4K ULTRA HD EXTRAVAGANZA EDITION!
PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN (2020) - ELIZABETH (1998) - THE FLASH (2023) - THE LEGEND OF ZORRO (2005) - TOUCH OF EVIL (1958)
PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN (2020)4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital
Label: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: R
Duration: 113 Minutes 27 Seconds
Audio: English Dolby Atmos, DTS-HD MA 7.1, Dolby Digital 2.0 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: HDRl0 2160p UHD Widescreen (2.39:1), 1080p HD Widescreen (2.39:1)
Director: Emerald Fennell
Cast: Carey Mulligan, Bo Burnham, Alison Brie, Clancy Brown, Jennifer Coolidge, Laverne Cox
The directorial debut of Emerald Fennell (Killing Eve) Promising Young Woman (2020) was one of the best flicks of 2020, starring Carey Mulligan (Drive) as the titular promising young woman who was a medical student with a bright future until her best friend Madison was raped, and no one believed her story and no charges were brought, abruptly changing both their lives forever, Now, year later, Carey cruises the bars and pretends to be blackout drunk, when guys pick her up and take her home (and they always do), she lets them get their creep on until she surprises them by revealing that she is quite sober and knows exactly what they're up to, sort of giving them a scared straight experience to hopefully prevent them from such scumbag rapey behaviors. While working at a coffee shop she has a c hance encounter with a former highschool chum turned pediatric doctor Ryan (music comedian Bo Burnham) and they start to date, which comes as quite a relief to her parents (Clancy Brown, Pet Sematary II, Jennifer Coolidge, American Pie), who feared that their daughter might never reclaim her life following the tragic loss of her best friend. Things seem to be looking up for her, but just when the sun shines she finds out that the guy who raped Madison, Monroe (Chris Lowell, Veronica Mars) is getting married, and the idea of him living out his happy life while her friend rots in the grace sets her on a path of revenge, that culminates with her showing up at his bachelor party as stripper, and all Hell breaks loose as she sets out to right the wrongs of the past with a deliciously tragic and twisty ending that literally makes me clap out loud to myself when I last watched it. This was an exciting and breathtaking revenger flick, and a solid and stylish directorial debut from Fennell with a powerhouse multi-faceted turn from Mulligan. The UHD from Universal looks terrific, the 4K resolution and HDR enhanced color-spectrum and black levels look phenomenal, much improved over the Blu-ray, especially in regard to the richness of the colors and contrast. The only downside is that the wrap and menu advertise a Dolby Atmos track, but what we actually get is a lossy Dolby Digital track when you opt for the Atmos, but fear not, we do get an uncompressed DTS-HD MA 5.1 that is quite active, but the error is unfortunate. We get the same extras as the Blu-ray, plus a redemption code for a digital UHD copy of the movie.
Special Features:
- A Promising Vision (4:03)
- Two-Sided Transformation (3:16)
- Balancing Act (3:50)
- Audio Commentary with Writer/Director Emerald Fennell
- UHD Digital copy
ELIZABETH (1998)
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray
Label: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: R
Duration: 123 Minutes 29 Seconds
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: HDR10 2160p UHD Widescreen (1.85:1), 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1)
Director: Shekhar Kapur
Cast: Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush, Christopher Eccleston, Joseph Fiennes, Richard Attenborough, Fanny Ardant
Shekhar Kapur's grand historical epic Elizabeth (1999) stars Cate Blanchette (The Talented Mr. Ripley) in a powerhouse bravo performance as Elizabeth Tudor, who after the death of her half-sister Queen Mary I (Kathy Burke, Straight To Hell) ascends to the throne at the tender age of 25. At first the naïve and passionate Elizabeth struggles with her new mantle, especially during such a tumultuous period, surrounded by advisors who give her conflicting advice as she navigates her way through palace intrigue, military strategy, assassination attempts, and hostility from neighboring countries who would like to see the unproven queen fall. A wonderfully epic and grand production with eye-popping locations, set design and costuming, this UHD release looks marvelous with lush colors, copious fine detail in clothing textures and facial features, and impressive black levels and contrast. No Atmos remix here, just the same English DTS-HD MA 5.1 track as the previous Blu-ray, which is solid and full-bodies. The extras from the previous Blu-ray are ported over, plus we get a redemption code for a digital UHD copy of the film. If you're not familiar with the story of Queen Elizabeth I but are a fan of Game of Thrones I say jump into this, it's probably right up your alley, minus the dragons, but all of the sex and poison-tongued deceit, plus a knock-out supporting cast including Geoffrey Rush (Quills), Christopher Eccleston (Shallow Grave), Joseph Fiennes (Stealing Beauty), Richard Attenborough (Jurassic Park), and Daniel Craig (Knives Out).
Special Features:
- The Making of Elizabeth (24:55)
- Elizabeth Featurette (6:03)
- Audio Commentary with Director Shekhar Kapur
THE FLASH (2023)
4K Ultra HD + Digital
Label: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: PG-13
Duration: 140 Minutes
Audio: English Atmos True HD with Optional English Subtitles
Video: Dolby Vision 2160p Ultra HD Widescreen (1.90:1), 1080p HD Widescreen (1.90:1)
Director: Andy Muschietti
Cast: Sasha Calle, Michael Shannon, Ron Livingston, Maribel Verduì, Kiersey Clemons, Antje Traue, Michael Keaton
Andy Muschietti's The Flash might have bombed at the box office but it was a hit for me, I had a blast with it. WB's take on a live-action Flash-Point storyline certainly deterred from the comic in many ways but I was pretty stoked by the multi-verse supes action. Up front let me just say that I realize Ezra Miller is a problematic individual, but my feeling is that a film is more than the star, it literally takes thousand of people to make a big-budget flick and I'm not one that would dismiss the film outright based on they're problematic personal life. I will say that while I generally do like Miller's quirky and neurotic take on Barry/The Flash there are certainly moments when his interactions with his younger, more than slight annoying multi-versal bro-self was challenging, but overall I was all in. The story if your unfamiliar is Barry Allen going back into the past in an ill-conceived attempt to save his family, inadvertently altering the future, causing Barry to lose his powers, become trapped in a multi-verse where which General Zod has returned to Earth threatening to annihilate the place unless the human surrender the last Kryptonian who resides on Earth - with a twist! As the Justice League does not exist he has to recruit a new legion of superheroes to defeat Zod, and as this was all spoiled by the trailers I will just say, we get a gender-switched Supes (a terrific Sasha Calle) and Michael Keaton returns as the Batman! Don't believe the backlash, this was a fun DC supes flicks and it really does nail a comic-styled humor that has largely been absent from the DCU, which I loved. To be honest, I am one of those fan boys that was over-the-moon when it was revealed Michael Keaton would be taking up the cowl once more, and I was not disappointed, and I also loved seen Bat-fleck in the comic blue suit for the first-time! The UHD is reference quality - even if some of the CGI is not, it's a tight Dolby Vision HDR enhanced presentation with tightknit detail, deep blacks and a room-shaking Dolby Atmos remix that packs a superhero worthy wallop. Extras are plentiful as well, we get well over three hours of content ncluding a 90+ minute six-part “The Flash: Escape the Midnight Circus” podcast, some cool behind-the-scenes featurettes, and some cool extended pieces covering the history of Flash and Supergirl, which were probably my favorite of the bonus junk.
Special features:
- “The Flash: Escape the Midnight Circus” podcast – Six-part original scripted audio series featuring Max Greenfield as The Flash (93:43)
- The Flash: Escape the Midnight Circus Behind the Scenes (1:58)
- Deleted Scenes (10 Scenes) (14:13)
- Saving Supergirl - featurette (6:47)
- The Bat Chase - featurette (6:50)
- Battling Zod - featurette (5:36)
- Fighting Dark Flash - featurette (7:14)
- The Flash: The Saga of the Scarlett Speedster (38:26)
- Making the Flash: Worlds Collide (36:55)
- Let’s Get Nuts: Batman Returns, Again (8:31)
- Supergirl: Last Daughter of Krypton (16:00)
- Flashpoint: Introducing the Multiverse (6:21)
- The Flash: Escape the Midnight Circus Behind the Scenes (1:58)
- Deleted Scenes (10 Scenes) (14:13)
- Saving Supergirl - featurette (6:47)
- The Bat Chase - featurette (6:50)
- Battling Zod - featurette (5:36)
- Fighting Dark Flash - featurette (7:14)
- The Flash: The Saga of the Scarlett Speedster (38:26)
- Making the Flash: Worlds Collide (36:55)
- Let’s Get Nuts: Batman Returns, Again (8:31)
- Supergirl: Last Daughter of Krypton (16:00)
- Flashpoint: Introducing the Multiverse (6:21)
- The Flash: Escape the Midnight Circus Trailer (1:03)
- Digital UHD Copy
- Slipcover
THE LEGEND OF ZORRO (2005)
4K Ultra HD + Digital
Label: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: PG-13
Duration: 130 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 2160p Ultra HD Widescreen (2.35:1)
Director: Martin Campbell
Cast: Antonio Banderas, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Rufus Sewell, Nick Chinlund
Original director Martin Campbell (Goldeneye) and stars Antonio Banderas (Desperado) and Catherine Zeta-Jones (The Haunting) return for this Zorro sequel, delivering robust swashbuckling action and set-pieces but lacking the heart and soul of The Mask of Zorro, this time out there's a bit too much family drama between Banderas and Zeta-Jones, now broken up, and their son, all the while they battle an evil mastermind terrorist who plot to destroy the United States. Also not helping is the more jokey vibe, which didn't sit well against the 1850 era backdrop, at least not for me. What does work is the terrific swashbuckling action that utilizes more practical old school stunt work than would be done in today's digitally-reliant action extravaganzas, so seeing some of these executed onscreen is still a blast, even if I feel the story itself is bloated and the baddies are pretty weak sauce. The action-adventure flick delivers a solid Dolby Vision HDR10 enhanced visual presentation that highlights the sweaty arid location and the richness of the period costuming. Likewise the Dolby Atmos audio is rock solid, Horner's high-flying score shines and the action fills the room, plus we get the previous archival extras, a slipcover and a redemption code for a digital UHD copy of the film.
Special Features:
- Director and Cinematographer Commentary
- Deleted Scenes with Optional Director's Commentary
- Four Behind-the-Scenes Featurettes
- Stunts, Visual Effects; Armand's Party and Playing with Trains
- Theatrical Trailer
- Digital Copy
- Slipcover
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray
Label: Eureka Entertainment
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: Cert. 12
Duration: 315 mins (3x versions)
Audio:
Video: B&W 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1)
Director: Orson Welles
Cast: Charlton Heston, Janet Leigh, Orson Welles, Marlene Dietrich, Zsa Zsa Gabor
Orson Welle's brilliant, pulpy border town noir Touch of Evil was maligned upon completion and fucked with and re-edited by the studio, faring only average at the theater, but forty years later was restored to Welle's superior vision, which now appears in all it's monochromatic 4K glory, known as the Reconstructed Version, alongside both the Theatrical Version, and the Preview Version for this deluxe release from Eureka Entertainment as part of their Masters of Cinema series. Set in the Mexican/U.S. border town of Los Robles the film opens with a still impressive tracking shot wherein a time bomb is planted in the trunk of a convertible belonging to a business magnate, it follows them as they drive through the seedy streets of the town, just as they cross the border in American real estate the bomb goes off, obliterating the driver and his stripper girlfriend. American Det. Quinlan (Orson Welles, The Third Man) and loyal sidekick, Sgt. Pete Menzies (Joseph Calleia, The Treasure of Pancho Villa), begin investigating the bombing, but so to is Mexican Narcotics Commission Mike Vargas (Charleton Heston, Omega Man) who just happens to be in the area on his honeymoon with his headstrong American bride Susie (Janet Leigh, Psycho). While the hateful anti-Mexican Quinlan uncovers sticks of dynamite in a hotel room rented by the son-in-law of the bombed businessman Vargas suspects it's a frame-up causing friction between himself and the crooked cop, causing Quinlan to secretly team-up with Mexicans mobster Uncle Joe Grandi (Akim Tamiroff, Jess Franco's Marquis de Sade: Justine), who's brother Vargas is prosecuting in Mexico. Together they enact a plan to have Grandi's scumbag thugs kidnap Susie and pump her full of illicit drugs in an effort to intimidate Vargas. Now on paper Heston playing a Mexican is all-wrong for so many reason, but as was typical for the era he's browned-up and does good work here, not really leaning into Mexican culture a lot which is probably for the better, but he played the hard-nosed boy scout type lawmaker pretty great. Welles as crooked cop Quinlan is absolutely unforgettable, an imposing and sweaty beast of a man who drips contempt with his slurred speech, his own body seeming to be rotting away from the corruption. I've always thought that corrupt fat-cop Eckhart from Tim Burton's Batman (1989) was modeled after him, anyone else? Other highlights in the cast include (screen icon Marlene Dietrich) as the striking brothel madame, a former flame of Quinlan. It's truly one of the best film noirs - heck, best films period - you're ever going to see, at least in the Reconstructed Version, and is certainly my favorite of all-time, and this set is a must-own. Enhanced with Dolby Vision HDR this black and white stunner has never been more stunning, with superior contrast and excellent grayscale, deep inky blacks and excellent uncompressed audio. We were only sent the "check discs" for review but retail copies include some sweet packaging by way of Hardbound Slipcase and a 100-page Collectors Book, and the on-disc extras are phenomenal; each of the three versions gets dedicated commentaries, plus new interviews and featurettes, my favorite being the one with Kim Newman, who will forever be my favorite UK talking head, love that guy.
Special Features:
- Hardcase featuring artwork by Tony Stella
- 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentations of all three versions, presented in Dolby Vision HDR: the Theatrical version (95 mins), the Preview version (109 mins), and the 1998 Reconstruction (110 mins).
- Four audio commentaries, featuring: restoration producer Rick Schmidlin (reconstructed version); actors Charlton Heston & Janet Leigh, with Schmidlin (reconstructed version); critic F. X. Feeney (theatrical version); and Welles scholars James Naremore & Jonathan Rosenbaum (preview version)
- New video interview with critic, broadcaster and cultural historian Matthew Sweet
- New video interview with critic Tim Robey
- New video interview with author and critic Kim Newman
- Bringing Evil to Life + Evil Lost and Found – two video pieces, featuring interviews with cast and crew, as well as critics and admirers
- Original theatrical trailer
- PLUS: A 100-PAGE BOOK featuring writings by Orson Welles, François Truffaut, André Bazin, and Terry Comito; interview excerpts with Welles; a timeline of the film’s history; two new essays by critic Richard Combs; and rare stills and imagery
