10 NEW TO NETFLIX
“Anchorman“
“Born on the Fourth of July“
“Donnie Darko“
“Happy Gilmore“
“Jaws“
“Mad Max: Fury Road“
“Mission: Impossible“
“A Star is Born“
“V For Vendetta“
“Wanted“
13 NEW TO BLU-RAY/VOD
One of the best films of 2024 has been given the Janus Contemporaries treatment, an interesting development that has sparked a bit of controversy recently. While it’s great to have a film this wonderful on Blu-ray at all, would Payal Kapadia’s delicate drama been given the full Criterion treatment before the launch of the JC line? What about David Cronenberg’s “The Shrouds,” recently announced for a JC instead of a proper Criterion release? The difference is largely one of special features, as the Criterion release generally includes more bonus material, but it would have been nice to get a commentary or deeper featurette on this release. On the other hand, just having this film amplified by Criterion and Janus will bring it to a much bigger audience. And you really need to see this one. It’s one of the essential films of 2024.
Special Features
- Meet the Filmmakers, a new interview with director Payal Kapadia
- Trailer
“Barry Lyndon” (Criterion)
For its 50th anniversary, one of Stanley Kubrick’s most beloved films was given a stunning new 4K restoration, which first premiered at Cannes back in May. It’s available on Criterion 4K disc already and it’s a beauty, a transfer that captures the incredible, almost magical cinematography by Oscar winner John Alcott in a way that makes it feel more remarkable than ever. Other than the new transfer, the special features are the same as when Criterion released it originally, including interviews with major players (including archival audio with Kubrick himself), and several critics/experts who speak on the legacy of the film, a legacy that seems only stronger a half-century after it was released. Finally, I want to quote a fantastic line from Roger’s Great Movies essay on the film: “It is certainly in every frame a Kubrick film: technically awesome, emotionally distant, remorseless in its doubt of human goodness.”
Special Features
- New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
- Alternate 5.1 surround soundtrack, presented in DTS-HD Master Audio
- One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and two Blu-rays with the film and special features
- Interviews with the cast and crew as well as archival audio featuring director Stanley Kubrick on the film’s cinematography, costumes, editing, and production
- Interview featuring historian Christopher Frayling on production designer Ken Adam
- Interview with critic Michel Ciment
- Interview with actor Leon Vitali about the 5.1 surround soundtrack, which he cosupervised
- Interview with curator Adam Eaker about the fine-art-inspired aesthetics of the film
- Trailers
- English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- PLUS: An essay by critic Geoffrey O’Brien and two pieces about the look of the film from the March 1976 issue of American Cinematographer
“The Big Heat” (Criterion)
One of Fritz Lang’s best films came late in his career in this breathtaking noir, truly one of the most viciously unpredictable of the genre. As the brilliant Farran Smith Nehme points out in a new video essay on the Criterion release, Gloria Grahame’s Debby Marsh is not your typical femme fatale, driving the vengeful narrative more than protagonist Dave Bannion, played perfectly by an increasingly outraged Glenn Ford. From Ford’s square-jawed relentless to Grahame’s courage to Lee Marvin’s explosive performance, this is a noir that hums with energy from first scene to last. It’s got teeth, and its bite is even stronger with one of the best Criterion 4K restorations of the year to date, accompanied by a new commentary, and even interviews with Michael Mann & Martin Scorsese about the power of this masterpiece.
Special Features
- New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
- One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
- New audio commentary by film-noir experts Alain Silver and James Ursini
- New video essay by critic Farran Smith Nehme on the women in the film
- Audio interviews with director Fritz Lang, conducted by film historian Gideon Bachmann and filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich
- Interviews with filmmakers Michael Mann and Martin Scorsese
- Trailer
- English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- PLUS: An essay by author Jonathan Lethem
“Carnal Knowledge” (Criterion)
Mike Nichols delivered one of his most critically and commercially successful dramas in this 1971 drama, getting the Criterion treatement for the first time in this 4K edition. Jack Nicholson, Candice Bergen, Art Garfunkel, and Ann-Margret star in a relationship drama that Roger himself responded to very strongly, giving it four stars as he dubbed it Nichols’ best film, saying, “It sets out to tell us certain things about these few characters and their sexual crucifixions, and it succeeds. It doesn’t go for cheap or facile laughs, or inappropriate symbolism, or a phony kind of contemporary feeling.” Ahead of its time in terms of sexual frankness and containing one of Nicholson’s best performances, it’s stunning that its only Oscar nod was for Ann-Marget. No one knows the history of this film more than Mark Harris, who wrote a stunning biography of Nichols, and is included here in a new program with another ace biographer, Dana Stevens. That feature alone makes this worth a purchase.
Special Features
- New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
- One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
- New audio commentary featuring filmmaker and playwright Neil LaBute
- New program with Mike Nichols biographer Mark Harris and film critic Dana Stevens
- New interview with film-editing historian Bobbie O’Steen
- Conversation from 2011 between Nichols and filmmaker Jason Reitman
- Q&A with screenwriter Jules Feiffer
- Radio spot and trailer
- English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- PLUS: An essay by scholar Moira Weigel and a 1971 piece from American Cinematographer about the look of the film
After a splashy SXSW premiere, this twisted comedy barely scraped back its budget in theaters, meaning a lot of people haven’t seen it. It’s the kind of flick that could get forgotten by history, but I would argue is worth a look either on HBO Max (where it’s now exclusively residing) or an excellent Blu-ray that’s available exclusively on A24’s online shopping portal. Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega star in a satire of the idiocy of the wealthy, but it’s Will Poulter who steals the bloody show. A strange film, this one struggled to find an audience outside of Austin, but its fans will be very happy with a release that includes a commentary, collectible postcards, deleted scenes, and a featurette.
Special Features
- Commentary with writer-director Alex Scharfman
- All-new featurette
- Deleted scenes
- Six collectible postcards with behind the scenes photography
“Eephus“
The love affair with this Music Box Films project has been truly inspiring to watch. Since its premiere in the Directors’ Fortnight section of the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, it has steadily built a fan base so strong that it’s often playing across the country, including a recent screening at the Music Box Theatre. This delicate comedy captures the enchanting pace of baseball in a way that we’ve never really seen before, and announced director Carson Lund as a major talent. It’s so wonderful to see MB Films treat the growing base for this film with an incredible DVD/Blu-ray release, one that includes two audio commentaries, deleted scenes, featurettes, and much more. It’s as extensive a list of special features as I’ve seen outside of Arrow or Criterion this whole year.
Special Features
- Audio Commentary with director Carson Lund, co-writer/producer Mike Basta and D.P Greg Tango
- Audio Commentary with a raucous lineup of actors from Adler’s Paint and the River Dogs
- Behind the Scenes camcorder video
- Extra Innings Deleted Scenes
- Big Whiffs Blooper Reel
- Pickup Baseball Game at East River Park, NYC
- Storyboards and Image Galleries
- Inside Baseball – Essay by Caden Mark Gardner
- Exclusive Interview with Bill “Spaceman” Lee
- Director Q&A recorded live at Jacob Burns Film Center
- In Conversation with Carson Lund at the Harvard Film Archive
- Plus, eagle-eyed viewers will be able to discover 12 hidden easter eggs!
“Final Destination Bloodlines“
Who would have guessed that a sixth Final Destination movie, released 14 years after what everyone presumed was the final nail in this franchise’s coffin, would be one of the best horror flicks of 2025? Directed by Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein, this legacy sequel is a reminder of what people loved about this series in the first place, repeating the Rube Goldberg Death mechanics of the first five films but with a truly strong sense of character and vision. It helps to have an unforgettable final scene for Tony Todd, who reminds people how great he was for horror for decades too. The fact that “Bloodlines” has made almost $300 million worldwide means this won’t be the final one.
Special Features
- Audio Commentary by the film’s directors Adam Stein & Zach Lipovsky
- Death Becomes Them: On the Set of “Final Destination Bloodlines” – Catch up with the fresh new cast and dynamic directing duo of “Final Destinations Bloodlines” to hear about their experiences on set and what fun surprises they managed to sneak in for the fans.
- The Many Deaths of Bloodlines – From the collapse of the Skyview Restaurant to the world’s worst MRI, get a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the most gruesome Final Destination deaths yet!
- The Legacy of Bludworth – Tony Todd reflects on the decades-spanning legacy of his iconic character and re-examines Bludworth’s impact on the franchise now that all has been revealed.
One of the most moving films ever made is getting another special edition treatment from Shout Factory, a reminder of the power of this Studio Ghibli masterpiece. Directed by Isao Takahata (“The Tale of the Princess Kaguya”), this drama is based on the short story of the same name by Akiyuki Nosaka, the story of a pair of war orphans struggling to survive during the final days of World War II in Japan. Roger keenly understood the power of a film he consideredone of the strongest anti-war movies of all time. He went as far as to write in his Great Movies piece about the film, ““Grave of the Fireflies” is an emotional experience so powerful that it forces a rethinking of animation.” His love for the film is palpable on an interview on this Blu-ray release.
Special Features
- Feature-Length Storyboards
- Deleted Scene Storyboards
- Interview with Director Isao Takahata
- Interview with Roger Ebert
- Promotional Video
- Image Galleries
- Teasers & Trailers
Man, I wish people had seen this movie. As someone who is increasingly exhausted by soulless blockbusters that claim to be family entertainment, seeing this passion project at Sundance in January of this year was invigorating. But the truth is that family films are rarely original, and increasingly less so, which made getting viewers to this undeniably dark and unusual adventure film was an uphill battle for A24. Isaiah Saxon’s movie was clearly inspired by ’80s classics like “The Dark Crystal” and “Gremlins,” telling the story of a girl named Yuri (Helena Zengel) who discovers that the creatures in the forests known as Ochi aren’t to be feared. With incredible puppetry (almost no CGI was used), this is a great one to catch up with on Blu-ray, especially since this A24-shop-exclusive release includes a commentary, featurettes, and collectible postcards.
Special Features
- Filmmaker commentary
- Brand new behind-the-scenes featurette
- Emily Watson’s “Singing Bird” deleted scene
- Six collectible postcards with photography by Alexandru Ionita
Chicken jockey! The virality of “A Minecraft Movie” became one of the most interesting film stories of 2025. Kids kept going to see this adaptation of the Mojang game in droves because of the clips online of people basically losing their minds at screenings. Some purists bemoaned the party nature (and the clean-up by underpaid employees surely did suck) but my stance is that whatever is getting people back into movie theaters is a net good. Given how explosively this film did at the box office, it’s a little surprising to report that the Blu-ray release is a bit underwhelming, including less than an hour of bonus material, and most of it is pretty standard EPK/promotional stuff. Maybe they’ll release a more special edition when the inevitable sequel comes out.
Special Features
- Building the World of Minecraft: Block Party – featurette (14:19) – Grant Major’s team brings Minecraft’s Overworld to life with blocky textures, vibrant biomes, and square props. Through practical effects and digital art, they craft a cinematic Minecraft world!
- Creepers, Zombies, and Endermen Oh My! – featurette (13:14) – Explore the unique mobs in A Minecraft Movie, including Creepers, Piglins, and Zombies. The featurette features live action looks and onscreen performances, with expert designers and artists contributing.
- A Minecraft Movie: Block Beats – featurette (9:01) – Music brings A Minecraft Movie to life! Jack Black, Jason Momoa, and Danielle Brooks created fun tunes like “I Feel Alive.” Fans will love behind-the-scenes clips and insights into the film’s music.
- A Minecraft Movie: Pixel Pals – featurette (14:02) – Jack Black and Jason Momoa pour boundless energy into A Minecraft Movie, from Jack’s gaming breaks to Jason’s wardrobe design. Their chemistry and behind-the-scenes fun bring joy to this film!
- Marlene + Nitwit – featurette (5:07) – Marlene and Nitwit’s quirky bond shines in this film! In this piece Nitwit, voiced by Matt Berry, narrates their wild journey, parodying My Name is Earl, with hilarious moments from Jennifer Coolidge.
With the exclusion of the awful latest Captain America film, it’s been a surprisingly good year for the struggling superhero genre. James Gunn’s “Superman” has devoted fans (I’m a little more mixed but think it’s a solid start of a new DCU chapter) and Matt Shakman’s “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” is pretty wonderful (I agree with most of MZS’s review linked here). It’s kind of perfect that the 2025 superhero film that now seems most likely to be forgotten is about a group of almost-heroes who stand in the shadows of their more well-known counterparts. It’s not perfect, but a lot of “Thunderbolts*” works for me, as detailed in the review linked above, and the Blu-ray release from Marvel is an excellent one, including a commentary, deleted scenes, and more.
Special Features
- Director’s Audio Commentary – Watch the film with audio commentary by director Jake Schreier
- Deleted Scenes – Check out the scenes that didn’t make the final cut
- Assembling a Team to Remember – Spend a bit of quality time with the cast and crew of Thunderbolts* as they divulge how the film’s fictional team of superpowered mavericks, misfits and antiheroes was assembled.
- Around the World and Back Again – Discover the eclectic locations and astounding production design that helped make Thunderbolts* a rousing reality, including a visit to the sprawling sets in Kuala Lumpur where we join Florence Pugh performing stunts atop one of planet Earth’s tallest buildings and blowing up buildings on the streets.
- All About Bob, Sentry & The Void – Deep dive into the making of three different characters: Bob, Sentry, and The Void – all performed by Lewis Pullman.
- Gag Reel – Enjoy fun outtakes on set with the cast and crew of Thunderbolts*
“Warfare“
Writer/director Alex Garland met Ray Mendoza when the latter was a military supervisor on Garland’s “Civil War.” While working on that project, Garland and Mendoza wrote a script based on Mendoza’s time during the Iraq War, specifically the Battle of Ramadi on November 19th, 2006. Using accounts of Mendoza’s fellows soldiers, “Warfare” unfolds in real time, purporting to detail war and its cost without political posturing. The stance that “Warfare” does or does not take on international conflicts became a critical talking point around a film that’s best appreciated for its technical prowess, detailed here in a commentary that includes both Mendoza and Garland.
Special Features
- Commentary with Ray Mendoza, Alex Garland, and military consultant Brian Philpot
- 29-minute featurette
- Six collectible postcards with photography by Alex Brockdorff
“You Can Count on Me” (Criterion)
One of my favorite films of the 2000s, this Kenneth Lonergan masterpiece has been given a 4K restoration overseen by the writer/director, whose audio commentary is imported from a previously available release. This is the first time I remember seeing Laura Linney and Mark Ruffalo, who are so breathtakingly good here that you forget that they’re not actually brother and sister. Linney got an Oscar nomination for Best Actress (she should have won for what I still consider the best work of her career), and Lonergan landed a Best Original Screenplay for a script that understands people without resorting to melodrama. The Criterion release also includes new interviews with Linney, Ruffalo, Lonergan, and Matthew Broderick.
Special Features
- New 4K digital restoration, supervised and approved by director Kenneth Lonergan, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
- One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
- Audio commentary featuring Lonergan
- New interviews with Lonergan and actors Matthew Broderick, Laura Linney, and Mark Ruffalo
- Trailer
- English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- PLUS: An essay by playwright Rebecca Gilman and the script of the original one-act play
