Welcome back to the latest episode of Slipped Discs, where I give you a head’s up on what nerdy stuff is available to come home with you, because I still believe in physical media!

Once more, all this information comes from Blu-Ray.com, but they list everything that will be in the stores, whereas I shall provide you with what I feel is the interesting genre fare.

And boy, we have a lot this week to make up the lack of cool stuff over the last two weeks! So let’s get right into it!

Knives Out The gist: “A detective investigates the death of a patriarch of an eccentric, combative family.” Say what you will about Rain Johnson, (and boy howdy, will the internet not stop saying things about him), the guy knows how to make a mystery. This movie has a rock-star cast, excellent flow, great characters, a tight plot, and was a high point of last year. Well worth buying, it’s out in Blu, 4K, and the usual Best Buy exclusive Steelbook.

Pet Sematary Two (1992) The gist: “The “sematary” is up to its old zombie-raising tricks again. This time, the protagonists are Jeff Matthews, whose mother died in a Hollywood stage accident, and Drew Gilbert, a boy coping with an abusive stepfather.” Poor Edward Furlong just couldn’t catch a break after T2. I mean, the movies he did afterwards weren’t bad, but they weren’t great either. He got more heat than he deserved, to be fair, as it wasn’t totally his fault the movies weren’t the greatest. This one is an ok sequel, and also has Clancy Brown chewing on the scenery, so it’s worth a look. Especially as it’s getting the patented Scream Factory Collector’s Edition treatment.

Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, Skyfall, Spectre All the Craig Bond movies are getting a nice Blu-Ray and 4K re-release. It’s almost like there’s a new one about to come out. And you don’t need the gist of them from me. Casino is the best, and I can take or leave the others.

Xtro 3: Watch the Skies (1995) The gist “Marines travel to a deserted island to diffuse bombs, only to be terrorized by an alien.” They made three of these crappy flicks? Ah well, this Blu is coming from Vinegar Syndrome in a regular and special edition limited to 2,000 copies. So, get it while it’s hot?

Frozen II The gist “Elsa, Anna, Kristoff and Olaf are going far in the forest to know the truth about an ancient mystery of their kingdom.” Look, I know “Let it Go” is the overplayed hit of 2013, but that’s because it was damn good. And while this movie doesn’t have a breakaway pop hit like that, it’s still a decent movie. There have been a lot of worse Disney sequels. It’s out in Blu, 4K and the obligatory Best Buy Steelbook.

Reigo, the Deep-Sea Monster vs. the Battleship Yamato (2005) The gist “The film, set in World War II, depicts the story of the real-life Japanese battleship, the Yamato, which is confronted in the Pacific Ocean by giant monsters, including the most fearsome of them all, Reigo.” You had me at Kaiju vs Yamato.

Raiga: God of the Monsters (2009) The gist “A giant monster surfaces from the sea among others, and attacks Japan.” Per Wikipedia, this is the sequel to Regio there, and “features a more traditional Godzilla-like kaiju“. So, once more, I’m in.

Better Off Dead (1985) The gist “Lane Meyer is a depressed teen who loses his girlfriend Beth. Her given reason for breaking up is: “Lane, I think it’d be in my best interest if I dated somebody more popular. Better looking. Drives a nicer car.” Anyway, poor Lane is left alone and thinks up treacherous ways of killing himself. He finally meets a French beauty called Monique and falls for her. Simultaneously, he must endure his mother’s terrible cooking which literally slides off the table and his disgusting next door neighbour Ricky (and his mum) while he prepares for the skiing race of his life – to get his old girlfriend back!” To me, there are two directors that defined teen comedies in the 80’s. The first is John Huges. The second, (who I actually like a little more, if you make be pick between them), is Savage Steve Holland. His movies are cutting, subversive, hilarious and just bonkers. This is one of his best, and has a powerhouse cast of John Cusack, David Ogden Stiers, Kim Darby, Curtis Armstrong, and Diane Franklin. This edition is a FYE exclusive Steelbook, and I will definitely be picking it up.

One Missed Call Trilogy The gist “No synopsis for One Missed Call Trilogy” Again, Blu-Ray.com, I’m available, if you’re hiring. Anyway, this set is from Arrow Video, and collects the Japanese originals, not the terrible American remake. The first is actually by Takashi Miike, so it’s worth a look.

The Hunt for Red October (1990) The gist “A new, technologically-superior Soviet sub, the Red October, is heading for the U.S. coast under the command of Marko Ramius. The U.S. government thinks Ramius is planning to attack, but C.I.A. analyst Jack Ryan has a different idea. He thinks Ramius is planning to defect, but he has only a few hours to find him and prove it, because the Russian naval and air forces are trying to find him, too.” The last Cold War movie; a fantastic Sean Connery movie, the best Jack Ryan movie (sorry, Harrison), and probably the best adaptation of a Tom Clancy book, this techno-thriller is an absolute classic. Solid cast, still effective FX, and it’s about time it got a nice 4K release, in a cool Steelbook, no less. One ping, and one ping only.

Color Out of Space The gist “After a meteorite lands in the front yard of their farm, Nathan Gardner and his family find themselves battling a mutant extraterrestrial organism that infects their minds and bodies, transforming their quiet rural life into a technicolor nightmare.” Go read my review here!

Stop Making Sense (1984) The gist “The famous concert movie by rock band Talking Heads, filmed over three nights in 1983 at the Pantages Theater in Hollywood.” Ok, yes, this isn’t exactly a genre film, but it put Jonathan Demme on the map as a filmmaker, and through this movie and their videos, Talking Heads defined a large part of the look and sound of the 80’s. David Byrne is having a bit of a renaissance repurposing this music with his American Utoipa project, so you should check out where it all started.

Other titles of note: Return of Ultraman (1971), Ultraman Orb: The Origin Saga (2016), Zombie Island Massacre (1984), Code 8 (This stars the Amell cousins!), Zombeavers (2014), After We Leave, Gappa: The Triphibian Monster (1967), Spookies (1986), Flesh Eating Mothers (1988), Hollywood Horror House (1970), Paris Is Burning (1990)

Whew! As I said, there is a lot out this week! What a way to close out February. Let me know which of these are a must-buy for you, a pass, or which ones I missed!