Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Once again, the studios have saved some of their very best releases for the warm weather months. Settle in with a cool drink for a wide variety of films—and a couple of soundtracks—both high-profile and under-the-radar, across a range of genres, decades, and even different languages.

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Risky Business 4K (The Criterion Collection)
Class Blu-ray (MGM)

In the summer of 1983, a couple of months after I’d seen Return of the Jedi in the same theater (now gone), I was invited to a double feature of a pair of R-rated high school comedies. The first was Class, starring Andrew McCarthy and Rob Lowe, and the other was a special preview of a hotly anticipated effort from first-time director Paul Brickman, Risky Business. Here’s the thing: While one would fade into obscurity and the other would launch the career of the biggest movie star in the world, teenaged me thought they were both terrific, a little raunchy perhaps but each with its own sophistication.

In Class, a blue-collar cheat with a heart of gold fibs his way into an exclusive prep school, while his free-wheeling, deep-pocketed roomie shows him the ropes. No extras but great to see it return--in HD--after all these years.

Criterion continues to surprise with their choice of titles, fluctuating between arthouse fare and mainstream entertainment. Risky Business is definitely the latter, albeit artfully executed, capturing every ‘80s American male’s fantasy: a Porsche, a prostitute and the mother of all parties while the ‘rents are away.

Both the theatrical and director’s cuts look fantastic in these native 4K/Dolby Vision restorations, Tangerine Dream has never sounded better than they do in this DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix, and this two-disc set combines old DVD and Blu-ray supps with a generous helping of new behind-the-scenes stories and analysis that serve to mitigate the risk of our investment in this premium edition.

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The Case of the Bloody Iris Blu-ray 4K (Celluloid Dreams)

Upstart boutique label Celluloid Dreams is making a splash (OF BLOOD) with their first release, The Case of The Bloody Iris. (I guess my mastery of my ancestors’ language is a little rusty because I thought that the original title--Perché quelle strane gocce di sangue sul corpo di Jennifer?—translated to "Why those strange drops of blood on Jennifer's body?" Go know.)

Perhaps not as well-known as the works of Dario Argento or Lucio Fulci, Giuliano Carnimeo’s 1972 giallo is a titillating, violent and rather entertaining stew of strippers, models, a sex cult, a masked killer with a variety of methods, plus a dash of hemopobia to make it even more interesting.

The triple-layer 4K disc enables high bitrates which contribute to the supremely detailed 2.35:1 presentation of the restored two-perf 35mm film. And of the English and Italian DTS-HD 1.0 audio options, definitely go with the latter, while the fine complement of extras is highlighted by a new deep-dive commentary by home entertainment maven and Celluloid Dreams co-founder Guido Henkel. Collectors, take note: When you buy directly from their site, you get a lovely two-sided slipcover (brand-new artwork, same on front and back except one is in Inglese and the reverse is Italiano) and a set of six restored, full-sized, extremely high-quality “fotobuste” (that’s Italian for lobby cards).

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Bolero Blu-ray (MGM)

Director and former matinee idol John Derek had an unusual professional relationship with his fourth and final wife, Bo. Building upon her newfound stardom following Blake Edwards’ 10, he gave her starring roles in four wildly exploitative movies in a row, including this winner of top honors at the 1985 Razzie Awards which she also produced.

Bo plays a young American abroad out to lose her virginity in the 1920s, attracting new friends and admirers during her adventures and misadventures, her romps taking her to scenic destinations from Morocco to Spain, where there’s some bullfighting. (That must be why this movie is rated R.) The notorious, entertaining Cannon Films classic is now officially back in print in HD following a long absence.

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The Lady from Shanghai 4K (Sony)

The list of films directed by Orson Welles is longer than I expected yet more complicated than I'd like, as the legendary artist's later career took some unintended turns. From early in his cinematic run however comes this finely crafted noir thriller wherein a naive seaman (Welles, who also starred and wrote the screenplay) takes a job on the yacht but soon falls for the owner’s wife (screen siren Rita Hayworth, her luscious crimson locks controversially transformed to a short blonde bob).

A nasty web of 1947-era lust, lies, murder and betrayal is quickly spun, for a brisk, juicy ride that’s over before we know it, but not until the climactic house of mirrors sequence that’s often included in those TCM-type documentaries about the most memorable scenes in Hollywood antiquity. Shanghai comes highly recommended when you need an alternative to Citizen Kane. Sony released this treasure from the vault with very little fanfare, a restoration from the original camera negative that’s joined here by an audio commentary plus further discussion by the late Oscar-nominated director and Welles historian--and super-fan--Peter Bogdanovich.

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Hardware Wars Blu-ray (MVD Rewind Collection)

Writer/director/supporting player Ernie Fosselius (former bandmate of Danny Elfman!) is credited with the first Star Wars parody and admittedly George Lucas’ favorite. I was worried that it wouldn’t be funny all these years later, but my very picky kids laughed, so I suppose that sight gags and dad jokes never really go out of style. The 13-minute movie was shot over four days on a shoestring budget and looks it, but therein lies much of its charm. It’s a miracle they could afford the 16mm film to put in the camera, and now the Blu-ray master has been transferred from the only known surviving film element, a 16mm release print, paired with LPCM stereo and dual-mono audio options.

This special edition has been fleshed out with two alternate versions, a holiday-themed sequel, a “prequel” that isn’t really, along with bonus parodies of Plan 9 from Outer Space and Apocalypse Now, plus a director’s audio commentary and a vintage TV interview. The package includes reversible sleeve art, a mini poster and the first pressing also has a limited edition slipcover that playfully echoes the old Warner Home Video VHS package design.

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Twister 4K (Warner)

A cinematographer by trade, Jan de Bont found himself directing back-to-back, sequel-worthy blockbusters in the ‘90s (let’s not kill the vibe by lingering on his next film, Speed 2), and it’s cause for celebration that he personally oversaw the 4K remaster for Twister, no doubt timed alongside this summer’s surprise hit, Twisters. The 1996 original jumps onto the short list of great demo discs with its new Atmos upgrade, not only for the boomy, whooshy, all-encompassing cyclone of the title but the many other clever bits such as the disturbing noises inside a creaky, not-long-for-this-world house. While not without its issues, the 2160p video boasts dramatically regraded color, and de Bont even gives OLED a shout-out in the new retrospective featurette, joining some solid previously released bonus content.

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High Crime 4K (Blue Underground)

Known in its native Italy as La polizia incrimina la legge assolve, which translates to “The police indict, the law acquits,” High Crimes is a violent drama about a good, brave cop fighting a lonely war to take down some nasty modern-day heroin-peddling gangsters. Some moments bear a passing resemblance to The French Connection, which hit theaters two years earlier, and Fernando Rey even shows up as a mob boss with a soft spot, but this is Enzo G. Castellari (the director/co-writer who would later give us The Inglorious Bastards among lots of other international popcorn fare) through and through.

For the movie’s first-ever U.S. release, Blue Underground does not disappoint, with a brand-new, excellent 4K Dolby Vision master of the uncensored version with English and Italian mono to choose from. You might prefer the English option in this case, as I did. There are also three audio commentaries including Castellari, star Franco Nero of Django fame, and film historians, an HD Blu-ray of the movie plus hours of interviews along with a CD of the guitar-heavy, very ‘70s soundtrack by Guido and Maurizio De Angelis, which even carries an exclusive bonus track.

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Monkey Man 4K (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment)

Star Dev Patel makes his directorial debut with this culture-infused actioner, undeniably reminiscent of John Wick but with a flavor all its own. Our protagonist embarks upon a misguided journey of revenge that almost costs him his life, until he dons the persona of a folk hero that gives him the focus and the strength he and a growing band of allies need to see it through. Universal’s native 4K/Dolby Atmos disc is the best way to enjoy the stylized fight scenes and artful design of this movie, while the extras fairly crackle with Patel’s enthusiasm for every facet of his masterwork, from a generous assortment of deleted/extended/alternate scenes to the audio commentary he shares with his producers.

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Invasion of the Body Snatchers 4K (Kino Lorber Studio Classics)

Often remade, never matched, the original Invasion was timely when released certainly. Its themes of dehumanization frankly never go out of style, as mysterious alien pods make identical physical copies of people, with all the memories but none of the emotion, a scourge that could take us all over if we let it. This is great paranoid science fiction from the heyday of paranoid science fiction, and one of my favorite aspects has long been the cinematography, particularly the gratuitous use of shadows in the storytelling, the inky blackness now rendered in 2160p. Kino Lorber supplies both director Don Siegel’s original 1.85:1 version plus the 2:1 “SuperScope,” a curious post-production process that turned non-anamorphic movies anamorphic for wide(r)screen theatrical exhibition, which was all the rage in 1956 as the big screen was duking it out with the small.

At a breezy 80 minutes, both framings fit onto a single BD-100 platter, paired with a total of four audio commentaries, two archival (the first with stars Kevin McCarthy and Dana Wynter) and two new for this edition, plus three legacy featurettes on the bundled HD Blu-ray.

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Serenity Original Soundtrack Deluxe Edition LP (Varèse Sarabande/Craft Recordings)

With the cinematic follow-up to his canceled-too-soon TV series, first-time director Joss Whedon swung for the fences, which meant securing the proper musical accompaniment. The accomplished and Oscar-nominated David Newman won the gig, and back in 2005 we were given a mere 23-track, 50-minute soundtrack CD. Varèse/Craft’s deluxe new edition expands to 54 tracks for 90 minutes of sci-fi Newman that wonderfully captures all the drama, intrigue, heartbreak and triumph experienced by the crew of a certain firefly-class spaceship on their most dangerous mission. This is the first-ever vinyl release, here on twin LPs, pressed in translucent blue or, for members of the Varèse Sarabande Vinyl Club, a clever “Browncoat” variant. Both packages feature new jacket artwork, new liner notes and even a poster.

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The Sugarland Express Limited Edition CD (La-La Land Records)

Currently celebrating its 50th anniversary, The Sugarland Express was not only Steven Spielberg’s debut feature film, it was the first go-around in a career-defining collaboration with composer John Williams.

Combining performances by the Hollywood Studio Symphony, the Wrecking Crew and most prominently harmonica soloist Toots Thielmans, Williams created a smaller, more intimate sound than the more famous score from the next Spielberg/Williams team-up, befitting this tender tale of a husband and wife on the run from the law to collect their baby girl in rural Texas. Incredibly, Sugarland has never received a full soundtrack release before La-La Land and album producer Mike Matessino stepped in, mixing, editing and mastering these two dozen tracks to perfection, and also providing extensive, insightful liner notes. Don’t sleep on this one: It’s a limited edition of only 5,000 copies.