{"id":32554,"date":"2025-12-01T16:03:16","date_gmt":"2025-12-02T00:03:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=32554"},"modified":"2025-12-01T16:03:16","modified_gmt":"2025-12-02T00:03:16","slug":"4k-ultra-hd-blu-ray-dvd-roundup-for-december-2nd-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=32554","title":{"rendered":"4K Ultra HD\/Blu-ray\/DVD Roundup for December 2nd, 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Welcome back to another look at highlights arriving on 4K\nUltra HD, Blu-ray and DVD. Last week nearly finished me off, but thankfully\nthis week is lighter on releases. That doesn\u2019t mean there isn\u2019t great stuff\narriving, particularly with older efforts. So, if you can\u2019t make it out to the\nmovies this week, be sure to give one of these titles a try!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BIG NEW RELEASES!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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ANIMAL TALES OF CHRISTMAS MAGIC \u2013 This family animated\nfeature is a French-language, French\/German production. It\u2019s an anthology from\na set of female directors who all tell holiday-themed stories involving\nanimals. One of the five features a stork who must help Santa deliver presents,\nanother focuses on a mother and daughter picking out a tree in the forest to\ntake home, while a tanuki (a Japanese gopher) is a prominent character in\nanother. The movie won an award at a film festival in Spain, and among the few\nNorth American members of the press who have seen it, all were positive.\nReviews stated that the movie skewed towards the very young, but was pleasing\nand incredibly sweet. No word on whether this disc presents just an English dub\nor a second audio track in the original language with English subtitles, so\nyou\u2019ll have to find out for yourself. This is a DVD-only release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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CHAIN REACTIONS \u2013 Anyone who admires the 1974 horror classic\nThe Texas Chain Saw Massacre<\/em> will be pleased to check out this\ndocumentary. It focuses on five artists who were forever changed and inspired\nafter seeing the movie. Actor Patton Oswalt, filmmaker Takashi Miike (Audition,\nIchi the Killer, 13 Assassins)<\/em>, movie critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas,\nauthor Stephen King, and director Karyn Kusama (Girlfight, Jennifer\u2019s Body,\nThe Invitation<\/em>) all discuss the movie and the impact it made on them.\nAdditionally, the documentarians present behind-the-scenes footage during the\nmaking of the original motion picture. Critics gave the film high marks. One\ndid think the approach was strange. They wanted to know more about the movie\nand weren\u2019t as interested in how it influenced the five interviewees. Yet\neveryone else commented that the picture was fascinating, showing various\nperspectives on the title and its powerful effect on these viewers, who have\nnow influenced other artists with their own works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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CHAINSAWS WERE SINGING \u2013 This oddball effort is an\nindependent production from Estonia. The plot involves a man whose girlfriend\nis kidnapped by a chainsaw-wielding maniac. The protagonist and his best friend\nset out to rescue her, encountering all sorts of oddballs along the way. And as\nthe title suggests, there are several musical numbers interwoven into the\nstory.  This picture was shot and cobbled together over a decade. Critics\nwho saw the film seemed to be amused by it. One or two complained that they\ndidn\u2019t share the sense of the humor of the makers and thought it needed to have\na half-hour chopped out of its running time. Still, the vast majority admitted\nthat this was an entertainingly bonkers and completely original midnight movie\nwith an incredible imagination that made up for any budgetary restrictions. A\nfew even compared it to the cult comedy, Cannibal: The Musical<\/em>,\nsuggesting it would appeal to those who enjoyed that film. This effort stars\nKarl Ilves, Laura Niils and Martin Ruus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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CODE 3 \u2013 If you\u2019re familiar with the 1999 Martin Scorsese\nfilm Bringing Out the Dead<\/em>, this picture is a comedic take on the same\nprofession. It follows a team of paramedic drivers in Los Angeles. When one\nbecomes burnt out after years on the job, he resigns, but is asked to train an\nidealistic replacement during his final shift. For 24 hours, viewers see the\nfigure train his partner and try to prepare her for the high stress job.\nReviewers were more positive than negative about this feature. About\none-quarter stated that while the picture had a few laughs, it took a\nheavy-handed, dramatic turn in later sections that didn\u2019t gel with the earlier\nmaterial. Still, most complimented the picture for providing some laughs with\nan unexpectedly heartfelt and serious message about the horrific conditions\nendured by emergency workers. The cast includes Rainn Wilson, Lil Rel Howrey,\nAimee Carrero, Rob Riggle, Yvette Nicole Brown and Page Kennedy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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DICIANNOVE \u2013 A 19-year-old dreaming of becoming a\nprofessional writer moves out of his hometown to study literature in\nuniversity. Unfortunately, the inwardly drawn lead struggles to adapt to life\non campus. He then switches universities, finding new struggles as he clashes\nwith a professor, as well as a personal relationship. This foreign-language\ncoming-of-age feature from Italy was co-produced by Luca Guadagnino (Challengers,\nAfter the Hunt<\/em>). Overall, the consensus was positive from the North\nAmerican press. Almost one-quarter did suggest the film needed to be blunter in\nits messaging and would have benefitted from a more relatable lead. Regardless,\nthe majority thought the story, like its protagonist, was interesting and\nunpredictable. They felt that the tale perfectly captured the bullheaded and\nna\u00efve aspect of a 20-year-old searching for himself. It features Manfredi\nMarini, Vittoria Planeta and Dana Giulano.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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TRAPPED ALONE \u2013 Also released as Dark Night of the Soul<\/em>,\nthis independent thriller involves a brilliant researcher at the CDC working on\na cure for a pandemic that has wiped out one-third of the world\u2019s population.\nShe finds the key to treating the outbreak and races to get her data to the\nworld, but crashes her car in an isolated, forested area. Wounded, she attempts\nto call for help, but can\u2019t reach anyone. She also begins having visions of her\npast, leading the protagonist to question what is real. Right now, most notices\non the picture are from online critics, who weren\u2019t overly impressed with what\nthey witnessed. They noted that the cast were above average and trying their\nbest, but that the screenplay had inconsistencies, the pacing was poor, and the\nfinale came off as silly. Kristanna Loken, Martin Kove and Jesse Kove headline\nthe film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BLASTS FROM THE PAST!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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If you\u2019re looking for something older, there are plenty of\noptions. Arrow Video is distributing the Italian chiller The House with\nLaughing Windows<\/em> (1976) as a \u201cLimited Edition\u201d 4K Ultra HD, as well as a\n\u201cLimited Edition\u201d Blu-ray. This picture didn\u2019t really get a release in North\nAmerica, but made a huge splash in its homeland and has ties to giallo\nthrillers. An art historian is hired to restore a fresco in a small-town\nchurch. The people in town act strangely and he learns that the artist had a dark\npast, painting horrible images of torture. When bodies start piling up once\nagain in the area, the visitor must figure out exactly who is responsible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/em> aka Zeder<\/em>) as well as many members of the cast and crew. There are two visual essays on the movie that go over the film\u2019s themes and explain its importance.\u00a0 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. <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Wild Style<\/em> (1983) is an indie drama about a Bronx\ngraffiti artist commissioned to create a backdrop for an important hip-hop\nconcert. The film is noted for being ahead of its time and presenting early\nlooks at a lot of future music stars. Arrow Video is delivering a \u201cLimited\nEdition\u201d 4K Ultra HD and CD, as well as a Blu-ray or \u201cLimited Edition\u201d Blu-ray\nand CD package. The original 16mm camera negative has been given a 4K scan and\nrestoration and is presented in Dolby Vision. You\u2019ll get a new commentary track\nwith Jeff “Chairman” Mao and Andrew “Monk One” Mason, as\nwell as an archival commentary with the director and Fab 5 Freddy Brathwaite.\nThere\u2019s a featurette on the music in the film, cast and crew interviews, two\npanel discussions on the picture from an exhibition on the movie. There are\nadditional featurettes on the production from the picture\u2019s 20th<\/sup>, 25th<\/sup>\nand 30th<\/sup> anniversaries, a short film, archival specials and\ninterviews with cast and performers, outtakes, a music video, and promo\nmaterials including trailers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The CD contains a new \u201cmegamix\u201d of the soundtrack, original\nradio spots, alternate mixes of a couple of tracks, and a rare 1983 interview\nwith Charlie Ahearn. Copies come with a book with essays on the movie, a\ndouble-sided foldout poster with two original artwork options, a mini-version\nof a comic book associated with the picture and three logo stickers for the\ntitle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Criterion is releasing the Cary Grant\/Rosalind Russell\nclassic comedy His Girl Friday<\/em> (1940) as a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray set.\nThe plot follows a newspaper editor struggling to keep his best reporter from\nleaving her job\u2026 in part because she happens to be his ex-wife. He\u2019s also\nflustered that she is about to be remarried and does his best to try and stop\nher. The set boasts a new 4K restoration of the movie and two Blu-rays. One\nincludes the movie, the other features a new 4K digital restoration of The\nFront Page<\/em> (1931), which served as the source material for the later\npicture. This copy of the movie has come from a recently discovered print of\ndirector Lewis Milestone’s preferred version of the title. You\u2019ll also get an\ninterview with a film scholar, archival talks with His Girl Friday<\/em>\ndirector Howard Hawks, featurettes about the filmmaker and co-star Russell from\n1999 and 2006, a radio adaptation of His Girl Friday<\/em> from 1940, radio\nadaptations of The Front Page<\/em> from 1937 and 1946, a program about the\nscreenwriter, a featurette on the restoration work done on pictures, as well as\ntrailers and more.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Return to Reason: Four Films by Man Ray<\/em> is a Blu-ray\nbox set of the surrealist American\/French filmmaker\u2019s titles Le Retour a la\nRaison<\/em> (1923), Emak-Bakia<\/em> (1926), L\u2019etoile de mer<\/em> (1928) and Les\nMysteres du Chateau du de<\/em> (1929). The set is considered a celebration of\nthe 100th<\/sup> anniversary of Man Ray’s cinematic \u0153uvre, restored for the\nfirst time in 4K. These titles have been scored by the band SQ\u00dcRL, composed of\nJim Jarmusch and Carter Logan. An interview with SQ\u00dcRL is listed as an extra,\nalong with a 2023 concert from the band, and a trailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you appreciate early film comedy, you can now purchase\nthe Laurel & Hardy: Year Three<\/em> (1929) Blu-ray from Flicker Alley,\nwhich presents newly restored 1929 silent shorts from the duo. The nine films\nhere include the famous short Big Business<\/em>. Each title features film\nhistorian commentaries, multiple music scores, a video essay on the works\npresented, two bonus shorts, a Spanish edition of one title, an excerpt to the\npair performing magic, a 1970 dubbed edition of another short, a previously\nunseen \u201cspecial message\u201d the duo delivered at an MGM sales convention, as well\nas galleries and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s a busy time for Kino Lorber, especially if you like\nninja pictures. You can now pick up The Ninja Trilogy as a 4K Ultra HD and\nBlu-ray box set. Or, if you\u2019d like to pick and choose one or two titles, you\ncan also buy the following movies separately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Enter the Ninja<\/em> (1981) stars Franco Nero as an\nAmerican ex-military operative who trains in ninjitsu and uses his skills to\nfight off a CEO and his team of goons. The film has been given a 4K restoration\nfrom the original camera negative and is presented in Dolby Vision. It comes\nwith a film historian commentary and a trailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Revenge of the Ninja<\/em> (1983) stars Sho Kosugi as a\nNinja whose family is attacked. He flees to the US with his surviving young son\nto start again, but ends up squaring off against a drug cartel and his crew.\nOnce again, the movie has been given a 4K restoration from the original camera\nnegatives and is presented in Dolby Vision. It arrives with a film historian\ncommentary, a commentary with director Sam Firstenberg (Breakin\u2019 2: Electric\nBoogaloo, American Ninja, American Samurai<\/em>). The filmmaker also provides an\nintro to the picture, and you will also get a behind-the-scenes photo gallery\nand a trailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My favorite of the bunch is Ninja III: The Domination<\/em> (1984), which is about as bonkers a movie from this era as you\u2019re 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\u2019 2: Electric Boogaloo<\/em>) and co-star Jordan Bennett. There is also a discussion with the movie\u2019s producer (and stuntman) Alan Amiel and a trailer. If you can only see one ninja movie from this set, let it be this one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kino is also putting out a Blu-ray of the Jill Clayburgh\ndrama Hanna K.<\/em> (1983). Directed by Costa-Gavras (Z, Missing<\/em>)\nabout an Israeli attorney defending a dispossessed Palestinian man wrongly\naccused of being part of a terrorist network. The film has been given a 2K\nrestoration from an interpositive for this release, and arrives with a movie\nexpert commentary, an interview with co-star David Clennon and a trailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Paul<\/em> (2011) is getting a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray\ncombo release as well. This comedy stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost as comic\nbook enthusiasts who drive through Area 51 and encounter a real alien. Seth\nRogen voices the otherworldly creature. It wasn\u2019t a big hit during its original\nrelease, but has built a following over the years, which is understandable\ngiven that the cast includes Bobby Lee, Jane Lynch, David Koechner, Jesse\nPlemons, Jason Bateman, Sigourney Weaver, Joe Lo Truglio and Bill Hader. The 4K\nUltra HD disc contains an HDR presentation of the theatrical cut in Dolby\nVision, along with a director, producer and cast commentary. An accompanying\nBlu-ray contains the same feature and commentary, with a making-of documentary,\nand production featurettes. A second Blu-ray contains an unrated cut of the\nmovie, along with bloopers and promo materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you missed out on picking up the 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray\nSteelbook of Pulp Fiction<\/em> (1994) a while back, a second printing is\narriving courtesy of Paramount Pictures. The contents are exactly the same as\nin the previous Steelbook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sandpiper Pictures licensed several titles from the now\ndefunct Olive Films line-up. Even though some of them have been upgraded with\nnew restorations, the old Olive Blu-rays are being repressed for those\ninterested. You can now pick up Dirty Work<\/em> (1998), Mannequin<\/em>\n(1987), The Meteor Man<\/em> (1993), Sometimes They Come Back<\/em> (1991), Stagecoach<\/em>\n(1986), Undercover Blues<\/em> (1993) and Zapped!<\/em> (1982). Don\u2019t expect\nmuch if anything in the way of extras, but some of these titles are\nout-of-print, so at least you can now get them again.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shout Factory is delivering the popular zombie remake Dawn\nof the Dead<\/em> (2004) as a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray Amazon exclusive Steelbook.\nAgain, expect the contents to be identical to Shout\u2019s earlier 4K Ultra HD and\nBlu-ray \u201cCollector\u2019s Edition\u201d from 2023, only in fancier packaging. The same\ngoes for their 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray \u201cCollector\u2019s Edition\u201d Steelbook of The\nPeople Under the Stairs<\/em> (1991) and The Sword and the Sorcerer<\/em> (1982)\n4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray Steelbook. Additionally, there is a Wanted<\/em>\n(2008) 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray Walmart exclusive Steelbook. Like the first\ntitle, this title will only be available through one specific retailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Thankfully, the distributor is also putting out a couple of\nnew titles. The Killer<\/em> (1989) is receiving a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray\nrelease. This incredible Hong Kong action picture from John Woo (A Better\nTomorrow, Bullet in the Head, Hard Boiled, Hard Target, Broken Arrow, Face\/Off<\/em>)\nstars Chow Yun-fat as an assassin with a code of honor. When his employers set\nhim up during his final job, the lead feels obligated to set things right,\nwhile also finding himself on the run from a determined cop, played by Danny\nLee. The two adversaries come to respect each other and ultimately team up to\ntake out the gang responsible. It might be my very favorite Woo film. The film\nhas been given a 4K restoration from the original camera negative and is\npresented in Dolby Vision. It comes with multiple language and subtitle tracks,\nas well as a new Woo commentary, a film expert commentary, and an archival Woo\ncommentary. Additionally, there is a bonus Blu-ray with extras that include a\nfeature-length documentary on Woo, new interviews with Woo, producer Terence\nChang, and editor David Wu. Deleted and extended scenes, trailers and more are\nalso in this release.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re looking for more entertainment from Hong Kong, Shaw\nBrothers Classics: Volume 8<\/em> is a Blu-ray box set containing many titles\nfrom the studio. This one includes Ambitious Kung Fu Girl<\/em> (1981), The\nDuel of the Century<\/em> (1981), The Emperor and His Brother<\/em> (1981) Return\nof the Sentimental Swordsman<\/em> (1981), The Treasure Hunters<\/em> (1981), Cat\nvs. Rat<\/em> (1982), Perils of the Sentimental Swordsman<\/em> (1982), The\nEnchantress<\/em> (1983), Ghosts Galore<\/em> (1983), New Tales of the Flying\nFox<\/em> (1984), Return of the Bastard Swordsman<\/em> (1984) and Secret\nService of the Imperial Court<\/em> (1984). All of the films contained come with\nfilm historian commentaries and promo materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Universal Studios is releasing a Five Nights at Freddy\u2019s<\/em>\n(2023) 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray \u201cLimited Edition\u201d Steelbook this week. Once\nagain, this is one of those sets in which the contents should be identical to\nprevious versions, only in new packaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, the distributor does have a few interesting older\ntitles arriving on Blu-ray. There are the Claudette Colbert features I Met\nHim in Paris<\/em> (1937), Maid of Salem<\/em> (1937), Skylark<\/em> (1941) and\nZaza<\/em> (1939).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And finally, Warner Bros. is putting out a couple of notable\ntitles. The Warner Archive line is presenting Tom and Jerry: The Golden Age\nAnthology<\/em> on Blu-ray. It contains a selection of cartoons starring the\ncharacters that were made between 1940 and 1967.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And, you can pick up a new 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray Steelbook\nof last year\u2019s hit musical Wicked (<\/em>2024) with all the same features,\nonly now in the hard-case packaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

YOU KNOW, FOR KIDS!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Below is a list of titles that may entertain kids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Animal Tales of Christmas Magic<\/em> (Distrib Films US)\nDVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tom and Jerry: The Golden Age Anthology<\/em> (cartoons\nmade between 1940 and 1967) (Warner Bros.) Blu-ray<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ON THE TUBE!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And all the week\u2019s TV-themed releases can be found below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Gilded Age<\/em>: Season 3 (HBO Home Video) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Handmaid\u2019s Tale<\/em>: Season 6 (Warner Bros.) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harry Wild<\/em>: Series 4 (Acorn) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Lucille Ball Specials<\/em> (MPI Home Video) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Masterpiece: The Great Escaper<\/em> (PBS) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Monk<\/em>: The Complete Series & Movie (Kino Lorber)\nBlu-ray<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Silent Witness<\/em>: Season 28 (BBC) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ted Lasso: The Richmond Way<\/em> (all 3 seasons) (Warner\nBros.) 4K Ultra HD only<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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