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Top 20 Blu-Rays of 2020: Number 2-Tremors 4K Limited Edition

The Grabiods return in stunning 4K from the fine folks at Arrow Video!

Val (Kevin Bacon) and Earl (Fred Ward) are a couple of handymen who get tired of the life in Perfection, Nevada and intend to leave. A bump is thrown into their plan when powerful, worm like creatures attack their small town.

Released in 1990, Tremors is the perfect blend of horror and comedy. There are genuine scares to be had throughout the film, but it succeeds just as equally as a laugh out loud comedy. The film is directed at a break-neck pace by Ron Underwood, who gets the best out of his effects crew and actors. Bacon’s charm is infectious and endearing. Ward’s gruff and grumble Earl is the perfect balance to Bacon’s earnest performance. Reba McIntyre and Michael Gross are game as married couple Burt and Heather, with some heavy hitting weapons for the monsters.

Tremors snatches ahold of your TV with a stunning new 4K UHD presentation. The dust, the dirt, the guts all look striking. Colors pop and clothing and objects have an incredible sense of detail.

Tremors shakes and quakes with a speaker busting DTS-HD Master Audio. The sound design fits the movie perfectly and it is on full display on this disc.

Tremors comes absolutely stuffed with extras.

Disc One:

Comementary with Ron Underwood, Brent Maddock and SS Wilson

Commentary with Jonathan Melville

Making Perfection: A great documentary about making the film with interviews with Bacon and company.

The Truth About Tremors: A new interview with Nancy Roberts, who is a co-producer.

Bad Vibrations: A new interview with DP Alexander Grusynski.

Aftershocks and Other Rumblings: A new interview with Ellen Collett.

Digging the Dirt: The Visual Effects of Tremors: an awesome look at the monsters and effects of the film.

Music of Grabiods: A new chat with Ernest Troost and Robert Folk.

The Making of Tremors: An older documentary about the making of the film.

Creature Featurette: Clips from the set

Pardon My French: Clips of the TV version of Tremors, meaning silly dubs of naughty words.

EPK: The original promotional material for the film.

Deleted Scenes, Trailers from Tremors and the Franchise, and a Still Gallery.

Disc 2:

Extended Interviews from Making Perfection: Another four hours of interviews from select participants.

Arclight Q&A: from 2015 a fun talk with the cast and crew.

Gag Reel

Early Short Films: Ron Underwood gives us a look at his early work.

The release comes in a sturdy cardboard case with a nicely done book, a poster featuring an x-ray look at a graboid, postcards and a “coupon“ for Walter Chang’s Market.

Once again Arrow delivers a standout package from a standout film.

Film: A

Video: A

Audio: A

Extras: A+

Overall: A

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Top 20 Blu-Rays of 2020: Number 3-Mallrats 25th Anniversary Limited Edition

“I love the smell of commerce in the morning!”

Mallrats was released 25 years ago and Arrow Video celebrated the occasion by releasing the definitive version on blu-ray.

Brodie (Jason Lee) loves comics, Sega hockey and begrudgingly his girlfriend Rene (Shannen Doherty). TS (Jeremy London) loves his girlfriend Brandi (Claire Forlani) and plans on proposing to her. Rene dumps Brodie the same morning TS is dumped by Brandi and they head to the mall where we meet Shannon (Ben Affleck) the agro manager of “Fashionable Male”. Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Writer/Director Kevin Smith) who is enlisted by Brodie to trash a dating game set after TS learns that Brandi is appearing on the show at the request of her father due to the previous contestant having died preparing for the show (my friends and I still love the line, “She’s fucking dead!”).

Mallrats is one of my favorite movies. I feel like I’ve grown up with it, quoted it countless times and I enjoy watching it every time. It’s the movie that made me fall in love with Kevin Smith as well. It felt like Smith made movies for my friends and I and no one else. In fact, I saw Mallrats in high school when it was still not that popular. I was at a cast party for a play I was in and my good friend Joe told me I needed to watch Mallrats. I laughed the whole time and I remember explaining to my other friends who Stan Lee is (that seems so unusual now, but you really had to know comics in 1997 to know who Stan Lee was), which I still believe it to be his finest hour in film. I remember leaving that party and going to Suncoast (it was a video cassette store in the Villa Italia Mall in Lakewood, Colorado. Yes I am that old) and purchasing not only Mallrats but Clerks.

Mallrats is silly, funny and also has a dash of heart that make it a winner.

Mallrats arrives for its 25th Anniversary looking near mint. Arrow has freshened up the film with a brand new 4K scan for both the theatrical and director’s cut of the film. It looks incredible and it loses the over done sheen from Universal’s previous release and gives the film a much more natural look.

Snooch to the Nooch! Mallrats sounds incredible with its new DTS-HD Audio 5.1 track. Dialogue is the most important aspect of a Smith film and it comes through crystal clear without any distortion.

Arrow had packed Mallrats with a dirt mall full of bonus material.

Right out of the package there is a booklet with photos and an essay, plus a poster with Jay and Silent Bob’s “Operation Drive-By” and “Operation Dark Knight”. Plus the cover is reversible if you wish to have the original poster or the newly commissioned one, I always keep the slip cover and reverse the cover, best of both worlds!

Disc 1:

Includes an introduction by Kevin Smith before the theatrical cut.

Cast and Crew Commentary

My Mallrat Memories: A new, fun interview with Kevin Smith who is incredibly entertaining to listen to.

My Mallrats: A Tribute to Jim Jacks-Smith waxes poetically about the late producer and how he was the films biggest fan.

Blunt Talk: Jason Mewes sits down for a new interview.

Hollywood of the North: A cartoon version style documentary about the crew members and working in Minnesota.

When We Were Punks: A new interview with DP David Klein.

Deleted Scenes

Outtakes and Behind the Scenes Footage

Cast Interviews from the Original Set

Erection of an Epic: The Making of Mallrat: The original making of the film.

Q&A with Kevin Smith: Smith answers questions at the films 10th Anniversary.

Music Video and Trailer

Disc 2

Extended Cut, it also features an older introduction with Smith and Scott Mosier.

TV Cut: It is really fun to watch how they re-edit the curse words and vulgarity with words and phrases that do not make any sense. It also has a new introduction by Smith as well.

Soundtrack EPK

Dailies-A raw look at the film, this feature is nearly 2 hours!

Still Galleries

Mallrats is finally getting the release it deserves, and for long time fans like me this is a must buy!

Film: A+

Video: A

Audio: A

Extras: A+

Overall: A

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Top 20 Blu-Rays of 2020: Number 4-Bugs Bunny 80th Anniversary Collection

One of the greatest cartoon characters Bugs Bunny, is given a diamond of a blu-ray release. With 60 cartoons spread over three discs, this legendary character is given a high-def upgrade with 40 cartoons that have never appeared in high definition!

Bugs Bunny bounced on the scene in 1940, in the Tex Avery classic “A Wild Hare”, he goes toe-to-toe with Elmer Fudd. This collection also includes “Elmer’s Candid Camera” which was released before “A Wild Hare” but the rabbit in the short has a lot of Bugs’ characteristics.

I never stopped laughing at these cartoons. They all are classics and they are all fun. It makes the over seven hours of cartoons fly-by with side splitting results.

My hope is that everyone who loves Looney Tunes will buy this so we have more releases like this one. I am hoping for a Daffy Duck one, so buy this, you will not regret it. I personally could watch Daffy and Bugs argue over Rabbit Season and Duck Season all day.

Bugs Bunny brings out the best in blu-ray as the cartoons are lovingly restored and look beautiful. Some age does pop up but these ‘toons look phenomenal. Vibrant and colorful, I love seeing the paint brush strokes in the background and the ink lines on the characters.

Bugs smashes onto high definition with a solid 2.0 mono track that captures the music, sound effects and lunacy perfectly. No pops, scratches or other imperfections can be heard.

Bugs Bunny 80th Anniversary Collection comes packed with some ported over features and some new.

The package comes with a Funko Pop that is nice. It is a diamond Bugs, it looks like glitter so I haven’t taken it out yet because I do not want glitter every where, it looks nice however. Also included is a booklet that lists the cartoons.

Disc One:

Commentary on 15 cartoons with several people contributing.

What’s Up Doc-umentary! An hour look at Bugs Bunny over the past 80 years. It is a solid documentary with many interviews that was produced for this release.

Behind the Tunes-A short look behind the scenes, which is in standard def.

Disc Two:

8 commentaries on select cartoons, with “What’s Opera Doc?” Having two tracks.

Alternate Audio Tracks on 3 cartoons.

Bugs Bunny: Looney Tunes-All-Star 50th Anniversary: A tribute to Bugs from his 50th birthday.

Behind the Tunes-features 3 behind the scenes looks at specific toons.

Disc 3:

Commentaries on 5 cartoons.

Behind the Tunes-A behind the scenes look at 3 cartoons.

Looney Tunes Cartoons-Taken from the new Looney Tunes from HBO Max. 10 are included and are a lot of fun.

Bugs Bunny receives a grand 80th birthday release and we are the ones who get the present.

Film: A+

Video: A

Audio: A-

Extras: A

Overall: A

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Top 20 Blu-Rays of 2020: Number 5-Show Boat (1936)

5. Show Boat (1936)

James Whale directs the stunning film, Show Boat that features a stirring rendition of “Ol’ Man River”, by the amazing Paul Robeson.

Following the life of the daughter of a river boat, Magnolia Hawks (the always stunning Irene Dunne), through all of her ups and downs. First Magnolia wishes to be a star on her families boat, much to the delight of her father Cap’n Andy Hawks (Charles Winninger) and her mother Parthy Ann (Helen Westley). But soon Magnolia finds love in the form of Allan Jones (Gaylord Ravenal), who sweeps her off her feet and into marriage bliss. Or so she thinks.

Also onboard the Cotton Blossom is Julie LaVerne (Helen Morgan) who is the ships leading actress who is passing as white although she is part African-American, and Joe (Paul Robeson) and his wife Queenie (the incomparable Hattie McDaniel).

A truly stirring musical brought to life by Whale who is more known for his contributions to horror with Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein and The Invisible Man, in Show Boat Whale proves that he can deliver the goods on musicals as well. His keen eye keeps the film focused and moving along at a great pace.

Irene Dunne is my favorite Golden Age actress and she crushes it in Show Boat. Dunne is given the opportunity to showcase her incredible singing voice, her impeccable comedic timing and her dramatic acting chops as well. Dunne brings her A-game throughout the picture.

Of course Show Boat really belongs to Paul Robeson, who makes the song “Ol’Man River” a timeless classic. He also is funny and has a commanding presence whenever he is on screen.

Show Boat sails onto the Criterion Collection with a stunning 4K scan that is very pleasing. Although at times the film shows its age, this is still a beautiful transfer that gives the 85 year old film new life.

Show Boat hits all the right notes with a solid audio track. And like the video, it does show its age at times, overall this is an outstanding track with clarity.

Show Boat sails onto blu-ray with a treasure trove of extras:

Commentary by Miles Krueger

Remembering James Whale: A nicely done new documentary about the acclaimed director.

Recognizing Race in Show Boat: A superb look at the film with Author Shana L. Redmond.

Paul Robeson: A Tribute to an Artist: An Academy Award winning documentary narrated by Sidney Pottier

Show Boat (1929): Over 30 minutes consisting of four performances from the first attempt to film Show Boat, the silent segments have commentary by Krueger.

Radio Plays: Two radio versions are presented one with Orson Welles as the narrator.

Show Boat is an incredible musical that deserves a place on your shelf.

Film: A

Video: A-

Audio: A-

Extras: A+

Overall: A

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Top 20 Blu-Rays of 2020: Number 6-Knives Out UHD Bestbuy Exclusive Steelbook

6. Knives Out-Best Buy Exclusive Steelbook

There’s been a suicide, at the home of crime author Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer, in one of his last roles). And the police seem to accept that Harlan has committed suicide, but investigator Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) has received an envelope full of cash to investigate the mysterious suicide.

We meet Harlan’s eccentric family, his daughter Linda (Jaime Lee Curtis), her husband Richard (Don Johnson), son Walt (Michael Shannon), Joni Thrombey (Toni Collette) and his nurse Marta (Ana de Armas). Marta is the last person to see Harlan alive, so she becomes Blanc’s “assistant”, mostly due to the fact that she throws up when she lies.

Rounding out the stellar cast is Ransom (Chris Evans), Donna (Riki Lindhome), her son Jacob (Jaeden Martell), Meg (Katherine Langford) and two policemen looking into the death of Harlan, Elliot (Lakeith Stanfield) and Wagner (Noah Segan).

Knives Out works on so many levels. Credit to Writer/Director Rian Johnson and not only his visual flair but his snappy dialogue as well. Knives Out is an incredibly entertaining film that gives its actors room to breathe. There are standouts, Craig’s Blanc seems aloof but in fact is two steps ahead. Jaime Lee Curtis is downright brilliant in the film. Chris Evans’ smug Ransom is so much fun. Ultimately however the MVP of the film is Ana de Armas as a woman who takes care of Harlan and is given his fortune. Armas is sensitives and smarter than the family give her credit for which pays of throughout the film.

Knives Out stabs the UHD format with a stellar transfer. Patterns on clothes and colors in the home all standout with utmost clarity. Johnson frames the film spectacularly, which makes the UHD presentation a sharp one.

Knives Out carves into an excellent Atmos track that makes the dialogue even more delicious.

The Steelbook for Knives Out is a bestseller come to life. It looks like one of Thrombey’s novels with the case all standing around him. It also contains a fun easter egg. If you remove the slipcover and reverse it, it will tell you who the mastermind of the mystery is. Really cool design.

Knives Out comes with a great set of extras that can be found on both the UHD and the standard blu-ray. They include:

Audio Commentary with Rain Johnson, DP Steve Yedlin and Actor Noah Segan

In Theater Commentary with Johnson: The director will release commentaries for his films you can download and listen to in the theater, it’s really cool and awesome that Lionsgate has included it on disc.

Deleted Scenes

Making a Murder: A nearly 2 hour making of feature.

Director Cast Q&A

Marketing Gallery: trailers and a special trailer with Johnson as well.

Meet the Thrombey’s Viral Ads

Knives Out is a great film given a great UHD, which is given one of the coolest steelbooks around.

Film: A

Video: A

Audio: A

Steelbook: A+

Extras: A

Overall: A

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Top 20 Blu-Rays of 2020: Number 7-The Curse of Frankenstein: Two-Disc Special Edition

7. The Curse of Frankenstein: Two-Disc Special Edition

Hammer Horror raises the dead with their gothic-horror take on the original gothic-horror story, Frankenstein.

In Switzerland, Baron Victor Frankenstein (Peter Cushing) is imprisoned, awaiting execution for killing his maid Justine. Victor is visited by a priest who he tells his horrific tale.

After the death of his mother, Victor Frankenstein is left his families fortune, and he sets to hire a tutor named Paul Krempe (Robert Urquhart) to teach him about science. After years of tutoring, Frankenstein and Krempe are able to bring a dead puppy back to life.

Victor decides that he is going to make the perfect person by harvesting body parts and murdering a respected professor.

Krempe can no longer stand by while Victor conducts his evil experiments and his horrified when “The Creature” (Christopher Lee) is brought to life!

Although it is based on Mary Shelley’s famous novel, and some of the elements of the film are familiar, Hammer delivers a great Frankenstein film. The strongest aspect of the film is the incredible cast that brings the film to life. Cushing is terrifying as the Baron. Urquhart is also outstanding as his sympathetic tutor Paul. Lee does much with the non-speaking role of the Creature. Terrence Fisher is at the helm and he delivers the goods yet again. The film looks stunning, and the violence is horrific. Condemned when it was released, The Curse of Frankenstein is now recognized as one of Hammer’s best films.

The Curse of Frankenstein unleashes its horror on a stunning new 4K transfer from The Warner Archive Collection. The blood, the makeup a are gruesome. The lighting, the detail are some of the best I’ve seen from Warner Archive and that is truly saying something. The Collector’s Edition of The Curse of Frankenstein has three separate versions of the film. The 1:85:1 and the 1:66:1 are located on disc one, and a really cool bonus feature on disc two is 1:37:1 version, which if you saw the film on TV is the version you might know the best, each have the same 4K scan so no matter which version you prefer you are seeing a great transfer of the film.

The Curse of Frankenstein lurches from the laboratory with a thundering DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio and it screams excellence. The dialogue and music sound fresh and clear. No scratches or other imperfections are found on the soundtrack.

The Curse of Frankenstein rises from the grave with some of the best extras to be found on a release in 2020.

Disc 1

Audio Commentary: The recurring team of Constantine Nasr and Steve Haberman deliver yet another great commentary.

Disc 2

Open Matte Version

The Resurrection Men: Hammer, Frankenstein and the Rebirth of the Horror Film: An outstanding documentary about the making of the film, how it saved Hammer Films and ushered in the modern horror film.

Hideous Progeny: The Curse of Frankenstein and the English Gothic Tradition: A sit down with Author and Cultural Historian Sir Christopher Frayling delves not only into the film but the book as well. This is a great piece.

Torrents of Light: The Art of Jack Asher: Cinematographer David J. Miller (Veep, The Good Place) talks the brilliance of fellow Cinematographer Jack Asher.

Diabolus in Musica: James Bernard and the Sound of Hammer Horror: Composer Christopher Drake (Injustice: Gods Among Us, Tusk) offers praise for Composer James Bernard.

Trailer

The Curse of Frankenstein is given the royal treatment by The Warner Archive Collection and the label delivers one of the best blu-rays of the year. From three different versions of the film to some of the most entertaining and informative bonus features make this a must-buy!

Film: A-

Video: A+

Audio: A

Extras: A+

Overall: A

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Top 20 Blu-Rays of 2020: Number 8-The Lady Eve

8. The Lady Eve

Three con artists, Jean Harrington (Barbara Stanwyck), her father Colonel Harrington, and his partner Gerald aboard a cruise ship set their sights on the heir of millions. What they don’t count on is that Jean falls for the bumbling soon-to-be millionaire Charles Pike (Henry Fonda).

Jean tries to keep Charles from finding out about their schemes, but as she falls more in love with him, the more she feels guilty about lying to him.

Eventually Charles finds out about Jean and her scheming ways and dumps her. Jean doesn’t go away however, when she learns that there is a party with the wealthy in Connecticut and Charles will be there, Jean disguises herself as Lady Eve Sidwich. At the party Charles is taken aback by “Lady Eve’s” beauty and is head over heels for her. They soon marry, and Charles can’t shake the feeling that Eve might be Jean…

An absolute winning screwball comedy by master director Preston Sturges (Sullivan’s Travels). The film is whip smart, funny and a master class in comedy by Stanwyck. She’s easy on the eyes and easy to fall in love with. Up to the challenge as well is lovable Fonda, who plays a bumbling fool all too well.

I had never seen The Lady Eve, I bought solely on the star power of Stanwyck and Sturges. I have now watched it three times in a matter of months, catching new jokes, new character nuances and overall, just appreciating one of the best comedies ever.

The Lady Eve arrives on The Criterion Collection with a sparkling new transfer. Although the text that accompanies the disc says that they had to source the film from a Universal Studios 35mm fine-grain master positive, as it was the best element to scan, it looks awesome. Some mild softness can be found, but I did check a streaming version of this film and I can say that the Criterion release knocked it out of the park.

The Lady Eve speaks its mind with a crystal-clear mono track. No hissing, cracks or pops, this movie sounds great. Which is so important as the dialogue is first rate and needs to be heard.

The Lady Eve crashes the party with a great amount of features that are worth your time to watch.

Introduction by Peter Bogdanovich

Commentary by Film Scholar Marian Keane

Tom Sturges and Friends: The son of the acclaimed director sits down on video conference with some of familiar movie fans, like Leonard Maltin, and Ron Shelton to name a few.

The Lady Deceives: Film critic David Cairns discusses the film.

Costume Designs by Edith Head: A look at the costuming in the film.

Lux Radio Theatre Presentation: Stanwyk reprises her role for the radio.

Up the Amazon: the opening number from the musical based on The Lady Eve.

Trailer and Essay

The Lady Eve is one of the best comedies ever. You would be foolish to not pick up this gem of a release by The Criterion Collection.

Film: A+

Video: A

Audio: A

Extras: A

Overall: A

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Movie Madness 2021: Selection Monday Announcement

Well, we had so much time last year that we decided to bring it back.

In case you missed it, last year, In light of the post-season college basketball tournaments being canceled, I thought, “What better way to keep the crazy competitiveness of March alive than with a movie tournament?”

So, I introduced Corinne’s Movie Madness.

Just like the basketball tournaments, we had a field of competitors facing off in one-on-one competitions. You, the Reel Nerds fans, decided which of the two movies in a given match-up advanced to the next round, and eventually crowned The Princess Bride as last year’s champion.

(Sidenote: A special thank you to Brad for the excellent graphic!)

This year, with the help of the other Nerds, we are doing a themed Movie Madness tournament.

The competitors and bracket mechanics

Unlike other competitions, this one is very selective. Only 16 films qualified for a coveted spot on the bracket. No doubt you’re wondering exactly how we picked 16 films out of thousands of good ones.

We decided this year that our field will be entirely composed of animated Disney and Pixar movies. Each Nerd picked four of their favorites for the bracket.

We figured the fairest way to do it would be to have each Nerds’ four films as their own region or division. That way, each of us will definitely have one movie in the semifinals / the Final (four) Films.

And, just like the tournament, each movie has a “seed” or ranking within its Nerd’s division. As far as I can tell, we gave the rankings based on how much we like each of them. #1 is our favorite, #2 second-favorite, etc.

How you participate

Just like the college basketball tournament, Movie Madness will start on Thursday, March 18.

That day, we will post the first match-up on the Nerds’ social media pages and you go and vote for whichever you think is the better movie! Simple as that.

For instance, on March 18, it’ll be the 1-seed vs. the 4-seed in Ryan’s division; whichever movie receives more votes before midnight will advance to the next round. (In the case of a tie, the higher seed will win; so if you like the lower-seeded movie, get your friends to vote for it too.)

Eight days later, we will advance to the second-round match-ups, and the procedure will be the same until a movie is crowned the winner. If I’m counting right, our championship match-up should be on April 1.

Announcing the field

So, this year, in the spirit of the NCAA tournament and its Selection Sunday show, friend of the podcast Gerry the Artist and I recorded a special bracket announcement segment that should be hitting the Reel Nerds podcast feeds today, or soon. As I announced the match-ups, Gerry gave his spur-of-the-moment analyses of each first-round match-up and the divisions overall.

Here’s the video file if that’s your preference:

But, in case you don’t have 26 minutes to spare, let’s get you caught up:

  • On Thursday, March 18, we will have Ryan‘s 1-seed Pinocchio versus his 4-seed Dumbo.
  • On Friday, March 19, Ryan’s 2-seed Toy Story 2 facing off against his 3-seed The Lion King.
  • On Saturday, March 20, kicking off Brad‘s division is his 1-seed Wall-E against his 4-seed Robin Hood.
  • On Sunday, March 21, Brad’s 2-seed Oliver & Company will go up against his 3-seed Ratatouille.
  • On Monday, March 22, we will have a Disney princess showdown between my (Corinne‘s) 1-seed Beauty & the Beast versus my 4-seed The Little Mermaid.
  • On Tuesday, March 23, we’ll see a Pixar afterlife movie match-up when my 2-seed Coco takes on 3-seed Soul.
  • On Wednesday, March 24, Zach‘s 1-seed Fun & Fancy Free takes on his 4-seed (and Gerry-identified dark horse of the tournament) The Great Mouse Detective.
  • On Thursday, March 25, we conclude the first round of the tournament with Zach’s 2-seed Ichabod & Mr. Toad against his 3-seed The Jungle Book.

(And in case you didn’t watch / listen to the bracket announcement, these are all the classic 2D-animated Disney films, and not the the “live-action” remakes.)

Thus, on Friday, March 26, we will start the second round and on April 1, we will have our championship showdown.

Here is your full field:

Which of these 16 films will be crowned the Champion of Corinne’s Movie Madness 2021?

Visit the Reel Nerds social media pages to cast your vote!

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Top 20 Blu-Rays of 2020-Number 9: Holiday (1938)

9. Holiday (1938)

Ideals clash in a comedy that pits Cary Grant’s Johnny against his girlfriend Julia’s (Doris Nolan) against her family, who view the world differently.

Johnny arrives at Julia’s home as her family is planning a big New Year’s Eve party. Johnny is planning on marrying Julia and their engagement will be announced at midnight. Johnny is surprised to learn that Julia’s family is extremely wealthy and her father Edward Seton (Henry Kolker) has a nice job at his bank all lined up for Johnny. Johnny however has plans of his own. Johnny wants to see the world and experience it before settling down. Johnny finds a kindred spirit in Julia’s older sister Linda (Katharine Hepburn). Johnny soon realizes that he might be marrying the wrong sister.

A winning comedy from Director George Cukor that deals with a popular subject in the late 1930’s and that’s you don’t need money to be happy. Holiday is a fast moving, funny and at times touching film. Grant and Hepburn are of course magical, picking up their amazing chemistry they displayed in two previous films together and will serve them even better in 1940’s screwball classic The Philadelphia Story.

Holiday is an easy movie to love. Grant is still really early in his movie career as he arrived in Hollywood just six years earlier, but starting with 1937’s Topper, Grant is starting to establish himself as the best comedian in film as he had The Awful Truth (my favorite Grant film) and Bringing Up Baby under his belt. Hepburn is no slouch either. Her timing is impeccable as too is her physical comedy chops, both are on full display in Holiday.

And while Holiday never reaches the heights of Bringing Up Baby or The Philadelphia Story, it is still a must see.

Holiday arrived on blu-ray from the Criterion Collection with a new 4K scan that was handled by Sony Pictures. It is stunning. I watched this film on DVD just a couple years ago and Sony delivers a sparkling new transfer. Blacks are deep and full, and the film has a great amount of beautiful detail that I missed watching it on DVD.

Holiday cheers onto blu-ray with a solid mono track. No hissing or scratching can be found on the soundtrack. This is a healthy sounding track for a film that is 82 years old.

The Criterion Collection delivers yet again with some truly great bonus features.

Holiday (1930)-presented here is the 1930 version of Holiday. It is ok, but how can you compare with Grant and Hepburn, you can’t. Hats off to Criterion however for including it.

A conversation with Filmmaker Michael Schlesinger and Film Critic Michael Sragow: An hour and a half discussion about the two Holiday films and the play. They discuss the differences and how they are alike.

Audio excerpt with George Cukor: Cukor talks about Holiday in 1971 and 72.

Costume Gallery: A look at the film’s costumes

Holiday is a fun, light comedy that is a must buy for fans of Grant, Hepburn or just golden age comedies in general.

Film: A

Video: A

Audio: A-

Extras: A

Overall: A

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Top 20 Blu-Rays of 2020: Number 10-The Curse of the Werewolf

10. The Curse of the Werewolf

Hammer delivers a strong entry into werewolf lore with 1961’s The Curse of the Werewolf.

Leon is a young orphan whose mother was sexually assaulted by a feral man in prison. Leon’s mother dies after giving birth to him on Christmas Day, which to his mother is unlucky because he will become a werewolf. Leon becomes an orphan looked after by Alfredo Corledo and his housekeeper Teresa.

Leon soon starts changing into a monster who kills the villages goats, which a dog is blamed, Alfredo hides Leon’s monster nature hoping that it will never return.

Leon now thirteen years older, leaves his home for work. Leon decides to work in a wine cellar and falls in love with the owner’s daughter, Cristina. Leon, is fearful of marrying Cristina however and joins his Jose to a brothel.

At the brothel Leon transforms into a werewolf and kills a woman of the night. Leon also kills Jose and is locked in jail for murder.

Leon can’t be contained however as the werewolf soon is unleashed on the village.

A solid entry in Hammer’s horror film cannon, The Curse of the Werewolf is a winning film with stellar direction by Terence Fisher, moody production design and a powerful performance by Oliver Reed as Leon. The gothic take on werewolf lore is fun, even if some of the elements of the script do not make much sense. I am still not sure why a baby born on Christmas is cursed, maybe it has to do with who the father of the child is? I don’t know it’s never explained.

The werewolf transformation is awesome, and although there is only about 10 minutes of werewolf mayhem, it is effective and brutal. I have been watching a lot of Hammer films as of late and what I truly think sets them apart is not only the atmosphere they create but the stellar casting. In The Curse of the Werewolf all involved bring their A-game and deliver a truly special horror film.

The Curse of the Werewolf rips into a brand new 4K scan from Shout Factory. The video presentation is outstanding with all the elements as clear as a full moon. The make-up effects are truly mesmerizing in the film, enhanced by a new coat of paint.

The Curse of the Werewolf delivers an ear shattering howl of effectiveness. The dialogue is crystal clear and the macabre sounds of a werewolf terrorizing villagers is awesome.

The Curse of the Werewolf gets the Collector’s Edition treatment from Scream Factory which means it is absolutely packed with great interviews and commentaries.

Commentary: Actress Yvonne Romain and special effects artist Mike Hill sit down for a breezy, fun commentary.

Commentary: the always enjoyable film historian Constantine Nasr is joined by fellow historian Steve Haberman. The duo give a nice fluid commentary throughout the film.

The Men Who Made Hammer: A fun interview with Richard Klemensen who recounts the work of make-up artist Roy Ashton and his incredible contributions to Hammer Films.

Serial Killer: The work of composer Benjamin Frankel is discussed here, with some fascinating tidbits from his life.

Making of The Curse of the Werewolf: A really great documentary cobbled together from not only video interviews but audio interviews from the cast and crew. They discuss the making of the film and the challenges it presented when it was released.

Lycanthropy: A quick look at werewolves.

Censoring the Werewolf: The 1960’s were a challenging time to make a horror film, and The Curse of the Werewolf had many. A fascinating look at censors and the role the played in releasing films during that time.

Trailers from Hell: John Landis shares his love for The Curse of the Werewolf.

Radio Spot, Theatrical Trailer and Still Gallery

The Curse of the Werewolf was a blind buy that I took a chance on due to its reputation as being a solid werewolf flick. It is and the Scream Factory release is a great one.

Film: B

Video: A+

Audio: A

Extras; A+

Overall: A

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