Babes
(2024/Neon Blu-ray)/Game
Night 4K (2018/New
Line/Warner 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray)/Icons
Unearthed: The Simpsons
(2022/Mill Creek Blu-ray Set)
4K
Ultra HD Picture: B Picture: B-/X/B+ Sound: B/B-/B+
Extras: C+/C/B+ Main Programs: C/C/B+
PLEASE
NOTE:
The Game
Night 4K
4K Blu-ray is now only available from Warner Bros. through their
Warner Archive series and can be ordered from the link below.
Pamela
Adlon's Babes
(2024) is a supposed comedy about Eden and Dawn (Ilana Glazer,
Michele Buteau) getting together so Eden can have a baby without a
father after she gets sick of one night stands, et al. Dawn is the
best friend she turns to for help, but it is the one-note screenplay
that needs the help with limited chemistry for the leads, a
repetitive narrative, much predictability and a film that is mostly
forgettable save being annoying at times when it did not need to be.
Oliver
Platt, Sandra Bernhard and John Carroll Lynch are the more familiar
faces in the supporting cast, but they cannot save this either, with
its long series of missed opportunities. One of those comedies that
think it is funny when you do not, I was a little more disappointed
than expected, hoping for a surprisingly smart comedy and not
laughing once. Too bad, because it cupid have at least worked a
little if they concentrated harder.
Extras
include Deleted Scenes, a Making Of featurette and interview segment
The Moms Behind Babes.
John
Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein's Game
Night 4K
(2018) has the so-so comedy getting a surprising Ultra HD upgrade and
though I liked the film less than my fellow critic, it does look
better and plays a bit better with its leads (Rachel McAdams and
Jason Bateman) in a farce not up to their talents. We previously
reviewed the film at this link:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/15181/Absolute+Quiet+(1936/MGM)/The+Devil+To+Pay
Since
some of the supporting actors have become more recognizable and
popular since this came out, like Billy Magnussen, Jesse Plemons,
Kyle Chandler, Michael C. Hall and veteran Danny Huston, the curio
value of a film most people missed has climbed a bit, so you can see
why Warner reissued this on 4K for the first time. The fun game that
turns into possibly actual murder is sadly loaded with too many
missed opportunities, but some may find it an interesting failure.
Now you can see for yourself, but I would recommend this 4K version
over all others to get the best look at it.
Extras
repeat the An Unforgettable Evening: Making Game Night
featurette and Gag Reel from the regular Blu-ray.
The
Simpsons
is one of the most iconic animated television shows of all time and
this new six part in-depth documentary series on the true story
behind The
Simpsons
is jaw dropping and interesting from the get-go and out now on
Blu-ray from Mill Creek Entertainment in a four-disc set. There are
other titles in this collection also available including Star
Wars
and Fast
and the Furious
series, so far.
Icons
Unearthed: The Simpsons
(2022) documentary goes behind the scenes of how The
Simpsons
morphed from a white lie in a meeting room, to shaky beginnings, and
finally into the huge franchise that it is today interviewing many of
the top creatives involved and hearing inside stories. The
documentary is interesting as it takes an unauthorized /
non-glamourous look at the material instead of the typical studio
electronic press kit that is highly doctored. With a run time of
nearly four and a half hours, this massive six part documentary
series goes in depth and informs fans like never before.
Special
Features include over 11 hours of uncut interviews with the former
show runner, writers, and more. The interviews are spread out over
all four discs. Of course, we have reviewed the show and other
product from the show over the years, which you can find elsewhere on
this site.
Now
for playback performance. The 2160p HEVC/H.265, 2.35 X 1, Dolby
Vision/HDR (10; Ultra HD Premium)-enhanced Ultra High Definition
image on Game
Night 4K
does improve the color from the older Blu-ray, but is still on the
soft side and was a mix of 2K and 8K shooting, so you get mixed
results. It is still better than the Blu-ray overall, so add the
DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mix that shows its age and you
should only expect so much. The soundmix has not aged too well for
some reason, so be warned, it is inconsistent soundfield wise and
dialogue is not always as good as it should be.
The
1080p 1.85 X 1 digital High Definition image on Babes is the
softest presentation here and a little softer than I would have
liked, but it seems they used older HD cameras, while the
DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mix is a little more consistent
and complete, but offers nothing special as it is a dialogue-based
film.
Icons
Unearthed: The Simpsons
is presented in 1080p high definition on Blu-ray disc with an MPEG-4
AVC codec, a widescreen aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and a lossless,
English DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit) Stereo mix. The
documentary is well shot and produced with no glaring technical
errors in the presentation to detract from the content.
To
order
the Game
Night 4K
Warner Archive 4K Blu-ray, go to this link for it and many more great
web-exclusive
releases at:
https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/ED270804-095F-449B-9B69-6CEE46A0B2BF?ingress=0&visitId=6171710b-08c8-4829-803d-d8b922581c55&tag=blurayforum-20
-
Nicholas Sheffo and James Lockhart (Simpsons)
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/
