Haven’t you heard? Home video is having a moment. Especially considering streaming services like HBO Max, Disney+ and Hulu are pulling low-performing content, making it harder (or impossible) to find certain shows or films.
Indeed, when you buy a Blu-ray or a DVD you own that movie or show, and the new Blu-rays arriving in May range from great new releases from big studios like Paramount and Universal to exemplary releases from specialty labels like Shout Factory, Criterion Collection and Kino Lorber. Everything from a new edition of “Deep Impact” to Peter Bogdanovich’s amazing feature debut “Targets” (and everything in between). Read on to find out our favorites from this month.
“Deep Impact” 4K (out now)
In 1998 two expensive, heavily hyped death-from-above movies were released into theaters – DreamWorks and Paramount’s more somber “Deep Impact” and Disney’s more cartoonish, Michael Bay-directed rollercoaster ride “Armageddon.” When the dust settled “Armageddon” made more money (although was still considered something of a disappointment), while “Deep Impact” was more critically acclaimed. (The rivalry is well documented in Peter Bart’s “The Gross,” about the summer of 1998 box office bloodbath.) If the war is still ongoing, “Deep Impact” just scored a major victory – “Armageddon” might be a tenuous part of the Criterion Collection, but “Deep Impact” is hitting 4K first. And it is beautiful.
The first disc of the collection features the film with a brand-new transfer; the second disc is a Blu-ray copy of the movie and all the extras from the home video release in 2009 (including commentary, featurettes and promotional materials). Obviously, the big draw is the movie itself, which hasn’t sounded or looked this good since 1998. The movie is somewhat underrated; it borrows the structure from 1970s disaster films and doesn’t shy away from heart-wrenching moments.
Superman Collection 4K (out now)
As DC consolidates itself under the leadership of DC Studios chiefs James Gunn and Peter Safran, it’s time to look back at an earlier era, when comic books were seldom – if ever – adapted. With Richard Donner’s “Superman,” the technology was so nascent that the tagline was “You will believe a man can fly.” Because the visual effects were so groundbreaking. The 1978 film as its faults, from its sleepy pacing to its somewhat dated look of the technology, but it’s also still incredibly impressive – Christopher Reeve’s incredible dual performances as Clark and Superman; Gene Hackman chewing scenery with reckless abandon (real estate!); Marlon Brando’s oddball cameo. It’s also never looked or sounded better. It’s that good. The set also includes discs devoted to the theatrical version of “Superman II,” the reconstructed “Donner Cut” of “Superman II,” “Superman III” and the somewhat underrated, wacky-as-hell “Superman IV.”
The special features have been ported over from the excellent 2011 Superman Motion Picture Anthology Blu-ray set. (The only thing missing is Bryan Singer’s “Superman Returns.”) If you love the original “Superman” movies this set is essential – it’s one of this month’s very best releases.
Knock at the Cabin 4K (out now)
M. Night Shyamalan’s latest is an apocalyptic what-if – a couple (Ben Aldridge and Jonathan Groff) and their young daughter (Kristen Cui) are away at their vacation home when they’re visited by four weirdos (led by Dave Bautista) who present them with a horrible choice. They can choose for one of the family members to die, in order to prevent the world from ending. Are they right or just fanatics? And in the end, does it matter at all? In terms of recent Shyamalan movies, this is one of the best – it lacks the gonzo spirit of “Old” but in many ways feels like it’s harkening back to his earlier work, complete with a head-turning twist. Special features include a half-hour documentary about the making of the film, deleted scenes, featurettes (including a look at Shyamalan’s process) and an extended scene. If you missed “Knock at the Cabin” in the theaters and are a fan of the filmmaker’s work, this is an excellent presentation (with top tier A/V) festooned with some fun extras.
Stone Cold (out now)
Brian Bosworth returns! The 1980s football star made his theatrical debut in this underrated action movie, where he plays a violence-prone FBI agent who goes undercover in a white supremacist motorcycle gang in an attempt to stop an assassination. Yes, it’s both simple and convoluted but director Craig R. Baxley (“I Come in Peace,” “Action Jackson”) stages the set pieces with invention and impact and Bosworth makes a surprisingly credible action star. This disc from Kino Lorber features a new 2K restoration of the movie, plus new interviews with the movie’s stars (including Bosworth and Lance Henriksen, who plays a psychopathic biker named “Ice”), a commentary track featuring Mike Leeder and Arne Venema plus promotional materials (also remastered in 4K). An underrated gem from the heyday of tough guy 1990s action cinema, “Stone Cold” is finally getting the disc it deserves. It’s about time.
The Experts (out now)
Truly a movie so absurd that it could have only been dreamed up in the waning days of the 1980s. John Travolta and Arye Gross play two goofballs who are secretly abducted and dropped off in a Russian town made to look like an American small town. (It was built in case the Russians invaded and needed to blend into our culture.) They are meant to update the town, educating the Russians on what is cool and hip in the west. An adorable Kelly Preston is there to seduce Travolta (they later married in real life). Much wackiness ensues. While “The Experts” was a box office bomb it has a certain amount of charm, and this new disc (which features a 4K restoration of the original picture and a new interview with director Dave Thomas) will do much to up its status as a desirable cult object.
Kamikaze (out now)
Tangentially a part of the cinema du look movement in France, “Kamikaze” was produced and co-written by Luc Besson a year after his film “Subway” became an international sensation. (“Subway” assistant director Didier Grousset directed and co-wrote “Kamikaze.”) The plot of “Kamikaze” is genuinely insane – Michel Galabru (another “Subway” veteran) is a weird loser who also is a techno-whiz and devises a way to kill people by sending murderous rays through television cameras. He soon becomes the subject of a murder investigation, with a dogged detective (Richard Bohringer) hot on his tail. Bonkers right? It has been tough to watch in America, which makes this new disc even more of a treasure. But it comes equipped with a new commentary track (by critic Eddy Von Mueller), a pair of documentaries that total over an hour and vintage marketing materials. It’s such a thrill that this will be available again. May it never go out of print.
Targets (May 16)
What a movie! Incredibly, this is the first time that the movie has been on Blu-ray and thankfully the Criterion Collection are the ones bringing it out. If you’ve never seen the movie, which marked the feature directorial debut of Peter Bogdanovich, it’s absolutely thrilling. It follows parallel narrative paths – one follows a young man (Tim O’Kelly) as he prepares to massacre a bunch of people (his storyline was based on University of Texas tower psychopath Charles Whitman); the other documents the life of an aging horror movie star (Boris Karloff, in one of the greatest performances of his career) as he contemplates retiring from the profession. Hollywood horror meets real life tragedy, back before mass shootings were all too common. It’s thrilling and funny and deeply brilliant and Bogdanovich was only able to make it because Karloff owed producer Roger Corman a couple of days (Bogdanovich also had to crib footage from Corman’s nearly indecipherable Karloff movie “The Terror”). But it all works. It never feels like a patchwork and hints at the genius to come from Bogdanovich. The Criterion disc features a newly commissioned 4K restoration of the movie, along with archival footage from 2003 (a commentary track and video introduction) and 1983 (an interview with the movie’s production designer Polly Platt), along with a new interview with Richard Linklater and an essay by Adam Nayman. This one hits the mark.
Hustle (May 16)
Although somewhat forgotten now, “Hustle” was a hit when it was released back in 1975. Reteaming “The Longest Yard” director Robert Aldrich with that film’s star Burt Reynolds, “Hustle” has Reynolds playing a hardened detective who is investigating the mysterious death of a young prostitute and stripper. Was it really a suicide? Or something more sinister? “Hustle” has an amazing cast that includes Catherine Deneuve (yes really), Ben Johnson, Paul Winfield and Eileen Brennan and while Aldrich somewhat distanced himself from the movie after its release, it still packs a punch. The new disc from Kino Lorber features a 4K restoration from the original camera negative and a new commentary by critics Alain Silver and James Ursini, who are also the authors of “What Ever Happened to Robert Aldrich? His Life and His Films.” The disc also features original marketing materials. Bring it on.
Endangered Species (May 16)
We don’t really have enough cattle mutilation movies, do we? In this energetic, underrated little sci-fi thriller Robert Urich plays a retired New York cop who is investigating a series of mysterious cattle mutilations in rural Wyoming. JoBeth Williams plays the town’s sheriff and the rest of the cast is filled out by colorful character actors like Hoyt Axton, Peter Coyote, Dan Hedaya, Paul Dooley and John Considine. The movie was marketed as being based on real-life events but co-writer and director Alan Rudolph (a protégé of Robert Altman) is clearly having some fun with the premise. And it really is fun! This new edition from Shout Factory imprint Scream Factory features a 2K restoration of the film from an inter-positive, plus a new commentary with author Lee Gambin and the original theatrical trailer. Watch with your favorite cow.
Brotherhood of the Wolf 4K (May 23)
Truly, one of the most deranged and entertaining movies you’re ever likely to see, finally comes to the format that it desperately needs to be viewed in. “Brotherhood of the Wolf,” from director Christoph Gans, it’s a hellzapoppin’ period epic/martial arts extravaganza/monster movie/conspiracy thriller, involving a series of murderous attacks by an unknown creature during the dawn of the Age of Reason, and the only two men foolhardy enough to investigate them. The movie is overflowing with cheeky style and it is decidedly overstuffed, particularly in this director’s cut (the new 4K restoration of which was first screened at last year’s Cannes Film Festival), but every part of the movie is so deliciously fun that it’s hard to complain. This is a three-course meal of over-the-top violence, camp and sensuality. And this 4K set, containing the movie on a 4K Blu-ray disc, plus another disc with the movie on Blu-ray and a third Blu-ray disc packed with extras, is the perfect way to savor every outrageous ingredient.
Creed III 4K (May 23)
“Creed III” is a knockout. The third film in the series that began, ostensibly, as a spin-off of the “Rocky” franchise, returns Michael B. Jordan to the title role, only this time Jordan also direct. And what a director he turned out to be. The movie is full of wild, unbridled energy, with the fight sequences taking on a near-mythic quality (Jordan said that he drew inspiration from Japanese anime, which gives them an outsized expressiveness) and an innate understanding of the character, which ensures that the emotional center of the movie always holds. This time around, Adonis “Donnie” Creed is confronted by a specter from his path – Damian (Jonathan Majors), who returns fresh out of prison and ready to burn Donnie’s life down. While the home video release of “Creed III” is relatively light on extras (save for some deleted scenes and featurettes), the 4K version is equipped with Dolby Vision and Atmos, ensuring that you will hear every punch like it was happening in the same room with you. And if you haven’t seen “Creed III,” it’s worth a blind buy.
Petite Maman (May 23)
A beautiful miniaturist portrait of a movie, “Petite Maman” is the follow-up to director Céline Sciamma’s expansively emotional “Portrait of a Lady on Fire.” This time she makes things even more intimate; it’s the smallest (and perhaps the most powerful) “time travel” story you could ever imagine. It’s simple and direct (the movie runs a barely-feature-length 73 minutes); a woman brings her family back to her childhood home after her mother passes away. While at the house, her young daughter encounters a version of her own mother at the same age (the two girls are played by real-life sisters). It’s haunting and affecting and thankfully the Criterion Collection has given us some terrific extras, including Sciamma and filmmaker Joachim Trier (who directed 2021’s “The Worst Person in the World,” also a part of the Criterion Collection) and “My Life as a Zucchini” (2016), an extremely charming. Oscar-nominated stop-motion animated film directed by Claude Barras and co-written by Sciamma.
Thelma & Louise 4K (May 30)
“Thelma & Louise” is, of course, the paradigm-shifting feminist road movie that won Callie Khouri the Best Screenplay Oscar and proved that Ridley Scott was still capable of making muscular, zeitgeist-capturing entertainment that also had something on its mind. The movie also turned a young Brad Pitt into a hunky superstar and inspired one of the all-time great episodes of “The Simpsons” (season 5 episode “Marge on the Lam”). The poignant, thrilling story of two female friends (Genna Davis and Susan Sarandon) who murder a guy and then go on the run together, is one of the best movies of the 1990s. And this amazing Criterion Collection box set (with one 4K Blu-ray disc and two Blu-rays) does the exemplary movie justice. It features a 4K transfer supervised by Scott, two vintage audio commentary tracks (one recorded in 1996 and the other in 2001), a new conversation between Scott and critic and development executive Scott Foundas, and all the special features from previous home video releases, including documentaries, deleted scenes, music videos, publicity materials and more.
But what is perhaps the most thrilling aspect of this new release is “Boy and Bicycle,” a British Film Institute Experimental Film Fund Presentation that Scott directed back in 1965s. It’s fascinating to see a time when Scott was more concerned with a pseudo-documentary aesthetic, free of the flashy stylization that would define much of his feature work. (Also: it’s very heartbreaking to see his brother, Tony, who committed suicide in 2012, as a young man in the documentary.) There’s also an early Guinness commercial directed by Scott and an exclusive new interview with Khouri. This is a frontrunner for one of the best home video releases of the year. Rev up, peel out, and indulge.
Cliffhanger 4K (May 30)
Some might ask, “Is it really worth spending $30 on a new version of ‘Cliffhanger,’ a movie you’ve undoubtedly seen countless times and is probably playing on TNT right now, because they’ve unearthed 17 never-before-seen deleted scenes?” And we say, emphatically, YES. The Renny Harlin-directed mini-classic, arguably the best “Die Hard”-on-a riff this side of “Speed,” features Sylvester Stallone and an oily John Lithgow chewing up scenery as the bad guy. And this release, timed to the movie’s 30th anniversary, features a great presentation, along with a mountain of extras, including commentary tracks, a visual effects featurette, storyboard comparisons and a special introduction by Harlin. And those deleted scenes! Even more “Cliffhanger” miscellanea. We would scale K2 just to get to these scenes. Thankfully all it takes is a trip to Amazon.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves 4K (May 30)
One of 2023’s biggest – and very best – surprises, “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” takes the beloved role-playing game (first published back in 1974) and makes it a big, rich, hilarious fantasy adventure. Chris Pine plays a bard and former spy who teams up with a barbarian (Michelle Rodriguez), a sorcerer (Justice Smith), a shape-shifting druid (Sophia Lillis) and a knight (Regé-Jean Page) to take down a charlatan (Hugh Grant) who is in cahoots with some very dark wizards. Somehow, the movie was able to replicate the anything goes, improvisational spirit of actually playing “Dungeons & Dragons,” without ever getting bogged down in the lore and cumbersome mythology that derails so many of these types of movies. (If you’ve never rolled a six-sided dice in your life, you’ll still have a great time.) Smartly directed by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, whose last film was the unimpeachable classic “Game Night,” the filmmakers make sure to fill every frame with color, imagination and very good jokes. Put aside your preconceived notions of what the original role-playing game was (or the awful 2000 movie that saw Jeremy Irons acting opposite a jerkily animated dragon) and just go along for the ride. It’s just the best. And this release has primo A/V (Dolby Vision and Atmos) and more visual effects to fill even the biggest goblet – including deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes featurettes and a gag reel. We love a gag reel!
The People Under the Stairs 4K (May 30)
Wes Craven, who passed away in 2015, is most known for directing the films that spawned iconic horror franchises – “Nightmare on Elm Street” and “Scream.” But some of his most fascinating work is his one-offs. And an argument could be made that “The People Under the Stairs” is his lowkey masterpiece. A scary, satirically barbed horror film about some inner city criminals who break into an old white couple’s home to steal priceless coins, only to discover something far more insidious going on inside the house. Craven doesn’t shy away from delivering the thrills but wrapping them in sly commentary about race, class, privilege and the destructiveness of gentrification. Part of what makes “The People Under the Stairs” so great are the knowing, very real performances, from Ving Rhames and young Brandon Adams and Everett McGill and Wendy Robie, who at the time were appearing on “Twin Peaks” and who bring an appropriate level of Lynchian strangeness to the proceedings. (That S&M gear!)
This release from the folks at Shout Factory/Scream Factory features a new 4K restoration of the feature (hello Dolby Vision), plus a wealth of extras that appeared on the previous release – including three commentary tracks, a vintage interview with Craven and an appreciation of the film by “Final Destination” writer Jeffrey Reddick.
