| DVDBeaver are proud to announce voting results for the 2025 4K UHD and Blu-ray of the Year. I would like to give a very appreciative thank you to those 243 individuals who participated. Another new record! Everyone's votes were counted in the totals and, like every year, we are adding occasional quote comments! We dedicate this webpage to a regular Year End Poll participant, David A. Redfern (Charles Laughton: A Filmography, 1928-1962, A Letter of Introduction: The Life and Films of James Stephenson) who passed suddenly this year. He supported classic and vintage films on Blu-ray. His selections always found a welcome home here in our DVDBeaver Poll. R.I.P., fellow film fan. To help gauge 2025, we are privileged to have notable participants including a personal favorite director Sean Baker (Anora, Red Rocket, The Florida Project, Tangerine, Starlet, Prince of Broadway etc.), and some of the best Blu-ray/4K UHD commentarists; King Tim Lucas! (author of Mario Bava: All the Colors of the Dark, The Book of Renfield: A Gospel of Dracula, etc.,) Noir author and commentarist extraordinaire Alan K. Rode (Michael Curtiz: A Life in Film,) commentator, and DVD/Blu-ray extras producer Daniel Kremer (Adventures in Auteurism,) distinguished film critic, author, and essayist Jonathan Rosenbaum (Camera Movements That Confound Us,) plus documentary filmmaker and independent producers of EPK and DVD/Blu-ray bonus content, Elijah Drenner - as well as author Peter A. Yacavone (Negative, Nonsensical, and Non-Conformist: The Films of Suzuki Seijun,) film historian, film critic, essayist, and audio commentator Stuart Galbraith IV (Japanese Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films: A Critical Analysis of 103 Features Released in the United States, 1950-1992,) physical media and film reviewer Eric Cotenas (Cineventures Blog,) Physical media reviewer extraordinaire Matt Paprocki (DoBlu), genre expert Gregory Meshman, knowledgeable cinematic zealot Colin Zavitz, award-winning journalist Jeff Heinrich, English horror fiction writer, editor, critic and supplement participant, Ramsey Campbell, globetrotting cinephile Geoff Dubois, author and Professor Richard Burt... among many others. Selections this year spread to a huge diversity of genres. No one can see every release in the year and how we have 'good' opinions... is to have lots of them. _______ I'm not big on web advertising (I try to avoid IMDb as much as possible) but here is an advertisement for DVDBeaver. I will start with a quote sent to me in email from Sean Baker: "I was especially impressed and excited by the wave of Japanese Pinky Violence/Roman Porno films from a wide range of distributors from Klubb Super 8, Impulse, 88 Films, Discotek, Neon Eagle, Film Movement, Kani, Third Window, and Mélusine. It seems like there is a newfound interest in this underappreciated genre." Coincidentally I was in process of creating this web page, enjoy:
_______ Please help out a fellow physical media advocate out with some pocket change each month. I'll keep you informed of new releases, occasional sales, a weekly newsletter, reviews of Blu-ray and 4K UHD titles, and more:
_______ There are THREE new labels in our top ten this year! Here are some of the random, but often repeated, comments circa 2025:
_______ NOTE: Again, this year we didn't publish the vote # totals - it just complicated our already bloated formatting and complex tabulation. Let's get to it! (CLICK to access)
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COMING SOON! Before we get to the winners - let's look at upcoming 2026 4K UHD (and Blu-ray) Releases:
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COMING in 2026 (CLICK COVERS FOR MORE INFORMATION!)
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THE WINNERS - BOXSETS (boxsets contain
multiple films) (CLICK covers for more information) |
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| 1st Place) | |
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First Place is Criterion's The Wes Anderson Archive: Ten Films, Twenty-Five Years. Wes Anderson’s first ten features are twenty-five years of pure, unstoppable invention - a love letter to oddballs, hopeless romantics, and anyone who has ever built a private world to survive the real one. Every frame is soaked in sly humor and a quiet, aching sadness that never quite goes away. This landmark 20-disc collection presents all ten films in new 4K UHD restorations, accompanied by more than twenty-five hours of supplements and ten individual illustrated books, all housed in a luxurious clothbound keepsake edition worthy of the films themselves... Films include; Bottle Rocket (1996) / Rushmore (1998) / The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) / The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004) / The Darjeeling Limited (2007) / Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) / Moonrise Kingdom (2012) / The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) / Isle of Dogs (2018) / and The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun (2021) |
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| The Wes Anderson Collection (Criterion 4K) - I was a bit ambivalent to rank this so high on here because I was a little disappointed that Criterion didn't freshen up some of the extras on the older releases like Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums beyond the ornate packaging and essays. That said, the 4K transfers on those early films (before the transition to 2K digital intermediates for the upscaled transfers on his work circa the mid-2000s) are so incredible that it felt like I was watching them for the first time all over again. - Drew Morton | |
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| Design is impeccable. Wes Anderson is the perfect subject for such a boxset because his films have such aesthetic consistency. I hope Criterion continues to release these comprehensive Director box sets. - Jason Overbeck | |
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| It's great to have Anderson's first ten films get the Criterion 4k treatment packaged in a very Anderson-esque(?) box. Somewhat over-priced when released it's been fairly easy to get it at half the price lately. - Gregg Ferencz | |
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| Though without the more recent films, it’s another lovely case of Criterion giving us exactly what we wanted. - Peter Yacavone | |
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| 2nd Place) | |
| Second Place is 007: James Bond - Sean Connery 6-Film Collection (4K Ultra HD + Digital). Sean Connery’s (first) six turns as James Bond - Dr. No (1962) / From Russia with Love (1963) / Goldfinger (1964) / Thunderball (1965) / You Only Live Twice (1967) and Diamonds Are Forever (1971) - (NOTE: 1983's Never Say Never Again is not included) remain the gold standard - effortless charisma, dry danger, and a mid-century swagger that no one has ever truly matched. This 2025 4K UHD collection finally gives those classics the presentation they have always deserved: brand-new remasters struck from the original camera negatives, free of the overly aggressive Lowry processing that plagued earlier transfers, with natural 35mm grain intact, inky blacks, vivid yet authentic colors, and Dolby Vision that makes Goldfinger’s Kentucky sunset or Thunderball’s underwater ballets look freshly photographed yesterday. Dolby Atmos tracks add visceral punch to the gun-barrel blasts and Ken Adam sets, while every legacy commentary, making-of, and vintage featurette from the MGM Blu-rays carries over intact. For the first time, Connery’s 007 looks and sounds exactly as spectacular as memory always insisted it was - this is the definitive home-video edition of the greatest run in the franchise. |
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| 007: THE SEAN CONNERY JAMES BOND 6-FILM COLLECTION 4K Blu-ray (Warners 4K): a 4K restoration so easy to anticipate that it’s hard to believe it took Jeff Bezos’ personal initiative (so I’ve heard) to get it off the ground. And Warners (apparently) did it right for us with an affordable Steelbook box set. Some experts have quarreled with the transfers, but really, physical mediaphiles could be so much worse off. - Peter Yacavone | |
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| What can you say. Connery is Bond; Bond is Connery. He's the original; Ian Fleming approved of him in that role and so do I. I particularly enjoy From Russian with Love with rip roaring performances by both Lotta Lenya and Pedro Armendariz. I find it difficult to watch Connery in You Only Live Twice attempt to appear as a Japanese fisherman. - Thomas Friedman | |
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| 3rd Place) | |
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Third Place is Imprint's The Cinema of Powell & Pressburger: Collection One (1939-1947.) Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger forged one of cinema’s most exhilarating partnerships - visionary romantics who turned wartime Britain into a canvas of feverish color, spiritual yearning, and fearless imagination long before the Technicolor explosions of The Red Shoes or Black Narcissus. This landmark 2025 Imprint Films seven-disc limited-edition hardbox (Collection One: 1939–1947) finally brings their early masterpieces together in exquisite new transfers (several world Blu-ray premieres): The Spy in Black (1939), 49th Parallel (1941), The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943), A Canterbury Tale (1944), I Know Where I’m Going! (1945), A Matter of Life and Death (1946), and Black Narcissus (1947). The restorations are impressive with film-like perfection, loaded with fresh commentaries, video essays, isolated scores, and rare archival material; this is the definitive celebration of the Archers at the height of their audacious, life-affirming powers. |
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| As someone obsessed with wartime British films, I can't recommend this enough. '49th Parallel' and 'A Canterbury Tale' shine in HD, with extras that dive deep into their production - pure cinephile heaven! - Chris P. |
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| Finally, a proper Blu-ray box for these masterpieces. An absolute treasure for fans of The Archers! - Tony Wilson |
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| 4th Place) | |
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Fourth Place is Radiance Films' "Wicked Games: Three Films By Robert Hossein" which stands as a remarkable limited edition Blu-ray box set that not only revives three underseen early directorial efforts from a multifaceted French cinema talent - The Wicked Go to Hell with its Dostoyevskian depravity, Nude in a White Car and its Hitchcockian psychosexual intrigue, and The Taste of Violence as a prescient proto-spaghetti western critiquing ideological violence - but does so with top-tier 2K restorations that shine in video and audio quality, preserving the black-and-white artistry, atmospheric soundscapes, and André Hossein's evocative scores in pristine form; bolstered by an exhaustive array of new and archival extras that provide deep dives into production histories, thematic analyses, and genre influences through commentaries, featurettes, interviews, and essays, this collection serves as an essential short retrospective for cinephiles, highlighting Hossein's innovative blend of noir, erotic thriller, and political western elements that anticipated later trends while remaining rooted in moral ambiguity and human erosion, ultimately earning high recommendations for its educational value, technical excellence, and role in championing an unsung stylist's legacy in a beautifully packaged format that's a must-own for fans of mid-century European genre cinema. I enjoyed all three immensely but will make a special note to Nude in a White Car - wonderful noir excesses. |
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| Wicked Games: Three Films by Robert Hossein (Radiance) - I love Radiance. They reach deep and pull out such interesting films. - Jason Overbeck | |
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| 5th Place) | |
| Fifth Place is Radiance's Region FREE Radical Japan: Cinema and State. Nagisa Oshima, the Japanese New Wave’s most ferocious provocateur, spent the 1960s and early ’70s waging cinematic war on every pillar of postwar Japanese society - militarism, capital punishment, ethnic bigotry, sexual shame, and the empty pageantry of tradition - with a savage, inventive fury that still feels dangerous today. Radiance Films’ monumental 2025 limited-edition box set Radical Japan: Cinema & State gathers nine of his most radical, unflinching works in brand-new 2K restorations (many world Blu-ray premieres): The Catch (1961), Violence at Noon (1966), Three Resurrected Drunkards (1968), Death by Hanging (1968), Diary of a Shinjuku Thief (1969), Boy (1969), The Man Who Left His Will on Film (1970), The Ceremony (1971), and Dear Summer Sister (1972) - overflowing with scholarly commentaries, visual essays, archival documentaries, and a hardcover book; this is the definitive celebration of one of cinema’s greatest and most fearless agitators. |
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| Radical Japan: Cinema and State (Radiance) - The Criterion Eclipse Oshima set was good enough for the longest time until Radiance upped the ante. - Walker Roberts | |
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| I am trying to remember the last time we were treated to a proper box of Japanese films this impactful and (shamelessly) arthouse, but I am drawing a blank. I have to hand it to Radiance, three years in and we get a "radical" break with their three films = box set convention. Also I don't know how intentional this exact curation was, but evidencing no crossover with the Criterion Eclipse Oshima set meant these were all new to me. And it seems there is more Radical Japan in store for 2026... Radiance poised to take the box set crown two years in a row? - Chris Browne | |
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| By far the most ambitious release of the year, a wonderful set charting Oshima's rise from studio filmmaker to experimental auteur. Radiance has set an incredibly high bar with this release, with the promise of future volumes something to look forward to. - Lewis | |
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| 6th Place) |
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Sixth Place goes to Arrow's "Shawscope Volume Four Limited Edition". When the Shaw Brothers stared into the abyss of late-’70s/early-’80s global blockbusters - Star Wars, Alien, The Exorcist, Friday the 13th - and decided to outdo them all in sheer, unfiltered lunacy, they birthed some of the most joyously deranged, effects-driven fever dreams ever committed to celluloid: rubber-suit kaiju battles, oily mutants, black-magic bloodbaths, possessed sex maniacs, and witchcraft curses so vicious they span entire trilogies. Arrow Video’s mammoth 2025 limited-edition Shawscope Volume Four - the biggest and wildest set in the series - delivers all sixteen of these glorious lunacies in pristine new 2K restorations across ten discs: The Super Inframan, The Oily Maniac, The Battle Wizard, Black Magic, Black Magic Part 2, Bewitched, Hex, Hex Versus Witchcraft, Hex After Hex, Bat Without Wings, Bloody Parrot, The Fake Ghost Catchers, Demon of the Lute, Seeding of a Ghost, Portrait in Crystal, and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, accompanied by a staggering bounty of new commentaries, video essays, archival interviews, alternate cuts, trailers, and a 60-page perfect-bound book - this is Shaw Brothers at their most batshit brilliant, finally unleashed in the presentation they have always deserved. |
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| Shawscope 4 - A collection of bizarre and even surreal films, restored brilliant - Matt Paprocki |
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| This is all I want for Christmas every year and Santa (Arrow) continues to deliver the goods. - Walker Roberts |
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| 7th Place) | |
| Seventh place goes to A24's The X Trilogy in 4K UHD. Ti West didn’t just make a horror trilogy - he hijacked the entire slasher genre, strapped it to a rocket made of pure cinephilia, and fired it straight into the sun: X (2022) is a sweaty, coke-dusted Texas Chain Saw fever dream where porn actors meet a very horny, very old death; Pearl (2022) is a heartbreaking Technicolor psychodrama that turns The Wizard of Oz into a deranged star-is-born origin story; and MaXXXine (2024) drags the survivor into neon-drenched, satanic-panic ’80s Hollywood for a finale soaked in excess, fame, and righteous vengeance. Together they form the most ambitious, stylish, and emotionally devastating horror trilogy since the ’70s classics they worship.A24’s 2025 X Trilogy 4K UHD box set is the definitive love object every horror collector has been praying for - three pristine Dolby Vision/HDR10+ transfers that make the blood pop, the grain sing, and Mia Goth’s thousand-yard stare cut straight through your TV screen with gorgeous rigid slipcase packaging with new artwork. This is modern horror canon, finally given the throne it deserves. |
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| Grabbed the collector's edition on sale - stunning visuals and Mia Goth shines, though it's pricey considering the lack of extras - but I HAD to own. - Allan Giller | |
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| Ti West is a celebrated visionary horror filmmaker - the 4K upgrades are worth it for Pearl alone. - Sarah Tina | |
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| A24's X Trilogy - While the discs aren't special, the packaging is wonderful. - Matt Paprocki | |
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| 8th Place) | |
| In Eighth Place is Masters of Cinema's Strange New Worlds: Science Fiction at DEFA. While Hollywood chased spectacle and the Soviets chased propaganda, East Germany’s DEFA studios slipped through the cracks of the Cold War and made some of the strangest, most hauntingly beautiful science-fiction films ever produced - cosmic operas drenched in primary-color futurism, existential dread, and a wistful Marxist longing for a universe that might actually be humane. Eureka’s impressive 2025 Masters of Cinema limited-edition three-disc set Strange New Worlds: Science Fiction at DEFA finally brings four absolute gems to Blu-ray in flawless new 2K restorations: Kurt Maetzig’s internationalist epic The Silent Star (1960, aka First Spaceship on Venus), Gottfried Kolditz’s psychedelic disco-spaceship fever dream In the Dust of the Stars (1976), Herrmann Zschoche’s melancholic, Tarkovsky-inflected Eolomea (1972), and Kolditz again with the gripping rescue thriller Signals: A Space Adventure (1970) -overflowing with new commentaries, visual essays, interviews, short films, and a lavish booklet; this is one of the most exciting and outright gorgeous boutique releases of the year, essential viewing for anyone who thinks they’ve already seen everything classic sci-fi has to offer. |
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| This was my most immersive watch of the year, transfixed by these Eastern bloc sci-fi journeys across the galaxy. A beautifully curated boxset that offers socialist fantasies that must have influenced and parallel ‘2001’, ‘Solaris’ & certainly ‘Star Trek’. The films look gorgeous and are masterpieces of concept and production design on a budget, accompanied by animated shorts and extras that adds depth to the experience. Possibilities of further Masters of Cinema DEFA releases are endless with 800 films in the library including post-war dramas, Fantasy films and even Westerns. DEFAnitely worth exploring. - Neil Williams | |
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| A Space Adventure & In the Dust of the Stars - DC/Eureka - I feel compelled to split my vote between the US and UK releases. UK clearly wins on content (two extra feature films) and packaging, though I suppose if one were to collect all four variant boxes from DC (and their new slipcover standard edition) it would make for quite the display. Unfortunately Eureka suffers from horrible image processing on their supplied master from In The Dust of the Stars, so one feels compelled to own both editions to cobble together something to pass basic QC (even Deaf Crocodile supplied replacement discs for a subtitle snafu). With only 2000 copies pressed of course people were going to snap up this (genre) release QUICK - now I see a used copy of the Eureka box is asking £1499 at Amazon! AI slop battling against raging FOMO, this is a strange new world for collectors indeed! - Chris Browne | |
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| 9th Place)
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| In Ninth place was Indicator's Columbia Noir #7: Made in Britain. In the grey, rain-slick streets of 1950s Britain, Columbia Pictures cooked up a deliciously sordid batch of film noir that swapped Hollywood’s sun-bleached despair for damp alleyways, postwar ration-book cynicism, and a very British brand of moral rot - stories of heists gone wrong, murderous social climbers, vengeful ex-cons, and fatal insurance scams, starring heavyweights like Richard Widmark, Victor Mature, Diana Dors, Jack Hawkins, and Nigel Patrick. Powerhouse Films’ breathtaking 2025 limited-edition Columbia Noir #7: Made in Britain (6,000 copies only) finally unleashes all six films in glorious new 2K restorations - A Prize of Gold (Mark Robson, 1955), The Last Man to Hang (Terence Fisher, 1956), Wicked as They Come (Ken Hughes, 1956), Spin a Dark Web (Vernon Sewell, 1956), The Long Haul (Ken Hughes, 1957), and Fortune Is a Woman (Sidney Gilliat, 1957) - overflowing with brand-new commentaries, expert appreciations, isolated scores, image galleries, original scripts, theatrical trailers, and a sumptuous 120-page book packed with new essays; this is the darkest, most addictive corner of British noir yet, served up in the definitive edition collectors have been starving for. |
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| Columbia Noir 7: Made in Britain (Indicator UK)- I have only just received this set, and still making my way through it, but the set is up to the normal high standards of Indicator. - bgmoir | |
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| Columbia Noir #7: Made in Britain Powerhouse Films Few companies can match their packaging and extras. - Mark Degraw | |
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| 10th Place) | |
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| Tenth Place is Criterion Collection's Eclipse Series 47: Abbas Kiarostami - Early Shorts and Features, released on Blu-ray in November 2025, compiles seventeen of the Iranian auteur's formative works from 1970 to 1989, showcasing his innovative blend of documentary and fiction styles developed under Iran's Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults (Kanoon), with films like the poignant boy-and-dog encounter in Bread and Alley (1970), the moody adolescent solitude of Experience (1973), the obsessive quest in his first feature The Traveler (1974), moral dilemmas in shorts such as Two Solutions for One Problem (1975) and First Case, Second Case (1979), playful animations in So Can I (1975), vibrant explorations in Colors (1976), suspenseful dramas like A Wedding Suit (1976), educational critiques in Tribute to Teachers (1977) and Homework (1989), lyrical road trips in Solution No. 1 (1978), humorous pains in Toothache (1980), philosophical asides in Orderly or Disorderly (1981), sensory contrasts in The Chorus (1982), urban observations in Fellow Citizen (1983), and schoolyard insights in First Graders (1984)—all presented across three discs in 2K digital restorations by MK2 and L’Immagine Ritrovata, preserving their original Persian audio with English subtitles in a 1.37:1 aspect ratio, accompanied by a booklet essay from critic Ehsan Khoshbakht, making this affordable set an essential gateway to Kiarostami's early poetic meditations on childhood, society, and human relationships before his international breakthroughs. |
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| My favorite Blu-ray package of the
year has got to be Criterion's 2-disk ABBAS KIAROSTAMI: EARLY SHORTS
AND FEATURES (Eclipse series 47). Not all 17 items here are equally
ccomplished and important. For me, the key items are two early
features--the fictional THE TRAVELER and the non-fictional
HOMEWORK--and two short masterpieces, the hilarious TWO SOLUTIONS
FOR ONE PROBLEM and the profoundly hilarious ORDERLY AND DISORDERLY
(Kiarostami's most brilliant short, which he disliked for
inexplicable reasons). But there are many more treasures here, along
with at least one creepy dud, FIRST GRADERS, that's historically
significant (and is astutely unpacked in Ehsan Khoshbakht's
excellent 14-page booklet essay).
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| Eclipse Series 47 Abbas Kiarostami Early Shorts and Features (Criterion/Eclipse) - So glad Criterion pulled back the Eclipse series and updated it to Blu Ray rather than dvd. Janus has so much in their catalog that hopefully this will open up some titles that have been sitting there for awhile. - Jason Overbeck |
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| Eclipse Series 47: Abbas Kiarostami—Early Shorts and Features (Criterion) So great to have the Eclipse series up and running again and this was a great collection for its relaunch. - Tim Leggoe |
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(click covers for more information) The NEXT TOP-VOTED BOXSETS (#11 - #21 in order)
____________________ Special Note to BFI's Chantal Akerman sets with votes just outside of the Top 20
'The Rest' (roughly alphabetical order)
____________ Kino's continued The Dark Side of Film Noir 3-packs: CLICK covers for more information
12 12 films spread across 4 packages; Rope of Sand / Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye / Never Love a Stranger / Union Station / Jennifer / The Crooked Circle / The Flame / City That Never Sleeps / Hell's Half Acre / Dr. Broadway / Smooth as Silk / The Great Gatsby _______________________ Blaxploitation CLICK covers for more information)
_______________________ Dan Curtis from Kino... CLICK covers for more information)
_______________________ Imprint's Tales of Adventure Collections #4 through #9 CLICK covers for more information)
_______________________ Warner Archive's 'Collection" boxsets released in 2025: CLICK covers for more information
____________ Shaw Brothers 'Collection" boxsets released in 2025: (Arrow's Shawscope 4 was voted into our Top Ten of the Year - above) CLICK covers for more information
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Boxsets comments:
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Blaxploitation Classics: Volume 2 (for the magnificent Cotton Comes to Harlem) - Tony Sullivan |
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| Alraune plus The Student of Prague (Deaf Crocodile)-Two fascinating German silent films. Both films have been restored, with Alraune looking the better of the two. Certainly, some dark material to be found in these films. - bgmoir |
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| Doctor Who: Jon Pertwee: Season One (A loaded gift for fans) - Tony Sullivan |
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| Criterion's release of The Three Musketeers/The Four Musketeers. Finally, a beautiful representation of these beloved swashbucklers with in-depth, revealing extras and a gorgeous cover. - Michael Huie |
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| World Film Noir - Volume 4.- 1955, 1958, 1962- Radiance. Never bought Vol 1 or Vol 2 (although I later bought some individual titles from the Radiance website) I found their Vol 3 a bit of a mixed bag, but this- Vol 4- being all French titles - worked best as a whole. There was a double dip with 'Back To The Wall' (which was also in the Kino Lorber French Noir 3 film release) but never mind. 'Paris Pick Up' especially packed a gut punch. If you've ever read a Cornell Woolrich short story you'll know what I mean!!! Noir in the best sense of a trap being tightened minute by minute, with no happy ending. - Billy Bang |
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| Arrow's TMNT - I've waited for a set like this for these movies since I was a kid. - Matt Paprocki |
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| House of Psychotic Women 2 - Severin - Severin sure serves up an enticing set, between this and All the Haunts I am in for the long run. In particular this supports their ongoing Juraj Herz releases via a superior 4K restoration of Morgiana (superseding Second Run). Herz's Ferat Vampire was a standalone in 2025 with a great 60+ page booklet, but while the PW2 box remains a great physical/visual design I still feel this series could use with some written material given the asking price (certainly possible drawing from the eponymous reference tome). - Chris Browne |
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| Michael Haneke A Curzon Collection An essential release, wonderful to have them all in one place, in the best quality - James Kemp |
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| Jean Vigo A Curzon Collection Essential films of a master lost far too soon. So good to have them all in this quality. - James Kemp |
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| Wrack and Ruin - Eureka - Eureka experiencing an unprecedented comeback in their world cinema curation of late. They were the most prolific with at least six "worthy" box sets released in 2025, not even counting their Asian films output! It was more of a toss-up trying to decide on how to rank them individually (Sirk, Mabuse, Krimi, Fantomas, Sci-Fi at DEFA) but for me the content on this set, peering behind a previously closed door of constrained national cinema, was the most fascinating. The only caveat has been East German HD masters that were not up to par (I am thinking of the results in the Heart of Stone and Sons of the Great Bear) since Eureka never seems to admit QC mistakes or correct product for a recall/exchange. I don't know how they could keep this pace up, or top it, in 2026 - but I am excited to see what they might get up to (and hopefully might work with Deaf Crocodile to avoid unnecessary duplication). - Chris Browne |
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| Hardboiled: Three Pulp Thrillers by Alain Corneau Radiance The only label that consistently releases films I have never heard of- yet must own. - Mark Degraw |
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| Tom and Jerry: The Golden Era Anthology - Warner Archive - Never let perfect be the enemy of good. Regardless of image (in)consistency, it remains a minor miracle, and likely a quirk of being stuck in the eye of America's political / economic maelstrom, that on less than a year's notice a cinematic series as iconic as this could be served up uncensored and functionally complete, before policy changes that could have derailed our one shot (otherwise we would have been waiting another quarter century before the public domain might offer redemption). Now I am afraid Warner Archive won't be around to shepherd us to the promised land and yet there remains much in the vault waiting for a proper send-off. - Chris Browne |
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| Treasures of Soviet Animation 1,2,3 - Deaf Crocodile - Seems like the third set is going to miss the 2025 window, but what we have seen between the first two (and the series has been programmed out to seven+!) is enough to push this to the top of my 2025 list. In retrospect it seems obvious: why not highlight the crown jewels from one of the preeminent 20th century sources of animation. So why has it become the responsibility of Deaf Crocodile and why did a boutique approaching this task take so damn long? The Pass from the first set was one of the strongest SF works I have seen in years, The Snow Queen from the Lev Atamanov (second) set was good enough to keep Miyazaki from rethinking his career, and now with Yuri Norstein's nearly complete works offered on the third, is there a fan of the medium who could be immune to these charms on display? About time this was undertaken even if in the course of history this timing is beyond problematic. - Chris Browne |
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| Short Sharp Shocks Volume 4 - BFI - Getting a proper physical media release for Roger Christian's Black Angel was enough to include it on my list. Between this and Eclipse, the Flipside series isn't dead quite yet. - Chris Browne |
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Zoltan Huszarik Second Run - this is
close to a complete filmography of this filmmaker. Second Run again
showing us why it is one of the most important contributors to World
Cinema.
- Rossa Crowe |
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| Hardboiled: Three Pulp Thrillers By Alain Corneau (Radiance) Biggest discovery of the year for me. Hadn't seen any of the films previously. Consumed the box set in record time, loving all three films, especially Serie Noir. - James Kemp |
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| Alraune and The Student of Prague - My favorite release of last year period. Gorgeous artwork. The best booklet of the year. - Douglas Head |
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| The Three Musketeers / The Four Musketeers: Two Films by Richard Lester – Criterion was right to package these together because they're basically one big film. Sure, having Return would've been nice, but I get it. The "Two For One" extra is a great addition. - Geoff Dubois |
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| The Adventures of Antonie Doinel (Criterion 4K) - While I'm very happy to see this finally upgraded, can we get a reissued disc with a proper transfer of "Les Mistons"? It appears to have been encoded incorrectly with the wrong color space. Come on, Criterion. You're better than this and such a cornerstone of cinema history deserves better! - Drew Morton |
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| V-Cinema Essentials: Bullets & Betrayal (Arrow) - Hopefully the beginning of a deluge of Japanese V-Cinema being uncovered and released on disc. - Jason Overbeck |
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| DAN CURTIS’ CLASSIC MONSTERS (Kino) (Dracula, Frankenstein, Jekyll and Hyde): There is an appetite for classic TV movies releases beyond even these irresistible horror vehicles for Palance, and I hope that Mr. Tarzi of Kino Lorber will continue to recognize that fact and not hold back from TV features. - Peter Yacavone |
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| This year has been rich in box sets and unfortunately we could not buy all of them or even fully watch some of the ones we did but hopefully this list offers up some of the most popular ones as well as lesser-mentioned ones also worth a look. Whereas the three films in the first Radiance Daiei Gothic set were variations on legends also seen in the more widely-released Kwaidan, the films in the second volume are also adaptations of popular legends and stories and actually better films. Radiance's third World Noir volume has two great films in Not Guilty and Girl with Hyacinths while Peter Lorre's The Lost One is still interesting as Peter Lorre's sole directorial effort and a response to his career-making turn in Fritz Lang's M. Not all of the films in Radiance's Nagisa Oshima's Radical Japan set are previously unreleased but they offer more examples of the director's transgressive than his pornographic In the Realm of the Senses. The duo of Claude Miller's The Inquisitor and Deadly Circuit – the latter Blu-ray only in this 4K set – contrasts a tense one setting three-hander noir with a globe-hopping blackly comic murder mystery. Second Run's Zoltán Huszárik set is a comprehensive set of the director's sadly small filmography including the definitive edition of Szindbád and his long-gestating sophomore (and final) effort Csontváry. The films in Alain Corneau set have all been available before but Radiance's extras make a compelling case for their "hardboiled" label as part of the French Serie noire genre. The CCC films of Eureka's Mabuse and Krimi sets stretch the definition of "Masters of Cinema" but it is great to have them all together and English-friendly. Arrow's V-Cinema Essentials: Bullets & Betrayal sheds light on how Japan exploiting the video rental boom kept their cinema industry afloat while offering opportunities for emerging talents. Arrow's fourth Shawscope set shed light on the studio's move into gore horror in the mid-seventies as well as the Hong Kong industry's response to Japanese monster and superhero movies and television. - Eric Cotenas |
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| Laurel & Hardy The Silent Years Year One – It seems to me that restoration of classics ought to be a major effort as silent and early talkie comedies such as those by Laurel & Hardy and Charlie Chaplin as every bit as funny (and relevant) to us as they were 100 years ago. Why, they speak to social issues and situations that are still with us. And most important, they are still funny. - Thomas Friedman |
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| A New Leaf (Cinematographe 4K) Elaine May's extremely dark romantic comedy got a pretty solid blu-ray release a few years back from the short lived Olive Signature line. The transfer was solid and it had a fantastic commentary from my old UCLA classmate Maya Smukler, author of the incredible Liberating Hollywood, a sort of feminist New Hollywood antithesis to Peter Biskind's Easy Riders, Raging Bulls. Smukler is back for this 4K release with a newly recorded commentary with archivist and programmer K.J. Reith-Miller from the Academy Museum and this 4K transfer is a tactile and beautifully filmic upgrade. An archival interview from the Olive disc with one of the editors is included, begging the question as to why Cinematographe didn't port over Smukler's earlier, solo, commentary track, but we do get a range of new features here from a video essay and - perhaps most significantly - a nearly 70 minute conversation between May and her former collaborator Mike Nichols. - Drew Morton |
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| Tom and Jerry: The Golden Era Anthology (1940-1958) - Finally, a studio releases classic animation in most collectors' preferred format...beautifully restored, chronological order and unedited. I hope that this bodes well for future LT & MM releases from Warner Archive akinto the Porky Pig 101 on DVD from some time ago. - Mark Fry |
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| Daei Gothic Volume Two - Japanese Ghost Stories (2025, Radiance). Excellent three movie set covering movies from 1960, 1969, and 1970. High quality all around. - Matt Janovic |
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| "World Noir Vol. 3" - Radiance UK. This includes two absolutely amazing films noirs, The Lost One, the only film directed by Peter Lorre, and a major, early German anti-Nazi film, and Girl With Hyacinths, often noted as being the best Swedish film noir. the third film is Not Guilty, an also rare French noir, directed by Henri Decoin. - Peter Rist |
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| A Better Tomorrow Trilogy (Shout 4K) - Shout really outdid themselves with the Hong Kong Cinema Classics line this year. The John Woo releases have been lovingly restored to the best they've ever looked on home video, packed with both legacy special features and - more significantly - new supplements that I feel like it could take me a month to fully digest each release. While the Better Tomorrow films may not quite reach The Killer or Hard Boiled levels, this set holds its own with those two other releases due to the inclusion of two longer, alternate edits of Parts II and III, one of which has never been seen. - Drew Morton |
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| Three Musketeers/Four Musketeers – Richard Lester - These "costumers" are simply fun. Not great stuff, but consistently amusing and broadly acted almost as farce. The visuals are sumptuous and the sound quite adequate. No light weights among the actors. - Thomas Friedman |
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| DAIEI GOTHIC VOLUME 2 (Radiance, UK) A follow up to my favourite Blu-ray boxset of 2024, I am pleased to say that Radiance have improved on the formula this year. All three ghost stories featured are incredible with atmospheric visuals and audio creating evocative compelling tales that reflect contemporary issues in Japan at the time they were made. Particularly enjoyed ‘The Haunted Castle’ (1969) which was a fantastic feline folk horror. Already looking forward to Volume 3 next Winter. Spooky. - Neil Williams |
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| Dracula: Complete Legacy Collection - I'm happy to have so many of these "deep cuts" available on 4K. But always a little frustrated with how Universal constantly makes me double and triple dip by how they release them. Especially now that Kino has released 4K versions of the Abbott and Costello monster meetups individually. I'm holding off on the Kino releases to avoid the likely inclusion of these films in future Universal sets. - Mark Fry |
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| István Szabó : Mephisto / Colonel Redl / Hanussen (Second Run) Essential viewing for Mitteleuropa history fans. And a bonus for filmgoers: Mephisto is now back in theatres. - Jeff Heinrich |
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| Jean Vigo A Curzon Collection (Curzon) Pure perfection. The best release of the year hands down. This 4K transfer of L'Atalante is so beautiful that it probably would have been my release of the year if it came in a brown paper bag with no extras, but this is such a great (and great looking) package stacked with incredible extras. - Tim Leggoe |
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| A Better Tomorrow Trilogy (Shout Studios) Finally getting high quality releases of The Killer and Hard Boiled was long overdue, but this was the John Woo release that I was anticipating the most and this Shout release is even more than I hoped for. - Tim Leggoe |
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| Tom and Jerry: The Golden Era Anthology (Warner Archive)- I am cheating a bit here as I haven’t yet received my set, but I have read and seen enough to know this would top my boxset list. I love Tom & Jerry from this period, and the set even includes new extras. - bgmoir |
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| Wrack & Ruin: The Rubble Film at Defa (Eureka)- I already owned a movie in the set- The Murderers Are Among Us- so I was keen to get this boxset. A great selection of films, with location shooting often in the ruins of post war Berlin. The films are considered propaganda, but they are still entertaining. Many extras in the set and I especially liked the archival documentaries. - bgmoir |
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| "Film Noir: The Dark Side of the Cinema, Vol. XXIV" - Kino Lorber - which includes an Ida Lupino rarity, Jennifer (1953) - Peter Rist |
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| Wrack & Ruin -The Rubble Film At DEFA (2025, Eureka). Postwar East German cinema capturing the aftermath of WWII, once rare, and now, essential. - Matt Janovic |
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| Michael Haneke A Curzon Collection (Umbrella) Despite the absence of Funny Games 2007, I think overall the Umbrella set is a slightly superior release to the also excellent Curzon collection. - Tim Leggoe |
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| István Szabó : Mephisto / Colonel Redl / Hanussen (2025, Second Run UK) This is excellent for Hanussen alone were it not for the fact that Mephisto and Colonel Redl are also classics of high cinema and thematically-linked as a trilogy. Hanussen has rarely ever been available and this must be its first Blu-ray ever. - Matt Janovic |
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| Zoltán Huszárik Collected Works: - Second Run - Solidly dependable curation, if only occasionally marred by QC letdown, this was their most interesting release of the year. When we are treated to the entire cinematic output of a director in a single go, and especially when that director is Hungarian, it is time to pay attention. This is the best we have received since Kino's Jancso set several years ago, the Hungarian 4K masters so far are stunning, so I hope boutiques can ramp things up. - Chris Browne |
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| Shawscope Volume 4 (2025, Arrow). It's Shaw. It's their best horror and fantastic tales. It has an OST compilation CD. Say no more. - Matt Janovic |
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TAKASHI ISHII: 4 TALES OF NAMI (Third
Window films, UK) Went into these with trepidation as wary of the content and themes of Ishii’s cinema. Was led there by film critic and historian Samm Deighan on her excellent Eros + Massacre podcast. Despite the reservations on the subject matter and scuzzy 90s stylings, I really enjoyed 3 of these 4 Tales. A Night in Nude (1993) is particularly well directed and has some stunning edit choices that were paused and rewound. The female protagonists are strong and performed with intent by the actors. Excellent extras help justify my decision to journey along these dank alleyways. With the recent announcement of Third Window’s upcoming release of Ishii’s ‘Angel Guts’ series, I am happy that I have discovered a new/old original voice in cult exploitation cinema. Gutsy. - Neil Williams |
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| Aleksandr Ptushko Fantastika Box (2025, Deaf Crocodile). Box set version of all four DC Blu-rays of the Mosfilm fantasy classics. Glorious artwork and layout. - Matt Janovic |
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| V-Cinema Essentials: Bullets & Betrayal (Arrow Video) - By far the most exciting box set this year, a genre of films I was resigned to only see in VHS rips with fan subs. A second set is mandatory, and a third, a fourth. Extremely impressive selection that presents the wide variety that V-Cinema has to offer. - Walker Roberts |
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| Terror In The Fog: The Wallace Krimi At CCC (1963-1964, Eureka). These are some of the very best of the German "Krimis," which are similar to the Italian giallo, mainly urban stories of murder, set at night. - Matt Janovic |
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| Alraune + The Student Of Prague: German Silent Genre Rarities From Director Henrik Galeen - I think that this was a very underrated release and incredibly substantial release. Terrific prints and transfers! I was unfamiliar with Deaf Crocodile until now. But they have my attention as clearly indicated by the below listings. - Mark Fry |
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| A cinephile's dream - the 1080P restoration brings out every subtle nuance in the film's quirky blend of drama and surrealism, making Yamashita's redemption arc feel even more poignant and alive. - Brent Mills |
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| Imamura’s film was an early showcase for the immeasurable talents of Koji Yakusho, an actor I adore who finally got proper recognition for his talents in Wender’s Perfect Days. He is wonderful in this tale of murder, guilt and redemption. And an eel. For once, the viewing of both director’s edit and the theatrical cut of the film, offers a different experience. Looks gorgeous with great extras, particularly Tom Mes’ overview of 1997, a watershed year for Japanese cinema. More Imamura please, Radiance. Beautiful. - Neil Williams |
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| Loving The Eel Blu-ray - it's not just the film’s Palme d'Or-winning brilliance, but the complete package that make this edition feel like a loving tribute to a underrated gem. - Henrik S. |
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| My favourite Blu-ray release of the year was Imamura's late career Palme d'Or winning classic The Eel from Radiance. With two cuts of this wonderfully original and shapeshifting film, both thankfully in their original aspect ratio (which can't be said for previous DVD releases in the UK). It was a real treat in what has been another year of consistently great releases from Radiance. - Lewis |
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| 2nd Place) | |
| Second Place is Criterion's Blu-ray of Jean-Luc Godard's audacious 1987 film King Lear marks a triumphant high-definition debut for this long-underappreciated English-language experiment, bringing the French New Wave icon's radical deconstruction of Shakespeare's tragedy into sharp, vibrant focus through a new 2K digital restoration that enhances the film's eclectic visual collage and layered sound design. Presented in its original 1.37:1 aspect ratio with a 2.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack and English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing, the disc captures the chaotic brilliance of Godard's metacinematic riddle - set in a post-Chernobyl world where culture has been obliterated, following descendant William Shakespeare Jr. the Fifth (Peter Sellars) as he attempts to reconstruct the Bard's play with an unlikely ensemble including mobster Don Learo (Burgess Meredith), his rebellious daughter Cordelia (Molly Ringwald), a wild-haired Professor Pluggy (Godard himself), Virginia (Julie Delpy), and Edgar (Leos Carax) - weaving themes of art, language, filmmaking economics, and existential ruin into a dense tapestry of images, sounds, and ideas that challenges conventional narrative cinema. |
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| This release finally does justice to Godard's bonkers 1987 gem; the crisp transfer highlights those surreal interludes and bold English-language quirks, plus the extras with Brody and Sellars are pure gold for deep dives. - Chris P. |
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| Criterion's standout release of Godard's English language semi-adaptation of King Lear was a delight. Sourced from a new 2k restoration, the blu-ray is undoubtedly a big upgrade from the old dvds and bootegs that were in circulation before. I hope this release introduces the film to new audiences and helps cement its rightful place as an important, yet also aptly polarising, entry in Godard's filmography. - Lewis |
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| Criterion nailed it with King Lear BD that makes Burgess Meredith's Don Learo and Molly Ringwald's Cordelia even more mesmerizing in this post-apocalyptic puzzle of a film. - CPG |
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| A totally unexpected delight from Criterion: once Godard’s least admired film, it may finally be taking its place as a canonical work about image and adaptation, not to mention the director’s most effortless, amusing, and entertaining film since 1965. - Peter Yacavone |
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3rd Place) |
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Third Place is Imprint's Blu-ray of Todd Field's In the Bedroom - a masterful exploration of grief's insidious grip on domestic life, transforming a serene New England setting into a cauldron of simmering emotional turmoil through its deliberate pacing and unflinching realism. The film centers on Matt and Ruth Fowler, a middle-class couple played with profound nuance by Tom Wilkinson and Sissy Spacek, whose world shatters after the murder of their college-bound son Frank (Nick Stahl) amid his passionate affair with an older, divorced mother (Marisa Tomei), unraveling layers of suppressed anger, blame, and marital strain as they grapple with justice's inadequacies and the temptation of vigilante retribution. Acclaimed for its expert craftsmanship, wrenching performances, and daring meditation on the taboo facets of bereavement - evoking waves of emptiness, rage, and relational fracture - the movie eschews melodrama for quiet observation, earning comparisons to literary depth while critiquing societal complacency toward violence; this Blu-ray release, boasting high-definition clarity that enhances the film's subdued visuals and atmospheric subtlety, serves as a vital preserve for cinephiles seeking introspective narratives on human fragility and moral ambiguity. |
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| In The Bedroom (Imprint) - a solid transfer. But just happy to finally have a HD version. - Paul Bennett |
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| Why do we have to wait so long for amazing cinema from the 90's and beyond to reach 1080P? This was an extreme oversight. - Henrik S. |
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| 4th Place) |
| Fourth Place is Criterion's Blu-ray of Abbas Kiarostami's The Wind Will Carry Us. The film unfolds slowly, blending documentary-like realism with poetic minimalism, as the Engineer interacts with villagers, navigates their traditions, and grapples with his own detachment and urban biases. Key themes include the clash between modernity and tradition, the mystery of human connection, and the cyclical nature of life and death. The title, drawn from a poem by Forough Farrokhzad, evokes fleeting existence and the inevitability of change. The narrative is deliberately opaque, focusing on mundane moments - like the Engineer’s repeated trips to a hill for phone calls - interwoven with philosophical undertones. Visually, the film uses long takes and the village’s stark landscape to emphasize isolation and introspection. The story resists clear resolution, leaving the Engineer’s intentions and the woman’s fate open-ended, inviting reflection on mortality, purpose, and cultural divides. It’s a meditative, layered work that rewards patience - aligning with Kiarostami’s minimalist ethos. The Criterion restoration offers superior color grading and consistency as compared to the Cohen edition. The new video quality brings out a richness and tactile beauty of Siah Dareh’s landscapes not found in other editions. Absolutely recommended. |
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| The Wind Will Carry Us [Blu-ray] (Abbas Kiarostami, 1999) Criterion. This is a massive improvement over the previous Blu-ray release. - Peter Nagels |
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| Abbas Kiarostami- The Wind Will Carry US- 1999- Criterion. I saw this on its theater release in Edinburgh. The images on this Criterion Blu Ray are even more shimmeringly beautiful than I remembered. Amazing supplements too! What a fantastic fit Kiarostami and Criterion have been over the years! With their Kiarostami Eclipse 47 Box set in the post on its way to me, this probably completes everything Kiarostami related from Criterion! All I can say to Criterion is thank you, thank you!!! - Billy Bang |
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| 5th Place) | |
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Fifth Place is Flicker Alley's Blu-ray of Victor Sjöström's He Who Gets Slapped which is a cornerstone of silent cinema, a film that masterfully blends melodrama, psychological depth, and social commentary into a visually and emotionally compelling narrative. Adapted from Leonid Andreyev’s 1914 Russian play Tot, kto poluchayet poshchechiny, the film was one of the first features produced by the newly formed Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) and showcases the directorial prowess of Sjöström, a Swedish filmmaker renowned for his contributions to early cinema, alongside the unforgettable performance of Lon Chaney, the "Man of a Thousand Faces." This analysis explores the film’s thematic depth, character development, visual style, cultural significance, and its place within the silent film era, drawing on its narrative structure, performances, and technical achievements. The film opens with a striking image of a spinning globe, symbolizing the relentless turning of fate, and transitions into a circus ring where HE’s act mirrors his internal torment. At its core, He Who Gets Slapped is a meditation on the human condition, particularly the interplay between suffering and performance. The film examines how individuals cope with betrayal and loss, with HE’s transformation into a clown symbolizing the masks people wear to conceal pain. |
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| I very much liked the Flicker Fusion release of He Who Gets Slapped (1924) – great print of previously unavailable DVD/Blu-ray (except an unsatisfactory Italian edition), with great extras. - Cameron Wybrow |
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| 6th Place) | |
| Sixth place goes to Radiance Film's Blu-ray of Luchino Visconti's La Terra Trema - a cornerstone of Italian neorealism, a sweeping yet intimate epic that portrays the struggles of a Sicilian fishing family against systemic economic oppression. Rooted in the principles of neorealism - location shooting, non-professional actors, and a focus on the working class - the film transcends documentary realism to achieve a poetic, almost operatic tragedy. The exploration of class, community, and resilience offers a universal yet specific critique of systemic injustice. This Radiance Blu-ray release is a must-own for fans of Italian cinema, celebrating La Terra Trema as a timeless, gut-wrenching portrait of class struggle and resilience, its visual and sonic effectiveness matched by a thoughtful array of supplementary materials that honor its legacy. It's the definitive digital release of Luchino Visconti’s neorealist masterpiece. It includes insightful interviews with Christina Newland, Pietro Ingrao, Francesco Rosi, and Turi Vasile, alongside a gallery, reversible sleeve, and a scholarly booklet, provide a rich exploration of the film’s historical and cinematic significance. |
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| Terra Trema Radiance - Have been waiting a long time to get this key neo-realist film on bluray and as usual Radiance give us an excellent release. Three Visconti films got released on Radiance in 2025 and they hint at more to come in 2026. - Rossa Crowe |
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| La terra trema , Luchino Visconti (Italy, 1948) - Radiance UK - My favourite Italian Neorealist film, finally out on BluRay, with a beautiful transfer. - Peter Rist |
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| 7th Place) | |
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Seventh place goes to Second Run's Blu-ray of Václav Vorlícek's Who Wants to Kill Jessie? which stands as a pioneering blend of pop-art aesthetics, slapstick humor, and satirical commentary on communist-era bureaucracy and scientific hubris. Written by Vorlíček (The End of Agent W4C) in collaboration with Miloš Macourek (Tomorrow I'll Wake Up and Scald Myself with Tea,) the film was produced by Filmové studio Barrandov during the Czechoslovak New Wave, a period of relative creative freedom before the 1968 Prague Spring crackdown. Starring Jiří Sovák (When the Cat Comes) as the beleaguered inventor Professor Beránek, Dana Medřická (Return of the Prodigal Son) as his ambitious wife Dr. Růžena Beránková, and Olga Schoberová (Adele Has Not Had Supper Yet, Lemonade Joe, Hammer’s The Vengeance of She) as the titular Jessie, the movie draws inspiration from American comic strips like Superman and Flash Gordon, while infusing them with Eastern European absurdism. Shot in striking black-and-white Cinemascope by cinematographer Jan Němeček (Black Peter,) it features innovative visual effects for its time, including animated speech bubbles and cartoon physics manifesting in the real world. Its legacy lies in its whimsical yet pointed critique of authoritarianism, wrapped in a chaotic farce that explores the collision between fantasy and reality. |
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| 8th Place) | |
| Eighth place goes to Criterion's Blu-ray of Prince of Broadway, directed by Sean Baker. It is a raw, empathetic snapshot of struggling existence and makeshift family in New York’s bustling wholesale district, blending neorealist grit with a tender humanism that foreshadows Baker’s later works like The Florida Project. The narrative thrives on its slice-of-life simplicity, eschewing melodrama for quiet moments of connection and tension, such as Lucky’s evolving bond with the child or his strained camaraderie with Levon. While the plot occasionally meanders, its strength lies in Baker’s keen eye for the marginalized, exposing the precariousness of their dreams without judgment, making Prince of Broadway a compelling study of resilience amid the fringes. The Criterion Blu-ray showcases Sean Baker’s early triumph in all its raw, neorealist glory. The centerpiece is a new 4K digital restoration, supervised and approved by Baker and restoration supervisor Alex Coco, which breathes fresh life into the film’s handheld aesthetic, capturing the gritty vibrancy of Manhattan’s wholesale district with stunning clarity. There are exceptional extras including two commentaries and two documentaries as well as a interviews and a booklet. Sean Baker fans will positively want to own this package. |
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| As a huge Sean Baker fan, Criterion's Blu-ray of Prince of Broadway blew me away—the raw, handheld energy of Lucky's immigrant hustle in NYC comes alive in this crisp transfer, feeling like a gritty precursor to Tangerine and Anora - Chris P. |
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| Unforgettable - Brent Mills |
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| 9th Place) | |
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Ninth place goes to Deaf Crocodile's Blu-ray of Jiří Weiss's "The Golden Fern" (Zlaté kapradí) - a mesmerizing 1963 Czechoslovak fantasy that emerges as a haunting adult fairy tale that masterfully intertwines folklore with profound psychological depth, critiquing human frailties like arrogance, infidelity, and the corrosive effects of ambition through its ethereal black-and-white cinematography and dreamlike narrative. The story follows Jílek, a humble shepherd (Vít Olmer), who stumbles upon a magical golden fern guarded by the enchanting forest nymph Lesanka (Karla Chadimová), whose forbidden love affair with him grants supernatural protections - sewing a fern seed into his shirt to shield him during wartime conscription - yet spirals into tragedy as he succumbs to temptation with a general's daughter (Dana Smutná), unraveling themes of fate, betrayal, and the elusive nature of happiness in a world where magical interventions clash with mortal flaws, echoing the director's earlier explorations of war and humanism in films like "Romeo, Juliet and Darkness." Celebrated as an unjustly overlooked gem of 1960s Eastern European cinema for its poetic visuals, innovative sound design blending folk motifs with modernist unease, and unflinching portrayal of love's darker undercurrents, the film transcends mere whimsy to offer a cautionary allegory on the perils of hubris. |
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| 10th Place) | |
| Tenth place goes to is Criterion's Blu-ray of Mitchell Leisen's Midnight. This is a quintessential screwball comedy, exploring the fluidity of identity and the absurdity of class distinctions. Eve’s transformation from a penniless showgirl to a “baroness” highlights how appearances and performance can blur social boundaries. The film pokes fun at the pretensions of the elite, with Eve’s imposture exposing their gullibility. The glittering world of Parisian high society tempts Eve (Claudette Colbert - Cleopatra, It Happened One Night, Imitation of Life,) but the film subtly critiques materialism. Tibor (Don Ameche - Things Change, Heaven Can Wait, Trading Places,) a working-class everyman, offers sincerity, while the aristocratic life is portrayed as shallow and chaotic, embodied by Georges (John Barrymore - Counsellor at Law, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Twentieth Century) and Helene’s dysfunctional marriage. Mitchell Leisen (Remember the Night, The Lady is Willing, No Time for Love,) known for blending sophistication and humor, keeps Midnight brisk and visually elegant. His staging of chaotic scenes - like the climactic “divorce” hearing - balances slapstick with a polished, theatrical feel. The Brackett-Wilder screenplay crackles with intelligence, balancing romance, comedy, and satire. |
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| Midnight (Criterion) - First time watching -and it started slow. But came home like a freight train. Loved it! - Paul Bennett |
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| A great Mitchell Leisen classic out from Criterion, this was my favorite blu ray release from them in 2025, it was a great year for Criterion. - Jason Overbeck |
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The NEXT ELEVEN-VOTED BLU-RAYS (in order) (CLICK Covers for more Information)
The Rest in Kinda Alphabetical Order (CLICK Covers for more Information)
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| Fire Maidens from Outer Space [Blu-ray] (Cy Roth, 1956) Vinegar Syndrome Labs. This would have to be one of the weirdest movies ever made. - Peter Nagels |
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| Dracula und seine Bräute (Brides of Dracula) Anolis. A re-release from Anolis, but with a beautiful new Cover from Rick Melton. - Maggie Breitmeier |
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| The Ballad of Wallis Island – I really liked this one and just want more people to see it. Zero extras, though, which stings even more because it's based on a short film by the same team. - Geoff Dubois |
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| The Barnabos Kos Case Second Run - the Czech New Wave has brilliant examples of insightful satire and this film is a great one. Superb Second Run release with a few nice extras. - Rossa Crowe |
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| Play It Cool - Another gem I was not familiar with. It proves Yasuzō Masumura still had it entering the 1970's. - Douglas Head |
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| Manthan Second Run - certain films are particularly important for their cultural significance and this film offers a rare insight into the Indian caste system. - Rossa Crowe |
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| Laila – Platekompaniet Exclusive I am always pleased to see an upgrade of an older film from DVD to Blu-ray. This release owes its existence to the crowdfunding campaign "Norske Filmklassikere" supporting Norwegian film releases and contains the original intended soundtracks, recorded by the orchestra of the public broadcaster NRK, which costed about $70,000. - Vaso Đogović |
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| Good also to see the 1921 version of Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (Valentino) finally released in tolerable format. Nicely done Blu-ray by Warner Archive – but no special features. - Cameron Wybrow |
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| GIRL HELL (88 Films) - I'll put this is to stand for all the 88 Films Nikkatsu Roman Porno films put out by 88 Films this year. - Jason Overbeck |
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| FEMALE PERVERSIONS (Cinematographe) - I think this is their coolest release because it was so unexpected. I never thought this 90s indie would get an upgrade. - Jason Overbeck |
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| Senso Radiance - were treated to not 2 but 3 versions of Visconti's stylistic turning point in his career. A good upgrade from the US Criterion with extras added in. - Lewis |
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| The Ogre of Athens - Never heard of it and may be the best film I saw last year for the first time. - Douglas Head |
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| Girl With a Suitcase Radiance - I have loved this film since I first saw it in the cinema in 2006 and I immediately bought the No Shame DVD. This bluray is a good upgrade. Very touching film and 1960s Italian B&W photography looks superb. - Rossa Crowe |
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| Kangchenjunga - Slovak Film Institute This is one of the rare film archives that has not lost faith in optical media and continues to release films on Blu-ray and DVD. While this film may not be as visually spectacular as some other mountain-climbing documentaries, it does an excellent job of conveying the tension of waiting for news from the two alpinists who set out to conquer the peak. - Vaso Đogović |
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| The House of Mirth BFI - outstanding film from a true auteur director. BFI release has superb extras as always. - Rossa Crowe |
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| Play it Again, Sam (Kino 1973): More than twenty years after the DVD, Kino gets to us the most important Woody Allen movie not directed by Woody Allen (but by the estimable Herbert Ross), in a lovely slipcover edition. And it’s one of the funnies. - Peter Yacavone |
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| A Tale of Sorrow and Sadness (RADIANCE, 1977) Shrugged off at the time, Suzuki Seijun’s notorious “comeback” film, a truly, truly savage, Buñuelian satire of mass media, is every bit the aesthetic equal of Branded to Kill and Tokyo Drifter. (Read about it in Chapter 8 HERE). I hope that Radiance’s fine transfer may help to rescue it from obscurity. - Peter Yacavone |
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| Otac na službenom putu (When Father Was Away on Business) (Papa est en Voyage d'affaires) - Malavida Films Despite certain technical shortcomings of the disc and the absence of English subtitles, given how rarely films from the former Yugoslavia are released on Blu-ray, I felt compelled to include this masterpiece by Emir Kusturica. - Vaso Đogović |
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| A Midsummer Night's Dream (Sandpiper, 1968): Some prejudices die hard- like that of the cinephile against the theatre. Probably no one noticed that Sandpiper has given us a blu-ray version of the very best film adaptation of a certain play which suffers more than any other at the hands of arrogant directors—of theater and film alike—who will not let it speak for itself. Here—as orchestrated by the greatest theater director of the century, Peter Hall, and performed by the greatest Shakespearean cast ever assembled (Dench, Mirren, Richardson, Holm, Warner, Jayston, Rigg and Paul Rogers) it does. Far from being stagey, it’s a location-shoot labour of love that would’ve satisfied even Welles. - Peter Yacavone |
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| Radiance's The Betrayal reveals that Kurosawa was not the only Japanese filmmaker approaching the Bushido code from a critical perspective, Deaf Crocodile's Inflatable Sex Doll of the Wasteland – and its U.K. and German releases – constituted a rescue job of one of the Japanese pinku eiga genre films (the studio examples having been well-preserved compared to the equally prolific output of the independent producers). Radiance's Malpertuis is an exquisite edition even if the film's 4K restoration / reconstruction is still compromised by the damage wrought on it by the editor in preparing the French and English versions for Cannes. The Barnabas Kos Case is utterly hilarious even as it skewers authoritarian regimes and personalities. Radiance's Senso does an admirable job reworking a flawed restoration while their edition of Through and Through introduces us to one of Poland's unheralded filmmakers and the context of the true crime that inspired the film. Oil Lamps is yet another stunning example of Juraj Herz's approach to Gothic melodrama. Altered Innocence continues to explore the intersections of gay porn and melancholy – previously exemplified in their special editions of Equation to an Unknown, L.A. Plays Itself, and Le beau mec – with their edition of the late Arthur J. Bressan's back-to-back duo Juice and Daddy Dearest. Arrow Video's Rampo Noir offers up a more diverse and grotesque alternative to the art house The Mysteries of Rampo in exposing the Japanese Edgar Allen Poe to the West. There were far too many to include in a top ten list with Second Run and Radiance Films with honorable mentions to Radiance's The Eel (Shôhei Imamura, 1997) and Underworld Beauty (Seijun Suzuki, 1958), Second Run's Who Wants to Kill Jessie? (Václav Vorlícek, 1966), and 88 Films' Castaway (Nicolas Roeg, 1986). - Eric Cotenas |
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| The Wrong Arm of the Law – Cliff Owen One of Sellers lesser known performances with excellent support from the just about every character player I can remember in Britain in the early 1960's. Of course, the plot is Topsy Turvy with a strong underlying exploration of the social situation in post war Britain (apologies to Wm. Gilbert). It's closest relations are comedies by various studios that including The Mouse that Roared, Kind Hearts and Coronets, The Ladykillers, Passport to Pimlico, and various other movies could only be produced at that time and which we will likely never see again. - Thomas Friedman |
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| Manthan, Second Run - A miracle of a release, credit to all involved in the efforts to crowdfund and restore this hard to see Indian classic with a notoriously difficult source material. - Lewis |
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| Vermiglio (Criterion) From Italy, a jewel of a period drama – and the most picturesque foreign film of 2024. Gorgeous on Blu-ray. - Jeff Heinrich |
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| Le Quai Des Brumes/Port of Shadows (StudioCanal)- A film that is drenched in atmosphere and melancholy. A new 4K restoration improves on the previous release and includes some new extras. I have now read that Kino will be providing a 4K release next year; more than likely I will be upgrading again. - bgmoir |
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| 7 Women (Warner Archives) - Recent Hollywood developments worry me for the future of physical media but the good folks at Warner Archives continue to put in work and release important releases like John Ford's final narrative film. - Walker Roberts |
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| I Died a Thousand Times (Warner Archive)- A remake of High Sierra. The reviews are a bit mixed for this film, but I enjoyed this colour production, even if not in the same league as High Sierra. The transfer is spectacular, as you would expect from WA. - bgmoir |
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| Speedway Murders (2024, Umbrella). There are so many connections to my life in Indiana with this movie it's uncanny. Essential crime doc on one of Indiana's most notorious unsolved murder cases. - Matt Janovic |
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| Finis Terrae (1929, Eureka). Wonderful final silent film from Jean Epstein. I own the DVD released by David Kalat of his and Bunuel's Fall of the House of Usher (1928) which is visually stunning. - Matt Janovic |
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| Ivy (Imprint)- The first time on Blu-ray, and maybe even on disc. Great to finally add another unseen noir to the collection. Although the film may be considered average, it is enhanced by some good visuals and an unsympathetic turn from Joan Fontaine. - bgmoir |
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| The Barnabáš Kos Case (Second Run) Orchestral manoeuvres in the Slovak. A Kafkaesque black-and-white comedy from 1964, crisply restored. - Jeff Heinrich |
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| Dangerous to Know, Robert Florey (1938) - Indicator UK - with Anna May Wong in one of her best, later appearances, partly due to Florey's direction; an underrated B-Movie director. - Peter Rist |
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| The Ogre of Athens (Radiance) I've been lobbying for a release for Koundouros' masterpiece for over a decade now and was over the moon when Radiance could finally make it happen. As well as a new restoration of the film, Radiance has supplemented it with their typical informative extras that whet the appetite for (hopefully) future ventures into Greek cinema. - Calvin MacKinnon |
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| Oil Lamps (Second Run, UK) The oeuvre of Juraj Herz continues to wow me, and Second Run is the label that facilitates the annual discovery of further examples of his brilliance. This period drama portrays a decaying, decadent society using a faded palette which is beautifully rendered in this transfer. The central performances are vivid, particularly Iva Janzurova, whose female lead challenges gender stereotypes. A remake of this film today would land very well. A shining light. - Neil Williams |
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| Brother BFI - Takeshi Beat Kitano's foray into Hollywood sadly didn't work out and Brother remains critically underappreciated to this day, but there's a lot to enjoy with this bloody cult favourite. The much requested high definition upgrade and package BFI brought us certainly lived up to expectations. - Lewis |
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| BIRD (Mubi, UK) Realised that all my reviews are for film releases of often overlooked or remastered films from the past, so want to include one contemporary film in this list. MUBI, despite controversies of financial provenance, continues to champion the work of independent filmmakers. I love Andrea Arnold. She can do no wrong for me. Her new film returns to her Kent roots and plucks the feathers of a society living on the fringes of British culture. It is a fantastic, fantastical coming-of-age, kitchen-sink drama that mesmerises. Soaring. - Neil Williams |
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| Lady of Burlesque (Film Masters) - Got to love to see titles that fell into the public domain finally get the love and care they deserve. Any Willam A. Wellman and Barbara Stanwyck collaboration is worth your time, and this one's never looked better. - Walker Roberts |
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| Castaway (88 Films) - 88 Films continues to surprise with its eclectic releases, and this late Nic Roeg entry is a great example. Surely not high up on anyone's list of films needing rerelease, this was a surprise with a great Oliver Reed performance. Close runners up: Jakoman and Tetsu and The Cat. - Walker Roberts |
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| The House of Mirth (BFI) The works of Terence Davies hold a place close to my heart and I was thrilled to see the BFI rescue his neglected Edith Wharton adaptation. - Calvin MacKinnon |
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| The Devil's Bride - Deaf Crocodile - How is it our world has become this connected while so many minor gems still remain elusive and obscure? Recommendation from someone in the know bestowed another of Deaf Crocodile's "serendipitous" discoveries which are now being unearthed like clockwork. A 1970s Lithuanian rock opera might sustain local appeal indefinitely, but without cheerleaders bringing attention to / labels willing to champion them we'd have been lesser for never having known about it. Next stop for DC: a snowy hotel somewhere in Estonia. - Chris Browne |
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| The American Revolution - Ken Burns' latest long form documentary is timely and full of things they never taught us in school. - Gregg Ferencz |
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| 7 Women (Warner Archive) Somehow, John Ford's final film skipped the DVD era but has made a long overdue Blu-Ray debut from a fabulous new restoration. - Calvin MacKinnon |
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| MERMAID LEGEND (Third Window Films) - Thrilled with the Third Window Films Directors Company collection which has several of my favorite discoveries of 2025, especially the Toshiharu Ikeda films MERMAID LEGEND and SCENT OF A SPELL. I order everything they put out. - Jason Overbeck |
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| Cairo Station (Criterion) Recently voted the greatest Arab film of all time, Criterion's stacked release of Cairo Station does it justice. - Calvin MacKinnon |
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| Tragedy of Man - Deaf Crocodile - 2025 was the year that Deaf Crocodile fully emerged as the most vibrant and adventurous of boutique labels. Tragedy of Man, only by the limitation of its 2K production, makes the top of my list because I have never seen a completed animation passion project of such scope, and I suspect neither has most of the English speaking world. As long as they can discover titles as deserving of releases as this, the physical media market will always have a future. - Chris Browne |
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| TERRIFYING GIRLS' HIGH SCHOOL: LYNCH LAW CLASSROOM (Discotek) - I'm surprised it's taken so long for some of these Japanese pinky violence films to come out on blu ray and I'm surprised that it's not 88 Films or Third Window putting them out but instead Discotek, who mostly releases anime, but has now put out the entire run of TERRIFYING GIRLS' HIGH SCHOOL films, many were previously unavailable on DVD. - Jason Overbeck |
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| Welcome to Fun City - FCE - The era of the trailer compilation disc seems to have passed, but Fun City Editions did a late stage Herculean task with this release. More so than posters or memorabilia I treat these collections as digital wallpaper, the perfect conversation starter to have on in the background at a party or when film is a shared interest of guests. Gun to head, I would still take Trailer Trauma 3 to my desert island, but for a non-genre assortment, this release takes top honors. Now if only a label so committed could undertake a release highlighting just animation, classic Hollywood, world cinema (Bollywood? Japanese? British? French? German? Eastern Europe? Nordic? ect, ect). Much remains unexplored. - Chris Browne |
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| Running on Karma (Eureka) - Maybe my favorite Johnnie To so very happy to see this released. - Walker Roberts |
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| TOKUGAWA SEX BAN (Mondo) - Mondo Macabro is always one of my favorite labels and they branch out into so many aspects of exploitation filmmaking, this is my favorite release from them in 2025 and I hope they continue to bring out more Norifumi Suzuki and pinku in the years to come. - Jason Overbeck |
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| Beau Geste - The Film Preserve - Since the left edge of the image was lost when the silent negatives were preserved to sound film stock this epic restoration involved combining multiple film sources to work out the best composite image per each individual frame. This effort points the way to even more advanced film restoration approaches and has thankfully preserved a public domain work properly for future generations. - Chris Browne |
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| The Rapacious Jailbreaker (Radiance) - Close your eyes and pull a random Radiance title out of a hat to slot here. Their slate was that good. This may be my favorite of their releases but Hokuriku Proxy War and The Railroad Man are close runners up. - Walker Roberts |
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| 1st Place) | |
| First Place is Criterion's 4K UHD release of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's 1945 masterpiece I Know Where I'm Going! It represents a long-overdue upgrade for one of the most enchanting romantic films in British cinema history, finally bringing this windswept Hebridean tale to high-definition home video after decades confined to DVD and earlier formats. Sourced from a meticulous new 4K digital restoration undertaken by the BFI National Archive and The Film Foundation- personally supervised by ardent Powell champion Martin Scorsese and editor Thelma Schoonmaker Powell, Michael Powell's widow - the transfer draws directly from the original 35mm nitrate camera negative and positives, resulting in a stunningly crisp, deeply textured black-and-white image presented in its original 1.37:1 aspect ratio with uncompressed monaural audio that captures every nuance of Allan Gray's evocative score and the howling Scottish gales. At its core, the film remains a timeless delight - a headstrong young woman's (Wendy Hiller in a fiercely determined performance) meticulously planned journey to marry a wealthy industrialist is derailed by ferocious weather and an unexpected romance with a charming naval officer (Roger Livesey) - blending whimsical folklore, Celtic mysticism, and profound themes of destiny versus desire in a way that only the visionary Archers could achieve, making this Criterion 4K edition an essential acquisition for admirers of classic cinema and a breathtaking revelation for newcomers. |
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| In 1945 the Archers hit love's bull's-eye again, up in Scotland. Big upgrade from Criterion's 2001 DVD. - Jeff Heinrich | |
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| I Know Where I'm Going Criterion- I love when older, monochrome films are reissued in UHD. While there is no HDR or Dolby Vision applied to this release the results are gorgeous. - Gregg Ferencz | |
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| I Know Where I’m Going (Criterion)- I only watched this for the first time on DVD a few months ago. This is a huge leap over the DVD, and the strong presentation helps enhance the stunning visuals. - bgmoir | |
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| 2nd Place) |
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Second Place is Criterion's 4K UHD of Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut. His final film, stands as a profound and multifaceted exploration of human desire, societal structures, and the blurred boundaries between reality and fantasy. Adapted from Arthur Schnitzler's 1926 novella Traumnovelle (Dream Story,) the film transforms the source material into a dreamlike odyssey that critiques marriage, sexuality, and power dynamics within a capitalist framework. Released posthumously after Kubrick's death just days after approving the final cut, it initially faced mixed reception but has since been reevaluated as a misunderstood masterpiece, rich with hidden layers that reward repeated viewings. The title itself encapsulates the film's central paradox: characters and audiences alike observe the world with "eyes wide shut," perceiving surface illusions while missing deeper truths about perception, denial, and the subconscious. Bill's (Cruise - Risky Business, Rain Man, Jack Reacher, War of the Worlds, Top Gun, Vanilla Sky, All the Right Moves, Born on the Fourth of July, Minority Report, Collateral, Magnolia,) journey unfolds like a surreal dream sequence: he encounters a grieving daughter (Marie Richardson - Don't Ever Wipe Tears Without Gloves) who propositions him at her father's deathbed, hires a prostitute named Domino (Vinessa Shaw - 3:10 to Yuma) but leaves without consummating the act, and reconnects with his old friend, pianist Nick Nightingale (Todd Field - director of Tár, Little Children, In the Bedroom,) who reveals a secret masked orgy at a remote mansion. |
| Sydney Pollack (director of Absence of Malice, Three Days of the Condor, They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, The Swimmer) delivers a commanding yet sinister performance as Victor Ziegler, the manipulative elite who underscores the film’s themes of power and deception while Leelee Sobieski’s (Deep Impact) brief, haunting role as Milich’s daughter in Eyes Wide Shut adds an unsettling layer of youthful vulnerability and forbidden allure to the costume shop scene. Alice (Nicole Kidman - The Others, Babygirl, The Killing Of A Sacred Deer, Strangerland, Malice, To Die For, Dead Calm) in a more introspective role, catalyzes change through her fantasy, evolving from objectified wife to empowered partner. Using the password "Fidelio" (from Beethoven's opera about marital fidelity,) Bill infiltrates the ritualistic gathering, witnessing anonymous sexual rites before being unmasked and nearly punished. This structure follows a five-part narrative arc: introduction to the status quo, a bridge of disruption via Alice's confession, escalating complications in Bill's odyssey, a crucible of hopelessness in Ziegler's revelation, and a final confrontation restoring a tentative equilibrium. The film suggests that true intimacy requires confronting shadows, as Bill and Alice's arc moves from denial to awakening through mutual confession. The resolution, however, remains cynical: their recommitment feels like a temporary salve in a world where marriages serve as tools for social climbing and deception. The orgy sequence (shrouded in ritual and anonymity) critiques dehumanizing lust among the elite, blending voyeurism, power, and misogyny. Women are objectified as disposable "playthings." Themes of homosexuality, necrophilia, and prostitution further expand this with Bill's journey reflecting Freudian id impulses clashing against societal repression. References to Freemasons, Skull and Bones, and real-world scandals (e.g., Rothschild balls, MKUltra) symbolize hidden power structures perpetuating misogyny and control. Over time, Eyes Wide Shut's undertones and fractal complexity cite it as Kubrick's richest work. Its legacy lies in provoking endless interpretation. Eyes Wide Shut transcends its erotic thriller facade to offer a haunting critique of human vulnerabilities, urging viewers to awaken to hidden truths. As Kubrick's swan song, it encapsulates his career's themes of duality and perception, remaining an enigmatic puzzle that defies easy resolution. In summary, Criterion's 4K UHD edition of Eyes Wide Shut stands as an exemplary home video release, resurrecting Kubrick's swan song with technical excellence and scholarly depth that finally grants the film the reverence it deserves two decades after its polarizing debut. The superior video restoration supports its visual poetry, the refined audio underscores its sonic subtlety, and the robust extras peel back layers of production lore, making this three-disc set indispensable for cinephiles seeking to unravel the movie's Freudian mysteries. At its core price point, it not only outshines prior Warner Bros. iterations but elevates Eyes Wide Shut from misunderstood footnote to essential masterpiece, a haunting testament to Kubrick's unyielding vision that demands rediscovery in the isolation of your home theatre. | |
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| While the color timing of the release has inspired controversy regarding revisionism, there is no denying that this is the first time that Stanley Kubrick's erotic swan song finally looks like a movie on home video. Major props should be given to Criterion for utilizing Fidelity in Motion for their encoding work, which preserves the beautiful grain on display here without hampering the detail. The HDR rounds out the dreamline use of Christmas lights and color in Kubrick's soundstage interpretation of New York City. The extras, including some new interviews with crew members like cinematographer Larry Smith, are welcome, although the exclusion of some of the old WB archival features is a bit of a shame (the Channel Four doc on the film has been cut here - but you can find it online). - Drew Morton |
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| Eyes Wide Shut (The Criterion Collection) - I wanted to put this higher on the list. But I'm questioning the 4K transfer compared to the 35 mm prints screen grabs I've been seeing. - Mark Fry |
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| We finally get the definitive release of Kubrick's last film. This release looks just as I remembered it in the theater on its initial release. (Lolita is the only Kubrick film still not in 4k. I hope that changes very soon) - Gregg Ferencz |
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| 3rd Place) | |
| Third Place is Paramount's 4K UHD of Billy Wilder's Sunset Boulevard which stands as a seminal work in American cinema, a biting film noir that dissects the underbelly of Hollywood with unflinching precision. Directed and co-written by Wilder alongside Charles Brackett (The Lost Weekend) and D.M. Marshman Jr., the film stars Gloria Swanson (Beyond the Rocks, Manhandled, Airport 75) as the delusional silent-era star Norma Desmond and William Holden (The Wild Bunch, Breezy, Stalag 17) as the opportunistic screenwriter Joe Gillis. Released during a transitional period in Hollywood - amid the decline of the studio system and the rise of television - it serves as both a eulogy for the silent film era and a scathing satire of the industry's cruelty. Often hailed as one of the greatest films about filmmaking, it earned 11 Academy Award nominations and won three, including Best Story and Screenplay. Its enduring relevance lies in its exploration of timeless themes like the fragility of fame and the blurred line between illusion and reality, themes that resonate even in today's celebrity-obsessed culture. Sunset Boulevard is a profound critique of Hollywood's dream factory, exposing the illusion of eternal stardom and the brutality of obsolescence. The transition from silent to sound films serves as a metaphor for broader cultural shifts, with Norma representing the silent era's ghosts, discarded like outdated technology. Themes of delusion versus reality permeate the story: Norma's mansion is a bubble of fantasy, insulated from the evolving industry, while Joe's narration pierces this veil with sardonic realism. In a prescient vein, Wilder anticipates modern celebrity culture's exhibitionism and the perils of fame's cult of personality, warning of its destructive undercurrents. |
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| The swimming pool, where Joe meets his end, represents both aspiration (Norma's gift to him) and death, a watery grave mirroring Hollywood's drowned dreams. The staircase descent in the finale is a motif of tragic grandeur, parodying silent-film dramatics while signifying Norma's final plunge into madness. Paramount's 4K UHD edition of Sunset Boulevard is a must-own for cinephiles, delivering a breathtaking restoration that revitalizes Billy Wilder's masterpiece with superior video and audio fidelity, complemented by a wealth of, albeit vintage, extras on the included Blu-ray, making it the definitive home video presentation of this timeless Hollywood satire. While it builds on previous releases without major new additions, the upgrade justifies a repurchase for fans, offering unparalleled visual and sonic immersion that underscores the film's enduring critique of fame and delusion, solidifying its status as one of cinema's greatest achievements. Our highest recommendation. | |
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| Sunset Boulevard - still a masterpiece - the film doesn't age - Paul Bennett |
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| This film finally gets an upgrade to 4k. The 2012 blu ray was fine but this release ups the ante quite a bit. - Gregg Ferencz |
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| Fourth Place) | |
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Fourth Place is Arrow's 4K UHD of Sergio Leone's 1966 Spaghetti Western masterpiece The Good, the Bad and the Ugly which stands as the crowning achievement of the Dollars Trilogy, an operatic saga of greed, betrayal, and survival set against the brutal backdrop of the American Civil War, where three opportunistic gunslingers—the stoic Man with No Name (Clint Eastwood, embodying laconic cool as "the Good"), the ruthless assassin Angel Eyes (Lee Van Cleef, chillingly sadistic as "the Bad"), and the cunning bandit Tuco (Eli Wallach, delivering a tour-de-force of manic energy as "the Ugly")—form uneasy alliances and double-crosses in a relentless pursuit of buried Confederate gold, culminating in one of cinema's most iconic standoffs amid a vast cemetery, all underscored by Ennio Morricone's legendary score with its haunting whistles, electric guitars, and yodeling choruses that have permeated pop culture ever since. Leone's visionary direction expands the Western genre into epic proportions through innovative widescreen compositions, extreme close-ups, and elongated tension-building sequences, exploring themes of moral ambiguity, the futility of war, and human avarice in a lawless frontier, influencing countless filmmakers from Quentin Tarantino to the Coen brothers while cementing Eastwood's star power and redefining the anti-hero archetype. |
| Arrow Video's 2025 4K UHD releases, including a lavish limited edition and a standard special edition from August 2025, feature stunning Dolby Vision HDR presentations sourced from a new restoration that enhances the film's dusty landscapes and vibrant details, accompanied by extensive extras like audio commentaries, documentaries on Leone's style, and archival interviews, making them essential for fans seeking the ultimate home viewing experience. | |
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| I'll be very surprised if this doesn't top the 4k poll even in such a hotly contested year, an amazing packed release capping off Arrow's excellent Dollars Trilogy releases. - Lewis |
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| The Good the Bad and the Ugly (Arrow) The Dollars Trilogy—especially in their boxed editions—towers over everything else released this year. The care invested by everyone involved is evident in every aspect. All three releases do justice to these beloved masterpieces. Bravo to everyone who contributed! - Matt |
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| In another universe the release of the year, but in ours... I am just glad that Arrow exists so I can finally be done with this one (it doesn't have an Italian language option but not as if I would've ever watched it that way). - Chris Browne |
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| 5th Place) | |
| Fifth Place is Criterion's 4K UHD of Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon. The film is adapted from William Makepeace Thackeray’s 1844 novel The Luck of Barry Lyndon. It is a sprawling yet meticulously crafted tale of ambition, class, and the capriciousness of fate. The narrative is divided into two distinct halves, as announced by intertitles: “Part I: By What Means Redmond Barry Acquired the Style and Title of Barry Lyndon” and “Part II: Containing an Account of the Misfortunes and Disasters Which Befell Barry Lyndon.” This bifurcated structure mirrors the rise-and-fall arc of classical tragedy, emphasizing the inevitability of Barry’s (Ryan O’Neal - Paper Moon, The Driver, Tough Guys Don't Dance) decline. Barry Lyndon is a meditation on the illusion of social mobility and the rigidity of class structures. Barry’s journey - from Irish countryside to British aristocracy - illustrates the precariousness of ascending a stratified society without true power or legitimacy. His rise is facilitated by deception, charm, and marriage to the wealthy Lady Lyndon (Marisa Berenson - Cabaret, Death in Venice, Coronet Blue,) but his lack of genuine aristocratic breeding and his impulsive nature ensure his eventual ruin. |
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| The film’s detached, almost clinical tone, reinforced by an omniscient narrator (Michael Hordern - The Taming of the Shrew, Girl Stroke Boy, The Green Man, The Night My Number Came Up,) underscores the futility of Barry’s ambitions, framing his life as a cautionary tale about the limits of individual agency in a deterministic world. Criterion’s 4K UHD release of Barry Lyndon is a triumph, offering a visually stunning and aurally pristine presentation of Stanley Kubrick’s beloved masterpiece. Though the lack of new extras may disappoint some, the upgraded video alone make this a must-own for Kubrick fans and cinephiles, cementing Barry Lyndon’s status as a visually unparalleled historical drama that rewards close examination. | |
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| Such a beautiful film, and even moreso with 4K - Jeb Bond |
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| Barry Lyndon (Criterion) - immaculate transfer - Paul Bennett |
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| A worthy upgrade from the prior blu ray release. HDR does a great job rendering the candlelight scenes the way Kubrick intended - Gregg Ferencz |
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| Only in this madly prolific year of 4K releases would this not be on the top of everybody’s list. - Peter Yacavone |
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| 6th Place) | |
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Sixth Place is Masters of Cinema's 4K UHD of Michelangelo Antonioni's La Notte. The film is not merely the middle panel of Antonioni’s “alienation trilogy” - it is the most surgically precise, the most merciless, and, for many, the greatest of his works. Where L’Avventura still flirts with mystery and L’Eclisse leans toward apocalyptic abstraction, La Notte is pure emotional autopsy: twenty-four hours in the death throes of a marriage, observed with the cold clarity of a pathologist who has long since stopped believing in resurrection. The film opens with one of the most deliberate credit sequences in cinema: a slow, vertiginous descent down the Pirelli Tower, Milan’s gleaming new symbol of postwar prosperity. The camera glides past reflective glass, empty windows, and the distant, toy-like city below - a visual metaphor that announces the theme before a single word is spoken: modern man has built a world of surfaces that reflect everything except himself. Antonioni’s mastery of space reaches its apotheosis in the all-night party at the Gadda villa, a sequence that rivals The Great Gatsby or La dolce vita in its portrait of bourgeois decadence but without a trace of Fellini’s baroque exuberance. The party is shot in a cold, clinical style: rain-slicked terraces, jazz combos playing to indifferent guests, swimming pools reflecting fractured light. Bodies move through the frame like ghosts; conversations evaporate the moment they begin. When Lidia (Jeanne Moreau - Mademoiselle, Hi-Jack Highway, Eve, Bay of Angels, The Diary of a Chambermaid, Back to the Wall, The Bride Wore Black, Querelle, Seven Days... Seven Nights, Jules and Jim, Elevator to the Gallows, Les Amants, The Immortal Story) calls Giovanni (Marcello Mastroianni - 8 1/2, The Organizer, City of Women, L'Assassino, Divorce Italian Style, The Skin, The Beekeeper, Adua and Her Friends, The 10th Victim, La Grande Bouffe, Casanova 70', A Special Day, Marriage Italian Style) from a phone booth in the storm, confessing she no longer loves him, the moment should be climactic, but Antonioni drains it of melodrama - Giovanni’s reaction is a stunned, almost polite “I know.” Monica Vitti’s (Red Desert, L’Avventura, L’Eclisse, Modesty Blaise) Valentina is the only character who still seems alive - radiantly intelligent, playfully erotic, almost cruelly awake - yet even her luminous presence ultimately collapses into the same void, leaving Giovanni’s hand empty after she erases her own recorded voice and walks away, proving that even the last flicker of spontaneity in this frozen world is doomed to self-extinction. |
| La Notte remains another Antonioni’s masterpiece because it is the one film that refuses even the consolation of mystery: here, there is no vanished girl to search for, no eclipse to await. Only the present moment, unbearably prolonged, in which two human beings discover they have become strangers to themselves and to each other - and that there is nothing, absolutely nothing, to be done about it. Eureka’s Masters of Cinema 4K UHD of La Notte is not merely the definitive home-video edition of Antonioni’s greatest film – it is one of the finest releases of the entire 2020s home-video era. The restoration is exemplary, the Dolby Vision presentation transformative, the extras illuminating without excess, and the limited run of 2,000 copies with its handsome slipcase and booklet already feels like an instant collector’s item. If you care about cinema as art, this belongs in your collection without qualification or hesitation. Finally the first Antonioni film to reach 4K UHD and it is, of course, essential. | |
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| La Notte Masters of Cinema -
Antonioni has some of the best framing in all of cinema. 1960s
Italian B&W photography might be my favorite look and the 4k upgrade
makes this one of the most beautifully shot films. Also a new Tony
Rayns commentary!
- Rossa Crowe |
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| 7th Place) | |
| Seventh Place is Criterion's 4K UHD of Anthony Mann's "Winchester '73". The film is a deeply layered psychological western with an strong connection to film noir . It centers around a Winchester 1873 repeating rifle offered in a keen shooting contest hosted by, non-other than, Wyatt Earp. We follow the much-coveted rifle through an adventures path of death with an obsessed man seeking vengeance (for the cold-blooded murder of his father) an Indian raid (including Rock Hudson as a Native American!,) a fearless showdown... brilliantly unfolded by a master craftsman. This set-off the classic Stewart / Mann collaborations that established a darker on-screen persona for the actor; edgier, disillusioned, vulnerable, unflinchingly violent, but still, a sympathetic character that carved a huge niche within the genre. The Criterion 4K UHD - its stellar a/v, Stewart commentary and more make this irresistible for serious digital librarians. Our very highest recommendation. |
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| Winchester '73 – Finally! I would've loved a full box with the other Mann/Stewart westerns, but a guy can dream. - Geoff Dubois |
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| A classis western that seems to have taken an age to receive a proper Blu-ray release; the fact it came out on 4K helps make up for the long wait. - bgmoir |
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| 8th Place) | |
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Eighth Place is Arrow's 4K UHD of Alex Proyas' Dark City - a film that presents a labyrinthine narrative that blends elements of noir, science fiction, and psychological thriller. The narrative unfolds as a detective story with Murdoch as both protagonist and enigma, piecing together his identity while questioning the nature of reality. Proyas employs a non-linear approach, using flashbacks, fragmented memories, and surreal imagery to mirror Murdoch’s disorientation and the audience’s gradual awakening to the truth. Dark City is a meditation on identity, free will, memory, and the nature of reality, drawing heavily from philosophical traditions, like existentialism, Platonism, and Cartesian skepticism. The film posits that identity is tied to memory, but the Strangers’ experiments reveal its malleability. By swapping memories among inhabitants, they test whether individuality resides in the “soul” or is merely a product of experience. Murdoch’s resistance - his ability to retain fragments of his true self - suggests an innate essence that transcends manipulation, aligning with existentialist ideas of self-definition through action. Proyas’ direction, combined with the film’s visual and auditory design now in brilliant 4K UHD, creates a haunting, immersive experience that amplifies its thematic depth. |
| Dark City borrows heavily from film noir with Murdoch as the archetypal amnesiac hero, Emma/Anna (Jennifer Connelly) as the femme fatale-turned-ally, and the city as a character in itself. Proyas subverts noir tropes by placing them in a science fiction context, where the “crime” is existential rather than mundane. Dark City endures as a visionary masterpiece, its fusion of noir aesthetics, science fiction innovation, and philosophical inquiry - probing memory, identity, and the nature of reality - resonating deeply in 2025. Alex Proyas crafts a haunting world where the city’s morphing architecture and oppressive darkness, brought to life by Dariusz Wolski’s evocative cinematography and Trevor Jones’ melancholic-electronic score, mirror Murdoch’s (Rufus Sewell) stirring quest for self amid the strangers’ manipulations. This Arrow Video 4K UHD package is the ultimate tribute. It's one we can strongly endorse. | |
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| Dark City – Already had a
mountain of extras, and this release improves on them. Easily one of
the best upgrades of the year.
- Geoff Dubois |
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| It seems that Dark City seems to get
a beautiful special edition with new features every time it makes an
upgrade to a new home video format. The DVD came from the halcyon
era of the New Line Platinum Series discs, complete with two
commentaries. The Blu finally brought the director's cut to home
video, along with new featurettes. Arrow's 4K is no exception,
giving us beautiful new restorations of both cuts of the movie and
building on the robust legacy features with two new commentary
tracks, a new retrospective documentary, and more.
- Drew Morton |
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| 9th Place) | |
| Ninth Place is Hammer Films' groundbreaking 1957 horror classic The Curse of Frankenstein to 4K UHD. It revives Terence Fisher's lurid Technicolor tale of Baron Victor Frankenstein (Peter Cushing) defying death by creating a monstrous being (Christopher Lee), blending Gothic dread, erotic undertones, and visceral shocks that revolutionized the genre. The 4K HDR transfer, presented in three aspect ratios (1.66:1 theatrical, 1.85:1, and open-matte 1.37:1) with DTS-HD Master Audio options including a new Atmos mix, showcases vibrant colors, intricate details in sets and makeup, and preserved film grain for a superior upgrade over prior Blu-rays. This multi-disc set overflows with extras: dual audio commentaries (one archival with Cushing and Lee, another by historians), documentaries on restoration challenges and production, a 100-page book, a 1970s graphic novel adaptation, postcards, trailers, and galleries, all housed in a collector's box that makes it essential for Hammer enthusiasts. |
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| This restoration in particular is impeccable, and revives the shock the film offered to its contemporary audience, who had never previously seen such gruesomeness on a British screen. A further plaudit to the new Hammer team for issuing lesser-known films from the studio in the same format for our reappraisal. - Ramsey Campbell |
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| Tied for 10th Place | |
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Tied For Tenth Place is the Warner 4K UHD of David Fincher's Se7en. It remains a cornerstone of modern thriller cinema, a harrowing descent into moral decay and human depravity that follows two detectives - world-weary veteran William Somerset (Morgan Freeman) and hot-headed newcomer David Mills (Brad Pitt) - as they track a methodical serial killer, John Doe (Kevin Spacey), who stages elaborate murders inspired by the seven deadly sins: gluttony, greed, sloth, lust, pride, envy, and wrath. Set in a perpetually rain-soaked, unnamed urban hellscape that amplifies the film's oppressive atmosphere, the narrative unfolds over seven days as a philosophical cat-and-mouse game, blending visceral horror with quiet introspection, culminating in one of cinema's most infamous and emotionally shattering finales that forces the protagonists - and audience - to confront the inescapability of sin and the fragility of justice. At its heart, Se7en grapples with themes of nihilism, urban apathy, and the erosion of idealism in the face of unrelenting evil, portraying a society so numb to atrocity that the killer's grotesque tableaux serve as a twisted wake-up call, blurring the lines between good and evil while questioning whether redemption is possible in a world steeped in corruption and indifference. Freeman anchors the film with a nuanced portrayal of Somerset, a brooding intellectual whose cynicism stems from years of eroded hope, yet who finds fleeting sparks of humanity in his partnership with Mills; his performance adds layers of philosophical depth, making every weary glance and measured line resonate with quiet desperation. |
| Pitt, in a star-making role, brings fiery intensity to Mills, evolving from cocky optimism to raw vulnerability, his short temper and hidden insecurities mirroring the sins he hunts, while Spacey's chillingly monotone Doe embodies pure, emotionless malice - a villain whose intellectual sparring with the detectives elevates the film beyond mere gore to a battle of worldviews. Supporting players like Gwyneth Paltrow as Mills' wife Tracy add poignant warmth amid the darkness, humanizing the stakes in a story that otherwise revels in repulsion. Fincher's direction is precision-engineered, with Darius Khondji's metallic, desaturated cinematography and Howard Shore's brooding score creating a claustrophobic sense of dread; every frame drips with intentionality, from the meticulous crime scenes to the rhythmic editing that builds inexorable tension, marking Se7en as a masterclass in genre subversion and a defining work in Fincher's oeuvre of psychological unease. | |
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| Seven - masterful transfer of a difficult source - Matt Paprocki |
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| I'll put this in for all the Fincher 4K we got this year which felt meticulous and immaculate restorations. - Jason Overbeck |
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| Se7en - I don't care about the tweaks, the film is still so good. - Paul Bennett |
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| The very best 4K transfer of the year, and if you want a great example of how 35mm film still looks superior; simply compare this against ANY of Fincher's recent 4Ks that were shot on digital. - Warren Ketter |
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| Tied for 10th Place | |
| Tied For Tenth Place is Indicator's 4K UHD of Jean Rollin's The Iron Rose is often regarded as one of the director’s most enigmatic and artistically significant works. Unlike Rollin’s more overtly supernatural works, The Iron Rose eschews vampires and explicit horror tropes, instead crafting a surreal, psychological tale that blends gothic horror, romantic tragedy, and existential meditation. Released in 1973, the film was made during a period when Rollin was experimenting with his style, moving away from the commercial demands of his earlier erotic-horror films toward more personal, abstract projects. Set almost entirely in a sprawling, decaying cemetery in Amiens, with brief scenes on a desolate beach, The Iron Rose's atmosphere explores themes of love, mortality, madness, and the seductive pull of death. Its minimal dialogue, hypnotic pacing, and reliance on visual and auditory mood make it a quintessential example of European art-house horror. The Indicator 4K UHD and Blu-ray release of The Iron Rose is a stellar package, the definitive home media presentation of Rollin’s gothic masterpiece. The 4K restoration promises stunning visuals, bringing the Amiens cemetery’s textures and the film’s muted palette to life with clarity and depth. The special features are a highlight, offering a wealth of content - from Tim Lucas’s insightful commentary to Françoise Pascal’s reflections, including the 2018 Metaluna Store event interview, which captures the Rollin community’s spirit. The restored short film and 80-page book add significant value. We've covered all the Jean Rollin titles that Indicator has brought to 4K UHD so far: Requiem for a Vampire, The Night of the Hunted, Girls Without Shame, Two Orphan Vampires, The Rape of the Vampire, The Demoniacs, Lips of Blood, The Nude Vampire, Fascination, The Shiver of the Vampires, and The Iron Rose - they are of the same exceptional quality. Rollin fans hardly require my endorsement... regardless, you enthusiastically have it. Absolutely recommended. |
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| Indicator continuing their Rollin releases, which are always among my favorite releases of the year, THE IRON ROSE is one of Rollin's best and artiest films. The disc looks fantastic and I hope Rollin agnostics will take a look, I think it might convert them. - Jason Overbeck |
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Special Mention to
Hammer Films' magnificent new 4K UHD
packages with exceptional
Graham
Humphries art covers. These are so welcome by Hammer
and genre fans everywhere. Absolutely brilliant!
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| Hammer's 4K restoration of Captain Kronos:Vampire Hunter. I love the work the studio is doing with its more obscure titles as well as classics such as The Curse of Frankenstein. The curation on this one is epic. Worth the inflated price. - Michael Huie | |
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Also reaching 4K UHD in 2025, Kino's releases of Abbott and Costello "Meet the Monsters" films, including Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1953), Meet Frankenstein (1948), Meet the Mummy (1955), and Meet the Invisible Man (1951), are classic Universal Pictures horror comedies blending slapstick humor, vaudeville-style routines, and parody of iconic literary and cinematic monsters:
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| (CLICK Covers for more Information)
The NEXT TEN highest total-vote 4K UHD Editions (#11 - #21 in order):
'The Rest' (in alphabetical order, kinda) (CLICK Covers for more Information)
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| Night Moves (the teal you mention is maybe less on the 4k, than the blu, but it still is a bit too much, imo) - Jeb Bond |
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| Four Sided Triangle, Limited Collector's Edition [4K UHD Blu-ray] (Terence Fisher, 1953) Hammer Films UK. A stunning upgrade from the version on YouTube. - Peter Nagels |
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| Wake in Fright - Umbrella - My top three choices represent releases with different agendas compelling their respective 4K releases. Would one choose a great new cinema discovery over a comprehensive edition of a well appreciated genre film crown jewel, or a much needed restoration for a film that was once thought lost? Hard to pick a lane, but ultimately I think that Umbrella's work on the 4K release of Wake in Fright is worthy of 2025's crown for the sole reason that their efforts have made good on the initial promise of this classic's resurrection. While it isn't perfect (there are still several scenes with frozen grain fields harkening back to the previous restoration) by and large it is a finely detailed / color corrected representation which is a monumental improvement over the wax house-of-horrors we were treated to in the botched 2009 era release. In many ways this edition is a revelation, and I hope that we continue to get treated to restorations of this significance into the future. - Chris Browne |
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| Freaky Tales – Another film basically nobody saw... but I had a great time with it. - Geoff Dubois |
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| Jean Jacques Beinneix- Diva - 1981- Studio Canal- Audiences loved this movie in the 1980's although critics were sniffy and consigned it to 'Cinema du Look'. I'd ask those critics to look at this spectacular 4K restoration again. After mediocre DVD's and Blu rays, this was a jaw dropping restoration experience, and priced reasonably too! Great fun and has well stood the test of time! An absolute absolute favourite. - Billy Bang |
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| Possession - Second Sight - An absolutely packed release of a recognized cult classic. Forum "debates" about color grading intent notwithstanding (Zulawski commanding slavish respect, Friedkin... eh, not so much?!!), this film works however you view it, and none of the previous BD releases were cause for concern anyways. No, this edition mostly serves as a way-point marker since all future editions will be judged against it. And hey, wait, this wasn't even the most elusive/exclusive of the Zulawski films afforded a 4K release in 2025, so what of On the Silver Globe!?!? For me the Mondo Vision 4K of Globe might serve to supplement the 2023 (2K) Eureka edition, but they are not offering a Second Sight-esque "obsoletion package" regardless of asking price. - Chris Browne |
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| Yongary - Not only does it look incredible, the original Hong Kong (partial) cut is included - Matt Paprocki |
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| Daughters of Darkness ( One of my first 4k purchases, looks very film-like, great release) - Jeb Bond |
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The Big Heat (Criterion) - first
time watching this glorious noir. What an ending!
- Paul Bennett |
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| House With the Laughing Windows (Arrow) - Finally, I've heard about this film for so long and I'm so excited to get this release that I had to break my self-imposed label restriction and include another release from Arrow. - Jason Overbeck |
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| Cruising - Arrow - Dancing on Friedkin's grave?! Is Arrow's intentionally timed release now with previously nixxed supplements the ultimate F-U to the vagaries of memory / taste / and revisionist "auteurist" intent? Until the Director's Guild decides to relinquish some of their say over the final product (fat chance) this macabre funeral ritual is bound to repeat itself. And yet WHAT a coup!!!! The faux leather slipcover is the perfect touch, but I regret getting the UK edition with that prominent 18 emblazoned upon it, looking like a minor getting kicked out trying to crash a leather bar. We seem doomed to never get realize that "missing footage" but as-is this film still shocks today, probably the only Hollywood product of this era to still feel as transgressive. - Chris Browne |
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| Night of the Juggler - Transmission - Speaking of gritty titles from 1980 this was one I had never seen until now, the perfect film supplement to showcase how the hellish NYC of The Warriors might have resolved itself in the harsh light of day. Radiance decided to create a sublabel to offload the more grindhouse end of their curatorial interests, then hits it out of the park on their first try. Props to KL and Frank Tarzi for getting the ball rolling on the acquisition, but it was up to Transmission to fix the scene repeat snafu on that Kino release (though mysteriously dropping the promised 5.1 mix). Even in mono this one rocks, and the chase sequence through the rotten apple (which is basically the whole film), kept my jaw on the floor. Did Gormon's Juggler influence the modern Joker performances? And how does Batman's Christian Bale time-travel to manage these "James Brolin" performances anyways? All I know is that the novel packaging decision (notch in the hard case?) by Transmission probably broke the printing machine delaying the release until the holidays, but hey, what a great way to end the year. - Chris Browne |
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The Mother and the Whore [4K UHD
Blu-ray] (Jean Eustache, 1973) Criterion. This incredible film has
never looked better.
- Peter Nagels |
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Shoeshine Criterion - terrific
quality presentation and a welcome choice for a 4k release.
Criterion seems to be releasing most films now on 4k. Essential film
of Italian Neo-Realism.
- Rossa Crowe |
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| High and Low (Tengoku to Jigoku, 1963) (Criterion 4K): Eyes Wide Shut may win every single poll, but High and Low is the best film, period, to be given the 4K treatment this year. A transcendence of both the crime film and Kurosawa’s own “social tendency” films of the Fifties, a harsh lyric of verisimilitude. - Peter Yacavone |
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| The Beyond (Grindhouse) - Six discs and incredibly comprehensive. I've bought this film several times, but I can't imagine I'll need to grab it again. This feels definitive, which is what I want from a purchase at this point. - Jason Overbeck |
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| A History of Violence - Criterion makes up for a dismal Warner Blu-ray - Matt Paprocki |
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| Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould. - Another to go straight from DVD to UHD. Such a bold film - Paul Bennett |
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| Night of the Juggler (Kino) - I love it when we get a 4K release and restoration for a well-loved film that hasn't previously been available on home video since VHS. - Jason Overbeck |
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| Gus Van Sant- Drugstore Cowboy--1989- Criterion. Among the many fine Criterion 4K releases, this, while skimpy on the extras, was a dream come true for me. Among my very favourite films. I watch it at least once a year. I have the UK DVD, the Japanese Blu Ray, and the Australian Blu Ray, but will chuck them all for this 4K! - Billy Bang |
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| You Can Count On Me (Criterion) - Finally in HD. A gift of a film. And the interviews with Laura Linney and Mark Ruffalo are a joy. - Paul Bennett |
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| Hard Boiled (Shout 4K) Like the Arrow Dollars Trilogy releases, Shout's Hong Kong Cinema Classics could easily dominate this list but I'm keeping it to John Woo's opus Hard Boiled. I had never seen Hard Boiled before precisely because I had heard such horrible things about the previous home video releases. I wanted to wait for an ideal screening scenario and I got the privilege of seeing this beautiful 4K restoration with a John Woo Q&A in Los Angeles this summer. This supplement packed set, however, matches the audacious scale of its feature film. We get most of the Criterion legacy features (I think Woo's student film is missing, but that can be found online) plus two new commentaries and a range of interviews with cast and crew, scholars, and Hong Kong cinema aficionados. - Drew Morton |
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| Scars of Dracula (Hammer 4K Box Set UK & WAC U.S. release)- possibly the most underrated Hammer flick, a brutal, precise, near-perfect distillation of the Dracula mythos, without the distractions of the previous sequels and with the iconic Lee backed up by great character performances (Patrick Troughton). In a grand UK box set from Hammer, I choose it, by a hair’s breadth, over Hammer’s other offerings this year. - Peter Yacavone |
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| Quatermass 2 (with QUATERMASS 2: THE ORIGINAL TV SERIAL) (Hammer UK Box Set): Pound-for-pound the best British Science Fiction movie between THINGS TO COME and 2001, In a 4K Box set with the original TV serial; in a lesser year this would be my Number One. - Peter Yacavone |
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| Donovan's Reef (Kino Lorber 4K): It may be amusing to contemplate that we are getting Donovan's Reef in 4K rather than the Cavalry Trilogy (1948-1950), but this good-humored multi-cultural fable is Ford’s most gentle and genial observation of the power of ritual. Bravo Kino and Frank Tarzi for knowing what cineastes want and doing what they can. - Peter Yacavone |
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| Brazil (Criterion) - just a joy of a film. One of the films I've bought in every format and always come back to like an old friend. - Paul Bennett |
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| Possession (Second Sight) - Second Sight puts out such lovely discs that this was a bit of a no-brainer pick up for me even though I had already purchased it on 4K from France. Second Sight releases just feel definitive and final in the way that no other labels releases do. If they put out a film I like at all, I need to have it in my collection. |
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Ugetsu Monogatari Criterion - one of
the most beautiful films of all time and this Criterion 4k does it
full justice. The extras and booklet are superb. In my Top 10
favorite films.
- Rossa Crowe |
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| Wild Style - Arrow - Another historical document resurrected, this one in a lavish edition I did not see coming. Part of my issue with Arrow (BFI and Indicator) is an insistence on dropping BD copies from their 4K editions. On Wild Style, a film shot in 16mm, the improvement between 2K and 4K is minimal (the equivalent of a 135 megapixel scan of a "full frame" 35mm color picture negative, beyond pointless visualization of the grain structure) almost any improvement will be down to the vagaries of HDR mastering decisions. So does one go with the BD or 4K? But really, why force the choice when both are being pressed since the cost per unit BD several thousand discs in is sub 50p anyways? (yet the BFI is still including DVD copies with some of their BD releases!?!? maybe should save this for the rants). - Chris Browne |
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| EL (Criterion 4K): Considering that two of Buñuel’s Mexican films, of equal stature, came out from VCI, how could this not be perhaps the most unexpected 4K edition of the year? Thanks Criterion for doing it right. - Peter Yacavone |
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Night of the Juggler. Both the film
and the 4K transfer are not without flaws, but Kino is to be
commended for finally allowing people to enjoy this film after
decades of unwatchable low-resolution trash. - Warren Ketter |
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| Short Night of Glass Dolls - Celluloid Dreams - The only knock on this (over-the-top) special edition was that the booklet was a few millimeters too wide for its box. For an effort as comprehensive this early in a label's run, print margins are hardly worth commenting on! - Chris Browne |
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| Celluloid Dreams' second release Short Night of Glass Dolls is an expansive and likely definitive edition of one of the more unnerving examples of the giallo genre. Blue Underground's 4K restoration of Raw Meat gazes deeper into the Stygian blackness of the London Underground. Second Sight's Possession is thus far the best-looking release of both versions and as yet definitive in terms of its extras. Arrow had to compromise in their grade of The House with Laughing Windows undoing the particularities of the 4K restoration (see rants) but the subtitle translation is great and the extras are exquisite. Arrow's Incubus is an extraordinary rescue job given the materials for a rare example of American folk horror. Arrow Video's Blu-ray of Don't Torture a Duckling had to undo the issues of the German release while dealing with baked-in grading so their 4K upgrade was a fresh start while their Alice Sweet Alice offered a more modest upgrade while allowing them to address some issues with their reconstructions of the film's versions on the Blu-ray edition. From either side of Russ Meyer's filmography, Severin's Motorpsycho and Up! are showcases for Meyer's visual style in sterling quality. Second Sight's The Brood strikes a nice grading balance between the older SD masters and the previous 2K restoration. Arrow's The Stuff presents a roughly-made film in 4K for its theatrical cut while the bonus Blu-ray offers up a long-unseen pre-release version that both supports director Larry Cohen's statements about the distributor-imposed changes while also revealing the deficits of his loose, improvisational approach with in this case an ideal version not lying somewhere in between both cuts. - Eric Cotenas |
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| His Girl Friday – Howard Hawks - Another Cary Grant, but an altogether different character, played against both Rosalind Russell who can take care of herself (of course, she's a Hawks woman) and Ralph Bellamy who can't. This remake of The Front Page is great, better than the original and not because the original is an early talkie. It is taut and the dialogue rarely pauses so that the movie seems to be a perpetual motion machine. - Thomas Friedman |
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| The Big Heat (Criterion)- This is a top-notch noir with a great cast (especially Gloria Grahame) and one that shines on 4K. A film I can easily re-watch. Some new extras help enhance this package. - bgmoir |
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| The Curse of Frankenstein (Warner Archive/Hammer)- Although I am not a fan of modern horror I do like old school atmospheric horror. This release is stacked and includes many new extras and a top transfer. - bgmoir |
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| For a Few Dollars More (Arrow 4K) - I could easily put all three Arrow 4K re-releases of Sergio Leone's Dollars Trilogy on this list and debated trying to make the case for an "unofficial" box set below given that they would have been packaged that way if they had been allowed to by the licensee (so I've heard). Instead, I settled for including my arguably controversial favorite of the trilogy, For a Few Dollars More, in the top spot and using the rest of my top ten to showcase other beloved titles. Disclaimer aside, I'm easily on my second hand and perhaps one of my feet when it comes to counting how many times I've upgraded these films on home video and Arrow has given us the definitive release after too many half-measured detours through the L'Immagine Ritrovata restorations (looking at you, Kino). These releases finally nail the 4K transfers as much as the elements will allow, including multiple cuts, legacy extras, and newly produced supplements in abundance. What a year for 4K releases! I easily could have gone up to 20 here... - Drew Morton |
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| The Brood. Second Sight box is a treasure; superb transfer, a great commentary by William Beard, and the best looking box art of the year. - Warren Ketter |
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| Possession (Second Sight) A stunning and enormous package of (in my opinion) one of the greatest films ever made. I think that this is the third time that I have voted for a release of Possession in an end of year poll, but I can't see any release of this film improving upon this Second Sight box. Happy to be proven wrong though. - Tim Leggoe |
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| His Girl Friday (Criterion). A new 4K transfer and was previously included in the Columbia boxset. The two leads are fantastic in this film; the dialogue is lightning fast that one needs to concentrate to keep up with what’s going on. - bgmoir |
|
____________________
|
| La Haine (BFI) Glasgow's brilliant GFT cinema ran screenings here and there of the 4K restoration for 3 months due to demand - the disc close-as-possibly-can captures that organic word of mouth energy that added extra showings by adding extra texture to crunchy b&w visuals. - William Leitch |
|
____________________
|
| The Grifters (CRITERION 4K): The best neo-noir of the 90s? And not only that, but a Miramax title, if memory serves. May there be many more from Criterion! - Peter Yacavone |
|
____________________
|
| Amadeus - Milos Forman - This is a beautiful, lavish 4k restoration that is everything it should be. The acting is outstanding, the picture pristine and rich and the sound sumptuous. I favor the theater version as much of what is in the older blu-ray extended releases is in my opinion padding and hinders the flow of an already longish movie. Glad someone decided to issue it as we saw it in the theater. - Thomas Friedman |
|
____________________
|
| The Beyond (1981, Grindhouse). An almost perfect 4K restoration that puts all previous ones to bed. The extras alone are worth the trip. - Matt Janovic |
|
____________________
|
| Possession (Second Sight, UK) Absolutely stunning release. I thought I had experienced this unique film enough times in my life. But no, this Second Sight LE edition has enabled this fevered domestic drama with added tentacled succubus to spring to life. Beautiful image transfer with cool blues and greys portraying the divisive relationship and divided city of Berlin. The extras in this set are extraordinary with alternate cuts, a range of commentaries, a wonderful booklet with academic writing on the film, and even an annotated shooting script. Brilliant! - Neil Williams |
|
____________________
|
| House With the Laughing Windows (1976, Arrow). Pupi Avati's brilliant giallo some call the best ever made. This is overdue. - Matt Janovic |
|
____________________
|
| El (Criterion) - My wallet would have preferred a Buñuel in Mexico Eclipse set but this was very necessary. - Walker Roberts |
|
____________________
|
| Cure, Eureka - Kurosawa's bleak horror classic was presented in a new horrifying light with Eureka's great UHD release. - Lewis |
|
____________________
|
| Perfect Blue, All the Anime - Comprehensive deluxe treatment for Kon's dark psychological horror masterpiece. As always with UHD releases, no HDR or Dolby Vision may have divided fans but it looks absolutely fantastic and is as close a replication of what it would have looked like in theatres as we're likely to get. - Lewis |
|
____________________
|
| Felidae (1995, animated, Deaf Crocodile). Overlooked animated masterpiece. - Matt Janovic |
|
____________________
|
| Night of the Juggler (Kino Lorber) - A major coup by Kino. I know about the defect in the transfer and that Radiance just put out a suped up edition but Kino struck first and I'm forever grateful. Hats off. - Walker Roberts |
|
____________________
|
| Angst (1983, Umbrella). One of the very best serial killer movies ever made. - Matt Janovic |
|
____________________
|
|
Don't Torture a
Duckling (Arrow, UK) This shockingly brutal and scandalous giallo from Lucio Fulci is such an entertaining watch and beautifully showcased by Arrow in this release. Was a great viewing, but cautious who I share my enthusiasm for this film with (I trust dDVDBeaver poll readers implicitly not to judge me). Great video essay by Kat Ellinger amongst many rewarding extras on this disc. Five star Fulci. - Neil Williams |
|
|
| Gary's 'woulda, coulda, shoulda' list | |
| Some titles come out late in the year and aren't seen, or get swept under our collective radar but deserved more 'love' than the poll offered... Mostly though they are just viewings I remember really enjoying. This is my 'woulda, coulda, shoulda' list of less-represented Blu-rays and 4K UHD titles that, I think, some genre-fans, cinephiles etc. may wish to take a second look. For myself, they have appeal for various reasons - not always great - but more a reflection of my, often eccentric, tastes (in alphabetical order): | |
Alec Guinness: Masterpiece Collection
[4K UHD
Blu-ray]
- Kind Hearts and Coronets / The Lavender Hill
Mob / The Man in the White Suit / The
Ladykillers - Kino
(ALT-BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
The Amazing Mr. X [Blu-ray]
(Bernard Vorhaus, 1948) Film Masters
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
American Gigolo
[4K UHD
Blu-ray] (Paul
Schrader, 1980) Arrow
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
The Andromeda Strain
[4K UHD
Blu-ray]
(Robert Wise, 1971) Arrow US
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
Anora
[4K UHD
Blu-ray]
(Sean Baker, 2024) Criterion
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
The Big Blue
[4K UHD
Blu-ray]
(Luc Besson, 1988) Studiocanal UK
(BEAVER
Blu-ray
REVIEW) |
|
|
The Black Torment [Blu-ray]
(Robert Hartford-Davis, 1964) 88 Films UK
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
Bohachi Bushido: Code of the Forgotten Eight
[Blu-ray]
(Teruo Ishii, 1973) Mondo Macabro
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
By a Man's Face Shall You Know Him
[Blu-ray]
(Tai Katô, 1966) Radiance UK
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
Castle of Evil [Blu-ray]
(Francis D. Lyon, 1966) Vinegar Syndrome Labs
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
Chungking Express
[4K UHD
Blu-ray]
(Wong Kar-wai, 1994) Criterion
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
Clean and Sober [Blu-ray]
(Glenn Gordon Caron, 1988) Warner Archive
(BEAVER REVIEW) |
|
|
Columbia Noir #7: Made in Britain
[Blu-ray]
- A Prize of Gold (Mark Robson, 1955) / The Last
Man to Hang (Terence Fisher, 1956) / Wicked as
They Come (Ken Hughes, 1956) / Spin a Dark Web
(Vernon Sewell, 1956) / The Long Haul (Ken
Hughes, 1957) and Fortune is a Woman (Sidney
Gilliat, 1957) Indicator UK |
|
|
Crack in the World [Blu-ray]
(Andrew Morton, 1965) Kino
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
Daiei Gothic Vol 2: Japanese Ghost Stories
[Blu-ray]
(The Demon of Mount Oe, The Haunted Castle, The
Ghost of Kasane Swamp) Radiance US
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
Dan Curtis' Classic Monsters [Blu-ray]
(Dracula, Frankenstein, The Strange Case of Dr.
Jekyll and Mr. Hyde) Kino Cult
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
Devil Doll [Blu-ray]
(Lindsay Shonteff, 1964) / Curse of the Voodoo
(Lindsay Shonteff, 1965) Vinegar Syndrome
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
Diary of a Chambermaid [Blu-ray]
(Luis Buñuel, 1964) Kino
(BEAVER
REVIEW)
|
|
|
Dragnet [Blu-ray]
(Tom Mankiewicz, 1987) Fabulous Films UK
(ALT-BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
Drugstore Cowboy
[4K UHD
Blu-ray] (Gus Van
Sant, 1989) Criterion
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
The Eel [Blu-ray]
(Shohei Imamura, 1997) Radiance US
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
Él
[4K UHD
Blu-ray]
(Luis Buñuel, 1953) Criterion
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
The Enchanted Cottage [Blu-ray]
(John Cromwell, 1940) Warner Archive
(BEAVER
REVIEW)
|
|
|
Eyes Wide Shut
[4K UHD
Blu-ray]
(Stanley Kubrick, 1999) Criterion
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
Fire Maidens from Outer Space [Blu-ray]
(Cy Roth, 1956) Vinegar Syndrome Labs
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
Frankenstein's Bloody Terror [Blu-ray]
(Enrique López , 1968) Kino Cult #35
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
Gate of Flesh [Blu-ray]
(Hideo Gosha, 1988) 88 Films US
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
Girl Slaves of Morgana Le Fay [Blu-ray]
(Bruno Gantillon, 1971) Mondo Macabro
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
Golem [Blu-ray]
(Piotr Szulkin, 1979) Second Run UK
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
The Grifters
[4K UHD
Blu-ray] (Stephen
Frears, 1990) Criterion
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
Hardboiled: Three Pulp Thrillers By Alain Corneau
[Blu-ray]
(Police Python 357, Serie Noire and In Choice of
Arms) Radiance US
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
Harriet Craig [Blu-ray]
(Vincent Sherman, 1950) Indicator UK
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
He Who Gets Slapped [Blu-ray]
(Victor Sjöström, 1924) Flicker Alley
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
High and Low
[4K UHD
Blu-ray]
(Akira Kurosawa, 1963) Criterion
(BEAVER
Blu-ray REVIEW) |
|
|
A Hyena In The Safe [Blu-ray]
(Cesare Canevari, 1968) Celluloid Dreams
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
I Know Where I'm Going!
[4K UHD
Blu-ray]
(Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, 1945)
Criterion
(BEAVER
Blu-ray
REVIEW) |
|
|
Il Posto + I Fidanzati [Blu-ray]
(Ermanno Olmi) Radiance UK
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
Impact [Blu-ray]
(Arthur Lubin, 1949) VCI Entertainment
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
In the Bedroom [Blu-ray]
(Todd Field, 2001) Imprint |
|
|
Invasion of the Bee Girls [Blu-ray]
(Denis Sanders, 1973) Kino Cult
(ALT-BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
The Iron Rose
[4K UHD
Blu-ray]
(Jean Rollin, 1973) Indicator US
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
Jet Storm
[Blu-ray]
(Cy Endfield, 1959) Imprint
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
The Keep
[4K UHD
Blu-ray] (Michael
Mann, 1983) Vinegar Syndrome
(BEAVER REVIEW) |
|
|
Killer of Sheep
[4K UHD
Blu-ray]
(Charles Burnett, 1978) Criterion
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
Let's Scare Jessica to Death
[4K UHD
Blu-ray]
(John D. Hancock, 1971) Vinegar Syndrome
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
A Life at Stake [Blu-ray]
(Paul Guilfoyle, 1955) Film Masters
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
The Long Kiss Goodnight
[4K UHD
Blu-ray]
(Renny Harlin, 1996) Arrow US
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
Love Crime [Blu-ray]
(Alain Corneau, 2010) IFC Films
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
|
|
|
Monster from the Ocean Floor [Blu-ray]
(Wyott Ordung, 1954) Film Masters
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
The Naked Witch [Blu-ray]
(Larry Buchanan, 1964) VCI
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
Nine Guests for a Crime [Blu-ray]
(Ferdinando Baldi, 1977) 88 Films UK
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
La Notte
[4K UHD
Blu-ray]
(Michelangelo Antonioni, 1961) Masters of Cinema
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
The Ogre of Athens [Blu-ray]
(Nikos Koundouros, 1956) Radiance US
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
The Old Dark House
[4K UHD
Blu-ray]
(James Whale, 1932) Masters of Cinema UK
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
The Oldest Profession [Blu-ray]
(Noboru Tanaka, 1974) Film Movement Classics
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
Play It Cool [Blu-ray]
(Yasuzô Masumura, 1970) Arrow US
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
Prey [Blu-ray]
(Norman J. Warren, 1977) 88 Films UK
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
Prince of Broadway [Blu-ray]
(Sean Baker, 2008) Criterion
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
Le Quai des brumes [Blu-ray]
(Marcel Carné, 1938) Studiocanal UK
(BEAVER
REVIEW)
|
|
|
Queen Bee [Blu-ray]
(Ranald MacDougall, 1955) Indicator UK
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
The Racket
[Blu-ray]
(John Cromwell, 1951) Warner Archive
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
Rampo Noir [Blu-ray]
(Akio Jissoji, Atsushi Kaneko, Hisayasu Satō,
Suguru Takeuchi, 2005) Arrow
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
The Sacrifice
[4K UHD
Blu-ray] (Andrei
Tarkovsky, 1986) Kino
(BEAVER
Blu-ray REVIEW) |
|
|
Saving Face [Blu-ray]
(Alice Wu, 2004) Criterion
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
Shane
[4K UHD
Blu-ray]
(George Stevens, 1953) Kino
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
Side Street [Blu-ray]
(Anthony Mann, 1949) Warner Archive
(BEAVER REVIEW) |
|
|
The Snow Woman [Blu-ray]
(Tokuzō Tanaka, 1968) Radiance US
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
Strange New Worlds: Science Fiction at DEFA
[Blu-ray]
(The Silent Star, Signals: A Space Adventure,
Eolomea and In the Dust of the Stars) Eureka UK
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
Stray Dog [Blu-ray]
(Akira Kurosawa, 1949) UK BFI
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
Sunset Boulevard
[4K UHD
Blu-ray]
(Billy Wilder, 1950) Paramount
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
Suzhou River [Blu-ray]
(Lou Ye, 2000) Radiance UK
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
The Tale Of Oiwa's Ghost [Blu-ray]
(Tai Katô, 1961) Radiance US
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
Terror In The Fog: The Wallace Krimi At CCC
[Blu-ray]
(The Curse of the Yellow Snake, The Phantom of
Soho, The Strangler of Blackmoor Castle, The Mad
Executioners and The Racetrack Murders) Eureka
US
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
The Terrornauts [Blu-ray]
(Montgomery Tully, 1967) Vinegar Syndrome Labs
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
The Thirty-Nine Steps (Don Sharp, 1978) / The
Lady Vanishes (Anthony Page, 1979)
[Blu-ray]
Imprint US
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
Ugetsu
[4K UHD
Blu-ray]
(Kenji Mizoguchi, 1953) Criterion
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
[4K UHD
Blu-ray]
(Jacques Demy, 1964) Criterion
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
Underworld Beauty [Blu-ray]
(Seijun Suzuki, 1958) Radiance US
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
Unknown World [Blu-ray]
(Terrell O. Morse, 1951) Severin Films
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
V-Cinema Essentials: Bullets & Betrayal
[Blu-ray]
(Crime Hunter: Bullets of Rage, Neo Chinpira:
Zoom Goes the Bullet, Stranger, Carlos, Burning
Dog, Female Prisoner Scorpion: Death Threat, the
Hitman: Blood Smells Like Roses, Danger Point:
the Road to Hell, Xx: Beautiful Hunter) Arrow
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
Vive l'amour [Blu-ray]
(Tsai Ming-liang, 1994) Film Movement Classics
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
Warm Water Under a Red Bridge [Blu-ray]
(Shohei Imamura, 2001) Film Movement Classics
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
Wicked Games: Three Films By Robert Hossein
[Blu-ray]
(The Wicked Go to Hell, Nude in a White Car, The
Taste of Violence) Radiance US
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
Who Wants to Kill Jessie? [Blu-ray]
(Václav Vorlíček, 1966) Second Run UK
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
Whore [Blu-ray]
(Ken Russell, 1991) Kino Cult
(ALT-BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
The Wind Will Carry Us [Blu-ray] (Abbas Kiarostami, 1999)
Criterion
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
World Noir Vol 3 [Blu-ray]
(Not Guilty, The Lost One and Girl with
Hyacinths) - Radiance Films UK
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
|
You Only Live Once
[Blu-ray]
(Fritz Lang, 1937) Imprint
(BEAVER
REVIEW) |
|
| Favorite Commentaries of 2025: |
|
|
| There were so many
commentaries in 2025 by companies like Kino, Indicator, Imprint,
Arrow, Second Sight etc. Whenever we start naming names we run the risk of forgetting someone - so I will apologize for that immediately. I also didn't hear every commentary made in 2025, but I did listen to over 90. I appreciate and respect commentarists very much. We trust you never feel it is a thankless job. We will always support your efforts. This represents balloters preferences. |
| The Winner for 2025 is Samm Deighan: Plus 'the usual suspects' with multiple votes: Farran Smith Nehme, Julie Kirgo, Kim Newman, Tony Rayns, Adrian Martin, Daniel Kremer, Eugenio Ercolani, Alan K. Rode, Travis Crawford, Kevin Lyons, Barry Forshaw, Jonathan Rigby, Imogen Sara Smith, Alexandra Heller Nichols and Josh Nelson... You work is greatly appreciated! |
|
____________________
|
| Tony Rayns on Diary of a Shinjuku Thief (Radiance: Radical Japan: Cinema and State - Nine Films by Nagisa Oshima) - Christian Frassa |
|
____________________
|
| Adrian Martin of course. I'm surprised he doesn't get many more commissions. Media companies should be banging at his door to secure his fascinating and very informative in-depth commentaries. - Peter Nagels |
|
____________________
|
| Alan K.Rode, Jonathan Rigby, Kim
Newman, Steve Haberman, Stephen Jones.
- Maggie Breitmeier |
|
____________________
|
| Anora - audio commentary by Sean
Baker, Alex Coco, Samantha Quan, and Drew Daniels
- Fabio Petrillo |
|
____________________
|
| Kim Newman, Julie Kirgo.
- Kevin Sunde Oppegaard |
|
____________________
|
| Neil Labute -
Carnal Knowledge
- Paul Bennett |
|
____________________
|
| Tony Rayns (Ugetsu, La Notte, Hidden
Fortress)
- Rossa Crowe |
|
____________________
|
| Max Robinson (School In The Crosshairs) gave me insights I would likely have overlooked otherwise. I enjoyed Howard S. Berger, Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson teaming up for Last Known Address. Randy Skretvedt and Richard W. Bann's expertise when it comes to Laurel and Hardy is enhanced by their excitement for those movies. This goes for both Laurel & Hardy 3 and The Definitive Restorations 2. - Douglas Head |
|
____________________
|
| Anything featuring Kim Newman - Nick Garlick |
|
____________________
|
| Michael Brooke on "Golem" - Michał |
|
____________________
|
| Julie Kirgo - Leif F. |
|
____________________
|
| Alexandra Heller Nichols and Josh Nelson on The House with Laughing Windows focus on thematic elements rather than production factoids and Heller Nicholas and Alison Taylor on Second Sight's Possession provide a mix of both drawing on their own writings including the latter's monograph on the film featuring more insight from actor Sam Neill than he has ever offered up elsewhere on the film. Kim Newman, Jonathan Rigby, Barry Forshaw, and Kevin Lyons on their British horror commentaries usually provide a mix of production detail, literary source discussion, and insight into the state of the British film industry during the periods of the films' productions. Dave Wain and Matty Budrewicz in their 88 Films commentaries for Full Moon productions make up for the holes left in the film's discussion in the studio's own extras with plenty of primary source insight. Michael Brooke provides insight into more of Radiance's and Second Run's Eastern European cinema releases, most notably this year his commentary on the "impossible to read" source of Piotr Szulkin's Golem. Eugenio Ercolani and his various commentary cohorts discuss the trajectory of various Italian genre cycles and their practitioners for various labels. - Eric Cotenas |
|
____________________
|
| William Beard had three commentary tracks for three Cronenberg films released in 2025. Both The Brood and Scanners are brilliant, but his insights on Rabid actually elevated my very recent viewing of the film into the most enjoyable experience I've had with what is a somewhat lesser early work from the Canadian auteur. I've seen Rabid more than half-a-dozen times, and it's my firm belief that it works best without dialogue, pure 4K visuals, and Dr. Beard's commentary. - Warren Ketter |
|
____________________
|
| Eugenio Ercolani, Troy Howarth and Nathanial Thompson on "Perfume of the Lady in Black" - Powerhouse Films - Vaso Đogović |
|
____________________
|
| Samm Deighan, Dr. Will Dodson, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas - Matt Long |
|
____________________
|
| Michael Brooke, David Kalat - Chris Browne |
|
____________________
|
| 1. Travis Woods - Breathless (Cinematographe),
Weak Spot (Radiance), White Lightning (Imprint) 2. Alexandra Heller Nicholas - The House with Laughing Windows (Arrow), Ms. 45 (Arrow), Carrie (with Lee Gambin - Arrow) - ZMF |
|
____________________
|
| Tony Rayns is such a pleasure to listen to—a true gentleman with deep knowledge of film, especially Asian cinema. - Matt |
|
____________________
|
| Curse of Frankenstein 4K – Nasr and Haberman (I know it's from 2020, but I only heard it for the first time this year and I think it's exemplary, discussing the whole process of making the film and its importance in film history). - Nick Garlick |
|
____________________
|
| Tim Lucas - Dan Oliver |
|
____________________
|
| Samm Deighan, Travis Woods - Mitchell Beaupre |
|
____________________
|
| Imogen Sara Smith for Diary of a Chambermaid - Kino - Paul Todd |
|
____________________
|
| David Webb Peoples and Anna Katerina on The Salute of the Jugger 4K - Aaron McCann |
|
____________________
|
| Rebekah Mckendry on DEEP BLUE SEA (Arrow) - I will always support my Professor - Gabriel Neeb |
|
____________________
|
| SAMM DEIGHAN: She has driven up my podcast listening (EROS + MASSACRE, and PERVERSE PLEASURES), which has in turn shaped my film viewing. There was a point in the Summer when I had seven Blu-rays lined up for viewing and Samm had provided commentary for 6 of them! She offers a detached historical perspective on each film she comments on but they are delivered with the hungry enthusiasm of a cinema fan. The highlight of them all for me was her commentary on Suzuki’s ‘A Tale of Sorrow and Sadness (Radiance, UK) which was not a perfect film, but the tale of Suzuki’s comeback from the directorial wilderness was expertly conveyed by Deighan. Samm has a book coming out on Zulawski in 2026 which will, in combination with the Second Sight release of Possession, ensure a return to all his films. Something I did three years ago, but very willing to do again with Deighan’s guidance. Honourable mention: SPEAK NO EVIL (2022, Arrow Video, UK) Commentary by Writer/Director Christian Tafdrup and Co-writer Mads Tafdrup offered insightful, self-depreciating thoughts on how the film was realised in difficult circumstances. The commentary was excellent and further enhance my appreciation of this brave, troubling work. - Neil Williams |
|
____________________
|
| Imogen Sara Smith. She's always engaging and extremely knowledgeable about film and filmmakers. - Gregg Ferencz |
|
____________________
|
| Samm Deighan's commentary tracks on MERMAID LEGEND and SCENT OF A SPELL were typically terrific, she is insightful and also often an indicator to me that I should check out the film. Tim Lucas commentary track on THE IRON ROSE was also typically thoughtful. - Jason Overbeck |
|
____________________
|
|
|
| BOUTIQUE Labels |
 |
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Our niche heavily gravitates to 'Boutique Labels' as their strongest preference. For 2025 we had the most "Favorite Label" votes in our poll ever, and we also utilize that in determination of the ranking - that is in a 'total votes' system. Here are the TOP 10 mentioned Blu-ray / 4K UHD Production labels with three NEW!:
1) Criterion Almost sweeping all three' top-spot' categories Criterion (#1 and 10th in boxsets - 2nd, 4th, 8th and 10th in Blu-ray and 1st, 2nd, 5th and 7th in 4K UHD voting) were an easy first place with their expanding 4K UHD catalogue and A-list titles. A dominant year for the most revered physical media company. Radiance dominated in fandom love, balancing between the appeal of 'under-exposed to excellent' world cinema. A label that inspires purchase confidence. Magnificence. 3) Hammer Films The most impressive new 4K UHD release company... ever. Hammer has revived its legacy under new ownership, focusing on honoring its roots through high-quality 4K UHD restorations with the most stacked packages in the entire industry. Fans of the studio are ecstatic. We cannot get enough. 4) Arrow Undeservedly slipping back a notch - Arrow do, complete, flawless packages and every year make a strong candidacy for top label of the year. They just keep bringing us high quality. We thank them... 5) 88 Films A notable bump up the ladder for 88 Films who are expanding their niche genre range to Region 'A' and continue to gain ground in 2025 with brilliant packages with the most revered cover art. Obscure genre gold. Mucho fan appreciation. Again, sizable Imprint flourish and their actor/director themed boxset, Tales of Adventure Collections and first-time-to-Blu-ray and 4K UHD editions remain treasure-troves for film fans. Vast production output. 7) Kino Lorber Prodigious. Their relentless output of both 4K UHD and Blu-ray titles is frequently listed by balloters. Every week, every month, ever year - desirable releases! Kino are an unrelenting juggernaut. 8) Second Run What makes Second Run, so great? Region FREE / World gems from the hidden recesses of Cinephilia / passion / love / commitment.... They are the very definition of a quintessential boutique label. You are beloved in the DVDBeaver universe and beyond. A case could be made every year for Vinegar Syndrome to be top label. The most varied titles - uncovering unique rarities every single month with prodigious enthusiasm. I marvel at their copious production. Long may you flourish! TIED for 10) First time (but, surely, not last) in the Top Ten - the label imbues fierce loyalty. Eclectic films like Eastern European sci-fi animations and Czech noir classics alongside and an expanding selection of 4K UHD releases with collector-focused preservation and accessibility. They COULD NOT be denied in 2025. Specializing in restoring and releasing classic, silent, and early cinema gems, aims to bring film history to new audiences through high-fidelity preservations of overlooked masterpieces. We salute you!
This was a highly competitive year and we continue to respect and support Studiocanal (UK), Indicator (Powerhouse), BFI, Severin, Warner Archive (who had an immensely strong year!) Eureka (Masters of Cinema), Cult Films, Cult Epics, Discotek Media, Mondo Macabro (love these guys,) Film Movement, Synapse, Third Window Films, Celluloid Dreams, Canadian International Pictures, Cohen Media Group, Shameless Film Entertainment, Impulse Films, Raro Films, Kani Releasing, Neon Eagle, AGFA, Undercrank Productions, Umbrella Entertainment, Curzon 101 Films, A24, and Classicflix / Film Masters and a few we have ashamedly forgotten. Fans are so lucky...
Comments (most responses were just the name of the company but here are a sampling of some of the more fleshed-out comments balloters made): |
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| Criterion / Flicker Alley - they're
the best
- Alan K. Rode |
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| Deaf Crocodile - Their podcast provides insight, but even from the outside you can just sense the momentum now. I can't remember ever being so excited to just learn of a release slate. Everything they choose to license must have been so for a reason and because the titles are 90% unfamiliar the joy is getting to discover the "why" for yourself. Very few releases retreading common ground (in 2025 only the DEFA set got competition in region B) and deep cuts so niche they draw questions from their licensor ("Sure, but how did you hear about our film?"), with a great balance of epic world animation and experimental live action titles thrown into the mix. Nothing new under the sun? Walter Chaw commented on their podcast that these releases are fuel for even the jaded cinephile. QC issues (mostly subs) seem to have finally been conquered, so we are in good hands - I cannot wait for the rest of this ride. - Chris Browne |
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| (Arrow - best custom artwork, best
remastering of films, best assortment of extras, and they once again
provided the theatrical cut of
Thief in their 4K release)
- John Brune |
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| Hard to say ... Nicely balanced this
year. Radiance and Deaf Crocodile definitely going strong. - Alistair Pendleton |
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| KINO continues to be a great company, with many good new releases every year. - Cameron Wybrow |
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| My favorite label is a tie between Criterion and Arrow. They work in different ends of the field, but they are at the top. - Michael Huie |
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| This feels like Criterion's year to me. Every month has had exciting releases, many appearing on 4K without having come out on Blu Ray. They're also bringing out great new world cinema on their Janus Contemporary line and I'm excited that they brought back their Eclipse series (now in HD). - Jason Overbeck |
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| Hammer Films. They've been releasing
incredible 4K UHD packages of some truly amazing films. The Limited
Collector's Editions have an overwhelming treasure trove of extras. Vinegar Syndrome Labs should also be commended for releasing some marvellous obscure British science fiction such as the wacky and surreal Fire Maidens from Outer Space. - Peter Nagels |
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| Radiance. The most consistent in quality, variety of films and surprises of releases. It feels as if just about all their releases are 'must own'. A cineastes dream. - James Kemp |
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| The new “Hammer” Label, because their releases are just fantastic and they have subtitles in various languages. - Maggie Breitmeier |
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| Radiance. From the time they started, they have never let up. Long may they thrive - Billy Bang |
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So many fantastic boutique labels are
putting out essential films. Criterion as always is at or near the
top. However, the label I most eagerly await their latest
announcements is Warner Archive. Their Blu-Ray video presentations
are the best in the business and the handful of 4Ks released have
set the industry standard. Perhaps we will see Easter Parade in 4K?
Thank you George for bringing out so many amazing discs in 2025! My wish list for 2026 is the eight missing Astaire and Rogers RKO films and their last collaboration at MGM. - Mark Degraw |
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1. Radiance 2. Criterion 3. Second Run 4. Curzon 5. Janus - Michał |
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| Arrow. They're willing to track down anyone for interviews no matter how obscure and their packaging (and designs) are consistently phenomenal. - Matt Paprocki |
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| A great year once again for the UK market! Radiance continue to dominate the schedule with exciting titles from all over the world: Italy, Japan, France, Germany, Hong Kong, USA, Sweden, Poland, Spain, Belgium, Greece and South Korea. They've produced more box sets than ever, ramped up their 4K output, and have launched a new sub-label called Transmission which will cover cult classics from the VHS rental and grindhouse circuits of the 70s, 80s and 90s. Always keeping us on our toes and by far the most vibrant offerings from a UK boutique! - Ben Keeler |
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| Eureka are close behind with their
recent Masters of Cinema offerings, this year with a heavy emphasis
on German cinema; more specifically early Sirk,
Dr. Mabuse, sci-fi,
fantasy, Osterns,
Krimi, and Rubble film. It's genuinely been hard
to keep up! As always with Eureka we still have time for silent
films, Japanese classics, classic Westerns, and plenty of Hong Kong
action - plus the surprise appearance of a couple of New French
Extremity titles too, as well as their first flirtation with titles
from Jess Franco and Larry Cohen. Next year looks even more
delicious with must-have releases from Kiyoshi Kurosawa and Tomu
Uchida...
Arrow continue to grow into a bigger
beast, putting out some all-time essential titles in definitive
editions. Highlight for me was the The Dollars Trilogy, but we're
also starting to see them handle the Hong Kong classics licensed
from Shout Factory with a similar level of detail and respect, from
artwork to extras to subtitles. A recent breakthrough deal with
Warner Bros, combined with other deals with MGM, Universal, and
finally even Paramount in the UK now, has seen Arrow firing on all
cylinders in regards to acquisitions and output. In 2025 alone we've
seen them tackle titles from Bryan Singer, Quentin Tarantino, Tarsem
Singh, Sam Raimi, Tobe Hooper, William Friedkin, Brian De Palma,
Mike Hodges, Renny Harlin, Joseph Sargent, Alex Proyas, George P.
Cosmatos, Lucio Fulci, Wolfgang Petersen, Michael Mann, John
Carpenter, Abel Ferrara, Peter Hyams, Wes Craven and Ringo Lam...and
plenty of other cult hits from the 90s and 00s as well as some
lesser-known charmers scattered across their announcement slate.
Next year is looking similarly spectacular with films by John
Boorman, Michael Crichton and Tsui Hark, and of course those key
John Woo titles... - Ben Keeler |
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| The Criterion Collection (They are
really back with fantastic slates every month)
- Fabio Petrillo |
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| Arrow Video. Always the best
transfers and great Limited Edition packages.
- Kevin Sunde Oppegaard |
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| Radiance (Just consistently
brilliant)
- Rasmus Bjerre Pedersen |
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| Criterion. I've been buying Criterion releases since they started releasing laserdiscs. They're still at it and still the top tier producers of excellent editions of noteworthy films. The Standard Bearers of quality releases, IMO. - Gregg Ferencz |
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| Criterion - I know its not
fashionable, but their 4k output this year was sensational
- Paul Bennett |
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| 88 FILMS: None of their films make
my Top Ten but I am impressed with the label’s dedication in
releasing oft-forgotten films from cinema around the world. Their
offshoots: 88 Asia, Japanarchy (’Love and Crime’ was at 11 on my
list), Italian and French classics, plus release by British studio
Tigon, all offer wonderful discoveries and the opportunity for
re-discovery. It is the section of my local Blu-ray shop in which I
spend the most time. I would also add a mention for THIRD WINDOW, who plough a similar furrow, and their love of out there cinematic culture is graciously appreciated in this household. - Neil Williams |
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| Radiance continues to live up to its excellent reputation and lead the pack with high quality releases of hard to find cinematic gems. So far, 2026 is shaping up to be another fantastic set of releases from them but I'm sure there'll be some surprises along the way. - Lewis |
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| It's always going to be Criterion.
The folks there continue to show us that they really care about
cinema and also representation.
- David Hollingsworth |
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| 88 Films because they continue to put out great looking releases of genre and exploitation rarities and little-seen gems from all over the world. - Eric Castro |
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| Radiance gets my vote. Their
catalogue is quickly becoming essential. Runners Up - BFI deliver
extremely high quality releases (they receive state funding so I am
always conscious that they have an advantage) and Second Run
continues to build an essential catalogue.
- Rossa Crowe |
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| Since this comes down to a vote, I
will go with Criterion. But it was really close with Radiance.
- Douglas Head |
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| Indicator and Radiance (Equal first, for putting out the lost, neglected and forgotten) - Nick Garlick |
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| Favorite label is Arrow for their consistently solid video, audio, supplements, and affordability. - Leif F. |
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| CRITERION: for some years I’ve said that Kino is ahead of Criterion by all sorts of measures, but Criterion since 2023 has righted the ship mightily. Their lineup this year is unimpeachable. - Peter Yacavone |
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| Celluloid Dreams has only put out three titles so far, two of which were this year, but they have been definitive editions of two films with previous Blu-ray and 4K editions as well as the stunning world Blu-ray premiere of A Hyena in the Safe, a giallo that seemed less interesting on paper but is utterly dazzling given that Celluloid Dreams had to contend with a studio master unlike their previous two releases where they started from scratch with a raw scan and reference materials. - Eric Cotenas |
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| Radiance (but good to see Criterion return to form) - James Horsfall |
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| 88 Films – Improving year on year. - Sakura Gen |
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| I've got a couple of choices. Blackhawk Films (dist. Flicker Alley ) and Kit Parker (dist. Sabu Cat/MVDvisual) really deserve our thanks for providing us with silent and talkie films by Laurel and Hardy that deserve to be seen. After much of what has been produced in the last hundred years is forgotten, I imagine nicely rendered restorations of Laurel and Hardy, along with Chaplin, Keaton, Lloyd and Langdon will survive. - Thomas Friedman |
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| Warner Archive - Tom and Jerry and The Curse of Frankenstein releases alone make this a banner year for them. - Mark Fry |
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| Second Run, Indicator, Criterion, Eureka! Masters of Cinema: The quality is always consistent, with each label finding a way, regardless of means, to give new life to (mostly) old art, making each disc a discovery. - Jeff Heinrich |
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| Radiance Films - Mitchell Beaupre |
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| Criterion Collection. Despite so many amazing releases from Second Sight, Radiance and Curzon this year, I really have to go with Criterion for the sheer number of indispensable releases. Every month seemed to bring a long anticipated title or two, plus November finally seeing the reincarnation of the Eclipse series. - Tim Leggoe |
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| RADIANCE FILMS - Ben Keeler |
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| This year I believe Warner Archive have surpassed themselves in respect to the number and range of classic releases, including some deeper catalogue titles. Although nothing was ticked off my wish list, I still picked up many discs; many of which I had never seen before. Next year starts off with a strong start, and a great slate for January, including The Narrow Margin, which is on my wish list. - bgmoir |
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| Radiance - Walker Roberts |
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| Hammer Films for its 4K UHD restorations of its classic horror catalogue. - Harvey Clarke |
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| Arrow Video - exciting slate in 2025 that covered some big title upgrades (including key titles by De Palma, Michael Mann, Wilder etc), with licences from Paramount and Warner, plus the UK releases of Golden Princess catalogue. Consistent high-level of artwork, extras etc and The Dollars Trilogy in definite editions. - William Leitch |
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| Criterion, because the 4K output is growing and the movie selection most diverse. - Jan P. |
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| Kani and Canadian International Pictures (CIP), both of which are distributed by Vinegar Syndrome. Kani is based in Hong Kong, while all the work on (the great) CIP restorations is done in Canada. I have nothing against Vinegar Syndrome (although I am rarely interested in any discs they produce), but it is frustrating to me to have to buy discs out of the U.S., right now. I also really admire Radiance and Indicator, as well as Flicker Alley for their choices and Kino Lorber for the range of their releases. - Peter Rist |
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| Deaf Crocodile for releasing so many great movies from Central Europe and around the world! - Matt Janovic |
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| Criterion (After a few years’ hiatus….back atop the perch). But, as per recent vintage, l could have listed a dozen other enterprising labels or reliable stalwarts in its stead. - Anthony Dugandzic |
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| It's Arrow all the way for their above-and-beyond restoration of Sergio Leone's Dollars Trilogy. After decades of mistreatment, it feels like a real miracle to finally have the trilogy treated with the care and respect it deserves. What Arrow has done is not just a gift to Leone fans but to film culture in general. - Paul Todd |
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| Umbrella Entertainment - so many incredible releases in 2025 - Aaron McCann |
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Arrow — their releases have been
fantastic. Even if only a few films appealed to me personally—and I
bought just a handful of titles—I can't fault the quality they put
into their releases. Radiance would have won but you can read my rant further below... - Matt |
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| Radiance- lots of great releases and it's led me to a bunch of new discoveries. Now if they could only get some more Korean pictures out there... - Gabriel Neeb |
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| Curzon simply tickles my fancy from a tactile point of view: the Jean Vigo and Flow boxed sets continue in the tradition of Curzon's superb Paris Texas and the Kieslowski 'Three colors' releases. - Eric, Belgium |
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| Vinegar Syndrome - Nicole V. |
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| Radiance. Really nice extras and packaging - Richard Burt |
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| Arrow Video, with a shout out to Deaf Crocodile as a personal favourite label. - Matt Long |
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| DOCTOR WHO: THE COLLECTION SEASON 13 (BBC-UK) aka DOCTOR WHO: TOM BAKER SEASON 2 (Limited edition box set). If Cinephiles and Classic Television aficionados were not so bizarrely far apart, these handsome and beautifully illustrated BBC box sets from Paul Venezis and Mark Ayres—who include, whenever they can, extended cuts newly transferred from 2” video tape—would score big in the Beaver Poll ever year. There’s some controversy, for the first time, about burgeoning AI use in this volume, but so far, the track record on the Doctor Who Sets is solid gold. - Peter Yacavone |
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| PEANUTS ULTIMATE TV COLLECTION (Warners): I hope that, once again, the weird disconnect between cinephilia and fans of classical television does not detract from how INCREDIBLY important and valuable it is to have YOU’RE IN LOVE, CHARLIE BROWN, IT WAS A SHORT SUMMER, CHARLIE BROWN and IT’S YOUR FIRST KISS, CHARLIE BROWN, among some dozens of others in beauteous high definition for the first time. For once, Warners themselves deserves some praise. - Peter Yacavone |
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Best Cover Designs: Another year for impressive artistic covers whether from new inventive artists or replicas of vintage posters! Arrow, 88 Films, Criterion, Kino, Radiance, Mondo Macabro, Flicker Alley, Masters of Cinema, Indicator and a few other labels getting a fair share of votes. So many inventive covers, often chosen from extensive, artistic, old poster designs. Some names kept surfacing; Graham Humphreys (Arrow, 88 Films Italian/Giallo, Hammer Films UK 4K UH), Tony Stella (Play it Cool,) Haunt Love (Vinegar Syndrome, Imprint's Tales of Adventure Collection 8), Thinh Dinh (Criterion's I Know Where I'm Going!), Goulish Gary Pullin (Severin), Aleksander Walijewski (Radiance/Indicator), Eric Adrian Lee, Doug John Miller, Sister Hyde, Devon Whitehead, Time Tomorrow, Sam Green (ex. Fist of Legend, Tai-Chi Master, etc. - very painterly martial-arts posters), Yu-Ming Huang (Rouge) and, of course, Sean Longmore (The Cat, The Man Called Noon, The Black Torment, Witch From Nepal etc.) Some Steelbooks (often exclusive) were chosen, if most not enough votes to make the listing. Many are collectable in their own right. (Mostly in alphabetical order! - each received 4 or more votes!) |
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TOP THIRTEEN 'BEST COVER' VOTES:
Also Receiving Multiple Votes (in alphabetical order)
_______________________________ Comments were made about the individual Connery Bond 4K UHD covers as "uninspired":
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These received the most votes as the worst covers (without prompting it as a category)
Lady of Vengeance: "...wasted space on top, no effort..." History of Violence: "...doesn't reflect the film at all..." Night of the Hunter: "..failed love story angle is totally inappropriate..."
Leading candidates for 2026:
Nightcrawler: "...more suited to Knight Rider..." True Romance: "...who made this? that kid from Thailand..." * * Ed. The comment may be referring to the Ghanaian artist 'Heavy J' (often signed his work "Mango Video Mamobi") - see his Hitchcock's Vertigo film poster HERE. It depicts Jimmy Stewart in astral projection form shooting red laser beams from his eyes at the Golden Gate Bridge, while Kim Novak holds his decapitated head. It's frequently cited as the "most inappropriate film poster art of all time".
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Film noir, proto-noir, and near-noir (1936-1965) released on
Blu-ray or 4K UHD
in 2025 BIG thanks to
Gregory! (in alphabetical order)
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Giallo on Blu-ray in
2025 (and on 4K UHD) The term "giallo" (translated literally as "yellow") refers to a particular cinematic form of, mostly, Italian-produced murder mystery films that can blur the line between art and exploitation. Here are the new Giallo Blu-ray and 4K UHD releases in 2025 (in chronological order) BIG thanks to Gregory!
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| OUR BANNER CONTEST: |
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(CLICK to ENLARGE) |
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This year we have four prizes - Eyes With a Face (Criterion 4K UHD), Alphaville (Kino 4K UHD) Howard's End (Cohen 4K UHD) or A History of Violence (Criterion 4K UHD) - and a 'time-consuming' contest, we admit. Of the 230 films, Eric G. got all but two (I couldn't do that and I made the banner) just under the wire, David Hollingsworth less by a few, distant third and fourth were globetrotting cinephile Geoff Dubois and noir enthusiast Tony G. - but we appreciate the effort from all who participated! Don't feel bad - this one was tough! |
| First Row: | Second Row: | Third Row: |
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1) Saving Face |
47)
Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters 48) Honey Don't 49) My Name is Alfred Hitchcock 50) The Beyond 51) The Medium 52) Scum 53) Midnight 54) Bubble Bath 55) Winter Kept Us Warm 56) Dangerous to Know 57) Sexually Yours 58) The Night of the Hunted 59) Ma Mere 60) I Died a Thousand Times 61) Naked Sex 62) Mikey and Nicky 63) Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story 64) The Perfume of the Lady in Black 65) Harriet Craig 66) The Florida Project 67) Death Carries a Cane 68) The Wrong Arm of the Law 69) Out of the Fog 70) Come Drink with Me 71) The Man in the White Suit 72) Tormented 73) 1,000 Eyes of Dr. Mabuse 74) Class of '74 75) Dirty Harry 76) Sorority House Massacre 77) Side Street 78) Warm Water Under a Red Bridge 79) Absolution 80) The Burmese Harp 81) Curse of the Devil 82) Sunset Boulevard 83) Pete Walker's Sexploitation Collection 84) Full Metal Jacket 85) Eyes Wide Shut 86) The Sales Girl 87) Diary of a Chambermaid 88) The Umbrellas of Cherbourg 89) Dan Curtis' Late Night Mysteries 90) You Only Live Once 91) The Graduate 92) Yongary, Monster from the Deep |
93) Mill of the Stone
Women 94) Ran 95) Little Buddha 96) The Lion in Winter 97) Her Vengeance 98) Cairo Station 99) RoboGeisha 100) Triumph of Sherlock Holmes / Silver Blaze 101) Save the Tiger 102) The Wrong Arm of the Law 103) Carnal Knowledge 104) Rouge 105) The Curse of Frankenstein 106) The Terminal Man 107) The Hidden Fortress 108) Short Night of Glass Dolls 109) Lips of Blood 110) The Shape of Night 111) Kill Them All and Come Back 112) Nude in a White Car 113) Love and Crime 114) Senso 115) The Wrong Arm of the Law 116) Silent Scream 117) High and Low 118) Strangers with Candy 119) From Russia with Love 120) Blood Orange 121) Chungking Express 122) The Larry Fessenden Collection 123) Stray Dog 124) The Outlaw Josey Wales 125) Diabolik 126) Gabriel Over the White House 127) Sahara 128) Warm Water Under a Red Bridge 129) The Cruel Sea 130) The Good, the Bad and the Ugly 131) Dan Curtis' Gothic Tales 132) The Sons of Great Beat 133) Midnight 134) Friday Foster 135) Dad & Step-Dad 136) Sugar Hill 137) Bewitched 138) The Mask of Satan |
| FOURTH ROW: | FIFTH ROW: |
| 139) The
Bells of Death 140) Neither the Sea nor the Sand 141) Lady with a Sword 142) Invasion of the Bee Girls 143) The Cat and the Canary 144) Harlequin 145) Hi-Jack Highway 146) Fire Maidens of Outer Space 147) Prince of Darkness 148) The Terrornauts 149) The Good, the Bad and the Ugly 150) Frankenstein's Bloody Terror 151) Model Hunger 152) The Gracie Allen Murder Case 153) A Fistful of Dollars 154) The Great Gatsby 155) The Beast is Loose 156) Captain Kronos - Vampire Hunter 157) Erotic Ghost Story Trilogy 158) The Andromeda Strain 159) Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens 160) Lips of Blood 161) The Man Who Could Cheat Death 162) Invasion of the Empire of the Apes 163) The Vengeance of Dr. Mabuse 164) Winchester '73 165) Sea of Love 166) Scanners 167) Monster from the Ocean Floor 168) The Blood of Fu Manchu 169) You Only Live Once 170) The Ogre of Athens 171) Lips of Blood 172) Don't Torture a Duckling 173) Blaxploitation 1972-1973 174) Storm Center 175) The Two Jakes 176) Shane 177) The Shiver of the Vampires 178) Cannibal Girls 179) Tarzan of the Apes 180) Trapped by Fear 181) Vive L'amour 182) Scars of Dracula 183) Who Killed Teddy Bear? 184) Two Films by Edward Yang |
185) The
Green Slime 186) Bullfighter and the Lady 187) Senso 188) The Lady Assassin 189) Oil Lamps 190) Shoeshine 191) Weird Science 192) Battle Beyond the Stars 193) Shane 194) Chinatown 195) Rhine Virgin 196) Private Lessons 197) Trouble Every Day 198) You Only Live Twice 199) Mad Doctor of Blood Island 200) Madigan 201) The Lady Assassin 202) Mad Doctor of Blood Island 203) The Glass Web 204) Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS 205) A Woman of Paris 206) Erotic Ghost Story 207) Sands of the Kalahari 208) The Odd Job 209) Queen Bee 210) Drug-O-Rama Video Party 211) Sands of Iwo Jima 212) Who Killed Teddy Bear? 213) Who Wants to Kill Jessie? 214) The Taming of the Shrew 215) Winchester '73 216) Senso 217) Storm Center 218) Posse 219) Saraband for Dead Lovers 220) Girl with a Suitcase 221) High and Low 222) Incubus 223) Lady Vengeance 224) Ugetsu 225) Dressed to Kill 226) Winchester '73 227) The Swarm 228) The New Adventures of Tarzan 229) Harriet Craig 230) Girls Without Shame |
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"Reports of the death of DVD are greatly exaggerated" |
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Again, we had a few DVDs selected this year
- documentaries, kickstarter, and other,
silents, public domain content, older and modern TV series,
soft-core?, westerns, playhouse etc, -
the format is far from dead. I still have many DVDs in my 'rewatchable' shelf including
The Fountainhead,
The Secret
Life of Walter Mitty,
Strange Illusion,
Day of the Triffids,
and many
more, that may never be on
Blu-ray.
(CLICK COVERS FOR MORE INFORMATION!)
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| All I Had Was Nothingness aka Je n'avais que le néant - Shoah par Lanzmann (Carlotta) - Christian Frassa |
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| Why Didn’t They Ask Evans (Fifth Season)- Miniseries based on the Agatha Christie novel and directed by High Laurie. An enjoyable series and quite faithful to the book, from memory. This series has mainly been released on DVD; however, this did not distract from the enjoyment of the series. Older TV shows, and some documentaries are often available on DVD only, yet are still a better option than streaming or trying to find online. Sometimes (more modern) previous release titles are much cheaper to buy on DVD than Blu-ray. If the film is not a must-own, acquiring the DVD can be a good alternative. - bgmoir |
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| DVD has largely been getting short shrift this year apart from television series and reissues of films labels still want to exploit in the absence of HD masters (whether there are simply no elements or no one wants to shell out for one), and some Blu-ray AI upscales of finished-on-video productions suggest that some films are better off staying on DVD. For myself, the last few years in DVD have been about discovering films that seem even more unlikely to get Blu-ray or 4K upgrades despite more niche labels establishing themselves or rediscovering older editions that sometimes have exclusive extras or are just fascinating in a nostalgic sense for that magenta push, entirely different grading, different audio mixes (sometimes an original mono or stereo surround track rather than a downmix option), sometimes open-matte framing, a different aspect ratio (or just variant framing of the same ratio), and how well or not one's 4K television/player upscaling algorithm deals with them. More frustrating are films that are still only available on DVD when HD masters are streaming on subscription sites like Prime or free sites like Tubi (1995's Persuasion, 1988's A Handful of Dust, 1990's Midnight Cabaret, for example). - Eric Cotenas |
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| The Sixth Sense - The Complete Series (1972-1974, ViaVision). The long lost ABC series that deals mainly with telepathy. Harlan Ellison was a "editorial consultant." - Matt Janovic |
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| Notable Rants and Praise | |
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| (Arrow - thank you for re-releasing the true theatrical cut of Thief! Shout - Thank you for finally releasing Catch-22 in HD and 4K...I love you!) - John Brune |
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| Whenever I think it's as good as
it's gonna get - there's a flurry of titles I never dreamed I'd see
on the medium (e.g. Edward II from FilmMovement). One area I've
always thought neglected: the concert video. Just because it's on
youtube doesn't mean it wouldn't look and sound fantastic on a nice
remastered disk! Hence the inclusion of The Lamb Lies Down on
Broadway from Genesis, not on your list of releases presumably
because it looks like a CD, but lurking in the box, a concert blu
ray! The industry is declining, heck, I'm declining, but with The Stuntman, Excalibur and the Babe movies pending - it's a great time to be alive* *excluding World Events where appropriate - Tony Sullivan |
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| Another great year for physical
media. Many restorations still waiting for a release for too long
though: Macario (1960), H-8... (1958), Said Effendi (1957), Time of
the Heathen (1961), The Brick and the Mirror (1966), The Arch
(1968), The Night of Counting the Years (1969), Samskara (1970),
Murdering the Devil (1970), The Devil Queen (1974), A Dream Longer
Than the Night (1976), The Sealed Soil (1977), The Nouba of the
Women of Mount Chenoua (1978), Jaguar (1979), Beirut: The Encounter
(1981), Bitter Cane (1983), Yeelen (1987), Bloody Morning (1992),
Tell Me a Riddle (1980), We Were Young (1961), Diary for My Loves
(1987), The Treasure (1972) and many more ... I hope in 2026 we will see a lot of these and finally some Raúl Ruiz! - Christian Frassa |
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| Hammer's new recent new releases
such as Curse of Frankenstein, Quatermass and Captain Kronos are out
of this world! - Alistair Pendleton |
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| I can't say enough about the work Hammer is doing right now. I'm excited to see what 2026 holds. - Michael Huie |
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| Thanks to the DVDBeaver website for its great work in keeping me informed about physical media releases. - Peter Nagels |
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| This year was a fantastic year for film lovers and collectors. So many (Boutique) Labels released beautiful designed Mediabooks and Box-Sets, with so many extras. I hope next year they will do the same. - Maggie Breitmeier |
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| - prices, especially Criterion, are
getting out of hand to the point where I couldn't even put complete
Top Ten lists together. - 4K reissues with poor or no additional extras - come on labels make the quadruple (VHS-DVD-Blu Ray-4K - thank God I missed Laser Discs) dip worth it for us - extras from DVD and blu ray versions not making it to 4K versions. So we're just losing these extras? - Geoff Dubois |
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| Here's my list with the confession that while I have just received the MoC 4K 'L Notte' last week, and read your effusive praise for it , I have yet to watch it! Nor have I watched the Radiance 'Radical Japan' Oshima box set which I recieved 4 days ago. I have a feeling both are going to top their respective categories, even without my vote! And I have yet to buy the Radiance Blu Ray of Bresson's Une Femme Douce, so sadly cant vote for that either! - Billy Bang |
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| The steelbook obsession is turning
the entire physical media industry - or what's left of it - into a
Pokemon card-like collectible rush. It's great for the studios. They
can jack up the price, produce a limited number, and not be left
holding stock. Meanwhile, the people who generally want this stuff
are left browsing the secondary market. Also, Shout selling out to venture capital is the end of them. They have two years at the most. - Matt Paprocki |
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| Praise - Radiance Films for their
great curation that introduced me to a lot of (for me) unknown films
and directors Rant - like every year: J-cards that are too big to fit in a case or box once the film is shelved - Fabio Petrillo |
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| Thanks and praise to you Gary. I always love reading the poll - it helps me discover new things and take risks buying films i haven't seen. - Paul Bennett |
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Heavens Above! [Blu-ray] (John and Roy Boulting, 1963)
Studiocanal Peter Sellers' march towards crazy certifiable behavior was triggered, according to Roger Lewis ("The Life & Death of Peter Sellers"), by his infatuation for Sophia Loren while filming The Millionairess (1960). Well, maybe, but there's no sign whatever of Sellers' monstrous ego and disruptive behaviour in Heavens Above (1963), which after restoration in 2019 at long last has a grand blu-ray release from StudioCanal Vintage Classics. Without a trace of goonery or self-indulgence his performance is placed entirely at the service of the film. Here is a substantial 118-minute satire dealing with serious matters, on a grander scale than Sellers' contemporaneous featherweight capers such as Two-Way Stretch and The Wrong Arm of the Law. Sellers carries the film: his portrayal of Rev. John Smallwood - a saintly vicar who attempts to launch a tangible form of Christianity in a well-heeled nominally-Christian community but is fiercely opposed, not least by the C of E hierarchy - is disciplined, consistent, believable and.... sublime. Adopting a pitch-perfect Birmingham accent and a seraphic calm, Sellers plays Smallwood as a saintly optimist - not a holy fool, since he has no illusions about the selfishness and self-interest of his parishioners, but nevertheless determined to press on with his calling. His aim is to be Christ-like in England in the mid-Twentieth century. And in his calm, purity and remoteness, Smallwood seems to anticipate Chance the gardener. The huge cast has many familiar names, among them Irene Handl, Eric Sykes, Roy Kinnear, Bernard Miles, Joan Hickson and Ian Carmichael. Its a joy to spot each appearance from this anthology of fine British actors from the early '60s. The film takes shrewd aim at many targets - the Church; big business; the upper class; churchgoers who are Christian in name only - and, of course, politicians. No one is spared - even the extended family of travellers to whom Smallwood offers shelter at the Rectory turn out to be at least as venal and grasping as the Churchmen and businessmen. The film cannot have been palatable to churchgoers or the Establishment in 1963, and may not please everyone today since while the script is richly comic and rewarding, the comedy itself is subtle and low-key; Smallwood is a dogged heroic optimist, yet the film's tone is pessimistic. And the ending is timid: Smallwood's interruption of Church business as usual is resolved through his appointment as 'Bishop of Outer Space' and travelling there by rocket. Whether he is permitted to return to Earth or - a modern crucifixion - must remain hymn-singing in orbit until his air supply expires is uncertain. That English loss of nerve avoids all the issues which the film has set up; while Heavens Above opens boldly with Smallwood's attempt to clear the moneylenders and hypocrites from the Temple, it ends with a damp phut!, as Whimsey Galore. Nevertheless.... after the film's low profile during the past sixty years, perhaps it's time for another look. - David Sullivan |
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| I'm pretty sure 2026 will be their tenth anniversary, so what happened to Indicator this year? Individual releases were typically very good (within their asynchronously curated film strata) but rising prices and not a single box set for the first time since...??? I hope they kept their powder dry for next year. On the flipside, Eureka seems to have found a way to make their own asian action / arthouse balance work, with releases selling out in record time / going for silly money on the second-hand market. This unfortunately has had a knock-on effect of letting sub-par PQ masters slide through before there is enough time for the market to sound the alarm - and they are not ones to be offering replacement discs. Ouch. Speaking of which, in 2025 we have experienced how some labels (VinSyn, Radiance, and Deaf Crocodile in particular) are upfront about their QC slip-ups, venturing to make right by replacement discs while some others have noticeably gone in the opposite direction (Severin, Kino, Eureka). I've just become aware of the Herzog 4K situation with regards to BFI and Shout Factory releases - ten years ago the roles were reversed and I would never have anticipated this outcome (time to stop pre-ordering BFI perhaps?). Also, what is with the BFI approach to dual-format editions, it seems music-related releases still get a BD/DVD combo in 2025, but 4K gets... a 4K disc? It costs more to print a slim booklet than replicate an extra standard BD for the 4K box so why are the likes of Arrow, Indicator, Eureka and the BFI still splitting their SKUs? Even some of the majors have shifted to their practice, so big praise to Criterion, Deaf Crocodile, and Radiance for keeping a standard BD in with the set. Editorially I do wish Deaf Crocodile would edit down zoom call interviews to just the English translations OR subtitle the speech of the subject OR put in chapter stops rather than sitting through 30 minutes of raw responses to questions in a foreign language. With the dark clouds of media mergers and acquisitions ahead, I think the silver "radiant" lining might be in the world cinema / independent curation of the likes of Radiance and Deaf Crocodile and the public domain inevitability being exploited by Flicker Alley. If these boutiques can consistently pull rabbits out of the hat then there is no danger that the quality of media output that we cherish will necessarily come to an end. - Chris Browne |
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| Mill Creek is the worst when it
comes to releases. It's like they just slap everything on and move
on to the next. With Netflix planning to buy Warner Brothers, this really worries me. What does that mean for physical media? Why do these billionaires need more money? This year has been the absolute worst! - David Hollingsworth |
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| Can we please stop with commentaries
(from undeniably enthusiastic lovers of a film) where all the
speakers do is say, 'Oh, he/she's wonderful and he/she was also
in....' It's like listening to someone reading out the IMDb. Curzon Film for bringing out Orlando in 4K and doing it such justice; not only with the image and sound, but the extensive extras. My favourite release of the year. Extra special note to Radiance for its new Transmission imprint. And starting it off with Night of the Juggler! - Nick Garlick |
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| Radiance. Their 'The Betrayal' Blu Ray was defective for audio. Repeated emails to them, including sending them proof of purchase their website asked for (I'd bought the Blu Ray from Amazon), all to no avail. They simply cant be bothered to reply or act. - Billy Bang |
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| The Keep (Vinegar Syndrome) - a first rate transfer for a third rate film. But happy that it finally got a proper release. Just wish there was directors cut one day where the film made sense. - Paul Bennett |
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| 2025 building on the last years
showing us why we are truly blessed to be home video enthusiasts at
this time. In many cases 4k releases might be as good or better
presentations than viewers in the cinema might have seen. Labels are
doing extraordinary work and I look forward to what we will get in
2026! There was a moment when we wondered if the Blu-ray catalogue would ever compare with the DVD catalogue as physical media sales dropped - but as the years go by more and more of the gaps are getting filled with stellar HD and UHD releases. Thank you to Gary for being a big part of this movement. - Rossa Crowe |
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| I'm really starting to hate these steelbook only releases for movies like Panic Room and Kingdom of Heaven - the packaging jacks up the price a good $10 on each release and the packaging only seems to only magnify scarcity given how the 4K disc pressing supply chain cannot seem to keep up with demand. 99.999% of the time, I could give a shit about a steelbook (unless the artwork is cool - but so many of these are horribly lame, looking at you One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest!). I'd much rather buy Master and Commander for $25 instead of $45 and not have to wait three months for it... - Drew Morton |
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| I'm very eager to see the new
restoration of Chaplin's
THE GOLD RUSH in Ultra HD from Germany. The Aarhaus/Studio
Canal release date is 12/11/25. I'm sure my pre-ordered copy will
not be here in time to consider it. I continue to hope more
producers will follow Flicker Alley's lead and consider the needs of
the hard-of-hearing when planning bonus items and commentaries for
their releases. I also wish for a world where Amazon's ubiquitous
presence and influence is dramatically reduced, including here at
DVDBEAVER and at MOVIES SILENTLY and other websites. Remember
Carl's fine statement at SILENT ERA: . One can be reminded
why by visiting
HERE. - David T. Steere Jr
ADDITIONAL: "I received from Germany the Arthaus/Studio Canal UHD/4K set of Chaplin's THE GOLD RUSH. It contains the new UHD/4K release from Germany. The original 1925 version looks superb with additional found footage added, It is housed on the UHD disc. The earlier Photoplay restoration of the 1925 silent version and Chaplin's 1942, voice-added, edit are on the Blu ray disc. Subtitles are in German and can be turned off. I expect this release provides the best-looking version, by far, of the original silent. It has been shown at several recent film festivals in Europe. I'd would add this to my voting list for "Top 4K UHD Releases." |
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| The Criterion UHD/4K release of Michael Powell's I KNOW WHERE I'M GOING is on my best list below. I just wanted to add that Criterion has made quite some progress in providing assistance to the hard-of-hearing. The menus on both the UHD and Blu ray discs now have a choice called "SDH." In addition to the expected English subtitles available on both the UHD and Blu ray presentations of the film, the commentaries now have English subtitles and most, not all, of the bonus items on the Blu ray are subtitled. The last is a major improvement and puts this release almost on par with what Flicker Alley has been doing in all of its recent releases. - David T. Steere Jr |
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| First just to say thank you for what
you do, you have enriched my film buying and watching for many years
now. I haven’t had a massive amount to spend on films this year, I’m delighted though to see Powell and Pressburger getting a/v improvements finally, including the Imprint box and beloved I Know Where I’m Going in 4K. Truly a golden age. In terms of companys it is the usual suspects all doing great work, Criterion, Arrow, Masters of Cinema, Indicator. The BFI Chantal Akerman sets are great, I’m fairly sure they were this year. The Krimi sets from Masters of Cinema have been excellent too, the Edgar Wallace and Mabuse boxes for example. Sorry, not enough purchases for a full entry but thanks again and have a great Christmas. - Nick Greenwood |
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| Christer Falck launched a crowdfunding initiative in Norway called "Norske Filmklassikere", dedicated to releasing Norwegian films on Blu-ray. So far, across nine funding rounds, the release of more than 100 films has been financed. The only drawback is that the discs are sold exclusively through the Platekompaniet store, which does not ship internationally, making them inaccessible without using a third party. I wish a similar initiative existed in my own country. - Vaso Đogović |
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| How is it that almost every Sidney
Lumet film is on Blu-ray or 4K, yet The Hill—one of his and
Connery's very best—isn't? The Wiz is on 4K! Warner and Criterion
sort it out! Radiance is always interesting and would have been my label of the year, were it not for their Daiei Gothic boxset 2. After the fantastic first set, I—like many others—hurriedly purchased the second volume, only to find three mediocre films. It's the first time I've felt genuinely disappointed by this label. I also suspect that a Volume 2 was not originally planned (neither release has numbered packaging), but following the success of the first set and rave reviews, a second volume was hastily assembled—selecting lackluster films nowhere near the depth and quality of the first volume, with thin extras to match. Add in the October Halloween release timing, and the whole thing begins to feel like a cash grab. - Matt |
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| Deep despair at the growth of
Netflix – I hope the legacy of classic cinema and weird esoterica
can survive this onslaught. I am not sure anymore Praise for Cinema Podcasters: All things Samm Deighan (already documented), PROJECTION BOOTH, MUBI, CALIBER 9 FROM OUTER SPACE, PURE CINEMA, COLORS OF THE DARK & GENERAL WITCHFINDERS. All of them soundtrack my life. Thanks to Gary and crew at DVDBeaver for their guidance on my home viewing. Your dedication is deeply appreciated. - Neil Williams |
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| GIVE THE PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT!
Apart from the fact that the bottom may at any time fall out, it
would be uncharitable to complain about the state of physical media
and its major players in 2025. We’ve had more, and better, films on
4K (and BD) than any time that has gone before. Buñuel, Suzuki,
Kubrick, Kurosawa, Hammer, Clouseau. THINGS HAVE NEVER BEEN THIS
GOOD. Aficionados of America’s 2nd greatest native art, SLAPSTICK,
are especially fortunate. Everyone, from Criterion to Kino to
ClassicFlix to Shout!, is firing on all cylinders. My rants, are hopefully, only a matter of impatience with a trustworthy label, Criterion. Yes, they are holding on to innumerable classics by Shimizu, Kobayashi, Yoshimura, to say nothing of Samuel Fuller and George Bernard Shaw (Pygmalion). But the revival of Eclipse promises much. New Year’s Aspiration: for Criterion to release RODAN/RADON on 4K (it’s not only Tarantino’s favorite kaiju film); Kobayashi’s “SAMURAI REBELLION, and another title from the HAROLD LLOYD catalogue, for which we have waited nearly a decade. And a 4K Release of My DARLING CLEMENTINE with Ford’s precious Pre-RELEASE VERSION on its own dual-layer BD!! (Read HERE about its significance: ) We want to see more rescued television from the BBC (like Anna Karenina with Sean Connery) and from LIBERATION HALL (The Buster Keaton Show), and more public domain rescues from Phil Hopkins’ FILM MASTERS—how many more decades until D.O.A. and CAPTAIN KIDD see the light of day? And let us all celebrate the new releases (L&H, Charley Chase, Jacques Torneur) from the KIT PARKER LIBRARY, so that Mr. Parker will release many more! One worries perpetually about the FOX and DISNEY libraries but CRITERION has had a banger year, and so hope springs eternal. AND WHERE, Warner Archive, are the RANKIN/BASS TOLKIEN FEATURES and the REMAINING BUGS AND DAFFY THEATRICAL FEATURES? Twenty years is long enough. - Peter Yacavone |
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| Warners put together a great package
for the latest SUPERMAN movie: commentary with James Gunn, deleted
scenes, a gag reel.. only problem is they didn't put those features
on the disc. I'm pretty sure WB will double-dip so because of this,
I'm holding off getting SUPERMAN which is a shame because it's
awesome. The only silver lining to the coming WB-Netflix disaster (last time Warners got together with a tech company, AOL vanished), is that MAYBE the one guy holding up a release of THE DEVILS might finally be put out to pasture. Yeah, it's one guy and he somehow survived COVID and multiple rounds of layoffs. With so many great releases from the boutique labels, it's amusing that the priciest and rarest release seem to be coming from the major studios. MASTER AND COMMANDER and TOMBSTONE come to mind and the worst thing is, they only have a fraction of the extras the DVD had! Shout! started the year with the HUGE announcement that they cracked the code to get the Golden Princess Films (THE KILLER, HARDBOILED, etc) and ended the year by being bought by private equity. For anyone paying attention, that chill you feel is a shared experience. So, anyone else hoping Criterion can get K-POP DEMON HUNTERS on 4K? They seem to be the only ones that can regularly crack the Netflix wall. Bill Hunt of the Digital Bits said that one of the big holdups for some titles is replication ability. Seems some enterprising techs could do well if they opened up their own facilities. Fingers crossed. Great to have Eclipse back and in blu, but there are a bunch of movies in those sets that should have been upgraded to the main collection. Vince Gilligan just said that he and the crew of PLU1BUS are huge fans of physical media. Let's hope this means a release of the show, at least when the next three seasons finish up. Come on, Apple, don't let us down. - Gabriel Neeb |
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| For me, 2025 was both an expensive
and frustrating year for physical media. Several releases were
incredibly difficult to find and others insanely overpriced. . Another trend — besides the heavy emphasis for 4K releases in the horror genre — Walt Disney remained silent in releasing 4K the classic era of animation. After the exemplary releases of Snow White and Cinderella, not a single classic was deemed worthy of a 4K UHD upgrade. No Pinocchio, Bambi, The Jungle Book, or Peter Pan... what a pity, especially since animation and 4K UHD are such a match made in Heaven. The animation process favors fine-grain film stock, subtle colors and eye-popping artwork. And yet, Walt Disney seemingly just doesn't seem to care about their heritage. From the land of the rising sun, Kurosawa and Mizoguchi masterpieces found their way on 4K, but Ozu remained absent...inexplicably. - Eric, Belgium |
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| The year’s best restorations, for
me, were Hammer’s The Man Who Could Cheat Death and
The Curse of Frankenstein, and Severin’s Terror Creatures From the Grave (whose
heretofore out-of-reach Italian version with subtitles completely
reconfigures that film’s value and historical standing). Arrow’s
DOLLARS Trilogy (especially The Good, the Bad and the Ugly) finally
nailed down what were apparently a very slippery series of earlier
masters to authentic reference copies. There should also be an
honorable mention for the yeoman-like labors that 3D Archive brought
to Kino Lorber’s Frankenstein’s Bloody Terror - an admittedly
problematic release that nevertheless preserves the film’s
intentions as best they can be at this point in time. Severin Films
also made this a great year for Russ Meyer and also Lamberto Bava,
issuing for the first time definitive masters of his various TV
films and thus bringing greater clarity and understanding to his
body of work. Speaking of Bava, Kino Lorber’s 4K of Danger: Diabolik
is a beauty and also ventures into some important forensic work
toward establishing a definitive “version.” Something easily
overlooked is a bonus feature hidden inside Mélusine’s Confessions
of a Psycho Cat/The Fat Black Pussycat double bill: the
never-before-issued original cut of the latter feature, quite
different to the more familiar version! But my favorite release of
the year is Radiance Films’ Wicked Games set of Robert Hossein
films, which I had the honor of working on - along with his film
Paris Pick-Up included in their World Noir #4 (another great set),
which represent a real groundbreaking step in Hossein awareness and
English language studies. I hope there will be more in the year to
come! The World Noir sets, Kino’s continuing Films Noir series, Deaf
Crocodile’s roster of essential Soviet and German releases, those
enormous theme box sets from Umbrella Entertainment (Thief of Bagdad,
Jules Verne knock-offs, Edgar Rice Burroughs, etc), the monthly
torrent of Vinegar Syndrome and Mélusine releases, etc. The only
problem is that enviable one of having too much to process! It seems
almost everything I acquire is gorgeous, intelligently curated and
discussed with some measure of authority. I should also mention Eureka Entertainment’s Mabuse Lives! and Terror in the Fog releases for bringing those films into English language scrutiny. The former set’s recovery of the Italian version of The Death Ray of Dr Mabuse is essentially a preservation of the film’s all-but-lost original cut, which does a good deal to salvage its reputation. - Tim Lucas |
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| I really wish movies would not just be released on 4K. This happened a few times this year most notably Arrow's release of Outland. I am also bothered some distributors don't send DVDBeaver copies of their movies. It automatically makes me wonder about the quality of the release. My hope for 2026 is that Criterion puts out a collection of Jacques Rozier. Thanks DVDBeaver for your reviews! - Douglas Head |
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| L'Immagine Ritrovata has been said to have a signature style of grading that often varies from the original look which makes it odd that they get so many significant titles to restore, and it is hard to defend their work on The House with Laughing Windows to the extent that Arrow's otherwise spectacular 4K and Blu-ray editions look wildly different from the French release of the restoration. AI upscales are becoming more common not only with films for which standard definition masters are the only available material – whether the film materials are lost or they were shot on film but finished on video as was the practice with a lot of lower-budget and video-bound productions in the late eighties through the early 2000s – or studios that would rather upscale their 1080p or 2K masters or just let AI do the cleanup on a raw 4K scan, and there are many notable and lesser known releases that are travesties – with Rustblade's The Killer Must Kill Again and Full Moon's Subspecies IV on the latter side – when better choices might include just a well-encoded DVD or at least offering either the optional viewing of the original SD master at its original resolution and possibly a non-AI upscale option as well (MVD's double feature Blu-ray of The Bikini Car Wash Company and its sequel is one such release that includes the SD master for comparison while Terror Vision's Blu-ray of Linnea Quigley's Horror Workout includes as its main presentation a 720p60 regular upscale and the original 480i60 version and the 1080i60 AI experimental upscale as the bonus options). - Eric Cotenas |
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| I'm hoping to see more releases of World Cinema Foundation restorations in 2026 - The Night of Counting the Years seems to have been in limbo for years, then there are masterpieces like The Dupes, Los Olvidados, Macario, Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors and Eight Deadly Shots. But how extraordinary to find City of Sadness released on Amazon Prime without fanfare - James Horsfall |
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| After having earned boatloads of gratitude and status of most-beloved boutique label in 2024, this year, Vinegar Syndrome follwed it up by quite literally TROLLING their customers with the highly anticipated Black Friday Secret title of Troll 2. Previous years saw major cult attractions such as The Keep and ExistenZ, while this year they deliberately teased and built up expectations, only to serve up campy slop. - Warren Ketter |
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| Despite all the premature
obituaries, Blu-ray and 4K remains strong, and even DVD keeps
churning along with myriad DVD-only titles, particularly TV shows,
independent cinema and documentary-wise. A number of labels are now routinely out-Criterioning Criterion for high-quality standalone and boxed set releases crammed with extra features, but many of these same labels are also occasionally getting sloppy, allowing the occasional substandard video transfer to, at times inexplicably, slip through the cracks when these transfers should have been rejected. Further, some are relying on the same people – particularly with regard to audio commentaries – who prioritize volume over quality. This has resulted in way too many lightweight audio commentaries that are more like “viewing parties” – which impose too much of the commentator’s personality and not nearly enough valuable/interesting information about the film being discussed. Kudos to labels like Deaf Crocodile, Canadian International Pictures and others for unearthing revelatory long-unavailable/never-available titles instead of simply reissuing the same titles and upgrading to each new home video medium. They are taking the greatest chances, creating rather following trends. Keep up the good work! - Stuart Galbraith |
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| Although early days, and details
unknown, I cannot see any good coming out of the Warner Bros sale
for film enthusiasts. I have concerns that we will have another
Disney situation where the keys to the vault are locked away. 4K only releases without an accompanying upgraded Blu-ray. There have been some films where I have preferred the Blu-ray over the 4K, and I know some people can find 4K too dark. Good to have options in the same package. Frustrating, when UK labels print the ratings certificate onto the front cover or on the box set. Although this is a legal requirement there are ways around this, such as reversible covers and removeable certificates. Some labels do this on their limited editions, but not all. Some box sets, and even individual releases, are getting a bit bulky and expensive. Fine if a standard edition follows but that it is not always the case. Although I don’t mind steelbooks, I tend to prefer standard packaging, and it is frustrating when some films are released in steelbook editions only. Would prefer if labels used thin Blu-ray cases rather than the old-style thick cases. Saves space and there is no real reason for the ticker cases, especially in boxsets. A lot of love has been given to Charlie Chaplin & Buster Keaton on Blu-ray (and rightly so) yet only a few features of Harold Lloyd have made it to this format. Maybe there is a licence issue but would love to see more Harold Lloyd on Blu-ray. Praise I have noted them as my favourite label but feel Warner Archive deserve special mention as they have had a stellar year this year with a fantastic range of classic movie releases. Even though their releases may not come with new extras (which doesn’t bother me) you know the transfer will be the best available and will have vintage poster cover art. I still have a number of titles to purchase from 2025. I enjoy the informative books and booklets that are often available in limited edition releases and tend to prefer them over some other types of extras, such as audio commentaries, which can be a bit time consuming. Good to see Hammer Films back in the game and releasing some lesser-known titles. Even though some films may not be considered top tier, the extras that come with them certainly are. Looking forward to the release of Stolen Face next year. Appreciate the labels out there that have a more diverse range of titles, such as silent & international films, as over the last couple of years my interest has expanded to include those areas. I do enjoy the World Noir box sets from Radiance and look forward to the Louise Brooks release next year from Flicker Alley. I enjoy the film noir box sets that Kino have been releasing but note over the last few months there have been no new announcements. Hopefully, Kino are just taking a breather and there are more releases in the pipeline. - bgmoir |
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| Highlights: Shout Factory and Arrow
Video rolling out Golden Princess releases was the encouraging
catalogue breakthrough (could pre-RoboCop Verhoeven be the next
white whale release?).
The low was some A.I. creeping into restorations was the marker for what will likely be a larger discussion in 12 months time. The One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest steelbook cover art. - William Leitch |
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| For my final selections, I wanted again to draw attention to Edition filmmuseum for two amazing DVD double disc sets, of German, Henrik Galeen's The Student of Prague (1926) and Alraune (1927), #127 and of two East German films, The Condemned Village (1952) and Chronicle of a Murder (1964), #125, released in November 2024. All of their releases include shorts and a booklet, with some essays in English, with most texts in German). All films have English sub-titles. - Peter Rist |
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| LEAST-FAVORITE COMMENTARY: Tony
Rayns (La Notte 4K/Masters of Cinema) Admittedly, I’d be the first person “online” to order a top-shelf edition of “The Horse Thief” with a properly contextualized commentary track by Asian Cinema expert, Tony Rayns, but his snarkiness really got under my skin on this otherwise stellar release. In fact, it’s somewhat baffling to me that the fine folks at Eureka Entertainment commissioned Rayns to record a commentary track for Antonioni’s debut title in the 4K format, without properly vetting his prior history with the director’s work. I’m not sure I’ve ever come across a commentary track of any physical media release, let alone one covering a filmmaker of Antonioni’s international repute, that was as flippant. I had to stop listening at the 20 minute mark. It definitely brings to mind the scathing dismissiveness of Antonioni’s “L’Avventura” by some of the well-respected critics of the 1960’s, most notably Pauline Kael. Rest assured, Antonioni’s mise-en-scene and detached formalism has been a major influence on subsequent generations of filmmakers as disparate as Scorsese, Coppola, De Palma, Wenders, Kar-wai, Reichardt, Denis and Zhangke. In any event, La Notte was one of director Stanley Kubrick’s 10 favorite films of all-time, and I’ll contentedly take his opinion to heart over Mr. Rayns. Yet, the irony in such a statement is not lost on me either, as Antonioni was routinely dismissive of Kubrick’s similarly detached “iciness,” as were many of the members of the Nouvelle Vague. Cinema is such a subjectively wonky art at times, it would seem. - Anthony Dugandzic |
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| For me one of the major events of
the year was the Alexandr Ptusko box set from Deaf Crocodile—four of
the most extraordinary fantasy films of my experience, which take on
legend and fairy-tale with a directness I find wholly disarming.
Some may find the fact that two of them have Russia defending Kiev
against adversaries uncomfortable—I do—but the merits of the
material overcome such objections for me. Glowing restorations lend
the films a new life, and they deserve the widest celebration. On a darker front, the UHD releases from Hammer are equally essential—the first two Quatermass films and The Curse of Frankenstein. The restoration of the latter in particular is impeccable, and revives the shock the film offered to its contemporary audience, who had never previously seen such gruesomeness on a British screen. A further plaudit to the new Hammer team for issuing lesser-known films from the studio in the same format for our reappraisal. The chronological restorations of early Laurel and Hardy films (released in UK by Eureka) are highlights of a different but equally irresistible kind, presenting versions of several films more complete than any I’ve previously seen, a process that reminds us just how crucial timing was to the comedy. I feel as if I’ve never truly watched these films before. Here’s to the next volumes! - Ramsey Campbell |
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| This year was full of incredibly
exciting releases that showcased cinema from not only the usual
suspects but also Egypt, Hungary, Iran, East Germany, and the
Philippines. Films that have been long neglected on physical media
(such as Eustache's
The Mother and the Whore, Ford's
7 Women, and
Bresson's Une femme douce) and even better editions of well worn
staples such as The Dollars Trilogy. Hopefully 2026 brings with it more releases of films from India and Portugal, where restorations are outpacing any physical means of seeing them. A Manoel De Oliveira collection, given recent 2K and 4K restorations of his work, seems a necessity. - Calvin MacKinnon |
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| I've been a lot more selective this
year- thus my list is by no means definitive - but some highlights. Grindhouse Releasing dropped their well above and beyond definitive release of Fulci's The Beyond. Release of the year. Criterion played a blinder again. Midnight, El, Choose Me and Killer of Sheep were longtime wishlist titles. UHD upgrades of Brazil, Mishima, Chungking Express, In the Heat of the Night and Sorcerer did not disappoint. Arrow weren't far behind, releasing a daft amount of major studio classics in definitive 4K editions. Sergio Leone's Dollars Trilogy, Cruising, In the Mouth of Madness, Ms 45, Outland were just a few of my favourites. On a similar note- BFI had a solid year of mainly 4K upgrades. Throne of Blood, Cronos and Women in Love were great. However, their release of Herzog's Nosferatu was near unwatchable - the years biggest disappointment. On the subject of Leone, the Italian UHD from Eagle Pictures was a stunner - with their release of Once Upon a Time in America arriving a bit too late to make my list. Radiance's Nagisa Oshima box set was a dream release, Eureka's announcement of Claire Denis' Trouble Every Day (on 4K no less!) was the years biggest surprise. Blue Underground's 4K of one of my all time favourite cult horror movies Death Line hit the mark. Hammer burst onto the scene into the Champions League of Boutiques. From European markets- Metropolitan did a great job with Cronenberg's Spider. Last but not least, some really solid studio releases dropped. A24's The Brutalist, WB's Sinners and Sony's Monty Python & the Holy Grail were among the best of the year. - James Laycock |
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| I thought 2025 has been a great
year. Especially for classic animation. The Tom and Jerry golden era blu ray set is easily the best of the year. Also Arrow film has to be singled out for their restoration on HD of Sergio Leone's Dollars Trilogy. They look spectacular. Flicker Alley's final silent Laurel and Hardy short collection for 1929 is also a stand out for me. Also Classic Flix's Laurel and Hardy feature double set of Pardon Us and Pack Up Your Troubles should get a nod. Severian continued it's Russ Meyer releases with Up! and Motor Pcycho. I know the RM estate is releasing Faster Pussycat on blu ray next year but I hope Severian can continue it's good work. Criterion had some good releases including The Big Heat and Hell's Angels as well as the welcome return of the Eclipse series. Next year is already shaping up to be great as well. - Barney Sheehan |
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| An annoying year of trying to buy
UHD discs from studios and finding them impossible to find. MASTER
AND COMMANDER, KINGDOM OF HEAVEN and many others coming out, selling
out and disappearing into reseller hell. Outrageously priced before
they hit the resale market and then skyrocketing. It's the kind of
thing that makes me less enthusiastic about collecting physical
media. Golden Princess on Shout! and Arrow and Umbrella and whoever else. It's been hard to navigate what to pick up from whom and there's been much second guessing as I've watched Shout! Deluxe Editions that I skipped (looking at you HARD-BOILED) that go onto sell out and become very scarce, while I sweat out waiting for Arrow to hopefully announce an edition that will improve upon what Shout! put out. I'm trying my best to not double dip on any of these titles, but the waiting game for other labels to announce after Shout! has been terribly frustrating. Then there's also the word that Shout! subtitles have been a mess (speculations about AI), which makes me wonder if I'll regret the Shout! discs that I decided were good enough and I didn't wait to see the Arrow - Jason Overbeck |
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| Auteur Watch: It was quite the physical media year for a number of the acknowledged masters of the medium, including: Kubrick, Leone, Visconti, Tarantino, Woo, Akerman, Haneke, Vigo , Truffaut, Eastwood, Friedkin, Guest, Baker, Nichols and Kiarostami. Wish-List Releases for 2026: With Eyes Wide Shut and Une Femme Douce both receiving late-year releases, and Tati’s towering achievement Playtime being announced by Criterion for a February, 2026 release date in 4K, last year’s wish list has been reduced to the 21 most eagerly awaited titles for 2026 and beyond: A.I. (Spielberg) 4K Petulia (Lester) Blu-Ray/4K A City of Sadness (Hsiao-hsien) Blu-Ray The Crowd (Vidor) Blu-Ray The Fountainhead (Vidor) Blu-Ray/4K Greed (von Stroheim) Blu-Ray The Horse Thief (Zhuangzhuang) Blu-Ray/4K The Spirit of the Beehive (Erice) Blu-Ray The Wild Bunch (Peckinpah) 4K L’Avventura (Antonioni) 4K L’Eclisse (Antonioni) 4K Blow Up (Antonioni) 4K The Thin Red Line (Malick) 4K The Tree of Life (Malick) 4K Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (Paradjanov) Blu-Ray/4K Los Olvidados (Bunuel) Blu-Ray/4K Nazarin (Bunuel) Blu-Ray/4K Seven Men From Now (Boetticher) Blu-Ray Four Nights of a Dreamer (Bresson) Blu-Ray The Spider’s Stratagem (Bertolucci) Blu-Ray Earth (Dovzhenko) Blu-Ray - Anthony Dugandzic |
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| Mad Miss Manton, criminally underneglected screwball comedy with Stanywck and Fonda, as if rehearsing for the Lady EVE. - Richard Burt |
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| I'm happy to see that physical media is still going strong in the age of streaming. The overall visual quality is way better than streamed films and possessing the disc guarantees a movie can be watched long after it disappears from the streaming roster. My concern is that there seems to be fewer 4k/blu ray disc players being manufactured so I hope this trend reverses itself. - Gregg Ferencz |
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| I have bought (and watched) more new physical media this year than any other year I can remember. I think this is a testament to the scale and quality of what is being released. We are currently blessed by a number of boutique labels, all releasing a vast variety of interesting and high quality films, presented, in the main, in the best visual quality we have ever witnessed. If these are the end times of physical media (as has been foretold for some time) it seems like us collectors will have full shelves before the final death rattle. I for one believe there's life in the old dog yet, long may our niche activity continue. - James Kemp |
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| Sight and Sound sadly got rid of its
preciously excellent best of year physical media poll, replacing it
with just a handful of recommendations from the past year in its
latest issue. This is a very disappointing decision, especially
given its pages are still full of adverts from boutique video labels
and the magazine continues to poll critics on things like video
essays. It was once a fantastic source of recommendations from the
year's releases, especially those that might have slipped under the
radar. It underlines the importance of DVDBeaver and its end of year
poll as the definitive source for film fans and collectors - thanks
again Gary for your hard work, especially over the festive season.
In the year characterised by a deluge of AI slop, we've seen some pretty egregious cases of it in certain home releases which has understandably caused outrage. This will only get worse and be used to cut more corners unless film fans continue to speak out against it and demand full transparency on its uses in films, restorations and home releases. Use your voice! - Lewis |
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| So many fantastic boutique labels
are putting out essential films. Criterion as always is at or near
the top. However, the label I most eagerly await their latest
announcements is Warner Archive. Their Blu-Ray video presentations
are the best in the business and the handful of 4Ks released have
set the industry standard. Perhaps we will see Easter Parade in 4K?
Thank you George for bringing out so many amazing discs in 2025! My wish list for 2026 is the eight missing Astaire and Rogers RKO films and their last collaboration at MGM. - Mark Degraw |
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| Rant: Nosferatu the vampire (Bfi) -
it is a shame to treat a movie like this and the outcome is an AI
aquarell painting, not a movie anymore. Praise: 4K is almost becoming the common format, even for lesser known movies. The output this year has been outstanding, and even if the Warner Brothers future is unsure in terms of physical and cinema releases, and collectors market is more saturated with definitive editions, we can be glad what we get. - Jan P. |
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and help a fellow physical media advocate out with some pocket change each month:
Best to us all in 2026!
