James Cameron and his films are known for their eyepopping scenes and massive stories. Five of them just released with updated versions in 4k!
James Cameron has been one of the biggest names in the film industry for as long as I can remember and one of my favorites. He has been responsible for some of the greatest films. For the month of December five of his best films have updated releases. The Abyss, Aliens and True Lies will be available in 4K Ultra UHD for the first time ever on December 12 at digital retailers and on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray disc March 12, 2024. Avatar and Avatar: The Way of WaterCollector’s Editionswill also be available at digital retailers December 12 and on Blu-ray December 19.
True Lies
This was one of my first R rated films I saw and became a staple in our household for a solid decade at least. Still holds and just as fun but now it looks exponentially better on my tv.
Avatar Collector’s Edition
Avatar remains Cameron’s greatest achievement. The story, message, visuals, everything. Just absolutely perfect but now with two more versions of the film and nearly a dozen hours of bonus content. Let’s just say, it’s a massive amount of content that may rival the Lord of the Rings trilogy one day.
Avatar The Way of Water Collector’s Edition
Seems too soon to release a Collector’s Edition but the film remains a fantastic cinematic experience with 8 additional hours of material.
Aliens
One of the best Alien films to date, expanding more on the lore and probably any other film did aside from the original. Fantastic film made even better with the improved graphics.
The Abyss
The first time I saw this film it already looked a bit dated or the quality of our VHS tape was not great. This was the first film that really showed us how alien our own world could be and seeing it again in 4k really improved the experience.
Originally released in the 80’s, The Color Purple is one of the latest films to be re-released by Warner Brothers in 4k!
Warner Brothers have released another classic film to 4k, this time with the acclaimed The Color Purple. Following the life of Celie Johnson, later played by Whoopie Goldberg, as she deals with dealing with assault, racism, being a woman in a man’s world and more. It is based on the book by Alice Walker and is the same film that was released in 1985. The film was well received when it originally released but nearly forty years after release it’s clear that it falls short in a few areas, mostly glossing over aspects of the book that were important to the actual story. The main topics of the film make it obvious why there were so many award nominations but difficult topics are not the only important thing to remember when watching a film.
The cast were fantastic, namely Whoopie herself. It’s obvious why she was nominated for her role. The director choice begs the question, would he be “allowed” to make this film in today’s environment or would the studio choose a diversity hire? Or would this bring about some of the same derisive comments you see when Tarantino writes certain language for his cast? Regardless of how it would fare if filmed today, it was a decent enough film but the book itself surpasses it in terms of story. It does leave me curious if the remake that is on the horizon will be any better. Only time will tell.
Originally released in the 90’s, The Fugitive is one of the latest films to be re-released by Warner Brothers in 4k!
The Fugitive has been rereleased by Warner Brothers for home viewing on 4K compatible devices and ironically was a movie I had been thinking about looking up again to view. The timing is crazy! The film follows Doctor Richard Kimball from the fateful night where he discovers his murdered wife to trial where he is convicted of the murder, to his escape and then leading the US Marshalls to the real killer. This movie is full of mystery, suspense and a great cast. I originally saw this film when I was still in grade school, almost Junior High age. The film always stayed with me despite seeing it only a couple times since then.
Seeing it again in 4k was a treat, revisiting familiar scenes and faces and having the action clear to see (as opposed to trying to watch it on the ancient VHS my family still has somewhere), made for a great experience. I even got to share it with the wife and kids, pretty sure the wife at least had seen it before though. Surprisingly, the film held up in most regards except the trial and conviction. I don’t believe a judge or jury would have convicted the doctor based on the lack of evidence and any defender that he could afford would have already started the process of getting him acquitted, let alone allowing him to receive the death penalty. As I type it out it seems more and more ridiculous. Despite this flaw, the film DOES hold up and is still worth the watch.
IT IS RARE FOR ME TO SEE A MOVIE WHEN IT’S STILL IN THEATERS BUT THANKS TO 20TH CENTURY STUDIOS I WAS ABLE TO CATCH UP ON A FEW THAT I MISSED.
Recently the fine folks at 20th Century Fox (now 20th Century Studios- their home page is here) had sent me codes to several of the movies I missed so that I could share my thoughts on them with you. Part 1 was all about Underwater and Part 2 focused on The New Mutants. Part 3 we talked about The Personal History of David Copperfield. Part 4 discussed The Empty Man. Part 5 talked about Nomadland and Speed 4K Ultra HD. Part 6 discussed The Night House and Free Guy. Part 7 focused on The Eyes of Tammy Faye and Part 8 had The Last Duel. Part 9 discussed Ron’s Gone Wrong.
Part 10 talked about The King’s Man and Summer of Soul. Part 11 discussed Nightmare Alley and West Side Story. Part 12 highlighted Death on the Nile and Part 13 talked about The Bob’s Burgers Movie. Part 14 highlighted Barbarian and See How They Run. Part 15 discussed Amsterdam and Part 16 talked about The Banshees of Inisherin and The Menu. Part 17 shared our thoughts on Empire of Light and Part 18 with Avatar: The Way of Water. Part 19 had Avatar in 4k and Chevalier. Part 20 shared The Boogeyman and Part 21 had Theater Camp. We have returned for the final part of this series (future reviews for 20th Century will be done differently than you’re used to) with A Haunting in Venice and The Creator!
A Haunting in Venice
Hercule has been living in Venice, enjoying his retirement and decides to attend a seance where the guests start dying. Death seems to follow wherever he goes, he might need to stay home more but I digress. He has always been a man of logic and the events of this night have him questioning his stance on the supernatural. Branagh’s acting and directing are superb as always and this was a fantastic, albeit much darker addition to the Poirot-verse and I hope we continue to get more!
The Creator
This film follows the creation of Artificial Intelligence, the war that followed and a mission to eliminate the head of continued AI development. A weapon is created that could stop all further fighting, allowing AI to win and it is up to Joshua to find it and destroy it. This film was absolutely brilliant with brilliant performances from everyone. From taking an entirely original look at artificial intelligence to further proving that man will ultimately cause their own downfall, this is a must watch for sci-fi fans and anyone tired of the AI will destroy the world trope.
IT IS RARE FOR ME TO SEE A MOVIE WHEN IT’S STILL IN THEATERS BUT THANKS TO WARNER BROS I WAS ABLE TO CATCH UP ON THOSE I MISSED!
Recently the fine folks at Warner Bros (their home page is here) had sent me copies of some of their movies I missed so that I could share my thoughts on them with you. For the first part of this series we talked about Scoob, Birds of Prey, The Way Back, Goonies 4K, Beetlejuice 4K, Full Metal Jacket, Sherlock Holmes 4K and Sherlock Holmes A Game of Shadows 4K. Part 2 ‘twas massive and discussed V for Vendetta 4K, 300 4K, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy 4K, The Hobbit Trilogy 4K, Blade 4K, Bill and Ted Face the Music, Tenet and The Wolf of Snow Hollow. Part 3 talked about Wonder Woman 1984, The Little Things and Judas and the Black Messiah. Part 4 discussed Tom and Jerry the Movie and Godzilla Vs Kong. Part 5 was all about Wrath of Man, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory and Space Jam. Part 6 had discussed Mortal Kombat and Those Who Wish Me Dead. Part 7 discussed In the Heights, The Conjuring 3: The Devil Made Me Do It, Zack Snyder’s Justice League and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone 20 Years of Movie Magic edition. Part 8 discussed A Clockwork Orange, Space Jam: A New Legacy and Shawshank Redemption. Part 9 talked about The Suicide Squad and Reminiscence. Part 10 discussed The Outsiders, Cry Macho, Malignant, the Many Saints of Newark and the Mad Max film collection.
Part 11 talked about Dune, Matrix: Resurrections, The Batman, Dog and Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. Part 12 discussed Elvis, DC League of Super Pets, The Lost Boys and Poltergeist. Part 13 shared some classics with 8-Bit Christmas, Casablanca, A Christmas Story, Three Thousand Years of Longing, The Polar Express, Elf and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. Part 14 had Don’t Worry Darling and Part 15 was discussing Black Adam. Part 16 had Bones and All, House Party plus the 4k release of Training Day. Part 17 returned for the 4k release of Rocky the Knockout Collection and Magic Mike’s Last Dance. Part 18 had the Superman 5 Film Collection, Creed III and Shazam! Fury of the Gods. Part 19 discussed A Good Person, National Lampoon’s Vacation 4k Edition and Evil Dead Rise. Part 20 exclusively talked about The Flash and Part 21 focused on Meg 2: The Trench and Barbie. We are back for the FINAL edition of this series where future reviews from Warner Brothers will have an all new format. Without further ado here is Part 22 with Blue Beetle and The Nun II!
Blue Beetle
Following Jamie Reyes from graduating college and returning to help his family. This puts him working menial jobs, the most recent of which is with his sister for Kord. There he runs into the daughter of Ted Kord and tries to help her when her aunt and her thug start getting aggressive. The aunt promptly fires him but later the daughter entrusts him with the scarab. The scarab bonds with him and turns him into the Blue Beetle. This puts him back in the crosshairs of the aunt and his family in danger. The effects were fantastic but the film felt like a DC branded knockoff of Iron Man, mixed with Spiderman with an animated Deadpool mask. The writing and the humor were great and the film was an enjoyable reminder of what the DC cinematic universe could have been.
The Nun II
Bringing back the cast of the original Nun film, Irene is investigating reports that the Nun has returned. Even though in the first film she seemed to be destroyed, we knew she survived to haunt in the Conjuring films. The first film had a great sense of eeriness that took itself a little too seriously and made it a bit more comical than intended. We get a bit of that again with the sequel but the eeriness level has be increased tenfold. Overall the Nun film had still been one of the more enjoyable Conjuring-verse films and the sequel continues to improve on that.
Which of these Warner Bros films have you had the chance to see? Which was your favorite? Let us know on our Twitter!
IT IS RARE FOR ME TO SEE A MOVIE WHEN IT’S STILL IN THEATERS BUT THANKS TO WARNER BROS I WAS ABLE TO CATCH UP ON THOSE I MISSED!
Recently the fine folks at Warner Bros (their home page is here) had sent me copies of some of their movies I missed so that I could share my thoughts on them with you. For the first part of this series we talked about Scoob, Birds of Prey, The Way Back, Goonies 4K, Beetlejuice 4K, Full Metal Jacket, Sherlock Holmes 4K and Sherlock Holmes A Game of Shadows 4K. Part 2 ‘twas massive and discussed V for Vendetta 4K, 300 4K, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy 4K, The Hobbit Trilogy 4K, Blade 4K, Bill and Ted Face the Music, Tenet and The Wolf of Snow Hollow. Part 3 talked about Wonder Woman 1984, The Little Things and Judas and the Black Messiah. Part 4 discussed Tom and Jerry the Movie and Godzilla Vs Kong. Part 5 was all about Wrath of Man, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory and Space Jam. Part 6 had discussed Mortal Kombat and Those Who Wish Me Dead. Part 7 discussed In the Heights, The Conjuring 3: The Devil Made Me Do It, Zack Snyder’s Justice League and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone 20 Years of Movie Magic edition. Part 8 discussed A Clockwork Orange, Space Jam: A New Legacy and Shawshank Redemption. Part 9 talked about The Suicide Squad and Reminiscence. Part 10 discussed The Outsiders, Cry Macho, Malignant, the Many Saints of Newark and the Mad Max film collection.
Part 11 talked about Dune, Matrix: Resurrections, The Batman, Dog and Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. Part 12 discussed Elvis, DC League of Super Pets, The Lost Boys and Poltergeist. Part 13 shared some classics with 8-Bit Christmas, Casablanca, A Christmas Story, Three Thousand Years of Longing, The Polar Express, Elf and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. Part 14 had Don’t Worry Darling and Part 15 was discussing Black Adam. Part 16 had Bones and All, House Party plus the 4k release of Training Day. Part 17 returned for the 4k release of Rocky the Knockout Collection and Magic Mike’s Last Dance. Part 18 had the Superman 5 Film Collection, Creed III and Shazam! Fury of the Gods. Part 19 discussed A Good Person, National Lampoon’s Vacation 4k Edition and Evil Dead Rise. Part 20 exclusively talked about The Flash and we have returned for Part 21 with Meg 2: The Trench and Barbie!
Barbie
Barbie follows the story of living dolls of Barbie and Ken in the Barbie world and their adventure into the real world when Barbie starts thinking of death and has her first bad morning. This also happened to be one of the BIGGEST events I’ve ever seen. You couldn’t look anywhere without seeing news about the film. My expectations were that the movie would be fun but would be lacking in substance, despite a strong cast and crew. I was wrong, SO WRONG. The writing, editing, acting, all of it made it one of the best films I have ever seen. I will be disappointed if there aren’t multiple Oscars for this film.
Meg 2: The Trench
The first Meg film sets up how the Megalodon has returned to the modern world and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The downside to the film was the build up, waiting for the Meg to show up and start causing chaos. Second time around we don’t need to explain this so it was straight to the action. You would think after their last exploration into the depts of the ocean causing the release of the Meg they wouldn’t return to do it again. Well, they do but hopefully they learn their lesson this time. The film is a direct sequel in every way and while it didn’t seem necessary it is a great addition to the overall story. The effects were fantastic and the story was a lot of fun. I can happily admit I was surprised by this one and hope that we get another round on the horizon.
Which of these Warner Bros films have you had the chance to see? Which was your favorite? Let us know on our Twitter!
IT IS RARE FOR ME TO SEE A MOVIE WHEN IT’S STILL IN THEATERS BUT THANKS TO DISNEY STUDIOS I WAS ABLE TO CATCH UP ON A FEW THAT I MISSED!
Recently the fine folks at Disney Studios (their home page is here) had sent me codes to several of the movies I missed so that I could share my thoughts on them with you. With Part 1 we were taking a look at the live action version of Mulan. Part 2 discussed Soul and Raya and the Last Dragon. Part 3 looked at the live action story of Cruella. Part 4 discussed Luca and Part 5 talked about Jungle Cruise. Part 6 discussed Encanto and Part 7 talked about Turning Red. Part 8 covered Lightyear and Part 9 with Strange World. Part 10 talked about Mickey & Minnie 10 Classic Shorts – Volume 1 and Part 11 with The Little Mermaid and Elemental. Part 12 had Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and we have returned for another round with Part 13 and Haunted Mansion!
Haunted Mansion
The story begins with Gabbie and her son moving into the Haunted Mansion and realize they can never leave. Reaching out for help they hire a priest, a medium and a spectral photographer. The photographer feels like the real focus of the story, even though the everything puts the focus on the mansion and the family that moved into the house. The cast and story were fantastic and were only outshined by the quality of the effects. My only complaint was with Madame Leota’s costume. It just seemed goofy, pun not intended. The original Haunted Mansion film was a disappointment in terms of horror but was a fun film and this one was far superior in terms of story and quality in both horror and fun. This is the new bar for the brand and it is high indeed.
Have you had a chance to see this release from Disney Studios?
IT IS RARE FOR ME TO SEE A MOVIE WHEN IT’S STILL IN THEATERS BUT THANKS TO 20TH CENTURY STUDIOS I WAS ABLE TO CATCH UP ON A FEW THAT I MISSED.
Recently the fine folks at 20th Century Fox (now 20th Century Studios- their home page is here) had sent me codes to several of the movies I missed so that I could share my thoughts on them with you. Part 1 was all about Underwater and Part 2 focused on The New Mutants. Part 3 we talked about The Personal History of David Copperfield. Part 4 discussed The Empty Man. Part 5 talked about Nomadland and Speed 4K Ultra HD. Part 6 discussed The Night House and Free Guy. Part 7 focused on The Eyes of Tammy Faye and Part 8 had The Last Duel. Part 9 discussed Ron’s Gone Wrong and
Part 10 talked about The King’s Man and Summer of Soul. Part 11 discussed Nightmare Alley and West Side Story. Part 12 highlighted Death on the Nile and Part 13 talked about The Bob’s Burgers Movie. Part 14 highlighted Barbarian and See How They Run. Part 15 discussed Amsterdam and Part 16 talked about The Banshees of Inisherin and The Menu. Part 17 shared our thoughts on Empire of Light and Part 18 with Avatar: The Way of Water. Part 19 had Avatar in 4k and Chevalier. Part 20 shared The Boogeyman and we are back with Part 21 with Theater Camp!
Theater Camp
The overall story of Theater Camp follows the decline of a camp full of drama students after the proprietor enters a coma and her son takes over. Done as a fake documentary, or mockumentary, the film has a bit of a dry humor that is more subtle than viewers may be used to. There are two things that will help make this more enjoyable for you- if you have experience in the theater or camps like this and lastly if you enjoy the dryer British style of humor. If either of those fit you then this film will be a great choice for you, if they don’t there is still enough humor for everyone else that you should be satiated. Overall the passion for this world of theater is evident and was even more clear once I learned that three of the film’s leads helped to write the film, using their own real experiences to inspire the story. Usually a film like this with a budget that is next to nothing that is purely for the passion of those involved and done so at the start of their careers. It was nice to see what could be done with a proper budget and the experience behind it to make it really shine.
IT IS RARE FOR ME TO SEE A MOVIE WHEN IT’S STILL IN THEATERS BUT THANKS TO 20TH CENTURY STUDIOS I WAS ABLE TO CATCH UP ON A FEW THAT I MISSED.
Recently the fine folks at 20th Century Fox (now 20th Century Studios- their home page is here) had sent me codes to several of the movies I missed so that I could share my thoughts on them with you. Part 1 was all about Underwater and Part 2 focused on The New Mutants. Part 3 we talked about The Personal History of David Copperfield. Part 4 discussed The Empty Man. Part 5 talked about Nomadland and Speed 4K Ultra HD. Part 6 discussed The Night House and Free Guy. Part 7 focused on The Eyes of Tammy Faye and Part 8 had The Last Duel. Part 9 discussed Ron’s Gone Wrong and
Part 10 talked about The King’s Man and Summer of Soul. Part 11 discussed Nightmare Alley and West Side Story. Part 12 highlighted Death on the Nile and Part 13 talked about The Bob’s Burgers Movie. Part 14 highlighted Barbarian and See How They Run. Part 15 discussed Amsterdam and Part 16 talked about The Banshees of Inisherin and The Menu. Part 17 shared our thoughts on Empire of Light and Part 18 with Avatar: The Way of Water. Part 19 had Avatar in 4k and Chevalier. We have returned for Part 20 and The Boogeyman.
The Boogeyman
The film follows a father and his two daughters dealing with the loss of their mother and his wife, each coping in their own ways or in the father’s case, not at all. The father is a psychiatrist and sees patients in his home and seems to only really connect with them instead of his own children. That is until a new patient arrives without an appointment who shares a story about all of his children dying. When the psychiatrist steps away, the patient hangs himself in the house, unleashing the boogeyman on the unsuspecting family. The basis of the story is quite simple, an evil entity preys on a family suffering through grief and they must work together to save themselves. The kids were great in their roles but the father’s performance was something else. It was obvious he was meant to be disconnected but the actor took it further and made it fully robotic. I also felt the lack of music or ambiance was a mistake but my wife tells me it improved the suspense for her. The effects and sets were absolutely fantastic but the father’s acting made it more difficult to enjoy.
IT IS RARE FOR ME TO SEE A MOVIE WHEN IT’S STILL IN THEATERS BUT THANKS TO DISNEY STUDIOS I WAS ABLE TO CATCH UP ON A FEW THAT I MISSED!
Recently the fine folks at Disney Studios (their home page is here) had sent me codes to several of the movies I missed so that I could share my thoughts on them with you. With Part 1 we were taking a look at the live action version of Mulan. Part 2 discussed Soul and Raya and the Last Dragon. Part 3 looked at the live action story of Cruella. Part 4 discussed Luca and Part 5 talked about Jungle Cruise. Part 6 discussed Encanto and Part 7 talked about Turning Red. Part 8 covered Lightyear and Part 9 with Strange World. Part 10 talked about Mickey & Minnie 10 Classic Shorts – Volume 1 and Part 11 with The Little Mermaid and Elemental. We have returned for another round with Part 12 and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny!
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
The Indiana Jones franchise has been a personal favorite of mine for as long as I can remember. I even enjoyed Crystal Skull and Young Indiana Jones. I had relatively high expectations for this film considering every review I had seen compared it to Crystal Skull and rated it higher. When at his best Indy was fighting Nazis and this film brings that back. You just can’t beat the feeling of a classic Indy versus Nazi film. My childhood was filled with the first three films and this takes me right back. Ford’s acting is still great and it’s interesting to see how he’s grown as an actor and the character having grown alongside him. Overall, this film exceed my every expectation.
Have you had a chance to see this release from Disney Studios?
