We look back at a number of our favorite Blu-ray releases from 2018. This is by no means a ‘best of’ or ordered list that encompasses all of the Blu-ray releases we fell in love with this past year – this list merely serves as a reflection on some of the releases we thoroughly enjoyed in 2018.
Ingmar Bergman’s Cinema (Criterion Collection)
What is there to say about this box-set, other than to point out that it’s one of the greatest objects a collector of physical media can imagine? 39 films by one of the great directors in the history of cinema, a 248-page book, a plethora of special features new and old, and it’s heavy enough to replace your entire home gym. Did I spend more on this than my car payment? Perhaps. Was it worth every penny? Without a doubt. The first printing of the box-set sold beyond Criterion’s wildest dreams and will not be available for purchase until February (beyond third-party sellers charging ungodly prices), but it is certainly worth the wait. Criterion has spent decades perfecting the art of physical media, but they’ve outdone themselves (and everyone else) with this stunning collection. – Matt Schlee
Samuel Fuller at Columbia (Indicator)
Samuel Fuller is one of American cinema’s most prolific directors. His career spanned several different eras of American filmmaking, beginning in Hollywood’s golden age and running through the 1980s. Fuller also comes from the Hollywood tradition of the writer-turned-director. Indicator’s Samuel Fuller at Columbia box -set brings together seven films written by Fuller. Two of the films, Underworld U.S.A. and The Crimson Kimono, are also Fuller directorial efforts, but the set also includes a Douglas Sirk adaptation of a Fuller story, Shockproof, as well as the Phil Karlson directed Scandal Sheet, an adaptation of Fuller’s most famous novel The Dark Page. The set is essential for Fuller fans and for film noir fans. It includes a stunning seven-hour interview with the director himself (split across all of the discs) as well as a plethora of archival footage, interviews, and documentaries. In a year where Indicator has put out an almost impossible number of amazing box-sets, this one is the pièce de résistance. – Matt Schlee
Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (Criterion Collection)
Paul Schrader‘s Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters is a dense film, neatly weaving together various novels from its subject into one cohesive package. Where the extras succeed is in diving into every single piece of this production. The creative process and how the filmmakers brought the complex work and philosophy of Mishima to the screen is not only impressive, but explained in great detail in riveting interviews. The addition of a BBC documentary and an interview with Mishima himself further complete the package, taking Schrader’s film as a starting point to also explore the man that inspired the project. Packaged in a gorgeous golden digipak, Criterion’s release of this great film stands out on my shelf for many reasons. – Kevin Jones
One of the best things about Indicator is how they give loaded releases to films that are largely underseen. Born of Fire is one such film. There is a great 36-page booklet that taps into the mystical nature of the film and its usage of music. The disc is loaded with interviews with director Jamil Dehlavi himself, star Peter Firth, and composer Colin Towns. However, one of the most interesting pieces of the release is a 27-minute documentary entitled Qaf – The Sacred Mountain that Dehlavi shot during the making of Born of Fire. This is not just a typical “making-of documentary, but rather a compelling work of art that explores a volcanic eruption. A score from Tangerine Dream furthers its rather hallucinatory feeling, while including the documentary solidifies this as one of Indicator’s finest efforts for a film worthy of re-discovery. – Kevin Jones
As Robert Altman has become one of my favorite filmmakers, I had long wanted to see Images, which was largely difficult to find until this release. It is a release that lives up to every expectation, offering not just a great film but also a strong package. There is a scene-select commentary from Altman himself included, as well as a terrific featurette entitled Imagining Images. In the featurette, Altman and cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond discuss their work on the film, which proves particularly enlightening considering their frequent collaborations with one another in the early-1970s. It is a great interview, one that is essential for all Altman fans, cementing this as a must-have release. – Kevin Jones
Curse of the Cat People (Scream Factory)
Curse of the Cat People is one of the most peculiar movies to come out of early Hollywood. Pressured to produce a sequel to his hit, Cat People, Val Lewton crafted what was marketed as a horror movie but turned out to be more of a personal family drama. A true oddity, it is also likely my favorite Lewton film. It is also only the second Lewton produced film to come to Blu-ray (after Criterion released Cat People last year), and it is a top-notch release. It includes a pair of audio commentaries, a video essay on Simone Simon (star of both Cat People movies), and an audio interview with actress Ann Carter. Hopefully, this is just the beginning of an outpouring of Lewton releases, as Shout has already announced a Blu-ray of the Bela Lugosi vehicle The Body Snatcher slated for next March. – Matt Schlee
The Old Dark House (Masters of Cinema)
James Whale is one of the great directors of early Hollywood horror, with titles to his name such as The Invisible Man and Bride of Frankenstein, but these often overshadow perhaps his best film: The Old Dark House. Starring Hollywood giants Boris Karloff and Charles Laughton, the film is a masterwork of gothic horror. Eureka’s Masters of Cinema line has put out the definitive edition featuring a 4K restoration of the film, three commentary tracks, a video essay, and an absolutely gorgeous package (including a beautiful slipcover on the limited run first printing of the Blu-ray). Horror aficionados should be rushing out to buy this. – Matt Schlee
Suspiria is one of those films that’s so iconic it’s stunning that it hasn’t gotten a quality Blu-ray release before. When a 4K restoration was finally done last year, a variety of distributors tried their hand at releasing it, but the Synapse release seems to be the most complete edition. The restoration is enough to make this a worthwhile purchase. Suspiria’s use of color is legendary and the new transfer brings out all the dazzling beauty of Dario Argento’s masterpiece. In addition to the best looking version of the film ever released, the disc includes a pair of audio commentaries, several appreciations of various aspects of the film, and original trailers and credit sequences. – Matt Schlee
The Magnificent Ambersons (Criterion Collection)
For film lovers, Orson Welles‘ sophomore film The Magnificent Ambersons remains one of the great lost treasures of cinema. While Criterion was not able to track down some long lost copy of Welles’ original cut, their presentation of the 88-minute version is nonetheless terrific. Coming in a digipak and complete with a cover that hints at its incomplete nature, the release is built around the mystery and alternate cuts of the film right down the booklet. Styled as a mock screenplay with pencil-like writing scribbled out and staples along the side, the package is one of the more unique releases I have gotten from Criterion. On the disc itself, Criterion went all out with two different Welles radio adaptations of writer Booth Tarkington’s work, interviews with Peter Bogdanovich and Welles himself, video essays, and much more. It is a loaded release of a film that richly deserves this red carpet treatment. – Kevin Jones
Pioneers: First Women Filmmakers (Kino Lorber)
In releasing its Pioneers of African American Cinema box-set several years ago, Kino Lorber stated an admirable mission to shine a spotlight on early films directed by non-white male directors. It continued advancing this goal with the second installment of the Pioneers set, which has finally made its way from a Kickstarter campaign onto our shelves. This massive six-disc set compiles dozens of silent films directed by the earliest female filmmakers, making for an incredible companion piece to the Early Women Filmmakers set released by Flicker Alley last year (the pair hardly overlap). Iconic filmmakers Alice Guy Blache and Lois Weber earn their own discs while the other four discs compile a series of shorts and features from other female filmmakers of the silent era. The set includes a massive 80-page booklet which includes details on all the films, essays, and suggested further reading recommendations. The discs also include a variety of academic interviews about the films and filmmakers, but the real value in this spectacular item is as an archive of sadly marginalized films. – Matt Schlee
The Color of Pomegranates (Second Sight)
UK distributor Second Sight has had an outstanding year, emerging as a true up-and-comer in the world of special edition Blu-rays. Their releases of Heimat, Berlin Alexanderplatz, and The Changeling, among others all made respective splashes in the physical media world. However, their limited edition release of The Color of Pomegranates dwarfed even the Criterion release of the movie. The Second Sight edition comes in a substantial hard-case with a 112-page companion book containing informative essays as well as original memos regarding the notorious censorship of the film. The discs contain an audio commentary, two annotated commentaries, and several other quality supplements. It also beats the Criterion edition in one major way: it includes both the Sergei Parajanov cut of the film and the edited Sergei Yutkevich cut. Both editions are worth owning as the Tony Rayns commentary on the Criterion disc is worth the price of admission, but if you’re going to choose one version, Second Sight is the way to go. – Matt Schlee
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (Olive Signature)
One of the seminal 1950s science fiction horror films, Invasion of the Body Snatchers had been long overdue for a premier Blu-ray release. Fortunately, this release from Olive Signature delivers just that. It features a great collection of interviews and featurettes about the film that prove quite entertaining. They range from showing present day shots of its shooting locations and production stories to filmmakers talking about their first encounters with the film, highlighting the film’s lasting legacy. Even the smaller bits, such as a photo gallery of production documents and scrapped pages from the script offer a unique behind-the-scenes look at this terrific film. It is a very a comprehensive package, offering the kind of release a film of this quality deserves. – Kevin Jones
Directed by George Romero and written by Stephen King, it’s hard to argue that Creepshow doesn’t have first claim to the title of greatest horror anthology of all-time. Somehow both genuinely scary and hilariously absurd, the film consisting of five segments is wildly entertaining and was the perfect candidate for this great Scream Factory limited edition release. The Collectors Edition comes in a lovely hard case which includes a poster and a laundry list of special features, including a trifecta of audio commentaries, a heap of interviews, a restoration demonstration, a roundtable discussion, and more. This sort of treatment of a cult horror film is Scream Factory’s bread and butter, and this particular release is among their best work. – Matt Schlee
Víctor Erice‘s El Sur is one of cinema’s great “what if’s”, as he was only able to complete half of his intended vision. Fortunately, the Criterion release of the film brings that other half to life. The extras dive into what would have been there, including a heartbreaking interview with Erice himself. The inclusion of a roundtable discussion from Spanish television is also a highlight, offering expert and unique opinions on what El Sur was able to do, even if only half of the original vision. As a package, Criterion’s work with El Sur is the perfect example of what extras can do by examining both the film and the creative process. The addition of the novella the film is based on further cements this as a great overall release. – Kevin Jones
Night of the Demon (Indicator)
The best Val Lewton film not produced by Val Lewton, Jacques Tourneur‘s Night of the Demon has been a long sought after release by Blu-ray collectors. In this edition, Indicator satisfied more than just the thirst for an HD transfer, but instead put together a complete and loving appreciation of this cult film. The set includes four different versions of the film, plus an audio commentary and feature length documentary. It also collects a seemingly endless series of interviews and appreciations dissecting the most delightful minutiae of Night of the Demon. The limited edition version of the release, which is very nearly sold out, also includes an eighty-page booklet and a hefty box that earns the release a deserved special prominence on your shelf. – Matt Schlee
The Tree of Life (Criterion Collection)
Terrence Malick‘s The Tree of Life is one of the best films of this decade and has long been rumored to be coming to the Criterion Collection. This year, it finally did and exceeded all expectations. A great transfer and extensive list of extras – including a documentary, a pair of visual essays, and an interview with Jessica Chastain – help form the backbone of the release. However, the real coup is the new three-hour cut put together by Malick for the release. Whether one prefers the original version of the film or the new extended version, its mere inclusion is enough to make this one of my favorite releases of the year. – Kevin Jones
Getting their hands on Michelangelo Antonioni‘s The Passenger may have been Indicator’s greatest appeal to arthouse film fans yet. One of Antonioni’s English-language films, it stars Jack Nicholson during the height of his stardom alongside the wonderful Maria Schneider. It is a woefully overlooked work of one of the great European directors, and Indicator has shone an incredibly bright light on it. The disc contains a multitude of interviews and appreciations as well as Indicator’s usual hefty booklet of essays, but the real highlight of the supplement list here is an incredible three (THREE!) commentary tracks. This release is not simply a movie, but a full and comprehensive education in The Passenger. – Matt Schlee
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