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In the streaming era, physical media continues to become an increasingly rarified collectible. Even if filmmakers work with companies that agree to release copies of their work on disc, the versions that end up on consumers’ shelves are seldom as laden with elaborate packaging and encyclopedic extras as they once did.
That said, a quietly growing number of companies (many independent of the major studios) have not only led the charge to champion these permanent, handheld keepsakes, but assembled in-house teams to compile and create bonus materials that offer new insights into the production and legacy of projects alongside sterling presentation and sound.
And so, for all of the cinephiles, the physical media holdouts, the pack rats and hoarders (in whose ranks I count myself), we’ve selected 10 of each month’s worthy — if not top-priority — releases to celebrate. Read on to learn about the titles due for upgrade, expansion or rediscovery in February 2025.
Twin Peaks (Paramount Home Entertainment)
Twin Peaks: From Z to A
Buy Now On Amazon $55.29
From its 1990 debut to the 2017 end of its third season, “Twin Peaks” was not merely a singular television event, it was — and is — a cultural phenomenon. David Lynch’s recent passing at age 78 is a sad reason for the show to turn up on collectors’ and media consumers’ radar, but the reward for watching (for the first time or the hundredth) is discovering its idiosyncratic but irresistible pleasures. This release collects the same material as a previous edition in a slightly less flashy package, but its more than 48 hours of storytelling is accompanied by hours and hours of bonus materials, providing the opportunity for even the least seasoned Lynch fan to become a full-fledged diehard. (To be as precise as possible — as we were in our previous reporting about this set — only the original pilot and episode 8 of “The Return” are presented in 4k. The rest of the material is presented on Blu-ray.)
Pretty in Pink (Paramount Home Entertainment)
Pretty in Pink
Buy Now
Though it was directed by Howard Deutch, “Pretty in Pink” is most commonly credited to its screenwriter, 1980s teen-movie auteur John Hughes — not least of which because it stars Molly Ringwald, who he maintained a close (and hugely successful) collaboration with for several years. While celebrating its (almost) 40th anniversary, Paramount premieres the film in 4K for the first time, and ports over the two featurettes from previous editions: one in which Deutch discusses his work on the film and his partnership with Hughes, and one that explores the controversial original ending, where Andie and Ducky end up together.
The Nice Guys (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment)
The Nice Guys
Buy Now On Amazon $27.99
Shane Black’s razor-sharp sense of humor has never been more effectively deployed than in this 1970s-set buddy comedy starring Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe. The previous two-disc Blu-ray edition contained only two featurettes — which this version includes as well — but this is a funny, gorgeous, well-acted film and getting to see it in 4K is an undeniable treat.
Panic Room / The Social Network (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)
Panic Room / The Social Network
Buy Now On Amazon $34.49
Buy Now On Amazon $34.49
Cinephiles rejoice: after “Seven” was released in January by Warner Home Video, David Fincher’s work continues to migrate to 4K with the upgrade/ solo release of these two titles. To be honest, “Panic Room”’s unceremonious arrival on Blu-ray several years ago went entirely unnoticed by yours truly, but this is an upgrade that promises to be worth the weight, not just including spectacular presentation (supervised by Fincher himself) but all of the bells and whistles that were originally produced for its home video debut, including three commentary tracks and dozens of featurettes exploring every aspect of the production. Meanwhile, “The Social Network” was previously released in 4K, but only as part of one of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment’s “Columbia Classics” collections. This standalone release gives collectors a welcome option for purchase (especially given how difficult that set can be to find cheaply), but also includes a huge selection of special features that allows viewers to further explore Fincher’s meticulous creativity.
Punch-Drunk Love (Criterion)
Punch-Drunk Love
Buy Now On Amazon $34.99
Paul Thomas Anderson made this 2001 95-minute romantic comedy both as a kind of creative rejoinder to his previous film, the operatic “Magnolia,” and to showcase the dramatic chops of Adam Sandler. Fifteen years after its release, Criterion issued a Blu-ray for the film that finally captured its kaleidoscopic beauty; and now they’re upgrading that disc in 4K, and porting over its unique but interesting collection of bonus content. If the film feels slight in comparison to the impact of Anderson’s other films, its artful execution and heartbreakingly hilarious story absolutely earns it a place among his best work.
Cruising (Arrow Video)
Cruising
Buy Now On Amazon $48.49
William Friedkin’s “Cruising” has undertaken a complicated journey to earn its reputation — courting controversy from its announcement to today. Whether it’s an under-respected masterpiece from a great filmmaker, a case study in how not to sensitively depict a marginalized community or something in between, it is absolutely mesmerizing to watch and deserves to be seen. Arrow Video released a Blu-ray version of the film in 2019 that finally restored the picture and sound, and now the company is updating that transfer for 4K collectors — which will likely only further advance arguments from both its proponents and critics. Yet somewhere in the middle is the intention and ambitions of Friedkin, who appears on not one but two commentary tracks, as well as in two 20-minute archival featurettes covering its making and its legacy.
Amadeus (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment)
Amadeus
Buy Now On Amazon $29.49
Winning eight Academy Awards including best picture and director, “Amadeus” is one of the indisputable masterpieces of the last four decades. However, its distributor Warner Bros. has not made its theatrical cut available for more than two of those decades, instead offering a Director’s Cut that adds some 20 minutes of material to its running time. As intriguing as that extra footage may be, seeing the film in its original glory is a thrilling — if not necessary — treat, and thanks to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and producer Saul Zaentz, it’s finally one you can own. Warner Home Video’s new edition offers not only a full 4K restoration, but two extras including a new featurette on the making of the film.
Uncle Buck (Kino Lorber)
Uncle Buck
Buy Now On Amazon $31.78
In one of his greatest roles, John Candy stars as the neer-do-well title character, who’s enlisted to care for his nieces and nephew during a family emergency. If revisiting the underappreciated film — much less for the first time in 4K — isn’t incentive enough to pick this up, Kino Lorber’s two-disc set features two new audio commentaries and a new interview with actress Jean Louisa Kelly.
Drugstore Cowboy (Criterion)
Drugstore Cowboy
Buy Now On Amazon $34.99
Gus Van Sant’s films are a longtime staple of the Criterion Collection. This month, “Drugstore Cowboy” joins “Mala Noche,” “My Own Private Idaho” and “To Die For” as the latest to join their library. The release not only features a new 4K digital restoration supervised and approved by Van Sant and cinematographer Robert Yeoman, but an audio commentary featuring Van Sant and actor Matt Dillon, a making-of documentary, new interviews with Yeoman and actor Kelly Lynch, deleted scenes and more.
Documentary Now! (Mill Creek)
Documentary Now!: The Complete Series
Buy Now On Amazon $89.99
Originally conceived for the Independent Film Channel, “Documentary Now!” was an extraordinary comedy series for extreme film nerds that replicated the content and aesthetic of classic documentary films in new settings. Over its four seasons, co-creators Fred Armisen, Bill Hader, Seth Meyers and Rhys Thomas aped “Grey Gardens,” “The War Room,” “Salesman,” “Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present” and lots more deep-cut films that, well, mainly (if not only) documentary audiences would know. This set marks the first time all four seasons have been released on physical media, and it comes with a bunch of behind-the-scenes featurettes, an Emmy panel discussion about the series, and more.
The Canyons (IFC Films)
The Canyons
Buy Now On Amazon $36.98
Paul Schrader’s infamous 2013 film is back in print thanks to IFC Films, offering audiences a new opportunity to assess its artistic merits outside the shock value of pairing Lindsay Lohan, eager to shed her teen star bona fides once and for all, with adult film actor James Deen. In addition to handsome new packaging, this edition of the film comes with a new commentary track by film historian Adrian Martin as well as a new video interview with Schrader. Lurid or enlightening about a certain subset of Angelenos, the film fits squarely in Schrader’s oeuvre, but whether it ranks at the top, bottom or somewhere else in his body of work is up to you.
The Cell (Arrow)
The Cell
Buy Now On Amazon $34.99
Tarsem Singh’s visually stunning debut feature, the story of a psychologist (Jennifer Lopez) and a cop (Vince Vaughn) who literally infiltrate the mind of a serial killer (Vincent D’Onofrio) to uncover the whereabouts of his latest victim, has polarized audiences since its release in 2000. The filmmaker’s idiosyncratic vision for the film gets fully explored in a new 4K edition of the film, approved by Singh himself, alongside three different versions of the film (one never before seen), new commentaries, featurettes and much more.
The Grifters (Criterion Collection)
The Grifters
Buy Now On Amazon $34.99
Stephen Frears’ adaptation of Jim Thompson’s eponymous novel is one of the great — and greatly underappreciated — crime thrillers of the modern era. Its arrival on 4K, thanks to Criterion, is overdue, but at least it comes with sterling presentation and wonderful, in-depth extras, including commentary tracks with John Cusack and Anjelica Huston, a new interview with co-star Annette Bening, featurettes, documentaries and more.
Inglourious Basterds (Arrow Video), Jackie Brown, Kill Bill Vol. 1, Kill Bill Vol. 2 (Lionsgate)
Inglourious Basterds, Jackie Brown, Kill Bill Vol. 1, Kill Bill Vol. 2
Buy Now On Amazon $34.99
Buy Now On Amazon $33.29
Buy Now On Amazon $33.29
Buy Now On Amazon $33.29
Four titles from Quentin Tarantino arrive in 4k for the first time this month, a welcome upgrade on films that have always looked great but deserve to be canonized among collectors. Arrow Video’s “Inglourious Basterds” is probably the most exciting expansion of the four, thanks not only to incredible packaging by peerless home video distributor Arrow Video, but an addition of some incredible featurettes focused on Tarantino’s collaborators. Previous editions of “Jackie Brown” featured the same sort of trivia track as the “Pulp Fiction” release that was upgraded last year, and that is thankfully included again. Both volumes of “Kill Bill” also join the 4K club, but there’s no telling how soon Tarantino might get around to creating extras for that film — or even that “Whole Bloody Affair” cut that he promised he’d release a few decades ago.
The Keep (Vinegar Syndrome)
The Keep
Buy Now On Amazon $49.98
No shortage of ink has been devoted to the films of Michael Mann — well, except this one. By a considerable margin, this 1983 horror movie is the least known entry in his filmography, primarily because it’s only been in print intermittently in the four decades since its release. Vinegar Syndrome’s two-disc release more than compensates for its absence from physical media, featuring a newly restored 4K UHD transfer, a commentary track, new interviews and loads of other extras. The additions guarantee that if it’s remained obscure to this point in its history, those lucky enough to discover it now will enjoy more than enough information to firmly contextualize it within the rest of his acclaimed body of work.
Opera (Severin Films)
Opera
Buy Now On Amazon $39.99
Dario Argento’s underappreciated 1987 horror film “Opera” comes to 4K with two restored versions of the film — his director’s cut and the U.S. cut. The three-disc set features some eight hours of bonus materials, including multiple commentary tracks on both versions, interviews with Argento and his actors, and much more.
Russ Meyer titles (Vixen, Supervixens, Beneath the Valley of the Ultravixens) (Severin Films)
Vixen, Supervixens, Beneath the Valley of the Ultravixens
Buy Now On Amazon $49.95
Buy Now On Amazon $39.99
Buy Now On Amazon $47.99
The films of sexploitation icon Russ Meyer have long been out of print and never remastered for more contemporary presentation formats — until now. Severin Films brokered an historic partnership with Meyer’s estate to produce restored 4K versions of three of his most famous (arguably infamous) films, along with hours of bonus content. The packaging recalls their earlier releases — colored boxes unveiling his voluptuous stars — but everything on them is absolutely modern, giving new audiences reasons to be gobsmacked all over again. As a cinematic curio or sociological phenomenon, these are films that must be seen to be believed — exploitation entertainment that not only transgresses, but achieves artistic transcendence.
Sliver (Vinegar Syndrome)
Sliver
Buy Now On Amazon $49.98
Adapted from Ira Levin’s novel of the same name by “Basic Instinct” screenwriter Joe Eszterhas, “Sliver” is a seminal entry in the 1990s erotic thriller genre — though whether it’s actually good or bad remains in the eye of the beholder. Restored in 4K under the supervision of director Phillip Noyce, Vinegar Syndrome’s new set, featuring the film’s unrated cut, includes additional featurettes and bonus materials alongside original electronic press kit interview clips, as well as alternate scenes from the R-rated cut of the film.
The Substance (Mubi)
The Substance
Buy Now On Amazon $29.49
Coralie Fargeat’s second feature has become one of 2024’s biggest breakouts, earning her and stars Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley nominations and other accolades (including a best actress trophy for Moore at the Golden Globes). Distributed by Mubi, the film’s post-theatrical life will only be enhanced by this disc’s arrival, featuring editions in both high definition and 4K. This initial edition features only a single featurette, but if you’re not subscribed to the beautifully curated streaming service, this will be your best chance to revisit the film and its over-the-top pleasures.
Venom: The Last Dance (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)
Venom: The Last Dance
Buy Now On Amazon $37.49
“Venom” was the one “Spider-Man” spinoff that really flourished, but the series came to an end in 2024 with “The Last Dance.” SPHE commemorates its impact not only with an extras-laden 4K release of that title but the first two films in a box set that includes a Venom action figure. Among the bonus materials are featurettes focusing on Tom Hardy as the title character, director Kelly Marcel’s transition from franchise screenwriter to helming its final installment, and collections of deleted scenes and bloopers.
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