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

The journey goes on, yet again! Following our tabletop games gift guide and part one of our Blu-ray/4K UHD guide (exploring newer films), we’re excited to continue our stream of listicles with a much larger collection of must-buy Blu-rays, centered around older and classic films. The labels have been putting their all into releasing and spotlighting some incredible restorations throughout the year, reminding us of why we love physical media so much. It’s utterly inspiring to see some these films in their finest quality yet, a good reminder of how blessed we are to live in a time where such technological feats are even possible. So, in the words of our previous post, “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.” Happy shopping!

Murder on the Orient Express 4K UHD/Blu-ray 50th Anniversary Edition (Kino Lorber)

RRP: $39.95

What better way to celebrate the great Sidney Lumet’s centenary by sitting back with one of his adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express (1974)? While it may not be the best of the director’s work (given how many iconic films made throughout his lifetime, how could it be?), Lumet brings an interesting flavor and perspective to the classic whodunit, with flashbacks, quick cuts and shouting actors galore. Moreover, the film looks absolutely stunning in 4K UHD, which brings out everything from the crisp hues of the train’s magnificently-oriented dining car to the snowy landscape in which the train is trapped in stunning detail. By Kaveh Jalinous (Buy it here.)

The Dark Crystal 4K UHD/Blu-ray Limited Edition Collector’s Set (Shout! Factory)

RRP: $99.98

The Dark Crystal really freaked me out when I saw it in the theater at age six. 42 years after its initial 1982 release, there’s still nothing quite like the film. Jim Henson created a fully unique and immersive fantasy world, one devoid of any humans on-screen. Unlike his many Muppet movies and TV shows, every character and creature in The Dark Crystal is an elaborate puppet—some controlled by multiple people at the same time, some featuring performers on stilts in costumes. The passion project, directed by Henson and his frequent collaborator Frank Oz, wasn’t a massive hit at the time but became a cult favorite and spawned the 2019 prequel series on Netflix, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance.

Shout! Factory’s new Deluxe Limited Edition Collector’s Set for the film includes a replica of the crystal shard from the film and collectible cards featuring concept artwork by Brian Froud. By Mark Redfern (Buy it here.)

Labyrinth 4K UHD/Blu-ray Limited Edition Collector’s Set (Shout! Factory)

RRP: $99.98

Jim Henson’s next big screen project as a director was 1986’s Labyrinth. Unlike The Dark Crystal, he directed this film solo, without the aid of Frank Oz. Many children who grew up in the ’80s likely know the film well, even though it was initially a box office disappointment—especially in America, where it debuted in eighth place and only made about $13 million domestically (it did better in the UK, where it was #1, and in some other countries). Trailers for the film billed it as a collaboration between three creative legends: Henson, George Lucas (as executive producer) and David Bowie. Bowie stars as the Goblin King and also contributed songs (such as “Magic Dance”). Jennifer Connelly also stars as Sarah, a 16-year-old girl who searches through the fantastical labyrinth to find her baby brother Toby who was kidnapped by the Goblin King. It’s more accessible than The Dark Crystal, due to human characters and Bowie and his songs. And like that earlier film, it found a larger audience in later years and is now regarded as a fantasy classic of the era.

For a film that did so poorly at the box office, it’s had a remarkable legacy, including books, comic books, T-shirts, collectibles and other merchandise over the years. There have also been various home media releases of the film, including previous DVD and Blu-ray releases. And now Shout! Factory has put out a new Limited Edition Collector’s Set that also includes collectible cards with concept artwork by Brian Froud and a crystal ball sphere modeled after the one Bowie has in the film, with a wooden base. By Mark Redfern (Buy it here.)

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy 4K UHD/Blu-ray (Paramount Home Video)

RRP: $25.99

Great Odin’s raven! Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy is somehow twenty years old already—something that’s easy to forget until you re-watch Anchorman and see how young all of the cast members look (everyone except Paul Rudd, that is; he looks exactly the same). The movie tells the true story of a contentious rivalry between newsman Ron Burgundy—only the names, location and events have been changed—and Victoria Corningstone, San Diego’s first female news anchor. The all-star cast includes Will Ferrell, Christina Applegate, Rudd, Steve Carrrell, Dave Koechner, Fred Willard, Chris Parnell, Kathryn Hahn, Jack Black, Vince Vaughn, Seth Rogen, Danny Trejo, (deep breath), Paul F. Tompkins, Miss Pyle, Tim Robbins, Luke Wilson, and Ben Stiller.

This twentieth anniversary release of Anchorman includes the theatrical cut of the film in 4K with HRD10 and Dolby Vision. The set also includes two Blu-ray discs, one containing HD transfers of both the extended and theatrical cuts, plus all of the (read: hours’ worth) archival bonus features, from table reads to music videos, blooper reels, and deleted scenes. Don’t act like you’re not impressed. By Austin Trunick (Buy it here.)

Mother 4K UHD/Blu-ray (The Criterion Collection)

RRP: $49.95

In the new special features interview with Albert Brooks about his 1996 movie Mother, contained on Criterion’s new 4K and Blu-ray edition of the movie, the writer/director/star admits that his first choice to play the titular character was Doris Day. Brooks couldn’t lure her out of retirement, but still spent a lovely afternoon at her house chatting with her. Former first lady Nancy Regan loved the script, but was too involved in caring for her husband, former president Ronald Regan (who had Alzheimer’s disease). Once you watch the movie, you can’t imagine it could’ve been anyone other than Debbie Reynolds, who Brooks approached via her daughter, his friend and fellow actor Carrie Fisher. Reynolds, an icon of the golden age of Hollywood (most notably 1952’s Singin’ in the Rain), hadn’t had a starring role since the 1960s, although she had kept busy with supporting and guest starring parts. That she wasn’t nominated for an Oscar for Mother is a travesty (although she was nominated for a Golden Globe).

Brooks plays a man in the midst of a midlife crisis. A science fiction novelist with writer’s block, he’s fresh from a divorce and eager to explore why he keeps falling for the wrong women, women who don’t truly believe in him. He traces it back to his relationship with his mother and tries an experiment to move back in with mommy dearest, reclaiming his old room from its storage space designation and even rehanging his old posters. What follows is an hilarious, but also touching, movie that will likely ring true for anyone with older parents. I too have investigated with horror the strange out of date food in my mom’s refrigerator and witnessed my mother’s struggle with modern technology (in my case, iPhones and social media; in the film it’s her inability to master then state-of-the-art video phones and call waiting). Rob Morrow (Northern Exposure) is also very funny as Brooks’ younger brother, a true mother’s boy to the extreme. The film was Brooks’ most successful as a director and I recently had a great time watching Criterion’s new release of it with my own mother. Special features are light, but include new interviews with Brooks and Morrow, as well as the film’s especially shot teaser trailer, which ran before the original Mission: Impossible movie. By Mark Redfern (Buy it here.)

Galaxy Quest 4K UHD 25th Anniversary Limited Edition Steelbook (Paramount Home Video)

RRP: $30.99

Galaxy Quest was such a lovingly made spoof of Star Trek, its various casts and its fans that even actual Star Trek actors and creatives embraced it. The behind-the scenes-documentary on the new 25th anniversary 4K release of the 1999 movie includes an interview with Nicholas Meyer, who directed/co-wrote 1982’s Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (considered by many the best big screen adventure for Captain Kirk and his crew) and wrote 1991’s Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. Various Star Trek actors (including William Shatner, Patrick Stewart, George Takei and Will Wheaton) have all praised the film for its humor and accuracy.

The film centers on washed up actors (played by Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, Tony Shalhoub, Sam Rockwell and Daryl Mitchell) known for starring in a Star Trek-like show called Galaxy Quest. Years after the show was cancelled, they spend their days signing autographs at fan conventions and cutting ribbons at store openings. A peaceful group of actual aliens, however, believe the episodes of Galaxy Quest, the broadcasts of which they intercepted in space, to be actual historical records. They are in trouble and kidnap the cast in need of their help to stop an evil alien looking to wipe out their race. They have recreated the ship from the show, but made it a real functioning vessel, and the actors are forced to play their characters for real, just to survive various space battles and adventures on alien planets. Eventually they need the assistance of their geeky fans back on Earth to help them save the day.

Galaxy Quest wasn’t a massive hit in theaters, but it did well enough, and its reputation and legacy has only grown over the years. Any Star Trek fan, or anyone who is steeped in geek culture, will find much to laugh at. By Mark Redfern (Buy it here.)

The Ring Collection 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray (Shout! Factory/Scream Factory)

RRP: $89.98

Gore Verbinski’s 2002 horror film The Ring still terrifies over two decades later. I tried to show it to my 11-year-old daughter Rose and despite the film being rated PG-13 (of which she’s seen many), we had to turn it off half-way through. It is a remake of Hideo Nakata’s 1998 Japanese film Ring (aka Ringu), both based on the 1991 novel by Koji Suzuki.

The plot revolves around a haunted video tape featuring disturbing and surreal images that when watched you get a phone call announcing “seven days.” A week later you are murdered when a creepy black & white girl named Samara crawls out of the TV. Naomi Watts stars as Rachel Keller, a journalist investigating her niece’s mysterious death. The film was a sleeper hit, well-received by critics and grossing over $249 million worldwide on a $48 million budget. Its success led to a wave of Hollywood remakes of Japanese horror films (The Grudge and Dark Water included).

Watts returned for 2005’s The Ring Two, which featured Rachel’s son Aidan (David Dorfman) being possessed by Samara and a climax set inside the world of the videotape. It also marked the film debut of Mary Elizabeth Winstead, although she’s barely in it. Hideo Nakata, director of the original Japanese Ring, made his American debut helming The Ring Two. The film was not as well-received by audiences and critics as The Ring, but is still an interesting follow-up for fans of the first film. It took 12 years for the third film, Rings, to appear. Neither Watts nor the rest of the main cast from the first two films returned.

Scream Factory’s The Ring Collection has all three films on both 4K and Blu-ray discs, with each loaded with special features. And in 4K it looks much better than on VHS! By Mark Redfern (Buy it here.)

The Last Emperor 4K UHD/Blu-ray (The Criterion Collection)

RRP: $59.95

The Last Emperor may not be Bernardo Bertolucci’s most famous film, but it sure is one of his grandest. The nearly three-hour epic follows the rise and fall of Puyi, the last emperor of China’s Qing dynasty, appointed to the position in 1908, at the age of two years. The film, which is told through the framing device of Puyi’s eventual imprisonment in the 1950s for collaborating with the Japanese government during World War II, is absolutely expansive. You can’t go a minute in this film without feeling Bertolucci’s massive sense of scope, and the ultimate sense of collaborative craft involved. The film’s score, composed by one of the all-time greats Ryuichi Sakamoto, is absolutely shattering—perfectly syncing with the film’s unforgettable imagery. Every shot of the film looks like a painting, a jaw-dropping feat only elevated by the Criterion Collection’s pristine 4K digital restoration of the film. Plus, if you like special features, this is one of the label’s most-packed releases of the year. Along with the extended, 218-minute television version of the film, you can find several documentaries about both the making of the film and Bertolucci, pre-production behind-the-scenes footage shot by Bertolucci and archival and contemporary interviews with notable figures like Bertolucci himself and David Byrne. By Kaveh Jalinous (Buy it here.)

Invasion of the Body Snatchers 4K UHD/Blu-ray (Kino Lorber)

RRP: $39.95

Most horror and sci-fi films from the 1950s don’t hold up so well in the 21st century. The slow pace and rudimentary effects of that era can’t compete with even movies from the 1970s and early ’80s, let alone the slick blockbusters of the modern era. Case in point, the 1958 version of The Blob, starring a young Steve McQueen. It’s a purported creature feature classic of its decade, but is thoroughly old fashioned and short on chills or thrills when viewed now. 1956’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers, however, still holds up. The paranoia and hysteria still resonate.

Kevin McCarthy plays a doctor in a small California town who returns home after a long trip to find his friends and neighbors being replaced by pod people, emotionless alien copies. No one believes his wild tale at first and by the time they realize he’s telling the truth it may be too late. Don Siegel directs with an almost ’60s flair, 15 years before he helmed the landmark cop thriller Dirty Harry. The way he relies on extreme closeups of McCarthy’s face as he tries to escape town and stop cars on the highway to warn them of the impending alien invasion.

The 1978 version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, both films are based on Jack Finney’s 1955 novel The Body Snatchers, may connect even better with modern audiences. It’s set in San Francisco and stars Donald Sutherland, Leonard Nimoy, a young Jeff Goldblum, and Brooke Adams. McCarthy has a cameo in that version, still running around trying to warn motorists that the aliens have arrived.

The novel was adapted two more times, but it all started with the 1956 original, now on 4K via Kino Lorber. Special features include an audio commentary featuring McCarthy and his co-star Dana Wynter as moderated by ‘80s horror/sci-fi film director Joe Dante, who cast McCarthy as the bad guy in 1987’s Innerspace (you know, the one where Dennis Quaid gets miniaturized and injected into Martin Short), as well as various other featurettes and commentaries. The black & white classic has never looked better on home media, with a scan from the best available 35mm elements. And you have an option to watch the movie in two different aspect ratios, 2:00:1 and 1:85:1. By Mark Redfern (Buy it here.)

The Others 4K UHD/Blu-ray (The Criterion Collection)

RRP: $49.95

It’s always fascinating to see which films Criterion decides to welcome into its collection, especially those from the 21st century. It was a pleasant surprise when they announced that Alejandro Amenábar’s 2001 horror movie The Others would be on their calendar of releases. While it was certainly well-reviewed at the time and a success at the box office, it’s not a movie I’ve seen much internet chatter about in the 23 years since its release, even though it remains a horror classic in my household.

The Others was Spanish director Amenábar’s first English language film. His previous movie, 1997’s Open Your Eyes, garnered international acclaim and was remade by Cameron Crowe as Vanilla Sky, starring Tom Cruise. Cruise is also one of the producers of The Others, who brought the project to his then-wife, Nicole Kidman. She stars as Grace Stewart who, at the end of World War II, lives in a large old house on the island of Jersey with her two young kids (who are both severely allergic to sunlight). Their father (played by Christopher Eccleston, only a few years before becoming the Ninth Doctor in Doctor Who) is missing in action. As the movie starts, the house’s staff has unexpectedly left without warning and a trio of new servants arrive just as mysterious supernatural events start to plague the house. The Others plays like a true classic haunted house movie from the 1950s or ’60s, which is why it has a timeless quality two decades later. There are also several superior jump scares, an elegant and powerful central performance by Kidman, and a couple of fantastic major twists along the way.

Criterion’s new release of the film includes a making-of documentary featuring new interviews with Amenábar, Kidman, and Eccleston; commentary from Amenábar; and audition footage of two excellent child actors in the film (Alakina Mann and James Bentley). By Mark Redfern (Buy it here.)

Demolition Man Limited Edition 4K UHD (Arrow Video)

RRP: $59.99

I’m going to date myself here, but I have a soft spot for 1993’s Demolition Man, as it was one of the first films I reviewed for my high school newspaper at the American School in London. I remember attending a press screening at the Empire cinema in Leicester Square. On the surface it’s a ridiculous sci-fi action movie, but there’s a welcome satirical undercurrent that lifts Demolition Man beyond its genre trappings.

The movie starts with the Hollywood Sign on fire and Los Angeles, in the then-near-future of 1996, being ravaged by crime, gang violence and general unrest. Sylvester Stallone plays Sgt. John Spartan, a supercop in the vein of so many ’80s and ’90s musclebound action heroes, a rulebreaker who gets the job done no matter what. Except that this time, when taking down chaotic serial criminal Simon Phoenix (a magnetic Wesley Snipes), he truly has gone too far and innocent people have died. So both Spartan and Phoenix are sentenced to cryogenic prison, because apparently in 1996 we have that technology.

Cut to 2032 and Los Angeles is now part of a sprawling utopian city stretching all the way to San Diego and called San Angeles. Crime has been conquered and so the police are ill-equipped when Phoenix breaks out of prison and starts murdering people for the first time in years. Spartan is thus awakened and aided by police officer Lenina Huxley (a breakthrough role for Sandra Bullock, a year before Speed). Spartan finds a world where swearing is illegal and fined, sex is reduced to virtual reality and there’s no toilet paper. Oh, and all fast food restaurants are now Taco Bells because they won the franchise wars. Such flashes of humor clearly come from co-writer Daniel Waters, fresh from writing 1989’s Heathers and co-writing 1992’s Batman Returns, with both films known for their dark humor. The action scenes, directed with aplomb by Italian filmmaker Marco Brambilla in his feature directorial debut, still excite, but it’s the humor that guarantees the movie still plays well so close to the year it’s actually set.

Arrow Video’s new 4K limited edition release of the movie includes a fold-out poster, stickers, and an extensive booklet, as well as plenty of special features, including a chat with production designer David L. Snyder, who says he was eager to create a brighter and more optimistic future Los Angeles after being responsible for the dark and rainy dystopian LA depicted in 1982’s Blade Runner. There’s also a new audio commentary featuring Walters and Brambilla. The release includes two versions of the movie, the regular American version and an international version where all references to Taco Bell are replaced with Pizza Hut, because Taco Bell isn’t that known outside of the U.S. That meant dubbing lines and changing signage. Although strangely enough, the British version of the film that I saw all those years ago kept in the Taco Bell references, despite it also not being a well known chain in England. If I had to pick one fast food restaurant to win the franchise wars, I think I’d have to go with In-N-Out Burger, which not only isn’t a thing internationally, but isn’t available in more than half of America. By Mark Redfern (Buy it here.)

Darkman (Collector’s Edition) 4K UHD/Blu-ray (Shout! Factory)

RRP: $39.98

Released in 1990, Darkman lands at an interesting point in the filmographies of many of the creatives involved in the film and also in the evolution of superhero movies. At the time, writer/director Sam Raimi was primarily known for the first two Evil Dead movies, beloved low budget horror pictures. 12 years later, he would be helming the first of his blockbuster Spider-Man trilogy. While the film’s star, Liam Neeson, had been acting for over a decade, most of the Irish actor’s parts to that point had been in supporting roles. But, four years later, he would be nominated for an Oscar for starring in Steven Spielberg’s Holocaust drama Schindler’s List. Co-star Frances McDormand only had a handful of big screen acting credits to her name, but in seven years would win a Best Actress Oscar for Fargo (her first of three Best Actress Academy Awards). Darkman was released after Tim Burton’s Batman revitalized the superhero genre, but 18 years before Iron Man launched the MCU and cemented the continued blockbuster status of superhero movies.

Unlike most modern superheroes flicks, Darkman is not based on a comic book by Marvel, DC, or another company. The character is an original creation by Raimi, after he tried to make a movie about the 1930s pulp hero The Shadow but couldn’t get the rights from Universal (who eventually made an unsuccessful Shadow movie in 1994 with a different director, starring Alec Baldwin). The early ’90s superhero genre was populated by adaptations of comic books set in the 1930s and ’40s (Dick Tracy, The Rocketeer, The Phantom, and The Shadow), with none reaching the box office heights of Burton’s two Batman films. It was films at the beginning of the next decade, such as Raimi’s own Spider-Man (2002) and Bryan Singer’s X-Men (2000), that laid the groundwork for the modern superhero blockbuster.

Neeson plays scientist Peyton Westlake, who is doing groundbreaking experiments into synthetic skin when he is brutally attacked by mob boss Robert G. Durant (Larry Drake), leaving him very disfigured and presumed dead by his girlfriend, attorney Julie Hastings (McDormand). Westlake returns as the title mysterious Darkman, aided by realistic synthetic skin disguises that allow him to assume the identity of anyone he pleases, but only for 99 minutes before the skin disintegrates. Thanks to other newfound abilities, Darkman aims to take down Durant and his organization and to protect Hastings as she uncovers a financial scam by the mob.

While not a blockbuster, Darkman was successful enough to warrant two straight-to-video sequels, neither of which starred Neeson or McDormand but did feature Drake’s return. Shout! Factory’s new edition of the movie features a new 4K transfer of the original camera negative in Dolby Vision as approved by Raimi and director of photography Bill Pope and new commentary by Josh Ruben (a “filmmaker and Darkman superfan”), as well as various special features brought over from previous releases of the movie, including interviews with the cast, deleted scenes, and commentary from Pope. By Mark Redfern (Buy it here.)

Trainspotting 4K UHD/Blu-ray (The Criterion Collection)

RRP: $49.95

Having never been into drugs myself, I find many movies about drug addicts somewhat tedious. Watching characters venture into a depressing downward spiral of addiction can often be frustrating. Last year I tried to watch the 1991 movie Rush, in which Jennifer Jason Leigh and Jason Patric are two undercover cops in the 1970s who become drug addicts, and didn’t even make it to the halfway point before switching it off. And yet, Trainspotting is one of my all time favorite movies. Perhaps it’s because director Danny Boyle is sure to show the fun side of taking drugs, while certainly not glamourising it either (one character dies of AIDS because of a dirty needle; another loses their young baby out of drug-fueled neglect).

The film also landed at the right time for me, when I was at college and heavily getting into Britpop music. In our “My Favorite Movie” issue a couple of years ago, we voted Trainspotting as #2 in our Top 100 Movie Soundtracks of All Time list, second only to Prince’s Purple Rain. Almost 30 years later, the soundtrack and its songs are still in regular rotation in my life. The film is filled with so many iconic needle drops, from the immediate slap to the face opening of Ewan McGregor’s Mark “Rent Boy” Renton being chased by store security guards on the streets of Edinburgh while Iggy Pop’s “Lust for Life” blares (a scene later replayed with Blur’s more serene “Sing” playing in the background) to Renton floating in the world of “the worst toilet in Scotland” while Brian Eno’s ambient track “Deep Blue Day” plays to Lou Reed’s “Perfect Day” soundtracking a particularly bad heroin dose. The soundtrack featured Britpop heroes of the day (Pulp, Elastica, Sleeper covering Blondie’s “Atomic,” Blur’s Damon Albarn and his end titles ode to Sean Connery’s Bond films, “Closet Romantic”), ’80s legends (New Order, Heaven 17), and then-contemporary dance music (Leftfield, Underworld’s iconic “Born Slipping Nuxx”).

Beyond its amazing soundtrack, Trainspotting oozed style and innovation and also made stars out of its cast––especially McGregor, but also Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller, Kevin McKidd, Robert Carlyle, and Kelly Macdonald in her acting debut. It was only Boyle’s second film (after 1994’s excellent crime thriller Shallow Grave, also starring McGregor) and he’s gone onto an illustrious and eclectic career, with a filmography that includes The Beach, 28 Days Later, Yesterday, and Slumdog Millionaire (winner of Best Picture at the 2009 Academy Awards). 2017’s sequel, T2 Trainspotting (also directed by Boyle), didn’t quite capture the magic of the original but was generally well received and is perhaps worth a revisit.
Trainspotting finally comes to the Criterion Collection and the results are as impressive as you would expect from the preeminent DVD/Blu-ray company. It includes both a 4K and Blu-ray version of the movie. Special features include various behind the scenes documentaries, nine deleted scenes (some that really add extra flavor and context to the events of the movie), and an excellent documentary on the soundtrack in which Noel Gallagher praises Trainspotting and admits that Oasis were idiots for turning down participation in the soundtrack because he mistakenly thought the film was about actual trainspotters. By Mark Redfern (Buy it here.)

Kindergarten Cop 4K UHD/Blu-ray (Kino Lorber)

RRP: $39.95

1990’s Kindergarten Cop saw Arnold Schwarzenegger continue to play with his tough guy action movie image and branch further into comedy, as he did with 1988’s Twins. Here he reteems with that film’s director, Ivan Reitman (Ghostbusters, Stripes, Dave). Kindergarten Cop’s trailer, included as a special feature on Kino Lorber’s new 4K release of the film, first makes it seem like it’s yet another violent Schwarzenegger picture, until it’s revealed that the foe he is battling against this time is a classroom filled with kindergarten students. The Austrian former bodybuilder does play a tough as nails cop, John Kimble, but due to various plot contrivances he has to go undercover as a smalltown kindergarten teacher in order to catch a murderous drug dealer.

When I showed it to my 11-year-old daughter Rose, she proclaimed that it was one of the few older comedies I’d made her watch that she actually thought was genuinely funny. And she hasn’t even seen The Terminator or any of Arnie’s major action films to get the main joke of him as a kindergarten teacher.

Special features on this release are light, with just the trailer and two commentaries, neither featuring anyone who worked on the movie. One commentary is from film historian Samm Deighan and the other features Australian film historians Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Josh Nelson, who argue that the film is progressive in the way it deals with gender politics and important in the way that, like Mrs. Doubtfire three years later, it deconstructs masculinity, showing that being a kindergarten teacher is just as valuable a role in society as being a cop. By Mark Redfern (Buy it here.)

White Christmas 4K UHD/Blu-ray (Paramount Home Video)

RRP: $25.99

One of the most beloved holiday films of the 1950s hits 4K Ultra HD for its 70th anniversary. Set after the second World War, White Christmas details the efforts of two former soldiers (Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye)—now-famous showmen in their civilian lives—to stage a holiday show at a failing Vermont inn owned by a man who was once their favorite commanding officer. A musical composed by the great Irving Berlin, White Christmas is a wonderfully seasonal showcase for Crosby and Kaye’s talents, as well as those of Rosemary Clooney, who takes on a romantic role.

As incredible as new releases such as Dune Part Two and Furiosa look on Ultra HD, the format can be equally kind to classic films—especially when Technicolor is involved. Those deep, unmistakable reds and greens can reap the benefits of Dolby Vision and/or HDR. White Christmas does one better, being the first movie filmed in VistaVision (an extra-wide film format that’s sort of a great grandfather IMAX) and one that showed off many of its fineties. The colors in White Christmas have never looked more vivid and true than they do here; one has to wonder if there are existing film prints that still look anywhere near this good. The bonus materials are archival but very robust, and include a commentary track from Clooney, a karaoke sing-a-long option where the lyrics are printed at the bottom of the screen, and a host of documentaries. Any fan of White Christmas—or classic holiday films in general—will want to add this stellar audio-visual release to their collection. By Austin Trunick (Buy it here.)

Death Becomes Her 4K UHD/Blu-ray Collector’s Edition (Shout! Factory)

RRP: $39.98

With an acclaimed musical adaptation of Death Becomes Her debuting on Broadway just last month (as highlighted with a performance during Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade), the timing for this 4K reissue of the original 1992 film is ripe. I first saw it at the London Film Festival. Every year they would preview a big upcoming film as a surprise screening; you weren’t told in advance what you’d be watching. As a big fan of director Robert Zemeckis (known at-the-time for the Back to the Future trilogy and Who Framed Roger Rabbit?), I was elated it was Death Becomes Her, although the man sitting next to me was less excited, as he’d already seen the film in America (at the time, Hollywood films often came out in the UK one to three months after their American release dates, although these days release dates are more globally universal).

In the dark fantasy comedy, Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn play longtime friends and rivals, Streep as a washed up actress Madeline Ashton and Hawn as aspiring writer Helen Sharp, who are both vying for the affections of the same man, famed plastic surgeon Ernest Menville (Bruce Willis). Madeline and Helen go to extreme lengths in their rivalry, including both drinking a magical potion from the mysterious Lisle von Rhuman (Isabella Rossellini), which grants them eternal life, but turns them into zombies of sorts. The film was lauded for its groundbreaking and Oscar-winning digital special effects, in which Streep’s neck is twisted around backwards and Hawn walks around with a giant shotgun hole in her center. Streep is known for her Oscar-winning serious dramas and didn’t have a lot of experience with roles dominated by special effects.

Special features on Shout! Factory’s new edition include a new 4K transfer of the original 35mm camera negative, a making of documentary featuring Zemeckis and writer David Koepp (among others) and a vintage behind-the-scenes doc. Over the years Death Becomes Her has developed a cult following in the LGBTQ+ community, with there even being a Death Becomes Her-themed runway show on season 7 of RuPaul’s Drag Race. So it makes some sense that the undead divas have made their way to Broadway (with Megan Hilty as Madeline and Jennifer Simard as Helen). By Mark Redfern (Buy it here.)

Kinji Fukasaku’s Battles Without Honor and Humanity (Arrow Video)

RRP: $99.99

You most likely know director Kinji Fukasaku from his 2000 smash hit, Battle Royale. With one of Arrow Video’s newest boxsets, dedicated to the Fukasaku’s 1970’s Yakuza-centered crime series Battles Without Honor and Humanity, you can discover some of the director’s other, more underrated works as well. Set in Hiroshima immediately after World War II, the five-film series follows Shozo Hirono (the excellent Bunta Sugawara), who rises through the ranks of the city’s crime-ridden underworld. Fukasaku’s filmmaking is frenetic, athletic and deeply engaging throughout the entire series—with cuts, hard pans and zoom-ins galore. Watching the series can be a bit of a daunting task—none of the films’ pacing let up at any given moment, making it difficult to keep up with the constantly-increasing list of characters. But, amidst the chaos and endless violence, the series delivers excellently-rendered themes on how a society built on violence continues to overcomplicate itself until it eventually crushes under the weight of its own ambitions. Keeping the narrative chained to a single character—allowing viewers to watch his personality change as the world around him continues to devolve into madness—is a smart decision.

The strongest entry in the series: Hiroshima Death Match (the second film), which juxtaposes Hirono’s rise with the complicated ups-and-downs of another Yakuza, who falls in love with the boss’ daughter. Amidst the constant chaos, it oddly feels like the most human film in the series, tracking how real emotion and passion is constantly sidelined and belittled in the name of senseless violence. By Kaveh Jalinous (Buy it here.)

Chantal Akerman Masterpieces, 1968-1978 Blu-ray (The Criterion Collection)

RRP: $99.95

Few people have understood the potential of the filmic medium—specifically, the process of capturing image—quite like Belgian filmmaker Chantal Akerman. This Criterion box set, dedicated to the first decade of the filmmaker’s career, features films that perfectly capture her cinematic approach, rooted in the idea of images and imaginal rhythms speaking for themselves. Nowhere is that more in clear in the director’s most famous work (included in this set), Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles, a feminist masterpiece that has made waves for decades, but recently resurged in popularity after being named the ‘Greatest Film of All Time’ in Sight and Sound’s decennial poll. The box set is a great chance to explore some of the filmmaker’s other works as well, such as the excellent News From Home, an extremely emotional 90-minute-ish film that fuses images of New York City with a voiceover reading letters from Akerman’s mother, or Hotel Monterrey, a 65-minute, completely silent film showing almost apocalyptic-like images of an Upper West Side hotel. Akerman’s camera often operates as its own conductor, placing images in the viewer’s mind and asking them to formulate the meaning and connections between shots for themselves. And yet, it’s incredible to see how in control Akerman is at all times, crafting films that transcend the medium and feel like enveloping, entrancing and deeply thought-provoking experiences. By Kaveh Jalinous (Buy it here.)

High Noon 4K UHD/Blu-ray (Kino Lorber)

RRP: $39.95

It was supposed to be the day that Will Kane (Gary Cooper) handed in his badge. Newly married that very morning (to a very young Grace Kelly), the plan was for the sheriff of Hadleyville to pass along his duties to a newcomer and ride off into the sunset with his bride. But his successor hasn’t shown up, and word is that the territory’s meanest outlaw, Frank Miller, has been pardoned and will return to town on the noon train. Having put away the bloodthirsty killer once, Kane feels it’s his responsibility to stop him from terrorizing their peaceful community—and puts off his honeymoon to start gathering a posse.

High Noon plays like the antithesis to the ending of It’s a Wonderful Life, where all of George Bailey’s loved ones come together in his time of crisis to save the day. As the clock ticks closer and closer to noon, one friend after another turns their back on Kane, each for their own varying reasons. Playing out in real time, High Noon is one of the most tightly-strung films of the classic Hollywood era—and an absolutely damning treatise on human nature. Kino Lorber’s 4K UHD release features a brand new Dolby Vision Master and two exclusive commentary tracks; the included Blu-ray is packed with a bunch of archival featurettes. We can’t think of anything more a Western fan could ask for. By Austin Trunick (Buy it here.)

The Sixth Sense 4K UHD/Blu-ray (Disney)

RRP: $45.99

It’s hard to imagine a movie like The Sixth Sense being such a box office sensation in this era, where superhero movies, other special effects epics and films based on existing IP dominate the Top 10 box office charts each year. Then again, Oppenheimer did make it to #5 last year at the overall domestic box office. The Sixth Sense was the second highest grossing movie of 1999, behind Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, and it made $672 million worldwide. That means it did better than Toy Story 2 and The Matrix, among other memorable big films that year.

Bruce Willis plays Malcolm Crowe, a child psychologist who’s trying to help a troubled nine-year-old boy, Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment, in what is surely one of the greatest child acting performances ever), who memorably announces “I see dead people.” The film launched writer/director M. Night Shyamalan’s career, although some of his future films had to grapple with audience expectations expecting another twist ending as good as The Sixth Sense’s. Shyamalan had a good little run there (especially Unbreakable and Signs), before his career went off the rails a bit. Every few years he puts out a new film that some critics declare as a return to form. Regardless, The Sixth Sense remains a taunt and chilling work. It’s now on 4K, with deleted scenes and various other special features. By Mark Redfern (Buy it here.)