Anne Carlini - Exclusive Magazine

Blue Underground Purchase Page

The Blood of Fu Manchu [4K UHD + Blu-ray]
(Christopher Lee, Maria Rohm, Richard Greene, Tsai Chin, et al / 4K UHD + Blu-ray / NR / (1968) 2025 / Blue Underground)

Overview: From his secret lair deep within the South American jungle, international super-villain Fu Manchu (Christopher Lee of THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN) and his sadistic daughter Lin Tang (Tsai Chin of YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE) reveal their latest diabolical plot for world domination: ten beautiful women are infected with an ancient poison so deadly that one kiss from their lips will bring instant death and lead to a global plague.

Now the Asian madman’s nemesis, Nayland Smith (Richard Greene of TALES FROM THE CRYPT), must desperately hunt an antidote in a savage land where rape and torture reign and the ultimate evil lies in THE BLOOD OF FU MANCHU.

Maria Rohm (VENUS IN FURS) and Shirley Eaton (GOLDFINGER) co-star in this wild Fu Manchu feature written and produced by Harry Alan Towers (EUGENIE) and directed by the one and only Jess Franco (VAMPYROS LESBOS).

Also known as KISS AND KILL, AGAINST ALL ODDS, and KISS OF DEATH, Blue Underground presents THE BLOOD OF FU MANCHU in a brand-new 4K restoration from its uncut original camera negative, complete with additional scenes of nudity and violence in Dolby Vision HDR!

Blu-ray Verdict: Fu Manchu (Christopher Lee) is hidden with his evil daughter Lin Tang (Tsai Chin) in a lost city he has found in the jungles of South America. He discovers a poison deadly for men through kiss and he abducts ten women to infect them with the poison to destroy his enemies.

Then he sends one woman to London to kiss his greatest enemy, the Scotland Yard agent Nayland Smith (Richard Greene). Nayland is blinded by the poison and his friend Dr. Petrie (Howard Marion Crawford) travels with him to the jungles in South America to seek out Fu Manchu expecting to find an antidote. They team up with agent Carl Jansen (Götz George) and soon they learn the scheme of Fu Manchu for world domination.

In closing, and with most of the women being extremely beautiful actresses, there are some compelling moments, the camera work with its close-ups and focusing is looking much more creative than the traditional job in The Vengeance of Fu Manchu, therefore I have to fully get behind this film as a small, yet masterful work of cinematic art [C.C.]

Bonus Features:
Ultra HD Blu-ray (2160p) and HD Blu-ray (1080p) Widescreen 1.66:1 feature presentations
Audio: English 1.0 DTS-HD MA
Subtitles: English SDH, Francais, Espanol
NEW! Audio Commentary with Film Historians Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson
The Rise of Fu Manchu - Interviews with Director Jess Franco, Producer Harry Alan Towers, and Stars Christopher Lee, Tsai Chin, & Shirley Eaton
NEW! Sanguine-Stained Celluloid – Interview with Stephen Thrower, Author of “Murderous Passions: The Delirious Cinema of Jesus Franco”
Trailers
NEWLY EXPANDED! Poster & Still Gallery
NEW! RiffTrax Edition – THE BLOOD OF FU MANCHU Riffed by Mike Nelson, Bill Corbett & Kevin Murphy (77 Mins.)

Finis Terrae [Limited Edition]
(Malgorn, Ambroise Rouzic, François Morin, Gibois, et al / Blu-ray / PG / (1929) 2025 / Eureka Entertainment)

Overview: One of the most important filmmakers France has ever produced, Jean Epstein was a film theorist, critic and a leading figure in the French Impressionist movement.

Perhaps best known today for directing the first adaptation of The Fall of the House of Usher from a screenplay co-written with Luis Buñuel, Epstein produced several masterpieces during the silent period, including Faithful Heart (Coeur fidèle), The Three-Sided Mirror (La glace à trois faces) and Finis Terrae, the story of a group of fishermen stranded off the cost of Brittany.

Four fishermen set out on a three-month expedition to the islet, Bannec. They intend to harvest seaweed, which will fetch high prices if burned and processed properly - but cabin fever soon sets in. After two of the men brawl over a broken bottle of wine, one of them cuts his thumb on a piece of glass, while the other comes to suspect that his knife has been stolen with malicious intent.

As the situation escalates, conditions at sea make it impossible for the men to leave Bannec or for help from the mainland to reach them.

Blu-ray Verdict: One of the most outstanding directors of the more avant-garde silent movements; a daring, experimental and innovative era where the silent pioneers showed how to play with the cinematograph’s enormous possibilities, Jean Epstein brought forth a film in Finis Terrae that demonstrated that his innovative character always showed in his films, especially during his aforementioned silent phase.

That said, here in Finis Terrae, Epstein forsakes the true avant-garde feel and chooses instead a more realistic cinema. The film is a kind of documentary set in French Brittany and part of a trilogy (completed by Mor Vran (1931) and L’Or Der Mers (1932)) dedicated to that French coastal region for which the director had a special predilection.

Though the film belongs in the documentary genre, Epstein is more interested in the experimentation he can do. He dramatizes the story in a way consistent with his artistic purposes but does not forget to reflect in it the area, the people and customs with their special characteristics. However, the movie lacks the evident ethnologic importance of Flaherty or Grierson’s films.

Finis Terrae is more lyrical, a visual poem to experiment with. The simple story: four algae collectors are trapped on an island and at a later time are rescued by their neighbors. This very interesting film has a rhythm in its narrative and it’s lit in harsh natural way which perfectly reflects the artistic intentions of the French director.

In short, Finis Terrae is indeed a very slow-moving film, guilty at times of putting important core points on the back burners, the plot of taking a wounded man to Ouessant Island a thin one to stretch out over 90 minutes or so, but with the feel of a documentary embedded throughout if you stick with it and give it your full attention it will cinematically nourish you back, you have my word. [F.V.G.]

LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:
Limited Edition of 2,000 copies
Limited edition O-card slipcase featuring new artwork by John Dunn
Limited edition collector’s booklet featuring a new essay on Finis Terrae by Jean Epstein expert Christophe Wall-Romana and archival writing by the director
Finis Terrae presented in 1080p HD from a 4K restoration by Gaumont Film Company
Optional English subtitles
Impressions on Jean Epstein – new interview with film historian and critic Pamela Hutchinson on the life and work of the director
Stranded – new video essay on Finis Terrae
The Bottom of the Wave – an archival appreciation of Finis Terrae by Joel Daire

Final Destination: Bloodlines | Official Trailer | Warner Bros. Entertainment

Final Destination:Bloodlines (4K Ultra HD+Digital)
(Tony Todd, Brec Bassinger, Richard Harmon, Gabrielle Rose, Rya Kihlstedt, et al / 4K Ultra HD + Digital / R / 2025 / Studio Distribution Services)

Overview: The newest chapter in New Line Cinema’s bloody successful franchise takes audiences back to the very beginning of Death’s twisted sense of justice.

Plagued by a violent recurring nightmare, college student Stefanie heads home to track down the one person who might be able to break the cycle and save her family from the grisly demise that inevitably awaits them all.

On June 17th, “Final Destination Bloodlines” will be available Digitally at home on participating digital platforms, including Amazon Prime Video, AppleTV, Fandango at Home, and more.

On July 22nd, “Final Destination Bloodlines” will be available to own on 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD from online and physical retailers. “Final Destination Bloodlines” will also continue to be available in high definition and standard definition from participating digital retailers.

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 hotly anticipated Final Destination: Bloodlines (4K Ultra HD + Digital) in the expansive 4K Ultra HD video format this June 10th, 2025.

For my money, this Final Destination: Bloodlines (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 Final Destination: Bloodlines 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 and 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.

Synonymous with excessively gory and painstaking death sequences, Final Destination: Bloodlines more than delivers on this aspect of the franchise. It has the most lethal opening disaster, as well as the longest list of those who have cheated death. Yet, its most important and memorable scene doesn’t have any blood at all; it is the inclusion of Tony Todd as William Bludworth.

Due to Death’s lack of physical form, Bludworth serves as the only true recurring character of the franchise (not including Clear Rivers (Ali Larter), who is seen in the first two movies). Todd’s presence always added to the sense of dread, as those who received premonitions normally visited him for a sense of reassurance, only to feel closer to death.

His past performances in the horror genre give him the resilient aura that counters the usual flustered appearance of the protagonists. However, his appearance in Final Destination: Bloodlines feels much more reflective and melancholic, especially since it ended up being his last ever film role.

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, no one will ever quite forget the first moments of Final Destination (2000), the cult classic supernatural horror film that launched the now-25-year-old film franchise in which its protagonists try to cheat Death (that’s Death with a capital D) and wind up failing epically! It was dark, it was grim (like the Reaper), it was intense with Hitchcockian-style suspense, it was extremely gory and around the time of the second sequel Final Destination 3 in 2006, it had started to become darkly humorous!

I have long suspected that the Final Destination films are really dark-freaking-comedies masquerading as blood-soaked supernatural horror flicks, since as time has gone on with this series the gruesome accidents and mishaps that befall the series’ protagonists have steadily become grimly hilarious. I’ve even gone on to theorize that Death itself is actually the HERO here, as the human characters are simply living on borrowed time. As they say, there is no escaping the inevitable.

This last trait is what has suffused the three films that have followed it, including its latest, 2025’s "Final Destination: Bloodlines, which aims to inject new life - so to speak - into the franchise since the last entry, 2011’s Final Destination 5, which literally circled back around to the beginning.

Final Destination: Bloodlines has done the wise thing and not re-booted the series (like so many other film franchises have done lately) but instead passingly acknowledges the films of the past to provide some sense of continuity to the earlier films and thus is, in short, not a cheap cop-out for lazy filmmakers who have run out of ideas for the series. Nor is it a so-called legacy sequel, either, since only 14 years have passed since the aforementioned Final Destination 5.

Instead, Final Destination: Bloodlines takes the series in a slightly different direction while still acknowledging the films of the past. It takes the same basic premise of a poor soul having had a fateful premonition of a mass casualty event and averting the impending disaster by warning the pool of potential victims.

Said event still happens, anyway, and Death soon comes back looking for the survivors - with a vengeance. This time, the film looks at how one person, in this case college student Stefeni Reyes (Kaitlyn Santa Juana), must save her entire family from Death. The precise reasons for why Stefeni’s family is being targeted are laid out in its brilliantly constructed opening action sequence, but are also carefully (and thoughtfully), explained over the course of the picture; most films made in modern times would unwisely lay out the specifics all in one scene and thus eliminate any real suspenseful momentum the film has gained.

Co-directors Zack Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein have a competent grasp of the film’s story and characters. Regarding the latter, let’s be frank: No one goes to a Final Destination picture for characters; you only go to see the characters die in some delightfully gruesome and creative fashions!

But Final Destination: Bloodlines, due to its underlying thematic angle involving the plight of an entire family, does actually lend the picture a rare emotional bent that the series has notably lacked since the first Final Destination back in 2000. Oh, and it’s only the best sequel that the series has had to offer since Final Destination 2 (2003), in my humble opinion.

“Final Destination Bloodlines” Digital, 4K UHD and Blu-ray contain the following special features:
Death Becomes Them: On the Set of “Final Destination Bloodlines” – featurette
Catch up with the fresh new cast and dynamic directing duo of “Final Destinations Bloodlines” to hear about their experiences on set and what fun surprises they managed to sneak in for the fans
The Many Deaths of Bloodlines – featurette
From the collapse of the Skyview Restaurant to the world’s worst MRI, get a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the most gruesome Final Destination deaths yet!
The Legacy of Bludworth – featurette
Tony Todd reflects on the decades-spanning legacy of his iconic character and re-examines Bludworth’s impact on the franchise now that all has been revealed
Director’s Commentary
Commentary by the film’s directors Adam Stein & Zach Lipovsky

Shinobi: Vol 2 [Limited Edition]
(Midori Isomura, Raizo Ichikawa, Tomisaburo Wakayama, et al / 2-Disc Blu-ray / NR / 2025 / Radiance Films)

Overview: Three more spectacular tales of ninja action in this continuation of the hugely influential series.

This time, Raizo Ichikawa (Shinobi 1-3) stars as Mist Saizo, a ninja with a grudge who won’t rest until he has assassinated the supreme leader, the Tokugawa shogun.

Directed by three of the Daiei Studio’s top period action specialists, these films feature epic battles, ingenious spycraft and thrilling ninja fights.

In Siege, Raizo Ichikawa is Mist Saizo, the legendary folk hero and Iga ninja. Working in the service of warlord Yukimura Sanada (Tomisaburo Wakayama), he plots to assassinate Shogun Ieyasu Tokugawa, but finds himself facing the might of the nation’s supreme ruler.

In Return of Mist Saizo, our black-clad hero continues his mission to avenge his master, even after Ieyasu has abdicated from the throne. Told as one continuous story, these two films weave their ninja action in and out of Japanese martial history, featuring epic battles, ingenious spycraft and thrilling fight scenes.

In part 6, Mist Saizo’s son Saisuke takes over his father’s name and mission. He is recruited by a rebellious warlord to assist a plot to overthrow the government, but the Shogun hires a rival ninja clan to thwart the uprising. Meanwhile, other forces are also at play.

Directed by Kazuo Mori (Shinobi 3: Resurrection, Zatoichi at Large), this film pits ninja against ninja, including a breathtaking rooftop battle scene that is one of the highlights of the entire Shinobi series.

Blu-ray Verdict: In Shinobi no Mono 4: Siege (1964), Tokugawa Ieyasu is now the ruler of all Japan, but one last loose thread must be tied up before his domination is complete – the destruction of the Toyotomi clan, now besieged in Osaka castle. Ieyasu’s ninja are the only ones who can penetrate the fortress, but unfortunately for Ieyasu, Kirigakure Saizo and the other Toyotomi ninja can just as easily get out. As armies of samurai maneuver for battle, the fate of the nation will be decided by a desperate struggle in the dark.

The best one since the first and probably the best directed of them all so far, in my humble opinion. Quite amazing how Tanaka manages to infuse another quite complicated, extremely exposition-heavy setup with his sense of romantic pictorialism, stripping away the weight of history at least temporarily in favor of pure sensual cinema. The stone prison sequence introduces a sense of existential thread that reaches far beyond the abstract scheming’s of shogun power politics.

Up next is Shinobi No Mono 5: Return of Mist Saizo (1964), on May 8th, 1615 the summer campaign of Osaka has reached the climax. This film takes place immediately following ‘Ninja 4: Mist Saizo, Last of The Ninja’. Staying one step ahead of the Shogun’s forces, “Mist” Saizo tries to save the Sanada Clan, and avenge the death of his lord by assassinating the first Tokugawa Shogun.

Following the first four films in this remarkable series, more previously unknown Ninja skills are shown to the world for the first time. The action heats up as Saizo single-handedly attacks the Shogun’s Palace.

This kicks things off with a bang - literally - as a dazzling ninja ambush on water sets the tone for a more action-packed and accessible sequel. Saizo’s fog-shrouded escape with his quarry sets up a brisker, more colorful chapter, one that sees him wheel and deal his way through political intrigue and clan conflict to try and control a gun-manufacturing island to sway the outcome of the upcoming final battle.

Leaner and more focused than its predecessor, it’s a confident slice of genre cinema - double-crosses abound, but they’re easier to track, and the ninja set-pieces are snappy and stylish.

Lastly we get Shinobi No Mono 6: The Last Iga Spy (1965), well, this is one of the most complicated plots of any of the Shinobi no Mono films! This film tells the story of Saizo’s son, Kirigakure Saisuke, who after seeing his father die at the Battle Of Shimabara, grows up to be an expert ninja. Before he dies, “Mist” Saizo tells his children Saisuke, and Yuri that they are not really brother and sister.

She, in fact, is the daughter of the late lord Sanada Yukimura, and must be saved from the shogun’s forces. In the chess match of spy versus spy, can Saisuke defeat the shogun’s chief strategist, Matsudaira Izunokami at his own game? Showing many exciting ninja tactics, it is not to be missed.

In contrast to its predecessor, The Last Iga Spy struggles under the weight of its ambition., if I am being truthful. The ninja action is still present - a rain-soaked rooftop fight is genuinely impressive - but it’s buried beneath a Game of Thrones-style web of court politics and betrayal that turns convoluted rather than compelling.

A drawn-out final act fizzles rather than explodes, clearly saving narrative heft for the next instalment. A disappointing conclusion to this new three film Shinobi Vol 2 box-set, sure, but led by the parts 4 and 5, it does hold a lot of visual strength.

Limited Edition Special Features:
Limited Edition of 3000 copies, presented in a rigid box with full-height Scanavo cases and removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings
Reversible sleeves featuring artwork based on original promotional materials
Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by Jonathan Clements
Six postcards of promotional material from the films
Trailers
New and improved optional English subtitles
Interview with Japanese period film historian Taichi Kasuga (2025)
Uncompressed mono PCM audio
Interview with ninja film scholar Mance Thompson (2025)
High-Definition digital transfer of each film presented on two discs, made available on Blu-ray (1080p) for the first time outside of Japan
Select-scene audio commentary on Siege by Tom Mes (2025)

Perpetrator (Limited Edition) [Blu-ray]
(Avery Holliday, Alicia Silverstone, Audrey Francis, Casimere Jollette, et al / Blu-ray / NR / (2023) 2025 / Arrow Films)

Overview: From the exquisite mind of Jennifer Reeder (Knives and Skin and V/H/S/94) comes Perpetrator, a brilliantly original and twisted take on female suppression, dangerous male predators and the pains of adolescence, with a stunning lead performance from Kiah McKirnan.

On the eve of her 18th birthday, wild and rebellious Jonny is sent by her father to live with her estranged Aunt Hildie, where she begins to experience a radical metamorphosis: a family spell called the Forevering.

With her newly uncovered powers, alongside a growing obsession with blood, a freshly feral and self-assured Jonny sets out on a perilous hunt to find a lethal perpetrator, responsible for the disappearances of several local women.

Superbly blending a feminist coming-of-age drama with serial killer and supernatural fantasy genres, Perpetrator is beautifully shot in Bava-esque colors by director of photography Sevdije Kastrati, and features a phenomenal supporting cast, including Alicia Silverstone (Clueless), Melanie Liburd (Bad Boys: Ride or Die) and Christopher Lowell (Promising Young Woman).

Blu-ray Verdict: I actually watched Perpetrator recently on Shudder. The plot centers around a unique young woman who resides with her adopted father in a town plagued by a serial killer targeting young girls who keep mysteriously disappearing. As the bodies of the missing girls are discovered, the gruesome acts committed on their corpses come to light.

Despite ongoing self-defense classes at the local high school, the girls remain vulnerable. Amidst these mysteries, the young woman begins to uncover her extraordinary powers, which might aid in identifying and stopping the serial killer.

Written and directed by Jennifer Reeder (V/H/S/94), the film features Alicia Silverstone (Clueless), Taylor Kinkead (Utopia), Chris Lowell (The Help), Kiah McKirnan (Night Sky), and Casimere Jollette (Tiny Pretty Things).

In truth, Perpetrator does have a promising premise, intriguing characters and unique circumstances, but it squanders its potential. The acting, particularly Taylor Kinkead’s performance, is commendable and authentic. However, the horror elements, particularly the mirror and face scenes, fall short of their intended impact.

On another positive note, the depictions of the corpses and wounds are well-executed, and the torture scenes are excellent. However, the film’s major flaw lies in its pacing. It takes too long to reach a truly engaging point, leaving you wishing the conclusion had occurred much earlier. The latter part of the movie had the potential to be really good but was too little too late.

In summary, Perpetrator possesses the elements needed for a compelling film but struggles to integrate them effectively until it’s too late. That is not to say it is not worth watching, because it is, for sure, but I would definitely only really recommend it primarily to dedicated horror enthusiasts. [K.R.]

LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:
High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation
Original DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround audio
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Brand new audio commentary by writer-director Jennifer Reeder and director of photography Sevdije Kastrati
Perpetrator: Mirrors and the Monstrous Womb, a brand new video essay by filmmaker Jen Handorf
On-set cast interviews with Kiah McKirnan, Alicia Silverstone, Melanie Liburd and Christopher Lowell
Screenplay (2024), a music video for Aitis, directed by Jennifer Reeder Tiny Baby (2024), a music video for Joan of Arc, directed by Jennifer Reeder
Three short films directed by Jennifer Reeder: All Small Bodies (2018, 20 mins); I Dream You Dream of Me (2018, 11 mins); LOLA, 15 (2017, 5 mins)
Original trailer
Reversible sleeve featuring two original artwork options by Creepy Duck Design and Duke Aber / Shudder
Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Kat Hughes and Marianne Lampon

Through And Through [Limited Edition]
(Anna Nieborowska, Franciszek Trzeciak, et al / Blu-ray / NR / (1973) 2025 / Radiance Films)

Overview: Jan (Franciszek Trzeciak) and Maria (Anna Nieborowska) become a couple in 1930s Kraków. Jan tries to get a job as an architect but fails.

They struggle with poverty and extreme humiliation. Their attempt to survive leads to a desperate crime.

Remarkably filmed with precise close-ups and fragmented sound design creating a sense of unnerving dissonance, Through and Through was enthusiastically received on release and premiered at the Cannes Film Festival where it was compared to Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment.

Radiance Films is proud to present Grzegorz Królikiewicz’s film on Blu-ray for the first time in the world.

Blu-ray Verdict: Grzegorz Królikiewicz’s Through and Through is less concerned with recounting the real-life horrors of a murderous pre-WWII Polish couple and far more interested in deconstructing the language of cinema itself to do it: a narrative bust but a stylistic fascination, the result is equal parts maddening and mesmerizing.

Rather than lean into traditional storytelling, Królikiewicz builds his own cinematic grammar from scratch - an assaultive symphony of extended montage, skewed compositions and semi-documentary looseness. Dialogue may be minimal, but it replaces this with a moody, dread-soaked ambience. The stark black-and-white imagery gives the film a beautiful veneer behind which it can hide the brutality of its content. The two leads sell the bleakness of their descent into crime with impressive restraint, though their character is often swallowed whole by Królikiewicz’s overpowering form.

Early scenes, such as a meandering introduction in a drinking den that barely features the main pair, test the limits of even the most patient viewer. Time compresses and expands wildly between shots, with great gulfs of story leaping by unannounced. And when it comes to violence, Królikiewicz chooses obfuscation over exploitation: one murder is filmed entirely from behind a closed door, offering only muffled sounds and a trembling frame. And it’s as interesting as it is unsatisfying.

But that’s the point. Through and Through isn’t after your love. Or if it is, it fails whole heartedly. It’s a film to admire for its craft and defiance of the traditions of cinema, but not necessarily one to engage emotionally. And in that end, it’s not a story told but more a film felt (and when’s the last time you experienced something like that?)

Limited Edition Special Features:
New 2K restoration supervised by cinematographer Bogdan Dziworski
Uncompressed mono PCM audio
New interview with critic Micha³ Oleszczyk (2025)
Three short films by Grzegorz Królikiewicz: Everyone Gets What They Don’t Need (1966, 12 mins), Brothers (1971, 6 mins), Don’t Cry (1972, 9 mins)
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Time Tomorrow
Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by critic Ela Bittencourt
Limited edition of 3000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings

Poseidon [4K Ultra HD] [Limited Edition]
(Kevin Dillon, Andre Braugher, David Reivers, Emmy Rossum, et al / 2-Disc 4K Blu-ray / PG-13 / (2006) 2025 / Arrow Films)

Overview: Legendary director Wolfgang Petersen (Das Boot, The Perfect Storm) brings all his talent for jaw-dropping spectacle to his 2006 epic disaster movie Poseidon, a pulse-pounding update of Paul Gallico’s classic adventure novel.

Passengers and crew members alike are celebrating New Year’s Eve aboard the cruise-liner Poseidon, the pinnacle of engineering and the height of luxury.

But soon after the clock strikes midnight, a gigantic rogue wave comes crashing against the vessel, sending it plummeting towards the depths of the Atlantic Ocean. As the ship sinks further down, a group of survivors must learn to work together if they are to pull through this terrifying ordeal.

With an outstanding ensemble cast including Kurt Russell, Josh Lucas, Richard Dreyfuss, Andre Braugher and Emmy Rossum, and stunning special effects by Industrial Light and Magic, Poseidon is an audiovisual tour de force, presented for the first time on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray.

4K Blu-ray Verdict: In one of the better remakes, this Poseidon is a really damn fine film all of its own. The special effects are superb and some of the scenes (the elevator shaft and the ventilation shaft) rip your nerves to shreds! Furthermore, you really have no idea who will live and who will die in this update.

Of course, one has to compare it to the original and I think a lot of people are looking at the original through rose tinted spectacles. It was good but it was Seventies kitsch with corny dialogue and cheesy characters. This film has them too, but at 98 minutes it leaves little time for artificial character development and takes you straight into the action.

Like all action films there are implausible scenes that require you to completely suspend your disbelief. But I have no problems with giant apes climbing tall buildings or lone cops fighting off armies of armed terrorists so I can certainly put up with a group of nobodies defying trying to get out of a capsized ship!

In closing, Poseidon was always meant to be about 100 minutes of cheap, meaningless thrills with a little romance and comedy thrown in for good measure. That’s what attracted it to me back in the day. Anyway, that was the goal of the movie and they did a fantastic job at achieving it. And for that, it deserves all the love that it still gets today. I mean, for God’s sake, the movie is still truly entertaining!

4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:
4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) Original DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround audio
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Ocean View, a brand-new interview with director of photography John Seale
Big Sets for Big-Time Directors: A brand new interview with production designer William Sandell
Surfing the VFX Wave, a brand new interview with visual effects supervisor Boyd Shermis
Bringing Out the Dead, a brand new interview with make-up effects on-set supervisor Michael Deak
Set a Course for Adventure: A brand new retrospective on the film by Heath Holland
Poseidon: A Ship on a Soundstage, a featurette looking at the film’s production featuring interviews with cast and crew
Poseidon: Upside Down, a featurette exploring the film’s challenging set design
A Shipmate’s Diary, a featurette following production assistant Malona Voigt on the set of Poseidon
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Jacey
Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Priscilla Page

Texas Chainsaw Massacre [Limited Edition] [4K]
(Andrew Bryniarski, Jessica Biel, John Larroquette, et al / 4K Blu-ray / R / (2003) 2025 / Arrow Films)

Overview: For its inaugural film, Michael Bay’s studio Platinum Dunes brought together scriptwriter Scott Kosar (The Machinist) and director Marcus Nispel (2009’s Friday the 13th) for a grisly update of Tobe Hooper’s classic tale of Texan terror. The result would conquer the 2003 box office, introducing a new generation of genre fans to the franchise.

A group of carefree young adults’ road trip through Texas is cut short when the panic-stricken hitchhiker they’ve picked up shoots herself in the back of their vehicle. Desperate to find help, our heroes are directed to the home of the local Sheriff, but little do they know they are stumbling into the lair of the Hewitts, the most violent family in all of Texas, including their chainsaw-wielding son.

Described by critic Roger Ebert as vile, ugly and brutal, 2003’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a boundary pushing, agonizingly violent gorefest masterpiece ready to traumatize and delight horror fans anew with this brand new 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray edition!

4K Blu-ray Verdict: I actually recently rewatched the Texas Chainsaw Massacre (this 2003 version) remake on Prime and was very happy to rewatch it again on this fantastic 4K UHD from Arrow Films.

The storyline follows a group of friends driving back from a trip to Mexico. After picking up a troubled hitchhiker, who shockingly kills herself in their van, the group seeks help from local law enforcement. However, their search leads them to the wrong residence, setting off a horrifying chain of events that changes their lives forever.

The film is directed by Marcus Nispel (Friday the 13th, 2009) and stars Jessica Biel (The Tall Man), R. Lee Ermey (Full Metal Jacket), Eric Balfour (24), John Larroquette (Night Court), and Jonathan Tucker (The Ruins).

The movie does an excellent job creating a consistently uneasy and gritty atmosphere. From start to finish, the tone is dark and oppressive, with the casting, wardrobe, and overall aesthetic contributing to the tension. The performances are strong, and the horror elements are top-notch.

The opening hitchhiker sequence is incredibly effective, setting the tone for the rest of the film. Memorable moments like the legendary hook scene and the well-executed torture sequences further elevate the horror. The addition of the child character was also a nice touch, adding another layer to the story. The film successfully puts its own spin on the original while honoring its legacy.

In conclusion, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) blends classic and modern horror elements to create a gripping and terrifying experience and for that alone I would highly recommend it to any and all horror film fanatics.

4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:
4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
Original DTS-HD MA 7.1 and 5.1 surround audio and lossless stereo audio
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Brand new audio commentary with Dread Central co-founder Steve “Uncle Creepy” Barton and co-host of The Spooky Picture Show podcast Chris MacGibbon
Archival audio commentary with director Marcus Nispel, producer Michael Bay, executive producers Brad Fuller and Andrew Form and New Line Cinema founder Robert Shaye
Archival audio commentary with Marcus Nispel, director of photography Daniel Pearl, production designer Greg Blair, art director Scott Gallager, sound supervisor Trevor Jolly and composer Steve Jablonsky
Archival audio commentary with Marcus Nispel, Michael Bay, writer Scott Kosar, Brad Fuller, Andrew Form and actors Jessica Biel, Erica Leerhsen, Eric Balfour Jonathan Tucker, Mike Vogel and Andrew Bryniarski
Reimagining a Classic, a brand new interview with director Marcus Nispel
Shadows of Yesteryear, a brand new interview with cinematographer Daniel Pearl
The Lost Leatherface, a brand new interview with actor Brett Wagner
Masks and Massacres, a brand new interview with makeup effects artist Scott Stoddard
Chainsaw Symphony, a brand new interview with composer Steve Jablonsky
Chainsaw Redux: Making A Massacre, a making-of documentary
Ed Gein: The Ghoul of Plainfield, an in-depth look at the infamous killer who inspired the character of Leatherface
Severed Parts, a look at the cutting room floor and some of the scenes excised from the final edit
Deleted scenes including an alternate opening and ending
Screen tests for Jessica Biel, Eric Balfour and Erica Leerhsen
Behind-the-scenes featurette
Cast and crew interviews
Theatrical trailers and TV spots
Concept art galleries
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Aaron Lea
Double-sided foldout poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Aaron Lea
Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Michael Gingold

Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning [4K UHD]
(Andrew Bryniarski, Diora Baird, John Larroquette, Jordana Brewster, et al / 4K Blu-ray / R / (2006) 2025 / Arrow Films)

Overview: After 2003’s successful remake of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Michael Bay’s Platinum Dunes would take another trip to the Lone Star State for the terrifying prequel, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning.

In the summer of 1969, brothers Eric and Dean and their girlfriends Chrissie and Bailey are having one last road trip before the boys set off to Vietnam. An altercation with a shotgun-wielding biker leads them to crash their car, only for them to be rescued by Sheriff Hoyt. But their savior isn’t as benevolent as he seems, and the gang are taken hostage and dragged to the residence of the murderous Hewitt family, among them Hoyt’s brother Thomas, a hulking brute who conceals his face behind a leather mask.

Feast your eyes on this twisted and horrifying vision of the Hewitts’ origins, presented here in its original Theatrical Version and the extended Uncut Version for the first time on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray!

4K Blu-ray Verdict: In truth, after watching 2003’s version of the original, very quickly afterwards I realized that the remake of the horror classic is quite tame compared to this! It’s incredible how visceral horror/slasher movies have become for this generation.

The film starts off in a slaughterhouse and a monster is born. The quick run up of how Leatherface became a man during the credits was impressive. The slaughterhouse in which he works gets shut down. He’s got to find some new meat to chop. He sure as hell does.

On a road trip across Texas, four friends run into trouble with a biker gang and as a result have an accident and run into the vicious Sheriff Hoyt. As the female lead, Chrissie, tries to track down her friends that the sheriff has taken to that iconic house of the Hewitt residence, she’s faced with many obstacles on the way, trying not to get caught. She fails, of course, and the unbelievable begins.

The movie takes the audience on an explicitly VIOLENT journey and never ceases to grab you by the jugular. The visuals are almost too tense to bear and the acting is fantastic by the lead characters and R. Lee Ermey makes you cringe at the sight of him and at the sound of his viciously demanding tone.

Definitely a step up from the PG-13 fare that director Jonathan Liebsman of Darkness Falls is more associated with. The story of how Leatherface became such a monster is well examined. Also some interesting bits in the film to help one understand some of the circumstances in the 2003 remake are brought to surface which I appreciated.

In conclusion, if you’re a horror buff and like your slasher/horror flicks to have no holds barred terror throughout, this is the HALLOWEEN ticket for you. Be warned however, if you were disturbed by the 1973 original, this film gives the term a whole new meaning!

4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:
4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) of both the Theatrical Version and the Uncut Version
Original DTS-HD MA 5.1 and 2.0 audio on the Theatrical Version and DTS-HD MA 7.1, 5.1 and 2.0 audio on the Uncut Version
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing on both cuts
Brand new audio commentary on the Uncut Version with Dread Central co-founder Steve “Uncle Creepy” Barton and co-host of The Spooky Picture Show podcast Chris MacGibbon
Archival audio commentary on the Uncut Version with director Jonathan Liebesman and producers Andrew Form and Brad Fuller
Hoyt, Actually, a brand new interview with actor Lew Temple
Original Skins: KNB FX, a brand new interview with special effects makeup artist Jake Garber and special effects makeup technician Kevin Wasner Light and Sawdust, a brand new interview with director of photography Lukas Ettlin
Down to the Bone: Anatomy of a Prequel, an archival making-of documentary featuring many interviews with cast and crew members
Deleted and extended scenes with optional commentary from director Jonathan Liebesman and producers Andrew Form and Brad Fuller
Theatrical trailer
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Aaron Lea
Double-sided foldout poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Aaron Lea
Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Michael Gingold

Martial Law: Lo Wei’s Wuxia World
(Ching-Ho Wang, Angela Yu Chien, Chiao Chiao, Ching Lee, et al / 3-Disc Blu-ray / NR / 2025 / Eureka Entertainment)

Overview: A prolific writer and director, Lo Wei found fame in the 1970s following the enormous international success of The Big Boss and Fist of Fury, his collaborations with the inimitable Bruce Lee.

In the years before he kickstarted a kung fu revolution, though, he had been working on an accomplished series of wuxia pian for Shaw Brothers. Presented here are three standout films drawn from Lo Wei’s wuxia world: The Black Butterfly, Death Valley and Vengeance of a Snow Girl.

In The Black Butterfly, a good-hearted thief acts as the Robin Hood of the martial world, robbing from the rich to give to the poor - and they begin by stealing a fortune in gold from a group of five ruthless bandits holed up at Five Devils Rock.

Then, in Death Valley, the Lord of Chao Manor (Lo Wei) is murdered by his niece (Angela Yu Chien), leading to a bitter fight to claim his land and a clash between a hired swordsman (Chen Hung-lieh) and the Lord’s heir apparent (Yueh Hua).

Finally, in Vengeance of a Snow Girl, a young woman (Li Ching) takes revenge for her murdered parents, who were killed in a dispute over the legendary Tsui Feng sword - leading to a final showdown on frozen ground.

Lo Wei’s The Black Butterfly, Death Valley and Vengeance of a Snow Girl are three of the finest wuxia films produced in the years before Bruce Lee’s meteoric rise to fame would cause a tectonic shift in the Hong Kong film industry, as the era of kung fu loomed on the horizon.

Blu-ray Verdict: Up first is The Black Butterfly (1968), which in my humble opinion, is a nice looking example of late 1960’s wuxia - the restaurant on a lake where much of the film is set is a visually striking location, and the sets and costumes are of the usual Shaw Brothers standard.

The story is rather mediocre though; the plot unrolls with little real drama or tension. Even when Black Butterfly’s secret identity is revealed everybody basically goes Oh, it’s you. LOL. and moves on.

Lo Wei’s direction is typically pedestrian, taking elements from King Hu, Chang Cheh and TEMPLE OF THE RED LOTUS without adding much of his own style or vision. It’s functional, even competent direction but nothing more.

Despite being quite action packed the film doesn’t seem to have a credit for action director, but we can probably assume it was Han Ying-Chieh since he was on set. Maybe Lo Wei would have us believe it was him though, and there might even be some truth in it - he is actually pretty good with a sword, as we see in the final act - perhaps he missed his true calling.

The action is a bit slow and stagey but does feature some imaginative moments and quite intricate choreography. It’s not the best of its era, but it does show how Hong Kong filmmakers were starting to explore the possibilities of the form. Definitely watchable, but not essential viewing.

Then we get Death Valley (1968) and is a stunning, rip roaring wuxia that is a cut above the usual Shaw Brothers stuff by having a great bunch of characters that are fun to spend time with! Most impressive are Angela Yu Chien’s sexy femme fatale and Yueh Hua’s uber skillful hero.

Also, the action is of the fun, furniture smashing, swashbuckling variety rather than the intricately choreographed stuff that was more in vogue from the 70’s onwards.

Lastly we are brought forth Vengeance of a Snow Girl (1971) where Li Ching stars as martial arts expert Shen Ping Hong, who is out for revenge against the four brothers who killed her parents and left her crippled for life.

The story is great fun and the sets are wonderful. There were a few brief moments where I longed for more clarity, such as Yueh Hua grabbing the pearl in the volcano, or surviving his wound outside the cave, but these were small complaints in what ended up being a surprisingly touching adventure.

Others I have discussed this film with seem to be bothered by the decision to show Shen Ping Hong gliding as she uses her crutches. I thought it was a great choice. It shows her grace as an accomplished martial artist but it also shows her in a slightly menacing light; she moves like a spider!

Indeed, I have a major soft spot for any of the SB films with disabled heroes (Crippled Avengers, One Armed Swordsman etc.) because we so rarely get anything like that in the West. I mean sure, I want to also see all the dramas, comedies and musicals too, for there are many more reasons to love these films besides martial arts prowess, but films like these in this trilogy of action are always going to be my person go-to’s.p> Bonus Features:
Limited Edition of 2,000 copies
Limited edition O-card slipcase featuring new artwork by Grégory Sacré (Gokaiju)
Limited edition collector’s booklet featuring new writing on all three films in this set by Hong Kong cinema expert Camille Zaurin
1080p HD presentations of all three films on Blu-ray
Optional English subtitles, newly revised for this release
New audio commentaries on all three features by action cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema
Hong Kong Hustle – new interview with Hong Kong cinema scholar Wayne Wong on the life and work of Lo Wei

www.MVDvisual.com

His Motorbike, Her Island [Blu-ray]
(Kiwako Harada, Noriko Watanabe, Riki Takeuchi, et al / Blu-ray / NR / (1968) 2025 / Cult Epics)

Overview: Following a painful breakup, macho biker Koh (Riki Takeuchi) skips town and hits the road on his beloved Kawasaki W3 650. On his countryside excursion, he encounters the free-spirited Miyo (Kiwako Harada, older sister of Obayashi favorite Tomoyo Harada) who quickly takes interest in both the leather-clad Koh and his motorbike.

Koh and Miyo fall in love even as Miyo’s prodigious biking talent and thrill-seeking tendencies heighten Koh’s fear that she may push it all too far.

A nostalgia-filled reminiscence, Obayashi’s monochromatic dream playfully worships the biker culture of yesteryear, delivering a sentimental and liberating take on young love.

Blu-ray Verdict: From the moment you set eyes on this movie you know it is going to be something special. If I had to explain this movie I would say it is a biker romance, but if I had to explain the feeling this movie gives I could not do it in a million years.

It is such a nice love story between two regular people that completely keeps your eyes and your heart glued to the screen. The characters are relatable and have their own rules in life and that makes them have to constantly fight between the person who they are and the person they truly want to be.

There is a defining Rebel Without A Cause backdrop to the film, which is no bad thing, and the highly melodramatic romance, complete with lots of little offbeat moments that the director is well known for, just makes the whole thing really entertaining.

The actors do their best with the little material they are given and thus kind of fill in the blanks are they go in an organic manner. Their scenes do feel true to form of people in their situation though, but for me personally it was the directorial touches that make this the visual gem that it most assuredly is.

You can instantly fall in love with the vibe of this movie and the whole biker feel. The feeling it gives you is overwhelming. A masterpiece, in my humble opinion. [B.C.]

Bonus Features:
High-definition Transfer
Audio Commentary by Samm Deighan
Becoming the Wind: His Motorbike, Her Island and the Biker Movie - Visual essay by Esther Rosenfield
Her Island: Onomichi Pt. 1 - Visual essay by Alex Pratt
Director Nobuhiko Obayashi Archival Interview
Theatrical Trailers
New improved English subtitles
New Slipcase design by Sam Smith
Reversible sleeve with Japanese original poster art
First Pressing includes repro 24-page Japanese booklet (pamphlet)

www.cultepics.com

Fear Cabin: The Last Weekend Of Summer [DVD]
(Brian Krainson, Brody Wellmaker, Jennifer Barlow, Jeremy London, et al / DVD / NR / (2024) 2025 / Cleopatra Entertainment)

Overview: In FEAR CABIN, six friends head into the woods for one last summer weekend, envisioning carefree days by a crystal-clear lake and laughter-filled nights around a secluded cabin.

Instead, they stumble upon unsettling rituals that awaken malevolent forces hidden beneath creaking floorboards and moonlit shadows.

Suddenly, their lighthearted getaway becomes a desperate fight for survival, where demonic presences are determined to keep them there forever.

DVD Verdict: From the moment you set eyes on this movie you know it is not only going to be someone’s labor of love, but one that should have enough genuinely scary moments in in that you remember it long afterwards.

A band of merry men/women head out to a remote cabin in the woods for a weekend of fun, drinking and, well, you know, the usual mid-teen and older set of sloppy debaucheries that would inevitably follow.

And yet, not everything is as it seems at this rather beautiful cabin as their fun adventure quickly turns into a big bad nightmare - one covered in blood and decorated with limbs and entrails!

Filmed on an iPhone, personally I think that the director Brian Krainson has pulled off a minor miracle of cinematic force here as sure, the dialogue can be somewhat stilted, the acting a little wooden, but the supernatural elements along with the blood routs firmly ensure that you get exactly what you hoped to see from such a named movie.

For it delivers on everything that you would expect and showcases a genuinely, at times, bone-chilling tale that allows for a series of both expected and unexpected frights, jump scares and more to play out on the small screen.

In conclusion, you get exactly what you would hope to see here in the low budget Fear Cabin: The Last Weekend Of Summer and, dare I say, a little bit more. Chock full of the usual suspects of intrigue, such as isolation, survival, fear, panic, and hope, all packaged together within the framework of a ghostly evil presence, the film is a new age gem and one that I cannot recommend highly enough.

Bonus Features:
Trailers
Behind the Scenes Footage

www.cleorecs.com

DAKOTA HD Trailer (English subtitles) | Cult Epics

Dakota (Special Edition) [Blu-ray]
(Kees Brusse, Monique van de Ven, Willeke van Ammelrooy, et al / Blu-ray / NR / (1974) 2025 / Cult Epics)

Overview: A Dutch pilot (Blue Movie’s Kees Brusse) with a real passion for flying risks everything to keep his DC3/Dakota plane in the air when getting involved with contraband.

Attention to flight detail and the beautiful backdrop of the Caribbean and co-stars Monique van de Ven (Turkish Delight) and Willeke van Ammelrooy (Frank & Eva) make this seldom seen much loved Dutch classic worth watching.

DAKOTA, the last Scorpio film directed by Wim Verstappen (Pastorale 1943), with cinematography by Jan de Bont and Theo van de Sande, was recently rediscovered as a Dutch masterwork of cinema and is now available for the first time on Blu-ray.

Blu-ray Verdict: From the moment you set eyes on this absolutely dynamic movie you know it is going to be something very special. Being a pilot myself for more than 33 years, I must say that I never before enjoyed a movie with this explicit detail of profession, as the main actor performed; my sincere compliments to Kees Brusse!

This is a Dutch film about a Dutch airman who decides to attempt a Transatlantic voyage in his beloved Dakota. He interacts with various minor characters en route and encounters a fair share of problems up in the air, but other than that the film cruises along nicely.

For myself, it took me 32 years to rediscover this film, after its initial broadcasting in 1974. I was not endlessly searching for it, of course, but I never forgot it and now it is available again from the lovely people over there at Cult Epics/MVD.

Have plane, will travel is an excellent depiction of the feelings of a man driven to fly, regardless of where, what or who for. How is a challenge too, at times. Amazing flight from Dutch Antilles to Holland without refueling. Love interest on the side. Beautiful Caribbean backdrops to offset classic DC3. I mean, come on now, what more could you want from this kind of film?

In conclusion, Dakota is not only for pilots but for all DC-3 enthusiasts. Simply put, this film is a genuine, heartfelt and impassioned is a real MUST HAVE!

Bonus Features:
New Restored 2K Transfer
Audio Commentary by film historian Peter Verstraten
Dakota Press flight
Cannes Filmfestival 1978 (Vara Visie)
Photo Gallery
Scorpio Films Trailers
New artwork design by Juan Esteban R.
Reversible sleeve with original Dutch poster art
Slipcase

www.cultepics.com

Hellbender [Limited Edition]
(Emily Brown, Jessica Beveridge, Judy Rosen, Milli Lupinetti, et al / Blu-ray / NR / (2021) 2025 / Arrow Films)

Overview: The sixth feature film from acclaimed filmmakers The Adams Family (The Deeper You Dig), Hellbender is a spell-binding folk horror and coming-of-age story, boiling over with adolescent rage and wicked witchcraft.

Teenager Izzy lives in isolation with Mother because she has a rare immune disorder. Or so she is told. After befriending local girl Amber, Lizzy begins to question the reality of her disease. And when she eats a live worm as part of a teenage game, she soon develops a ravenous hunger for living things, learning that she is the latest in a line of hellbenders, supernatural beings who possess immensely powerful abilities.

Featuring a fantastic punk rock soundtrack with songs from the family’s band, H6LLB6ND6R, this truly unique film expertly blends beautiful and naturalistic cinematography, impressive and stylistic VFX and stunning performances from real-life mother and daughter team, Zelda Adams and Toby Poser.

Blu-ray Verdict: OK, telling it like it is, Hellbender may well be a C-Movie within its genre of filmmaking, but a horror film it most certainly is. And sure, it is a mixed bag, but the way the filmmakers have obviously reached far beyond what their budget permitted means this film is as impassioned, as devotedly heartfelt as it they could have ever hoped it to be.

The actors do what they have been instructed to, nothing or no one is a standout, nothing Oscar worthy going on here, but their all-encompassing performances range from acceptable to great; and that alone showcases how just they were also on in the whole let’s make this thing the best it can be.

As for the cinematography, well, overall it ranges from exceptionally competent to C-Movie quality! And I think you know what I mean by that, especially if you have ever seen a so-called C-Movie, of course. As for the editing, that ranges from highly effective to just full on questionable, but that’s half the fun of watching a movie of this ilk with its low budget.

The dialogue ranges from emotionally resonant to just downright laughably stupid, but personally that was where my humor bone lies and so I got major kicks out of it! Oh, and the visual effects range from extremely convincing to embarrassingly, er, well, unconvincing, I guess is the best way to describe it. And yet it was a joy to behold. Maybe not from start to finish, but all in all Hellbender is a film that knows it is an elevated low-budget film and thus should be praised from the rooftops! (especially, and if for nothing else, the climactic final scene!)

LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY CONTENTS:
High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation
Original lossless stereo 2.0 audio
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Brand new audio commentary with filmmakers Toby Poser, John Adams, Zelda Adams and Lulu Adams
From the Forest She Rises, a brand new video essay by filmmaker Jen Handorf Black Magic Tricks, a featurette on the visual effects by VFX artist Trey Lindsay
Behind-the-scenes compilation footage
Fort Worden (2021), a short film by Zelda Adams
Four music videos: Hit and Run (2024), Drive (2021), Lovely (2021) and Black Sky (2020)
Original trailer
Reversible sleeve featuring newly commissioned artwork by Beth Morris and original artwork by Sister Hyde
Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Natasha Ball and Kat Hughes

Creepshow 2: 4K UHD [Limited Edition]
(Dorothy Lamour, George Kennedy, Tom Savini, et al / 4K Blu-ray / R / (1987) 2025 / Arrow Films)

Overview: Titans of terror George A. Romero and Stephen King deliver yet another selection of blood-curdling tales in Creepshow 2, the follow-up to the 1982 horror classic.

In Old Chief Wood’nhead, a group of young hoodlums face retribution from an unlikely source after looting a local hardware store. Meanwhile, The Raft sees a group of horny teens wishing they’d read the warning signs first before taking a dip in a remote lake. Finally, an uptight businesswoman finds herself with some unwanted company following a hit-and-run incident in The Hitch-hiker.

Retaining the same EC Comics flavor that made the original such a hit, Creepshow 2 - this time directed by long-time Romero collaborator Michael Gornick - is a standout horror anthology from the minds of two of the genre’s master craftsmen.

4K Blu-ray Verdict: Three stories are featured this time, two down from the original which might have been one too long. A cheap animated wraparound surrounds the stories and is a far cry from the original. Old Chief Wood’nhead has an elderly couple (Kennedy and Dorothy Lamour) running a small town grocery store that is nearly bankrupt like the town. Outside the store is a life-size wooden Indian statue that comes to life to seek revenge on a gang of idiots who kill the old couple!

The second story is The Raft that tells of four teenagers who swim out to a barge in the middle of a lake and get trapped on it because of a black ooze floating in the water. The ooze graphically swallows and devors the group one by one.

The final story is The Hitchhiker which features cheating wife Anne Lansing (Chiles) returning home one night where she runs over a derelict (Wright) in the road killing him. She panics and leaves the scene battling with her conscience. Soon the dead hitchhiker begins appearing on the road and then everywhere she looks. This terror filled ride home has the hitchhiker attempting revenge on Anne until the very end.

The stories are from Stephen King again and George A. Romero wrote the screenplays but directing chores went to Michael Gornick Romero’s cinematographer on the original and other Romero films. Gornick does a decent job but the stories just aren’t as good this time around, in my humble opinion.

Where the original could have lost a story, this one could have added one. The three stories seem one shy of a full load. The cheap wraparound animation and simple sets make you wonder if there were budget issues because the production is surly lacking a big feel. The gore is decent and the stories are certainly watchable but I was hoping for an upgrade on the stories from the first set. Anyway, as an anthology movie, Creepshow 2 can hold its own, that is for sure and for me one of the stories does rise above the others. [L.M.]

4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:
Brand new 4K restoration by Arrow Films from the original negative
4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
Original lossless mono, stereo and 5.1 DTS-HD MA surround audio options
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Audio commentary with director Michael Gornick
Screenplay for a Sequel, an interview with screenwriter George A. Romero
Tales from the Creep, an interview with actor and make-up artist Tom Savini
Poncho’s Last Ride, an interview with actor Daniel Beer
The Road to Dover, an interview with actor Tom Wright
Nightmares in Foam Rubber, an archive featurette on the special effects of Creepshow 2, including interviews with FX artists Howard Berger and Greg Nicotero
My Friend Rick, Howard Berger on his special effects mentor Rick Baker
Behind-the-scenes footage
Image gallery
Trailers & TV spots
Original screenplay galleries
Creepshow 2: Pinfall, a Limited Edition booklet featuring the comic adaptation of the unfilmed Creepshow 2 segment “Pinfall” by artist Jason Mayoh
Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring writing on the film by festival programmer Michael Blyth
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Mike Saputo

Lost In Space: 4K UHD [Limited Edition]
(Gary Oldman, William Hurt, Matt LeBlanc, Mimi Rogers, Heather Graham, Lacey Chabert, et al / 4K Blu-ray / PG-13 / (1998) 2025 / Arrow Films)

Overview: From the producers of Deep Blue Sea and Poseidon comes Lost in Space, a high-octane sci-fi adventure through time and space, where a family adrift in a distant world must overcome adversity in the face of incredible odds.

The year is 2058. With Earth on the brink of collapse, the Robinson family is chosen to lead a critical mission to colonize a distant planet aboard the Jupiter 2 spacecraft. But the mission is sabotaged by the traitorous Dr. Zachary Smith, and the ship veers off course and plunges through a rift in space-time, leaving the Robinsons stranded in an unknown universe.

Now lost in a hostile alien galaxy, the family must trek through treacherous environments, battle deadly creatures, and avoid Smith’s unpredictable schemes. As tensions rise and survival becomes uncertain, their greatest challenge may be holding together as a family.

Lost in Space is a thrilling tribute to the classic 1960s TV series with dazzling visual effects and an all-star cast including William Hurt, Mimi Rogers, Matt LeBlanc, Heather Graham, and Gary Oldman as the nefarious Dr. Smith. Dive into the epic adventure of the Space Family Robinson, available for the first time on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray in a stunning new restoration!.

4K Blu-ray Verdict: The Lost In Space television series was one of my favorites when I was growing up so (back then) when I found out that it was the basis for a new movie, trepidation is the word that best described my reaction. As it turns out, my fears were unfounded as the result is one of the best, if not the best, treatment of older material and characters ever.

Unlike that year’s other movie based on a cultural icon, namely Godzilla, the producers of Lost In Space had a great deal of respect for the original TV series and this shows in the finished product. They have been able to update the story and characters, even changing the tenor of the story from farce to serious drama without losing any of appeal of the original.

In fact, the inclusion of June Lockhart, Marta Kristen, Angela Cartwright and Mark Goddard in cameos and minor parts adequately demonstrates the respect the production team has for the fans of the original series, which helps immensely in this adaptation. This is something that Mssrs. Devlin and Emmerich needed to learn before unleashing any more destruction of cultural icons as they did that summer.

All in all, the movie is great family adventure entertainment. The story is simple enough, told in a caring way and is suitable for all ages. The acting well done, the writing and direction good and the visual effects rank amongst some of the best ever committed to celluloid.

in short, and personally, this is definitely one of my favorite remakes and quite possibly one of the best science fiction films of all times! Old fans and those who never heard of Lost In Space will enjoy this movie both. [G.Y.]

4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:
4K restoration of the film from the original camera negative by Arrow Films approved by director Stephen Hopkins
4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
Original DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround audio and lossless stereo audio
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Archive audio commentary with director Stephen Hopkins and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman
Archive audio commentary with visual effects supervisors Angus Bickerton and Lauren Ritchie, director of photography Peter Levy, editor Ray Lovejoy, and producer Carla Fry
A Space Odyssey, a newly filmed interview with director Stephen Hopkins
Lights in the Sky, a newly filmed interview with director of photography Peter Levy
A Journey Through Time, a newly filmed interview with producer and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman
Art of Space, a newly filmed interview with supervising art director Keith Pain
Crafting Reality, a newly filmed interview with Kenny Wilson, former mould shop supervisor at Jim Henson’s Creature Shop
Sound of Space, a newly filmed interview with sound mixer Simon Kaye and re-recording mixer Robin O’Donohue
Lost But Not Forgotten in Space, a new video essay by film critic Matt Donato
Deleted scenes
Building the Special Effects, an archival featurette with visual effects supervisor Angus Bickerton and animatics supervisor Mac Wilson
The Future of Space Travel, an archival featurette exploring the film’s vision of the future
TV Years, a Q&A with the original cast of the TV series
Bloopers
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Pye Parr
Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing by critic Neil Sinyard, articles from American Cinematographer and an excerpt from the original production notes

Proof of the Man (1977) Original Trailer [4K]

Proof Of The Man [Limited Edition]
(Broderick Crawford, Bunjaku Han, George Kennedy, Hajime Hana, et al / Blu-ray / NR / (1977) 2025 / Arrow Films)

Overview: Movie mogul Haruki Kadokawa changed the landscape of Japanese cinema for good when he introduced the concept of the blockbuster to the country with this gripping crime drama featuring an all-star cast.

When mixed-raced Johnny Hayward (Flower Travellin’ Band vocalist Joe Yamanaka) heads from his Harlem home to Tokyo, he becomes the victim of a brutal stabbing in the elevator of a plush hotel hosting a catwalk show by elite fashion designer Kyoko (Mariko Okada).

That same night, Kyoko’s son with her powerful politician husband Yohei (Toshiro Mifune) is involved in a fatal hit-and-run accident and flees the country. Suspecting the incidents may be linked, Detective Munesue (Yusaku Matsuda, The Game Trilogy) heads to New York to investigate Johnny’s background.

Here he is partnered with local detective Ken Shuftan (George Kennedy, Airport), whose own links to Japan dredge up painful memories from Munesue’s childhood.

Adapted from the best-selling novel of the same name by Seiichi Morimura by director Junya Sato (The Bullet Train, Manhunt) and screenwriter Zenzo Matsuyama (The Human Condition trilogy), and shot on location in Japan and New York by veteran cinematographer Shinsaku Himeda (Pigs and Battleships, Vengeance is Mine), Proof of the Man is a compelling exploration of racial identity and the trauma of the postwar occupation period framed in the form of a whodunnit.

Arrow Video is proud to present the film for the very first time outside Japan for the home-video market in a brand new transfer sourced from a new 4K restoration by Kadokawa.

Blu-ray Verdict: Originally known as Ningen no shômei in Chinese, this is actually a very famous 1977 Japanese movie imported to China in 1979. It was a phenomenon of a movie in the late 70’s in both Japan and China. Also, the song in the movie, Straw Hat Song was one that almost all the people was familiar with, especially since the movie was the first of several movies imported into China when China had started to open up to the world.

On the high-rise of the Royal Hotel in Tokyo, Japan, the annual Costume Design Awards exhibition is reaching its climax. Kyoko Yasugi, the wife of a Congressman, a famous fashion designer, attended the exhibition. At this time, it was reported that a black young man had died in the hotel elevator. According to the elevator attendant, the victim shouted Wheat straw hat, wheat straw, straw hat in English before he died. Saijo Yaso ... How can a black youth die here? Who is the murderer? The police launch a tense investigation soon thereafter.

The police dog sniffed the Valley Park near the Royal Hotel from the location of the victim’s death. The police found a pool of blood and a straw hat in the grass, indicating that this was the real crime scene. A pair of young men who had a tryst in the park reported seeing the deceased in the park, and before that, a woman in a suit also left the park in a white Crown sedan.

It is quickly discovered that the victim was Johnny Hayward (played by Joe Yamanaka, who himself is also of mixed blood who is also a singer and sings the famous Straw hat song in the movie and who came to Japan from New York three days ago. The Saijo Yaso Poems and the straw hat he left behind were brought in from the United States when he entered the country, as we soon learn.

After extensive searches, police learn that Johnny’s father, Wilshere Hayward, had lived in Yokosuka, Japan, as a U.S. soldier stationed there after World War II, exactly the same period as the straw hat and the book of poetry. And the word Casmi left by the victim when he was dying was also found in a poem in the poetry collection, referring to a place called Kiritsumi.

So the police detective Munesue decides to go there to investigate. The local people say that the old lady Nakayama should know the story best, but when Munesue arrived at her house, someone had already taken the lead and murdered the old woman who knew the inside story.

Munesue investigates some clues and learns that Nakayama opened a small hotel on the seaside of Hisanohama in Fukushima Prefecture that year and specialized in US troop’s business. At that time, Yasugi Kyoko was also working in the store and at the very same time the son of the designer Kyoko Yasugi, Kyohei Kori, fled to New York after killing someone in a car accident!

Detective Munesue follows the leads to New York. With the cooperation of the New York International Criminal Police, they also launch an investigation into the case of black young man Johnny. They find the home of a man named Adams based on the clues. He reported that a few months ago, when he was driving, an old black man suddenly jumped out on the road. He knocked him down before he could brake and was blackmailed for $6000!

The man’s name was Wilshere Hayward and the money was given to his son, Johnny Hayward, at his request. The police then deduce that Johnny’s father had crashed into the car in order to get money to send his son to Japan. But why did the father have to send his son to Japan?

If you are still following along, which I hope you are, I won’t give away any more of this highly engaging film plot, but will end with the fact that there is lots of well acted scenes, a brilliant car chase in New York, and the film is like a big puzzle slowly being put together. Yamamura sings a catch title song in English, but he is badly dubbed in the U.S. version, sorry. Regardless, the film is highly recommended! [H.Y.]

LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:
High-Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation
Original lossless mono audio
Optional newly translated English subtitles
Brand new audio commentary with Asian American film scholar Rob Buscher and DJ Skeme Richards
Taking the Big Apple, a brand new video introduction by Asian film scholar Earl Jackson
A Japanese Blockbuster, a brand new filmed discussion with critics and Junya Sato biographers Tatsuya Masuto and Masaaki Nomura
Original theatrical trailers
Image gallery
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Tony Stella
Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing by film critic Michelle Kisner and scholar Alexander Zahlten

THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE WEIRD - Official Trailer

The Good, The Bad, The Weird [4K UHD] [Limited]
(Jung Woo-sung, Lee Byung-hun, Song Kang-ho, et al / 4K 2-Disc Blu-ray / NR / (2008) 2025 / Arrow Films)

Overview: Genre maestro Kim Jee-woon (A Tale of Two Sisters) set his sights on new frontiers and spiced them up with his rollicking kimchi western The Good, the Bad, the Weird. Wrangling three of Korea’s biggest stars, he orchestrated an audacious action epic sweeping across the dusty Manchurian plains.

In the 1930’s, three gun-toting Koreans converge on a train with different objectives but after an explosive altercation they leave it with the same goal: track down a map leading to an unfathomable treasure. The Good is bounty hunter Park Do-won (Jung Woo-sung, 12.12: The Day), who is chasing down the Bad, the ruthless bandit Park Chang-yi (Lee Byung-hun, A Bittersweet Life), rumored to be the notorious Finger Cutter.

Meanwhile, wily thief Yoon Tae-goo (Song Kang-ho, Parasite), the Weird, is on the hunt for anything he can get his hands on. Backs are stabbed, fingers are cut, and many bullets fly as this dangerous trio blast their way through the desert in search of untold riches.

This glorious resurrection of the Manchurian Western was the biggest and most ambitious production ever undertaken in Korea. Presented here for the very first time in stunning 4K, experience this spicy slice of wild west mayhem as you’ve never seen it before.

4K Blu-ray Verdict: The Good, the Bad, the Weird is an explosive Korean reinterpretation of the Western, directed by a fully energized Kim Jee-woon. The film blends spectacular shootouts, absurd humor, and a pulp aesthetic full of style, with shades of Mad Max and a comic book spirit. The action is relentless, driven by sharp editing, tight framing, and a vivid color palette that reinforces its tone as a violent fable.

Jung Woo-sung, Lee Byung-hun, and Song Kang-ho form a flawless trio, each embodying their archetype with charisma and energy. The story is simple yet effective, serving as a vehicle for stunning set pieces and showcasing Kim’s technical prowess-skills he would refine in I Saw the Devil.

As a film with the sort of title it has and where its roots of inspiration and premise are based, you’d expect a little in the form of references to the Classical Hollywood Western. From what I garnered, with whatever knowledge I have of the Western, Kim gets most of the references and homages out of the way early on; predominantly so that he can focus on all the action and stuff he wants to include later on.

There are the somewhat obligatory Spaghetti conventions as a large, dry location is established to be setting for all the madness while the sly homage to Once Upon a Time in the West when we’re on board a train early on is cute; as are the typical close ups of eyes and faces as those primed and ready to shoot someone else at point blank range delay for a few seconds.

The film carries a very old, classical and mythical feel to it and the original, catchy soundtrack adds punch and amplifies the film’s wild adventure tone. Though light on narrative depth, the film aims for pure, self-aware spectacle-and absolutely delivers. A film is a pop-art celebration of genre cinema done with flair, rhythm, and great talent [C.S.]

2-DISC 4K ULTRA HD LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Nathanael Marsh
Perfect bound collector’s book featuring writing by Darcy Paquet, Kyu Hyun Kim, Cho Jae-whee and Ariel Schudson
Three postcard-sized artcards
Double-sided fold-out poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Nathanael Marsh

DISC ONE – FEATURE PRESENTATIONS (4K ULTRA-HD BLU-RAY):
4K master approved by director Kim Jee-woon
4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
Includes both the International and Korean versions of the film presented via seamless branching
DTS-HD MA 7.1 audio on both cuts of the film
Optional English subtitles
Audio commentary by film critic James Marsh and film critic and producer Pierce Conran
Archival audio commentary of the International Cut by director Kim Jee-woon and actors Song Kang-ho, Lee Byung-hun, and Jung Woo-sung
Archival audio commentary of the Korean Version by director Kim Jee-woon, cinematographer Lee Mogae, lighting director Oh Seung-chul, and art director Cho Hwa-sung (Korean Version)
Introduction to the film by Kim Jee-woon

DISC TWO – BONUS FEATURES (BLU-RAY):
Corralling Chaos in the Desert, an interview with director Kim Jee-woon
Dusty Dust-ups and Sweaty Saddles, an interview with martial arts
coordinator Jung Doo-hong
Archival making-of films and featurettes
Trailer gallery
Image gallery

Flaming Brothers [Limited Edition]
(Alan Tang, Chow Yun-Fat, Patricia Ha, Philip Chan, et al / Blu-ray / NR / (1987) 2025 / Eureka Entertainment)

Overview: A standout Hong Kong crime thriller released amidst the wave of heroic bloodshed films that followed in the wake of John Woo’s A Better Tomorrow and Ringo Lam’s City on Fire, Flaming Brothers features Alan Tang and Chow Yun-fat (who was quickly rising to superstardom in the late 1980s) as triad brothers determined to protect their criminal operation - and each other - no matter what the cost.

Both orphaned at a young age, Cheung Ho-tin (Chow) and Chan Wai-lun (Tang) grew up together on the streets, forming a strong bond in their childhood that remains unbroken as they become triad brothers in adulthood. Having recently opened a nightclub together, they begin to feel that they have finally made it.

That is, at least, until they become embroiled in a conflict with the ruthless gangster Ko Lo-sei (Patrick Tse) and his right-hand man (Norman Chui), who threaten to take away everything that Tin and Lun have worked for.

In equal parts an action-packed thrill-ride and a rumination on the bonds of male friendship, Flaming Brothers boasts a screenplay written by Wong Kar-wai, the celebrated auteur who would go on to write and direct Chungking Express and In the Mood for Love. Eureka Classics is proud to present the film on Blu-ray for the first time in the US from a 2K restoration.

Blu-ray Verdict: Some over the years have called this film a mediocre HK action and even a tepid entry into the heroic bloodshed genre, but I completely disagree. When you have Chow yun-fat and violence so graphic it rivals the mayhem in films like The Big Heat (1987), The Killer (1989) and Full Contact (1993), what you have is a film for the ages, my friends.

I agree that it is a mish-mash of tried and tested Heroic Bloodshed cliché’s (blood brothers, scheming gangster brother, loved ones killed, revenge, etc.) but the way it is all presented will blow you away. You won’t believe how fast the movie moves along and you can give Wong kar-wai the credit for the script (this is before his brilliant As Tears Go By film in 1989). Chow gives his usual performance but he always manages to give a bit of something unique in his roles, if truth be told.

The violence is several levels above the standard. The gun battle scenes are not only bloody, they border into the gruesome (especially the shootout in Thailand). The violence includes people being blasted with shotguns in the face, a kid getting shot at point blank range and what heroic bloodshed film would be complete without the inevitable final showdown?!

In conclusion, this film is a must watch and although not as grand as the endings of A Better Tomorrow 2 (1987) or The Killer (1989), it is a larger variation of the shootout at the end of My Heart Is That Eternal Rose (1989).

Bonus Features:
Limited to 2,000 copies
Limited edition O-card slipcase featuring new artwork by Time Tomorrow
Limited edition collector’s booklet featuring new writing on Flaming Brothers by Hong Kong cinema expert Camille Zaurin
Flaming Brothers presented in 1080p HD from a new 2K restoration
Original Cantonese audio
Optional English dubbed audio
Optional English subtitles, newly translated for this release
New audio commentary by action cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema
Archival interview with director Joe Cheung
Original theatrical trailer

Los Golfos (Special Edition) [Blu-ray]
(Luis Marin, Manuel Zarzo, Oscar Cruz, et al / Blu-ray / NR / (1960) 2025 / Radiance Films)

Overview: A group of poor youths tear around Madrid pulling scams and petty crimes. As one of their gang prepares to perform in a serious bullfighting competition, they plan a heist that will raise the money to finance his entry.

Breaking with tradition by filming in the streets and utilizing documentary techniques to give the film an urgent resonance, Carlos Saura and producer Pere Portabella (Viridiana) were announced as a powerful new force in Spanish cinema when the film was nominated for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

Suffering curtailed distribution by Francoist censorship, this new restoration reinstates previously removed footage and presents the film as originally intended.

Blu-ray Verdict: It’s a shame when you pull off a heist to finance one of your friends’ dream of becoming a bullfighter during which one of the other friends dies but it turns out that he’s actually shit at it. You just hate to see it.

So anyways, Los Golfos (aka The Delinquents) is a pretty decent portrait of the said delinquents. Little meandering but that’s by design. It clearly owes a lot to Italian neo-realism with the use of non-professionals and the on-location work. The world feels naturally grim with a strong sense of hopelessness, a world where you have to resort to crime just to survive. Overall it is a little rough around the edges but a solid debut otherwise and one that I will sit and watch again sooner rather than later, as it has that engrossing cinematic appeal to it that warrants a second viewing.

SPECIAL FEATURES:
Restored in 4K in 2024 by Filmoteca Española in collaboration with Films 59 at Digital and Electronic Systems laboratory from the 35mm acetate negative, 35mm prints and other intermediate photochemical materials
Restoration supervised by Javier Rellán
Introduction by author and former director of Filmoteca Catalunya Esteve Riambau (2025, 22 mins)
Interview with filmmaker and curator Ehsan Khoshbakht on Los golfos, its influences and makers (2025, 17 mins)
Censored scenes - scenes affected by censorship are presented alongside notes from the censorship committee and Carlos Saura (2025, 13 mins)
Two early short films by Saura: La llamada, about a solider leaving for war (1955, 7 mins) and La tarde del domingo, about an oppressed live-in maid (1957, 34 mins)
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Vincent Wild
Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by Mar Diestro-Dópido, reprints of original documents including committee notes on the script and a detailed breakdown of the restoration process

The Betrayal (Special Edition) [Blu-ray]
(Kaoru Yachigusa, Raizo Ichikawa, Shiho Fujimura, et al / Blu-ray / NR / (1966) 2025 / Radiance Films)

Overview: To protect his clan, an honorable samurai (Raizo Ichikawa, Shinobi) takes the blame for a murder committed by one of his fellows. He is promised a safe return after one year in exile, but this vow is broken and he becomes a fugitive chased by his own clansmen.

Disillusioned by the bushido code of honor, he realizes there are only two ways out: vengeance or death. From director Tokuzo Tanaka (The Snow Woman), a former assistant to Akira Kurosawa, this cruel jidaigeki stands alongside such notable works of the genre as Harakiri and Sword of Doom with its classic mix of honor codes and samurai action.

Beautifully filmed in black and white scope with thrilling set pieces, The Betrayal features one of the most breathtaking finales in all of samurai cinema.

Blu-ray Verdict: A big braggart Samurai (Rytaro Gomi) barges into Master Isaka Yaichiro’s dojo to challenge the Sensei, who wasn’t there. Two students from the dojo go after this guy, bushwack and mortally wound him but he escapes to tell of the attack before he dies.

This neighboring gang comes back to the dojo and wants satisfaction. No one claimed to be the attacker.

Raizo Ichikawa, who is famous for his Sleepy Eyes of Death franchise, plays Takuma Kamuse, a young, talented, yet naive Samurai. He is engaged to Namie Katagiri (Kauru Yachigusa). Her father finds out that his nephew, Jurota Makabe (Ichiro Makatani) were the ones who killed the Samurai.

Part of this was a sense of Samurai loyalty, another part was not wanting to refuse his fiancé’s Father pleading for Takuma to run away for a year, making him seem like the prime suspect to the murder. If, after a year, this mess isn’t cleared up, the father would commit hari kari.

On the run, Tacuma befriends a sarcastic crook, Funajiro (Fujioka Takuya) who follows him around and robs him every chance he gets. Poor Takuma is also betrayed by Jurota, and the father, Katagiri who dies before the year is up, forcing Takuma to be chased by the law, the angry gang, (who wants vengeance) and his own dojo.

In a fight with his dojo’s sensei Takuma falls off a cliff. He is nursed back to health by a beautiful waitress, Shino (Shisho Fujimura) who falls in love with him, but Takuma is still in love with his Namie but has given up all hope. Later, working for a Yakuza, Takuma sees Namie working in a brothel.

This is a very good movie and thankfully the inevitable sword fight finale between Takuma and several armies of Samurai is well played and thought out. By the late nineteen-sixties, the giant fight scene against countless Samurai has become clichéd, but at the time, it was very impressive; as it is here.

SPECIAL FEATURES:
High-Definition digital transfer by Kadokawa
Uncompressed mono PCM audio
Select-scene audio commentary by Japanese film historian Tom Mes (2025)
Visual essay by film critic Philip Kemp, comparing The Betrayal with the original Orochi the Serpent (2025)
Visual essay on director Tokuzo Tanaka by Tom Mes (2025)
New English subtitle translation
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Time Tomorrow
Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by Alain Silver
Limited edition of 3000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings

The Conjuring Trailer | Warner Bros. Entertainment

The Conjuring: 4K Ultra HD
(Joseph Bishara, Lili Taylor, Patrick Wilson, Ron Livingston, Vera Farmiga, et al / 4K Ultra HD + Digital / R / (2013) 2025 / Studio Distribution Services)

Overview: Before there was Amityville, there was Harrisville. The Conjuring tells the horrifying true story of Ed and Lorraine Warren, world renowned paranormal investigators, who were called to help a family terrorized by a dark presence in a secluded farmhouse.

Forced to confront a powerful demonic entity, the Warrens find themselves caught in the most terrifying case of their lives.

Oscar® nominee Vera Farmiga (The Departed) and Golden Globe nominee Patrick Wilson (Insidious) play the investigators while Golden Globe nominee Ron Livingston (Band of Brothers) and Emmy® nominee Lili Taylor (Six Feet Under) play the Perron family plagued by sinister spirits in this dark chiller from the writers of The Reaping and the creator of the Saw films.

The Conjuring, the 2013 New Line Cinema supernatural horror film from filmmaker James Wan is available now for purchase Digitally in 4K Ultra HD and on 4K UHD Blu-ray Disc on August 26th, 2025.

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 spooky The Conjuring (4K Ultra HD + Digital) in the expansive 4K Ultra HD video format this August 26th, 2025.

For my money, this The Conjuring (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 The Conjuring 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: Upscaled 4K (2160p), HDR: HDR10 Aspect ratio: 2.40:1 and Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1.

Although the film was a completely power packed horror movie from the very off, the one scene that scared the hell out of me was what I will call The Clap Scene. Carolyn gets locked in the cellar where she finds the ball bounced in her direction. She lights the matchsticks and suddenly the Rory claps the hands. That was a heart pumping experience for me and I am sure millions of others!

Although another scary moment is when the two girls (Nancy and Christine) are in bed and Nancy’s leg gets pulled. She looks down and under the bed but nobody is there. Then she looks up and thinks she sees somebody behind the door. Christine then stands up and goes next to the door to show her nobody is there. Nancy is convinced that she sees somebody there though.

As for the audio, well we get the plentiful choice of: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, French: Dolby Digital 5.1 and Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1.

As for the film itself, well, The Conjuring is an excellent, scary and suspenseful supernatural horror film that combines amazing direction, a great cast, non-stop terror and a creepy, intense score elements that showcase director James Wan at his best.

Based on a true story and set in 1971, The Conjuring tells the story of Carolyn and Roger Perron (Lili Taylor and Ron Livingston) who along with their five daughters have moved into a new house on the countryside of Rhode Island. While the Perron’s are in their new house, the family discovers that they are being haunted by ghosts and evil spirits. With nowhere to turn, the Perron’s ask for the help of Lorraine and Ed Warren (Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson), paranormal investigators to get rid of the evil spirits and save their family.

The Conjuring is an amazing and frightening supernatural horror film that right from the beginning puts viewers on edge giving people a scary and emotional experience that no one will ever forget. The Conjuring is also an old school horror movie in the truest sense because it’s a movie that takes us back to the classic stance of the supernatural horror films of the 1970’s and early 80’s.

For it combines a ghost story with a demonic possession story and merges elements of classics such as The Shining (1980), Poltergeist (1982), The Haunting (1963) with The Exorcist (1973) and The Evil Dead (1982). And whilst The Conjuring doesn’t necessarily reinvent the supernatural horror genre, the movie still manages to give a fresh and entertaining take on the haunted house genre.

Another thing great here are all the movie’s odes to the classic jump scares and taut suspense which are effective and done with great timing and detail. Created with an intense build-up that grabs you by the throat sometimes, director James Wan uses simple things to make the film creepy; whether it’s someone or something knocking on wood, moving doors, or simply showing things from a distance giving viewers a sense of dread.

Another thing that I love about The Conjuring is the way the movie uses atmosphere to make the movie scary, bending the darkness, all the haunting sounds and even the characters reactions to the chaos going on all around them, which definitely adds to the film’s dark tone.

The cast is outstanding. Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson are excellent and memorable as Lorraine and Ed Warren, the paranormal investigators. Lili Taylor and Ron Livingston are great also as Carolyn and Roger Perron, the couple whose house is haunted.

The direction by James Wan is just perfect. Stylish and cultured and with Wan always moving the camera with tracking shots, hand-held movements and creative angles give the movie a creepy and frightening atmosphere. Oh, and the score by Joseph Bishara is terrific, hauntingly intense and matches the movie’s scary energy. In short, The Conjuring is an excellent, scary and suspenseful horror film that is highly recommended.

The Conjuring 4K Ultra HD contains the following special features:
• Scariest of Them All (NEW) - The cast and creators of The Conjuring take a look back at some of the greatest scares of the series, uncovering what made these films so iconic.

• Reflections on the Conjuring (NEW) - More than a decade after the release of the original film, the cast and crew of The Conjuring reflect on their experiences creating one of the most legendary horror series in history.

• The Conjuring: Face-to-Face with Terror - Relive the real-life horror as the Perron family comes together to reflect back on the farmhouse they shared with diabolical spirits for nearly a decade.

• A Life in Demonology - The real demonologist and paranormal experts from The Conjuring take you inside their life’s work and into their personal occult cellar, where they keep haunted and unholy relics from their many cases.

• Scaring the “@$*%” Out of You - Director James Wan (Saw, Insidious) welcomes you into his world and gives an inside look at the at the scenes that scare the “@$*%” out of moviegoers time and time again.

The Unholy Trinity (Blu-ray + Digital)
(Brandon Lessard, David Arquette, Pierce Brosnan, Samuel L. Jackson, Veronica Ferres, et al / Blu-ray / R / 2025 / Studio Distribution Services)

Overview: A tale of revenge, dark secrets, and buried treasures, the film is set against the turbulent backdrop of 1870s Montana. It picks up in the moments before the execution of Isaac Broadway, as he gives his estranged son, Henry, an impossible task: Murder the man who framed him for a crime he didn’t commit.

Intent on fulfilling his promise, Henry travels to the remote town of Trinity, where an unexpected turn of events traps him in town and leaves him caught between Gabriel Dove, the town’s upstanding new sheriff, and a mysterious figure named St Christopher.

Blu-ray Verdict: In truth, director Richard Gray and company deliver the goods with The Unholy Trinity. It’s a solid western. Pierce Brosnan gives a terrific performance. He owns every scene he is in. In fact, the movie was kind of getting off on the wrong foot with me until Brosnan showed up (it was only a few minutes, actually).

For once Brosnan shows up, the movie really takes off. He has a bunch of great lines and he nails every one of them. Samuel L. Jackson is also in fine form. The supporting cast is good but it’s hard to compete with those two when they’re on their game.

Director Gray stages his action very well. It’s a very exciting movie. I’m a big fan of westerns and so I’m very appreciative of having been sent this Blu-ray ahead of release date for review.

In short, I personally loved the Montana scenery and the beautiful period-correct firearms, though the expensive urn (for a prisoner?) and the sound mixing (a pump-action shick-shock effect for a double-barrel break-action shotgun?) were minor distractions from an otherwise excellent gritty Western world.

On July 1, 2025, “The Unholy Trinity” will be available Digitally at home on participating digital platforms, including Amazon Prime Video, AppleTV, Fandango at Home, and more.

On August 26th, 2025, “The Unholy Trinity” will be available to own on Blu-ray and DVD from online and physical retailers. “The Unholy Trinity” will also continue to be available in high definition and standard definition from participating digital retailers.

The Unholy Trinity | Official Trailer

The Cat (Limited Edition) [Blu-ray]
(Gloria Yip, Waise Lee, Christine Ng, Yuk-San Cheung, Liang Chiang, et al / Blu-ray / NR / (1991) 2025 / 88 Films)

Overview: A cat from outer space teams up with a young alien girl and her knight, along with a novelist named Wisely, to fight an alien that possesses people.

An adaptation of the novel Old Cat, by Ni Kuang. A cat from outer space teams up with a young alien girl and her knight, along with an adventure novelist named Wisely, to fight a murderous alien that possesses people.

What follows is an over-the-top combination of body-swap delirium that leans more toward a Hong Kong adaptation of The Hidden than The Cat from Outer Space, but with touches of The Thing, Spaced Invaders, and Aliens! The Cat is an overlooked gem from the golden age of the VHS trading underground, completely remastered and packed with extras.

Blu-ray Verdict: From the team that brought us the outrageous prison drama STORY OF RICKY comes an equally bizarre science-fiction movie. Oh, and it isn’t ashamed to borrow ideas from sources as diverse as CALTIKI, THE TERMINATOR, THE BLOB and THE QUATERMASS EXPERIMENT. The result is certainly lively and - if you’re in the right frame of mind - quite entertaining.

The story concerns three visitors from another solar system whose mission on earth is to destroy the star-killer"=, an amorphous Lovecraftian creature that absorbs and can re-animate its human victims. The trio is seeking two relics displayed in terrestrial museums. When joined together, the relics create an amplification device for a ray beamed from their home planet. Bathed in the amplified ray, one of the visitors - a black cat called The General - will be powerful enough to vanquish the monster.

The film’s main attractions are its comely female cast members and some over-the-top action sequences. These include a junk yard battle between The General and a huge black mastiff that just have to be seen to be believed. There are also some quite graphic horror scenes, but the poor quality of the make-up effects mutes their impact.

Although it never attains the quality of the films it emulates, THE CAT is sufficiently fast paced enough to hold our attention even while we laugh at its absurdities. That all said, The Cat is HIGHLY recommended late night viewing!

Limited Edition Special Features:
LIMITED EDITION RIGID SLIP CASE WITH NEW ARTWORK BY SEAN LONGMORE
LIMITED EDITION 40 PAGE PERFECT BOUND BOOK
LIMITED EDITION PREMIUM ARTCARD
BRAND NEW 2K RESTORATION FROM THE ORIGINAL NEGATIVE
REMASTERED ORIGINAL CANTONESE MONOAURAL SOUNDTRACK
NEWLY TRANSLATED ENGLISH SUBTITLES
AUDIO COMMENTARY BY FRANK DJENG (NY ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL)
BRAND NEW FILM INTERVIEW WITH WRITER GORDON CHAN
IMAGE GALLERY

www.88-films.myshopify.com

Jurassic World Rebirth (4K Ultra HD+BR+ Digital)
(Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, Jonathan Bailey, Rupert Friend, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Ed Skrein, et al / 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital / PG-13 / 2025 / Universal Pictures)

Overview: A new era is born. A covert extraction team races to the most dangerous place on Earth, an island research facility where dinosaurs too deadly for the original Jurassic Park were left behind. Their mission: collect DNA from three colossal creatures to unlock a drug with huge benefits for humanity. In a terrain populated by perils, they will make a shocking discovery that has been hidden for years.

After a record-breaking box office debut, JURASSIC WORLD REBIRTH is now available to own or rent for the first time exclusively on Digital platforms tomorrow, and on 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD September 9th, 2025, from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment and Amblin Entertainment.

4K UHD Blu-ray Verdict: Universal Pictures is expanding their 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray catalog offerings this month with the release of the highly anticipated Jurassic World Rebirth (4K Ultra HD+BR+ Digital) in the expansive 4K Ultra HD video format this September 9th, 2025.

For my money, this Jurassic World Rebirth 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 Jurassic World Rebirth 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.

Which shows us its very best during what I will call the Rex River Scene. Where a sleepy rex with a full belly gets up for a drink, sees something new and decides to chase it a little. Also having the intelligence to look underwater to see what might be hiding under the raft, it then eventually gets bored/frustrated (as it has all become rather tiresome to it) and thus sculks away!

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

As for the film itself, well, the dinosaurs are back and I personally loved seeing them again! I know they come thick and fast these days, but it felt like a hot minute or three since the ast one so this new installment had be ready and waiting.

That all said, and as much as I did actually enjoy it, somehow, and with all the money the moviemakers have to hand, these beloved dinosaurs have never felt more tired (to look at and to watch lumbering around).

Jurassic World: Rebirth, the seventh installment in the once-iconic franchise, brings a set of new characters to the fore and is, for all intents and purposes, a loud, shiny, and action-packed cinematic escape, but beneath the surface, well, there’s a noticeably creative void as vast as the prehistoric landscapes it tries to resurrect.

Lovingly chock full of a string of chase scenes, explosions, and close calls, stitched together with a plot point that is explained early on and keeps the storyline moving nicely throughout, there can be no attempts at character development as you just do not know who is going to survive an attack at any time.

Which is part of the fun of the movie, granted, but to not know means we do not get to know them before they vanish faster than a velociraptor in the underbrush! Overall, the cast, though star-studded, is not given too much to work with, at times their performances feeling robotic, a sense their characters are going through the motions when they should be scared shitless and always on their toes, eyes on stalks! But that’s ok, as the two hour movie is a visual blockbuster of a ride regardless.

Leaning heavily on nostalgia, it throws in beautiful visual callbacks, familiar music cues, and the occasional forced reference to earlier films, and it all feels just so warm and fuzzy to see/hear. All the emotional beats land, even the most glorious of surprises, which means if you are a fan of the series, well, you will not be disappointed with Rebirth.

In closing, if you have seen the first six movies, you have already seen most everything this film has to offer, sure, but I am here to tell you that Jurassic World: Rebirth is extremely watchable and extremely enjoyable.

EXCLUSIVE BONUS FEATURES AVAILABLE WHEN YOU BUY AT PARTICIPATING DIGITAL RETAILERS:
• ALTERNATE OPENING
• DELETED SCENES
RAPTORS - Featuring Mahershala Ali, Jonathan Bailey, Rupert Friend, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, David Iacono, Luna Blaise and Audrina Miranda
MUTADON ATTACK – Featuring Scarlett Johansson, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, David Iacono, Rupert Friend, Luna Blaise and Audrina Miranda
• JURASSIC WORLD REBIRTH: HATCHING A NEW ERA
THE WORLD EVOLVES - Journey into a reimagined Jurassic World with Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey, Mahershala Ali and the rest of the cast and filmmakers.
OFF THE DEEP END - Dive into the thrilling ocean sequence and learn about the challenges of shooting on open water, the one-of-a-kind gimbal used to toss around the Essex and Mariposa, and the VFX wizardry that brought the Mosasaurus and Spinosaurs to life.
TREKKING THROUGH THAILAND - Follow the cast and crew’s footsteps as they navigate the challenges of shooting in exotic jungles, beaches, and tall grass fields that become home to the Titanosaurs.
REX IN THE RAPIDS - Brace for a T. rex encounter that’s different than anything experienced before with a nail-biting river chase recreated from Michael Crichton’s original Jurassic Park novel.
DON’T LOOK DOWN - Soar into the Quetzalcoatlus sequence with Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey, and Bechir Sylvain as they train for and shoot their cliff rappelling scenes.
MINI-MART MAYHEM - Go inside the heart-stopping third act of Jurassic World Rebirth and witness the process of crafting sets that allow the movie’s mutant dinosaurs to step out of nightmare-inspired designs and stop on an exhilarating rampage.
• GAG REEL
• MEET DOLORES - Meet the animatronic Aquilops with an extraordinarily lifelike personality.
• MUNCHED: BECOMING DINO FOOD - Get a victim’s firsthand view inside the frightening jaws of deadly dinosaurs that munch, chomp, and chew their way into creating unforgettable death sequences.
• A DAY AT SKYWALKER SOUND – Actress Audrina Miranda guides a personal tour of Skywalker Sound in California to meet the audio editors, foley artists, and mixers who design the movie’s wide array of sounds.
• HUNTING FOR EASTER EGGS - Find out where to look for cleverly hidden Easter eggs that pay homage to everything from the first Jurassic Park film to other Steven Spielberg classics.
• FEATURE COMMENTARY WITH DIRECTOR GARETH EDWARDS, PRODUCTION DESIGNER JAMES CLYNE, AND FIRST ASSISTANT DIRECTOR JACK RAVENSCROFT
• FEATURE COMMENTARY WITH DIRECTOR GARETH EDWARDS, EDITOR JABEZ OLSSEN, AND VISUAL EFFECTS SUPERVISOR DAVID VICKERY

Jurassic World Rebirth | Official Trailer | Universal Entertainment

Jurassic World Rebirth | Official Website | Universal Entertainment

Jurassic World Rebirth | Official Facebook Page | Universal Entertainment

Spenser: For Hire - The Complete Series
(Robert Urich, Avery Brooks, Richard Jaeckel, Ron McLarty, et al / 16-Disc DVD / PG-13 / 2025 / Dark Arts Entertainment)

Overview: Based on Robert B. Parker’s iconic detective novels and in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the American crime drama series, Spenser: For Hire fans can once again experience every gripping moment with the release of Spenser: For Hire – The Complete Series on DVD, arriving September 9th, 2025.

In the shadows of Boston, Spenser (Robert Urich), a former cop with a poet’s soul and a fighter’s fists, solves crimes in his own uniquely stylish way. A true Renaissance man, he faces danger head-on, backed by his formidable ally Hawk (Avery Brooks) and contacts inside the police department. While he’s unstoppable on the streets, his love life stalls as his longtime love (Barbara Stock) refuses to marry a man whose life is a constant dance with death.

For the first time ever, Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment brings together all three seasons of this action-packed crime, mystery-drama in one comprehensive collection.

DVD Verdict: Including all 65 episodes from all three seasons, this brand new Spenser: For Hire - The Complete Series 16-Disc DVD box-set is as good as it gets, my friends!

When I first heard that Robert Urich was cast to play another P.I. in yet another television series I began to have mixed feelings. Don’t get me wrong, I loved Vegas and I was excited and couldn’t wait to see what Spenser: For Hire was going to be like, but at the same time I also felt a sense of been there, done that brewing.

The new series was just going to have to show me that it was worthy of my viewership ... and it didn’t take long! I fell in love with the show after just a few episodes. Mostly because of the cast and the chemistry they soon developed, and the locations around Boston that I recognized.

Robert Urich and Avery Brooks were born to play opposite each other as were Urich and Barbara Stock. As Spenser and Hawk -- and Spenser and Susan, along with Sgt. Belson and Lt. Quirk, after a few episodes, I knew I was going to like this show. I also loved how they used locations around the Boston area and was amused when they (for example) were supposed to be in Boston’s North End, yet they actually were filming in Central Square in Lynn (although most wouldn’t know that unless they were from the area).

No particular episode stands out as my favorite during the first season, but one that I like to go to when needing my Spenser fix would be Discord in A Minor (a dark episode about a troubled musical child prodigy and her equally talented father who, and without a doubt, was ten times as troubled).

Some notable first season guests included William H. Macy, Chuck Connors and Shirley Knight.

Now, the second season got an upheaval as Executive Producer Juanita Bartlett had sent Barbara Stock’s Susan Silverman packing, and Spenser needed Susan as his lady love; as in Robert B. Parkers’ hugely successful series of novels.

The stand out episode here for me has to be The Long Hunt, which is just about perfect, and as a plus we see the introduction of the temporary replacement hero car after Spenser’s prized classic Mustang is destroyed!

Spenser is a hidden gem. It was, I believe, only shown once on British TV and then never repeated. Spenser is a quality product unlike many of the modern cop shows. Oh, and one of the pluses is seeing major stars like Samuel L. Jackson in supporting roles.

Adding to that, other notable second season guests also included Marg Helgenberger, Ed O’Neill, Spalding Gray, Laurence Fishburne and Ruby Dee.

The third, and final season was, for me, the best of the best of all three seasons. Saying it like it is, Spenser: For Hire was the best TV show of all time! It was also a great detective series and the only thing I hated about the show was that it only lasted three seasons. Again, this show ended way too soon!

Both Spenser and Hawk were very complex characters and terribly difficult to cast but they pulled it off! Robert B. Parker broke the mold when he created Hawk. That said, and being as polite as possible, and this applies to the second season too, I continue to wonder how the actress who became the reinvented Susan Silverman got cast. She is awful!

My favorite episode was Play It Again, Sammy which, sure, ok, was a little over the top at times maybe, but it was an excellent showcasing of the entire cast. Also, Substantial Justice is a close second for me, and Child’s Play an extremely close third.

Some notable third season guest stars included E.G. Marshall, Ving Rhames, Andie MacDowell, William Hickey and Giancarlo Esposito.

Spenser: For Hire stars Robert Urich, Avery Brooks, Ron McLarty, Richard Jaeckel, Barbara Stock, and Carolyn McCormick, and was produced by John Wilder Productions (1985-1986) and Jadda Productions (1986-1987) both in association with Warner Bros. Television.

Original ABC Spenser For Hire 1985 Series Premiere Promo Trailer

www.warnerbros.com

The Buster Keaton Show (Blu-ray)
(Buster Keaton, Margaret Dumont, et al / Blu-ray / NR / (1949) 2025 / Liberation Hall)

Overview: By the late 1940s, it seemed Buster Keaton’s career had ended. With the exception of increasingly rare daywork, he’d barely worked in almost 5 years, other than a four-week part in a famous Paris based circus in 1947 and prior to that, touring in a summer theater production of The Gorilla in 1941.

But in 1949, comedian Ed Wynn had a variety show on the relatively new broadcast format of television and he invited Keaton to appear on his CBS show, which was televised live only on the West Coast and then recorded on kinescope, then film prints were made and distributed to other parts of the country (there was no transcontinental broadcast until September, 1951).

So it was one of the thrills of my life when I got a chance in December of 1949 to do my own weekly TV show on KHJ (KTTV), the Los Angeles Times broadcasting station. By then I had almost given up hope of getting another real chance as an actor. Buster Keaton

Of the 13 episodes produced and aired from The Buster Keaton Show, only these 9 episodes exist today and two of them are especially unique: The one from 2/2/50 has never been viewed since its original air date and the episode from 2/23/50 was never before available on any other format.

The series initially received high ratings on the West Coast but the lack of a studio audience response and its laughter (canned laughter didn’t exist) to Keaton’s brilliant physical humor, doomed the series.

These episodes were restored by renowned archivist/preservationist Jeff Joseph and have been digitally upgraded to high resolution.

Blu-ray Verdict: Sponsored by the Studebaker Dealers of Los Angeles, recalling it all as best as possible, at the end of the 40’s Buster was one of the first of the great stars to appear regularly on TV. Although his starring career in movies was long past, he made a big hit with early TV audiences and was even given two local TV series which were quite successful but were very expensive to produce.

In what is my favorite episode here of the nine - for we have lost five of them over the years, but have gained back two especially unique ones: one from 2/2/50 has never been viewed since its original air date and the episode from 2/23/50 was never before available on any other format - we see our fearless leader deciding to get fit and so has hired a trainer for the purpose.

Obviously the episode requires a bit of set up and story line so there’s a lengthy scene with some actors setting up a story before Buster appears. The story is that BK (as they call him) has decided to get fit and wants a trainer to get him into shape. Then they introduce the trainer who tells us about his girl and how he’s worried about her talking to other men.

Since most TV at this was live it’s not surprising that the actors seem quite intimidated and one guy stumbles over several lines. This material, written by Buster’s old collaborator Clyde Bruckman is pretty labored at times, in truth, sometimes unnecessary in parts, which might have put some uncertainty into the heads of those watching as to whether or not they were going to like the show or not. But all this changes when Buster enters the room and the others leave him to it.

We’re then treated to two 10-minute virtual solo’s from Buster as he proceeds from one form of exercise to the next, managing to bungle each in inventive and hilarious ways. He also gets to show off his talents with a basketball, performing a series of increasingly surreal and improbable tricks - even netting it whilst lying on his back!

You can see Buster gets a big kick out of the live audience and his delight is quite infectious. Although it’s half a century and two decades ago that these episodes were filmed, watching the great man do his thing in real time is a considerable pleasure even today.

Inevitably Buster gets himself in trouble as he accidentally conks a female who comes into the gym, knocking her spark out! As he tries to revive her, Buster hauls and throws the girl around like a rag doll in a scene reminiscent of putting the drunk to bed in Spite Marriage and then his trainer walks in and, of course, it turns out the girl is his wife!

Suspecting Buster of canoodling, the scene is set for an all too real boxing session, but Buster miraculously wins that too! At 55, Buster is still amazingly able to take the falls and you just know none of the stunts are faked in this. As in his films Buster has the uncanny ability to make all the falls and entanglements in the ropes seem completely spontaneous and natural, showing as always that he never needed words to be funny.

Bonus Features:
Three comedians in closeup (CBC-TV) (16:18) in HD
This Is Your Life (TV episode featuring Buster Keaton) (29:22) in HD
Circus Time (7:27) in HD
Cops (1922)(17:49) in SD
The Goat (1921)(19:24) in SD

http://www.liberationhall.com/

The Last Horror Film [Tromatic Special Edition]
(J’Len Winters, John Kelly, Joe Spinell, et al / Blu-ray / NR / (1982) 2025 / Troma Entertainment)

Overview: A New York taxi driver stalks a beautiful actress attending the Cannes Film Festival, which coincides with a series of violent killings of the lady’s friends.

Blu-ray Verdict: Fanatic aka The Last Horror Film (1982) is actually sometimes labeled Maniac 2, which cane merely be interpreted as an attempt to cash in on William Lustig’s ultra-nasty 1980 shocker Maniac, which weirdly featured the same cast.

The incredibly creepy-looking Joe Spinell played the eponymous girl-butchering maniac in Lustig’s film, and he once again plays a rather demented role for Troma.

However, as opposed to Maniac - which is easily one of the most disturbing American Horror films of the early 80’s - Fanatic is rather a dark comedy, or a darkly but strongly satirical horror film, in and unto its very self, to say the least.

Spinell plays Vinny Durand, a New York taxi driver mama’s boy, total psycho and fanatical film fan, who plans to make his own horror movie starring the star he worships, horror beauty Jana Bates (played by Caroline Munro, who also played the female lead in Maniac).

He follows her to the film festival in Cannes, where he tries to stalk her, but never manages to come close to her. In the meanwhile, more and more of Jana’s associates in the film business end up in gory massacres.

The Last Horror Film satirizes the 80’s controversy about whether watching violent and gory Horror films will turn viewers into violent psychopaths. That is for another day though, for as much as it is age old, it still has not been successfully argued either way. Back on track and Joe Spinell is always great for extremely sleazy, perverted and creepy roles, and his performance here is doubtlessly the main reason to watch The Last Horror Film.

The always beautiful Caroline Munro is a cinematic vision, as are most of the other female cast members, all of whom are eager to expose their breasts at any given moment! Sadly, Fanatic features no suspense at all and whilst there is some gore it is not comparable to the disturbing nature of Maniac.

In closing, the film has its very funny moments though, mainly provided by Spinell’s character’s extreme eccentricities and whereas the film is certainly no must-see, it nonetheless provides a good laugh and is a definitive mid-80’s cinematic gem to still behold, of that you an be very sure.

Bonus Features:
Introduction by Lloyd Kaufman
Audio Commentaries
Interviews
Mr. Robbie - A Short Film By Buddy Giovinazzo
Highlights From The Tromadance Film Festival
A Full Episode Of Kabukiman’s Cocktail Corner

Official Theatrical Trailer/

The Last of Us Season 2 | Official Trailer | Max

The Last of Us: Complete Second Season (Steelbook)
(Bella Ramsey, Gabriel Luna, Isabela Merced, Pedro Pascal, Young Mazino, et al / 3-Disc 4K Ultra HD Steelbook / NR / 2025 / HBO Home Video)

Overview: Following the Emmy® Award-winning debut season, Season Two of the HBO® Original Series The Last of Us, continues the emotionally charged journey of survival, loss, and humanity in a post-pandemic world.

Based on the famed video game of the same name, The Last of Us continues to captivate audiences with its compelling storytelling and stunning performances.

Now, fans can own all seven episodes of the critically acclaimed second season along with nearly two hours of special features including two never-before-been-seen featurettes, when Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment releases The Last of Us: The Complete Second Season on 4K Ultra HD Steelbook, 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD on September 23rd, 2025.

Five years after the events of the first season, Joel and Ellie are drawn into conflict with each other and a world even more dangerous and unpredictable than the one they left behind.

4K UHD Blu-ray Verdict: HBO Home Video is expanding their 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray catalog offerings this month with the release of the highly anticipated The Last of Us: The Complete Second Season in the expansive 4K Ultra HD video format this September 23rd, 2025.

For my money, this The Last of Us: The Complete Second Season’s 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 The Last of Us: The Complete Second Season presented to us as a three-disc. Other stand out points you should know are: Codec: HEVC / H.265, Resolution: Native 4K (2160p), HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10, Aspect ratio: 1.78:1 and Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1.

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

As for the TV series itself, well, Season One of The Last of Us was nothing short of phenomenal. Every single episode kept me on the edge of my seat - beautifully written, emotionally gripping, and incredibly well-acted. It truly felt like peak television.

Season Two is still strong, though, and in all truth, it couldn’t quite reach the same heights as the first. The story took a bold turn with Joel’s death, which was difficult to watch but understandable given the game’s storyline. Even if it didn’t hit as hard as the first season, it still delivered powerful performances and compelling drama.

The brilliance of the series lies in its masterful exploration of the core human connection. The relationship between Joel and Ellie is the emotional backbone of the entire show. Their journey begins as a mere transaction - a desperate man hired for a desperate mission - but slowly blossoms into a complex and deeply moving father-daughter bond.

Joel, haunted by his past and consumed by grief, is a perfect representation of a man who has lost everything and is hesitant to love again. Ellie, on the other hand, is not a naive child; she is a symbol of hope and resilience who must navigate a world that demands a rapid loss of innocence. Their dynamic is the engine that drives the series, proving that even in the darkest of times, human connection is our most powerful tool.

Beyond this central relationship, the show unflinchingly reveals the dark side of humanity. It presents a world where the lines between good and evil are blurred. Survival necessitates moral compromises, and the series is unafraid to show us the worst of people - from the brutality of raiders to the chilling actions of those who believe they are righteous.

It exposes the ugly truth that people are often a greater threat than the Infected themselves, highlighting our capacity for cruelty when resources are scarce and trust is non-existent.

From a technical standpoint, the series is a triumph. The direction is meticulous, focusing on emotional depth and character-driven moments rather than just action. This deliberate pacing allows the audience to fully invest in the characters’ psychological and emotional journeys.

The acting is nothing short of superb. Pedro Pascal’s portrayal of Joel is a masterclass in subtlety and suppressed emotion, while Bella Ramsey delivers a stunning performance as Ellie, capturing both her fierce spirit and vulnerability. Their chemistry makes their bond feel utterly authentic and earned.

Overall, both seasons were highly enjoyable, and the series remains one of the best video game adaptations I’ve ever seen.

Season two returning cast includes Pedro Pascal as Joel, Bella Ramsey as Ellie, Gabriel Luna as Tommy, and Rutina Wesley as Maria. New cast includes Kaitlyn Dever as Abby, Isabela Merced as Dina, Young Mazino as Jesse, Ariela Barer as Mel, Tati Gabrielle as Nora, Spencer Lord as Owen, Danny Ramirez as Manny, and Jeffrey Wright as Isaac. Catherine O’Hara also guest stars as therapist, Gail.

The Last of Us, based on the acclaimed video franchise developed by Naughty Dog for the PlayStation® consoles, is written and executive produced by Craig Mazin (Emmy® Award-winning creator of HBO’s “Chernobyl”) and Neil Druckmann (creator and writer of the award-winning “The Last of Us” franchise and Naughty Dog Studio Head).

The series is a co-production with Sony Pictures Television and is also executive produced by Carolyn Strauss, Jacqueline Lesko, Cecil O’Connor, Asad Qizilbash, Carter Swan, and Evan Wells; with writer/co-executive producer Halley Gross. Production companies: PlayStation Productions, Word Games, Mighty Mint, and Naughty Dog.

EXCLUSIVE BONUS FEATURES:
• Ellie’s Ultimate Revenge (New Featurette Exclusive to 4K, BD and DVD) – Join the cast and crew as we discover what is fueling Ellie’s revenge and the rage within. What lead her on this path? Who is Ellie as a person and what drives her? What is her current relationship with Joel? How does she feel after she witnesses Joel die? Who is Abby? How can she find her? What will she do when she finally does? All of these questions are explored in Ellie’s Ultimate Revenge.

• Beneath the Surface: The Visual FX of The Last of Us (New Featurette Exclusive to 4K, BD and DVD) – The Last of Us invites you behind the scenes with the award-winning teams who bring the show to life. Tour the prosthetic workshop and revisit the concept art that inspired the characters! See the pyro team bathe the infected stunt performers in flames. Go behind the scenes as the production prepares hundreds of background actors in hair and make up for their epic attack on Jackson. Learn how VFX and Costume teams worked together to help bring to life the spore-filled basement beneath Lakehill Hospital. Featuring interviews with cast and crew.

· Growing the World of The Last of Us
· Welcome to Jackson (Set Tour)
· Joel’s Journey to Season 2
· Ellie’s Journey to Season 2
· Pedro and Bella Q&A
· Battle of Jackson, Deconstructed
· Open Book: Isabela Merced & Young Mazino
· Mushroom Taste Test
· Character Featurette – Joel
· Character Featurette – Ellie
· Character Featurette – Abby
· Character Featurette – Dina
· Making of: The Last of Us Episode #1
· Making of: The Last of Us Episode #2
· Making of: The Last of Us Episode #3
· Making of: The Last of Us Episode #4
· Making of: The Last of Us Episode #5
· Making of: The Last of Us Episode #6
· Making of: The Last of Us Episode #7

Three / Three ... Extremes [Limited Edition]
(Bai Ling, Eric Tsang, Eugenia Yuan, Lee Dae Yon, et al / 2-Disc Blu-ray / R / 2025 / Arrow Films)

Overview: A trio of ghostly tales of terror, each from a different country, form the anthology Three. Initiated by acclaimed Hong Kong producer and director Peter Ho-Sun Chan, the film would prove highly influential in its innovative approach to pan-Asian horror, and lead to the shockingly compelling sequel, Three ... Extremes. Dive into the ultimate omnibus of horror with both films lavishly restored and featuring a wealth of new and archival extras.

Korean genre maestro Kim Jee-woon (A Tale of Two Sisters) opens Three with Memories, where a husband and wife with no memory of how they fell apart discover the terrifying truth behind their separation.

In Thai filmmaker Nonzee Nimibutr’s (Nang Nak) tale of guilt and jealousy, The Wheel, a puppeteer fears his marionettes are possessed by the spirits of those he has wronged. Finally, in Peter Ho-Sun Chan’s Going Home, a widowed police officer and his young son move into a new apartment and uncover the chilling secret behind their new neighbor and his seemingly comatose wife.

Three ... Extremes’ unforgettable first story, Dumplings, directed by celebrated filmmaker Fruit Chan (Made in Hong Kong), sees an aging actor discover that the dumplings she’s been eating for their miraculous rejuvenating benefits contain an unsavory secret ingredient.

Next, in Korean legend Park Chan-wook’s (Oldboy) segment Cut, a wealthy filmmaker is caught in a twisted game when a vindictive actor takes his wife hostage.

Finally, Japanese Master of Horror Takashi Miike’s (Audition) segment, Box, sees a novelist plagued by nightmares of her past as a child circus performer with her long-lost twin sister, until she receives a mysterious invitation to return to the site of her old circus.

Blu-ray Verdict: Three is an omnibus supernatural horror film comprised of three one-hour long mini-features. Each one was produced in a different country, Peter Chan representing Hong Kong, Kim Ji-Woon representing South Corea, and Nonzee Nimibtr representing Thailand.

The opening film, Kim Ji-Woon’s Memories follows two individuals as they grapple with seemingly missing memories: a man whose wife is missing and a woman who’s trying to figure out who she is. The work actually foreshadows a lot of what will eventually show up in Kim’s following feature, A Tale of Two Sisters, which I really liked. While the film does feature a number of eerie moments, it also suffers from a lack of a strong story. There’s not much to its revelation and the characters are fairly static. To its merit, it’s probably the most technically proficient of the three films and certainly the scariest.

The second piece is Peter Chan’s Going Home and this is probably the best overall of the bunch. While its production values are actually the roughest of the three, the story is probably the highlight of the three. The story is divided into two segments, the first where a cop and his son move into an aging complex where few people live and is seemingly haunted. The second, the cop grapples with a seemingly mad homeopathic doctor who is appearing to pursue the resurrection of his dead wife. The film grasps well its theme and the story has a few interesting revelations to provide while also having something to say about the power of love/hope.

It’s not a scary piece for the most part, but despite the production values, the direction appears sure and makes great use of its setting and limitations.

The final film is Nimibtr’s Wheel, which is about an arts troupe grappling with the curse of an evil puppet. This is probably the weakest segment. While it does have some good imagery to offer, the story is confusing, aimless and the scares are without method or meaning. Some of the visuals are chilling, but because of the rather slapdash and sometimes illogical story, the overall effect of the piece is muted.

All in all, I have to say that Three isn’t a complete waste of time due to the solid piece by Peter Chan and the stylish opening act. On the other hand, it’s weakened by the third piece and while the three do try to take on the same overall concept, they seem to be too divergent to really make a cohesive whole, with Nimibutr’s Wheel really on a different plane than the other two.

Although a solid threesome of cinematic brilliance, as a whole, they are probably better viewing for genre lovers of horror or supernatural films and perhaps for more curious cinephiles.

LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:
Brand new 2K restorations of both films by Arrow Films
High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation of both films
Original 5.1 DTS-HD MA surround audio and lossless stereo audio on both films
Optional English subtitles for both films
Reversible sleeve featuring newly commissioned artwork for both films by Xinmei Liu
Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the films by Stacie Ponder and David Desser
Double-sided foldout poster featuring newly commissioned artwork by Xinmei Liu

DISC ONE: THREE
Cross-Pollination Horror Part 1, a brand new interview with producer and “Going Home” director Peter Ho-Sun Chan
Recalling Memories, a brand new interview with “Memories” director Kim Jee-woon
Making Memories, a brand new interview with Memories cinematographer Hong Kyoung-pyo
Terror Without Borders, a newly edited interview with Peter Ho-Sun Chan, filmed in 2005 by Frédéric Ambroisine
Between Life and Death, a newly edited interview with “Going Home” star Eugenia Yuan, filmed in 2004 by Frédéric Ambroisine
Peter Ho-Sun Chan: Cinema Without Borders, an archival interview
Kim Jee-woon: Memories from Beyond the Grave, an archival interview Making-of featurette
Original theatrical trailer

DISC TWO: THREE... EXTREMES
Audio commentary on the segment “Box” by director Takashi Miike
Cross-Pollination Horror Part 2, a brand new interview with producer Peter Ho-Sun Chan
Cooking Dumplings, a brand new interview with “Dumplings” director Fruit Chan
Something a Little More Beautiful, a brand new interview with Takashi Miike Taste, Taboo and Truth, a newly edited interview with Fruit Chan, filmed in 2004 by Frédéric Ambroisine
More Than Skin Deep, a newly edited interview with “Dumplings” star Bai Ling, filmed in 2005 by Frédéric Ambroisine
Making-of featurettes for each segment
Trailers for Three... Extremes and the feature-length version of Dumplings

In The Mouth Of Madness [Limited Edition] [4K UHD]
(Julie Carmen, Jürgen Prochnow, Sam Neill, et al / 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray / R / (1994) 2025 / Arrow Films)

Overview: Do you read Sutter Cane?

He chilled our blood with The Thing. Brought us face to face with the devil himself in Prince of Darkness. Now master of horror John Carpenter drives us out of our minds with In the Mouth of Madness, the final entry in his Apocalypse Trilogy.

Horror author Sutter Cane is missing. As crowds turn violent waiting for copies of his latest book, Cane’s publishers enlist insurance investigator John Trent to find him. With Cane’s editor, Linda Styles, Trent sets off in search of the elusive author and finds himself trapped in Hobb’s End, a town that should only exist within the author’s books. As fiction and reality blur, Trent begins to realize that between the lines, beyond the page, somewhere out there in the dark, something evil is waiting to break through.

Starring Sam Neill (Jurassic Park), Julie Carmen (Fright Night Part 2), and Jürgen Prochnow (Das Boot), with a supporting cast that features Charlton Heston (The Omega Man), David Warner (Time Bandits), and John Glover (Gremlins 2), plus sterling special effects from KNB EFX, In the Mouth of Madness makes its debut appearance in glorious 4K Ultra HD, looking deeper, richer, and stranger than ever!

Blu-ray Verdict: Personally, I think that this movie is the best and most faithful to the works of the late cosmic horror author H.P. Lovecraft not just in the appearance of the monsters and the plot ideas, but in the idea that we are all so small and insignificant to the horrible things that we have no knowledge of. There are a few flaws in it, but I don’t let them get in the way of a great movie.

The movie begins with John Trent (Sam Neill) being dragged into an insane asylum in a straitjacket, trying to tell the orderlies that he’s not insane. He is visited by Dr. Wren (David Warner), who is trying to help get him out of there. When asked how he got to the hospital, Trent tells him about his job as a freelance insurance investigator and that it all started with the disappearance of Sutter Cane (Jürgen Prochnow).

At the diner, Robbie (Bernie Casey), who runs the insurance company Trent worked at, is at a diner trying to convince him to start working for him and tells him that there’s a claim that Sutter Cane is missing that cost millions. Suddenly, an axe-wielding maniac smashes the diner window and asks Trent, Do you read Sutter Cane? before he’s shot to death by police.

Later, Trent is told by Linda Styles (Julie Carmen) that Cane’s books have a mentally scarring effect on his less stable readers. He discovers a couple nights later that Hobb’s End, the town from many of Cane’s novels is real, and starts to see the nightmarish truth behind the strange behavior of his readers ... and his own existence.

This is a really creepy movie that deserves to have others similar to it, and a great homage to one of my favorite horror authors. My only complaint is Julie Carmen. I don’t remember much about her in Fright Night Part II, but her acting in this movie was really bad. Still, it doesn’t kill the movie, and towards the end, Trent says something that has haunted me for a long time: Every species can smell its own extinction. The last ones left won’t have a pretty time with it. In ten years, the human race will just be a bedtime story for the children. A myth. Nothing more.

4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:
Brand new 4K restoration from the original 35mm camera negative by Arrow Films
4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) Original lossless DTS-HD MA 5.1 and stereo 2.0 audio options
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Archive audio commentary with director John Carpenter and producer Sandy King Carpenter
Archive audio commentary with director John Carpenter and director of photography Gary B. Kibbe
Brand new audio commentary by filmmakers Rebekah McKendry & Elric Kane, co-hosts of Colors of the Dark podcast
Making Madness, a newly filmed interview with producer Sandy King Carpenter Do You Read Sutter Cane?, a newly filmed interview with actor Jürgen Prochnow
The Whisperer of the Dark, an archive interview with actress Julie Carmen Greg Nicotero’s Things in the Basement, an archive interview with special effects artist Greg Nicotero
We Are What He Writes, a new featurette in praise of John Carpenter and In the Mouth of Madness
Reality Is Not What It Used To Be, a new appreciation by film scholar Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
Horror’s Hallowed Grounds, an archive featurette looking at the locations used in the film
Home Movies From Hobb’s End, behind-the-scenes footage
The Making of In the Mouth of Madness, a vintage featurette
Theatrical trailer and TV spots
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Francesco Francavilla
Double-sided fold-out poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Francesco Francavilla
Perfect bound collector’s book featuring new writing on the film by Guy Adams, Josh Hurtado, Richard Kadrey, George Daniel Lea, Willow Catelyn Maclay, and Alexandra West

Ms .45 [Limited Edition] [4K Ultra HD]
(Helen McGara, Nike Zachmanoglou, Peter Yellen, Stanley Timms, et al / 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray / R / (1981) 2025 / Arrow Films)

Overview: From Abel Ferrara, director of The Driller Killer and King of New York, comes a terrifying revenge-thriller in the tradition of Death Wish and Taxi Driver ... Ms .45 (aka Angel of Vengeance) will blow you away.

New York, 1980. Raped at gunpoint on her way home from work, mute seamstress Thana returns to the safety of her apartment only to be assaulted again by a burglar; but this time she fights back. Bludgeoning her assailant with an iron, she takes his gun and begins to dispose of the body piece by piece. Fueled by her trauma, Thana sees that sexual threat is everywhere in the city and decides to bring a .45 caliber solution to the problem.

A devastating depiction of sexual violence and female rage, with a stunning central performance from Zoë Lund (credited as Zoë Tamerlis), Ms .45 arrives on 4K UHD in a brand-new restoration that gives an extraordinary glimpse into the grimy glamour of New York in the 80’s and with all its controversial power intact.

Blu-ray Verdict: Despite initially looking like a routine revenge picture, Ms .45 is actually one of the more subversive pieces of cinema to emerge from the exploitation mill. The plot is uncomplicated. Thana, a mute garment worker, is raped and brutalized twice in one day. Though she offers no resistance to the first attack, she kills her second tormentor and uses his .45 caliber handgun to wreak vengeance on any man who subsequently crosses her.

Zoe Lund (RIP) delivers a truly seismic performance in the title role. She conveys a huge range of emotions without ever speaking, from terror to ice-cold fury. Conceptualizing her character as mute is a true stroke of genius as it perfectly captures the lack of a voice that many women experience in the brutal, male-dominated world that this film so scathingly attacks. Director Abel Ferrera’s central feminist thesis identifies female oppression and powerlessness as an incubator for uncontrollable rage.

This is illustrated by Thana’s violence escalating in conjunction with her appearing more traditionally beautiful and reaches its clearest articulation when she unleashes a bloodbath while dressed as a nun. Also noteworthy is the surprisingly accurate depiction of several symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, a condition that Thana is clearly afflicted with after her initial victimization.

In any event, Ms .45 is a knockout exploitation flick that provides plenty of thrills, and also a compelling portrait of the insatiable thirst for retribution that can unleashed in even the most superficially meek and timid of people. Though obviously low budget, this truly is a gem.

4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:
Brand new 4K restoration by Arrow Films from the original 35mm camera negative
4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) Original lossless mono audio
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Brand new audio commentary by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, author of Rape Revenge Films: A Critical Study and Cultographies: Ms .45
The Voice of Violence, a new featurette with film critic BJ Colangelo
Where Dreams Go to Die, a new featurette with film critic Kat Ellinger
Archive interview with director Abel Ferrara
Archive interview with composer Joe Delia
Archive interview with creative consultant Jack McIntyre
Zoe XO, a 2004 short film directed by Paul Rachman
Zoe Rising, a 2011 short film directed by Paul Rachman
Theatrical trailer
Image gallery
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sister Hyde
Perfect bound collector’s book featuring new writing by Robert Lund, previously unseen photographs of Zoë Lund, plus select archival material including writing by Kier-La Janisse and Brad Stevens
Double-sided fold-out poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sister Hyde

Spawn [Limited Edition] [4K UHD]
(D.B. Sweeney, Frank Welker, John Cothran, John Leguizamo, et al / 2-Disc 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray / R / (1997) 2025 / Arrow Films)

Overview: From the producers of Blade and The Crow comes Spawn, a dark, action-packed supernatural thriller that redefined the comic book movie with cutting-edge visual effects and a haunting origin story of vengeance, damnation, and redemption.

Al Simmons (Michael Jai White) is a top-tier Black Ops agent, ruthlessly efficient and fiercely loyal - until he’s double-crossed and executed by his commanding officer, Jason Wynn (Martin Sheen). But Simmons is resurrected by the devil Malebolgia and becomes Spawn, a demonic antihero with terrifying powers. Caught between Earth and the Underworld, Spawn is determined to exact bloody revenge on Wynn and must choose to serve his new infernal masters or fight for the salvation of his immortal soul.

Based on Todd McFarlane’s groundbreaking comic, Spawn is a visually explosive cult classic that blends horror, action, and gothic fantasy, available for the first time in a fiery new 4K restoration that breathes new life into Hell’s most iconic warrior.

Blu-ray Verdict: We see a masked man kick in the door at an airbase and shoot up the people inside it before setting up a rocket launcher to assassinate his target. You see him wearing night-vision goggles that have unrealistic zoom but also give him eyes similar to that of hellspawn; so it is foreshadowing in way. After five minutes or so of opening credits we get to see a news report covering the rocket attack, we’re also introduced to a fat guy in the shadows who is talking with the head of some assassin service that is making a biological weapon.

Al Simmons and his friend go to visit the head of the service to show his disdain at the fact of him having to kill civilians, he wants out and is sent on a final mission to take out a bio-weapons plant in North Korea. Simmons gets to the main part of the plant but finds out it was a trap and is betrayed by the people he works for and sent to hell. Simmons is then brought back from the dead but is still completely disfigured because of the burning and has to live among the homeless and the same guy from the beginning gives us exposition of what is happening and why Simmons was brought back.

He then has to go through training or sorts with Clown/Violator a short fat demon who ironically hates clowns, this character is what I like to call painful comic relief. The Violator makes him go through flashbacks so we can find out what happened after he died, and it turns out he made a deal with the devil which had strings attached. He is then taken into another flashback of when he rises from the grave and scared a couple goths who were hanging around the graves. This is also the part where we get to see the actual Spawn suit as the memories came and eat away at Spawn.

The bad guy and Spawn’s old friend Terry have gone to a party full of world officials. This is when Spawn breaks in through the sky light, tries to kill Jason the big bad. Spawn gets to Wanda’s house where there is a trap waiting for him, an interesting little twist is there as well, but after Spawn does the right thing, he then kills the clown after battling with him in hell and sends him back to hell.

Michael Jai White is a great choice for Spawn; he is able to present the sorrow and aggression that the character would be feeling. He wears the cloak of Spawn and owns it. It would be hard to top his performance, I also think than not even Snipes could have hit the nail on the head as White does. My feelings about John Leguizamo as Violator have been mentioned earlier how I have nothing against the actor, it’s just the fact I do not like the character; but regardless he comes across as vile, vulgar and vicious. Just how the character should be, so he is a good actor in this.

The voyeuristic shots from the birthday party scene are where we first start to see the decent use of camera angles, before this it is the standards of close ups, mid shots and wide shots. This is an interesting thing that the movie does, it has Spawns cloak cover the screen so it can be used as a transition, this is nicely done and is a piece of editing not camera work, but is still creative as all hell.

The scene that takes place after the police scene is a great shot, it has Spawn standing on the edge of a church with his cloak blowing in the winds, it works well regardless of which dark caped crusader does it. Be it Spawn, Batman or (insert other dark brooding caped hero here).

The CGI hasn’t dated too well on this movie, but the effects are very nice to look at but not all too realistic for the most part. The world leaders meeting scene has Spawn breaking in through a sky light and his cloak stopping the fall, his cloak does look blatantly CGI, but it looks majestic as all hell, so I don’t really care that much. The CGI for the Violator’s transformation scene is well done similar to that of Spawns transformation and stands up to that of late 2000’s CGI. There are also some popping eyeballs that look like they are from the mask.

We are first introduced to Spawn’s suit in the graveyard scene and apart from the cheesy CGI green lighting the suit is BA to the extreme in the way it looks like suits that are made for today’s movies. It looks similar to the venom symbiotic suit in Spiderman 3. It matches the comic suit perfectly as well. My only complaint would be that he spends most of the movie with his mask off and I have a feeling that White asked for this so he could have more screen time, similar to what Stallone wanted in the movie Judge Dredd. That or voices couldn’t be heard that well from within it.

In closing, I also have a couple of interesting facts about Spawn - the first being this was the first superhero movie to feature an African American as the lead character, there is the movie Steel which came out a fortnight after which also had an African American lead superhero. Secondly, Wesley Snipes was considered for the part of Spawn, but that was handed over to Michael Jai White instead, Snipes would then go to play the BA vampire killer Blade the year after. Also I will warn you now, this movie has a number of God awful puns with some puns which are actually good!

4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:
4K restorations of both the Director’s Cut and Theatrical Cut of the film from the original camera negatives by Arrow Films
Reversible sleeve featuring two original artwork options
Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by John Torrani
Double-sided foldout poster featuring two original artwork options

DISC 1 – DIRECTOR’S CUT:
4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
Original DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround audio and lossless stereo audio options
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Brand new audio commentary with comic book expert and podcast host Dave Baxter
Audio commentary with Todd McFarlane, Mark A.Z. Dippé, Clint Goldman, and Steve Williams (1998)
Hell’s Perfect Son, a brand new interview with actor Michael Jai White
Spawn Support, a brand new interview with actors Melinda Clarke and D.B. Sweeney
The Devil’s in the Details, a brand new interview with animatronic creature and special makeup effects artists Howard Berger and Greg Nicotero
The Devil’s Music, a brand new interview with music supervisor Happy Walters
Order Out of Chaos, a brand new interview with editor Michael Knue
Todd McFarlane: Chapter & Verse, an archival featurette from 1998 in which Spawn creator Todd McFarlane reflects on how the film adaptation stacks up against his original comic book vision
The Making of Spawn, archival behind-the-scenes featurette
Preview: Todd McFarlane’s Spawn – The Animated Movie
Theatrical trailer
Scene-to-storyboard comparisons
Original Todd McFarlane sketches
Spawn concept and sketch gallery

DISC 2 – THEATRICAL CUT:
4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
Original DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround audio and lossless stereo audio options
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing

Malpertuis [Limited Edition]
(Jean-Pierre Cassel, Mathieu Carriere, Michel Bouquet, Orson Welles, et al / Blu-ray / NR / (1971) 2025 / Radiance Films)

Overview: Jan (Mathieu Carrière, Police Python 357), a sailor newly arrived onshore, is unsure about returning to land but makes the journey to visit his childhood home only to find it no longer there. He goes to Bar Venus and joins his friends but an altercation leaves him knocked out cold. He wakes up in Malpertuis, a gothic mansion presided over by his uncle, Cassavius (Orson Welles).

All the inhabitants of Malpertuis are waiting for Cassavius to die and the opportunity to inherit his vast fortune. But Cassavius wishes anyone who inherits to stay there forever. Jan investigates as those who leave meet with mysterious deaths. Harry Kümel’s (Daughters of Darkness) phantasmagoria is a Matryoshka doll of fantastic ideas, realized with stunning photography by Gerry Fisher (The Exorcist III) and scored by Georges Delerue (Contempt).

Newly restored and overseen by Kümel, it is released on Blu-ray for the first time in the world.

Blu-ray Verdict: In the opening shot, we see our hero, Jan, disembarking from his ship for a night of shore leave. He’s being spied on by two shifty looking characters, who for reasons unknown, hatch a plot to lure him to his ancestral home, Malpertuis. Sometime later, he is present for the reading of his uncle’s deathbed will, along with the other members of the extended family. Cassavius’s considerable fortune is to be divided among them on one condition: they must stay in Malpertuis forever. The last two who outlive all the others will inherit the house and the entire bequest.

It sounds like it’s all set up for a Battle Royale, last man (and woman) standing scenario, but the way it actually plays out is quite different. To say any more about the plot would be to spoil it though; the less you know going in, the better. It’s actually a shame the synopsis here on LB gives away as much as it does - on the slim chance you’re reading about the film for the first time in this review, I’d highly recommend taking the plunge without even glancing at any synopses.

I somehow managed to do that, and the experience was so much more rewarding as a result - you can really get wrapped up in the beguiling mystery of all it. I’m not sure if it’s the best version, but for the record, I watched Kümel’s post-Cannes re-edit, in Dutch, rather than the shorter international version in French or English.

Shot on location in Bruges and Gent, this Belgian slice of Gothic surrealism is relentlessly quixotic - it’s not really a horror, but the look and feel of it places it in the realm of Eurohorror; the one film it brought to mind more than any other is A Virgin Among the Living Dead. It doesn’t have the level of fantastically WTF sleazy eroticism Virgin brings, but certain plot points and the general gauze of unreality make it comparable to my mind.

The cinematography, with a fluid camera tracking lithely through weird angles and high contrast lighting are all reminiscent of Bava’s visual style. Some of the vertical shots, looking down into the abyssal void of the spiral staircase or up into the dark recesses of the rafters are stunningly beautiful.

The word dreamlike is perhaps tossed around too readily, but it’s hard to describe this film in any other way. It’s not just the grand old house itself that seems like an oneiric nexus; right from the outset, everything seems vaguely unreal - the altogether too-clean sailors disembarking from the pristine ship; the strangely empty streets, echoing with the sound of Jan’s footsteps, recall the waking dream world of de Chirico, while Malpertuis itself is like something out of an M.C. Escher drawing, delineating an impossible architecture forever folding in on itself.

There’s one static shot, which the film keeps coming back to, of all the guests assembled in one room, all locked in position and pose, that also has a painterly quality - like courtiers frozen in place for an interior study.

The film is crammed full of bizarre and intriguing characters, with Orson Welles giving it his all as the fearsomely eccentric occultist Cassavius, playing a strange game of eugenics in his dying days. He puts his faith for the future in his blonde-haired, blue-eyed protégé, ominously telling Jan he must continue his work. Mathieu Carrière as Jan is something of a blank slate, but keeps things grounded and provides a focus for the madness unfolding around him.

Among a lot of enjoyably off the wall supporting roles, it’s Susan Hampshire who steals the show, playing five (!) different characters. It’s a disorienting move that works to further blur the boundary between the real and the imaginary - from the moment Jan enters Malpertuis it seems like that boundary has dissolved and his viewpoint has shifted irrevocably to a weird Möbius strip of existence. The house represents another place, but also another time; another dimension in fact. When it finally gives up its secret, it becomes clear why. [W.A.]

BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:
New 4K restoration of the film overseen by director Harry Kümel
Audio commentary by Harry Kümel and assistant director Françoise Levie (2005)
New interview with Harry Kümel (2025)
New interview with author and gothic horror expert Jonathan Rigby (2025)
Malpertuis Archive - an archival documentary on the making of the film featuring Kümel, actor Mathieu Carrière and director of photography Gerry Fisher among others (2005)
Orson Welles Uncut - a featurette on the casting of Welles, including rare outtakes of the actor (2005)
Susan Hampshire: one actress, three parts - an archival interview with the actress, including screen tests and contributions from cast and crew (2005) Archival interview with Michel Bouquet and Harry Kümel from Belgian television (1971)
Jean Ray, John Flanders 1887 - 1964 - an archival interview with the source novelist and co-writer of Malpertuis (2005)
Malpertuis Revisited - Harry Kümel revisits locations from the film (2005, 4 mins)
Malpertuis: The Cannes cut - the rejected version of the film which premiered in Cannes(100 mins, SD)
The Warden of the Tomb - Kümel’s early film based on Franz Kafka’s play (1965, 37 mins)
Trailer
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Time Tomorrow
Limited edition 80-page perfect bound booklet featuring new writing by Lucas Balbo, Maria J. Pérez Cuervo, David Flint, Willow Catelyn Maclay, Jonathan Owen
Limited edition of 3000 copies, presented in rigid box and full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings

SCHOOL IN THE CROSSHAIRS HD Trailer | Cult Epics

School In The Crosshairs (Special Edition Blu-ray)
(Hiroko Yahushimaru, Makoto Tezuka, Ryoichi Takayanagi, Toru Minegishi, et al / Blu-ray / NR / (1981) 2025 / Cult Epics)

Overview: Released months before lead Hiroko Yakushimaru’s breakthrough hit Sailor Suit and Machine Gun, Nobuhiko Obayashi’s first groundbreaking teenage idol picture is a dazzling mix of special effects and blue-screen artifice - a stylistic flair perfected in Obayashi’s debut House, now utilized for the onset of an alien invasion.

Ordinary schoolgirl Yuka’s (Yakushimaru) new term comes to an odd start when she inexplicably stops an accident by using latent psychic powers. Troubled by her newfound abilities, Yuka also senses a strange force start to take hold of the school, with students turning into mind-controlled fascists, patrolling school halls, stifling dissent and mandating the re-education of freethinkers.

A psychotronic fantasy forged into a young girl’s destiny to defend the planet, School in the Crosshairs is a cosmic overload of extraterrestrial tyrants, preternatural powers and Obayashi’s uniquely adroit filmmaking abilities, underlaid with an existential cry for free will.

Blu-ray Verdict: Yuka is a normal happy schoolgirl who happens to have psychic powers. When another girl possessed by an interdimensional being arrives at school and tries to impose a military style discipline, Yuka finds herself in the moral obligation to defend humanity against the oppressive desires of the interdimensional being who happens to be the universe itself! (He also comes from Venus!).

The whole thing is an open allegory of fascism, complete with lockdowns and uniformed guard patrols, but it’s the director’s style that makes it so cool. The wacky direction and low-fi effects work an absolute treat, and I admit to finding the whole thing a blast.

The film is funny, weird and cute at the same time. Maybe it lacked some character development and coherence specially through the second half but maybe it was just the bad translation which made it a bit off-kilter from time to time. Still a cute movie which will please fans of school-themed amines and weird Japanese stories. [G.P.]

Bonus Features:
2K Transfer & Restoration
Audio Commentary by film critic Max Robinson
Sailor Suits and Sound - Visual essay by Phillip Jeffries
Obayashi Film Poster Gallery
Theatrical Trailers
New improved English subtitles
New Slipcase art design by Sam Smith
Reversible sleeve with original Japanese poster art
First Pressing includes repro 24-page Japanese booklet (pamphlet)

www.cultepics.com

Daiei Gothic Vol 2: Japanese Ghost Stories
(Kazuo Hasegawa, Kojiro Hongo, Raizo Ichikawa, Shintaro Katsu, et al / Blu-ray / NR / 2025 / Radiance Films)

Overview: Japan’s classic ghost stories are brought to the screen by masters of the genre, Tokuzo Tanaka (The Snow Woman) and Kimiyoshi Yasuda (Yokai Monsters: Spook Warfare).

In The Demon of Mount Oe, a group of mighty warriors is sent to eliminate a demon who steals women from the imperial capital of Kyoto. On the way, they face a satanic bull, a giant spider and a diabolical witch, but the closer they come to their goal, the more they realize that the demon they’ve been ordered to kill is far more human than they were led to believe.

In The Haunted Castle, a blind monk is killed in a cowardly manner by a samurai lord. When the monk’s sister is ordered to become the lord’s concubine, she commits suicide and transfers her grudge to their black cat, who assumes the human form of one of the lord’s ladies-in-waiting and begins to wreak havoc around the castle court. The lord’s Machiavellian right-hand man (Rokko Toura, Kuroneko) and a young swordsman (Kojiro Hongo, The Bride from Hades) combine forces to solve the mystery and stop the supernatural menace.

In The Ghost of Kasane Swamp a samurai’s wife tries to repay her husband’s debt with her body but is caught in bed with the money lender and they are both murdered by her husband who dumps their bodies in a nearby swamp. Shingoro and Oshiga, the money lender and samurai’s children, find a curse has been passed to them as they each try to recover the money.

Newly restored in 4K, three more stories from the Daiei studio represent the Japanese ghost film at its most lavish and chilling.

Blu-ray Verdict: First up is THE DEMON OF MOUNT OE (1962). Forces loyal to the Mikado are under assault from an army assembled by a demon who lives atop Mount Oe. There is chaos in the streets of the capital, and loyal samurai Shintarô Katsu has been attacked by the demon and cut off its arm ... only for it to show up in the guise of his aunt and take it back. Three women seem to be key to the demon’s downfall: Katsu’s sister, who insists on spying on the demon herself, a disgraced woman passed around like a bottle of wine, and the women who is the demon.

At first, I thought this was going to be another fantasy with swordplay, special effects that called attention to themselves and suitable for children. Well, the special effects were there: the clumsy camera halts for teleportation or the transformation of giant spiders into dead men and rolls of streamers to turn into webs. It certainly had those, but it also had a fairly complicated plot as good guys struggled to remain good despite the worst their allies could do, and some lovely camerawork under the supervision of cinematographer Hiroshi Imai.

I was particularly taken with his graceful, panning group shots, even if the mountain sites seemed to be set in abandoned quarries, like Doctor Who. While the cheap special effects may put off the high-browed, it’s a well written, directed and shot samurai movie.

Then we get THE HAUNTED CASTLE (1969). There are only a handful of old school Japanese horror films that I consider lost classics – films that are difficult to find but are nonetheless essential to watch for any fan of classic horror: Ghost Story of the Snow Witch (1968), Under the Blossoming Cherry Trees (1975), Kuroneko (1968), The Ghost-Cat Cursed Pond (1968), Demon Pond (1979) and so forth.

Well, it’s time to add another one to this list: The Haunted Castle (1969)!

This starts off in a very similar fashion to many other Japanese horror films from the 1950’s and 1960’s. It’s set in the samurai era with a scumbag landlord who unjustifiably murders someone. Lord Tangonokami Nabeshime of Saga Prefecture takes interest in a blind monk’s sister (Sayo), who he wishes to be his concubine. After the monk kindly refuses his request, the Lord invites him to play a game of Go, which they’ve done in the past, but this time the Lord murders the monk after coercing a minor discord between the two.

A chamberlain is then sent to Sayo, delivering a message that her land is forfeit and that she is banished. The girl is not pleased, so she feeds her blood to a black cat and transforms it into a murderous ghost cat that reaps vengeance upon the murderer’s family.

Hot damn this movie rocks! First and foremost, it’s much darker and briskly paced than most of the J-horror flicks that I’ve seen from the 50’s and 60’s. Virtually the entire film takes place at night and the hauntings are practically non-stop. This provides for some thrilling viewing, especially when the chamberlain attempts to take defensive strategies against the supernatural threat.

The ghost cat’s human form is surprisingly nasty and vicious, and the execution of the horror sequences is top notch (at times body doubles are used to transport the ghost from one side of the screen to another, causing panic to its victims). The atmosphere and tone are eerie from start to finish. This is a lost classic, and a must watch for fans of old school horror.

Finally comes THE GHOST OF KASANE SWAMP (1957). Celebrated director of vintage Japanese horror, Nobuo Nakagawa helmed this gloomy, intricately plotted tale of bad karma and revenge, based on a famous play written in 1859 by ghost story specialist Sanyutei Encho. Exceptionally well made and boasting some strong performances and a few horrific moments, this oft-filmed tale bears similarities to another classic story of Nipponese horror, Yotsuya Kaidan. A formulaic, yet effective 66 minutes of traditional ghostly vengeance, Japanese style.

LIMITED EDITION BOX-SET SPECIAL FEATURES:
New 4K restorations of each film by Radiance Films
Uncompressed mono PCM audio for each film
Optional English subtitles for all films
Newly designed box and booklet artwork by Time Tomorrow
Limited edition 80-page perfect bound book featuring new writing by Amber T, Jasper Sharp, and Tom Mes, plus archival writing by Daniel O’Neill and original ghost stories The Goblin of Oeyama and The Vampire Cat
Limited Edition of 4,000 copies presented in a rigid box with full-height Scanavo cases for each film and removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings

THE DEMON OF MOUNT OE:
New interview with period film historian Taichi Kasuga (2025)
Blade of the Demon Slayer: a visual essay by Tom Mes (2025)
Trailer
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Filippo Di Battista

THE HAUNTED CASTLE:
New interview with J-horror filmmaker Mari Asato (2025)
A visual essay by ghost story scholar Zack Davisson (2025)
Trailer
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Filippo Di Battista

THE GHOST OF KASANE SWAMP:
New interview with J-horror filmmaker Norio Tsuruta (2025)
Select-scene audio commentary by horror film scholar Lindsay Nelson (2025) Trailer
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Filippo Di Battista

www.MVDvisual.com

Raw Meat (aka Death Line) [4K UHD + Blu-ray]
(Christopher Lee, David Ladd, Donald Pleasence, Hugh Armstrong, et al / 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray / NR / (1972) 2025 / Blue Underground)

Overview: When a prominent politician and a beautiful young woman vanish inside a London subway station, Scotland Yard’s Inspector Calhoun (Donald Pleasence of HALLOWEEN) investigates and makes a horrifying discovery. Not only did a group of 19th century tunnel workers survive a cave-in, but they lived for years in a secret underground enclave by consuming the flesh of their own dead. Now the lone descendant of this grisly tribe has surfaced, prowling the streets for fresh victims ... and a new mate.

Norman Rossington (A HARD DAY’S NIGHT), David Ladd (THE WILD GEESE), Sharon Gurney (CRUCIBLE OF HORROR), and the legendary Christopher Lee (HORROR OF DRACULA) also star in this heart-stopping horror classic co-written and directed by Gary Sherman (DEAD & BURIED).

Blue Underground is thrilled to present RAW MEAT (also known as DEATH LINE) in a brand-new restoration, scanned in 4K 16-bit from the original uncensored camera negative, with Dolby Vision HDR and a new Dolby Atmos audio mix!

Blu-ray Verdict: One of the most affecting films I have ever seen, Raw Meat aka Death Line is one of the most intelligent and bold horror films ever made! The opening scenes of a wealthy and dour civil servant stalking clip joints in Soho sets the tone for a grim and seedy, but very accurate portrayal of life in 70’s London.

No-one talks to each other, on or off the underground, everyone is miserable, even the young student lovers have a fairly rocky relationship, the man being totally lacking in compassion. The use of the genuine ghost stations of the London Underground is an excellent idea, and even if the storyline is ludicrous, it is handled with far more depth than your average slasher movie.

The killer is a tragic figure, and the scene where his beloved finally dies is shocking and heartbreaking. The special effects are nothing short of repulsive, with particular attention being paid to the sound. It revels in gore and depravity, unflinching but not exploitative. It runs like a modern day legend, working on so many levels. The only thing which kinda-sorta spoils the film is Donald Pleaseace hamming it up shamelessly in a badly characterized role which tries to offer comic relief but is simply irritating and unpleasant.

Look out for a remarkable tracking shot in the creature’s lair early on, and a lovely touch with the students enquiring about a book on Poltergeists, more a mood device than anything to do with the plot. Seeing this is a cinema would certainly put you off your popcorn! But luckily I was sent a copy for review in my own front room (sans popcorn, of course).

SPECIAL FEATURES:
Ultra HD Blu-ray (2160p) and HD Blu-ray (1080p) Widescreen 1.85:1 feature presentations
Audio: Dolby Atmos, 5.1 DTS-HD, 1.0 DTS-HD (English); 1.0 DTS-HD (French)
Subtitles: English SDH, Francais, Espanol
Audio Commentary #1 with Co-Writer/Director Gary Sherman, Producer Paul Maslansky, and Assistant Director Lewis More O’Ferrall
NEW! Audio Commentary #2 with Film Historians Nathaniel Thompson and Troy Howarth
Tales From The Tube – Interview with Co-Writer/Director Gary Sherman and Executive Producers Jay Kanter & Alan Ladd Jr.
From The Depths – Interview with Star David Ladd and Producer Paul Maslansky
Mind The Doors – Interview with Star Hugh Armstrong
Trailers
TV Spots
Radio Spots
Poster & Still Gallery

Furious Swords And Fantastic Warriors
(Cheng Kang, Ching Lee, Lau Kar-leung, Li Tung, et al / 5-Disc Blu-ray / NR / 2025 / Eureka Entertainment)

Overview: Distinguished by his penchant for bloodshed and a thematic concentration on the bonds of brotherhood and masculine sacrifice, Chang Cheh is one of the most prolific and accomplished directors ever to emerge from the Hong Kong film industry.

Often hailed as the Godfather of Hong Kong cinema, he enjoyed a career spanning six decades and worked in a multitude of genres, from Chinese opera to kung fu films via wuxia pian, historical epics and tales of the supernatural.

Presented here are ten films that reveal the range and versatility of Chang’s career as a filmmaker. Traditional wuxia pian is represented by King Eagle, Trail of the Broken Blade and Wandering Swordsman; choreographed by Lau Kar-leung, Men from the Monastery and Shaolin Martial Arts are both drawn from Chang’s Shaolin Cycle, included here alongside New Shaolin Boxers; Iron Bodyguard, released at the dawn of the kung fu era, is representative of changing trends in Hong Kong cinema; and some of Chang’s more esoteric work is represented by the opera film The Fantastic Magic Baby and the supernatural fantasy The Weird Man.

Also included is the anthology film Trilogy of Swordsmanship, to which Chang contributed a segment alongside his contemporaries Yueh Feng and Cheng Kang.

All produced during Chang Cheh’s tenure at Shaw Brothers, these ten films are a testament to the director’s distinct aesthetic style and his recurring thematic preoccupations. Eureka Classics is proud to present this selection of Chang’s work for the first time on Blu-ray in the US.

This set will now be strictly limited to a single pressing of 2000 copies and will not be reissued once sold out.

Blu-ray Verdict: This quite brilliant 5-disc blu-ray box-set opens on King Eagle (1971) which opens with three fight sequences in the first twelve minutes! The first actor-centric fight comes when Ti Lung strikes at the gang who murdered his two friends. This fight is choreographed to advance the plot by showing this hero’s skill and strength. It was excellently choreographed and brilliantly executed as were the other two.

Ti Lung owns this movie with his acting and that is something rarely done in a martial arts movie. In addition to doing all the standard hero type acting, Lung also does the romantic side story part excellently. The romantic parts of these movies are typically awkward and forced but here the scenes play smoothly.

Next is Trail of the Broken Blade (1967) where the intricate storyline here has Wang Yu play Li, a fugitive wanted for killing the official who framed his father. His girl, Liu, still pines for him although she is loved by Fang, a swordsman hired by her father to teach her self-defense. Fang, seeking to make Liu happy, sets out to find Li.

When he does, the two form an immediate, instinctive bond of friendship. Eventually, Li’s enemies locate him and issue a challenge to fight them on Flying Fish Island. Li swims there alone, followed soon after by Fang and Liu who join him for the final battle, although they first have to negotiate a cave filled with traps.

Complete with a tragic ending and a beautiful, heavenly finale, this movie is one for the ages and one to excite all fans of the genre that it is included here in this box-set.

Along next is Wandering Swordsman (1970) which is, for my money, one of the lesser films in the career of Shaw Brothers director Chang Cheh, but it’s still worthwhile thanks to a winning performance from the intensely likeable David Chiang. Chiang plays the titular character, a kind of rural Robin Hood hero who spends his time killing robbers and sharing out their stolen wealth with poor and deserving villagers.

When he’s enmeshed in a sinister plot and outwitted by a huge gang of robbers, he must turn the tables and play them at their own game. There’s a lot of wirework-assisted action involving Chiang’s nimble hero who leaps and bounds all over the place and plenty of action, although it’s not quite as gory or as expertly choreographed as in other Chang Cheh films, but that is neither here nor there.

Up next is Men from the Monastery (1974) 2hich details the burning of the Shaolin Temple and the subsequent battles of Ming rebels against the evil Qing overlords. This one is directed by the ubiquitous Chang Cheh and features the likable Alexander Fu Sheng in an early starring role alongside Chen Kuan Tai and Chi Kuan-Chun, both of whom were respected Shaw stars in their own right.

While not as good as the epic SHAOLIN TEMPLE and/or MEN FROM THE MONASTERY still packs a punch for kung fu fans. The weirdest thing about it is the structure, which gives each of the three heroes a twenty-minute back story, which means that we only get to the film’s opening titles about an hour in!

Then again, said back stories are straightforward Shaw in a nutshell, with virtuous heroes battling the usual bad guy gangsters, thugs, and martial arts masters.

Along next is the Shaolin Martial Arts (1974) which delivers pretty much everything you’d expect from a Shaw movie. The story, which is slightly overlong, is dominated by extensive training sequences. The fight scenes are bloody and brilliant and feature some eye-popping violence at the climax.

The production values are strong and the visuals lavish. Best of all is the exemplary ensemble cast. Fu Sheng and Liu both deliver star-making turns are well supported by Chi Kuan-Chun and Tsan Tang Yen as their dedicated allies. Even better, there are no less than four truly bad ass actors playing the villainous team.

In Shaolin Boxers (1976), Alexander Fu Sheng stars as an eager kung fu student who insists on intervening when townspeople are bullied by the town bosses and their hired thugs. For his own good, he is sent away by his teacher to a mountain temple where he learns new techniques from a venerated kung fu master.

When Fu Sheng returns to town, his original teacher has been killed and the gang is trying to force a female friend of his into prostitution. He then goes into action against the town bosses, played by kung fu greats Wang Lung Wei and Leung Kar Yan (who worked together as villains in numerous Shaw Brothers films).

While not a masterwork of the genre, it is still well above average and a worthy showcase for the considerable skills of its dynamic star. Fu Sheng’s actress wife, Jenny Tseng, also appears in the film.

Then comes Iron Bodyguard (1973), a dark historical account from Shaw Brothers and Chang Cheh, telling of the true story that took place in 1898 when Empress Dowager Cixi came to power and executed political opponents trying to reform the country. Thus it fits in neatly before BOXER REBELLION and has a similar flavor to it.

I understand that the film is a little slow and plot-heavy for some tastes, but it gets things right when it comes to the authenticity so it was hard for me to dislike what I was seeing. Chen Kuan Tai handles the righteous hero role with aplomb as you know he will, but the stand-out is Yueh Hua who brings a real sensitivity and dignity to his role. Much of the action is saved for the last half hour, and of course in Cheh’s hands it doesn’t disappoint.

Up next is The Fantastic Magic Baby (1975). Shaw did a number of JOURNEY TO THE WEST adaptations in the 1960s, Chinese operatic stories about the irrepressible Sun Wukong, but as far as I know THE FANTASTIC MAGIC BABY is their only such attempt during the 1970s. It was directed by the great Chang Cheh in Taiwan on lavish, fog-enshrouded sets, and it’s very operatic in scope and tone.

The story is close to events in the novel and the character of Monkey King is spot on, as are the other fan favorites like Pigsy and Sandy. The leads are generally unknown although fan favorites like Chiang Tao, Phillip Kwok and Fung Hark-on play in prominent supporting roles. It’s not for every taste, but I enjoyed this one. The running time lasts just over an hour so an extra half an hour is taken up with filmed examples of genuine Chinese Opera.

Then we get The Weird Man (1983) which is a Shaw Brothers adventure notable for being director Chang Cheh’s last production for the studio; sad times for me, given that he’s my favorite Shaw Brothers director as well as favorite Chinese director in general. As with many of Shaw’s early 1980s efforts, this one flirts with the supernatural in a big way; the titular character is a wizard who spends most of the film in a trance while his mischievous spirit, played by FIVE ELEMENT NINJAS Cheng Tien-Chi, goes on a rampage of revenge against the corrupt official who nearly killed him.

There isn’t a great deal of action either and while the action we do get is perfectly fine it’s not the best of the studio’s output. It’s only at the lavish and mind-bending climax that THE WEIRD MAN becomes really good, in my humble opinion.

Finally comes Trilogy of Swordsmanship (1973) which features three martial arts directors uniting for a unique anthology film. Yueh Feng writes and directs a clever love-and-kung-fu triangle, Cheng Kang both writes and directs kung-fu courtesans battling brigands, and the godfather of the kung-fu film, Chang Cheh, creates a cliffhanging, swashbuckling mini-movie with maxi-action!

Special Features:
Limited edition slipcase featuring new artwork by Darren Wheeling
Limited edition collector’s booklet featuring new writing on all films in this set by film critic and writer James Oliver
1080p HD presentations of all 10 films on Blu-ray
Optional English subtitles, newly revised for this release
New audio commentaries on each film by a selection of Hong Kong cinema experts including Frank Djeng, Mike Leeder, Arne Venema and David West New interview with Hong Kong cinema scholar Wayne Wong on the life and work of Chang Cheh
New video essay by Jonathan Clements (author of A Brief History of China) on Iron Bodyguard
New video essay by Jonathan Clements on Chang Cheh’s Shaolin films

Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires - Exclusive Trailer (2025) Jay Hernandez, Raymond Cruz | SDCC 2025

Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires [4K UHD+Digital]
(Horacio Garcia Rojas, Jorge R. Gutierrez, Omar Chaparro, Álvaro Morte, et al / 4K UHD+Digital / R / 2025 / Studio Distribution Services)

Overview: “Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires,” the bold and original reimagining of the Batman mythology through the lens of Mesoamerican culture, will be available in the US exclusively on digital on September 19th and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-rayTM and DVD on September 23rd, 2025.

From Warner Bros. Animation, Ánima and Chatrone, and based on characters from DC, the all-new animated film places the iconic DC Super Hero against the backdrop of the captivating history of Mexico and immerses fans around the world in the exciting culture of Mesoamerica.

This bold reimagining of the Batman legend unfolds within the vibrant and fierce culture of 16th century Mesoamerica. In the time of the Aztec empire, tragedy strikes Yohualli Coatl, a young Aztec boy, when his father is murdered by Spanish conquistadors.

To warn King Moctezuma and his high priest, Yoka, of imminent danger, Yohualli escapes to Tenochtitlán. There, he trains in the temple of the bat god Tzinacan with his mentor, developing equipment and weaponry to confront the Spanish invasion and avenge his father’s death. Along the way, he encounters key figures like the fierce Jaguar Woman and the enchanting Forest Ivy.

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 Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires in the expansive 4K Ultra HD video format this September 23rd, 2025.

For my money, this Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires [4K UHD+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 Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires presented to us as a one-disc pack with a sheet for a Digital HD Copy. Other stand out points you should know are: Codec: HEVC / H.265, Resolution: Upscaled 4K (2160p) HDR: HDR10, Aspect ratio: 1.78:1 and Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1.

As for the audio, well we get the small choice of: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit) and Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps).

As for the story to hand, well, and laying out a little backstory of creation, when it comes to cool ancient civilizations, you can’t go wrong with the Aztecs. Greece/Rome is so overdone, Vikings are Marvel’s thing, North America and Australia don’t have any cool ruins to inspire aesthetics (okay, Mesa Verde, but that’s kind of a one-off), between Black Panther and Moon Knight Marvel also claims Africa, and we already have Batman Ninja for Asia. So, and to my mind, this was the logical step.

That’s not to say that Animation’s recent deep dive into having the Dark Knight appear in random historical settings - Batman Ninja, Batman: Gotham by Gaslight, and Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham - have taken up all the locales to see if Batman would sink or swim, but this one does go hard into the culture and, for me at least, works well.

Here director Juan Meza-Leon’s Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires is a story set in 16th century Mesoamerica where the historical Spanish invasion of Tenochtitlán is the laid out backstory. The conquistador Hernan Cortes (Alvaro Morte) kills Yohualli’s father and, of course, the man swears vengeance. He trains hard, dresses in a costume to hide his identity, doesn’t get everything right at the beginning, but then meets a Twilight Zone version of Catwoman in Jaguar Woman (Teresa Ruiz), who helps him improve his skills ... and suit!

I won’t give too much away, but for me this Batman doesn’t really get dirty, doesn’t really go from hearty fight to dirty fight. Moreover he sits on the outskirts, flies in when it is time to rally the people of Tenochtitlán with daring feats and performs stunts against the bad guys seemingly only to inspire those willing to help him and join his quest to help them.

Regardless, the battle sequences are good, all be they mostly aim for shock value in the horror of Spanish slaughter, there are many examples of stylish character design, especially for the sultry voiced acting from Ruiz, who helps Jaguar Woman feel more like her DC counterpart than anyone else in the cast, and thus overall I can most definitely recommend this new film to all fans of our beloved Batman character.

“Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires” Physical and Digital will include the following special features:

The Battle Cry of Aztec Batman – Go behind the scenes and inside the voiceover booth with Jay Hernandez as he fulfils a childhood dream and reveals the creative process of becoming Batman.

The Batman Mythology and Aztec Inspiration – Screenwriter Ernie Altbacker and Jay Hernandez reveal the film’s approach to melding the historically accurate world of the Aztecs with the iconic cast of Batman conic book characters.

www.DCcomics.com

www.WarnerBros.com

Dave Chappelle: Killin’ Them Softly
(Dave Chappelle / DVD / NR / 2025 / Studio Distribution Services)

Overview: In his first hour-long HBO® comedy special, filmed in 2000, Dave Chappelle performs in front of a live audience at the Lincoln Theatre in his hometown of Washington, D.C., unleashing his trademark wit and sharp, irreverent social commentary, exploring race, popular culture, sex, drugs, politics, and fame.

DVD Verdict: An internationally recognized stand-up comedian and actor, whose feature film credits include 2018’s Oscar®-nominated A Star Is Born, Chappelle was the mastermind behind the Emmy®-nominated 2003-2006 hit sketch-comedy series Chappelle’s Show, one of the highest-rated programs on Comedy Central.

He has also won 6 Grammys® for Best Comedy Album as well as 5 Emmys® and is a recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. His fearless approach to tackling sensitive subjects and pushing boundaries has earned him a place among comedy legends like Eddie Murphy, George Carlin, and Richard Pryor, landing him the No. 9 spot on Rolling Stone Magazine’s 50 Best Stand-Up Comics of All Time, published in 2017.

For me, Dave Chappelle’s Killin’ Them Softly has always ranked up there with the best. What really differentiates Chappelle from other comedians, something I don’t often see mentioned in his evaluations, is his knack for subtle humor.

Although his material is outrageous in concept, his delivery is what makes it so brilliant. He throws in little words here and there, facial expressions, and masterfully realized impressions that are all made with such a laid-back delivery. It’s subtle. He captures emotions. He is a comedic genius.

From the opening jokes to the end, this is a well-timed and well delivered performance from Chappelle. I have not seen anything this funny since Eddie Murphy retired from stand-up. Not for kids, but no way can you pass this up for great laughs. And trust me, you will watch it over and over, only laughing more and more at all the great jokes.

Dave Chappelle: Killin’ Them Softly [Official Trailer]

Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride | 4K Trailer | Warner Bros. Entertainment

www.sds.media

Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride (4K Ultra HD + Digital)
(Emily Watson, Helena Bonham Carter, Johnny Depp, Paul Whitehouse, Tracey Ullman, et al / 4K Ultra HD + Digital / PG / 2025 / Studio Distribution Services)

Overview: In a 19th-century village, Victor (Johnny Depp) is whisked to the underworld and wed to a mysterious Corpse Bride, while his true love, Victoria, waits above.

In this stop-motion fantasy, Victor discovers the Land of the Dead is more vibrant than his strict life but learns that nothing — not even death — can keep him from his one true love.

Celebrating the 20th anniversary of the stop-motion-animated fantasy musical film Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride, the 2005 film will be available for purchase on 4K Ultra HD Disc and Digital for the first time on September 23rd, 2025.

Returning to the painstaking stop-motion animation he employed with amazing success in The Nightmare Before Christmas, Tim Burton presents Corpse Bride, a hair-raising legend based on a 19th-century Russian folktale.

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 beloved animated cult classic Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride (4K Ultra HD + Digital) in the expansive 4K Ultra HD video format this September 23rd, 2025.

For my money, this Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride (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 Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride: 20th Anniversary 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: 4K (2160p) HDR: HDR10, Aspect ratio: 1.85:1 and Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1.

One of those moments - and not to give too much away here - but funnily enough it is the last scene with Emily when she is finally free, unburdened by her past and she disappears with butterflies in the night. It gives me chill just thinking about how powerful, honest and magical this moment is. She’s finally at peace and the way it is cinematically portrayed means that feeling is just perfectly captured.

Another, for me, is Victor & Emily’s Wedding in the Land of the Dead. A highlight for many fans, the scene depicts a unique and vibrant wedding ceremony officiated by the skeletal Elder Gutknecht. The song Remains of the Day is also performed during this scene, showcasing the lively atmosphere within the land, but it’s also the way the characters mesh that bring it to life (excuse the pun!).

As for the audio, well we get the plentiful choice of: English: Dolby Atmos, Japanese: Dolby Digital 5.1 EX (640 kbps), French: Dolby Digital 5.1 EX (640 kbps), French: Dolby Digital 5.1 EX (640 kbps), German: Dolby Digital 5.1 EX (640 kbps), Italian: Dolby Digital 5.1 EX, Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 EX (640 kbps) and Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 EX (640 kbps).

As for the film itself, well, being Tim Burton’s second animated film, it’s definitely flooded with his unique art style paired with the stop motion animation that isn’t seen all the time. Something that sets it apart from his iconic Nightmare Before Christmas is the coloring. Corpse Bride utilizes a bit more fluorescent colors compared to the darker color scale from his previous animated movie.

However, a small negative about this movie is its attempt to be a musical. The songs were not really all that memorable and it’s hard to beat the quality from Nightmare Before Christmas. But the highlight of the film for me hands down is actually the musical score itself. That, I would say, is the one thing better than its predecessor. Victor’s piano song, which plays as the main theme throughout the movie, is one of my favorite pieces of music of all time. Indeed, the entire score is haunting and beautiful, and definitely a standout for me in Danny Elfman’s repertoire.

That all said, the Corpse Bride is one of those films that as it continues on, it only gets better. The ending - at least for me - was a bit surprising and I really didn’t see it coming. Burton’s style and vision for this film really makes the movie worthwhile. No other director pays as close attention to detail as Burton does which is why I say he’s my favorite director. His imagination runs wild in all his films, and this movie is no different.

In closing, I think the reason don’t talk about Corpse Bride as much as they should is because they are way too busy comparing this story to Jack Skellington’s tale. While the Christmas-Halloween crossover is practically unbeatable, the story of the corpse bride is actually really interesting. It feels more of a fairy tale or old folk tale that’s good to tell over a campfire.

It’s also another opportunity for Burton to explore what the afterlife might be like. The character design of the bride is beautiful and the film has an excellent cast. For any Tim Burton fan, please add this to your Burton or Halloween marathons. It’s not the most iconic or exciting, but it’s still a beautiful experience nonetheless.

“Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride” Digital, 4K UHD and Blu-ray Special Features:
Digging up the Past: The Minds Behind “The Corpse Bride” – NEW
‘Til Death Do Us Art” A “Corpse Bride” Reflection - NEW
Danny Elfman Interprets the Two Worlds
Inside the Two Worlds of the Corpse Bride
Making Puppets Tick
The Animators: The Breath of Life
The Corpse Bride Pre-Production Galleries
Tim Burton: Dark vs. Light
Voices from the Underworld
The Voices Behind the Voice

Superman (4K Ultra HD + Digital)
(David Corenswet, Nicholas Hoult, Rachel Brosnahan, Anthony Carrigan, et al / 4K Ultra HD + Digital / PG-13 / 2025 / Studio Distribution Services)

Overview: When Superman is drawn into conflicts both abroad and at home, his actions to protect humankind are questioned, and his vulnerability allows tech billionaire and master deceiver Lex Luthor to leverage the opportunity to get Superman out of the way for good.

Will the Daily Planet’s intrepid reporter Lois Lane, together with the aid of Metropolis’s other metahumans and Superman’s own four-legged companion, Krypto, be able to help Superman before Luthor can completely destroy him?

In his signature style, James Gunn takes on the original Super Hero in the newly imagined DC universe with a singular blend of epic action, humor and heart, delivering a Superman who’s driven by compassion and an inherent belief in the goodness of humankind.

On September 23rd, 2025 Superman will be available to own on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD from online and physical retailers. Superman will also continue to be available in high definition and standard definition from participating digital retailers.

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 Superman (4K Ultra HD + Digital) in the expansive 4K Ultra HD video format this September 23rd, 2025.

For my money, this Superman (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 Superman 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: 1.90:1 and Original aspect ratio: 1.90:1.

One of those moments - and not to give too much away here - but, and unironically, I loved the squirrel. At the end of the day, it isn’t strength or power that defines Superman. It’s compassion, even for those incapable of appreciating it. That moment, in my opinion, shows just how much Gunn gets Superman.

Another, for me, is the heartbreaking kinda/sorta break up scene between our star-crossed lovers. I love how Gunn treats them like how couples are in real life. A strong relationship where even after having a fight you are there for each other.

You know that this is the point where it isn’t a fling or situationship anymore, it’s getting to serious relationship phase. She was having doubts but somehow can’t get herself to end it. And him telling her he loves her gave her the confirmation that what they have is worth staying for.

Her knowing that he would turn himself in because a dog was scared, plus her getting to see his Smallville room and know how genuine he is - gave her a confirmation that he’s the real deal.

She seems to have this fear of being left behind. I hope this is explored in future movies. My nitpick is that Lois needs to be fleshed out a little more. Just like Supes’ supporting characters needs to be fleshed out more, in my humble opinion.

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

As for the film itself, well, James Gunn’s Superman reminded me why this character has stood the test of time. For the first time in years, I saw a version of Superman that wasn’t just a god among men, but a man trying to do good in a complicated world. This film gave him struggles, heart, and a sense of emotional weight that had been missing in recent portrayals.

You see his pain, his doubt, his compassion; and yet, he never lets it stop him from doing what’s right. Even in the darkest moments, he still reaches out with hope. There’s something beautiful in the idea that no one is too small to save, not even a squirrel. That hit me hard.

Superman is a minefield for any director. How do you give depth to an invincible ideological figure? Where does his vulnerability lie? Gunn attempts to portray a Superman who, despite his physical omnipotence, wrestles with his humanity, a being of flesh and blood, uncertain, doubtful, searching for meaning in the pursuit of an unattainable ideal. It is a noble premise, and one Gunn captures perfectly, in my humble opinion.

Oh, and the Justice Gang adds little beyond noise. For me they do not enrich the narrative or challenge its themes. They exist mostly as comic relief and convenient plot armor whenever Superman needs saving.

I cried watching this. There, I said it. It wasn’t just about action or spectacle (though it had those too). It was about what Superman is supposed to stand for: empathy, courage, and unwavering hope. A massive step forward from the colder, more detached version we got from Zack Snyder. This one feels like Superman.

Thank you, James Gunn.

“Superman” Digital, 4K UHD, and Blu-ray contain the following special features: :
Krypto Saves the Day! School Bus Scuffle – (5:32)
Adventures in Making Superman Featurette (60:00)
Icons Forever: Superman’s Enduring Legacy – Featurette (6:05)
Lex Luthor: The Mind of a Master Villain – Featurette (5:18)
Kryptunes: The Music of Superman – Featurette (6:31)
Paws to Pixels: Krypto is Born – Featurette (5:54)
Breaking News: The Daily Planet Returns – Featurette (5:23)
The Ultimate Villain – Featurette (5:30)
The Justice Gang – Featurette (10:37)
A New Era: DC Takes Off – Featurette (4:53)

The following special features will be coming soon to Digital:
Director’s Commentary with James Gunn
Gag Reel
Deleted Scenes

Superman | 4K Official Trailer | Warner Bros. Entertainment

Mirror Life: Modern Zombies [DVD]
(Brian O’Neill, Courtney Cavanagh, Cuyle Carvin, Kazy Tauginas, et al / DVD / NR / (2024) 2025 / Cleopatra Entertainment)

Overview: In MIRROR LIFE: MODERN ZOMBIES, a global pandemic is narrowly averted. Shortly after, Tracy Kovalsky discovers that her cousin Jordan has gone missing after enrolling in an illegal study at a research facility for a miracle drug called Dumitor.

Following an outbreak at the testing facility, Jordan and other patients are forced into lock-down. A life-and-death struggle for survival ensues as the patients are systematically hunted down while Tracy’s search for her cousin exposes the conspiracy to cover up the entire experiment - by any means necessary.

DVD Verdict: Let’s be very honest here, in this day and cinematic age it must be oh-so very hard to make a zombie film feel fresh, especially after the massive zombie obsession of the ’00s and ’10s.

Luckily for us though - and by us I mean all avid fans of horror movies alike - the writers/directors of Mirror Life: Modern Zombies - Brian Kazmarck and Kazy Tauginas - set out to prove from the very off that they themselves also wanted to showcase the fact that such a new angle to an old genre could be accomplished.

Having just finished watching Mirror Life, I myself have to say that as much as they did manage to make a lot of what we see slightly different to what we have seen played out before, overall the overriding experience of having seen another horror/zombie film was most definitely left residing within me come the end credits.

And that is not their fault, not at all, as what they set out to do, what they said they could/would achieve was - for the most part, I am willing to say - achieved here, and yet at the end of the day there is no escaping the fact that Mirror Life: Modern Zombies is, well, a horror/zombie flick.

Sometimes shot as a handheld documentary-styled film - akin to Blair Witch - it tells the story of a new drug about to hit the market that cures everything within everyone! The trouble is that it has to be tested on people first and therein lies the premise that brings us ... those pesky zombies.

Genuinely scary, a little shocking, and at times just downright sickly, both Kazmarck and Tauginas have created a slanted viewpoint of what we usually attribute to the known facts of what a zombie is and how it got be one, so for that alone they should be greatly commended. For these are virus-infected-humans who still have a semblance of humanity ticking within them, which one would hope could lead to a better ending, and yet, well, you will see.

So how does all this keep happening within this world of this genre? Well, as they say, they only had good intentions!

The DVD also includes deleted scenes and a brilliant Directors commentary!

www.mirrorlifefilm.com

www.cleorecs.com

Best Christmas Movies Ever! [Special Ext. Edition]
(Emily Swallow, Mick Foley, Patrick Warburton, Spencer Grammer, et al / Blu-ray / NR / 2025 / MVD Rewind Collection)

Overview: Get ready to relive the greatest holiday movie moments of all time in Best Christmas Movies Ever! A festive and fun-filled documentary that takes you on a nostalgic journey through the most beloved Christmas classics.

Featuring exclusive interviews with stars, filmmakers, and critics, this special presentation features an extended cut of the film and explores the heartwarming stories, behind-the-scenes secrets, and lasting impact of iconic films like Home Alone, Elf, The Santa Clause, Miracle on 34th Street, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, It’s a Wonderful Life, and more - including the ultimate debate: Is Die Hard a Christmas movie?

Whether you’re a lifelong fan or discovering these holiday treasures for the first time, Best Christmas Movies Ever! is the perfect companion to your favorite holiday movies. Cozy up with your loved ones, grab some hot cocoa, and celebrate the spirit of the season with this must-watch Christmas documentary!

Blu-ray Verdict: If, much like myself and my family, every time this holiday season is upon us you fight over which Christmas movies to watch, which are no good, and which are not even Christmas-themed movies at all (and so shouldn’t even be considered), then this is the documentary you have been waiting for!

For this brand new, and fully educational - albeit Christmas movies deemed by certain people to be the so-called best ever, of course - is close to what might call a definitive grouping of the best of the best when it comes to entertaining the whole family on wintery nights.

I won’t give away what each and every movie is that has been chosen here, but I can tell you that this quite wondrous new two-hour documentary might finally help you pick a winner with your very own household.

In the documentary, creators and stars of the films, along with critics, discuss the making and legacy of some beloved Christmas movies, such as Home Alone, The Santa Clause, Elf, It’s a Wonderful Life, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Miracle on 34th Street, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and yes, it even kinda/sorta answers the age-old question: Is Die Hard a Christmas movie?!

Special Features:
High Definition (1080p) presentation of the main feature in 1.78:1 Aspect Ratio
Audio: English LPCM 5.1 Surround
Optional English Subtitles
Audio Commentary featuring Director Mark A. Altman
Deleted and Extended Scenes (HD, 19:17)
Best Christmas Movies Ever: Live At GalaxyCon (featuring writer / director Mark A. Altman) (HD, 40.39)
Trailer
Collectible Mini-Poster
Reversible artwork
Limited Edition Slipcover (First Pressing Only)

Candy Apple [Blu-ray]
(Dean Dempsey, Neon Music, Texas Trash, et al / Blu-ray / NR / (2015) 2025 / Anchor Bay Entertainment)

Overview: Candy Apple (2015) is an enticingly dark comedy about a father and son consumed by New York’s undercurrents of vice and desperation.

Blu-ray Verdict: Using the director’s biological father and true stories strung together in a fictional narrative, CANDY APPLE follows Texas Trash as he struggles to get sober while his son Bobby attempts to launch a career in filmmaking.

Meanwhile Trash has all but abandoned landing a job or reigniting his band as planned, and has fallen at the heels of local eccentric, Roxy. With the help of hallucinogens, the two embark on regular adventures through New York and other worlds.

When Bobby hears of Trash’s relapse and near fatal overdose, his confidence and belief in his father is broken. As the cast’s relationships weaken, CANDY APPLE ends where it begins, with the father and son struggling to balance desire with reality but never getting it right.

Knowing that the director, Dean Dempsey came up with the idea for this movie on a whim and decided just as quickly to make a film with only non-actors in it, makes the watching experience all that more interesting.

Simply put, you have got people playing themselves in a narrative with the only one having done any acting being the guy who eats cereal off of a character’s chest! The rest are bums the director met on the street or people he met in a bar. And lest we forget that the guy playing his character’s father is actually his very own father (yes, the one with tattoos all over his neck and face, a hook for an arm and a prosthesis for a leg!)

With post, the film cost around $100,000 to make. They had about 15 people on the crew, and they shot it with Red Epic cameras. It was financed through Wendigo Productions in New York where the CEO is a friend and they wanted to help make a film project.

With films like this, ones without a sizable budget compared to Hollywood and they never-ending mega bucks, Candy Apple clearly shows that you do not need bags and bags of money to make a compelling visual watch.

So don’t focus on the money. Just do it. Write the script, get your friends together and just do it. But get the best audio you can get. As long you have good audio, you won’t lose the interest of your audience. Hence why Candy Apple is a real gem of a low budget film, and one I highly recommend to all admirers of the visual art form.

www.anchorbay-ent.com

Screamityville [Official Trailer]

Screamityville [Blu-ray]
(Blu-ray / NR / 2025 / Borderline Media)

Overview: Screamityville is an 84 minute tour of some of the creepiest and most creative Halloween themed houses. It recreates the experience of driving around on a late October evening in search of your favorite decorated homes in your neighborhood.

However, in Screamityville ... they could be your favorite, or your worst nightmare. The program is set to a soundtrack of eerie ambiance and spooky sound effects.

Blu-ray Verdict: Direct from the creators of Christmas Lights comes a brilliantly wonderfully, wholly effective, and deliciously fun 84-minute tour through some gloriously Halloween-themed houses accompanied by atmospheric music, chilling sound effects and, of course, so maniacal voiceovers.

So instead of putting on an old Halloween movie this spooky season when the kids arrive to rob you of your candy, put this disc in and allow the most perfect ever background viewing for your Halloween party to kick in and do the hauntingly atmospheric job for you!

What we get to see are literally dozens of spectacular homes, each fully decked out to celebrate the thrills and chills of the season. And trust me when I say that if you sit and watch this - which you will at some point, instead of having it just as background - you will quickly see just how far these homeowners have taken things! Far beyond simply placing a pumpkin on the porch for there are numerous front yards which are covered in elaborate and overwhelming displays of tombstones, skeletons, jack-o-lanterns, humongous spiders, ghastly ghouls, and anything else that goes bump in the night!

A wicked clown house will reinforce your suspicions and phobias. Glowing ghosts float through the trees and creepy cemeteries. Cobwebs, smoke, and strobe lights enhance the gory and horrifying effects that turn sweet suburban front yards into supernatural wonderlands.

So yes, Borderline Media may well have announced the North American premiere of this excellent curated Screamityville: A Bone Chilling Celebration of Halloween’s Most Haunted Houses production on Blu-ray, but it will be you that takes all the plaudits once people see and hear what is playing in your house, trust me!

The Island [Limited Edition]
(Ching-Yuen Tse, Hoi-Lun Au, Jing Chen, John Sham, et al / Blu-ray / NR / (1985) 2025 / Eureka Entertainment)

Overview: Perhaps the most accomplished genre picture directed by British-Chinese filmmaker Po-Chih Leong (Hong Kong 1941), The Island is Hong Kong’s answer to the likes of Deliverance, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, The Hills Have Eyes and Motel Hell - a film that transports the visceral survival horror so popular in the 1970s and 1980s from the backwoods of America to a remote island in East Asia.

At the height of summer, teacher Mr Cheung (John Sham) takes a small group of his students on an excursion to explore a rural island that he assumes is uninhabited. But upon arrival, Cheung and his class discover that they are not alone - the island is, in fact, home to three deranged brothers and their equally deranged mother.

And when one of Cheung’s students refuses a marriage proposal from the youngest - and perhaps most disturbed - member of this deeply strange family, both the teacher and the young people in his care soon come to wish that they had stayed at home.

Following in the footsteps of its Western predecessors, The Island plays out a pointed class conflict as it pits its educated urbanites against the violent members of an isolated rural community - but never loses the unique qualities of a Hong Kong horror movie. The Masters of Cinema series is proud to present the film on Blu-ray for the first time anywhere outside of Asia.

Blu-ray Verdict: In all truth, The Island (1985) is a creepy little horror adventure from director Po-Chih Leong, where, and as aforementioned, a teacher and his students run into a horrible nightmare after camping at an island off the coast of Hong Kong that is inhabited by a mysterious woman and her three, malevolent sons.

The film gains much momentum from start to finish and much of the suspense and horror takes place on the island. The amount of misfortune our protagonists run into may be disturbing to the viewers and their run-ins with the evil doers are pretty savage to look at. But, and as always, this really defines the horror element of this type of movie genre - all the creepiness, suspense and thrills all built up without the overload of gore.

The mystery and the awe of terror surrounding the family on the island and the amount of fear the teacher and students experience will send chills down your spine. However, while intriguing, the acting was a little sub-par and this movie could have use some humor and redeeming moments, in my humble opinion, instead of just pure horror and depressing stuff.

However, hardcore horror movie fans should enjoy this movie and it is a satisfying and surprisingly well-executed offering, avoiding some of the more obvious excesses of gore that an American version would include yet more than compensating by virtue of its dark, grim tone and the disturbingly realistic grimness of its villains.

Bonus Features:
Limited edition of 2,000 copies
Limited edition O-card slipcase featuring new artwork by Ilan Sheady
Limited edition collector’s booklet featuring an interview with Po-Chih
Leong and revised introduction notes on The Island by film writer, producer and film festival executive Roger Garcia
1080p HD presentation from a brand new 2K restoration
Original Cantonese mono
Optional English subtitles, newly translated for this release
New audio commentary with East Asian cinema expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival)
New audio commentary with genre cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema
Surviving the Shoot – interview with director Po-Chih Leong from 2023 courtesy of Frédéric Ambroisine
Trailer

A Nightmare on Elm Street Collection | 4K Ultra HD Trailer | Warner Bros. Entertainment

A Nightmare on Elm Street 7 Film Collection:4K UHD
(Amanda Wyss, Heather Langenkamp, John Saxon, Johnny Depp, Robert Englund, et al / 7-Disc 4K Ultra HD + Digital / R / 2025 / Studio Distribution Services)

Overview: Freddy Krueger, the vengeful child killer burned alive by angry parents, returns to haunt the dreams of their children when this chilling 7-film saga becomes available as a 4K UHD collection for the first time.

From his first terrifying appearance on Elm Street to his resurrection through nightmares, Freddy unleashes horror across generations – where sleep is no escape, and dreams become deadly.

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 hotly anticipated A Nightmare on Elm Street 7 Film Collection (4K Ultra HD + Digital) in the expansive 4K Ultra HD video format this September 30th, 2025.

For my money, this A Nightmare on Elm Street 7 Film Collection (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 A Nightmare on Elm Street 7 Film Collection 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: HDR10, Aspect ratio: 1.85:1 and Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1.

One of those moments is in the first film and it is Tina’s death. It starts with a whisper in the night and an atmosphere of foreboding dread. Tina is of course hypnotized and must follow this voice into the night. Dream logic. And then we get the villain’s introduction, which does not disappoint. This is God, and then it just goes from bad to worse. The brutality of Tina being dragged up the walls, the splash and the gory aftermath.

Not only is it Freddy’s introduction, it’s also the build-up and the fear of the unknown. And it ends in a bloody mess.

The single best practical effects moment in the series comes with the 1985 sequel. In A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge, director Jack Sholder takes a literal approach to revenge through Freddy’s darker and more relentless presence. Courtesy of special makeup effects artist Mark Shostrom, the night demon rips through our protagonist Jesse’s body and pops out of his chest. Over 40 years later, it still manages to send creepy crawlies writhing under the skin.

That said, there is one death scene in A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors that is straight-up barbaric, even by Freddy standards. As the series turning point, the 1987 film sank further into horror/comedy territory, while also balancing the suffocating fear we’ve come to know and love.

This time, the story revolves around a group of troubled, nightmare-afflicted kids who have been committed to Westin Hills Psychiatric Hospital by their parents. Freddy pounces and preys on their various weaknesses, from drug addiction to aspiration for TV fame.

As for the audio, well we get the plentiful choice of: English: Dolby Atmos, English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit) and English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono.

Overall, these are very strong 4K HDR Blu-ray presentations, and, for the most part, the audio tracks remains fairly similar to its DTS-HD counterparts; 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 films themselves, here is a review of each contained here in this oh-so most glorious 7-disc 4K UHD box-set: A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), well, it is not so easy to create a horror figure. Director Wes Craven had the luck to find with Robert Englund the perfect cast for this role. Also some of the young actresses and actors are showing good performances. As Max Schreck was Count Orlok, Robert Englund is Freddy Krueger.

No wonder that so many sequels would follow. Next to the creation of a perfect new horror monster the whole movie follows somehow the concept of old classics. If you hear a children song in a horror movie it’s always scary. The concept of the plot is like an old urban legend, myth or old classic ghost story. A young teenage girl is telling his parents that she dreamed of a monster that tried to kill her. Nobody believes her and keep on telling her it’s just a nightmare. Freddy Krueger cannot come into the dreams of adults they don’t have the imagination of fantasy anymore.

Wes Craven not only broke with some of the common rules of the genre he also reinvented some old classic rules of the genre into a new light. I highly recommend this piece of 80’s culture to every movie fan not only the horror fans. If you don’t like horror series don’t watch the sequels but watch Wes Craven’s Version of a Nightmare instead.

A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge (1985) was definitely a rush job for NewLine Studios to cash in. Only Robert Englund returns. No Wes Craven. None of the surviving kids. In fact, Freddy Krueger gains a new power by possessing somebody and climbing into the real world. It seems an unwise move as it would allow Freddy to be killed more easily.

It is also noteworthy that none of the kids were stars and none of them has since broken out as big stars. That should indicate the caliber of acting skills involved. It’s quite disappointing since normally we’d expect an improvement after a surprise hit. That’s the best way to describe this movie: a disappointment. There is also a latent homosexual conflict in the character. It would have been an interesting idea, but it’s executed horribly here, in my humble opinion.

A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987). Three years after A Nightmare on Elm Street and its follow up sequel made Wes Craven the horror king of the 1980’s, Dream Warriors came out and became profitable, forcing a fourth film to be made to be released the following year, a trend which lasted until 1989.

Here the title song by Dokken is a bloody classic and Patricia Arquette is oh-so frickin’ hot in her film debut. The effects are very good also and the scares are not that cheap given it was the late 80’s.

Another high point in the film is the cast. Heather Langenkamp reprises her role well, as does John Saxon who appears once again as Langenkamp’s father. Craig Wasson is a good hero as a doctor attempting to help the teenagers. Ken Sagoes, Jennifer Rubin, Bradly Gregg, and Rodney Eastman all make for solid teenage characters. Of course, Robert Englund is back as Freddy, who has a bit more of a cheeky sense of humor this time around!

A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988), Even though the franchise was at its fourth film, it’s the most creative, in my humble opinion. There are some really ingenious death scenes here, and one of it is the best in the franchise, again in my opinion. You can also tell the budget is bigger because there are more visual effects and more elaborate nightmare sequences.

Lisa Wilcox is a newcomer to the franchise among the cast and she does a fine job as the new heroine. Andras Jones, Danny Hassle, and Brooke Theiss are all pretty good in their role. However, Toy Newkirk has to be my favorite character in the entire franchise. She’s just so lovable.

I think director Renny Harlin gets a bad rap these days, but I find his movies to be entertaining. I certainly think this film is one of Harlin’s better works. This one is great because it has the most fleshed out characters in the franchise and because everything is just so well made.

A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Child (1989) After turning up the fantasy in The Dream Master, the franchise returns with A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child, one of the most ambitious, visually inventive, and-paradoxically-messiest entries in Freddy Krueger’s saga.

Directed by Stephen Hopkins, the movie leans into a darker, more gothic vibe, with a story that tries to recapture the horror roots of the series but gets lost along the way thanks to an uneven script, undercooked characters, and a villain who’s teetering dangerously on the edge of self-parody.

The movie’s biggest strength, at least conceptually, is the disturbing analogy it draws between motherhood and curse. The idea of Freddy (Robert Englund) manipulating a fetus’s dreams in order to be reborn is bold and grotesque in all the right ways, working as a thematic throwback to his origins-especially with the return of Amanda Krueger (Beatrice Boepple), his mother, in surreal sequences that echo the trauma of evil’s birth.

The scene where Freddy is born, with his deformed, animal-like body bursting out of Amanda in a decaying hospital, is one of the weirdest and most memorable visuals in the whole series-at least in terms of pure imagery.

Alice (Lisa Wilcox) returns as the lead, and once again she’s the emotional and narrative core of the movie. Wilcox delivers a solid performance, showing how much the character has grown-more mature and resilient now, facing the nightmare head-on. Alice is no longer just trying to survive; she’s actively fighting back, willing to do whatever it takes to protect her child. Keeping her as the protagonist was definitely the right call, and she remains one of the most interesting final girls in the franchise.

Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991). From the title of this film, it appeared that this was finally the final Nightmare movie, where Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) would meet his end. After constantly coming back in film after film, it was pretty captivating to see how the protagonists of this story would finally do Freddy in. Here, we get to see the origin of Freddy’s reoccurring powers and see how his daughter Maggie Burroughs (Lisa Zane) discover Freddy’s weakness and use it to her advantage.

It’s more of the screams, chasing, mangling and gruesome images, joined by some campy acting and dialog and some cheesy special effects. The series had definitely run out of steam by the time this movie was made and it shows in the declining quality of each of the movies’ scripts. However, with this film, some of the action and comedic moments were actually pretty decent and I thought this movie was a serviceable end to the long reign of Freddy Krueger’s terror.

Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994). It’s a real refreshing movie that picks a totally different approach and story this time but also a different Freddy. This Freddy is darker and killer like. The Robert Englund Krueger from the previous was more playful with his victims. The Freddy Krueger in this movie is still being played by Robert Englund though by the way.

It’s funny that all of the A Nightmare on Elm Street movies which Wes Craven had been directly involved with as a director or writer, or both, are also among the best out of the series. Craven returned for this movie as a director and it’s also easily one of the better directed movies, when compared to the other sequels.

The movie is greatly horror like with its approach and overall execution of things. It shows that Craven is a real expert, who’s best years are perhaps long behind him but he still more than capable of directing a decent horror film, with also plenty of originality and passion for the genre to it.

Special Features:
Theatrical and Uncut Versions of A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) & A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child
The collection also includes an alternate ending of Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare presented in anaglyph 3D and complete with 3D glasses in the physical collection.

#shakespearesshitstorm [4K Ultra HD]
(Catherine Corcoran, Debbie Rochon, Lloyd Kaufman, et al / 4K UHD+Blu-ray / NR / 2025 / Troma Films)

Overview: Mad scientist Prospero runs away with his blind daughter Miranda to Tromaville, hiding from evil pharmaceutical execs, including his own sister Antoinette, who ruined his career after he found the cure against opioid addiction.

With the help of a handicapped crack-whore, he releases a massive amount of laxative to whales, while his enemies are on a cruise ship to North Korea. A humongous shitstorm washes the boat away and brings them to Tromaville. Prospero can now fully realize his ultimate vengeance.

Blu-ray Verdict: If you know Troma, you are fully aware of what to expect. however this movie provides an over deliverance on all expectations, trust me on that.

Lloyd has said that this is very likely his last movie and Shakespeare Shitstorm very much encapsulates the energy of a director giving his loyal fanbase a grand finale that they will not soon forget.

The movie takes aim at cancel culture, social justice warriors and the daily outrage we see in modern times. Whilst these are themes we generally see ridiculed by right wing media, Lloyd approaches it in a manner that highlights how the public focusing on the trivial issues rather than the wider problems actually divides people further.

Kate McGarrigle was a real standout with a strong performance demonstrating perfect comedic timing. Additionally, Monique Dupree was fantastic and I can see them both landing roles in major productions and continuing the tradition of Troma alumni graduating into stardom.

In short what we get here is a insane amount of blood, effects that delight and disgust and incredible amounts of whale fecal matter with surprising levels of corn and, well, a sh*t ton of sex, drugs and rock and roll, baby [S.N.]

Special Features:
Introduction by Lloyd Kaufman
Producers and Cast Commentaries
A Heaping Serving Of Troma!
Theatrical Trailers
Radiation March
I’ve Been Tromatized!
Troma In Times Square!
Full Length Behind The Scenes Documentary
Tromalbania
Original Songs From The Movie

www.troma.com

www.MVDvisual.com

Deadman’s Barstool [Blu-ray]
(Jasmine Poulton, Victoria Beltran, et al / Blu-ray / R / (2018) 2025 / Arrow Films)

Overview: Mary is the conniving wife of a well-known televangelist who goes by the moniker John the Preacher. Facing divorce with meager financial settlement, she partners with his mistress, Ginny, to rob JP of his cash fortune and split the loot. When they discover him dead from a gunshot wound to the head, their scheme starts to unravel piece by piece.

Through a clever cover-up, his murder was ruled a suicide by the NYPD, but a crooked cop has other plans. When their attempt to pay off the detective backfires, a series of events unfold that reveal how the real perpetrators left them all outwitted and put out to pasture. Through a cast of offbeat characters and eccentric cameos, the story of one man’s life and death takes twists and turns through the murky glint of a cocktail glass.

Blu-ray Verdict: Just to paint a quick picture, based in New York City American visual artist, actor, and filmmaker Dean Dempsey has had his art span a range of media including photography, painting, drawing and video. He is also the writer and director of his debut feature film Candy Apple (2015), for which he won the NY Perspectives Award at the Winter Film Awards the following year.

Dempsey later directed and co-wrote his second feature-length movie Deadman’s Barstool (2018), which brings us the story of the wife of a televangelist who discovers her scheme to rob him has been stopped by someone else’s murder plot.

So yes, Dean Dempsey gives us that nasty side of New York that was so charming in the ’70s and ’80s indie films and creates a tight, darkly hilarious Manhattan murder mystery filled with a rogues’ gallery of local lowlifes.

Among them are two fortune-telling scammers who use unconventional Tarot cards, and maybe more sinister tricks. But are any of these comical grifters truly capable of murder? You will have to watch and find out for yourselves, which I cannot implore you enough to do.

The film also stars Sara Friedman (Standing Up, Falling Down), Victoria Beltran (The Dictator), Nancy Evans (Tripped Up), and Justin Sams (King Of Knives).

Official Movie Trailer

Tenacious D - The Complete Masterworks Vol. 3
(Tenacious D / Blu-ray+DVD / NR / 2025 / Tenacious D Films)

Overview: The Greatest Band in the World, Tenacious D, proudly announces the release of the latest installment of their Complete Masterworks series, aptly named The Complete Masterworks Vol. 3.

This chapter showcases the band’s O2 Arena concert in London from their 2023 Spicy Meatball Tour. This epic collector’s edition features a live set of their classic hits from the O2 Arena show, plus their animated film Post Apocalypto, music videos, a mini-poster, and more.

Blu-ray Verdict: Tenacious D’s The Complete Masterworks Vol. 3 captures the band at the height of their powers during their sold-out, headline show at London’s O2 Arena on June 16th, 2023. Their set, a raucous romp of rock and comedy, features their classic hits, including Tribute, The Metal, Master Exploder, Beelzeboss (The Final Showdown), Kickapoo and more.

In addition, Complete Masterworks Vol. 3 includes the band’s animated film, Post Apocalypto, with music from The D and illustrations by Jack Black. The package features music videos, including the smash hit cover from Kung Fu Panda 4, ...Baby One More Time and Chris Isaak’s Wicked Game, The D’s Oneyplays Studios animated hit Video Games, their Fiber d’Lish commercial, and their charity covers series including Tenacious D’s The Who Medley, The Beatles’ You Never Give Me Your Money / The End, and Time Warp, from the cult classic The Rocky Horror Show.

Previous editions of The Complete Masterworks include their 2-DVD set from 2003, The Complete Masterworks, featuring their performance at the Brixton Academy and lots more, and the 2008 DVD release, The Complete Masterworks 2, which captures their heavy rock mayhem filmed by Wayne Isham at their 2007 Paramount Theater/Seattle shows, D Tour: A Tenacious Documentary directed by Jeremy Konner plus additional material from the POD era.

What we have here is kind of a half-skip of Rize of the Phoenix - maybe my favorite album besides the debut. Volume 3 is a collection of the Post-Apocalypto years, which is what I expected. This is surely the optimal place to release the animated movie, and I assumed a set from that era would also be added to the release. It seems their third album is but its own entity, brushed past in their run of Masterwork DVD’s.

What baffles me is that the actual live show has no songs from Post-Apocalypto, despite that year featuring several in their cycle. This is fine, because I look at the album as easily their weakest even if I do love a few tracks here and there. Strange, but acceptable.

In closing, the music and visuals within the “Post-Apocalypto” musical animated series go hand in hand here in this political sci-fi story about JB and KG surviving a hydrogen bomb drop. The two explore the new post-apocalyptic world, meet a two-headed dog, cave women, and a robot, travel to space and Egypt, and seek the Crystal of Gilgamesh.

Track Listing:
1. Overture (Live at the O2 Arena, June 16th, 2023) 2. Kickapoo (Live at the O2 Arena, June 16th, 2023) 3. Low Hangin’ Fruit (Live at the O2 Arena, June 16th, 2023) 4. Rize of the Fenix (Live at the O2 Arena, June 16th, 2023) 5. Wonderboy (Live at the O2 Arena, June 16th, 2023) 6. Tribute (Live at the O2 Arena, June 16th, 2023) 7. Video Games (Live at the O2 Arena, June 16th, 2023) 8. The Metal (Live at the O2 Arena, June 16th, 2023) 9. Sax-a-Boom / Max-a-boom (Live at the O2 Arena, June 16th, 2023) 10. Roadie (Live at the O2 Arena, June 16th, 2023) 11. Dude (I Totally Miss You) (Live at the O2 Arena, June 16th, 2023) 12. Beelzeboss (The Final Showdown) (Live at the O2 Arena, June 16th, 2023) 13. Double Team (Live at the O2 Arena, June 16th, 2023) 14. Master Exploder (Live at the O2 Arena, June 16th, 2023) 15. The Spicy Meatball Theme Song (Live at the O2 Arena, June 16th, 2023) 16. Fuck Her Gently (Live at the O2 Arena, June 16th, 2023) 17. Post-Apocalypto - Chapter 1: Hope 18. Post-Apocalypto - Chapter 2: Cave 19. Post-Apocalypto - Chapter 3: Space 20. Post-Apocalypto - Chapter 4: Robot 21. Post-Apocalypto - Chapter 5: Donald 22. Post-Apocalypto - Chapter 6: Home 23. ...Baby One More Time (Music Video) 24. Wicked Game (Music Video) 25. Video Games (Music Video) 26. Fiber d’Lish (Music Video) 27. Tenacious D’s The Who Medley (Music Video) 28. You Never Give Me Your Money / The End (Music Video) 29. Time Warp (Music Video)