Chris Chiarella

Blu-ray Movie Reviews
2024 End-of-Year 4K Blu-ray Blowout
Chris Chiarella  |  Dec 29, 2024
For reasons known only to them, the studios have been saving some of their absolute best and most interesting 4K releases for the waning days of 2024, among them the most hotly debated movies of the past 12 months, as well as cult favorites and a few outright classics. In between the egg nog and the champagne, we pulled together this list of must-see-in-Ultra-HDs for your consideration as we toss another calendar into the recycling bin.
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Blu-ray Movie ReviewsUltra HD Blu-ray Movie Reviews
A Pair of B&W Gems from Criterion: Seven Samurai and Paper Moon 4K
Chris Chiarella  |  Dec 09, 2024
The Criterion Collection has added new 4K editions of two very different period pieces: an American production from the 1970s that takes us back to the Depression era, and an epic Japanese adventure set in the country’s feudal 16th century.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Here's Your 2024 4K/Blu-ray Holiday Gift Guide!
Chris Chiarella  |  Nov 27, 2024
Disc aficionados like us are stalwarts in the face of continued seismic shifts in the physical media landscape, so perhaps the greatest gift the studios can give us is another season filled with their finest offerings. The past few months have brought us some of the most enjoyable releases of the entire year, from back-breaking boxes and single-movie deep-dives to multimedia indulgences that defy simple explanation. So read on, dear collector/gift-giver, and be inspired.
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Blu-ray Movie ReviewsUltra HD Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Zodiac 4K
Chris Chiarella  |  Nov 04, 2024
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With David Fincher at the helm and a clever script by James Vanderbilt, Zodiac tells its story thoughtfully, unhurriedly, and with a great specificity befitting one of the most notorious true-crime sagas in American history.
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Blu-ray Movie ReviewsUltra HD Blu-ray Movie Reviews
4 on 4K from Severin
Chris Chiarella  |  Nov 02, 2024
Some independent home entertainment labels excel at rescuing obscure titles and reinventing them as deluxe editions, far beyond even what the majors do with their blockbusters. That’s the deal with Severin Films, serving up a slew of fascinating titles with gorgeous 4K remasters, alternate versions, deeply researched extras and next-level packaging.
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Blu-ray Movie ReviewsUltra HD Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Twisters
Chris Chiarella  |  Oct 28, 2024
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The sequel that no one asked for but seemingly everybody enjoyed, Twisters takes advantage of decades of advances in meteorology and special effects technology to bring us a modern take on feisty storm chasers in the American Midwest.
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Ultra HD Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Halloween Horrors on 4K and Blu-ray
Chris Chiarella  |  Oct 23, 2024
Not exactly a profound epiphany, I’ll admit, but I believe that the reason so many of us look forward to Halloween each year is that it’s simply a fun holiday. It’s fun to dress up, it’s a fun excuse to eat more Snickers Almonds than usual, and it’s even fun to be scared, particularly in the controlled environment of the home theater.
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Ultra HD Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Deadpool & Wolverine
Chris Chiarella  |  Oct 22, 2024
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A lot was riding on Wade Wilson’s red-spandex-clad shoulders. Not only did he have to save his friends, his world, and reality as we know it (more on that in a moment), but he had to stick the landing of his movie trilogy and resuscitate the notoriously flagging Marvel Cinematic Universe. And with his audacious threequel, Deadpool & Wolverine, he did it.

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Blu-ray Movie ReviewsUltra HD Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Bad Boys: Ride or Die 4K Blu-ray Review – Explosive Atmos, Razor-Sharp Visuals
Chris Chiarella  |  Oct 05, 2024
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The Bad Boys action-comedy franchise will be turning 30 next year, and there’s no denying that—with this fourth film, Ride or Die—it’s feeling a little long in the tooth.

As if to illustrate that point, too-cool detective Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) is finally tying the knot, while his partner Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) suffers a near-fatal heart attack that compels him to reevaluate his life.

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Blu-ray Movie ReviewsUltra HD Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Best TV Shows on Disc
Chris Chiarella  |  Oct 03, 2024
Even in the face of streaming’s runaway success, TV shows on physical media remain pretty damned popular, aided in large part by the studios’ aggressive ongoing HD and 4K remastering of the classics—largely in service to archiving and to providing the best possible quality on the aforementioned streamers—in addition to the collectability of the latest and greatest series. Whatever the reason, a generous and eclectic new crop has arrived for our viewing enjoyment, so clear some room on those shelves.

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