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: “Kill Bill: Vol. 1” / “Kill Bill: Vol. 2”
Quentin Tarantino has a near-flawless record as a director, but the “Kill Bill” films are among my favorites. Originally envisioned as a single feature before he was convinced to split the story into two parts, “Kill Bill” showcases Tarantino at perhaps his most self-indulgent, crafting a wildly inventive genre cocktail packed with everything the director loves. The two movies are actually quite different both tonally and stylistically — while “Vol. 1” is a fast-paced, ultraviolent action flick, “Vol. 2” is a deliberately slower, more introspective film — and it’s a big reason why the split probably ended up working out for the better. Though “Kill Bill” is far from Tarantino’s best script, and there aren’t any real standout performances, the film’s killer ensemble, impressive action beats and great soundtrack combine for a fun and ferocious revenge thriller that finally gets the 4K release that fans have been patiently waiting for.
Extras include two making-of featurettes, a deleted scene from “Vol. 2” and a pair of bonus musical performances. FINAL VERDICT: BUY
Also Out This Week:
“Jackie Brown” (4K) — The initial reaction to “Jackie Brown” may have been a bit lukewarm — no doubt a result of just how different it was from “Pulp Fiction” and what audiences expected from Quentin Tarantino at the time — but the film has earned more respect as the years have gone on, and it’s always been one of my personal favorites. Though it remains the only movie in Tarantino’s filmography to be based on preexisting source material, the world of Elmore Leonard fits perfectly with Tarantino’s sensibilities, making this adaptation of Leonard’s novel, “Rum Punch,” a match made in heaven. Everything audiences love about Tarantino is on full display — the dialogue, the characters, the soundtrack — but it feels more reigned-in than his previous work. Featuring excellent performances from Robert Forrester and Samuel L. Jackson, “Jackie Brown” is a more mature and robust crime drama that offers a glimpse at the type of filmmaker Tarantino would become in his later years. Extras include a retrospective with the cast and crew, an interview with Tarantino about the filmmaking process, a critics roundtable discussion, deleted scenes and more. FINAL VERDICT: BUY
“Venom: The Last Dance” — Sony’s Spider-Man Universe (which strangely doesn’t contain the iconic webslinger) has been an unmitigated disaster from Day One, with each successive film managing to be more embarrassing than the last. The “Venom” movies are the only ones that have enjoyed any modicum of success, and even those have been pretty bad by superhero movie standards. So it’s curious that the studio would entrust the latest (and seemingly final) installment of their “Venom” franchise to first-time director Kelly Marcel, who, despite her experience as a writer on the first two films, is clearly not equipped to handle a big-budget movie. It’s hardly surprising, then, that “Venom: The Last Dance” is every bit as awful as the previous installments, plagued by a messy story, half-baked villains and some spotty CGI that feels like Sony gave up midway through production. Though it’s not the worst film to come out of this hastily assembled cinematic universe, “The Last Dance” will hopefully serve as the final nail in the coffin of Sony’s ill-advised venture. Extras include a behind-the-scenes look at making the film, deleted scenes, outtakes and more. FINAL VERDICT: SKIP
Disclosure: Bullz-Eye was provided a copy of the above titles for review purposes.