Category: DVD Pick of the Week

Juror No. 2 is the New Blu-ray Pick of the Week

juror no 2 bluray

I wonder if when Clint Eastwood finally sheds this mortal coil he’ll be more remembered as an actor or a director. He’s made plenty of great films as one or the other (and more than a few in which he directed himself). I’m not sure I’d be able to choose which one I enjoy the most. He’s had a long storied career, that’s for sure.

Reportedly Juror No. 2 is reportedly the 94-year-old director’s final film. It was well received by critics but sadly got an incredibly small theatrical release before being dumped on Max. It stars Nicolau Hoult as a juror on a high-profile murder case who realizes he has information he could use to sway the rest of the jury in either way he wants.

That’s all I know. That’s all I want to know. As I often say in these things I like going into movies cold, knowing very little about them. The buzz is that this is a very solidly constructed courtroom drama. The kind of thing they don’t make much of anymore. That’s good enough for me to make it this week’s pick.

Wicked: A movie based on a musical based on a book based on a movie. And they say Hollywood is out of ideas. Wicked reimagines the Wizard of Oz from the Wicked Witch of the West’s point of view, delving into her background and discovering why she became so wicked. It was originally a novel that was turned into a Broadway musical, and now it is a movie. I’ve not read the book, or seen the show, but my wife has treated me to some of the music, which is pretty good.

Werewolves: A supermoon turns millions of people into werewolves. Sounds fun.

Punch Drunk Love: Criterion is giving this wonderful PT Anderson film which proved Adam Sandler can actually act, the 4K UHD treatment.

The Sacrifice: Andrei Tarkovsky’s beautiful, meditative film gets the 4K UHD treatment from Kino Lorber. You can read my review of the Blu-ray here.

Oh, Canada: Richard Gere stars in director Paul Schrader’s latest drama about a draft dodger who fled to Canada during the Vietnam War. I’m a big fan of Schrader so I’m excited about this one.

Two Spaghetti Western Classics: Kill Them All and Come Back Alone / The Hellbenders: Kino Lorber brings these two Italian Westerns to the 4K UHD world.

I forgot to link over to Cinema Sentries for last week’s pick, you can read it here if you like.

The Substance is the New Blu-ray Pick of the Week

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I have a friend on Bluesky who I used to know in real life. And by used to know I mean he was a coworker some fifteen years back. We were friendly back then but not exactly friends. I mean we didn’t hang out outside of work or anything. We’ve stayed in touch via social media and once in a while, we’ll have a little chat.

The other day, he messaged me asking if I’d seen The Substance and what I thought. I still haven’t, but as soon as I do, I’ll give him my notes.

I love that. I love that someone I worked with for over a decade is still asking me my opinion on social media. There is a lot wrong with the world right now (and certainly social media is a large part of that) but there is still plenty of cool things.

The Substance is a horror movie about an aging actress using some kind of specialized drug to make herself appear more young and beautiful. Demi Moore has been getting rave reviews. It also stars Margaret Qualley and Dennis Quaid. That’s all I want to know about it but I can’t wait to finally get to watch it.

Also out this week that looks interesting:

Love and Crime: Radiance Films keeps putting out really good films that I’ve never heard of all wrapped up in beautifully produced packages. This one tells four short stories about four famous Japanese murders.

Kill Bill Vol. 1&2, Jackie Brown: Three Quentin Tarantino films are getting cool-looking 4K UHD releases.

Smile 2: This fun horror sequel is getting a cool-looking 4K UHD steelbook release.

The Cell: Arrow Video is releasing this visually arresting thriller in 4K UHD. I don’t remember much about it other than was visually interesting but kind of confusing. So this might be the perfect time to revisit it.

The Grifters: John Cusack stars in this Crime Drama as a man torn between his mother (Angelica Huston) and his girlfriend (Anette Benning) both of whom are notorious grifters. Criterion has the release.

Inglorious Basterds (2009) is the New Blu-ray Pick of the Week

inflogrious basterds arrow vidoe

The other day someone over on Reddit posed a question concerning why we collectors of physical media actually collect physical media. There were a lot of answers. Some indicated their desire to actually own the movies and television shows in their collection (whereas digital licenses can change and be revoked even if you “bought” a copy.) Others noted the superior audio and video quality of Blu-rays and 4K UHD discs. Still, others talked about enjoying audio commentaries and other extras that come with physical copies.

I agree with all of that, but I also must admit I enjoy the collecting aspect of it all. I like browsing stores (both physical locations and digital spaces), looking through the bins, and trying to find something special. I like adding a movie or show to my master list. I like the way they look on my shelves. I even like organizing them on said shelves.

One of the things I love about boutique Blu-ray companies is that they offer something special to the customer. I’m not just buying a movie to watch. I’m buying a collector’s item that comes in a special box with special artwork full of special features.

As I note in my article over at Cinema Sentries I didn’t love Inglorious Basterds the first (and only time) I watched it, but I love the look of this new 4K disc from Arrow Video.

Seven 4K UHD Is the New Blu-ray Pick of the Week

seven 4k uhd cover

Christmas time is weird. I mean it is lovely, and wonderful, but it is also like a black hole time warp. We took off for a week around Christmas to visit my in-laws. We came back the Monday before New Year. So I worked for one day and then had a day off. Then I worked Thursday and Friday but things were kind of slow, so there wasn’t actually much to do. Today it was so cold that none of my subcontractors came out to work so yet again a slow day.

It is hard to remember to do anything on a day like this. I almost forgot to write this article. Luckily we are still in the post-Christmas doldrums so there isn’t much coming out.

I’m on record as a pretty big David Fincher fan and Seven is one of my favorite films from him. I love a good serial killer movie and this is one of the very best. I actually just got my copy of this new 4K release of the film and I’ll be writing a review for Cinema Sentries soon so I won’t say any more.

Also out this week that looks interesting:

Yojimbo/Sanjuro 4K UHD: I’m very much on record as being an Akira Kurosawa fan. These two films star Toshiro Mifune as a masterless samurai who outwits pretty much everyone aren’t the best films from the famed director but they might be the most fun to watch.

Drag Me To Hell: Sam Raimi got his start making horror films, then he spent a decade making dramas, westerns, and three Spider-Man films. Drag Me to Hell was his return to horror. It is pretty good too. They’ve made a sequel so naturally it is now getting a 4K UHD release.

Saturday Night: I haven’t watched Saturday Night Live in decades. I periodically toss on clips from a recent show via YouTube and I never find it funny. But back in the day, I loved it. This film about the opening night of the very first show has gotten mixed reviews, but I’m somewhat intrigued.

Conclave is the New Blu-ray Pick of the Week

conclave blu

I follow a lot of film critics on social media (I’m now on Bluesky if you do that sort of thing you can find me here.) Obviously, film critics talk a lot about movies. Mostly new movies because that’s their job. I don’t really watch new movies. I like old movies. But I do like reading about what new movies are good. Well, reading is a bit of a strong word because I usually don’t read reviews before I watch a movie and I like coming into a movie as fresh as possible. So it’s more like I enjoy hearing the buzz about good new movies enough to make me make a mental note of it and possibly watch it sometime in the future.

Conclave has gotten a lot of buzz. That’s all I know about. Well the people seem to be dressed in Catholic priest attire, and the title insinuates it will be about choosing a new Pope, but that’s really all I know about it. But the buzzing has been strong enough that I really want to see it and I’m making it this week’s Pick (because that means I should be able to watch it soon.)

Also out this week that looks interesting:

Easter Condors: Sammo Hung was a huge name in Hong Kong Cinema in the 1980s and 1990s. He made a lot of movies, many of them goofy. This is his take on a Vietnam action flick. Criterion of all people are releasing it.

Yokohama BJ Blues: Radiance films brings this crime story to us. It is about a detective/blues singer trying to solve his best friends murder and find all sorts of dark secrets along the way.

Golden Harvest 2: Shining Stars: Golden Harvest was kind of a second rate Shaw Brothers studio. They made lots of kung fu flicks but with smaller budget and smaller stars. This is a nice looking boxed set full of eight films.

Seinfeld: The Complete Series 4K UHD: I’m not sure this NBC show from the 1990s really needed a UHD upgrade but here we are. I absolutely loved Seinfeld when it first aired, but something tells me I’d just find it irritating now.

Joker: Folie à Deux: Joker was a massive surprise hit. A sequel was inevitable. It was surprising just how many people seem to hate it. Critics were pretty mixed on the first one but it had a huge fanbase. This sequel seems to have irritated everyone.

Terrifier 3: I know I’m a horror nerd but something about these films just makes me not want to watch them. Everything I read about them indicates they are just a bunch of gore scenes thrown together and I want more than that in my horror.

The Searchers: John Ford’s epic western gets the 4K UHD treatment.

No Country For Old Men 4KUHD is the New Blu-ray Pick of the Week

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I’m a little late with this. I assume pretty much all of you follow my other blog and have heard my tales of illness and woe. Short end of it is I have pneumonia. I’m on the recovery end of it, but it was a rough go of it there for a bit.

The weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas are always bountiful with new releases and this week is no exception. The Coen Brothers are one of my favorite directors and No Country for Old Men is one of my favorite films of theirs. The Criterion Collection is releasing a 4K UHD disc this week so naturally it is my pick, but there are lots of other cool things coming out too which you can read about in my article over at Cinema Sentries.

The Wild Robot is the New Blu-ray Pick of the Week

Wild robot

Somewhere over the long Thanksgiving break, I managed to do something to my hip. I guess I pulled a muscle, maybe. Or something. Whatever I did, it hurts. Hurts a lot. It hurts when I walk. It hurts when I sit. It really hurts when I twist it a certain way. I’m hoping I just pulled something and that in time it will heal. But if I’m not feeling better in a few days I’ll be going to the doctor.

Also, I woke up this morning with a nasty cold.

We won’t talk about how I have terrible insurance and so I have to live in pain for a few days to justify the expense of going to a doctor.

What we will talk about is this week’s new Blu-rays. I mention my pain as a way to say I don’t really have the energy to get too heavily into any of these releases, but I’m a nerd and that means I have to talk about them a little otherwise I’d be letting my readers down.

The Wild Robot is a new animated film about a robot that finds itself stranded on an uninhabited island. Uninhabited by humans at least. It must learn to live with animals and eventually becomes a surrogate mother to a gosling. It has received wonderful reviews and I’m looking forward to finally catching up with it.

Also out this week that looks interesting:

Alien: Romulus: Basically a mix tape of all the previous Alien movies that never quite justifies its own existence. Still, it is a pretty fun ride.

Aguirre the Wrath of God 4k UHD: Werner Herzog’s mesmerizing tale of Spanish Conquistadors gets a 4K upgrade from Shout Factory. You can read my full review here.

Shaun of the Dead 4K UHD Steelbook: One of my go-to movies when I’m feeling down.

Shawscope: Volume 3: Another incredible package of Shaw Brothers kung fu flicks from Arrow Video. Includes 14 films on 10 discs.

Super Spies and Secret Lies: Three Undercover Classics from Shaw: Eureka Entertainment has three more Shaw Brothers “classics.”

The Sword: A swordsman and a samurai work together to find a blade. I’ll have a full review of this one up soon.

Loki Season Two/Hawkeye Season One/The Mandalorian Season Three/Ahsoka Season One: All of the most recent Disney MCU/Star Wars shows are getting a physical release in 4K UHD. There isn’t a single one that I’d be interested in watching again (or for the first time Lokie Season Two).

Paper Moon is the New Blu-ray Pick of the Week

paper moon criterion collection blu-ray

This is the week of Thanksgiving. At least in the United States it is. Though I suspect that has started to take hold in other countries as well. At least the pre-Christmas sales aspect anyway. Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, was traditionally the biggest sales day for American retailers. But the Internet ruined that. Why do we need to go to the store at some un-godly hour Friday morning to get the sales, when you can just shop at home in your pajamas?

First, there was Cyber Monday, then Small Business Saturday. Then the big box stores started opening up on Thanksgiving Day for their sales, now it seems like everyone starts running sales the day after Halloween and they don’t stop until Christmas Day.

I’ve been writing a Pick of the Week column for many years now. Traditionally this week saw a huge collection of new releases, boxed sets, and special editions. Then every week until Christmas week there would be more.

This week seems pretty tame for some reason. Last week saw some good releases, and I’m sure there will be even more in the coming weeks, but that bonanza we usually see this week seems to be missing.

Oh, lots of stuff is coming out, mostly 4K UHD editions of films you probably already own on Blu-ray. I suppose I should be excited about those, but I’m not. They won’t even get a mention. Someday I might be excited about those bumps in video quality, but today is not that day.

Instead, my pick this week is an old Peter Bogdanovich film getting a 4K release from Criterion. Which, come to think of it, I guess I’ve just contradicted myself because here I am getting excited about a UHD release of a film that has already had a Blu-ray release.

I contain multitudes.

I’ve not actually seen Paper Moon before, but I recently watched Bogdanovich’s debut film, Targets, and quite liked it and when he died everyone talked about Paper Moon so here we are.

The film is set during The Great Depression and stars Ryan O’Neal as a man who gets saddled with Tatum O’Neal (who is Ryan’s real-life daughter and may or may not be his character’s daughter in this film) with whom he forges a unique bond. Criterion is filling it with their usual extras and care.

The Shape of Water: Criterion Collection is also giving Guillermo del Toro’s unusual love story between a woman and a fish-man the 4K UHD treatment.

That’s Entertainment: To celebrate their 50th anniversary in 1974 MGM created this clip-reel compilation of many of their best musicals. Then they got many of the stars of those films to introduce the clips. I can remember watching this as a kid on television and I guess it started my love of musicals. This release has cleaned up a lot of those old clips so it should look better than ever.

Frank Capra at Columbia Collection is the New Blu-ray Pick of the Week

frank capra collection box

I’m generally not a fan of the way Christmas Season keeps getting bumped farther and farther up the calendar. I don’t need to see giant, inflatable Santa Clauses the day after Halloween, thank you very much. I don’t want to hear Christmas Carols at the grocery store on the first of November. Don’t tell me about Black Friday deals six weeks before Thanksgiving. Let me enjoy Autumn for a little while before I have to start thinking about presents, and visiting my in-laws, and decorating the bloody Christmas tree.

There is an exception to my bah-humbug-iness.

I’m totally down with big boxed sets of Blu-rays getting released as early as possible. That gives me plenty of time to add things to my list.

Frank Capra was one of the great directors of classic cinema. He directed the greatest of all Christmas movies, It’s a Wonderful Life, and also It Happened One Night, You Can’t Take It With You, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Arsenic and Old Lace, and many others.

This set includes 21 of his films that cover a great chunk of his career from his earliest silent movies to some of his great classics. It comes in a very nice-looking case and is loaded with extras.

The films include:

So This Is Love / The Way of the Strong / That Certain Thing / Submarine 4K SDR / The Younger Generation 4K SDR / Flight / Ladies of Leisure / Rain or Shine – 2 cuts / Dirigible 4K SDR / The Miracle Woman / Platinum Blonde 4K / American Madness / The Bitter Tea of General Yen / Forbidden / Lady for a Day / It Happened One Night 4K / Mr. Deeds Goes to Town 4K / Lost Horizon 4K / You Can’t Take It With You 4K / Mr. Smith Goes to Washington 4K / + Frank Capra: Mr America docu / 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray

This is definitely going on my Christmas wishlist and it is now this week’s pick.

Also out this week that looks interesting:

The Terminator (40th Anniversary, 4K UHD): I still remember my Dad renting this film back in the late 1980s. I had no idea what it was, had never heard of the film, and if I’m being honest I was probably too young to have been allowed to watch it. But I absolutely loved it. Still do. As far as I can tell the few extras that are included in this disc have been ported over from previous releases.

Godzilla Minus One (4K UHD): Forget all those silly American Godzilla flicks, this is the real deal. Just an all-around terrific Godzilla film.

A Simple Plan (Limited Edition 4K UHD): Sam Raimi’s thriller about a struggling couple who stumble upon a crashed plane with a load of cash in it got loads of critical acclaim when it came out, but I didn’t care that much for it. I think it is time for a revisit. Arrow Video has this release and they’ve loaded it with extras.

Speak No Evil: American remake of a Danish thriller about an idyllic weekend holiday that goes terribly wrong. Stars James McAvoy, McKenzie Davis, and Scoot McNairy.

Funny Girl (4K UHD): Criterion presents this musical from director William Wyler about a poor Jewish girl (Barbara Streisand) who rises to fame and fortune.

CC40: To celebrate their 40th anniversary the Criterion Collection has put together this boxed set of 40 films. There doesn’t seem to be anything special about the films they chose. They have all been released by Criterion before and as far as I can tell they don’t come with any additional extras. It would be a good starter pack for someone who doesn’t already own a lot of these films (and has a lot of money), but otherwise, I can’t see any reason to buy this.

Slap the Monster: Radiance Films continues its fantastic schedule of releasing relatively obscure Italian films. This one follows a newspaper as it tries to derail a murder investigation in order to support a fascist political candidate.

Japan Organized Crime Boss: Another Radiance Film release. This one concerns an elderly Yakuza soldier who just got out of prison. He wants to lead a straight life from now on but his former compatriots keep dragging him back into the life. You can read my full review here.

Seven Samurai 4K UHD is the New Blu-ray Pick of the Week

seven samurai cover

There is a new folk horror boxed set coming out from Severin Films next week. It was supposed to have come out this week. I made it my pick. I wrote a nice little thing about it. Then at the last minute, they switched the release date to next week.

So, I had to switch my pick to the Seven Samurai. I love Seven Samurai, it is one of my favorite films. Criterion remains my favorite distribution company. But the thing is I already own a Criterion copy of that film. I’m not a big fan of double dipping. Sure, it would be nice to get the 4K upgrade. If someone wants to send me that for Christmas I would be eternally grateful. But I’m not likely to buy it on my own.

That’s why it wasn’t actually my pick. Until my real pick deserted me and I needed something quick.

Anyway, you can read that write-up and learn what else came out today over at Cinema Sentries.