10 NEW TO NETFLIX
“Barbie““The Dead Don’t Die““It Ends with Us““Kneecap““A Prophet”“Run All Night““Shiva Baby““Top Five““Transformers”“Zero Dark Thirty“
14 NEW TO BLU-RAY/DVD
“8 1/2” (Criterion)
One of several Federico Fellini films that could accurately be called a masterpiece just received the 4K treatment from Criterion, working from a new digital restoration of the acknowledged classic. A meta movie before that was as common as it is today, “8 1/2” is Fellini’s bit of autobiographical commentary as Marcello Mastroianni is spellbinding as an Italian director who considers his life as he struggles with a new project. The winner of the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, it’s widely considered one of the most essential films ever made. “8 1/2” took one of the biggest tumbles from the 2012 to 2022 Sight and Sound polls, falling from 10th to 31st all time. Maybe this will release can help it regain that lost ground in 2032.
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Special Features:
New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack One 4K UHD disc of the film and one Blu-ray with the film and special features Introduction by filmmaker Terry Gilliam Audio commentary featuring film critics Gideon Bachmann and Antonio Monda Fellini: A Director’s Notebook, a short film by Federico Fellini The Last Sequence, a documentary on Fellini’s lost alternate ending for 8½ Nino Rota: Between Cinema and Concert, a documentary about Fellini’s longtime composer Interviews with actor Sandra Milo, filmmaker Lina Wertmüller, and cinematographer Vittorio Storaro Rare photographs from Bachmann’s collection Gallery of behind-the-scenes and production photos Trailer PLUS: An essay by film critic Stephanie Zacharek“Alien: Romulus“
Fede Alvarez has resurrected dormant franchises twice now with his “Evil Dead” and then with this 2024 blockbuster, a movie that divided audiences but quite simply rocked the box office, making over $350 worldwide. While I prefer the ambition of Ridley Scott’s prequels, I’m in the pro camp on this flick too, particularly the excellent production design and phenomenal performance from David Jonsson (one of our picks for the greatest of 2024). Honestly, if not for the truly awful digital version of Ian Holm, I might love it. You know what else I love? The fact that Fox chose to release this on a collector’s edition VHS too. As someone who spent a lot of his teenage years managing a video store, it would have looked so great on the shelves of Videomax and Planet Video.
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Special Features:
DOLBY ATMOS AUDIO TRACK Return to Horror: Crafting Alien: Romulus The Director’s Vision – Discover how one of today’s greatest horror directors, Fede Alvarez, collaborated with master filmmaker Ridley Scott to craft a new, heart-pounding chapter in the Alien franchise. Creating the Story – Learn what inspired the story of Alien: Romulus and see the many easter eggs from previous Alien installments that you may have missed. Casting the Faces – Meet the stars of Alien: Romulus as they take us inside the hearts and minds of their characters. Explore the parallels between Rain and the iconic franchise heroine, Ripley, and learn how filmmakers brought back a face from the past. Constructing the World – Explore the massive, practical sets of Alien: Romulus that hearken back to the futuristic style established in the ’80s and get up close and personal with a hoard of practically built facehuggers, chestbursters, and xenomorphs. Inside the Xenomorph Showdown – Experience the film’s climactic zero-gravity sequence from every angle as filmmakers break down what it took to make the moment spectacular. From sets and performances, to wirework, stunts, and VFX, see how it all came together. Alien: A Conversation – A special conversation with Ridley Scott and Fede Alvarez for the Alien 45th Anniversary theatrical re-release. Alternate / Extended Scenes – Check out scenes that didn’t make the final cut.“The Beast“
Betrand Bonello’s latest is arguably the most critically successful film of his career, even landing a few EOY critics nominations and awards – it got two from Chicago, including Best Actress for Lea Seydoux. This stunningly ambitious sci-fi/drama is loosely based on a 1903 novella by Henry James, but it’s a Bonello production through and through, an examination of gender, identity, romance, and danger. It’s also now a part of Criterion’s Janus Contemporaries lines, which is a wonderful way to bring prominent films from around the world to a bigger audience, but I do wonder if it’s keeping some films from getting “proper” Criterion releases with more extensive special features. It certainly feels like this would be a likely candidate for the full treatment if the JC label didn’t exist, and it feels like a film that could have been amply supported by a commentary, video essay, featurettes, and an essay. Maybe that can still happen, but no JC film has “graduated” to the collection yet. Maybe this will be the first?
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Special Features:
Meet the Filmmakers, a new interview with director Bertrand Bonello Trailer English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing“Conclave“
This almost-certain Best Picture nominee has been one of the more interesting stories of the year to this industry watcheer. The death of the mid-budget movie (all those scripts got stretched into streaming mini-series) means dramas for adults like this one don’t get made as often as they should, and the vacuum helped turn this smart, engaging flick into a pretty sizable hit, already making 2.5 times its budget. I wonder if Universal/Focus regret already making it available on VOD and Blu-ray (and Peacock!), but it’s too late for that, and they’re probably already happy at its returns and its likely awards-season future. It’s already received six Golden Globe nominations and a stunning 11 Critics Choice Award nominations, tied for the lead with “Wicked.”
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Special Features:
SEQUESTERED: INSIDE CONCLAVE – Enter the mysterious world of CONCLAVE with the cast and filmmakers for a behind-the-scenes look at what it took to raise the curtain on one of the most secretive and secluded processes in the world. FEATURE COMMENTARY WITH DIRECTOR EDWARD BERGER – Commentary with director Edward Berger“Evil Does Not Exist“
The brilliant Ryusuke Hamaguchi made waves when his “Drive My Car” became an Oscar and EOY list darling, but his follow-up, “Evil Does Not Exist” hasn’t quite garnered the same attention. Now that it’s available on a Janus Contemporaries release, take the time to track it down, as it’s just further evidence of Hamaguchi’s nuance and skill. It’s the story of a man who lives in a small Japanese village with his daughter, a place that’s about to be altered by a proposed glamping site. A scene in which the locals meet with the suits trying to turn their homes into a tourist location is one of the best of 2024, as is the shocking ending that some people are still trying to unpack.
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Special Features:
Meet the Filmmakers, a new interview with director Ryusuke Hamaguchi Trailer“Interstellar“
For some reason, Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi masterpiece was considered a disappointment a decade ago, likely because superhero culture was so prevalent that people were just hoping the Oscar winner would make another Batman movie. It’s long been one of my favorite Nolan films, and actually one of my favorite films of the 2010s. It’s a startlingly ambitious piece of work, what happens when a creative filmmaker gets the money and power from a trilogy like “The Dark Knight” and uses it to make a passion project. It’s a massive production that’s not based on another IP, and one that suggests that love is what powers the universe. Paramount has released a beautiful 10th anniversary edition, complete with a 4K version of the film and physical collectibles. Use that holiday gift card money on this one.
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Special Features:
NEW The Future Is Now: A Look Back at INTERSTELLAR – Explore the impact of INTERSTELLAR 10 years later through new interviews with director/co-writer Christopher Nolan, producer Emma Thomas, executive producer Kip Thorne, and co-writer Jonathan Nolan. From the development of prophetic black hole visuals to revolutionary production design for IMAX, further context is provided by colleagues and fans including director Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings) and director Denis Villeneuve (Dune). The Science of Interstellar Inside Interstellar: Plotting an Interstellar Journey Life on Cooper’s Farm The Dust TARS and CASE The Cosmic Sounds of Interstellar The Space Suits The Endurance Shooting in Iceland: Miller’s Planet / Mann’s Planet The Ranger and the Lander Miniatures in Space The Simulation of Zero-G Celestial Landmarks Across All Dimensions and Time Final Thoughts Roundtables: Creating Interstellar Experiencing Interstellar Trailers“No Country for Old Men” (Criterion)
One of Criterion’s most notable releases of 2024 came at the end of the year in this stacked release for Joel & Ethan Coen’s only Best Picture winner. Where to begin? First, I love the packaging with excellent new cover art. Then there’s the conversation about the film between the Coens and the brilliant writer Megan Abbott. There’s a new chat with the legendary D.P. Roger Deakins too, along with previously available featurettes from DVD and Blu-ray releases. How about a 2007 piece about the film by the award-winning Larry McMurtry? Of course, the big draw is the 4K presentation, coming from a new digital master that was overseen by Deakins himself. In a good year for Criterion, this is one of their best releases.
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Special Features:
New 4K digital master, ... Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( December 2024 Blu-Ray Guide: “The Wild Robot,” “Conclave,” “Alien: Romulus,” More )
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