Navigation

Friday, March 15, 2024

Criterion's June 2024 Releases Announced

Coming in June: Bound, Lana and Lilly Wachowski's hyperstylish, sapphic heist thriller; Querelle, a delirious depiction of gay desire from Rainer Werner Fassbinder; Victims of Sin, a vibrant Mexican musical-melodrama-noir from Emilio Fernández; and The Underground Railroad, Barry Jenkins's monumental reimagining of American history through the eyes of an enslaved woman. Plus: Blue Velvet, David Lynch's unforgettable vision of innocence lost, and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Terry Gilliam's feverish psychedelic odyssey—now on 4K UHD. 

Thursday, February 15, 2024

Criterion's May 2024 Releases Announced

Coming this May: Three Revolutionary Films by Ousmane Sembène, three powerful 1970s works by the trailblazing Senegalese auteur; Anatomy of a Fall, Justine Triet's masterful examination of the line between truth and fiction; and Girlfight, Karyn Kusama's singular tale of a young woman’s path to self-realization. Plus: a Blu-ray upgrade of A Story of Floating Weeds / Floating Weeds: Two Films by Yasujiro Ozu, a silent classic from one of cinema’s greatest directors alongside his color remake, and Peeping Tom, Michael Powell’s still-shocking masterpiece of British cinema, now on 4K UHD.

Friday, December 15, 2023

March Criterion Releases

Coming in March: All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, a powerful documentary from Laura Poitras about art and activism; Saint OmerAlice Diop's morally and emotionally complex courtroom drama; The Runner, Amir Naderi's lyrical portrayal of childhood in postrevolutionary Iran, and To Die For, a deliciously subversive media satire from Gus Van Sant. Plus: All That Money Can Buy (a.k.a. The Devil and Daniel Webster), William Dieterle's stylish take on the Faust legend, now on Blu-ray.

Thursday, December 17, 2020

The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy 4K Ultra HD Review

Reviewed by Sean Ferguson
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment announced today that The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, from Academy Award-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson, is now available for the first time on 4K UHD. From New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, the first epic trilogy that includes the theatrical and extended versions of the three films in 4K UHD with HDR. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy includes The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, which won Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. This set also includes Digital copies of both versions of each film.

Wednesday, December 16, 2020

The Hobbit: The Motion Picture Trilogy 4K Ultra HD Review

Reviewed by Sean Ferguson

From New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, the epic trilogy that includes the theatrical and extended versions of the three films in 4K UHD with HDR. The Hobbit Trilogy includes The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, and The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. 


Sunday, August 30, 2020

Sherlock Holmes - A Game of Shadows 4K Ultra HD Review

Reviewed by Sean Ferguson
Around the globe, headlines break the news: a scandal takes down an Indian cotton tycoon; a Chinese opium trader dies of an apparent overdose; bombings in Strasbourg and Vienna; the death of an American steel magnate… no one sees the connective thread between these seemingly random events-no one, that is, except the great Sherlock Holmes, who has discerned a deliberate web of death and destruction. At its center sits a singularly sinister spider: Moriarty. Holmes’ investigation into Moriarty’s plot becomes more dangerous as it leads him and Watson out of London to France, Germany and finally Switzerland. But the cunning Moriarty is always one step ahead, and moving perilously close to completing his ominous plan. If he succeeds, it will not only bring him immense wealth and power but alter the course of history. Filmmaker Guy Ritchie (Sherlock Holmes) returns to direct Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, which stars two-time Academy Award nominees Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man) and Jude Law (Contagion) along with Rachel McAdams (The Notebook), Kelly Reilly (Sherlock Holmes), Eddie Marsan (War Horse), Geraldine James (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), Jared Harris (TV’s Mad Men), Stephen Fry (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire), and Noomi Rapace (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo).

Saturday, August 29, 2020

Sherlock Holmes 4K Ultra HD Review

Reviewed by Sean Ferguson
Let me begin this review by saying that I am a huge fan of Sherlock Holmes. Like many of you I’m sure, it all started with a movie called Young Sherlock Holmes that was directed by Barry Levinson and produced by Steven Spielberg. That movie spurred me into reading every single Sherlock Holmes story that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote. I didn’t just devour the stories either as I also watched all of the great movies that were made with Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce up to the excellent television series starring Jeremy Brett. On top of all that, there have been countless radio dramas, plays, movies, and re-imaginings throughout the years which brings us to the latest reinvention of Holmes by director Guy Ritchie and starring Robert Downey Jr. as the inestimable Holmes with Jude Law as Dr. Watson. This latest effort to update and modernize Holmes depends on how precious you are about the source material and your appreciation of Downey Jr.’s take on the celebrated sleuth.

Friday, August 28, 2020

The Goonies 4K Ultra HD Review

Reviewed by Sean Ferguson
Hey you guys! One of the greatest movies of the 80s is finally on 4K! I’ve always loved this movie and I think this was a one of those rare movies that is a part of our cultural landscape and loved by most of my generation. You can’t go wrong when the movie was conceptualized by Steven Spielberg, written by Chris Columbus, and directed by Richard Donner and has a fantastic cast. The whole premise that kids my age could go on an incredible adventure and find pirate treasure and have sword fights on an actual pirate galleon was just irresistible to me and it still is to this day. This is a fun family movie that successfully mixed action, comedy, swashbuckling, and a dose of reality which is rare and hard to pull off.

Wednesday, June 17, 2020

JAWS 45TH ANNIVERSARY LIMITED EDITION 4K Ultra HD Review

Reviewed by Sean Ferguson
In 1975, acclaimed director Steven Spielberg created the first ever summer blockbuster film and his first big hit, JAWS, the iconic and terrifying action-thriller that still makes audiences afraid to go in the water. Winner of three Academy Awards, including Best Original Score, JAWS has become a cinematic touchstone for generations of moviegoers and one of the greatest and most influential films of all time. Universal Pictures Home Entertainment celebrates with the JAWS 45TH ANNIVERSARY LIMITED EDITION available on 4K Ultra HD for the first time ever on June 2, 2020. This limited edition Combo Pack with lenticular packaging includes a 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray™ and Digital code of the film along with over three hours of bonus features and a 44-page booklet with introductions, rare photos, storyboards and more from the archives. Dive into hours of bonus features including the making of JAWS, deleted scenes, outtakes from set and much more! JAWS 45TH ANNIVERSARY LIMITED EDITION retains all the exhilarating suspense and thrills that made it an instant classic that continues to captivate audiences around the world, making this a must-own for everyone’s movie library. Directed by Academy Award winner Steven Spielberg, JAWS set the standard for edge-of-your-seat suspense, quickly becoming a cultural phenomenon. When the seaside community of Amity finds itself under attack by a dangerous great white shark, the town’s chief of police (Roy Scheider), a young marine biologist (Richard Dreyfuss) and a grizzled shark hunter (Robert Shaw) embark on a desperate quest to destroy the beast before it strikes again. Featuring an unforgettable score by John Williams that evokes pure terror, JAWS remains one of the most influential and gripping adventures in motion picture history.

Wednesday, January 22, 2020

Knives Out Arrives on 4K and Blu-ray on February 25th

The circumstances surrounding the death of crime novelist Harlan Thrombey are mysterious, but there’s one thing that renowned Detective Benoit Blanc knows for sure—everyone in the wildly dysfunctional Thrombey family is a suspect. Now, Blanc must sift through a web of lies and red herrings to uncover the truth. From acclaimed writer-director Rian Johnson comes this suspenseful, twist-filled whodunnit with an all-star ensemble cast including Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Toni Collette, LaKeith Stanfield, Katherine Langford, Jaeden Martell, Christopher Plummer, and more.