New Blu-ray Reviews

8 Mile 4K Blu-ray Movie  

20th Anniversary Limited Edition / 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital Copy

Universal Studios | 2002 | 111 min | Rated R | Nov 08, 2022 | Randy Miller III

No matter who we are, no matter where we live, we're all bound by borders. Many of us are content to live within these borders--others are simply forced to exist within them. But some of us need to break out, burst through, even if what is on the other side is both frightening and unknown. From this comes the tale of one young man's dilemma as he navigates his way through his colliding worlds. Set against Detroit's hip-hop scene in 1995, Jimmy Smith Jr., a young white rapper, struggles to find his voice. The people of Detroit know 8 Mile Road as the city's perimeter. It is also a psychological dividing line between urban and suburban, between black and white, between where Jimmy is and where he wants to be. Here, survival is key, and for many, the emotional life preserver is hip hop. In the absence of nurturing parents, Jimmy and his friends--cool and charasmatic Future, optimistic dreamer Sol, aspiring activist DJ Iz and slow but steady Cheddar Bob--have created their own family. Jimmy and his "crew" (Three One Third), live on hopes of getting their "big break" while struggling to eke out a living at their dead end day jobs. At night, they feed their dreams in the hip hop clubs where the city's best rappers battle each other with abusive rhymes that are wielded like weapons. Here, words are meant to wound and victory belongs to the quick-witted.

Drama / Music

8 Mile 4K Blu-ray Movie  

20th Anniversary Edition / 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital Copy

Universal Studios | 2002 | 110 min | Rated R | Nov 08, 2022 | Randy Miller III

No matter who we are, no matter where we live, we're all bound by borders. Many of us are content to live within these borders--others are simply forced to exist within them. But some of us need to break out, burst through, even if what is on the other side is both frightening and unknown. From this comes the tale of one young man's dilemma as he navigates his way through his colliding worlds. Set against Detroit's hip-hop scene in 1995, Jimmy Smith Jr., a young white rapper, struggles to find his voice. The people of Detroit know 8 Mile Road as the city's perimeter. It is also a psychological dividing line between urban and suburban, between black and white, between where Jimmy is and where he wants to be. Here, survival is key, and for many, the emotional life preserver is hip hop. In the absence of nurturing parents, Jimmy and his friends--cool and charasmatic Future, optimistic dreamer Sol, aspiring activist DJ Iz and slow but steady Cheddar Bob--have created their own family. Jimmy and his "crew" (Three One Third), live on hopes of getting their "big break" while struggling to eke out a living at their dead end day jobs. At night, they feed their dreams in the hip hop clubs where the city's best rappers battle each other with abusive rhymes that are wielded like weapons. Here, words are meant to wound and victory belongs to the quick-witted.

Drama / Music

Rollerball 4K Blu-ray Movie  

4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray

Shout Factory | 1975 | 125 min | Rated R | Nov 22, 2022 | Brian Orndorf

In a futuristic society where corporations have replaced countries, the violent game of Rollerball is used to control the populace by demonstrating the futility of individuality.

Action / Sci-Fi / Sport

Frank & Penelope Blu-ray Movie  

Mill Creek Entertainment | 2022 | 100 min | Rated R | Aug 16, 2022 | Dr. Svet Atanasov

A tale of love and violence when a man on his emotional last legs finds a savior seductively dancing in a run-down strip club. And a life most certainly headed off a cliff suddenly becomes redirected - as everything is now worth dying for.

Crime / Thriller

Happy Birthday to Me Blu-ray Movie  

Kino Lorber | 1981 | 111 min | Rated R | Oct 18, 2022 | Dr. Svet Atanasov

Girl student wants to be part of the school’s most popular clique. But somebody has begun killing the group’s members. Could a deadly accident from her past be connected to the brutal killings?

Horror / Mystery / Thriller

Hiruko the Goblin Blu-ray Movie  

Standard Edition

Mondo Macabro | 1991 | 89 min | Unrated | Feb 08, 2022 | Neil Lumbard

A school was built on one of the Gates of Hell, behind which hordes of demons await the moment they will be free to roam the Earth. Hiruko is a goblin sent to Earth on a reconnaissance mission. He beheads students in order to assemble their heads on the demons' spider-like bodies. Hieda, an archaeology professor, and Masao, a haunted student, investigate the gory deaths and eventually battle Hiruko.

Action / Comedy / Fantasy / Horror / Foreign

Ken Jacobs Collection, Vol. 1 Blu-ray Movie  

Kino Lorber | 1955-2021 | 433 min | Not rated | Jul 27, 2021 | Neil Lumbard

Ken Jacobs is one of the most wildly creative and influential film artists and teachers in the history of the medium, and Kino Classics is proud to present this two-disc selection from his vast body of work (additional titles will be available digitally via Kino Now). Jacobs, born in Brooklyn, NY in 1933, studied Abstract Expressionism with Hans Hofmann before turning to filmmaking – where he became a prolific member of the underground scene, along with contemporaries Jonas Mekas, Jack Smith, and Stan Brakhage. His early films use NYC as a poetic landscape (Orchard Street) and as a setting for Smith’s carnivalesque performances (Little Stabs at Happiness and Blonde Cobra – both preserved by Anthology Film Archives). Jacobs then started experimenting with found footage, expanding a five-minute fragment of Billy Bitzer’s Tom, Tom, the Piper’s Son to feature length (restored in 2K by Museum of Modern Art), and went on to embrace digital tools - using stroboscopic effects to turn silent shorts and Victorian stereoscopic photographs into mind-expanding 3D investigations (Capitalism: Child Labor). He continues to push the boundaries of the art form – as you can see with his hypnotically abstract Movie That Invites Pausing (2021). In addition to his landmark films, which have been honored by the American Film Institute, the Guggenheim Foundation, and the Rockefeller Foundation, Jacobs (along with his wife Flo) founded the free film school Millennium Film Workshop, and he also helped create SUNY Binghamton’s experimental Department of Cinema in 1969, where he became a Distinguished Professor and influenced generations of artists and scholars.

Documentary / Other / Short / Surreal

Ghostwatch Blu-ray Movie  

Limited Collector's Edition

101 Films | 1992 | 92 min | Not rated | Dec 13, 2022 | Jeffrey Kauffman

Four respected presenters and a camera crew attempt to discover the truth behind 'The most haunted house in Britain'.

Horror / Psychological thriller / Supernatural

Naruto: Set 8 Blu-ray Movie  

Viz Media | 2006-2007 | 650 min | Rated TV-14 | Oct 18, 2022 | Neil Lumbard

The Village Hidden in the Leaves is in danger! The trickster Genno plays a deadly game with the Leaf! Seeking revenge, he sends Naruto and friends on a scavenger hunt with dire consequences. Then the gang goes on a dangerous mission to safeguard a ninja dropout with a checkered past. A clash with the Four Celestials pushes Shikamaru and Gaara to their limit. Finally, Naruto begins his training with the legendary Jiraiya!

Action / Adventure / Anime / Comedy / Fantasy / Martial arts / Comic book / Foreign

Escape from Alcatraz 4K Blu-ray Movie  

4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray

Kino Lorber | 1979 | 112 min | Rated PG | Nov 08, 2022 | Dr. Svet Atanasov

Three daring men make a possible successful attempt at escaping from one of the most infamous prisons in the world, Alcatraz.

Biography / Crime / Drama / Thriller

One Piece: Collection 30 Blu-ray Movie  

Episodes 720-746 / Blu-ray + DVD

Crunchyroll, LLC | 2015-2016 | 675 min | Rated TV-14 | Aug 02, 2022 | Neil Lumbard

As Luffy faces Doflamingo for a final battle, the Birdcage's ultimate countdown begins, and Zoro leads an attempt to stop the cage itself. After the dust settles, Sabo tells his story, the Straw Hats aim to escape the Navy—and a new alliance is formed!

Action / Adventure / Anime / Comedy / Fantasy / Teen / Comic book / Foreign

Berserk: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie  

Essentials / ベルセルク / Blu-ray + Digital Copy

FUNimation Entertainment | 2016-2017 | 2 Seasons | 600 min | Rated TV-MA | Feb 15, 2022 | Neil Lumbard

Peer into the dark once more—the Black Swordsman roars again. Branded for death and hunted by demons, swordsman Guts embarks on a journey filled with beasts and gruesome vengeance. No matter what, he’ll seek the answers that lie shrouded in the night!

Action / Anime / Fantasy / Supernatural / Comic book / Foreign

Don't Open Till Christmas Blu-ray Movie  

Slipcover in Original Pressing

Vinegar Syndrome | 1984 | 87 min | Not rated | Nov 29, 2022 | Brian Orndorf

It's Christmas time in London - the season of good will to all men. A time for celebration, a time for family, a time for presents. This year it's also time for a masked maniac to be let loose on the streets. His intended victims are chosen at random - but they have one thing in common: they are dressed in the flowing white beard and bright red robes of Santa Claus.

Horror / Holiday

The Werewolf Versus the Vampire Woman 4K Blu-ray Movie  

Limited Edition | La noche de Walpurgis / Werewolf Shadow / Werewolf and the Vampire Woman / Werewolf vs. the Vampire Woman | Slipcover in Original Pressing / 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray

Vinegar Syndrome | 1971 | 1 Movie, 3 Cuts | 95 min | Rated R | Nov 29, 2022 | Brian Orndorf

Two students, Elvira and her friend Genevieve, go searching for the tomb of medieval murderess (and possible vampira) Countess Wandessa. They find a suspect site in the castle of Count Waldemar Daninsky, who invites them to stay for as long as they like. When he shows them the tomb of the countess, Elvira accidentally revives her. Daninsky is forced to battle vampire queen. The blood flows like vintage wine...

Horror / Foreign

Peacemaker: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie  

Blu-ray + Digital Copy

Warner Bros. | 2022 | 346 min | Not rated | Nov 22, 2022 | Jeffrey Kauffman

Picking up where The Suicide Squad left off, Peacemaker returns home after recovering from his encounter with Bloodsport - only to discover that his freedom comes at a price.

Action / Adventure / Comedy / Sci-Fi / Comic book

Ski Patrol Blu-ray Movie  

MVD Rewind Collection

MVD Visual | 1990 | 91 min | Rated PG | Nov 22, 2022 | Jeffrey Kauffman

A developer attempts to sabotage the safety record of a ski resort.

Action / Comedy / Sport

Frasier: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie  

Paramount Pictures | 1993-2004 | 11 Seasons | 5885 min | Rated TV-PG | Nov 08, 2022 | Martin Liebman

Making the move from Boston to his former hometown of Seattle, a newly divorced Dr. Frasier Crane finds himself on the radio airwaves as the host of his own call-in advice show. When he's not dealing with the problems of his troubled listeners, he's embroiled in skirmishes at home involving Marty, his retired police detective father; Daphne, his father's physical therapist; his younger brother (and rival) Niles; and Eddie...his father's devious dog!

Comedy / Romance

Dark Winds: Season 1 Blu-ray Movie  

AMC Studios | 2022 | 261 min | Not rated | Nov 01, 2022 | Dr. Svet Atanasov

The year is 1971. Joe Leaphorn of the Navajo Tribal Police must solve a series of unrelated crimes. He is joined by his new deputy, Jim Chee. Together, the two men battle the forces of evil and their own personal demons on the path to salvation.

Drama / Thriller

Blue Hawaii 4K Blu-ray Movie  

Paramount Presents #36 / 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital Copy

Paramount Pictures | 1961 | 101 min | Rated PG | Nov 15, 2022 | Martin Liebman

The year was 1961. Fallout shelters dot suburban backyards. Ken joins Barbie. Roger Maris slugs 61 home runs. And Elvis Presley is in paradise, playing an ex-G.I. who comes home to Blue Hawaii. His mother (Angela Landsbury) expects him to climb the corporate ladder. But Elvis would rather wear an aloha shirt than a white collar, so he goes to work as a tour guide.

Comedy / Musical

Blue Hawaii Blu-ray Movie  

Paramount Pictures | 1961 | 102 min | Rated PG | No Release Date | Martin Liebman

The year was 1961. Fallout shelters dot suburban backyards. Ken joins Barbie. Roger Maris slugs 61 home runs. And Elvis Presley is in paradise, playing an ex-G.I. who comes home to Blue Hawaii. His mother (Angela Landsbury) expects him to climb the corporate ladder. But Elvis would rather wear an aloha shirt than a white collar, so he goes to work as a tour guide.

Comedy / Musical