, we are given a glimpse into the darkest corners of the human soul, where fear and desire intersect and become indistinguishable from each other. A place we try to deny and turn away from, but is permanently engraved into our very being.

Along next is Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988), which continues the story of when Kirsty is brought to an institution after the horrible events of Hellraiser, and where the occult-obsessive head doctor resurrects Julia and unleashes the Cenobites and their demonic underworld.

Hours after her family was torn apart by the Cenobites, Kirsty is in an institution, and receives what appears to be a message for help from her dead father, who is apparently in hell. Before long, the head of the institution, with the help of the revived Julia and a puzzle-solving mute patient, is able to open the doorway to hell once again.

This is a first-rate sequel to a great film. Once again, the story and the characters are great. Channard, whether in the form of the scheming, icy doctor or the snarling, bloodthirsty Leviathan, is a genuinely terrifying creation. The institution - a true place of the damned - and the labyrinth give the film a real dark fantasy feel.

This sequel does something unique in horror history ... it actually manages to pull off an explanation of its predecessor successfully. Most horror sequels falter not because they don’t have a plot; rather because they have too much.

The scale of this movie compared to the first is where it really shines, especially in its depiction of Hell. It’s pretty refreshing to see a Hell that’s not just burning coals and flames. Instead it’s cold stone walls and endless hallways leading to a labyrinth-like maze with one of the most impressive matte paintings I’ve ever seen in a film.

Then we get Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth (1992), which tells the story of an investigative reporter who must send the newly unbound Pinhead and his legions back to Hell.

OK, let’s get this out in the open immediately: This movie has been hailed by many as the worst of the series! A lot of people were extremely upset that Pinhead was moved to the foreground of the series when he had been in a supporting role previously. Mind you, these were the very same people that complained when he was moved back into that very role, of course!.

And so, from my humble point of view, that is exactly what makes this movie such an extremely underrated gem. Does it have it’s flaws? Sure. Is it the piece of crap people claim it to be? Far from it. So allow me to continue.

I could also complain about Pinhead becoming the main villain if Doug Bradley did a poor job playing him, or if the script gave him really cheesy lines (like they did with Freddy many times), but Pinhead is never made into a joke. They still make him an evil bastard and so he works here!

While not as memorable, he does have some good lines here (Down the dark decades of your pain, this will seem like a memory of Heaven) and some great moments, in general. I particularly loved the whole church scene which was so blasphemous and evil that my mind was blown that they got away with it!

Pinhead escapes from Hell and now he’s enjoying his newfound freedom. So Pinhead wasn’t ruined after all. What else is good? How about the fact there is some continuity from the previous two movies? When Pinhead was freed, so was his good version, Captain Elliot Spencer, who serves as a spiritual guide for our heroine and the anti-Pinhead.

So Doug Bradley manages to play two roles here. Not only that, but Ashley Laurence makes a cameo here as Kirsty too. Finally, Terry Farrell does a credible job as Joey, even if it does indeed seem like she’s trying too hard to follow in the footsteps of Ashley Laurence.

Again, Hellraiser III is underrated. Sure they made Pinhead the lead character, and yes this does feel more like a slasher flick than a typical Hellraiser movie, but it’s a FUN slasher flick! Highly recommended, although it’s not required viewing like the others.

Lastly we get treated to Hellraiser: Bloodline (1996), where in the 22nd century, a scientist attempts to right the wrong his ancestor created: the puzzle box that opens the gates of Hell and unleashes Pinhead and his Cenobite legions.

Now this is Alan Smithee’s best film by far! Simply put, Hellraiser: Bloodline is a picture that spans centuries and brings the series to a logical conclusion while setting something of a trend in plopping Horror icons into the vacuum of space. Both the Leprechaun and Friday the 13th series’s would follow suit in the years to come, but Bloodline at least makes sense of the setting and smartly works it into the plot, rather than haphazardly building some ten-cent story around the idea of Horror figure in space.

It’s never as goofy as it sounds, but as the fourth picture in the series, it’s a misunderstood genre masterpiece. Bloodline is good enough to satisfy fans while bringing to light some of the history that’s heretofore gone unseen and unknown in the diabolical world of Pinhead and the grossly disfigured Cenobites. Hellraiser: Bloodline sees the franchise come full circle and it is a right royal gem of a movie, trust me!

4-DISC ULTRA HD LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:
Brand new 4K restorations of all four films from the original camera negatives by Arrow Films
Ultra High Definition (2160p) presentations of all four films in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
Original lossless stereo and DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround audio for all four films
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Ages of Desire, an exclusive 200-page hardback book with new writing from Clive Barker archivists Phil and Sarah Stokes
Limited edition layered packaging featuring brand new Pinhead artwork

DISC 1 - HELLRAISER
Brand new audio commentary featuring genre historian (and unit publicist of Hellraiser) Stephen Jones with author and film critic Kim Newman
Archival audio commentary with writer/director Clive Barker and actor Ashley Laurence, moderated by Peter Atkins
Archival audio commentary with writer/director Clive Barker
Power of Imagination – brand new 60-minute discussion about Hellraiser and the work of Clive Barker by film scholars Sorcha Ní Fhlainn (editor of Clive Barker: Dark Imaginer) and Karmel Kniprath
Unboxing Hellraiser – brand new visual essay celebrating the Lament Configuration by genre author Alexandra Benedict (The Beauty of Murder)
The Pursuit of Possibilities – brand new 60-minute discussion between acclaimed horror authors Paula D. Ashe (We Are Here To Hurt Each Other) and Eric LaRocca (Everything the Dark Eats) celebrating the queerness of Hellraiser and the importance of Clive Barker as a queer writer
Flesh is a Trap – brand new visual essay exploring body horror and transcendence in the work of Clive Barker by genre author Guy Adams (The World House)
Newly uncovered extended EPK interviews with Clive Barker and stars Andrew Robinson, Clare Higgins, Ashley Laurence, and effects artist Bob Keen, shot during the making of Hellraiser, with a new introduction by Stephen Jones and Kim Newman
Original 1987 Electronic Press Kit
Being Frank: Sean Chapman on Hellraiser – archival interview with the actor
Under the Skin: Doug Bradley on Hellraiser – archival interview with the iconic actor about his first appearance as ‘Pinhead’
Soundtrack Hell: The Story of the Abandoned Coil Score – archival interview with Coil member Stephen Thrower
Trailers and TV spots
Image gallery
Draft screenplays

DISC 2 - HELLBOUND: HELLRAISER II
Brand new audio commentary featuring Stephen Jones and Kim Newman
Archival audio commentary with director Tony Randel, writer Peter Atkins and actor Ashley Laurence
Audio commentary with director Tony Randel and writer Peter Atkins
Hell Was What They Wanted! – brand new 80-minute appreciation of Hellbound, the Hellraiser mythos and the work of Clive Barker by horror authors George Daniel Lea (Born in Blood) and Kit Power (The Finite)
That Rat-Slice Sound – brand new appreciation of composer Christopher Young’s scores for Hellraiser and Hellbound: Hellraiser II by Guy Adams
Archival on-set interview with Clive Barker
Archival on-set interview with cast and crew
Behind the scenes footage
Being Frank: Sean Chapman on Hellbound – archival interview about the actor’s return to the role of Frank Cotton
Under the Skin: Doug Bradley on Hellbound – archival interview with the iconic actor about his second appearance as ‘Pinhead’
Lost in the Labyrinth – archival featurette featuring interviews with Barker, Randel, Keen, Atkins and others
Trailers and TV spots
Image gallery

DISC 3 - HELLRAISER III: HELL ON EARTH
Alternative Unrated version (contains standard definition inserts)
Brand new audio commentary featuring Stephen Jones and Kim Newman
Archival audio commentary with screenwriter Peter Atkins (Theatrical Cut only)
Archival audio commentary with director Anthony Hickox and actor Doug Bradley (Unrated Version only)
Previously unseen extended EPK featuring interviews with Clive Barker and Doug Bradley
FX dailies
Time with Terri – archival interview with actor Paula Marshall
Raising Hell on Earth – archival interview with director Anthony Hickox
Under the Skin: Doug Bradley on Hellraiser III – archival interview with the iconic actor about his third appearance as ‘Pinhead’
Theatrical trailer
Image gallery

DISC 4 - HELLRAISER: BLOODLINE
Brand new audio commentary featuring screenwriter Peter Atkins, with Stephen Jones and Kim Newman
The Beauty of Suffering – brand new featurette exploring the Cenobites’ connection to goth, fetish cultures and BDSM
Newly uncovered workprint version of the film, providing a fascinating insight into how it changed during post production
Hellraiser Evolutions – archival documentary on the evolution of the franchise and its enduring legacy, featuring interviews with Scott Derrickson (director, Hellraiser: Inferno), Rick Bota (director, Hellraiser: Hellseeker, Deader and Hellworld), Stuart Gordon (director, Re-Animator, From Beyond) and others
Books of Blood and Beyond: The Literary Works of Clive Barker – archival appreciation by horror author David Gatwalk of Barker’s written work, from The Books of Blood to The Scarlet Gospels
Theatrical trailer
Image gallery
Easter egg

www.arrowfilms.com

Overview: CIA Drugs R Us is a comic sequel to the film, Drugs as Weapons Against Us: The CIA War on Musicians and Activists. The film continues focusing on U.S. intelligence’s use of drugs for social control and in the murderous targeting of activists.

DVD Verdict: This sequel particularly covers John Lennon, Kurt Cobain, and Tupac Shakur. The film further details the CIA’s Project MK-Ultra involvement with The Manson Family regarding activist actors and The Black Panthers. It also details examples regarding U.S. intelligence, drugs and the antiwar Students for a Democratic Society (SDS).

The film then discusses the CIA’s MK-Ultra front group, The Human Ecology Fund, continuation, along with Maryland’s Catholic Church sex abuse scandal featured in the Emmy-nominated documentary series, The Keepers.

In what is a fundamentally engrossing documentary, whether it be for comical effect or not, ok, sure, it makes a lot of statements about many people, and we all know that there is simply no meaningful, reliable way to check their credibility, especially when there supposedly is such an interest to hide the truth, in general, but regardless, what we have here in the sequel is every bit as visually alluring as the original was.

Furthermore, documentaries like these are a great example of how conspiracy propaganda is made. This one seems to be well researched. But in its smoothness, as aforementioned, it lulls you into ignoring what should be obvious - proving the details and substantiating the linkages. Conspiracy theories always fail in this, as in the 911 conspiracies and such, but I digress.

That all said, it does (to the best of my limited understanding) have a lot of accurate information. Therefore, I think I can say that the premise of the documentary and what it proclaims is (mostly) true. I mean, I think we all know that the CIA was involved with drugs and celebrities, and that the CIA is involved in lots of things that people don’t know about, even today.

In closing, and as much as my only (personal) problem with this documentary was that the narrator is an Artificial Intelligence, like Siri, meaning super monotone, this sequel comes with 18+ minutes of bonus features!

CIA Drugs R Us! A Drugs As Weapons... Sequel [Official Trailer]

Overview: In 1960, a young woman named Christine enters St. Francis Boarding School for Girls and lays waste to the resident nuns.

Four decades later, a group of college students head to the long-abandoned building late one night to tag it with their fraternity letters, little knowing that rumors of the place being haunted are terrifyingly true.

Stir in a couple of disapproving cops and a band of unlikely Satanists, and the table is set for a feast of demonic infestation and bloodshed that only the grown-up Christine (Adrienne Barbeau, THE FOG, SWAMP THING) can possibly stop.

4K Blu-ray Verdict: Telling it like it is, The Convent is straight up one of the best horrors I’ve seen from this era in a long, long time! It’s funny, it’s chock full of fun gore, it even manages to pull in some genuinely scary segments as well. The movie is best described as Evil Dead crossed with Hell Night. A bunch of high school students hole up in an abandoned convent for a pledge night prank then wind up getting attacked by zombie nuns!

Director Mike Mendez obviously watched Sam Raimi’s trilogy repeatedly as a kid, as the same mix of hardcore gore, hilarious one liners and gruesome zombies is here in abundance. Not only are the teen actors great and much more resilient and believable than the average sorority pledge types, but the movie is home to genre veterans Adrienne Barbeau and Bill Mosely (you know, the skinny evil guy from House of 1000 Corpses!) You seriously can’t lose with this movie, trust me.

As you can tell, I’m stark raving mad about The Convent, because it really is the daddy of the current wave of B-Movie horror. It’s had a lot of detractors over the past near 25 years, sure, but how can any sane person not love a movie that throws thousands of guns, comedy Satan worshipers, horny teenagers, zombie nuns, the Antichrist and a very small dog into the mix! Check it out right now, especially as Synapse Films / MVD Have just released this wickedly brilliant new 4K UHD edition onto Blu-ray! [Z.F.]

4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:
Contains one 4K 2160p UHD disc and one 1080p Blu-ray disc
4K remaster of the uncut version supervised and approved by director Mike Mendez
Mastered in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
5.1 stereo surround mix from the original 16-track audio masters
Cast and crew audio commentary
“Lords of Hell” audio commentary featuring Saul and Dickie-Boy
Video tour of both THE CONVENT and KILLERS film locations
Vintage “Making of” featurette
Vintage original studio Electronic Press Kit (EPK)
“It’s Always Something with a Virgin” Liner notes from Corey Danna
Deleted scene
Gore outtakes
Still gallery
Promotional trailers

THE CONVENT (2000) | Official Trailer | HD

www.synapsefilms.com

Overview: THIS THRILLING DARK NIGHT OF THE SCARECROW 1 & 2 4K UHD DOUBLE FEATURE INCLUDES BOTH THE 1981 CLASSIC HORROR FILM ALONG WITH ITS EXCITING, LONG AWAITED 2021 SEQUEL!

4K Blu-ray Verdict: Dark Night of the Scarecrow (1981) tells the tale of when young Marylee Williams (Tonya Crowe) is found viciously mauled, all hell breaks loose in her small rural town. Officious postmaster Otis P. Hazelrigg (Charles Durning) leads a gang of bigots in pursuit of the suspect: her mentally challenged friend Bubba Ritter (Larry Drake).

Finding him hiding inside a scarecrow, they exact brutal mob justice, only to discover a tragic mistake! Now a strange apparition stalks the land seeking each of them out, as the legend of the Scarecrow begins.

A group of bigoted locals wrongly blame gentle man-child Bubba (Larry Drake) for the death of a young girl and hunt the frightened dolt down, eventually finding him disguised as a scarecrow in his mother’s field. Without giving poor Bubba a chance to explain what happened, the trigger-happy gang fill him full of holes. The ensuing murder trial is a farce and the men are acquitted, but one by one they are menaced by a creepy scarecrow before turning up dead.

For my money, scarecrows are every bit as disturbing as clowns, but they don’t seem to have totally captured film-makers’ imaginations in quite the same way. There’s tons of scary clown flicks (with more and more on the way following the success of the horror blockbuster It), but only a handful of scarecrow films.

TV movie Dark Night of the Scarecrow, directed by novelist Frank De Felitta, attempts to prove to the boob tube masses that a creepy straw man can be just as terrifying as a grease-painted killer, but fails to do so, for the most part.

The limitations of the small screen format means that there is zero gore, and the film delivers very few genuine frights simply because the victims are all thoroughly deserving of their fates (I mean, come on now, it’s hard to be scared when you’re rooting for the scarecrow!). It’s a shame because the cast is really pretty good. Charles Durning is delightfully loathsome as mailman Otis, leader of the lynch mob, who, it is implied, is also a pedo, and De Felitta displays some not inconsiderable skill behind the camera.

All that said, I’ve seen a fair few supernatural revenge films over the years. In fact, The Crow happens to be one of my favorite movies of all time. One of the great things about that - and others - is that the wronged individual is front and center when it comes to meeting out punishment to those who had caused his demise.

However, here the original victim was never destined to be leading man material therefore he’s not really seen throughout the majority of the film and, instead, you get a kind of Final Destination feel where karma dishes out revenge on his behalf. Not a bad film overall though, for sure, but I guess it was just the time and the fact that it was a TV movie that rid it of its guts, so to speak.

Dark Night of the Scarecrow 2 (2021) reminds us that a dark terror lies just below the surface of the small-town Chris Rhymer (Amber Wedding) and her young son Jeremy (Aiden Shurr) have settled in. One day while looking for Jeremy, she comes upon a weathered old scarecrow, and realizing that is only an inert effigy, she tells it her secret for being there.

Now, suddenly after forty years, a dark terror stalks the cornfields. Is it on a mission of revenge or is it protecting Chris from outside threats? The legend of the Scarecrow continues!

This long-in-the-making sequel was written by J. D. Feigelson, who also wrote the original, but inexplicably changes the central concept to turn the scarecrow into a killing entity, thereby rendering the movie not only essentially indistinguishable from a million other slasher movies, but also making it, well, sillier. Ray Bradbury is listed as a story consultant, though he died almost 10 years before this film was made, so that just gores to show you how long this sequel was sitting around for.

And even though this was a straight-to-home entertainment affair, one would have justly assumed that there would be some horrific, bloodthirsty atmosphere abounding within every scene, but there really isn’t. The plot itself goes off the rails a lot, heads down dead ends, gets confusing at times, and the acting, well, overall it is good, decent, yes, but the dialogue spoken sometimes comes across stilted, much like dinner theater.

I mean, it wasn’t exactly top of the line horror writing, but it made for an okay enough viewing experience. It was, however, the type of script and story line that doesn’t really require your undivided attention, and that meant it was easy to get distracted (or to forgive it and pass over it, I guess).

Still, in conclusion, and as much as it is most definitely not an extension of the original, Part II is an acquired taste that may take some people longer to appreciate and enjoy than others.

Bonus Features:
New 2023 DNOTS Triple Fan Commentary Track Hosted by Heath Holland (Cereal Midnight Podcaster) and featuring Robert Kelly noted film historian and artist, and super-fan Amanda Reyes, expert extraordinaire on TV movies, author, podcaster! Original DNOTS Commentary Track with Writer J.D. Feigelson and Director Frank DeFelitta New 2023 DNOTS2 Commentary by J.D. Feigelson Video Feature - “Bubba Didn’t Do It: 30 Years of the Scarecrow” by Daniel Griffith Video Feature – DNOTS Cast Reunion Q&A Recorded at the 2011 Frightfest Film Festival Trailer – 1981 CBS World Premiere Broadcast Promo Trailer – 1985 CBS Network Re-Broadcast Promo Photo Gallery – Behind the Scenes.

Dark Night of the Scarecrow - Official Trailer

www.vcientertainment.com

Overview: Vengeful ghosts returning from beyond the grave, young women with supernatural abilities, investigative narratives, a terror of technology, and an ominous aura of urban alienation and isolation mark the wave of horror and mystery films that emerged in Japan at the turn of the millennium, collectively labeled as J-Horror.

Remastered from the best available elements and packed with a host of new and archival extras, J-Horror Rising presents seven of the genre’s most distinctive titles.

Blu-ray Verdict: In the ghostly pastoral horror of Shikoku (1999), a young woman returns after many years to her rural birthplace, only to find her best friend from childhood has died by drowning when just sixteen. The dead girl’s mother, the local Shintoist priestess, has embarked on the region’s famous pilgrimage – but why is she walking backwards?

The film sets itself up from the off with some frayed wires - a trio of friends. One clearly has something strange going on. One moves away and eventually comes back to town when they’re a bit older to find that not everything is as she left it back when she was a kid. And the other one has something rather sinister within it. And given you see what you see at the beginning you know it’s not all just atmosphere and bad dreams!

This really could’ve been a Fatal Frame movie. Lingering is a great word for this movie. Be it the camera. Small action moments. Some notes of the score. The romantic elements. The overall aspect of the story. The mystery the film sets up is rich and foggy with guessing, the deeper dive into the folklore aspect is interesting, and as things unfold and the connective material comes together, the movie proves why it is so highly thought of within this genre.

The aftermath of the devastating Kobe Earthquake of 1995 creates fissures in the already fractured mind of a high-school girl in Isola: Multiple Personality Girl (2000), allowing an unwelcome intruder to set up home in her head and leaving a volunteer worker with psychic powers to determine which of her personas is the fake one.

As far as J-horror goes, this one noticeably has a much higher budget than most and is therefore more stylized than most, with the director pulling out tons of visual and sonic tricks in order to get everything across in the most interesting way possible.

Good luck understanding the plot, though, for (in truth) the story here is a garbled knot of psychic abilities, pseudoscience, and inscrutable nonsense psychology that could turn even the most rational moviegoer into a babbling mess!

That said, it’s a mixed bag that feels like a prime concept that doesn’t know how to stick its landing. A ghost? Or a Personality? There’s multiple but we only see two getting the main focus. I feel like this movie could use a series or remake treatment that can properly space these things out, but if you’re going to watch this, have your conspiracy boards ready!

Shikoku also provides the mystical backdrop to Inugami (2001), as a teacher from Tokyo finds himself drawn to a local papermaker, only to find himself the subject of some hostility from her extended family, who have long ties to the region and are rumored to be the descendants of the guardians of ancient evil canine spirits.

Forcibly displacing individuals from their land is a phenomenon observed in both large and small cities, orchestrated by either political figures or the general public. Regardless of the motives driving such actions, legal recourse tends to intervene in most scenarios, ensuring justice prevails. In contrast, the dynamics shift in villages, particularly when actions and assertions are fortified by superstitions, compelling the entire community to succumb due to fear, often resulting in prevailing public opinions overshadowing legal norms.

Similar is the case here as we follow Miki, a papermaker and a part of an unusual family that carries the curse of inugami. Following a series of mysterious deaths, the family becomes the target of the entire town. The narrative explores three arcs: the familial drama, the gradual entrenchment of superstition in the town, and the budding romance between Miki and Akira.

The manner in which the first half of the movie approaches these arcs kind of misses its mark on creating a stronger impact as It forces you to follow Miki from one plot point to another rather than making a smooth transition between them.

Also, despite labeling itself as a horror film, the movie lacks elements that could be deemed genuinely terrifying. Sure, some uncomfortable stuff happens, but it’s more of a dramatic take on a situation. If it weren’t for the second half of the movie which delivers on all aspects of the story, this would have been a total yawn fest. It’s so realistic, emotionally jarring, and, most importantly, provides the much-needed depth to its main characters as they confront their challenges.

Megumi Okina (Ju-On: The Grudge) plays the art designer for a horror-themed videogame in the innovative St. John’s Wort (2001), who is forced to confront her childhood traumas when her colleagues ask her to gather visual materials from the creepy gothic mansion she has inherited from her estranged artist father.

Adapted from an early 90’s Super Famicom visual novel, this Japanese creeper twists into a live-action point-and-click but falls into a grind at just ninety minutes. Lots of room exploration, helpful items for progression, and music only at pivotal moments. Eventually a caretaker is discovered within the walls along with a musty assortment of corpses.

Beyond St. John Wort’s glacial pace, director Shimoyama Ten shows affection for Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960) in a shower scene, broken banister, and twisted familial dynamics. Ambience from extensive digital color filtering is flattened by its shooting format’s poor depth of field. Clues dropped throughout lead to a world-bending twist during the climax showing too much consideration toward its video game origins though, in my humble opinion.

Then again, tonal iridescence and white noise levitates me into a comfortable state of meditation so I urge you to watch this movie yourselves and come to your own conclusions.

Carved: The Slit-Mouthed Woman (2007) features the titular predatory murderess drawn from urban legend, where it turns out home isn’t the safest place for her potential child victims in this disturbing supernatural horror.

I think we can all agree that within us all there’s a fascination for the could-it-be-real tales that’ll give us shivers later. My kids relished in the Slenderman craze. Japan has the pretty terrifying legend of Kuchisake which scoffs at the likes of slenderman. Pffftt get tae bed long arms!

I liked it, mostly, her method of how she moves about is good. Not the usual ghost girl with hair over her face, for her trench coat is alone creepy, and her choice of victims being children makes it deep, dark, and disturbing. Oh and those scissors, HUGE! I mean what kind of scissors are they? Plus quite an image at the end.

Simply put, here we have none of that creeping contortionist with a penchant for crab walking while giving you mirror scares in the shadows bullshit. This thing just goes in hard and f**king murders fools!

A new craze for wearing ceramic masks sweeps the students of a high school, unleashing a wave of anonymous juvenile delinquency amongst the literal fashion-victims of Persona (2000), which boasts early appearances from Battle Royale stars Tatsuya Fujiwara and Chiaki Kuriyama.

High School Students, A Mystery, Masked Villains, the only think missing is Scooby Doo!

It’s weird seeing Tatsuya Fujiwara and Chiaki Kuriyama in a high school themed horror movie which was released the same year as Battle Royal and what’s even weirder is that the school uniforms look almost identical; which makes this feel like some kinda bizarre Battle Royal prequel.

Persona is a decent high school mystery film with a very interesting premise about a fashion craze that causes students to start wearing Masks to hide there identity. In truth, this premise would of worked a lot better if the masks looked more creepy instead of being plain White with a couple of other colors splashed on, which just makes them look a tad bit silly and impossible to take seriously.

The plot itself is very strange, and the 00’s aesthetic gives it just enough charm for it to be a good nostalgic teen mystery flick. Plus, it’s one film where Fujiwara Tatsuya isn’t too horrible, and that counts for something!

Last but not least, the chilling Noroi: The Curse (2005) adopts a pseudo-documentary format as an investigative reporter into paranormal phenomena is forced to confront horrors beyond his wildest imagination after learning about an ancient folkloric demon.

Noroi: The Curse constructs a whole world to inhabit out of paranormal VHS documentaries, psychic children, tabloid news, the remnants of drowned witch villages, and the powerful demonologies which animate the central mythology.

It is best to watch Noroi: The Curse by knowing little or nothing about it save that it is a fake paranormal VHS doc, the last of its line, as the researcher responsible has disappeared after uncovering a story too vast to be fit onto VHS cassettes.

The only other logical comparison to this movie in scope and folkloric jolt would be The Blair Witch Project, yet where that movie felt impressionist, ambient and sketchy (in the best possible way), Noroi: The Curse brings the weight of the cosmos down upon you; a heavy comet of ice and dirt and blood and dread and feathers which knows your name and is coming for you and when it does it ends up a relief!

Noroi feels Lovecraftian in inspiration and extent, but derives most of its charge from old-school Japanese demon stories of sorceress cabal, a mountain of dead bodies, a nightmare tunnel to a place not better than where you began. Highest. Possible. Recommendation.

LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:
High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentations of all seven films
Original lossless 5.1 and lossless stereo sound options for Shikoku, Isola: Multiple Personality Girl, Inugami, St. John’s Wort, Carved: The Slit-Mouthed Woman and Noroi: The Curse, and original lossless stereo audio for Persona
Optional English subtitles for each film
Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing by Eugene Thacker, Jasper Sharp, Anton Bitel, Amber T., Mark Player, Jim Harper and Sarah Appleton
Double-sided foldout poster featuring newly commissioned artwork by John Conlon
Limited Edition packaging featuring newly commissioned artwork by John Conlon

DISC ONE: SHIKOKU / ISOLA: MULTIPLE PERSONALITY GIRL
Brand new audio commentary on Shikoku by Japanese cinema expert Tom Mes
Brand new audio commentary on Isola: Multiple Personality Girl by critics and Japanese cinema experts Jasper Sharp and Amber T.
The Aftermath, Tom Mes discusses J-Horror at the turn of the millennium
Something in the Water, a brand new interview with Shikoku director Shunichi Nagasaki
Archive interviews with director Shunichi Nagasaki and actors Chiaki Kuriyama and Yui Natsukawa on Shikoku
Archive interview with actors Yoshino Kimura and Yu Kurosawa on Isola: Multiple Personality Girl
On-set footage of the filming of Shikoku
Original trailers and TV spots for both films
Image galleries

DISC TWO: INUGAMI / ST. JOHN’S WORT
Brand new audio commentary on Inugami by Japanese cinema expert Jonathan Clements
Brand new audio commentary on St. John’s Wort by Japanese cinema expert Amber T.
Dog Days, brand new video interview with Inugami director Masato Harada
The Making of St. John’s Wort, archival featurette
Archive interviews with St. John’s Wort actors Megumi Okina, Koichiro Saito, Reiko Matsuo and Koji Okura
On-set behind-the-scenes footage of the filming of St. John’s Wort
Original trailers and TV spots for St. John’s Wort
Image galleries for both films

DISC THREE: CARVED: THE SLIT-MOUTHED WOMAN / PERSONA
Brand new audio commentary on Carved: The Slit-Mouthed Woman by Japanese folklore expert Zack Davisson
Why So Serious?, a brand new interview with Carved: The Slit-Mouthed Woman director Koji Shiraishi
Weapon of Choice, a brand new video essay on Carved: The Slit-Mouthed Woman by Japanese horror specialist Lindsay Nelson
Confessions of a Mask, a brand new interview with Persona director Takashi Komatsu
Image galleries for both films

DISC FOUR: NOROI: THE CURSE
Brand new audio commentary by film critic Julian Singleton
Director’s POV, a brand new video interview with Noroi: The Curse director Koji Shiraishi
The Man in the Shadows, a brand new interview with Noroi: The Curse producer Taka Ichise
Changing Perspective, a brand new video essay on Noroi: The Curse by Japanese horror specialist Lindsay Nelson
Ectoplasmic Worms, a brand new video essay on Noroi: The Curse and Japanese cosmic horror by Japanese cinema expert Amber T.
How to Protect Yourself Against Curses
Urgent report! Pursuing the Truth about Kagutaba!! TV Special
Over half an hour of deleted scenes
Trailers and TV spots
Image gallery

www.arrowvideo.com

Overview: Once upon a time, the James Brothers, Odessa (Dave Larsen) and Kyle (David Gunn, VAMPIRE JOURNALS), murdered their parents in their own beds. Now they’ve escaped from Death Row and are on the run on a stormy night, looking for a place to hide out.

They invade the home of the Ryan’s, who seem like a typical American family and should be easy to control. But there’s something not quite right about this brood - the women seem more attracted than frightened by these notorious murderers in their house, and Dad (C.T. Miller) has secrets of his own.

Things get violently out of hand as the James boys find the night not going as they expected ... and there are even more surprises waiting in the basement!

The directorial debut of modern cult-favorite filmmaker Mike Mendez (BIG ASS SPIDER!, THE CONVENT), KILLERS is a highly stylized crime/horror hybrid that also puts a darkly satiric spin on America’s obsession with violent perpetrators.

After a brutal, hypnotic opening set to Iron Butterfly’s In-a-Gadda-Da-Vida, the script by lead actor Larsen and Mendez begins as a traditional hostage drama, before the twisted nature of the James brothers’ hosts starts to reveal itself.

It all leads to eruptions of gunfire and gore, and a shocking finale that was toned down in previous releases; now it can be seen in its full uncut glory in the Unrated Director’s Cut, available for the first time on disc in high-definition!

Blu-ray Verdict: Telling it like it is, this is quite easily one of the weirdest movies I have watched. It looks like a Lynchian nightmare but it’s even more bizarre! You never know its direction, you expect something to happen and something else happens eventually. So many twists and interesting turns that make you overlook movie’s flaws.

For example, at first, you dislike the acting here, it seems amateurish, but as the movie progresses, it lures you away. I mean, everything seems good, everything fits. Even the things that happened and don’t make sense, kinda make sense (or you just think they do because the director tricked you).

If someone considers it a bad movie, I don’t blame them, for maybe, just maybe they are right, BUT, if you are looking for a unique and original horror movie that turns into a comedy horror in the middle (intentionally or not), this is it. Do not take it seriously though, as I highly recommend it to those who loved the insanity of Natural Born Killers, or if you just want to try something different.

Dave Larsen as Odessa displayed some great acting abilities and reminded me of Mickey Rourke back in his hay day, not to mention he looked bad ass with skeleton face make-up and wielding a shotgun. The acting by C.T. Miller as Mr. Ryan and Nanette Bianchi as Jami entertained the hell out of me, and I loved every minute of it. This movie had me cracking up from beginning to end, and although not perfect, I was still quite surprised by all the crazy twists. In fact, I LOVED them!

Special Features:
Audio commentary with director Mike Mendez and horror scholar Michael Gingold
Original promotional trailers
Liner notes booklet by critic/writer Heather Drain
Alternate Ending
English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing

KILLERS (1996) | Official Trailer | 4K

www.synapsefilms.com

Overview: Dive into the sinister and darkly humorous world of Trick ‘r Treat, written and directed by Michael Dougherty. This anthology film communes with the spirits of classic horror portmanteaus like Creepshow and Tales from the Crypt, weaving together four chilling tales, all taking place during the same fateful Halloween night.

Follow the secretive and disturbing life of a high school principal (Dylan Baker) who leads a double life as a ruthless serial killer; the journey of a young girl (Anna Paquin) looking for love who finds something infinitely more macabre; a group of teenagers playing a prank with disastrous consequences; and an old man (Brian Cox) confronted by Sam, a mischievous trick-or-treater with a terrifying secret.

With its interwoven tales of terror and unforgettable characters, Trick ‘r Treat has cemented itself as a Halloween essential, paying loving homage to the golden age of horror comics and 80’s creature features with a slick modern style sure to send shivers down the spine of any fright fiend. Get ready for the scariest Halloween of your life - and remember, always check your candy!

4K Blu-ray Verdict: To give you a little quick history on it, Trick ‘r Treat, for such a well-known Halloween staple, had a surprisingly slow and stuttering start. Directed by Michael Dougherty, it was originally slated for an October 2007 theatrical release but got pushed back. It was screened at various film festivals between late 2007 and late 2009, including at the 2009 San Diego Comic Con, before it was officially released on video in October 2009.

Honestly, it’s hard for me to believe that this movie didn’t have a theatrical release, but clearly the fans have picked it up and ran with it. Dougherty announced in 2009 that he is planning a sequel, but it’s been slow going, and yet (according to Bloody Disgusting), he’s still planning to dive back into production when he finishes up whatever his latest project will be.

It’s an extremely well done anthology, with all five stories centering around Halloween and the traditions surrounding it. There’s a school principal who moonlights as a serial killer, a legend of a school bus massacre, beautiful women taking part in an interesting nighttime ritual, a grouchy neighbor who finds his home invaded, and a man trying to convince his wife of how awesome Halloween truly is.

I loved this collection, honestly a lot more than I thought I would. I realized that I had been avoiding this film for a long time. Something about it just struck me as cheesy, both because of the name and, truly, because of the character of Sam, the little scarecrow-like creature with the burlap sack over his head. (I still thought Sam was a little bit cheesy but after subsequently watching Dougherty’s 1996 short film, Season’s Greetings, I like him a lot more!)

The stories are all woven together SO incredibly well. There are many instances of overlap — probably more than I even noticed on first viewing — that really tied the whole thing together. Too often horror anthologies are just a string of seemingly random short films, the only relation being the genre they belong to.

But Dougherty paid attention to the most minute details - things like having a werewolf howl in the distance in one short, and circling back around to it in a later story. The stories are happening at various points in the night, but it bounces between all of them, making the whole thing feel very cohesive.

The film had the most nostalgic feeling to it for me — it really embodies Halloween. It walks that fine line between being technically a horror movie but not actually being all that scary - but not in the sense that it failed, more in the sense that it has the perfect air of the holiday to it, of the traditions surrounding it, of the legends and the lore. It’s tough to describe, really, but it felt like slipping back into my childhood, in a way.

Despite all of the terrible things happening, I wanted to live in that small Ohio town — glowing jack-o-lanterns adorning each yard, a lively parade pulsing through downtown, costumes and candy everywhere. It had an extremely homey feeling to it. It brought me back to being a kid and whispering about urban legends or jumping at something rustling in a bush while trick or treating.

Each story had a sort of cruel humor to the individual twists. There were times when it almost felt like a children’s Halloween movie (in the best way) until you were abruptly reminded of how adult it really is (the girls partying in the woods stripping out of their sexy Cinderella and sexy Little Red Riding Hood costumes, for instance).

The one scene that really did freak me out — that tapped into a sort of long-standing fear of mine — is when it briefly shows a woman making out with a masked man in an alleyway during the parade. He reveals his sharp fangs and winds up killing her - and then just props up her lifeless body on the sidelines of the festivities where no one was the wiser.

I think that’s part of the reason that Halloween feels so dangerous, so electric, to me — when everyone’s in a costume and everyone’s striving to be as realistically scary as possible, people tend to overlook what would be horrifying in the cold light of day.

And then there’s Sam, the weird little kid made of stringy pumpkin pulp. I liked him tagging along to each story, being ever-present. It’s amazing how recognizable he was even before I knew anything about the movie. But I especially liked how once he got his hands on a candy bar, he was good to go. Like dude, I FEEL THAT.

You see the message written in blood all over Mr. Kreeg’s bedroom — Trick ‘r treat, give me something good to eat — and you think it’s some diabolical play on words, that he’s actually looking to eat some flesh. Hellll no, kid just wants some CANDY! I appreciate that.

Overall, a freaking great Halloween anthology. Is it going to scare the crap out of you? Likely not. But Halloween is as much about the nostalgia, the hearkening back to childhood fears, than jump scares or psychological thrills. Watch it! [L.B.]

4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:
Brand new 4K restoration by Arrow Films, approved by writer-director Michael Dougherty
4K Ultra HD (2160p) Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
Original DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround and 2.0 stereo audio
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Archival audio commentary by Michael Dougherty, conceptual artist Breehn Burns, storyboard artist Simeon Wilkins and composer Douglas Pipes
Tales of Folklore & Fright, an archival featurette with Michael Dougherty, Breehn Burns and Simeon Wilkins
Tales of Mischief & Mayhem: Filming Trick ‘r Treat, an archival interview with Michael Dougherty on the making of the film
Sounds of Shock & Superstition: Scoring Trick ‘r Treat, an archival featurette with Michael Dougherty and Douglas Pipes
Tales of Dread & Despair: Releasing Trick ‘r Treat, an archival featurette with Michael Dougherty and Rob Galluzzo of the Shock Waves podcast, exploring the film’s release and fandom
Season’s Greetings, a short film from 1996 directed by Michael Dougherty with optional director commentary
The Lore and Legends of Halloween, an archival featurette narrated by actor Brian Cox
School bus VFX comparison
Additional scenes
FEARnet promos
Sam O’Lantern
Storyboard and conceptual artwork gallery
Behind the scenes gallery
Monster Mash comic book set in the Trick ‘r Treat universe
Trailer
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sara Deck
Double-sided foldout poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sara Deck
Six postcard-sized artcards
Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Becky Darke and Heather Wixson

www.arrowfilms.com

Overview: Twisters brings back the blockbuster disaster epic with a whirlwind of heart-stopping action and exhilarating thrills. Ever since a devastating tornado encounter, Kate (Daisy Edgar-Jones) gave up chasing storms across the Oklahoma prairie to safely study them on screens in New York City.

Lured back to the field by her friend Javi (Anthony Ramos) and a once-in-a-lifetime scientific opportunity, Kate crosses paths with Tyler (Glen Powell), a charming daredevil and self-proclaimed tornado wrangler whose thirst for tornado-tracking adventures made him a social media sensation.

As storm season intensifies with terrifying phenomena unlike anything seen before, Kate and Tyler realize they may need to work together if they are to have any chance of taming, and surviving, an unprecedented outbreak of destructive tornados.

4K UHD Blu-ray Verdict: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment is expanding their 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray catalog offerings this month with the release of the highly-anticipated sequel Twisters (4K Ultra HD + Digital) in the expansive 4K Ultra HD video format this October 22nd, 2024.

For my money, this Twisters (4K Ultra HD + Digital) sharpness takes a fairly large step forward from others in their 4K Ultra HD catalog and even comes with HDR (High Dynamic Range) for the complete 4K Ultra HD experience, of course.

So, what we have is Twisters presented to us as a one-disc with a sheet for a Digital HD Copy. Other stand out points you should know are: Codec: HEVC / H.265, Resolution: Native 4K (2160p), HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10, Aspect ratio: 2.39:1 and Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1.

Featuring Dolby Vision and HDR10 for brighter, deeper, and way more lifelike colors, as with most all 4K UHDs, everything that we watch features these qualities - but somehow, this film gloriously shines within them all.

Noticeably crisp with the overall clarity receiving an obvious boost here on this release, what is more is that it is enjoyably noticeable. For as well as some new nuances to the somewhat drab palette courtesy of Dolby Vision, we also get to witness sudden bright pops of color, which makes the eyes draw in, for sure.

Stand out scenes here, and just from the regular digital TV premiere version to this crisp and crystal clear 4K, are scenes such as when Kate and Javi are initially caught in a tornado, all that early chaos, wow, it is terrifying to even watch!

Later on we are gifted another powerful, oh-so scary scene, which is made even more terrifying here in 4K, and that is the almighty dash for the hotel swimming pool, as they evacuate the lobby, just as the hurricane makes its entrance!

One more would be when the wranglers brace for impact in their beaten up old red truck, albeit outfitted with pylon burying stabilizers, of course!

As for the audio, well we get the choice of: English: Dolby Atmos, English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit), Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 and French: Dolby TrueHD 7.1.

Overall, this is a very strong 4K HDR Blu-ray presentation, and, for the most part, the audio track remains fairly similar to its DTS-HD counterpart; with much of the action occupying the surrounds with outstanding directionality and placement where effects flawlessly pan between the sides and rears.

As for the film itself, well, Twisters is an intense and captivating disaster film that pulls you in from the very first scene. Among the many disaster-themed movies I’ve seen, this one stands out for its ability to make the audience feel the raw power of nature at its most destructive.

Daisy Edgar-Jones, who impressed audiences with her role in Where the Crawdads Sing, once again delivers a mesmerizing performance, showcasing her full range of talent and on-screen presence.

The film’s plot is tightly woven, maintaining tension and interest throughout. The cinematography is largely impressive, capturing the sheer scale of the tornadoes with breathtaking detail. However, the dark scenes at the beginning of the film could have been better handled, as they felt somewhat underlit and unclear.

Despite this minor flaw (to my eye, of course), the visual effects are top-notch, bringing the tornadoes to life with a level of realism that is both terrifying and awe-inspiring.

One of the film’s intriguing elements is the innovative technique developed to combat the tornadoes. While the idea is fascinating in theory, its practical implementation raises questions that add to the film’s suspense and mystery. Ultimately, Twisters offers a thrilling two-hour experience that is well worth the watch.

With its strong performances, particularly from Edgar-Jones, and impressive visual spectacle, I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone as just plain old good viewing fodder for a night in!

EXCLUSIVE BONUS FEATURES WHEN YOU OWN on DIGITAL, 4K ULTRA HD, BLU-RAYTM AND DVD:
GAG REEL
DELETED SCENES
TRACKING THE FRONTS: THE PATH OF TWISTERS - Trace the trajectory of TWISTERS from its earliest inception to production and get to know the cast as they lead this look into creating their characters, using science to add authenticity, and working through extreme weather wreaking havoc on set.
INTO THE EYE OF THE STORM - Discover how TWISTERS blends practical and visual effects to turn nature’s most destructive forces into entertaining thrills.
GLEN POWELL: ALL ACCESS - Glen Powell provides a private tour of a day in his life on the TWISTERS set.
FRONT SEAT TO A CHASE - Strap in with the cast and professional storm chasers as they brave the elements to track tornados in Oklahoma.
VOICE OF A VILLAIN* - Hear the creation of the film’s deafening howls with a seat in the studio where the audio team mixes unexpected sounds to give the storms a new dimension of depth.
TRICKED-OUT TRUCKS - Buckle up for a wild ride in the film’s custom vehicles fitted with unique features ranging from rocket launchers to advanced radar tech.
FEATURE COMMENTARY WITH DIRECTOR LEE ISAAC CHUNG

* On 4K UHD, Blu-ray™ & Digital only

Chase. Ride. Survive. Brace yourself for a wild ride into the eye of the storm when TWISTERS becomes available to own with all-new bonus content on Digital October 8th, 2024 and on 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD October 22nd, 2024, from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.

Overview: 1982: GREATEST GEEK YEAR EVER! is an epic documentary about the greatest geek year in films, 1982, featuring stars, directors, writers, producers and pop culture historians sharing their insights about such legendary movies as E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Blade Runner, John Carpenter’s The Thing, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Poltergeist, Creepshow, Night Shift, The Dark Crystal, 48 Hours, First Blood, Tron, Conan The Barbarian, Cat People, Fast Times At Ridgemont High, The Road Warrior, and much, much more.

DVD Verdict: To give you a little quick history on this most wondrous of years, musically, 1982 was a year of musical innovation and change, with new sounds, artists, and genres emerging. New genres like Hip-hop took off with The Message and Planet Rock, and new wave synth-pop became a Top 40 staple.

New artists like Madonna emerged from Detroit, and Prince became the Coolest Man Alive! And lest we forget all the new sounds that were being created as both disco and funk experienced a high-tech boom, and synthesizers and drum machines became more common.

As for the movies that grabbed our attention back in 1982, well obvious stand outs included Blade Runner, a movie which was considered ahead of its time even then, and even today some critics still have a hard time with it. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial fast became the highest-grossing film to date and then there was Gandhi, where the funeral sequence in this movie featured over 300,000 extras alone!

Thus, “1982: Greatest Geek Year Ever!” Collector’s Edition is chock-filled with exclusive interviews, rare behind-the-scenes footage and exclusive never-before-seen clips (including Henry Winkler’s home movies from the set of Night Shift) in a fun, lively, no holds barred celebration of the legendary movie-going year of 1982.

Complete with title cards, fonts and flat graphics, definitely giving it a 1982-look, that doesn’t distract you though as the information provided is still as wondrous to hear today as I’m sure it was back then. OK, sure, there are a fair few too many fast cuts from person to person, where they get to say something in a rushed comment before we are onto the next one, but you get used to that as it progresses.

It takes viewers behind-the-scenes to a time when fandom was in its infancy, featuring eye-opening interviews with genre superstars from in front of and behind the camera, of the biggest and most influential movies ever made.

Among the iconic show business legends interviewed include Ron Howard, Paul Schrader, John Sayles, Amy Heckerling, Henry Winkler, William Shatner, Sean Young, Joanna Cassidy, Keith David, Cameron Crowe, Michael Deeley, Lisa Henson, Dean Devlin, Bruce Campbell, Dee Wallace, Felicia Day, Susan Seidelman, Roger Corman, Barry Bostwick, Marc Singer, Bryan Fuller, Leonard Maltin, Mike Medavoy, and over 100 more stars, directors, writers, producers, critics, executives, and pop culture historians.

COLLECTOR’S EDITION CONTENTS:
Optional English Subtitles
Audio commentary with Director/Producer Roger Lay, Jr. and Writer/Producer Mark A. Altman
Trailer

Overview: Before Hong Kong’s mightiest film studio mastered the art of the kung fu film, Shaw Brothers hit box office gold with a very different kind of martial arts cinema, one that channeled the blood-soaked widescreen violence of Japanese samurai epics and Italian spaghetti westerns into a uniquely Chinese form: the wuxia pian.

With their enthralling tales drawn from historical myth and legend of sword-wielding (and often gravity-defying) noble heroes, the wuxia films housed in this next instalment of Arrow Video’s best-selling Shawscope series demonstrate the sweeping stylistic evolution of the genre, from the righteous stoicism of the late-60s Mandarin period, right through to the wild-and-weird anarchism of the early-80s Cantonese explosion.

The iconic One-Armed Swordsman trilogy, directed between 1967 and 1971 by wuxia cinema godfather Chang Cheh, made household names of stars "Jimmy" Wang Yu and David Chiang and set the gory template for many of the films to come. Contrary to Chang’s tales of loyal brotherhood, many wuxia films focused on female protagonists, three very different examples of which we see next: Ho Meng-hua’s Lady Hermit, with the great Cheng Pei-pei (Come Drink with Me) as a virtuous swordswoman called upon to stop a vicious warlord; Chor Yuen’s scandalous Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan in which the titular lady of the night masters every deadly skill she can to get revenge on those who enslaved her; and Cheng Kang’s all-star epic The 14 Amazons, in which Shaws’ finest starlets play the real-life women of the Yang dynasty, avenging their fallen menfolk in battle.

Next, Chor Yuen adapted several beloved novels by consummate wuxia storyteller Gu Long to the big screen, four of which are collected here: The Magic Blade, Clans of Intrigue, Jade Tiger and The Sentimental Swordsman, all starring the redoubtable Ti Lung. As kung fu overtook wuxia at the box office, the genre evolved into unexpected new directions, with its chivalrous knights-errant replaced by conflicted antiheroes, as seen in Sun Chung’s breathlessly exciting The Avenging Eagle and Boxer’s Omen goremeister Kuei Chih-hung’s fatalistic masterpiece Killer Constable. Finally, just when it seemed the wuxia film had nowhere left to turn, Eighties excess reigned supreme in the special-effects-soaked, fourth-wall-breaking fantastical delights of Taylor Wong’s Buddha’s Palm and Lu Chun-ku’s Bastard Swordsman.

Back with all-new exclusive restorations and hours of insightful bonus material, if you thought the previous two Shawscope sets showed the Shaw Brothers studio at its strongest, you ain’t seen nothing yet!

Blu-ray Verdict: This third collection by Arrow Video opens on the much beloved THE ONE-ARMED SWORDSMAN (1967), in which a noble swordsman, whose arm had been chopped off, returns to his former teacher to defend him from a villainous gang of rival swordsmen.

In the martial arts department, this Chang Che movie is definitely less over-the-top than a lot of other Shaw Brothers productions. Swordsman instead opts to go a different route and focuses on its main character’s (spiritual) journey to become a whole person again. It’s less pulpy fun and more calculated drama and, boy, does it work extremely well within this newly acquired format.

Next in the trilogy is RETURN OF THE ONE-ARMED SWORDSMAN (1969). After defeating The Long-Armed Devil and his armies, our nubbed hero has been living in retirement as a farmer, but circumstances causes him to come out of retirement and take on The Eight Kings, each warrior with their own unique fighting style. The time has come for the one armed swordsman to return.

The sequel swaps out the bulk of the original’s rousing individual spirituality in favor of a legacy built on the backs of those who have come behind you (A One-Armed Arm-y, if you will).

But more than makes up for it on the strength of its veritable merry-go-round of sprawling fight set pieces. With Chang Cheh seemingly taking on the role of juggler from the sky. From where each limb-littered habitat can add more impossible elements to the mix while forever keeping tabs from the all-watching eye up above.

Plus, a pleasantly surprising deal of splatter to boot, more holes being poked through bods than the smelliest of smelly cheese factories. To turn the bluest of seas red with what remains. Spoiler Alert: A man commits murder from behind, by stabbing all the way through his full-on back. Dedication to your art, or what?

And what’s one arm anyway? To a host of dudes, just waiting to be left with a torso?

The final film in the trilogy is THE NEW ONE-ARMED SWORDSMAN (1971) and tells the story of when our beloved main character crosses paths with a beautiful girl in need, Pao Chiao. Even against impossible odds, he will prove a great warrior.

The New One-Armed Swordsman is not a sequel to the first two movies but acts more as a reboot of the series telling a completely new and fresh origin story of the One-Armed fighter. Gone is Jimmy Wang Yu who at that time had left Shaw Brother to focus on directing and starring in movies in Taiwan.

I always like the guy and his distinct stoic screen-presence. But his two successor, Ti Lung as a playful dashing fighter and David Chiang as the title giving One-Armed Swordsman are certainly nothing to sneer at.

On the contrary, these two very handsome young men are among my favorite Shaw Brothers stars. Ti Lung in particular is just awesome in every scene. The camera just loves that guy. And David Chiang proves that he is more than capable of leading a movie of this size.

The movie is not as action-packed as the second One-Armed Swordsman film. Like in the original, the focus is more on the characters. But when there is action it is absolutely spectacular and presents some of the best fights ever featured in a movie about a One-Armed Swordsman (in my humble opinion).

Along next is THE LADY HERMIT (1971). Martial arts star Cheng Pei pei and versatile director Ho Meng hua were a great team, who elevated this tale of a virtuous swordswoman’s revenge on the Black Demon who injured her to one of the best of both their careers.

Absolutely awesome. The female Chinese knight action I crave. Not just one bad ass warrior woman here, but two. The great Cheng Pei-pei as a wounded kung fu master in hiding, and Shih Szu, the actress groomed by the Shaw Brothers to be Cheng Pei-pei’s successor as the next great female action star, playing her pupil in her very first movie role ever. Together they absolutely cook the Black Dragon Clan.

The photography and lighting are stunning. The lead DP is Danny Lee Yau-Tong, who also shot the under seen but amazing DUEL TO THE DEATH. There are wonderful orange red sunset and bruise blue sunrise shots as the backdrop of several sequences. The sprawling location work and medieval Chinese sets are great.

The music is swelling and dense and lush. The body count is staggering and the blood is Shaw Scope red. Pei-pei, stern gazed, is like a dervish of death in her flowing white ghostly robes. Szu is quick as a mouse, savage as a tiger, and bratty as Charli xcx.

Then comes INTIMATE CONFESSIONS OF A CHINESE COURTESAN (1972) has always been billed as the very first Chinese sex film available to the general public!

18-year-old Ainu is kidnapped and sold to a brothel. Her good looks and wild personality make her very popular with the lustful clients, but also draw the lesbian attentions of brothel madam Chun Yi. Chun Yi teaches Ai nu the ways of lust and the ways of kung fu, and Ai nu becomes more and more similar to her captor. But rage at her treatment is still burning inside her.

This is another wu xia film from ace director Chor Yuen, but this time the exploitation angle often present in his films is brought right into centre stage. Chor Yuen seems to have been fascinated by lesbians, but this is the only film of his that I’ve seen where he gives them the starring roles.

Both Lily Ho and Betty Tei Pei give sterling performances as the beautiful but vicious martial arts hookers, and they’re joined by a cast of Shaw’s starlets in the nude to create a pre-Cat III film that balances action, intrigue and eroticism surprisingly well.

Then we get brought forth THE 14 AMAZONS (1972) where the cast of the film is a veritable who’s who of golden age of Shaw Brothers swordplay adventures and was not only a major box office hit but has fast become one of the most renowned films of his genre in China’s cinematic history.

Female centric bloody and epic swordplay adventure from Shaw Brothers. There are a few to many characters for me to keep track of who is who, but it doesn’t really matter that much. I focused on the action, the adventure and the revenge plot and all the bloody set-pieces.

It’s a pretty great and undervalued film, but I am left with one crucial question. Whose idea was it to cast the beautiful and 26 year old Lily Ho as a young boy? Casting fail! I mean, if I’m the director I would want Lily Ho in my movie at any price. But there must have been a better part for her than that. Otherwise a great film and definitely worth seeing.

Then comes THE MAGIC BLADE (1976) where Chinese sword masters pair up to fight off yet another villain for the deadly Peacock Dart.

Spaghetti Western meets Wuxia directed by Chor Yuen and based on a novel by Gu Long. Classic stuff and in my opinion one of the directors best movies. I dig the visuals and the dark atmosphere here. The cast is great, the action very well-choreographed and executed, there’s a bit of sexiness and nudity and Ti Lung’s sword is dope as all f**k.

Even the story, centered around a mysterious Martial-Arts weapon called Peacock Dart, is somewhat easy to follow and at the end has more depth than I expected. That is not always the case with Chor Yuen’s “Clan” movies but it is refreshing.

It’s not often that I get to talk about camera work and editing in correlation to fight choreography, but here we are. By pivoting away from the tight frames with snappy quick-cuts we’ve all come to expect from action films to long takes of varying angles, The Magic Blade showcases the talent of its cast and crew.

Along next is CLANS OF INTRIGUE (1977). After three Clan leaders are assassinated, Kung Nan-Yen accuses Master Thief Chiu Liu-Hsiang as being the only man capable of the murders, but generously allows him one month to clear his name.

Edgar Wallace plot shenanigans meet Chor Yuen Wuxia visual opulence. The plot here is really not easy to follow and has more twists and turns than an Agatha Christie novel. But that is typical for a Gu Long adaptation by Chor Yuen.

The reason this is still a great watch and in my opinion even one of the best adaptations from the director, are the colorful, dreamy and truly amazing looking sets, the great cast and the solid swordplay action. And one can even have some fun with the investigative plot if you are able to follow it.

Up next is JADE TIGER (1977) where Zhao Wuji embarks on an very tragic adventure with full of intrigues to avenge his father, who is beheaded by a traitor working for Tang, on the eve of son’s marriage.

Jade Tiger is a pretty good but unusually dark Wuxia from genre expert Chor Yuen. The theme of the movie is about the circle of violence and how revenge, no matter how justified, rarely leads to a happy ending. It is a dark but refreshing take on the genre. But the movie also does not dwell on it and offers plenty of exciting action to keep things entertaining. What also helps is the great cast.

Ti Lung, Yueh Hua, Lo Lieh, Ku Feng, Lily Li, Shih Szu and a very young Derek Yee are all part of the ensemble. The sets and costumes are at Shaw’s usual high standard, the action is well-choreographed and the story, while fairly complex, is somewhat understandable. At least most of the time. All this makes for an enjoyable Chor Yuen Wuxia. Not his best or most colorful work but absolutely worth checking out for fans of him and the genre.

Along next is THE SENTIMENTAL SWORDSMAN (1977). Due to his own extreme ideals, famed swordsman Li has lost everyone dear to him. After his life is saved by a rival swordsman, Li’s overwhelming pride means he forsakes the woman he loves and lets her marry his savior. Li’s only comfort is alcohol and the simple life he has now accepted.

On one such journey, the lonely swordsman befriends the exceptionally skilled, yet secretive Fei who has his own pressures to contend with. The person behind Li’s troubles proves to be elusive, though all the clues seem to point to the legendary ‘Plum Blossom Bandit’, a disguised figure whose identity has long proved elusive to the martial world.

An exceptionally well-written wu xia film, one in which the characters are motivated by psychology rather than fulfilling roles as mere mythological character types, where the tsunami of exposition that swamps so many other films in the genre is distilled into action with the expeditious use of a MacGuffin (a mysterious red package that changes hands repeatedly throughout the first 30 minutes of the film, introducing all the major characters and establishing the ruthless and unstable nature of the film’s world) and where the central character is acted rather than performed, with star Ti Lung’s melancholy hero, haunted by his past, yet patient and honorable grounding the film in a realistic figure.

With this film, as well as Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan, another film grounded in character rather than myth, the action is more direct: framed but not hidden. More graphic novel than comic book. The tension between the visually artificial and the psychologically real, between the surface and the depth.

The comes THE AVENGING EAGLE (1978). Eagle Chief Yoh Xi-hung raises orphans to be his personal killers. One such is Chik Ming-sing who now wants to put his killer life behind him. When the Eagle Clan come after him, a stranger called Cheuk comes to his assistance It turns out that Cheuk is the son of a family who were robbed and murdered by the Eagles. Now they will team up to destroy the evil clan.

The Avenging Eagle is a true insider tip in the Shaw Brothers canon. A very little known movie but a personal favorite of mine. A solid story, two charismatic stars and plenty of great fights with a lot of weapon variety. Director Sun Chung made some standout movies while he was at Shaw’s and this is probably his best one. I am very glad the movie finally got a Blu-ray release within this magnificent third installment of the Shawscope series, as it fully deserves the new exposure.

There is a great screenplay at work here with characters and their motivations feeling more complexed and believable than a lot of other Kung Fu films. There is also a supreme confidence in the choreography. Where a lot of other films of the time undercrank or speed up action, this one isn’t afraid of the ultra slo mo or even freeze frames.

For fans of enemies-to-friends stories, fans of Ti Lung and Alexander Fu Sheng (both put on fantastic performances), and anyone into revenge stories. Solid wu xia for a Friday morning and a perfect way to spend 86 minutes if you’re craving a kung-fu kick.

Along next is KILLER CONSTABLE (1980). Righteous constable Leng Tian-Ying has a fearsome reputation of killing criminals without remorse. But after being assigned to track a gang that robbed the imperial treasury, he comes to find that his reputation is being used against him.

My God, this is such a cruel masterpiece by the great Kuei Chih-Hung, who said of his one and only wuxia film, “I simply wanted to depict how insignificant commoners are and how, under totalitarian rule, they turn out to be the victims.” No heroes here. A poem of fire and steel and mud and rain and heavy shadows and blinding hot sun and bright red blood spraying like from a hose!

Complete with some very solid and bloody action scenes, particularly the final fight, even though the plot itself is a bit convoluted and hard to follow, not to mention the revelation that one of the antagonists has a blind daughter (which just ends up being sad), I have an overwhelming amount of love for this movie.

Then we get BUDDHA’S PALM (1982), which is actually a technique by which an ordinary hand is transformed into a formidable force. Ku, a blind recluse living in a cave, knows its secret, which proves to be as much a blessing as a curse as it attracts all manner of mayhem.

The brush of Buddha’s touch, scorching enough to set anyone ablaze brave or crazed enough to attempt such an unfathomable feat. The cackles of the grandmasters echo throughout the valley, alerting any and all who believe themselves to be on par or superior to them of their arrival.

Yet another excellent example of unrelenting kineticism incarnate, the intangible imagination of that ever prolific clan of absolutely mad movie lads plastered and smeared all across a cinematic canvas, the only rhyme or reason to grasp onto within its ethereal euphoria is that of is that of a Dameng the dragon.

It’s films like this that continue to conceive me in further prolonging my departure from this world in a futile effort to uncover more just like it (hence my outpouring of love for these box-set’s).

The final movie is BASTARD SWORDSMAN (1983). Hsu Shao-chiang stars as a veritable Spider-Swordsman - master of the Silkworm Style - in this eye-filling, mind-bending martial arts phantasmagorical which truly warrants the description: unforgettable.

This film is one big, fantastic kung fu soap opera from the director of Holy Flame of the Martial World, and just a small step down from that movie, I would say.

I knew I was in for a good time when they started talking about what level of silkworm style they had attained, but even I didn’t expect actual cocoons to be spun!

I can guarantee that not a single second of this eye popping batshit insane wu xia from Shaw Brothers is boring. It moves at a bullet’s pace and is filled to the brim with some of the most spectacular and creative kung fu you’ll EVER see in your life!

LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY COLLECTION CONTENTS:
High Definition (1080p) presentations of all fourteen films, including thirteen new 2K restorations by Arrow Films
Illustrated 60-page collectors’ booklet featuring new writing by David West, Jonathan Clements and Dylan Cheung, plus cast and crew listings and notes on each film by Ian Jane
New artwork by Chris Malbon, Kung Fu Bob O’Brien, Tom Ralston, Ilan Sheady, Tony Stella and Jolyon Yates
Hours of illuminating bonus features, including feature commentaries and several cast-and-crew interviews from the Frédéric Ambroisine Video Archive Exclusive CD of music from the De Wolfe Music Library as heard in several Shaw Brothers classics

DISC ONE - ONE-ARMED SWORDSMAN
Brand new 4K restoration by Celestial Pictures and L’Immagine Ritrovata Newly restored uncompressed Mandarin and English mono audio
Newly translated English subtitles, plus optional hard-of-hearing subtitles for the English dub
Brand new commentary by David West, author of Chasing Dragons: An Introduction to the Martial Arts Film
Newly filmed appreciation of the One-Armed Swordsman series by film critic and historian Tony Rayns
Interview with actor Wang Yu, filmed in 2001
Interview with actor Chiao Chiao, filmed in 2005
Interview with actor Ku Feng, filmed in 2004
Appreciation of director Chang Cheh’s work by film historian Sam Ho, filmed in 2003
Interview with Daniel Lee, director of the remake What Price Survival, filmed in 2004
One-Armed Side Hustles, a brand new video essay by Brandon Bentley on Wang Yu’s career playing amputee protagonists
Theatrical trailers, and trailers for other films by Chang Cheh

DISC TWO - RETURN OF THE ONE-ARMED SWORDSMAN / THE NEW ONE-ARMED SWORDSMAN
Brand new 2K restorations of both films from the original negatives by Arrow Films
Newly restored uncompressed Mandarin and English mono audio for both films
Newly translated English subtitles for both films, plus optional hard-of-hearing subtitles for the English dubs
Brand new commentary on Return of the One-Armed Swordsman by critic Samm Deighan
Brand new commentary on The New One-Armed Swordsman by martial arts cinema expert Brian Bankston
Theatrical trailers for both films

DISC THREE - THE LADY HERMIT / INTIMATE CONFESSIONS OF A CHINESE COURTESAN
Brand new 2K restorations of both films from the original negatives by Arrow Films
Newly restored uncompressed Mandarin and English mono audio for both films
Newly translated English subtitles for both films, plus optional hard-of-hearing subtitles for the English dubs
Brand new commentary on The Lady Hermit by critic James Mudge
Two brand new commentaries on Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan, one by film critic and historian Tony Rayns, one by critic Samm Deighan
Alternate English export credits for Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan
Theatrical trailers for both films

DISC FOUR - THE 14 AMAZONS
Brand new 2K restoration from the original negatives by Arrow Films
Newly restored uncompressed Mandarin and English mono audio
Newly translated English subtitles, plus optional hard-of-hearing subtitles for the English dub
Brand new commentary by Jonathan Clements, author of A Brief History of China
Interview with stuntwoman Sharon Yeung, filmed in 2004
Interview with film historian Bede Chang, filmed in 2005
Interview with film critic Law Kar, filmed in 2005
Theatrical trailers

DISC FIVE - THE MAGIC BLADE / CLANS OF INTRIGUE
Brand new 2K restorations of both films from the original negatives by Arrow Films
Newly restored uncompressed Mandarin and English mono audio for The Magic Blade
Newly restored uncompressed Mandarin and Cantonese mono audio for Clans of Intrigue
Newly translated English subtitles for both films, plus optional hard-of-hearing subtitles for the English dub on The Magic Blade
Brand new commentary on The Magic Blade by critic Samm Deighan
Brand new commentary on Clans of Intrigue by critic James Mudge
Alternate version of Clans of Intrigue via seamless branching, featuring four extended scenes previously censored for explicit material
Theatrical trailers for both films

DISC SIX - JADE TIGER / THE SENTIMENTAL SWORDSMAN
Brand new 2K restorations of both films from the original negatives by Arrow Films
Newly restored uncompressed Mandarin mono audio for Jade Tiger
Newly restored uncompressed Mandarin and Cantonese mono audio for The Sentimental Swordsman
Newly translated English subtitles for both films
Brand new commentary on Jade Tiger by critic Ian Jane
Brand new commentary on The Sentimental Swordsman by David West, author of Chasing Dragons: An Introduction to the Martial Arts Film
Theatrical trailers for both films

DISC SEVEN - THE AVENGING EAGLE / KILLER CONSTABLE
Brand new 2K restorations of both films from the original negatives by Arrow Films
Newly restored uncompressed Mandarin and English mono audio for both films, plus Cantonese mono for The Avenging Eagle
Newly translated English subtitles for both films, plus optional hard-of-hearing subtitles for the English dubs
Brand new commentary on The Avenging Eagle by martial arts cinema expert Frank Djeng
Three brand new commentaries on Killer Constable: one by film critic and historian Tony Rayns; one by Frank Djeng; one by martial arts cinema expert Brian Bankston
Additional and alternate scenes from the South Korean version of Killer Constable (in standard-definition)
Alternate English-language title sequences for both films
Theatrical trailers for both films

DISC EIGHT - BUDDHA’S PALM / BASTARD SWORDSMAN
Brand new 2K restorations of both films from the original negatives by Arrow Films
Newly restored uncompressed Cantonese, Mandarin and English mono audio for Buddha’s Palm
Newly restored uncompressed Mandarin mono audio for Bastard Swordsman
Newly translated English subtitles for both films, plus optional hard-of-hearing subtitles for the English dub on Buddha’s Palm
Brand new commentary on Buddha’s Palm by critic and translator Dylan Cheung
Brand new commentary on Bastard Swordsman by martial arts cinema expert Frank Djeng
Alternate English title sequence for Buddha’s Palm, as Raiders of the Magic Palm
Theatrical trailers for both films

DISC NINE - BONUS FEATURES
High Definition (with standard-definition VHS inserts) presentation of the rare Korean version of Killer Constable with newly-translated English subtitles, featuring over half an hour of exclusive alternate footage never released outside South Korea before
Newly filmed appreciation of director Chor Yuen by film critic and historian Tony Rayns
Interview with stuntwoman Sharon Yeung on Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan, filmed in 2005
Appreciation of Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan from 2003 by academic Sze Man-hung, musician Kwan King-chung, and filmmaker Clarence Fok (Naked Killer)
Interview with actor Ti Lung, recorded in 2004
Archive interviews with director Chor Yuen, actors Yuen Wah and Li Ching on The Magic Blade
Appreciation of Chor Yuen’s career by film historian Sam Ho, filmed in 2003
Interview with screenwriter Sze-to On on The Magic Blade, filmed in 2003
Interview with actor Ku Feng on The Avenging Eagle, filmed in 2004
Interview with actor Eddy Ko on The Avenging Eagle, filmed in 2004

DISC TEN - MORE MUSIC FROM SHAW BROTHERS CLASSICS (CD)

www.ArrowFilms.com

Overview: Based on the smash-hit series of the same name by cult manga artist Junji Itō (Uzumaki), Tomie tells the tale of an evil high-school seductress identifiable by a beauty mark beneath her left eye, whose bewitching kiss drives men to madness.

Photography student Tsukiko (Mami Nakamura, Tokyo Trash Baby, Love Exposure) is plagued by violent dreams as she struggles to recall long-suppressed memories following a teenage trauma with the help of psychiatrist Dr. Hosono (Yoriko Douguchi, Cure, Charisma).

Meanwhile, as Detective Harada (Tomorō Taguchi, Tetsuo: The Iron Man) leads an investigation into a missing high-school girl, he discovers a long line of similar cases that can be traced back decades, with all of the victims going by the name of Tomie Kawakami, and all slaughtered and decapitated by jealous lovers before they reach womanhood.

Meanwhile, Tsukiko’s new neighbor seems to be harboring something nasty in the downstairs apartment, something which rapidly begins to take on a dangerous form.

Arrow Video is proud to present this key title from the J-Horror boom of the late 1990s, which spawned a string of sequels, for the first time on Blu-ray outside of Japan, with a host of newly produced extras.

Blu-ray Verdict: Tomie’s atmosphere is so, so on point. Good lighting, late-night vibes, and a dreamy feel to it all. It’s slow-paced and has that distinct 1990’s low-budget quality, but the story at the center of it all is compelling. And the score? Chef’s kiss. So odd but accompanies the unsettling imagery perfectly.

Now, I must openly admit that I haven’t explored much of Junji Ito’s work. I would say I have admired his artwork from a distance all my life. I’ve always thought his artwork looked stunning whenever it would pop up on my social media feeds, but I have never actually taken the time to read any of the manga. I think it’s about time I change that.

Anyways, because I never read Tomie, I had zero expectations for the film adaptation. The low average rating had me a bit concerned, but I ended up enjoying what I saw, and I think it did the best thing it could have done for someone in my position – motivate me to want to tackle the manga sooner rather than later.

I also benefitted from watching with my dear friend Cody, who is familiar with the manga and how these two pieces differ. He enjoyed the film, too, but through discussing with him, I understood why this film adaptation might disappoint fans of the manga.

To my understanding, the manga is more confrontational. By that, I mean the imagery is much more in your face and bizarre – it leaves a lasting, inescapable impression. The film, on the other hand, is a very subdued affair. It takes its time crafting a weird feeling and uncomfortable atmosphere.

It’s never oppressively uncomfortable, though. Instead, it induces a very minimal yet constant sense of unease, and as more elements of the story reveal themselves, the more impressively spooky it gets.

Maybe it’s not a great adaptation. I won’t know until I finally read the manga. But it’s very decent for what it is. Plus, as I said, it did the most important thing it could do – inspire me to seek out the source material. Just like One Missed Call, don’t let the low average reviews from around the world over the years deceive you! There are more things to like than dislike here, and as far as I am concerned, the central mystery, aesthetic, and atmosphere made for a rather excellent late-night watch with a good friend.

LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:
High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation
Original lossless 5.1 and 2.0 stereo audio
Optional English subtitles
Brand new audio commentary by critic and Japanese cinema expert Amber T.
It’s a Girl’s World, a brand new interview with director Ataru Oikawa
Scream Queen, a brand new interview with actress Mami Nakamura
From Manga to Screen, a brand new interview with producer Mikihiko Hirata
Trailer
Image gallery
Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing by Zack Davisson and Eugene Thacker
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sara Deck

www.arrowvideo.com

Overview: She’s back! Elvira, Horrorland’s hostess with the mostest, finally busts out on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray with this long-awaited, positively bursting-at-the-seams special edition of her big screen debut, Elvira: Mistress of the Dark!

Having just quit her job as a Los Angeles TV horror hostess, Elvira receives the unexpected news that she’s set to inherit part of her great aunt Morgana’s estate. Arriving in the small town of Fallwell, Massachusetts to claim her inheritance, Elvira receives a less than enthusiastic reception from the conservative locals – amongst them, her sinister uncle Vincent, who, unbeknownst to Elvira, is in fact an evil warlock secretly scheming to steal the old family spellbook for his own nefarious ends!

Campy, quirky and stuffed to the brim with more double entendres than your average Carry On movie, 1988’s Elvira: Mistress of the Dark helped solidify the horror hostess (played by Cassandra Peterson) as a major pop culture icon, here owning every inch of the screen with her quick wit, sass, and of course, cleaving-enhancing gown!

4K Blu-ray Verdict: The magnetism radiated from Elvira, drawing her legions of devoted admirers, has a primordial quality. With her lengthy, well-toned figure, large-bust, innocuously mischievous attitude and grab-bag lexicon of me-generation valley slang, the character of Elvira has a universal and timeless appeal.

As an aspiring folklorist and an individual deeply interested in the structure of storytelling, it is evident that the Elvira persona has certain archetypal elements that help to make the character more than the sum of her corny one-liners and large chest.

As initiated from the manner in which the children of the town react to her, she represents the deep adolescent fantasy for an experienced woman whom can connect to them of their level: a strange mixture of one-dimensional romantic yearning, boyish sexual craving and the desire for non-threateningly lighthearted fun. She symbolizes an undeveloped ideal of womanhood perfected for the boys and a source of strength for the girls of the town. The other adults have trouble with her for the same reasons.

It’s surprising how a script rigged together with boob-jokes, witty one-liners, movie references, inside jokes and bade taste merriment also manages to tell a coherent story. Simple, of course, but coherent. While other movies, heavily relying on gag-like situations, often make you lose track of the story completely (like the Naked Gun films, for example), but this film doesn’t.

A lot of horror-comedies were being produced during the 80’s, but not a lot of them actually worked. Let alone a horror-spoof that doesn’t derail at some point (for example, Killer Party, although I’m grateful for this one going completely bonkers during the finale) or becomes too tedious too quickly (Saturday the 14th).

Although Elvira is more comedy than horror, it doesn’t lose track of what it’s doing and consistently builds up towards a mildly grotesque finale, complete with a supernatural showdown in the streets of Falwell between newborn witch Elvira and evil uncle wizard Talbot, including a real honest-to-god witch hunt and Elvira’s very own burn-at-the-stake moment!

In the end, however, her film cannot move past its more campy ingredients, which is ok. The end result is that while Elvira is infinitely interesting, her film is limited by how weak a showcase it is for her enormous talents. Nearly everything is tailored to an adolescent mindset and although it is a straightforward comedy, only those who can still process information with the mind of a young person will be able to enjoy the nonsense. Fortunately, I have such ability and found the film to be an absolute delightful charmer.

4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:
Brand new 4K restoration by Arrow Films
4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
Original uncompressed stereo 2.0 audio
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Introduction to the film by director James Signorelli
2017 audio commentary with director James Signorelli, hosted by Fangoria editor emeritus Tony Timpone
2017 audio commentary with Patterson Lundquist, www.elviramistressofthedark.com webmaster and judge of US TV show The Search for the Next Elvira
Archival audio commentary with actors Cassandra Peterson and Edie McClurg and writer John Paragon Too Macabre – The Making of Elvira: Mistress of the Dark – 2018 version of this feature-length documentary on the making of the film, including interviews with various cast and crew and archival material
Recipe for Terror: The Creation of the Pot Monster – 2018 version of this featurette on the concept and design of the pot monster, as well as the film’s other SFX
Original storyboards
Extensive image galleries
Original US theatrical and teaser trailers
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sara Deck
Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring writing on the film by Sam Irving, Kat Ellinger and Patterson Lundquist

www.arrowvideo.com

Overview: In this bitterly divided town, there’s no middle ground; you’re either with one side or the other - cross the line and face dire consequences. One clan hires a kung fu master - played by the great Ti Lung (A Better Tomorrow) - to break the stalemate, but he’s nobody’s servant and his loyalties can’t be bought so easily.

Inspired by Kurosawa’s Yojimbo and Sergio Leone’s A Fistful of Dollars, The Kung Fu Instructor puts a slightly more cynical spin on traditional codes of honor. Stylishly directed by Sun Chung (Human Lanterns), 88 Films are proud to present the Blu-ray premier of this martial arts masterpiece.

Blu-ray Verdict: Ti Lung is the Kung-Fu Instructor and wears his goatee like the boss that he is. Seriously though, the man has charisma to spare no matter what facial hair he wears. He is a strong lead here and as badass as his character is, Ti Lung always bring a vulnerability to his roles.

He is strong, but not undefeatable. You care for the guy and you don’t want him to get hurt. That is a particular strength of this movie and many other ones starring Ti Lung.

Other than that, I can only say that this is a damn fine Kung-Fu movie with quality fights from beginning to end. I especially like pole fighting and this movie has a ton of that. Wong Yu is solid as his student and Ku Feng great as always as the main baddie. Not much else to say.

In closing, this is a solid Kung-Fu movie that delivers the goods for 100 minutes. There is also a quasi-sequel to the movie called “The Master Strikes Back” also directed by Sung Chung and starring Ti Lung which is also well worth seeking out as well.

And a shout out to the action director, Tang Chia who does a good job. He would go on to direct three films of his own, but it is the Steadicam shots here that really stand out the most for me.

Bonus Features:
HHigh Definition (1080p) Presentation in 2.35:1 Aspect Ratio
2.0 DTS-HD MA Cantonese Soundtrack with newly translated English Subtitles

www.88-films.myshopify.com

Overview: Since its first publication in 1955, Jack Finney’s classic sci-fi/horror novel The Body Snatchers has inspired numerous adaptations and created a whole subgenre of era-defining alien doppelgangers in books, film, and TV. 2007’s The Invasion was ahead of the curve, its eerily predictive shift toward a virus-like contagion more frighteningly resonant in a post-pandemic world.

A space shuttle crashes to Earth carrying an alien organism. Soon people are changing, becoming detached and emotionless. People like CDC director Tucker Kaufman (Jeremy Northam) who is investigating the crash. Meanwhile his ex-wife, psychiatrist Carol Bennell (Nicole Kidman), sees the same behaviour in a friend of their son, and a patient claims that her husband is no longer her husband.

As people all across Washington D.C. become infected and the insidious epidemic spreads, Carol must fight to protect herself and her son, who might just hold the key to stopping the escalating invasion.

Produced by Joel Silver, and also starring Daniel Craig, Jeffrey Wright, and Veronica Cartwright, this edge-of-your-seat thriller makes its debut on 4K UHD with a wealth of new and archival extras.

4K Blu-ray Verdict: Personally, I think The Invasion works best as entertainment, perhaps disposable entertainment, but entertainment none-the-less. Its attention to metaphors and politically driven dialogue and events that happen that could be compared to larger scale, real life happenings are all there, but perhaps feel a little thrown in. But while the film tries to elevate itself above the level of what it is ie: a genre picture about the end of the world or monster from another planet scenario, what it does do right in an impressive manner is get the basics for its respective genre correct.

The Invasion is a remake, let’s get that straight for those unaware. It’s a remake of a film that can quite easily be classified into a specific type. The path it follows is of the horror with science fiction tie in formula, something you’ll only really enjoy if you’re a fan of that hybrid. The one thing The Invasion has going for it for the bulk of its runtime is its own personal spin on the bad guys of the piece.

We’ve all seen zombies or the un-dead or the infected in cinematic hits 28 Days and 28 Weeks Later, respectively, but here the pinch that makes The Invasion slightly more intriguing than your average survival horror genre is that the antagonists are in no way obviously hostile.

It seems like a small thing to tilt a film into the realm of the positive but in the hands of experienced European director Oliver Hirschbiegel, the little idea actually works quite well, having practically every supporting character not to mention extra come across as very intense and intimidating.

This is the sort of survival horror that will not relegate the viewer to barrages of gun fights and fast edits alá a Resident Evil film (although the third one of that trilogy showed some encouragement), but will instead have its feature characters actually have conversations with the infected enemies of the film.

While the familiar routine is to run away, hide or merely open fire on beasties in this sort of genre (sometimes all three), The Invasion has the villains talk back; negotiate with the heroes; talk them into joining them and actually pitch an argument as to why they’re superior.

This brings us onto the entire argument many will have with the film in terms with what these monsters are and what they say, with special attention to what it could mean. The film’s primary metaphorical meaning could be that once the entire world has been taken over by these germs inhabiting our own bodies, equality will be as one with everybody the same thus eliminating any more wars or global conflict and such.

This is actually brought up early on at a dinner between several characters, one of which being the protagonist Carol Bennell (Kidman) as she listens to a Russian talk about this very ideation - the fact that he is Russian could allow us to read into Communist parallels and the similarities those have to the world the body snatchers would create if they took over every one of us.

But like I said, the political slant and metaphorical meanings to be read into the psychology of certain people is a little heavy handed. Carol and the Russian sit at that dinner table and deliver their banter in a manner that the film demands. They are not there through chance; they are there because the film wants to come across as smarter than it should be and places them there purely so they can exchange the dialogue they do - it’s purely for our benefit.

Then there are the frequent signs and advertisements cleverly inserted into the background of most scenes with the words take the step plastered all over them, thus reminding everyone within the film to go through with it but since they are not in the foreground, it affects the film watching audience in a subliminal manner - you’ll notice it if you look hard enough but it feels like a clumsy insertion of further metaphorical content.

But apart from all this and the main reason I did enjoy the film is because of its eeriness and its attention to an uncomfortable atmosphere. The chief enemies in the film can be interacted with and a particularly good scene is when Carol must pretend to be one of them in order to get by without capture.

The Invasion is a text book example of a good set up in the horror infused with the science fiction genre before developing its initial ideas into thoroughly tense situations, such as the arresting of innocents then ready to be transformed and the escape in the subway train to the station in which Carol must act inconspicuous.

While The Invasion is not a fantastic film, it does satisfy a basic need to be entertained and it does get pulses racing now and again given the nasty subject matter on screen. The idea that the world is being overrun is not a new one, but it’s effective when done correctly and that atmosphere of no hope is nicely put across here.

The chases and manners in which characters deal with certain situations is tense and somewhat dramatic with less emphasis on action through attacking and more on action through thinking. As far as these un-dead survival pictures go, The Invasion isn’t too bad overall, and is most definitely a great night in’s entertainment.

4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:
4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
Original lossless DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Brand new audio commentary by film critics Andrea Subisati and Alexandra West, co-hosts of The Faculty of Horror podcast
Body Snatchers and Beyond, a new visual essay by film scholar Alexandra Heller Nicholas
That Bug That’s Going Around, a new visual essay exploring The Invasion as pandemic prophecy by film scholar Josh Nelson
We’ve Been Snatched Before, an archival featurette from 2007
The Invasion: A New Story, an archival featurette from 2007
The Invasion: On the Set, an archival featurette from 2007
The Invasion: Snatched, an archival featurette from 2007
Theatrical trailer
Image gallery
Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing by film critics William Bibbiani and Sally Christie
Reversible sleeve with original and newly commissioned artwork by Tommy Pocket
Double-sided fold out poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Tommy Pocket

www.arrowvideo.com

Overview: From the legendary Shaw Brothers Studio, here’s something a bit funnier than their usual fare: after an evil martial arts master (played by the very great Hwang Jang-li (Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow) kills their own teacher, Wong Yu (The Shadow Boxing) and Chiang Kam (The Young Master) realize that they’re next!

But can the squabbling duo put their differences aside long enough to defeat him? With spirited slapstick, supernatural silliness and some jaw-dropping fights that really have to be seen to be believed, Kid From Kwangtung is gravity-defying treat from the glory days of Hong Kong cinema.

88 Films are proud to unleash this classic kung fu comedy on Blu-ray!

Blu-ray Verdict: If you find yourself on the fence about watching this brilliant film, well, let me inform you right off the bat that it features some sensational, and well-choreographed fights, especially the final fights, and it has a comedy level above the norm!

Hwang Jang Lee is undoubtedly the best villain in martial arts films for whenever he is involved, the fights are top-notch. And here, well, there is no shortage of scenes of him kicking his enemies mercilessly! Pan Pan Yeung is also worth mentioning, although unfortunately she doesn’t have many fight scenes, but in the few she does have she definitely doesn’t disappoint and shows off some very good kicks!

The actress who plays her mother is also great, and there’s even a chubby rival of the protagonist who provides some very funny scenes, which makes Kid From Kwangtung definitely worth watching, trust me.

In closing, this film is a true, unadulterated testament to the director’s style of filmmaking ability, and featuring some rather clever doubling by a somersaulting Yuen Tak, he even manages to make Wong Yu look extremely better than we, perhaps, know them to be!

Bonus Features:
High Definition (1080p) Presentation in 2.35:1 Aspect Ratio
Mandarin Soundtrack with newly translated English Subtitles
Slipcase with new artwork by Sam Gilbey

www.88-films.myshopify.com

Overview: Working from an Academy Award-nominated screenplay by Scott B. Smith (adapting his own bestselling novel), director Sam Raimi swapped his trademark hyperkinetic horror for stark, bone-chilling tension in the expertly-crafted, critically-acclaimed thriller A Simple Plan.

Hank Mitchell (Bill Paxton) and his wife Sarah (Bridget Fonda) have big dreams and a baby on the way, but are stuck in the small Minnesota town where Hank grew up alongside his sweet but naive brother Jacob (Billy Bob Thornton, Oscar-nominated for Best Supporting Actor). One day while walking in the woods, Hank, Jacob, and Jacob’s friend Lou (Brent Briscoe) discover a small plane buried in the snow, with a dead pilot inside... and a duffel bag containing over $4 million in cash.

It’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance to grasp the American dream in one fell swoop, if they can just keep it a secret – but Hank soon learns that keeping that secret will come at a terrible cost.

A bleak, heart-stopping morality play with allusions to Macbeth and The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (Raimi’s favorite film), A Simple Plan returns in a brand new director-approved 4K remaster accompanied by new and exclusive bonus features.

4K Blu-ray Verdict: As noted, A Simple Plan follows three men in Minnesota who stumble upon a plane crashed in the snowy woods; inside is a corpse, and a bag of $4 million. They make a rash decision to keep the money--a decision they soon come to regret.

This film was one of the most popular thrillers of the late ’90s, and it still remains a fairly well-plotted film. The story is a tale as old as time--greed leads to man’s inevitable downfall. It’s the operative trope at work here, and it’s pulled off with a notable amount of flair.

Sam Raimi, who many of us know for his horror films, provides solid direction here, though there are scenarios throughout that do stretch believability to its utmost dimensions. Like many of the thrillers of its era, A Simple Plan hangs a fair amount of its action on convenient plot devices that sometimes feel contrived.

The other issue the film has is that its characters seem to lack discretion, carelessly discussing their plans in public spaces to the point that it is difficult to take too seriously--some of the dialogue also feels stilted at times.

That being said, the film truly excels at presenting its cast of antiheroes who the audience can still somewhat root for. Bill Paxton’s performance as the standup accountant who spearheads the effort is solid, while Bridget Fonda plays his cunning wife who assists and advises from a distance. Brent Briscoe is believable as the gum-flapping redneck, while Billy Bob Thornton turns in a performance as Paxton’s unsuccessful, dejected brother, who is perhaps the most sympathetic (and sad) character in the film.

None of these people are truly likable, and they all make jaw-droppingly cold, evil choices, but there is still a level of believability to them, and their motivations, as sad as they are, don’t go unwarranted.

In closing, even with the more strained elements at play, Raimi manages to squeeze some disturbing sequences throughout, and the film manages to be consistently riveting. There are a handful of truly grim moments where the characters’ blood seems as cold as the snow around them.

4K ULTRA HD LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:
New 4K remaster from the original negative by Arrow Films, approved by director Sam Raimi
4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
Original DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround audio and optional lossless stereo audio
Optional English subtitles forthe deaf and hard-of-hearing
Brand new audio commentary by critics Glenn Kenny and Farran Smith Nehme
Brand new audio commentary by production designer Patrizia von Brandenstein with filmmaker Justin Beahm
Of Ice and Men, a newly filmed interview with cinematographer Alar Kivilo
Standing Her Ground, a newly filmed interview with actor Becky Ann Baker
Dead of Winter, a newly filmed interview with actor Chelcie Ross
On-set interviews with Paxton, Thornton, Fonda, Raimi, and producer Jim Jacks
Behind-the-scenes footage
Theatrical trailer
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Matt Griffin
Illustrated collectors’ booklet featuring new writing on the film by Bilge Ebiri and an excerpt from the book The Unseen Force: The Films of Sam Raimi by John Kenneth Muir

www.arrowvideo.com

Overview: CHICAGO, 1942. At his Christmas Eve office party, private eye Richard Stone celebrates bribing his way out of the draft. He’s a disappointment to secretary/main squeeze, Katie Crockett, whose brother Ben is fighting overseas; and his honest young employee, Joey Ernest, is guilt-ridden over all the divorce-racket keyhole peeping.

Just a year ago tonight, Stone’s sleazy partner Jake Marley was murdered, a crime the detective didn’t bother solving. After Stone is visited by an ankle-chained Jake, on leave from Purgatory to demand his murder be solved, three more visitors arrive to help, one at a time - the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future: Bonnie of Bonnie & Clyde infamy; a recently decreased soldier; and a strange entity who just might be the King of Rock ’n’ Roll.

From the creator of Road to Perdition comes a fantasy brimming with chills, humor and heart. Rob Merritt (Dead Air) and Midwest superstar Alisabeth Von Presley (American Idol) lead a cast of 24 in a new seasonal soon-to-be classic.

Blu-ray Verdict: Going in knowing that this was Chad Thomas Bishop’s first feature film production and that he also had to play a small role in it after a cast member dropped out of the project, just made me more inclined to let the small stuff drift pass me and to concentrate on the art of the low budget cinematic experience.

And I am genuinely glad I did as Blue Christmas (which is based on the novella A Wreath For Marley, which was written by director Max Allan Collins) is a rather delightfully shot, acted, and scene-set movie that harms no one and is a pure unadulterated little gem to behold this holiday season.

Virtually engaging from the off, or at least once the opening holiday drinks scene has set the scene, sure it meanders and feels unfocused at times, but then it clicks right back into place very nicely; very effortlessly.

Shot at Muscatine Community College, Collins’ alma mater, yes, of course, you can see where most of the low budget went when certain scenes are filmed, but for the most part you allow such things to waft over you.

Already a top competitor to become one of my favorite Christmas movies to turn to each holiday period, the way it occasionally uses the lens distortion at the edges of the screen to emphasize the severity of the dialogue at its center (instead of changing focus depth) is a genuine masterstroke also.

This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.85:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with Special Features that include commentary by the writer/director and producer/editor, Q&A highlights from advanced theatrical screenings, and a documentary featuring Max Allan Collins.

www.vcientertainment.com

Overview: A costume drama like no other, Facets of Love tells the stories of the Shanghai brothel in the early years of the 20th century: of its devious owners, of the unhappy innocents that have been tricked into toiling there and of the entitled men who visit, the ordinary and the illustrious.

A good deal saucier than the martial arts movies that its producers at Shaw Brothers studio are most famous for, Li Hsang-han’s film is a sensual indulgence, with beautiful design and photography. There’s even a small early appearance from Jackie Chan!

88 Films are proud to present the Blu-ray premier of this sumptuous, decadent delight.

Blu-ray Verdict: Facets Of Love is a bawdy triptych of tales set in and around a Ming Dynasty brothel, where a noted Shaw Brothers director Han Hsiang Li and even a very young Jackie Chan turn their hand to a bizarre erotic anthology that doesn’t quite fully work as an anthology, and even less an erotic venture (in my humble opinion).

The three stories feel random, all be they fundamentally not, each feeling like they just meander, at times, never quite bringing forth the delicious sting in the tail that most horror anthology shorts do (and barely interlinking into any form of cohesive whole).

Tonally, well, ok, sure, it’s all over the place, but that isn’t a bad thing, as it just gives you more to invest in. The first short is the sordid story of how a young family is duped into selling their daughter to the brothel who then proceeds to be beaten when she doesn’t comply with her madam’s wishes.

The second is like the sexual awakening of a young emperor, sneaking out of the palace into the backstreet brothels for his true education, whilst the third tale is actually a borderline musical, one about how the spirits of the now older emperor possess a young solider as he tries to have his way with the most beautiful girl in the brothel, who is saving herself for the actual emperor himself.

There’s ribald humor and comedy slapstick throughout, uncomfortably blended with sexual torture, random melodrama and just plain old gratuitous nudity, but as much as that all might seem boring, somehow this film does encapsulate the viewer’s attention.

Again, not all of it works and while it certainly looks handsome – the brothel set is actually very impressive, as is the amount of flesh on show – its disjointed nature and its lack of any clear directional, linkage themes (or messages, other than seemingly just titillation) renders the whole thing lifeless at times.

In closing, Facets Of Love is not a horrible time sent in front of the TV, but it does meander, but that said, the way it uses the lens distortion at the edges of the screen is beyond brilliant, emphasizing those things at the center instead of changing focus depth.

Special Edition Bonus Features:
High Definition (1080p) Presentation in 2.35:1 Aspect Ratio
2.0 LPCM Mandarin Soundtrack with newly translated English Subtitles

www.88-films.myshopify.com

Overview: A married man (Leo Grillo) meets a beautiful woman (Katherine Heigl) in a Las Vegas casino and allows her to seduce him. But when her jealous boyfriend (Tom Sizemore) finds them together and a scuffle results in the boyfriend’s death, the lovers put his body in the trunk of a car and head to the eponymous Zyzzyx Road in the desert to bury the corpse, only to discover the body is nowhere to be found.

4K Blu-ray Verdict: Well, sadly, Zyzzyx Road, a thriller from 2006, is better known for being the lowest-grossing film of all time as it only earned a mere $30 in the box office! Nope, that is not a misprint, but the stone cold truth, unfortunately for all involved.

If memory serves me, it played once a day for 6 days, only in one single theater (maybe two), apparently as a strategy to get permission to release it in foreign countries. That did not work, as we now know, but all that said, the story is not an overly bad one, the actors all giving everything they could on screen, but it’s their spoken lines that let them down.

Grant, a philandering accountant, goes to Las Vegas on a business trip and encounters a seductress, Marissa, and her jealous ex-boyfriend Joey. Grant and Marissa incapacitate Joey, believing they have killed him, and decide to bury him along the eponymous Zzyzx Road, a rural road off of Interstate 15 in California’s Mojave Desert.

After digging a grave, they return to find Joey missing from the trunk of Grant’s car. Grant chases Joey through the desert with a shovel, and when he finds him hidden in an abandoned mine, he tells Joey a secret about Marissa.

I won’t go on and reveal more, for that is enough right there to either interest you or not, but it is safe to say that the tale (once the full plot is revealed at that point of the film) plays out the way you expect it to, with not so much of a twist ending, moreover an expected and subpar executed one.

Tom Sizemore plays himself throughout, so to speak, and Katherine Heigl’s acting seems to have nose-dived in the past 15 years, as she doesn’t seem the least bit invested in this script when it comes to her time on screen. As for Leo Grillo, never heard of him, sorry.

Overall, it does have some funny moments, and can be (in pockets) an exciting thriller/mystery tale, and for all those wondering, yes, Zyzzyx Road is the actual name of a notorious road in Las Vegas, but given the film’s weird monetary history going in, and also knowing it cost just 2 million to put together, it makes you wonder just how much of it went into the pockets of the two major leads.

4K ULTRA HD DISC FEATURES:
4K Restoration of the film supervised by Director John Penney and presented in HDR 2160p in its original 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio
New Introduction by Director John Penney and Actor Leo Grillo
Commentary Track with Actor / Producer Leo Grillo
Commentary Track with Writer / Director / Producer John Penney
Optional English Subtitles

BLU-RAY DISC FEATURES:
4K Restoration of the film supervised by Director John Penney and presented in 2K 1080p HD in its original 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio
New Introduction by Director John Penney and Actor Leo Grillo
Commentary Track with Actor / Producer Leo Grillo
Commentary Track with Writer / Director / Producer John Penney
The Legacy of Zyzzyx Road Featurette
11 Archival Behind the Scenes Featurettes
Archival Interview with Director John Penney
Shooting Location: Then & Now Featurette
Storyboard to Scenes Featurette
Storyboard Slideshow
The Mystery of Zyzzyx Road Music Video
Optional English Subtitles
Trailer

www.darkartsentertainment.com

Overview: Days before a general election a young girl is raped and murdered. Bizanti (Gian Maria Volonté, The Working Class Goes to Heaven), the editor of a right-wing newspaper uses the story to help the conservative candidate his paper supports.

The tumultuous time of Italy’s Years of Lead are captured in Marco Bellocchio’s powerful political drama which directly addressed topics of its day and even prefigured the creation of the right-wing paper Il giornale, which came into being two years after this film.

In an age of media manipulation Slap the Monster on Page One has never been more relevant and stands proudly alongside such Italian activist classics as We Still Kill the Old Way and The Mattei Affair.

Blu-ray Verdict: While Slap the Monster on Page One’s Bizanti is nowhere near as dynamic or charismatic as the Inspector in Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion (after all, who is?), the intensity Gian Maria Volonté brings to playing characters with beliefs diametrically opposed to his own immediately makes them compelling, and seems to grant these monstrous men a depth they might lack in less confident, politically energized hands.

What’s perhaps most interesting about Bizanti is his easy contentment with his position. He shows none of the ferocious ambition that defines the Inspector’s trajectory and, as he repeatedly displays, has a firm understanding of where he stands in the pecking order of his little world. As well he should, because he’s found a position to which he’s perfectly suited: Bizanti pulls strings, but always has plausible deniability, if he needs it, because he acts only with the approval of a superior, and he genuinely loves the newspaper business, something which is made wonderfully, unexpectedly clear as he watches the presses produce the story on which he’s worked.

Phew! Continuing onward, and there’s also a notable triumph in his manner, certainly, because the narrative detailed in the paper is one he’s carefully guided into being, but there’s also a more fundamental joy of a job well done; of a newspaper editor, remembering the rush of boots-on-the ground reporting.

The only discontent we see in Bizanti comes from the fact that his job isn’t hard enough. When he impassively eviscerates his wife and her intellect, he’s laying out his fury with the masses: at their eager embrace of thinly crafted narratives, and their pitiful desire to be told what to think. Because the kind of storytelling he does has simply gotten too simple — now, the challenges come only from inside, as when a rookie reporter gets ideas about his own importance, rather than from Bizanti’s audience or that of his paper.

Its opponents see through nearly every move Il Giornale makes, but they don’t matter (they never have): they’re not the paper’s audience, and never have been. Their anger is simply a useful side effect, another weapon in Bizanti’s arsenal, a means by which he can condemn the left and their irrational, often violent rage at law, order, and true justice, thus feeding Il Giornale eager customer further confirmation of the narratives they’ve obediently absorbed.

If only the masses weren’t quite so easy to lead, Bizanti would get to experience the rush of successfully completing a difficult task more often than once every few months. But today, even his enemies — sorrowful women in love with leftists; desperate murders obsessed with school girls — can be brought under his sway with little more than a handful of words presented with precisely the right tone.

It’s hardly a challenge at all for him anymore, such is the way Bizanti has so completely become one with his work: he doesn’t even need to think to sway his targets anymore. Instead, he just reacts — in a manner perfectly tailored to his audience of one, and with words which he knows even before he speaks them will achieve his ends.

The absence of emotion from Bizanti, apart from frustration at the lack of roadblocks in his path, and his near smiles when he gets glimpses of the successes that are just ahead, is deeply chilling, revealing him to be a man who holds himself apart from humanity. To him, men are nothing more than pieces to move about on a board, a collection of colorless pawns to be deployed in whatever way best serves his ends.

Bizanti is sharply intelligent, but his intellectual gifts are poured into manipulation; into shaping the political field before him to match the one he’s been asked to create. Some pieces must be sacrificed, of course, so that those who really matter can be advanced with minimal risk, but pawns are a dime a dozen, forgotten the moment they are removed from the grand board over which Bizanti watches. For him, success is concrete: victory in an election, a change of policy, a defeat of an uprising. Feelings are irrelevant, which is precisely what makes Bizanti so good at his job.

Empathy and curiosity are for the weak and naïve; Bizanti is a man of action and calculation, solving problems and putting his solution in place, without wasting time and energy considering the elusive human factor. He has no time for those who hesitate over such things, and anyone who opposes him on the basis of principle or moral obligation only reveals himself to be a fool.

There is an obvious connection to be drawn here with the present day, and the blatantly destructive actions of businesses and governments when it comes to both humanity and the environment, as they take action that, by any measure other than temporarily increasing power and wealth, are damaging to everyone, themselves included. But it simply doesn’t matter — they are what matters, and their only goal is to feed their insatiable desire for more.

Leaving the world better than they found it, or improving the lives of their fellow men are concepts that simply don’t exist in their worlds, just as they don’t in Bizanti’s. Selflessness is an outdated concept: whether it’s 1972 or 2023 it’s achieving for the I that matters. [S.N.]

LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:
4K restoration of the film from the original negative by Cineteca di Bologna in collaboration with Surf Film and Kavac Film, under the supervision of director Marco Bellocchio
Uncompressed mono PCM audio
Archival interview with Marco Bellocchio (21 mins)
Newly filmed interview with critic and author Mario Sesti (2024, 25 mins)
Appreciation by filmmaker Alex Cox (2024, 10 mins)
Newly improved English subtitle translation
Reversible sleeve featuring designs based on original posters
Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by Wesley Sharer
Limited edition of 3000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings

www.radiancefilms.co.uk

Overview: For two years filmmakers followed members of the 501st’s Midwest Garrison to investigate why people say they are Bad Guys Doing Good. These Star Wars costumers may be big kids at heart, but through their fandom, they go above an beyond for those who not only love Star Wars, but those who also need a little help.

Through hospital visits, charity events, a musical number with Weird Al, and many more excursions, you’ll see how these nerds dressing up as plastic spacemen are able to bring joy, while wiping tears away from the cheeks of those who need it most.

DVD Verdict: Taking it fro the top, so that you can go into this fabulous documentary fully aware of the goodness that will follow, the 501st Legion is an international costuming organization dedicated to celebrating STAR WARS™ through the creation and use of quality costumes that portray the villainous, morally ambiguous, or non-partisan characters from the STAR WARS™ universe.

The Legion promotes interest in STAR WARS and facilitates the use of these costumes for STAR WARS-related events as well as contributes to the local community through costumed charity and volunteer work.

And whilst a growing number of people are experiencing a reawakening of their Star Wars fandom, new generations are seeking ways to celebrate their passion for George Lucas’s modern mythology. The 501st Legion brings these fans together, reinforcing the enduring longevity of the Star Wars saga.

But they also like to put on a show or two whilst cheering people up, of course, but unlike those who dress as Civil War soldiers and reenact historic battles, the 501st members do not point lasers at one another, clutching their burning-hole chests. No, for they seek a more noble cause when they gather which is to suit up and roam the hallways of children hospitals to cheer up the patients.

And watching this incredible documentary, it is hard not to tear up as they do this, the faces on the little kids all aglow with excitement, as they either watch the 501st members do their thing, or stand proudly next to them to have a selfie.

And along with footage from the Garrison’s visits to various Comic Conventions in Chicago and Wisconsin, it also becomes back up dancers for Weird Al Yankovic’s live show! After having learnt a bit of choreography, the Weird Al’s Star Wars medley show goes on and is a major success, with Weird Al making sure he poses with the members with their costumes off so their friends and family can recognize them!

What this documentary gives you is an in-depth look into how the legion came to be, further information on how to go about contacting the 501st Legion Costuming Group and all whist bringing forth genuine moments that are both heartwarmingly emotional and heartbreaking sad, but nonetheless the legion battle on through to keep smiles ablazing.

Overview: Executive producer Roger Corman unleashes hideous aqua beasts and horrors from outer space in two of his most memorable thrillers. A mutant stalks the Earth when the body of a dead astronaut is used as an alien incubator in Night of the Blood Beast (1959).

Equally revolting is Attack of the Giant Leeches (1958), which stars B-movie siren Yvette Vickers (Attack of the 50-Foot Woman) in a watery scare fest about massive, bloodsucking monsters.

The two features were directed by Bernard Kowalski who went on to be Emmy-nominated for his television work, but they are truly representative of Corman’s world: cheap, tasteless, and extraordinarily fun!

Blu-ray Verdict: Up first is Night Of The Blood Beast (1958), and brings us the tale of Astronaut Major John Corcoran (a solid performance by Michael Emmet, it has to be said) dies while returning to earth from his space mission. His body is recovered by the military. However, Corcoran comes back to life and terrorizes the military base. It turns out to be a bizarre plan from aliens to invade our planet.

Director Bernard L. Kowalski, working from a compact script by Mark Varno, relates the entertainingly pulpy story at a steady pace, develops a reasonable amount of tension, and effectively creates and sustains a grimly serious tone. Moreover, this film is acted with admirable sincerity by the competent cast, with especially sturdy work by Ed Nelson as the stalwart Dave Randall, John Baer as the no-nonsense Steve Dunlap, Angela Greene as the distraught Dr. Julie Benson, Georgianna Carter as the fetching Donna Bixby, and Tyler McVey as the puzzled Dr. Alex Wyman.

The primitive (not so, at times though, which is rather nice to now view) special effects possess a certain crude charm (the extraterrestrial monster resembles a mottled humanoid parrot!). In addition, there’s a sprinkling of mild gore, the terse 62 minute running time ensures that this picture never gets dull or overstays its welcome, and the premise of Corcoran having alien parasites growing inside his body neatly prefigures Alien.

John M. Nickolaus Jr.’s stark black and white cinematography does the trick while Alexander Laszlo’s robust score hits the rousing shivery spot. An immensely fun B-movie quickie, and now re-released via the brilliant Film Masters company, this film is just one part of a fantastic flashback double bill here!

Along next is Attack of the Giant Leeches (1959), where in a Florida swamp, people are starting to go missing. Among the local townspeople struggling to solve the mystery are game warden Steve Benton (Ken Clark), his lovely girlfriend Nan Greyson (Jan Shepard), and her doctor father (Tyler McVey).

Meanwhile, there’s a subplot about harried storekeeper Dave Walker (Bruno VeSota), who has a trampy, unfaithful wife (luscious Playboy Playmate Yvette Vickers). Dave terrorizes her and her lover (Michael Emmet), and manages to glimpse the monsters responsible for the disappearances.

Attack of the Giant Leeches comes complete with an ever-so-slight cautionary bent (the giant leeches COULD be the result of mutations in the Cape Canaveral area), and possesses the typical efficiency one would see in B pictures of the era. By that, this viewer means that it tells its story (concocted by actor / screenwriter Leo Gordon) in a no-frills, cut-to-the-chase way, thanks to director Bernard L. Kowalski. (His other credits include creature features like Night of the Blood Beast and Sssssss).

This viewer enjoyed the way that Gordon dropped those white-trash elements into his tried-and-true monster movie formula. Helping to give Attack of the Giant Leeches some stature is the presence of Vickers (also in the classic Attack of the 50 Foot Woman), who is tantalizingly sexy in various scenes, and the fact that the Giant Leeches (who are covered with the kind of suckers one usually sees on an octopus) figure in some moments that are pretty creepy and nasty for a 1959 feature, attaching themselves to their victims and sucking out the blood!

Atmospheric photography of the L.A. County Arboretum & Botanic Garden locations is effective, as is the ooga-booga horror movie music by Alexander Laszlo. Overall, most all the performances are fine, with Clark making for a studly hero, and Gene Roth scoring some laughs as the kind of cranky, incredulous lawman you’d expect to find in a tale of this sort.

In closing, and as both these are results are solid filmmaking and thus are fabulously entertaining, this brilliant double bill flashback Blu-ray set is well worth you buying it today and settling in with them both, one dark, wet, possibly thunder-clapping Halloween night!

Special Features:
Full commentary tracks by Tom Weaver and The Weaver Players for both films
Full color inserted booklet with original essay by Tom Weaver
Recut trailers using archival film elements
Comparison videos showing the impact of restoration
8mm version of Night of the Blood Beast
All new documentary by Ballyhoo Motion Pictures

Overview: A father and his teen daughter attend a pop concert only to realize they’ve entered the center of a dark and sinister event.

4K UHD Blu-ray Verdict: Warner Bros. Entertainment is expanding their 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray catalog offerings this month with the release of the highly-anticipated Trap (4K Ultra HD + Digital) in the expansive 4K Ultra HD video format this November 5th, 2024.

For my money, this Trap (4K Ultra HD + Digital) sharpness takes a fairly large step forward from others in their 4K Ultra HD catalog and even comes with HDR (High Dynamic Range) for the complete 4K Ultra HD experience, of course.

So, what we have is Trap presented to us as a one-disc with a sheet for a Digital HD Copy. Other stand out points you should know are: Codec: HEVC / H.265 (88.38 Mbps), Resolution: Native 4K (2160p), HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10 Aspect ratio: 1.85:1, and Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1.

Featuring Dolby Vision and HDR10 for brighter, deeper, and way more lifelike colors, as with most all 4K UHDs, everything that we watch features these qualities - but somehow, this film gloriously shines within them all.

Noticeably crisp with the overall clarity receiving an obvious boost here on this release, what is more is that it is enjoyably noticeable. For as well as some new nuances to the somewhat drab palette courtesy of Dolby Vision, we also get to witness sudden bright pops of color, which makes the eyes draw in, for sure.

One of those moments also happens to be the best of the film, where in the scene we will call Thought of Everything, over four minutes our lead protagonist Cooper (acting like the most suspicious inconspicuous guy you have ever seen) believes he has absolutely thought of every angle to get in and get out, and yet, he is made to rethink it all!

As for the audio, well we get the choice of: English: Dolby Atmos and English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 16-bit).

Overall, this is a very strong 4K HDR Blu-ray presentation, and, for the most part, the audio track remains fairly similar to its DTS-HD counterpart; with much of the action occupying the surrounds with outstanding directionality and placement where effects flawlessly pan between the sides and rears.

As for the film itself, well, Cooper (Josh Hartnett) takes his daughter Riley (Ariel Donoghue) to the concert of pop idol Lady Raven (Saleka Shyamalan) and notices upon entrance that there’s an unusually high level of police and security personnel.

Cooper eventually learns the concert is part of a sting operation to catch the unknown serial killer called The Butcher ... who happens to be him. With the trap closing in around him, Cooper tries to find his way out of the concert without alerting his daughter or being caught by the police.

Trap is the latest film from writer/director M. Night Shyamalan. The film is a collaboration between M. Night and his daughter Saleka (who also co-stars in the movie) with the premise having originated from conversations between the two of combining a concert experience with a film experience. In this case, the two citing Purple Rain as inspiration with them both eventually coming up with a premise described as Silence of the Lambs at a Taylor Swift concert!

In short, Trap is a throwback to high concept thrillers from the pre-franchise era, and while it does have some pretty glaring flaws it ultimately results in a fun B-movie thriller.

Josh Hartnett is very good in the lead role of Cooper as he presents a very likable and charming image of this loving and devoted father while also effortlessly turning into a sneaky and manipulative opportunist when the situation calls for it.

In many ways the movie feels like it’s part of that revival of inverted mysteries such as Poker Face or other Columbo inspired thrillers where the POV is locked on our main villain and Hartnett certainly provides one worth being invested in.

The movie does a good job incorporating both the concert and the how-to-catch-em narrative with Cooper as we see a lot of the internal mechanisms involving the concert from Cooper’s point of view and seeing how he pieces them together. I think the movie probably could’ve done more to incorporate some of the soundtrack into the action (my gold standard for this kind of music/thriller mash-up is Phantom of the Paradise) and it does often feel like the two are happening parallel to each other, rather than fully mixing as you want them to.

I also did notice some messiness in the third act as Hayley Mills initially seems like she’s poised to be our Columbo equivalent (great to see her again), but she’s kind of sidelined as they give more focus to another character (who does a decent job in their acting debut, it has to be said), but a pretty pivotal scene doesn’t have them conveying the kind of force the scenario calls for, in my humble opinion.

The third act also maybe goes on a bit too long with how many narrow misses and close calls the screenplay incorporates (one of which I’m not sure how it was possible no one noticed), but it does at least move fast enough that it never feels like it drags.

But, and as noted, Trap has an inspired high concept mash-up that’s anchored to a great performance by Hartnett that helps the movie overcome some of its more glaring issues and remain a good time. Admittedly it is a bit rough in how it mines its central concept and is definitely one of those movies that gets better as you are watching it, rather than in hindsight (think something like Law Abiding Citizen, for example), and so I can still highly recommend this film as a good night in to be had by all. [I.B.M.]

The Trap Premium Digital Ownership, 4K UHD and Blu-ray contain the following special features:
Setting the Trap: A New M. Night Shayamalan Experience
Saleka as Lady Raven
Deleted Scenes:
• Cooper Gets Stopped by SWAT
• Riley Shows Lady Raven Her Room
• Cooper Takes a Hostage and Slips Away
Extended Concert Scene: Where Did She Go

Warner Bros. Pictures’ new experience in the world of M. Night Shayamalan – Trap – featuring performances by rising music star Saleka Shayamalan, arrives for purchase and rental Digitally at home on August 30th, 2024. The film will also be available to purchase on 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD on November 5th, 2024.

On August 30th, 2024, Trap will be available for early Premium Digital Ownership at home and for 48-hour rental via PVOD on participating digital platforms where you purchase movies, including Amazon Prime Video, AppleTV, Google Play, Fandango At Home, and more.

On November 5th, 2024, Trap will be available to own on 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD. Trap will also continue to be available to own in high definition and standard definition from participating digital retailers.

Written and directed by M. Night Shayamalan, Trap stars Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Shayamalan, Hayley Mills and Allison Pill. The film is produced by Ashwin Rajan, Marc Bienstock and M. Night Shayamalan. The executive producer is Steven Schneider.

Overview: When tech billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum) meets cocktail waitress Frida (Naomi Ackie) at his fundraising gala, sparks fly. He invites her to join him and his friends on a dream vacation on his private island.

It’s paradise. Wild nights blend into sun soaked days and everyone’s having a great time. No one wants this trip to end, but as strange things start to happen, Frida begins to question her reality.

There is something wrong with this place. She’ll have to uncover the truth if she wants to make it out of this party alive.

Blu-ray Verdict: Zoë Kravitz’s Blink Twice is a psychological thriller about a cocktail waitress named Frida (Naomi Ackie) whose life takes a sinister turn after the mysterious millionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum) invites her to a private tropical island for an extravagant party.

The guests’ malign intents expose a vicious underbelly of power dynamics and exploitation, rapidly turning what seemed like a lovely holiday into a nightmare. A sense of intrigue and mystery permeates the picture as it delves into topics like sexual abuse and the intricacies of privilege and riches.

The goal of Kravitz’s ambitious directorial debut is to make a statement about current events, such as the #MeToo movement and society’s corruption. Still, there are times when it seems like the movie tries to do too much. Although the story is interesting, the timing is off, especially in the beginning when the celebratory mood lasts for much too long before the real suspense begins. This film’s gradual buildup could make you fidgety, but once it changes gears, it plunges into some terrifying areas that are hard to forget.

The performances stand out, particularly that of Ackie, who plays Frida with subtlety and bravery as the character faces the island’s horrors. Tatum demonstrates his acting versatility by playing a villain instead of the hero, a part that is more typical of him.

As the tale unfolds with progressively sinister turns, their chemistry gives complexity to the narrative. Alia Shawkat and Christian Slater are among the supporting actors who give strong performances, although not all of their roles are fully fleshed out.

Blink Twice looks amazing. The cinematography expertly portrays the island’s natural splendor while contrasting it with the ominous events that transpire. The color design is top-notch; the upbeat party scenes’ vivid hues stand in stark contrast to the darker, more somber ones that follow.

Kravitz’s direction is at its best during these scenes, which she masterfully crafts to keep the audience on the edge of their seats. Some shifts felt too sudden and threw off the film’s flow, so maybe the editing could have been tighter.

The score is a nice fit for the film’s mood; it heightens the tension without taking away from the story. Despite occasionally veering into cliché territory and reiterating sounds heard in other thrillers, it does a good job of building tension during crucial moments.

The island represents the pretense of paradise that masks more sinister realities; this is only one example of the many symbolic meanings included in Blink Twice. The film’s blatant attack on affluence and privilege serves as a sobering reminder of the hidden costs of unregulated authority. The subtlety that would have enhanced the message is lost in the implementation, which can appear heavy-handed at times.

Although there are some problems with Blink Twice, it is nevertheless a fun and exciting film that deals with serious topics. The pace and character development are the main areas where the movie falls short, but the impressive graphics and stellar acting more than make up for it. If you enjoy psychological thrillers that delve into social critiques, you might enjoy this film as well.

In any case, you should brace yourself for a painful but wild trip. Even if it falls short of its potential, this ambitious but imperfect picture managed to make an impression on me. Are you in the mood for something that questions the norm while providing nail-biting excitement? This one fits the bill.

Oh, and a juicy little tidbit is that Zoë Kravitz started writing Blink Twice under the original working title Pussy Island in 2017. Kravitz intended on keeping this title for the film but a negative reception from the MPAA, women, and theaters lead to her changing it! [S.A.]

Overview: Get ready for some dragon vs. dragon action! Based on George R.R. Martin’s “Fire & Blood” and set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones, the prequel series House of the Dragon tells the epic story of House Targaryen during the reign of King Viserys I Targaryen and the high drama that ensue when he installs his first-born child, Princess Rhaenyra, a dragonrider of pure Valyrian blood – as the first woman to be named heir to the Iron Throne.

​Season 2 follows up on what’s already taken place. The death of King Viserys has triggered a succession crisis. Though his named heir is Princess Rhaenyra, his wife Queen Alicent and her father Otto Hightower have schemed to put Aegon II on the Iron Throne.​

4K UHD Blu-ray Verdict: Warner Bros. Entertainment is expanding their 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray catalog offerings this month with the release of the highly-anticipated House Of The Dragon - Complete Second Season in the expansive 4K Ultra HD video format this November 19th, 2024.

For my money, this House Of The Dragon - Complete Second Season [4K UHD Blu-ray + Digital] combo pack sharpness takes a fairly large step forward from others in their 4K Ultra HD catalog and even comes with HDR (High Dynamic Range) for the complete 4K Ultra HD experience, of course.

So, what we have is House Of The Dragon - Complete Second Season presented to us as a four-disc combo pack with a sheet for a Digital HD Copy. Other stand out points you should know are: Codec: HEVC / H.265, Resolution: Native 4K (2160p), HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10, Aspect ratio: 2.00:1 and Original aspect ratio: 2.00:1.

Featuring Dolby Vision and HDR10 for brighter, deeper, and way more lifelike colors, as with most all 4K UHDs, everything that we watch features these qualities - but somehow, this film gloriously shines within them all.

Noticeably crisp with the overall clarity receiving an obvious boost here on this release, what is more is that it is enjoyably noticeable. For as well as some new nuances to the somewhat drab palette courtesy of Dolby Vision, we also get to witness sudden bright pops of color, which makes the eyes draw in, for sure.

One of those moments is notably when the atmosphere of this scene in question is absolute perfection in every way. I will not give it away here, but once you come across it, you should be able to distinguish it from the multitude of others as I continue onward here.

So, Aegon’s arrogance, wrath and lack of understanding all lay on the table as he is questioned by his grandsire, Otto who makes ease of tearing down the logistics of the King’s methods of retaliation.

The vocabulary of Otto is astounding, spoken with such force and confidence. Any time Rhys (Otto) is given a moment to shine he truly does, every time. The way it is cinematically filmed, the lighting, the color scheme, the whole cultured ambiance of the scene (and many others) is simply incredible to behold.

I love how he’s brought the role of Otto to life and Tom (Aegon) minor facial expressions, varied deliveries and body language really sell Aegon’s desire to play the Dance of the Dragons and win. He is slowly coming into his own, realizing his power now his son has been butchered by the enemy, and he wants to make change.

I think this scene best represents how EVERY conversation behind the scenes should be playing out. War makes people make very rash and ugly decisions and these will never be the ambitions of every man and woman loyal to that decision maker, thus causing outburst, criticism and doubt. Arguments will spark, desperation starts to pool and emotions will be at an all time, volatile, high.

As for the audio, well we get: English: Dolby Atmos, English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit), French: Dolby Digital 5.1, German: Dolby Digital 5.1 and Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1.

Overall, this is a very strong 4K HDR Blu-ray presentation, and, for the most part, the audio track remains fairly similar to its DTS-HD counterpart; with much of the action occupying the surrounds with outstanding directionality and placement where effects flawlessly pan between the sides and rears.

As for the secondary story to hand, well, House of the Dragon is progressing remarkably well, filled with many ups and downs that keep the series interesting. The music is also impressive, especially in key scenes like when Daemon goes to face the enemy alone on the beach - it’s perfectly fitting.

One of the most dramatic moments is when Viserys sits on the throne for the last time; it’s a highly intense and emotional scene. The series maintains a well-balanced mix of action, drama, dialogue, and intensity, making it a standout. The dragons are spectacularly portrayed, adding to the epic feel of the show. Overall, House of the Dragon is a must-watch series that truly delivers on all fronts.

But diving a little deeper, and after the gripping and intense first season, House of the Dragon’s second outing isn’t as wholly captivating as its predecessor, sure, but nonetheless it continues the depth of political intrigue, complex characters, and stunning visuals.

If there is a small complaint, it’s that they want to develop characters a lot and hope we get attached to them in order to prepare for what’s next, but it doesn’t work all the time. For the most part, yes, it works, but occasionally it doesn’t seem to, that’s all.

HotD’s story is supposed to last for two years, but this season only covers two months, and not the most exciting ones with only a few noticeable events, in truth. They have a blurry redline (especially compared to S1 when they had a clear situation at the start and a satisfying conclusion at the end of each) combined with a wee bit too much fill sometimes, but the overall character development that threads throughout at least allow the characters evolve at their own, albeit at times slow, way.

Again, Daemon, Otto, and Aemond are the standouts (as well as Larys Strong), but we almost end the season where we started. The stakes are low, with few character deaths - certainly ones we don’t have much emotional attachment to. I was most disappointed in Alicent and Rhaenyra, the latter who seemed to make inconsistent strategic decisions and the former who was ineffective and unconvincing that she actually holds power.

In closing, I read that David Zaslav made cuts to Season 2 because of the actors strike so they cut it down from 10 episodes to 8, hence the awkward anticlimactic ending. Maybe that is correct, maybe not, either way I’m already salivating for Season 3.

SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDE (2) NEVER-BEFORE-BEEN SEEN FEATURETTES EXCLUSIVE TO 4K UHD, BD and DVD:
Family Tree (TRT 05:12) - Westerosi family ties can be confusing. This primer will help viewers keep track of the complex and far-reaching branches of House Targaryen.

Divided Kingdoms (TRT 09:05) - Join Co-Creator/Showrunner/Executive Producer Ryan Condal and the cast and crew as they provide an overview of Season 2 and a glimpse of the war to come.

Based on George R.R. Martin’s “Fire & Blood,” the series, set 200 years before the events of “Game of Thrones,” tells the story of House Targaryen. Following King Aegon II’s coronation and the death of Queen Rhaenyra’s son, House Targaryen is divided in two. In King’s Landing, Aegon II rules from the Iron Throne, supported by Alicent and the Green Council, under the protection of the largest dragon in Westeros. From exile on Dragonstone, Queen Rhaenyra and her Black Council consider their next move. Civil war looms as both sides seek support from the great houses of Westeros, ultimately amassing armies — and dragons.

HOUSE OF THE DRAGON Season 2 has captured acclaim from critics for its “breathlessly exciting and gripping tale” (TheWrap) that “really is a return to Thrones’ golden age” (GQ). Esquire has deemed the second season “the biggest show of the summer,” while TV Guide has hailed the series as “the grandest TV available,” and Collider declared it as “the best fantasy television show of the decade.” HOUSE OF THE DRAGON is currently HBO’s #1 New broadcast series and has been renewed for a third season.

House of the Dragon Season 2 | Official Trailer | Max

Overview: Best known as a key contributor to the Hong Kong New Wave as the director of My Heart is That Eternal Rose and the editor of Wong Kar-wai’s Days of Being Wild and Ashes of Time, Patrick Tam began his filmmaking career with The Sword: a love letter to the wuxia genre starring Adam Cheng (Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain).

Believing that he is in possession of a cursed blade, the legendary swordsman Hua Qian Shu (Tien Feng, King Boxer) has retreated from the martial arts world to live in peaceful seclusion. However, his retirement has done nothing to dampen his reputation; a young warrior, Li Mak-jan (Cheng), wishes to challenge the master in order to test his own sword-fighting skill.

But as Li searches for the reclusive Hua Qian Shu so that he might face him in combat, he finds himself entangled with old lovers and new rivals. Soon, it becomes apparent that the old master’s sword really might be cursed - and will, perhaps, bring nothing but tragedy to those who seek to wield it.

After a period of dormancy, wuxia films resurged in the 1980’s as the likes of Duel to the Death, Bastard Swordsman and Tsui Hark’s Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain rejected the realist approach adopted by kung fu cinema in the previous decade.

Eureka Classics is proud to present Patrick Tam’s The Sword - one of the earliest and best pictures to emerge from this wuxia revival - from a brand new 2K restoration.

Blu-ray Verdict: The Sword is unlike any wuxia I have seen before, but granted, I haven’t seen that many. With its deliberate pacing, focus on characters and its expertly build dramatic tension, it feels a lot more catered to a serious audience.

The movie has a very modern sensibility to it, not only in its visual story telling but also because of its partial inclusion of a synth soundtrack. It looks absolutely stunning; scenes are intricately framed, the color palette is super lovely and the fight sequences are expertly choreographed (that editor deserves a award, trust me).

The story itself isn’t anything overly special to its craft, but the way it all unfolds on screen is so classy and beautiful, that it just pulls you in. That said, I would summarize it as a moody meditation on violence and its social impact, quiet, understated, full of character development and deep themes, punctuated by a delightfully anachronistic, yet fitting synth-driven score.

And also peppered with mind-boggling swordplay choreographed by Ching Siu-Tung that gets crazier and crazier until the final duel, which I will describe with only two words: Swordsman Superman!

Special Features:
1080p HD presentation on Blu-ray from a brand new 2K restoration
Original Cantonese audio and optional English dub tracks (original mono presentations)
Optional English subtitles, newly translated for this release
New audio commentary by East Asian film expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival)
New audio commentary by action cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema
Andrew Heskins on The Sword – A new interview with film critic Andrew Heskins (easternKicks)
Forging Ahead – A new interview with martial arts cinema expert Wayne Wong on The Sword and the wuxia genre
Original theatrical trailer
Limited edition of 2000 copies only

Official Purchase Link

Overview: Following the enormous international success of Dr No and From Russia with Love, Bondmania swept the globe and initiated a cycle of Bondsploitation movies. Studios all over the world sought to capitalize on James Bond and the concept of the super-spy - including Hong Kong’s venerable Shaw Brothers, who began producing tales of intrigue, espionage, and grand theft in the mid-1960s.

Eureka Classics presents three of their best in this special-edition set: The Golden Buddha, Angel with the Iron Fists and The Singing Thief.

In The Golden Buddha, businessman Paul (Paul Chang Chung, Police Story) finds himself in the crosshairs of the Skeleton Gang after he picks up the wrong briefcase on a flight to Singapore - one containing a small golden Buddha that might just play a part in a vast criminal conspiracy. In Angel with the Iron Fists, a mysterious woman (Lily Ho, Lady with a Sword) arrives in Hong Kong carrying a cache of stolen diamonds and quickly becomes embroiled with the infamous Devil Girl’s Gang.

Finally, in The Singing Thief, a master cat burglar (Jimmy Lin Chong, Tropicana Interlude) makes the decision to go straight and pursue a new career as a singer - that is, at least, until he becomes a suspect in a series of jewel heists.

Directed by studio regulars Lo Wei (The Big Boss) and Chang Cheh (The One-Armed Swordsman), The Golden Buddha, Angel with the Iron Fists and The Singing Thief filter a craze for films centered on super-spies and master criminals through the inimitable style of the Shaw Brothers Studio. All three films are presented on Blu-ray for the first time from HD masters supplied by Celestial Pictures.

Blu-ray Verdict: Opening on The Golden Buddha (1966), Paul (Zhang Chong) is a businessman who gets caught up in an international espionage plot when he accidentally switches briefcases with a friend aboard a Singapore-bound plane. The friend turns up dead, and Paul discovers a small Golden Buddha inside the briefcase that contains a set of instructions.

The instructions are only one of three parts, the other two being held in similar Golden Buddhas by Lo Wei (doing double duty as actor and director) and Lin Cui. When combined, the three Buddhas will lead the bearers to a buried treasure. But the nefarious Skeleton Gang is after the Buddhas, along with a buxom femme fatale (Fannie Fan) who isn’t above showing a little skin to get her way. Luckily, Paul knows kung-fu, so the bad guys had better watch out!

At last, Shaw Brothers takes a crack at the super-spy genre, using the usual story of a regular guy caught up in something he doesn’t understand - this time three golden Buddhas, that together mark out the location of a buried treasure. Paul Chang Chung is our everyman hero - well, every man who knows Karate and Judo, at any rate - on a layover in Bangkok.

There’s switched briefcases, murder, tattoo parlors, belly dancing, and a secret underwater lair with a supervillain in gold silk pajamas and sunglasses, a look my dad may complete after just one more impulse buy of knock-off no-brand clothing from Amazon (he still needs the cape).

There is also some nice location shooting in Bangkok and in the ruins of Ayutthaya, but the studio sets are just as fun to look at here - look at the scene on a train, for example, outside the window the scenery whipping by - and it appears to be hand painted scenery on a roll on repeat back there!

Also, a scene where someone knocks on a door and the door opens, we see outside, the same hand painted scenery. And the climax at the end in front of a big buddha, well, sadly it’s a lavish studio set designed to look like the real thing, but hey-ho!

All the interiors, whether real or studio bound, are colorful mid-century modern oranges and greens. The movie is a real feast for the eyes in every way. Jeanette Lin Tsui is our heroine, and Fanny Fan Lai is the sultry counterspy trying to seduce our hero, introduced in a fabulous blouse and later in nothing much at all.

Then we get Angel with the Iron Fists (1967) where a father whose daughter is killed by the Devil Girl’s Gang, goes in search of justice.

Personally, I think Lo Wei was a much better producer and talent discoverer than he was a director although there were some notable exceptions. Films like Fist of Fury, Dragon Swamp or Brothers Five come to mind. This early effort, a mix of Martial-Arts movie and James Bond rip-off, from 1967 unfortunately isn’t one of those exceptions. It does have a funky style that I liked, the sets are pretty and the girls even prettier. But the story is nonsensical and there’s no real tension to speak of.

That’s an especially big issue here because the film runs almost two hours. Much too long to hold ones interest in a messy, convoluted and discombobulated plot like this. This ends up feeling more like an Austin Powers movie or the Peter Sellers Casino Royale from the same year then a legit James Bond adventure. And that could be fun (and it certainly is at times) but it needed a better structured script, more focused direction and much much tighter editing.

One thing the movie benefits from immensely is the sexy and charming screen presence of leading Lady Lily Ho Li-Li. Next to Cheng Pei-Pei she was probably the biggest female star at Shaw Brothers from the mid 60’s to early 70’s. And it easy to see why. I feel though, that outside the hardcore Shaw Brothers fan-base she and most of her films have been largely forgotten these days. That needs to change!

Lastly comes The Singing Thief (1969) where a jewel thief decides to turn over a new leaf. He starts anew as a professional singer; but before long, the he becomes suspect again for a series of robberies. He sets up a trap to snare the copycat thief, but will it snare him instead?

A sugar-coated fever dream mix of Danger: Diabolik and Austin Powers starring pop sensation Jimmy Lin Chong as a pop star-cum world famous diamond thief.

Its mix of poptastic song and dance numbers are what Ming Tea (Austin Powers’ band) have for breakfast, lunch and dinner, while its romantic plotting between Chong and Lily Ho, all set against the backdrop of trying to catch another thief impersonating Chong and avoiding the clutches of the Inspector Clouseau-esque Yan Mui, is devilishly breezy.

It all just gets a bit much however, especially when its final act suddenly takes a turn into darker pure Bond territory, jettisoning much of its high camp in favor of a more traditional and far less fun action spectacle.

The kind of film that makes a wild ride of a trailer, but its constant poptastic and forcibly groovy sensibilities end up being a little too much at over 90 mins. That said, and although this is a defined lack of actual singing within The Singing Thief, the action is choreographed by future legends Tang Chia and Lau Kar-Leung and is as perfectly inspired as you could have ever hoped for, trust me.

Special Features:
1080p HD presentations on Blu-ray from masters supplied by Celestial Pictures
Original mono audio tracks
Optional English subtitles, newly translated for this release
New audio commentaries by action cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema
International Super Spies – A new interview with James Bond expert Llewella Chapman on global Bondmania in the 1960s
A new interview with Hong Kong cinema scholar Wayne Wong, editor of Martial Arts Studies
Reversible sleeve featuring individual sleeve artwork for each film Original trailers
Limited edition of 2000 copies only
Limited edition O-Card slipcase featuring new artwork by Darren Wheeling
PLUS: A limited edition collector’s booklet featuring new writing on all three films by Iain Robert Smith, author of The Hollywood Meme: Transnational Adaptations in World Cinema

Official Purchase Link

Overview: When his police detective best friend is killed, down-at-heel private eye and part-time blues singer BJ (Yusaku Matsuda, The Game Trilogy) gets the blame. He must start his own investigation to clear his name, but what he uncovers is a tangled web involving crooked cops, drug-dealing gangsters, the city’s underground gay and biker scenes, and even his own past.

A loose remake of Robert Altman’s The Long Goodbye that also draws from Visconti’s Death in Venice, this was Matsuda’s break with his action hero image. Samurai movie veteran Eiichi Kudo (The Fort of Death) relishes his chance at directing a neo-noir that captures urban Japan at the height of 1980s decadence.

Blu-ray Verdict: The ineffably blue sky flirts between seraphic and melancholic; not long before settling on the latter. Looking at the sky isn’t enough to distinguish between night and day. Under this infinite azure heaven, he runs on the wet sidewalk where the water feels inseparable from the concrete.

His past is a blur that lost its meaning ten long years ago. His present is a humdrum routine in purgatory; he’s numb. He possesses keys to the rooms of the women in his life; he loves none of them. He sings in a seedy bar drowning in cigarette smoke and a hypnotic shade of blue. It feels like he’s howling his pain away. Since that’s not enough to pay the bills, he moonlights as a private eye.

Stumbling upon a twisted and hazardous case, he’s thrust into the murky depths of deception and murder where trust is poison and escaping the eternal closure of death for long enough is his only path to achieving closure in life. In this netherworld of gangs, sex slaves and gay prostitutes, guns are fired without restraint and everyone is walking on a tightrope between life and death; one betrayal away from meeting their demise. Deaths achieve the paradoxical effect of being abrupt and expected.

Like a perpetual hangover fueled by repression and introspection. Lonely walks by the harbor, casual sex and cigarettes. Taking advantage and getting taken advantage of. He wails for all the innocents engorged by the blackness, too many to count, and he keeps his word to the one he knew with the purest heart; dressing the deceased, he performs now what he could not before, trying to salvage for him some dignity in death, or at least stave off the sempiternal silence just a little while longer.

The teeth of the city will gnash on, its stomach ever-growling. What else is there to do but sigh and sing the blues?

Special Features:
High-Definition digital transfer, world premiere on Blu-ray
Uncompressed mono PCM audio
Interview with star Mari Hemmi
Interview with screenwriter Shoichi Maruyama
Interview with writer and Yokohama expert Toru Sano on the film and a look at the locations
Trailer
Newly translated English subtitles
Reversible sleeve featuring designs based on original posters
Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by Dimitri Ianni on Toei Central Film, a subsidiary of Toei studios famed for releasing Pink Films and independent productions such as Yokohama BJ Blues and an archival review of the film
Limited edition of 3000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings

Official Purchase Link

Overview: It is the year 8000. The old world is gone. Not much remains, except for the mutants, scum, and robo-people. Humanity has been wiped out and everyone must kill to survive... even Santa! When his beloved Martha is kidnapped by the evil Dr. Shackleton, Santa and his robotic reindeer head out into the post-apocalyptic wasteland to rescue her.

Bloody carnage ensues as Santa fights his way through hordes of mutant creatures including bat-sharks, kill-bots and even a giant Easter bunny to save Martha and carry on the Christmas spirit.

Originally conceived as a multi-part web series, INFINITE SANTA 8000 has been re-imagined here in an all-new feature length Director’s Cut adding new scenes, re-animated and retouched shots, and recut to match the original script!

See the film the way it was always intended. Featuring a blasting heavy metal score, tons of blood and guts and exciting sci-fi action! You’ve never seen a Christmas movie like this one!

Blu-ray Verdict: Wow! Simply put, Infinite Santa 8000 is not your overly-typical, red-suited, ho-ho-ho jolly holiday hero, especially when you reimagine him as a grittier Mad Max/Terminator-esque robotic character, and one given to dressing up as St. Nick, whilst existing within a post-apocalyptic world!

That all said, this super stylish, well-animated feature film takes us into a world first explored in a 13-episode web series. Expanding on that universe, it pushes boundaries and takes Santa to hell and back, all while kicking butt and taking names!

Creators Greg Ansin and Michael Neel have a keen eye (and ear) for talent, and their efforts should be applauded. The film’s badassery is amplified by a thundering metal soundtrack composed by Anthony Resta, Todd Cuff, and Josh Cuadra. The soundtrack not only stands strong on its own but also sets the tone and enhances the film’s pacing.

Simply put, Infinite Santa 8000 starts with Santa going extreme in the robot battle and doesn’t let the foot off that form of visual weirdness gas pedal once thereafter!

The animation overseen by co-creators Greg Ansin and Michael Neel fits the mood and comic intensity to absolute perfection and so if you’re having a holiday party this year, Infinite Santa 8000 needs to be on your big screen TV, of this you can take as fact, my friends!

Special Features:
Feature audio commentary with creators Greg Ansin & Michael Neel
The complete original 13-part web series (including optional audio commentary)
Multiple interview featurettes with cast and crew
Original promotional trailers
Two music videos

Official Infinite Santa 8000 Trailer Animated Horror Scifi Web Series

Official Purchase Link

Overview: After an unexpected family tragedy, three generations of the Deetz family return home to Winter River. Still haunted by Beetlejuice, Lydia’s life is turned upside down when her rebellious teenage daughter, Astrid, discovers the mysterious model of the town in the attic and the portal to the Afterlife is accidentally opened!

With trouble brewing in both realms, it’s only a matter of time until someone says Beetlejuice’s name three times and the mischievous demon returns to unleash his very own brand of mayhem!

4K UHD Blu-ray Verdict: Warner Bros. Entertainment is expanding their 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray catalog offerings this month with the release of the highly-anticipated, and already much beloved sequel Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (4K Ultra HD + Digital) in the expansive 4K Ultra HD video format this November 19th, 2024.

For my money, this Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (4K Ultra HD + Digital) sharpness takes a fairly large step forward from others in their 4K Ultra HD catalog and even comes with HDR (High Dynamic Range) for the complete 4K Ultra HD experience, of course.

So, what we have is Beetlejuice Beetlejuice presented to us as a one-disc with a sheet for a Digital HD Copy. Other stand out points you should know are: Codec: HEVC / H.265, Resolution: Native 4K (2160p), HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10, Aspect ratio: 1.85:1 and Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1.

Featuring Dolby Vision and HDR10 for brighter, deeper, and way more lifelike colors, as with most all 4K UHDs, everything that we watch features these qualities - but somehow, this film gloriously shines within them all.

Noticeably crisp with the overall clarity receiving an obvious boost here on this release, what is more is that it is enjoyably noticeable. For as well as some new nuances to the somewhat drab palette courtesy of Dolby Vision, we also get to witness sudden bright pops of color, which makes the eyes draw in, for sure.

One of those moments also happens to be when the janitor is wet cleaning the basement floor and sparks some electricity up within him, firing him across the room, packing crates fall down aplenty, body parts start to sense an ebbing life, and Monica Bellucci as Delores puts herself back together again ... and all whilst the Bee Gees sing Tragedy! (my favorite detail is the staple in the lip hurting her! I always wince at that!)

As for the audio, well we get the plentiful choice of: English: Dolby Atmos, English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit), Spanish: Dolby Atmos, Spanish: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit), French: Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 and Audio descriptive.

Overall, this is a very strong 4K HDR Blu-ray presentation, and, for the most part, the audio track remains fairly similar to its DTS-HD counterpart; with much of the action occupying the surrounds with outstanding directionality and placement where effects flawlessly pan between the sides and rears.

As for the film itself, well, I’m not sure what people were expecting from this movie if I’m being honest. It might have just been the fact it’s been a long time since general audiences have seen the first Beetlejuice, but this is the perfect sequel to that film.

Tim Burton was still attempting to find his voice in the first Beetlejuice and you can feel him pulling his punches almost. This movie doesn’t pull any punches and is 100% inside the twisted mind that is Tim Burton.

Beetlejuice was never about an intricate plot with a gripping story that has you on the edge of your seat, it’s all about living in the moment and finding amusement in the moment to moment scenes. It’s not attempting to hammer home some deep profound message, it’s just a funny, well paced and creative imagination come to life in a tiny little house.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is exactly the same way. This movie is hilarious, dark, wholesome, and incredibly engaging to watch. Not every movie has to be a thriller and Tim Burton wasn’t attempting to make a blockbuster with this film. It’s exactly what it needs to be, it’s comfortable being that way, and it’s incredibly creative.

I was left with a roller coaster of emotions where I can once again enjoy a liberated Winona Ryder and a Catherine O’Hara demonstrating the diva she is in comedy, but above all a Michael Keaton devoted to one of his most emblematic and gratifying characters of his career, who shows at every moment that he is rediscovering his hilarious hidden personality in Beetlejuice (albeit only with 17 minutes of screen time here).

I personally like this movie ever so slightly more than the first one if I’m wanting a casual comedy to watch even though it’s obvious to see that the only reason we have this film is because of the cultural impact of the first one.

Anyway, please don’t over analyze this movie. It doesn’t want you to do that. This is a perfect movie because it perfectly accomplishes everything it wants to do, while leaving you wanting more. Fantastic movie. Buy this 4K UHD or Blu-ray today and support everything grand about this Tim Burton magical beauty.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice 4K UHD and Blu-ray contain the following special features:
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Commentary by director Tim Burton
The Juice is Loose! The Making of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
The Ghost with the Most: Beetlejuice Returns
Meet the Deetz
Handbook for the Recently Deceased
Shrinkers, Shrinkers Everywhere!
An Animated Afterlife: The Stop-Motion Art of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
‘Til Death Do Us Park

Beetlejuice is back! Oscar-nominated, singular creative visionary Tim Burton and Oscar nominee and star Michael Keaton reunite for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the long-awaited sequel to Burton’s award-winning Beetlejuice.

Overview: Watch the classic Saturday morning cartoon like never before! Based on Troma’s cult classic smash The Toxic Avenger, The Toxic Crusaders animated series follows the adventures of that lovable deformed creature of superhuman size and strength, Toxie!

Along with his new friends Yvonne, No-Zone, Head-Banger, and Junkyard, watch as Toxie stands up for truth and justice against the evil Dr. Kilemoff and his hoards of heinous henchmen in this complete series collection!

Blu-ray Verdict: Telling it like it is, I was a BIG fan of Troma films as a kid. I had The Toxic Avenger, Redneck Zombies, The Children, Nuke Em’ High, etc.[ok, mostly on VHS tapes], but it wasn’t until I was a teenager that I found out about Toxic Crusaders.

Alright, just saying, I am an eco-sinner (yes it’s a term now, so far only defined online on Urban Dictionary). Eco-sinners love polluting the earth on purpose for various reasons, and despite being highly knowledgeable on the topic of pollution they care nothing about the environment.

So since I’m a prolific eco-sinner, I usually steer clear of movies and TV programs that show pollution in a bad light (Captain Planet, The Lorax, An Inconvenient Truth, etc.). But hey, I LOVED this cartoon. If I love it and I’m against the environment, then I’m sure chances are you’ll enjoy it even more!

Toxic Crusaders lasted thirteen episodes but parents were wary since the show, albeit harmless for kids and sticking to child-friendly language and animation, was based on the Toxic Avenger film series, notorious for the amount of sex and vulgar language.

Toxic Crusaders follows the adventures of Toxie, a nerdy but caring superhero mutant, along with his team of Tromaville mutant friends and his girlfriend Yvonne, while they fight a gang of mutant pollutants, roach-like creatures from a planet where pollution is to them what oxygen and water is to humans (I want to live on the pollution planet as I’d love it so much more than here on Earth!).

The pollution roaches are ruled by a short leader named Czar, but on Earth most of whom is seen doing the real polluting is Dr. Killemoff, who has to wear a gas mask to survive the air on Earth, has a business suit and the misleading appearance of an industrialist, and smokestacks on his back (never really explained). He has left Tromaville heavily polluted from his many factories and hazardous waste dumping operations.

It wasn’t so much the stupid enviro-hippie propaganda message within the series that I enjoyed. Had it been some other movie or program I likely would’ve hated it. However, Troma’s lovable characters and the cool animation is enough to keep you watching until the end. Oh, and I loved the soundtrack, especially the theme song, which I now have on my phone!

So now it has ben re-released by Troma through MVD Visual, and with a slew of wondrous extras, I urge you to please not pass up this excellent and hilarious cartoon series, because it’s really well worth watching at least once; even if you aren’t a fan of Troma movies.

While the Toxic Avenger certainly isn’t appropriate for kids by any stretch of the imagination (I bought my VHS tapes at a yard sale back then, since my parents would never dream of having bought them for me!), but Toxic Crusaders has no bad language, very little, if any, violence, at least not in a gory blood-shedding way, no pervy sex jokes and is harmless for children.

Thus I highly recommend it for people of any age, although my favorite Troma movies will always be The Children and Redneck Zombies (on a side note, it’d be great if Troma did a film on the Tobacco Man from Redneck Zombies, he was a really cool character). [NOTE: If you didn’t get that there is an enormous amount of sarcasm said above about me personally, then I’m sorry for you!].

Special Features:
New introduction by Lloyd Kaufman
Original Toxic Crusaders toy commercials and TV spots
Feature length documentary about the making of the Toxic Crusaders video game from Retroware
Long lost archival footage of your favorite mop wielding mutant
Bonus cartoons

FROM TROMA ENTERTAINMENT: “While originally animated on 16mm film, “Toxic Crusaders” was mastered on videotape for broadcast, including all digital effects and transitions. To present the series (as well as other included materials) in the best possible quality, we have used advanced AI models to upscale these aging standard definition masters and have presented them in high definition to capture the original broadcast’s intended experience.”

www.troma.com

Overview: When her estranged father passes, twenty-something Nyla is tasked with the thing she hates the most – cleaning up his mess. Left behind are a collection of VHS tapes, and with them, the burden of returning them to “Blaster Video” a time capsule to an era in which cover art and a catchy movie title were king, run by Kevin, a human encyclopedia of VHS history and a friend of her father.

Amongst the returns is an unknown tape, a movie not even Kevin has heard of. Was this the last movie Nyla’s father watched before he died? The mystery is too much to resist. But when Kevin and Nyla press play, they unwittingly activate a long-dormant curse and a series of classic cinematic villains are plucked from B-movie heaven and hell to be unleashed into the store itself!

With style, charm and note perfect performances, The Last Video Store is a must for physical media fans. An elegy to the cinephilic havens of movie wisdom that could once be found on every corner, and the heroes like Kevin who staffed them.

Blu-ray Verdict: In truth, I’m not always a fan of horror or gore in film, so I was a bit nervous going in to watch this at first. However, within the first 10 minutes, I knew I was in for an absolute treat!

The tone and plot of this movie surprised me in a wonderful way. From its many comedic, self-aware moments to its collection of nostalgic references, I caught myself smiling and chuckling so much that my cheeks hurt while I was watching the credits roll! It was a fantastic homage to the b-movies it draws inspiration from.

As someone who grew up in Canada at the end of the era of the video store (and who still has a VHS player with a collection of classics at their family cabin), this movie hit all the right notes for me. It gave me that same feeling of wonder I felt as a kid renting tapes and/or DVD’s with my family - what adventures might I find in my chosen rental of the week? The possibilities were endless (and often a bit absurd).

Moments of gore, suspense, and seriousness broken up by hilariously clever nods to the bad CGI and questionable tropes of the 80’s and 90’s. A surprisingly catchy soundtrack and heaps of interesting framing/lighting choices. Fun, deliciously corny effects. A cast that clearly has a passion for the project and the era of the video store. A truly unexpected joy to watch! I’ll definitely be adding this one to the VHS collection at the cabin (if they actually release one, of course!)

Limited Edition Special Features:
High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation
Original DTS HD M5.1 audio
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
New audio commentary by film critics Matt Donato & Meagan Navarro
The Videonomicon Unleashed, a new visual essay by film critic Heather Wixson co-author of In Search of Darkness
Nostalgia Fuel, a new visual essay by film critic Martyn Pedlar
’Twas the Night of the Tree Beast, a 2012 short by Cody Kennedy & Tim Rutherford
M is For Magnetic Tape, a 2013 short film Cody Kennedy & Tim Rutherford
The Last Video Store 2013, the original short from which the feature grew
The Video Store Commercial, a 2019 short film by Cody Kennedy & Tim Rutherford
Clips from the first attempted feature version
Behind the Scenes
3 previs shorts
Trailer
Image gallery
Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing by film critics Anton Bitel and Alexandra West
Reversible sleeve featuring newly commissioned artwork by John Pearson
Double-sided fold-out poster featuring newly commissioned artwork by John Pearson

www.arrowvideo.com

Overview: Ecological and cosmic horror haunt the isolated Block Island Sound in this NETFLIX horror stunner! Synapse Films now brings the terrifying vision of the McManus Brothers to home video on the 4K UHD Blu-ray format with exciting special features!

Something terrifying is happening off the coast of Block Island. A strange force is thriving, influencing residents and wildlife alike. Birds are dropping out of the sky and fish are mysteriously washing up on shore. As some residents are suffering from inexplicable emotional collapse, Harry Lynch (Chris Sheffield, The Stanford Prison Experiment) watches with dread as his father grows increasingly forgetful, confused and angry. Very, very angry!

His sister Audry (Michaela McManus, Into the Grizzly Maze, TV’s The Orville), whose work in marine biology will soon prove invaluable, returns to town with her daughter and leads them all towards chilling revelations that will affect her family in unimaginable ways.

The Block Island Sound is a hair-raising new horror creation from Kevin and Matthew McManus, Emmy-nominated writers and producers of American Vandal and Cobra Kai. Delivering thrills while touching on a range of the signature worries of our times, from conspiracy theories and climate change to unpreventable familial breakdowns, this film is a well-constructed puzzle box of a movie (Josh Hurtado, Screen Anarchy) that will haunt you long after it’s over. (Molly Henery, Blogging Banshee).

Synapse Films is proud to present the world-premiere 4K UHD release of The Block Island Sound in a stunning presentation with high-dynamic range (HDR10) and eerie 5.1 surround sound.

4K Blu-ray Verdict: The Block Island Sound is a horror film which largely depends on a foreboding atmosphere and a sense of psychological threat rather than too much gore. There are scenes where the dead seem to have risen but these may be hallucinations or apparitions only visible to one observer.

Nevertheless, information is imparted by them and commands delivered. Set on an off-coast Island, large scale fish kills bring a marine biologist back to the home she has been avoiding. There is family drama/conflict involved but it mostly rises above the soap level. You also get evidence of parasites controlling humans and animals.

Also, the presence of a conspiracy theorist on the island and his influence on one of the main protagonists drives the film’s narrative. Written, directed and produced by Kevin McManus and Matthew McManus, sure, not all parts are original (dead birds, fishes and strange behavior by mankind, etc.), but the climax/explanation made sense and looped everything logically together.

Limited Edition 4K Special Features:
The 4K UHD release features a special limited edition slipcover featuring new art from Joel Robinson, while supplies last
Original Trailer
A Practical Apocalypse
Finding the Cast
Filming on the Water
Special Effects on a Shoestring
Los Angeles Behind-the-Scenes (Super 8mm)
McManus Family Home Movies

www.synapsefilms.com

Overview: Action hero Dolph Lundgren thrilled you in Rocky IV and Universal Soldier. Now he’s back in the heart stopping Men of War. Nick Gunar (Lundgren) is part of a topflight team of ex-Special Forces agents hired by ruthless con men. Their mission: to carry out a secret operation and overtake an exotic island that’s loaded with precious jade. From acclaimed screenwriter John Sayles (Lone Star, Eight Men Out), trust me when I say you’ll love every hard-hitting minute.

Blu-ray Verdict: This is undoubtedly one of Dolph Lundgren’s best, if not his best all round film. Firstly, the film marks a change of pace for Dolph, here playing an action man with a conscience and although still a muscled killing machine, he has a sensitive side.

The film is old hat in terms of ideas, sure, however it’s given a good sense of humanity thanks to the work of original scriptwriter, the Oscar winning John Sayles. His script was re tooled to be more action friendly but the humanity is still there.

Dolph plays a mercenary hired to persuade islanders to sell their land to a mining company and by persuade I mean destruction of the demands aren’t met. A simple job for Dolph and his team of Mercs. However, Dolph discovers that the entire island is going to be torn apart, pillaged for the mining of minerals found in bird and bat poo!

Clearly Dolph’s years of doing rich peoples dirty work has gotten to him because he stays to fight by the side of the islanders and the few group members with enough conscience to stand by their leader. This is an old idea but being an action movie, originality isn’t high up on the list. It is refreshing to see Dolph playing a more rounded character and the film is well made.

Furthermore, the film looks fantastic. It’s beautifully shot by cinematographer Ronn Schmidt while the score from Golden Globe nominee Gerald Gouriet is very good, probably the best in any Lundgren piece. The film was to be directed by John Frankenheimer and as good as that would have been for Dolph’s film career, Perry Lang directs proceedings well.

The cast is good with many well-known faces and it was key that Dolph’s motley crew were all well portrayed. With Tiny Lister, Tim Guinee, Anthony John Denison, Tom Wright and Catherine Bell all good as Dolph’s special forces unit. While the Islanders are strongly represented by the gorgeous Charlotte Lewis and show stealer BD Wong as mouthy Islander Po.

Also the later Trevor Goddard is superbly over the top and villainous as the deranged Kiefer. Dolph Lundgren is surrounded by some strong actors and he also manages to give probably his best performance, understated and effective.

Although we have seen far better versions of this film, on a technical level it can’t be faulted. It’s beautifully shot in a glorious location (the same place Di Caprio’s Beach was filmed) and it has a decent budget allowing for a good chunk of action.

The film could have done with an action scene in the middle to quicken pace, however the films last half hour is frenetic building up to a down and dirty showdown. Overall a solid action movie and with Dolph’s latest film being one of his best and involving him leading a military operation, there seems to be a hint as to his specialty.

Oh, and fun fact, when Gunar (Dolph Lundgren) shoots the recoilless rifle at the enemy camp he says: Spring, era jävlar! which is Swedish for: Run, you bastards!. This exclamation has become a cult classic line in Sweden!

Overview: The mid-nineties were a fertile period for the vampire movie. Big-name stars such as Tom Cruise and Eddie Murphy flocked to genre, as did high-caliber filmmakers like Francis Ford Coppola, veterans Wes Craven and John Landis, independents Michael Almereyda and Jeffrey Arsenault, and up-and-comers Quentin Tarantino and Guillermo del Toro.

Amid the fangs and crucifixes, Abel Ferrara reunited with his King of New York star Christopher Walken for The Addiction, a distinctly personal take on creatures of the night.

Philosophy student Kathleen (Lili Taylor, The Conjuring) is dragged into an alleyway on her way home from class by Casanova (Annabella Sciorra, The Hand That Rocks the Cradle) and bitten on the neck. She quickly falls ill but realizes this isn’t any ordinary disease when she develops an aversion to daylight and a thirst for human blood.

Having made a big-budget foray into science fiction two years earlier with Body Snatchers, Ferrara’s approach to the vampire movie is in a lower key. Shot on the streets of New York, like so many of his major works – including The Driller Killer, Ms. 45 and Bad Lieutenant – and beautifully filmed in black and white, The Addiction sees the filmmaker on his own terms and at his very best: raw, shocking, intense, intelligent, masterful.

4K Blu-ray Verdict: For the record, The Addiction is NOT about vampires, it is about resistance, or lack of it. About what may be right around the corner, about discipline, or about lack of discipline. About being in the wrong place at the wrong time. It can happen to anybody, and it happens to everybody. It’s a cinematic pyramid scheme, if you will.

Beautiful black and white composition by Abel Ferrara tied tightly in a wonderfully creative Joe Delia score and casting the usual Ferrara/indie suspects: Paul Calderone, Edie Falco, Kathryn Erbe, Lili Taylor, Annabella Sciorra, the theme of the movie presents four new questions for every one it answers! Do we have a choice? Can we resist? And just when we think we have it all figured out, Christopher Walken has to show up and throw an entirely new lilt on things.

In closing, and from my own humble point of view, this is one of Abel Ferrara’s more intelligent and less appreciated movies. He had moved far away from the tacky material that he used to make in the 70’s and 80’s. Many may experience a unsettling feeling with the images of a graphic nature, but this is part of what Taylor is studying.

Lily Taylor gives a fine performance and her constant body movements expressing the pain she feels is very realistic. She does more than act. The movie has a fast pace and with a short running time of 82 minutes there is never a dull moment. Buy and watch it today and thank me later!

Limited Edition 4K Special Features:
Brand new 4K restoration from the original camera negative by Arrow Films
4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray™ presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10/compatible)
Optional lossless 5.1 and 2.0 soundtracks
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Audio commentary by director Abel Ferrara, moderated by critic and biographer Brad Stevens
Talking with the Vampires, a 2018 documentary about the film, featuring actors Christopher Walken and Lili Taylor, composer Joe Delia, cinematographer Ken Kelsch, and Ferrara himself
2018 interview with Abel Ferrara
2018 interview with Brad Stevens
Abel Ferrara Edits The Addiction, an archival piece from the time of production
Original trailer
Image gallery
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Peter Strain
Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring writing on the film by critic Michael Ewins and an archival interview with Ferrara by Paul Duane

www.ArrowVideo.com

Overview: Les Hackel hates his life. He works a dead-end job, was just dumped by his high-maintenance girlfriend, and still lives with his nagging mom. One night, he discovers a fresh incision behind his neck. His friend Danny tells him it’s a bomb, that someone has implanted one in his neck, too.

And then the messages start coming in, forcing Les to carry out missions with deadly results. Les is partnered up with a series of oddball characters to commit heinous tasks. The violence escalating around him, Les pieces together the clues that reveal the horrific plans to breed a monstrous race of beings.

DVD Verdict: Les Hackel (James Marsters) is down on his luck. Maybe even worse when he wakes up to find that an explosive device has been implanted in his neck. Now, he must carry out heinous crimes in order to stay alive while trying to identify the mastermind ordering him to keep killing.

Oh, and this is 100% and completely a movie made with ... puppets!

Oh, and it took six years to make this movie!!

Featuring a quite incredible voice cast, including the late Sid Haig (who passed back in 2019), Robert Englund, Jordan Peele and Christopher McDonald, amongst a slew of others, I have never, ever seen a movie quite like this (that feels like this or looks like this or even feels like this!)

In truth, it might be too much a visual ask for a lot of people, but if you can get past just how strange it looks to have human-sized puppets in every role, this movie is really pretty awesome. Reality pretty much falls apart as Les has to place poison gas in workplaces, watches assassination TV shows and even is forced to slice the head off a baby (!), one which soon sprouts tentacles!

Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? Can we even be sure after the end? If you want to see a movie that goes all the way and beyond, Abruptio is for you, my friends.

Director and writer Evan Marlowe has said about Abruptio, We resolved, for some insane reason, to use only realistic lifelike hand puppets in actual settings, just like any other movie. No CGI backgrounds or actors wearing prosthetic makeup. This sort of thing has never been done. The Dark Crystal comes close, though there, the designers weren’t bound by the confines of reality.

We’ve had a few incredibly skilled people helping out. Jeff Farley has been our lead puppet fabricator. Again, this kind of work isn’t common, so some amount of trial and error has been needed to find the balance of aesthetic, durability and function. Meaning, the heads need to look great on camera, hold up well under shooting environments that are often hostile, and let the puppeteer emote without too much effort.

When it comes to the actual shoot, our puppeteer Danny Montooth lip syncs with each line, played on loop on my magical iPad until all the aspects - lighting, camera movement, mouth motion, eye line - are just right. Once I’ve got the footage, I edit it up and then our visual effects guy John Sellings smooths out any problems. When a scene is done, it gets color-corrected and graded, and then the sound and score are added.

Special Features:
A New Kind of Horror. Interviews with the performers and filmmakers
Audio Commentary track with Writer / Director Evan Marlowe and Producer Kerry Marlowe
Audio Commentary track with puppeteer Danny Montooth

Overview: Sylvester Stallone and Wesley Snipes go head-to-head in this classic sci-fi/action blockbuster from Joel Silver, the producer of Die Hard and The Matrix.

In 2032, arch criminal Simon Phoenix (Snipes) awakens from a 35-year deep freeze in CryoPrison to find a world where crime is almost non-existent – a serene utopia ripe for the taking. With the police no longer equipped to deal with his 90’s-style brutality, they revive ‘Demolition Man’ Sgt. John Spartan (Stallone), the no-holds-barred police officer unjustly sentenced to CryoPrison who originally took Phoenix down.

Old-school cop against old-school criminal, settling their scores on the streets of San Angeles? The future won’t know what’s hit it!

With a script co-written by Daniel Waters (Heathers, Batman Returns) and a supporting cast that includes Denis Leary, Benjamin Bratt, and Sandra Bullock in her breakout role, Demolition Man is an awesome mix of action and humor.

4K Blu-ray Verdict: The nineties were famous for its action movies and the heroes who punched and shot their way through them. In the friendly rivalry between Stallone and Schwarzenegger, they both had their hits and misses. Demolition Man was not Stallone’s biggest hit, but, then again, it certainly wasn’t a miss.

Watching it nearly twenty years after it was made is still a joy. It’s still, loud, proud, blatantly tongue-in-cheek in places and a great watch. Stallone is the cop, frozen in time along with his arch criminal nemesis, Snipes, and both of them defrosted in a (supposedly) utopian future, only to rage havoc once again.

There are plenty of jokes to go alongside the action and Sandra Bullock is great as the plucky lead (and you can see why her performance led on to her true breakthrough role in Speed a year later). And Nigel Hawthorne should also get a nod for his futuristic version of Sir Humphrey in San Angeles - great to see such a serious character actor trading insults with Hollywood’s hard men!

Cut to adulthood, and this movie works on a whole different level. The PC dystopia hits way too close to home, and there’s a lot of humor in that. It’s kinda surprising to see a satire couched in an absurd action movie. I mean, I like seeing Stallone having a laugh at his own expense, and I love seeing Snipes gobble up the scenery, but I still get a kick out of the cheesy one-liners, and the nightmarish view of the future. It’s got that gloriously glossy early-90’s look, which seems to go well with the kimonos and paternal rules. Oh, and it’s a LOT of fun!

In short, if you like your action movies fun and light-hearted then Demolition Man stands up to the test of time. It may not be Rambo, Rocky or the Terminator franchise, but it deserves its place in nineties-action history (even if just for making the audience ask the question Just what exactly was the deal with the three seashells?!)

4K Limited Edition Special Features:
Brand new 4K restoration from the original 35mm camera negative by Arrow Films, approved by director Marco Brambilla
Includes both the domestic “Taco Bell” and international “Pizza Hut” versions of the film presented via seamless branching
4K Ultra HD (2160p) presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) Original lossless DTS-HD MA 5.1 and Dolby Atmos audio options
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Brand new audio commentary by director Marco Brambilla and screenwriter Daniel Waters
Brand new audio commentary by film historian Mike White of the Projection Booth podcast
Archive audio commentary by Marco Brambilla and producer Joel Silver
Demolition Design, a new interview with production designer David L. Snyder
Cryo Action, a new interview with stunt coordinator Charles Percini
Biggs’ Body Shoppe, a new interview with special make-up effects artist Chris Biggs
Tacos and Hockey Pucks, a new interview with body effects set coordinator Jeff Farley
Somewhere Over the Rambo, a new visual essay by film scholar Josh Nelson
Theatrical trailer
Image gallery
60-page perfect bound collector’s book featuring new writing by film critics Clem Bastow, William Bibbiani, Priscilla Page and Martyn Pedler
Limited edition packaging featuring newly commissioned artwork by Laurie Greasley
Double-sided fold-out poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Laurie Greasley
6 postcard sized artcards
‘Three Seashells’ and ‘Edgar Friendly graffiti’ stickers
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Laurie Greasley

Overview: Pirelli, an ex-lawman, travels to Mexico searching for the heir to a Los Angeles fortune, while confronting his own complicated past. But what he finds in Baja challenges him to the core.

Blu-ray Verdict: The story goes that a down on his luck detective is hired to find a missing person, which leads to the expected hijinks: a missing suitcase of drugs, occultists, and a chupacabra. Mixed in are half-baked ideas on recidivism and its cyclical nature!

Rob Zombie troupe member Jeff Daniel Phillips wrote, directed, and stars in this noir-horror mush-up, hence it is chock full of some wondrous moments of utter wildness, along with a B-Movie vibe of having fun, yet still remaining faithful to the audience; so no jumping of sharks, so to speak.

At times brilliantly coherent, at others randomly, perhaps deliberately incoherent, it is, at its heart, a no budget crime movie that trundles along nicely, until, well, and out of nowhere, a bloody huge Chupacabra shows up!

Nothing bad about that though, you have my word, for one of the stand out, shot and vocalized perfectly moments of the movie, is when every character on screen in unison say, And that’s how we got cursed in Baja!

Special Features:
Commentary with Writer / Director / Lead Jeff Daniel Phillips
Cursed in Baja: The Making Of
ENG/LAS subs

Cursed In Baja [Official Trailer]

Overview: Written by Sean Whalen and Jim Wald, Crust tells the story of a lonely laundromat owner, Vegas Winters (Whalen), who keeps the leftover socks from customers and uses them to clean himself. When he gets abused and weeps into the pile of socks, it turns into a creature who seeks revenge on Vegas’ enemies!

Blu-ray Verdict: In what is a blatantly camp, albeit not wholly absorbed throughout) black and white (with splashes of color) movie that is chock full of laughs combined with a smidgen of clinic-Noir, Sean Whalen’s directorial debut follows a former child actor down on his luck and himself contemplating a reboot of that childhood family favorite, Baker’s Dozen.

As we quickly discover, most of his fellow child castmates have followed the general tropes of child actors gone wrong, such as drugs, prison, early death and such. But somehow, Paul/Vegas has managed to avoid these pitfalls, but he now runs a laundromat and is the victim of bullies (for reasons that we gradually discover).

But then we have Crust, our monster (or, perhaps, he is nothing more than a valiant, most charming hero?), a fiend located on the right side of a friendly street. Which is great news for Paul/Vegas.

Ergo, this darkly-imbibed superhero of the story appears when required and as much as I won’t give anything away here, he is a rather brilliantly made sock puppet, whose facial expressions and little noises make you fall in love from his very first time on screen!

I would be very surprised if the creative team behind Crust don’t bring out a sweet line of these sock puppets for Christmas, as I can definitely see them being a huge success!

But I digress, for others that put in good acting stints here are lead actress, Rebekah Kennedy, who is just so sweet and caring in her role. I believe that every man would love to have her support and love and the relationship between the two leads brings a romantic twist to this fun and campy horror.

In closing, this star-studded cast will have you wondering who else will show up on screen, which is a nice drinking game all of its own and I believe this movie will be acclaimed for its originality, emotional scenes, and crazy moments down the line; and within a new generation.

Special Features:
Commentary with Writer / Director / Star Sean Whalen
DOROTHY: 50 YEARS LATER
DOROTHY: THE BUMP AND RUN
Q&A from CRUST Los Angeles Premiere

Crust [Official Trailer]

Overview: Slice Of America: Charred In The Florida Sun is a true fish-out-of-water story, or should we say, a pizza-out-of-Connecticut story, about a New Haven-native with a love for the town’s beloved apizza (pronounced: ah-beetz), who does the impossible by bringing the charred, thin-crusted, best pizza in the world to southern Florida.

DVD Verdict: In Slice of America, episode one, Charred in the Florida Sun, Jimmy Fantin opens Fantini’s New Haven Style Apizza in the small coastal town of Stuart, Florida.

With the support of loyal Connecticut snowbirds jonesing for a slice of home, and a rave review from One Bite’s Dave Portnoy, Fantini’s thrives and becomes a hub for pizza in Florida, with pizza-lovers driving a hundred miles or more for just a taste of one of Jimmy’s pies.

Director Gorman Bechard, the filmmaker behind the documentary Pizza A Love Story (and 20 other feature-films), and host/pizza historian Colin M. Caplan lead us on this amusing journey of pizza love and perfection.

The socials claimed You will laugh, learn about the origins of pizza, and fall in love with Jimmy’s passion, and trust me when I say that this is as true a statement as there has (most probably) ever been uttered!

With a run time of just 42 minutes, this supposed short is great value for money and coming complete with oceans of pizza cooking/cooked shots, along with space shots of pizza being adored (we are led to believe, but why not) by the entire world, this is as an adorable documentary as anything that I have personally witnessed for the past few years.

And so as much as you will laugh and learn about the origins of pizza, and also fall deeply in love with Jimmy’s passion, you will most definitely leave hungry, wanting to experience Fantini’s New Haven Style Apizza for yourself!

Special Features:
Q&A from world premiere in Stuart, Florida
Introduction with Mayor from world premiere in Stuart, Florida
Trailer
Director’s Commentary
Jimmy Shows Us the New Space
Colin, Gorman & Karina East at Fantini’s
Colin at the Beach
Colin Answers the Phone
Colin & Jimmy Joking Around
Christopher’s Message to his Dad
Boat Ride B-roll

Slice Of America: Charred In The Florida Sun [Official Trailer]

Overview: Retrieving the diamonds he stashed before his arrest, thief Miyamoto hopes to help his old partner Mihara, crippled during the heist. Their former boss, crime lord Oyane, offers to mediate with a foreign buyer, but secretly wants the stones for himself.

The deal goes awry when gunmen appear on the scene. Mihara swallows the diamonds but dies in the chase, leaving a valuable corpse in the police morgue. Miyamoto forms an uneasy alliance with Mihara’s wildcat sister Akiko to keep the gems away from gangsters, cops and even Akiko’s greedy boyfriend.

This wildly inventive early noir sees Seijun Suzuki (Branded to Kill, Tattooed Life) infectiously playing with genre rules and gender stereotypes.

Blu-ray Verdict: Underworld Beauty was an important film for Seijun Suzuki, as it marked the first time he was credited under that name (as opposed to his given name, Seitaro Suzuki), as well as his first work in Cinemascope, and arguably his first major film.

Though it lacks the kinetic energy and splashy visuals of his biggest hits, it’s nevertheless visually alluring — nudity is cloaked in creative ways, and mannequin production is effectively creepy — and is fairly well paced, with a strong first act and a creative, tension-filled final confrontation.

The story of stolen diamonds and the efforts of various yakuza to do what right with them (and by right, they mean decide who should get to have them and is absolutely not the person from whom they were initially stolen, of course), Suzuki’s film stars Michitaro Mizushima as Miyamoto, a no-nonsense loner, just out of prison and determined to use the profits from the sale of the diamonds to support an old friend who lost the use of a leg in the heist.

Mizushima’s age and stone-faced demeanor are striking when considered in the context of the director’s later obsession with youth (specifically as embodied by Jô Shishido), and they’re very effective here. His style and manner sometimes call to mind Takeshi Kitano and, like Kitano’s yakuza figures, Miyamoto has seen it all and has no time for the posturing and self-importance of younger generation, most of whom are revealed to be weak and cowering the moment they’re challenged.

Miyamoto’s attitude applies not only to yakuza, but also to women, particularly to Akiko (Mari Shiraki), the daughter of the friend he has been trying to help out. Unfortunately, it’s with her character and their relationship that the movie becomes very ordinary, as she’s wild, pants-wearing, and flirtatious, and needing to be brought to heel through his discipline and, of course, physical violence.

There’s never any doubt that, no matter what else happens, they’ll end up together and that, with his influence, she’ll be newly transformed into a properly submissive girl in a demure skirt, content to sit at his side forevermore.

While Underworld Beauty is absolutely worth watching purely for its visuals, and as an early document of Suzuki’s directorial thinking, one shouldn’t expect much from the characters that populate the film and story. Just sit back, relax and enjoy, my friends.

SPECIAL FEATURES:
New 4K restoration of the film by Nikkatsu Corporation
Uncompressed mono PCM audio
New interview with critic Mizuki Kodama (2024, 15 mins)
Bonus feature: Seijun Suzuki’s Love Letter (1959, 40 mins)
Audio commentary on Love Letter by Suzuki biographer William Carroll (2024)
Trailers
Newly improved English subtitle translation
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Time Tomorrow
Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by critic Claudia Siefen-Leitich and an archival review of the film

www.radiancefilms.co.uk

Overview: Ugo Tognazzi (La grande bouffe) is an innocent playboy holiday rep in Greece who is picked up by two secret agents (Michel Piccoli, Le Mépris and Mario Adorf, The Italian Connection). Suspected of being part of an underground resistance, he is to be transported by the agents to Athens where he will be interrogated by superior officers.

Their journey is the start of a cat-and-mouse game that beautifully plays on Tognazzi’s screen persona with the thrilling tension of Costa-Gavras’ Z. Newly restored in 4K by Studio Canal, Peter Fleischmann’s paranoid thriller is made available on Blu-ray for the first time.

Blu-ray Verdict: Peter Fleischmann’s Weak Spot is an enthralling piece of work, of that there is no doubt. Set during the late days of Greece’s brutal, seven year Regime of the Colonels, it’s both an examination of the arbitrary cruelty and brutality of a fanatical dictatorship, and a gentle, melancholy look at connections between men.

The film’s ability to blend its large and small concerns with such languid grace is striking, as is its comfort with unease and confusion.

The film opens with the suicide of a man targeted by the ubiquitous military secret police, a failure which leaves the members of the government team attempting to arrest him vulnerable before the aging, true believer head of their division, a man of such power that everyone instinctively lowers their voices and eyes around him and obey his wishes without a thought of hesitation.

Shortly after the failed raid, we meet Georgis (Ugo Tognazzi), in bed with his girlfriend. He works in tourism and seems uncomplicated and vaguely louche, doodling breasts at every opportunity and presenting himself as both compliant to the state and contentedly frivolous. Having a midday drink, he’s arrested without explanation and taken to the local security office, eventually accused of conspiring with a stranger who stepped on his foot in the in cafe.

It’s both ludicrous and chilling, with Georgis suspected in part for not hitting the man after being insulted, as if his faulty masculinity is a tell for subversion, and his alleged lack of enthusiasm for the regime is proven by his admission that he has not turned anyone into the secret police.

Frightened and disoriented, Georgis is handed off to a pair of agents who are assigned to drive him to Athens for official interrogation (read: inevitable torture). Crammed together in the front seat of a borrowed car, the men speed toward the ferry that will take them to Athens as the driver, known only as the Manager (Mario Adorf) and his partner the Investigator (Michel Piccoli) squabble like irritable siblings.

When the car breaks down, the trio are stranded, and what had begun as a relatively short drive and ferry ride suddenly turns into extended intimacy of a sort, mostly between the Investigator and Georgis, as the Manager busies himself with errands and sex workers.

And it is here, I think, that the emotional meat of Weak Spot is found. Georgis and the Investigator are awkward and uneasy together, unable to part for obvious reasons, but anything but friends, and with nothing to say to one another.

By default, they cannot share trust; each word one man says must immediately be interrogated and examined by the other, its implications carefully weighed. Georgis is watchful and easy, assembling impressions from the crumbs the Investigator grants him, while the government man is buttoned up so tight he can barely breathe, holding himself carefully apart from the world, even as he increasingly transparently longs for some sort of connection - or is he simply looking to manipulate his captive?

Despite the impossibility of the situation, though, there are glimpses of emotional honesty between the men, even as they’re couched in lies. Watching the pair sit uncomfortably on a beach in their jackets and ties, talking about the girls in the water, then slipping into stilted talk about the Investigator’s unhappy marriage, is strangely wrenching in its tentativeness, as is the Investigator’s passing comment about not having any friends outside of the secret police.

It’s to Fleischmann’s great credit that we are never granted access to the truth, and must, just as the men do, piece together something that matters from the web of lies and half-truths in which the men have ensnared themselves (been ensnared by the circumstances of their lives).

In his conclusion, Fleischmann again zooms out, broadening his lens to chillingly remind us of the context of those lives: of the maniac at the top of the state terror pyramid; of the concrete risks of simply waking up in the morning; of the impossibility of truth in a world built upon fear and violence.

In conclusion, Weak Spot is an intentionally frustrating film, but also an immensely rewarding one, well worth sitting with and considering, in my humble opinion.

SPECIAL FEATURES:
New 4K restoration from the original negative by Studio Canal
Uncompressed mono PCM audio
Audio commentary by critic Travis Woods (2024)
Archival TV interview with Michel Piccoli discussing Weak Spot (1975)
Soundtrack expert Lovely Jon discusses the Ennio Morricone score (2024)
Newly improved English subtitle translation
Reversible sleeve featuring designs based on original posters
Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by Kat Ellinger
Limited edition of 3000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings

www.radiancefilms.co.uk

Overview: Founded in 1974 by Harmonica player/vocalist Kim Wilson and guitarist Jimmie Vaughan (brother of Stevie Ray Vaughan), The Fabulous Thunderbirds were originally just a blues band, before their sound evolved to include Cajun, Soul and Rock influences.

This rare 2006 concert from Houston captures Kim and the boys in all their glory as they rip through a smoking’ live set including their biggest hits!

Blu-ray Verdict: Contemporary blues acts often strike a precarious balance between “authenticity” and “relevance,” and but it is very obvious that Kim Wilson seems comfortable with maintaining this equilibrium. For as much as they bring forth this live recording as much more than a so-called museum piece, it is also a very dutifully crafted modern recording, and one that sounds just bloody incredible throughout.

1. Slow Down
2. Postman
3. Rock With Me
4. Got To Get Out
5. Painted On
6. Two Time Fool
7. Wait On Time
8. Wrap It Up
9. Pretty Baby
10. Tuff Enuff
11. Marked Deck

Thus I am happy to reveal that within all of these enthusiastically cultivated live tracks, all old-school T-Birds fans do not need to worry about a loss of form, as they are on fire from start to finish.

With the collection of musicians assembled for this live show staying true to the spirit and the essence of the blues, and to the core of what these songs meant even back then, they open with the boogie woogie of Slow Down and the languishing blues of Postman, and then we get the swampy, harmonica-driven sounds that drive Rock With Me, the foot tapping rocker Got To Get Out, and their beloved, low slung blues of Painted On.

Up next is the rambunctious Two Time Fool and the mid-tempo blues slugger Wait On Time, and they are in turn followed by the all-embracing Wrap It Up, the licktastic guitar great Pretty Baby, the collection rounding out on their hit that just never gets old, the rhythmic rocker Tuff Enuff, closing on the blues beauty Marked Deck.

Official Purchase Link

Overview: Former heroes have seemingly become targets. The Comedian has been murdered, the all-powerful Dr. Manhattan has been exiled to Mars, Ozymandias survived an assassination attempt and the outlaw-vigilante Rorschach has been arrested.

Suspicious of the events ensnaring their former colleagues, Nite Owl and Silk Spectre are spurred out of retirement to investigate. As they grapple with personal ethics, inner demons and a society turned against them, they race the clock to uncover a deepening plot that might trigger global nuclear war

Blu-ray Verdict: Telling it like it is from the very off, I am a HUGE Watchmen fan: read the book, watched the 2009 movie, watched the TV series, and so came this two-part movie, which is itself a great example in how to remain faithful to the source material.

I mean, sure, there are some small changes made, such as modifying some scenes either by making cuts or adding some new scenes in, or changing the timeline of the story a little, but these changes are pretty small and do not effect the overall storyline in the slightest.

Personally, I really liked the lavishly colorful, yet not sharp-edged art style here and the way we get to see the varying styles differs, whether it is in the present, the memory, or from a parallel story of the pirate, for example.

And like most adaptations, it doesn’t match the book quality, but it doesn’t mean it’s not worth watching, because I think that this version builds on such a great adaptation in the best way possible.

My only, and small, complaint here is that the animation quality does noticeably drop in some shots, but for the most part not enough to be a noticeable issue overall.

Also for me, the use of sound and score is one of the best I’ve heard any movie use. It is excellent. There’s a real sense of dread and impending doom and it’s built over the 90 mins perfectly.

And as much as I have tried to avoid giving the plot line away, for those not attune to the first part or the series, as is, I will add that the voice acting cannot get much better either. Titus welliver as Rorschach. Rory Baker as Ozzy. Sally and the narrator also put in top tier performances.

Great fight scenes coupled with lots of blood and gore are aplenty also, so come on in, sit down and enjoy this 90 minute adaptation of a classic that I don’t think anyone else has delivered.

Overall, Watchmen: Chapter II (2024) was a great closing chapter to this iteration of Watchmen and I was very satisfied with it and I think you will all be too.

Special Features:
The Art of Adaptation: Building to the Final Act
Dave Gibbons and Watchmen: Chapters 7-12
Designing Watchmen

Watchmen Chapter I and Watchmen Chapter II delve into the gritty and complex world of masked vigilantes in an alternate version of America during the Cold War era. The “Watchmen” saga remains a cornerstone of comic book literature, having garnered numerous awards and accolades over the decades.

The adaptation captures the spirit and style of Moore and Gibbons’ original, groundbreaking vision with stunning animation that pays homage to the comic book’s iconic visual style. The film features a stellar voice cast that includes Matthew Rhys (TV’s “Brothers & Sisters,” “The Americans,” “Perry Mason”) Katee Sackhoff (TV’s “Battlestar Galactica,” “Longmire,” “The Mandalorian”) and Titus Welliver (TV’s “Lost,” “Deadwood,” “Sons of Anarchy”).

The film is produced and directed by Brandon Vietti from an adaptation by J. Michael Straczynski. Jim Krieg and Cindy Rago serve as producers and Dave Gibbons serves as consulting producer. Sam Register, Larry Gordon and Lloyd Levin are executive producers.

Based on DC’s acclaimed graphic novel co-created and illustrated by Dave Gibbons, Watchmen Chapter II, the second part of the all-new animated two-part feature film from Warner Bros. Animation and Paramount, will be released on Digital on November 26th, 2024 and on 4K UHD and Blu-ray on December 3rd, 2024.

Watchmen Chapter I is currently available to own on Digital, 4K UHD and Blu-ray.

Overview: Joker: Folie À Deux finds Arthur Fleck institutionalized at Arkham awaiting trial for his crimes as Joker. While struggling with his dual identity, Arthur not only stumbles upon true love, but also finds the music that’s always been inside him.

The film also stars Oscar nominees Brendan Gleeson (The Banshees of Inisherin) and Catherine Keener (Get Out, Capote), alongside Zazie Beetz, reprising her role from Joker.

4K UHD Blu-ray Verdict: Warner Bros. Entertainment is expanding their 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray catalog offerings this month with the release of the highly-anticipated Joker: Folie à Deux (4K Ultra HD + Digital) in the expansive 4K Ultra HD video format this December 17th, 2024.

For my money, this Joker: Folie à Deux (4K Ultra HD + Digital) sharpness takes a fairly large step forward from others in their 4K Ultra HD catalog and even comes with HDR (High Dynamic Range) for the complete 4K Ultra HD experience, of course.

So, what we have is Joker: Folie à Deux presented to us as a one-disc with a sheet for a Digital HD Copy. Other stand out points you should know are: Codec: HEVC / H.265, Resolution: Native 4K (2160p), HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10, Aspect ratio: 2.20:1, 1.90:1 AND Original aspect ratio: 2.20:1.

Featuring Dolby Vision and HDR10 for brighter, deeper, and way more lifelike colors, as with most all 4K UHDs, everything that we watch features these qualities - but somehow, this film gloriously shines within them all.

Noticeably crisp with the overall clarity receiving an obvious boost here on this release, what is more is that it is enjoyably noticeable. For as well as some new nuances to the somewhat drab palette courtesy of Dolby Vision, we also get to witness sudden bright pops of color, which makes the eyes draw in, for sure.

One of those moments also happens to be the best of the film, where in the scene we will call the Musical Number Scene, where The Joker takes the spotlight, beginning with an innovative tap dance! Culminating alongside Harlequin, it truly feels like the official music video to the original film, much similar to the ones they used to produce in the 90’s/early 00’s for MTV, etc.

As for the audio, well we get the choice of: English: Dolby Atmos and English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit).

Overall, this is a very strong 4K HDR Blu-ray presentation, and, for the most part, the audio track remains fairly similar to its DTS-HD counterpart; with much of the action occupying the surrounds with outstanding directionality and placement where effects flawlessly pan between the sides and rears.

As for the film itself, well, have you ever danced alone in a room, guided by music coming exclusively from your head, or read a book that broadened your horizons, disturbed your previous convictions, forced you to change? Have you ever looked into someone’s eyes so deeply, felt someone else’s soul and the infinity of existence in those pupils? Have you been consumed?

If your answer is no, it’s obvious why this movie is not for you. Mediocre thinking has led you to the conclusion that a villain must have a hero to fight against. This movie is NOT about good and bad guys and how a superhero will defeat a sick psychopath. The fight is solely within ourselves, us against the shadow that we were and that we can become. What is the biggest driver for fighting with ourselves, with the anxieties that the world burdens us with, where to find the right motive valuable enough so that every time we wipe the floor, we get up again ready for another round.

Money, fame, recognition, beauty, power? The answer is precisely in every aspect, the words and songs of our hero Arthur Fleck and Harley. That’s love. And what is the closest way to feel the storm of euphoria when you are next to someone you love, than through a musical symphony. Tracks such as Get Happy, To Love Somebody, Gonna Build A Mountain and of course That’s Life performed by Lady Gaga perfectly approximated the crazy romance and constant Arthur Fleck’s fight with his, I believe, alter ego in the form of the Joker.

The fact that we were watching an ordinary man, no super villain, is confirmed by his reaction when he was finally able to embrace his role as the Joker. He felt power, support, belonging, and despite everything, he finally became interesting and funny to someone, but he chose none of that, but to heal the absence of love that he never really had.

Which shows us another reason why people didn’t like this movie. They expected a crazy killer who stomps people with his club and gets a prelude to his villainous era, while they got a vulnerable, unstable and in love man, who would like to take off the mask and be who he is, and that is hurt.

Of course, the broad dullness of the masses through social networks made it impossible to give a chance to anything that does not immediately and constantly hold their attention, alienation from emotion, listening to superficial and generic music and finally the inability to understand any artistic metaphor led to the fact that the film it turns out to be a flop. To conclude, the film is solid, interesting with minor problems with pacing. It has strong emotion, satisfying acting and a perfect ending. The failed fate of this film reinforced the whole point of the film, which is that people don’t understand madness or any more abstract emotion and condemn anything that is different from what is widely represented and trendy.

Joker: Folie à Deux gave everyone the opportunity to step out of their comfort zone, some did it, while some, unfortunately, remained cocooned. Nonetheless, watch this film and make up your own minds, and don’t be sheep and get fooled by the so-called knowledgeable journalistic masses!

Joker: Folie à Deux Premium Digital Ownership, 4K UHD and Blu-ray contain the following special features:
Everything Must Go (4 Part Longform Documentary)
Can I Have A Cigarette?
Finding Lee
A Hundred Films In One
King of Nothing
The Character Of Music
Live! With The Joker
Colors Of Madness
Crafted With Class

From acclaimed writer/director/producer Todd Phillips comes Joker: Folie À Deux, the follow-up to 2019’s Academy Award-winning Joker, which earned more than $1 billion at the global box office. The new film stars Joaquin Phoenix once again in his Oscar-winning dual role as Arthur Fleck/Joker, opposite Oscar winner Lady Gaga (“A Star Is Born”). Joker: Folie À Deux debuts for purchase and rental digitally at home on October 29.

On October 29, Joker: Folie À Deux will be available for early Premium Digital Ownership at home and for 48-hour rental via PVOD on participating digital platforms where you purchase or rent movies, including Amazon Prime Video, AppleTV, Google Play, Fandango at Home, and more.

On December 17, Joker: Folie À Deux will be available to own on 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD from online and physical retailers. Joker: Folie À Deux will also continue to be available to own in high definition and standard definition from participating digital retailers.

Overview: Conclave follows one of the world’s most secretive and ancient events–selecting a new pope. The Church’s most powerful leaders have gathered from around the world, locked together in the Vatican halls.

Tasked with running this covert process, Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) finds himself at the center of a conspiracy and discovers a secret that could shake the very foundation of The Church.

Also starring Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Isabella Rossellini and directed by Edward Berger (All Quiet on the Western Front).

Blu-ray Verdict: Conclave is a masterclass in quiet intensity, anchored by Ralph Fiennes, who gives an Oscar-worthy performance as a man torn between emotional complexity and the calm resolve needed to guide a high-stakes thriller. Fiennes’ portrayal is captivating, grounding the film with a subtle power that keeps you locked in.

While much of Conclave is simply people talking, every line and every look is loaded with tension, making each conversation feel electric. The emotion behind each actor’s gaze pulls you to the edge of your seat, proving that sometimes words alone can create incredible suspense.

But again, as it really needs to be highlighted, Fiennes delivering a standout performance as Cardinal Lawrence, a reluctant overseer of the papal conclave grappling with crises of faith and responsibility his ability to convey internal conflict and moral complexity, making him a compelling anchor for the film’s exploration of power and faith. The performances of Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, and Isabella Rossellini add depth and nuance, while the unpredictable ending leaves a lasting impression.

Berger’s direction and Peter Straughan’s script are complemented by breathtaking cinematography and rich production design, evoking Renaissance art and ecclesiastical beauty. The cinematography captures the claustrophobic beauty of the Vatican, while the score heightens the tension. It balances suspenseful twists with themes of integrity, spirituality, and power struggles.

In closing, visually, the movie is stunning, capturing the grandeur and solemnity of the papal election process. The score is equally impressive, setting an atmosphere of unease that perfectly matches the weight of the story.

Special Features:
SEQUESTERED: INSIDE CONCLAVE – Enter the mysterious world of CONCLAVE with the cast and filmmakers for a behind-the-scenes look at what it took to raise the curtain on one of the most secretive and secluded processes in the world
FEATURE COMMENTARY WITH DIRECTOR EDWARD BERGER – Commentary with director Edward Berger

Based on the critically acclaimed, best-selling book of the same name, CONCLAVE follows one of the world’s most secretive and ancient events – selecting the new pope. Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) is tasked with running this covert process after the unexpected death of the beloved Pope. Once the Catholic Church’s most powerful leaders have gathered from around the world and are locked together in the Vatican halls, Lawrence uncovers a trail of deep secrets left in the dead Pope’s wake, secrets which could shake the foundations of the Church.

From the brilliant mind of Edward Berger, director of the 2023 Academy Award® winner for Best International Feature Film All Quiet on the Western Front, CONCLAVE features outstanding performances from an incredible cast including Academy Award® nominees Ralph Fiennes (The Menu, No Time to Die), Stanley Tucci (Spotlight, The Hunger Games), John Lithgow (Cabrini, Killers of the Flower Moon), and Golden Globe® nominee Isabella Rossellini (Julia, Joy).

Conclave [Official Trailer]

Official Website