Legend of the Eight Samurai (Blu-ray Review)
A Japanese box-office sensation directed by the revered Kinji Fukasaku (Battle Royale), Legend of the Eight Samurai brings together an impressive ensemble cast, including Hiroko Yakushimaru (Sailor Suit and Machine Gun), Hiroyuki Sanada (Ring), Sonny Chiba (Message from Space) and Etsuko Shihomi (The Street Fighter), in a sweeping epic that blends fantasy with historical drama. Following Message from Space, which transported the story to a science fiction setting, Legend of the Eight Samurai is Fukasaku’s second loose adaptation of Toshio Kamata’s Shin Satomi Hakkenden, itself an adaptation of Kyokutei Bakin’s earlier epic novel Nanso Satomi Hakkenden. The Masters of Cinema series is proud to present Legend of the Eight Samurai on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK from a new 4K restoration! Legend of the Eight Samurai is now available on Blu-ray! Continue reading ‘Legend of the Eight Samurai (Blu-ray Review)’
Did any of us have it on our 2025 bingo cards that Mark Wahlberg or Mel Gibson would be returning to theaters with a B-grade exploitation actioner? I definitely did not. Flight Risk, however, is just that. A quick and dirty 90 minutes, is Flight Risk worth all the hatred it received from critics and audiences? Will it work better at home? Find out in the review. Don’t forget to buckle up, there may be some turbulence ahead.
On May 6, bathe in supernatural suspense as Scream Factory celebrates 25 years of the 2000 all-star Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfieffer thriller with What Lies Beneath [25th Anniversary Edition], available on 4K UHD for the first time in America.
The Universal “Monster-Verse” has been up and down for what feels like decades now. The Wolf Man debuted in 2008 with a whisper. Way before that, in the late 90s, The Mummy set the tone for what could’ve been a legendary run of revived monster films. The Mummy series continued, but its returns weren’t as promising as the debut. Things went quiet until The Mummy and a rebranded Dark Universe were revived again, this time with Tom Cruise, and this time being a critical flop. Then, nothing once again. Cue Leigh Whannell’s 2020 remake of The Invisible Man. Told with a modern twist involving gaslighting and a strong female character, the film was a success during the pandemic, leading to renewed interest in Universal’s monster movie legacy. Now, 5 years later, we have Wolf Man. Not The Wolf Man – just Wolf Man. How does this modernized version of the classic werewolf tale go? Do we have another success or another miss? Prepare for some shocking transformations and some revelations about the 4K transfer of 2025’s first monster flick!
Comedy films are in short supply in 2025. The genre has always been a great comfort to me as a movie fanatic. This is easily the most populated genre in my collection. The genre is also the one that has many movie memories attached to it for me. One such film that holds memories for me is Tommy Boy. When Tommy Boy was first teased to come to 4K, I got super excited. Then nothing for a long time. Then boom – The real announcement came in. I was ecstatic. I went right back to the newly 9-year-old me that bought Tommy Boy on tape with his birthday money. So how does Tommy Boy hold up 30 years from its initial release? No guarantee on the steelbook, but I’m gonna take Tommy’s word for it that it holds up!
I’ve said it before previously, but I am a preschool teacher in my day job. I hear about animated films from the children and their parents. When it comes to Disney properties, I hear about them more often and sometimes overwhelmingly. Frozen and Moana are the films that are almost constantly referenced. Moana 2 emerged as a huge hit for Disney, and yes, I have heard plenty about the film and more than enough of the songs. But how did the film go down for my first viewing? Read on below and get to the nitty gritty not just on Moana’s newest adventure, but of this 4K Steelbook release too!
The 14th century takes a rocking new twist in A Knight’s Tale, a stylish, music driven, action packed adventure starring Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight, The Patriot), with heroic performances from Mark Addy (The Full Monty, Down to Earth) and Rufus Sewell (Dangerous Beauty, Dark City). Ledger plays William Thatcher, a peasant squire who breaks all the rules when he passes himself off as a nobleman and takes the jousting world by storm. The only thing that stands between William and his dream of becoming the World Champion of the most extreme of sports is the bad boy of the sport Count Adhemar. And when the two rivals go lance to lance at the world finals, you’d better arm yourself and hang on tight for the ride of your life!
Prepare for heavy turbulence when FLIGHT RISK arrives on 4K UHD (+ Blu-ray™ + Digital) Combo Pack SteelBook®, Blu-ray™, and DVD on April 1 from Lionsgate. Directed by Academy Award® winner Mel Gibson (1995, Best Director, Braveheart; Hacksaw Ridge, The Passion of the Christ) and written by Jared Rosenberg, FLIGHT RISK is a claustrophobic, unsettling, and thrilling experience that reaches into every “biggest fear” scenario.
Coming In April From Sony Pictures Home Entertainment:
Over 50 years since the Blaxploitation subgenre dominated ‘70s film culture, Shout! Studios is excited to bring forth an incredible collection of culturally rich legacy films in Blaxploitation Classics Vol. 1, available on May 20, 2025 as part of the Shout! Select line. This first volume of films includes Across 110th Street, Black Ceasar, Hell Up in Harlem, Coffy, Sheba, Baby and Truck Turner, presenting the genre’s most treasured stars such as Pam Grier, Fred Williamson, Isaac Hayes, and Yaphet Kotto in all their heroic action on Blu-ray ™ as well as on 4K Ultra High Definition for the first time worldwide.
40 years ago, the past was having a bit of a resurgence. Linda Ronstadt was topping the pop charts with an album of old-time standards with a full orchestra. In theaters we were taken back in time with films like The Color Purple and Amadeus. With Amadeus, Milos Forman and playwright Peter Schaffer crafted a gloriously accessible period drama that could excite, stun, and incite laughter in anyone. Now in 2025, for the first time since 2002 the Theatrical Cut has been made available on home media for the first time. Amadeus won the Oscar for Best Picture along with seven other awards and deservedly so. Let’s go back with Wolfie and the orchestra and see what it was like living with a made-up rivalry with Antonio Salieri…
No matter how hard you try, you can’t break up with your past. From the talented producers behind the fan-favorite films John Wick, Nobody, and Bullet Train, comes LOVE HURTS, an electrifying story of revenge with visceral action sequences and heart. As the outrageous action feature continues to captivate audiences in theaters nationwide, the film will be available exclusively on digital platforms to own or rent tomorrow, February 25, 2025, from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. LOVE HURTS will also debut on 4K UHD, Blu-ray™ and DVD on April 1, 2025. Experience an alternate ending and epic behind-the-scenes bonus content only when you purchase from participating digital retailers nationwide, including Apple TV, Fandango at Home (formerly Vudu), Comcast Xfinitiy, Cox, Microsoft Movie & TV, and Movies Anywhere.
