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Dec 16, 2024 By Kaveh Jalinous, Mark Redfern, and Austin Trunick Photography by Mark Redfern

The journey goes on! Following our tabletop games gift guide, we’re excited to continue our stream of listicles with yet another smattering of must-buy Blu-rays and collectors’ editions for any film or arts lover, no matter the preferred type of cinema, no matter the preferred genre. It’s been a great year for Blu-ray releases. All the labels have been putting out incredible releases—crafting a healthy mix of well-known films and smaller stories that are finally getting their spotlight. In this list and the one to follow, we’ve done our best to balance those two types of releases. Whether you’re looking to buy something for the token cinephile in your life, or for yourself as a guilty pleasure purchase, we’ve got you covered.

Blue Giant Blu-ray (GKIDS)

RRP: $26.98

You don’t have to be an anime fan, nor a jazz fan, to find something to love in one of 2023’s most underrated films, Blue Giant. Of course, those two prerequisites would help. Yuzuru Tachikawa’s film, following a group of college kids forming a jazz band, is one of the most enthralling, beautiful and jaw-dropping cinematic experiences of recent memory. A perfect love letter to jazz, the creative rush of making music and the joyous drive of being passionate about something—it’s hard not to watch Blue Giant without a smile on your face and creative inspiration brewing in your brain. This Blu-ray edition, while light on special features, is the perfect gift for those looking for films that capture the beautiful feeling of wanting to create and collaborate on something that matters. Just be warned… the film’s score, composed by jazz musician Hiromi, will instantly make its way into your daily playlist rotation. By Kaveh Jalinous (Buy it here.)

Interstellar 4K UHD 10th Anniversary Collector’s Edition (Paramount Home Video)

RRP: $67.99

It’s clichéd to claim that “‘such-and-such thing’ makes me feel old,” but realizing that Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar is already 10-years-old did make me ponder about how quickly time flies by. Interstellar has always been a curious Nolan release. I remember the somewhat muted response to the film upon release, only for it to become one of the decade’s most beloved films in the 10 years to follow. In many ways, it feels like the ultimate Christopher Nolan film—a three-hour science-fiction odyssey with a complex story driven by the power of human emotions. It’s no surprise that Paramount wants to commemorate the film’s extraordinary success—their magnificent new collector’s edition is releasing alongside an IMAX theater re-release (at select locations, in the IMAX 70mm format Nolan’s latest film, Oppenheimer, re-standardized).

There’s no point in even rehashing the plot of Interstellar—after all, it’s hard to find someone who hasn’t seen the film already. The familial space epic is astounding, a perfect showcase of the director’s constantly fascinating storytelling decisions—always swinging for the fences, even if the ideas at play can feel a bit too broad or shooed-in. That argument fits for Interstellar. Its complex final act abandons all genre norms to venture into something a little more human, something a little more thematically on-the-nose. And yet, Nolan’s acute talent for storytelling— crafting characters whose relationships are defined by their absence for one another—makes the final act’s emotional payoff astounding and unforgettable. It’s hard not to hear Hans Zimmer’s excellent score—particularly the track “S.T.A.Y”—without feeling like one big mess of emotions.

Paramount’s new release of the film feels like a must-buy for any fans of the film and/or any die-hard Nolan heads. The three discs themselves are great—who doesn’t love watching a Nolan film in crisp 4K UHD, with special features galore? But, the physical extras are what make this set a must-cop for Holiday gift giving. For starters, the release comes with five posters and special costume space patches. But, the best part of the edition (by far) is a storyboard comic book, centered around Miller’s Planet (a water planet known for its extraordinarily high waves, which leads to one of the film’s most thrilling set pieces). It’s an extremely unique treat, a look into Nolan’s creative process of conceptualizing a story as well as a showcase of how the director thinks of fusing form and narrative right from the get-go. By Kaveh Jalinous (Buy it here.)

The Boy and the Heron 4K UHD/Blu-ray Limited Edition Steelbook (GKIDS)

RRP: $44.98

The Boy and the Heron won the 2024 Oscar for Best Animated Feature, beating Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (much to the annoyance of my 11-year-old daughter Rose, who considers Across the Spider-Verse her all time favorite film). Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki is a true auteur and for his first film in a decade he returned to familiar themes and settings. Like My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away, the film centers on a child moving to a new rural home and encountering fantastical creatures. The film’s English language voice cast features a slew of notable names: Robert Pattinson, Gemma Chan, Christian Bale, Mark Hamill, Florence Pugh, Willem Dafoe, and Dave Bautista.

Special features on GKIDS/Shout! Factory’s limited edition steelbook release of the film include feature length storyboards, as well as interviews with various creatives involved in the film (including its composer, producer, and supervising animator). It’s a must have for anyone wishing to keep their Studio Ghibli collection complete. By Mark Redfern (Buy it here.)

Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus Blu-ray (Janus Contemporaries)

RRP: $29.95

I feel comfortable claiming that Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto is one of the best film composers of all time. Throughout his career, his iconic piano-heavy instrumentals have soundtracked bona-fide classics, like Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence and The Last Emperor (the latter of which is featured on this very list). It’s hard to imagine either of those films without his monumental scores backing their images up. His death from cancer in March 2023, at the age of 71, came as a shock to both the film community and world as a whole. His legacy, through his music, would last forever; but it was far too early to say goodbye to the composer.

Soon later, in September 2023, Neo Sora’s excellent Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus first premiered. The 103-minute film—quasi concert film, quasi documentary—documents one of Sakamoto’s final performances (captured in 2022), in pristine black-and-white with only one line of dialogue. Sakamoto’s piano playing is what propels the film’s narrative. Sora (who happens to be Sakamoto’s son) uses his camera as a silent assistant to the music, smoothly panning or quickly editing to frame the setting differently and capture different parts of his father’s technique.

In a sense, no camera movement would even be necessary, because Sakamoto’s music speaks for itself. The film is hauntingly enveloping—though the music continues, time feels like it’s stopped. And yet we’re constantly reminded, though ours and Sakamoto’s knowledge that this would be one of his last performances, that time painfully moves forward at an all-too-quick speed. In that way, it’s impossible to look away from the imagery on-screen, because looking away feels like losing the composer once more. Sora seems to understand this feeling incredibly well, because his camerawork beckons you to keep looking, to find yourself moved by melodies that feel so familiar, welcoming and safe—even if the circumstances do not. It’s a true masterwork, and an utterly perfect goodbye to a composer who will live in our hearts forever. By Kaveh Jalinous (Buy it here.)

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare 4K UHD/Blu-ray (Lionsgate)

RRP: $20.99

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare feels like it might be Guy Ritchie’s best film in years—although in fairness to the prolific British director, I haven’t seen any of the other four films he’s made since his 2019 live-action adaptation of Disney’s Aladdin. Ministry is the kind of film my late dad would’ve loved, but instead, I saw it in the theater in April with my mother. Unfortunately few others saw it on its initial release; it made only $23.7 million worldwide against a $60 million budget. Perhaps it’ll find a bigger audience on home media and streaming.

The film is based on the true story of a secret World War II mission sanctioned by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill at an important turning point in the war, when many in his own government were advocating surrender to Hitler and the Americans hadn’t entered the war yet. A top-secret combat unit is sent to disrupt the production of German U-boats, an act of sabotage that would help encourage the American navy to join the fight without the fear of being easily sunk. A very game Henry Cavill stars as mission leader Gus March-Phillipps, further showcasing his range outside of his iconic Superman role. Alan Ritchson is equally fun as Swedish soldier Anders Lassen, a true one man killing machine. Freddie Fox plays real life James Bond author Ian Fleming, a spy himself in WWII who purportedly based his famous superspy on March-Phillipps. Mexican actress Eiza González is stunning as Marjorie Stewart, an agent tasked with seducing a local Nazi commander in the West Africa outpost the team is supposed to attack.

Diehard WWII history buffs might scoff at the liberties taken with the true story to amp up the suspense and action. And characters do take a lot of pleasure at killing many Nazis in various creative ways. Still, the bones of the story are true and Ritchie directs with a whole lot of style. The snappy score by British composer Christopher Benstead sounds as if it was recorded by legendary jazz drummer Buddy Rich and keeps the two-hour movie moving at a quick pace. If any of this sounds like your kind of movie, then seek it out. Special features on the 4K/Blu-ray release are limited to the film’s trailer and one making of documentary, but perhaps it’s the kind of film that will get a more deluxe reissue in decades to come by a company such as Shout! Factory or Arrow Video. By Mark Redfern (Buy it here.)

Bill & Ted’s Most Triumphant Trilogy 4K UHD/Blu-ray (Shout! Factory)

RRP: $99.98

Bill and Ted made a most non-heinous return with Bill & Ted Face the Music, a legacy sequel that did it right. It was one of the few major films to be released in theaters and on PVOD at the height of the pandemic, in August 2020, instead of being delayed. The film didn’t make much money in theaters, but did much better on video-on-demand. It brought back Alex Winter as Bill S. Preston, Esq. and Keanu Reeves as Ted “Theodore” Logan 29 years after Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey. Bill & Ted Face the Music finds the former teenage heroes stuck in a disappointing middle aged existence, with failing careers and marriages. The duo go on new time traveling adventures to bring together various musical legends (including Jimi Hendrix, Louis Armstrong and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart) to write a song to unite humanity before space-time is destroyed.

The film is included in Shout! Factory’s Bill & Ted’s Most Triumphant Trilogy box set. It all began with 1989’s Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, with the title characters a couple of losers failing out of high school and wannabe rock stars who can’t even play their instruments. Then Rufus (George Carlin), a time traveler from a utopian future modeled on the exploits of Bill and Ted, shows up in a phone booth time machine (perhaps a nod to Doctor Who) and helps them gather historical figures to aid them in completing their history project so they can pass their class and continue their path to becoming iconic musicians.

1991’s Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey was even more ambitious, both in terms of its plot and production design, with our heroes journeying to both heaven and hell. And it features a scene-stealing performance from William Sadler as Death, who challenges Bill and Ted to various games of skill to grant them a release from the afterlife, including Battleship, Clue and Twister.

The box set includes a new 4K scan of the original 35mm camera negative for Bogus Journey and a new 4K remaster of the digital intermediate of Face the Music, along with a slew of special features from previous editions of the movies, including an air guitar tutorial featuring Bjorn Turoque (pronounced “born to rock”), a runner-up in the Air Guitar World Championships. By Mark Redfern (Buy it here.)

Evangelion 3.0 + 1.11 Thrice Upon a Time Blu-ray Steelbook (GKIDS)

RRP: $36.98

For any Evangelion fan, this film’s tagline (“Bye-bye, all of Evangelion”), felt too impossible to be true at first. After all, Hideaki Anno’s masterful Neon Genesis: Evangelion has long been defined by its inability to end. First, the anime series ended in 1995; then, a new two-episode ending was released in 1997; then, the “rebuild” series (retelling and expanding the original anime’s story) began in 2007. But, watching this fourth and final entry in the rebuild series, you can feel the sense of finality in both main character Shinji’s story and in Anno’s dedication to the characters. Like most of Evangelion, there’s a lot to keep track of in the story, which breezes by you at lightning speed. But, when the film becomes more of a psychological parable in its second half, the glories of past Evangelion are brilliantly restored—eventually becoming a stunning and relevant meditation on learning to move on and recognizing the joy of being alive, in the real world. It’s the perfect goodbye to a series that never shied away from exploring the complex nature of humanity and pushing the limits of what any series, or franchise, could be. By Kaveh Jalinous (Buy it here.)

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes Blu-ray (20th Century Studios)

RRP: $40.99

Director Wes Ball had his work cut out for him when taking over the Planet of the Apes franchise. The previous trilogy—especially the two directed by Matt Reeves, 2014’s Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and 2017’s War for the Planet of the Apes—set a high standard both at the box office and with critics. Reeves’ movies were arguably the best Planet of the Apes movies of all time—certainly the best since 1968’s original movie—adding moral complexity, grace and breathtaking motion capture performances to a series that had become very silly and dated by the end of the ’70s. Ball was previously mainly known for directing the Maze Runner trilogy (based on YA novels), none of which I’d seen and all of which had garnered mixed reviews. So I was skeptical when he was announced as the director of the next Apes movie, after Reeves moved on to direct The Batman (2022). Thankfully, Ball pulled it off. While not quite reaching the majestic heights of Reeves’ movies, he got close.

Whereas the previous trilogy told of the fall of man and the rise of the apes, a prequel trilogy of sorts, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes takes place many generations after the events of War for the Planet of the Apes, featuring all new characters in a time period closer to the era the original ’60s and ’70s movies take place. The 145-minute movie takes its time setting the scene, with a deliberate pace, but still features riveting action scenes and builds to a gripping climax. Most of the characters are done via motion capture performances, with Freya Allan and William H. Macy being two of the few actual humans in Kingdom. The modern Planet of the Apes movies rival James Cameron’s Avatar films in terms of motion capture quality. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes was a success with critics and audiences alike and is supposed to kick off a new trilogy.

Special features on the Blu-ray edition of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes include behind-the-scenes documentaries, deleted scenes, and commentary with Wes Ball. He’s attached to direct an upcoming movie based on The Legend of Zelda. Having seen Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, I’m now more confident that the Zelda movie is in good hands. By Mark Redfern (Buy it here.)