THE EPITAPH VOL. 53 : EDGE OF TOMORROW (2014) - FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE SECRETS OF DUMBLEDORE (2022) - STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS - SEASON TWO (2021) - YELLOWJACKETS: SEASON ONE (2022)

THE EPITAPH VOL. 53

Brief Remembrances of the Recently Released

EDGE OF TOMORROW (2014) - FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE SECRETS OF DUMBLEDORE (2022) - STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS - SEASON TWO (2021) - YELLOWJACKETS: SEASON ONE (2022)

Four fun ones this time around, there's not a dud in the bunch, more or less, depending on what floats your boat. We've got some irreverent Star Trek deep-space shenanigans, a total bad-ass sci-fi Groundhog Day-esque time loop actioner, a franchise fantasy adventure from the Harry Potter realm, and a wickedly black humored first season of a show that is Lord of the Flies by way of Mean Girls!

First up....

EDGE OF TOMORROW (2014)
AKA LIVE. DIE. REPEAT.

4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital 

Label: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment 
Region Code: Region Free/A
Duration: 113 Minutes 
Rating: PG-13 
Audio: English 
Video: Dolby Vision HDR 2160p Ultra HD, 1080p HD Widescreen (2.39:1) 
Director: Doug Liman
Cast: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton, Brendan Gleeson, Noah Taylor, Kick Gurry, Dragomir Mrsic, Charlotte Riley, Jonas Armstrong, Franz Drameh, Masayoshi Haneda, Tony Way

Say what you want about Tom Cruise, maybe Mickey Rourke is right, and he has been playing the same guy for thirty freakin' years, but the guy is charismatic and a fucking movie star for good reason. I particularly like him in fantasy (Legend) and sci-fi films, among them being Oblivion, War of the Worlds, Minority Report and this gem, directed by Doug Limon (The Bourne Identity) and adapted from the novel by Hiroshi Sakurazaka. It jumps right into the thick of things as a seemingly unstoppable alien race has laid siege to our lovely planet, enter Major William Cage (Cruise), a pampered combat-adverse spokesperson for the armed forces who finds himself dropped into a suicide mission after pissing off a high-ranking officer. Forced into combat he is killed within minutes, but finds himself improbably thrown into a Groundhog Day style time loop after being doused in alien blood, forced to live out the same day over and over, a cycle of fighting and dying again and again at the hands of the alien menace. He finds an ally by way of an Earth versus alien war-hero Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt, A Quiet Place), who for reasons might be the only person who can relate to his bizarre experience. Action-packed and loaded with impressive set pieces and and cool alien designs this is a non-stop popcorn muncher of the highest order. I also love seeing the late Bill Paxton (Near Dark) as an witty but irate gunnery sergeant. I feel like this flick did not get a fair shake when it first arrived in theaters and came and went pretty quickly, I only caught up with it when it aired on cable TV later and I thought it rocked. The new 4K UHD looks mighty impressive with a Dolby Vision with Dolby Atmos upgrade that both dazzle the eyeballs with it's full-bodied presentation and rocks the home theatre. Note that the accompanying Blu-ray is just the recycled 2014 Blu-ray with the archival extras, and we don't get any new extras, but it does include a glossy slipcover and a digital UHD copy of the film.

Special features:
- Operation Downfall - Adrenaline Cut
- Storming The Beach (12 min)
- Weapons Of The Future (8 min)
- Creatures Not Of This World (6 min)
- On The Edge With Doug Liman (43 min)
- Deleted Scenes (8 min)
- Digital Copy

FANTASTIC BEASTS:

THE SECRETS OF DUMBLEDORE (2022) 

4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital

Label: Warner Bros. Home Ent.
Region Code: Region-Free/A
Duration: 142 Minutes
Rating: PG-13
Audio: English Atmos True HD with Optional English, Swedish, Norwegian, Korean, Italian, German, Finnish, Danish, Complex Chinese, English SDH, Canadian French, Parisian French, Latin Spanish, Cantonese Subtitles
Video: Dolby Vision HDR 2160p Ultra HD, 1080p HD Widescreen (2.39:1)
Director: David Yates
Cast: Eddie Redmayne, Jude Law, Ezra Miller, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, William Nadylam, Callum Turner, Jessica Williams, Victoria Yeates, Poppy Corby-Tuech, Fiona Glascott, Katherine Waterston, Maria Fernanda Cândido, Richard Coyle, Oliver Masucci, Valerie Pachner, Aleksandr Kuznetsov, Mads Mikkelsen

The third (and final?) film in the Fantastic Beasts franchise continues the magical story of Magizoologist Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) and his intrepid team of wizards, witches and a brave Muggle baker in the service of Professor Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law, A.I. Artificial Intelligence) to thwart the Dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald (Mads Mikkelsen (Hannibal) replacing the maligned Johnny Depp (Sleepy Hollow)) and his diabolical schemes to seize control of the wizarding world. I've seen the two previous film but have long since forgotten details about them, I consider those Harry Potter prequel series much the same way I view The Hobbit films compared to LOTR proper, an easily digestible if largely forgettable spin-offs. I love the main series but these prequels are not on the same level - though I have no doubt that these have a huge audience. The 4K UHD looks quite nice with a gloomy appearance by design, this is both image wise and tonally a much darker film than what I recall the first two being. While it is an improvement over the version I saw streaming on HBO MAX the digitally shot flick doesn't exactly wow on UHD compared to other recent productions. The Atmos audio is quite immersive though, the sounds of fantastic beasts and wizarding duels pack a punch in the mix, and the score surrounds you during peak moments. Extras include over 80-minute of EPK style featurettes, very breezy stuff but interesting nonetheless. We also get a digital UHD copy of the film and a glossy slipcover.

Special Features:
- The Dumbledore Family Tree ( 9 min)
- Dumbledore Through the Ages (7 min)
- Magical or Muggle (5 min)
- The Magic of Hogwarts (6 min)
- Even More Fantastic Beasts (6 min)
- Newt in the Wild (5 min)
- The German Ministry of Magic (5 min)
- A Dumbledore Duel (4 min)
- The Candidates’ Dinner (5 min)
- Erkstag Jailbreak (5 min)
- Battle in Bhutan (6 min)
- The Secrets of Cursed Child (5 min)
- Deleted Scenes (8 min)
- Digital Copy

STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS - SEASON TWO (2021)
2-Disc Blu-ray

Label: Paramount/CBS
Region Code: A
Duration: 141 Minutes
Rating: Unrated
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 with Optional French, English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.78:1)
Cast: Tawny Newsome, Jack Quaid, Eugene Cordero, Noël Wells, Dawnn Lewis, Jerry O’Connell, Fred Tatasciore, Gillian Vigman, Paul Scheer, Carl Tart, Jonathan Frakes, Jeffrey Combs, Lycia Naff

Season two of Star Trek: Lower Decks continues the madcap tale of the second-stringer crew of U.S.S. Cerritos with main characters Ensigns Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome), Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid, The Boys), Samanthan Rutherford (Eugene Cordero, Kong: Skull Island) and D’Vana Tendi (Noël Wells) continuing on their Starfleet journey with the same sort of Rick & Morty-esque hijinks. This season we get more strange new worlds, homages to other Trek series, guest appearances from Trek Royalty like Jonathan Frakes (Star Trek: TNG) and Jeffrey Combs (Re-Animator). I love the humor, it's an homage but it's also funny as Hell and the writers aren't afraid to send up the series with irreverent and often inappropriate humor, it's a hoot. Paramount+ really should be called Star Trek+ with how many series they're peddling right now, but that's okay, I love them all to carrying degrees, but this is my favorite of the bunch. This season kicked ass, with my favorite episode being "Where Pleasant Fountains Lie" guest starring Jeffrey Combs as AMIGUS, an evil A.I.. If you're a fan of the show you are in luck, the third season starts 8/22 with a fourth season already ordered! The 2-disc Blu-ray set looks and sounds terrific and we get a bunch of extras exploring the sound design, a half-hour making-of featurettes, commentaries on four episodes, and Easter Eggs and Animatics for each  episode.

Special Features:
- A Sound Foundation (13 min)
- Lower Decktionary: Season Two (32 min)
- Audio Commentaries:
- EP 202 "Kayshon, His Eyes Open" by Mike McMahan, Jack Quaid and Jonathan Frakes
- EP 205 "An Embarrassment of Dooplers" by Mike McMahan and Jack Quaid
- EP 207 "Where Pleasant Fountains Lie" by Tawny Newsome, Paul Scheer and Garrick Bernard
- EP 209 "wej Duj" by Mike McMahan, Gabrielle Ruiz and Kathryn Lyn
- Season Two Easter Eggs (Episodes 201-210) (12 min)
- Season Two Animatic (Episodes 201-210) (10 min)

Last but certainly not least...

YELLOWJACKETS: 

SEASON ONE (2022) 

Blu-ray 

Label: Paramount/CBS
Region Code: 1
Duration: 575 Minutes
Rating: Unrated
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.78:1)
Cast: Melanie Lynskey, Tawny Cypress, Christina Ricci, Juliette Lewis, Warren Kole, Ella Purnell, Samantha Hanratty, Sophie Thatcher,, Sophie Nélisse, Steven Krueger, Jasmin Savoy

Showtime's Yellowjackets: Season One offers up a show that is part survival thriller, part coming-of-age drama, and all comically black thriller, that starts off with a group of talented high school girls soccer players, the titular Yellowjackets, who on their way via plane to the 1996 national championship become the survivors of a plane crash deep in the remote northern wilderness. What happens is a descent into savage Lord of the Flies by way of Mean Girls styled clans while they are stranded for an extended length of time, which on it's own would haver been super interesting, but the series then tracks their lives 25 years in the future, moving back and forth between the present and the past exploring the relationship dynamics, backbiting, in-fighting and double-crossing that unfolded and continues to unfold. Anchored by a brilliant female cast that includes the adult versions of the girls played by Juliette Lewis (Natural Born Killers), Christina Ricci (Sleepy Hollow), Tawny Cypress (TV's Heroes) and Melanie Lynskey (Castle Rock), and an equally strong younger cast who play their younger selves; Sophie Nélisse (47 Meters Down: Uncaged), Jasmin Savoy Brown (TV's The Leftovers), Sophie Thatcher (The Book of Boba Fett) and Sammi Hanratty (TV's Shameless). The cast of characters is an Evian water and battery acid mix of jocks, teen burnouts, goody-goodies, and secret keepers which makes for a fantastic blend of psychologies and social interaction, and the stitching together of the flashbacks and current day are well-done. A brilliant and delightfully wicked series that was easily my favorites from the '21/'22 TV season, it's fucking awesome and you need to check it out if you have not already, you will not be disappointed - and fear not, the show was picked up for a second season!

Special Features:
- Yellowjackets: The Female Lens
- Yellowjackets: Favorite Moments

If you've picked these up or have seen them let me know your thoughts in the comments - and as always, support physical media, buy this discs and grow your collection - it's a terrific time to me a collector of home video right now. Long live the disc!

THE EPITAPH VOL. 70

THE EPITAPH VOL. 70 

MEG 2: THE TRENCH (2023) - GODZILLA (1998) - JUSTICE LEAGUE x RWBY: SUPER HEROES & HUNTSMEN, PART TWO (2023) - BARBIE (2023) - MORTAL KOMBAT LEGENDS: CAGE MATCH (2023) - THE BOYS - SEASON 3 (2022) - A BRONX TALE (1993) - YELLOWJACKETS - SEASON 2 (2023)

MEG 2: THE TRENCH (2023)

Label: WBHE

Region Code: Region-Free

Rating: PG-13

Duration: 116 Minutes 

Audio: English ATMOS TrueHD with Optional English Subtitles 

Video: Dolby Vision HDR10 2160p Ultra HD Widescreen (2.39:1) 

Director: Ben Wheatley 

Cast: Jason Statham, Wu Jing,  Sophia Cai, Page Kennedy, Sergio Peris-Mencheta, Skyler Samuels,  Cliff Curtis

Meg 2: The Trench (2023) delivers the big, dumb action sharksploitation fun you'd expect based on the first film with Jason Statham once again headlining. This time out our heroes face-off against a frenzy of ferocious Megs and other aquatic terrors that have once more scaped the Mariana Trench's thermocline layer and toothy mayhem erupts in the South China Sea. It's not great cinema but it is a heck of a fun popcorn muncher that delivers the big-budget action thrills and Megalodon carnage. I love the prehistoric opening where we see the food chain in action as smaller dinosaurs are eaten by larger dinos in succession until a T-Rex  munches on a dino, then then a meg beaches itself and chomps down the T-Rex. We have an evil mining corporation fucking up the thermocline, and Statham riding around on a jet ski hurling explosive tipped spears at giant sharks and octopi - what else do you need? The 4K presentation is top-notch with Dolby Vision HDR10 enhanced colors to compliment the finely details lensing and we get a fully subversive Dolby Atmos mix that packs a wallop. We also get a digital UHD copy of the film. The extras are quite slim, just a pair of featurettes that don't even add up to 20-min. 

Special  Features:
- The Making of “Meg 2: The Trench” – Cast and crew revisit the making of the film and working with new and returning cast members, then highlight the beauty and challenges of working with a Meg they can't see!​ (13 min) 
- Up From the Depths: Even More Beasts - Director Ben Wheatley, cast and producers guide fans through the creation and design of the new creatures seen in “Meg 2: The Trench” (10 min) 

- Slipcover

- Digital Copy 

GODZILLA (1998)

Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD 

Label: SPHE

Region Code: Region-Free

Rating: PG-13 

Duration: 138 Minutes 43 Minutes 

Audio: English Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Compatible), English 5.1 DTS-HD MA, French, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital

Video: HDR10 2160p Ultra HD Widescreen (2.40:1) 

Director: Roland Emmerich 

Cast: Matthew Broderick, Jean Reno, Maria Pitillo, Hank Azaria, Doug Savant, Harry Shearer

When I saw the teaser trailer for Godzilla (1998) when it hit the theaters back in 1998 I was excited, it was coming from the makers of Independence Day, which I liked a bunch, so I expected a big-budget monster on a rampage flick, and that's what we got. I still don't love the Jurassic Park-esque tiny zillas at Madison Square Gardens detour, but it does deliver Godzilla destroying NYC, plus it starred the always likable Matthew Broderick as scientist Niko Tatopoulos. Probably my favorite scene is still the one of from teaser trailer with the old man fishing off the end of a pier only to have it spoiled by the arrival of Godzilla in NYC, that's still a keeper. The 4K UHD is a massive upgrade over the 2009 Blu-ray, with Dolby vision HDR10 enhanced color infusion really blowing away the now shoddy looking by comparison 2009 release. Some of the composited shots still look soft, but details are crisp and and contrast is pleasing, the black levels are much improved, and the increased resolution is readily apparent. The Atmos remix takes the previous excellent DTS-HD MA 5.1 and bumps it up a notch as well, once Godzilla makes landfall in NYC and the building start crumbling and the military is launching an all-out helicopter assault with missile launches (one of them errantly taking out the Chrysler building, oops) the low-end delivers again and again. This limited edition Steelbook release also includes comes the Blu-ray and digital UHD copy of the flick. 

Special Features:

- Teaser Trailer #1 (1.36)

- Teaser Trailer #2 (1:56)

- Theatrical Trailer (1:46)

- Visual Effects Commentary

- Behind the Scenes of Godzilla with Charles Caiman

- All Time Best of Godzilla Fight Scenes 

- “Heroes” Music Video by The Wallflowers 

JUSTICE LEAGUE x RWBY: SUPER HEROES & HUNTSMEN, PART TWO (2023)

Label: WBHE

Region Code: Region-Free 

Rating: PG-13

Duration: 74 Minutes 44 Seconds 

Audio: English 

Video: 2160p UHD Widescreen 

Director: Yssa Badiola & Dustin Matthews

Cast: Jamie Chung, David Dastmalchian, Laura Bailey, Troy Baker, Travis Willingham, Ozioma Akagha, Jeannie Tirado, Tru Valentino, Lindsay Jones, Ruby, Kara Eberle​, Arryn Zech, Barbara Dunkelman, Maxwell Friedman, Christopher Sabat, J. Michael Tatum

Part 2 of the DCxRooster Teeth crossover Justice League x RWBY features team RWBY not in Remnant but now on Earth where Grimm poses a threat, and this time the JLA are not teens but their actual adult ages. A lot of what I said about the first film is true here, I am not a huge anime fan, I dig some of the older stuff like Akira and Metropolis, but I am particularly not a fan of RWBY's CGI anime-animation style and that holds true once more. With that said, if you are a fan or more open to the digital anime style, or a RWBY fan already, this 4K UHD looks terrific with bold vivid HDR-enhanced colors, impactful audio and some new extras that dig into the crossover. Not my bag of superhero tea but the enduring power of both properties probably means this has some serious crossover appeal, but it's just not for me. 

Special Features:
- You look…Different: RWBY on Earth – Earth is not exactly the same as Remnant, the world where Team RWBY live. The enemies are different. The Justice League heroes are different. And Team RWBY’s powers? They’re all extremely different. In this featurette, we get a closer look at Team RWBY on Earth.
- I’ve Got Your Back – In Part One, Justice League and RWBY members had to work together to save Remnant. Now in Part Two, on Earth, they all must work together to save each other. In this featurette, we get into the story behind so many of the characters saving each other both physically and emotionally.

BARBIE (2023)

4K Ultra HD + Digital

Label: WBHE
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: PG-13
Duration: 114 Minutes
Audio: English ATMOS TrueHD,
Video: 2160p Ultra HD Widescreen, 1080p HD Widescreen
Director: Greta Gerwig
Cast: Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling,
America Ferrera, Kate McKinnon, Issa Rae, Rhea Perlman, Will Ferrell, Michael Cera, Ariana Greenblat, Ana Cruz Kayne, Emma Mackey, Hari Hef, Alexandra Shipp, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Simu Liu, Ncuti Gatwa, Scott Evans, Jamie Demetriou, Connor Swindells, Sharon Rooney, Nicola Coughlan, Ritu Arya, Dua Lipa, Helen Mirren

Barbie? Oh Christ - That was my initial reaction to the announcement of this one, but that this flick shattered expectation and is now one of the most profitable movies of all time certainly peaked my curiosity. As did that is was directed by Greta Gerwig who co-wrote it with Noah Baumbach, plus it stars Margot Robie and Ryan Gosling who both usually take on very interesting projects that defy expectations. I was a kid who loathed my sisters Barbie dolls, and as my name was Ken I have more than once found myself working alongside a Barbara or two, and both of us were subjected to "Hey, it's Barbie and Ken" taunts, which was annoying. Anyway, Barbie trauma aside, how was this flick? Well, I thought it was pretty cool, obsoletely nothing like what I expected, I loved it's ultra self-aware nature, how the borders of Barbieland  and the real world are traversable, as Barbie spiritual guru Weird Barbie (Kate McKinnon)  sends Robbie's "stereotypical" Barbie to the real world to reclaim her mojo, now finding herself strangely obsessed with depressing thoughts of death, which is decidedly most un-Barbie. Ken tags along and brings the patriarchy he discovered i the real world to the female lead Barbieland, and Barbie and her pals needs to bring down the patriarchy. The script is clever, smart, winky and satirical, and features a ton of Easter Eggs that I found myself researching as I am not too well-versed in Barbie stuff. What impressed me most was the amazing set designs that brought Barbieland to life with huge set pieces and loads of deep-diving winds and nods to her myriad accessories, clothing and side-characters - including a pregnant Barbie that when you move her arm up and down makes her tummy swells! The 4K UHD is a stunner, the HDR colors pops and dazzle in every frame, the Dolby Atmos track likewise is crisp, sharp and dynamic, and the extras while of the EPK variety are quite good, especially when it comes to bowing how they created the ultra-pink and pastel world of Barbieland. The metallic pink-sparkle slipcover certainly stands out on the shelf, and it comes with a digital UHD copy of the flick as well. 

Special Features:

- Welcome to Barbie Land – featurette (12 min) 

- Becoming Barbie – featurette (6 min) 

- Playing Dress-Up – featurette (8 min) 

- Musical Make-Believe – featurette (9 min) 

- All-Star Barbie Party – featurette (5 min) 

- It’s A Weird World – featurette (5 min) 

MORTAL KOMBAT LEGENDS: CAGE MATCH (2023)

4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital 

Label: WBHE

Region Code: Region-Free

Rating: R

Duration: 79 Minutes 46 Seconds 

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

Video: 2160p UHD Widescreen (1.78:1)

Director: Ethan Spaulding

Cast: Joel McHale, Jennifer Grey, Gilbert Gottfried, Dusan Brown, Grey DeLisle, Robin Atkin Downes, Zehra Fazal, Kelly Hu, Matt Yang King, Phil LaMarr, Matthew Mercer, Dave B. Mitchell, Armen Taylor

Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match is the fourth animated film in the franchise, each one has been a brutal spine-ripping bit of violent catharsis each go round. This one is actually my favorites, we're following Johnny Cage (voiced by Joel McHale) in 1980s Hollywood who is on a mission to become an action star. He's making what could be his big break when his co-star Jennifer Grey disappears, and thus he embarks on a Big Trouble In Little China-esque adventure with a secret society of demonic worshippers and Lovecraftian old gods looking to destroy Earthrealm. Much like Big Trouble Johnny is a bit of bystander to the actual heroics in the film, with other more kick-ass characters doing the heavy lifting and Cage merely being around to witness it and offer hos ibservations about the unreal events that transpire. That's not as complaint, I loved how dark and occult this one goes, the demonic old gods look terrific and the neon 80's trapping of this one deliver a fantasy version of that decade that the actual 80's could never live up to. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I am not a gamer (I'm a button masher), I don't really know shit about the the world of Mortal Kombat, and this one more so than the other three animated flicks doesn't seem to concerned with it either, at least in my eyes. This one plays just fine as a hunky boneheaded action film star caught up in some demonic carnage in the 80's, and I though this had the best style of animation of all four of the films so far.  Kudos to Joel McHale for voicing Johnny Cage, he's awesome and knows exactly what the role calls for and brings the cheese full force, and kudos to Jennifer Grey for playing a version of herself! Another highlight was hearing the unmistakable voice of the late Gilbert Godfrey. The animated flick looks solid in HDR enhanced 4K with a and uncompressed DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack that kicks butt, those mock 80's songs are also quite fun and sound terrific.   

Special Features: 

- What Would Johnny Cage Do? (featurette) - Step inside the VO Booth with Joel McHale and Jennifer Grey and go behind the scenes with the filmmakers to learn the challenges they withstood to bring Johnny Cage's 80s action film to life. (9:55)

- Ninja Mime Trailer - Relive the trailer for the greatest 80s action film ever made: (1:03)

- Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match Audio Commentary - Join Producers Rick Morales and Jim Krieg and Screenwriter Jeremy Adams on an audio adventure recounting the totally tubular tale of bringing Johnny Cage's 80s awesomeness to life.

THE BOYS - SEASON 3 (2022) 2-DIsc Blu-ray 

Label: SPHE

Region Code: Region-Free 

Rating: Unrated 

Duration: 481 Minutes 

Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD MA with Optional English, English SDH, French Subtitles 

Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (2.35:1)  

Cast: Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Dominique McElligott, Jessie T. Usher, Laz Alonso, Chace Crawford, Tomer Capone, Karen Fukuhara, Nathan Mitchell, Colby Minifie, Claudia Doumit, Jensen Ackles

Based on the Dynamite Entertainment Comic Book Series by Garth Ennis and Illustrated by Darick Robertson the Amazon Prime Original series The Boys is the antidote to the glut of Marvel/DC superhero flicks that we find ourselves caught up in right now, a  wildly violent and wrong-headed satire of super-groups. The story arcs this season include fallout from the Stormfront debacle, The Boys find themselves contracted by by Victoria Neuman's Bureau of Superhuman Affairs to round up rogue supes, with a weary Queen Maeve of The Seven secretly working with Billy Butcher to find a rumored Anti-Supes weapon to defeat an increasingly unhinged Homelander, which sends them chasing after the world's  first superhero, the fallen Soldier Boy, and the truth behind his death. Vought has also devised a temporary variation on compound V which has military application, but which Butcher gets his hands on it and starts to abuse it, addicted to his newfound laser-eyes; and the search for who the head-popper is. Some of the more fucked-up scenarios this season of which there were many include a shrinking supe named Terminate not only fucking a Barbie-esque doll but also shrinking down and crawling into the urethra of a lover to pleasure him, but after binging coke all day a coke-sneeze causes him to resume normal size to disasterous result. We also get The Deep fucking an octopus, and Homelander getting a handy from a very charred Stormfront's at the hospital, plus a supes orgy by way of the annual HeroGasm gathering. It's another wild season of superhero WTF-ery, and if you're not familiar with the show but dig dark superhero tales like Invincible, Brightburn or Super you need to check out this series!

Special Features:

- Gag Reels (5 min) 

- Deleted and Extended Scenes (8 min) 

- The Making of Featurette (2 min) 

A BRONX TALE (1993) 

30th Anniversary 4K Ultra HD

Label: Tribeca

Region Code: Region-Free

Rating: R 

Duration: 121 Minutes 

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

Video: Dolby Vision 2160p Ultra HD Widescreen (1.85:1) 

Director: Robert De Niro 

Cast: Robert De Niro, Chazz Palminteri, Lillo Brancato Jr., Taral Hicks, Kathrine Narducci

Robert De Niro's directorial debut A Bronx Tale (1993) is a coming of age story based on Chazz Palminteri's stageplay, it tells the tale of 9 year old Calogero (aka C) who lives in the Bronx ('natch) with his white-collar parents; bus driver father Lorenzo (Robert De Niro, Taxi Driver) and mother Rosina (Kathrine Narducci), who try to steer him down the right path and away from the wise guys in the neighborhood. However, one day when Calogero witness local gangster Sonny (Chaz Palminteri) murder a man in cold blood he turns a blond eye tot he crime, winning fav or with gangster who takes him under his wing, much to the chagrin of his father. The story jumps ahead eight years later and C is a teenager, a wise guy in the making sees Sonny as a second father, his relationship with his own father is strained, and he falls in love with a African-American teen named Jane (Taral Hicks), but the late-60's racial tensions between Italian-Americans and African-Americans in the Bronx make this a difficult road to navigate, leading to heartbreak and tragedy. The flick has terrific performances from De Niro and Palminteri, plus the 60's period setting is wonderfully realized with some outstanding needle drops that put you in the right frame of mind. De Niro worked with some of the best directors, and the influence of Scorsese unparticular shades his directorial debut. Long unavailable in an HD format we not get both Blu-ray and 4K UHD releases from Tribeca with a 30th Anniversary restoration with HDR and Dolby Vision color-grades and uncompressed DTS audio. The restoration isn't quite dazzling; grain seems anemic and facial details loose some detail in the close-ups, and there's a bit of softens in spots, but colors are generally strong and it blows away the DVD at least. Extras include new interviews with Robert De Niro and Chazz Palminteri, a vintage making of EP and the Theatrical Trailer, plus we get a slipcover, 

Special Features:

- Revisiting A Bronx Tale: New interviews with Robert De Niro (15 min)  and Chazz Palminteri (46 min) 

- Theatrical Trailer (2 min) 

- Original Making of Featurette (5 min) 

YELLOWJACKETS - SEASON 2 (2023) 3-Disc Blu-ray 

Label: CBS/Showtime 

Region Code: A

Rating: Unrated 

Duration: 520 Minutes 

Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1 with Optional English Subtitles 

Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (2.39:1) 

Cast: Melanie Lynskey, Tawny Cypress, Sophie Nelisse, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Sophie Thatcher, Samantha Hanratty, Steven Krueger, Warren Kole, Courtney Eaton, Liv Hewson

Showtime's Yellowjackets: Season One had me wrapped around it's finger, a show that was part survival thriller, part coming-of-age drama, and all comically black thriller, that starts off with a group of talented high school girls soccer players, the titular Yellowjackets, who on their way via plane to the 1996 national championship become the survivors of a plane crash deep in the remote northern wilderness. What happens is a descent into savage Lord of the Flies by way of Mean Girls styled clans while they are stranded for an extended length of time, which on it's own would haver been super interesting, but the series then tracks their lives 25 years in the future, moving back and forth between the present and the past exploring the relationship dynamics, backbiting, in-fighting and double-crossing that unfolded and continues to unfold. Anchored by a brilliant female cast that includes the adult versions of the girls played by Juliette Lewis (Natural Born Killers), Christina Ricci (Sleepy Hollow), Tawny Cypress (TV's Heroes) and Melanie Lynskey (Castle Rock), and an equally strong younger cast who play their younger selves in 1996; Sophie Nélisse (47 Meters Down: Uncaged), Jasmin Savoy Brown (TV's The Leftovers), Sophie Thatcher (The Book of Boba Fett) and Sammi Hanratty (TV's Shameless). The cast of characters is an Evian water and battery acid mix of jocks, teen burnouts, goody-goodies, and secret keepers which makes for a fantastic blend of psychologies and social interaction, and the stitching together of the flashbacks and current day were well-done. Sadly season two is a bit of a bummer by comparison, storylines stagnant or come to limp conclusions, I found the 1996 storyline the most interesting and intense, but the 2021 arc just frustrated me a lot, and the season finale made me just want to stop watching the series altogether. I won't though, I stuck with The Walking Dead for all those long seasons long after it stopped being good, I am loyal that way, and I truly do hope that season 3 can return the show to must-see TV. The 3-disc Blu-ray set looks fantastic but I was surprised to see  they downgraded audio to lossy Dolby Digital - what the heck? It's a serviceable track true enough but the downgrade is truly unwarranted in 2023. 

Special Features: 

- Behind the Buzz: Episodes 201-209

- "No Return" Cover by Alanis Morissette

- Creating Yellowjackets

CURSED (2005) (Scream Factory Collector's Edition Blu-ray Review)

CURSED (2005)

2-Disc Collector's Edition

Label: Scream Factory
Region Code: A
Duration: 97 Minutes (Theatrical Cut), 99 Minutes (Unrated) 
Rating: PG-13 (Theatrical) & Unrated
Video: 1080p High-Definition Widescreen (2.40:1)
Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 with Optional English Subtitles
Director: Wes Craven
Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Christina Ricci, Portia de Rossi, Joshua Jackson, Judy Greer, Milo Ventimiglia, Michael Rosenbaum, Nick Offerman, Shannon Elizabeth, Scott Baio, Craig Kilbourn

Few films are as aptly titles a Wes Craven's millennial werewolf flick Cursed (2005), a troubled production that started off promisingly, advertised as a reteaming of Scream director Wes Craven and writer Kevin Williamson with werewolf effects by none other than Rick Baker. The film was absolutely plagued by re-writes, re-shoots, and re-casting that saw the film neutered for a doomed PG-13 theatrical release, and what ended up in theatres was a limp-dicked and watered-down werewolf flick that, among other things, lost the talents of Rick Baker (An American Werewolf In London) when the original footage was scrapped, who was replaced by Greg Nicotero (The Walking Dead), who is no slouch himself, but the damage was already done and the heavily tampered with final product was a bust. When the film was released on home video we got an unrated cut with about 2 minutes of additional footage not seen in theaters. The unrated cut is definitely superior to the lackluster theatrical cut with more gore, but it's still a hot mess and not a great film. 

The story, such as it is features a werewolf on the loose in Los Angeles, where brother and sister Jimmy (Jesse Eisenberg, Zombieland) and Ellie (Christina Ricci, Yellowjackets) are attacked by it, but escape with just small bites and scratches. A fortune teller Zela (Portia de Rossi, Dead & Breakfast) warns them that they are cursed, and that they must destroy the beast that bit them. As both siblings begin to display the telltale signs of lycanthropy as the full moon approaches they set out to identify the beast, who might be closer to them than they think. 

Also figuring into the story are Ellie's cagey boyfriend Joshua Jackson (TV's Fringe), a snide publicists Joanie (Judy Greer, Halloween Kills), and an antagonistic 

homophobe jock Bo (Milo Ventimiglia (TV's Heroes) who bullies Jimmy quite a bit. I laughed the way this Jimmy/Bo subplot resolves itself, it's pretty funny. Also be on the lookout for appearances from Michael Rosenbaum (Smallville), Nick Offerman (Devs) as a cop, Shannon Elizabeth (American Pie) as a short-lived victim, and both Scott Baio (Charles In Charge) and one-time Comedy Central's Daily Show Host Craig Kilbourn as themselves, plus a performance from millennial pop-punkers Bowling For Soup. Being that there were so many reshoots and changes it flows terribly and the characters are flat and there's zero chemistry with anyone, the relationship between Jackson and Ricci is particaurly flat. 

While the unrated cut plays better in either form this is a lesser Craven entry that will probably only appeal to Craven completists and millennial horror buffs. It's a pretty throwaway werewolf flick for sure, only memorable in that it's so very average... oh, and the werewolf dog!

Audio/Video: Cursed (2005) arrives in 2-disc Collector's 

Edition from Scream Factory featuring both the Theatrical Cut and the Unrated Cut on separate disc, presented in 1080p HD widescreen (2.40:1). Both cuts are 4K scans of the original camera negative and look identical, grain is fine and well-managed, colors are vibrant, and depth and clarity are pleasing. 

Audio comes by way of uncompressed English DTS-HD MA 2.0 and 5.1 with optional English subtitles. Both options are clean, well-balanced and show no signs of wear. The stereo track is solid and the 5.1 opens up the soundstage a bit with surround effects and the score from  Marco Beltrami (The Woman in Black) sounds fuller as well. 

Onto the extras, we get what looks to be all the previously released archival featurettes, including select scenes with commentary from Greg Nicotero, plus a pair of new interview. First up is A Sheep in Wolf’s Clothing – an interview with actor Derek Mears that runs about fourteen minutes. Mears talks about his early career, landing the gig on Cursed and being in awe of meeting Wes Craven. How there are two versions of the film, including a version with a different cast and Rock Baker created werewolf costume, and how he kept being called back for reshoots. It's a fairly candid interview, though it's clear that Mears isn't the kind of guy to tear people down, he's quite diplomatic about it, but it gets the point across that this was a very troubled production. He also gets into the werewolf flipping the bird scene and how that came to be.  

The 18-min A Movie That Lives Up To Its Title – an interview with editor Patrick Lussier features the editor talking about the tampered film, discussing re-shoots after test screening, and how Craven was initially reluctant to do it, feeling that it was another potential Vampire in Brooklyn. He gets into the Frankenstein nature of the edit, cobbling new footage with the original footage, and how he ended up working on the edit for a total of 19 months!  

The 2-disc release arrives in a dual-hubbed keepcase with a reversible sleeve of artwork featuring basically the same original key art with a color variation and one side of the wrap featuring an "Unrated" stamp. No new artwork on this one, and the wrap features the same main artwork.  

Special Features:
Theatrical Cut
- NEW 4K scan of the original camera negative
- NEW A Sheep in Wolf’s Clothing – an interview with actor Derek Mears (14 min) 
- NEW A Movie That Lives Up To Its Title – an interview with editor Patrick Lussier (18 min) 
- Behind the Fangs: The Making of CURSED (8 min) 
- The CURSED effects (7 min) 
- Becoming a Werewolf (8 min) 
- Creature Editing 101 (6 min) 
- Theatrical Trailer (2 min) 
Unrated Cut*
- NEW 4K scan of the original camera negative
- Select Scenes with Audio Commentary by special effects artist Greg Nicotero and actor Derek Mears: Car Wreck (6 min), Parking Garage (5 min), Tinsel (6 min), Final Fight (1 min)
*Please note: The Unrated Cut is not the original Craven cut of the film featuring different actors in the roles

FALLOUT: SEASON ONE - Coming To Blu-ray & DVD July 8. (Limited Edition 4K UHD Steelbook Available Exclusively at Amazon)

FALLOUT: SEASON ONE

Fallout: Season One is coming to Blu-ray & DVD on July 8 from Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment. A limited edition 4K UHD Steelbook will also be available exclusively at Amazon.

The Critically Acclaimed Video Game Adaptation That Has Garnered 2 Emmy Award Wins!

Coming to Blu-ray & DVD on July 8, 2025

Limited Edition 4K UHD Steelbook

Will Be Available Exclusively at Amazon

Pre-order Your Copy Today!

Fallout: Season One (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray Steelbook) 

https://amzn.to/4je67xa

Standard Blu-ray

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Based on the best-selling global video game franchise, Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment brings you the most bombastic and delightful post-apocalyptic action mission to ensure the survival of humanity with the release of Fallout: Season One on Blu-ray & DVD on July 8. A limited edition 4K UHD Steelbook will also be available exclusively at Amazon. The 4K UHD Steelbook and Blu-ray sets will both include a set of 6 Collectible Art Cards (available while supplies last). Get ready to binge all 8 episodes of the phenomenal series, plus go behind the scenes with over an hour of bonus content. Pre-order your copy today!

The series comes from Kilter Films and executive producers Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy. Nolan directed the first three episodes. Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Graham Wagner serve as executive producers, creators, and co-showrunners. 

Fallout stars Ella Purnell (Yellowjackets), Aaron Moten (Emancipation), Kyle MacLachlan (Twin Peaks), and Walton Goggins (The White Lotus). Athena Wickham of Kilter Films also executive produces, along with Todd Howard for Bethesda Game Studios and Bethesda Softworks. The series cast includes Moisés Arias (The King of Staten Island), Sarita Choudhury (Homeland), Michael Emerson (Person of Interest), Leslie Uggams (Deadpool), Frances Turner (The Boys), Dave Register (Heightened), Zach Cherry (Severance), Johnny Pemberton (Ant-Man), Rodrigo Luzzi (Dead Ringers), Annabel O'Hagan (Law & Order: SVU), and Xelia Mendes-Jones (The Wheel of Time).

Based on one of the greatest video games of all time, Fallout is the story of haves and have-nots in a world in which there’s almost nothing left to have. Two-hundred years after the apocalypse, the gentle denizens of luxury fallout shelters are forced to return to the irradiated hellscape their ancestors left behind—and are shocked to discover an incredibly complex, gleefully weird, and highly violent universe waiting for them.

                            

Blu-ray & DVD (4K UHD Steelbook exclusive to Amazon)

SPECIAL FEATURES

- Commentary (exclusive to the physical release)

- Animated Content - A step-by-step career walkthrough with a focus on what really matters, produced by Vault-Tec executive Bud Askins.

- Becoming The Ghoul - Award-winning actor Walton Goggins plays not one but two central characters in Fallout. This in-depth look highlights the dichotomy of The Ghoul and Cooper Howard, and their long journey from past to present.

- Console to Camera - The Fallout universe has a rich legacy with tens of millions of fans around the world. Go behind-the-scenes of Prime Video’s new series and explore how and why, after nearly three decades, it was the perfect time to make the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. leap from game to screen.

- Creating the Wasteland - The VFX team for Fallout breaks down the various ways, mostly practical, they brought the Wasteland to life.

Inside Season One - Go inside the making of Season One.

- Meet the Filmmaker (and fanatic) Jonathan Nolan - Todd Howard and Bethesda Game Studios waited over 25 years to find someone with the ‘Profile’ to bring their iconic universe to life.

- Prosthetics & Makeup Gone Nuclear - Let’s face it - when it comes to Prosthetics and Makeup design in Fallout, Gore and Ghouls go hand-in-hand.

- Safe and Sound - Composer Ramin Djawadi and the team behind the sounds of Fallout reflect on the many musical notes of Season One.

- Set Your Sets on 2296 - Inside the cinematography and production design for Fallout, and how Jonathan Nolan and team achieved a very specific (and unforgettable) look for post-apocalyptic Los Angeles

- The Costumes of Fallout - Costume designer Amy Westcott and the Fallout producers unpack how they brought the Fallout factions to life.

- Welcome to the World of Fallout - An atomic past creates wild new futures. The cast and filmmakers of Fallout discuss the unique tone, characters and vast world of the post-apocalyptic sci-fier, based on the beloved video game franchise.

- Writing for the Wasteland - Showrunners Geneva Robertson Dworet and Graham Wagner describe how they created the ultra-unique tone of Fallout.       

Audio: English

Subtitles: English

Running Time: 475 minutes

Rated: TV-MA

COMPANION (2025) (WBDHE 4K Ultra HD Review)

COMPANION (2025)

Label: Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment 

Region Code: Region-Free 

Rating: R

Duration: 97 Minutes 5 Seconds 

Audio: English Dolby Atmos (TrueHD 7.1) with Optional English Subtitles 

Video: HDR10 2160p Ultra HD Widescreen (2.39:1) 

Director: Drew Hancock 

Cast: Sophie Thatcher, Jack Quaid, Lukas Gage, Megan Suri, Harvey Guillén, Rupert Friend 

In the sexbot A.I. thriller Companion (2025) the demure Iris (Sophie Thatcher, Yellowjackets) is the A.I. companion of Josh (Jack Quaid, The Boys), who arrives for a weekend getaway with his pals Kat (Megan Suri, It Lives Inside), Eli (Harvey Guillén, What We Do In The Shadows), and Eli's boy friend Patrick (Lukas Gage, Smile) at a gorgeous isolated lake house owned by Kat's Russian millionaire boyfriend Sergey (Rupert Friend, Asteroid City). The fun weekend turns deadly when Sergey winds up dead at the hands of Iris, which should never happen, as she is programmed to be harmless and subservient;. However, it seems Jack's decision to mod her programming proves to be troublesome, not just for Sergey, but to everyone gathered at the cabin, as dark secrets and motivations are revealed. 

At just 97 minutes I found Companion to be refreshingly brisk and to the point, a bit thin on plot perhaps ,but the clever storytelling and funny yet still visceral take on A.I. mishaps and nice-guy geek misogyny is very timely and well-executed. Thatcher is wonderful as the demure A.I. sex bot who is made to realize that she is in fact a robot and that her memories of a meet-cute with Jack at a grocery store are a fiction of her programming, but with help from Jack's phone which allows her to raise her IQ and aggression levels so that she can rise above her station as an emotional support companion with zero agency into a fierce, independent and quite deadly woman makes for an enthralling watch full of twists and turns that sucked me in from start to finish. If you're a fan of films like Blink Twice, Don't Worry Darling, Ex Machina and M3GAN I think this sharp-witted flick about a sex bot who starts out subservient and demure, but through misadventure, gains more agency, much to the detriment of her human master and his pals is gonna be a hit. 

Audio/Video:  Companion (2025) arrives on 4K Ultra HD from Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment in 2160p UHD with HDR10 color-grading. The film looks terrific in it's native 4K presentation, obviously flawless with razor sharp detail, colors look fantastic, skin tones look natural, and depth and clarity are pleasing throughout. Audio comes by way of Dolby Atmos (TrueHD 7.1) with optional English subtitles, that track is nicely immersive, moments of gunfire, screams and action are handled with aplomb, 

Extras include three brief EPK-style featurettes that are 5-6 minutes each. The single-disc release arrives in a standard keepcase with a single-sided wrap, inside there's a insert with a redemption code for a digital copy of the film. 

Special Features:  

- I Feel, Therefore I Am – Could a robot have more humanity than a human? Delve into the complex relationships at the heart of “Companion” with Jack Quaid and Sophie Thatcher. (5:43) 

- Love, Eli – Harvey Guillén and Lukas Gage explore the fun, lighthearted relationship of Patrick and Eli. Explore their supposed first encounter at a costume party and how that develops into a unique love. (4:26) 

- AI Horror - Director Drew Hancock breaks down the fusion of slasher and sci-fi elements in “Companion” and how this is the perfect recipe for the wild and unexpected horrors humans can inflict upon AI.

(5:09) 

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THE EPITAPH VOL. 95 - BRIEF REMEMBRANCES OF THE RECENTLY RELEASED

THE EPITAPH VOL. 95 

BRIEF REMEMBRANCES OF THE RECENTLY RELEASED

THE GOOD GERMAN (2006) - THE INFORMANT (2008)- HYSTERIA: SEASONE ONE (2025) - CHEYENNE: THE COMPLETE SERIES (1957-1962) - A KNIGHT'S WAR (2024)

THE GOOD GERMAN (2006) 

4K Ultra HD+ Blu-ray 

Label: Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment 

Region Code: Region-Free 

Rating: R

Duration: 107 Minutes 38 Seconds 

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

Video: 2160p Ultra HD Fullscreen (1.33:1), 1080p HD Fullscreen (1.33:1) 

Director: Steven Soderbergh

Cast: George Clooney, Cate Blanchett, Tobey Maguire

Steven Soderbergh's The Good German (2006) is a noir throwback to the shadowy mystery films of the 1940s; set in a post-war Berlin where everyone seems to have secret, and absolutely everyone is working an angle. Amidst the ruins of post-World War II Berlin, U.S. Army war correspondent Jake Geismer (George Clooney, Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?) finds himself embroiled in a mystery  when his assigned driver Corporal Tully (Tobey Maguire, Spider-Man), black-market war profiteer is found dead in a river near the peace talks in Potsdam, with a large amount of cash on his person. Figuring into the mystery is Tully's lover Lena Brandt (Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth), who also happens to be a former lover of Geismer, whose missing husband is the object of a manhunt by both the American and Russian side, but what does the missing husband and the dead driver have to do with each other, if anything. it's solid noir-thriller with plenty of suspense and intrigue about it, and the way it slavishly recreates the deeply shadowed monochromatic mysteries of the '40s era noir is pretty dazzling, utilizing the 1.33;1 aspect ratio, using only incandescent lighting, and relying on boom mics to capture the sound, it's an intoxicating homage for sure. Clooney is solid here as the journalist who finds himself caught up in the intrigue but it's Blanchett as the femme that steals every scene. i remember catching this at the theater and loving it, but apparently it is not well liked, which is perhaps why the film has only had a DVD release until now, finally available as a UHD/BD combo with Dolby Vision HDR and uncompressed DTS-HD MA audio, and it looks and sounds terrific, but sadly the only extras we get is a trailer,. i would have loved to hear a commentary with Soderbergh, but that was not to be, Anyway, if you're a neo-noir fan this is a terrific watch, and it's great to see it finally get the HD/UHD upgrade with this latest wave of Soderbergh flicks to land in 4K UHD. 

Special Features: 

- Theatrical Trailer

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THE INFORMANT (2008) 

4K Ultra HD 

Label: Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment 

Region Code: Region-Free 

Rating: R

Duration: 108 Minutes 11 Seconds 

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

Video: Dolby Vision HDR10 2160p Ultra HD Widescreen (1.78:1)  

Director: Steven Soderbergh

Cast: Matt Damon, Scott Bakula, Joel McHale, Melanie Lynskey

Another Soderbergh flick gets the 4K upgrade, this time it's the based on  true vents black comedy The Informant (2008) starring Matt Damon (The Ocean's Trilogy) as Mark Whitacre, an exec at Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) in Decatur, Illinois, who turns whistleblower on the agro-business giant, accusing them of a price-fixing scheme involving the animal feed additive lysine, a by-product of corn. At the urging of his wife Ginger (Melanie Lynskey, TVs Yellowjackets) contacts the F.B.I. agents Brian Shepard (Scott Bakula, Lord of Illusions) and Robert Herndon (Joel McHale, Becky), and starts rolling tape at meetings recording those who are illegally fixing the price of food additives. While he sees himself as the hero in this situations the sad truth is that Whitaker is a self aggrandizing, bi-polar compulsive liar who only ever tells half the truth, and it turns out that there's quite a bit more to the story behind-the-scenes than mere price-fixing, and he himself is absolutely untethered from reality. The black comic tone of this one has always reminded me more of the Coen Brothers than anything by Soderbergh, it coming off as The Insider by way of Fargo. I must admit that when I caught this at the cinema in 2008 I actively disliked it, which I think I would attribute to just thinking that Damon was poorly cast at the time, but rewatching it now nearly twenty years later I think this quirky whistleblower comedy has aged pretty well, and I am more at ease with the casting, but the film would still score very low on a ranking of my personal favorite Soderbergh flicks. The 4K UHD carries over the slim extras from the 2010 Blu-ray, and offers an appreciable uptick with the Dolby Vision HDR10 color-grade that should prove quite pleasing for those looking to upgrade. 

Special Features: 

- Audio Commentary by director Steven Soderbergh and Screenwriter Scott Z. Burns

- Deleted Scenes (6:26) 

- Trailer (2:27) 

- Theatrical Trailer

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HYSTERIA: SEASONE ONE (2025) 2-Disc Blu-ray 

Label: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment 

Region Code:

Rating: Unrated 

Duration: 520 Minutes 

Audio:

Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.78:1) 

Directors:

Cast: Julie Bowen, Anna Camp, Emjay Anthony, Chiara Aurelia, Kezii Curtis

In the Peacock streaming series Hysteria!, set during the late-80s 'satanic panic'. a popular varsity quarterback from the village of Happy Hollow, MI disappears and is found dead, looking like the victim of a satanic ritual. this spreads fear throughout the small community. This gives  struggling high school metal band Deathkrunch, comprised of Dylan (Emjay Anthony, Krampus), Jordy (Chiara Aurelia, Fear Street Part Two: 1978) and Spud (Kezii Curtis, Dolemite is My Name) capitalize on the town's tragedy by capitalizing on the murder, overnight fashioning themselves as a Satanic metal band, which makes them quite popular with the kids at school, even attracting attention from his popular-girl crush Judith (Jessica Treska, TV mini-series Sharp Objects), but proves problematic when a string of continuing murders, kidnappings and satanic activity leads right back to them, with local religious-nut Tracy (Anna Camp, HBO's True Blood) leading the charge on the satanic-panic hysteria. as a metal kid in the 80s this show hit me right in my leather-studded sweet spot, and it certainly did not hurt that Bruce Campbell shows up as the local sheriff either. Sadly the show was not renewed for a second season, but I still enjoyed my rewatch on Blu-ray, and even with a second season denied there's still enough here in the sole season to merit a watch. I also loved the soundtrack selections, we get choice cuts from Motley Crue, Judas Priest, Merciful Fate, Black Sabbath, Motorhead and a deep cut from Cirith Ungol which sort of floored me. Anyway, the show's satanic panic premise, late-80s setting, and metal soundtrack all appealed to me, as did the anti-religion sentiment that explores the hypocrisy of true believers, it's just a bummer there will be no season two. That said, still worth a watch, especially if your into heavy metal horrors like Deathgasm, Trick or Treat, or Uncle Peckerhead.

Special Features: 

- None 

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CHEYENNE: THE  COMPLETE SERIES (1957-1962)
30-Disc Blu-ray Set

Label: Warner Archive 

Region Code: Region-Free

Rating: Unrated 

Duration: 5560

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

Video: 1080p HD Fullscreen (1.33:1)

Director: Richard L. Bare, Leslie H. Martinson, Lee Sholem

Cast: Clint Walker, Lane Chandler, Andrew Duggan, James Garner, Edd Byrnes, Alan Hale, Jr., Dan Blocker,Lee Van Cleef, Michael Landon, Lorne Greene, Angie Dickinson, Connie Stevens and Ellen Burstyn

Another vintage Warner Bros. Television western series finds it's way to Blu-ray via Warner Archive, following their terrific releases of restorations of Colt .45  and The Alaskans. It was a western series that lasted seven seasons, starring the brawny 6' 6" hunk Clint Walker (The White Buffalo, Snowbeast) as Cheyenne Bodie, a wandering cowboy who travels the post Civil War old west in search of adventure, often finding himself involved in local intrigue, bringing justice wherever he goes. Being very episodic in nature, with not many returning characters, the only characters I've seen show up more than once is L.Q. Jones (Brotherhood of Satan) as "Smitty" Smith as Cheyenne's trusty sidekick, but he only shows up for three episodes and is gone, so it's really the Clint Walker show. Thankfully 'The Big Man' Clint Walker proves to be charismatic and a paragon of integrity, and easy to watch, and pretty easy on the eyes, too, if you're so inclines. The show also features plenty of future stars making early appearances including James Garner, Alan Hale, Jr., Lee Van Cleef, Michael Landon, Lorne Greene, Angie Dickinson, Ellen Burstyn. Richard Crenna, James Hong, John Carradine, Dennis Hopper, George Kennedy, Adam West, and Stacy Keach, and plenty more. the show has plenty of gunplay and fisticuffs, cattle stampedes, encounters with Native Americans. The action plays across this great land of our, from arid western towns to the rugged mountains of the Northwest, its got some very solid production values for each of the 107 episodes. The massive 30-disc Blu-ray set arrives housed inside seven keepcases, one keepcase per season with flipper rays holding the discs. these are housed inside of a pretty standard slipbox. all seven seasons get a unique sleeve of artwork featuring seven different promotional images of Clint Walker, the color of the spines corresponding with the color of the logos for each season. The only extras is the 14-min archival The Lonely Gunfighter: The Legacy of Cheyenne - An Interview with Clint Walker. the transfers are immaculate, all 107 episodes remastered from 4K scans of the original camera negatives. once again, warner archive have gone above and beyond for this Warner Bros. Television Studio produced western, and it's sure to be a nostalgic thrill for those who grew up watching it, and a treat for newcomers who get to enjoy it in the best passible quality in HD. 

Special Features: 

- The Lonely Gunfighter: The Legacy of Cheyenne -An Interview with Clint Walker (13:44) 

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A KNIGHT'S WAR (2024) 

Blu-ray 

Label: Epic Pictures

Region Code: Region-Free  

Rating: Unrated

Duration: 103 Minutes 49 Minutes 

Audio: English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, 5.1 Surround with Optional English Subtitles 

Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (2.35:1) 

Director: Matthew Ninaber

Cast: Jeremy Ninaber, Matthew Ninaber, Kristen Kaster

in the indie fantasy horror-thriller A Knight's  War (2025) a fearless honor-boun knight Bhodie (Jeremy Ninaber, Transference) is sent to a fallen underworld realm to reclaim the corrupted soul of Avalon (Kristen Kaster, Death Valley), a ginger-haired maiden who was burned at the stake by her father, because of a prophet that foretells of a chosen one. in the the dark realms he encounters it's strange denizens, including the Gatekeeper, as well as various with witches, demons, and savage armored barbarians. This lower-budget flick has a ton of heart and plenty of DIY spirit, crafting a enthralling dark fantasy with usurpingly well realized sets, as well as some terrific bloody violence and dazzling special effects work that sell the fantastical happenings. this reminded me strongly of stuff like Season of the Witch and The Last Witch Hunter, but on a budget, and the only real complaint i might level against it would be the acting and dialogue was a bit spotty in places, and the swordplay seems clumsy at times, but not enough to ruin it for me, because i think this is a pretty slick indie flick. the Blu-ray looks and sounds solid, plus we get some extras, including a revealing 25-min behind-the-scenes featurette that made me appreciate how well made this was considering the resources they had, i love the heart that went into this.

Special Features: 

- Director’s Audio Commentary 

- Behind the Scenes Featurette (25:00) 

- Bright Knight - Proof of Concept (1:26) 

- A Knight's War Official Trailer (1:58) 

- Dread Trailers: Bystanders (1:01), Ed Kemper (2:14), For Sale By Exorcist (1:31) 

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