10 NEW TO NETFLIX
“Fury”
“Jack Reacher”
“Logan Lucky”
“The Man from U.N.C.L.E.”
“Man on Wire
“Migration”
“Pain & Gain”
“Pearl”
“Room”
“The Spectacular Now”
11 NEW ON BLU-RAY/DVD
“The Bikeriders”
Long delayed after its Telluride premiere (due to the strike and a dumping by 20th Century to Focus) and somewhat divisive when it was released, the latest from Jeff Nichols (“Take Shelter”) is about many things, including the disillusionment that comes when people don’t share the same dreams. Johnny Davis (a great Tom Hardy) founded the Vandals Motorcycle Club after seeing “The Wild One,” creating a safe space for his allies that became torn apart by crime and rivalries. Hardy is the standout, but Jodie Comer is also phenomenal in a film that sometimes feels like it’s trying to do way too many things in two hours (a mini-series might have better suited the source material) but is certainly never boring. A film that’s already been divisive on the staff of this site, I feel like this is one that fans will hold dear through year-end citations and beyond. And now they can own it on Blu-ray.
Special Features
- Johnny, Benny, & Kathy – From the accents to the attitude, get to know the lead characters of THE BIKERIDERS. Hear from the cast and producing team on how they took the personalities and environments from a book of photographs and brought a narrative to the big screen.
- The Era of THE BIKERIDERS – Grab your leather jacket and gear up for a ride as we enter the era of THE BIKERIDERS. This piece focuses on the authenticity that was captured by the brilliant production team who nailed the look, feel, and sound of the late 1960s Midwest.
- The Filmmaker’s Eye: Jeff Nichols – Go behind the lens with director Jeff Nichols as he shared his overall vision for the film, stylistic choices, and how he works with talent. Members of the ensemble cast along with producers chime in on the significance of working on a Jeff Nichols film.
- Feature Commentary with Writer/Director Jeff Nichols
The Bloody Disgusting Steelbooks
The good folk over at Bloody Disgusting and Lionsgate have gotten the jump on your Spooky Season planning with the August drop of a startling seven horror films in collectible steelbooks. Horror fans have long been some of the most ardent physical media collectors, which makes these Wall-Mart exclusives very enticing, even if the quality of the seven films vary wildly. My favorites of the bunch are Scott Derrickson’s chilling “Sinister” (with a great Ethan Hawke performance) and Adam Wingard’s striking “You’re Next,” but that has also been released this month by the fine folk at Second Sight (more on that later) so choose your edition carefully. The other five films are “Wolf Creek,” “Leatherface,” “Texas Chainsaw,” “I Spit on Your Grave,” and “Hannibal Rising.” The brutality of “Wolf Creek” has its fans, but the recent TCM film are a bit of a disaster, and it takes a certain kind of person to rewatch “I Spit on Your Grave” that I’m not really. The less said about “Rising” the better. Still, just the availability of these releases is a fun kickoff to a season dominated by horror releases. Let’s go!
Special Features
- Various from previous Blu-ray releases; no new material other than the steelbook packaging.
“Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga”
I’ll never understand the relative failure of this film, and how many people seem to consider it a creative disappointment too. They saw a different movie. I’m not sure there’s been a better one released this year. Once again, George Miller proves himself one of the most passionate and accomplished action directors of all time, conceiving and executing sequences that would destroy less courageous filmmakers. And he draws a great performance out of Chris Hemsworth as the kind of power-hungry idiot who wields his moral failures as a weapon. Most of all, “Furiosa” is a visual feast, a film with better editing, cinematography, and stunt work than anything else this year, all of which looks stunning in 4K. Yes, it’s not “Fury Road,” and I think that’s at the core of most of the complaints, but it never could be, and I think people will come around to appreciating “Furiosa” as its own beautiful, tragic, exhilarating thing, a movie with more packed into almost every frame than most others have in their entire runtimes.
Special Features
- Highway to Valhalla: In Pursuit of Furiosa
- Stowaway to Nowhere
- Metal Beasts & Holy Motors
- Darkest Angel: Anya Taylor-Joy as Furiosa
- Motorbike Messiah: Chris Hemsworth as Dementus
“I Saw the TV Glow”
As of this writing, my #1 film of the year is either the entry just before this or this, an unforgettable horror drama from the supremely talented Jane Schoenbrun, someone who has ability to be both remarkably specific and universal at the same time. Jane’s work has been compared so much to David Lynch that it’s starting to feel cheap, but I do think there’s something to the idea that both filmmakers tap into something unspoken, something almost dreamed instead of lived in the American experience. “I Saw the TV Glow” is about obsession, identity, and pop culture, but it’s also a film that feels like it has been a very different experience depending on the background and life of the viewer. There has been some incredible writing about this film, which is usually a sign of a movie that will last, one that can be discussed and unpacked for a generation or more, but not enough has been said about its technical prowess. From its striking visuals to Jane’s incredible use of music, it’s captivating and unforgettable.
Special Features
- Filmmaker commentary with Jane Schoenbrun and Brigette Lundy-Paine
- Deleted scenes
- A new featurette
- Six collectible postcards featuring special photography by Josiah Rundles and Spencer Pazer.
“IF”
I’m somewhere between Clint Worthington’s pan of this film on this site and Matt Zoller Seitz’s loving reappraisal. My guess is that the overly manufactured whimsy of this film would be a lot more oppressive on the big screen, burying the things that work about the movie, including a charming performance from lead Cailey Fleming. However, I can’t quite forgive a truly dull performance from Ryan Reynolds (I started to imagine family flick prime Robin Williams in the role and that’s a much better film) or CGI that somehow already looks dated. It’s a movie that isn’t quite sure what story it’s telling but it knows it’s magical. However, it’s worth noting that it looks GORGEOUS at home with a striking 4K release that makes some of its flaws easier to ignore.
Special Features
- The Imagination Behind IF—Hear from writer and director John Krasinski plus the cast and crew as they dive deeper into the process of bringing their imagination to life on screen.
- Imagining Imaginary Friends— Take a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of each imaginary friend.
- Giving IFs a Voice— Meet the all-star cast responsible for voicing each character. Hear from Steve Carrell, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and more!
- Blending The Real and the Imaginary— Join John Krasinski as he incorporates a practical filmmaking approach to make the imaginary feel real.
- Tina Turner Forever!— Experience the reimagining of the iconic 80s Tina Turner music video as John Krasinski recreates this legendary sequence with the IFs.
- The Imaginative World of IF— From Brooklyn Heights to Coney Island, go behind-the-scenes with the cast and crew and experience the magic of New York City like never before.
- Gag Reel— You won’t have to imagine the hilarious antics on set once you check out this gag reel!
- Learn to Draw Blue from IF— Learn to draw the loveable and cuddly “Blue” in this fun, interactive tutorial.
“The Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes”
It’s not quite on the level of “Rise,” “Dawn” or “War” for this massive fan of “The Planet of the Apes,” but this is still a solid flick, easily worth a rental and maybe even a purchase for those who have other Apes films in their collection. Taking place generations after “War,” it’s the story of a chimp named Noa (the exellent Owen Teague) who aligns with a human named Mae (Freya Allan) in a battle for control over the future of both species. Much like the other reboots, it doesn’t talk down to viewers, treating this all with the thematic intensity of classical fiction, and it’s worth noting that it’s gorgeous too. I don’t think Wes Ball has quite the same visual chops as Matt Reeves, but I’m still very curious to see where this new trilogy goes next, and I think we could look back more fondly on “Kingdom” as a first chapter instead of a solo outing.
Special Features
- Inside the Forbidden Zone: Making Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes — Join director Wes Ball, cast and crew as they expand the Planet of the Apes legacy for a new generation. Travel to the outdoor production in Australia, train at Ape School, and discover the practical and motion capture techniques in building a breathtaking Kingdom.
- 14 Deleted/Extended Scenes with optional audio commentary by director Wes Ball
“The Last Emperor” (Criterion)
Audiences truly fell in love with this movie in a way that I don’t think is as likely almost four decades later. On the one hand, it’s often written off as too Academy friendly, part of that phase when lavish period pieces won all the awards, but that underestimates the scope and overall quality of this masterpiece, one that has been given a gorgeous treatment in 4K from Criterion. Bernardo Bertolucci’s film about the life of Puyi, the last emperor of China won nine Oscars, including Best Picture and Director. It’s a classic.
Special Features
- 4K digital restoration, presented in the aspect ratio of 2.35:1, with 2.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
- One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and two Blu-rays with the film and special features
- Audio commentary featuring director Bernardo Bertolucci, producer Jeremy Thomas, screenwriter Mark Peploe, and composer-actor Ryuichi Sakamoto
- 218-minute television version
- The Italian Traveler, Bernardo Bertolucci, a film by Fernand Moszkowicz tracing the director’s geographic influences, from Parma to China
- Footage taken by Bertolucci while on preproduction in China
- Two documentaries about the making of the film
- Program featuring cinematographer Vittorio Storaro, editor Gabriella Cristiani, costume designer James Acheson, and art director Gianni Silvestri
- Archival interview with Bertolucci
- Interviews with composer David Byrne and cultural historian Ian Buruma
- Trailer
- English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- PLUS: An essay by film critic David Thomson, a reminiscence by Bertolucci, interviews with production designer Ferdinando Scarfiotti and actor Ying Ruocheng, and an essay by Fabien S. Gerard
The Mexico Trilogy
We used to know how to edit action better than we do in the 2020s. Listen, I love the “John Wick” and “Mission: Impossible” movies more than the average critic, but watching “Desperado” for the first time since its release, in STUNNING 4K, I was struck by the rhythm of the film, one that moves like a piece of music from beat to beat. I knew it was “fun,” but it’s much better than that appraisal, a film that pulses with energy in every scene. It’s joined in this spectacular box set with the DIY game changer “El Mariachi” and the series-capping “Once Upon a Time in Mexico.” And the set is LOADED with special features, including new observations from Robert Rodriguez himself. This is a must-own.
Special Features
- LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS
- High Definition presentations of all three films
- 4K Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) of Desperado
- Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing by Carlos Aguilar and Nicholas Clement
- Reversible sleeves featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Paul Shipper
- Double sided posters featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Paul Shipper
- Collectable poster featuring Robert Rodriguez’s original poster concept for El Mariachi
- DISC ONE – EL MARIACHI (REGION A BLU-RAY)
- Original uncompressed Latin-American Spanish stereo audio, plus an English dub in lossless stereo
- Optional English subtitles, plus English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
- Commentary by writer-director Robert Rodriguez
- Big Vision Low Budget, a newly filmed interview with Rodriguez
- The Original Mariachi, a newly filmed interview with producer/star Carlos Gallardo
- The Music of ‘El Mariachi’, a newly produced featurette on the music in the film, featuring interviews with composers Eric Guthrie, Chris Knudson, Alvaro Rodriguez and Marc Trujillo
- Ten Minute Film School, an archive featurette produced and narrated by Rodriguez
- Bedhead, a 1991 short film by Rodriguez
- Theatrical trailer and TV spot
- DISCS TWO & THREE – DESPERADO (REGION A BLU-RAY / 4K BLU-RAY)
- New 4K restoration from the original camera negative by Sony Pictures
- Original uncompressed stereo audio and DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround audio
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
- Audio commentary by writer-director Robert Rodriguez
- Lean and Mean, a newly filmed interview with Rodriguez
- Shoot Like Crazy, a newly filmed interview with producer Bill Borden
- Kill Count, a newly filmed interview with stunt coordinator Steve Davison
- Lock and Load, a newly filmed interview with special effects coordinator Bob Shelley
- Game Changer, a newly filmed appreciation by filmmaker Gareth Evans (The Raid)
- Ten More Minutes: Anatomy of a Shootout, an archive featurette narrated by Rodriguez
- Textless opening (“Morena de mi Corazón”)
- Theatrical trailers
- DISC FOUR – ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO (REGION A BLU-RAY)
- Original DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround and 2.0 stereo audio
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
- Commentary by writer-director Robert Rodriguez
- The Revolution Will Be Digitized, a newly filmed interview with Rodriguez
- Troublemaking, a newly filmed interview with visual effects editor Ethan Maniquis
- Eight deleted scenes, with optional commentary by Rodriguez
- Ten Minute Flick School, an archive featurette narrated by Rodriguez
- Inside Troublemaker Studios, an archive featurette on Rodriguez’s studio in Austin
- Ten Minute Cooking School, an archive featurette in which Rodriguez shows you how to cook Puerco Pibil
- Film is Dead: An Evening with Robert Rodriguez, a presentation by the director given in 2003
- The Anti-Hero’s Journey, an archive featurette on the arc of the Mariachi
- The Good, the Bad and the Bloody: Inside KNB FX, an archive featurette on the film’s special effects
- Theatrical trailers
When Titans Ruled the Earth
I have to admit that when I requested this box set, I mistakenly thought it was the old Titans film with Harry Hamlin, and not the 2010 remake with Sam Worthington, that also had a sequel two years later that I had quite literally completely memory holed out of existence. Yes, it’s the flicks with Liam Neeson as Zeus and Danny Huston as Poseidon, which should rule, but kind of feel like a product of a time when everything from the ’80s was getting remade with modern CGI. Having said that, I do love that Arrow treats even seemingly lesser films with the same love and care as acknowledged classics. There’s a fan base for these movies, and Arrow treats them well.
Special Features
- 4K Ultra HD (2160p) Blu-ray presentations in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) of both films
- DTS-HD MA 5.1, Dolby Atmos, and audio description options
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Illustrated collector’s book containing new writing by author and critic Guy Adams and film scholar Josh Nelson
- Double-sided fold-out posters for each film featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Joe Wilson
- Six postcard sized artcards
- Reversible sleeves featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Joe Wilson
- DISC ONE – CLASH OF THE TITANS
- Scaling Mount Olympus, a brand new interview with producer Basil Iwanyk
- Sam Worthington is Perseus
- Zeus: Father of Gods and Men
- Enter the World of Hades
- Calibos: The Man Behind the Monster
- Tenerife: A Continent on an Island
- Scorpioch
- Actors and Their Stunts
- Wales: A Beautiful Scarred Landscape
- Bringing Medusa to Life
- Prepare for the Kraken!
- Sam Worthington: An Action Hero for the Ages featurette
- Alternate ending
- Deleted scenes
- Theatrical trailer
- Image gallery
- DISC TWO – WRATH OF THE TITANS
- Unleashing the Beasts, a brand new interview with producer Basil Iwanyk
- Who Are the Titans?
- Hephaestus: God of Fire
- Lost in Tartarus’ Labyrinth
- Creatures of the Titans
- Path of Men (behind the scenes)
- Battling the Chimera
- Agenor: The Other Demi-God
- The Cyclops Fight
- Minotaur: The Human Nightmare
- The Heavens Raise Hell on Earth
- Deleted scenes
- Theatrical trailer
- Image gallery
“The Woman”
Lucky McKee’s “The Woman” is a stunning brutal movie, the story of an ordinary family who finds a feral woman and basically kidnaps her. How far men are willing to go in terms of violence and sexual assault when they feel someone is beneath them is the theme of Jack Ketchum and Lucky McKee’s stunner, a movie with a fearless performance from Polyanna McIntosh. Arrow has restored the film in 4K and includes the film’s lesser-known prequel “Offspring” from 2009, but not the fascinating 2019 sequel “Darlin’,” written and directed by McIntosh herself. Maybe next year.
Special Features
- DISC ONE – THE WOMAN (4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY)
- 4K restoration supervised and approved by Lucky McKee
- Dolby Vision/HDR Presentaion of the film
- Original DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround audio
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Audio commentary with director Lucky McKee, editor Zach Passero, sound designer Andrew Smetek and composer Sean Spillane
- Audio commentary with star Pollyanna McIntosh
- Audio commentary with critic Scott Weinberg
- Archive commentary with director Lucky McKee
- Dad on the Wall, a 75-minute fly-on-the-wall behind-the-scenes documentary filmed by the director’s father Mike McKee
- Being Peggy Cleek, an interview with star Lauren Ashley Carter
- Malam Domesticam, an archive making-of featurette
- Meet the Makers, a short featurette on the making of the film
- Deleted scenes
- ¡Mi Burro!, a short film by editor Zach Passero
- “Distracted” music video by Sean Spillane
- Frightfest Total Film Panel Discussion, a 2011 onstage chat about the future of American indie horror at the popular horror film festival, featuring Lucky McKee, Andrew van den Houten, Larry Fessenden, Adam Green, Joe Lynch and Ti West
- Theatrical trailers
- Image galleries
- DISC TWO – OFFSPRING (4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY)
- 4K restoration supervised and approved by Andrew van den Houten
- Dolby Vision/HDR Presentaion of the film
- Original DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround audio
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Audio commentary with director/producer Andrew van den Houten and digital colorist Matt McClain
- Archive commentary with writer Jack Ketchum, director/producer Andrew van den Houten and producer/cinematographer William M. Miller
- Interview with Pollyanna McIntosh and Andrew van den Houten
- Fly on the Wall, a behind-the-scenes documentary
- Extended interview with Jack Ketchum
- Restoration comparison
- Audition comparison
- Progeny: The Birth of Offspring, an archive behind-the-scenes featurette including interviews with cast and crew
- First Stolen’s Bailout, an archive behind-the-scenes featurette
- Webisodes, short featurettes used to promote the film online
- Archive Easter Eggs
- Theatrical trailer
- Image gallery
“You’re Next”
Second Sight is quickly rising up the list of the most notable studios for physical media collectors. While they’re UK-based, they’re releasing 4K editions, and the HD format is region-free. So you can order and pick up something like this packed special edition for Adam Wingard’s home invasion thriller that not only includes a striking 4K transfer but tons of new special features, including new interviews with Wingard, Simon Barrett, AJ Bowen, Joe Swanberg, Amy Seimetz, and many more, along with both an imported and new audio commentary. Second Sight has been one of my favorite film discoveries of the year, a company from which I expect great things in the future.
Special Features
- New 4K restoration and HDR Dolby Vision grade approved by Director Adam Wingard
- Dual format edition including both UHD and Blu-ray with main feature and bonus features on both discs
- New audio commentary with Director Adam Wingard and Writer Simon Barrett
- Audio commentary with Adam Wingard, Simon Barrett, Sharni Vinson and Barbara Crampton
- Children of the 80s: A new interview with Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett
- The Most of Us: A new interview with Producers Keith Calder and Jess Wu Calder
- Script as a Blueprint: A new interview with Actor AJ Bowen
- Down in the Basement: A new interview with Actor Joe Swanberg
- Be Funny and Die: A new interview with Actor Amy Seimetz
- Falling into Place: A new interview with Production Designer Tom Hammock
- Slashers Don’t Die: Tim Coleman on You’re Next
- Who’s Next? The Making of You’re Next
- Animated Storyboards
- Limited Edition Contents
- Rigid slipcase with new artwork by Nick Charge
- 120-page book with new essays by Martyn Conterio, Andrew Graves, Kurt Halfyard, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Shelagh Rowan-Legg and Heather Wixson
- 6 collectors’ art cards