Never have the words ‘Based on a True Story’ had such a profound effect on a generation…and never have they been such a lie, with the controversy around Stuart Rosenberg’s seminal haunted house classic proving to be almost as interesting as the story of the Lutz Family themselves. And with 88 films releasing the 1979 classic on a brand new 4K UHD, we can decide for ourselves what actually happened and what didn’t…
Another month, another superb release schedule for little known gems from the boutique labels that continue to do the Lord’s work. This month, some hugely fun Asian actioners (and one sadly not so…), some brutal British kitchen sink dramas and Alain Delon being cool in knitwear. What more do you want? UPDATED WITH 6 COMPETITIONS!
Starman (Columbia Classics Vol. 4) 4K Blu-ray Review
by Mark Costello
John Carpenter’s most emotional film still radiates charm and warmth despite its underlying tone of sadness and loss. And it's all the more beautiful on this stunning new 4K restoration from Sony as part of their ongoing Columbia Classics boxsets…
After a slew of defining 80s action classics, Schwarzenegger shifted to a decade of alternating action with comedy, with mixed results on both sides. But at least Arnie fans get to come one step closer to completing their 4K collection courtesy of Kino's US disc.
Want to know how to transport highly explosive nitro-glycerine over treacherous terrain safely? BFI's wonderful native 4K restoration of The Wages of Fear shows you how (not to).
Francis Ford Coppola’s audacious musical failure still doesn’t right all of its wrongs after over 40 years… but there’s no failure like a Coppola failure, especially now in a dazzling 4K restoration from Studiocanal, complete with a huge number of extras to at least soften the blow somewhat… 4K COMPETITION LINK ADDED.
A Holiday Special of a Marvel movie, it's unsurprising to find the 33rd MCU entry amidst the three lowest rated, and once again Disney display a complete disdain towards the very physical media that might help this flop break even, releasing it on 4K HDR after its streaming bow, and without the Disney+ trappings of Dolby Vision and IMAX Enhancement.
Indie director John Sayles' finest feature, the Neo-Western, Lone Star, is a richly crafted mystery drama, and a fine addition to the Criterion Collection.
Romano Scavolini’s grindhouse slasher with delusions of grandeur drags itself out of video nasty infamy and bizarrely onto 4K from genre boutique extraordinaire Severin for their first UHD blu-ray release in the UK. And it looks exactly as it should…grotty.
February continues to see blu-ray labels treating us, dear viewers, to a delicious smorgasbord of new and fantastic titles from all across the globe. Let’s see what delights await our wallets this month, shall we? UPDATED WITH NINE COMPETITIONS!
Commanded by a fabulously curmudgeonly performance by Paul Giamatti, his reunion with writer/director Alexander "Sideways" Payne makes for a surprisingly uplifting festive feast.
Alligator & Alligator II: The Mutation 4K Blu-ray Review
by Mark Costello
Beloved creature feature with bite, John Sayles and Lewis Teague’s urban legend writ large and very bloody is a fun old time. Especially in this new 4K release from 101 Films that only makes one mistake…bundling its sequel in with it…
One of the finest pure action movies of all time, Gareth Evans' 2011 breakthrough assaulted audiences upon release, but gets an utterly unexpected new lease of life courtesy of the kind of complete-makeover 4K remaster nobody ever expected it to get.
2024 gets off to a bang, with some truly outstanding 1080p releases that take us from Manchuria’s mystical and mythical past to a sweaty, sensuous modern New Orleans and stopping off at seemingly everywhere else in between. Welcome to January’s Blu-ray release schedule folks… UPDATED WITH COMPETITIONS ADDED!
John Woo's assault on Hollywood may not have quite delivered in the same way as his HK masterpieces, but damn if it didn't peak with the gleefully ridiculous and relentlessly entertaining Face/Off.
Another WB classic, this time a counter-culture prison film that utilises Paul Newman’s iconic star power to skewer authoritarian conceits that were on the verge of collapse across the whole of society during the turbulent 1960s. And it’s another wonderful 4K restoration, so authentic you can practically still smell those eggs…
Derivative but effective, Gareth "Rogue One" Edwards' understated sci-fi gem does everything that Snyder's Rebel Moon couldn't, fashioning familiar elements into a pretty compelling new whole.
Fashioned from an impossible set of seemingly incongruous ingredients, Young Guns is a cracking Western that earns a stateside 4K release that you may just want to consider importing...
As the end of the year approaches, we save the biggest blu-ray round up til last, with an even larger spread of glorious titles that run the gamut from important cultural international titles to documentaries that somehow make a cancerous testicle not just hilarious but oddly touching. Yes, it can only be another monthly blu-ray round up, where the biggest, best, worst and simply oddest titles are peeked and poked at for your purchasing consideration… UPDATED WITH ADDED COMPETITIONS!
Jane Fonda’s ultra-kitsch space heroine returns to save the universe with nothing but love and an array of ever decreasing clothing in Arrow’s stunning new 4K limited edition set, released over the pond in the US but readily importable for fans… and well worth doing so it is too…
Best Movies, TV and 4K Blu-rays of 2023 - Editor's Choice Awards
by Cas Harlow
The movies team takes a look back at 2023, highlighting some of the best theatrical and streaming movie releases TV shows, and 4K discs, as well as the studios behind them.
A flawed, frequently tense, fitfully fervent, overly ambitious but mostly modestly satisfying and atmospheric effort from Michael Mann, Blackhat still remains an odd choice for his next 4K release, a Limited Edition bells-and-whistles set from Arrow - UPDATED FOR DIRECTOR'S CUT REVIEW
Thirty-five years, and five sequels and spin-offs later, and finally we have a clever, original, and truly worthy Predator follow-up, seeing this non-core Disney title land on 4K disc too.
Harrison Ford's 1993 classic remains a propulsive, defining chase thriller, landing a native 4K release with stunning video and... wait, is that ATMOS?
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem 4K Blu-ray Review
by Cas Harlow
The Mitchells vs. The Machines' Jeff Rowe gives TMNT the Spider-Verse makeover, crafting a superbly scripted teen action-comedy with unsurprisingly innovative sound and visuals that all come together for a must-have 4K release.
Ironically, for such a culture-centric production, DC's now 'non-canon' Blue Beetle is a pretty blandly paint-by-numbers Superhero Origins 101 outing that lands with an unsurprisingly shiny new 4K release.
Too early to get into the Christmas spirit? Studiocanal don't think so, with their new 4K restoration of the both quaintly beloved and more often derided 1985 box office disaster Santa Claus: The Movie.