With things constantly being swapped out or deleted from your favorite streaming service, a commitment to physical media should be stronger now than ever before. And thankfully both big studios and smaller boutique labels understand how important physical releases are.
We are running down the very best 4K Blu-ray and DVD releases from July and August 2024.
“Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid” (Criterion, $69.95)
One of the most hotly anticipated home video releases of the year is here – and it was worth the wait. Sam Peckinpah’s highly contested western, about an older Pat Garrett (James Coburn) hired to track down and kill Billy the Kid (Kris Kristofferson), was taken away from the filmmaker in post-production and released in a truncated version that he and several of the cast and crew members outspokenly derided. This Criterion release acknowledges and engages with the various iterations of the movie, with 4K discs devoted to the 50th anniversary cut (largely seen as the definitive cut), with another 4K disc for the theatrical cut and a Blu-ray disc with the “final preview cut.” These various iterations are presented alongside a newly recorded commentary track (critic Michael Sragow, editor Paul Seydor, and filmmaker and editor Roger Spottiswoode), a new documentary about the making of the movie and various marketing and archival materials. This is an essential purchase for any film fan.
“The Boy and the Heron” 4K (Shout, $44.98)
Last year’s best animated feature Oscar winner and what is presumably the final film by the master Hayao Miyazaki, finally arrives on home video. The movie, about a boy who gets drawn into a magical netherworld following his mother’s death during World War II, is deeply autobiographical and very strange, a profoundly moving experience from a filmmaker who has devoted his life to giving audiences things they’ve never seen before. The handsome set from GKids and Shout Studios features a complete version of the movie in storyboards, along with interviews, a music video and marketing materials. Strangely, a feature-length making-of documentary was released exclusively to Max, the movie’s streaming home. Would have been nice to have that included here, but maybe future releases will include it.
“Twister” 4K (Warner Bros., $33.99)
It’s not often that you get the definitive version of a classic movie, but that is the case with the “Twister” 4K, with director Jan de Bont finally completing a version of a scene that had been planned all along. (He talked to us about it.) Beyond this new tinting of a scene, the movie (which stars Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt as dogged storm chasers) is still as thrilling and entertaining as ever. And it looks and sounds genuinely amazing, with a new 4K transfer and Dolby Atmos track. What’s more, there’s a new documentary (which also covers the re-tinted sequence) and a host of legacy content, including a commentary track, documentaries and an episode of “HBO First Look,” which should be treasured. Anyway, this disc rules.
“Phantoms” (Shout, $39.98)
We must think back to a little film called “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back,” when Jay (Jason Mewes) said, “Affleck was the bomb in ‘Phantoms’ yo,” to Ben Affleck. And now, you can see what Jay was so excited about – in 4K, no less. Based on the novel by Dean Koontz (and adapted by Koontz himself), with competent direction by Joe Chappelle (“Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers”), “Phantoms” has a wonderfully sticky sci-fi/horror premise. The movie is set in a sleepy Colorado town whose entire population has vanished. It’s up to a group of people, including the local sheriff (Affleck) and a loony scientist (a scenery-chewing Peter O’Toole) to figure out what has happened. Despite some dicey CGI, the movie is fun and clever enough, with a great, before-they-broke-big cast that also includes Rose McGowan, Nicky Katt and Live Schreiber. And if you’re going to watch “Phantoms,” it might as well be this excellent release, with a new 4K transfer, a 5.1 DTS-HD MA mix and a couple of new mini-docs and marketing materials. Was Affleck really the bomb in “Phantoms?” Only one way to find out.
“Risky Business” (Criterion, $49.95)
Tom Cruise finally enters the Criterion Collection. And wouldn’t you know it, it’s with “Risky Business,” Paul Brickman’s excellent, extremely horny teen movie perhaps best remembered for Cruise’s slide across the hardwood floor to the tune of Bob Seger’s “Old Time Rock & Roll.” But the movie is much darker, stranger and more alluring than that sequence would have you believe. (It’s like everybody remembers “Cocktail” for him flipping bottles and that terrible Beach Boys song but there’s a lot more going on there too.) The movie looks and sounds absolutely beautiful on the 4K disc. (A Dolby Atmos track would have been cool, but Tangerine Dream’s immortal score still is wonderful in DTS-HD MA 5.1.) The extras, too, feature a mixture of the new and old, with an archival commentary and some screen tests and marketing materials, sitting comfortably next to newly produced bits like a piece with Jon Avent talking about Brickman and Brickman’s approach, another new doc breaking down key scenes and a new interview with the casting director. Truly, a home video release worthy of this classic.
“The First Omen” (Disney, $34.99)
One of the year’s very best films – and one of its biggest surprises! – is this prequel to the original “Omen,” which follows a novitiate named Margaret (Nell Tiger Free), who travels to Rome to become a nun in the politically tumultuous early 1970’s. While at an orphanage, she starts to suspect that a young girl is being manipulated for sinister purposes. Smartly co-written and directed by Arkasha Stevenson and produced by the team behind 2022’s underrated “Hellraiser” remake, “The First Omen” delivers in all the ways you probably suspected it would let you down. And while the Blu-ray delivers solid video (with a 1080p transfer) and audio (with a DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track), the special features are sadly anemic, with three brief featurettes (all under 10 minutes each). We would kill for a 4K release. Maybe a boutique label will pick it up for next Halloween.
“The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” (Arrow, $49.95)
Guy Ritchie has been on quite the run as of late – his “Aladdin” remake made over $1 billion, his movie “The Gentlemen” inspired a Netflix show that was just renewed for a second season and “The Covenant” garnered some of the best reviews of his career. But before all of that he adapted “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.,” the 1960’s TV series that was once earmarked as a big screen feature by Steven Soderbergh and George Clooney. Ritchie’s movie stars Henry Cavill and, um, Armie Hammer, who team up to save the world. It’s one of Ritchie’s most stylish, most devilishly entertaining movies, and it should have started a new franchise along the lines of his two “Sherlock Holmes” movies with Robert Downey, Jr. But nobody watched it, Hammer was canceled and here we are, with a hugely expensive cult classic. Arrow’s new release features stellar 4K picture and Dolby Atmos audio, with a new commentary track (with by Bryan Reesman and Max Evry) and a solid mixture of legacy special features and brand-new material. Watch it and yearn for the never-produced sequels.
Bill & Ted’s Most Triumphant Trilogy (Shout, $99.98)
Shout had already released “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure” on dynamic 4K disc. But now they have completed the trilogy, with the 4K debut of both “Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey” (arguably the highlight of the entire series) and the pandemic-era “Bill & Ted Face the Music.” While there sadly aren’t any new supplements, the movies themselves are deserving of a purchase alone, particularly because “Bogus Journey” boasts a brand-new 4K transfer. And the previously-released features that Shout has amassed, among them commentary tracks and making-of documentaries, are wonderful as well. If you don’t own these time-traveling favorites, well, there’s no time like the present!
“Furiosa” (Warner Bros., $49.98)
One of the year’s best movies is now one of the year’s best 4K releases. George Miller’s “Furiosa,” a prequel to 2015’s “Mad Max: Fury Road,” was oddly overlooked when it was released earlier this year. It’s a shame, because it’s every bit as good as his earlier, Oscar-winning masterpiece. The new movie follows Furiosa (now played by Anya Taylor-Joy) as she grows up in the wasteland, is kidnapped by Dementus (an outstanding Chris Hemsworth) and makes her way to the Citadel. Novelistic in scope and tone, with breathtaking action sequences (including “The Stowaway,” which might be the most unforgettable set piece in cinema this year) and wonderful character work from Taylor-Joy and others. Featuring a jaw-dropping 4K transfer, window-rattling Dolby Atmos sound and equally killer special features, including an hour-long making-of documentary and smaller docs devoted to the cast and cars, “Furiosa” is a must-own disc that perfectly captures what made the movie so special while celebrating all the hard work that went into crafting it.
When Titans Ruled the Earth (Arrow, $45)
This box set from Arrow contains the 2010 remake of “Clash of the Titans,” which made a small fortune, in part because its 3D release followed closely behind the Christmas 2009 release of “Avatar;” and its sequel, “Wrath of the Titans,” both starring Sam Worthington and tons of mythological monsters. (“Wrath of the Titans” still made money but was considered a disappointment.) This box set includes both films in 4K and almost all of the special features that appeared in the previous 1080p releases (from Warner Bros.) The new bonus feature, “Scaling Mount Olympus,” features producer Basil Iwanyk, who is now responsible for the “John Wick” franchise, looking back on what it took to remake “Clash of the Titans” (and its sequel). It’s insightful and fun. And the entire package is an overall delight. Release the Kraken!
“The Last Unicorn” 4K (Shout, $34.98)
1982 is often cited as one of the best years for genre filmmaking. And yet one film that is constantly overlooked is “The Last Unicorn,” Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass’ handsomely hand-drawn fantasy epic. Peter S. Beagle adapted his own 1968 novel for the movie, about a lonely unicorn (voiced by Mia Farrow) who tries to figure out what happened to the other unicorns. The movie was animated by Topcraft in Japan, who worked on “Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind” and whose key members ended up helping to form Studio Ghibli. Featuring a new 4K transfer, a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix and a new mini-doc on Beagle, along with archival special features and marketing materials, this is the definitive version of an unsung animated classic. “The Last Unicorn” forever.
The Mexico Trilogy (Arrow, $99.95)
This excellent new box set contains the films that made up Robert Rodriguez’s loose “Mexico trilogy” – 1992’s “El Mariachi,” 1995’s “Desperado” and 2003’s “Once Upon a Time in America.” Weirdly “Desperado” is the only one of the three that warrants the 4K treatment. And while the other two films have been released previously on Blu-ray, these are new transfers that offer more detail and texture. (“Desperado,” it goes without saying, looks like a million bucks.) There are new documentaries and interviews, along with a ton of archival material. And if you’re only interested in the “Desperado” 4K, you can go ahead and buy that one separately. But this one is highly recommended for Rodriguez fans or those who appreciate the Mexico trilogy.
“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” (Disney, $49.95)
Sure, this summer’s “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” was good and fun and advanced the world established in the recent trilogy of “Apes” films. This 4K/Blu-ray set looks and sounds divine. But the real reason to pick up this release is that it contains “the raw cut,” perhaps the single greatest special feature ever released. It’s a version of the movie where you can see the actors in their grey pajamas, acting out the movements and performances of the apes alongside the human actors. It comes with optional commentary from director Wes Ball, Dan Zimmerman and Erik Winquist, which offers even more insight into this alternate cut. There’s also a half-hour making of documentary and a collection of deleted scenes. But that “raw cut” really is one of the more incredible features that have ever been provided on a home video set (and one that is wholly absent from the digital versions). Has to be seen to be believed.
“Real Life” (Criterion, $34.99)
Two more Albert Brooks films enter the Criterion Collection, joining already-released “Lost in America” and “Defending Your Life” – “Mother” and “Real Life.” “Mother” is very funny and memorable (we often think about Debbie Reynolds detailing the “protective layer of ice” on the ice cream) but the real gem is “Real Life.” Brooks’ first narrative feature, which somehow predates the rise of reality television by literal decades, Brooks plays a fictionalized version of himself who is documenting the life of an average American family (led by Charles Grodin and Fracnes Lee McCain). As you can imagine things get messy. The movie looks and sounds incredible, thanks to a new 4K digital restoration and uncompressed monaural soundtrack, and comes with supplements like a new interview with Brooks, a new interview with McCain and archival materials. A dream!
