It’s a new year and there are already a host of incredible physical media releases from some of our favorite labels. It really is an embarrassment of riches and given what has been previewed for the next few months, we’ll be eating very well indeed.
But let’s get into the very best home video releases of January 2025!
“Seven” 4K (Warner Bros., $24.99)
2025 is finally the year that some of David Fincher’s masterpieces make their way to 4K. “Fight Club” is in the works for later this year and “Panic Room” and “The Social Network” (which had previously only been available in one of the ultra-expensive Columbia Pictures box sets) are hitting in February. “Seven,” whose new 4K transfer was previewed at the TCM Festival last year, finally makes its way to home video. And while some have taken issue with the new image, which saw Fincher utilizing AI to tweak everything from the clouds in the final sequence to smudges on some eyeglasses, even going as far as to reframe some scenes and get rid of camera jitter, it is still an undeniably beautiful transfer. And it’s the image that Fincher, in his infinite wisdom, prefers. And that has to go a long way. (Also, oddly, it has a 5.1 audio mix, when the previous release had a 7.1 mix.) This new release includes most of the special features from previous releases, including several commentary tracks and the alternate ending (with or without commentary). If this is a harbinger of Fincher releases to come, we say bring it on. Open the box!
“Inglourious Basterds” 4K (Arrow, $59.99), “Kill Bill Vol. 1” 4K (Lionsgate, $42.99), “Kill Bill Vol. 2” 4K (Lionsgate, $42.99), “Jackie Brown” 4K ($42.99)
It’s a Quentin Tarantino smorgasbord! For real! “Inglorious Basterds” returns to 4K in a deluxe package from Arrow. (It has previously been released by Universal but Arrow’s transfer is a little warmer and its packaging is astounding, there is also an additional special feature.) And, at long last, “Jackie Brown” and the two “Kill Bill” movies arrive from Lionsgate (since they now handle some of the back catalogue of Miramax/The Weinstein Company after, well, you know). If you only have the dough for one of the Lionsgate three, we’d suggest “Jackie Brown.” Some have complained about the transfers for the two “Kill Bill” movies and still others are annoyed that “The Whole Bloody Affair” still hasn’t been released. (Tarantino himself owns the rights to the combined version of the movies and good luck getting him on board a 4K remaster.) We think all of the transfers look great but “Jackie Brown” is the clear winner. Also that movie is a stone cold masterpiece. If you can still nab “Inglorious Basterds,” do it. Some retailers have sold out. But keep on it. A bastard’s work is never done, after all.
“Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life is Calling” 4K (Criterion, $49.95)
“Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life is Calling” is the only narrative feature that Richard Pryor ever directed and, at the time of its release in 1986, was particularly polarizing. Some questioned why he made the movie at all, since it dramatizes the events that happened to the comedian just a few years ago (including the whole setting-himself-on-fire-while-freebasing-crack-cocaine thing). Pryor, essentially playing himself, looks back at his life while he is in the hospital following the incident. It’s bold and autobiographical but it left many critics mystified. Was it an awards play? Some narcissistic form of therapy? Thankfully, time has been kind to “Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life is Calling” and the fact that it is got a deluxe 4K edition from the Criterion Collection speaks volumes. The movie has been reclaimed. As it should. It’s genuinely amazing and nakedly emotional, following many of the contours of Pryor’s life with lovely flights of fancy. The new 4K transfer looks outstanding (while still maintaining the look of the original) and the special features (a look at the film by Robert Townsend, an old episode of “The Dick Cavett Show” featuring prior and a new printed essay) do much to illuminate what makes the movie so special and why its image should (rightfully) be rehabilitated.
“Incubus” 4K (Arrow, $49.95)
“Incubus” is an absolutely fascinating oddity – filmed right before William Shatner made “Star Trek,” it was salvaged from the cancelation of “The Outer Limits” by series creator Leslie Stevens, who wrote and directed the feature and who utilized key members from that show’s team (most notably future Oscar-winning cinematographer Conrad Hall). Also of note – it was filmed in the constructed international auxiliary language of Esperanto (only the second film to do so), with the performers memorizing their lines phonetically. (Supposedly, when the film premiered, it was jeered by Esperanto enthusiasts, of we are sure there are dozens.) The movie, about a small village whose waters have mystical healing powers (with other, much darker forces also at play) is charming, but it became something of a sought-after curio, after being lost for 30 years. That makes this deluxe 4K package even more special. It looks and sounds incredible with the velvety black-and-white something close to a revelation. And the special features, including a new commentary by “splatterpunk” trailblazer David J. Schow along with archival commentaries by William Shatner and Conrad Hall, plus new documentaries about the movie’s place in history, the history of Esperanto and an archival interview package. It’s just an embarrassment of riches. From a movie thought lost to time, this is quite the comeback.
“Heretic” 4K (A24, $35)
Scott Beck and Bryan Woods’ “Heretic’ was low-key one of the best movies of last year. Hugh Grant offering grandfatherly menace to Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East was oddly electrifying and the whole movie had a nifty, puzzle-box atmosphere that was undeniable. Thankfully A24, via the official shop, put the movie out in an amazing 4K edition. The transfer is astounding, highlighting just how incredible Chung Chung-hoon’s cinematography really is and the Dolby Atmos track is subtle and powerful. As far as special features go, there’s a commentary track with Beck and Woods that is informative and fun (for those that are so inclined) and a fifteen-minute featurette that highlights the filmmakers and the cast. If you don’t want to listen to the whole commentary, that’s a good substitute. And definitely splurge for the A24 shop exclusive 4K. It’s worth the damn shipping.
“The Grifters” 4K (Criterion, $49.95)
It doesn’t get much better (or more noir-ish) than this. “The Grifters,” based on a Jim Thompson novel and adapted by Donald Westlake (a fabled crime novelist in his own right), follows three con artists (an idea deliciously detailed in its opening moments) – Anjelica Huston, who works for a big time mobster, fleecing race tracks; her son, John Cusack, who does more small time stuff (often times getting beat up as a result); and Annette Bening, who uses her sexual prowess to manipulate any situation. Things go from bad to worse as their lives are intertwined, with the action being staged brilliantly by British filmmaker Stephen Frears, with some help from producer Martin Scorsese. If you haven’t seen “The Grifters” in a while, this new Criterion disc should give you a great excuse. The movie is a masterpiece. It looks phenomenal (the new 4K master was supervised by cinematographer Oliver Stapleton), although, as these things go, is controversial in its own right (one reviewer said it was considerably “cooler” and was unimpressed with the Dolby Vision) and the 2.0 mix gets the job done. The Blu-ray disc, full of special features, includes several archival materials (including a 75 minute making of documentary, a brief documentary about Jim Thompson and a 17-minute featurette), plus a new, 20-minute interview with Annette Bening, who talks about the making of the film and Thompson. If you’ve never seen “The Grifters” or you’ve seen it 100 times, this is still essential.
“Winchester ‘73” 4K (Criterion, $49.95)
“Winchester ’73,” from journeyman director Anthony Mann and his frequent collaborator Jimmy Stewart (they made eight movies together), follows what we would probably call the “chain of custody” of the titular weapon. (Spoiler alert: everyone who obtains it meets a grisly end.) Stewart plays a gunslinger whose pistol sets this whole thing in motion, and who is on a hunt all its own. This brand-new 4K features a new transfer that Universal created. It looks like a million bucks (the black-and-white photography is absolutely stunning) and the mono soundtrack holds up. As far as special features go, there’s an archival commentary track from 1989 that features Stewart in conversation with Paul Lindenschmidt, which is pretty magical. There’s also a documentary on Mann’s time at Universal, a radio-play version of “Winchester ‘73” that was mounted in 1951 (which Stewart returned for) and a new documentary about the movie’s representation of Native Americans. A must-own for any western fan.
“The Cell” 4K (Arrow, $49.95)
An early candidate for home video release of the year is this absolute barnstorm of a set from Arrow. “The Cell” was a highly divisive thriller that saw Jennifer Lopez’s psychiatrist transported into the dreams of a serial killer (Vincent D’Onofrio). Some critics hated it; Roger Ebert defended it as a triumph and put it on his top 10 list of that year. The years have been kind to the movie, which is overflowing with visual allusions to everything from Damien Hirst to the “Perfect Drug” music video, but maintains a vibe all of its own. You can watch the movie in several different configurations – the theatrical version, a newly created director’s cut and, on the Blu-ray disc, a version with different color timing and a completely different aspect ratio. Beyond the different cuts, there are a whole host of new special features, including a commentary track with writer Mark Protosevich, a new “critic commentary,” a feature-length interview with director Tarsem Singh, new visual essays and a ton of vintage special features as well. In other words: this release is a dream.
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