Home Entertainment Guide: July 2024

10 NEW TO NETFLIX

“Bone Tomahawk“
“The Boy Next Door“
“Fifty Shades Darker“
“Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire“
“The Hateful Eight“
“The Inspection“
“Land of Bad“
“The Teachers’ Lounge”
“Trolls: Band Together”
“Wicked Little Letters“

18 NEW ON BLU-RAY/DVD

“Abigail“

If Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett‘s “Scream” films were the duo known as Radio Silence’s stab at Wes Craven, their follow-up is their best attempt to mimic the art of John Carpenter. Like so many of that master’s films, it’s a thriller about people trapped in an impossible situation. But “Abigail” lacks the grit and teeth of the master’s best work, often feeling too polished to be effective. Still, there’s just enough to like here, especially in the great ensemble, including another memorable Dan Stevens genre performance (you really NEED to see what he does in the upcoming “Cuckoo”). Ultimately, “Abigail” is a reasonable weekend rental, even if it fails to live up to the potential of its premise.

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Special Features

Deleted & Extended ScenesGag ReelBlood Bath – Soak up the slaughter alongside the cast and crew with this dive into the deep end of Abigail’s body pits, where practical FX reign supreme and there’s no such thing as too much blood.Hunters to Hunted – Get up close and personal with Abigail’s abductors as the cast divulges the details behind how they got into character to collectively create a unique crew of criminals.Becoming a Ballerina Vampire – Abigail actor Alisha Weir, choreographer Belinda Murphy, and more members of the creative team take up the task of transforming a seemingly sweet little girl into a vicious vampire.Directing Duo Matt & Tyler – Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett lead this look at the actors, ideas, and environment they put together to create a set that’s fun while still being fearsome.Feature Commentary with Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett and Editor Michael P. Shawyer

“Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy“

It’s hard to believe it’s been 20 years since San Diego stayed classy. Paramount is celebrating the anniversary of what is arguably Will Ferrell‘s biggest cultural footprint with a stellar 4K release that includes multiple versions of the film, commentary, and tons of special features spread over three discs. Seriously, this is Criterion level special features for “Anchorman.” How’s the movie hold up? Pretty darn well for a flick that’s almost old enough to drink, largely because of the improvisational fearlessness of one of the best comedy ensembles of its era. I’m still a “Step Brothers” guy when the topic of the best Adam McKay comedy comes up, but a rewatch of this edition made me realize it’s a closer race than I remembered. 

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Special Features
DISC ONE – 4K BLU-RAYTHEATRICAL VERSION of the filmDOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATIONAudio: English – DTS HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround, French – Parisian, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish – Castilian Dolby Digital 5.1 SurroundSubtitles: English, English SDH, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French – Parisian, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Spanish – Castilian, SwedishDISC TWO – BLU-RAYTHEATRICAL AND EXTENDED VERSIONS of the film branchedCommentary by Adam McKay, Will Ferrell, Lou Rawls, Andy Richter, Kyle Gass, Paul Rudd, David Koechner, and Christina ApplegateDeleted & Extended ScenesBloopers”Afternoon Delight” Music VideoESPN SportsCenter Audition – Ron BurgundyAudio: English – DTS HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround, French – Parisian, Spanish – Castilian Dolby Digital 5.1 SurroundSubtitles: English, English SDH, French, SpanishDISC THREE – BLU-RAYWAKE UP RON BURGUNDY: THE LOST MOVIEIntro-Commentary with Will Ferrell and Aaron ZimmermanPSAAward SpeechRaw Footage “Good Takes””Afternoon Delight” Recording SessionInterviewsSpecialsCast AuditionsTable Read 6/2/03RehearsalsPlayback VideoCommercial BreakTrailersAudio: English StereoSubtitles: English, French, Spanish Latin AmericanADDITIONAL CONTENT
Rigid board slipcasePoster5 x Art Cards5 x Character CardsChannel 4 News StickerThe Many Months of Burgundy’ BookletCapacity Envelope

“Anselm“

It was heartening to see the masterful Wim Wenders premiere two films at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. His best narrative feature in years, “Perfect Days,” received more fanfare, but this 3D documentary, now available under the Janus Contemporaries branch of the Criterion Collection, made for an interesting companion. It’s a delicate, almost somber portrait of Wim’s friend Anselm Kiefer, a painter and sculptor whose work grapples with the complex history of his country. Of course, Wenders doesn’t make standard bio-docs, and his film almost marries his art with that of his subject’s, especially in 3D. Janus/Criterion includes a 3D Blu-ray in this release, by the way, for those with such technical capabilities.

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Special Features
Meet the Filmmaker, a new interview with director Wim WendersTrailer

“The Boy and the Heron“

If you thought Hayao Miyazaki’s Oscar winner was gorgeous on the big screen, you really need to see it in 4K. This release from GKIDS and Shout is a stunner, a reminder of how beautifully timeless this film already feels. The Dolby track also reminds one of the stunning grace of Joe Hisaishi‘s score, one of my favorites of the decade. The special features here are also strong, including storyboards and interviews. This will likely be Miyazaki’s final film, and it will go down in history as one of the best closing acts in film history. Note: There’s a steelbook edition with excellent cover art but the same special features as the standard 4K release.

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Special Features
DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILMDOLBY ATMOS AUDIO TRACKFeature-Length StoryboardsInterview with Composer Joe HisaishiInterview with Producer Toshio SuzukiInterview with Supervising Animator Takeshi HondaDrawing with Takeshi Honda”Spinning Globe” Music VideoTeasers & Trailers

“Brokeback Mountain“

The story of “Crash” becoming one of the most hated Best Picture winners of all time often doesn’t include the film that almost everyone thought would win that night, especially after its director, Ang Lee, took home his first trophy: “Brokeback Mountain.” Based on the short story of the same name by Annie Proulx, this drama is still incredibly powerful, thanks in large part to Lee’s nuanced direction of his performers, especially Oscar nominees Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger, whose snub for the Oscar for Best Actor actually felt like the biggest crime of the night to this critic (as much as I also love PSH’s work in “Capote“). Ledger’s work here is unreal, a captivating portrait of a man struggling with his place in the world.

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Special Features
NEW 4K MASTER FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVENEW Audio Commentary by Film Historian/Writer Julie KirgoSharing the Story: The Making of Brokeback Mountain (20:47)From Script to Screen: Interviews with Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana (10:53)A Groundbreaking Success: Featurette (17:13)Directing from the Heart: Featurette with Ang Lee (7:27)On Being a Cowboy: Featurette (5:44)Music from the Mountain: Featurette with Gustavo SantaolallaImpressions from the Film: Photo SlideshowTheatrical Trailer and TV Spots

“Captain Phillips“

Speaking of Oscar crimes, it will never make sense to me that Tom Hanks was snubbed for even a nomination for his performance in this chilling thriller from Paul Greengrass, the director of “United 93.” Hanks plays Richard Phillips, the captain of the Maersk Alabama, which was hijacked by Somali pirates in 2009. There’s no anniversary here, but Sony has deemed it the right time to drop a Steelbook 4K version of the movie nonetheless. Maybe it will allow for a greater appreciation of Hanks’ work here, especially in a scene late in the film that haunts me, the one in which Phillips finally realizes he’s safe and the tension that he’s been carrying in his body literally comes out through all of his muscles. It’s a reminder that Hanks somehow went from one of our most honored actors in the ’90s to one of our most underrated two decades later.

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Special Features
Commentary with Director Paul GreengrassCapturing Captain Phillips – in-depth behind-the-scenes featurettes on making the acclaimed filmTheatrical Trailer

“Civil War“

This is a tough one. As is often the case when I catch up with a film that has produced such incredibly divisive responses, I see both sides of the debate here. On the one hand, Alex Garland’s film is an ambitious, gorgeously shot piece of filmmaking. On the other, bigger hand, for this viewer, it’s a provocation that often feels ungrounded, as if it’s never taking place in the real world. The reading that the film is more about journalism than the zeitgeist works, but only to a certain extent when Garland peppers his script with references to places like Crawfordsville (which is not an accident). Ultimately, I don’t think Garland fully has a grip on what he’s trying to say with “Civil War,” but he’s strong enough at the craft of filmmaking as a director that I was never bored watching him reach for it.

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Special Features
Torn Asunder: Waging Alex Garland’s Civil War Six-Part DocumentaryTheatrical TrailerAmazon Blu-ray Exclusive: Director and Cast Q&A

“Diary of the Dead“

Man, I miss George Romero. One of the best directors of all time (not just horror, any genre), Romero reshaped the American filmmaking landscape. But by the time this 2007 film was released, a lot of people were taking the master for granted. The reboot of the “Dead” films in “Land of the Dead” was pretty well-received, but the lack of star power for this fifth film “of the Dead” led to it being largely ignored. Sure, it’s no “Dawn of the Dead,” but few movies are, and it’s a reminder that Romero was taking risks with form (making a found footage movie) and playing with interesting ideas late into his career. 

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Special Features
Feature commentary by Writer-Director George A. Romero, Director of Photography Adam Swica, and Editor Michael DohertyFor the Record: Feature-Length Documentary on the Film’s Cast, Crew & CreationThe Roots: The Inspiration for the FilmThe First Week: A Visit to the SetFamiliar Voices: Cameo OuttakesMySpace Contest Winners: 5 Zombie films from Filmmaker FansCharacter Confessionals

“Farewell My Concubine”

One of the best films of the ’90s was given a lavish 4K restoration and re-released last year in a new director’s cut that I reviewed here. My admiration and love for Chen Kaige‘s epic period piece should be clear enough in that 4-star review, and so I was happy to learn that Criterion would handle the home release of that version of the film. Everything in that review remains the same, of course, and the physical version includes a few archival pieces (an interview from its theatrical and a documentary from its DVD release) along with a new conversation about the movie between a scholar and a producer. It’s a slight release for Criterion, but the film alone makes it worth owning.

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Special Features
NEW 4K RESTORATION of the original director’s cut, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrackNew conversation between Chinese-cultural-studies scholar Michael Berry and producer Janet YangDocumentary from 2003 on the making of the filmInterview from 1993 with director Chen Kaige conducted by journalist Charlie RoseTrailerNew English subtitle translationPLUS: An essay by author and scholar Pauline Chen

“The First Omen“

What a stunner. Not only is this one of the best debuts of the year, it’s one of the best major studio horror films in many years. Taking place before the action of 1976’s “The Omen,” this superior film stars Nell Tiger Free (“Servant”) as an American novitiate named Margaret Daino, who has come to serve at an orphanage in Rome in 1971, where, well, things are getting weird. Something very wrong is happening at Vizzardeli, but Arkasha Stevenson‘s film is more interested in creating a haunting, unsettling mood than it is in the specifics of the plot. The practical effects rule, Aaron Morton’s cinematography is gorgeous, and the editing by Bob Murawski and Amy E. Duddleston is some of the best of the year. This is a fearless piece of filmmaking, filled with artistry and ideas in ways that modern horror is too rarely allowed to be. See it. 

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Special Features
The Mystery of Margaret – Join director Arkasha Stevenson and stars Nell Tiger Free, Bill Nighy and Maria Caballero as they dive into the character of Margaret, her relationships with other characters, and how she’s manipulated while trying to solve the film’s horrifying mystery.The Director’s Vision – Director Arkasha Stevenson talks about her love of horror films, the opportunity to expand on The Omen legacy, and crafting The First Omen entirely through a female lens. She also describes shooting in Rome, and the cast recounts working with Arkasha.Signs of The First Omen – Join the director and talented artists as they reveal some of the symbolism within the set designs and the costumes. Learn how the use of practical effects blurs the line between what is real and what is not in The First Omen’s terrifying world.

“The Last Stop in Yuma County“

Do you miss the work of the Coen brothers? What about the wave of filmmakers trying to be Quentin Tarantino after he broke through? I’ve got a movie for you. While “Fargo” and “Pulp Fiction” wannabes led to a bunch of junk, Francis Gallupi’s throwback feels fresh and, most of all, fun. The fantastic Jim Cummings stars as a traveling knives salesman who arrives at the titular remote gas station in the 1970s, where, well, things go very wrong. Jocelin Donahue, Sierra McCormick, Alex Essoe, Barbara Crampton, and the iconic Richard Brake star in an unpredictable, violent, funny, strange piece of work. You know, the kind they used to make more often.

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Special Features
Three audio commentary tracksMaking-of featurette

“The Man From U.N.C.L.E.”

Crawling to just under $50 million in the States, this Guy Ritchie film was considered a failure on its release in 2015. However, it almost immediately developed a vocal fan base, people ready to proclaim it a misunderstood masterpiece. To this day, when those social prompts pop up about movies that deserve a sequel, this film almost always surfaces, probably second only to “The Nice Guys.” So fans of this loose version of the ’60s show of the same name will be happy to know that Arrow heard their cries and gave Ritchie’s flick the VERY special treatment, complete with a new transfer, special features, and awesome packaging. New interviews and featurettes are joined by all the archival ones from previous releases, making this one of the season’s most impressive physical media releases. 

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Special Features
Dolby Vision/HDR presentation of the filmOriginal lossless Dolby Atmos soundOptional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearingBrand new audio commentary by critics Bryan Reesman and Max EvryThe Hollywood Way – brand new interview with co-writer/producer Lionel WigramA Lineage of Bad Guys – brand new interview with actor Luca CalvaniLegacy of U.N.C.L.E. – brand new featurette celebrating the original 1960s TV series and its influence on the 2015 movie, featuring Helen McCarthy, David Flint and Vic PrattCockneys and Robbers – brand new featurette exploring director Guy Ritchie’s oeuvre, featuring Kat Hughes, Hannah Strong and Josh SacoSpy Vision: Recreating 60s Cool, A Higher Class of Hero, Metisse Motorcycles: Proper and Very British, The Guys from U.N.C.L.E. and A Man of Extraordinary Talents – five archival featurettes exploring the making of the filmU.N.C.L.E.: On-Set Spy – four archival, bite-sized featurettes going behind the scenes on the film setTheatrical trailerImage galleryDouble-sided fold-out poster, featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Dare CreativeIllustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing by Barry Forshaw, and a reprinted article from CODEX Magazine on the film’s cinematographyReversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Dare Creative

“Perfect Days”

A nominee for the Oscar for Best International Feature Film, this gentle character study felt like a comeback for one of the best filmmakers of all time in Wim Wenders. The director of “Wings of Desire” and “Until the End of the World” co-wrote and directed the story of Hirayama, played with gentle grace by Koji Yakusho, who won the Best Actor Award at Cannes last year. Hirayama spends his days cleaning toilets in Tokyo, taking solace in the little things in life as the film about him deftly reveals details about his past. Without ever succumbing to melodrama or the sense that it’s looking down on a menial worker, “Perfect Days” is a captivating gem. It’s also worth noting that the Criterion edition now available includes an interview with the charming Wenders and a short by the filmmaker, available exclusively here.

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Special Features
4K DIGITAL MASTER, approved by director Wim Wenders, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrackHDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILMNew interview with WendersInterview with actor Koji YakushoSome Body Comes into the Light (2023), a short by Wenders, featuring a new introduction by the directorInterview with producer Koji Yanai, founder of the Tokyo Toilet projectTrailer

“Risky Business“

One of the best movies of the ’80s, this was still a very unexpected inclusion in the Criterion Collection, but a very welcome one. For those not as old as this writer, it’s hard to fully explain what a seismic announcement of a star it felt like when Tom Cruise slid across that floor. And a reappraisal of this film as a smart, sexy, thrilling piece of work is long overdue. To that end, Criterion includes a 4K restoration of the director’s cut and theatrical release overseen by director Paul Brickman and producer Jon Avnet, who also returns for a new interview about the movie. Archival features imported for this release include a commentary featuring Cruise himself and fascinating screen tests of the actor and his gorgeous co-star Rebecca De Mornay. You can see the future star even then.

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Special Features
NEW 4K RESTORATION of the director’s cut and the original theatrical release, supervised and approved by director Paul Brickman and producer Jon Avnet, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtracksDOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILMAudio commentary for the original theatrical release featuring Brickman, Avnet, and actor Tom CruiseNew interviews with Avnet and casting director Nancy KlopperNew conversation between editor Richard Chew and film historian Bobbie O’SteenThe Dream Is Always the Same: The Story of “Risky Business,” a program featuring interviews with Brickman, Avnet, cast members, and othersScreen tests with Cruise and actor Rebecca De MornayTrailerEnglish subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearingPLUS: An essay by film curator and critic Dave Kehr

“Run Lola Run“

There was a brief window in the late ’90s and early ’00s when it felt like international cinema would be embedded in American filmmaking more seamlessly than it ended up being. “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” was the apex of this, but don’t forget the arthouse success of Tom Tykwer‘s riveting “Run Lola Run,” a movie that won the Audience Award at Sundance on its way to an Oscar nomination almost a year later. Franka Potente stars as Lola, who does a lot of running in an effort to get the money to save her boyfriend. Recently given a theatrical release in 4K to mark its 25th anniversary, that version now comes home from Sony, accompanied by the special features from its initial physical release.

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Special Features
Audio Commentary with Director Tom Tykwer and Actor Franka PotenteAudio Commentary with Director Tom Tykwer and Editor Mathilde BonnefoyMaking-Of FeaturetteStill Running Featurette”Believe” Music VideoTheatrical Trailer

“Taxi Driver“

A solid candidate for one of the ten best films of at least the ’70s (and maybe longer), Martin Scorsese‘s thriller remains one of the most influential films of all time. Robert De Niro gave an instantly iconic performance as Travis Bickle, who comes home now in a steelbook collector’s edition that houses a 4K version of the film that has been restored from the original camera negative. The standard Blu-ray that’s also included comes with a ton of special features, including commentaries by Paul Schrader and Scorsese himself, and much more. This is a must-own collector’s edition of a true masterpiece.

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Special Features

DISC ONE – 4K BLU-RAYRestored from the original camera negative, presented in 4K resolution with Dolby VisionEnglish 5.1 + monoMaking Taxi Driver DocumentaryStoryboard to Film Comparisons with Martin Scorsese IntroductionAnimated Photo Galleries20th Anniversary Re-Release TrailerDISC TWO – BLU-RAYFeature presented in high definition, sourced from the 4K masterEnglish 5.140-Minute Taxi Driver Q&A featuring Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster and Many More Recorded Live at the Beacon Theatre in New York City at the 2016 Tribeca Film FestivalCommentary with Director Martin Scorsese and Writer Paul Schrader Recorded by the Criterion CollectionCommentaries by Writer Paul Schrader and by Professor Robert KolkerMartin Scorsese on Taxi DriverInfluence and Appreciation: A Martin Scorsese TributeProducing Taxi DriverGod’s Lonely ManTaxi Driver StoriesTravis’ New YorkTravis’ New York LocationsTheatrical Trailer

“Twister“

In anticipation of the success of “Twisters,” Sony released the 1996 Jan de Bont original in a sharp 4K release that includes a new interview with the director and a solid (if not spectacular) audio track for the film. Almost three decades later, “Twister” is goofier and better than you remember, a reminder of Bill Paxton’s excellence and De Bont’s skill at pacing a blockbuster like this one. The dialogue can be clunky, but people didn’t come to “Twister” for character work then, and they’re not going to care now, especially with a 4K picture to really amplify what works about the movie.

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Special Features
NEW The Legacy of Twister: Taken by the Wind – Jan de Bont discusses the groundbreaking filmAudio commentary by Jan de Bont and Visual Effects Supervisor Stefen FangmeierFeaturettes:Chasing the Storm: Twister RevisitedAnatomy of a TwisterHBO First Look: The Making of TwisterVan Halen “Humans Being” Music Video

“The Zone of Interest“

The Oscar winner for Best International Feature has now been given a physical Blu-ray release from A24 that’s available exclusively through their shop. Special features for a film like this can be tricky in that it doesn’t really support standard EPK nonsense. So A24 has given it a different treatment, taking the project seriously with physical postcards and a 32-minute documentary instead of the typical, choppy featurettes. To this viewer, “The Zone of Interest” feels like more and more of an essential film of its era with each passing day, a major piece of work that will stand the test of time.

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Special Features
Postcards with stills photography by Agata Gryzbowska and Kuba KaminskiA short documentary on Aleksandra Bystroń-Kołodziejczyk A recording of “Sunbeams” (written and performed by Joseph Wulf)32-minute making-of documentary “Filming Zone,” directed, edited & photographed by Filip Skrońc

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