PhysicalMediaLog

Blue Velvet - 4K Criterion Edition If there’s a definition of the term “cultmovie”, David Lynch’s “Blue Velvet” is it’s embodiment in the flesh. Very much NOT for the faint of heart, you will feel emotionally exhausted after experiencing this trip down the proverbial rabbit hole. After the director drops you in a run in the middle American town you immediately feel there’s something off. And when you indeed (literally and figuratively) go below the surface of said normal town you will never feel comfortable again in the face of such normality. The worst of the worst happens in that twilight between the friendly faces of common folk and the underworld of depravity. Kyle MacLachlan’s pure hearted Jeffrey Beaumont and Dennis Hopper’s evil Frank Booth both inspire the expected opposite responses in equal measures. But the way Isabella Rossellini battles unimaginable demons to flush out the unenviable character of Dorothy Vallens can only be met with the utmost admiration and respect! She must have gone to hell and back to be able to give the director, the movie and us, the audience, this glimpse into the horror and madness of her victimhood and how she ultimately handles it. About this new 4K UHD director approved Criterion release I can be brief and clear: The 4K resolution and Dolby Vision HDR & color gamut yield spectacular results! The 5.1 DTS-HD Master does it’s job excellently and without fault. The special features are extensive and worth the price of admission alone, especially the collection of deleted scenes (running for almost an hour’s length). This comes with my highest recommendation. #BlueVelvet #BlueVelvet4K #Criterion #CriterionEdition #DavidLynch #IsabellaRossellini #KyleMacLachlan #DennisHopper #LauraDern #HopeLange #DeanStockwell #BradDourif #JackNance #PriscillaPointer #FrancesBay #JackHarvey #GeorgeDickersen #AngeloBadalamenti #FrederickElmes #EroticThriller #PsychologicalThriller #Crime #Drama #Mystery #Thriller #BluRay #BluRay4K #BluRayUHD #BluRayCollector #MovieCollection

Dark Water - 4K Arrow Limited Edition After the excellent Ju-On - The Grudge Collection set from Arrow and the equally fantastic Ringu - The Ring Collection set, also from Arrow and both with the first movie in 4K, the trinity of J-Horror had to be completed with another high quality release from that same distributor: Dark Water in a 4K Arrow Limited Edition with slipcase packaging. These three movies, Ju-On, Ringu and Dark Water, are the quintessential experience in Japanese Horror. But this one isn’t just a Japanese Horror flick, if not a Family Drama it could even be considered as an adorable modern fairy tale in an unusual cruel and bleak setting. The ending so much puts a beautiful bow on it you could almost feel a hint of uplifting optimism. Releasing it on 4k is a bit much for such bleak images, but the subtle coloring justifies the choice of format. Although sound has not been upgraded, the DTS-HD 5.1 Master track is sufficient for the movie carrying with it quite a powerful punch and surround localization at times. As expected from Arrow, the bonus features are plentiful and dive deep into the background of the story and the making of Dark Water. Recommended for Horror fans and aficionados of great stories in general. #DarkWater #DarkWater4K #HideoNakata #HitomiKuroki #RioKanno #MireiOguchi #AsamiMizukawa #KenjiKawai #ShikaoSuga #JHorror #JapaneseHorror #Drama #Horror #Mystery #Thriller #ArrowLimitedEdition #BluRay #BluRay4K #BluRayUHD #BluRayCollector #Movies #MovieCollection #MovieLove #MovieLife #HomeEntertainment #HomeVideo

Thank You @Bungie . This was nothing short of a unique event / experience in gaming as a whole. The culmination of 10 years grinding, lore, world-building, stumbling and flying high in a happening that’s equal to Avengers Endgame! Nothing can compare with this peak in gaming! And you had me crying ugly about a certain character making a sacrifice! 😭 Thank You, Bungie! #Destiny #Destiny2 #FinalShape #TheFinalShape #Expansion #Crying #CryingUgly #Ghost #Cayde6 #TheWitness #DarknessSaga #NowPlaying #NowGaming #Gaming #Games #VideoGames #ComputerGames #GamesCollection #XBox #XBoxSeriesX #XSX #PlayStation #PS5 #PlayStation5

June 6th 1944

Dune (Part One) - 4K Painbox I swore not to buy this one. I really did. ✌🏻 O well, both Dune movies fall into the category of legendary 10/10 classics for the ages and from those I usually have (a lot) more than one edition. (I think I have 6 or 7 Blade Runner outings 😉) This edition is more or less shaped (or at least printed) like Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam’s painbox with which she tests if Paul can be considered a human or an animal. This set is all about the presentation and the goodies. I could have gotten this one a bit cheaper when I would’ve bought it sooner. But now I see it’s collectible status rising while the price remains a bit in check and I know it will soon be out of print. So, sorry wallet, we’ve been here before. 🤷🏻‍♂️ These movies are The GOAT! 🐐 “I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.” 🗃️🔥 #Dune #DunePart1 #DenisVilleneuvesDune #DenisVilleneuve #TimothéeChalamet #RebeccaFerguson #Zendaya #OscarIsaac #JasonMomoa #StelkanSkargård #JoshBrolin #JavierBardem #DaveBautista #CharlotteRampling #HansZimmer #FrankHerbert #PainBox #PhysicalMedia #BluRay #BluRay4K #BluRayUHD #Movies #Collecting #Collection #MovieLove #MovieLife

Dune Part Two - 4K Steelbook What can I say about this movie which I already haven’t said in previous posts? You know my thoughts about it. Simply put this movie IS perfection! Now, the disc is a different matter. Besides the image and sound quality, both which amazingly are pure reference material and will literally blow you away, I have two complaints for @warnerbrosentertainment : - My first critique also blends over to Dune Part 1 - Warner, you know what us physical media collectors want: IMAX aspect ratio in full frame. Dennis Villeneuve has even hinted on it! It exists in your vaults! Release it! - Those Digital Exclusive bonus features? Warner? Really? Just spent those extra couple of Dollar Cents on an extra Blu Ray disc with ALL extra’s so we don’t have to download them (which, if you think of it, is the point of buying physical media) and what you DO deliver doesn’t take up any precious space on the 4K disc, which will be an additional win for the image and sound quality. I love the packaging. This is a gorgeous steelbook that fits great next to the steelbook from the first movie. Totally recommended for fans to buy immediately. But if you don’t want to double dip: Wait for the release with IMAX aspect ratio and all bonus features on disc (which will be released eventually, I guarantee it). #Dune #DunePartTwo #DunePart2 #Dune2 #DennisVilleneuve #TimothéeChalamet #Zendaya #RebeccaFerguson #JavierBardem #JoshBrolin #AustinButler #FlorencePugh #DaveBautista #ChristopherWalken #LéaSeydoux #StellanSkarsgård #CharlotteRampling #AnyaTaylorJoy #HansZimmer #GreigFraser #SciFi #Epic #SciFiEpic #Action #Adventure #Drama #FrankHerbert #Steelbook #IMAX

The Hitcher - Umbrella Collector’s Edition BD This isn’t a handsome transfer and it’s not in 4K. The DTS-HD Master 5.1 is adequate and the video is from an older German edition. Yes, I know, Second Sight IS working on a new 4K restoration, but they’re so slow about it and when Umbrella Entertainment dangled this package before my eyes I couldn’t wait. When the 4K edition from Second Sight eventually does come out I will probably double dip, but that’s a story for another time. This movie from 1986 is almost impossible to define. Is it a Horror story or a Mystery? Is it an Action flick or a Psychological Thriller? This movie employs Nightmare Logic. Some things just can’t be explained and for the good of the story don’t even need to be. Just go with the punches and don’t look back. Rutger is being Rutger, C. Thomas Howell carries the movie on his debuting shoulders, the super-young Jennifer Jason Leigh already shows she is a powerhouse, Mark Isham’s music is hauntingly beautiful and director Robert Harmon, together with legendary DP John Seale, deliver spectacular large scope landscape paintings that will stay with you for a long time. Umbrella’s package IS handsome and super-limited (this one is 181 of 500), delivered straight from down-under to The Netherlands. And the goodies are all there: The double-sided poster, the ‘lobby-cards’, the Blu-Ray itself in a nice slipcase with custom artwork, the thick booklet with essays and art, and all is combined in an attractive sturdy box. Bonus features are solid and interesting, shining a light on this mysterious movie, giving the viewer new insights for sure. Cinefiles need to wait for Second Sight’s 4K restoration. Fans of the movie can’t go wrong with this edition. #TheHitcher #Umbrella #UmbrellaEntertainment #RobertHarmon #JohnSeale #MarkIsham #EricRed #RutgerHauer #CThomasHowell #JenniferJasonLeigh #JeffreyDeMunn #JohnMJackson #BillyGreenBush #JackThibeau #ArminShimerman #GeneDavis #JonVanNess #PsychologicalThriller #Mystery #Action #Horror #Thriller #BluRay #BluRay4K #BluRayUHD #BluRayCollector #Movies #MovieCollection #MovieLove #MovieLife

Mission To Mars - BD Mediabook This is such a gorgeous Sci Fi movie, it’s a shame this can’t be found anywhere but in Germany. There’s no other physical version in HD quality of this movie anywhere else. And when I say it’s a Sci Fi movie I mean it. There’s no action, no violence, no chases or anything of that nature. The true spectacle in this movie is the actual science of it. And it’s beautifully shot by Brian De Palma. The music from Ennio Morricone evokes that old fashioned adventurous feeling when you thought of being an astronaut as a kid. My positive opinion and love for this movie must be so far off point, with the Tomatometer measuring a horrible 24% and an abysmal audience score of 30%. But it’s still a masterpiece for me, I can’t help it… I recently found this Mediabook in Germany and realized how long it has been since I watched this movie. Disney’s handling of their Buena Vista and Touchstone portfolio is so laughable, you can’t stop wondering why they’re leaving so much money on the table. I know there are a lot more fans of this movie. I’m surprised how a German distributor like Filmjuwelen and KirchMedia got ahold of this 1080p transfer (because the only other so called HD home media product was the dreaded French 1080i outing, which I heard was appalling. Image quality is better than expected and the DTS-HD Master 5.1 is spectacular at times. All the special features previously released on the DVD format are carried over and there’s even a short German feature about the movie. The design of the Mediabook is lovely. Recommended for fans. #MissionToMars #BrianDePalma #EnnioMorricone #DavidSGoyer #TimRobbins #GarySinise #DonCheadle #ConnieNielsen #JerryOConnel #ArminMuellerStahl #Adventure #SciFi #Thriller #FilmJuwelen #MediaBook #BluRay #BluRay4K #BluRayUHD #BluRayCollector #Movies #MovieCollection #MovieLove #MovieLife #HomeEntertainment #HomeVideo

May The Fourth Be With You… Happy Star Wars Day! The one that kickstarted my movie worshiping devotion in full force (see what I did there). The one that will forever be in my heart as the most magical experience of my childhood. I realize “The Phantom Menace” has it’s 25th Anniversary this year, but as a child of the 70’s and 80’s “A New Hope” will forever be the epitome of what Star Wars means to me. So, cheers to the first Star Wars movie on its 47th birthday! 🍾🥂🎆 I have been delving deeper and deeper into a new way of appreciating the Star Wars mythology lately by building LEGO sets. I’m currently in an on and off project to assemble the Ultimate Collectors Series Millennium Falcon with my spouse, we’re halfway there and taking our sweet time. Recently I completed the UCS X-Wing Starfighter and I found it nothing more than fitting to add the new UCS Tie Interceptor to display both of them next to each other. Now, I haven’t started building that last one, yet. I want to savor the building experience and in order to do that I must make reservations to have a little free time for that. But knowing me, when I start building it I will be finished in three or four sessions. Results will be coming soon. Watch this space. For now I leave you with a decent part of my Star Wars collection across all types of physical media & merch…. #StarWars #StarWarsDay #MayTheFourth #MayThe4th #MayTheFourthBeWithYou #MayTheForceBeWithYou #MTFBWY #LEGO #LEGOStarWars #TieInterceptor #LEGOTieInterceptor #UCS #UltimateCollectorsSeries #UCS75382 #ANewHope #EpisodeIV #ThePhantomMenace #EpisodeI #LEGOPhotography #LEGOMiniFigures #LEGOStagram #LEGOFan #LEGOPhoto #MIniFigures #InstaLEGO #LEGOs #ToyPhotography #LEGOMania #LEGOInstagram

Dune Messiah - Folio Society Edition In May 2021, even before part 1 of Denis Villeneuve’s masterpiece was released in cinemas, I bought the ultra luxurious edition of the legendary 1965 Science Fiction book of “Dune” from the Folio Society. I Recently discovered with joy that this same Folio Society now has opened the floodgates of possibilities by releasing the second book in this six-part original series by Frank Herbert. “Dune Messiah” is a much thinner sequel which more or less complements the first book, but the artists commissioned by the Folio Society have made it such that it truly fits next to the decadent design of it’s predecessor. I couldn’t let this pass, but I realize by committing myself to this series I am forced to buy all four remaining sequels by Frank Herbert that are now almost certain to come from the Folio Society in the future. So however large the expense for this version is, the amount of it is virtually fivefold, so it wasn’t a decision made lightly. Now it is in my hands I wonder why I doubted acquiring it. Even just the satisfaction of holding it, smelling the ink and binding materials, feeling the texture of the cloth used for the hardcover, experiencing the smooth action of getting it out of the beautiful sturdy slipcase and putting it back in, you realize this is the version this book deserved. And seeing it side by side on my bookshelf with Folio Society’s first one sends tingles to my OCD collectors brain! The amazing illustrations by Hilary Clarcq are all printed on thick specially structured paper which gives the whole a glamorous look & feel. The typeface is very easy to read Dante with Helvetica Neue and Black Tulip Display printed on Abbey Wove paper, presented in a generous layout all throughout the book. Books are physical media as well! #DuneMessiah #Dune #DuneBook #DuneBooks #FrankHerbert #DuneMessiahFolioEdition #DuneFolioEdition #FolioEdition #FolioSociety #TheFolioSociety #HilaryClarcq #martinSanders #SlipCase #Sleeve #Hardback #PaulAtreides #MuadDib #KwizatsHaderach #SpiceMelange #Sandworm #Books #LuxuryBooks #PhysicalMedia #DenisVilleneuve

The Last Starfighter - 4K Greetings Starfighter! Because my teen years were in the eighties this movie fills me up to the brim with nostalgia. Yes, there’s an element in this film which makes it clearly aimed at the younger audience demographic. And some will call the CG visuals PlayStation 2 - like. But remember, this is 1984 we’re talking about. We hadn’t had the likes of The Abyss, Terminator 2 or even Jurassic Park, movies that contributed enormous in the Computer Generated Imagery department. But the sheer fun of “The Last Starfighter” is so contagious, you must be dead cold if you aren’t positively affected by it! If you can’t tell yet: I love this flick! Now to put it mildly, this isn’t a 4K release I was expecting, with the legacy visual effects, outdated CGI, rough compositing and eighties make-up effects. And the differences in relation to a standard high definition Blu Ray aren’t very evident. But, through the heavy film-grain, there is an uptick in detail and color is a bit more defined because of the Dolby Vision encode. Sound is sufficient, clear and at times immersive through the DTS-HD Master 5.1 track, but not for the full duration. I think it’s awesome when you look at how complete the collection of bonus features are. Interesting stuff about the CGI, the gaming aspect and retrospective interviews galore! Again, I never expected this much love for this quaint little movie! Many kudos to @ArrowVideo for this brave choice! #TheLastStarfighter #NickCastle #CraigSafan #LanceGuest #RobertPreston #KayEKuter #DanMason #CatherineMaryStewart #BarbaraBosson #NormanSnow #ChrisHebert #CharleneNelson #SciFi #Adventure #Action #Arrow #BluRay #BluRay4K #BluRayUHD #BluRayCollector #Movies #MovieCollection #MovieLove #MovieLife #HomeEntertainment #HomeVideo

The Nun II - 4K I’m a bit on a Horror-spree here. But next to Sci-Fi and Fantasy it’s definitely a favorite genre of mine. As I previously mentioned this week, The Conjuring Universe, with all its spin-offs, proofs to be one of the most effective collection of supernatural horror movies ever for me. And contrary to popular opinion, I think “The Nun” is the best one from that collection. So the sequel was a blind buy for me! And it did not disappoint. The casting of sister Debra turned out to be a surprising and positive addition to the movie. The change of scenery is nice although I must admit that I missed the traditional set design from the first movie. But Taissa Farma is a godsend, carrying the whole movie on her frail shoulders. In my opinion the first “The Nun” is better, but this was a close second. I don’t know what happened here, but the super deep blacks from “The Nun” 4K UHD have been replaced by an embarrassing grayish look, with the aspect ratio almost announcing itself like it wants to say: “See? These are my frame borders!” How this could have been approved is beyond me. It’s probably never going to happen but this should be re-authored. Yes, details within shadows are well defined but there is no balance so the deep blacks that HDR10 is so well known for have clearly been sacrificed. The Dolby Atmos track is a real winner, driving the gut punching scares home with significant impact. The scarce bonus features are nice to have but nothing more than predictable EPK drizzle. With the sequel just a tad less impressive than the original, it’s the disc’s technical faults that lets the movie down significantly. Can’t recommend. #TheNun2 #TheNunII #TheConjuring #TheConjuringUniverse #MichaelChaves #JamesWan #TaissaFarma #StormReid #JonasBloquet #AnnaPopplewell #BonnieAarons #KatelynRoseDowney #SuzanneBertish #AnoukDarwinHomewood #PeterHudson #TamarBaruch #NataliaSafran #MarcoBeltrami #Horror #SupernaturalHorror #Supernatural #Mystery #Thriller #BluRay #BluRay4K #BluRayUHD #BluRayCollector #Movies #MovieCollection #MovieLove