The Best New Blu-Ray Releases: Dune, Halloween Kills, And More
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David Gordon Green’s “Halloween” in 2018 was, for the most part, well-received. Green’s approach ignored all the “Halloween” sequels and served as a direct continuation of the first film, with Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) now older, and paranoid that Michael Myers would return one day. It turned out Laurie was right, and Michael busted out, got his mask back, and started killing again. That film wrapped things up fairly well, with Laurie finally defeating Michael and taking back her own story. But sequels are always the name of the game in a series like this, and sure enough, not one but two sequels were announced: “Halloween Kills” and “Halloween Ends.”
After 2018’s “Halloween,” fans were eager to see what was next for Laurie Strode and the Shape. Unfortunately, the result left a bad taste in a lot of people’s mouths. While many were willing to forgive some of Green’s poor choices in “Halloween,” the goodwill evaporated when it came to “Halloween Kills.” And it’s easy to see why: the film is kind of a mess. The script, by Green, Scott Teems, and Danny McBride, is riddled with strange, awful dialogue, with approximately five hundred different scenes where characters yell “Evil dies tonight!” over and over again. On top of that, after bringing Laurie Strode back and turning her into a badass, “Halloween Kills” more or less confines her to a hospital bed for the majority of the runtime. You could argue that this is a tribute to the original “Halloween II,” which also had Curtis bedridden. But why give us that again? Why not try something new?
In any case, I didn’t loathe “Halloween Kills” as much as my colleagues. Don’t get me wrong: I didn’t love it, either. The dialogue is so clunky and unnatural that I can only assume Green and company were going for something here. What that “something” was, I have no earthly idea – and it didn’t work. Still, I enjoyed how unrelentingly brutal this film is. Michael Myers doesn’t just kill people here, he obliterates them. But where is it all leading? I don’t know, but I sure hope Green and the gang work things out and step up their game for “Halloween Ends.”
This Blu-ray release comes with an extended cut that boasts a “new ending.” If you were disappointed with the abrupt way the theatrical cut ended you might perk up here, but just know that it’s not that different. It simply tacks on a brief additional scene that Green was right to cut in the first place. In the end, I think “Halloween Kills” is a fun, gory slasher movie. The problem, though, is that Green seems to think it’s something more than that, and therein lies the film’s wonky nature.
Special Features:
Scream’s thrilling blood bath washes away sour taste left by Halloween Kills
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Scream 5 is in theaters Jan. 14 and it is just what the horror doctor ordered after Halloween Kills left us thirsty for a blood-soaked good time.
Listen, I was just as excited as any horror fan to see Halloween Kills. First of all, I’ll watch anything scream queen Jamie Lee Curtis is in (even a sweet comedy), and despite everything, the Halloween franchise will always be one of my favorites. So while not every Halloween chapter has been a winner in my book, I was looking forward to it. In fact, if I didn’t already have Peacock, I would have subscribed just for Halloween Kills. But wow, what a disappointment that movie was! I blame promotion. Fans truly believed they were going to get something entirely different: More Laurie Strode, for example.
Instead, it’s very slow-paced and not very thrilling. And that “evil dies tonight” scene is so cringe. I want to forever erase it from my mind. Well, we may never be able to, but we finally have a horror-slasher movie to obsess over for all the good reasons — Scream aka Scream 5.
Scream 5 is just what the horror doctor ordered
Scream 5 is everything fans have been waiting for. It’s a shame the movie didn’t premiere in theaters sooner as it would have been the perfect Halloween season movie. But at least fans can kick off the new year with a great horror movie.
The movie achieves what few franchises have, and that’s to create a revival that truly feels like a revival. Scream 5 doesn’t come off as a copy, but it also doesn’t feature enough new material to stray from what we love so much about the original. It’s a perfect and well-balanced combination of both old and new. In some scenes, you forget all about the original three (Sidney, Gale, and Dewey) and it feels nice. And when the OG’s pop up again, nostalgia takes over and it’s a great feeling, too!
If you’re anything like me, this is a movie you need to watch twice because the first watch, I was invested in finding out who the killer(s) is before it’s revealed — hey, it’s part of the fun! Now that I know, I want to see the movie again to catch anything I may have missed and just enjoy the ride.
Check out our more in-depth and spoiler-free review of the movie, HERE. I absolutely can’t wait to rewatch and add the Blu-ray/DVD set to my Scream collection.
Scream 5 is in theaters on Jan. 14, but showings begin in most cities as early as the evening of Jan. 13. Will you be watching the movie on the big screen or wait for a streaming release?
Home Entertainment Guide: January 2022
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Now streaming on:
“Halloween Kills”
It may have been dropped on Peacock the same day it hit theaters, but Universal still knows that no one collects physical media like horror fans, and so they have given David Gordon Green’s second “Halloween” film a truly impressive home treatment, complete with deleted scenes, featurettes, and an audio commentary with the director, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Judy Greer. As if that’s not enough, the home release also boasts an extended cut complete with an alternate ending. This cut is about four minutes longer than the theatrical cut and about a minute of that can be found at the end. Sadly, it’s not that drastic a difference, basically just continuing for another scene after the abrupt one that greeted audiences in theaters. It’s not really “alternate” as much as “additional.”
Buy it here
Special Features
GAG REEL
DELETED/EXTENDED SCENES
HADDONFIELD’S OPEN WOUNDS - Those who die at the hands of Michael Myers are not his only victims. We look at some of the returning characters, and why their past traumatic encounters with The Shape made them natural candidates to try and defend Haddonfield against him.
THE KILL TEAM - It takes a big team to create a film the scale of HALLOWEEN KILLS, especially when part of the task is raising the bar for Michael’s gruesome kills. We hear the people behind the mayhem discuss how they continue to push the franchise to new heights.
STRODE FAMILY VALUES - Filmmakers and cast discuss the three generations of Strode women that have been terrorized by The Shape, and the roles Laurie, Karen and Allyson play in trying to vanquish his evil.
1978 TRANSFORMATIONS - Shooting new footage that matches the feel of the iconic 1978 footage is no easy task, and even takes a little bit of luck. We reveal some of the secrets of how filmmakers achieved these stunning sequences.
THE POWER OF FEAR - The impact of Michael Myers’ pure evil extends far beyond his victims. We examine how fear of The Shape changed the psychology of the people of Haddonfield.
KILL COUNT
FEATURE COMMENTARY - Director/co-writer David Gordon Green and stars Jamie Lee Curtis and Judy Greer
Now streaming on:
“A Hard Day’s Night” (Criterion)
It was fun to watch so many people of all demographics drawn to Peter Jackson’s “Get Back” at the end of 2021. Everyone who fell in love with The Beatles all over again should pick up the new 4K release of Richard Lester’s beloved “A Hard Day’s Night,” just added to the Criterion Collection. Not only is the restoration, approved by Lester, a beauty, but the audio track is the best I’ve ever heard for this film, richly mixed in a way that makes it sound new again. And that’s just the beginning. Criterion has taken this opportunity to stack the release with rare special features, including archival interviews and documentaries. Check out the list below and get this for the Beatles fan on your list.
Scream 6: Will the Scream movies add another sequel?
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Horror fans are rushing to theaters to watch Scream 5. Not only have we been waiting for this movie for a long, long time, but we needed something to wash the sour taste Halloween Kills left us with! Trust me, Scream 5‘s blood bath does the trick!
Scream 5 is a success with both critics and fans. While we’re sad that the movie did not get a streaming release (at least not yet), we do think the big-screen is the best place for a movie like this. So if you feel safe enough to go to the movie theater, you’ll have a killer time! But before we dive any further into this movie and any potential sequel chat, please note there are spoilers ahead.
Final spoiler alert!
Is the sequel Scream 6 happening?
Unfortunately, it’s too early to know. But does Scream 5 leave enough material for a potential sequel? Definitely! In the movie, Dewey is killed, so he wouldn’t come back. But his death could also symbolize that Gale and Sidney will not be returning, either. It’s sad, but I’d say that the OG’s have successfully passed down the torch. I can see another movie with Sam and Tara, or even new characters.
If there are no more movies after Scream 5, though, that’s okay, too! This fifth chapter does the franchise justice and feels like a good finale. I also don’t know if Courtney Cox or Neve Campbell want to return to film another movie. Maybe in a few years. After all, we don’t want something like Halloween Kills to happen to this franchise. What are your thoughts? Would you like a direct sequel with the new characters or something completely new?
Scream 5 is now in theaters. Will you be rewatching the movie in theaters or wait to see it again on a streaming platform?
Latest filmed version of ‘Dune’ beautifully entertaining
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Timothee Chalamet plays Paul Atreides in the new film version of “Dune.” (Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Entertainment)
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — One new version of an old story that works while another one that fails are among this week’s new entertainment options.
“Dune” 3 ½ stars: Director Denis Villeneuve faced a major challenge in creating “Dune,” an epic science fiction production based on the classic 1965 Frank Herbert novel of the same name. Herbert’s writing is so rich and complicated that past efforts to adapt the book have either failed to happen or in the case of the 1984 film from director David Lynch, could not live up to the power and grandeur of the original writing.
Villeneuve (“Blade Runner 2049”) has succeeded where others have failed by showing a deep respect for the novel but also being equally aware that the very essence of the production is that it must be entertaining. His “Dune” is a visually stunning tale of greed, power, hope and love that finds sharp contrasts in a monochromatic environment.
Telling the tale in a proper way is complicated by the futuristic world that Herbert created as the setting for his story. Unlike the picturesque beauty of the “Lord of the Rings” setting or the intergalactic backdrop of the “Star Wars” franchise, “Dune” unfolds in a world almost void of color.
Despite the harshness of the location, Villeneuve has created a film that embraces what should be dismissed as visually bland and shows how beauty can be found in even the most subtle of differences. He got great help from two-time Oscar-nominated production designer Patrice Vermette, two-time Oscar-nominated editor Joe Walker, two-time Oscar-winning visual effects supervisor Paul Lambert and Oscar-winning special effects supervisor Gerd Nefzer in creating the stunning visuals in the film.
The end result is a movie worthy of the source material.
“Halloween Kills” Grade ½ star: The film picks up moments after babysitter-turned-vigilant Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), her daughter Karen (Judy Greer) and granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak) have “killed” Myers in the 2018 film “Halloween.” They have left him caged in Laurie’s basement that has been set on fire.
Of course Myers doesn’t die and sets off on a killing spree where the deaths range from grossly bloody to super silly. No one should ever have to die by having a car door hit the gun they are firing and accidentally shooting themselves.
David Gordon Green, Danny McBride, Scott Teems – writers of “Halloween Kills” – try to pass off what is shorter than a fortune cookie message as a full movie script. The entire story is Michael Myers kills stupid people who chase him.
The trio has taken the pathetic horror film trope of having the victims of the killer hopelessly running away until they can be slaughtered and turned it into everyone running toward the killer until they can be slaughtered. They were going to get killed anyway but the stupidity level of this movie will make your head hurt.
Also new on DVD and Blu-ray as of Jan. 11:
“Spencer”: Princess Diana (Kristen Stewart) tries to deal with a Christmas holiday despite all of the turmoil in her life.
“Heart of Champions”: Tough new coach looks to help a college rowing team find success. Michael Shannon stars.
“Dawn Raid”: The film explores the struggles beneath the glamor of chart-topping hits with the hottest local and international talent in New Zealand.
“Cobra Kai III”: Series takes place more than 30 years after the events of the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament with the conflict between Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka).
“Amityville Uprising”: Chemical blast at a military base sets off a supernatural disaster.
“Mass”: Two sets of parents (Reed Birney and Ann Dowd, Jason Isaacs and Martha Plimpton), agree to talk privately in an attempt to move forward years after an unspeakable tragedy tore their lives apart.
“Ema”: Lives of members of an experimental dance troupe are thrown into chaos because of a shocking incident.
“Joy Womak: The White Swan”: American woman becomes the first to sign a contract with the Bolshoi Ballet.
“Corinth Films Historical Drama Collection”: “Calm at Sea” and “Within the Whirlwind” part of the five films included.
Available on streaming platforms
“A Journal for Jordan”: Soldier deployed to Iraq begins to keep a journal of love and advice for his infant son.
“Diary of the Grizzly Man”: Documentary looks at how Timothy Treadwell studied grizzly bears until one of the bears killed him.
“See for Me”: This home-invasion thriller has a blind protagonist.