Category: Bluray / DVD

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie had the unenviable task of following one of the most successful video game adaptations ever made, and while it doesn’t quite recapture the freshness of its predecessor, it still delivers an energetic family adventure that’s packed with charm, humor and enough Nintendo fan service to keep longtime fans grinning from beginning to end. Rather than simply retelling the Galaxy games, the film uses them as inspiration for a sprawling space adventure in which Mario, Luigi, Peach and their friends set out to rescue Rosalina after Bowser Jr. launches a galaxy-spanning plan to free his father. Along the way, the movie expands the Mario universe with new locations, familiar faces and a surprising number of references to Nintendo’s wider history. The biggest weakness is that its relentless pace sometimes comes at the expense of storytelling, with several character arcs and emotional moments feeling a little rushed before the film races toward its next spectacular set piece. Continue reading “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie review (4K)”

Warner Bros. brings A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Complete First Season to 4K Ultra HD with a release that does justice to one of the most unexpectedly refreshing entries in the ever-expanding Game of Thrones universe. Rather than chasing the sprawling politics, dragon battles and apocalyptic stakes that defined its predecessors, this adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s The Hedge Knight embraces a far more intimate adventure, following the unlikely partnership between Ser Duncan the Tall and his young squire Egg. It’s a notable tonal shift that won’t appeal to everyone immediately, but one that ultimately gives the series an identity all of its own. Continue reading “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms review (4K)”

Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another on Blu-ray is as audacious and kinetic a cinematic experience as the award season buzz around it suggests. The film charts its own course: ex-revolutionary Bob Ferguson, long removed from the fervor of his younger days, lives off-grid with his fiercely independent daughter, Willa. Their uneasy stability shatters when the obsessive military officer Colonel Steven J. Lockjaw re-emerges, seeking revenge for past humiliations and dragging the pair into a maelstrom of pursuit and conflict. What might have been a straightforward chase narrative becomes instead a sprawling, often surreal exploration of ideology, identity, and the inherited legacies of rebellion, with father and daughter each navigating their own battles in a world quick to resort to violence. Continue reading “One Battle After Another review (BluRay)”