What’s New in Home Video & Pop Culture – April 29th, 2025 – Anora, Paddington In Peru, Dirty Harry, Pale Rider, Stripes, Gandhi, The Rocketeer Breaks Free and more

Usually when all the studios choose one day to drop all their big releases, it’s tied to either a holiday like Father’s Day or Valentine’s Day, or it’s close to the winter holiday season. Why everyone decided that April 29^th was the premium date to put out their awesome new 2025 titles is beyond me, but here we are. This week sees a massive-award winner, a crowd-pleasing theatrical hit, five huge catalog titles, a graphic novel, an anime series, multiple Asian action releases, and cult classics galore! Read on for the full scoop!

In This Week’s Column:

• Anora (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)
• Paddington in Peru (Blu-ray + Digital)
• Dirty Harry, Pale Rider & The Outlaw Josey Wales (4K Ultra HD + Digital)
• Stripes (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital Steelbook)
• Gandhi (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital Steelbook)
• The Rocketeer Breaks Free (Graphic Novel)
• The Adventurers (Blu-ray)
• Invasion (Blu-ray)
• A Place Further Than the Universe: The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
• Russ Meyer’s Up and Motor Psycho (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)
• The Magnificent Chang Cheh (Blu-ray)
• A Tale of Sorrow and Sadness (Blu-ray)

Anora (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)

The Movie: 

I can only imagine what people who went to the movie theaters to see Anora after it received a mega-haul of Oscar nominations must have thought. While the film would go on to win five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Editing, it is in no way, shape or form a traditional Oscar movie. In fact, it probably has more nudity, swearing, drug use, and yelling than any Oscar winner… well, ever. So there was probably a moment of culture shock for some unsuspecting viewers, but I have to say, I absolutely loved it.

The story is relatively simple: exotic dancer and occasional escort Ani (short for Anora) gets picked up by a young and brash client, the son of a Russian mobster named Vanya. When the pair decide to get married in Las Vegas, it sets off a whirlwind of questionable activity as his parents’ mafia underlings try to separate the two newlyweds. As far as plots go, it’s not the deepest. But it also doesn’t need to be, because Anora isn’t about plot. It’s about characters.

Mikey Madison, who went from being a relative unknown to an Oscar-winner practically overnight, anchors the film as Ani, who is loud, a little bit trashy, and a lot of bit in your face. She also doesn’t take you-know-what from anyone, and it’s that attitude that fuels the conflict in the movie, especially when these mafia gangsters show up at her door and try to physically intimidate her. It’s easy to write off her award-winning performance as just loud and yell-y, but if you’ve ever interacted with natives of New York’s boroughs, you’ll know that it’s not easy to capture their mannerisms and cadence as unerringly as she does. I think she’s outstanding here.

You know a film makes an impact when its initial home video release is from The Criterion Collection, who very rarely puts out releases that aren’t deep catalogue titles. This deluxe edition release on 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray combo disc (also available as a standalone Blu-ray release) is an excellent way to experience or re-experience Anora.

The 4K Video/Audio:

Anora is an incredibly stylish film with a unique look that hovers between cinematic and indie-aesthetic, and that’s represented here with a brand new 4K Ultra HD transfer that looks very impressive. Color saturation presents very real colors, while image clarity is razor sharp. The whole image has a sheen to it that gives the film a glossy look, but in a way that reflects the filmmaker’s vision. The surround soundtrack has a lot to work with and it makes the most of it, using the surround channels to fill in your living room with the sounds of the city, a strip club, trafiic, and the like, but the dialogue never gets lost in the mix. All in all, it’s a terrific A/V presentation of a unique movie.

The Bonus Features: 

• Two audio commentaries: one featuring Baker, Coco, producer Samantha Quan, and cinematographer Drew Daniels, and the other featuring Baker and actors Yura Borisov, Mark Eydelshteyn, Karren Karagulian, Mikey Madison, and Vache Tovmasyan
• New making-of documentary
• New interviews with Baker and Madison
• Cannes Film Festival press conference
• Q&A with Madison and actor-stripper Lindsey Normington
• Deleted scenes
• Audition footage
• Trailers
• A collectible booklet with essays by film critic Dennis Lim and author Kier-La Janisse

Digital Copy Included: No 

The Wrap-Up:

Anora is an experience, and there are no two ways to describe it. Just make sure you’re not going in expecting a quiet little drama and you should find yourself caught up in the craziness in no time. 

Paddington in Peru (Blu-ray + Digital)

The Movie: 

I don’t actually want to talk about Paddington in Peru. Not because there’s anything bad to say about it; on the contrary, it’s a delight. No, I don’t want to talk about Paddington in Peru because to read about the Paddington movies is such a wasted effort compared to the sheer joy of watching the Paddington movies that it feels a little bit futile to try to capture that in words. But I guess I have to, soooo…

The first Paddington movie introduced us to everyone’s favorite marmalade-loving bear. The second film saw him go to jail. (See? On paper that sounds silly. It’s not. It’s incredibly charming.) This third entry sees Paddington take a trip to his home country of Peru to visit his dear Aunt Lucy, and while there he and the Brown family get sucked into a mystery and an adventure that results in anything but a traditional family reunion.

There. That’s all you’re going to get out of me. Other than to say that Paddington in Peru is another wonderful film that the entire family can and should enjoy. Kids will love it, but if you as an adult write it off as something for the youngsters and not you, you’re missing out.

The Bonus Features: 

• The Making of Paddington in Peru
• Sing Along
• Two Set Tours
• Create Your Own Adventure Map & Friendship Bracelets

Digital Copy Included: Yes 

The Wrap-Up:

I honestly hope they keep making Paddington movies forever, or at least as long as they can within the framework of the current film series. Until then, Paddington in Peru will have to keep me occupied.

Dirty Harry, Pale Rider & The Outlaw Josey Wales (4K Ultra HD + Digital)

The Movies: 

Warner Brothers releases three Clint Eastwood classics on 4K Ultra HD this week, and they’re all so good it’s hard to pick a stand-out. Dirty Harry is, of course, the film that launched a five-movie franchise, so it’s easily the most well-known. But The Outlaw Josey Wales is an iconic western, and even Pale Rider is widely considered one of Eastwood’s best films. Really, all three of these movies belong in any film fan’s collection.

Dirty Harry sees Eastwood as a cop whose brand of justice borders on vigilantism. The central mystery of the case is not-so-subtly based on the real-life Zodiac killings, as Harry is tasked with bringing down the Scorpio killer who is terrorizing Los Angeles. It’s an action classic and it made Eastwood into a household name. The Outlaw Josey Wales sees Clint play a man whose wife and child are wantonly killed by Redlegs, Union army soldiers in the Civil War. Setting out for revenge, Wales refuses to surrender with the rest of the South and becomes a wanted man. But killing Josey Wales is no easy task; he’s basically the old west version of John Wick. Finally, Pale Rider is another western, but in this one Eastwood plays a drifter who comes to protect a small town from a corrupt mining company from stealing their land. This one sees Clint in the “reluctant hero” mode he played so well and it’s an outstanding film as well.

The latter two movies were also directed by Eastwood, and we really start to see his career taking shape as an auteur at this point. All three movies, however, are essential pieces of his filmography.

The 4K Video/Audio:

It’s hard to overstate how good these movies look in 4K Ultra HD. Warner Bros. has obviously put some love and care into getting them ready for 4K and it shows. Imagery is razor sharp; I swear you can count the individual pieces of stubble on Clint’s face in most scenes. Colors are vibrant and realistic without looking forced or blown out. The prints have no evidence of damage or residual specks of dirt anywhere to be found. Meanwhile, the surround soundtracks have ensured that fidelity is at a premium, so what could sound aged sounds crisp and clear. Surround activity isn’t necessarily reference grade, but the audio soundscape was also different in the 1970s. Overall, there’s nothing to complain about in the audio department and the video quality is truly outstanding.

The Bonus Features: 

Each of these discs is loaded with extra features, including ones specific to the films themselves and then also chapters of the huge multi-part Eastwood documentary that was made a few years ago. Each disc also combines archival extras with brand new features, so even people who already own the films on home video will find some new material.

Dirty Harry – 

• Commentary by Richard Schickel
• Generations and Dirty Harry
• Lensing Justice: The Cinematography of Dirty Harry
• American Masters Career Retrospective: Clint Eastwood: Out of the Shadows
• Clint Eastwood: The Man from Malpaso
• Clint Eastwood: A Cinematic Legacy – Fighting for Justice
• Dirty Harry’s Way
• Dirty Harry: The Original
• Interview Gallery

The Outlaw Josey Wales – 

• Commentary by Richard Schickel
• An Outlaw and an Antihero
• The Cinematography of an Outlaw: Crafting Josey Wales
• Clint Eastwood’s West
• Eastwood in Action
• Hell Hath No Fury: The Making of The Outlaw Josey Wales
• Clint Eastwood: A Cinematic Legacy – Reinventing Westerns

Pale Rider – 

• The Diary of Sydney Penny: Lessons from the Set
• Painting the Preacher: The Cinematography of Pale Rider
• Clint Eastwood: A Cinematic Legacy – Reinventing Westerns
• Eastwood Directs: The Untold Story
• The Eastwood Factor

Digital Copy Included: Yes 

The Wrap-Up:

I don’t think I have to explain to anyone the legendary career of Clint Eastwood, but if you’re looking for a primer on why he’s one of the greats, these three outstanding new 4K Ultra HD releases are a great place to start!

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

The Movie: 

When you think of Bill Murray’s career, a number of films come to mind. Ghostbusters. Caddyshack. Groundhog Day. And for a certain subset of people, Stripes is probably one of them as well.

There’s no denying that the movie was a massive hit, grossing $85 million in 1981 off a $10 million budget. That would be the equivalent of a comedy movie grossing over $300 million today, something which has become simply unheard of in the past few decades. Interestingly, I don’t know that it’s had the same pop culture staying power as some of Murray’s other films, but it’s absolutely a catalog favorite for Sony.

The film was directed by Ivan Reitman (who would go on to direct Ghostbusters) and stars Murray, Harold Ramis (also a Ghostbusters alum) and John Candy, and sees a pair of friends join the army for “fun,” or at least when they realizes their lives are at a dead end. And, naturally, wacky hijinks follow. It’s a little bit like a Police Academy film set in the army, but it’s also not quite as silly as those films are. In fact, Stripes’s climax has a bit of an action movie component to it.

This week, Sony presents Stripes as a 4K Ultra HD Steelbook release that also includes a Blu-ray disc. It’s loaded with extra features – both new and archival – and it’s a great package for fans of the film.

The 4K Video/Audio:

Stripes is still a medium-budgeted comedy from 40 years ago, so it’s not like it suddenly looks brand new, but you’ll notice brighter colors, a sharper picture, and good contrasts. There is a relatively active soundtrack (mostly making sure the dialogue is clear and the music sounds good) that also offers up some ambient surround activity to help fill in the soundfield. It’s hard to complain about any of those things.

The Bonus Features: 

There are two new retrospective documentaries that run a combined 45 minutes, and there are also archival extras included, giving you a lot of bang for your buck.

• 40 Years of Stripes with Bill & Ivan: That’s the Fact Jack! (20 minutes)
• 40 Years of Stripes with Bill & Ivan: Lighten Up Francis (24 minutes)
• Audio Commentary featuring Ivan Reitman and Dan Goldberg (Extended Version Only)
• Stars and Stripes – Part One (28 minutes)
• Stars and Stripes – Part Two (28 minutes)
• Deleted and Extended Scenes (29 minutes)
• 1983 TV Version of Stripes
• Theatrical Trailer

Digital Copy Included: Yes 

The Wrap-Up:

Stripes is a perfect snapshot of 1980s comedies, and also a reminder that comedies were once a box office juggernaut. Hopefully this outstanding release will remind people that there’s still time for that to happen again.

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

The Movie: 

It’s hard to watch Gandhi and not reflect on the current political situation in the world. And while I try to stay apolitical in a column that is meant to be for reviewing movies, watching Gandhi is a powerful and profound experience, especially when you realize that this was a man who would go to jail and literally die if need be to free his people and preserve the peace in his native country of India. And it’s saddening and maddening to realize that the world will likely never see another human being of that caliber.

That’s all I’ll say on that, but looking at Gandhi as a movie, it’s an extraordinary experience. The 1982 film, directed by Richard Attenborough, is a true epic, and it won eight Academy Awards on 11 nominations, a rarely achieved feat. Even more rarely is it deserved, such as it is in this case. The film follows Mohandas Gandhi from his days as a lawyer traveling to his home nation of India to becoming an activist who would fight for India’s freedom from British rule to a national hero and international symbol of peace. It’s over three hours long, but it earns every minute, as it journeys between scenes that recount key events and scenes that evoke the inspiration and emotion that Gandhi was known for.

At the heart of the film is Ben Kingsley, whose performance is transformative; he absolutely earned the Best Actor Oscar he won. (Also, before people cry out about whitewashing, keep in mind that Kingsley is of Indian descent; his real name is Krishna Pandit Bhanji.) Watching him is like watching a masterclass in acting, and I was blown away by his performance.

While Gandhi was released on 4K Ultra HD previously as part of one of the Columbia Classics box set series, this new Steelbook release marks its standalone debut on 4K. It’s a four-disc set with two Blu-ray discs and two 4K discs; the movie is split up to ensure ultimate sound and video quality.

The 4K Video/Audio:

Gandhi looks and sounds terrific in 4K Ultra HD. The imagery is extremely sharp, clean and clear, and the close-ups especially really shine in Ultra HD. Colors are at a premium and contrasts are strong, with deep, rich black levels. The print is clean and devoid of any debris or blemishes. The surround soundtrack does a pretty good job bringing the onscreen action to life. This isn’t an action movie, so sometimes that’s just crowds of people or a herd of cows, but you do get action from all over. And most importantly,  the dialogue never gets lost in the mix, resulting in a very strong sound presentation overall.

The Bonus Features: 

I’ve long come to grips with the fact that a lot of multi-disc 4K releases only include the bonus features on the Blu-ray disc and not the 4K disc, which I find frustrating but not deal breaking. But come on, Sony! You couldn’t at least include the introduction by Richard Attenborough on the 4K disc? So I have to watch the intro on the Blu-ray for two minutes and then switch discs so I can watch the movie in 4K? That’s just plain annoying. Aside from that, though, there is a terrific complement of bonus materials included in this sumptuous release.

• Introduction & Commentary with Director Richard Attenborough
• Gandhi’s Legacy: Feature-Length Picture-in-Graphics Track
• Sir Ben Kingsley Talks about Gandhi
• Vintage Newsreel Footage
• In Search of Gandhi
• Reflections on Ben
• Madeleine Slade: An Englishwoman Abroad
• The Funeral
• Looking Back
• Shooting an Epic in India
• Designing Gandhi
• From the Director’s Chair
• The Words of Mahatma Gandhi
• The Making of Gandhi Photo Montage

Digital Copy Included: Yes 

The Wrap-Up:

I had never seen Gandhi before this release. Honestly, up until more recent years, I wasn’t that interested in a three-hour movie about a leader in another country in the 1940s. But in recent years, I’d found myself more and more curious about this acclaimed film. And it’s such a rewarding experience and an amazing film that I have to highly recommend it whether you think it’s your kind of movie or not.

The Rocketeer Breaks Free (Graphic Novel)

The Book: 

I’m probably one of the biggest Rocketeer fans you’ll ever meet. The 1990 movie is one of my favorite films, and I’m obsessed with Dave Stevens’ artwork and his original Rocketeer comic books. I will still devour anything Rocketeer-related that comes out. So I was thrilled when, after decades of no new Rocketeer comics, IDW started publishing new comic book adventures five or so years ago.

The Rocketeer Breaks Free is the latest collected trade paperback of the four-issue miniseries of the same name. In this outing, Cliff, Betty and Peevey head to San Francisco where Betty has landed a role in a major motion picture! It should all be pretty smooth sailing, but of course trouble follows Cliff wherever he goes, and it’s not long before he has to break out the jetpack and take on bad guys. Plus, there might be a little bit of romance in the air for ol’ Peevey!

Now, nobody does The Rocketeer like Dave Stevens did, and it would be unfair to compare anyone to the late artist. But writer Stephen Mooney and artist Staz Johnson do a good job of capturing the feel of the characters and staying true to Stevens’ overall aesthetic. I found this one to be a fun, entertaining read and I think Rocketeer fans will enjoy it.

The Specs: 

Publisher: IDW Publishing

Format: Softcover

Page Count: 112

Cover Price: $19.99

The Wrap Up:

If you like old style adventure, thrills, and derring-do, it doesn’t get better than The Rocketeer. IDW continuing the character’s adventures ensures that he will live on, which makes me very happy!

The Adventurers (Blu-ray)

The Movie: 

I want to make clear that what I’m about to say is in no way a reflection on Eureka Entertainment’s excellent release of The Adventurers on Blu-ray, as my comments have nothing to do with them. But what was going on with the original marketing team for The Adventurers?

First of all, the English-translated name has literally nothing to do with the movie. This isn’t a movie about adventurers at all. It’s about a man out for revenge who infiltrates a gang to kill the man who murdered his parents. Even with a broad definition of the word “adventure,” that doesn’t fit. Then, under the slipcover the Blu-ray comes in, the amaray case features key art from the film’s original marketing that features Andy Lau’s character superimposed over the New York City skyline, including the Twin Towers. But here’s the thing. The movie is set in San Francisco. In CALIFORNIA. It also largely takes place in Cambodia. On the other side of the world from New York. In fact, not a single scene of the movie takes place in New York. What the heck?

That said, The Adventurers is a terrific crime thriller that comes to Blu-ray in a limited edition package from Eureka Entertainment, who have done an outstanding job with this home video release. The film has been remastered and also comes supplemented by a nice collection of extra features.

The Bonus Features: 

• New audio commentary by film critic David West
• Two Adventurers – new interview with Gary Bettinson, editor of Asian Cinema journal
• Previously unseen archival interview with writer and producer Sandy Shaw
• Theatrical trailer
• Limited edition collector’s booklet featuring a new essay by Hong Kong cinema scholar Aaron Han Joon Magnan-Park

Digital Copy Included: No 

The Wrap-Up:

The Adventurers was directed by Ringo Lam shortly before he departed for Hollywood to make movies with Jean Claude Van Damme, but it’s easy to see why he was courted by US studios after watching some of his Asian output. It’s a gritty thriller and a great watch.

Invasion (Blu-ray)

The Movie: 

Well Go USA is a home video distributor who focuses almost exclusively on bringing Asian movies to the US and beyond. I say “almost” exclusively because they occasionally branch out into other parts of the cinema world, such as with their latest release, Invasion. This Dutch action thriller has a different flavor from most of Well Go’s releases, but it’s a fitting entry in their collection.

The story starts with the fictional nation of Veragua invading the Dutch territories of Aruba and Curacao, islands in the Caribbean. Three rookie Marines are on patrol in the area and find themselves thrust into the action as things escalate into full blown war. And that’s where the film both shines and falters (but only a little bit.)

The movie was made with the cooperation of the Dutch government, meaning we get real military vehicles and equipment on screen, giving the film a real and visceral look and feel that adds to the effectiveness of the narrative. On the flip side, once the action starts, the characters take a back seat and really don’t develop further. That said, as a straight-up action movie, that’s less of an issue than it would be in another kind of movie.

Ultimately, Invasion is a pretty good action/war movie that took me a bit by surprise. It was much better looking and more enjoyable than I expected, and it’s worth a look for action junkies.

The Bonus Features: 

There are no bonus features on this release.

Digital Copy Included: No 

The Wrap-Up:

I don’t get a lot of films from the Netherlands to review, but if Invasion is any indication of what they have to offer, I hope I get more!

A Place Further Than the Universe: The Complete Series (Blu-ray)

The Show: 

Sometimes, with anime films/TV shows, I struggle to figure out how to describe their plots in a sentence or two. Often, what I’ll do is just default to pasting the official synopsis of the project and let the studios do the heavy lifting for me. And A Place Further Than the Universe is exactly that kind of release.

But here’s the problem, their words don’t help a whole lot! This is the show’s product description from the new Blu-ray set out this week: “Scenery that we have never seen. Sounds that we have never heard. Scent that we have never smelled. Food that we have never tasted. And the surge of emotion that we have never experienced. This is the expedition of recollecting the pieces torn apart and sensation left alone. When we reach that place, what will we think? Howling, 40 degree angle. Raging, 50 degree angle. Shouting, 60 degree angle. A wilderness beyond the heavy sea. The furthest south, far from civilization. At the top of the Earth. We will find lights through the girls’ eyes to live tomorrow.”

Umm… okaaaay. Seriously, what the heck does that even mean?? Well, it turns out the show, which ran for 13 episodes, is a slice-of-life show (as opposed to sci-fi or fantasy, the domain of so much anime) about four high school girls. Mari Tamaki is a shy and timid girl who becomes friends with Shirase, who is obsessed with Antarctica and talks about it constantly. Joined by Hinata and Yuzuki, the foursome eventually decide to try and make their way to Antarctica for real. Now, does that sound like a pulse-pounding thriller? No, of course not, because that’s not what it is. However, it is a surprisingly effective and endearing show about friendship, adventure, breaking out of your comfort zone, and more. Over the course of the 13 episodes, you begin to care about the characters, and the strong animation style keeps things visually interesting, even when nothing cinematically amazing is occurring.

While it’s not an absolute masterpiece, A Place Further Than the Universe is definitely better than I expected it to be. This week, the entire series – which had previously been released as a deluxe Blu-ray box set that was exclusively available online – sees mainstream release courtesy of Shout Factory.

The Bonus Features: 

• Clean Opening
• Clean Ending
• Making of the English Dub Featurette

Digital Copy Included: No 

The Wrap-Up:

As someone who likes anime but is a casual fan at best, I never know what to expect when I dive into a new anime series. While this show might not be for everyone, I think the target demographic (which seems to be teenage girls, one of the biggest age groups devouring anime content these days) will absolutely love it.

Russ Meyer’s Up and Motor Psycho (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)

The Movie: 

Severin Films continues their domination of cult classic home video releases with this batch of new 4K Ultra HD releases of two of notorious filmmaker Russ Meyer’s movies: MotorPsycho and Up.

MotorPsycho hails from 1965, and while it has all the trademark Meyer qualities: violence, nudity, and gratuitous over-the-top-ness. The film sees three crazed bikers launch an assault on a small desert town, and it’s up to a hardened veteran and a beautiful woman to stop them. Up, meanwhile, is a 1976 movie that’s more of what you’d expect from a typical Meyer film: sex, craziness, and surreal comedy. Neither movie is great, but I suspect if you’re watching a Russ Meyer movie, you kind of know what you’re going to get.

Both movies have been released on 4K Ultra HD as a separate release, and each one also includes a Blu-ray. They’re also loaded with a few bonus features each, so that makes for some serious bang for your buck for Meyer fans.

The 4K Video/Audio:

Even though these movies were made in the ‘60s and ‘70s, they look pretty spectacular on 4K Ultra HD, thanks to some serious restoration work done by Severin Films. The prints are as clean as they can be, and image clarity is quite good. The colors in Up are lifelike and vivid, while the black and white in MotorPsycho feature strong contrasts and even levels. They definitely look a lot better than low-budget movies that are around five to six decades old have any right to. The audio tracks are in mono, which is how they were originally released, so it’s hard to complain about that.

The Bonus Features: 

MotorPsycho – 

• Audio Commentary with Film Historian Elizabeth Purchell And Filmmaker Zach Clark
• Desert Rats on Hondas – Interview with Actors Haji and Alex Rocco
• Trailer

Up –

• Audio Commentary with Film Historian Elizabeth Purchell
• No Fairy Tale…This! – Interview With Actress Raven De La Croix
• Radio Spot

Digital Copy Included: No 

The Wrap-Up:

Both of these releases are low-budget exploitation films and they don’t try to be anything else. There is copious nudity and sex in each film, and there’s no small amount of violence in MotorPsycho, either. Honestly, these feel a little more like classes in B-movie filmmaking than great viewing experiences, but they’re fun in their own way.

The Magnificent Chang Cheh (Blu-ray)

The Movie: 

I recently reviewed another release from Eureka Entertainment in which I encountered a movie that was directed by Chang Cheh. Cheh was one of the most prolific directors for the Shaw Brothers Studio, who famously churned out copious amounts of martial arts action flicks in the 1970s and ‘80s. This new collection (also from Eureka) collects two more of the famed director’s films, one from early in his career in 1966 and one from much later in 1977.

The Magnificent Chang Cheh is comprised of The Magnificent Trio and Magnificent Wanderers. Despite the similarity in names, the films are not related. The Magnificent Trio sees three wandering warriors helping a group of farmers out when they kidnap their local magistrate’s daughter out of desperation at his ruthless acts against them. The trio step in to help out when the magistrate sends warriors and assassins against the farmers. Meanwhile, in Magnificent Wanderer, a wealthy merchant who’s aiding rebel efforts is surrounded by people who just want his money. He enlists three traveling con men to help aid him in his efforts, and they use their various skills to help him plan and execute a major blow against the ruling Mongols.

Both films are engaging and action-packed. Trio is much more serious in tone, while Wanderer fully embraces the lighter side of things, bringing a strong comedic element. It’s not hard to see why Cheh was so revered, though, as his versatility is evident.

The Bonus Features: 

• New audio commentary on The Magnificent Trio by East Asian film expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival) and martial artist and filmmaker Michael Worth
• New audio commentary on Magnificent Wanderers by action cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema
• Chang Cheh Style – new video essay by Gary Bettinson, editor-in-chief of Asian Cinema journal
• Limited edition collector’s booklet featuring new writing on Chang Cheh by writer and critic James Oliver

Digital Copy Included: No 

The Wrap-Up:

As with a lot of Eureka’s high-end Blu-ray releases, this one is a limited edition, set at just 2,000 copies worldwide, so don’t sleep on it. The Magnificent Chang Cheh gives you two classic martial arts films for the price of one.

A Tale of Sorrow and Sadness (Blu-ray)

The Movie: 

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from A Tale of Sorrow and Sadness, a 1977 film from Japan. Certainly, the title didn’t put me in the mindset of expecting a good time. But the film’s premise was intriguing: a sports magazine hires a model so they can train her to be a pro golfer and monetize her. When she becomes famous, she finds that the men in her life are still controlling her. But when she’s involved in a hit and run accident, she finds herself being blackmailed by a stalker.

So this isn’t your typical Asian action outing, but rather a black comedy/drama/thriller. There are some humorous elements and some suspenseful moments and some straight up dramatic scenes, and it all blends together to make a surprisingly effective movie. And at just an hour and a half, it moves at a good clip and doesn’t waste any time.

Radiance has put together a sharp package for this release, with nice package design and some cool extra features.

The Bonus Features: 

• Audio commentary by critic and author Samm Deighan (2025)
• New interview with editor Kunihiko Ukai (2025)
• Trailer
• Newly improved English subtitle translation
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sam Smith
• Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by Jasper Sharp and an archival review of the film

Digital Copy Included: No 

The Wrap-Up:

A Tale of Sorrow and Sadness was directed by Seijun Suzuki, who had been blacklisted by Japanese movie studios for over a decade before making the film. It’s an effective return for a filmmaker and an intriguing and enjoyable movie in its own right.