Chris Chiarella

Chris Chiarella  |  May 31, 2025
The Three Musketeers
The Four Musketeers

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As a kid I was more of a Robin Hood guy, first Errol Flynn and then Disney, but by the time I was first asked "What's your favorite movie?" I recall answering, "The Three Musketeers," meaning Richard Lester’s wildly entertaining version from 1973. Alexandre Dumas’ source novel has it all: love, war, friendship, honor, treachery, bravery, betrayal. Few movies have for me ever captured the pure spirit of swashbuckling adventure, a tale too big to fit into a single film and therefore cleaved in twain.

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 20, 2025
Two horror franchise entries featuring the iconic Jason Voorhees have received impressive 4K treatment from Arrow. These ninth and tenth installments in the Friday the 13th series showcase the killer's supernatural evolution and eventual space adventure.
Chris Chiarella  |  May 20, 2025
Swept Away
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The world was a very different place when I first saw Swept Away (full title Swept Away... by an Unusual Destiny in the Blue Sea of August, translated from its native Travolti da un insolito destino nell'azzurro mare d'agosto). It

Chris Chiarella  |  May 10, 2025
Pale Rider (1985)
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The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)
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Dirty Harry (1971)
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Threastwood: Dirty Harry, Josey Wales and Pale Rider on 4K

By Chris Chiarella

Studio pushes like the one Warner has done for filmmaker Clint Eastwood—long one of their most bankable stars—are a great opportunity to rediscover what made an icon so iconic. These are not the first Eastwoods in 4K, nor are they the first from Warner, but they certainly represent some of his absolute best work on screen.

Chris Chiarella  |  Apr 26, 2025

The popularity of 4K and HD Blu-rays discs in premium metal packaging is showing no signs of slowing down, and so we proffer this sampling of some of the most interesting drops. Some here are making their stateside 4K debut, some represent alternative packaging or availability (i.e. previously sold in other editions or within larger collections), while a couple bring exclusive upgrades in video quality.

Chris Chiarella  |  Apr 17, 2025
The Brutalist
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Filmmaker Brady Corbet seeks to conjure movies of a bygone era in more ways than one with his latest, The Brutalist. Perhaps most notably, he and director of photography Lol Crawley resurrected the defunct large‑format VistaVision process, supplanted years ago by IMAX.

Chris Chiarella  |  Apr 06, 2025
Sometimes, we just want to get right to it. Many of the movies landing on my desk of late have fallen into a specific, unexpected category: single-word titles. Maybe it’s the protagonist, or the setting, or the theme, but the filmmakers are betting that a single name on the poster (or cover) is enough to make us commit. Let’s find out if they’re right.
Chris Chiarella  |  Mar 25, 2025

Spring has sprung, which means that a new crop of TV series on Blu-ray, 4K, and humble DVD is ready to harvest. Catch a deep whiff of that fresh-cut grass, then head inside to catch up on old favorites and discover shows that might have flown beneath your radar until now. We’ll also be showcasing an assortment of Japanese animation, starting with…

Chris Chiarella  |  Mar 20, 2025
Two different home entertainment labels have released impressive 4K editions of the two sequels to Universal’s 2000 sci-fi actioner, Pitch Black. And yes, I know that the headline above lists the movies in reverse release order, but "The Chronicles of Riddick and Riddick" sounded awkward.

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