Joey’s Top Pick

Presence

Steven Soderbergh never plays it safe. So, when he attempted a horror movie with Presence, the results were anything but generic. The more I’ve sat with this one, the more I’ve been struck by subtle elements of the flick. In some ways, it’s as experimental as Soderbergh has been in some time. My review from back at the Toronto International Film Festival last year (here) began like so:

Watching Steven Soderbergh experiment is always an interesting experience. He plays with form and upends expectations more or less no matter what he’s making. So, seeing him enter the realm of horror obviously is going to make for something unique. While one can draw comparisons to A Ghost Story, Presence is a different beast, both more unusual and more mainstream, depending on the scene. Playing on Day One of the Toronto International Film Festival, it’s an interesting movie that occasionally suggests something more.

Presence manages to be extremely confident in its experimental nature. It’s only when things get more traditional, or when the film takes a hard turn in the final section, that it feels like a lesser work. However, when it comes to Soderbergh, even a lesser work is still one more than worthy of serious consideration.

Also Available This Week

Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (4K)

Jason X (4K)

A Knight’s Tale (4K)

Oliver! (4K)

Criterion Corner

How to Get Ahead in Advertising

From The Criterion Collection: “Writer-director Bruce Robinson and star Richard E. Grant, the cracked comic geniuses behind the cult favorite Withnail and I, reteamed for this diabolically dark satire of runaway capitalism in Margaret Thatcher–era England. Grant gives a virtuosically crazed performance as an ambitious advertising exec whose latest assignment—devising a campaign for a pimple cream—has him on the edge of a nervous breakdown. When he sprouts an enormous boil on his shoulder—one that not only talks but has evil ambitions of its own—a twisted battle of wills ensues. With fantastically fleshy body-horror effects and flourishes of gonzo surrealism, this tour de force of verbal jousting and physical comedy is a caustic Jekyll-and-Hyde tale for the greed-is-good 1980s.”

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Withnail and I

From The Criterion Collection: “The ultimate cult British comedy, Bruce Robinson’s semi-autobiographical cinematic bender is a feast of delectably florid dialogue delivered with deadpan relish by stars Richard E. Grant and Paul McGann as, respectively, Withnail and “I,” a pair of perpetually soused, unemployed actors in 1960s London who, desperate to escape their nightmarishly grimy flat, embark on a hilariously misbegotten country getaway beset by menacing locals, bare cupboards, and a randy uncle—all of which they may be able to withstand as long as they don’t run out of alcohol. While Robinson’s dazzling script yields quotable moments galore, it’s the film’s bittersweet evocation of a friendship gradually unraveling that gives this beloved end-of-youth tale its lasting poignancy.”

Stay tuned for more next week…

The post Joey’s Home Movies For the Week of May 19th – Steven Soderbergh Goes Horror (and Experimental) with ‘Presence’ appeared first on Awards Radar.

Joey’s Top Pick

Black Bag

Steven Soderbergh‘s Black Bag is the sort of classy yet popcorn spy flick that we all too rarely get these days. It just goes down easily. Having Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender leading the way with some great movie star performances doesn’t hurt, either. Soderbergh and company are having a lot of fun, which undoubtedly rubs off on the audience. My review in the film here began and ended like so:

2025 is shaping up to be a really interesting year for Steven Soderbergh. He’s already released Presence back in January (though I saw it back in September at the Toronto International Film Festival, reviewing it here), which would have been enough for most filmmakers. However, Soderbergh is far from most filmmakers. So, he already has a second movie this year hitting in Black Bag, which couldn’t be more different. One is an experimental horror film, while the other is a star vehicle spy drama. The common thread? Both are very strong flicks.

Black Bag is a lot more fun than you might expect. As long as you go in expecting a playful take on this material, as opposed to a stone-faced one, you’ll be prepared for Soderbergh’s take. You may find it pleasantly forgettable, but when cinematic fast food is this delicious, you’re unlikely to mind in the slightest.

Also Available This Week

The Andromeda Strain (4K)

Better Man (4K)

Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy

Captain America: 4-Movie Collection (Blu-ray)

Captain America: Brave New World

Demolition Man (4K)

Dune: Prophecy 4K – The Complete First Season (TV)

The End

Kick-Ass (4K)

Landman: Season One (TV)

Mad Max 5-Film Collection (4K)

Masters of the Universe: Revelation / Revolution (TV)

May (Blu-ray)

Mickey 17

Criterion Corner

Room 666 / Room 999

From The Criterion Collection: “At the 1982 Cannes Film Festival, Wim Wenders asked such filmmaking luminaries as Michelangelo Antonioni, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Jean-Luc Godard, Yılmaz Güney, Werner Herzog, Susan Seidelman, and Steven Spielberg to ponder the question “Is cinema a language about to get lost, an art about to die?” Forty years later—adopting the same minimalist, fixed-camera format as Wenders—Lubna Playoust poses the same question to a group of contemporary auteurs, including David Cronenberg, Claire Denis, Asghar Farhadi, James Gray, Lynne Ramsay, and Wenders himself. Together, Wenders’ Room 666 and Playoust’s Room 999 capture the unfiltered perspectives of pathbreaking filmmakers on the state of the industry as well as the upheavals brought on by various new technologies and methods of distribution—in the process touching on large-scale issues of politics, culture, and the meaning (and continued relevance) of cinema in two distinct eras, nearly half a century apart.”

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The Wind Will Carry Us

From The Criterion Collection: “The mysteries of everyday life come into astonishing focus in one of Abbas Kiarostami’s greatest cinematic achievements. A slyly self-reflexive commentary on the director’s own artistic practice, The Wind Will Carry Us unfolds with unhurried majesty as it follows an undercover documentarian (Behzad Dorani) whose assignment to cover a small village’s funeral rites is continually frustrated by an elderly woman’s refusal to die. Along the way, though, he forges surprising, unsettling, and enlightening connections with those he meets. Suffused with Kiarostami’s love for people, poetry, and the arid beauty of rural Iran, this meditative masterpiece reflects upon the boundaries between intimacy and alienation, tradition and modernity, with the utmost grace.”

Stay tuned for more next week…

The post Joey’s Home Movies For the Week of May 12th – ‘Captain America’ and ‘Mickey 17’ Are Outsmarted By Steven Soderbergh’s ‘Black Bag’ appeared first on Awards Radar.

Joey’s Top Pick

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (Criterion)

From The Criterion Collection: “The angelically beautiful Catherine Deneuve was launched to stardom by this dazzling musical heart-tugger from Jacques Demy. She plays an umbrella-shop owner’s delicate daughter, glowing with first love for a handsome garage mechanic, played by Nino Castelnuovo. When the boy is shipped off to fight in Algeria, the two lovers must grow up quickly. Exquisitely designed in a kaleidoscope of colors, and told entirely through lilting songs by the great composer Michel Legrand, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg is one of the most revered and unorthodox movie musicals of all time.”

Also Available This Week

Gladiator + Gladiator II (4K SteelBook)

Lilo & Stitch (4K)

The Seed of the Sacred Fig

Star Trek 10-Movie Collection

What Lies Beneath (4K)

Criterion Corner

In the Heat of the Night

From The Criterion Collection: “Passing through the backwoods town of Sparta, Mississippi, Philadelphia detective Virgil Tibbs (Sidney Poitier) becomes embroiled in a murder case. He forms an uneasy alliance with the bigoted police chief (Rod Steiger), who faces mounting pressure from Sparta’s hostile citizens to catch the killer and run the African American interloper out of town. Director Norman Jewison splices incisive social commentary into this thrilling police procedural with the help of Haskell Wexler’s vivid cinematography, Quincy Jones’s eclectic score, and two indelible lead performances—a career-defining display of seething indignation and moral authority from Poitier and an Oscar-winning masterclass in Method acting from Steiger. Winner of five Academy Awards, including for Best Picture, In the Heat of the Night is one of the most enduring Hollywood films of the civil rights era.”

*As a reminder, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg is also coming to Criterion and is today’s Top Pick*

Stay tuned for more next week…

The post Joey’s Home Movies For the Week of May 5th – ‘In the Heat of the Night’ and ‘The Umbrellas of Cherbourg’ Come to Criterion appeared first on Awards Radar.

Joey’s Top Pick

Anora (Criterion Collection)

Anora was the best film of the year for me, bar none. I’ve spoken about it for months now, ever since I saw and fell in love with it at the Telluride Film Festival. There’s not anything new to say, though this Criterion honor is a nice icing on the cake, along with, you know, the Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director (for Baker), Best Actress (for Mikey Madison), Best Original Screenplay (also for Baker), and Best Film Editing (for Baker as well). I wrote about the movie’s awards run here and here, while I spoke to Baker here, Yura Borisov here, and Madison here. My Telluride rave here began like so:

Sean Baker has made a career out of de-stigmatizing sex work. He’s clearly fascinated by characters who exist, to one degree or another, on the margins of society, seen as “other” in some way. Not only does it set him apart as a storyteller, it leads to some incredibly unique works. Starlet, Tangerine, The Florida Project, and Red Rocket have all established him as a poet laureate for these people. Now, with Anora, Baker has upped his game even more. In crafting his first romance, as well as leaning a bit more into plot, he’s made his fullest cinematic meal yet. This is not just the best thing I’ve seen so far at the Telluride Film Festival, it’s the best movie of the year so far.

Anora is a wild ride. It begins as Baker’s take on Pretty Woman, before evolving into something more akin to a night out thriller. After Hours has been evoked by some, as well as Cinderella by Baker himself, but none of this prepares you for the third act. If act one is comedy and romance, act two retains some of the laughs while also bringing in danger, act three takes it all home with a real sense of tragedy as well. This is an auteur fully in control of his craft.

Also Available This Week

Birth/Rebirth

Clean and Sober (Blu-ray)

Dirty Harry (4K)

Full Metal Jacket (4K)

Gandhi (4K)

Last Breath

Last Tango in Paris (4K)

Lethal Weapon (4K)

The Outlaw Josey Wales (4K)

Paddington in Peru

Pale Rider (4K)

Pokémon: Detective Pikachu (4K)

Rick and Morty: The Anime (TV)

Star Trek: Section 31 (TV)

Stripes (4K)

Criterion Corner

Anora

From The Criterion Collection: “Contemporary cinema’s foremost chronicler of American dreamers and schemers hustling on the margins of capitalist promise, Sean Baker, reaches new heights of mastery with this audacious anti–Cinderella story—a whirlwind neorealist screwball comedy with an aching heart. In an electric, star-is-born performance, Mikey Madison soars as Anora, an enterprising, ferociously foulmouthed Brooklyn erotic dancer and sex worker whose Prince Not-So-Charming comes along in the form of a Russian oligarch’s wild-child son (Mark Eydelshteyn). This is the beginning of a fractured fairy tale—also featuring standout performances from Karren Karagulian, Yura Borisov, and Vache Tovmasyan—that turns the cruel realities of class inside out. Winner of the Palme d’Or at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, Anora confirms Baker as one of our preeminent auteurs.”

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Basquiat

From The Criterion Collection: “Julian Schnabel’s tribute to his friend and fellow painter Jean-Michel Basquiat is less a conventional biopic than an impressionistic, sensory immersion into the much-mythologized downtown-Manhattan art world of the 1980s. Jeffrey Wright, in his first lead film role, stars as the visionary artist whose rise from graffiti tagger to art star forces him to confront the glare of sudden fame, along with racism, his own struggles with addiction, and the difficulties of being self-determining and free in America. Bolstered by an ensemble cast that includes a sublime performance by David Bowie channeling Andy Warhol, Schnabel’s directorial debut—presented here in the filmmaker’s own luminous black-and-white remastering—is a profoundly expressive elegy for a radiant life cut short.”

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Prince of Broadway

From The Criterion Collection: “A raw, disarmingly moving slice of neorealism, this early-career triumph from DIY auteur Sean Baker plunges into the world of West African immigrant Lucky (Prince Adu) and his Armenian Lebanese boss Levon (Karren Karagulian), two unlikely friends who peddle knockoff designer goods in Manhattan’s wholesale district. When a long-forgotten ex forces him to take care of a young son he didn’t even know he had, Lucky must figure out how to become a father without losing his edge in the counterfeit-merch game. Capturing the chaos of urban life through expressive handheld camera work, remarkably naturalistic performances, and flashes of manic humor, Prince of Broadway is one of Baker’s most vivid explorations of the illusory nature of the American dream.”

Stay tuned for more next week…

The post Joey’s Home Movies For the Week of April 28th – ‘Anora’ Takes Her Oscars to the Criterion Collection appeared first on Awards Radar.

Joey’s Top Pick

Foul Play (4K)

Foul Play is a lot of things. It’s a comedy that’s also a noir thriller, with romantic elements thrown in. Arguably, it shouldn’t work. However, the performance by Goldie Hawn goes a long way to selling it all, as does a suave turn from Chevy Chase (not to mention scene stealing work in a supporting role from Dudley Moore). It can be very fun, while also surprisingly atmospheric. Interestingly, the Golden Globes gave this one a ton of nominations, though it ultimately only scored an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song. Still, it’s an underrated one that deserves to be re-discovered, especially now that it’s available in 4K.

Also Available This Week

Captain Planet and the Planeteers: The Complete Franchise (TV)

Career Opportunities (4K)

The Hunt (4K)

Sneakers (4K)

Tombstone (4K)

Criterion Corner

Jean de Florette / Manon of the Spring: Two Films by Claude Berri

From The Criterion Collection: “A sprawling tale of greed, betrayal, and revenge plays out amid the bucolic splendor of the French countryside in Claude Berri’s masterly two-film adaptation of a literary work by the legendary Marcel Pagnol. Spanning three generations in the lives of two families, Jean de Florette and Manon of the Spring vividly recreate the provincial world of an early-twentieth-century village, where an outsider’s arrival sets in motion a devastating chain of events. With gorgeous cinematography, keen insights into human nature, and superb performances from icons of French cinema (Gérard Depardieu, Yves Montand, Daniel Auteuil, and Emmanuelle Béart), these richly absorbing moral tales—at the time of their production, the most expensive French films ever made—are triumphs of epic storytelling in the classical tradition.”

Stay tuned for more next week…

The post Joey’s Home Movies For the Week of April 21st – ‘Foul Play’ and ‘Tombstone’ Are Among a Slate of 4K Re-Releases appeared first on Awards Radar.

Joey’s Top Pick

Heart Eyes

I got such a kick out of Heart Eyes. What makes the film so good? Well, it’s the fact that it’s as strong a romantic comedy as it is a slasher flick. That’s very rare for these genres, so being both horror and rom com easily elevates the movie. My rave review here from earlier in the year began like so:

I love a good romantic comedy. This is not news to any of you who read my stuff. It’s also no secret that I’m fond of quality horror. So, the concept of combining the two in a novel way really piqued my interest. At the same time, it goes without saying that a romantic comedy slasher film is not easy to pull off. As such, it’s a really high compliment on my part to say that Heart Eyes is just as good a rom-com as it is a slasher. The movie is a genre fan’s dream, full stop.

Heart Eyes knows that both genres need to be honored, or else neither will work in the flick. Watching it consistently play into the emotion, horror, and laughs with equal respect is a sight to behold. Getting half of it right would have led to a quality film. Instead, by going above and beyond, we have one of the best works of 2025 so far.

Also Available This Week

Basic Instinct (4K)

The Good German (4K)

The Informant! (4K)

King of New York (4K)

Sonic the Hedgehog 3

Star Trek: Lower Decks – The Complete Series (TV)

Criterion Corner

Chungking Express

From The Criterion Collection: “The whiplash, double-pronged Chungking Express is one of the defining works of 1990s cinema and the film that made Wong Kar Wai an instant icon. Two heartsick Hong Kong cops (Takeshi Kaneshiro and Tony Leung Chiu Wai), both jilted by ex-lovers, cross paths at the Midnight Express take-out food stand, where the ethereal pixie waitress Faye (Faye Wong) works. Anything goes in Wong’s gloriously shot and utterly unexpected charmer, which cemented the sex appeal of its gorgeous stars and forever turned canned pineapple and the Mamas & the Papas’ “California Dreamin’ ” into tokens of romantic longing.”

Stay tuned for more next week…

The post Joey’s Home Movies For the Week of April 14th – You Can’t Escape From ‘Heart Eyes’ (Nor Should You Want To) appeared first on Awards Radar.

Joey’s Top Pick

Some Like It Hot (Criterion)

From The Criterion Collection: “One of the most beloved films of all time, this sizzling masterpiece by Billy Wilder set a new standard for Hollywood comedy. After witnessing a mob hit, Chicago musicians Joe and Jerry (Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon, in landmark performances) skip town by donning drag and joining an all-female band en route to Miami. The charm of the group’s singer, Sugar Kane (Marilyn Monroe, at the height of her bombshell powers), leads them ever further into extravagant lies, as Joe assumes the persona of a millionaire to woo her and Jerry’s female alter ego winds up engaged to a tycoon. With a whip-smart script by Wilder and I. A. L. Diamond, and sparking chemistry among its finely tuned cast, Some Like It Hot is as deliriously funny and fresh today as it was when it first knocked audiences out several decades ago.”

Also Available This Week

Jade

Just Friends (Blu-ray)

The Long Kiss Goodnight (4K)

Criterion Corner

*As a reminder, Some Like It Hot is hitting Criterion today and is our top pick*

Stay tuned for more next week…

The post Joey’s Home Movies For the Week of April 7th – ‘Some Like It Hot’ Comes to Criterion appeared first on Awards Radar.

Joey’s Top Pick

A Complete Unknown

Making a Bob Dylan biopic is both obvious feeling and also nearly impossible. So, seeing James Mangold, along with Timothée Chalamet in the central role, pull it off is a real pleasure. All the pitfalls of a musical biopic are largely avoided, instead feeling the vibe of the man as inspiration for an exploration of Dylan. I spoke to Mangold about this work (here), as well as cinematographer Phedon Papamichael (here), alongside editors Andrew Buckland and Scott Morris (here) behind the scenes. In front of the camera, I chatted with co-stars Monica Barbaro (here), Boyd Holbrook (here), and Edward Norton (here) about A Complete Unknown. My review of the film, which cracked my top ten list, is here and starts off as such:

The mystery of Bob Dylan has lingered in pop culture for over a half century now. The enigma that is one of the most seminal artists of the 20th century endures, which is a testament to not just his staying power, but also the mystique surrounding him. Going into A Complete Unknown, I was worried that there would be an attempt to “figure him out” or make a grand statement about the why of it all. I’m only a casual fan of Dylan, but if that was the tact taken with the upcoming Bruce Springsteen biopic, I’d be annoyed. So, it’s very much to this film’s credit that the title is indicative of the depiction. Bob Dylan remains A Complete Unknown at the end of the movie, but you do sort of understand him a bit better, as well as why folks would be so drawn to him. It’s captivating and hypnotic, making for one of the year’s best works.

A Complete Unknown doesn’t feel the need to make Dylan someone who can be completely understood. It’s more important to understand those around him, as well as to get the vibe of why he was such a figure. Instead of just hitting the beats of his life, this is more about the allure and the frustrations that came along with knowing someone who can never be fully known. I got on its wavelength quickly and vibed with it from start to finish.

Recommended Viewing

Companion

This twisty sci-fi flick is a lot of fun. Early on, you’re wondering exactly where the film will go, so once it sets off on its path, you’re along for the ride. Companion manages to be satisfying and surprising in equal measure. I spoke to filmmaker Drew Hancock about the movie here. As for my review? It’s here and began like so:

Any film that’s citing both Barbarian and The Notebook in its advertising is going to have my attention. So, I went into Companion expecting something unusual, which, lo and behold, I certainly got. Luckily, there’s more here than just some surprises, as we end up with a funny, gory, and unique genre tale. The less you know about the plot, the better, so I’ll tread very lightly here in this review, but if you’re looking for something to see this weekend, here is a terrific option.

Companion mixes genres well, as there’s romanic comedy aspects at play, while horror and science fiction dance around as well. It all merges together pretty well, especially as focuses shift throughout the flick. The element of surprises benefits this movie, too, but it’s not wholly reliant on it. Not knowing the twist ahead of time is good in the sense that the filmmaker doesn’t want you to, but if you do find out, your enjoyment won’t be impacted. Still, go in as blind as you can. Trust me.

Also Available This Week

Dog Man

Flight Risk

Inglourious Basterds (4K)

Love Hurts

Love Me

Mufasa: The Lion King

One of Them Days

Renfield (4K)

Shoplifters (Blu-ray)

Superman & Lois: The Complete Series (TV)

Criterion Corner

Ugetsu

From The Criterion Collection: “By the time he made Ugetsu, Kenji Mizoguchi was already an elder statesman of Japanese cinema, fiercely revered by Akira Kurosawa and other directors of a younger generation. And with this exquisite ghost story, a fatalistic wartime tragedy derived from stories by Akinari Ueda and Guy de Maupassant, he created a touchstone of his art, his long takes and sweeping camera guiding the viewer through a delirious narrative about two villagers whose pursuit of fame and fortune leads them far astray from their loyal wives. Moving between the terrestrial and the otherworldly, Ugetsu reveals essential truths about the ravages of war, the plight of women, and the pride of men.”

Stay tuned for more next week…

The post Joey’s Home Movies For the Week of March 31st – ‘A Complete Unknown’ and ‘Companion’ Lead the Way appeared first on Awards Radar.

Joey’s Top Pick

The Brutalist

When I saw The Brutalist at the Toronto International Film Festival, the movie was first beginning to build up its buzz. Despite an oppressive runtime that initially was going to scare me off, I got onboard with what Corbet was putting forth. Was I as high on it as most? No. Did I consider it a good film? Of course. I spoke to star Adrien Brody here and co-star Felicity Jones here, so definitely give those a look/listen. Back at TIFF, my review here began like so:

Ambition runs rampant throughout the veins of The Brutalist. Not just in the protagonist’s vision for his work, but also in that of filmmaker Brady Corbet. For his third feature, the actor turned director has opted to make a big old American epic, the kind we almost never see anymore. Expansive and sprawling in narrative and scope, it’s the sort of big swing that usually is reserved for a veteran A-lister. Corbet may well be that now, director-wise, in some eyes, as this movie has been winning people over left and right. Here at the Toronto International Film Festival, I can’t quite match that enthusiasm, but boy do I respect the hell out of this work.

The Brutalist asks a lot of you. The over three and a half hour running time alone is evidence of that. Now, there’s an intermission, but still, This is not for the feint of cinematic heart. Hell, I’d been vocal on the Awards Radar Podcast that I thought I was out on something this long. Then, the raves out of Venice began, prompting me to give it a shot at TIFF. Lo and behold, I’m actually glad I did. Is the film way too long? Yes. Was I ever bored, though? Shockingly, no. The canvas being painted on ultimately turns into something I need to ponder more, but am glad to have experienced.

Also Available This Week

Antiviral (4K)

Delicatessen (4K)

Go Fish (Blu-ray)

The Magilla Gorilla Show: The Complete Series (TV)

Memoir of a Snail

Night of the Creeps (4K)

Star Trek: Lower Decks – The Complete Series (TV)

Criterion Corner

Choose Me

From The Criterion Collection: “An achingly romantic neon dream, Alan Rudolph’s comic and cutting exploration of the mysteries of human desire established him as one of the most boldly idiosyncratic independent auteurs of the 1980s. At the smoky dive Eve’s Lounge, a collection of strangers—including an insecure radio sexpert (Geneviève Bujold), a commitment-phobic former sex worker (Lesley Ann Warren), and a globe-trotting mystery man (Keith Carradine)—become entangled in a web of passion, jealousy, and self-discovery. Grooving to the rhythms of Teddy Pendergrass’s sexy slow jams, Choose Me exists on its own offbeat wavelength—knotty, surprising, and deeply tender in its vision of lost souls wounded by love yet still reaching out for human connection.”

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Night Moves

From The Criterion Collection: Arthur Penn’s haunting neonoir reimagines the hard-boiled detective film for the disillusioned, paranoid 1970s. In one of his greatest performances, Gene Hackman oozes world-weary cynicism as a private investigator whose search for an actress’s missing daughter (Melanie Griffith) leads him from the Hollywood Hills to the Florida Keys, where he is pulled into a sordid family drama and a sinister conspiracy he can hardly grasp. Bolstered by Alan Sharp’s genre-scrambling script and Dede Allen’s elliptical editing, the daringly labyrinthine Night Moves is a defining work of post-Watergate cinema—a silent scream of existential dread and moral decay whose legend has only grown with time.”

Stay tuned for more next week…

The post Joey’s Home Movies For the Week of March 24th – ‘The Brutalist’ Brings Its Epic Vision to Your Living Room appeared first on Awards Radar.

Joey’s Top Pick

The Last of Us: The Complete First Season (4K SteelBook)

Season One of The Last of Us was kind of a miracle. To be that faithful at times to a video game, yet also to go off on its own paths, with each version being that spectacular? That sort of thing, big screen or small screen, just never happens. Season Two is a few weeks away, so revisiting this hit show in 4K feels like the move today. I wrote about Season One a bit here, putting forth the following:

I don’t watch a ton of television. Hell, I play more video games than have TV shows I consistently watch. Normally, video game adaptations are the realm of films, often to terrible effect. So, the fact that The Last of Us was not just a show I was interested in, but considered a must-see, was a rare occurrence. The game is among the best ever made. The show? Hopes were high, but anything was possible. Well, we were all in luck, because this wasn’t just a great adaptation, but an instant classic prestige drama series.

The Last of Us seemed like it could succeed for a number of reasons. One was that it was being made with more care than most game adaptations. Neil Druckmann, the man behind the game and its sequel, was shepherding it, as was Craig Mazin, who’d blown so many away with Chernobyl. The fact that HBO was investing so heavily in it was a good sign. Throw in terrific casting, up top with Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey in the leads, as well as with a cavalcade of ace supporting players, including Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett (more on them later), and it was seemingly set up for success. But, would it work? The answer, as it turned out, was a resounding yes.

Episode Three is an out and out masterpiece. The most overt change from the game’s plot, this episode sidelines our heroes for much of the hour, focusing on Offerman’s Bill and the relationship only hinted at in the video game. Here, Bill and Bartlett’s Frank get to live out a life. It’s heartbreaking and deeply moving. For my money, it’s the single best episode of television that I’ve seen in a very long time. Yes, it’s just that good.

The finale proved as emotional and haunting as we’d expected. Those who hadn’t played the game were almost certainly shocked, while those of us who had were stunned that it was depicted so well. It’s brutal, powerful, and lingers with you long after the credits roll. The Last of Us spent nine episodes building up to this, and boy howdy did it ever not disappoint.

Also Available This Week

Deep Blue Sea (4K)

Imaginary Heroes (Blu-ray)

Middle-Earth: 6-Film Collection (4K)

Moana 2

The Penguin: The Complete First Season (4K TV)

Shameless: The Complete Series (TV)

Tulsa King: Season Two (TV)

Wolf Man

Criterion Corner

Godzilla vs. Biollante

From The Criterion Collection: “Diving into delirious realms of imagination, this second film of the Godzilla franchise’s 1980s resurgence showcased the towering beast for a new generation of fans. This time, Godzilla’s foe is one of the series’ most wondrously strange kaiju creations: Biollante—a mutant plant genetically engineered from the cells of a rose, a renegade scientist’s dead daughter, and Godzilla itself. With a wild plot encompassing spies, psychic children, and bonkers biotechnology—and some of the coolest special effects in the history of Japanese cinema—Godzilla vs. Biollante stands as a high point in the ever-evolving mythology of the King of the Monsters.”

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A Woman of Paris

From The Criterion Collection: “Remarkable for its psychological nuance and its boldly modern perspective on an independent woman’s search for fulfillment, Charlie Chaplin’s long-overlooked silent masterpiece A Woman of Paris is a revelation. Chaplin confounded 1923 audiences with this unexpected foray into serious drama, and by ceding the spotlight to his longtime screen partner Edna Purviance. She is captivating as the vivacious Marie St. Clair, a “woman of fate” who leaves behind her small-minded village for the glamour of Paris, where she finds herself at the center of a Jazz Age whirl of champagne soirees, luxurious pleasure-seeking, romance, and tragedy. Putting aside his Little Tramp persona, Chaplin’s second feature proved that, beyond being a comic genius, he was an artist of immense sensitivity and human understanding.”

Stay tuned for more next week…

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