Alfred Hitchcock All-New 4K UHD Limited Edition Collection arrives 11/26

BRING HOME TIMELESS CLASSICS FROM THE ‘MASTER OF SUSPENSE’

IN ALL-NEW LIMITED-EDITION COLLECTION

TOGETHER FOR THE FIRST TIME ON 4K ULTRA HD DISC AND DIGITAL

ALFRED HITCHCOCK: THE 

ICONIC FILM COLLECTION

FEATURING SIX UNFORGETTABLE ALFRED HITCHCOCK FILMS 

AVAILABLE ON NOVEMBER 26, 2024 AND PACKED WITH OVER 15 HOURS OF BONUS FEATURES 

From one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema comes the all-new ALFRED HITCHCOCK: THE ICONIC FILM COLLECTION, releasing on 4K Ultra HD disc and Digital on November 26, 2024 from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. This must-own collection consists of some of the most unforgettable and groundbreaking films of all time including Rear Window, To Catch a Thief, Vertigo, North By Northwest, Psycho, and The Birds.

In partnership with Warner Bros. and Paramount Home Entertainment, the collection features the newly released 4K Ultra HD remasters of North by Northwest and To Catch a Thief. It’s the very first time you can own all six films together on 4K Ultra HD disc and includes digital codes of each film. 

The premium book style-packaging consists of rare photos, bios, trivia, and original cover art by renowned artist Tristan Eaton. It features over 15 hours of revealing bonus features including Psycho Uncut (the extended version of the movie originally seen in theaters), audio interviews with Alfred Hitchcock, behind-the-scenes featurettes, rare production photographs, creative storyboards, insightful feature commentaries, and so much more! It is limited-edition item and will be available to purchase at participating retailers including Amazon and GRUV. Starring James Stewart and Grace Kelly, Rear Window is Alfred Hitchcock’s voyeuristic masterpiece about a photographer who develops an obsession after thinking he witnessed a neighbor’s murder. To Catch a Thief, courtesy of Paramount Pictures, stars Cary Grant along with Grace Kelly and centers on a reformed jewel thief in the French Riviera. Considered one of Hitchcock’s greatest cinematic achievements, Vertigo stars James Stewart and Kim Novak in a dizzying web of mistaken identity, passion and murder. North by Northwest, courtesy of Warner Bros., stars Cary Grant alongside Eva Marie Saint as a man on the run who is abducted and framed for murder, and it's considered one of Hitchcock’s most visually stunning films. Perhaps regarded as Hitchcock’s most well-known film, Psycho stars Janet Leigh and Anthony Perkins as a mild-mannered motel manager who turns out to be not what he seems. Finally, Hitchcock’s one true “monster” movie, The Birds, stars Tippi Hedren as she fights to survive an unexplainable attack by birds in a quiet seaside town.

ALFRED HITCHCOCK FILMS INCLUDE:

- Rear Window

- To Catch A Thief (NEW TO 4K ULTRA HD)

- Vertigo

- North By Northwest (NEW TO 4K ULTRA HD)

- Psycho (including Psycho Uncut) 

- The Birds

BONUS FEATURES INCLUDE:

REAR WINDOW (1954):

- Rear Window Ethics: An Original Documentary

- A Conversation with Screenwriter John Michael Hayes

- Pure Cinema: Through the Eyes of the Master

- Breaking Barriers: The Sound of Hitchcock

- Hitchcock/Truffaut

- Masters of Cinema

- Production Photographs

- Theatrical Trailer

- Re-release Trailer Narrated by James Stewart

- Feature Commentary with John Fawell, Author of Hitchcock's Rear Window: the Well Made Film

TO CATCH A THIEF (1955):

- Filmmaker Focus: Leonard Maltin on To Catch a Thief 

- Behind the Gates: Cary Grant and Grace Kelly (2009)

- Commentary by Dr. Drew Casper, Hitchcock Film Historian, and more! 

VERTIGO (1958): 

- Obsessed with Vertigo: New Life of Hitchcock's Masterpiece

- Partners in Crime: Hitchcock's Collaborators

- Foreign Censorship Ending

- Hitchcock/Truffaut

- Feature Commentary with Film Director William Friedkin

-Theatrical Trailer

- Restoration Theatrical Trailer 

- 100 Years of Universal: The Lew Wasserman Era

NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959)

- North by Northwest: Cinematography, Score, and the Art of the Edit

- Destination Hitchcock: The Making of North by Northwest

- The Master’s Touch: Hitchcock’s Signature Style

- North by Northwest: One for the Ages

- A Guided Tour with Alfred Hitchcock

- Commentary by Screenwriter Ernest Lehman

PSYCHO (1960): 

- Psycho Uncut: The extended version of the movie as seen in theaters in 1960 is exactly as intended by Alfred Hitchcock.

- The Making of Psycho

- Psycho Sound

- In The Master's Shadow: Hitchcock's Legacy

- Hitchcock/Truffaut

- Newsreel Footage: The Release of Psycho

- The Shower Scene: With and Without Music

- The Shower Sequence: Storyboards by Saul Bass

- The Psycho Archives

- Posters and Psycho Ads

- Lobby Cards

- Behind-the-Scenes Photographs

-  Production Photographs

- Psycho Theatrical Trailers

- Psycho Re-release Trailers

- Feature Commentary with Stephen Rebello, author of "Alfred Hitchcock and The Making of Psycho"

THE BIRDS (1963):

- The Birds: Hitchcock's Monster Movie

- All About The Birds

- Tippi Hedren's Screen Test

- Deleted Scenes

- The Original Ending

- Hitchcock/Truffaut

- The Birds Is Coming (Universal International Newsreel)

- Suspense Story: National Press Club Hears Hitchcock (Universal International Newsreel)

- Theatrical Trailer

- 100 Years of Universal: Restoring the Classics

- 100 Years of Universal: The Lot

For more information on ALFRED HITCHCOCK: THE ICONIC FILM COLLECTION, please visit:

REAR WINDOW (1954) FILMMAKERS:

Cast: James Stewart (L.B. 'Jeff' Jeffries), Grace Kelly (Lisa Carol Fremont), Raymond Burr (Lars Thorwald), Wendell 

Corey (Det. Lt. Thomas J. Doyle), Thelma Ritter (Stella) 

Director: Alfred Hitchcock 

Producer: Alfred Hitchcock

Screenplay: John Michael Hayes 

Based on the Work(s) of: Cornell Woolrich

Director of Photography: Robert Burks

TO CATCH A THIEF (1955) FILMMAKERS:

Cast: Cary Grant (John Robie), Grace Kelly (Frances Stevens), Jessie Royce Landis (Jessie Stevens)

Directed By: Alfred Hitchcock

Screenplay By: John Michael Hayes

Based on the Novel By: David Dodge

VERTIGO (1958) FILMMAKERS:

Cast: James Stewart (Det. John 'Scottie' Ferguson), Kim Novak (Madeleine Elster / Judy Barton), Barbara Bel 

Geddes (Marjorie 'Midge' Wood), Tom Helmore (Gavin Elster) 

Director: Alfred Hitchcock 

Producer: Alfred Hitchcock 

Screenplay: Alec Coppel, Samuel Taylor 

Music: Bernard Herrmann 

Based on the Work(s) of: Pierre Boileau, Thomas Narcejac 

Art Direction: Hal Pereira, Henry Bumstead, Sam Comer, Frank McKelvy

NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959) FILMMAKERS:

Cast: Cary Grant (Roger O. Thornhill), Eva Marie Saint (Eve Kendall), James Mason (Phillip Vandamn), Jessie 

Royce Landis (Clara Thornhill)

Directed By: Alfred Hitchcock

Written By: Ernest Lehman

PSYCHO (1960) FILMMAKERS:

Cast: Anthony Perkins (Norman Bates), Janet Leigh (Marion Crane), Vera Miles (Lila Crane), John Gavin (Sam Loomis), Martin Balsam (Milton Arbogast), John McIntire (Dep. Sheriff Al Chambers) 

Director: Alfred Hitchcock 

Producer: Alfred Hitchcock 

Screenplay: Joseph Stefano 

Music: Bernard Herrmann 

Based on the Work(s) of: Robert Bloch 

Director of Photography: John L. Russell 

Art Direction: Joseph Hurley, Robert Clatworthy, George Milo

THE BIRDS (1963) FILMMAKERS:

Cast: Tippi Hedren (Melanie Daniels), Rod Taylor (Mitch Brenner), Jessica Tandy (Lydia Brenner), Suzanne Pleshette (Annie Hayworth), Veronica Cartwright (Cathy Brenner), Malcolm Atterbury (Deputy Al Malone) 

Director: Alfred Hitchcock 

Producer: Alfred Hitchcock 

Screenplay: Evan Hunter 

Visual Effects: Ub Iwerks

TECHNICAL INFORMATION: 

REAR WINDOW (1954):

Layers: BD 100

Aspect Ratio: 16:9 1.66:1 Widescreen

Rating: PG 

Subtitles: English SDH, French Canadian, and Latin Spanish

o Languages/Sound: English (DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0), French European (DTS Digital Surround 

2.0 Mono), Latin Spanish (DTS Digital Surround 2.0 Mono)

Run Time: 01:55:00

TO CATCH A THIEF (1955)

Layers: BD 66

Aspect Ratio: 16:9 1.85:1 Widescreen

Rating: PG 

Subtitles: English SDH, English, and French 

Languages/Sound: English (Dolby TrueHD 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono) 

Run Time: 01:46:00

VERTIGO (1958): 

Layers: BD 100

Aspect Ratio: 16:9 1.85:1 Widescreen

Rating: PG 

Subtitles: English SDH, French Canadian, and Latin Spanish 

Languages/Sound: English (DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0), English (DTS: X Master Audio), French 

European (DTS Digital Surround 2.0 Mono), Latin Spanish (DTS Digital Surround 2.0 Mono)

Run Time: 02:09:00

NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959): 

Layers: BD 66

Aspect Ratio: 16:9 1.78:1 Widescreen

Rating: Not Rated

Subtitles: English SDH, Parisian French, and Latin Spanish

Languages/Sound: English (Dolby Atmos TrueHD), English (2.0 DTS-HDMA), Parisian French, 

Latin Spanish

Run Time: 02:16:00

PSYCHO (1960): 

Layers: BD 100

Aspect Ratio: 16:9 1.85:1 Widescreen

Rating: R

Subtitles: English SDH, French Canadian, and Latin Spanish

Languages/Sound: English (DTS:X Master Audio), English (DTS Digital Surround 2.0 Mono), 

French Canadian (DTS Digital Surround 2.0 Mono), Latin Spanish (DTS Digital Surround 2.0 

Mono)

Run Time: 01:49:00

THE BIRDS (1963):

Layers: BD 100

Aspect Ratio: 16:9 1.85:1 Widescreen

Rating: PG-13

Subtitles: English SDH, Brazilian Portuguese, French Canadian, Japanese and Latin Spanish

Languages/Sound: English (DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0), Brazilian Portuguese (DTS Digital 

Surround 2.0 Mono), French European (DTS Digital Surround 2.0 Mono), Japanese (DTS Digital 

Surround 2.0 Mono), Latin Spanish (DTS Digital Surround 2.0 Mono)

Run Time: 02:00:00

LAND OF THE DEAD (2005) (Scream Factory 4K UHD/BD Collector’s Edition Review) 

LAND OF THE DEAD (2005)

3-Disc 4K UHD/BD Collector’s Edition

Label: Scream Factory

Region Code: Region-Free (UHD), A (BD) 
Rating: Unrated 

Duration: 95 Minutes 57 Seconds (Unrated) 

Audo: English Dolby Atmos, DTS-HD MA 2.0 Stereo, DTS HD-MA 5.1 Surround with Optional English Subtitles 

Video: Dolby Vision HDR10 1080p HD Widescreen (2.39:1) 

Director: George A. Romero 

Cast: Simon Baker, Dennis Hopper, Asia Argento, Robert Joy, John Leguizamo

After decades away from the undead sub-genre he helped modernized with Night of the Living Dead George Romero’s (Dawn of the Dead) returned with his fourth entry in his iconic zombie franchise, Land of the Dead (2005), arriving a full 20 years after Day of the Dead (1985). I remember in the lead up to catching a sneak peak screening of this how excited I was for Romero to be returning to his ...of the Dead franchise. It seemed that after years of dormancy, the undead sub-genre was re-animated once more after the box office  success of Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later (2002) and Zach Snyder's remake of Romero's Dawn of the Dead remake, though AMC's adaptation of the zombie comic The Walking Dead was still five years away zombies were back in pop culture and Romero finally was able to finance a new undead flick through Universal, working with his largest budget yet at 19 million dollars. 

It's been a few rough years since the initial outbreak of undead, America is a wasteland dotted by small outcroppings of protected areas, and once such place is Fiddler's Green, a luxury high-rise apartment located on a small plot of land in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a peninsula bordered on two sides by a river which offers a naturally protected area, where a guy named Kaufman (Dennis Hopper, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2) has established a community, where the wealthy can pay a premium to love in a luxury apartment, while the poor who are left to scavenge for themselves within the protracted area outside the high-rise, it's not a lot different from some Mad Mad type apocalypse scenarios. 

Kaufman has a small army of hired mercenaries comprised of lower class folks that venture into the wasteland to procure supplies, using a heavily-armored personnel vehicle dubbed 'Dead Reckoning' to lay waste to the undead hordes the living call "stenches" outside the protective barriers.  The ragtag group of soldiers is lead by Riley (Simon Baker, Red Planet), but we get from the start of the film that he's about to retire his position commanding Dead Reckoning, and move on, having saved up enough money to buy a working vehicle to leave Fiddler's Green and look for some desolate place in the wasteland up north in Canada to live out his days alone, sort of, he also plans on taking his somewhat slow witted pal Charlie (Robert Joy, The Dark Half), whose face is badly burned, and while he ain't much to look at he is a hell of crack shot with a gun, which comes in handy. When Riley moves on the plan is to hand over the reigns of Dead Reckoning to Cholo (John Leguizamo, Spawn).

Things don't quite go as planned, Riley's vehicle comes up missing, and Cholo turns against Kaufman when he is denied a place at the luxury apartments, having been deemed too unsavory and low-class for the high-life, he ends up stealing Dead Reckoning and threatens to blow-up Fiddler's Green unless he gets a sizable ransom. Kaufman, refusing to deal with a terrorist, recruits Riley to lead a team comprised of his trusty sidekick Charlie and a prostitute named Slack (Asia Argento, The Stendhal Syndrome), whom he saved from a zombie cage-match earlier, as well as three hired mercs in Kaufman's employ, Manolete (Sasha Roiz, The Day After Tomorrow), Motown (Krista Bridges, Heroes Reborn), and Pillsbury (Pedro Miguel Arce, Step Brothers), to recover Dead Reckoning in exchange for a new set of wheels. 

All parties however are unaware of a larger looming threat moving into the area, a horde of undead are massing and headed towards Fiddler's Green, lead by 'Big Daddy' (Eugene Clark, Knight Rider 2000), a zombie who along with other undead in his horde, have started to show signs of emerging intelligence, the sort of stuff hinted at by 'Bub' in Day of the Dead, now capable of handling bladed weapons and firing machine guns, and staging a somewhat thought out  

When I saw this at the theater during a sneak preview I was bowled over by it, I was primed for it, I had re-watched the original trilogy and went in hot, and I loved it, I still quite enjoy it, and I re-watch it every couple of years. It's not quite held up to the standard set by the previous three films, but that's a tall order, even for Romero himself. When I think about what it is that puts me off it somewhat it really boils down to the reliance on digital CGI gore and effects, and the lack of character development. We don't spend enough time with the main characters to get to know them, we get archetypes, and that sort of cinematic shorthand works well enough to establish the bullet points of the characters, but not enough to get under their skin and in their minds, it's very shallow in that way. Also, while there's a lot of practical effects on display it lacks the visceral gut-ripping intensity of Dawn or Day, and the CGI stuff sticks out like a sore thumb. I grew up seeing Romero's undead hordes tear people apart, using old school practical effects, and the digital grue just doesn't satisfy the way old school rubber and latex with tubes spurting blood, it just doesn't. 

That's not to say I don't enjoy it, I do, seeing Romero do his thing back in 2005 got this horror-fans blood pumping, and like I said, I re-watch every couple of years, its plenty entertaining, it has lot of that patented Romero cynicism and social commentary, it's just a bit shallower and not as grisly, but it's still a solid undead flick from Romero. 

Audio/Video: George A. Romero's Land of the Dead (2005) gets the 4K UHD treatment from Scream Factory, offering a 3-disc release that presents the uncut version on 4K UHD, with separate discs for both the theatrical cut and uncut version on Blu-ray. Both versions are framed in 2.39:1 widescreen, with the Uncut version presented in 2160p Ultra HD with the added benefit of the Dolby Vision HDR10 color space with a brand new 2024 4K restoration from the original camera negative, while the Blu-rays also sport a new 4K scan down sampled to 1080p minus the WCG color-grade. The image looks terrific, grain is fine and well-managed, the source is immaculate, and the 4K resolution offers a pleasing uptick in delineation of fine detail textures, and zombie make-ups. The color-grade is mostly restrained, but primaries to occasionally appear deeper and more saturated. This is a very dark movie, most of it taking place in darkness, so the biggest benefit to my eyes is the deeper more nuanced black levels with superior shadow detail. All in all a solid 4K upgrade of Romero's fourth Dead flick. 

On the audio front we get English Dolby Atmos (TrueHD 7.1), and DTS-HD MA 2.0 stereo and 5.1 surround on the 4K UHD, and only the DTS 2.0 and 5.1 on the Blu-rays, all with optional English subtitles. The Atmos track is terrific, the sounds of the undead hordes moaning, snaps of gunfire, explosions, the boom of "sky flowers", the sounds of humans screaming, and the industrial sound of the Dead Reckoning vehicle rolling along are delivered with some nice depth, and with plenty of active surround activity. It's got a nice sound design to it and the Atmos enhances that. The DTS tracks are also clean and robust. 

This 3-disc release is well-stocked with extras, though they all seem to be carry-overs from the 2017 Collector's Edition also from Scream Factory as listed below, all of the non-commentary extras appear on the Blu-rays discs. 

The 3-disc UHD/BD set arrives in a standard 4K keepcase with a flipper tray housing the discs, with a single-sided sleeve of artwork featuring the theatrical poster artwork, housed inside a slipcover with the same artwork. 

Special Features: 
Disc One (4K UHD, Unrated Version)
- NEW 2024 4K Restoration from The Original Camera Negative
- Presented In Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos
- Audio Commentary with Writer/Director George A. Romero, Producer Peter Grunwald, And Editor Michael Doherty
- Audio Commentary with Zombie Performers Matt Blazi, Glena Chao, Michael Felsher, And Rob Mayr
Disc Two (Blu-ray, Unrated Version)
- NEW 2024 4K Restoration from The Original Camera Negative
- Audio Commentary with Writer/Director George A. Romero, Producer Peter Grunwald, and Editor Michael Doherty
- Audio Commentary with Zombie Performers Matt Blazi, Glena Chao, Michael Felsher, and Rob Mayr
- Undead Again: The Making of Land of The Dead (12:56) 
- Bringing The Dead to Life (9:31) 
- Scenes Of Carnage (1:42) 
- Zombie Effects: From Green Screen to Finished Scene (3:18) 
- Scream Test – CGI Test (1:05) 
- Bringing The Storyboards to Life (7:54) 
- A Day with The Living Dead Hosted by John Leguizamo (7:34) 
- When Shaun Met George – Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright Visit the Set (12:50)  
Disc Three (Blu-ray, Theatrical Version)
- NEW 2024 4K Restoration from The Original Camera Negative
- Cholo’s Reckoning - An Interview with Actor John Leguizamo (15:37) 
- Charlie’s Story – An Interview with Actor Robert Joy (15:09)
- The Pillsbury Factor – An Interview with Actor Pedro Miguel Arce (17:30) 
- Four Of the Apocalypse – An Interview with Actors Eugene Clark, Jennifer Baxter, Boyd Banks, And Jasmin Geljo (18:49) 
- Dream Of the Dead: The Director’s Cut with Optional Commentary by Director Roy Frumkes (24:40) 
- Deleted Footage from Dream of The Dead (18:40)  
- Deleted Scenes (2:56) 
- Photo Gallery (9:12) 
- Theatrical Trailer (1:45) 

Land of the Dead comes in dead-last when put up against the other three films in Romero's Dead Quadrilogy, but last place among those classics isn't all that bad. It's an entertaining Romero flick, it's better than what came after with the found-footage Diary of the Dead and the Hatfield & McCoy's feuding of Survival of the Dead, in my opinion, your opinion might differ, and that's fine. Regardless of your opinion on the film I think this release from Scream Factory is pretty dang definitive, offering gorgeous new scans of the both versions of the film, plus a wealth of archival extras.

Buy It!

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A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (1984) (WBDHE 4K Ultra HD Review)

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (1984) 

Label: WBDHE

Region Code: Region-Free 

Rating: R

Duration: 91 Minutes 10 Second (Theatrical), 91 Minutes 19 Seconds (Uncut)

Audio: English Dolby Atmos (True HD 7.1), DTS-HD MA Original Theatrical 2.0 with Optional English Subtitles 

Video: HDR10 2160p Ultra HD Widescreen (1.85:1) 

Director: Wes Craven 

Cast: John Saxon, Ronee Blakely, Heather Langenkamp, Amanda Wyss, Nick Corri, Johnny Depp, Robert Englund

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), directed by Wes Craven (Swamp Thing), celebrates if 40th anniversary this year, and as such Warner Bros. have finally released it on 4K Ultra HD, and just in time for Halloween. This is the supernatural slasher that spawned an hugely successful franchise that spawned seven sequels all starring Robert Englund (Eaten Alive) as the iconic dream stalking, finger-bladed bogeyman Freddy Krueger, later remade in 2010, but the less said about that debacle the better. 

Like all any good horror villain we get a cool backstory, Freddy Krueger was a child killer who got off on a technicality years ago, but he was then burned to death by a lynch mob seeking justice, only to returns years later in the terrifying nightmares of his killer’s teenage children. As the kids start to dream of the finger-bladed Krueger, who appears hideous burned, wearing his signature green and red striped sweater ratty old felt hat, they begin to die in their sleep, but with real trauma inflicted on their bodies. It's a pretty cool premise, that you could be killed in your dreams is a frightening prospect. I first saw this when I was ten on cable TV at a sleepover at my friend Barry's house, and I thought it was an absolutely terrifying experience, didn;t sleep a damn wink that night. 

 

It starts off during a sleepover at the house of teenager Tina (Amanda Wyss, Better Off Dead) with her best friend Nancy Thompson (Heather Langenkamp, The Midnight Club).  Nancy's boyfriend Glen Lantz (Johnny Depp, Cry Baby) is there, as isTina's asshole boyfriend, Rod Lane (Nick Corri, Predator 2), who just broke up with her. While hanging out there's talk of their nightmares, and they realize that several of them have all had a dream featuring the same scary looking guy. Later that night Tina and Rod make up go off to her mom's room and have sex, after which they fall asleep. While sleeping Tina dreams of Krueger and is murdered. This scene was and still is a visceral kill, in her dreams she is chased by down a dark alley, Krueger slices off two of his own fingers with his bladed-fingers, which much like seeing the Hitchhiker in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre slice open his hand quite disturbed me. In reality her body is being sliced open by an unseen force, it's a total blood bath, screaming in pain, and tough guy Rod is unable to do anything to stop it. He ends up fleeing the scene, and of course becomes the main suspect in her death. Nancy's divorced father Lt. Don Thompson (John Saxon, Black Christmas) is a cop investigating the crime, and he's disappointed that his daughter is not just having a sleepover with boys, but that she would be friends with someone capable of such violence, though Nancy argues that Rod was incapable of murder, instead blaming the bogeyman of their dreams. Nancy's alcoholic and overwrought mom Marge (Ronee Blakley, A Return to Salem's Lot) meanwhile tries to keep her daughter locked in the house, for her own protection, but the resourceful Nancy, comes up with a plan to rip Krueger out of her dreams and into reality, with he help of her boyfriend Glen, if he can stay awake long enough to stay alive. 

Watching it now I could pick apart some of the finer points about the film, but since I saw it at such a young age I just go with it, it's such an iconic horror entry for me, and seeing it so young at that formative age has scarred it into by brain tissue.  I just go with the dream logic of it and let it wash over me like the iconic supernatural slasher that it is. Robert Englund buried under latex burn scars is absolutely terrifying, and in this first film he's less jokey with the one-liners than the character would become in later sequels, int his first film he's a truly scary nightmare man, one that became an instant pop-culture icon right out of the gate.

 

The make-up effects and gore-gags are also terrific, we have claws tearing into skin, the set design of the dingy boiler room nightmare landscape is super-creepy, and the sound of the claws scraping against metal is unnerving. Other memorable scene for me are Freddy's claws emerging from the water while Nancy takes a bath, a visual he recycled from his film  Deadly Blessing, and that shot of Freddy's emerging from the wall above Nancy's bed using a latex wall, that's just iconic stuff. Oh, and let's not forget the geyser of blood during Glenn's death scene, the poor guy just chilling in bed with his headphones on when Freddy's claws emerge from beneath him and pull him into the bed. It's an inventive kill featuring rotating room turned upside down, which was also used quite well during Tina's death, that pumped 200 gallons of the groovy red stuff out from his bed. It's a visual you will not soon forget, sort of a gruesome version of the elevator blood scene from The Shining!

This was a homerun from Craven, and while I don't love all of his films he did tap into the zeitgeist every now again, this was one of those moments and Scream was another, but he had plenty of misfires along the way. Even still, I always thought that his flicks were interesting even when flawed, he was a cerebral guy and there were always interesting things happening, even if he didn't knock it out of the park. 

The atmosphere and mood of the film is terrific, dread-filled from start to finish, thanks in large part not just to work of cinematographer Jacques Haitkin (The Hidden), but that fantastic synth score by Charles Bernstein (Cujo). A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) is a stone-cold classic, never mind that some of the acting is hilariously overwrought, I am looking at you Ronee Blakley, it's just a terrifying flick, and it holds up for me, and is still one of my favorite effects driven supernatural slashers of all-time. 

Audio/Video: A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) celebrates it's 40th anniversary with a long-overdue 4K restoration from WBDHE, presenting the film in the original 1.85:1 widescreen aspects ratio in 2160P Ultra HD with HDR10 color-grading. Already this is an improvement on the incorrectly framed Blu-ray from 2010 which offered 1.78:1 framing. The source looks immaculate, and the grain structure is much tighter, without compression issues or black crush, which also marred the previous Blu-ray editions. The color-timing is also much improved, the previous Blu-ray was dull and leaned yellow, with the new HDR10 color-grading white are actually crisp and white for a change, colors are renewed, and the blacks are much deeper and nuanced, and not plagued by black crush. The colors are refreshed but natural looking, right from the opening credits the New Line logo looks absolutely radiant in red, and Glenn's 1958 Cadillac Series 62 Convertible shines like never before. Skin tones look more natural compared to the Blu-ray, less ruddy, the color-grading in general just seems more dialed-in and refined. The 4K resolution offers superior grain refinement, showcasing wonderful textures in close-ups of clothing, I am think particularly of Nancy's pink sweater in the highschool hallway nightmare scene, and in close-ups of Freddy's burned visage, and depth and clarity are also much improved. 

Audio comes by way of English Dolby Atmos (True HD 7.1), which I thought was quite surprising that they upgraded it, but also the digital home video debut of the Original Theatrical 2.0 via DTS-HD MA with optional English subtitles. I know past editions have been plagued by missing sound effects and score cues, and while I am not super well-versed in the minutia of that, it does seem that those issues have largely been corrected with this release, on both he Theatrical mic and the new Atmos remix. I preferred the Atmos mix, it was just more robust and delivered the iconic Charles Bernstein (Deadly Friend) synth score, screams and sound effects with more aplomb overall. Having the original theatrical mix is a serious bonus though, it does sound somewhat anemic compared to the Atmos track, but it's there for the purists. I thought the 4K restoration looks terrific, a very solid upgrade over the previous Blu-ray in all the expected areas, a much tighter and more nuanced image, and the restored audio, including the impressive Atmos upgrade, is terrific. 

Less exciting is the array of extras. It's Warner Bros. so it's probably no surprise that there are no new extras for this 40th anniversary edition, but they at least had the decently to recycle the extras from the 2010 Blu-ray. We get both the Theatrical and Uncut version of the film, with the uncut offering 8 seconds of extended violence trimmed for the cinema release, plus archival bonus content by way of the 18-min  Ready Freddy Focus Points, the Audio Commentary with Wes Craven, Robert Englund, Heather Langenkamp, Ronnie Blakely, Robert Shaye, and Sara Risher; a second Audio Commentary with Wes Craven, Heather Langenkamp, John Saxon, and Jacques Haitkin 5-min of Alternate Endings; the 22-min The House that Freddy Built: The Legacy of New Line Horror; the 50-min Never Sleep Again: A Nightmare on Elm Street; and the 16-min Night Terrors: The Origins of Wes Craven’s Nightmares. 

Truly, the flick deserves better than recycled extras, but I am still holding out hope that we still get a deluxe edition 4K UHD boxset of the franchise from some right-minded boutique label like Scream Factory or Arrow Video, because there are still plenty of stories to be told about this film and this franchise!

Onto the packaging, the single-disc release arrives in a standard black 4K UHD branded keepcase with a single-sided sleeve of artwork. Again, it's WB so you know we do not get the absolutely stunning and iconic original illustrated movie poster by artist Matthew Joseph Peak of Nancy staring wide-eyed up from her bed at Freddy's finger-knives; heck we don't even get a promotional image from this film, nope - we get a promotional image from inferior  A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master - c'mon WB, is this about paying for the use of the artwork? Anyway, the slipcover has a flat finish with some metallic highlights, and the logo looks cool on the spine, so there's that. This franchise made millions of dollars, pay Peak his royalties and use that original artwork! Tucked away inside is a redemption  code for a 4K digital copy of the film. 

Special Features:

- Ready Freddy Focus Points (18:13) 

- Audio Commentary with Wes Craven, Robert Englund, Heather Langenkamp, Ronnie Blakely, Robert Shaye, and Sara Risher.

- Audio Commentary with Wes Craven, Heather Langenkamp, John Saxon, and Jacques Haitkin.

- Alternate Endings (4:58) 

- The House that Freddy Built: The Legacy of New Line Horror (21:52) 

- Never Sleep Again: A Nightmare on Elm Street (49:54) 

- Night Terrors: The Origins of Wes Craven’s Nightmares (15:33) 

- Slipcover 

- Digital Copy 

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JONNY'S GOLDEN QUEST (1993) / JONNY QUEST VS. THE CYBER-INSECTS (1995) (Warner Archive Blu-ray Review)

JONNY'S GOLDEN QUEST (1993) / JONNY QUEST VS. THE CYBER-INSECTS (1995) 

JONNY'S GOLDEN QUEST (1993)

Label: Warner Archive

Region Code: Region-Free

Rating: Unrated 

Duration: 87 Minutes 28 Seconds 

Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Dual-Mono with Optional English Subtitles 

Video: 1080p HD Fullscreen (1.33:1) 

Director:  Don Lusk, Paul Sommer

Cast: Don Messick, Granville Van Dusen, Meredith MacRae, JoBeth Williams, Frank Welker, Anndi McAfee, Rob Paulsen, Jeffrey Tambor, Will Estes, B.J. Ward

In Jonny's Golden Quest, Team Quest; scientist Benton Quest, son Jonny (Will Nipper, Mimic 2), bodyguard Race Bannon and Jonny's young friend Hadji are assigned by Intelligence-One to investigate mysterious animal and plant mutations in Peru, and this time we get to meet Benton's biologist wife Rachel (Meredith MacRae, TV's My Three Sons), as well as Race's ex-wife Jade (JoBeth Williams, Poltergeist), who is joined by her young 12-year-old Jessie (Anndi McAfee, Ice Cream Man). Their investigation uncovers the diabolical  Dr. Zin (Jeffrey Tambor, Hellboy 2:The Golden Army) who has been creating mutant "replicants" to do his bidding, his end goal being the cloning of himself. There's a scientist who has perfected synthetic gold named Dr. Victor Devlon (Peter Renaday, The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes) who is key to the story, and surprisingly there's a death that hits close to home for the team, and we get some rathe deep father-son melodrama that I thought added a unique dynamic to the flick, with Benton struggling to earn the respect of his son who idolizes Race. This one has plenty of action and I thought the animation was pretty aces. This was the first new animated Quest adventure since the 1986 re-boot, and it brought back the talents of  Don Messick (the original voice of Scooby-doo) as Dr. Benton Quest, Granville Van Dusen as Race Bannon, and Rob Paulsen as Hadji, who all voiced the characters from the 1986 series, Messick having voiced Dr. Benton in the original 60's version as well. 

JONNY QUEST VS. THE CYBER-INSECTS (1995) 

Label: Warner Archive

Region Code: Region-Free

Rating: Unrated 

Duration: 87 Minutes 28 Seconds 

Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Dual-Mono with Optional English Subtitles 

Video: 1080p HD Fullscreen (1.33:1) 

Director: Mario Piluso

Voice Cast: Don Messick, Granville Van Dusen, Héctor Elizondo, Jeffrey Tambor, Tim Matheson, Kevin Smets, Anndi McAfee, Theresa Saldana, Victor Love, Robert Ito, Olivia White

Two years after Jonny's Golden Quest (1993) we got the final animated Quest film, Jonny Quest vs.The Cyber Insects, featuring the return of the diabolical Dr. Zin, still voiced by a terrific Jeffrey Tambor (Arrested Development) who this time out has genetically modified household pests into giant-sized insects he dubs "assassinoids", while also having a satellite that can control the weather. This flick also features the return of Race's daughter Jessie (voiced again by Anndi McAfee) from the last film in a decently meaty role. Also returning, the original voice of Jonny Quest from the 60's series, Tim Matheson (Animal House), as the voice of Johnny personal robot 4-Dac, while Jonny this time out is voiced by Kevin Smets. We also get Héctor Elizondo (Tortilla Soup) as Orinoquian Chief Atacama who is tasked with putting Jonny through a ritual test of manhood at the start of film. If you liked the first film this is sure to be a pleaser, again, lots of mutant mayhem, plenty of animated sci-fi tinged action-adventure, and I thought the insect-creature designs were pretty cool. 

I grew up watching re-runs of the 60's version and the first-run of the 80's reboot The New Adventures of Jonny Quest (1986–87) these 90's animated telefilms where a bit out of my wheelhouse. When they first aired I wasn't watching a lot of cartoons, then in my early 20's, so catching up to these now was quite a treat. I thought the stories were well-crafted and retained what I loved about the original series, and the animation style was quite fetching. If you're a fan of the original 60's or 80's incarnations, and are still a kid at heart, there's bound to be a lot to love here, and if you're a bit younger and actually grew up watching these when they first aired I can honestly say these will look much better in HD than you have ever seen them before. Watching these has definitely made me want to re-visit the original 60's series, and it might be about time I finally grab that complete series set from WB, which you can pick up for under $30 right HERE! I love that Warner Archive keep digging into the Hanna-Barbera archives to unearth and restore these animated gems, I hope they keep them coming!  

Audio/Video: Both animated films arrives on region-free Blu-ray from Warner Archive, presenting the films in the original broadcast aspect rations of 1.33:1 fullscreen. The source looks great, no blemishes, very clean looking. The animation looks great with bold nicely saturated colors and the line work looks solid throughout. It does look like there's been some grain filtering applied and film grain is quite diminished, which is not ideal, but I still thought both films looked quite sharp in HD. Audio comes by way of English DTS-HD MA 2.0 stereo with optional English subtitles. The track is clean, the voice cast sounds terrific, the sound effects are boisterous, and the scores come through well. 

There are not extras for this release. The single-disc release arrives in a standard keepcase with a single-sided wrap of artwork. 

Special Features:

- None 

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CONFLICT (1945) (Warner Archive Blu-ray Review)

CONFLICT (1945) 

Label: Warner Archive

Region Code: Region-Free

Rating: Unrated

Duration: 86 Minutes 5 Seconds 

Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Dual-Mono with Optional English Subtitles 

Video: 1080p HD Fullscreen (1.37:1) 

Director: Curtis Bernhardt

Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Alexis Smith, Sydney Greenstreet, Rose Hobartm, Charles Drake

Conflict (1945), directed by Curtis Bernhardt (Possessed), is a suspense film with noir elements that tells the tale of a love triangle that leads to a haunting murder-melodrama. We have married couple Richard Mason (Humphrey Bogart, The Maltese Falcon) and Kathryn (Rose Hobartm, Tower of London) who are celebrating the fifth anniversary, but who are clearly quite unhappy together. How could they not be when Richard confirms his wife’s suspicion that he no longer loves her and has fallen in love with her younger sister Evelyn (Alexis Smith, The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane), who is visiting with them on the occasion of their anniversary. Evelyn is not aware of the marital difficulties nor of Richard's illicit affection for her, and that night while driving home from their anniversary party Kathryn suggests that Ellen should return home to care for their lonely mother, Richard who is driving becomes so distracted by the suggestion that he crashes the car, breaking his leg. 

While convalescing Richard hatches a plan to murder his wife, making it seem as though he is reliant on a wheelchair even though his leg has healed, later ducking out of a planned trip to a mountain resort at the last minute, and insisting that his wife continue on alone without him. While travelling up a dark and desolate mountain Kathryn encounters a car blocking the single lane road, and is even more surprised when a trenchcoat wearing Richard who emerges from the fog, killing her, sending her body down the steep mountain terrain inside the car, the wreckage covered by logs that the car dislodges along the way. 

When Kathryn does not arrive at her destination Richard reports her missing, having established an alibi. As her vehicle has not yet been discovered it seems that the calculating Richard may have gotten away with murder. Ellen stays on with Richard while the search for her sister continues, they grow closer, but he is none to pleased when her persistent suitor Prof. Norman Holsworth (Charles Drake, It Came from Outer Space) proposes to her, causing him to lose his cool a bit, and to play his hand a bit sooner than planned, which is a miscalculation on his part. Also adding to the tension and suspense of the film are that it seems that perhaps Kathryn is not actually dead, with the wreckage and her body still not found, there are small clues left about that seems to indicate she's alive and slyly tormenting her would-be killer. At home Richard catches a whiff of his wife's distinct perfume, and jewelry and a key she had in her possession during the murder show up, and there's a mysterious phone call from a woman and a letter in her handwriting that turn up, which gives the film a ghostly quality. We also have psychoanalyst Dr. Mark Hamilton (Sydney Greenstreet, Casablanca), a mutual friend of Richard and Kathryn's who is ever-present, always there to lend an ear to Richard, engaging in conversations about what goes on in the mind of a killer and such.  

This was  a rare villainous role for Bogart, and he plays it so well, perhaps too well, even managing to garner some sympathy, which is quite a feat considering he's a wife-killer. The way he is sort of haunted by his wife and becomes quite paranoid is well-done. The film looks gorgeous, particularly two key set-pieces; the car accident is very stylized and look terrific, and then we get Ellen driving up the deserted fog-shrouded mountain road, to her death, which happens offscreen, but the aftermath of sending her car careening down the steep mountain slope is quite a stunning visual feat. 

Audio/Video: Conflict (1945) looks terrific on Blu-ray from Warner Archive, framed in the original 1.37:1 fullscreen presentation, presented in 1080p HD. The transfer is very pleasing with excellent contrast, grayscale look solid, black levels are strong. The moody film has plenty of atmospheric noir styling and that translates quite well here. We get English DTS-HD MA 2.0 dual-mono for the sole audio option, it's clean and well-balanced, age related wear is not an issue, dialogue exchanges and atmospherics sounds natural and period accurate. 

Extras include a pair of classic 1945 WB Cartoons by way of the 8-min Life with Feathers and 7-min Trap Happy Porky, both in HD, plus a pair of vintage WB 1945 Shorts, the 9-min Peeks at Hollywood, and the 14-min Are Animal Actors?, also both in HD. Additionally we get the 25-min audio-only 

Conflict Radio Broadcast, which originally aired September 11th 1945, starring Humphrey Bogart, plus the Original Theatrical Trailer. I love it when Warner Archive includes these bonus shorts and radio broadcasts that are of the era, it really sets a time and place, which is terrific, knowing that some of these shorts could have screened before the film back in 1945. The single-disc release arrives in a standard keepcase with a one-sided wrap featuring the illustrated movie poster artwork. 

 Special Features: 

- Classic 1945 WB Cartoons: Life with Feathers (7:42) HD, Trap Happy Porky (6:52) HD

- WB 1945 Shorts: Peeks at Hollywood (8:56) HD, Are Animal Actors? (14:11) HD

- Audio-only: Conflict radio broadcast (9/11/1945) starring Humphrey Bogart (24:50) 

- Original Theatrical Trailer

Conflict is quite a haunting and suspenseful thriller, the cast is terrific, the stylized visuals are moody, and the seemingly ghostly elements come together quite nicely to deliver a thrilling noir-ish murder melodrama that I would easily recommend.  Warner Archive's Blu-ray looks phenomenal, and the era-specific extras add a lot of value tot he package, 

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BLACK BELT JONES (1974) (Warner Archive Blu-ray Review)

BLACK BELT JONES (1974) 

Label: Warner Archive 

Region Code: Region-Free

Rating: R

Duration: 85 Minutes 

Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Dual-Mono with Optional English Subtitles

Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1) 

Director: Robert Clouse

Cast: Jim Kelly, Scatman Crothers, Gloria Hendry, Malik Carter, Eric Laneuville

Black Belt Jones (1972), directed by Robert Clouse (Deadly Eyes),  is a martial-arts blaxploitation flick starring International Karate Champion Jim Kelly (Enter the Dragon, also directed by Clouse) as the titular bad-ass who seems to be some sort of spy-for-hire with connections to a vague government agency. Back in his old neighborhood in Los Angeles his former mentor "Pop" Byrd (Scatman Crothers, The Shining) runs a local martial arts dojo, but has gambling debts owed to local kingpin Pinky (Malik Carter, Penitentiary II), and when Pinky's Italian mob connections discover that he's been skimming profits they send word down that they want him to force Pops to gibe them his real-estate, to make room for a mob-financed civic center. Pinky and his thugs attempt to use that debt to force Pops to sign over his dojo, but they accidentally kill him while roughing him up. After his death Pops' estranged daughter Sydney (Gloria Hendry, Hell Up In Harlem) returns home for his funeral and to decide if she wants to continue with the dojo, but upon learns of Pinky's involvement in her father's death he vows to whoop some ass, and she's quite an ass-kicker in her own right, making short work of the occasional thugs she encounters. Eventually Pinky kidnaps martial arts student Quincy (Eric Laneuville, The Omega Man) and holds him for ransom, requiring Black Belt Jones to recruit some sexy trampoline enthusiasts he meets on the beach to assist him in a heist to gets the ransom funds, yes that actually happens. 

This is a low-budget action flick but fear not, the fight choreography is aces, Jim Kelly looks stunning, and the dialogue exchanges are snappy. While not a comedy it is quite humorous in it's execution; the main focus of the film seems to be to kick-ass and make Jim Kelly look good, and it succeeds on both counts, and Gloria Hendry as Sydney is pretty bad-ass herself. 

The action comes fast and furious, plenty of fights throughout, my favorites being a fight on a train that features baddies flying out of glass windows left and right and the sudsy finale at a car wash, which admittedly is a bit goofy, but I like the tongue-in-cheek tone of the whole flick, it works for me, and it's quite re-watchable, seeing Jim Kelly and Gloria Hendry kicking ass for 90-minutes never gets dull. Also, Malik Carter as the sharply-bearded kingpin Pinky looks terrific, and even though Scatman Crothers' role is short-lived it's always a pleasure seeing him up on the screen. 

Audio/Video: Black Belt Jones (1972) arrives on region-free Blu-ray from Warner Archive, framed in 1.85:1 widescreen we get a new 4K scan of the original camera negative. The transfer looks terrific, the source looks flawless, those course early 70's grain structures are intact, and detail, depth and clarity impress, as do black levels. Skin tones look natural throughout, and the primaries are bold and well-saturated. Audio comes by way of English DTS-HD MA 2.0 dual-mono with optional English subtitles. Dialogue exchanges, canned martial arts effects, and moments of action all sound great, as does the score from  (Friday Foster). 

The only extras is the 3-min Original Theatrical Trailer for the film. The single-disc release arrives in a standard keepcase with single-sided sleeve of artwork featuring the illustrated movie poster. 

Special Features: 

- Original Theatrical Trailer (3:00)

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THE EPITAPH VOL. 85 - JAM-PACKED APPOINTMENT TELEVISION EDITION!

THE EPITAPH VOL. 85 - JAM-PACKED APPOINTMENT TELEVISION EDITION!

YOUNG SHELDON: THE COMPLETE SERIES (2017-2024) - THE WEST WING: THE COMPLETE SERIES (1999-2006) - FRIENDS: THE COMPLETE SERIES (1994-2004) - THE WALKING DEAD: DARYL DIXON (2023) - VEEP: THE COMPLETE SERIES (2012-2019) 

YOUNG SHELDON: THE COMPLETE SERIES (2017-2024) 

12-Disc DVD Set

Label: WBDHE

Region Code: 

Rating: PG 

Duration: 2763 Minutes 

Audio: English Dolby Digital with Optional English Subtitles 

Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 

Cast: Iain Armitage, Zoe Perry, Lance Barber, Annie Potts, Montana Jordan, Raegan Revord, Emily Osment, Jim Parsons

This DVD set collects all seven seasons of Young Sheldon, a spin-off prequel to The Big Bang Theory, offering a coming-of-age story of the character of Sheldon from TBBT set n the late '80s through the '90s, starring Iain Armitage (TV's Big Little Lies)  as the genius-level adolescent Sheldon growing up in East Texas. Armitage is terrific, capturing the still-forming character traits of the grown-up version of himself from TBBT but also with an innocence and a surprising amount of sweetness. The rest of the cast is also terrific, we have Zoe Perry (TV's The Family) as Sheldon's Southern Baptist mother Mary Cooper, Lance Barber (TV's It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) plays his dad George Cooper Sr. who is the coach of the highschool football team, and then we have his older brother George (Montana Jordan) who struggles to deal with his brother's intellect while looking for attention from his parents, and of course, the show's secret ingredient, his twin sister as Missy (Raegan Revord) who is just a sarcastic bundle of joy. And lets not forget Annie Potts (Ghostbusters) as Constance "Connie" Tucker, maternal grandmother Connie aka "Meemaw. The sitcom is a single-camera show and is total comfort food, I liked the show a ton so far and I say that as someone who only ever watched five or so episodes of TBBT. I would put it up there with Malcolm in the Middle, The Wonder Years and Everybody Hates Chris. I have not finished the series yet, but so far I am digging it. All 141 episodes arrive in a 12-disc DVD set housed in a high capacity Epik-Pak keepcase with a slipcover featuring the same artwork as the wrap. The reverse side of the wrap offers an season by season episode and special features guide. The series is also available as on Blu-ray and in singular season Blu-ray editions. 

Special Features;  

- Sheldon's Secret Origin and Easter Eggs: The cast and producers of Young Sheldon look back on the series’ journey. They share some favorite Easter eggs and Cooper family origins hidden along the way.

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THE WEST WING: THE COMPLETE SERIES 

(1999-2006) 

28-Disc Blu-ray Set 

Label: WBDHE

Region Code: Region-Free

Rating: Unrated 

Duration: 6716 Minutes 

Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0 with Optional English Subtitles 

Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.78:1)

Cast: Martin Sheen, Rob Lowe, Dulé Hill, Allison Janney, Janel Moloney, Richard Schiff, John Spencer, Bradley Whitford

The popular appointment television series The West Wing finally gets a complete collection Blu-ray set,  the engrossing political drama offered intimate look at an American President and the inner workings of the White Housem, winning a staggering 26 Emmy's during it's seven season run The A-list cast was impressive, obviously Martin Sheen (Dead Zone) as Democratic President Josiah "Jed" Bartlet, joined by  his loyal friend and Chief of Staff  Leo McGarry (John Spencer, Ravenous), Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman (Bradley Whitford, Godzilla: King of the Monsters), Communications Director  Toby Ziegler (Richard Schiff, Skinner), Deputy Communications Director Sam Seaborn (Rob Lowe, The Outsiders), and Press Secretary C. J. Cregg (Allison Janney, I, Tonya). The show is surprisingly optimistic and idealistic about the state of politics when viewed through the lens of the current political climate, which was actually quite refreshing, the show is also quite poignant, and two seasons in I must say that my wife and I are very engaged by it. This Blu-ray set is a nice upgrade over streaming HD versions that I have watched, the uptick in depth and clarity is impressive, colors look terrific, film grain is well-managed throughout. All 156 episodes from all seven seasons arrive on 28 discs, presenting each episode in 1080p HD widescreen 1.78:1, with English DTS-HD MA 2.0 with optional English subtitles. The 28-disc Blu-ray set arrives housed in 2 oversized Epik Pak keepcases inside a glossy slipcase. One keepcase holds seasons 1-4 with the other housing seasons 5-7. Inside one of the keepcases is an 8-Page Fold-Out Booklet with an episode and extras guide. 

Special Features: 

- 20 Audio Commentaries

- Behind-the-Scenes featurettes

- Unaired Scenes

- Gag Reels and more

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FRIENDS: THE COMPLETE SERIES (1994-2004) 

25-Disc 4K UHD/BD Set 

Label: WBDHE

Region Code: Region-Free 

Rating: PG 

Duration:

Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD-MA with Optional English Subtitles 

Video: Dolby Vision HDR 2160p Ultra HD Widescreen (1.78:1) 

Cast: David Schwimmer, Courteney Cox, Matthew Perry, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Jennifer Aniston

The beloved '90/00s sitcom Friends (1994-2004) was the definition of 90's prime time ubiquitous, it was unbelievably popular, telling the tale of a close-knit group of friends living in New York City: siblings Ross (David Schwimmer, Apt Pupil) and Monica Geller (Courteney Cox, Scream), along with friends Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry, The Whole Nine Yards), Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow, Clockwatchers), Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc, Lost in Space) and Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston, Office Space), all relatable characters who live in impossibly plush NYC apartments that even then seemed an impossible luxury, but never mind that. The show traverses familiar relationship troubles, job trouble, interpersonal dynamics, all real standard sitcom stuff in my opinion, but the magic here, as with any good show, was the chemistry between the characters, very attractive characters mind you, which certainly didn;t hurt the show. Personally I was more of a Seinfeld fan and not so much of this one, but re-watching select episodes throughout the q seasons I will say that now I am not a jaded 20-something as I was when I first saw the show, I like it quite a bit more now. The guest star on this one were insane, we ger Tom Selleck, Winona Ryder Jason Alexander, Reese Witherspoon, Morgan Fairchildm, Charlton Heston, Robin William, Billy Crystal, Julia Roberts, Charlie Sheen, George Clooney, Brooke Shiields, Brad Pitt, Alec Baldwin, Kathleen Turner, Sean Pen, Jon Lovitz, Helen Hunt, Giovanni Ribisi, Bruce Willis, Paul Rudd, and Dermot Mulrooney and loads of others - this was the Love Boat of the 90's! For it's 30th anniversary all 10 season (236 episodes) are presented in 2160 Ultra HD, framed in 1.78:1 widescreen with Doby Vision HDR color-grading. The episodes look terrific, vibrant and well-defined, Audio comes by way of English DTS-HD MA 5.1 Surround with Optional English subtitles. The 25-disc arrives in six keepcases total, five are black 4K keepcases containing two seasons each, plus a sixth dual-hubbed Blu-ray keepcase with the pair of bonus discs. Tucked away inside the bonus disc keepcase is a booklet that lists all the episodes and special  features, and there are plenty of extras, both new and archival. 

Special Features: 

- Audio Commentaries on Nearly 3

BLU-RAY BONUS DISC #1

- NEW! Friends: Through the Peephole (15:18) 

- NEW! How Well Do You Know Your Friends? (6:37) 

Archival Season 1-5 Extras: 

- Friends of Friends- Seasons 1-4

- Season 2 Trailer

- "Smelly Cat" Music Video

- What's Up with Your Friends? - Seasons 1-4

- Friends Around the World

- The One that Goes Behind the Scenes

- Friends on Location in London

- Gunther Spills the Beans About Season 6

- "True Friends" Documentaries: Friends From the Start (27:48)

- When Friends Become Family (29:18), The Legacy of Friends (10:44)

Bonus Disc #2 (Blu-ray)

Archival Season 6-10 Extras (Previously included on the Blu-ray 

- Friends of Friends Seasons 6-8, 10

- Gag Reels - Seasons 6-10

- Gunther Spills the Beans About Next Season (Seasons 6-9)

- Extended Broadcast Episodes - "The One Where Rosita Dies," "The One Where They All Turn Thirty," "The One with Joey's New Brain" and "The One with the Truth About London", all in standard definition.

- Behind the Style: The Look of Friends

- The Flaming Lips' "Phoebe Battles the Pink Robots" Music Video

- Friends Final Thoughts

- Matt LeBlanc's "Joey Joey" Music Video

- "The One Where Rachel Tells Ross" - Producer's Cut in standard definition

- "The One Where Rachel Tells Ross" Original Script

- Additional Gag Reel

- Friends Visits The Ellen DeGeneres Show

- Friends on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

- The Rembrandts' "I'll Be There for You" Music Video

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THE WALKING DEAD: DARYL DIXON (2023) 

2-Disc Blu-ray Set 

Label: Acorn Media International

Region Code: Region-Free

Rating: Cert. 15 

Duration: 324 Minutes 

Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 with Optional English Subtitles 

Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (2.00:1) 

Cast: Norman Reedus, Clémence Poésy, Adam Nagaitis, Melissa McBride

Arguably the most anticipated The Walking Dead spin-off series was this one starring series breakout character Daryl Dixon played by Norman Reedus (Bikeriders), though the Rick & Michonne spin-off TWD: The Ones Who Live was pretty hotly anticipated with the return of Rick.  This series six-episode season opens with Daryl waking up on the shores of France! That's right, redneck Daryl ends up in France battling rotters over there, he immediately sets out trying to find passage back to the U.S. and to find out how he ended up there to begin with. As you might imagine the answers don't come easily, and during the worldwide zombie-apocalypse such travel arrangement are difficult to come by, After an injury early on Daryl seeks shelter in a convent operated by the Union de L’Espoir (Union of Hope), lead by Marion Genet (Anne Charrier),  where he meets warrior-nun Isabelle (Clémence Poésy, Heartless) who tasks him with transporting 12-year-old Laurent (Louis Puech Scigliuzzi, Show Me More), who her order believes is the new Messiah destined to save humanity, to a Union de L’Espoir contingent in Paris. That's the set-up for the season, and the big baddie come by way of another group,  Pouvoir des Vivants (Power of the Living). Taking the series to France is an excellent decision, this is shot with some serious style and the scenery is breathtaking with some visually arresting set pieces, this is easily by favorite looking of all THW spin-offs. There are also some terrific looking undead, including new variants of "walkers". I loved the first season, and the final episode nicely sets up the second season The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon - The Book of Carol (I wonder who that is?), which is currently streaming on AMC! Of all TWD spin-off this  for me is top two alongside TWG: The Ones Who Live, well-worth checking out. 

Special Features:

- Cast Diaries

- Show me more: The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon

VEEP: THE COMPLETE SERIES (2012-2019) 

12-Disc Blu-ray Set 

Label: WBDHE 

Region Code: Region-Free

Rating: Unrated 

Duration: 1859 Minutes 

Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 with Optional English Subtitles 

Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.78:1) 

Cast: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Anna Chlumsky, Tony Hale, Reid Scott, Timothy Simons, Matt Walsh, Sufe Bradshaw, Kevin Dunn, Gary Cole, Sam Richardson, Sarah Sutherland,Clea DuVall.

Veep is a nice counterpoint to The West Wings, a satirical look at politics from within the White House, following the exploits of VP and Presidential hopeful Selina Meyer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Seinfeld) as she campaigns, she puts out political fires, and attempts to juggles both the public and private demands of executive life, often with her political aide Gary (Tony Hale, Stranger Than Fiction), Chief of Staff Amy Brookheimer (Anna Chlumsky, TV's Hannibal) at her side. I'm honestly only a few episodes into the set but this is a fun watch during the start of what is sure to be a contentious real-life 2024 presidential election gets under way. The seven season series pretty solid in HD, having only ever watched a few of these episodes randomly streaming, but this HD set is a nice upgrade over the variable quality of streaming. All 65 episodes arrive in a 12-disc Blu-ray set housed in a high capacity Epik-Pak keepcase with a slipcover featuring the same artwork as the wrap. The reverse side of the wrap offers an season by season episode and special features guide. 

Special Features: 

Season 1

- The Making of Veep

- Veep: Misspoke

- Veep: Obesity 

- Deleted Scenes and Outtakes

- 12 Audio Commentaries with Cast and Crew

Season 2

- 4 Audio Commentaries with Cast and Crew 

- Deleted Scenes

Season 3

- 4 Audio Commentaries with Cast and Crew 

- Deleted Scenes

Season 4

- Deleted Scenes

Season 5

- 6 Audio Commentaries with Cast and Crew 

- Deleted Scenes

Season 6

- 7 Audio Commentaries with Cast and Crew 

- Season 7

Character Retrospectives

- Inside the Final Season 

- 8 Audio Commentaries with Cast and Crew 

Buy it!

Amazon

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