Challengers Goes Bare Bones on Blu and Taxi Driver Finally Gets a Solo 4K: Viva Physical Media
Plus new releases for for Abigail, Natural Born Killers and UHF.
It’s currently Comic-Con crunch time, with just days to go before San Diego’s annual celebration of all things geeky kicks off. That being the case, I’ve been pretty busy getting various things done beforehand while prepping for the convention, where I’ll be doing some freelance work for IGN and moderating a couple of panels.
But physical media rests for no one! So while I wasn’t able to get through everything in my pile of new discs in recent weeks, here’s a look at a few new releases I have been able to check out in my down time. These entries are slightly more compressed than usual, due to the craziness of this month, but rest assured, I still mention if each disc has a commentary!
I have a handful of additional discs I will see if I can sneak in in the days to come, for a follow-up entry before the month’s end on some of July’s other notable titles. In the meantime, here’s my thoughts on a couple of films from 2024 getting their physical debut, along with a trio of classics from the likes of Normal Martin Scorsese and Weird Al Yankovic.
Challengers Blu-ray
Available Now
Luca Guadagnino’s tale of a trio of young Tennis players and the oh-so complicated dynamic between them, told across the span of 13 years, is what I’d describe as a movie that you truly experience. It’s operatic in nature, with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ propulsive, techno-infused score reinforcing that this is operating at a very specific, heightened level.
Zendaya’s Tashi Duncan, Josh O'Connor’s Patrick Zweig and Mike Faist’s Art Donaldson share a passion for tennis and a passion for each other that leads to some huge highs and lows in their lives through the years and Guadagnino deftly takes you through these experiences, from the oh-so sexy to the oh-so agonizing. The cast are all terrific and playing things at exactly the right level to bring you through the story. And Guadagnino does an excellent job at making the tennis – particularly the crucial match between Patrick and Art that serves as the film’s framing device – very exciting and cinematic, using creative shots that feel out of Sam Raimi’s playbook.
Challengers remains one of my favorite films of the year so far. So all that being said, what’s the deal with this super bare bones release it got and that it’s only on Blu-ray?? The transfer looks and sounds good, but it’s still very frustrating that this high profile new film, coming from such an acclaimed director, has no 4K version out.
On top of that, there are zero special features on Challengers. Not even a trailer or featurette, much less something more substantial. There is so much to dig into about the film and the way it was made, and its much discussed director and cast, so this feels like an egregious example of something being pushed out the door…
…which is why it feels just about certain it will get a better release at some point. Challengers is an Amazon MGM film, with the disc’s release handled by Warner Bros., who released the film theatrically overseas, so it remains to be seen who will actually step up to the plate to provide what feels like an inevitable second release. But whether it’s from WB or a boutique label, I’m betting something else is coming that delivers the presentation this film deserves, which is why I’d say you might want to hold off on getting this one, or at least wait for a great sale price.
Natural Born Killers 4K UHD + Blu-ray [Limited Edition Steelbook]
Available Now
Natural Born Killers actually got its 4K release last fall, but I neglected to pick it up. However, having been sent a review sample of this new Steelbook-packaged edition of the same three-disc set, I am very impressed with the presentation of this memorable film.
Oliver Stone’s 1994 film felt exciting and audacious at the time, but I did worry how it might hold up. Happily, the answer is quite well. Stone can be very hit or miss but NBK remains one of his very best films, as he plays to his strengths with his skewed, violent and satirical look at two lovers / mass murderers, Mickey (Woody Harrelson) and Mallory (Juliette Lewis), and their rise as pop culture icons.
Stone took Quentin Tarantino’s original script and had it substantially reworked – Tarantino is, not shockingly, very much not a fan of the final result – while also giving it a distinct visual approach, using a ton of different cameras and film stock to cross cut between color and black and white, 35 mm and 16 mm, Super 8 and more. The movie is trippy and dark and definitely plays with its audience, making Mickey and Mallory very appealing (Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis are both fantastic) while also pointing at a mirror at those who would find actual killers, or the spectacle of them as media stars at least, appealing. Made in an era when stories like the Menéndez brothers and OJ Simpson trials were occurring – both of which are included in a montage at the film’s end – Stone was reflecting what he saw occurring around him 30 years ago but hell yes, it all feels relevant today, as social media and an even more hyperbole-filled approach to news has amplified things to an alarming degree.
The set includes a 4K version of the Director’s Cut and Blu-rays for both the Director’s Cut and theatrical versions of the film. All of the transfers look great, particularly the 4K, as we leap between purposely grainy footage and absolutely gorgeous shots, with everything in between - often representing the frame of mind of the characters. Though I slightly lament that there’s no 4K version for the theatrical cut, it doesn’t feel egregious, as this is a case where the only substantial differences between the two involves moments that had to be trimmed back to get the film an R rating (adding about four minutes to the running time), not any major story deviations or additional scenes that change the flow.
Shout! Did a commendable job on the extras here, which are split up across the discs, including a lot of great archival material from previous releases, such as Stone’s commentary, featurettes and deleted scenes (including a notable courtroom scene with Ashley Judd). They also have four brand new interviews with the Editor Hank Corwin, Producer Clayton Townsend, Special Makeup Effects Artist Gordon J. Smith and Cinematographer Robert Richaedson. They’re all worth watching, as it’s continually underlined that this movie was filled with challenges along the way, but the standout is Richardson, which makes sense considering the specific hurdles of the visual approach taken with Natural Born Killers - a movie he notes multiple other cinematographers turned down before he took the job. The fact that he’s also collaborated with Tarantino many times, and is well aware of the disdain he has for Natural Born Killers, is also touched upon.
Taxi Driver 4K UHD + Blu-ray Steelbook
Available Now
It feels silly to note that Taxi Driver is a great movie at this point. It’s a bonafide classic and though not his directorial debut, it’s the film that solidified Martin Scorsese as a cinematic powerhouse. Nearly 50 years after its release, it still packs a punch, with its look at New York taxi driver Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) and his deteriorating mental issues and vigilante fantasies smashing into conflict with a city he feels is coming apart at the seams. It boasts one of De Niro’s all-time best performances and a excellent supporting cast, including Jodie Foster, in her terrific star-making and Oscar-nominated role as a child prostitute Travis becomes protective of.
Sony first put out this 4K version of the film in 2021, but until now, it was only available as part of one of their Columbia Classics Collection box sets, so it’s great to finally have it on its own. The movie looks absolutely beautiful - the best it ever has for any home release by far. And though no new extra features were produced (a trailer for the film’s 20th anniversary is, a bit randomly the one “new” inclusion), there is an excellent array of previously released material here, mostly culled from the film’s 2007 DVD and 2011 Blu-ray discs. At this point, it does feel like we’ve gotten an abundance of strong material created for Taxi Driver and so while it’s easy to always want new content, what’s compiled here feels like a nearly definitive exploration of an iconic piece of cinema history, even if the material is from many years ago.
From a 71-minute documentary to a Q&A done a few years ago for the film’s 40th anniversary that includes nearly every major player from the film assembled together, there is some excellent material here exploring both the making of Taxi Driver and its long-lasting legacy. There are three excellent audio commentaries: One from screenwriter Paul Schrader; another with Professor Robert Kolker (who knows a rather ridiculous amount about the film); and one featuring Schrader and Scorsese paired together that, amusingly, is itself 38 years old at this point, recorded by Criterion Collection in 1986 and first available on the film’s 1990 laserdisc. For the many who skipped that expensive Columbia box set, this is a must own.
UHF 4K UHD + Blu-ray [35th Anniversary Edition]
Available now
Rightfully beloved for decades now thanks to his wonderful music parodies, "Weird Al" Yankovic has also had plenty of other artistic endeavors as well, from TV specials to web projects to his acting gigs (a reminder that he plays himself in… Rob Zombie’s Halloween II??) But outside of various cameos, when it comes to feature films that are his own home grown projects, he’s really only done two - the very funny biopic about his own life, 2022’s Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (starring Daniel Radcliffe), and 1989’s cult classic UHF. Having previously put out a 4K for Weird, Shout! has thankfully continued to respect the legacy of Weird Al with their new UHF 4K release.
While he cowrote both Weird and UHF, UHF is the one that actually stars Yankovic in the lead role, giving us the full Weird Al experience only he can provide. Yankovic plays George, the new manager of a TV station hanging on by a thread who finds success by adding some properly outlandish and, well, weird new programming. Really just an appreciated excuse for Yankovic to include both direct parodies (ahh, that amazing Ghandi II trailer) and also very funny, random concepts like a game show called Wheel of Fish, UHF is a joy to behold, with a ton of goofy, quotable lines.
With the film hitting its 35th anniversary this month, the new Shout! 4K and is a joy to behold as well. Sure, UHF is not the most beautifully shot movie ever, but it still stands out as vibrant and colorful amongst low budget comedies of that era and this is the best it’s ever looked or sounded. There are no new bonus features, but all those included on Shout’s previous Blu-ray release are retained on the second Blu-ray disc here, including a ton of production stills and promo art, a fun 2014 Comic-Con panel devoted to Weird Al, and a great and a highly entertaining audio commentary first recorded for the film’s 2002 DVD featuring Yankovic and UHF director, Jay Levey. Also, Yankovic providing intros to the deleted scenes snarking on the material is the best.
Abigail Blu-ray + DVD
Available Now
Sometimes a movie just doesn’t find the audience it deserves - at least not initially. Abigail was a box office dud when it came out this spring, but I’m hopeful it will gain more fans as time goes on. It certainly deserves to, as this movie is a bloody blast. Horror-comedy hybrids can be tricky to pull off (and, yes, tricky to entice audiences to) but the trio known as Radio Silence – directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin Tyler Gillett and producer Chad Villella - working alongside their frequent collaborator, screenwriter Guy Busick, have continually proven how wonderful they are at it. Abigail may not be quite as satisfying as their previous films Ready or Not, Scream 5 or Scream VI, but it is still a highly entertaining movie in its own right that completely embraces its premise, as a group of kidnappers discover the little girl they’ve taken, planning to ransom her back to her rich father, is in fact a vicious vampire.
With a very game cast, including Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens, and Kevin Durand, Abigail maintains a funny and thrilling tone as the kidnappers learn they have made a very big mistake in very gory and clever ways. Alisha Weir is excellent as the title character, projecting exactly the right air of confidence, ruthlessness, and wisdom beyond Abigail’s (apparent) years. The MVP though may be Kathryn Newton, who gets some of the biggest laughs as the kidnapping group’s hacker. One scene, featuring Newton dancing to Danzig, as Weir’s vampire controls her, is especially well done.
Yeah, I’m grumpy this is only a Blu-ray with no 4K option. And I’m wary, because Universal in recent years has put out horror films like The Black Phone and M3GAN on Blu-ray, only for a 4K disc to be released within the year. But for what it’s worth, the disc looks good and, in this case, they did not skimp on the extras, so at least this isn’t a Challengers situation.
Directors Matt Bertinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett have consistently delivered fun and informative commentaries and that’s the case once again here, as they are joined by Editor Michael P. Shawver, as many interesting tidbits about the making of the film are discussed. A trio of deleted and extended scenes are fairly ho hum, mostly just adding to sequences we saw in ways that don’t have much impact. I loved the nearly ten-minute gag reel though, which is genuinely funny and gives you a peak at what seemed to be a very good-natured set.
Amongst a group of fairly standard featurettes, the highlight is the one called “Blood Bath,” which focuses on the film’s makeup and gore. If you’ve seen Abigail, or these filmmakers other films, you know it’s not a surprise that Radio Silence likes to repeatedly ask for more blood on the set, as featured here.