The Best New Blu-Ray Releases: Oppenheimer, Mean Streets, Saw X, And More
Well, here we are, about to officially enter the holiday season. That means you might find yourself with some holiday weekends where you're in need of something to watch. And if you collect Blu-rays, you've come to the right place! Because, as usual, I've rounded up some of the best new Blu-ray releases just for you, dear reader. This installment features what might be Christopher Nolan's masterpiece, an early Martin Scorsese picture, a pretty darn good horror sequel, a new Poirot mystery, Denzel Washington kicking ass, and a bonafide classic starring Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones. So let's get to it! And remember to keep spinning those discs.
Oppenheimer
The more I think about it, the more I'm leaning toward declaring Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer" the best movie of the year. At the very least, it's a monumental achievement; a technical marvel that turns scene after scene of guys sitting in rooms talking about physics into something incredibly exciting. It doesn't play like a biopic; it's more like a thriller. Nolan's stunning film follows J. Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb, as he first helps create the weapon — and then comes to regret it. As played by Cillian Murphy in a sure-to-win-awards performance, Oppenheimer is a haunted figure, his large eyes seemingly seeing into other planes of existence. He's always calculating; always figuring things out. And his insatiable thirst for knowledge will ultimately result in his downfall, and perhaps the downfall of all of humanity. This is bleak, heavy stuff, and yet Nolan and his team are able to keep the film flying by at an almost breakneck speed, conveying tons of information in succinct, easy-to-digest ways. This movie is a knock-out, and it might very well be Nolan's masterpiece.
Special features:
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THE STORY OF OUR TIME: THE MAKING OF OPPENHEIMER*
- NOW I AM BECOME DEATH – The cast, crew and producers join Christopher Nolan in sharing the personal stories that made them passionate about the project's ambitious design for bridging multiple genres.
- THE LUMINARIES – OPPENHEIMER's all-star cast discusses how they synthesize the script's dramatic narrative with the real lives of historical figures to embody their complex characters.
- THE MANHATTAN PROJECT – To visualize Oppenheimer's ability to see different dimensions and to recreate the historic Trinity test, filmmakers developed unique techniques to craft stunning effects without using CGI.
- THE DEVIL OF DETAILS – A look at how production designer Ruth De Jong and team recreated the entire town of Los Alamos with period-accurate props, spectacular sets and painstaking attention to authenticity.
- WALKING A MILE – Costume and makeup craftspeople populate OPPENHEIMER's immersive environments with iconic figures by utilizing thousands of pieces of clothing and cutting-edge prosthetic applications.
- CAN YOU HEAR MUSIC? – Working closely with Christopher Nolan, Ludwig Göransson composes a deeply personal, historically expansive score ranging from the organic to the alien to accompany the visual landscape.
- WE CAN PERFORM THIS MIRACLE – Christopher Nolan's closest collaborators demonstrate how his artistic vision creates camaraderie that drives his talented crew to continue breaking new ground in filmmaking.
- TRAILERS
- INNOVATIONS IN FILM: 65MM BLACK-AND-WHITE FILM IN OPPENHEIMER - FotoKem opens the door to its film labs, where new technologies are invented for using color and black & white 65mm film to visualize OPPENHEIMER's dual timelines while pushing the format further forward.
- MEET THE PRESS Q&A PANEL: OPPENHEIMER – Chuck Todd moderates a conversation where Christopher Nolan, author Kai Bird, and physicists Dr. Kip Thorne, Dr. Thom Mason and Dr. Carlo Rovelli reflect on the fascinating science and doomsday concerns OPPENHEIMER illustrates onscreen.
- TO END ALL WAR: OPPENHEIMER & THE ATOMIC BOMB - Explore how one man's relentless drive and invention of the atomic bomb changed the nature of war forever, led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people and unleashed mass hysteria.
Mean Streets
"Mean Streets" is not Martin Scorsese's first feature, but it is perhaps the first "Martin Scorsese Picture" — that is, the first film that truly signified who Scorsese was, what type of movies he was capable of making, and what he could really do when he got ahold of a camera. It's the movie that, as the kids say, "let him cook." "Mean Streets" is a film burning with energy, violence, and guilt. The story follows small-time hood Charlie (Harvey Keitel) as he deals with life in his New York neighborhood. He also has to deal with his best friend, the dangerous, violent, problem-prone Johnny Boy (Robert De Niro, in a star-making turn). While Scorsese would only go on to make bigger and better things, "Mean Streets" remains a vital entry in his oeuvre, and now the film has a wonderful new 4K release from the great folks over at the Criterion Collection, approved by both Scorsese and his longtime editor Thelma Schoonmaker (who actually didn't edit "Mean Streets"; those duties fell to Sidney Levin).
Special features:
- New 4K digital restoration, approved by director Martin Scorsese and collaborator Thelma Schoonmaker, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
- One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
- Excerpted conversation between Scorsese and filmmaker Richard Linklater from a 2011 Directors Guild of America event
- Selected-scene audio commentary featuring Scorsese and actor Amy Robinson
- New video essay by critic Imogen Sara Smith about the film's physicality and its portrayal of brotherhood
- Interview with director of photography Kent Wakeford
- Excerpt from the documentary Mardik: Baghdad to Hollywood (2008) featuring Mean Streets cowriter Mardik Martin as well as Scorsese, journalist Peter Biskind, and filmmaker Amy Heckerling
- Martin Scorsese: Back on the Block (1973), a promotional video from the film's original theatrical release
- Trailer
- English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- PLUS: An essay by critic Lucy Sante
Saw X
Somehow, against all odds, "Saw X" is the best "Saw" movie. To be fair, I'm not a fan of this franchise overall. In fact, I don't care for it! But "Saw X" surprised me. Perhaps it's because the film gets rid of so many needless twists and turns and cop characters and strips things down, telling a more straightforward story about Jigsaw himself, aka John Kramer (the great Tobin Bell). By making Jigsaw the protagonist (and going back in time, since Jigsaw is technically dead in the current timeline), "Saw X" frees itself up of baggage and ends up being a nasty, gory, effective little horror show. The story finds the cancer-ridden John conned by people posing as doctors with a "miracle cure." What's a man who knows all about building death traps to do? Get revenge, of course! And oh yes, there will be blood. And brains. And eyeballs.
Special features:
- Audio Commentary with Director-Editor Kevin Greutert, Cinematographer Nick Matthews, and Production Designer Anthony Stabley
- Reawakening: Multipart Making-of Documentary:
- I Want to Play a Game: Bleeding New Life into the Saga
- This Time It's Personal: Characters and Casting
- Another Time, Another Place: Locations and Cinematography
- There Will Be Blood: Production Design and Make-up
- Leave Nothing to Chance: Post-Production
- Live or Die: Release and Legacy
- Drawing Inspiration: Illustrated Scene Breakdowns with Director-Editor Kevin Greutert
- Make-Up Department Trap Tests
- Deleted Scenes
- Theatrical Trailer
A Haunting in Venice
Man, I love these Kenneth Branagh Poirot movies. Okay, maybe that's not accurate. I appreciate them. I thought "Murder on the Orient Express" was a fun, old-school, star-studded mystery, and I thought "Death on the Nile" was kind of, well, bad. But there's just something fun about the idea of these films; gathering up a bunch of stars for a murder mystery, with Branagh's Poirot (and his mustache) front and center. The latest — and possibly last, based on box office returns — entry in the saga is perhaps the best. "A Haunting in Venice" throws a little bit of the supernatural into the mix as Poirot ends up at a Halloween party where a seance is held. After debunking the seance as a hoax, Poirot gets caught up in — what else? — a murder mystery. Is there a flesh and blood killer on the prowl? Or is there something ghostly going on? Slick, stylish, and mostly captivating, "A Haunting in Venice" is proof that this franchise has hit its stride. I only hope Branagh gets to keep making more of these movies, because I'll keep watching.
Special features:
- Murder, Death and Haunting: Discover the secrets behind the scenes of A HAUNTING IN VENICE. Join Kenneth Branagh and his team as they bring Agatha Christie's classic Poirot novel 'Hallowe'en Party' to life with elaborate ensemble scenes and extravagant sets.
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Deleted Scenes: Check out these scenes that didn't make the final cut:
- Morning Routine
- The Doge's Palace
- Halloween Party Extended
- Desdemona's Warning
- Children's Story
- Poirot Needs Air
- Guarding The Gates
- Secret Doorway Extended
- Ferrier's Shouts
- Poirot Pauses for Thought
- Journey Home
The Equalizer 3
The first "Equalizer" movie left me cold. Then came "The Equalizer 2," which kind of ruled. Now we have "The Equalizer 3," yet another solid entry. In other words, I didn't take to this series at first, but now I'm hooked. The secret? Graphic violence! The second film, and now "Equalizer 3," both seem to realize that the real draw here is watching Denzel Washington dispatch bad guys in increasingly brutal ways. These movies almost feel like slasher films, with Denzel standing in as the slasher. Like a "Friday the 13th" movie told entirely from Jason's point of view. Once again, Washington's Robert McCall finds himself butting up against a group of sinister villains — in this case, the mafia! In Italy! Can one man take on the mafia and survive? Well, what do you think? At this point, you're either on board with the operatic, gruesome violence of these films or you're not. Me? I'm all in.
Special features:
- Over 15 Minutes of Deleted Scenes (exclusively on 4K & Blu-Ray™)
- Blood Brothers: The Collaboration of Denzel Washington & Antoine Fuqua
- Call To Action
- Robert McCall: A Man of The People
- Denzel and Dakota: A Reunion
- Postcards from the Amalfi Coast
- Jacob Banks "Monster" Lyric Video
The Fugitive 4K
When they say "they don't make 'em like they used to," they're talking about movies like "The Fugitive." Andrew Davis' mid-budget thriller is a near-perfect movie; it does exactly what it sets out to do, in a sturdy, effective fashion. Based on the TV series of the same name, "The Fugitive" stars Harrison Ford as a doctor wrongfully convicted of killing his wife. When the bus transporting him to prison crashes, Ford's Richard Kimble escapes and goes on the run, on a hunt to clear his name. Meanwhile, U.S. Marshal Samuel Gerard (an Oscar-winning Tommy Lee Jones) is trying to catch him. There's not a single wasted moment here; everything clicks perfectly and precisely, all in one nifty, highly entertaining package. "The Fugitive" is now on 4K thanks to Warner Bros., and it looks great.
Special features:
- Introduction by Andrew Davis and Harrison Ford
- Commentary by Andrew Davis and Tommy Lee Jones
- "The Fugitive: Thrill of the Chase"
- "On the Run with the Fugitive"
- "Derailed: Anatomy of a Train Wreck"
- Theatrical Trailer