Prison movies come in a variety of flavors. There’re comedies like the various incarnations of The Longest Yard, science fiction horror like 1992’s Alien³, action like 2013’s Escape Plan, and dramas like 2001’s The Last Castle. If I had to… Read More ›
4K remaster
If you’ve been itching to “Escape from L.A.,” wait a little longer before jumping on this 4K release.
How we come to something often defines how we receive it. It’s why a piece of art may hit you differently at alternate points in your life, whether due to your emotional mindset, a shift in perspective, or even the… Read More ›
25 years later, Wes Craven’s “Scream” continues its reign as one of the greatest horror films of all time in a new 4K UHD release.
Wes Craven’s Scream premiered in December 1996, one day after I turned 16. For those who know me, horror is not my primary genre. Before I knew it had a name (hypnagogia), I would see things in the dark —… Read More ›
Celebrate 50 years of Stanley Kubrick’s “A Clockwork Orange” with a first-time 4K UHD release.
Published in 1962, Anthony Burgess’s dark satire A Clockwork Orange hit the streets of England with a 21-chapter tale of a teenager’s prevalence for extreme violence and antisocial behavior. Written in a Russian-influenced language called “Nasdat,” most of what central… Read More ›
Fistful of Features goes where no fan has gone before: 4K UHD with the first four “Star Trek” films.
Welcome to Fistful of Features, a celebration of film preservation through physical media and the discussion of cinematic treasures to maintain their relevance in the cultural lexicon. Today we’ll be discussing two great Star Trek films and two mediocre ones… Read More ›
The HDR in the 4K UHD remaster of “The Shawshank Redemption” will dramatically shift how you react to the film you know.
“Get busy livin’ or get busy dying.” One of the more famous phrases in cinema history and originally uttered by Tim Robbins’s Andy Dufresne, the only innocent man in all of Shawshank Prison, is more often recalled as said by… Read More ›
“Indiana Jones” 4-Movie Digital Code Giveaway
The kind folks at Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment sent us a review copy of the newly released Indiana Jones 4-Movie Collection and it contained within it an unexpected surprise: an extra set of digital download codes. Delighted as we are to… Read More ›
In honor of the 20th anniversary of Angelina Jolie’s “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider,” snag both adventures in a new 4K UHD 2-pack.
Its 1996 and British gaming company Core Design has released action-adventure game Tomb Raider for PC, PlayStation, and Sega Saturn consoles. Centered around archeologist/adventurer Lara Croft, the title challenged gamers to solve puzzles and confront strange enemies in pursuit of… Read More ›
Fistful of Features explores the 10th anniversary 4K UHD release of J.J. Abrams’s “Super 8.”
Welcome to Fistful of Features, a celebration of film preservation through physical media and the discussion of cinematic treasures to maintain their relevance in the cultural lexicon. Let’s now take a look at the 10th anniversary of an uneven but… Read More ›
On the eve of its 10th anniversary, Paramount releases J.J. Abrams’s “Super 8” on 4K UHD.
Writer/director J.J. Abrams is one of the more controversial directors working today. Not “where are the feet?” controversial like Tarantino or “why always so serious?” controversial like Nolan, but in a polarizing love-or-hate way. Abrams is credited by many for… Read More ›
“Speed” gets kicked into high gear with its first 4K UHD release.
“Pop quiz, hotshot …” If you were alive past 1994, then you’ve likely heard that phrase multiple times across various genres and forms of entertainment. As much a question of mettle of the recipient as it is a boast of… Read More ›
To celebrate its 65th Anniversary, Paramount Home Entertainment releases “The Ten Commandments” on 4K UHD for the first time.
For every time, there is a season. As March gives way to April, entertainments give way from the secular to the non-secular as Passover and Easter come into focus. For many, this means a specific tradition is about to grace… Read More ›
Ahead of the modern MonsterVerse showdown, revisit Gareth Edwards’s “Godzilla” for the first time in 4K UHD.
Alright, everyone: WHO IS READY TO RUMMMMMMMMMMMMMBBBBLLLLLEEEEE????!!!!! (Copyright Michael Buffer.) On March 31st, the fight kaiju fans have been waiting for is going down: Godzilla Vs. Kong. In the run-up to the glorious smackdown in which Kong will sucker punch… Read More ›
Liberate tutemet ex inferis. “Event Horizon” Collector’s Edition coming from Shout! Factory.
Have you taken time to praise our lord and savior Paul W.S. Anderson today? For his truth and wisdom are great and mighty, and his camp polished and lively. For he…also made the Resident Evil movies, and that’s pretty cool,… Read More ›
Funimation’s 4K UHD Limited Edition set of “Akira” is well worth the time and investment.
Director Katsuhiro Ôtomo’s 1988 adaptation of his own 1982 manga, Akira, is considered one of the greatest film ever made if only for its influence on all the post-apocalyptic cyberpunk stories to come. Both the manga and film pre-date Masamune… Read More ›
16 years later, Michael Mann’s “Collateral” is as strong a neo-noir as ever. But does HDR improve or distract?
In the included commentary for Collateral, director Michael Mann comments that the film picks up in the third act of a standard film. He’s not wrong at all with this description as the audience is given a clue of location… Read More ›
Paramount Pictures releases four Eddie Murphy classics to help you get excited for “Coming 2 America.”
In preparation for the original December 2020 release of Coming 2 America, Paramount Pictures, with great anticipation, organized a wealth of home release material to celebrate Eddie Murphy. Even though audiences now have to wait until March 2021 for Coming… Read More ›
15 years later director James McTeigue’s “V for Vendetta” remains a prescient exploration of the cost of fear.
It’s been 15 years since James McTeigue’s V for Vendetta hit theaters. Adapted from the Alan Moore/David Lloyd comic book miniseries, V for Vendetta took the Margaret Thatcher-era conservative versus anarchism themes and made them more contemporary for American audiences… Read More ›
“Beetlejuice” Digital Code Giveaway
Halloween is coming and Elements of Madness is kicking things off by joining the Warner Bros. Home Entertainment #BeetlejuiceWatchalong hosted by Fuller House‘s Jodie Sweetin. The tweetalong starts at 5p PST/8p EST Friday, October 30th. Want to join in the fun?… Read More ›
Paramount Pictures unveils the first three films of their new “Paramount Presents” home release label.
The Paramount Pictures library contains some of the most cherished films in cinema history, films like It’s a Wonderful Life (1946), Footloose (1984), and all four Indiana Jones films; critically acclaimed films like Oscar-nominated Hustle & Flow (2006) and Oscar-winner… Read More ›