The Best New Blu-Ray Releases: Pulp Fiction 4K, The Woman King, Amsterdam And More

It's time to close out the year with another Blu-ray round-up! This latest edition of the column features some new 4K releases for a few classics alongside brand new 2022 films hitting home media for the first time. New releases, library titles, re-issues — you name it, we cover it! Because as the world turns more towards streaming it is important to remember that physical media rules and we should all embrace it before it vanishes. 

"Reservoir Dogs" may be Quentin Tarantino's debut feature, but "Pulp Fiction" is the movie that put him on the map. It cannot be understated how big this movie was, and how it changed the landscape of film — resulting in a bunch of crummy imitators that tried to recreate Tarantino's "hip" dialogue to no avail. The fractured narrative focuses on several different criminals operating in Los Angeles, and the stories collide and crossover in unexpected ways. At the center of it all are two chatty hitmen played by John Travolta (in his big comeback role) and Samuel L. Jackson. Even after all these years, "Pulp Fiction" holds up, packing a massive punch with its wild, uninhibited energy. Tarantino would only get better and better from here, but it's easy to understand how "Pulp Fiction" helped turn him into a household name. This is the first time the film has been released in 4K, and the transfer is worth the upgrade if you're on the fence about buying this in another format. 

Special features:

4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc

• Not the Usual Mindless Boring Getting to Know You Chit Chat
• Here are Some Facts on the Fiction
• Enhanced Trivia Track (subtitle file)

Blu-ray Disc

• Not the Usual Mindless Boring Getting to Know You Chit Chat
• Here Are Some Facts on the Fiction
• Pulp Fiction: The Facts – Documentary
• Deleted Scenes
• Behind the Scenes Montages
• Production Design Featurette
• Siskel & Ebert "At the Movies"- The Tarantino Generation
• Independent Spirit Awards
• Cannes Film Festival – Palme d'Or Acceptance Speech
• Charlie Rose Show
• Marketing Gallery
• Still Galleries
• Enhanced Trivia Track (text on feature)
• Soundtrack Chapters (index points in feature)

As I wrote in my theatrical review of "The Woman King, "There's something very old school about 'The Woman King.' It's a sweeping, rousing, crowd-pleasing historical action-adventure epic the likes of which Hollywood doesn't make that much anymore, at least not well. It's familiar in a welcoming way. And yet, at the same time, this is also something groundbreaking. Because unlike the Hollywood epics of old, 'The Woman King' features a cast made up almost entirely of Black women, and there's a Black woman, Gina Prince-Bythewood, behind the camera, too. Maybe one day we'll get to a point where such a movie doesn't feel groundbreaking, but here we are." It almost feels like this movie has fallen through the cracks here at the end of the year, which is a perfect excuse to seek the film out on Blu-ray.

Special features:

• A Caterpillar's Destruction: Viola Davis On Set
• Representation Matters (Featurette)
• WOMAN/WARRIOR (Featurette)
• Storytellers (Featurette)
• Thuso Mbedu Auditions
• Filmmakers' Commentary

David O. Russell's "Amsterdam" has one hell of a cast — Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, and John David Washington are the three leads, surrounded by other actors like Chris Rock, Anya Taylor-Joy, Zoe Saldaña, Mike Myers, Michael Shannon, Timothy Olyphant, Andrea Riseborough, Taylor Swift, Matthias Schoenaerts, Alessandro Nivola, Rami Malek, and Robert De Niro. It also has a potentially fun, wacky plot about conspiracies, murder, and politics. So why the hell is it so boring? Nothing here works, not even the cast of talented performers (Bale fares the best of the three leads while the usually strong Robbie feels miscast). I'm sure you could use this same story and same cast and make something great, but that sure isn't what this is. 

Special features:

• Welcome To Amsterdam – Learn how this original, witty crime epic was made. Hear from the writer/director about his process, the actors who transformed into their characters, and discover how the production created the period look of this visually spectacular film

"Highlander" is a spectacularly nerdy movie, and that's part of why it rules. Nearly ever frame of the film looks like it could be painted on the side of some dude's van, and I mean that as a compliment. Christopher Lambert is an immortal Scottsman (sure) who is one of several immortal people kicking around this planet. But in the end, there can be only one, and often these immortals will turn on each other — and the only way to kill an immortal is to chop off their head. With a narrative cutting back and forth in time we see how Lambert's character learns to adjust to his immortality, become a great swordsman, and meet his mortal (or I guess immortal) enemy, The Kurgan, played with aplomb by Clancy Brown. Throw in some Queen songs and a hell of a lot of lightning and you've got a stew going. 

Special features:

• The Immortal Attraction of Highlander – Looking back at four decades of Highlander magic
• A Kind of Magic: Music of The Immortals – A featurette on the soundtrack
• There can only be one Kurgan – Clancy Brown remembers Highlander
• Capturing Immortality: Interview with photographer David James
• Audio Commentary with author Jon Melville
• Audio Commentary with Russell Mulcahy
• Audio Commentary with Russell Mulcahy, Peter S. Davis and William N. Panzer

A jam-packed new box set from Imprint brings together a plethora of modern neo-noirs. There's Kathryn Bigelow's "Blue Steel," in which rookie cop Jamie Lee Curtis has to deal with what appears to be a supernatural gun (yes, really; it rules). The box also features "Internal Affairs," where Richard Gere breaks bad as a crooked cop; "The Crimson Rivers," in which a city cop is tasked with investigating a series of grisly murders in the French Alps; the criminally underrated "The Way of the Gun," about a kidnapping gone wrong, written and directed by "Mission: Impossible" maestro Christopher McQuarrie; James Gray's quiet, contemplative crime drama "The Yards," which boasts a cast that includes Mark Wahlberg, Joaquin Phoenix, Charlize Theron, and James Caan; and "Narc," featuring one of the late Ray Liotta's best performances as a bruiser cop willing to bend the law in more ways than one. 

Special features:

Take a journey into the shadowy world of Neo Noir Cinema with Collection Two, bringing together some of the best directors in cinema including Kathryn Bigelow, Mike Figgis, James Gray, Joe Carnahan & more.

• Blue Steel (1990)
• Internal Affairs (1990)
• The Crimson Rivers (2000)
• The Way of the Gun (2000)
• The Yards (2000)
• Narc (2002)
• Limited Edition 7 Disc Hardbox with 60-page booklet, featuring essays from film critics Peter Galvin, Blake Howard & Alexei Toliopoulos

Joseph Sargent's "The Taking of Pelham One Two Three" is one of the best thrillers ever made, and its influence can still be felt today. A group of thieves takes a train car hostage, and the only one who can save the day is ... Walter Matthau? If you only know Matthau from his comedy work it might seem odd to see him in a film like this, but he's great as the hang-dog transit cop just trying to keep people alive. Violent, unflinching, and loaded with grit and intense suspense, "The Taking of Pelham One Two Three" is one of those movies that gets better every time you revisit it.

Special features: 

• DISC 1 (4KUHD): 
  • Brand New HDR/Dolby Vision Master – From a 4K Scan of the Original Camera Negative 
  • NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historians Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson 
  • Audio Commentary by Actor/Filmmaker Pat Healy and Film Programmer/Historian Jim Healy 
  • 5.1 Surround and Lossless 2.0 Audio
  • Triple-Layered UHD100 Disc 
  • Optional English Subtitles 

• DISC 2 (BLU-RAY): 
  • Brand New 4K Master 
  • NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historians Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson
  •  Audio Commentary by Actor/Filmmaker Pat Healy and Film Programmer/Historian Jim Healy 
  • THE MAKING OF PELHAM ONE TWO THREE: Vintage Featurette from the Point of View of New York City Transit Policeman, Carmine Foresta, who appears in the Film as a Train Expediter 
  • 12 MINUTES WITH MR. GREY: Interview with Actor Hector Elizondo 
  • CUTTING ON ACTION: Interview with Editor Gerald B. Greenberg 
  • THE SOUND OF THE CITY: Interview with Composer David Shire 
  • Trailers from Hell with Josh Olson 
  • Image and Poster Gallery 
  • Theatrical Trailer 
  • TV Spot 
  • 2 Radio Spots
  • 5.1 Surround and Lossless 2.0 Audio 
  • Dual-Layered BD50 Disc 
  • Optional English Subtitles

Calling all sickos! The "Silent Night, Deadly Night" franchise is an odd one. What started off as a killer Santa Claus series mutated into something weirder, and you can track the progression of that weirdness with the new "Silent Night, Deadly Night" collection, which features chapters 3, 4, and 5 of the series. The third film is the one most-connected to the original two movies, bringing back killer "Santa" Ricky wakes up from a coma and targets a blind woman who also happens to be psychic. And then the series really goes off the rails. The utterly unique, utterly icky "Silent Night, Deadly Night 4" is all about a cult and features a bunch of giant, disgusting insects (Merry Christmas, I guess?). Then there's the fifth film, which features killer toys and an old toy maker named Joe Petto (get it?) played by Mickey Rooney (!). Are any of these movies good? No! But gosh they're fun to watch, in that disgusting, "What the hell am I watching?" sort of way. 

Special features:

Silent Night, Deadly Night 3: Better Watch Out!

• Audio Commentary with Film Historian Jarret Gahan
• "Outshine the Brain Cap" — An Interview with Actor Bill Moseley
• "Monte & Me" — An Interview with Creative Consultant Steven Gaydos
• "For a Live Audience: Silent Night, Deadly Night 3" — An Interview with Executive Producer Richard Gladstein
• Trailer
• Still Gallery

Silent Night, Deadly Night 4: Initiation

• Audio Commentary with Director Brian Yuzna
• Our Man Ricky with Clint Howard
• "Ritualistic Behavior" — An Interview with Screenwriter Woody Keith
• "Twisted Visions" — An Interview with Surrealistic Design & Effects Artist Screaming Mad George
• "For a Live Audience: Silent Night, Deadly Night 4" — An Interview with Executive Producer Richard Gladstein
• Trailer
• Still Gallery

Silent Night, Deadly Night 5: The Toy Maker

• Audio Commentary with Director-Cowriter Martin Kitrosser
• "The Best Presents" — An Interview with Producer-Cowriter Brian Yuzna
• "Pino's Truth" — An Interview with Actor Brian Bremer
• "The Most Toys" — An Interview with Surrealistic Design & Effects Artist Screaming Mad George
• "For a Live Audience: Silent Night, Deadly Night 5" — An Interview with Executive Producer Richard Gladstein
• Trailer
• Still Gallery