Blu Tuesday is a weekly column where we review the newest Blu-ray and 4K releases, along with a brief rundown of the included bonus material, to determine whether they’re worth buying, renting or skipping.
Pick of the Week: “Anatomy of a Fall”
“Anatomy of a Fall” isn’t just one of the best films of 2023 — it’s one of the best films of the past decade and fully deserving of the Criterion treatment. An engrossing courtroom drama that holds you in its grip for the entirety of its 151-minute runtime, “Anatomy of a Fall” is unique in that it never provides a definitive answer to its central mystery, instead offering different versions of possible truths so the viewer can decide for themselves. The writing is flawless, the pacing is masterful, and Sandra Hüller’s performance as the prime suspect in her husband’s death is better than anything else from the past year, male or female. Though “Anatomy of a Fall” could have easily fallen victim to the typical trappings of the genre, director/co-writer Justine Triet does such a phenomenal job of creating genuine tension and intensity that it only feels that much more remarkable as a result.
Extras include an interview with Triet, deleted scenes with optional director commentary, audition and rehearsal footage, and an essay by film critic Alexandra Schwartz. FINAL VERDICT: BUY
Also Out This Week:
“Bob Marley: One Love” — This movie about Jamaican reggae artist Bob Marley was originally scheduled for an end-of-year awards run before mysteriously being pushed back to February, which didn’t demonstrate a whole lot of faith in the project. As it turns out, “One Love” is a largely forgettable biopic that fails to capture the essence of the legendary musician. It’s as safe and formulaic as they come. Though Kingsley Ben-Adair and Lashana Lynch deliver strong work as Marley and his wife, Rita, respectively — even if you can’t understand what they’re saying half the time due to the thick Jamaican accents that they adopt — it’s not enough to rescue the movie from its messy script and utter lack of direction. Extras include a behind-the-scenes look at making the film and some deleted scenes. FINAL VERDICT: SKIP
“Kung Fu Panda 4” — After the third “Kung Fu Panda” movie was released in 2016, it seemed like the series had come to a natural end. But with very few successful franchises to cash in on, DreamWorks has returned to the “Kung Fu Panda” well with a fourth installment that doesn’t really add to the lore in any meaningful way. The Furious Five are once again conspicuously missing from this installment, while Awkwafina’s new sidekick character doesn’t feel all that different from the countless other voiceover roles she’s had in the past five years. “Kung Fu Panda 4” isn’t a bad film — it’s just an entirely pointless one, especially when the best thing about the movie is a Jack Black cover of Britney Spears’ “…Baby One More Time” during the end credits. Extras include an audio commentary by director Mike Mitchell, co-director Stephanie Ma Stine, production designer Paul Duncan, head of story Calvin Tsang and head of character animation Sean Sexton, as well as a trio of behind-the-scenes featurettes, some deleted scenes and more. FINAL VERDICT: SKIP
Disclosure: Bullz-Eye was provided a copy of the above titles for review purposes.
