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 ›
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 ›
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 ›
Arrow Video releases a fourth Yasuzô Masumura remaster, 1969’s “Blind Beast.”
As with previously reviewed films Giants and Toys (1958) and Irezumi (1966), Arrow Video is restoring and offering up to audiences outside of Japan another Yasuzô Masumura film: Blind Beast. Arrow Video provides an opportunity to expand what viewers may… Read More ›
Fistful of Features explores the LAIKA Studios Edition releases from Shout! Factory, Part One: “The Boxtrolls.”
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 the third feature film from acclaimed stop-motion animation studio… Read More ›
Shout! Factory’s LAIKA Studios Edition Examination, Part 2: “The Boxtrolls.”
For the last 15 years, LAIKA Studios has amused, entertained, amazed, and, in some cases, downright terrified audiences with their stop-motion animation tales that continually place children at the center, offering a chance for audiences old and young to see… Read More ›
Shout! Factory’s LAIKA Studios Edition Examination, Part 1: “Coraline.”
For the last 15 years, LAIKA Studios has amused, entertained, amazed, and, in some cases, downright terrified audiences with their stop-motion animation tales that continually place children at the center, offering a chance for audiences old and young to see… 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 ›
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 ›
Fistful of Features: Week of March 16th
Welcome to this week’s edition of Fistful of Features, a weekly column that celebrates film preservation through physical media and discusses cinematic treasures from every genre to maintain their relevance in the cultural lexicon. There are some great releases that… Read More ›
Ramin Bahrani’s “Chop Shop” offers a compelling look at the life of adolescent immigrants.
Two years after the release of Man Push Cart (2005), writer/director Ramin Bahrani followed it with Chop Shop (2007), a thematic continuation of the immigrant story he began with Ahmad the Pakistani food cart owner. Though actor Ahmad Razvi does… Read More ›
Ramin Bahrani’s melancholic “Man Push Cart” joins the Criterion Collection.
It’s interesting how things rarely change with time. There are incremental changes, sure, shifts in the way people dress or the meanings of words, but, largely, there are some things which remain. A sadness, a true melancholy, shrouds our existence,… Read More ›
“The Wizard of Oz” 4K remaster makes the magic come alive once more.
Considered one of the greatest films in American cinema history, Victor Fleming’s The Wizard of Oz has delighted audiences since it first premiered August 15th, 1939. Not many films, let alone adaptations, can say they carry that kind of esteem,… Read More ›