When it comes to tackling the legend of King Arthur on the silver screen, none even come close to touching John Boorman’s Excalibur. Released in 1981, this lavish depiction of King Arthur and Camelot has stood the test of time as the definitive version of the story, despite so many challengers to the throne. Some include First Knight, a more romantic version of the story marred by an unconvincing performance by Richard Gere as Lancelot; the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced King Arthur, which removes all the magic from the story; and Guy Ritchie’s King Arthur: Legend of the Sword. None match Boorman’s movie.

A Dark, Adult Fantasy Ahead of Its Time

Given its status as a classic, it’s surprising that it took so long for the film to hit 4K disc, with it having been licensed by Warner Bros. to Arrow Video, who’ve given it a lavish new edition with tons of bells and whistles. For those who may not have seen Excalibur, the film tells the story of Arthur and Camelot’s rise and fall, taking a distinctly adult look at the medieval fantasy genre, which predicted a trend that would later become commonplace with Game of Thrones. Excaliburpresents the medieval era as dark, muddy, and ultra-violent, with the film earning a well-deserved R rating the year it came out.

The late Nigel Terry, who never really had a role that lived up to this one, convincingly plays Arthur from a boy to an older man, while Nicolas Clay and Cherie Lunghi play Lancelot and Guinevere, with much of the film focusing on their illicit romance. None went on to much fame after Excalibur, but several members of the cast went on to superstardom. A young Helen Mirren plays the film’s villain, the sorceress Morgana, while Liam Neeson has an early role as Sir Gawain, who loses a jousting duel to Lancelot in one of the film’s most exciting sequences. And then there’s a young Gabriel Byrne as Arthur’s father, Uther, while Patrick Stewart once again proves he hasn’t really aged in forty years as Guinevere’s father.

Nicol Williamson’s Legendary Merlin

Best of all is Nicol Williamson as Merlin, with him playing the role as alternately funny, menacing, and compassionate. Acclaimed as one of the greatest actors of his era, Williamson struggled with some demons off-screen, never really getting a chance to show what he was capable of on the big screen, with this being the most notable exception.

4K Transfer and Audio: Faithful to the Original Vision

Fans have been waiting for a 4K release of Excalibur since the format began, and Arrow has delivered a transfer that’s highly faithful to the film’s intended, somewhat soft look. Don’t go in expecting Excalibur to look razor-sharp—it was highly stylized for its era, and Arrow gives us a faithful representation.

The audio mix is a similar story, as the film, despite its scale, was originally mixed in mono. It was eventually upgraded to 5.1 in the DVD/Blu-ray era, so Arrow has given us both options. To me, the mono mix is the way to go, with the film’s soundtrack having been impeccably crafted, with the score a mix of Trevor Jones compositions and classical selections from Wagner, Carl Orff, and more.

Packed Extras Worth the Upgrade

The extras are, as usual for Arrow, well chosen. The film has three commentary tracks, including one by John Boorman, who also sits for a new interview with his son, Charley, who memorably plays Mordred. The real gem is a vintage, nearly hour-long documentary from 1981 about the making of the film, directed by none other than Neil Jordan, who, within a few years, would become an iconic director in his own right. He also sits for a contemporary interview about his time on the set.

There’s also a more recent “Behind the Movie” featurette with 2016 interviews from some of the surviving cast members, including Liam Neeson, Helen Mirren, and Patrick Stewart (by then all three of the film’s leads had passed away). Most interestingly is the inclusion of the “TV Cut,” which was actually aired on HBO frequently in the early eighties, as there was a rule back then that they couldn’t show R-rated movies during the day. As such, they would show this PG version during the daytime, and the R-rated version at night.

Final Verdict

If you’re a fan of Excalibur, this set is a no-brainer (buy it HERE). While the price tag is a bit hefty, with Arrow you always get what you pay for. Highly recommended.

The post Excalibur: John Boorman’s Arthurian Classic Gets the 4K it Deserves appeared first on JoBlo.

One of the beloved 80s properties that isn’t quite Back to the Future or E.T. stature, but also not totally obscure, is the John Lithgow family film, Harry and the Hendersons. This film puts an E.T. spin on the Bigfoot phenomenon when a family takes a Sasquatch in as a new friend, but must hide him from the authorities and the general public. Harry and the Hendersons has that Spielberg magic as it comes from Amblin Entertainment and Universal Pictures. The film stars John Lithgow, Melinda Dillon, Margaret Langrick, Joshua Rudoy and Kevin Peter Hall.

Blu-ray.com has now revealed that the boutique physical media label, Kino Lorber, will be releasing a 4K Blu-ray remastering of Harry and the Hendersons. The new Blu-ray will be made available at retailers on May 26.

New Details

More details on the release has been unveiled, which include quite a bit of special features. The description reads, “While returning from a trip in the woods, George Henderson (John Lithgow) and his family run into something with their car that turns out to be a Sasquatch. Thinking the creature is dead, they take him home, but “Harry” (Kevin Peter Hall) soon awakens. Despite their initial fears, Harry is a kind and sensitive being, and the Hendersons become very fond of him. However, it is difficult to keep him a secret, and soon they begin to fear for Harry’s safety.”

Special Features:

DISC ONE – 4K BLU-RAY:

• NEW 4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE
• DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTAITON OF THE FILM
• NEW Audio Commentary by Director William Dear
• NEW Audio Commentary by Hats Off Entertainment’s Joe Ramoni
• NEW Audio Commentary by Entertainment Journalists/Authors Bryan Reesman and Max Evry
• Archival Audio Commentary by William Dear
• 5.1 Surround and Lossless 2.0 Audio
• Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature

DISC TWO – BLU-RAY

• NEW 4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE
• NEW Audio Commentary by Director William Dear
• NEW Audio Commentary by Hats Off Entertainment’s Joe Ramoni
• NEW Audio Commentary by Entertainment Journalists/Authors Bryan Reesman and Max Evry
• Archival Audio Commentary by William Dear
• Harry… Finding the Missing Link
• Making of Harry and the Hendersons
• Newswrap
• Deleted Scenes
• Theatrical Trailer
• 5.1 Surround and Lossless 2.0 Audio
• Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature

Technical Specs:

• Video
  Codec: HEVC / H.265
  Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)
  HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10
  Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Audio
  TBA
• Subtitles
  English SDH
• Discs
  4K Ultra HD
  Blu-ray Disc
  Two-disc set (1 BD-100, 1 BD-50)
• Packaging
  Slipcover in original pressing
• Playback
  4K Blu-ray: Region free
  2K Blu-ray: Region A (B, C untested)

The post Kino Lorber releases more details on the new 4K Blu-ray of Harry and the Hendersons appeared first on JoBlo.

While Robert Zemeckis has hit some big home runs in his career, there isn’t much in his more recent films that has garnered as much notoriety as his earlier works. While something like The Polar Express has become a Christmas classic for many, his experiments with new technology are often hit-and-miss. But in 2012, he would take it back to basics with a character drama that featured Denzel Washington in a surprise film about alcohol addiction titled Flight, which had been more or less advertised as a legal thriller about a pilot’s ability to make a miracle emergency landing.

Flight 4K

Blu-ray.com is now reporting that Kino Lorber will be distributing the Paramount film that stars Washington, John Goodman, Don Cheadle, Kelly Reilly, and Bruce Greenwood. There is yet to be a specific date that is locked down for the release, but the label is aiming to hit retailers for sometime in the Summer of 2026. Additionally, it’s also at a stage where there are yet to be special features announced, so for now, only some of the technical specs are known.

The description reads,
“Commercial airline pilot Whip Whitaker (Denzel Washington) has a problem with drugs and alcohol, though so far he’s managed to complete his flights safely. His luck runs out when a disastrous mechanical malfunction sends his plane hurtling toward the ground. Whip pulls off a miraculous crash-landing that results in only six lives lost. Shaken to the core, Whip vows to get sober — but when the crash investigation exposes his addiction, he finds himself in an even worse situation.”

Technical Specs:

• Video
  Codec: HEVC / H.265
  Resolution: 4K (2160p)
  HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10
  Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
• Audio
  TBA
• Subtitles
  English SDH
• Discs
  4K Ultra HD
  Blu-ray Disc
  Two-disc set (2 BD)
• Playback
  4K Blu-ray: Region free
  2K Blu-ray: Region A (B, C untested)

Usually, Kino Lorber is good at preserving the cover art with the original poster key art, but the photo accompanying this announcement may suggest that Reilly could be featured on the marketing of this release a bit more to capitalize on her fame from Yellowstone since co-starring in this movie.

Bumbray’s Archival Thoughts

Since the movie’s release, it has been one of Zemeckis’ more popular films in the tail end of his resume, which includes films like Welcome to Marwen, Disney’s live-action Pinocchio remake and 2024’s Here. Back in 2012, our Chris Bumbray said in his review, “Despite running a lengthy 140 minutes, Zemeckis keeps FLIGHT moving at a quick pace, making it feel much shorter than it is, and keeping it fully engrossing throughout.  In the end, Zemeckis isn’t making the gritty Sundance version of FLIGHT, but the big-budget, star-studded version. As such, he’s still delivered a ballsy and thoroughly entertaining piece of work.”

The post Denzel Washington and Robert Zemeckis’ Flight heads to 4K Blu-ray from Kino Lorber appeared first on JoBlo.

One of the films that was ubiquitous in the 80s was The Great Outdoors, a John Hughes-penned family comedy, which paired his favorite actor, John Candy, with the great Dan Aykroyd. The story of two feuding fathers spending time at a summer cabin, it has all the hallmarks of a great John Hughes movie. It has the slapstick, the silliness, and yes — even some heart in the unexpected climax.

The good people at Kino Lorber are now bringing the John Candy/Dan Aykroyd classic to a new ultra-high definition release. According to Blu-ray.com, The Great Outdoors will be remastered in 4K from its original negative and will be presented in DolbyVision. The Howard Deutch comedy also stars Stephanie Faracy, Annette Bening, and Chris Young. The 4K/regular Blu-ray combo is due to hit retailers on May 26.

The description reads,
“It’s vacation time for outdoorsy Chicago man Chet Ripley (John Candy), along with his wife, Connie (Stephanie Faracy), and their two kids, Buck (Chris Young) and Ben (Ian Giatti). But a serene weekend of fishing at a Wisconsin lakeside cabin gets crashed by Connie’s obnoxious brother-in-law, Roman Craig (Dan Aykroyd), his wife, Kate (Annette Bening), and the couple’s two daughters. As the excursion wears on, the Ripleys find themselves at odds with the stuffy Craig family.”

Special Features:

DISC ONE – 4K BLU-RAY

• NEW 4K RESTORATION FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE
• DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
• NEW Audio Commentary by Director Howard Deutch, Moderated by Filmmaker Douglas Hosdale
• NEW Audio Commentary by Hats Off Entertainment’s Joe Ramoni
• NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historians Paul Anthony Nelson and Lee Zachariah
• Optional English Subtitles

DISC TWO – BLU-RAY

• NEW 4K RESTORATION FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE
• NEW Audio Commentary by Director Howard Deutch, Moderated by Filmmaker Douglas Hosdale
• NEW Audio Commentary by Hats Off Entertainment’s Joe Ramoni
• NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historians Paul Anthony Nelson and Lee Zachariah
• Optional English Subtitles

Technical Specs:

• Video
  Codec: HEVC / H.265
  Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)
  Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Audio
  TBA
• Subtitles
  English SDH
• Discs
  4K Ultra HD
  Blu-ray Disc
  Two-disc set (1 BD-100, 1 BD-50)
• Packaging
  Slipcover in original pressing
• Playback
  4K Blu-ray: Region free
  2K Blu-ray: Region A (B, C untested)

The post The John Candy and Dan Aykroyd comedy, The Great Outdoors, gets a new 4K Blu-ray from Kino Lorber appeared first on JoBlo.

The description reads,
“A magical and beautifully animated journey through time, Arco is a dazzling adventure about a 10-year-old boy from a peaceful, distant future who accidentally travels back to the year 2075 and discovers a world in peril. As Arco develops a charming and touching friendship with a young girl named Iris, they band together and along with her trusted robot caretaker Mikki, set out on a quest to get Arco home, while the two children may also be the only ones who can save our planet.

A wondrous odyssey filled with hope and optimism for our future, Arco is an enchanting fable from breakout filmmaker Ugo Bienvenu, produced by Remembers’ Bienvenu and Felix de Givry, and mountainA’s Natalie Portman and Sophie Mas.”

Special Features and Technical Specs:

• TWO-DISC (4K BLU-RAY/BLU-RAY) COMBO PACK RELEASE
• HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
• ORIGINAL FRENCH AND ENGLISH AUDIO TRACKS
• Three exclusive interviews with Ugo Bienvenu and Nathalie Portman
• Featurettes:
  • Behind the scenes with Nathalie Portman and Producers
  • Animation to Animation
  • Song and Color with Composer Arnaud Toulon
  • The Dubbin Room with Arco and Iris
• Storyboards and Sketches
• Original Teaser
• Original Trailer
  • Audio:
    • English DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1
    • Optional English SDH and Spanish subtitles for the main feature

Our Steve Seigh couldn’t recommend the film enough in his review, giving it a perfect 10 rating and saying, “When looking back at animation in the year 2025, I can’t imagine holding a conversation about it without mentioning Arco at the top of the discussion. As I sit here and think about all the things that make for a perfect animated film, it’s challenging to see any flaws in Arco. I laughed. I cried (three times). I watched the entire movie with my jaw slack, my eyes darting from one color to the next, a fruitless attempt to commit all the hues, shades, and tinctures to memory. I desperately need to share this movie with others, and can’t wait for them to experience the magic of Bienvenu’s film for all it has to offer.”

The post Arco comes to 4K Blu-ray for an early Summer release appeared first on JoBlo.

Where Did the Image for the New Trilogy Collection Come From?

How did this investigation into the new collection start? Well, a new piece of artwork for the upcoming trilogy is circulating. While the art gives old-school vibes, questions remain about the collection’s contents. The Digital Bits decided to do some digging, and according to their source, the image is real, but claims that the product contains the original, unaltered versions of Lucas’s trilogy are false. So, what is the image for? It’s to promote a repackage of the existing Blu-ray sets for all three Star Wars trilogies. The repackage is reportedly part of this year’s May the 4th celebration, a day that always brings the latest Star Wars news to the forefront.

Never Lose Hope

It’s worth pointing out that just because this collection isn’t the one fans were hoping for, that doesn’t mean hope is lost. Next year is the Star Wars franchise’s 50th anniversary, which, as you know, is a big one. If the studio was going to release something as coveted as the original unaltered trilogy to collectors, why would you do it on the 49th year and not the 50th?

Buried Treasure

Funnily enough, I still have my original unaltered trilogy on VHS. I’d need a VCR, but there’s one in my office closet next to a pile of concert bootlegs and a copy of The Year Punk Broke. I do hope Disney goes all out for the 50th anniversary and releases the original unaltered trilogy as a part of the celebration. The studio can’t hold onto them forever! Give the people what they want!

The post Buyer Beware! The Upcoming Unaltered Star Wars Trilogy Is Not the Collection You’re Looking For appeared first on JoBlo.

MVD JCVD releases

It’s a pretty exciting time in physical media. Past classics and cult classics alike are seeing more and more remasters in ultra-high-definition Blu-ray releases. Labels like Shout Factory’s Hong Kong Cinema Classics and MVD Rewind Collection are repackaging these 4K upgrades with grade retro logos and presentations. You can now re-live every kick and every split (and every spinning split kick) of some Jean-Claude Van Damme films in new home video releases of some of his titles. Knock Off from 1998, Lionheart from 1990 and Double Impact from 1991 have gotten early year releases. This time, we take a look at Double Impact.

Double Impact

Double Impact was a perfect kind of film for Jean-Claude Van Damme at the time of its release. By the end of the 1980s, he was a baby-faced, Hercules-physiqued, martial arts phenomenon thanks to movies like Bloodsport, Kickboxer and Lionheart. While newer action stars like Steven Seagal also followed in the vein of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone, Van Damme had an All-American boyish charm to him that went really well with his martial arts prowess. His natural charisma was very easy for movie-going audiences to get attached to — not to mention the sex appeal he exuded. And boy, did his soak up all the attention. 

When Double Impact came out, it was everything you wanted and expected from a new Van Damme action movie, so even if he was a kind of self-indulgent with this project, it just didn’t matter. He earned it. And it’s SO entertaining! The trailer for this movie remarked (with help from the late, great trailer voice Don LaFontaine), “Double the Van Damage!” And that’s what the movie feels like. Take some of the greatest things that made 90s action movies entertaining and multiply it by two. 

You can tell Van Damme is having the time of his life at the height of his fame. A lot of that comes through in the movie. Double Impact is higher in concept when compared to Van Damme’s past action films. While the majority of his resume up to then focused more on pure fighting, this one upgraded the action to involve more gunplay, more explosions and more intrigue. The movie would also capitalize on Van Damme’s sex appeal by adding a lot of sexual tension, a shameless showcase of hardbodies and a blunt, full-on, fantasy scene.

It is revealed in the special features that the concept of the film actually came from a brainstorming session at Cannon Films, where writer/director Sheldon Lettich thought he and Van Damme could do something inspired by Alexandre Dumas’ The Corsican Brothers. After Bloodsport did big business, Van Damme, you can tell he really wanted to show audiences what he was capable of. Everyone in the cast and crew interviews would profess how he would really get into his twin character roles, Chad and Alex — both of whom are polar opposites. While Chad was closer to Van Damme’s personality, Alex was a harder-edged, street-wise badass, who grew up on the streets of Hong Kong.

Van Damme was able to show some good range in this film, playing both characters. He wasn’t as green on the movie scene at this time, so it was a great time to expand his capabilities and challenge himself. He makes you believe there are two different guys, who happen to look alike, interacting with each other and the directing of the scenes showing Alex and Chad are pretty effortless, if not complicated. The movie is a genre film that’s product of its time and it totally holds up.

How is the 4K Blu-ray?

MVD really brings it with this release. The 4K presentation is beautiful. The movie was restored from the original camera negative and the picture looks fantastic along with the 5.1 surround sound. It’s always a joy to rewatch a movie like this in its theater-like presentation as it transports me back to seeing it at the cinema. Funnily enough, the picture looks so good that it has the “Back to the Future effect,” where you can see the flaws in the aged effects shots when the filmmakers tried to have both brothers in frame (except for the classic split screen method, which still looks good).

The special features are also a real treat. It’s pretty much what I would want for a film like this. You’ve got an all-new 2-part making of documentary, with each part almost an hour long. Cast and crew on the film share some great behind-the-scenes information on the movie and we get some really great anecdotes. It’s also nice that they break the film down by some of the more memorable scenes. There is also a new feature with director Lettich choosing one particular scene to break down and give ample information on.

Then, we also have some extended and deleted scenes, all of which also come close to an hour! You get a lot of expanded sequences like the fight scenes with the Spurs fighter and the hulking Bolo Yeung rematch. 

Then, you have some cool archival extras, like an old behind-the-scenes featurette meant for broadcast television back in the day and, interestingly, some pull clips from the film, also meant for television broadcast. Then, you have some archival interviews with Van Damme and the filmmakers, again, meant for press. The coolest archival stuff is shown during the new documentary, which features screentests of the cast and certain hopefuls, like Tia Carrere, who nearly had the Danielle role.

Final Thoughts

As always the case, being a 4K release, the price tag will definitely put off anyone who’s just a casual movie consumer and not a fan enough of this film to shell out a few extra bucks for a presentation upgrade. However, if you ARE a die-hard fan of this film, I definitely think it’s a definitive way to see it, all while getting some good insight into the making of it.

You can buy it at MVD’s online shop HERE.

The post Feel the impact! We take a look at the 4K Blu-ray release of Double Impact from the MVD Rewind Collection appeared first on JoBlo.

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves 4K Limited Edition Release Details

Helmed by director Kevin Reynolds (Waterworld, The Count of Monte Cristo), Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves pays homage to the past while transforming the famous outlaw of Sherwood Forest into a movie icon fit for the 1990s.

Robin of Locksley (Kevin Costner) returns from the Crusades to find his father dead and vows revenge. With his Moorish companion Azeem (Morgan Freeman, Unforgiven), he joins a band of peasant rebels to do battle against the wicked Sheriff of Nottingham (Alan Rickman) and win the hand of the fair Maid Marian (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), cousin of the absent King of England.

Arrow’s 4K Limited Edition of Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves comes with a quiver full of bonus material to help bring you closer to the movie than ever before.

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves Product Features

4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS

• 4K restorations of both the theatrical and extended cuts from the original negative by Arrow Films
• 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation of both cuts in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
• Original uncompressed stereo and DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround audio
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Audio commentary with director Kevin Reynolds and actor Kevin Costner
• Audio commentary with actors Morgan Freeman and Christian Slater and writers/producers Pen Densham and John Watson
• Here We Are Kings: Making Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, a multi-part documentary featuring interviews with Densham, Watson, director of photography Douglas Milsome, editor Peter Boyle, costume designer John Bloomfield and many more members of the creative team
• Robin Hood: The Myth, the Man, the Movie, an archival 1991 documentary hosted by Pierce Brosnan
• One-on-One with the Cast, archival 1991 interviews with Costner, Freeman, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Slater and Alan Rickman
• Bryan Adams “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You” performance at Slane Castle, Ireland
• Music soundtrack cues
• Theatrical trailer
• TV spots
• Image gallery
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Paul Shipper
• Collectors’ perfect-bound booklet featuring writing on the film by Jackson Cooper and Mark Cunliffe
• Double-sided fold-out poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Paul Shipper
• Double-sided fold-out poster featuring newly commissioned artwork by José Saccone
• Six postcard-sized artcards

Blue Thunder 4K Limited Edition Release Details

In 1983, director John Badham (WarGames) unleashed Blue Thunder, a tale of airborne surveillance and institutional overreach that became a defining genre snapshot of Reagan-era anxiety. In Blue Thunder, Roy Scheider (Jaws) stars as Frank Murphy, a veteran LAPD helicopter pilot picked to test-fly Blue Thunder, an experimental attack chopper bristling with unprecedented surveillance capabilities. When Murphy uncovers a covert plot to weaponize the aircraft for domestic policing, he takes to the skies in open rebellion. Hunted through the city by his own unit and shadowy government architects, Murphy’s final patrol becomes a white-knuckle fight for justice – and survival.

Blue Thunder Product Features

4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS

• 4K restoration from the original negative
• 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
• Original restored lossless 2.0 stereo audio
• Optional DTS-HD MA 5.1 remix
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Archival audio commentary by director John Badham, editor Frank Morriss, and motion control supervisor Hoyt Yeatman
• Flight Risk, a brand new interview with director John Badham
• A Rollercoaster Ride, a brand new interview with actor Candy Clark
• Catching Up, a brand new interview with actor Malcolm McDowell
• Ride with the Angels: Making Blue Thunder, an archival three-part documentary from 2006
• The Special: Building Blue Thunder, an archival featurette from 2006 on the design and construction of the iconic helicopter
• Archival 1983 promotion featurette
• Extended scene
• Theatrical trailer
• Image gallery
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Chris Skinner
• Collectors’ booklet featuring new writing on the film by Dennis Capicik and original production notes

Kevin Reynolds’ Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves was EVERYWHERE when I was in middle school. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve slow-danced to “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You.” I have a soft spot in my heart for this movie, and never tire of Alan Rickman’s unforgettable performance as the Sheriff of Nottingham. He’s got so many classic one-liners in this movie, it’s incredible.

Arrow’s 4K Limited Edition of Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves arrives on May 26, while Blue Thunder takes flight on May 5.

The post Arrow Video Announces Special 4K Limited Edition Releases for Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves & Blue Thunder appeared first on JoBlo.

1996’s Sleepers may be a star-studded film that isn’t as remembered as much as it should be. From acclaimed filmmaker Barry Levinson, the tale of a group of friends facing an unspeakable amount of abuse in a juvenile correctional facility is getting a new 4K treatment from Warner Bros. Blu-ray.com has reported that Sleepers will have a 4K steelbook Blu-ray released this spring for its 30th anniversary. The cast includes Kevin Bacon, Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman, Jason Patric and Brad Pitt.

4K Blu-ray

The description reads,
“Four ordinary boys. A harmless prank gone awry. Their childhood innocence forever shattered, they vow to avenge its loss in the haunting drama Sleepers. Sentenced to spend time at a reform school for their reckless behavior, four basically good boys from a bad neighborhood suffer a horrible fate while there. Forced to perform unspeakable acts by the very adults entrusted to watch over them, the young quartet barely survives the ordeal. A decade and a half later, nothing can erase the painful memories. But neighborhood justice, with a little support from a loyal priest, helps even the score.

Academy Award-winners Robert De Niro and Dustin Hoffman team up with international superstars Kevin Bacon, Brad Pitt and Jason Patric, along with Academy Award-winning director Barry Levinson (Rain Man), in this compelling drama of shocking retribution. Based on the novel by Lorenzo Carcaterra.”

Update: Blu-ray.com has just unveiled some of the special features on this release along with another look at the artwork.

Special Features:

• 4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM
• DOLBY VISION /HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
• The Making of Sleepers: A Conversation with Barry Levinson
• Sleepers: The Art of Casting with Barry Levinson
• Original trailer
• Optional English SDH, Spanish, and French subtitles for the main feature

The technical specs read:

• Video
  Codec: HEVC / H.265
  Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)
  HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10
  Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
• Audio
  English: Dolby Atmos
  English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1
• Subtitles
  English SDH
• Discs
  4K Ultra HD
  Blu-ray Disc
  Single disc (1 BD)
• Digital
  Digital 4K
  Movies Anywhere
• Packaging
  SteelBook, Inner print
• Playback
  4K Blu-ray: Region free

Barry Levinson’s next

Levinson recently reunited with De Niro for The Alto Knights, which had De Niro in dual roles. It was reported a while ago that Levinson would tackle the story of the JFK assassination with Al Pacino starring and the cast including Viggo Mortensen, John Travolta, Shia LaBeouf, Rebecca Pidgeon and Courtney Love. Not much word has been revealed on the project since its announcement. Assassination “tells the story of how infamous Chicago mobster Sam Giancana arranged the assassination of President John F. Kennedy as payback for trying to bring down organized crime after the mob helped put JFK in the White House.”

The post Barry Levinson’s Sleepers gets a 30th anniversary 4K Blu-ray [Updated with more details] appeared first on JoBlo.

The disc is absolutely loaded with features. Check them out:

DISC ONE – 4K BLU-RAY

• NEW 4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE
• DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
• Audio Commentary by Film Historian Paul Talbot, the author of the BRONSON’S LOOSE! Books
• Audio Commentary by Producer Pancho Kohner, Casting Director John Crowther, and Film Historian David Del Valle
• 5.1 Surround and Lossless 2.0 Audio
• Triple-Layered UHD100 Disc
• Optional English Subtitles

DISC TWO – BLU-RAY

• NEW 4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE
• Audio Commentary by Film Historian Paul Talbot, the author of the BRONSON’S LOOSE! Books
• Audio Commentary by Producer Pancho Kohner, Casting Director John Crowther, and Film Historian David Del Valle
• Charlie’s Partner: Interview with Actor Andrew Stevens (10:46)
• Producing Bronson: Interview with Producer Lance Hool (12:41)
• Remembering Bronson: Interview with Actor Robert F. Lyons (6:00)
• Knife and Death: Interview with Actress Jeana Tomasina (6:55)
• Radio Spots (1:39)
• Theatrical Trailer (2:14)
• 5.1 Surround and Lossless 2.0 Audio
• Optional English Subtitles

In 10 to Midnight, Bronson plays a cop who’s going after a serial killer targeting young women. When he catches the killer (Gene Davis) red-handed, he’s forced to turn him loose due to an illegal search, so the cop turns vigilante and starts stalking him outside the law, inadvertently putting his daughter (Beverly Hills Cop’s Lisa Eilbacher) in the killer’s crosshairs.

If you haven’t seen 10 to Midnight, be warned, it’s pretty extreme. It’s much more of a slasher movie than a cop movie, with heavy-duty murder sequences, and a cast of young victims that include a Kelly Preston in one of her first roles. Critics reviled it at the time for its scuzzy, low-budget vibe, but it became a fave among horror movie fans, and was a VHS staple of the early 80s. The director, J. Lee Thompson, was one of Bronson’s go-to directors, and several of their movies together really pushed boundaries in terms of the kind of sex and violence you’d see in movies like this. Their follow-up, The Evil That Men Do, was pretty rough, while their latter film, Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects, has two unlikely fans in directors Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary, who often name-check the movie on their Video Archives Podcast.

Will you be picking up 10 to Midnight when it hits 4K Blu-ray? Let us know in the comments.

The post Charles Bronson’s bonkers slasher/action hybrid, 10 to Midnight is coming to 4K Blu-Ray; loaded with special features appeared first on JoBlo.

Oscar nominations all around

Today’s Criterion news is doubly exciting, as it’s rare for Netflix films or series to make the leap to Blu-ray in general, let alone get the bespoke Criterion Collection treatment. The Academy recently nominated KPop Demon Hunters for two awards in the Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song categories. Meanwhile, Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein is nominated for nine, including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor for Jacob Elordi, who plays the creature.

Physical media reigns supreme

Criterion has yet to share any details about either release, including release dates or specifics on bonus content. However, plenty of excitement stems from both films coming to physical media in any form. Typically, Netflix keeps its content under lock and key, rarely granting physical releases of its exclusive movies and television series. Guillermo del Toro fans will be over the moon about adding the filmmaker’s adaptation of Mary Shelley’s classic tale to their library. Still, it’s KPop Demon Hunters fans who are going to lose their collective minds. I don’t know this for sure, but I would put money on Criterion including a sing-along version of the film, which I’m sure parents will love! Heh heh hehhhhh.

I’ll be pre-ordering a copy of KPop Demon Hunters at my local CinemaOne, and can’t wait to see the look on my wife’s face when it arrives. As much as I love KPop Demon Hunters, she’s positively obsessed. Knowing that we don’t need to rely on Netflix to watch the film whenever we want is a welcome luxury, and I look forward to seeing the packaging too.

A guilt trip among friends

Even though JoBlo’s Alex Maidy thinks KPop Demon Hunters is overrated, I haven’t disowned him. It’s not his fault that he doesn’t see the film’s genius, brilliant writing, laugh-out-loud gags, and heartening message of overcoming an identity crisis. In fact, I might guilt him into buying my copy of the movie. Trust me. I have my ways. Hear that, Alex? Get your wallet ready, Buck-o!

The post The Criterion Collection to Add KPop Demon Hunters and Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein as the Oscar Race Heats Up appeared first on JoBlo.

The original Top Gun, which catapulted Tom Cruise into superstardom, is getting a brand new physical media release to celebrate its 40th anniversary. Blu-ray.com reports the announcement that Paramount Home Media Distribution will be releasing the 1986 Tony Scott aerial combat film in a new 4K steelbook Blu-ray. The steelbook edition of the film is scheduled to hit retailers this summer on May 5.

The official description reads:
“Top Gun takes a look at the danger and excitement that awaits every pilot at the Navy’s prestigious fighter weapons school. Tom Cruise is superb as Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell, a daring young flyer who’s out to become the best of the best. And Kelly McGillis sizzles as the civilian instructor who teaches Maverick a few things you can’t learn in a classroom.”

Paramount has also released an image of the steelbook, which you can view below. And while it looks like the 4K UHD disc will feature both the movie and extra material, it’s not yet known if the extras will be carried over from previous releases or if there will be some brand new features.

While there are yet to be announcements on the special features, you can take a look at the disc’s specs below.

Technical Specs:

Video
Codec: HEVC / H.265 (51.10 Mbps)
Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)
HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1

Audio
English: Dolby Atmos
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
German: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Italian: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Japanese: Dolby Digital 2.0
Japanese: Dolby Digital Mono
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Russian: Dolby Digital 5.1

Note: Spanish España y Latinoamérica, Japanese 2.0=TV Tokyo Version, Japanese Mono=Fuji TV Version, Portuguese=Brasil

Subtitles
English, English SDH, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, Cantonese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Korean, Mandarin (Simplified), Mandarin (Traditional), Norwegian, Romanian, Russian, Swedish, Thai

Discs
4K Ultra HD
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD-66, 1 BD-50)

Digital
Digital copy included

Packaging
SteelBook, Inner print

Playback
4K Blu-ray: Region free
2K Blu-ray: Region A (B, C untested)

The post Return to the danger zone in ultra high-definition with a new 4K Blu-ray release of Top Gun for its 40th anniversary appeared first on JoBlo.

I’m not sure if we’ve ever seen the Predator franchise in a better place. At least financially. Sure, the argument can certainly be made that it’s getting away from what originally made the franchise what it was and becoming much more sci-fi-based, but there’s no denying those box office receipts. And the man at the helm is none other than Dan Trachtenberg, who has released three of his own with Prey, Predator: Killer of Killers and Predator: Badlands.

I was able to chat with Dan about Badlands in anticipation of the film’s digital and physical release. We get into whether or not he’ll still be involved with the series since signing his First Look deal with Paramount. Dan also gets into why they cut out most of the androids in the film and opted instead to have one actor portray the majority. I can’t recommend this release enough as it is filled with insightful commentary and deleted scenes that provide both more context and an alternate look at what could have been. It’s genuinely one of the best releases I’ve seen in a while. And you can hear all about it in the video above!

Predator: Badlands plot:

Set in the future on a deadly remote planet, Predator: Badlands follows Dek, a young Predator outcast from his clan, who finds an unlikely ally in Thia and embarks on a treacherous journey in search of the ultimate adversary.

Bonus Features:

o Embodying the Predator – Meet the talented team of designers, performers, and effects artists responsible for bringing one of cinema’s most terrifying creatures to life on screen in ways we’ve never seen before!

o Authentic Synthetics – Get up close and personal with synths Thia and Tessa as star Elle Fanning walks us through the process of crafting two characters who may look the same but have evolved in surprisingly unique ways.

o Building the Badlands – With razor sharp grass, killer trees, and terrifying animals, never has a planet been more deadly than Genna. Uncover how a team of artisans built this threatening landscape, transforming real locations into the dangerous environments seen on screen.

o Dek of the Yautja – For the first time ever, director Dan Trachtenberg has given audiences an extended peek at Predator culture. Follow the evolution as filmmakers reveal the process behind developing the Yautja’s home world, spacecraft, and family dynamics.

o Audio Commentary: Watch the film with audio commentary by Director Dan Trachtenberg, Producer Ben Rosenblatt, Director of Photography Jeff Cutter and Stunt Coordinator Jacob Tomuri.

Predator: Badlands is now streaming on Hulu and available to purchase on physical media.

The post Dan Trachtenberg tells us whether he’ll be involved in future Predator movies and why he cut major synth characters from Badlands appeared first on JoBlo.

Fight Club on 4K

The film has been “meticulously restored in 4K Ultra HD,” with the presentation set to bring “renewed intensity and clarity to Fincher’s uncompromising vision, enhancing the film’s striking cinematography and immersive sound design for both longtime fans and first-time viewers.“

Here’s a list of the bonus features included in the release:

4K ULTRA HD BONUS FEATURES

• Commentary by Director David Fincher
• Commentary by David Fincher, Brad Pitt, Edward Norton & Helena Bonham Carter
• Writers’ Commentary by Chuck Palahniuk and Jim Uhls
• Technical Commentary by Alex McDowell, Jeff Cronenweth, Michael Kaplan &
  Kevin Haug

BLU-RAY BONUS FEATURES

• Commentary by Director David Fincher
• Commentary by David Fincher, Brad Pitt, Edward Norton & Helena Bonham Carter
• Writers’ Commentary by Chuck Palahniuk and Jim Uhls
• Technical Commentary by Alex McDowell, Jeff Cronenweth, Michael Kaplan &
  Kevin Haug
• A Hit in the Ear: Ren Klyce and the Sound Design of Fight Club
• Flogging Fight Club Featurette
• Insomniac Mode: I Am Jack’s Search Index
• Work Behind-the-Scenes Vignettes with Multiple Angles and Commentary
• Deleted and Alternate Scenes
• Publicity Material Trailers, TV and Internet Spots
• PSAs
• Music Video
• Promotional Galleries
• Art Galleries
• And More!

In addition to the 4K Ultra HD release, New Regency and Insight Editions will also release a companion Fight Club 25th Anniversary art book, featuring “never-before-seen visuals, exclusive interviews, and behind-the-scenes content. This collector’s piece will offer fans the deepest look yet into the making of the film and its enduring legacy.“

I’d love to say this will complete the release of Fincher’s current filmography on 4K, but there are still a number of notable omissions. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Gone Girl. Alien 3. All would be amazing in the format. Unfortunately, the director’s Netflix movies are likely a long shot, as they haven’t been released on any physical media.

Will you be adding Fight Club to your 4K collection?

The post David Fincher’s Fight Club will finally be released on 4K along with the return to theaters appeared first on JoBlo.

While Arrow Video and Kino Lorber are coming through with remastering a wide array of genre films from the past, sometimes, we movie fans also get some releases from the studios themselves. Lionsgate Home Entertainment has their own home video series called the Vestron Collector’s Series and Blu-ray.com has just passed along the announcement for a 4K Blu-ray release for 1996’s The Substitute. The Tom Berenger, Ernie Hudson and Marc Anthony film will celebrate its 30th anniversary with this release. The “teacher savior” movie with an action twist is due to hit the market on March 17. The set will include both a 4K and a normal Blu-ray version.

The description reads,
“In this action-thriller favorite, now on 4K for the first time, a mercenary faces off against one of his most formidable enemies: a high school gang. Shale (Tom Berenger) is an ex-Vietnam vet reeling from a botched covert operation. Returning home, he reunites with his girlfriend, Jane (Diane Venora), a high school teacher who’s hospitalized after a beating by the Kings of Destruction gang. Hunting Jane’s attackers, Shale goes undercover as a substitute teacher, and uncovers a cocaine highway running through the school involving gang leader Lacas (Marc Anthony) and the school’s shady principal, Rolle (Ernie Hudson). Summoning his mercenaries, Shale goes to war with the Kings of Destruction – and rival guns for hire – on the unusual battleground of a high school, but for the usual stakes: life…and death.”

Special Features:

• TWO-DISC (4K BLU-RAY/BLU-RAY) COMBO PACK RELEASE
• NEW 4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM
• DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
• DOLBY ATMOS AUDIO TRACK
• NEW Power Achieved Is Power Perceived: Director Robert Mandel on The Substitute
• NEW Color Grade Is in Session
• Bullet Points: Storyboard-to-Film Exploration
• Theatrical Trailer
• Optional English SDH and Spanish subtitles for the main feature

Technical Specs:

• Video
  Codec: HEVC / H.265
  Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)
  HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10
  Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Audio
  TBA
• Subtitles
  English SDH, Spanish
• Discs
  4K Ultra HD
  Blu-ray Disc
  Two-disc set (1 BD-100, 1 BD-50)
• Digital
  Digital copy included
• Packaging
  Slipcover in original pressing
  Reversible cover
• Playback
  4K Blu-ray: Region free
  2K Blu-ray: Region A (B, C untested)

The Substitute was one of the last big starring roles for Berenger, who was known for films like Major League, Chasers and Sniper. The film saw moderate success at the box office as it opened at number 2 on its premiere weekend. The movie would gross over $14 million in its total run. Although it wasn’t a big hit, the movie did spawn a bit of a franchise with The Substitute 2: School’s Out, The Substitute 3: Winner Takes All and The Substitute: Failure is Not an Option getting straight-to-video releases. Tom Berenger would not return for any of the films, but the late Treat Williams would take over as the franchise lead.

The post The Substitute: Lionsgate is set to release a new 4K Blu-ray for the film’s 30th anniversary appeared first on JoBlo.

Leprechaun 4K Special Features

In the horror film that launched an eight-movie franchise, Warwick Davis stars as a Leprechaun who goes on a vengeful rampage after his precious bag of gold coins is stolen. Using his magical powers to trick, terrorize, and kill anyone unlucky enough to hinder his relentless search, the Leprechaun also sets his sights on Tory (Jennifer Aniston) as she scrambles to find the only weapon known to kill this ancient monster.

Here are the special features and technical specs:

• 4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM
• DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
• NEW Leprechaun Lore: Genesis of a Cult Classic
• NEW Designing Mischief & Mayhem: Special Effects Makeup
• NEW Leprechaun First Day On Set: Behind-the-Scenes Footage
• NEW Vidmark Entertainment VHS Promo Screener
• Audio Commentary With Writer-director Mark Jones And Special Makeup Effects Creator Gabe Z. Bartalos
• Audio Commentary With Actor Warwick Davis
• “The Leprechaun Chronicles Part One: Beginner’s Luck” Documentary
• Behind-the-scenes Footage
• Theatrical Trailer
• Still Gallery
• Optional English SDH and Spanish subtitles for the main feature

Lionsgate will also drop a Limited Edition VHS release on the same date, if you’re into that.

Jennifer Aniston Wasn’t a Big Fan

Leprechaun was Jennifer Aniston’s first feature role, and while the film certainly helped put her on the map, it’s not one she looks back on fondly. While being interviewed for The Morning Show last year, the interviewer mentioned that he was a big fan of Leprechaun.

Aniston responded, “Oh, see, there you go. Mmm. I know! A lot of people do. I don’t know why; it’s not my favorite, but it’s, uh… listen, whatever blows your hair back, you know?” I’ve got to side with Aniston on this one; despite my love for the horror franchises I mentioned at the top of this article, Leprechaun just never clicked with me. That said, I’m glad this release will be available for fans.

Will you be adding Leprechaun to your 4K (or VHS) collections?

The post Hide Your Gold — Leprechaun getting a 4K release from Lionsgate appeared first on JoBlo.

The Danny DeVito/BIlly Crystal dark comedy Throw Momma From the Train is coming to home screens in a new ultra-high-definition picture with new special features. Blu-ray.com announces this new 4K Blu-ray release, as it comes from the boutique home video label, Kino Lorber. The 1987 Danny DeVito-directed film takes a twisted inspiration from Strangers on a Train and you can see it in crisp quality when it hits retailers on April 28.

The description reads,
“Larry (Billy Crystal), an author with a cruel ex-wife, Margaret (Kate Mulgrew), teaches a writing workshop where Owen (Danny DeVito), one of his students, is fed up with his domineering mother (Anne Ramsey). When Owen watches a Hitchcock classic that seems to mirror his own life, he decides to put the movie’s plot into action and offers to kill Margaret, if Larry promises to murder his mom. Before Larry gets a chance to react to the plan, it seems that Owen has already sealed Margaret’s fate.”

Special Features:

DISC ONE – 4K BLU-RAY

• NEW 4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE
• DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
• NEW Audio Commentary by Hats Off Entertainment’s Joe Ramoni
• 5.1 Surround and Lossless 2.0 Audio
• Optional English Subtitles

DISC TWO – BLU-RAY

• NEW 4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE
• NEW Wide Angle Dark Humor: Interview with Cinematographer Barry Sonnenfeld
• NEW Audio Commentary by Hats Off Entertainment’s Joe Ramoni
• Wide Angle Dark Humor: NEW Interview with Cinematographer Barry Sonnenfeld
• Crafting a Dark Comedy: Featurette
• Why Do You Hate Your Mother?: Featurette
• The Night Was…: Featurette
• 4 Deleted Scenes (1:20)
• Theatrical Trailer (2:06)
• 5.1 Surround and Lossless 2.0 Audio
• Optional English Subtitles
• Limited Edition O-Card Slipcase

Technical Specs:

• Video
  Codec: HEVC / H.265
  Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)
  HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10
  Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Audio
  TBA
• Subtitles
  English SDH
• Discs
  4K Ultra HD
  Blu-ray Disc
  Two-disc set (1 BD-100, 1 BD-50)
• Packaging
  Slipcover in original pressing
• Playback
  4K Blu-ray: Region free
  2K Blu-ray: Region A (B, C untested)

DeVito mentioned that he’s been looking at reuniting with Billy Crystal for a Throw Momma From the Train sequel titled Throw Papa From the Train. “Billy [Crystal] and I want to work together again,” DeVito said. “We were looking at possibly doing Throw Papa From the Train.” Crystal’s representative confirmed the news to Entertainment Weekly. “It’s true,” the rep said. “They’re still working on it.“

The post Throw Momma From the Train is coming to 4K Blu-ray, courtesy of Kino Lorber appeared first on JoBlo.

Originally released to disappointing box-office results—$93 million worldwide against a reported $120 million budget—the film was widely viewed as a misfire from the Wachowskis following their The Matrix Trilogy. Despite the setback, Speed Racer has since grown into a bona fide cult favorite.

Why Speed Racer Failed at the Box Office (But Found New Life Later)

At the time of release, Speed Racer featured a then-hot ensemble cast, including:

• Emile Hirsch
• Christina Ricci
• Matthew Fox (riding high from Lost)
• Rain
• John Goodman
• Susan Sarandon

While audiences were initially lukewarm, the film’s hyper-stylized visuals and faithful anime sensibility found appreciation over time—especially when Speed Racer became one of the earliest Blu-ray releases, where its visual design truly popped.

Why Hasn’t Speed Racer Been Released on 4K Before?

The main obstacle has always been technical.

• Speed Racer was shot digitally.
• Its digital intermediate (DI) was completed at 1080p, not 4K.
• Upscaling to true 4K requires careful reconstruction and supervision.

This issue isn’t unique. Throughout the 2000s, 1080p was the industry standard for digital filmmaking, affecting many high-profile titles.

Other Movies With the Same 1080p Limitation

Several notable films were finished in 1080p, including:

• Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (remastered later in 4K)
• Sin City
• Films by Michael Mann, such as:
  • Collateral (which got a 4K disc)
  • Miami Vice (a long delayed 4K is in the works)
  • Public Enemies

Warner Bros. faces a similar challenge with Superman Returns, directed by Bryan Singer, which remains unreleased on 4K for the same reason.

What’s the Latest on the 4K Reissue?

It looks as though the 4K reissue will be getting a major push for WB, with the movie’s star, Emile Hirsch, saying on X that he planned to be on-hand for several events celebrating the reissue: “Not sure if anyone cares, but I’m going to be making a series of big ass Speed Racer themed paintings that will coincide with the release. The fan base is so loyal, I want to be able to get people artworks and things that connect them even more to the film. More to come.”

Will you be picking up Speed Racer on 4K Ultra HD when it drops?
Sound off in the comments below.

The post Speed Racer is coming to 4K in May appeared first on JoBlo.

The film grossed $25 million domestically and another $31 million overseas, for a $56 million worldwide total. To put that into perspective, the previous film in the series made $151 million internationally alone. That’s a massive drop-off.

For a well-reviewed horror sequel in a recognizable franchise, those numbers aren’t great.

Can Home Media Save It?

There’s still a chance the movie finds its audience.

The digital release hits February 17th (basically tomorrow) across platforms like iTunes, Fandango at Home, Prime Video and other major retailers. The 4K UHD and Blu-ray release follows on April 21st.

Horror titles often perform well at home, especially ones with good word-of-mouth. If people skipped it in theaters, they might be more willing to give it a shot from their couch.

So What Went Wrong?

It’s a little puzzling because this one was actually better received than the previous entry.

The earlier film left some fans cold, with many calling it slow or dull. That may have hurt interest in this sequel before it even opened. Once audiences check out of a franchise, it’s hard to pull them back in.

Ironically, The Bone Temple earned an A– CinemaScore, which is excellent for a horror movie, and critics were largely on board too. A lot of the praise centered on Ralph Fiennes, who many felt delivered an iconic performance as Dr. Kelson.

But strong reviews don’t always translate into ticket sales — especially in a crowded market where horror fans are picky about what feels like an “event.”

What’s the Movie About?

Fiennes returns as Dr. Kelson, a physician who appears close to developing a treatment for the infected. Unfortunately, things get complicated when he crosses paths with the unhinged cult leader Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell), who runs a violent group known as “The Jimmies.”

Spike (Alfie Williams), who met Kelson in the previous film, becomes central to the conflict.

The sequel leans more into character tension and moral ambiguity than straight-up infected chaos, which may have pleased critics but made it a tougher sell for mainstream horror crowds.

What’s Included on the 4K and Blu-ray?

The home release comes with:

• Commentary with director Nia DaCosta
• Behind-the-scenes featurettes (New Blood, The Doctor and the Devil, Beneath the Rage)
• A deleted scene
• Bloopers (“Infected Takes”)

For fans of the franchise, that’s a solid package.

Will We Still Get the Third Film?

The big dangling question is the long-promised third installment, which is supposed to bring back Cillian Murphy as Jim from the original 28 Days Later.

Whether that actually happens may depend on how this one performs on digital and physical media. If it finds a second life at home, the studio might still roll the dice on finishing the trilogy.

What do you think? Can The Bone Temple make a comeback on home media, or has the franchise lost its momentum?

The post When Is 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple Coming to Digital, 4K & Blu-ray? appeared first on JoBlo.

When people think of John Woo’s classic Hong Kong period, the movies that come to mind are usually Hard-Boiled or The Killer (or maybe A Better Tomorrow if you’re into the deeper cuts). But the movie that Woo was actually the most passionate about—and the one he considered his greatest, most personal work—is still largely obscure, even in Asia. That movie is Bullet in the Head. A sprawling epic that, at the time, was by far the most expensive movie ever made in Hong Kong, the film was a notorious financial disaster. It was despised by both critics and audiences in Asia, but ironically was well received in the U.S. when it played a handful of festivals (although it never received a Stateside release on video). In the years since its release, a bunch of different, largely compromised cuts have been floating around, with it never getting a great Blu-ray release…until now.

A Record-Breaking Budget — and a Notorious Box Office Disaster

Bullet in the Head is Shout Select’s latest Hong Kong classic to get a re-release, and in its 4K edition, it looks better than ever. The film is the story of three young men—Ben (Tony Leung), Frank (Jacky Cheung), and Paul (Waise Lee)—who, in 1960s Hong Kong, yearn to escape their impoverished existence and strike it rich. They resolve to find their fortunes in Vietnam, working as smugglers, going to work for a gangster and befriending a Eurasian hitman named Luke (Simon Yam). Things go awry when Ben and Frank are no longer willing to turn a blind eye to the cruelty of their boss, who is sexually exploiting a young Chinese singer named Sally (Yolinda Yam). Along with Luke and a reluctant Paul, they opt to rescue Sally from her predicament, but things steadily go from bad to worse for the trio, who at one point end up in a North Vietnam prisoner-of-war camp where they are forced to participate in deadly games for the amusement of the camp guards.

It all sounds pretty heavy, and indeed, Bullet in the Head is easily Woo’s harshest film. But it’s also jam-packed with action, with some incredibly mounted sequences, including the climactic escape from the POW camp, which ranks among Woo’s best-ever action sequences. The cast is solid too, with one of Woo’s favorite leading men, Tony Leung, getting an excellent role as Ben, a would-be gangster who’s a little too compassionate for the job. Jacky Cheung, a huge pop star at the time in Asia, is similarly good as the good-natured Frank, while Waise Lee—who was the baddie in A Better Tomorrow—is the greedy Paul. Of the three, Paul is the weakest character, with him going from conflicted to satanic in the space of about fifteen minutes of screen time. Best of all is Simon Yam, a familiar face for fans of Hong Kong action cinema, who plays a role very much in the mold of those Chow Yun-Fat played for Woo.

The 4K Release: Multiple Cuts and the Definitive Version

The 4K set is great—with one caveat. There have always been many cut versions of the film floating around, and Shout tried to reassemble the longest cut, which played at some film festivals, from a variety of sources. Yet, in some cases, the sources turned out to be censored prints. That’s why your best bet is to stick with the 4K theatrical version, which is uncut and looks great.

Once again, the extras are killer and built around an extensive interview with Woo. He opens up about how the film was a passion project for him, but it goes deeper than that. He admits to being badly hurt when, in the wake of A Better Tomorrow 2, he had a huge falling-out with many of his friends in the industry, who he says badmouthed him and betrayed him. Indeed, Woo had initially pitched the concept for Bullet in the Head as another Better Tomorrow movie, and his former producer, Tsui Hark, took it for himself, making A Better Tomorrow: Love and Death in Saigon, which was rushed to theaters to beat Bullet in the Head. He remembers the Hong Kong premiere of his movie being nightmarish, with the industry crowd storming out, noting that the only person who enjoyed the movie and comforted him was Chow Yun-Fat, who he admits was a steadfast friend during that whole time. Sadly, Woo also reveals that at least thirty minutes of the movie were cut and that when he got famous in the West, he tried to buy the rights to the film so he could restore it, only to discover that all the footage had been burned.

Final Verdict: A Must-Own for Woo Fans

While the theatrical cut is compromised, at least it is Woo’s vision, with him having done the re-editing himself. The 4K set is a must-own, with some dazzling special features, including an alternate ending that ended up on some prints of the film, which is even darker than what played in theaters. If you like Woo’s other Hong Kong movies, you are in for a serious treat with this one. BUY IT HERE!

The post Bullet in the Head: John Woo’s Long-Neglected Masterpiece Gets a New 4K Set appeared first on JoBlo.

JCVD from MVD

It’s a pretty exciting time in physical media. Past classics and cult classics alike are seeing more and more remasters in ultra-high-definition Blu-ray releases. Labels like Shout Factory’s Hong Kong Cinema Classics and MVD Rewind Collection are repackaging these 4K upgrades with grade retro logos and presentations. You can now re-live every kick and every split (and every spinning split kick) of some Jean-Claude Van Damme films in new home video releases of some of his titles. Knock Off from 1998, Lionheart from 1990 and Double Impact from 1991 have gotten early year releases. This time, we take a look at Knock Off.

Knock Off

In 1998, the action movie plane was changing. Arnold and Sly weren’t churning out instant classics as much as they used to and their appeal looked to be waning slightly in favor of newer action stars. The same would be happening to Steven Seagal and Jean-Claude Van Damme. However, Jackie Chan, Jet Li and Chow-Yun Fat would interestingly start to get their due attention in the West with North American re-releases of some of their older films and they would emigrate over to American productions themselves for a new era.

Van Damme (who already had ample collaborations with Eastern martial arts talent, dating back to Bloodsport and Kickboxer) would adapt to the Hong Kong takeover by making a couple films with Tsui Hark (and also with Ringo Lam). Hark, who is known for the Once Upon a Time in China series, was also known for his abstract visual style in his fantasy martial arts films. Knock Off may have its cult of fans, but the film is rarely brought up as a highlight of Van Damme’s career. It’s understandable. The movie is very cheesy and cartoonish, but there is some fun in it too. I guess you’d have to be in the right frame of mind to accept it. However, that isn’t to say that there also isn’t A LOT of unintentional comedy along with it. I’m aware of Tsui Hark, but I’m not too familiar with his career, so it’s entirely possible that it’s just his style. I hear that he has said that Sam Raimi and Evil Dead have been big influences on him, so perhaps that explains quite a bit.

While Van Damme and Rob Schneider have had better films to shine in, the star of Knock Off is Hark’s direction. It’s such a fascinating film to watch purely for the visuals. While Hark’s previous collaboration with Van Damme in Double Team seemed like an American film with some Chinese action flair, Knock Off has full-on Hong Kong cinema vibes (complete with the dialogue being dubbed, despite most of the actors speaking in English). Hark is at home with a lot of signatures from that style — notably some dynamic sweeping shots from either dollies or crane set ups. But he also indulges in a bevy of creative cinematography that give off a live-action anime look. There is no shortage of fish eye lenses, extreme close-ups, POVs of bullets, motion trails and even shots looking through objects. There’s even one POV shot of Van Damme’s foot as it slips into a shoe.

The film is written by Steven E. de Souza, who has had his pen on many action classics, including Die Hard 1 & 2, Commando, 48 HRS and he also previously worked with Van Damme on Street Fighter. For an action film, the plot is pretty standard international crime intrigue, but it has the unique angle of a terrorism plot using knock-off merchandise. Van Damme gets to play a different kind of character this time around as he’s a jokey, smooth-talking hustler and you can tell he’s having a lot of fun. Schneider, who has had his share of comedic sidekick roles in Demolition Man and Judge Dredd, gets to do his thing in this movie, playing a comic foil to Van Damme, but he also plays a straight man to Van Damme’s antics. They both give and take on the humor, and it’s serviceable enough, but it’s no match for something like Chan and Tucker in the Rush Hour movies.

The action is very over-the-top and it fits right in with the unhinged directing. You get some INSANE Hong Kong stunts with a rickshaw race, vehicular chases and gun play. For the most part, the action works well enough. What’s underwhelming about Van Damme’s collaborations with Hark and his Chinese production team is they never truly let Van Damme unleash his martial arts skills with Hong Kong fight choreography. There are shades of it here, especially in the finale, but it could’ve been mind-blowing to see Van Damme do his signature kicking with Yuen Woo Ping or Sammo Hung-like action direction. What is there is pretty fun (he and Lela Rochon get to have some fun parkour-esque manuevers in the finale), but the movie never truly settles into the fight scenes like the show-stopping numbers they should be, and it comes off as a tease.

So, how’s the 4K Blu-ray?

If you’re a fan of this film, you’ll really appreciate how the presentation looks. The 4K restoration is a 16-Bit scan from the original negative and it has a great look. A lot of 4K remasters scanned from the original negative has a noticeable grain quality (which James Cameron’s 4K releases have been criticized for lacking in an overly smoothed look), but the picture for this film doesn’t predominantly showcase some. However, the contrast and is great and the picture is sharp. It may not have the grain (if that’s what film purists prefer), but what I love is the light hint of film dust and scratches. They aren’t distracting from the movie, but those tiny imperfections take me back to a magical era before theaters went digital.

As far as special features, you get a commentary from action cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema from a past 88 Films Blu-ray release. These two are pretty wacky guys, which make for a fun listen, but they also give some interesting anecdotes — such as Steven E. de Souza’s original vision for the film and how Jet Li was once attached in a supporting role. Steven E. de Souza also gets a couple of interviews on the Blu-ray. One is brand new and dives deep into his career history. This one is a lot more interesting if you’re a fan of de Souza himself as you get to learn a lot about his background. He would eventually get around to Knock Off, but there’s another interview on the Blu-ray from 2020 that’s focused entirely on his involvement in the film. You also get an interview with producer Moshe Diamont, where he expounds on the making of the film.

The Blu-ray rounds things out with an archival behind-the-scenes featurette and a theatrical trailer (plus extra trailers for other Van Damme releases).

Again, this was a fascinating watch and the presentation is pretty stellar. You can really enjoy the visuals in a release like this. Being a 4K release, the price tag will definitely put off anyone who’s just not a fan enough of this film to shell out a few more extra bucks for a presentation upgrade. However, if you ARE a die hard fan of this film, I definitely think it’s a definitive way to see it, plus have some good insight into the making of it.

You can buy it at MVD’s online shop HERE.

The post Knock Off: We check out the new 4K Blu-ray release of one of Jean-Claude Van Damme’s 90s tail end theatrical releases appeared first on JoBlo.

When people think of Michael Crichton, they tend to think of him as the author behind high-concept novels like Jurassic Park and Congo, or as the creator of ER. What’s often forgotten is just how wildly accomplished Crichton actually was. Widely regarded as possessing a genius-level intellect, he completed medical school (earning his degree and doing his rotations, though never seeking a license) and spent a significant period working as a Hollywood writer-director, racking up more than a few major hits along the way.

Of all the films he directed, his first remains his most famous: Westworld. A clear precursor to Jurassic Park, the film is set in a futuristic amusement park for adults, where guests can live out their wildest fantasies across three elaborate zones—Westworld, Medieval World, and Roman World. Those fantasies, unsurprisingly, mostly involve violence and sex. The park is populated by lifelike humanoid robots, but things quickly go sideways when the machines begin malfunctioning—first refusing sex, and eventually attempting to kill the guests themselves.

While Westworld was later reimagined as a sprawling HBO series (one that infamously never received a proper finale), the original film—clocking in at a lean 88 minutes—still holds up as a crackerjack thriller with genuine thematic substance. The story follows two yuppies, played by Richard Benjamin and James Brolin, whose vacation turns into a nightmare when they repeatedly clash with a relentless Gunslinger, portrayed by Yul Brynner.

Revisiting Westworld via Arrow Video’s new 4K reissue, one thing that immediately stood out to me was just how influential the film clearly was on The Terminator. Brynner’s unstoppable Gunslinger isn’t far removed from Arnold Schwarzenegger’s T-800. Brynner was perfectly cast, having previously played a heroic gunslinger in The Magnificent Seven, and here he’s styled to look almost identical—dressed head-to-toe in black, radiating cold menace.

Another fascinating aspect of Westworld is its approach to casting the hero and sidekick. Convention would suggest that the macho Brolin would be the lead, with the nebbish Benjamin as his sidekick. Instead, Crichton flips expectations, making Benjamin the film’s true protagonist. At the time, Benjamin was best known for playing yuppies—often New York Jewish intellectuals—so casting him as the lead in a sci-fi western was a bold move. Imagine someone like Seth Rogen headlining a Westworld remake and you get the idea. It works remarkably well. Even though modern audiences tend to sympathize more with robots (a perspective leaned into heavily by the HBO series), you still find yourself rooting hard for Benjamin to survive.

Arrow Video’s 4K release is a lavish and thoughtful package. One of its highlights is a pair of newly recorded interviews with the two surviving stars, Richard Benjamin and James Brolin. Benjamin’s interview is conducted by Larry Karaszewski, co-writer of Ed Wood, The People vs. O.J. Simpson, and Dolemite Is My Name, as well as a noted film historian. Benjamin shares a wealth of on-set stories, praising Brynner for his guidance on how to “lead” a western and recounting Crichton’s success in getting the film released without studio interference—no small feat given that studio head James Aubrey was notorious for re-editing films during his tenure. Benjamin also reflects on his own later career as a director, which included My Favorite Year and Racing with the Moon.

The set also includes the pilot episode for the short-lived TV spinoff Beyond Westworld, which ran for only five episodes. The only real omission is the sequel, Futureworld, a more overt B-movie that would have made for a fun bonus feature, though it was financed by a different studio and likely unavailable to Arrow for rights reasons.

If you only know Westworld through the HBO series and have an appreciation for older genre films, the original is absolutely worth your time. It still holds up remarkably well and remains a sharp, efficient, and highly entertaining blend of science fiction, action, and western tropes.

The post Westworld: Arrow Video pays tribute to a massively influential sci-fi classic with their new 4K set appeared first on JoBlo.

Searchlight has revealed that the dramedy will be ready for home screens very soon, as it hits digital platforms, including Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home on February 10, and on 4K Blu-ray and DVD March 17. Searchlight also revealed some details on the physical media release.

The description reads,
“A multi-faceted portrait of self-discovery and rediscovery of passions, Is This Thing On? delivers a hopeful and deeply human story to mature audiences through the performance of an all-star ensemble cast that also includes Andra Day, Cooper, Christine Ebersole, Ciarán Hinds, Amy Sedaris, Sean Hayes (one of Arnett’s partners in the popular podcast Smartless) and Scott Icenogle (real life husband of Hayes, adding to the authenticity of their roles).

Searchlight’s Is This Thing On? reaches into the complexity of long-standing relationships, thoughtfully portrayed under the direction of Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Bradley Cooper (A Star Is Born, Maestro). ‘Bradley’s openness invited us to explore the mess and mystery of love, the way we lose and find ourselves in partnership,’ says Dern. Set against the scene of New York stand-up comedy clubs that Alex visits as a form of therapy, Arnett fearlessly rehearsed for his role by writing and performing standup bits in real world comedy clubs every night for about six weeks. Arnett also co-wrote the film with Cooper and Mark Chappell (See How They Run), from a story by Arnett, Chappell, and John Bishop (The John Bishop Show), whose life inspired the character of Alex.

Searchlight Pictures’ Is This Thing On? has captured the attention of critics who note ‘Arnett and Dern are magnetic’ (Billie Melissa, Newsweek), and that the film is ‘exceptionally crafted by director Bradley Cooper’ (Pete Hammond, Deadline). Searchlight Pictures’ Is This Thing On? has also earned a Rotten Tomatoes 86% Certified Fresh rating as well as film festival recognitions.”

Special Features and Technical Specs:

• DOLBY ATMOS AUDIO TRACK
• Mic Drop: Making Is This Thing On? — Go behind the scenes as filmmakers and cast open up about the inspirations behind this story of love, loss, and starting again. Get a glimpse into working with a remarkable ensemble and hear about how the team developed their comedy sets.
• Optional English SDH, Spanish and French subtitles for the main feature

• Video
  Codec: HEVC / H.265
  Resolution: 4K (2160p)
  Original aspect ratio: 1.66:1
• Audio
  English: Dolby Atmos
• Subtitles
  English SDH, French, Spanish
• Discs
  4K Ultra HD
  Blu-ray Disc
  Two-disc set (1 BD-66, 1 BD-50)
• Playback
  4K Blu-ray: Region free
  2K Blu-ray: Region A (B, C untested)

The post What is the streaming date for the Will Arnett dramedy, Is This Thing On? appeared first on JoBlo.

Ever since Disney acquired 20th Century Fox, many classic movies produced by the studio have become surprisingly difficult to find. Some notable examples include the 1972 classic The Hot Rock, starring Robert Redford (which is actually airing on TCM tonight, so set your PVRs), Ron Howard’s Cocoon, the Thanksgiving classic Dutch, Kathryn Bigelow’s Strange Days, and so many more. However, one that’s puzzling in its absence is Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein, which celebrated its 50th anniversary last year. Despite being considered one of Brooks’ all-time classics, and one of the greatest comedies of all time, the film isn’t available on 4K disc, nor is it streaming anywhere. You can’t even buy it or rent it digitally from iTunes or any other service. The only way to obtain it is through the 2008 Blu-ray Disc, which, fortunately, is still in print and relatively easy to purchase. That said, it’s a seventeen-year-old disc…

What’s strange is that the movie was restored in 4K last year. It screened fairly widely, with numerous revival screenings taking place all over North America. It played a cool arthouse theater here in Montreal – the Cinema Moderne – and sold out every screening. You’d think Disney would have reissued it shortly after (it’s also getting a TV spinoff on FX). Still, it seems like they’ve all but gotten out of the physical media business, with them rarely issuing discs unless it’s for a huge catalogue title like Die Hard, Speed, Predator or one of the Alien movies (although Alien 3 and Alien: Resurrection still aren’t out in 4K). 

Mel Brooks is in the midst of a long-overdue resurgence, with HBO recently broadcasting a great documentary about his life. Yet, so many of his great movies are nowhere to be found. Young Frankenstein is the most glaring absence, but his hilarious Silent Movie is also missing, as is the movie he made with his late wife, Anne Bancroft, To Be Or Not To Be, which he admits in the documentary holds a special place in his heart.

This is a pretty unacceptable turn of events, as the Fox catalogue is legendary. It’s crazy that they haven’t followed other studios like Warner Bros, Universal and Paramount, who, having cut back on their own physical media releases, have licensed them to places like Arrow Video, Kino Lorber, Shout, Vinegar Syndrome and others. Indeed, any of those companies would love to get their hands on Young Frankenstein. The movie is so well regarded that I’m sure Criterion would love to add it to the collection (it’s streamed now and then on The Criterion Channel). 

At least, the movie is still available on Blu-ray, which is more than can be said for many other movies. But, there’s something unacceptable about the fact that Young Frankenstein is relatively hard to find these days, driving home the importance of physical media.

In addition to Young Frankenstein, what other movies are shockingly tough to find?

The post Mel Brooks: Many of his classics are really hard to find appeared first on JoBlo.

We’ve been eating good at the physical media table with many 4K Blu-rays being released. This is due to some great third-party companies like Arrow Films, Shout Factory, Kino Lorber and Criterion. The latter recently put out a House Party 4K that is an amazing ultra-high-definition transfer. Blu-ray.com has just reported that Shout Factory announced the release of three big, but very different titles, that are slated for release this Spring. Both Tiger on the Beat films, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow and The Deer Hunter are getting the UHD treatment.

Tiger on the Beat 1 & 2

The description for the Tiger on the Beat movies read,
Tiger on the Beat (1988)

“A seasoned cop and his rookie partner are a pair of mismatched partners in this Hong Kong action-comedy in the style of ‘Lethal Weapon’. The wacky twosome are up in arms as they try to solve the murder of a heroin trafficker. Starring Chow Yun-Fat, Chia-Hui Liu, David Chiang, Nina Li Chi, and Conan Lee.”

Tiger on the Beat II (1990)

“The film is an in-name-only sequel to Tiger on the Beat. Danny Lee stars as the veteran police sergeant Lam Yik-lim, who seeks a memorable case before retirement, alongside Conan Lee as the bumbling rookie Buffalo and Ellen Chan as the thief Sweet Dream, who witnesses a murder tied to a criminal syndicate led by Gordon Liu’s character Lau Fai.”

Special features are yet to be announced, but the specs read,

• Video
  Codec: HEVC / H.265
  Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)
  HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10
  Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
  Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Audio
  Cantonese: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
• Subtitles
  English
• Discs
  4K Ultra HD
  Blu-ray Disc
  Four-disc set (2 BD-100, 2 BD-50)
• Packaging
  Slipbox
• Playback
  4K Blu-ray: Region free
  2K Blu-ray: Region A (B, C untested)

STREET DATE: APRIL 28.

The Deer Hunter steelbook

The description for The Deer Hunter reads,
“One of AFI’s Top 100 Films of All Time, The Deer Hunter follows a group of Pennsylvania steelworkers from their blue-collar lives, hunting in the woods of the Alleghenies, to the hell of Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. Academy Award® winners** Robert De Niro and Christopher Walken star in this unforgettable saga of friendship and courage. Experience the brutality of war and the depths of emotional strain on the human spirit in this extraordinarily powerful film classic.”

Special features are yet to be announced, but the specs read,

• Video
  Codec: HEVC / H.265 (56.69 Mbps)
  Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)
  HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10
  Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
  Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
• Audio
  English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
  English: Dolby Digital 2.0 (192 kbps)
• Subtitles
  English SDH
• Discs
  4K Ultra HD
  Blu-ray Disc
  Two-disc set (1 BD-100, 1 BD-50)
• Packaging
  Reversible cover
  SteelBook
• Playback
  4K Blu-ray: Region free
  2K Blu-ray: Region A (B, C untested)

STREET DATE: APRIL 7.

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow steelbook

The description for Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow reads,
“When giant robots attack New York City, intrepid reporter Polly Perkins (Academy Award winner Gwyneth Paltrow) enlists the aid of ace aviator and old flame Joseph ‘Sky Captain’ Sullivan (two-time Academy Award nominee Jude Law) to stop a plot to destroy the world before it’s too late. Co-starring Academy Award winner Angelina Jolie, Sky Captain And The World of Tomorrow will thrill and amaze you right through to the action-packed finale.”

Special features are yet to be announced, but the specs read,

• Video
  Codec: HEVC / H.265 (84.40 Mbps)
  Resolution: Upscaled 4K (2160p)
  HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10
  Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
  Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Audio
• English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
  English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
• Note: 5.1: 4056 kbps, 2.0: 1580 kbps
• Subtitles
  English SDH
• Discs
  4K Ultra HD
  Blu-ray Disc
  Two-disc set (1 BD-100, 1 BD-50)
• Packaging
  SteelBook
• Playback
  4K Blu-ray: Region free
  2K Blu-ray: Region A (B, C untested)

STREET DATE: APRIL 21.

The post Shout Factory announces the 4K releases of Tiger on the Beat 1 & 2, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow and The Deer Hunter appeared first on JoBlo.

Walk into the home of any physical media collector, and you’ll spot it immediately: the shelf. Rows upon rows of cases, crammed with movies of every type—action, drama, comic-book spectacle, giallo oddities, and the collected works of cinematic heavyweights like Stanley Kubrick, Martin Scorsese, and Federico Fellini.

With so many films competing for space, knowing where everything lives becomes crucial. The problem? There is no universal system for organizing a physical media collection. There is only your system—elegant, logical, unquestionably perfect—and everyone else’s, which is unhinged and borderline criminal.

So let’s break down the various methods people use to tame the shelf.

Alphabetical

The most accessible method is also the simplest: alphabetical order. Everything is filed A–Z by title. No guesswork, no debates, no hunting. If you own it, you know exactly where it lives… unless, of course, someone else starts fiddling with your shelves and has the unmitigated gall to put something back in the wrong place. Absolute monsters.

Naturally, even alphabetical purity comes with its own set of headaches. Are you really going to separate Goldfinger from Skyfall? Do Iron Man and The Avengers deserve to stand alone, with the rest of the MCU spread across the entire shelf? And then there are the box sets. Those 3-4 film collections are great space-savers—not to mention easier on the wallet—but they introduce one crucial question: which movie gets to dictate the alphabetical destiny of the entire set? These are the questions that can keep you up at night.

By Genre

Many collectors swear by genre-based organization, carving their shelves into neat little kingdoms: horror over here, sci-fi over there, and so on. The trouble starts when movies refuse to behave. Where does Alien live—horror or sci-fi? Is Terminator 2 action, sci-fi, or both? Does Seven belong with thrillers, crime films, or horror-adjacent features? Genre sorting assumes movies stay in their lanes, and cinema has never been good at following rules.

Then there’s the question of scale. Depending on your preference, some genres can easily balloon out of control, while others struggle to justify an entire shelf. Suddenly, you’re debating whether “crime” is its own category or just a subdivision of drama, and at that point, you’ve officially gone too far—though you’ll absolutely pretend you haven’t.

By Director

For some collectors, the shelf is less a storage solution and more an auteur shrine. Movies aren’t just movies; they’re chapters in a filmmaker’s career. Kubrick. Spielberg. Tarantino. Scorsese. There’s something undeniably appealing about seeing a director’s entire filmography laid out in order.

Naturally, it’s not without complications. What do you do with sprawling franchises where the director changes with every installment? Where does Jurassic Park go once Spielberg exits the picture? And heaven help you when a filmmaker only has one movie you care about—do they earn their own space, or get awkwardly folded into a miscellaneous section? Director sorting is elegant, but it assumes you’re comfortable making some brutally decisive calls.

Boutique Label

If you’ve been collecting physical media for any length of time, odds are your shelves include at least a few boutique label releases. Criterion. Arrow Video. Scream Factory. Kino Lorber. Vinegar Syndrome. Radiance Films. One of the biggest appeals of organizing by label is the aesthetic. Many of these companies design their releases to look good together, practically daring you to line them up. Criterion’s clean spines form a minimalist wall of cinephile credibility, while Arrow’s limited editions—with their rigid cases, booklets, and reversible art—feel more like curated artifacts than simple Blu-rays. Plus, seeing them grouped together is just deeply satisfying, akin to a museum exhibit you accidentally built in your living room.

Of course, this approach comes with its own trade-offs. Sorting by label means genres, directors, and franchises get scattered across the room. Your horror shelf is now fractured between Scream Factory, Arrow, and Vinegar Syndrome. Your Kubrick films might be split between Criterion and a standard studio release like a cinematic custody battle. But for collectors who value presentation as much as content, boutique label organization isn’t just practical—it’s a flex.

By Format

If you’ve been in the collecting game long enough, your shelves probably double as a time capsule of home video history. Sorting by format is one of the most practical approaches out there, giving each era its own clearly defined space: 4K Ultra HD up top, Blu-ray beneath it, DVD holding on for dear life, and—if you’re truly committed—VHS and LaserDisc lurking like relics from a bygone age.

There’s something quietly satisfying about seeing a title upgraded over time, watching it migrate from DVD to Blu-ray to 4K like a Pokémon evolving into its final form. Plus, you can always make a few bucks to feed your collecting habit by selling the old versions of your upgraded movies. But will you?

The downside, of course, is fragmentation. Your Alien movies might be spread across three formats depending on when you bought them and how patient you were about upgrades. Of course, there are also countless movies which haven’t made the leap to the HD era.

Other Methods

Beyond the usual suspects, there are plenty of other methods lurking out there. Some collectors organize chronologically by release year, turning their shelves into a living film history. Others go by purchase date, a system that quietly tracks their ongoing obsession.

And then there’s the colour-coded method. It turns your movie shelf into a Pantone swatch book. It’s visually stunning, completely useless, and guarantees that finding a specific movie becomes a memory game you didn’t agree to play.

How I Do It

I genuinely enjoy organizing my collection, which should probably be a warning sign. My system is a hybrid approach, pulling bits and pieces from several methods and fusing them into something that mostly makes sense. Titles are arranged alphabetically, but franchises stay together because separating them would be barbaric. I also sort by format, with 4K Ultra HD taking priority, followed by Blu-ray, then DVD. And, as my boutique label stack has grown, I’ve started grouping those releases together as well, with mini-sections of alphabetical titles sorted by format.

The end result is a carefully calibrated system that feels coherent, deliberate, and completely impenetrable to anyone but me—a slow, methodical descent into madness which I disguise as organization.

Now, take to the comments and let us know how you organize your physical media.

The post From A-Z to Pure Chaos: How We Organize Our Physical Media appeared first on JoBlo.

Criterion Collection

You smell something? I smell something. I smell…I smell 4K Blu-ray!

Criterion has just released Reginald Hudlin’s 1990 debut feature film, House Party. The label gave the film a lot of love, remastering it in 4K with a digital restoration that was supervised by Hudlin. When it was originally announced, Criterion’s schedule initially listed this for last November. It would see a bit of a delay, but fear not! House Party has now been released at the beginning of the new year and we check out how this release measures up.

House Party

House Party is an all-out classic. Don’t ever let anyone tell you different. It sits on the same shelf as John Hughes’ coming-of-age teen comedies and deserves to continue its pop culture relevance. Its timelessness may be slightly hindered by Kid ‘N’ Play being tied so closely to the early 90s “happy hip hop” scene, but f*ck it. My cry two tears in a bucket, f*ck it. The themes and the story are timeless. The issues are relevant. And the fashion, slang and songs are a snapshot of an amazing era.

I grew up on this movie. I’ve grown up with many movies in which I’ve continually loved, but sometimes, a rewatch in my adult years with my evolved sensibilities can expose a movie for being what it really is and my rose-colored nostalgia glasses become incredibly apparent. Watching this movie again definitely solidifies that it’s the real deal. It’s not only a good watch, dipped in 90s memories. It’s a comfort movie. The subsequent House Party sequels would crank up the silly humor and some absurdity that those movies (coupled with the non-franchise Kid ‘N’ Play film Class Act) kind of established a cartoonishness that could be seen as the “Kid ‘N’ Play style.” It’s kind of a throwback to The Monkees TV show with its silly visuals (like the floating alarm and phone shots in House Party 3). Here, you can tell that Reginald Hudlin had a vision and his style is perfectly grounded, but he also added some comic flair for punctuation.

The 4K Blu-ray includes Hudlin’s original short film that he made for his thesis at Harvard. When you watch it, you see that he’s had the hallmarks of the movie down early on. Surprisingly, his original short also feels grittier despite still being a comedy. It’s in 16mm. It takes place in New York. The titular party is bathed in red light. And there’s a lot of the feature film’s flamboyant personality that is notably absent without the presence of the musicians and comedians.

It makes you appreciate even further how great the characters are in the official movie — that you just can’t help but root for everyone. Kid ‘N’ Play are the quintessential duo where one is an underdog and the other acts more alpha. Martin Lawrence as Bilal is the perfect tag-along friend who is also the punching bag comic relief. Tisha Campbell and A.J. Johnson are the perfect mirrors to Kid ‘N’ Play and I still can’t decide who I’d rather get with, although Tisha Campbell is just the absolutely ideal “girl next door” that draws you to her. Full Force (although they might not pass for high schoolers) are classic bullies of that era with their intimidating builds and bad attitude. And good lord, Robin Harris as Kid’s dad owns every scene he’s in. His dialogue is so dense, I caught jokes I never caught before and found myself laughing from discovering them for the first time.

It can’t be said enough. House Party just captures the innocence and fun of high school, which makes it endlessly rewatchable. 4K, Blu-ray, DVD, VHS, Beta, rerun television — it doesn’t matter where, if you can, you should just revisit House Party. And if you’re new to it, definitely check it out to either relive the 90s or discover the decade right as it was blossoming.

How’s the 4K Blu-ray?

The movie is presented in DolbyVision and has a DTS-HS Master Audio Soundtrack with 4.0 Surround Sound. I made sure to watch this release in my apartment complex’s private theater and I got to see it as I’ve never experienced before — on the big screen and in surround sound. It was an amazing screening experience as the picture looks beautiful. There are so many details I’ve never caught before that I saw on my viewing, such as being able to see the cast peppered throughout the party crowd in wide shots (in which they went through the trouble to add character moments that were easy to miss) and seeing that Kid was a big fan of the X-Men with posters hanging in his room. I also never caught certain fashion details of the era, which the 4K made pop out more, like multiple party goers sporting hearts etched into their haircuts.

The sound was also amazing and I definitely felt like I was at the party with the songs filling the room with their bombastic sounds. I can’t stress enough how much I love the dance sequence. The theater experience felt so rich that I must’ve rewatched that scene four or five times, as it kept moving me out of my seat and I repeatedly exhaled in a loud vocal exasperation every time it ended.

The special features aren’t many, but they’re pretty good for anyone who is yearning for information behind the movie. We have a new interview with the Hudlin brothers, Reginald and Warrington, as they go in depth about their history with this movie. They recall how they went from student filmmakers to making the film and blowing up after its success. We also get a commentary from Reginald Hudlin, where he shares more anecdotes about the film scene-by-scene. The cast reunites in a 2025 interview via Zoom and everyone tells their story of getting involved along with sharing their favorite memories. A couple of cool revelations include that the amazing dance battle scene was A.J. Johnson’s idea and it was basically put together during filming. Plus, Kid ‘N’ Play revealed that New Line was ready to pass on them until executives saw a crowd of fans go “Beatles-mania” on them outside of the studio’s offices.

We also get the aforementioned short film thesis from Hudlin, which added an exclamation mark for the title to become, House Party! You can see the skeleton of the feature film in this short and how much the cast was ultimately able to contribute to the feature and truly give the final film its identity.

So, it should always be addressed — being a 4K Blu-ray — it will be pricey for a physical media disc. The format is a premium quality and it’s not nearly as common as Blu-ray is, so unfortunately, the price tag will be intimidating for casual shoppers. For collectors and big fans of this movie, I feel like it’s a must-buy.

You can check it out at the Criterion store HERE.

The post The party’s at the funhouse! We take a look at Criterion’s 4K Blu-ray release of House Party appeared first on JoBlo.

Innerspace 4K

Released in 1987, Innerspace stars Dennis Quaid as Tuck Pendleton, a maverick pilot who volunteers to be miniaturized and injected into the body of a rabbit as part of a scientific experiment. However, when rogue scientists steal the new technology, he finds himself injected into the body of hypochondriac grocery clerk Jack Putter (Martin Short) instead. Together with ace reporter Lydia Maxwell (Meg Ryan), Jack must find the stolen tech that will get Tuck back to regular size and out of his body – before the bad guys extract him by force!

The film is a lot of fun, with some great visual effects. I’m excited about this one. Here’s a list of the special features included in the Arrow release.

• Brand new restoration from the original 35mm negative by Arrow Films, approved by director Joe Dante
• 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
• Newly restored original lossless 2.0 stereo, original 70mm 6-track mix in DTS-HD MA 4.1 surround and newly remixed Dolby Atmos audio
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Brand new audio commentary by film critic Drew McWeeny
• Archive audio commentary with director Joe Dante, producer Michael Finnell, visual effects supervisor Dennis Muren and actors Kevin McCarthy and Robert Picardo
• Shrinkage: The Making of Innerspace, a brand new hour-long documentary featuring newly filmed interviews with director Joe Dante, producer Michael Finnell, visual effects supervisor Dennis Muren, visual effects artists Harley Jessup and Bill George and actor Robert Picardo
• Behind the Scenes with Joe Dante, previously unseen video footage shot during the production of Innerspace
• Behind the Scenes at ILM, previously unseen footage shot by visual effects supervisor Dennis Muren during production
• Original storyboards
• Continuity and Behind the Scenes Polaroids
• Production stills gallery
• Posters and Promo stills gallery
• Theatrical trailer
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Doug John Miller
• Double-sided fold-out poster featuring two original artwork options
• Collectors’ perfect-bound booklet featuring new writing by film critics Charlie Brigden, Michael Doyle, Josh Nelson, Jessica Scott and Andrea Subissati, a short guide to Joe Dante’s stock company by Scott Saslow, plus the original exhibitors pamphlet

Solider 4K

After the release of Mortal Kombat and Event Horizon, Anderson teamed up with Kurt Russell for Soldier. The film follows Sergeant Todd 3465 (Russell), a veteran in a long line of soldiers raised from birth to become ruthless and remorseless killing machines. When the callous Colonel Mekum (Jason Isaacs) introduces a new line of stronger, genetically engineered fighters, Todd is deemed obsolete and confined to the waste-disposal planet Arcadia 234. Taken in by a group of humble colonists, Todd reconnects with his lost humanity, gaining their acceptance and their friendship. But when Mekum unleashes his new elite squad on the planet, led by the fearsome Caine 607 (Jason Scott Lee), Todd must reawaken the warrior within to protect his newfound community.

The film was a box-office failure upon its 1998 release, but has since become a cult favourite. Here’s a list of the special features included in the Arrow release.

• 4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS
• Brand new 4K restoration by Arrow Films approved by director Paul W.S. Anderson
• 4K Ultra HD (2160p) Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
• Original DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio and stereo audio
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Archival audio commentary by director Paul W.S. Anderson, co-producer Jeremy Bolt and actor Jason Isaacs
• Reporting for Duty, a brand new interview with actor James Black
• Fire in the Hole!, a brand new interview with assistant director Dennis Maguire
• On the Front Lines, a brand new interview with associate producer Fred Fontana
• Designing for the Future, a brand new interview with production designer David L. Snyder
• VFX Before and After, a brand new behind-the-scenes look at how the film’s special effects were created with visual effects supervisor Craig Barron
• Weapons of Mass Creation, interviews with visual effects supervisors Craig Barron and Van Ling and miniature supervisor Michael Joyce
• A Soldier’s Journey, a brand new interview with Danny Stewart, author of Soldier: From Script to Screen
• We Don’t Need Another Hero, a brand new retrospective on the film with film historian Heath Holland
• Archival electronic press kit
• On-set interviews with cast and crew
• Trailers
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Orlando Arocena
• Collectors’ booklet featuring new writing on the film by film critic Priscilla Page

Will you be adding Innerspace and/or Soldier to your 4K collections?

The post Arrow Video bringing Joe Dante’s Innerspace and Paul Anderson’s Soldier to 4K appeared first on JoBlo.

In the wake of Batman and its hit sequels, interestingly, movie studios wouldn’t necessarily snatch up more DC properties to adapt, but they did attempt to bring more classic pulp heroes to the screen with The Rocketeer, The Shadow and 1996’s The Phantom. While there was an animated series just two years prior with the purple-clad character trying to save our dying planet in the future with The Phantom 2040, the feature film with Billy Zane takes its cue more from Indiana Jones-esque action with its 1930s setting and globe-trotting adventure.

4K Blu-ray remastering from Kino Lorber

Last year, a 4K Blu-ray for The Phantom was originally slated to come out, Blu-ray.com now reports that the Paramount adaptation of the Lee Falk comic strip is now set to grace your TV screens in crisp ultra-high def 4K with a new Blu-ray from Kino Lorber this Spring. The new physical release of the Simon Wincer film, which stars Billy Zane, Kristy Swanson, Treat Williams, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and James Remar, is scheduled to hit retailers on April 14.

The description reads,
“The Phantom, descendant of a line of African superheroes, travels to New York City to thwart a wealthy criminal genius from obtaining three magic skulls which would give him the secret to ultimate power.”

Special Features:

DISC ONE – 4K BLU-RAY

• NEW 4K RESTORATION FROM THE NEGATIVE, APPROVED BY DIRECTOR SIMON WINCER
• DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
• NEW Audio Commentary by Director Simon Wincer, Moderated by Filmmaker Douglas Hosdale
• 5.1 Surround and Lossless 2.0 Audio
• Optional English Subtitles

DISC TWO – BLU-RAY

• NEW 4K RESTORATION FROM THE NEGATIVE, APPROVED BY DIRECTOR SIMON WINCER
• NEW Audio Commentary by Director Simon Wincer, Moderated by Filmmaker Douglas Hosdale
• Kismet in the Jungle: NEW Interview with Star Billy Zane (27:06)
• Slam Evil – Scoring The Phantom: NEW Interview with Composer David Newman (14:48)
• Theatrical Trailer
• 5.1 Surround and Lossless 2.0 Audio
• Optional English Subtitles
• Limited Edition Reversible Art and O-Card Slipcase

Technical Specs:

Video
Codec: HEVC / H.265
Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)
HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1

Audio
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)

Subtitles
English SDH

Discs
4K Ultra HD
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD-100, 1 BD-50)

Packaging
Slipcover in original pressing

Playback
4K Blu-ray: Region free
2K Blu-ray: Region A (B, C untested)

Billy Zane loves The Phantom

Billy Zane recently declared that Kit Walker aka The Phantom stands as “one of my favorite characters.” But the movie itself was a flop, with the June 7th, 1996 opening weekend finding it opening at #6, despite only one other title that week being a new release. As Zane remembered, “It got a lot of stick early on because it wasn’t edgy at a time when all those movies were going dark. I’ve always held a torch for what I saw as a dying genre, which was adventure. I was raised on adventure, and I think it’s so easily overlooked as how critical it is to young boys and girls.”

This action is what drew Billy Zane to The Phantom, saying, “I really understood the ethos of that, which is why I think I got the role. I just knew it and I was holding a torch for it… and it was a candle in the wind at the time, but then this thing came about, and I was, like, ‘A-ha! At last!’ It was something that would benefit from this weird adoration and fixation on all things Errol Flynn and Tarzan. A happy hero. Go figure! No issues. Well-adjusted. Animal friends. Man cave. Girlfriend. The family business. Life is good!”

The post New details unveiled on the upcoming 4K Blu-ray of The Phantom appeared first on JoBlo.

The description reads,
After cracking the biggest case in Zootopia’s history, rookie cops Judy Hopps (voice of Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick Wilde (voice of Jason Bateman) find their partnership isn’t as solid as they thought when Chief Bogo (voice of Idris Elba) orders them to join the Partners in Crisis counseling program. But it doesn’t take long for their partnership to be put to the ultimate test when they find themselves on the twisting trail of a mystery tied to the arrival of a venomous snake in the animal metropolis.

While “Zootopia 2” introduces Gary De’Snake (voice of Ke Huy Quan), Nibbles (voice of Fortune Feimster) and quokka therapist Dr. Fuzzby (voice of Quinta Brunson), the upcoming feature film also welcomes back a herd of characters who made their debut in the Oscar®-winning film “Zootopia.” “It’s been an absolute joy to reteam with so many actors who made the first film so special, and so exciting to expand the world with our phenomenal new cast members,” said director/writer Jared Bush (chief creative officer for Walt Disney Animation Studios). “I can’t wait for audiences to see what other surprises we have in store in this brand-new adventure.”

Special Features and Technical Specs:

• DOLBY ATMOS AUDIO TRACK
• DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
• Optional English SDH, Spanish, and French subtitles for the main feature
• Featurettes:
  • The Zookeepers — Trot along with writer/director Jared Bush and director Byron Howard for a tour of Walt Disney Animation Studios! Get a behind the scenes look as they open up the doors to meet cast and crew and share about all the work done to bring the movie to life.
  • A City of Stars — Meet the fur-tastic voice actors behind the cast of Zootopia 2 as filmmakers share the joy of having the original cast returning and how each new role found its purr-fect match.
  • Everybody Can Draw! — Sketch along with Benson Shum, Animation Supervisor, as he talks about his role on Zootopia 2 and guides viewers in drawing everyone’s favorite new beaver, Nibbles!
  • Zoo-prising Secrets — Uncover ssssurprising references and characters from some of your favorite Walt Disney Animation Studios films hidden throughout the movie, along with fun facts.
  • Wilde Times in the Booth — Hop inside the recording booth for plenty of laughs and behind-the-scenes fun. See how the hilarious cast brings their characters to life!
  • The Treat Trolley — Meet the cheerful crew behind the Treat Trolley that brings smiles and snacks throughout the halls of Disney Animation to keep the studio artists fueled and energized.
• “Zoo” Music Video by Shakira — Celebrate friendship and adventure with Shakira in her music video for the movie’s new song, “Zoo.”
• Deleted Scenes – Check out the scenes that didn’t make the final cut, with an overall introduction by directors Jared Bush and Byron Howard.
  • What’s In the Box?
  • Where Are They Now?
  • Animal Hospital
  • Welcome to the Team
  • Desert Festival
  • Clawhauser Tracks Judy
  • A Plight at the Museum
  • Clawhauser’s Family

The post Zootopia 2 gets a packed 4K Blu-ray for a March release, hits digital tomorrow appeared first on JoBlo.