Welcome back to another look at highlights arriving on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD. Last week nearly finished me off, but thankfully this week is lighter on releases. That doesn’t mean there isn’t great stuff arriving, particularly with older 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!
ANIMAL TALES OF CHRISTMAS MAGIC – This family animated feature is a French-language, French/German production. It’s an anthology from a set of female directors who all tell holiday-themed stories involving animals. One of the five features a stork who must help Santa deliver presents, another focuses on a mother and daughter picking out a tree in the forest to take home, while a tanuki (a Japanese gopher) is a prominent character in another. The movie won an award at a film festival in Spain, and among the few North American members of the press who have seen it, all were positive. Reviews stated that the movie skewed towards the very young, but was pleasing and incredibly sweet. No word on whether this disc presents just an English dub or a second audio track in the original language with English subtitles, so you’ll have to find out for yourself. This is a DVD-only release.
CHAIN REACTIONS – Anyone who admires the 1974 horror classic The Texas Chain Saw Massacre will be pleased to check out this documentary. It focuses on five artists who were forever changed and inspired after seeing the movie. Actor Patton Oswalt, filmmaker Takashi Miike (Audition, Ichi the Killer, 13 Assassins), movie critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, author Stephen King, and director Karyn Kusama (Girlfight, Jennifer’s Body, The Invitation) all discuss the movie and the impact it made on them. Additionally, the documentarians present behind-the-scenes footage during the making of the original motion picture. Critics gave the film high marks. One did think the approach was strange. They wanted to know more about the movie and weren’t as interested in how it influenced the five interviewees. Yet everyone else commented that the picture was fascinating, showing various perspectives on the title and its powerful effect on these viewers, who have now influenced other artists with their own works.
CHAINSAWS WERE SINGING – This oddball effort is an independent production from Estonia. The plot involves a man whose girlfriend is kidnapped by a chainsaw-wielding maniac. The protagonist and his best friend set out to rescue her, encountering all sorts of oddballs along the way. And as the title suggests, there are several musical numbers interwoven into the story. This picture was shot and cobbled together over a decade. Critics who saw the film seemed to be amused by it. One or two complained that they didn’t share the sense of the humor of the makers and thought it needed to have a half-hour chopped out of its running time. Still, the vast majority admitted that this was an entertainingly bonkers and completely original midnight movie with an incredible imagination that made up for any budgetary restrictions. A few even compared it to the cult comedy, Cannibal: The Musical, suggesting it would appeal to those who enjoyed that film. This effort stars Karl Ilves, Laura Niils and Martin Ruus.
CODE 3 – If you’re familiar with the 1999 Martin Scorsese film Bringing Out the Dead, this picture is a comedic take on the same profession. It follows a team of paramedic drivers in Los Angeles. When one becomes burnt out after years on the job, he resigns, but is asked to train an idealistic replacement during his final shift. For 24 hours, viewers see the figure train his partner and try to prepare her for the high stress job. Reviewers were more positive than negative about this feature. About one-quarter stated that while the picture had a few laughs, it took a heavy-handed, dramatic turn in later sections that didn’t gel with the earlier material. Still, most complimented the picture for providing some laughs with an unexpectedly heartfelt and serious message about the horrific conditions endured by emergency workers. The cast includes Rainn Wilson, Lil Rel Howrey, Aimee Carrero, Rob Riggle, Yvette Nicole Brown and Page Kennedy.
DICIANNOVE – A 19-year-old dreaming of becoming a professional writer moves out of his hometown to study literature in university. Unfortunately, the inwardly drawn lead struggles to adapt to life on campus. He then switches universities, finding new struggles as he clashes with a professor, as well as a personal relationship. This foreign-language coming-of-age feature from Italy was co-produced by Luca Guadagnino (Challengers, After the Hunt). Overall, the consensus was positive from the North American press. Almost one-quarter did suggest the film needed to be blunter in its messaging and would have benefitted from a more relatable lead. Regardless, the majority thought the story, like its protagonist, was interesting and unpredictable. They felt that the tale perfectly captured the bullheaded and naïve aspect of a 20-year-old searching for himself. It features Manfredi Marini, Vittoria Planeta and Dana Giulano.
TRAPPED ALONE – Also released as Dark Night of the Soul, this independent thriller involves a brilliant researcher at the CDC working on a cure for a pandemic that has wiped out one-third of the world’s population. She finds the key to treating the outbreak and races to get her data to the world, but crashes her car in an isolated, forested area. Wounded, she attempts to call for help, but can’t reach anyone. She also begins having visions of her past, leading the protagonist to question what is real. Right now, most notices on the picture are from online critics, who weren’t overly impressed with what they witnessed. They noted that the cast were above average and trying their best, but that the screenplay had inconsistencies, the pacing was poor, and the finale came off as silly. Kristanna Loken, Martin Kove and Jesse Kove headline the film.
BLASTS FROM THE PAST!
If you’re looking for something older, there are plenty of options. Arrow Video is distributing the Italian chiller The House with Laughing Windows (1976) as a “Limited Edition” 4K Ultra HD, as well as a “Limited Edition” Blu-ray. This picture didn’t really get a release in North America, but made a huge splash in its homeland and has ties to giallo thrillers. An art historian is hired to restore a fresco in a small-town church. The people in town act strangely and he learns that the artist had a dark past, painting horrible images of torture. When bodies start piling up once again in the area, the visitor must figure out exactly who is responsible.
For this release, the original negative has been scanned and restored. It is presented in stunning 4K resolution with Dolby Vision. Extras include two film historian commentaries, a newly produced feature documentary on the film that includes interviews with director Pupi Avati (Revenge of the Dead aka Zeder) as well as many members of the cast and crew. There are two visual essays on the movie that go over the film’s themes and explain its importance. A trailer is also featured. It comes with a double-sided foldout poster with original and newly commissioned art for the movie, a reversible sleeve, and a booklet with writing on the production. You can read a full review of the release by clicking this link.
Wild Style (1983) is an indie drama about a Bronx graffiti artist commissioned to create a backdrop for an important hip-hop concert. The film is noted for being ahead of its time and presenting early looks at a lot of future music stars. Arrow Video is delivering a “Limited Edition” 4K Ultra HD and CD, as well as a Blu-ray or “Limited Edition” Blu-ray and CD package. The original 16mm camera negative has been given a 4K scan and restoration and is presented in Dolby Vision. You’ll get a new commentary track with Jeff “Chairman” Mao and Andrew “Monk One” Mason, as well as an archival commentary with the director and Fab 5 Freddy Brathwaite. There’s a featurette on the music in the film, cast and crew interviews, two panel discussions on the picture from an exhibition on the movie. There are additional featurettes on the production from the picture’s 20th, 25th and 30th anniversaries, a short film, archival specials and interviews with cast and performers, outtakes, a music video, and promo materials including trailers.
The CD contains a new “megamix” of the soundtrack, original radio spots, alternate mixes of a couple of tracks, and a rare 1983 interview with Charlie Ahearn. Copies come with a book with essays on the movie, a double-sided foldout poster with two original artwork options, a mini-version of a comic book associated with the picture and three logo stickers for the title.
Criterion is releasing the Cary Grant/Rosalind Russell classic comedy His Girl Friday (1940) as a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray set. The plot follows a newspaper editor struggling to keep his best reporter from leaving her job… in part because she happens to be his ex-wife. He’s also flustered that she is about to be remarried and does his best to try and stop her. The set boasts a new 4K restoration of the movie and two Blu-rays. One includes the movie, the other features a new 4K digital restoration of The Front Page (1931), which served as the source material for the later picture. This copy of the movie has come from a recently discovered print of director Lewis Milestone’s preferred version of the title. You’ll also get an interview with a film scholar, archival talks with His Girl Friday director Howard Hawks, featurettes about the filmmaker and co-star Russell from 1999 and 2006, a radio adaptation of His Girl Friday from 1940, radio adaptations of The Front Page from 1937 and 1946, a program about the screenwriter, a featurette on the restoration work done on pictures, as well as trailers and more.
Return to Reason: Four Films by Man Ray is a Blu-ray box set of the surrealist American/French filmmaker’s titles Le Retour a la Raison (1923), Emak-Bakia (1926), L’etoile de mer (1928) and Les Mysteres du Chateau du de (1929). The set is considered a celebration of the 100th anniversary of Man Ray’s cinematic œuvre, restored for the first time in 4K. These titles have been scored by the band SQÜRL, composed of Jim Jarmusch and Carter Logan. An interview with SQÜRL is listed as an extra, along with a 2023 concert from the band, and a trailer.
If you appreciate early film comedy, you can now purchase the Laurel & Hardy: Year Three (1929) Blu-ray from Flicker Alley, which presents newly restored 1929 silent shorts from the duo. The nine films here include the famous short Big Business. Each title features film historian commentaries, multiple music scores, a video essay on the works presented, two bonus shorts, a Spanish edition of one title, an excerpt to the pair performing magic, a 1970 dubbed edition of another short, a previously unseen “special message” the duo delivered at an MGM sales convention, as well as galleries and more.
It’s a busy time for Kino Lorber, especially if you like ninja pictures. You can now pick up The Ninja Trilogy as a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray box set. Or, if you’d like to pick and choose one or two titles, you can also buy the following movies separately.
Enter the Ninja (1981) stars Franco Nero as an American ex-military operative who trains in ninjitsu and uses his skills to fight off a CEO and his team of goons. The film has been given a 4K restoration from the original camera negative and is presented in Dolby Vision. It comes with a film historian commentary and a trailer.
Revenge of the Ninja (1983) stars Sho Kosugi as a Ninja whose family is attacked. He flees to the US with his surviving young son to start again, but ends up squaring off against a drug cartel and his crew. Once again, the movie has been given a 4K restoration from the original camera negatives and is presented in Dolby Vision. It arrives with a film historian commentary, a commentary with director Sam Firstenberg (Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo, American Ninja, American Samurai). The filmmaker also provides an intro to the picture, and you will also get a behind-the-scenes photo gallery and a trailer.
My favorite of the bunch is Ninja III: The Domination (1984), which is about as bonkers a movie from this era as you’re likely to see. Pictured above and to the right, his incredibly ridiculous effort involves an aerobics instructor who is possessed by an evil ninja. Every so often, she goes on a rampage, until others get an exorcist to try and get rid of the villainous ninja spirit. It is every bit as cheesy and crazy as it sounds. One thing it is not is boring, which means that it has amassed a cult following over the years. Like the other pictures, this release includes a 4K restoration of the film from the original camera negative in Dolby Vision, and arrives with a commentary from director Sam Firstenberg, an isolated score that includes comments from the composer, interviews with star Lucinda Dickey (Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo) and co-star Jordan Bennett. There is also a discussion with the movie’s producer (and stuntman) Alan Amiel and a trailer. If you can only see one ninja movie from this set, let it be this one.
Kino is also putting out a Blu-ray of the Jill Clayburgh drama Hanna K. (1983). Directed by Costa-Gavras (Z, Missing) about an Israeli attorney defending a dispossessed Palestinian man wrongly accused of being part of a terrorist network. The film has been given a 2K restoration from an interpositive for this release, and arrives with a movie expert commentary, an interview with co-star David Clennon and a trailer.
Paul (2011) is getting a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray combo release as well. This comedy stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost as comic book enthusiasts who drive through Area 51 and encounter a real alien. Seth Rogen voices the otherworldly creature. It wasn’t a big hit during its original release, but has built a following over the years, which is understandable given that the cast includes Bobby Lee, Jane Lynch, David Koechner, Jesse Plemons, Jason Bateman, Sigourney Weaver, Joe Lo Truglio and Bill Hader. The 4K Ultra HD disc contains an HDR presentation of the theatrical cut in Dolby Vision, along with a director, producer and cast commentary. An accompanying Blu-ray contains the same feature and commentary, with a making-of documentary, and production featurettes. A second Blu-ray contains an unrated cut of the movie, along with bloopers and promo materials.
If you missed out on picking up the 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray Steelbook of Pulp Fiction (1994) a while back, a second printing is arriving courtesy of Paramount Pictures. The contents are exactly the same as in the previous Steelbook.
Sandpiper Pictures licensed several titles from the now defunct Olive Films line-up. Even though some of them have been upgraded with new restorations, the old Olive Blu-rays are being repressed for those interested. You can now pick up Dirty Work (1998), Mannequin (1987), The Meteor Man (1993), Sometimes They Come Back (1991), Stagecoach (1986), Undercover Blues (1993) and Zapped! (1982). Don’t expect much if anything in the way of extras, but some of these titles are out-of-print, so at least you can now get them again.
Shout Factory is delivering the popular zombie remake Dawn of the Dead (2004) as a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray Amazon exclusive Steelbook. Again, expect the contents to be identical to Shout’s earlier 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray “Collector’s Edition” from 2023, only in fancier packaging. The same goes for their 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray “Collector’s Edition” Steelbook of The People Under the Stairs (1991) and The Sword and the Sorcerer (1982) 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray Steelbook. Additionally, there is a Wanted (2008) 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray Walmart exclusive Steelbook. Like the first title, this title will only be available through one specific retailer.
Thankfully, the distributor is also putting out a couple of new titles. The Killer (1989) is receiving a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray release. This incredible Hong Kong action picture from John Woo (A Better Tomorrow, Bullet in the Head, Hard Boiled, Hard Target, Broken Arrow, Face/Off) stars Chow Yun-fat as an assassin with a code of honor. When his employers set him up during his final job, the lead feels obligated to set things right, while also finding himself on the run from a determined cop, played by Danny Lee. The two adversaries come to respect each other and ultimately team up to take out the gang responsible. It might be my very favorite Woo film. The film has been given a 4K restoration from the original camera negative and is presented in Dolby Vision. It comes with multiple language and subtitle tracks, as well as a new Woo commentary, a film expert commentary, and an archival Woo commentary. Additionally, there is a bonus Blu-ray with extras that include a feature-length documentary on Woo, new interviews with Woo, producer Terence Chang, and editor David Wu. Deleted and extended scenes, trailers and more are also in this release.
If you’re looking for more entertainment from Hong Kong, Shaw Brothers Classics: Volume 8 is a Blu-ray box set containing many titles from the studio. This one includes Ambitious Kung Fu Girl (1981), The Duel of the Century (1981), The Emperor and His Brother (1981) Return of the Sentimental Swordsman (1981), The Treasure Hunters (1981), Cat vs. Rat (1982), Perils of the Sentimental Swordsman (1982), The Enchantress (1983), Ghosts Galore (1983), New Tales of the Flying Fox (1984), Return of the Bastard Swordsman (1984) and Secret Service of the Imperial Court (1984). All of the films contained come with film historian commentaries and promo materials.
Universal Studios is releasing a Five Nights at Freddy’s (2023) 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray “Limited Edition” Steelbook this week. Once again, this is one of those sets in which the contents should be identical to previous versions, only in new packaging.
Still, the distributor does have a few interesting older titles arriving on Blu-ray. There are the Claudette Colbert features I Met Him in Paris (1937), Maid of Salem (1937), Skylark (1941) and Zaza (1939).
And finally, Warner Bros. is putting out a couple of notable titles. The Warner Archive line is presenting Tom and Jerry: The Golden Age Anthology on Blu-ray. It contains a selection of cartoons starring the characters that were made between 1940 and 1967.
And, you can pick up a new 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray Steelbook of last year’s hit musical Wicked (2024) with all the same features, only now in the hard-case packaging.
YOU KNOW, FOR KIDS!
Below is a list of titles that may entertain kids.
Animal Tales of Christmas Magic (Distrib Films US) DVD
Tom and Jerry: The Golden Age Anthology (cartoons made between 1940 and 1967) (Warner Bros.) Blu-ray
ON THE TUBE!
And all the week’s TV-themed releases can be found below.
The Gilded Age: Season 3 (HBO Home Video) DVD
The Handmaid’s Tale: Season 6 (Warner Bros.) DVD
Harry Wild: Series 4 (Acorn) DVD
The Lucille Ball Specials (MPI Home Video) DVD
Masterpiece: The Great Escaper (PBS) DVD
Monk: The Complete Series & Movie (Kino Lorber) Blu-ray
Silent Witness: Season 28 (BBC) DVD
Ted Lasso: The Richmond Way (all 3 seasons) (Warner Bros.) 4K Ultra HD only
