Author: Jason Zingale

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: “Gran Turismo” Based on the incredible true story of Jann Mardenborough’s rise from video game sim racer to professional race car driver, “Gran Turismo” is a formulaic but surprisingly good underdog sports film that perhaps didn’t get the attention it deserved upon its initial release. Though the product placement can feel a bit cringey at times, and the first act is rough…

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: “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, Part One” Writer/director Christopher McQuarrie has made the “Mission: Impossible” franchise his own since joining the series with 2015’s “Rogue Nation,” but after two largely successful installments, McQuarrie has hit his first major road bump with “Dead Reckoning” due to a mediocre script that misuses its legacy characters (namely Rebecca Ferguson) and introduces a lame AI villain.…

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: “Ride On” Larry Yang’s “Ride On” would have been a fitting conclusion to Jackie Chan’s acting career, as it’s a semi-autobiographical movie of sorts (even using clips from Chan’s old films) about an aging stuntman nearing the end of his career. Though Chan hasn’t shown any sign of calling it quits just yet, the movie is nonetheless a heartfelt love letter to…

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: “Haunted Mansion” Disney’s decision to release “Haunted Mansion” in the summer (only a week after the one-two punch of “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer”) instead of October, where it likely would have performed better at the box office, will go down as one of the biggest gaffs of the year. That’s a shame because “Haunted Mansion” is a mostly enjoyable horror comedy that, like…

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: “The Boogeyman” Hollywood loves a good Stephen King yarn, so it was only a matter of time until someone adapted the author’s 1973 short story, “The Boogeyman,” for the big screen, even if it took a bit longer than expected. As a result, the movie ends up feeling like a retread of other horror films that were likely inspired by King’s own…

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: “Prey” It’s hard to believe that director Dan Trachtenberg only has a few credits to his name because he’s shown with his work both in film (“10 Cloverfield Lane”) and TV (the “Black Mirror” episode “Playtest”) that he’s a talented filmmaker with a real knack for making the most out of very little. That skill comes in handy on his latest movie,…

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: “Loki: The Complete First Season” While Marvel fans will no doubt debate about which of the Disney+ MCU shows is their favorite, “Loki” is easily one of the top contenders, as it’s an incredibly entertaining and visually rich vehicle for one of the MCU’s best characters. Tom Hiddleston’s performance as Loki gets better with each new appearance, and he really gets to…

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: “The Exorcist” William Friedkin’s “The Exorcist” might be one of the most overrated movies of the past 50 years. It’s hard to believe that the film was nominated for Best Picture (in addition to nine other categories) at the 1974 Academy Awards because it’s an incredibly dull supernatural drama — calling this a horror movie would be an insult to the genre,…

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: “Succession: The Complete Series” HBO’s “Succession” isn’t just one of the network’s best shows of all time — it’s arguably one of the best television dramas period. Everything about “Succession” is top-notch, from the acting to the writing to the direction to Nicholas Britell’s incredible score and more. They all work in unison to create a very specific tone and mood that…

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: “No Hard Feelings” “No Hard Feelings” isn’t quite as raunchy or explicit as some might lead you to believe — save for one particular scene in which a fully naked Jennifer Lawrence beats up a bunch of teenagers on the beach — but it is a charming, sweet and (most importantly) funny rom-com that serves as a great showcase for its leading…