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: “Bugonia”
It may have taken five years for director Yorgos Lanthimos to deliver a follow-up to 2018’s “The Favourite,” but he’s been on quite the tear since then, cranking out his third film in as many years with “Bugonia.” An English-language adaptation of the 2003 South Korean movie “Save the Green Planet,” “Bugonia” is without a doubt his most accessible film to date. It’s a relatively straightforward story that doesn’t rely as much on his distinctive visual flourishes or absurdist tendencies, though they’re still evident due to the nature of the material. That simplicity causes the movie to feel a little repetitive, especially since it’s basically just a two-hander between Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons with minimal plot movement, but both actors are great in their roles, and their interactions create a slow-burning tension that’s fun to watch develop, even if the big reveal that it’s all heading towards is ultimately unsatisfying.
Extras include a making-of featurette. FINAL VERDICT: RENT
Also Out This Week:
“Black Phone 2” — “The Black Phone” was a bit of a surprise hit, both critically and commercially, when it was released during the summer of 2022, so it makes sense that Blumhouse would want to find a way to bring back Ethan Hawke’s The Grabber for another installment. Unfortunately, “Black Phone 2” fails to do so in a satisfying way, transforming him into a Freddy Krueger-esque dream stalker whose supernatural return doesn’t make a shred of sense. Unlike Freddy, who’s able to harm his victims (and only his victims) within the dream/nightmare world, Hawke’s villain is given almost no limitations to his powers and thus robs the movie of any suspense. Though “Black Phone 2” is much more than a “Nightmare on Elm Street” ripoff, the fact that its best moments are the ones inspired by the iconic franchise is a fairly damning indictment of the film. Extras include an audio commentary by director/co-writer Scott Derrickson, a behind-the-scenes look at making the movie and some deleted scenes. FINAL VERDICT: SKIP
“A Big Bold Beautiful Journey” — Kogonada’s “A Big Bold Beautiful Journey” is a film that I really wanted to love, as it reminded me of a strange mix between Spike Jonze and Hayao Miyazaki, but it doesn’t quite come together in the way that you’d hope. A Ghibli-esque time-travel romance that lacks the endearing charm of the animation studio’s work, this magical realist tale is cute for a while, but it starts to fall apart in the latter half, due to the fact that the philosophical love story feels too disconnected from the audience; the characters are experiencing these huge, deeply personal emotional moments, but the audience is stuck watching from afar. Additionally, the fantastical aspects are never really explained or explored, while the chemistry between its two leads is lacking, despite the best efforts of its two stars. Though both Colin Farrell and Margot Robbie deliver good work, at least as much as the script allows, “A Big Bold Beautiful Journey” falls well short of its hyperbolic title. Extras include a trio of behind-the-scenes featurettes. FINAL VERDICT: RENT
Disclosure: Bullz-Eye was provided a copy of the above titles for review purposes.
