Shelf Life: November 2018
Dan Owen picks the best of this month’s new 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray & DVD releases, so you can fill up your shelves.
Published in
10 min readNov 1, 2018
— 5 NOVEMBER —
- Hitler’s Hollywood (Blu-ray + DVD) Rüdiger Suchsland examines German cinema from 1933 to 1945, the period where the Nazi party were in power.
- Twilight: The Complete Collection [10th Anniversary Special Edition] (Blu-ray) A special release of all four movies in the love-it-or-hate-it fantasy romantic drama Twilight.
- Batman: The Animated Series (Blu-ray) Remastered release of the beloved 1990s Batman cartoon series.
- Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (UHD, Blu-ray, DVD) J.A Bayona’s divisive Jurassic Park sequel arrive on home video.
- Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (Limited Edition Blu-ray Giftset) As above, but you also get some Funko pop keychains.
- The Time Tunnel: The Complete Series (Blu-ray) Irwin Allen’s iconic 1960s sci-fi adventure drama comes to Blu-ray, with all 30 episodes available.
- Children of Men (Arrow Academy Blu-ray) A new release of Alfonso Cuarón’s thought-provoking sci-fi drama about a near-future society where women aren’t giving birth. Starring Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, Chiwetel Ejiofor & Michael Caine.
- Shampoo (Criterion Blu-ray) Hal Ashby’s comedy-drama about two lovers who get revenge on their Beverly Hills hairdresser on the eve of Richard Nixon’s election win.
- Long Weekend (Blu-ray) When a suburban couple go camping for the weekend at a remote beach, they discover that nature isn’t in an accommodating mood.
- Quatermass and the Pit (Blu-ray, DVD) Classic British sci-fi about a team of scientists searching for the origin and purpose of a mysterious capsule found on a building site.
- Superman: The Movie (UHD) To celebrate its 40th anniversary, Richard Donner’s seminal Superman arrives on 4K Ultra HD. Starring Christopher Reeve, Gene Hackman & Margot Kidder.
— 12 NOVEMBER —
- The Last Waltz (Eureka Masters of Cinema Limited Edition Blu-ray) Martin Scorsese movie about the final concert of The Band.
- Incredibles 2 (Blu-ray, DVD) Sequel to the Pixar superhero family hit.
- Incredibles 2 (Blu-ray 3D) As above, but for those who still have a 3D TV.
- The Incredibles & Incredibles 2 (Blu-ray, DVD) Both of the Incredibles movies, packaged together. Obviously.
- The Man Who Invented Christmas (Blu-ray, DVD) Dan Stevens plays Charles Dickens in this dramatisation of how the author’s classic tale “A Christmas Carol” redefined the festive season.
- Swimming with Men (DVD) British comedy about a man suffering a mid-life crisis, who finds new meaning in his life as part of an all-male, middle-aged, amateur synchronised swimming team. Starring Rob Brydon.
- Lucky (Eureka Video Blu-ray) The final appearance of legendary actor Harry Dean Stanton, recounting the spiritual journey of a ninety-year-old atheist.
- Cliffhanger (UHD + Blu-ray) Sylvester Stallone’s 1993 action movie, about a mountaineer trying to foil a group of criminals who accidentally drop a fortune in cash on a mountain after a botched air heist. Co-starring John Lithgow & Michael Rooker.
- De Niro & De Palma: The Early Years (Arrow Video Blu-ray) Three restored movies from filmmaker Brian De Palma, starring Robert De Niro.
- Braveheart (UHD + Blu-ray) Mel Gibson’s Oscar-winning historical epic about the life of Scottish freedom fighter William Wallace, now on 4K Ultra HD for the first time.
- Rambo: First Blood (UHD + Blu-ray) The beginning of Sylvester Stallone’s iconic character Rambo, an ex-soldier haunted by his experience in the Vietnam war, who snaps when he’s treated unfairly by a dismissive small-town Sheriff. On 4K Ultra HD for the first time.
- Rambo: First Blood Part II (UHD + Blu-ray) A Rambo sequel written by James Cameron (The Terminator). On 4K Ultra HD for the first time.
- Rambo III (UHD + Blu-ray) The “conclusion” of the Rambo “trilogy” (until Rambo in 2008). On 4K Ultra HD for the first time.
- Hackers (Blu-ray) Cult cyberpunk thriller about a gang of hackers blamed for creating a virus that capsizes five oil tankers. Starring Jonny Lee Miller & Angelina Jolie.
- Sherlock: Series 1 (UHD + Blu-ray) The first series of the BBC’s modern update of Sherlock Holmes comes to 4K Ultra HD, starring Benedict Cumberbatch & Martin Freeman.
— 19 NOVEMBER —
- Skyscraper (UHD, Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D, DVD) A security expert (Dwayne Johnson) must infiltrate a burning skyscraper, 225 stories above ground, when his family are trapped inside by criminals.
- The League of Gentlemen: Live Again 2018 (DVD) Comedy stage show recorded live, from the titular comedy troupe, back together to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their BBC comedy series.
- Star Trek: Discovery — Season 1 (Blu-ray) The new Star Trek prequel TV series comes to home video, for those without Netflix.
- The Wrong Book (Indicator Blu-ray) In Victorian England, a fortune now depends on which of two brothers outlives the other… or can be made to have seemed to do so! Starring John Mills, Michael Caine & Ralph Richardson.
- Strangers (Blu-ray, DVD) ITV crime drama about a British professor whose world comes crashing down when his wife is killed in a car crash in Hong Kong. Starring John Simm.
- Age of Consent (Indicator Blu-ray) A successful Australian artist living in New York decides to return to his home country to seek new inspiration for his work. Starring James Mason, Helen Mirren & Jack MacGowran.
- The Greatest Showman (Limited Edition Blu-ray) The hit musical about P.T Barnum gets a special release including a book. Starring Hugh Jackman.
- Billions: Season 3 (DVD) The third season of the Showtime drama. Starring Paul Giamatti, Damian Lewis & Maggie Siff.
- Peter Kay’s Car Share: The Complete Collection (Blu-ray, DVD) Every episode of the car-bound comedy series.
- Georgy Girl (Indicator Blu-ray) A homely but vivacious young woman dodges the amorous attentions of her father’s middle-aged employer while striving to capture some of the glamorous life of her swinging London roommate. Starring James Mason, Alan Bates & Lynn Redgrave,
- Orgies of Edo (Arrow Video Blu-ray) A collection of stories dealing with punishment towards women.
- Zatoichi (Criterion Collection Blu-ray) The colossally popular Zatoichi films make up the longest-running action series in Japanese history and created one of the screen’s great heroes: an itinerant blind masseur who also happens to be a lightning-fast swordsman. This deluxe Blu-ray set includes all 25 movies made between 1962 and 1973.
- Arrival (UHD + Blu-ray) A linguist is recruited by the military to communicate with alien lifeforms after twelve mysterious spacecrafts land around the world. On 4K Ultra HD for the first time.
— 26 NOVEMBER —
- Escape from New York (Collector’s Edition Blu-ray) John Carpenter’s classic sci-fi action-adventure about a criminal called Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell), who’s forced to rescue the President of the USA from a future Manhattan that’s been transformed into a prison.
- Doctor Who: Series 19 (Limited Edition Blu-ray) The 19th series of Doctor Who in the classic era, with Peter Davison as the Time Lord.
- Once Upon a Time in China Trilogy (Eureka Blu-ray) Trilogy of martial arts movies from the 1990s, starring Jet Li as Chinese martial arts master and folk hero of Cantonese ethnicity, Wong Fei-hung.
- The Best of ’80s Scream Queens (Blu-ray) Collection of three 1980s American horrors: Nightmare Sisters (1988), Murder Weapon (1989) & Deadly Embrace (1989).
- Informer (Blu-ray) BBC drama about a Muslim asked to become an informant for the police.
- Prince of Darkness (Blu-ray) John Carpenter’s underrated horror about a research team that find a mysterious cylinder in a deserted church that, if opened, could mean the end of the world.
- Gosford Park (Arrow Academy Blu-ray) The lives of upstairs guests and downstairs servants at a party in 1932 in a country house in England as they investigate a murder involving one of them.
- Crimson Peak (Arrow Blu-ray) In the aftermath of a family tragedy, an aspiring author is torn between love for her childhood friend and the temptation of a mysterious outsider. Starring Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain & Tom Hiddleston.
If you don’t want to BUY any of those films, and live in the UK, why not sign up to Cinema Paradiso’s mail-order rental service?
