Tag: pick of the week

Predator: Badlands is the Pick of the Week

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It is kind of amazing to me that the Predator franchise is still a thing. Not only that, but the last couple of films have been some of the best in the entire series. Predator: Badlands might just be my very favorite of all of them. It was definitely one of my favorite films of last year, and you can read all about that here.

It is getting a variety of releases in different formats and covers (plus it is now streaming on Hulu, but I guess I shouldn’t talk about that in a post covering physical releases).  And now it is my pick of the week.

Here’s what else is coming out this week that struck my fancy:

Ben-Hur: William Wyler’s biblical epic took home a whopping 11 Oscars in 1959, and now it is getting the UHD treatment. It has been a long time since I watched this, but now I’m itching to see it again in HD glory.

Song Sung Blue: Loosely based on a true story, this film follows a married couple who form a Neil Diamond cover act and see both success and failures along the way.

Rental Family: Brendan Fraser stars in this drama about an American living in Japan who is hired as a token American for a rental-family company.

All the President’s Men: Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman star as the real-life Woodward and Bernstein, the reporters who helped uncover the Watergate Scandal and bring the Nixon presidency down. A great film in every way, and this UHD upgrade is getting good reviews.

Dexter: Resurrection: The Complete First Season: I think I watched the first season of the original Dexter, and I’ve not really paid it much attention after that. But I know it has fans.

Cloud: Kiyoshi Kurosawa is one of my favorite modern Japanese directors. His latest features a guy who gets into the resale business, but his carelessness puts him in harm’s way. That’s a terrible description, but the film is great.

The Visitor: This absolutely insane film is about an intergalactic warrior who joins a Christ-like figure to battle a demonic eight-year-old.  Arrow has the release.

Eclipse Series 8: Lubitsch Musicals: I’ve only seen a couple of Ernst Lubitsch movies, and none of them have been musicals, but all of them have been enjoyable.  He’s one of those directors who is beloved by a lot of people I like, but I’ve never truly dug into him.  Maybe now is the time to start.  The films include The Love Parade, Monte Carlo, The Smiling Lieutenant, One Hour With You.

Spencer Tracy 4-Film Collection: I’ll have a review of this up soon. The films include Bad Day at Black Rock, Fury, Northwest Passage, and Libeled Lady.

Exorcismo: Defying a Dictator & Raising Hell in Post-Franco Spain is the Pick of the Week

During Franco’s reign of Spain from 1939 to 1975, the government controlled all forms of artistic expression. After his death, movies once again began to express themselves as their creators desired. Artistic expression was political freedom. These films, which were suddenly able to explore sexuality, violence, and horror in ways that had been censored for decades, became a kind of cultural exorcism.

Severin Films is now releasing 19 of those films in a boxed set they are calling Exorcismo: Defying a Dictator & Raising Hell in Post-Franco Spain. I’ve not heard of any of these films, and my film knowledge is severely lacking in all Spanish cinema, but this sounds like a marvelous place to start. I’m happy to make this set my pick of the week.

Also out that looks interesting:

Keeper: Osgood Perkins’ latest has gotten very mixed reviews, but I always find his films at least interesting. Tatiana Maslany stars as a woman left alone in an isolated cabin only to discover an unspeakable evil.

3:10 to Yuma: Criterion is giving this classic western starring Glenn Ford and Van Heflin about a mild-mannered rancher who is tasked with shepherding an outlaw back to prison the UHD treatment.

Friday the 13th (2009): Arrow Video is giving this terrible remake their special treatment.

One Battle After Another is the Pick of the Week

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One Battle After Another was one of my favorite movies of 2025. I saw it in the theater, I watched it streaming at home, and now I’m going to own it on 4K UHD. It is a great movie. You can read my thoughts on it in my post about my favorite films of 2025 here.

Unfortunately, this disc comes with no extras. Apparently there is a Steelbook coming out in March that has some extras, but as far as I can tell, it has already sold out.  Maybe Criterion will hook us up sometime in the future.  Until then, this looks like it. I’m still making it my pick of the week because I love the movie, and I’m excited to own it on home video.

Also out this week that looks interesting:  

Wicked: For Good: A movie based on a musical that was based on a book that was made into a movie that was adapted from a book. Or something. Wicked was a smash hit on Broadway. It was based on a book that adapted the beloved Wizard of Oz novel by Frank L. Baum (which of course became a beloved movie.) They stretched the musical into two movies, and this is the second one.

Roofman: Based on a true story, this drama/comedy stars Channing Tatum as a man who robbed a bunch of fast food joints by cutting through their ceilings. He got caught, went to prison, broke out of prison, and wound up living inside a Toys R Us. The trailers make it look like a silly, fun movie, but there is quite a bit of downer drama mixed in.

Doctor Who: Tom Baker Complete Season Two:  If you like classic Doctor Who these Blu-ray sets of complete seasons are amazing.  This one includes the following stories: Terror of the Zygons, Planet of Evil, Pyramids of Mars, The Android Invasion, The Brain of Morbius, and The Seeds of Doom.

Springsteen: Delivery Me From Nowhere: I still haven’t seen that Bob Dylan biopic, so don’t ask me about this one.

Snakes on a Plane 4K UHD: It seems so strange today to think about the build-up to this movie. People were so excited about it. Mainly because that clip of Samuel L. Jackson saying a very funny thing was everywhere. But then the movie came out, and it was kind of a dud, (or so I’ve been told – I still haven’t seen it), and we all moved on. But if you are a fan, then Arrow Video is giving it the UHD treatment.

Fackham Hall: This very silly comedy, which is basically a Downton Abbey spoof, was cowritten by Jimmy Carr, a British comedian who hosts about half the panel shows airing in England right now. 

Captain Blood 4K UHD: Criterion is releasing this Errol Flynn swashbuckler about a physician who becomes a pirate after being unjustly imprisoned.

The Dead 4K UHD: John Huston’s adaptation of the James Joyce short story of the same name gets the Criterion treatment.

Death on the Nile 4K UHD: After the success of the Sidney Lumet-directed Murder on the Orient Express, EMI Films wanted to adapt another popular Agatha Christie story. This was the natural selection. Albert Finney bowed out of playing Hercule Poirot again, so Peter Ustinov jumped in his shoes. This star studded mystery has some lovely on-location shooting in Egypt. You can read my review here.

Evil Under the Sun 4K UHD: Death on the Nile was successful enough that they adapted yet another Agatha Christie. You can read my review here.

The Mirror Crack’d 4K UHD: Yet another Agatha Christie adaptation. This one doesn’t feature Poirot. Instead, Angela Lansbury is playing Christie’s other famed detective, Miss Marple. I watched this one several years ago and found it rather dull, which is why I do not have a review for you.

Lucifer: The Complete Series: Based on a DC Comics series, this show follows Lucifer Morningstar, aka Satan, as he abdicates his throne as ruler of Hell and moves to Los Angeles to run a nightclub.

Martin Scorsese’s World Cinema Project, No. 5: The famed director (my favorite) has been working with the Criterion Collection, creating these boxed sets of lesser known films from around the world. This set features Chronicle of the Years of Fire, Yam Daabo, Kummatty, and The Fall of Otrar.

Torso: A pretty sleazy Giallo finds beautiful women hiding out from a serial killer inside an isolated country villa. Naturally, the killer finds them there, and they have nowhere to run. I reviewed the movie (not this release) here.

Five Pink Panther Films are the Pick of the Week

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Though I haven’t seen them in many, many years, I have a great fondness for the Pink Panther movies. Kino Lorber is releasing all five of the original films (but not that dreadful remake with Steve Martin) in UHD. Sadly, there is no boxed set, but I grouped them together anyway for my pick of the week.

There are a few other interesting things coming out this week as you can see in my post over at Cinema Sentries.

Bullet in the Head is the Pick of the Week

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I don’t know why John Woo films suddenly keep getting the 4K UHD treatment with loads of special features added to boot, but I am here for it. I’ve not actually seen Bullet in the Head, but it stars Tony Leung and is about three male friends who grow up in the slums of Hong Kong and attempt to escape from the oppressive poverty only to increase their troubles, and that is enough for me.

This is a Shout Factory release. It comes with a 4K UHD disc, a Blu-ray, and a third disc full of extras. Those include new audio commentaries, alternate cuts, deleted scenes, and more.

Also out this week that looks interesting:

Falling Skies: The Complete Series: One imagines this is coming out because its star, Noah Wylie, has been getting critical acclaim for his starring role in The Pitt, the second season of which comes out later this week. This series is about an alien invasion and how humans try to get their planet back.

Shameless: The Complete Series: I only saw a few episodes of this American remake of a British show about a family of misfits (led by the always great William H. Macy). I liked it okay, but not enough to keep me coming back.

Dead Man 4K UHD: Criterion has updated their release of this Jim Jarmusch film to UHD. Johnny Depp stars as a wanderer who finds himself wanted for double murder. In his flight he comes across a man who helps him reinvent himself.  I haven’t seen this in many years. I didn’t like it that much back then, but I’ve come to love Jarmusch, so this deserves a revisit.

It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley: Documentary about the late, great singer.

Under Siege: Arrow Video presents this “Die Hard on a Ship” action flick starring Steven Seagal. A bare-bones release of this film came out a few months ago (I reviewed it here), but Arrow is packing it with their usual flair. 

Tron: Ares: I remember watching the original Tron back in the 1980s.  I liked it, and I really liked the video game, but it wasn’t something that I truly loved. So I never bothered with the last sequel, and I have little interest in this one.

Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure is the Pick of the Week

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Pee-wee is in the Criterion Collection! I love Pee-Wee Herman and his Big Adventure is one of my favorite things. I love that it is getting the royal treatment in UHD.

It is a good week for other releases including something from David Byrne, Hammer Horror, PT Anderson, Hong Kong cinema and more. You can read all about it here.

The Killer Deluxe 4K UHD is the Pick of the Week

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Apologies for the delay in posting this, and for the complete lack of posts this week. I got some kind of nasty stomach bug on Monday and was completely down and out. I’m feeling much better now, but that totally threw my week off.

I’ve also had some kind of pretty intense pain in my hip area for the last several weeks. I finally went to the doctor last week and now I’m in physical therapy and that stuff is no joke. I’m about as sore as a loser right now.

Anyway, John Woo films have been getting some pretty awesome home video treatment this year and his excellent film The Killer is this week’s pick.