Welcome to another look at some of the highlights arriving on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD. The last edition was a quiet one, which means that this one is packed with Oscar-nominees, star-studded efforts, and acclaimed international efforts. So, if you can’t make it out to the movies this week, be sure to give one of these titles a try!
BIG NEW RELEASES!
100 YARDS – The title of this period action film refers to an area around martial arts academies where no fighting can take place. This story is set in China and follows an old master with two pupils who have a grudge against one another. When he chooses his successor, he tells the other to leave his dojo and never return. The resentful ex-student decides to show his worth by fighting the newly appointed leader… off campus. Reaction to this foreign-language Chinese feature was generally positive. A small group thought that the characters weren’t developed and that the repetitive battle scenes became dull and tiring. However, the vast majority thought that the fight scenes were among the best captured in recent years. They called the film atmospheric and the story enthralling. It stars Jacky Heung, Bea Hayden Kuo, Andy On and Tang Shiyi.
LAST SUMMER – Those looking for more international fare can try this drama/thriller from France. It’s actually a remake of a Danish title called Queen of Hearts and follows a couple with children from different marriages. The husband complains about his difficult relationship with his teenage son, and his wife tries to mend fences between them. In the process, she falls for the youth and begins a torrid affair with him. When rumors spread about the pair, everything comes to a head. The picture was nominated for numerous awards in its homeland and earned strong notices from critics. A handful complained that for all its artistic pretensions, the movie was pulpy and predictable. Still, everyone else wrote that it was an excellent, compelling drama that not only shocked, but confronted issues like obsession in a believable manner. The cast includes Léa Drucker, Samuel Kircher and Olivier Rabourdin.
LITTLE BITES – A grieving widow moves into a new home with her 10-year-old daughter. She encounters a malevolent presence in the abode who threatens the safety of her child. In order to protect the youngster, the protagonist agrees to let the supernatural beast slowly feast on her over the following weeks. As her condition worsens and relatives become worried, viewers must figure out if the creature is real or a psychosis. The press was positive overall about this independent creeper that debuted on the Shudder streaming service. About one-quarter found the story and themes unfocused, ultimately losing interest in the plight of the characters. But the general consensus was that the picture had some notable things to say about motherhood, featured a memorable villain, and kept them disturbed throughout. For the time being, this is a DVD-only release. It features Krsy Fox, Jon Sklaroff, Elizabeth Phoenix Caro, Barbara Crampton and Heather Langenkamp.
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE WAR OF THE ROHIRRIM – Looking for more Middle-Earth adventure? This prequel story is set 200 years before the events of The Hobbit and deals with the daughter of King Helm Hammerhand. When a power-hungry lord tries to arrange a marriage between his son and the princess (who were childhood friends), she rejects the offer, leading to a confrontation. After a tragedy, the two youths end up at war with the fate of the region in the balance. This animated co-production from New Zealand, Japan and the US split reviewers. Half commented that the movie was beautifully animated and fun, also liking the film for having a female protagonist. The same number, plus one or two voices, were disappointed by the look of the movie as well as the endless exposition and cardboard characters. They stated the film was only for Tolkien fans. The film is available in a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray set, a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray Steelbook or as a standalone Blu-ray. The voice cast includes Brian Cox, Gaia Wise, Miranda Otto and Luca Pasqualino.
NOSFERATU – The remake of the 1922 German silent classic (that is, in itself, an unlicensed retelling of the Bram Stoker story Dracula) is set in the 1830s and follows a real estate agent who travels to Transylvania to help a strange count secure a property in Germany. It isn’t long before the visitor is trapped in the vampire’s castle, while the sinister figure heads to his new property, pursuing the wife of the agent. Critics greatly admired the picture and it has earned several Academy Award nominations in technical categories. A small number took issue with the slow-pacing and the familiarity of the story, finding it overwrought and unsurprising. Yet, most thought it was a moody, technical masterpiece with so much style and atmosphere that this nightmarish vision was entrancing. This film can be purchased as a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray set, a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray Steelbook or as a Blu-ray only disc. It contains the theatrical version and an extended cut with four minutes of additional footage. The film stars Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult, Bill Skarsgård, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Willem Dafoe.
THE ORDER – Based on a true story from the early 1980s, this biopic tells the story of an FBI agent hunting down a white supremacist terrorist group in Idaho. After members of the gang are implicated in a murder, a veteran agent is paired with a local, inexperienced deputy to investigate the crime. As they get deeper into the case, they come into contact with violent Aryans and come into contact with their leader, neo-Nazi terrorist Bob Mathews. This Canadian feature (from an Australian director) earned mostly raves from the press. A very small number found the story so grim and drab that it was difficult to endure. But the overwhelming majority wrote that the movie was a powerful drama and character study with incredible performances. They also said it was a chilling portrait of extremist groups that was still very relevant today. The cast includes Jude Law, Nicholas Hoult, Tye Sheridan, Marc Maron and Jurnee Smollett.
PANDA PLAN – The latest action/comedy from Jackie Chan sees the superstar playing an actor famous for his martial arts films. When he’s invited to a zoo to adopt a celebrity panda cub, he readily agrees. But during the press conference, armed kidnappers arrive with the intention of taking the animal and holding it for ransom. The actor attempts to use kung fu to save the panda without the aid of movie tricks and stunt players. This effort from Hong Kong was panned by most reviewers. About one-third defended the picture, stating the fight scenes were well-staged and the movie provided plenty of silly fun. Yet, the consensus was that the film was lazily put together and sunk by bad CGI animal effects, a bland story, an overabundance of scatological humor, and a lack of genuine thrills. Besides Chan, it features Xiang Wei, Ce Shi and Andy Friend.
SEPTEMBER 5 – This biopic tells the story of the hostage crisis at the 1972 Munich Olympics through the eyes of the ABC Wide World of Sports team who were covering the games. As they get word of armed individuals storming the Olympic Village, the reporters change their focus and, in the process, must address how to cover the event, as well as deal with a number of technical issues, not to mention the complications of covering a news event live on the air. Notices were excellent for this drama. A few voices complained that the movie didn’t take sides or specifically address the politics of the Israeli-Palestine conflict. However, everyone else commented that the film was fast-paced, tense, and felt like a completely authentic recreation of how this sports crew had to deal with the chaos and confusion occurring around them. Peter Sarsgaard, John Magaro, Ben Chaplin, Leonie Benesch, Zinedine Soualem and Georgina Rich headline the movie.
WEEKEND IN TAIPEI – Two old lovers reunite in Taipei, Taiwan under very stressful circumstances. He is an American DEA agent whose work took him away from Asia. She is now the wife of a drug dealing kingpin, whom she married to protect her newborn son. After many years, the lady’s teenage offspring finds evidence of his stepdad’s criminal activities, offering it to U.S. forces. As it turns out, his contact is the same DEA agent… who also happens to be his father. The three go on the run with the sinister stepdad and his forces in pursuit. Reaction towards this mostly English-language, French/Taiwan co-production was split. Almost half believed that the plot was unoriginal, the action lackluster and that the jokes fell flat. The same number and a few more suggested that the action was well-shot and edited, and that enough of the humor did work to make for a fun little B-movie. It stars Luke Evans, Lun-Mei Gwei, Sung Kang and Wyatt Yang.
BLASTS FROM THE PAST!
You can find plenty of older features receiving upgrades this week. Criterion is presenting the Amy Irving/Peter Reigert rom-com Crossing Delancey (1988) in a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray combo or as a standalone Blu-ray. It follows a New York bookstore employee searching for love. David Hyde Pierce and Jerome Krabbe also appear in the film. You’ll get a 4K restoration approved by the cinematographer. Extras include a new program detailing the making of the movie featuring the stars, an audio interview with the director from 1988 and a trailer.
Pictured to the right, Drugstore Cowboy (1989) is also getting a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray package as well as a Blu-ray only release. Set in the 1970s, Matt Dillon plays a man who robs pharmacies with his gang, played by Kelly Lynch, Heather Graham and James Le Gros). The 4K restoration on this title was approved by cinematographer Robert Yeoman and director Gus Van Sant. A commentary with Van Sant and Dillon is included as a bonus, along with a making-of featuring cast and crew interviews, new interviews with Yeoman and Lynch, deleted scenes and a trailer.
Eureka Entertainment is presenting the martial arts feature Legend of the 8 Samurai (1983) on Blu-ray. Sonny Chiba co-stars in this film from Kinji Fukasaku (Sympathy for the Underdog, Battle Royale) about a group fighting off undead warriors. The disc contains a sharp 4K picture restoration, a Japanese cinema expert commentary, a discussion with the filmmaker’s son, a visual essay on the movie, and a trailer.
Kino is delivering several titles this week. The first is a Blu-ray of the British comedy Are You Being Served: The Movie (1977), based on the hugely popular TV series. It features the staff of a department store getting into trouble on a vacation. It comes with a film historian commentary and trailer.
Frances (1982) is pictured to the life. It stars Jessica Lange in the true story of an opinionated Hollywood actress who was institutionalized for her opinions. This drama was nominated for two Oscars, including Best Actress for Lange. The Blu-ray features a film historian commentary, an archival director commentary, a 30-minutes featurette on the real Frances, and a trailer.
John Candy fans rejoice, as a couple of his titles will be available as well. Summer Rental (1985) features the comedic performer playing an overworked family man trying to survive a disastrous beach holiday with his family. The original camera negative was used for a 4K picture restoration and the Blu-ray also comes with a film historian commentary, a featurette on the music and a trailer.
Uncle Buck (1989) is getting a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray combo release, as well as a Blu-ray only edition. When a family emergency occurs, three kids are forced to spend time with a live-in babysitter in the form of their eccentric uncle. It’s an amusing effort that stands as a solid title in his filmography. Obviously, the picture has been given a spiffy new upgrade for this release. It also comes with two new critic commentaries, an interview with co-star Jean Louisa Kelly and a trailer.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer is putting out Blu-rays of several catalog titles that have been out-of-print for some time. They won’t feature much in the way of bonuses but at least you’ll be able to own them again. You can pick up the Bruce Willis/Billy Bob Thornton/Cate Blanchett comedy Bandits (2001), as well as the Burt Reynolds effort, The End (1978).
Inserts (1975) is a period drama with Richard Dreyfuss as a struggling director making adult flicks, while Lady of Vengeance (1957) is a UK drama about a man hiring a killer to avenge the death of an innocent girl. The Naked Maja (1958) is a melodrama and biopic about Spanish painter Goya lusting after a duchess. It stars Anthony Francisca and Ava Gardner. Outpost in Malaya (1952) is another British title with Claudette Colbert as a woman dealing with a bandit attack on a plantation.
The drama Twilight Time (1982) stars Karl Malden as an elderly man moving to Yugoslavia to raise his two grandchildren in a farming village. And, pictured above and to the left, the comedy Uptown Girls (2003) features Brittany Murphy as a “rock and roll princess” forced to work as a nanny and take care of an eight-year-old girl (played by a young Dakota Fanning). All of these Blu-rays are now available for purchase.
Milestone is delivering a Blu-ray of Naked Acts (1996) with Jake-ann Jones about an aspiring actor and sexual assault survivor who lands a huge role in a film, only to learn that the part involves nudity. This title is considered a notable film in independent cinema by African Americans. The disc includes a 4K picture restoration from the 16mm A/B rolls preserved at the Indiana University Black Film Center & Archive. It arrives with an archival director and star commentary track, interview footage and two short films by the director, a second discussion with the filmmaker, and footage from a 2024 showing of the movie and trailer.
Shout! Factory is upgrading a couple of their catalog titles this week. The Japanese animated feature The First Slam Dunk (2022), which follows a high school team competing for a national championship. This edition is a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray combo pack with an upgraded Dolby Vision/HDR image, and all previously released bonuses like a director interview, English dub featurette, trailers and teasers.
Humanoids from the Deep (1980) is getting a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray release from the distributor. This is a rather nasty monster movie about fish-like humanoids hunting a fishing village and trying to propagate their species with the local population. This “Collector’s Edition” delivers 4K restorations of both the theatrical and unrated cuts from the original camera negative, as well as a new film historian commentary. Deleted scenes, publicity materials, an alternate opening title sequence, an interview with producer Roger Corman, a making-of featuring cast and crew and trailers will also be included in this set.
Sony is getting in on the Steelbook craze with two David Fincher features. The effective Jodie Foster thriller Panic Room (2002) is coming out as a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray Steelbook. It’s a home invasion film about a mom and her daughter (played by a young Kristen Stewart) trapped in a hidden room within a New York brownstone that burglars desperately want to raid. The villains are played by Jared Leto, Forest Whitaker and Dwight Yoakam. Fincher supervised this 4K restoration and it comes with previously released extras including three commentary tracks (one with Fincher, one with Foster, Whitaker and Yoakam, and a third with writer David Koepp and a special guest), as well as a ton of featurettes on the production.
The Social Network (2010) 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray Steelbook contains the multiple Oscar-nominated drama about Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. It stars Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake and many others. You’ll get the film with the highest possible image quality along with the “unrated” and theatrical audio, along with hours of special features (that have appeared on earlier editions).
If you enjoy homemade B-movie fare, Visual Vengeance is a great distributor putting out hard-to-find independent efforts. Furious (1984) is their latest “Collector’s Edition” Blu-ray release, and it follows a fierce Kung Fu master, ventures into the city’s gritty underbelly for answers to his sister’s death. This is the first time this title has ever been made available on Blu-ray and it comes with hours of new and archival bonus features, and even a “Limited Edition” throwing star key tag and O-card. Looks like a lot of fun for fans of cheesy 80s action.
Finally, Warner Bors. is presenting a 20th Anniversary Edition 4K Ultra HD edition of the Keanu Reeves film Constantine (2005), which is based on the DC comics character. A 20th Anniversary Edition 4K Ultra HD Steelbook will also be available. This is a cult film about a man with supernatural powers who fights demons. The movie has been given a fancy new picture restoration, a new retrospective featurette, multiple archival commentary tracks and most, if not all, previously released bonuses from earlier editions.
The recent sequel Evil Dead Rise (2023) is also being rereleased as a Walmart exclusive “Limited Edition” 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray Steelbook. You’ll get the movie in the highest possible image and sound quality, along with nifty packaging and all previously released extras.
YOU KNOW, FOR KIDS!
Here are a couple of titles that may appeal to children.
Monster High: Season 2 (Paramount) DVD
The Smurfs: Season 1 (2021 animated series) (Paramount) DVD
ON THE TUBE!
Below is a list of the week’s TV-themed releases.
Hallmark 3-Movie Collection: Legend of the Lost Locket, For Love and Honey, Pearl in Paradise (Hallmark) DVD
Monster High: Season 2 (Paramount) DVD
NOVA: Building Stuff (PBS) DVD
The Smurfs: Season 1 (2021 animated series) (Paramount) DVD