THE EPITAPH VOL. 42 - WARNER BROS. EDITION
ZACK SNYDER'S JUSTICE LEAGUE (2021) - THE CONJURING 3: THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT (2021) - IN THE HEIGHTS (2021) -
MORTAL KOMBAT LEGENDS: BATTLE OF THE REALMS (2021)
- PRODIGAL SON - THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON (2021) -
HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE (2- DISC MAGICAL MOVIE MODE EDITION) (2001)
Label: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment
Region Code: A
Rating: R
Duration: 242 Minutes
Audio: English Dolby Atmos, Dolby TrueHD 7.1, DTS-HD MA 5.1 MA with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD & 2160p HD (1.33:1)
Director: Zack Snyder
Cast: Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Henry Cavill, Ezra Miller, Jeremy Irons, Ray Fisher, Amy Adams, Diane Lane, Jason Momoa, Ciaran Hinds, Connie Nielsen, J.K. Simmons
Back in 2017 Zack Snyder steeped away from Justice League in the wake of a terrible family tragedy, with Joss Whedon (Firefly, The Avengers) stepping into finish the film, which resulted in the theatrical version of the film, which was re-written and heavily re-shot. The end result was that the theatrical version was deeply flawed and and a hot-mess. Move ahead a few years a Snyder drops hints that there's a version of his cut that could still me made and the fans go nuts and HBO MAX ended up with the Snyder Cut of Justice League, a massive four-hour epic that reveals just how different - and far superior - Snyder's original vision was.
It's a bold and epic flick, not only do we get a reformatted and superior looking Steppenwolf in this version, but we also get to see Darkseid who was completely absent in the theatrical cut - which you could tell in the previous version felt just wrong. This is a completely different film altogether, from the opening that takes place even for the end of Batman v. Superman, to a terrific scene of Barry Allen's first meeting with the love of his life, and we don't even have to see that awful Superman with the CGI assisted moustache removal! Love him or loathe him Snyder has an eye for action and visually striking moviemaking, but he also has a soft spot for slow-motion hero shots that you could easily joke make up about a third of the four-hour run time! That said, I loved Snyder's cut of the Justice League, it's an epic bit of superhero porn, it might be a bit long but it's also quite excellent. The flick gets a 4K UHD from WB that spreads the massive movie over two UDD discs, as well as a pair of Blu-rays - the UHD looks fantastic with impressive sharpness, clarity and depth, and I also dig the HDR10 color-grading which is more in line with the other Snyder DC films, and much less garish than the theatrical cut, plus we get a reference quality Atmos track that is bombastic, including a brand new score from Junkie XL and the patented Synder needle-drops. The only extras on the set is a new expanded Road to Justice League featurette. I would have loved a commentary track or the black and white version that's streaming on HBO Max. No digital copy for this one, it looks like they want you to keep that HBO Max subscription current, hahaha.
Special Features:
- Road to Justice League (26 min) HD
Label: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment
Region Code: A
Rating: R
Duration: 112 Minutes
Audio: English Dolby Atmos, Dolby TrueHD 7.1, DTS-HD MA 5.1 MA with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD & 2160p HD Widescreen (2.39:1)
Director: Michael Chaves
Cast: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Ruairi O’Connor, Sarah Catherine Hook, Julian Hilliard
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It changes gears a bit for the series, we move jump ahead to the 80's as our paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren get involved in the case of a young man from Connecticut named Arnie who is a murder suspect charged with stabbing his landlord to death, but he claims demonic possession as his defense, and the Warrens are there to investigate and support the claim. This is not a terrible entry but one that's weak-sauce in it's execution with cheap jump scares aplenty that probably work great for teen watchers but for me it's just rote beyond the pale. Stars Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson turn in their usual solid performances as the Warrens but it feels like a series that's been surpassed by the Universe it created, and I'm not even that in love with it's offspring, but I enjoyed Annabelle Comes Home (2019) quite a bit more than this. The 4K UHD from WB looks solid though, the HDR10 gives the 80's set film a nice look and the Atmos track is nicely immersive, plus we get a handful of extras, including a motion-comic, but a slick presentation won't doesn't save this overwrought horror franchise for me.
Special Features:
- “By Reason of Demonic Possession” - An in depth look at the true story that inspired the movie (5 min) HD
- “The Occultist” - Meet the terrifying new addition to the Conjuring Universe (4 min) HD
- “Exorcism of Fear” - Delve into the making of the movie and the chilling exorcism scene that opens the film” (6 min)
- “DC Horror Presents The Conjuring: The Lover #1” – A video comic that takes you deeper into the Conjuring Universe (13 min) HD
Label: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: PG-13
Duration: 143 Minutes
Audio: English Dolby Atmos, Dolby TrueHD 7.1, DTS-HD MA 5.1 MA with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD & 2160p HD Widescreen (2.39:1)
Director: Jon M. Chu
Cast: Anthony Ramos, Corey Hawkins, Leslie Grace, Melissa Barrera, Olga Merediz, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Gregory Diaz IV, Stephanie Beatriz, Dascha Polanco, Jimmy Smits
C'mon people, I know you don't think I am a fan of musical, my love of the sub-genre more or less begins with The Rocky Horror Picture Show and ends with Annie, both childhood favorites. That said, I had to watch this with my wife who loves this sort of schmaltzy musical stuff and she loves it. The choreography and music numbers are all well-executed and the cinematography is dazzling, it did start to grow on me quite a bit, so perhaps I am not as jaded, or anti-musical as I think I am... or maybe it's just that good a movie. The 4K UHD from WB is top-notch with Dolby Vision HDR10+ color-grading that brings the colors to life and a Dolby Atmos presentation that brings the songs to life with wonderful depth and clarity. Extras include a 44-minute multi-part making of doc, two sing-along versions of songs from the film, and access to the songs, plus a digital UHD copy of the film.
Special Features:
- Paciencia y Fe: Making in the Heights (44 min) HD
- In the Heights Sing-a-long (8 min) HD
- 96,000 Sing-a-long (6 min) HD
Label: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: R
Duration: 80 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 MA with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD & 2160p HD Widescreen (1.78:1)
Director: Ethan Spaulding
Cast: Joel McHale, Jennifer Carpenter, Jordan Rodrigues, Patrick Seitz, Hanzo Hasashi, Artt Butler, Robin Atkin Downes, Dave B. Mitchell, Ikè Amadi, Grey Griffin
In the sequel Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms things picks up not after the finale of Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge, as out heroes are still besieged by the enemy forces of Shao Kahn – which forces Raiden to petition the Elder Gods to sanction a new Outworld-hosted tournament. Now please remember that I was never a big Mortal Kombat player nor have I closely followed the lore of the game or the franchise of films, so it's all pretty much gibberish to me to be honest. With that in mind, wow, this is a hyper violent and gore-filled animated entry, and on that base level I had a fantastic time watching this 80-minute animated flock! Bodies are torn and shredded, there are decapitations and de-limbings, detailed Mortal Kombat fatalities, and some nicely animated action sequences that kept me tuned in to the action and gore at least. The downside is, as I am not knowledgeable of the mythos and lore, this seems pretty dense for an 80-minute flick, but I totally loved the animated style and extreme volume. The UHS is fantastic, I've often heard that animation does not benefit THAT much from UHD, but let me tell you that I compared the UHD to the Blu-ray disc and it's pretty dang superior folks, the colors are more vibrant and fluorescent. No Atmos audio on this one but we do get a terrific DTS-HD MA 5.1 track that offers with a dynamic sound field that comes at you from all sides. Extras include a trio of featurettes that get into the creative process, the voice work and a brief gag reel, plus an audio commentary, and a digital UHD copy of the film.
Special Features:
- The God and the Dragon: Battling for Earthrealm (7 min)
- Voices of Kombat (Featurette) (9 min)
- Kombat Gags: Gag Reel (4 min)
- Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms Audio Commentary with Producer Rick Morales and Screenwriter Jeremy Adams take the audience inside the art of writing and animating the film in this feature length audio commentary
Label: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 571 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 MA with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (2.00:1)
Directors: Greg Berlanti, Chris Fedak, Sam Sklaver, Sarah Schechter
Cast: Tom Payne, Lou Diamond Phillips, Halston Sage, Aurora Perrineau, Frank Harts
In this final second and final season of police procedural Prodigal Son Malcolm Bright (Tom Payne, Fear the Walking Dead) is a criminal profiler who gets inside the minds of killers because his father, Dr. Martin Whitly (Michael Sheen, Passengers), was a brilliant surgeon and also a notorious serial killer. Now fired from the F.B.I. Malcolm's using his twisted genius to help the NYPD Major Crimes division solve murders at the invite of Det, Gil Arroyo (Lou Diamond Phillips, Bats). This is a series that blends the procedural with black humor, and I could never quite get into it, despite attempting to on several occasions, which is strange because I like black humor and the macabre, but it didn't work for me here. I would chalk it up to lackluster writing, uninspired visuals, and a weird uneven tone that makes it hard to get into, at least for me, I know the series had it's fans, but they were not legion. This set collects all thirteen episodes spread over three Blu-ray discs in 1080p HD with English DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround audio. The only extras are a pair of featurettes, and there is no digital copy. I didn't hate the show, but I won't be lamenting it's cancellation after only two season either - there are tons of better procedural shows out there with better writing and more of an edge.
Special Features:
- Killer Genes
- Emerging From Blood
Label: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment
Region Code: 1
Rating: PG
Duration: 152 Minutes
Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen
Directors: Chris Columbus
Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, John Cleese, Robbie Coltrane
Celebrating the 20th anniversary of Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone Warner Bros. have repackaged it on a 2-disc DVD and Blu-ray, we get a standard version of the film on disc one and a second disc with something called the Magical Movie Mode; which sort of mirrors the previous In-Movie Experience feature, offering audio and video commentary from director Chris Columbus, and pop-up prompts that encourage you to explore additional deleted scenes while also quizzing your knowledge of all things Harry Potter. I found it to be a bit annoying myself, but not as annoying as how bad it looks on DVD with fuzzy-edged visuals and compression artifacts. I'm sure this looks better on Blu-ray (hopefully), but I say stick with your Blu-ray or upgrade to the 4K UHD collection, but skip this cash-grab altogether unless you're a die-hard completist who needs all the physical media releases.
