Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Friday The 13th

 

Friday the 13th is the 1980 horror film directed by Sean S. Cunningham and written by Victor Miller. The film stars Betsy Palmer, Adrienne King, Jeannine Taylor, Robbi Morgan, Kevin Bacon, Harry Crosby, and Laurie Bartram. The supporting cast includes Mark Nelson, Peter Brouwer, and Walt Gorney.

The plot involves Camp Crystal Lake reopening after being closed for several years. A group of counselors arrives early to get the camp ready for the kids, despite warnings from locals that the camp should remain closed. As they work to get everything ready, the counselors start being killed off one by one. I will not go into too much detail about the story for those who have not seen it, since the identity of the killer is supposed to be part of the mystery.

There have been several Blu-Ray releases of the film, so the features will vary depending on which edition you get. I have the deluxe box set released by Shout Factory, which includes all 10 original films, along with Freddy vs. Jason and the 2009 remake. In that collection, the first film is a two-disc set, with both discs in a keep case inside the decorative box. One disc contains the theatrical cut, while the other contains the uncut version. Both versions run just over an hour and a half, with the uncut version running only slightly longer. There are no substantive differences in the story between the two cuts, as the additional footage mostly extends some of the gore. The A/V quality is very good, especially considering the age of the film and the fact that it was a very low-budget movie when it was released. There are bonus features on both discs. The theatrical disc includes the US and international trailers, TV and radio spots, and two different stills galleries, one with pictures from the film and the other with posters and promotional material. On the uncut version, there is an audio commentary on the film which includes the director, writer, and members of the cast and crew, a short film set in the Friday the 13th universe, a featurette on the director, a reunion panel discussion including the director, writer, and some members of the cast and crew, and fan fiction articles that can be accessed if you put the disc in a computer's CD drive. 

The film definitely feels dated. It was a low-budget 1980s movie, and it very much looks and feels like one. It was made to capitalize on the popularity of Halloween, and Miller admits in the bonus content that he was basically told to write a script that ripped off Halloween. It is certainly not as good as Halloween, and parts of the writing and effects are extremely cheesy by today's standards. I also think the script would have been better if the killer had been shown interacting with the group earlier in the movie. The film tries to use misdirection to make you think the killer could be someone else, but once you actually see the killer, you know pretty much immediately. It does earn its R-rating, with some gore (although not as much as many of today's horror movies), swearing, sexual content, and brief nudity. It will always be notable for launching the franchise and for being one of Kevin Bacon's early films. Ultimately, even with its flaws, it is an iconic horror film that helped define 80s horror movies and is worth watching if you are a fan of the genre.

4k-UHD/Movie Review: Free Guy

 

Free Guy is a 2021 comedy directed by Shawn Levy and written by Matt Lieberman and Zak Penn. It stars Ryan Reynolds, Jodie Comer, Joe Keery, Lil Rel Howery, Utkarsh Ambudkar, and Taika Waititi. Reynolds plays Guy, a bank teller who is actually a non-player character in an online video game called Free City. He goes through pretty much the same routine every day until he encounters Molotov Girl (played by Comer) and starts doing things outside of his programming. In the real world, Molotov Girl is Millie, a game developer trying to prove that the company behind Free City stole code from a game she developed with her former partner, Keys (played by Keery). Waititi plays Antwan, the head of the company behind Free City.

The 4k set is a two-disc set, containing a UHD disc and a standard Blu-Ray. It also includes a digital code that can be redeemed on Movies Anywhere. The UHD disc only contains the film, while the bonus features are on the standard Blu-Ray. The A/V quality on the UHD version is good, with great audio quality and decent video quality, although it is not what I would describe as a reference-quality 4k transfer. The extras include a little over five minutes of deleted scenes, a short gag reel, the theatrical trailers, and several making-of and behind-the-scenes featurettes. The most interesting of these is the Dude vs. Guy featurette, which shows how the fight scene toward the end of the film was made.

The movie is good. It mixes several different comedy genres, sometimes being an action-comedy, sometimes a spoof-comedy, and sometimes a romantic-comedy. At times, it lampoons gamer and tech bro cultures, but it also dabbles with some ethical questions about artificial intelligence and stealing other people's work. Reynolds is very much in his comedic element with this film, but Comer is the standout, essentially playing two different characters, one in the real world and one in the game. Waititi is also great in his role, and there are some very funny cameos, with the best probably being Channing Tatum's. Since it is a Disney film, there are a couple of Star Wars and MCU jokes thrown in as well. There are some genuinely funny moments, but I did not find myself laughing all the way through. There is some swearing and violence, along with some sexual jokes, but it is not raunchy, and there is no nudity. The PG-13 rating is appropriate. Ultimately, this is a decent comedy that is not a must-watch, but it is worth checking out if you are a fan of Reynolds or are just looking for a relatively family-friendly comedy.

DVD/Movie Review: Ghosts Can't Do It

 

Ghosts Can't Do It is the 1989 film that was billed as a romantic fantasy comedy. It is debatable whether it was romantic and was certainly not a comedy, at least not in the traditional sense anyway. It was written and directed by John Derek, and it was his final movie. The film stars Bo Derek, Anthony Quinn, and Don Murray in the leading roles. The supporting cast includes Leo Damian and Julie Newmar, and features a cameo appearance by the orange genital wart itself (IYKYK), which earned it a worst supporting actor nomination. 

The plot involves a wealthy elderly man named Scott (played by Quinn) who is married to a much younger woman named Katie (played by Bo Derek). After Scott suffers a heart attack that leaves him physically incapacitated and unable to consummate their relationship, he commits suicide, but returns to Katie as a ghost that only she can see and hear. Together, the two plot to find a young, attractive man whose body Scott can possess so he can be with his wife physically once again, leading to a series of bizarre encounters in various exotic locations.

The DVD set is a single-disc, bare-bones release that offers little in terms of physical media quality. The DVD's A/V quality is horrible, and the overall image looks much more like a standard VHS transfer than a proper digital release. Not surprisingly, there are no bonus features or extras on the disc; you simply get the movie itself.

The film is awful, with a stupid script and horrible acting, which is pretty much par for the course for most of the movies that John Derek wrote and directed. It is only funny in the comically bad sense. It is another movie that was clearly just a vehicle to show Bo Derek nude. While she looked spectacular, the nude scenes in this one made absolutely no sense. The scenes where it would have made logical sense to have nudity often did not, and in other scenes she would just randomly take her clothes off for no apparent reason. Ultimately, the movie absolutely deserved all the "Razzie" nominations it received, and unless you like watching cheesy old movies in a "Mystery Science Theater 3000" kind of way, you will not miss anything by skipping this one.

4k-UHD/Movie Review: Flashdance

 

Flashdance is the 1983 romantic drama directed by Adrian Lyne, based on a screenplay by Tom Hedley and Joe Eszterhas. The film stars Jennifer Beals and Michael Nouri in the leading roles. The supporting cast includes Lilia Skala, Sunny Johnson, Kyle T. Heffner, Lee Ving, Ron Karabatsos, and Belinda Bauer. The plot follows an 18-year-old woman named Alex Owens (played by Beals) who works as a welder at a steel mill by day and as a dancer at a local bar by night. Alex dreams of being accepted into a prestigious dance conservatory, but she lacks formal training and is intimidated by the audition process. While she is not a stripper, she and some of the other dancers at the bar are constantly being recruited to work at a local strip club by its owner, Johnny C. (played by Ving), who is a regular at the bar. Along the way, Alex catches the eye of her older boss at the steel mill, Nick Hurley (played by Nouri), and the two begin a relationship that helps her find the courage to pursue her goals.

The 4K set is a two-disc set containing a UHD disc and a standard Blu-Ray. It also comes with a digital code that can be redeemed on Movies Anywhere. The A/V quality of the UHD disc is okay, but not great. It did not receive a high-quality transfer and is not a huge upgrade over the 1080p version. All of the bonus content is located on the standard Blu-Ray disc and totals about a half hour of runtime. Those extras include a short interview with director Adrian Lyne, a couple of making-of featurettes, and the theatrical trailer.

While the movie was a massive commercial hit when it was first released, it remains a very uneven film. The story does eventually get from point A to point Z, but it gets there in a very haphazard manner, with some of the characters' actions making absolutely no sense. The movie also feels very much stuck in the 1980s, relying heavily on several music montages, including a very out-of-place, cheesy workout sequence that slows down the narrative. Additionally, the storyline of an 18-year-old employee who starts dating her older boss feels a bit creepy nowadays and would not make for a romantic story in the modern day. The acting across the board was okay, and the writing was definitely uneven. Beals did a decent job given that this was her first major acting role, after having done some modeling and having a very small part in one movie before she was cast in this film. It was a pretty big deal to have a biracial lead actress in her first major role, which still makes the movie somewhat groundbreaking. Ultimately, the movie's soundtrack, which features several popular 80s songs, is much better than the film itself, which is dated and does not hold up particularly well. However, it is still worth checking out for fans of 1980s movies, as long as you accept it for what it is and do not expect more than that.

4k-UHD/Movie Review: Disclosure Day

 

Disclosure Day is the 2026 science-fiction thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg from a screenplay written by David Koepp. The film stars Emily Blunt, Josh O'Connor, and Colin Firth in the leading roles. The supporting cast includes Eve Hewson, Colman Domingo, Wyatt Russell, Elizabeth Marvel, and Henry Lloyd-Hughes.

The plot follows a television meteorologist, Margaret Fairchild (played by Blunt), and a cybersecurity analyst, Daniel Kelner (played by O'Connor), who unexpectedly find themselves thrown together on a high-stakes mission that neither fully understands. All while being chased by a shadowy organization and helped by an underground resistance group. The movie starts with little setup, starting off with a standoff between O'Connor and Firth's characters. We learn that Kelner has stolen evidence of an extraterrestrial cover-up and plans to disclose the definitive existence of alien life to the entire world. Firth plays a government contractor named Hugo, who is trying to prevent the secret from being released. Margaret begins exhibiting weird behavior and feels a pull to find and help Kelner, all to the dismay of everyone around her, including her boyfriend, Jackson (played by Russell). 

The 4K set is a two-disc set containing a UHD disc and a standard Blu-Ray. It also comes with a digital code that can be redeemed on Movies Anywhere. The A/V quality of the UHD disc is outstanding, and the digital effects are so good that it is genuinely hard to tell what was done with practical effects and what was done digitally. The bonus content is completely included on the UHD disc itself. It features a making-of featurette that runs just under an hour, as well as a short feature focusing on the long-term working relationship between Spielberg and his legendary composer, John Williams. Both features are good and are well worth a look for people who like watching the bonus content on physical releases.

The movie is good, with a nice blend of action, drama, and suspense. It was very well acted, with Blunt and Firth being the clear standouts of the production, although all of the actors did a very good job in their respective roles. The writing was good overall but got a bit cheesy and silly in parts, especially toward the end of the film during the climax. It seems like this is what Spielberg likely would have done with Close Encounters of the Third Kind if the special-effects technology had been good enough back in the late 1970s. While it is not a direct sequel to Close Encounters, it feels like a modern update of that story. Ultimately, it is a very entertaining sci-fi thriller that is absolutely worth watching.

4k-UHD/Movie Review: Fight Club

 

Fight Club is the 1999 psychological drama film directed by David Fincher and based on the debut novel by Chuck Palahniuk, who also assisted with the story adaptation alongside screenwriter Jim Uhls. The film stars Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, and Helena Bonham Carter in the leading roles. The supporting cast includes Meat Loaf Aday, Jared Leto, Zach Grenier, Peter Iacangelo, and David Andrews.

The story follows an unnamed narrator (played by Norton) who is an unfulfilled, insomniac corporate worker looking for meaning in his consumer-driven life. His world changes completely after he crosses paths with a charismatic and eccentric soap salesman named Tyler Durden (played by Pitt). Together, the two men establish an underground, no-holds-barred sparring circuit called "Fight Club" as a form of radical male psychotherapy for other disgruntled men. The club quickly evolves into a widespread, anti-corporate vigilante organization known as Project Mayhem. The plot is definitely a bit mind-bending, but very good, blending action, drama, and comedy while operating as an intense social commentary. The story touches heavily on deep thematic concepts like mental illness, the desperate human need to be a part of something larger than oneself, and the internal struggle of striving to be completely different from who you are. 

The 4K set is a two-disc set containing a UHD disc and a standard Blu-Ray. This specific release is packaged in a collectible Steelbook edition, though a standard 4K non-steelbook version is also available. The A/V quality of the UHD disc is outstanding, and both the video and audio transfers are at or near reference-quality for 4K discs. There are four different full-length commentary tracks, all of which are included on the UHD disc itself. The first track features Fincher alone, the second brings together Fincher, Pitt, and Norton in the same room with Bonham Carter recorded separately, the third features the novel's author Chuck Palahniuk and screenwriter Jim Uhls, and the fourth is a highly technical commentary track by several members of the production team. While there is definitely some narrative overlap in the information shared across the different tracks, for the most part each track maintains its own unique feel and tone. The second track featuring Fincher and the main cast members is easily the most entertaining of the bunch.

The rest of the extensive bonus content is on the standard Blu-Ray disc and is carried over entirely from the film's original physical media release. There is a massive amount of behind-the-scenes and making-of material included, alongside some highly functional interactive features that provide a lot of material for people who love going through bonus content. This includes a robust search index that allows you to select specific production topics to either jump straight to the exact point in the movie where it is mentioned or immediately play a corresponding segment from the bonus features. There is also a dedicated commentary guide option that plays the film with visual on-screen pop-ups that tell you exactly what is being discussed on each of the four individual commentary tracks at that precise moment in the timeline.

The film remains great and was exceptionally well acted, especially by the core cast members. The film is rated R, earning its rating for strong violence, frequent swearing, sexual content, and some brief nudity. Looking back at the production, it is almost amazing that Pitt, Bonham Carter, or Norton did not develop and die of lung cancer during the shoot because they were all either heavily smoking or actively breathing in second-hand smoke in nearly every single scene. The writing includes many iconic lines, and Fincher's distinct cinematic style holds up incredibly well. Ultimately, it is a unique, offbeat film that holds up well and is worth watching. If you are someone who collects physical media, this reference-quality 4K release is well worth adding to your collection.

4k-UHD/Movie Review: The Fifth Element

 

The Fifth Element is the 1997 science-fiction action film written and directed by Luc Besson. It stars Bruce Willis, Gary Oldman, and Milla Jovovich in the leading roles. The supporting cast includes Ian Holm, Chris Tucker, Luke Perry, Brion James, Tom Lister Jr., and Lee Evans.

The story opens in Egypt in 1914, but the bulk of the movie is set 300 years later, in 2214. The plot follows a futuristic New York City cab driver and former special forces major, Korben Dallas (played by Willis), who accidentally becomes responsible for the fate of the world when a mysterious woman named Leeloo (played by Jovovich) falls into his flying taxi. Leeloo turns out to be the physical embodiment of the supreme being, known as the fifth element, who is destined to combine with four elemental stones to defeat a great cosmic evil that threatens to destroy the universe every 5,000 years. Dallas must protect Leeloo from the evil corporate tyrant Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg (played by Oldman) and a band of mercenary aliens, leading to a massive showdown at a luxury resort in space.

The 4K set is a two-disc set containing a UHD disc and a standard Blu-Ray. This release is a collectible Steelbook edition, though a standard 4K non-Steelbook edition is also available. The A/V quality of the UHD disc is very good. I would not say the transfer is as high-quality as some older films have received, but it still looks and sounds quite good, especially if you have a large screen and a decent sound system. The only extra feature included on the UHD disc itself is a short introduction and interview with director Luc Besson discussing the film. The rest of the extras are on the standard Blu-Ray disc and carry over from the original physical media release. There is a ton of behind-the-scenes and making-of material included, which provides a lot of interesting information about the production. One of the most interesting facts revealed is that the movie would not be picked up by a studio until after the massive success of Besson's prior movie, Léon: The Professional. The standard blu-ray also lets you play the movie with a "fact track" that uses captions to insert facts about the actors, the production, particular scenes, etc., throughout the film. 

The movie itself remains a great blend of sci-fi action, humor, drama, and romance. Bruce Willis filmed this movie at the peak of his fame, and he did a great job in the leading role as the sarcastic, down-on-his-luck, but capable hero. This was actually the fifth film in the careers of both Chris Tucker and Milla Jovovich, and both of them were great in their respective roles. Tucker steals nearly every single scene he is in as the very flamboyant radio host Ruby Rhod, a character he modeled as a combination of Michael Jackson and Prince. The film was made just before digital effects took off in Hollywood, so it relies on a unique mix of practical model effects and early digital effects that give it a distinct visual charm. The film is rated PG-13, but it definitely skirts the line with some heavy sexual innuendo and brief nudity. Ultimately, it is a great film that was underrated when it was first released and is worth watching. If you are someone who collects physical media, this release is well worth adding to your collection.