Ultra HD Blu-ray Movie Reviews

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David Vaughn  |  Nov 03, 2017
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Robbed of his birthright when his father is murdered by his uncle and ascends to the throne, Arthur somehow escapes. He’s found floating down the Thames by some prostitutes doing their laundry, and the young man ends up being raised in a brothel and learns how to survive on the streets of the big city until that fateful day he pulls Excalibur from the stone.
Chris Chiarella  |  Apr 06, 2018
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England’s super-secret civilian intelligence agency, Kingsman, is dealt a devastating blow by a mysterious new enemy. It’s been one year since ballsy-yetcompassionate Eggsy (Taron Egerton) and his crew saved the world from an eccentric criminal mastermind, but with their resources and personnel all but eliminated, they must now seek the help of Statesman, their American counterpart. Together, this unlikely team travels the globe to uncover the truth behind the recent attack, as well as the details of another ruthless plot that could soon kill millions.
Thomas J. Norton  |  Oct 13, 2017
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It’s 1973, and a U.S. survey and mapping expedition, supported by an Army helicopter unit recently released from the wind-down of the Vietnam War, heads toward the previously unexplored Skull Island.

If they’d brushed up on their old movies, they wouldn’t have been gobsmacked, and soon simply smacked, when they spot and engage with a really big ape. Big enough to squish all previous versions of the character under his big toe. Big enough to easily challenge the helicopters and crews. I mean really, really big.

Chris Chiarella  |  May 05, 2023
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Endless kudos to Kubo’s studio, Laika, for doing more than anyone to keep the waning art of stop-motion animation feature films alive. Shout! Factory has been celebrating their most popular titles in recent 4K upgrades (available in standard or steelbook); among them The Boxtrolls, ParaNorman and Coraline; and now Kubo and the Two Strings. An original story with classic underpinnings, Kubo takes us along on a boy’s quest to acquire some mystical armor in anticipation of a showdown with a powerfully malevolent foe.

Chris Chiarella  |  Aug 16, 2024
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Anne Parillaud stars as La Femme Nikita (or just plain “Nikita” on the title card), a feral young heroin addict convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison, before a shadowy government organization swoops in and procures her for an elite training program. Her old life is over as she is polished into a resourceful super-agent, ready to do whatever her bosses ask whenever they call, even if it means killing at a moment’s notice. The 1990 French spy thriller is superbly restored on 4K Blu-ray.

Chris Chiarella  |  Jul 14, 2017
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Right or wrong, writer/director Damien Chazelle knew what he wanted. From the cinematographic techniques to the costumes and sets to the staging of the elaborate song-and-dance numbers, he employed every tool at his disposal to bring this uniquely Hollywood tale to life.
Chris Chiarella  |  Nov 05, 2021
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After making Return of the Jedi, Executive producer George Lucas was looking for fresh creative frontiers, and he would embark upon new cinematic collabs with previous and first-time cohorts. One such experiment was his team-up with mastermind Jim Henson for the family-friendly fantasy, Labyrinth. With a playful script by Monty Python alum Terry Jones, the story follows an angry teenager Sarah (Jennifer Connelly) with a fondness for fairy tales.
David Vaughn  |  Jul 01, 2018
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A secret from her father’s past leads adventure-seeker Lara Croft on one of her greatest challenges. What she seeks to find is the Triangle of Light, a legendary artifact whose power to alter space and time happens only once every 5,000 years. Also in hot pursuit: the Illuminati, a secret society bent on world domination. Lara and her trusty tech-geek sidekick, Bryce, must do everything in their power to stop them.
Chris Chiarella  |  Dec 21, 2023
A few more noteworthy titles just slid down the chimney, past our deadline for the Entertainment Holiday Gift Guide in the pages of the magazine but a dazzling menagerie nonetheless, and deserving of our consideration, so we hereby present an additional mini-sackful of eminently giftable Blu-rays.
Roger Kanno  |  Mar 11, 2022
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Edgar Wright's Last Night in Soho starts off a little slowly, but like many of the director's previous films (Hot Fuzz, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Baby Driver), it oozes style. The story centers around Eloise (Thomasin McKenzie), a talented fashion design student who is transported back to the 1960s in her dreams where she witnesses scenes from the life of an aspiring young singer, Sandie (Anya Taylor-Joy). Along with her dreams, Eloise has increasingly frightening visions where Sandie's life is beginning to spiral downward. Through her dreams and visions, Eloise ultimately learns the fate of Sandie and those around her in London's Soho District during the 1960s.
Chris Chiarella  |  May 27, 2022
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The title of Le cercle rouge is derived from a Buddhist proverb about people coming together in fateful encounters—a theme pertinent to recently released convict Corey (Alain Delon) who crosses paths with escaped suspect Vogel (Gian-Maria Volonte). Along with alcoholic ex-cop Jansen (Yves Montand), they team up for a big-franc jewel heist—sophisticated for its time—unaware that determined detective Mattei (André Bourvil) and his snitches are on their trail. While similarities inevitably exist, anyone expecting the visceral intensity of a more recent Heat or a Reservoir Dogs will be in for a surprise.
David Vaughn  |  Oct 13, 2017
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Discovering life on Mars would be the crowning achievement in any scientist’s career, so when a team on the International Space Station receives a care package of samples from the red planet, they can’t wait to begin their experiments. To their surprise, they discover there was once life on Mars after all, and they unleash a creature that evolves at an accelerated pace that has its eyes on the planet below them.
Chris Chiarella  |  May 25, 2025
Lilo & Stitch
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Disney's live-action adaptations of beloved animated movies have met with varying degrees of pushback over the years, but one welcome upside has been the habit of marking the occasion with the 4K release of the originals that spawned them. Such is the case with Lilo & Stitch, its initial popularity only seeming to grow over the past 23 years into a deeply devoted fanbase. (Any seasoned pin trader knows how fast anything with the little blue guy on it disappears from the boards.)

Chris Chiarella  |  May 09, 2024
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Return with us to a halcyon age of cinema when mature subject matter wasn’t forbidden, it was simply rated R. So it was with Little Darlings, a surprisingly sweet and remarkably honest snapshot of adolescence circa 1980. There’s no real violence or profanity, and the teenage coitus at its core is merely alluded to, never shown. See, summer camp brings together youngsters from all walks of life, and one of the more experienced girls strong arms two newbies into a bet: whoever loses her virginity first wins.

Chris Chiarella  |  Sep 01, 2017
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There have certainly been terrific comic book movies, but Logan is a terrific movie that just so happens to be inspired by comic books. The proper balance of story, character, and juicy action set pieces is an elusive one. (Think back to the disappointing first two solo Wolverine flicks.) But in his ninth and reportedly final portrayal of Logan, charismatic star Hugh Jackman— in the role that will surely define his career—is at the center of a remarkably original, powerful film.

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