Great Movies
10 NEW TO NETFLIX
"1917"
"Aftersun"
"Ali"
"Carol"
"The Conjuring"
"Crazy Rich Asians"
"Fatal Attraction"
"Godzilla Minus One"
"Miami Vice"
"Wonder"
14 NEW ON BLU-RAY/DVD
Paul Schrader has had a remarkable late-career resurgence after the low points of films like "The Canyons," bouncing back with the acclaimed thematic trilogy of "First Reformed," "The Card Counter," and "Master Gardener," and his latest film, "Oh Canada," which premiered at Cannes to positive reviews. It's amazing that Schrader still feels so vital to the American film scene given that one of his best films is nearly a half-century old, recently released in a gorgeous box set from the wonderful folk at Arrow. Remastering this phenomenal film, which features one of Richard Gere's best performances, is cool enough, but the Arrow people don't just do the tech thing - they load their special editions with new special features. This includes a new audio commentary and interviews with Schrader, Hector Elizondo, Bill Duke, Richard Halsey, and more. And the cover is one of my favorites of the year. Go get this one.
Buy it here
Special Features
"Blue Velvet" (Criterion)
I love David Lynch's 1986 masterpiece, but I also love that Roger Ebert hated it. People often ask me what my favorite Roger reviews are, and his take on "Blue Velvet" is near the top of my list because it shows how singularly confident he was in his opinion, even when it went against so many of his colleagues. It's healthy for a critic to be in the minority now and then, reminding us how often one person's masterpiece is another person's stinker. Having said that, the Criterion edition of "Blue Velvet" is a beauty, importing the excellent special features from the standard Blu-ray release and now attaching them to the visually strongest version of the film to date, emerging from a 4K restoration overseen by Lynch himself.
Special Features
"Bound" (Criterion)
How has it been almost three decades since "Bound"? And how cool is it that the Wachowskis' riveting debut is now in the Criterion Collection? A perfect pick-up for Pride Month, "Bound" is a captivating twist on the noir formula with Jennifer Tilly as the femme fatale who partners with an ex-con (played by Gina Gershon) to steal $2 million from her mafia boyfriend. Drenched in style, "Bound" is the kind of unapologetic, stylish film that one wishes the Wachowskis would make again. One of its highlights is the sweaty, moody cinematography by the great Bill Pope, who oversaw the 4K digital restoration for this release, which has been accompanied by an audio commentary and multiple interviews with all the key players, including Gershon, Tilly, and Lana & Lilly Wachowski.
Special Features
New 4K digital restoration of the unrated international version, supervised and approved by cinematographer Bill Pope, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
Audio commentary featuring directors Lana and Lilly Wachowski; actors Gina Gershon, Joe Pantoliano, and Jennifer Tilly; editor Zach Staenberg; and technical consultant Susie Bright
New video essay by film critic Christina Newland
Six interview programs featuring Gershon, Pantoliano, Pope, Staenberg, Tilly, actor Christopher Meloni, composer Don Davis, title designer Patti Podesta, and film scholars Jennifer Moorman and B. Ruby Rich
Trailers
English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
PLUS: An essay by scholar McKenzie Wark
"Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" (Criterion)
Hunter S. Thompson found his perfect director in Terry Gilliam, who has always been a bit gonzo himself. The filmmaker understood that the only way to adapt Thompson's beloved 1971 novel about an insane trip across the desert to the drug-fueled oasis of the city of sin was to do so with the same take-no-prisoners style. The result would become one of Gilliam's most beloved films, even though it was initially greeted with a shrug. This one built an audience in re-release and on DVD and Blu-ray. And now it's being inducted into the 4K wing of the Criterion Collection, including a restoration overseen by Gilliam himself. The director is reportedly collaborating with Depp again, although I'll believe that when I see it (and, honestly, not sure I want it even then). We'll always have Vegas. Note: Thompson himself does a commentary on this film that you have to hear.
Special Features
By virtue of being a bit less of an obvious cash grab than the last atrocious film in this series, and thanks to much lighter and better direction by Gil Kenan (along with fun supporting turns from Kumail Nanjiani and Patton Oswalt), the fourth "Ghostbusters" film is not half bad. Yes, that's faint praise for a series that has arguably produced only one good flick, but there's an '80s charm to this one that kinda works, playing more like a fun episode of the animated show than the weaponized nostalgia of the last one. I decided to include it in a monthly column consisting mostly of highlights because Sony treats the fans of this series well; there's a sharp transfer, deleted scenes, and audio commentary. I honestly wish I was one of them.
Special Features
"Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire"
It's hard to say exactly why the newest MonsterVerse Hollywood movie isn't quite as satisfying as the last. At first, it feels like there's just too much human junk that's hard to care about, but then the monster stuff gets going and feels cluttered, too. The spectacle of Adam Wingard's underrated last movie just isn't there, and it doesn't hold a candle to Edwards' "Godzilla" reboot. Still, I must admit to having a soft spot for the genre that makes even an inferior product like this one go down easy. Of course, it helps that no studio does the 4K home release for new Hollywood products like WB, giving the film the transfer and audio mix it needs to overcome its shortcomings through technical shock and awe.
Special Features
One of the best films of 2024 is available on 4K Blu-ray exclusively from A24 itself, a company that is quickly becoming one of the best for physical media collectors. They understand that offering collector's editions through their own site is probably a smarter business practice than using middlemen like Amazon or retail stores. You have to go to A24's online shop to buy "Love Lies Bleeding," an unforgettable genre mash-up that features one of Kristen Stewart's best performances as a gym manager in a small town in the middle of nowhere whose life is changed by the arrival of a mesmerizing bodybuilder, played by Katy O'Brian. Ed Harris, Dave Franco, and Jena Malone fill out the cast of one of the most confident films of 2024, a movie that I suspect will only grow in esteem in the years to come.
Special Features
"The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare"
Well, this one truly shocked me. Every few projects, Guy Ritchie and I connect (it definitely happened on "Wrath of Man") but my general aversion to his mediocre Netflix show "The Gentlemen" and the poorly-cut trailers for this one had me kind of dreading it. How could I have guessed that it would be one of Ritchie's best films, a light-on-its-feet, "Dirty Dozen"-esque war film about a group of impossibly handsome soldiers who were forced to operate in secrecy to sink a few German U-Boats near the start of World War II? Ritchie's film isn't perfect, but it's a shockingly easy watch, a movie that's just charming and entertaining enough to pass the time. Honestly, it's suave and enjoyable in a way that the increasingly noxious "Kingsman" series could learn a few lessons from.
Special Features
When it premiered at SXSW, Dev Patel's "Monkey Man" felt like the work of a new filmmaker trying to get as many ideas into one film as possible out of fear that he might not be able to make another. I expected it to be a hit given the audience (and generally the critical) response, but "Monkey Man" kind of disappointed in theaters (although still profited if you believe its $10 million reported budget). The fact that it didn't set the box office ablaze means there are many people out there who have yet to see it, and action has always been the strongest performer on the home market. So a lot of folks out there are about to discover this flawed but fascinating action flick, a movie that Universal has lovingly accompanied with special features about its production along with alternate openings & endings, deleted scenes, and an audio commentary. Like the movie itself, it's loaded.
Special Features
I love when Arrow digs deep and unearths films that time seems to have forgotten. I can still remember seeing Anthony Waller's thriller in London when it premiered in 1995 and thinking it was announcing a major talent. Waller's mastery of tone in this story of a mute makeup artist who discovers a ring of snuff film producers is evident. Still, he never quite developed the career to match this gem. He's returned to oversee the 4K remaster for Arrow, and even delivered a new audio commentary, one of two on this loaded release. This is the kind of movie that I could see young people rediscovering and finally giving the attention it deserves three decades after its release. An excellent Arrow edition can only help with that. Note: One of the commentaries here is moderated by the critic Lee Gambin, who recently passed away. Pick this up in his memory.
Special Features
"One from the Heart"
What could I possibly say about Francis Ford Coppola's beleaguered musical that our very own Peter Sobczynski didn't put more eloquently in January when it got a theatrical release? Sony has released the "Reprise" version of the film with new special features about its tumultuous production. Coppola has been in the spotlight again for another troubled production in his divisive "Megalopolis" - why not pick this up as a precursor to that major theatrical event for cinephiles this Fall? According to Peter, you won't regret it.
Special Features
"South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut"/"Team America: World Police"
Man, I wish Trey Parker and Matt Stone would make more movies. Maybe they're scared of a comedy world that has seemingly changed since the release of the only "South Park" film and the unforgettable action spoof "Team America." Still, they have proven they can navigate potentially problematic waters. Until they're willing to dive in again, we have the 25th anniversary 4K release of one of the funniest movies ever made, a hysterical musical spoof that's simply one of the best animated movies of its era. I find "Team America" a little inferior, but I understand those who love it, and they can now own it on 4K for the first time, too. Go buy these. So they'll make another one.
Special Features
"The Underground Railroad" (Criterion)
This is quite simply one of the best TV mini-series of all time, a project that feels like it grows in critical esteem with each passing year. Including it in the Criterion Collection was a brilliant idea, pulling it from where it's arguably buried on a Prime Video menu to a prominent place in collections. Not only do they present the episodes in gorgeous 4K, but they've also included never-before-seen features like a new commentary and a new graphic-novel adaptation of an unfilmed chapter. They also include the stunning "The Gaze," a companion to the project that's a captivating work of art on its own. This is one of the best Blu-ray releases of the year to date.
Special Features
Brian Tallerico is the Managing Editor of RogerEbert.com, and also covers television, film, Blu-ray, and video games. He is also a writer for Vulture, The Playlist, The New York Times, and GQ, and the President of the Chicago Film Critics Association.
