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It’s unfathomably hard to believe I wrote the first Aisle Seat column for the internet way back when I was graduating from college in 1997 – since then we’ve been through more movies, home video releases, and format changes than you can count! Yet throughout it all, I’ve had a blast covering an industry that’s shifted from small “boutique labels” (in the earliest days of DVD) to major studios (the heyday of that format and Blu-Ray) and now back again to a lot of indie labels and distributors keeping physical media alive across Blu and 4K UHD (and DVD too for that matter – the format that simply will not die). We’ll still be here as the marketplace shifts, changes and adjusts to post-COVID viewing habits and a theatrical marketplace that has never recovered from “the pandemic” – and invite all of you to join me on our message boards for always-lively discussion about movies both new and (especially) vintage in nature.
 Kicking off Season 28 (yes I’ve been doing this now for well more than half my life!) is Arrow’s FRIDAY THE 13TH (97/105 mins., R/Unrated, 2009, R), arguably one of the better “Millennial” horror revivals from producer Michael Bay – hey, if nothing else, it’s far above the low benchmark set by his miserable (and deservedly now-forgotten) “Nightmare on Elm Street” redo with Jackie Earle Haley.
Just as he had with unnecessary retreads of “Elm Street” and “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” Bay and his Platinum Dunes label oversaw this slick retread of the original Jason slashers, with Jared Padalecki (“Supernatural”), Amanda Righetti and Danielle Panabaker (perennially underrated) running afoul of Voorhees in a basic recycling of the original films from writers Damian Shannon and Mark Swift.
Unsurprisingly, this one-and-done “Friday” revival doesn’t do anything revolutionary, nor does it inject a sense of playfulness the way Ronny Yu’s superior genre brawler “Freddy Vs. Jason” did a few years prior to its release. The push-button narrative and cliched genre devices are right out of the old movies on every level — the difference here is that director Marcus Nispel has given the movie a solid visceral presentation that’s superior to all of its predecessors. From Daniel Pearl’s scope cinematography to some fairly well-executed kill sequences, this “Friday” is a polished cinematic effort, even if its only intention is to fill up audiences with the same cinematic calories as its predecessors. For some that’ll be a major turnoff — for others, it may provide exactly the type of no-brain genre entertainment certain horror fans might appreciate.
Though a box-office hit, “Friday the 13th” wasn’t followed by any sequels with the property reportedly mired in legal entanglements ever since. Arrow’s UHD marks the movie’s premiere in 4K and it’s a stellar Dolby Vision HDR presentation (2.40) that enhances the picture’s visuals and overall entertainment value. Steve Jablonsky’s score doesn’t add much to the action, but it’s functional in its 5.1 DTS MA sound mix, while both the film’s 97-minute theatrical cut and an extended 106-minute “Killer Cut” are both available in Arrow’s double-disc UHD set. New extras include commentary from writers Damian Shannon and Mark Swift and new interviews with the writers, Marcus Nispel and Daniel Pearl. There’s also a video essay praising the film, especially in light of Platinum Dunes’ other remakes, while assorted archival extras are reprised from Warner’s original release (deleted scenes, featurettes, etc.)
 Also New on 4K UHD
WATCHMEN CHAPTER 1 4K UHD (84 mins., 2024, R; Warner): J. Michael Straczynski and Warner Animation try their hand at a new adaptation of the classic Alan Moore-Dave Gibbons comic, doing in animation form what Zack Snyder achieved to mixed results in his live-action movie rendition. This seems more comfortable in its overall design, yet the challenges of capturing the moody look and prose of its source remain with a story that moves in fits and starts, with director Brandon Vietti only partially successful at realizing “Watchmen” as a standalone dramatic experience. The animation is, at least, stylish in this take on the first six issues of the “Watchmen” comic, with Warner’s UHD featuring a HDR10 transfer, 5.1 DTS MA sound, two featurettes and a Digital HD code.
THE WATCHERS 4K UHD (102 mins., 2024, PG-13; New Line): M. Night Shyamalan’s daughter, Ishana, tries her hand at this feature adaptation of A.M. Shine’s supernatural thriller. Dakota Fanning stars as an artist who ends up in an isolated bunker alongside three disparate strangers and some seeming beasties studying them from the outside (or are the haunts coming from inside the bunker?!?). Lots of heavy-handed music and symbolism will evoke memories of Ishana’s father’s work – but not necessarily his better projects, with the slow-going story and fizzled ending coming off as lackluster. New Line’s UHD features Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos sound along with four featurettes and a Digital HD code.
 THE LONG GOOD FRIDAY 4K UHD/Blu-Ray (113 mins., 1979, R; Criterion): Long regarded as one of the quintessential British gangster films (alongside gritty pictures like Mike Hodges’ “Get Carter”), “The Long Good Friday” is a bit dated (particularly Francis Monkman’s score), yet the taut direction of John Mackenzie, suspenseful script by Barrie Keefe and, most of all, the outstanding performances of Bob Hoskins and Helen Mirren continue to make Handmade’s 1979 release a viewer favorite.
Previously released in a ho-hum Image Blu-Ray, this is a smashing new 4K digital restoration (1.85, mono) from Handmade Films that carries cinematographer Phil Meheux’s approval. Criterion’s transfer is grittier, more detailed, and altogether more satisfying than the previous old HD master and comes off looking sensational here with Dolby Vision HDR enhancement. Extras include a John Mackenzie commentary; 2019 documentary on Handmade Films’ early days; a separate doc on the movie’s production; interviews with Meheux and Barrie Keefe; and a look at the discrepancies between the UK and US soundtracks.
 Catalog New Releases
DARK NIGHT OF THE SCARECROW (96 mins., 1981) and DARK NIGHT OF THE SCARECROW 2 4K UHD Double Feature (85 mins., 2021; VCI): Back in the days when network TV movies sometimes took chances and scored major successes in the process, CBS unveiled “Dark Night of the Scarecrow.” Airing a week before Halloween ‘81 on the CBS Saturday Night Movie, the picture was a rare network horror movie that worked, with horror novelist Frank DeFilitta (“Audrey Rose”) helming J.D. Fiegelson’s original script about a mentally challenged man (Larry Drake) in a small, rural town who’s accused of harming a young girl and is subsequently dispatched by a lynch mob. While his attackers go scot-free for a time – including a vile postman played by Charles Durning – they eventually get their comeuppance from an unlikely scarecrow seemingly out for revenge.
Well-made and effectively performed (Lane Smith is also excellent), “Dark Night of the Scarecrow” immediately staked its claim as one of the best TV movies of its era. The movie was rebroadcast in 1985 and made an indelible impression on viewers, especially younger ones, who could be disturbed and compelled by a TV movie made without extensive violence and gore.
It was also followed by a needless sequel, with J.D. Feigelson, who wrote the original, returning to write, produce and direct an inferior, belated 2022 follow-up. This time out, Amber Wedding plays a single mother who moves with her young son (Aidan Shurr) to the same rural town that Larry Drake’s supernatural scarecrow haunted in the original 1981 cult favorite – once she tells an old scarecrow effigy her reason for being there, a series of killings start anew. It’s been a long time since its predecessor and there’s never any sense that this sequel needed to be made, but at least this bears the involvement of its original director.
Both “Scarecrow”s have been remastered by VCI in a 4K UHD Double Feature out on September 10th. The use of HDR here does result in a brighter image than its Blu-Ray counterpart for the original “Scarecrow,” though it also makes some elements like standard make-up on a few actors seem very erratic. Overall I’m not sure this particular production really benefits from HDR but both movies (included on the same platter) are competently encoded (mono LPCM sound is on-hand for the first movie, and 2.0/5.1 tracks on the sequel). Extensive extras include 2023 commentaries recorded for each film: one with podcasters on the original, and a new track by Feigelson on the sequel (there’s also an archival commentary on the first movie by Feigelson and Frank DeFelitta). The original CBS broadcast promos are fun to see and are included here along with Daniel Griffith’s documentary and a 2011 Frightfest Film Festival cast reunion Q&A on the included Blu-Ray for the first “Scarecrow.”
 THE MILLION EYES OF SUMURU 4K Ultra HD/Blu-Ray (89 mins., 1967; Blue Underground): After partnering on a number of Fu Manchu movies, producer Harry Alan Towers and writer Peter Welbeck decided to bring Sax Rohmer’s villianess “Sumuru” to the screen, first in a late ‘60s effort named “The Million Eyes of Sumuru.”
“Goldfinger”’s “sacrificial lamb” Shirley Eaton stars as Sumuru, an anti-heroine bent on world domination, with Frankie Avalon and George Nader essaying spies attempting to stop her latest conquest. This Towers production was theatrically released by American-International but is a slow and plodding affair, despite being distinguished as one of the few English language productions to shoot at the Shaw Brothers studio in Hong Kong.
While Towers later recruited Jess Franco to helm a sexier, wilder sequel, “The Girl From Rio” (which Blue Underground released last year on 4K UHD), the label is back with the original “Sumuru” in a brand new cut debuting in 4K. This extended edition adds over 10 minutes to the label’s previous Blu-Ray of the movie, along with two new commentary tracks (one with David Del Valle and Dan Marino; the other with Nathaniel Thompson and Troy Howarth), plus a feature-length documentary by Naomi Holwill on the life and times of director Lindsay Shonteff.
The two-disc UHD/BD combo pack also sports a dynamite new Dolby Vision HDR (2.40) grading of the film with mono sound plus a RiffTrax edition of the movie that’s more watchable than the finished product.
 RICHARD PRYOR: LIVE ON THE SUNSET STRIP 4K UHD (81 mins., 1982, R; Sony): One of Richard Pryor’s funniest concert films, this 1982 box-office smash hits 4K UHD in another stellar Sony remaster. The highly detailed Dolby Vision HDR image (1.85) adds texture to this seminal genre effort, which finds Pryor riffing on all kinds of social and personal topics, from race to his own career and well-documented struggles with substance abuse. The quality of the material, which Pryor authored himself, is high, and Joe Layton’s film captures the moment in a way that feels contemporary and fresh today. The superbly encoded Dolby HDR image is backed by a clear mono soundtrack and the trailer, along with a Digital HD code, in Sony’s now-available UHD.
THE STRANGERS 4K UHD/Blu-Ray (86 mins [theatrical] and 92 mins [unrated], 2008; R/Unrated; Shout!): Sadistic “torture porn” wastes the talents of Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman as a bickering couple, just getting home from a wedding, who are tormented and tortured by three masked psychos whose faces we never see. There, I just saved you an hour and a half of your time!
 In all seriousness, Bryan Bertino’s movie basically has no point: inspired by true events (as well as the French movie “Them”), “The Strangers” does little to keep you interested in the plight of its two leads, who we’re told are slain in the opening moments of the film (way to keep the suspense going!), while ramping up the blood and unsavory bits for the “Saw” crowd. Bertino does manage a few creepy moments in the early going but it’s not enough to sustain the picture’s running time, which barely hits the 80 minute mark in the theatrical cut. Either way it’s 80 minutes too long.
Shout’s 4K UHD includes a new presentation from the original digital intermediate (2.40) with 5.1/2.0 DTS MA sound, plus extras including featurettes, deleted scenes, and interviews featuring Bertino, editor Kevin Grutert, and cast members Kip Weeks and Laura Margolis.
THE THREAT Blu-Ray (84 mins., 1966; Arrow): Mid ‘60s Japanese crime drama, stylishly shot in widescreen, premieres on Blu-Ray from Arrow. “The Threat” is a short but effective work from Kinji Fukasaku, the “Battles Without Honor and Humanity” auteur who here focuses on an advertising agency account manager whose perfect life is turn apart after a pair of criminals show up, threatening to implicate him in their latest scheme. A new commentary by Tom Mes and appreciation by Mark Schilling comprise the extras in Arrow’s Blu-Ray Limited Edition (2.35, mono, Japanese with English subtitles).
 LADYBUGS Blu-Ray (89 mins., 1992, PG-13; Paramount): Sidney J. Furie’s formulaic soccer comedy was one of the later vehicles tailored around comedian Rodney Dangerfield, who decides to become the coach of an all-girls youth soccer team in order to impress his boss. Things really go nutty after he attempts a reverse “Bad News Bears” and puts his fiancee’s son (the late teen heartthrob Jonathan Brandis) on the squad – albeit in the form of a girl named “Martha”! Pretty much standard-issue all the way, Paramount’s Blu-Ray of “Ladybugs” offers a competent, if aged-looking, HD master (1.85) with 2.0 DTS Master Audio sound.
ONCE TO EVERY WOMAN Blu-Ray (66 mins., 1934; Sony): Early medical drama/soaper features Ralph Bellamy as a heart surgeon stuck on nurse Fay Wray, who instead has the hots for philandering doctor colleague Walter Byron. Jo Swerling penned this pre-Code Columbia release which genre fans should enjoy seeing in this new Sony Blu-Ray restoration (1.37 B&W, mono), the movie helmed by prolific Hollywood helmer Lambert Hillyer.
 Woody Back on Blu-Ray
Back in circulation after a pair of out-of-print Twilight Time releases are a pair of Woody Allen dramas from the ‘80s.
SEPTEMBER (83 mins., 1987, PG) is one of Woody’s “domestic dramas” shot on a soundstage from the late ‘80s – a claustrophobic outing featuring a group of characters gathering at a summer house in Vermont, most significantly a matriarch (Elaine Stritch) and her daughter (Mia Farrow), who’s recovering from a traumatic event. Jack Warden, Sam Waterston, Dianne Weist, and Denholm Elliott are the other members of the sextet who appear in Allen’s chamber piece – a Chekovian drama that had been filmed by Allen with a different cast, including Sam Shepard (who himself replaced Christopher Walken in what eventually became Waterston’s part), Charles Durning (in Jack Warden’s role), and Maureen O’Sullivan (Stricth’s role).
Allen didn’t care for his initial version, leading to extensive reshoots and alterations in a film that followed his triumph of “Hannah and Her Sisters” and the wonderful “Radio Days.” One of those “serious” Allen films that appeals strictly to his fans, “September” was not a commercial success – and likely cost a fair amount of Orion’s money — but is nevertheless a well-acted piece. MGM’s Blu-Ray seems to be based off the same master Twilight Time issued with a capable 1080p (1.85) AVC encoded transfer and mono sound.
 Also returning to Blu-Ray is A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S SEX COMEDY (87 mins., 1982, PG), Allen’s period Shakespearean riff that finds a group of couples (Allen and Mary Steenburgen; Tony Roberts and Julie Hagerty; and Jose Ferrer and Mia Farrow) coming together, in a variety of formations, during a memorable weekend at a New England country home.
Beautifully shot by Gordon Willis, “A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy” marked Allen’s first film for Orion Pictures, offering some occasional laughs and witty lines throughout its tidy running time. It’s also a bit aloof, unsure of how whimsical it wants to be, and not particularly compelling. Pretty to look at but difficult to become engaged by, “A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy” finds Allen in mostly uneven form, despite its lightweight (and, for Allen, upbeat) tone. Best appreciated by the director’s hardcore devotees, with another fine MGM catalog master (1.85, mono) on-hand.
 Warner Archive New Releases
THE ALASKANS Complete Series Blu-Ray (1944 mnins., 1959-60): Short-lived western series offered a pre-”Saint” Roger Moore an early American vehicle, playing Silky Harris, a lovable rogue and gold prospector who gets into assorted adventures in the Yukon along with pal Reno McKee (Jeff York). Dorothy Provine also stars as showgirl Rocky Shaw in an ABC series that churned out dozens of episodes in a relatively short amount of time, keeping it on the airwaves for some time even after its premature 1960 cancellation. Warner Archive has dusted off this rarely-seen series with crisp and detailed 1080p (1.37 B&W) transfers that look superb in a Blu-Ray box that offers all 37 episodes from “The Alaskans.” Guest stars include James Coburn, Troy Donahue, Lee Van Cleef, Julie Adams and numerous faces from other popular or soon-to-be-famous TV series (Alan Hale, Neil Hamilton, Werner Klemperer) in a show that should offer ample entertainment for Moore fans and TV western aficionados especially.
BOULEVARD NIGHTS Blu-Ray (102 mins., 1979, R): Arguably the most forgotten in the cycle of “gang movies” that generated some controversy (as well as mixed box-office) during the mid/late ‘70s, “Boulevard Nights” charts the troubled life of Mexican-American brothers, one of whom (Richard Yniguez) has been able to break free of the gangster lifestyle while his younger brother (Danny De La Paz) remains a part of it. Desmond Nakano’s script feels authentic in its depiction of his protagonists and Michael Pressman’s direction captures the drama in a straightforward manner nevertheless lacking the visual panache of, say, Philip Kaufman (“The Wanderers”) or Walter Hill (“The Warriors”). Warner’s attractive Blu-Ray of “Boulevard Nights” houses a remastered 1080p (1.85, mono) presentation with the trailer and a Lalo Schifrin score backing the drama.
 New on Blu-Ray
THE GARFIELD MOVIE Blu-Ray/DVD (101 mins., 2024, PG; Sony): It’s hard to envision the sarcastic roots of Jim Davis’ original comic strip in this modern reimaginating of his long-running feline protagonist, here reduced to cuddly animated form in a wan Sony animated kids movie. On the one hand, Mark Dindal’s colorful concoction might resemble its source more than Fox’s live-action/CGI hybrid flicks from a decade ago, but this overlong effort about how Garfeld ended up in the home of bachelor Jon and canine compatriot Odie is just a mild diversion for kids at best. Sony’s Blu-Ray (1.85, 5.1 DTS MA) serves up a BD-exclusive gag reel, easter eggs, a deleted scene, featurettes, a DVD and Digital HD code.
VIKINGS VALHALLA: Season 1 Blu-Ray (398 mins., 2022; Warner): The popular “Vikings” series may have come to a close but a spinoff, “Vikings: Valhalla” did surface, running for three seasons on Netflix before being canceled earlier this year. MGM’s Blu-Ray of “Valhalla”’s first season has just surfaced on Blu-Ray, following Leif Eriksson (Sam Corlett) and his assorted adventures across eight episodes. The transfers and 5.1 DTS MA soundtracks are all fine though no special features are included.
Version 1.0.0
MAKING APES: THE ARTISTS WHO CHANGED FILM Blu-Ray (87 mins., 2019; Gravitas Ventures): Excellent documentary captures the work of John Chambers and Tom Burman on the legendary, original “Planet of the Apes,” with extensive behind-the-scenes footage, new interviews and numerous tributes from contemporaries like Guillermo Del Toro. William Conlin’s 2019 doc also looks at Chambers and Burman’s other work, while a bittersweet sense of loss is felt when one matches up the immense physical creation of these effects with the “mo-capped”, computer-generated apes seen in the modern Apes movies (1.85, 5.1/2.0).
ICONS UNEARTHED: FAST & FURIOUS Blu-Ray (5 hours, 2024; Mill Creek): Brian Volk-Weiss’ terrific documentary series tackles the long-running “Fast and the Furious” franchise, most compellingly when it focuses on the origins of what began as a straightforward Universal drag racing movie – later to become one of the more unlikely movie franchises (with international appeal) in recent decades. Mill Creek’s Blu-Ray offers over 5 hours of uncut bonus interviews featuring stunt coordinator JJ Perry and actors Tyrese Gibson and Lucas Black among others.
Version 1.0.0
BEFORE DAWN Blu-Ray (101 mins., 2024, R; Well Go USA): Australian take on a young soldier heading off to do battle in WWI, with its brutal trench warfare, offers a more character-driven experience that you might ordinarily expect. Levi Miller does an excellent job as a young man from a sheepherding family who finds himself in the middle of the fight, with director Jordon Prince-Wright balancing character with the expected war-movie beats fairly effectively. Well Go’s Blu-Ray (1080p, 51/2.0 DTS MA) is out September 24th featuring the trailer and a behind-the-scenes segment.
MY LOVE AFFAIR WITH MARRIAGE Blu-Ray (108 mins., 2022; MVD): Very offbeat adult animated feature from writer-director Signe Baumane follows a young girl with preconceptions of marriage that shift over time and cause her enormous problems when she eventually tries to conform to them. This isn’t exactly “Turning Red” but the thematic material is a little similar in a Latvian/European co-production which tries to stuff an awful lot of thematic material into its near-two hour run time; still, fans of adventurous animation may gravitate towards it. MVD’s Blu-Ray (1.85, DTS MA) includes the trailer and an interview with Baumane.
CSI VEGAS: The Final Season DVD (8 hours, 2024; CBS/Paramount): Another “CSI” variant closes up shop as the Vegas team, led by Paula Newsome’s Maxine Roby, finishes up with one last season of cases including one that frames colleague Joshua Folsom for murder. Original CSI star Marg Helgenberger also pops up in “Vegas”’ goodbye year, preserved in a two-disc DVD set (16:9, 5.1) by CBS with deleted scenes and a gag reel included on the supplemental side.
NEXT TIME: Kino Lorber new releases including LINK in 4K! Until then, don’t forget to drop in on the official Aisle Seat Message Boards and direct any emails to our email address. Cheers!
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