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.
Well, my Physical Medians, we’re entering week 7,674 of everyone staying home, and I hope that you’ve all maintained your sanity, as I have. Getting any projects done? I have started something I’ve been wanting to do for a few years, an actual catalogue of my physical media. I figure as I have the time, and that I am writing these articles, it was a good idea to finally get it done.
I’m entering everything in an Excel spreadsheet, with the title, year of release, genre, MPAA rating, Blu or DVD, Steelbook or not, 4K or not. I’m about four an a half hours into the project, 154 entries so far, with what looks like at least 200 more to go. If people are interested, I might post it online for everyone to look at, and see what I consider important enough to own.
It may take me a while to finish, however, as SHOUT! Factory is having a “Cabin Fever” 20% off sale on their inventory. My Steelbooks for Streets of Fire and the Transformers: The Movie 30th Anniversary edition both arrived today.
And then there’s all of the new stuff coming out each week! Like everything below! (Ooooh, such a smooth segue.)
The Gentlemen (2019) “A very British drug lord tries to sell off his highly profitable empire to a dynasty of Oklahoma billionaires.” That’s . . . almost accurate. The drug lord is an expat American in England, and the buyer is not from where the wheat is as high as an elephant’s eye. But it’s close enough, I guess, as gists go. Guy Ritchie returns to the crime genre that launched his career, and it’s a fun ride. It feels like a 90s crime flick, a little dated (especially with some of the humor), but it’s tight, has a rock-solid cast, including a magnetic Matthew McConaughey, a fun Colin Farrell, a sleazy Hugh Grant, and probably the best performance I’ve seen out of Charlie Hunnam to date. Get it on Blu-Ray or 4K, ya reprobates.
The Turning (2020) “A young governess is hired by a man who has become responsible for his young nephew and niece after the deaths of their parents. A modern take on Henry James’ novella “The Turn of the Screw”.” The trailers didn’t look great, but it’s got that kid from Stranger Things, and the original story is considered a foundational work of horror, one that defined what ghost stories can be and do to a reader. Sadly, the movie wasn’t out for long, which does not bode well, so now I’ll have to see it as a rental.
The Curse of the Werewolf (1961) “In Spain, Leon is born on Christmas day to a mute servant girl who was raped by a beggar. His mother dies giving birth and he is looked after by Don Alfredo. As a child Leon becomes a werewolf after having been taken hunting. As a young man, he works in a wine cellar and falls in love with the owner’s daughter Cristina. One full moon, he again turns into a werewolf and terrifies the town…” Another Hammer Films classic. For the longest time, this was my favorite werewolf movie (these days, that’s either Dog Soldiers or Ginger Snaps, depending on my mood), and it’s still in my top five. Oliver Reed is fantastic in the lead role; it’s tense, and oozes that lurid Hammer style that I just love. This edition is from the fine folks at Scream Factory (I swear, they’re not paying me, as much as I mention them. I’m just a fan), with another gorgeous painted cover by Rondo Award Winning artist Mark Maddox. Check it out.
Colour from the Dark (2008) “It’s the 1940s. The entire planet is at war, yet Pietro and Lucia live on a peaceful, isolated farm with Lucia’s fifteen year old sister Alice, who suffers from severe mental problems. Unlike his three brothers, Pietro has been spared from fighting due to a deformed knee. But even despite Pietro’s crippling malady, the poor farmer works tirelessly to till the soil and care for his crops so that his family will be able to eat. Then, one day, as Pietro and Alice attempt to draw water from their well, they inadvertently release something from deep within the Earth’s womb. Entranced, the couple peers down the well to see an otherworldly color flutter beneath the water before disappearing without a trace. In the following days, the entire farm is beset by a series of inexplicable occurrences. When the sun falls over the horizon, the surrounding vegetation begins to glow with a sinister light that seems not of this Earth. As the color continues to spread throughout the farm, into the family home, and ultimately into the very minds of Pietro and his family, they are gradually drawn into a sickening world of suffering, blood, and death.” Once again, I’ll never understand BR.com’s gist policy, where some are short, missing, or inaccurate, and others are whole Wikipedia articles. Anyway, this is the Italian 2008 take on Lovecraft’s The Color Out of Space, and it’s divorced enough from the story that I missed it in my list of adaptations of the tale.
Between this adaptation and the other version; the other one has Academy Award Winner© Nicolas Cage, so, you know, choose wisely.
Carnival Magic (1981) “A magician in a carnival–who actually can read minds and levitate people and objects–works with a superintelligent chimp named Alex, who can also talk. The magician and the chimp soon become the stars of the carnival, drawing in big crowds. However, the wild-animal trainer, who has been displaced by the team as the carnival’s top act, decides to kidnap Alex and sell him to a medical laboratory for experimentation, thereby getting rid of his competition.” Yes, this was in the MST3K reboot, but now you can get it bot-snark-free. BUT WHY WOULD YOU?
Sea Fever (2020) “The crew of a West of Ireland trawler, marooned at sea, struggle for their lives against a growing parasite in their water supply.” You had me at Irish Trawler, movie. Hey, I have a brand to stick with here, people.
Other titles of note: Bad Boys for Life (2020), Ip Man 4 (2019), Ultraman X: The Series + The Movie (2015 + 2016), Track: Search for Australia’s Bigfoot (2020)
So that’s it for this week, my Physical Medians. Please stay safe, keep washing your hands, and order whatever you’re picking up this week either online or curbside pickup. Let me know which of these are a must-buy for you, a pass, or which ones I missed!