Haven’t you heard? Home video is having a moment.
Recently reinstated Disney CEO Bob Iger talked about the importance of the physical home video market and companies like Universal have been loading their recent releases with special features in ways that we haven’t really seen since the early-2000’s DVD boom. In keeping with this resurgence, we’ve decided to run down the best physical releases of the month, ones that aren’t cluttered by crummy compression or annoying playback anomalies. For many collectors and fans, Blu-ray or 4K Blu-ray are the only true way to watch movies at home. We tend to agree with them.
Here are the biggest and best releases for June 2023.
Lord of War 4K (out now)
While “Lord of War,” when it was first released in 2005, was hardly a sensation, in the years since it has become something of a cult favorite. It’s certainly one of Nicolas Cage’s more understated roles of the past couple of decades, as he plays an arms dealer and smuggler responsible for untold horrors around the world. Thankfully he resists the urge to go over-the-top with the role, showing the humanity behind the monster. And the supporting cast is stellar too (with Jared Leto, Bridget Moynahan and Ian Holm). If you’ve never seen it, this is the way to do so – with an exclusive 4K from Best Buy. It’s never looked or sounded better. And a sequel, “Lords of War,” with Bill Skarsgård playing Cage’s son.
Private Parts (out now)
The feature film debut of cult director Paul Bartel (who would later go on to make classics like “Death Race 2000” and “Eating Raoul”), “Private Parts” established Bartel as a singular voice in filmmaking, nimbly mixing horror and comedy into a single deft tone. It concerns a dumpy Los Angeles hotel (the actual King Charles Hotel) which is home to a bunch of lowlifes and weirdos including – perhaps – an active serial killer. Photographed by future “Under Siege” director Andrew Davis and brimming with colorful characters and strains of barbed satire, it’s a cult classic for a weekend. And this new Blu-ray thankfully gives the movie all the love it deserves, with a new commentary and two new documentaries (including one where Allan Arkush gives tribute to the late, great Bartel).
John Wick: Chapter 4 (out now)
One of the year’s very best movies, “John Wick: Chapter 4” greatly expanded the scope and visual adventurousness of the franchise, taking things to a truly absurd level. (You know, in a good way.) At nearly 3 hours, it’s an endless action extravaganza that follows the titular assassin (Keanu Reeves, once again) as he’s hunted to the ends of the earth while trying to clear his name with the mysterious High Table. Director Chad Stahelski adds new visual flourishes like a sequence shot from overhead, which splits the difference between Brian De Palma and a “Grand Theft Auto” level, with the stunt team really upping their game to, particularly during a sequence set on an endless flight of stairs. The 4K looks and sounds amazing, with an array of brief behind-the-scenes docs (including one devoted to Reeves and Stahelski’s partnership), plus a look at the new spin-off series “The Continental.”
Time Bandits 4K (out now)
The Terry Gilliam 4K train keeps on chugging! The latest in this string of exemplary releases is a new version of “Time Bandits,” his daffy, delightful time travel romp co-written by Michael Palin and financed by George Harrison’s HandMade Films (Harrison also provided the songs for the movie). If you’ve never seen the movie, it follows a young boy who goes on an adventure with a bunch of rascals who travel through time stealing stuff. Made with Gilliam’s usual sense of imagination and wonder but aimed at slightly younger audiences, “Time Bandits” broadened the filmmaker’s appeal without diluting it at all. And this new 4K transfer makes his tactile worlds seem even more tangible. If for some reason you never got the earlier Criterion release or are looking for the best quality version of this movie, then this is for you. And the extras are absurd – everything from a commentary track (recorded by Criterion back in 1997) to an 80-minute conversation between Gilliam and scholar Peter von Bagh to archival footage of Shelley Duvall talking about the film. It’s an embarrassment of riches.
Witchtrap (out now)
Every once in a while on Twitter a sequence from “Witchtrap” is resurfaced. In the scene a shower head comes to life and kills somebody. And while the sequence itself is a hoot it also speaks to the entertainment value of this direct-to-video favorite, released back in 1989 and directed by cult filmmaker Kevin S. Tenney (“Witchboard,” “Night of the Demons”). As far as late-1980’s horror cheapies go, “Witchtrap” is pretty entertaining – it follows a group of paranormal researchers looking to rid a hotel of its demonic visitors. And this new Blu-ray goes above and beyond (even if you’ve already got the Vinegar Syndrome version from a few years ago), with several lengthy interviews and a commentary track (several of these features also appeared on the Vinegar Syndrome Release). What makes this version stand apart is the inclusion the entire movie as a standard-def “VHS version” in all of its pan-and-scary glory. Bewitching.
Avatar 4K / Avatar: The Way of Water 4K (out now)
Two of the biggest movies of all time finally come home in 4K and it is very much worth the wait. Boasting picture quality that, according to the box, is four times better than what the HD version provided, plus new special features (for both the original film and its sequel), this is the two movies finally fitting the specifications director James Cameron demands. And, truthfully, they both look sensational. And while the original movie doesn’t have the alternate cuts that the deluxe Blu-ray edition had and, sadly, that version is now out of print. But hey. Are you really going to compare the alternate cuts? These are the best ways to watch Cameron’s sci-fi spectaculars and isn’t that all that we could possibly want or need?
The Servant (out now)
“The Servant” celebrates its 60th anniversary this year and finally gets the home video release it deserves. This Criterion disc features the movie – about a society man (James Fox) who gets more than he bargained for when he hires a manservant (Dirk Bogarde) – taken from a new 4K transfer, plus a whole host of special features. Among the supplemental offerings: a dissection of director Joseph Losey’s filmmaking style (at the time he made “The Servant” he was living overseas after having been blacklisted in Hollywood); several audio excerpts from Losey around the time of “The Servant’s” release; plus a look at screenwriter Harold Pinter and archival bits about the other actors in the movie. If you’ve never seen “The Servant,” a movie the Los Angeles Times said was the coldest movie ever made, it’s a diabolical and satirical look at class and sex, with one of the all-time great performances by Bogarde (who stepped in to help an ailing Losey with direction during production). One of the month’s biggest must-owns.
Medicine for Melancholy (out now)
Barry Jenkins has entered the Criterion Collection! (Yes, we’re still holding out for an “Underground Railroad” box set.) Jenkins’ debut feature, a Richard Linkleter-indebted romance starring Wyatt Cenac and Tracey Heggins, feels like the perfect addition to the collection, especially considering how many magnificent debut features they have already released. This edition features a new transfer of the original movie’s charming, low-budget digital photography, plus new special features including a commentary by Jenkins (and an archival commentary as well), a documentary about the making of the film with editor Nat Sanders and Cenac and camera tests and a blooper reel. Yes please!
Creepshow 4K (June 27)
One of “Night of the Living Dead” filmmaker George A. Romero’s very best films, “Creepshow” is a Stephen King-penned love letter to horror anthologies and the garish E.C. Comics that scandalized an entire generation. The movie fully embraces its pulpy roots with extreme primary colors, animated effects and off-kilter camerawork. And the cast is equally impressive, with Ted Danson, Hal Holbrook, Leslie Nielsen and Tom Atkins, with E.G. Marshall providing the most iconic performance in the final section of the movie – “They’re Creeping Up On You!,” about a Howard Hughes-type recluse terrorized by a roach infestation. It’s classic King. It’s classic Romero. And now it’s in beautiful 4K, based on a brand-new transfer and featuring all of the special features from Shout Factory’s earlier Blu-ray release.
Enter the Video Store: Empire of Screams (June 27)
This might be the most anticipated release of the month, even though a number of titles in this box set have already been released on Blu-ray (with most being long out-of-print). Serving as a celebration of producer Richard Band and his Empire Pictures, it looks to capture the sensation of wandering into your local video store on a sleepy Friday night and picking out something based on the outrageousness alone. The five movies here are all winners but the big coup is “Arena,” which wasn’t even released on Blu-ray when Band put out his extensive, 16-title “Empire Pictures Collection” a few years ago (it was relegated to DVD). An early script by Danny Bilson and Paul De Meo, who at the time were specializing in high concept/low budget favorites for Band like “Trancers,” it has a really fun vibe and complements the other titles (including Stuart Gordon’s “Robot Jox” and monster movie “Cellar Dweller”) well. This limited edition set is already backordered on Amazon; if you didn’t pre-order you might have a hard time returning to the video store.
Waterworld 4K (June 27)
Yes, an extensive Arrow Video edition of “Waterworld” has already been released; Unviersal has already put out a 4K edition of “Waterworld” as well. This package merges the two beautifully and is essential, especially if you didn’t own either of the earlier version. It’s great to have the movie, a critically maligned but inventive and fun post-apocalyptic bonanza, in beautiful 4K. But the real draw are the extras – from the feature-length documentary about the trouble production and reception of the movie (“Maelstrom: The Odyssey of Waterworld”) to the multiple versions of the movie, including the TV cut (that features over 40 minutes of additional footage) and the “Ulysses” cut made for overseas broadcast markets. This is both the most complete package of the film and the one with the finest A/V. Three cheers for Arrow!
Motel Hell 4K (June 27)
Shout Factory / Scream Factory brings another beloved 1980’s horror classic to 4K. “Motel Hell,” a terrific horror comedy about a hotel manager who kills guests and uses their meat for sausage, was actually pretty warmly received by critics despite its gonzo plot (Roger Ebert gave it three out of four stars) and subsequently became a cult favorite, in part because of how many times it has been released on home video over the years. Beyond the new video presentation, the “Motel Hell” disc is stuffed full of extras, including an audio commentary and interviews with the cast and crew. If you already have purchased “Motel Hell” on home video, why not do it one last time in the best possible format?
