Posted in: 4K/Blu-Ray, Movies | Tagged: 4k blu-ray, a nightmare on elm street, blu-ray, Criterion Collection, toxic avenger, UltraHD

Blu-ray On My Mind: News, & Reviews Of Toxie And Freddy In 4K

We look at the news of the week and review the discs for Toxic Avenger and the 4K Blu-ray release of the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise.

Blu-ray and physical media are important to me and many collectors, and while it can be a chore these days to get your hands on the discs, nothing brings a bigger smile to my face than cracking open a new Blu-ray. Every Friday, we will review the week's announcements and news in physical media, highlight the labels still unerathing films that have somehow never been released, and review new discs we have added to our collections. Let's dive into the week, shall we?

Blu-ray News For The Week

• Criterion has announced its February line-up of titles, which includes 3:10 to Yuma (1957), Cloud (2024), PlayTime (1967), The Man Who Wasn't There (2001), Network (1976), A Woman Under the Influence (1974), and Eclipse Series 8: Lubitsch Musicals (1929-1932). Network is a must, but if you have somehow gone this long without seeing it. Ditto to that version of 3:10 To Yuma and The Man Who Wasn't There. Always a special month when we get a new Criterion Blu-ray edition of the Coen Brothers.
• Eureka Entertainment will release Jakob the Liar (1999) and Zen & Sword: The Miyamoto Musashi Saga at Toei (1961-1965) in February. Both feature new 4k restorations.
• Kino Lorber will release George Marshall's comedy Hold That Blonde! on January 13. It stars Eddie Bracken, Veronica Lake, Albert Dekker, Frank Fenton, and George Zucco. Kino always crushes these kinds of releases, so keep this one on your radar. On that same day, they will release Guillermo del Toro's Mimic on 4K Blu-ray.
• Lionsgate will release John Cusack thriller 1408 on 4K on January 13.
• And finally, we have final details on what will be on the upcoming 4K release of Boogie Nights from Warner Bros, which releases on December 9. It will have a Steelbook available as well as the regular release cover of Roller Girl (Heather Graham):

• HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
• NEW American Cinematheque Panel Night 1 – Paul Thomas Anderson and John C. Reilly
• NEW American Cinematheque Panel Night 2 – Paul Thomas Anderson
• Commentary: Director Paul Thomas Anderson
• Commentary: Don Cheadle, Heather Graham, Luis Guzman, William H. Macy, Julianne Moore, John C. Reilly, Mark Wahlberg, and Melora Walters
• Additional Scenes (29:15)
  • Scene 3: Ham and Cheese
  • Buck and Amber in the Van
  • Brock and Chico
  • The 2nd Awards Ceremony
  • New Year's Eve
  • Fire with Fire: The Brock and Chest Story
  • Maurice and Rollergirl
  • Mixing "Feel the Heat"
  • Under the Table
  • Becky/Jerome/Car Crash
• Michael Penn Try Music Video (3:16)
• The John C. Reilly Files: Outtakes and Extended Sequences (34:54)
  • Swim Trunks
  • Waiting for Todd
  • Mixing with Nick
• Optional English SDH, Spanish, and French subtitles for the main feature.

Reviews Of The Week

Toxic Avenger fans were treated to the Macon Blair film in theaters this past fall, and now they are spoiled even more with a 4K disc. Really, this is more than a fan could ask for, and more than the film probably needed on a home release, but I am so glad they did. The slipcase features a lintel image, always appreciated on a slipcover. The best feature here is the commentary with Blair, a huge nerd like the rest of us, who really comes alive when talking about his film and the franchise. The film looks and sounds terrific, though something feels wrong about it being so… polished. It is a great time, though, and would be a great stocking stuffer this holiday season.

One of the larger 4K releases of the fall is the big debut of Freddy Krueger in Ultra HD. A Nightmare on Elm Street fans have wanted this set for a long, long time, and they finally got their wish with the release of all seven films in one set. The remake? What remake?

I am happy to report that, after viewing all seven films in all their glory over the past couple of weeks, this is the best presentation they have ever had. All seven films have garnered a ton of attention from Warner Bros. for this set, and it's clear that they've put a lot of effort into making these films stand out, both in audio and visual presentation. These are miles ahead of the original Blu-ray releases, especially The Dream Master and The Final Nightmare. I actually enjoyed watching The Final Nightmare for the first time ever. I could not get over how spectacular it looked. I do wish they had included more than one pair of 3D glasses for that part of the film, but oh well. There are also only three new special features on the release, totaling about 20 minutes of "Wow, Nightmare is great, isn't it?"- type featurettes. All the other features appear on the original Blu-ray release. However, this represents such a significant leap in audio and visual presentation that fans must make the upgrade. While I am an original mono track guy, it is hard to argue with the Dolby Atmos sound on these discs. This is a must-buy for horror fans.

Many thanks to the folks at Cineverse and Warner Bros. for sending these two over for review.

See you next week for more reviews, news, and discussion of all things Blu-ray and physical media.

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