What’s New in Home Video & Pop Culture – November 19th, 2024 – Beetlejuice, Speak No Evil, House of the Dragon, Borderlands, Terminator, Dungeons & Dragons, Watership Down, Blazing Saddles, & More!

By Mike Spring

 on November 19, 2024

What’s New in Home Video & Pop Culture – November 19th, 2024

This week offers up not only a number of new movies hitting home video — including one of the biggest hits of the year — after their 2024 theatrical runs, but also a number of great classic movies making their 4K Ultra HD debuts. Add in some indies, a TV juggernaut, and some great reading material for your holiday breaks, and there’s a lot to dig into. Here we go!

In This Week’s Column:

– Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (4K Ultra HD + Digital)
– Speak No Evil (Blu-ray + Digital)
– Blink Twice (Blu-ray + Digital)
– Borderlands (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital)
– The Terminator (4K Ultra HD + Digital)
– North By Northwest (4K Ultra HD + Digital)
– Blazing Saddles (4K Ultra HD + Digital)
– House of the Dragon: The Complete Second Season (4K Ultra HD)
– Born on the Fourth of July (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)
– Dungeons & Dragons Books from Ten Speed Graphics [Young Adventurers Collection: Box Set 2. D&D: Worlds & Realms, Puncheons & Flagons] (Books)
– Blue Christmas (Blu-ray)
– Behind the Bucket (DVD)
– Watership Down (Graphic Novel)
– Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In (Blu-ray)

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (4K Ultra HD + Digital)

The Movie: I’m generally pretty good at predicting box office grosses. I’ve been a student of box office numbers for a few decades now, so I generally have a pretty good idea as to how big I think movies are going to open, and more often than not, I’m right. But I can also admit when I’m wrong. And boy, was I wrong with Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. I mean, the original film grossed $75 million worldwide back in 1988. But it’s one of those movies that has largely faded from the pop culture consciousness. Not like people have forgotten it, but it’s not the kind of movie that pops up in a lot of pop culture conversations, the way you constantly hear about other 1980s movies like Blade Runner or The Thing or films of that ilk. But a $110 million opening weekend on the way to a $450 million worldwide gross? Nope. I did NOT see that coming at ALL. 

In fact, the trailer for the film left me completely cold. I didn’t think it looked particularly good at all. I love the original movie, but it’s not like I LOVE it love it. It’s not one of my go-to movies or anything like that. So I wasn’t even all that excited for the new sequel. Surprisingly, it’s a lot better of a movie than it has any right to be. It takes place years after the original: Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) is now a reality TV star, finding ghosts and exorcising them while her slimy boyfriend spoils new age aphorisms at her. Her estranged teenage daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega) and her don’t talk, until Lydia’s father dies and the family (including Catherine O’Hara as stepmom Delia) comes together for his funeral. Enter Beetlejuice, who’s not only still obsessed with Lydia, but also being hunted by a ghost seeking revenge on him who wants to suck his soul out. 

Generally, when there are 35 years between movies, the end result is pretty awful, but Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is really enjoyable. Keaton hasn’t lost a step as Beetlejuice, the script by seasoned veterans Miles Millar and Alfred Gough has the right balance between humor and camp, and the cast — including newcomers to the franchise Ortega, Justin Theroux, and Monica Bellucci — all add a lot of value to the proceedings. It’s a really good time. 

The 4K Video/Audio: The 4K Ultra HD presentation helps out here because this is a movie with a lot of darker or nighttime scenes, and the improved shadow delineation allows us to see all of the onscreen action with no pixelation or blocking. Blacks are deep and color saturation is solid, and all in all it feels like a Tim Burton movie should feel. The surround soundtrack offers up some nice activity, allowing the action scenes to work their magic throughout the various speakers, all while the full-sounding Danny Elfman score really brings the movie to life. All in all, it’s a well-done effort.

The Bonus Features:

• Audio Commentary by director Tim Burton
• The Juice is Loose! The Making of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.
• The Ghost with the Most: Beetlejuice Returns
• Meet the Deetz
• Handbook for the Recently Deceased
• Shrinkers, Shrinkers Everywhere!
• An Animated Afterlife: The Stop-Motion Art of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
• ‘Til Death Do Us Park

Digital Copy Included: Yes

The Wrap-Up: Despite a really stupid name – What are they going to call the third film? Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Beetlejuice? – Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is firing on all cylinders. Who knew there was enough of an audience clamoring for a sequel 35 years later to propel this movie to a box office bonanza, though? Certainly not me. 

Speak No Evil (Blu-ray + Digital)

The Movie: There’s pretty much nothing James McAvoy can’t do. Comedy, drama, romance, superheroes… you name it, he’s got it covered. Hes one of my favorite actors and I’ll watch pretty much anything he’s in. Which makes it even more satisfying when a movie he’s in is a really solid thriller. 

Speak No Evil, which boasted one of the most effective trailers of the year, sees Scoot McNair and Mackenzie Davis as a couple on vacation with their young daughter who make friends with McAvoy’s Paddy and his wife Ciara (plus their young son Ant). When Paddy and Ciara invite the Dalton family to stay with them at their countryside home, it seems like a no-brainer to say yes. But once they’re there, it starts to become clear that Paddy isn’t exactly the most welcoming host ever. 

I don’t want to give away any spoilers by going into too many specifics: I already feel like the trailer gave away more than it needed to, but suffice to to say that Speak No Evil is a really tense thriller that features McAvoy at his unhinged best and will have you chewing off your fingernails in suspense. 

The Bonus Features:

• Feature Commentary with Writer/Director James Watkins
• Three Making-of Featurettes

Digital Copy Included: Yes

The Wrap-Up: I love a good thriller more than just about any other kind of movie, and Speak No Evil is a really good thriller. Avoid spoilers and just dive into this one and revel in the glory that is James McAvoy. 

Blink Twice (Blu-ray + Digital)

The Movie: This is a really hard movie to write about. On the one hand, it’s almost impossible to discuss the story without giving away massive spoilers, something I hate doing. (Especially considering that the trailer actually did a good job of not spoiling too much.) There’s also a very strong gender war component to the film, and it’s hard for me to criticize the movie without worrying that – on some level – people might assume that I hold the opinions I do because I am male. But, at the end of the day, I can only tell you what I think about the movie and go from there. 

Blink Twice sees Naomi Ackie playing Frida, a pretty average just-getting-by woman, who is serving drinks at a banquet where once-disgraced (for an undisclosed affront) billionaire mogul Slater King (Channing Tatum) is the host. Frida and her best friend Jess sneak into the party wearing fancy dresses and they meet King, who invites them to join him on his private island, along with a bunch of other rich, and obnoxious people. And… that’s pretty much where I can stop telling you about the plot without spoiling things. Suffice it to say, something is off on this island, and the rest of the movie reveals exactly what that is. 

I’ll be honest, I didn’t love or hate Blink Twice. The central concept is a solid one, and the reveal is a worthwhile one. (The film starts off with a trigger warning for audiences that gives some clue as to what’s going on, but it doesn’t reveal too much.) Zoe Kravitz co-wrote the movie and makes her directorial debut here, and she is certainly talented behind the camera. However, she’s a little too in love with the art of cinematography and apparently she never met a slow motion close-up she didn’t like. And that’s where my biggest problem with the movie lies; it takes a solid 40 minutes before any sense of real danger starts to creep in. Until then, we’re mostly watching vapid rich people act like complete drug addicts. Which makes it hard to find someone to latch on to, character wise. Once things start to come out, obviously there’s a right side and a wrong side, but for much of the movie it was really hard to empathize with rich, beautiful people doing loads of drugs on an island paradise. 

The Bonus Features: There are no bonus features on this release. 

Digital Copy Included: Yes

The Wrap-Up: Blink Twice is an interesting but flawed movie that I don’t think 100% succeeds at what its aiming for. I think the message of the film is a good one, and i will admit that I really loved the ending, but I wish it had gotten to its point a little bit quicker and spared us some of the endless debauchery. 

Borderlands (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital)

The Movie: Borderlands is officially one of the biggest flops of 2024. The film, based on an incredibly popular series of video games of the same name, was produced for $115 million and grossed only $32 million at the box office. Worldwide. That’s… stunningly bad. Personally, I blame the marketing for the film; I remember seeing exactly one trailer one time for the film before it was released in theaters in August, and it seems like most people had no idea that it even came out. Which is a shame, because for all the bad press the movie got, I actually really enjoyed it. Like, quite a bit. 

The film has a bit of a backstory, but basically there was a race called the Eridians that ruled the galaxy and were technologically advanced but have now disappeared. There is a legendary vault that is supposedly filled with amazing technology that could change the course of the galaxy. Deukalian Atlas is a rich tech guy who basically owns half the galaxy and his daughter is thought to be the key to unlocking the vault, so he hires bounty hunter Lilith (Cate Blanchett) to retrieve her. When Lilith gets to the run down planet of Pandora (also her home planet) she finds Tiny Tina (Barbie’s Arian Greenblatt) in the care of Roland (Kevin Hart), a former soldier (Kevin Hart) and Krieg, a big Drax-like killing machine. And of course, it turns out there’s more to the story, so this ragtag team goes on the run and goes on a hunt for the vault. 

I feel like if the marketing had been better, the movie could have been a bigger hit. It’s a sci-fi/action/comedy with a built in fan base, and I thought it was a heck of a lot of fun. And in fact, I didn’t even realize it was directed by Eli Roth (Hostel, Cabin Fever, Thanksgiving) until the end credits rolled, because it’s different from his usual horror fare. But I found the story interesting, the characters fun, the special effects outstanding, and the overall viewing experience to be a really good time. Shame we won’t be seeing a sequel. 

The 4K Video/Audio: Borderlands looks absolutely beautiful in 4K Ultra HD. What I mean by that is that the film has a lot of earthy tones in it, so while color saturation is terrific, there isn’t a ton to work with. So sometimes it can feel like you’re just watching a regular high-quality Blu-ray movie… and then a big special effects scene will come along and just blow you away. In those cases, the image has an almost 3D quality to it that you just don’t get on Blu-ray. The surround soundtrack has a lot to work with and it makes the most of it, featuring strong directional effects and an immersive soundfield, plus a thumping low-end bass that really gibes the action scenes some oomph. It’s a terrific A/V presentation from start to finish.

The Bonus Features:

• Borderlands: From Game to Screen
• Meet the Team
• All Aboard the Death-Choo-Choo
• Bringing Borderlands to the Screen
• Badonkadonk Time
• Fashion and Action on Pandora
• High-tech Hellscapes

Digital Copy Included: Yes

The Wrap-Up: Borderlands is one of those movies that you have to just ignore the critics, ignore the internet bad-mouthing, and just watch it for yourself. It’s no masterpiece, but it’s a surprisingly fun movie if you just go along for the ride. 

The Terminator (4K Ultra HD + Digital) 

The Movie: Duhn duhn duhn duhn DUHN. Duhn duhn duhn duhn DUHN.

Okay, wither you have no idea what I’m talking about or you just started hearing the Terminator theme in your head. If it’s the latter, you should be really excited about this new release. Yes, The Terminator, the original 1984 classic that started the whole franchise, makes its debut on 4K Ultra HD this week. 

I don’t feel like this is a movie where the film itself needs a lot of discussion. It’s a stone cold masterpiece; it launched a franchise that would span multiple decades and a generation of die-hard fans. If you’re not a Terminator fan, honestly, I have to ask, “Do you even like movies?” 

So let’s discuss the 4K release instead. Overall, I’m thrilled to have the movie on 4K, and you’ll see in the A/V section below that it’s a pretty impressive technical presentation. I have to admit to being a little disappointed in the bonus features, though. It’s not that what’s included is bad, it’s just… where’s the rest of it? There have been about a million home video releases of The Terminator over the past 40 years. This should be the end-all, be-all ultimate collector’s edition but instead we get about 40 minutes of extras and that’s it. This should have been a massive three-disc set, the final word on The Terminator, and instead it’s just a solidly good release. I mean, I’m still thrilled to have it, but when companies like Arrow Video are giving us literal box sets for movies like The Warriors, how does The Terminator not rate something a little more flashy?

The 4K Video/Audio: With Terminator making its its debut on 4K Ultra HD, there’s a lot of talk about the picture quality. Some of James Cameron’s previous films have had a little too much AI digital restoration done to them and have resulted in some waxy-looking people. While there is a touch of that here and there, I’d say this is a much better effort than some of his previous releases. Overall, this is is a pretty stellar presentation of the beloved film. The image clarity is fantastic and the colors pop like I haven’t seen them before, plus the soundtrack is ridiculously immersive. It’s not like the Blu-ray version of this film was a slouch, but the 4K Ultra HD is just a little bit better. And who doesn’t want the best possible version of this movie?

The Bonus Features:

• Deleted Scenes with Optional James Cameron Commentary – About a dozen deleted scenes. 
• Creating the Terminator: Visual Effects & Music (13 minutes)
• The Terminator: Closer to the Real Thing (12 minutes)
• Unstoppable Force: The Legacy of the Terminator (9 minutes)

Digital Copy Included: Yes

The Wrap-Up: Plain and simple, if you don’t already own The Terminator – and honestly, even if you do – you’ll definitely want to own it on 4K Ultra HD. While I wish this release was more of a celebration, I still dig the heck out of it. 

North By Northwest (4K Ultra HD + Digital)

The Movie: Alfred Hitchcock is the undisputed Master of Suspense, and hes one of my all-time favorite filmmakers. I don’t think I’m alone in this; he’s obviously one of the most revered filmmakers in cinema history. Still, anytime a new Hitchcock release comes out – even though it’s obviously not a new film – I get pretty excited. This week we’re treated to the 4K Ultra HD debut of North by Northwest, one of Hitchcock’s A-list films. 

In it, Cary Grant stars as Roger Thornhill, an advertising executive who gets caught up in espionage when he is mistaken as a foreign spy and has to go on the run. Along the way, he meets Eve Kendall (Eva Marie Saint), a beautiful woman who may or may not be involved and know more than she lets on. 

There are a lot of classic moments in the film, but of course, the one that everyone knows is the scene where Cary Grant is being chased by a cropduster plane; it’s one of the most famous scenes in the history of film; even if you’ve never even heard of Alfred Hitchcock, chances are good you’ve seen a cli of Cary Grant being chased by a plane at some point in your life. North By Northwest is not only a great suspense thriller, it’s also one of Hitchcock’s most fun movies, and I love it. 

The 4K Video/Audio: This new 4K Ultra HD version of North By Northwest sees it getting a nice upgrade from the Blu-ray and DVD releases in the past. The 4K treatment benefits the film nicely, with rich and even blacks and strong contrasts. Color saturation is strong, with daytime scenes bright and vivid, while nighttime scenes remain visible due to good shadow delineation. The surround soundtrack isn’t a masterpiece, but it does feature strong musical cues and clear dialogue, as well as some decent directional effects in the surround speakers. It’s a good overall presentation for an older movie.

The Bonus Features:

• Audio Commentary featuring screenwriter Earnest Lehman
• North By Northwest: Cinematography, Score, and the Art of the Edit (23 minutes)
• Destination Hitchcock: The Making of North By Northwest (40 minutes)
• The Master’s Touch: Hitchcock’s Signature Style (57 minutes)
• North By Northwest: One for the Ages (25 minutes)
• A Guided Tour with Alfred Hitchcock (3 minutes)

Digital Copy Included: Yes

The Wrap-Up: The movie? A classic. The 4K Quality? Outstanding. The bonus features? Two and a half hours’ worth. What’s not to love about this terrific 4K release of North By Northwest?

Blazing Saddles (4K Ultra HD + Digital)

The Movie: One of Mel Brooks’ most famous and best films returns to home video with an all-new 4K Ultra HD edition. Blazing Saddles is as classic as comedy gets, and there’s a reason it’s been released on video so many times, and that’s because it’s amazing. 

Telling you the plot seems a little unnecessary, but even though it’s a satire of westerns, it does have its own story, it’s not just a sheer spoof a la a satire film such as Airplane. In Blazing Saddles, a corrupt politician hires an African American sheriff to police a town, fully expecting racial tensions and incompetence to allow him to steal the town’s land. However, that’s not exactly what happens, and what does is happen is filled with laughs along the way. 

Blazing Saddles came out in 1974, making this the 50^th Anniversary of the film, and once again, I would have liked to have seen a more “special” edition of this release; much like The Terminator above, there’s been no shortage of releases of Blazing Saddles on home video. And while this release does include a fair amount of bonus features, it feels like there could have been a little more to do surrounding the release.  Aside from that, there’s not too much to complain about with this edition. 

The 4K Video/Audio: Blazing Saddles is 50 years old at this point, but it does look and sound quite nice in 4K. Image clarity is razor sharp and contrasts are strong. The movie is a comedy and the deep color saturation reflects that, and everything looks vibrant and alive. The surround soundtrack is a little front-channel heavy, but since the driving force of the film is the dialogue, that makes sense. That said, both the dialogue and soundtrack music sound terrific, and there are some ambient and directional surround sounds when called for.

The Bonus Features:

• Blaze of Glory: Mel Brooks’ Wild, Wild West
• Back in the Saddle
• Additional scenes
• Commentary by Mel Brooks
• Back in the Saddle Vintage Featurette
• Black Bart: The 1975 Pilot Episode of the Proposed TV Series Spinoff
• Theatrical trailer

Digital Copy Included: Yes

The Wrap-Up: Mel Brooks made plenty of great movies, but Blazing Saddles stand as one of his best and most beloved. This terrific 4K is a must have for any comedy fan.  

House of the Dragon: The Complete Second Season (4K Ultra HD)

The Show: HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel series returns to home video this week, shortly after the Third Season has been officially announced. Now, I’ve always been a pretty casual fan of Game of Thrones. I watched the first six seasons or so, usually when they hit home video as opposed to when they aired on HBO, but I was never so moved by the show to call myself a die-hard fan or wear the t-shirts or anything like that.

So I was at least a little excited to get in on a new show from the ground floor and maybe become a bigger fan through it. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the result I got from it. Here’s the thing: House of the Dragon looks absolutely stunning. Every single scene could rival anything in the biggest blockbusters in theaters. But personally, I still find the show a little on the dry side. I’m not saying it’s bad, but it’s just so incredibly mired in politics and killing that it forgets to have any fun. At least the original Game of Thrones had Tyrion Lannister to keep things enjoyable. 

This show, which takes place almost 200 years before GOT, focuses on the House Targaryen and the political, romantic, and familial chaos that ensues around them. It’s a complex and layered show, and I suspect that the die-hard GOT fans probably like it way more than I do

The 4K Video/Audio: House of the Dragon comes to home video on 4K Ultra HD (as well as Blu-ray and DVD), and it is an absolutely impeccable A/V presentation in 4K. The imagery is stunning, with deep black levels, vibrantly saturated colors, and razor-sharp picture clarity. The surround soundtrack ekes every possible nuance out of the surround speakers, creating a living atmosphere around you. It’s an incredible experience from the A/V perspective.

The Bonus Features:

The bonus features total over four hours of material, which is noteworthy. 

• Family Tree: A 5:12 featurette that helps viewers understand the complex family ties of House Targaryen
• Divided Kingdoms: A 9:05 featurette that provides an overview of season 2 and a look at the war to come
• Inside the Episode: Eight add-ons, one for each episode
• Eight Character Art Cards

Digital Copy Included: No

The Wrap-Up: House of the Dragon looks to be another smash hit for HBO, and this 4K release is outstanding from an A/V perspective. I just wish I could have gotten sucked into the show itself a little bit more.

Born on the Fourth of July (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)

The Movie: Tom Cruise’s first Oscar-nominated performance makes its debut on 4K  Ultra HD this week from Shout Factory. Directed by Oliver Stone, this powerful film can be at times dark and depressing, but there’s no denying how great all the performances in the film are. 

The film tells the true story of Ron Kovic, a young man who enters the Vietnam War as a fairly wide-eyed person, but suffers a catastrophic injury that leaves him paralyzed from the waist down. When he returns to the US and deals with some of the anti-war sentiments of the US public, Kovic becomes an anti-war protestor and political activist. 

Born on the Fourth of July is one of those movies that I’m glad I can say that I’ve seen it, but it is a really tough watch. Stone doesn’t shy away from showing Kovics injuries and the journey he goes on to recover from them, and there’s a lot of emotional darkness mixed in with the physical unpleasantness. I get why Stone – himself a veteran of the Vietnam war – does what he does, but I honestly wish he could have toned down some of the darkness. 

The 4K Video/Audio: The films looks and sounds terrific in 4K, featuring realistic and vivid colors, terrifically sharp imagery, and deep, rich black levels. The print, of course, is devoid of any blemishes or debris. The surround soundtrack kicks into high gear in the action scenes or the moments with high activity, but it also makes sure the quieter moments and the dialogue ring true and clear. There’s also a nice low end bass channel that gives some of the climactic scenes an effective rumble that you’ll feel in your chest.

The Bonus Features:

• NEW Audio Commentary By Film Critic Matt Zoller Seitz
• Audio Commentary By Director Oliver Stone
• NEW Interview With Director Oliver Stone
• NEW Interview With Special Makeup Effects Artist Gordon J. Smith
• NEW Interview With Associate Producer Clayton Townsend
• TV Spots
• Theatrical Trailers
• Edie Brickell and New Bohemians “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall” – Music Video

Digital Copy Included: No

The Wrap-Up: There’s no denying that Born on the Fourth of July is a powerful movie, and it’s one of Tom Cruise’s best performances. It’s just not the kind of movie I’m going to watch over and over again. 

Dungeons & Dragons Books from Ten Speed Graphics [D&D: Worlds & Realms, Young Adventurers Collection: Box Set 2, Puncheons & Flagons] (Books)

The Books: Ten Speed Graphics has three new Dungeons & Dragons themed books out on shelves now, and digging into each one of them, I can say that there isn’t a loser in the bunch. First up is Dungeons & Dragons: Worlds & Realms. This massive hardcover book serves as a combination of art/history book and fictional narrative. Readers are taken through a history of some of D&D’s most well-loved worlds and realms, but rather than just being a reference book, it’s told as a narrative history by the mage MordenKainan, who infuses some serious storytelling into the proceedings. His lessons are accompanied by artwork from gamebooks and modules of the past 50 years, giving historical artwork a gallery to view as well. As a bonus the book also includes exclusive short stories by award-winning contributors Jaleigh Johnson, Jody Houser and Eric Campbell, Jasmine Bhullar, and Geoffrey Golden.

The second release is the Young Adventurers Collection: Box Set 2. This four-book box set includes individual reference books geared for younger D&D players – although a lot of fully adult players will probably enjoy them as well. Each book offers up write-ups and breakdowns of various creatures, realms, objects, and more… everything you need to make your way through a D&D adventure. The books are smaller, kind of digest-sized, but they are also filled with both a ton of information in text form as well as lavishly painted illustrations. The four books are: Beasts & Behemoths, which focuses on monsters of all kinds; Dragons & Treasures obviously focuses on the variety of dragons in the D&D world as well as their treasures. Places & Portals focuses on the lands and landmarks of the D&D world; and finally, Artificers & Alchemy focuses on artifacts, objects, magic creatures, and more. 

The third release is probably the least lore-heavy release of the three but it might just be the most fun: Puncheons & Flagons is an officially-licensed cocktail recipe book that’s themed around the D&D world. This gorgeous book is filled with cocktail recipes that have creative, D&D-inspired names (such as The Emerald Door and the Total Party Katastrophe). Each recipe includes a historical in-game text section that explains how the drink fits into the world of D&D, then it gives you the recipe itself as well as a history of the drink. There are beautiful photos for each cocktail, all decked out to look like they were taken in a fantasy world. There are also a few D&D illustrations mixed in with the text as well. The book is exceptionally well-designed, and anyone who wants to add drinks to their next D&D game night will easily impress their friends with a sampling of these drinks

The Specs:

D&D: Worlds & Realms: Hardcover, 368 pages, $50

Young Adventurers Collection: Box Set 2: Box Set, 448 pages total, $34.99

Puncheons & Flagons: Hardcover, 192 Pages, $29.95

The Wrap-Up: All three of these books are outstanding reference and reading for fans of Roleplaying games and Dungeons & dragons in particular. Make yourself a new cocktail and curl up with one of these great books as son as you can!

Blue Christmas (Blu-ray)

The Movie: Not to be confused with the Elvis Presley movie of the same name, this new Christmas-themed mystery noir film comes from the mind of Max Allan Collins, an acclaimed crime novelist and screenwriter (most known for the Tom Hanks gangster movie Road to Perdition). Blue Christmas marks one of his few forays behind the scenes as a director. 

The film is a clever twist on A Christmas Carol, with private detective Richard Stone a guy who’s just dodged the World War II draft, is generally not a great guy, and never even solved his partner’s murder the year before. He’s not a great guy, basically. But then, Stone is visited by three ghosts on the night of Christmas Eve, who not only force him to look at who he is, but also give him clues that might help him solve his partner’s murder. 

I liked Blue Christmas; it’s a neat twist on a classic Christmas story and I liked the mystery and film noir aspect of it. It is quite clearly a low-budget movie, and it shows in the production values. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but viewers expecting a big-budget movie will be disappointed. The cast is mostly unknown and the film has a cheaper look than what we’re used to seeing, but if you can overlook those issues, it’s a solid mystery with a Christmas theme that’s worth watching. 

The Bonus Features:

• Audio Commentary with the film’s writer/producer and editor
• Q&A Highlights from Advanced Theatrical Screenings
• Documentary featuring Max Allan Collins 

Digital Copy Included: No

The Wrap-Up: Blue Christmas is not a fully polished gem, but there’s a charm to it that is undeniable. Max Allan Collins is a great writer and here he shows he’s got some directing chops too. Check it out!

Behind the Bucket: A Garrison’s Story (DVD)

The Movie: If you’ve been to a comic book convention in the past decade or so, chances are pretty good that you’ve come across the 501^st Legion. This group of Star Wars fans are part cosplaying group, part community service organization, and most of the members dress up as Stormtroopers; that’s kind of their identity, although you will see imperial officers, Boba Fetts, and Darth Vaders from time to time. 

Behind the Bucket focuses on a chapter of the 501^st Legion in the midwestern US and gives us a glimpse at what it means to be a member. We see the members in the film at community events, helping people and kids, as well as doing charity events with regularity. Why do they choose to dress up as bad guys when doing good deeds? Well, you’ll have to watch the film to get a sense of that. But the filmmakers apparently spent two years capturing footage of this chapter of the 501^st, meaning we get to know some of the stormtroopers involved and learn their stories, all while seeing what the 501^st can accomplish as an organization. It’s a fun and charming movie that Star Wars fans and genre and cosplay fans in general can all enjoy. 

The Bonus Features: There are no bonus features. 

Digital Copy Included: No

The Wrap-Up: I love a good Star Wars-related documentary and this one is both. informative and will make you feel good. Check out Behind the Bucket as soon as you can!

Watership Down (Graphic Novel)

The Book: Richard Adams’ seminal young adult novel Watership Down has been adapted into graphic novel format from Ten Speed Graphics, brought to life by writer James Sturm and artist Joe Sutphin. For those of you who have never read the book or seen the animated film adaptation, Watership Down is kind of like Lord of the Rings, only without fantasy elements and starring, well, rabbits. But this is no kids’ book; instead, Watership Down is a tale of an epic journey, with an extended family of rabbits in search of a new home, and going up against all manners of man and wildlife and weather and nature on their way there. This is a harrowing tale of survival and adventure, and it’s serious stuff. 

I was a little worried that a graphic novel adaptation would be a little too similar to the animated movie produced in 1978. But Sturm and Sutphin have done a great job of adapting the novel and not letting the animated film influence them. I mean, I’m sure it was impossible to avoid the movie altogether, but this book feels like its own entity and not like it’s trying to be or copy something else. While I’ve never actually read Adams’ book personally, there’s enough here that’s different from the movie that I have to assume came from the book, so it seems like a very faithful adaptation. 

The Specs:

Written and Illustrated by James Sturm and Joe Sutphin

Hardcover

384 Pages

$26.99

The Wrap-Up: Watership down is a powerful story in any medium, but I think the graphic novel medium fits it really well. This great adaptation is a great read for any fans of Richard Adams’ incredible tale. 

Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In (Blu-ray)

The Movie: It’s been a few weeks since we’ve had an over-the-top Asian action film to review, but it’s rare we go more than a month without a release from that genre, and this week that release is Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In. This gritty action film is filled with killer fight scenes and down and dirty action and it’s a lot of fun.

In a sort of retro future, Kowloon is a walled in city in China with a seedy, chaotic sense of order. There are things you should and shouldn’t do, and crossing the gangs who run the city is definitely one thing you shouldn’t do. So of course, that’s exactly what Lok (played by Raymond Lam) does. What follows is a furious collection of fight scenes that knows no boundaries, including the laws of physics. My only complaint about the film, in fact, is that some of the fight scenes border on a sense of brutality that’s a little beyond what I generally tend to enjoy. Still, overall, the action and look and feel of the film add up to a great throwback action flick that should keep action junkies happy throughout its running time. 

The Bonus Features:

• Behind-the-Scenes Footage
• Making-of Featurette
• Trailer

Digital Copy Included: No

The Wrap-Up: Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In borrows from a lot of films, like The Warriors, The Raid, District B13, and many others, but never does it feel derivative in a bad way. If you’re looking for a pure movie adrenaline rush, this one should do the trick.