What’s New in Home Video & Pop Culture – December 17th, 2024

The Wild Robot

So, this will be my last review column of the year. The next few weeks tend to be light on releases, and I’m taking some much needed time off to celebrate the holidays. My first column in the new year wud include any titles that come out between now and then. That said, this is a heck of a way to wrap up the new year, with some huge new releases for all kinds of film fans! Enjoy, and happy holidays!

In This Week’s Column:

• The Wild Robot (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital)
• Joker: Folie A Deux (4K Ultra HD + Digital)
• Transformers One (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital Steelbook)
• Shaun of the Dead (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital Steelbook)
• Piece by Piece (Blu-ray + Digital)
• Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (4K Ultra HD)
• Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus (Blu-ray)
• Cheeky, Frivolous Lola, & All Ladies Do It (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)
• Ghosts of Red Ridge (Blu-ray)
• Abruptio (Blu-ray)

The Wild Robot (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital)

The Movie: As mentioned above, this is the last review column of this year. As of this writing, The Wild Robot still stands as my number one film of 2024. It’s THAT good.

When I saw the first trailer for The Wild Robot, I thought to myself, “I need to see that one in theaters.” I had the same thought back in the 1990s when The Iron Giant came out, and this trailer gave me similar vibes. Just like I did with The Iron Giant, I ventured out to see it in theaters, and I’m so glad I got to have that experience. The Wild Robot is an absolutely magical film.

The story is pretty simple: a robot designed to help people in their daily lives from a galactic corporation crash lands on the wrong planet. Determined to find a customer to help, robot Roz eventually settles on an outcast baby goose, and the two develop a parent/child relationship that will face its fair share of challenges, as you’d expect when a robot raises an animal. Now, that description doesn’t really do the film justice, but I don’t want to say more about the plot because the less you know about the movie, the more you can just sit back, experience it, and soak it in.

Director Chris Sanders has created a heartwarming tale that is filled with humor and adventure but also real emotion; I cried way more than I expected to for an animated movie about a robot and a duck. The visuals are also absolutely stunning; it’s one of the best-designed films I’ve seen in a long time, with a terrific design for Roz, amazing landscapes, and seemingly millions of colors.

But the heart of the film is the characters. Lupita Nyongo continues to prove she’s one of the best actors on the planet with her turn as Roz, which is so much more layered and nuanced than you’d expect. The script is clever and funny, and if you don’t find yourself wanting more the minute the movie ends, I don’t know what you’re looking for in a movie.

The 4K Video/Audio: The Wild Robot is a bright and colorful film, and the 4K Ultra HD format treats it well. Everything looks vivid and shiny, the way the filmmakers intended, and it’s a nice visual treat to watch the movie, especially the action sequences, which are dazzling. The surround soundtrack is also constantly active, giving each speaker its own discrete sounds and activity, creating a nice bustling soundfield throughout. A very strong 4K release overall.

The Bonus Features: While not overloaded with extras, there’s a nice collection of short bonus materials that add up to a solid amount of extras.

• Audio Commentary – With Director Chris Sanders, Producer Jeff Hermann, and other filmmakers
• Alternate Opening with Introduction by Writer/Director Chris Sanders (4 minutes)
• Moments from the Mic (2 minutes)
• Meet the Cast (6 minutes)
• The Overprotective Mother” (3 minutes)
• Assembly Required: Animating ‘The Wild Robot’ (10 minutes)
• Feeling Alive (9 minutes)
• Wild Sounds (6 minutes)
• How to Draw (22 minutes) .
• Fly Your Own Brightbill (10 minutes)

Digital Copy Included: Yes 

The Wrap-Up: I absolutely adored The Wild Robot, and while there’s still a couple of weeks of releases left in the year, I’ll be very surprised if anything can surpass it as my top movie of the year. Run, don’t walk, to pick up your copy of The Wild Robot today. You won’t regret it.

Joker: Folie A Deux (4K Ultra HD + Digital)

The Movie: I have so many thoughts about Joker: Folie a Deux that it’s hard to even know where to start. My first thought was: who sponsored this movie, Big Tobacco? I haven’t seen this much smoking on film since Backdraft. It’s incredibly distracting.

But honestly, that’s probably one of the lesser problems with the film. The bigger problem is the film itself. Ostensibly, the plot is about Arthur Fleck going on trial and meeting Harley Quinn, but to say this movie has a plot feels awfully generous. I mean, really, almost nothing happens in this movie. I always ask, “What was the point of this movie?” I mean, beyond making money, what was the point of this story being told? And I can’t find one with Joker 2. Nothing in the story really advances, nothing interesting really happens, and none of the characters really change; there’s simply no reason to tell this story.

And I also have to say, I can’t remember the last time I can think of filmmakers so badly misjudging what their audience wants. Like, The Joker grossed over a billion dollars worldwide on the strength of it being a dark drama/thriller/black comedy. So hmmm, what do we think millions of people want to see as a sequel to that? Yep, a musical. I’m sorry, Warner Bros. or Todd Phillips or whoever made that decision: NOBODY wanted a musical sequel to The Joker. That would be like getting a musical sequel to Oppenheimer. It’s tone deaf and a huge mistake. Especially when one of the characters can’t really sing all that well. The movie is long, boring, unpleasant, and there’s no one to root for. Seriously, who am I supposed to root for here? At least in the first movie, Arthur Fleck was somewhat sympathetic because of what he went through in his life. But in this movie, there’s no one relatable or even decent, and I was left wondering who I’m supposed to want to see some kind of positive outcome for. It’s just a giant misstep from start to finish.

The 4K Video/Audio: While the film is not great, the audiovisual portion of the disc is. Joker: Folie a Deux clearly had an had impressive budget, so it looks outstanding on 4K Ultra HD. The imagery is extremely sharp, clean and clear, and the print is so crisp it sings. Colors are at a premium when allowed to be (it’s a heavily filtered film) and contrasts are strong, with deep, rich black levels. Obviously, the print is clean and devoid of any debris or blemishes. The surround soundtrack immerses your living room in the world of Gotham, with active surround channels, a booming low end bass frequency, and rich, full music. All the while, the dialogue never gets lost in the mix, resulting in a terrific sound presentation overall.

The Bonus Features: 

• Everything Must Go (44 minutes)
• The Character Of Music (8 minutes)
• Live! With The Joker (7 minutes)
• Colors Of Madness (6 minutes)
• Crafted With Class (5 minutes)

Digital Copy Included: Yes 

The Wrap-Up: Joker: Folie a Deux is one of the worst sequels I’ve experienced in recent memory. I honestly don’t know why the studio allowed Todd Phillips to make this film. I’ve never liked the majority of his movies and I was surprised that I liked the first film as much as I did. That said, this feels like a return to form for a filmmaker I think is not particularly good.

Transformers One (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital Steelbook)

The Movie: It feels like the Transformers movie franchise is on its last gasp, which is unfortunate. Two of the last three Transformers movies (Bumblebee and this one, Transformers One) are the two best films in the entire eight-film franchise.

Transformers One is an animated movie that tells the origin of the Autobots and Decepticons and how Optimus Prime and Megatron became who they are (and became enemies). The story starts on Cybertron, with lowly miners Orion Pax (Optimus) and D-16 (Megatron) toiling away. But Orion dreams of a better future, and his plans lead to the pair (along with two other Transformers) discovering that something in society is broken and dangerous, and it’s up to them to stop it.

The film is one of those that gets better as it goes. In the early scenes, it’s relatively innocuous world-building stuff and character development, but as it goes on and the groundwork starts to get laid for the stories of the future, the film just gets better and better. The last third of the movie is an absolute powerhouse. I have to also give a shout out to the animation, which is stunning. You don’t even realize how different Optimus and Megatron look in their original forms until you see them upgrade throughout the movie, and the newer forms are absolutely dazzling. The film just works, and it works extremely well.

Oh yeah, and it’s also been released as a 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray combo that comes in an absolutely gorgeous Steelbook case. Seriously, the artwork on this thing just shines!

The 4K Video/Audio: Transformers One comes to home video on 4K Ultra HD (as well as Blu-ray and DVD). Not surprisingly, the film looks and sounds amazing in 4K. As you would want for an animated feature, blacks  are deep and solid and colors are well-saturated and vibrant. The metallic nature of the Transformers — especially as they upgrade — is outstanding, and they look shiny and metallic. The surround soundtrack is also extremely effective, with a generous use of surround effects through the various speakers, as well as clean and clear dialogue, a must for animated films.

The Bonus Features: 

• In The Beginning (10 minutes)
• World Building on Cybertron (9 minutes)
• Together as One (11 minutes)
• The Iacon 5000 (6 minutes)
• The Battle for Cybertron (9 minutes)

Digital Copy Included: Yes 

The Wrap-Up: I can’t recommend Transformers One highly enough for fans of the franchise (and even potential new fans of the franchise.) It’s a great movie in its own right, but it’s also a terrific origin story that gives the Cybertronian war a ton of context and history. And on top of all of that, it’s just a lot of fun. Don’t sleep on this one!

Shaun of the Dead (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital Steelbook)

The Movie: Okay, sure, Shaun of the Dead may be the ONLY rom-zom-com out there, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s also the GREATEST rom-zom-com of all time! (And that’s Romantic Zombie Comedy for the uninitiated.) The film that put director Edgar Wright and stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost on the map remains one of my favorite movies, and this week we get a new 4K Ultra HD Steelbook release of the film that is sure to delight fans.

The story is pretty simple: a zombie outbreak in England sees best friends and slackers Shaun and Ed on the run from zombies, trying to collect their friends and take shelter in The Winchester, the bar that they’re regulars at. The plot isn’t an award-winner, but that’s because the movie isn’t about plot, it’s about the characters. Shaun is trying to rescue his estranged girlfriend Liz and salvage his relationship, all while trying to keep him and his best friend alive during a zombie outbreak. The film masterfully roasts many zombie movie conventions, and it remains one of the smarter comedies of the 2000s as well as a great zombie movie in its own right.

This week, we get a new 4K Ultra HD Steelbook of Shaun of the Dead to celebrate the movie’s 20^th anniversary. The Steelbook is fantastic, with artwork that is reminiscent of the old horror comics of the ‘50s. It’s also loaded with bonus features, including a new one that fans will really enjoy.

The 4K Video/Audio: The audiovisual upgrade for Shaun of the Dead is definitely noticeable, even if the film does show its age a little bit. Imagery is super clear with excellent shadow delineation, while colors are strong and image clarity is terrific. The surround soundtrack won’t win any awards, but it does create a nice, active atmosphere throughout the film while dialogue remains clear and present, so it’s hard to complain.

The Bonus Features: 

• NEW! Shaun of the Dead: 20 Bloody Years!
• Audio Commentaries – Four different audio commentaries, one each with: Simon Pegg & Edgar Wright; Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Dylan Moran, Kate Ashfield and Lucy Davis; Bill Nighy and Penelope Wilton; and the Zombies
• Missing Bits – 15 deleted scenes
• Outtakes
• Raw Meat – Eight behind-the-scenes bits like video diaries, casting tapes, and the like
• TV Bits & Trailers – 11 trailers, ads, and promo clips

Digital Copy Included: Yes 

The Wrap-Up: Sure, Shaun of the Dead gave the world Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg, and Nick Frost, and that’s a great thing. But on its own merits, Shaun of the Dead is simply a fantastic movie that holds up to viewings over and over again. This one is quite simply HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Piece by Piece (Blu-ray + Digital)

The Movie: Okay, so a Pharell Williams biography or biopic makes sense, right? I mean he’s a popular enough musician and pop culture celebrity to warrant a movie, so I don’t have a problem with that. So, yeah, okay, let’s check out this biopic called Piece by Piece and HOLY CRAP THE WHOLE FILM IS MADE WITH LEGOS!!!

So yes, this is a biopic about Pharell that is made in by LEGO Productions (along with a few other production companies). So it’s unofficially the next LEGO movie, although obviously its in a different vein than movies like The LEGO Movie, The Batman LEGO Movie, and such. And I wasn’t really sure what to expect from the movie, but it turns out that Piece by Piece is a lot of fun. Sure, it’s obviously about Pharell and tells his story, but the very fact that it’s told in LEGOs adds a layer of fun and humor that might not have been there otherwise. Add in voice turns by fellow musicians such as Gwen Stefani, Kendrick Lamar, Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, Busta Rhymes, Jay-Z, and Snoop Dogg, and it’s hard not to enjoy this movie.

The Bonus Features: 

• Building Blocks – A new interview with Pharrell Williams and director Morgan Neville

Digital Copy Included: Yes 

The Wrap-Up: Piece By Piece might not have the widespread appeal of some of the other LEGO movies, but I think most people who like the earlier LEGO offerings will find a lot to like here as well. It’s different but it’s rather enjoyable.

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (4K Ultra HD)

The Movie: While film historians and cinephiles still recognize and appreciate the importance of silent films, the art form is obviously a relic of the past, and most people of current generations are largely unfamiliar with them beyond maybe a Charlie Chaplin movie or two. However, there are still a handful of silent movies that are still considered among the most important and noteworthy films of the silent era, and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is one of them.

Starring Werner Krauss and Conrad Veidt, the film is a horror/thriller movie about a mysterious doctor who uses a sleepwalker of sorts named Cesare to predict people’s futures. Of course, he often predicts their deaths, something which helps Dr. Caligari out as he intends to murder them. A young man named Francis and his fiancée Jane come across Dr. Caligari and fall under his spell, and must try to avoid certain death.

Now, the film only runs an hour and seven minutes, which is pretty normal for a silent movie, but it’s the combination of controversial subject matter (at the time), the thriller/horror genre, and the movie’s indelible imagery that makes it so memorable. I’m not saying it’s quite as riveting as more modern films, but it’s easy to see what it was such a sensation in 1920. This week, we get the film making its debut on 4K Ultra HD thanks to Kino Lorber, who have given it a worthy home video release.

The 4K Video/Audio: How good can a 100-year-old movie look and sound in 4K Ultra HD, you might ask? Pretty darn good is the answer. But of course, you have to recognize the source material for what it is. The film is ostensibly in black and white, although most of the scenes (purposefully) have either a green or yellow tint. Even within those shades, contrasts are strong and blacks are deep, meaning the onscreen action is easy to discern. The print is quite sharp and devoid of more than only the most unremovable blemishes. The soundtrack offers up a surround option, but just for the newly recorded orchestral score since obviously there is no dialogue. But the music sounds lush, rich, and full, and it really works well.

The Bonus Features: 

• German intertitles with optional English Subtitles
• Score performed by the Studio For Film Music at the University of Music, Freiburg
• Caligari: How Horror Came to the Cinema (Documentary, 52 minutes)
• Additional Music Score by Paul D. Miller aka DJ Spooky
• Image Gallery
• Restoration Demonstration
• Booklet Essay by Kristin Thompson

Digital Copy Included: No 

The Wrap-Up: For film enthusiasts and historians, it’s hard to argue that The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is a milestone movie. Having never seen it before this release, I’m glad I finally got to experience it.

Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus (Blu-ray)

The Movie: I don’t say this often but… wow. This is such an incredibly powerful performance that it’s hard to sum up in words. First, some background.

Ryuichi Sakamoto may not be a household name in the US, but he certainly has his fans worldwide, and he’s absolutely a superstar in his native Japan. Whether it’s as a social activist, a pop musician, a film score composer, or a celebrity personality, Sakamoto was a unique being and it’s easy to see why he has such legions of fans.

In 2023, in the throes of terminal throat cancer, Sakomoto decided to leave his fans a parting gift: Opus. Shot in black and white, the ailing musician sat down at a piano and performed a concert of his music… just him and his piano. The result is an incredible and emotional performance that will blow you away, even if you’re not already a fan of his. The performance spans his entire career from his early pop days to his movie score days and everything in between, and it’s just such a raw, personal, and emotional performance. Sakamoto knew his time was limited and he puts his whole self into it. Amazing.

The Bonus Features: 

• Meet the Filmmakers
• Trailer

Digital Copy Included: No 

The Wrap-Up: For fans of Ryuichi Sakamoto, Opus is an absolute must-have, no two ways about it. For people who are unfamiliar with his work, I still think you will be moved by this performance. This is an incredible piece of art and I think everyone could benefit from experiencing it. 

Cheeky, Frivolous Lola, & All Ladies Do It (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)

The Movie: Tinto Brass is probably not a name known to casual filmgoers, but for die hard cinema fans, he’s probably most well known for directing 1979’s controversial cult epic Caligula, a movie that straddled the line of mainstream filmmaking and pornography and has become quite infamous in the years since its release. Brass’s filmography is largely filled with movies that would fall squarely in the “erotic cinema” genre: they’re not quite triple-X rated adult films, but they’re certainly much more explicit than most of what we see from mainstream Hollywood.

Now, some of Brass’s later films are hitting home video courtesy of Cult Epics, who have released three of Brass’s sex dramedies on 4K Ultra HD for the first time: All Ladies Do It (1992), Frivolous Lola (1998) and Cheeky (2000). While a lot of Brass’s earlier efforts were more based in genre filmmaking or horror/thriller vibes, these three movies are much lighter in tone. All Ladies Do It sees a wife, Diana, discovering that adultery is not only something she likes, but that she can potentially save her marriage with it. Frivolous Lola focuses on a young couple named Lola and Masetto who are working through some things, including how they feel about pre-marital sex. Cheeky is about a free spirited young woman named Carla who everyone falls in love with, and her boyfriend Matteo trying to deal with his jealousy.

The covers for each of these releases tout the movies as “erotic cinema for both men and women,” and while that might be slightly hyperbolic, I think it’s more accurate than not. There’s full frontal nudity of both men and women, and the stories definitely try to include romance and equality, not just sex. I mean, there’s no shortage of sex but for as much as these are erotic films, they’re not just straight pornography. For my money Cheeky was my favorite of the three, but all of them are enjoyable movies, and the quality of the 4K releases in terms of extra features and packaging is very impressive. I love studios that still include essay booklets with their releases, and each of these three discs comes with a full-color 20-page booklet. Yay!

The 4K Video/Audio: 4K Ultra HD releases of older movie can often be a bit of a mixed bag. The format offers up improvements over Blu-ray, obviously, but it’s not like you can magically transform the source elements from a movie that’s 45 years old. Cult Epics presents all three of these movies on 4K Ultra HD, and each set also includes a Blu-ray of the film. I don’t know what these movies looked like in theaters, but here they look like high-quality home video transfers. Image clarity is nice sharp, colors feel natural and lifelike, and there’s enough grain to retain the cinematic feel of the films. There are multiple language options for the audio choices (Italian and English in 2.0 and 5.1); the surround soundtracks are a little front-channel heavy and the dialogue is clear, but don’t expect too much from the rear surround channels. The music sounds bright and lively, and the overall aesthetic fits the feel of the movies themselves.

The Bonus Features: 

Cheeky: 

• Audio Commentary
• Backstage With Tinto Brass
• Interview with the Cinematographer
• Isolated Score
• Trailers
• Photo Gallery
• 20-Page Illustrated Essay Booklet

Frivolous Lola:

• Audio Commentary
• Interview with Tinto Brass
• Trailers
• Photo Gallery
• 20-Page Illustrated Essay Booklet

All Ladies Do It:

• Audio Commentary
• Interview with Tinto Brass
• Outtakes
• Trailers
• Photo Gallery
• 20-Page Illustrated Essay Booklet

Digital Copy Included: No 

The Wrap-Up: There’s a particular cinema genre being serviced here, and obviously these movies aren’t for everyone. But they are worthwhile films that just also happen to have a lot of sex and nudity in them. Having never seen any Tinto Brass films besides Caligula, I enjoyed getting to experience some of his lighter fare.

Ghosts of Red Ridge (Blu-ray) 

The Movie: Well, the Western genre is already on life support, and as much as I don’t want to bash anyone who’s trying to keep it alive, Ghosts of Red Ridge isn’t doing much to help keep things afloat.

Honestly, the story is more convoluted than it should be, but suffice it to say there’s a bunch of bad guys and there’s a sheriff who seems to be haunted by some of the people affected by the violence in his small western town. Or something like that, at least. Look, I can’t fault a movie for having a small budget, but maybe if you have a small budget a supernatural western isn’t the genre you should be making a film in. There are next to no special effects, very little convincing action, and hardly even any horses in the movie. It just screams “this isn’t the movie we wanted to make but we couldn’t afford to do better!” Aside from some nice sets and locations, there just isn’t much going for this movie.

The Bonus Features: 

• Trailer

Digital Copy Included: No 

The Wrap-Up: Ghosts of Red Ridge just can’t rise above its mediocre origins. The story isn’t compelling, the script isn’t well thought out, and the action and special effects are not that great. I’m sorry to say but this one is a miss.

Abruptio (Blu-ray)

The Movie: So you get a movie to review and see that the cast includes James Marsters, Christopher McDonald, Jordan Peele, Robert England, and Hana Mae Lee. Even though you’ve never heard of it… that sounds cool! The you realize that those actors are the voice cast, and you think, “well, that’s all right, I like animated movies.” Still cool. And THEN you realize… this movie was made with puppets! Ummm… what?

Just in case you thought a biopic of Pharrell Williams told in LEGO style was the weirdest thing to come out this week, here we have Abruptio, a horror thriller about a man who wakes up with a bomb implanted in his neck and is forced to carry out horrible acts in order to avoid having his head blown off. The film was made with human-sized (and severely creepy) puppets who interact with real-world sets and locations, giving an already unnerving film an even weirder feel overall.

And ultimately, that’s what Abruptio is: weird. I guess it would have taken too much budget to make it with real actors, so the puppets allow the filmmakers to both save money and also amp up the eeriness of the whole shebang. I was amazed at how much violence could be perpetuated against puppets. Team America: World Police this ain’t!

The Bonus Features: 

• A New Kind of Horror
• Audio Commentary track with writer/director Evan Marlowe and producer Kerry Marlowe
• Audio Commentary track with puppeteer Danny Montooth

Digital Copy Included: No 

The Wrap-Up: Abruptio isn’t a bad film, but I certainly wouldn’t call it a good film, either. It’s an odd film, and I suspect the more you crave outsider cinema and things that make you uncomfortable, the more you’re going to like it.