Greetings and salutations, my fellow Space Cadets and physical media collectors. You’re out there, you’re just being quiet. In all seriousness though, this is the first Blu-Ray/DVD Haul of 2023, and I brought home a decent amount of goodies this time. As is my method for each of these posts(with the exception of the last two), I try to reach at least 4 discs that I bought before making one of these. It can get pretty pricy, especially if you’re ordering direct from certain boutique labels like Arrow or Criterion, but it’s usually worth the money. What you’re getting in return is a movie that looks and sounds better than it ever has, plus there are supplements and special features that are outstanding…mostly. So, let’s dig into what I recently nabbed:
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie – Shout! Factory
This one took the longest to get. I had ordered this one early in December, but it was taking so long, so I got a hold of Shout! Factory about it. They told me that because Jason David Frank had passed away a week and a half before I ordered the movie, sales for the disc skyrocketed to the point where they ran out and had to manufacture more. When they told me that, I understood completely. Frank’s death had come out of nowhere, so it made a lot of sense for fans to pick up the best quality version of the film that was available, and that was through Shout! Factory. It’s goofy movie based on a goofy show that took the world by storm. Jason David Frank played the most popular Power Ranger, Tommy. The disc doesn’t have much to it, but it does have the original featurette that was on the DVD and a new retrospective feature that had new interviews with the cast, director, and stunt people. It’s a pretty decent feature that runs almost an hour.
Titanic – Paramount Pictures/20th Century Fox
James Cameron’s epic disaster film is set to be re-released in theaters on February 10th in celebration of the 25th anniversary of it’s release. Honestly, I hadn’t seen this movie before. It wasn’t in my wheelhouse back in 1997. I was more interested in movies where things were blowing up and people being shot at, not love stories on doomed voyages. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve expanded my horizons on movies like this. It’s been said by a lot of people that you should never underestimate James Cameron. I’m a huge fan of his work, but I underestimated him with Titanic. This 4-disc set that I picked up earlier this week was my first viewing of this movie, and let me tell you: It’s a remarkable achievement. The love story at the heart of the film between Kate Winslet’s Rose and Leonardo DiCaprio’s Jack is one of the most iconic love stories in the last 30 years. The chemistry between those two actors feels incredibly genuine. But the film is also about the conflict between social classes: the rich people that are at the top and the poor that are at the bottom. But let’s not forget the actual sinking of the ship. It’s one of the most spectacular disaster sequences ever put on screen. The whole ship is a character in itself, so when you see it break in half, it’s as heart-breaking as it is thrilling. There’s over 6 hours of special features on this set that makes it a must-own among physical media enthusiasts.
Tarantula – Universal Studios
I’ve had this one on VHS for YEARS. You know what’s funny? I hate spiders. I really do. I’m not necessarily scared of them(except the poisonous kind), but there’s something about spiders that feels unnatural, even though they are among the most natural creatures in existence. So, what happens when you take a spider and make it the size of a mountain? You get Tarantula!, that’s what. It’s one of those classic 50s science-gone-amok science fiction pictures. The acting in the film is decent, but we all come to see the titular monster wreak havoc, and it does. At 82 minutes, this film moves along at a break-neck pace. Instead of using puppets for the creature(except for close-ups), they used a real tarantula that was super-imposed on to the background, giving it this truly larger-than-life feel. If you’re an arachnophobe, stay away. The disc I bought starts the movie immediately when you put the disc in and is on a loop, meaning when the movie is over, it starts again. I would’ve gone for the Shout! Factory release, but there isn’t much in the way of special features, making it not worth the 23 bucks.
Them! – Warner Bros.
Here’s another blast from the past! Unlike Tarantula, Them! doesn’t involve science going awry. Nope, the monsters in this movie are a result of radiation from the testing of nuclear bombs. The monsters in this case are giant ants. There’s something incredibly endearing about these old 50s monster movies. Obviously, the technology available means that the visual effects don’t necessarily stack up that well against more modern creature features. That said, the effects in this movie are amazing. They were so good in fact, that the film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Special Effects. As for the rest of the film? The acting’s pretty good. The late James Whitmore is surprisingly good as a cop that’s in over his head, and having to deal with a fairly pretentious science professor. It’s just a lot of fun. The disc that I bought barely has any special features on it.
Nosferatu(1922) – Kino Lorber Classics
What’s this?! A silent movie? Yes. Yes, it is. It’s one of the more famous silent movies, to be exact. Nosferatu was an unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. This is the very first vampire movie ever made, so it’s place in film history is extraordinarily significant. Even though I hadn’t really seen it before, it’s creepy. Max Schreck’s performance as Count Orlock, is simply haunting. The teeth, the ears, the eyes, his stature, EVERYTHING about this character sends chills down your spine. The fact that the movie is a hundred years old just adds to its mystique. Being creeped by 100-year old vampire movie is nothing to sneeze at. It’s a classic in every single way. Sure, it’s in the public domain, but I decided to pick up the Kino Lorber release, which has a decent amount of stuff on it, including the option to watch the film using the original 1922 soundtrack by Hans Erdmann. If you’re a fan of vampire movies, this is clearly a must-own. If you haven’t seen it before, you’re in for a treat.
Pearl – Lionsgate Studios/A24
Pearl is a prequel to Ti West’s X which was also released in 2022. The thing is, I’m not the biggest fan of X. I found to be plodding and slow, with the horror aspect of the film only happening an hour into the film. Pearl is an origin story of X‘s main villain, but it’s not a slasher movie. This is very different. I love this movie. I really do. It’s very interesting from a visual standpoint. The color palette is very reminiscent of old school technicolor movies. It’s bright, it’s flashy, but that’s why the horror element hits so damned hard. The story is surprisingly tragic. This movie works even if you haven’t seen X. It’s that far removed, but if you’ve seen X, Pearl answers quite a few questions. I was ready to pass on this movie because of X, but I’m glad I gave it a shot. Mia Goth puts in the performance of a lifetime here. She carried the original film as both the hero AND villain, but here she’s allowed to really flourish as the character of Pearl and dive in to the character’s damaged existence. The disc has a few special features, but nothing out of the ordinary: Typical EPK featurettes, that’s pretty much it. Still, I enjoyed this one.
Prey For The Devil – Lionsgate
When The Exorcist hit the big screen back in 1973, it shook the horror movie landscape. It was mostly realistic in its approach to exorcism, but a lot of controversy stemmed from the violence involved with the possessed. I like these movies because the idea of something evil taking control is inherently terrifying. You’re not in control. You’re a prisoner in your own body. When they’re done right, these kinds of movies are intense. When they’re not, they’re laughable. Prey For The Devil falls somewhere in between. It’s not a bad movie. I think it’s a lot of fun, but it relies heavily on the standard tropes that you now find in movies that deal with exorcism, although I do like seeing the mechanics of exorcism at work. The special feature are pretty standard for a release like this. It’s got audio commentary, and behind-the-scenes footage, but it does have a conversation between a real exorcist and a church psychologist. There’s interesting stuff here. Prey For The Devil is worth a look.
The Dunwich Horror – Arrow Video
I really dig H.P. Lovecraft’s work. His imagination was way out there and incredibly terrifying. But, he was also racist, so there’s a degree of controversy about how that affects his stories. The Dunwhich Horror is widely considered to be one of his most accessible stories. There have been different adaptations of the story over the years. The story involves a man who was the son of a woman and an ancient god who wanted to use the Necronomicon to bring forth “The Old Ones” to reclaim the earth. This movie was released back in 1970 and features a VERY young Dean Stockwell as the main villain. It’s campy to be sure, but it’s incredibly atmospheric. It’s perhaps one of the most faithful adaptations of Lovecraft’s work. This being an Arrow Video release, there’s a lot of good stuff to be had in the features department. Audio commentary, a two hour conversation between Stephen R. Bissette, a film historian and horror author Stephen Laws. There’s other stuff that includes a small booklet. It’s pretty damned goofy overall, but it’s kind of amazing that it got made.
The Beast – Arrow Video
Here we are at last,the sleaziest movie on this list. I didn’t put a trailer up, because this movie is very…provocative in a lot of different ways. The story of this movie? Think Beauty and the Beast, but a lot hornier. It’s essentially about this woman who is engaged to a French aristocrat who discovers that the grounds have been haunted by a mysterious “beast.” The woman finds some very…erotic material and this leads to a dream sequence that is really bizarre. It’s the “pièce de résistance” of the entire film. I don’t know what Walerian Borowczyk’s intent was, but if it was to shock, he succeeded. To put it delicately, this entire movie is sexually charged. In fact, one could argue that it’s somewhat pornographic. In my opinion, it’s too damn goofy to be erotic, and too blatantly on the nose and over-the-top about its “message” to have any sort of meaning. The creature itself with it’s…well-endowed features is too bonkers to be taken seriously. It’s just…there for the shock value. It was a huge hit in Europe, but it had obvious problems in France and the US due to its erotic nature. When it comes to the more “extreme” movies that came out during the 70s, I’ve found The Beast to be the least vicious. In truth, I got a kick out of it. It’s silly beyond belief. Could a movie like this be made today? Oh, not a chance in Hell. There were a lot of erotic films that came out in the 70s, but The Beast was at a whole different level. I might do a full-blown review on this one at some point, I don’t know.
Well, that concludes this particular episode of Recent Blu-Ray Hauls. Hope you found something interesting at least. This is Major Tom, signing off, have a good weekend.