The Best New Blu-Ray Releases: Avatar: The Way Of Water, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, And More

The streaming age is precarious. There was a time when we were promised every movie we'd ever want would be a button push away. That brick-and-mortar video stores were no longer needed. That buying Blu-rays and physical media was old news. And yet ... we've entered a time when streaming services are removing their titles left and right, effectively erasing their own history in the process just to save on tax money. I've said it before and I'll say it again and again: streaming is temporary, physical media is forever. And so, like Nicole Kidman, we come to this place for magic. By "this place" I mean my ongoing Blu-ray column. And by "magic" I mean "a write-up of some of the latest Blu-ray release you might want to pick up."  

"Laugh out loud, does anyone even care about an 'Avatar' sequel?" everyone said, and then "Avatar: The Way of Water" came out and proceeded to become the third-biggest box office hit of all time (the first "Avatar" is still number one). So, yes, people do care about an "Avatar" sequel. Why? Because you don't mess around with Jim — Jim Cameron that is. Cameron is one of the best blockbuster filmmakers of all time, and while I'll confess that I'm not entirely enamored with the world of "Avatar," I appreciate the craft and skill that goes into creating these massive movies. 

"Avatar 2" takes the material from the first "Avatar" and creates something bigger and better; an epic sci-fi fantasy adventure that continues to prove that we should never, ever bet against James Cameron. The dude knows what he's doing, that's all I'm saying. And whatever you think of the story of the "Avatar" films you have to admit that visually, they're jaw-dropping. The sequel, in particular, looks incredible with its watery scenery. 

"Avatar: The Way of Water" picks back up with Jake Sully, who is now living as a full-time Na'vi avatar. He and his partner Neytiri now have an entire family, and they all live their lives among the beauty of Pandora. But of course, those pesky, evil humans can't take a hint, and soon everyone is in danger. Even the dead villain Colonel Miles Quaritch is back, now in avatar form. 

Jake and his family flee the forest and head towards the shore, where they learn to live among water-logged Na'vi. But sooner or later, the fight is going to come to Jake and company, which gives Cameron an excuse to stage an hour-long action sequence that awes at every turn with its sheer size. But before he gets there he creates a surprisingly reflective movie, and some of the best scenes here don't involve action; they involve the characters adapting to their new way of life and exploring the beauty of it all. And oh yeah, there are space whales. 

Special features:

• Memories from Avatar
  • Producer Jon Landau leads a spirited conversation with cast members, Sam Worthington, Zoë Saldana, Sigourney Weaver and Stephen Lang, recalling warm memories from production and reflecting on the extraordinary success of Avatar.

• Avatar: A Look Back
  • In this retrospective, cast and filmmakers reflect on their extraordinary journey making Avatar, the groundbreaking technologies they used to create an unparalleled cinematic experience, and the profound effect the film had on audiences worldwide.

• Capturing Avatar:
  • Journey with James Cameron and crew in this feature-length documentary, as they embark on a film the likes of which the world had never seen.
    • Part One – After years of testing, research and design, James Cameron's tackled Avatar, "the most complex film" in his storied career.
    • Part Two – Actors and technology are pushed to the limit as James Cameron pushes the boundaries of a groundbreaking, new filmmaking paradigm.
    • Part Three – James Cameron used ground-breaking technology to merge the virtual and live-action elements of his film.
    • Part Four – The edit room became ground zero as music, sound and visual effects were finalized in order to make the film's release date.

• Featurettes
  • Take a closer look at the creation of Pandora and the making of Avatar with featurettes on key aspects of production design, performance capture, and the post-production process.

• Sculpting Avatar – Explore how clay maquettes were sculpted to help bring Avatar's characters and creatures to life.
• Creating the Banshee – Discover all that went into designing the Banshees, high-flying predators of the Pandoran sky.
• Creating the Thanator – James Cameron and team reveal how the most terrifying beast in the Pandoran rain forest was brought to the screen.
• The AMP Suit – Explore the design of the AMP (Amplified Mobility Platform) and discover why it was the perfect weapon for Colonel Quaritch.
• Flying Vehicles – Explore the design of the RDA's gunships and how they helped ground the story in a realistic world audiences could connect to.
• Na'vi Costumes – Discover the costumes of Avatar and why it was essential to create real-world costumes for characters that were seen only in a virtual world.
• Speaking Na'vi – Delve into the complex Na'vi language created for Avatar, and the challenging task for the cast who had to speak it.
• Pandora Flora – Explore the science behind the Pandoran rainforest, including the exotic plants and bioluminescence.
• Stunts – James Cameron and Avatar's stunt coordinators discuss how they learned to move like a Na'vi, ride a Leonopteryx, and more.
• Performance Capture – Discover how the actors' actions, emotions and spirit were captured in performance and transferred to a virtual character.
• Virtual Camera – Discover the virtual camera system that allowed James Cameron to apply camera angles, lighting and movement to his scenes long after the performance capture phase was completed.
• The 3D Fusion Camera – Explore the newly designed 3D Fusion camera system which enabled the filmmakers to create an immersive stereographic experience.
• The Simul-Cam – See how the newly created Simul-Cam seamlessly integrated the virtual world with the live action camera, allowing Jake's avatar to appear in a scene with real-world actors.
• Editing Avatar – James Cameron and the film's editors reveal the unique challenges they faced editing Avatar, and the benefits of "learning as you go".
• Scoring Avatar – Composer James Horner and James Cameron discuss how Avatar's score was grounded in the familiar while evoking a breathtaking new world.
• Sound Design – Explore the sounds of Pandora, including the Banshee, Direhorse and Thanator, as well as the near-future engineering sounds of the Dragon, Scorpion and more.
• The Haka: The Spirit of New Zealand – On the final day of production, the New Zealand stuntmen honored James Cameron with a traditional Haka dance.

"The Super Mario Bros. Movie" was a massive hit, because of course it was. Mario is an icon and the animated feature was impossible for younger audiences to resist. "Take me to see Mario, father and/or mother! And then we can stop off at the sweet shop and buy some candies! It shall be ever so wonderful!" children everywhere said, probably. As such, "Mario" is critic-proof. But that doesn't mean it's a good movie. In fact, it's barely a movie at all. 

The plot, such as it is, involves Mario (voiced blandly by Chris Pratt) trying to save his brother Luigi (Charlie Day). Meanwhile, Bowser (Jack Black, the best part of the entire movie) wants to marry Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy), or something like that. None of it adds up to much, but the film is overly colorful and ultimately harmless. I'll certainly never revisit it again, but this isn't a movie made for me, it's made for children. And that's okay! Children need movies too. It would just be nice if the movies geared toward them were, ya know, better. 

Special features: 

• Getting to Know the Cast – In these short behind-the-scenes pieces we get up close and personal with the stars of the film and learn what they leaned on to inhabit their on-screen persona.
• Leveling Up: Making THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE – Bringing one of the world's most beloved video game characters, and the world around him, to life was no easy task! Filmmakers and cast give an in-depth look into the making of the film.
• THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE Field Guide – Join the cast of THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE as they take viewers through the various Power-Ups and Bonuses that appear in the film. This immersive video will allow the cast to interact with custom on-screen graphics as they select a Bonus or Power Up specific to their character and then explain what it does, how to use it and its effects.
• "Peaches" Lyric Video – Jack Black is known for his big personality and really no one else could play the part of Bowser, so get ready to sing-along to his big musical number as he serenades Princess Peach.
• Leadership Lessons with Anya Taylor-Joy – Let's face it: being a princess isn't easy. Thankfully, we have Anya Taylor-Joy, custom graphics and movie clips to give us Princess Peach's guide to being an awesome leader. We'll provide some real-life tips and power-ups that kids of all ages can use in their daily lives.

Nasty, bloody, and plenty icky, "Evil Dead Rise" is a fine addition to the "Evil Dead" franchise. It's probably fair to say that when people think of "Evil Dead," they think of comedy. "Evil Dead 2" is a straight-up horror-comedy, as is "Army of Darkness." And there's plenty of comedy in the follow-up TV series "Ash vs. Evil Dead." But the original "The Evil Dead" movie wasn't going for laughs. While there's humor to be had in the film, it's very much trying to be a scary movie. 

Because of this, the franchise feels slightly lopsided. The 2013 reboot "Evil Dead" doesn't have a funny bone in its blood-drenched body. And "Evil Dead Rise" is somewhere in the middle. There are a few funny moments here, but the film feels very much more akin to the reboot than it does the other sequels. In "Evil Dead Rise," the action shifts from a cabin in the woods to a highrise apartment building. This is a great idea! But "Evil Dead Rrise" doesn't really do much with it, primarily because most of the action is located in one apartment. When a group of kids makes the bad mistake of finding the cursed Necronomicon book, evil is unleashed and plenty of mutilation follows. Gorehounds will find plenty to love here, but I can't help but feel like something is missing. Perhaps it's because outside of the creative use of a cheese grater, "Evil Dead Rise" doesn't feel as inventive as the original movies. But if they make another one of these, I'm more than happy to watch it.  

Special features:

• Nothing! Not even a trailer! I just don't get bare-bone releases like this, folks. This film was a hit, you'd think they'd throw a featurette or two onto the disc. Even "The Pope's Exorcist" below has special features. 

Stop me if you've heard this one: the Pope ... has an exorcist. In "The Pope's Exorcist," Russell Crowe (and his delightfully corny Italian accent) stars as Father Gabriele Amorth, the exorcist to the Vatican and a guy who knows a thing or two about dealing with demons. Father Amorth says that most of the cases he investigates involve mental illness rather than demonic possession. But every now and then, a real demonic presence will make itself known. Sure enough, a new case in Spain arrives in which a young boy becomes possessed.

From there, "The Pope's Exorcist" start to give into the tired and true exorcism movie cliches — you know how it goes: the possessed kid says dirty words and ends up lashed to their own bed. But "The Pope's Exoricst" has a few tricks up its sleeve that I won't give away here. Let's just say the third act is a lot more promising than what came before. And the thing holding it all together is Crowe's performance, which is a lot of fun to watch. Crowe isn't afraid to go big and hammy, and that's exactly what this role requires. 

Special features:

• Introducing Father Amorth 
• What Possessed You?

After "Jaws" broke the blockbuster bank, producers scrambled to launch their own "Jaws"-like pics. Many of these simply aped the "Jaws" set-up and featured more killer sharks, or in one case, a killer whale in "Orca." And then you have a weird curiosity like "The White Buffalo," now on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics. It's a film that seems to ask, "What if 'Jaws' was about a great white buffalo instead of a great white shark?" This anti-Western has Charles Bronson as the legendary gunslinger Wild Bill Hickok. Wild Bill is plagued by nightmares of a massive, murderous white buffalo — and these dreams are so damn scary that Bill frequently wakes up from his sleep and immediately begins firing his guns into the air to ward off the nightmare buffalo. 

Wild Bill isn't the only one looking for the beast. Indigenous warrior Crazy Horse (played by "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" actor Will Sampson) is also hunting the animal, and soon he and Wild Bill, who isn't traditionally fond of native peoples, will cross paths and join forces to take down the creature. Director J. Lee Thompson ("The Guns of Navarone") helms everything with a kind of dreamy atmosphere; the hazy cinematography coupled with the surreal nature of the story combine to create a singular, odd movie. The buffalo is a practical monster — a giant puppet that stalks through the snow and gores people with bloody results. A bit slow-going and muddled, "The White Buffalo" is worth your time simply to watch the fantastical titular buffalo go about its killer business.

Special features:

• Brand New HD Master – From a 2K Scan of the 35mm Interpositive  
• NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historian Paul Talbot, the author of the BRONSON'S LOOSE! Books  
• 4 TV Spots (Newly Mastered in 2K) 
• Theatrical Trailer 
• Optional English Subtitles

I love the work of Andrew Davis. I doubt people think of "The Fugitive" filmmaker as an auteur, and that's okay. Davis makes sturdy little thrillers; the type of mid-budget movies that don't even get theatrical releases anymore. And if you're watching an Andrew Davis movie there's a good chance it's going to be set in Chicago, complete with Davis' usual players somewhere within the frame. 

In Davis' "The Package," Gene Hackman is a U.S. Army Green Beret Master Sergeant who is tasked with transporting a prisoner, played by Tommy Lee Jones. But when Jones' character escapes custody, Hackman finds himself swept up in an assassination conspiracy that feels heavily influenced by the conspiracy theories surrounding the John F. Kennedy assassination. This isn't my favorite Davis movie, but the new Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics is solid enough for Davis fans to pick up. Plus you can't go wrong with Gene Hackman, one of those actors who almost always delivers the goods. 

Special features:

• Audio Commentary by Director Andrew Davis and Actress Joanna Cassidy 
• Interview with Actress Joanna Cassidy 
• Optional Intro by Director Andrew Davis 
• TV Spots 
• Theatrical Trailer 
• Dual-Layered BD50 Disc 
• Optional English Subtitles

What if a "Rambo" sequel starred Christopher Walken instead of Sylvester Stallone? The end result might look like "McBain," which is now on 4K from Synapse Films. Walken plays a Vietnam vet named McBain who decides to ... invade Columbia. You see, one of McBain's old army buddies attempts to lead a revolt and overthrow the Columbian president. It didn't go so well, and the buddy ends up dead. Upset about this development, McBain gathers together some other old army pals and they head to Columbia for revenge.

It's very silly and very violent, and it's kind of a treat to see Walken lead a film like this. At one point he adopts a sort-of English accent to threaten a mafia boss. Why? Why not? He's Christopher Walken! "McBain" isn't exactly a classic action movie, but it's big and loud enough to entertain, and Walken's built-in weirdness only enhances the experience. Don't be surprised if you start yelling "McBain!" every time he blows something up. 

Special features:

• New 5.1 surround soundtrack created specifically for this release (original theatrical stereo mix also included)
• Audio commentary with director James Glickenhaus and film historian Chris Poggiali
• Original theatrical trailer
• Newly translated removable English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing