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As the format continues to gain traction, here’s our regularly-updated list of upcoming 4K Ultra HD disc releases in the UK.

Sitting alongside our list of upcoming DVD and Blu-ray releases (that you can find here), we’re also keeping a calendar for those who support the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray disc format. As we learn of new UK releases, we’ll add them to this list.

We have started adding shopping links too. We’d be obliged if you clicked on them, as it really helps us in our quest to make the Film Stories project of magazines, website and podcast profitable. We’re a 100% independent publisher, and we quite like drinking coffee. It’d be lovely to afford some more.

Without further ado, here are the titles we know about…

Out now

16th December: Dragon Fist

16th Decemeber: Kubo & The Two Strings (Steelbook)

16th December: ParaNorman...

For Akira Kurosawa, “Man is a genius when he is dreaming.” While films like Seven Samurai, Rashomon, and Ran quickly spring to mind when one thinks of the Japanese filmmaker, some of his deeper cuts have inevitably slipped under the radar.

A still from High and Low | Credits: Toho Co

For a career that spanned over fifty years, with over thirty films released across multiple decades, even Kurosawa’s lesser-known works offer a compelling watch for film buffs.

Here, we rank ten overlooked Kurosawa films that show the breadth of the director’s cinema, his boundless curiosity, and his innate understanding of humanity.

10. I Live in Fear (1955)

Akira Kurosawa opens with Tokyo’s bustling intersections, scored by a theremin – a 1950s Atomic Age paranoia hallmark. We meet Dr. Harada, a dentist-cum-mediator, summoned to resolve a family dispute involving Kiichi Nakajima, a wealthy industrialist.

Nakajima’s obsession with nuclear fallout drives...

Kurosawa Akira understood the American western beyond the mythos of the lone warrior. The western is one of the most political of genres, concerned with how resources are dispersed. The struggle in American westerns between various enforcers embodies the tug of war between the working-class and robber barons, and Kurosawa saw in these stories parallels to Japan’s fraught cultural shifts. In the case of 1961’s Yojimbo, and to a lesser extent its sequel, 1962’s Sanjuro, he uses the western template to riff on Japan’s postwar leap into capitalism.

The very first conversation in Yojimbo is between a ronin who calls himself Sanjuro (Mifune Toshiro) and a man who regrets the new generation’s obsession with money. Kurosawa stages this encounter as a comic scene, but the man’s alienation stings, especially as Kurosawa lingers on the rhythmic sound of his wife working her loom for the silk she weaves as a side hustle.

While the downfall of physical media has been predicted time and time again, 2024 has proved the opposite with many impressive and interesting releases, not juts Asian titles. However, when it comes to Asian cinema many boutique labels especially have given film-lovers the opportunity to (re-)discover many gems of the cinematic landscapes of Japan, Korea, Hong Kong and Thailand to name but a few. The following list may serve as an overview of some of these releases, some of which may stand representative of a whole catalogue from a production company.

Without further ado, let’s delve into the list of the 30 best physical media releases of Asian cinema in 2024, in random order

1. Seven Samurai (BFI)

Akira Kurosawa’s masterpiece certainly needs no introduction and its release on 4k was one of the most anticipated releases for connoisseurs of Asian cinema. While there is also the Criterion edition of the film,...

Who said the French and British couldn’t get along? When they’re not lighting up the screen together in films like Anthony Minghella’s “The English Patient, the 1992 adaptation of Emily Brontë’s “Wuthering Heights,” and recently in “The Return,” based on the last chapters of Homer’s “Odyssey,” pals and collaborators Juliette Binoche and Ralph Fiennes enjoy just getting to spend a little time with one another. And thankfully, Criterion gave them the chance to do just that.

Stepping into the Criterion Closet, Binoche and Fiennes pretended not to know one another, but soon became quite intimate, a not-so-unforeseen side effect of the tight quarters they found themselves in. Binoche led most of the selection efforts, with the “Conclave” star serving as the curious pupil, having heard of many films she pulled down, but not actually having seen them. After coming across Jim Jarmusch’s moody prison comedy “Down by Law,...

As we continue to explore the best in 2024, today we’re taking a look at the articles that you, our dear readers, enjoyed the most throughout the past twelve months. Spanning reviews, interviews, features, podcasts, news, and trailers, check out the highlights below and return for more year-end coverage.

Most-Read Reviews

1. The Goldfinger

2. From Darkness to Light

3. The Devil’s Bath

4. Only the River Flows

5. Longlegs

6. The Nature of Love

7. The 2024 Oscar-Nominated Animated Short Films, Reviewed

8. Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2

9. Trap

10. Dune: Part Two

Most-Read Interviews

1. Richard Linklater on Sex, Murder, Hit Man, and the Infantilization of Culture

2. Will Menaker on the Year in Cinema: Oppenheimer, Scorsese, Friedkin & Beyond

3. Lee Daniels on The Deliverance, Shifting Culture, Douglas Sirk, and That Glenn Close Performance

4. “All Great DPs Become Alcoholics”: Rob Tregenza on Shooting Béla Tarr’s Werckmeister Harmonies

5. In a Violent Nature Director Chris Nash on Creating a New Kind of Slasher,...

The IMDb top-250 is a curious portrait of populist taste. The list is, it's worth remembering, culled only from user ratings on the IMDb website, and, judging by the films on the list, the average IMDb user seems to be a college-age white male with a taste for crime, guns, fantasy, and the ultra-masculine. The top movies on the list all seem to be the types of movies that young men would own posters for, proudly displayed on their dorm room walls. There are many unassailable classics, to be sure, and young teens could easily look to the list as a rudimentary introduction to the world of cinema, but the list seems ... skewed. There's not a lot of variety. It's not curated by a single critic, nor even a panel of critics. It's just a general consensus of the taste of the types of people who like to rate movies on IMDb.

The following contains spoilers for the latest episode of "Star Wars: Skeleton Crew."

There's something off about Jude Law's character in "Star Wars: Skeleton Crew." In the first episode of the show, he went by the name of Captain Silvio. In the second episode of the show, he introduced himself to the kids he helped break out of jail on Port Borgo as the Jedi Jod Na Nawood. In the series' third episode, however, Kh'ymmm refers to him as Crimson Jack. It would stand to reason he'll get yet another alias in the next episode as well. It might even prove to be a running gag, with Law's character getting a fresh alias in every episode.

Be that as it may, the alias he gets from the very cool owl/otter creature Kh'ymmm in the latest episode, Crimson Jack, has a long history dating back to the very beginning...

The internationally famous J. R. R. Tolkien franchise, The Lord of the Rings, recently saw its debut in the anime world with The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim. It is an anime dark fantasy movie that was released on December 5, 2024, and has earned a decent reception from anime fans from all over the world.

The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim | Credit: Warner Bros. Animation

The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim follows the story of Helm Hammerhand, the king of Rohan, and his battle against the army of Dunlendings. The story is set 183 years before the original The Lord of the Rings film trilogy and puts a special focus on Helm’s family and their struggle against the attack of Dunlendings.

The anime film is directed by Kenji Kamiyama, and it is taken from a Lords of the Ring screenplay that...

James Mangold has proven himself to be a very consistent filmmaker with a true talent for working within many genres. There aren’t many directors working today who can say that they’ve made westerns, romantic comedies, crime thrillers, music biopics, and blockbuster franchise sequels, but Mangold has managed to show diversity within his output. The consistency of quality is critical to Mangold’s longevity within the industry; even the weaker projects in his filmography have noteworthy performances and excellent production design.

Not every single project that Mangold has worked on has been successful. “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” was a major disappointment that did not do justice to the Steven Spielberg films that preceded it, and “Knight and Day” was an awkward action comedy that seemed to misuse Tom Cruise. That being said, the vast majority of Mangold’s work has been of very high quality, with...

The holiday season is here and that means there are lots of new releases coming out just in time to make the season bright. Below are some of the picks coming out sure to make the movie fan in your life smile. Whether it is an upgrade to a 4K edition, a reliable Blu-ray, or a special edition Box Set, this list has something for everyone!

One disclaimer: Deals as good as these can be fickle, so there’s no telling if and when a money-saving opportunity might end or if the price may change. So if you want something – snap that shit up quick! Don’t wait, only to have Festivus roll around and discover you’ve nothing to give or the price suddenly changed and you no longer have the bread. And remember that if you want to support JoBlo.com, please make all your purchases by initially clicking through our links,...

"Seven Samurai" by master Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa might just be the most remade film ever. The 1954 film is, sure enough, about seven samurai recruited to protect a farming village from bandits. The setting, themes, and characters are Japanese, but the premise is evergreen. "The Magnificent Seven" is just "Seven Samurai" but with cowboys. "A Bug's Life" retold the story with, well, bugs. "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" episode "Bounty Hunters" recruits the seven from Jedi Knights and alien mercenaries. 

"Star Wars" creator George Lucas is a well-known fan of Kurosawa. (Lucas even helped him finance his 1980 epic "Kagemusha.") The galaxy far, far away isn't the only space franchise that can riff on "Seven Samurai" though. "Star Trek: Enterprise" aped the premise for its season 2 episode, "Marauders."

First, though, why are Kurosawa's films so often remade in spirit (besides them being so good)? One reason is ease of translation. Kurosawa...

The beloved classics in the Criterion Collection fit perfectly on Max, and will continue to stream there going forward.

The Criterion Collection is jam-packed with classic movies, arthouse flicks, and titles that true cinephiles consume non-stop. Having a reliable streaming partner for the Criterion Collection is a must for true movie lovers, and a new deal between it and Warner Bros. Discovery will secure that streaming future for multiple years to come. The two companies announced on Tuesday that they had extended their licensing deal, allowing Max to continue streaming Criterion Collection films.

Key Details: The new deal extension between Max and the Criterion Collection runs for multiple years. Classics like “Seven Samurai,” Charlie Chaplin’s “Modern Times,” and more are available. Max also offers Warner Bros. movies, A24 and Studio Ghibli films, and much more. Sign Up $9.99+ / month max via prime video

Max was already the streaming home of...

Decades after its initial release, Kurosawa Akira’s Seven Samurai is still one of the great pieces of popular art, a work of transcendent cinema as well as an intensely pleasurable movie in every sense of the word. Running like greased lightning despite its three-and-a-half-hour running time, Kurosawa’s film is the Rosetta stone of modern American action, influencing Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and countless others. A fable from the past that reverberates just as viscerally in the present, Seven Samurai is so assured that it feels timeless.

Kurosawa’s 1954 epic, produced in the middle of one of the more extraordinary run of films that any filmmaker has ever enjoyed, is a fluid balance of vast scale and intimate human emotions. Seven Samurai is much lighter on its feet than you might expect from a canonical landmark, a tall tale with a lot of room for the sort of comedy...

Physical media culture is alive and thriving thanks to the home video tastemakers hailing everywhere from The Criterion Collection to Kino Lorber and the Warner Archive Collection. Each month, IndieWire highlights the best recent and upcoming Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K releases for cinephiles to own now — and to bring ballast and permanence to your moviegoing at a time when streaming windows on classic movies close just as soon as they open.

New in November are cult classics getting a proper home video life for the first time, including Christina Hornisher’s 1974 exploitation classic “Hollywood 90028,” about a cinematographer whose Tinseltown alienation leads him to commit a murder. Our Jim Hemphill deemed it “one of the greatest films ever made about how truly brutal Hollywood’s dream factory can be on those whose dreams don’t come true.”

Meanwhile, and we’re cheating a bit, a Vinegar Syndrome 4K Uhd of...

Classic action movies, fantasy, drama, crime — you name it — the entertainment industry is all about remakes and reboots these days.

Yeah, they’re not exactly the best at it, but there are a few gemstones among the copious oodles of mediocrity. Even a blind squirrel will find an acorn occasionally, and it’s always nice to dream.

Speaking of dreaming, there are some fantastic action movies (mostly from the 1980s) that would be sublime candidates for a TV series, if well executed, of course.

(Paramount Pictures/Screenshot)

Many fans cry ‘sacrilege!’ whenever someone chooses a classic for a remake, but that’s just the way the cookie crumbles in contemporary entertainment circles.

So, if it must be done, why not go all out and try for some first-rate action flicks? While some classic action movies belong to the hallowed halls of remembrance, a few pass the litmus test for the next great TV series.

In Cult Of Criterion, The A.V. Club highlights a new release from The Criterion Collection each month, examining the films entering an increasingly accessible film canon.

Funny Girl might sound a bit conventional to focus on for a series that has “cult” in its title, but compared to the rest...

Breaking Bad has always been about a man suffering from the world’s worst midlife crisis and deciding to break bad after being handed too many lemons in life. For Vince Gilligan, his own pensive experiences shaped the show’s core idea around which he then developed a cult-classic sleeper hit.

Years after its release on AMC, the whacky series became a pop culture phenomenon almost overnight when Netflix dragged it off the shelves and onto the streaming platform, giving it a second life. The fanfare around the series escalated to an all-time high and Breaking Bad became one of the biggest hits Netflix never made.

Breaking Bad [Credit: AMC]

Vince Gilligan later admitted that his creation, although completely original in its conception, is not the first of its kind. And even though that statement might sound contradictory, Gilligan cited a 1952 Akira Kurosawa film as a reference that explains it all.

Breaking Bad...

There have been rumblings for several years that David Fincher is working on something in the Squid Game universe. Although nothing is official, sources have told Deadline that Fincher is developing a new English-language Squid Game series for Netflix, which will likely be his next project.

It was originally thought that Fincher would be helming a Squid Game movie, but it seems clear now that this would be a full series. Again, nothing is official, but the idea of Fincher tackling Squid Game is very interesting. Although I will admit, I would prefer to see him do another original project. There’s also the question of whether Netflix even needs to do an English-language remake. The first season of the series still stands as Netflix’s most popular show of all time, with over 2.2 billion hours viewed. If Fincher’s remake does move forward, I could see it taking the...

Does anyone else remember Project Greenlight? The Ben Affleck and Matt Damon-produced show about giving amateur filmmakers a chance to make a feature-length film with “studio” resources? In its third (and final) season, they would focus on the horror genre, delivering the high energy and quite bonkers, Feast. While it’s sequels are considerably more Grindhouse, there’s still a lot of charm with that first film and a lot of that has to do with director, John Gulager. On the show, Gulager always came across as a bit eccentric. Son of actor Clu Gulager, it’s always been evident that John has a great knowledge of the world of cinema. So it’s not surprising to see him remix the story of the Seven Samurai/The Magnificent Seven into one with zombies and the supernatural. And the humor allows Seven Cemeteries to switch things up just enough.

Talking...

November 2024, Criterion Channel is set to deliver an exceptional lineup of films that will excite cinephiles and casual viewers alike. The month promises a rich exploration of genres, featuring a strong selection of Coen Brothers classics such as Blood Simple (1984) and The Big Lebowski (1998), along with their more recent works like A Serious Man (2009) and Inside Llewyn Davis (2013). Noir and crime enthusiasts will revel in an array of titles, including The Maltese Falcon (1941), Gilda (1946), and The Big Heat (1953), showcasing the genre’s iconic narratives and stylistic depth. International cinema also shines through with compelling French dramas like Fat Girl (2001) and Dheepan (2015), highlighting diverse storytelling from around the globe.

The lineup doesn’t shy away from classic drama, featuring timeless films like On the Waterfront (1954) and Seven Samurai (1954), which continue to resonate with contemporary audiences. Additionally, viewers can look forward to a variety of documentary and experimental films, including Wild Wheels...

Director John Gulager’s latest horror comedy oddity, Seven Cemeteries, starring Danny Trejo, is a super fun mismatch of zombie-western narratives that surely stands head and shoulders above the recent deluge of pre-Halloween horror VOD releases. The premise is pretty basic; think of Seven Samurai but with a crew of wisecracking undead going against a dreaded drug lord, and that’s all you need to know before diving into the goofy, bloody spectacle of Seven Cemeteries. Aside from some good comedic moments scattered throughout the plot, the fact that despite having little screentime, the ensemble of characters have their distinct personalities is what I find really commendable. Embracing the tropes and clichés of both the western and zombie horror genres, the movie is self-conscious enough to never take itself too seriously, and despite that, it features some well-earned emotional moments that leave a mark at the end. It’s good...

This week on The Anime Effect: To celebrate 10 years of The Book of Life , filmmaker Jorge R. Gutierrez joins the show to talk about his love for anime, including how Spirited Away inspired his celebrated film and the surprising place he first watched Akira . Plus, the latest news on One Piece , SK8 the Infinity and much, much more, including recommendations from our resident anime experts! Episode 36 of The Anime Effect is now available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and anywhere else you listen to your podcasts! If you're waiting to watch the video episode, it'll be live on Crunchyroll and YouTube at 7 p.m. Et. Listen or Watch on: Episode 36 Summary In this week's episode, LeAlec, Nick, and returning guest host Josellie Rios chat about their Fall 2024 anime watchlist so far, a new Goku balloon gets ready to debut in New York City, and we chat about My Hero Academia announcing its final season.

From epic fantasies to superhero movies and more, there are some truly sterling movies available to stream on Max.

One of the best things about having a Max subscription is the high quality that’s instantly associated not only with the HBO shows on the service, but the Warner Bros. movies stretching back decades that are available within its archives.

There’s a huge amount of movies with sterling reputations among critics and audiences alike available on Max. I’ll walk you through the top seven movies available on the streamer below; make sure to browse Max for yourself and find even more titles to scratch your latest movie itch.

Sign Up $9.99+ / month max via prime video What Are the Top 7 Movies Available on Max?

Lord of the Rings Trilogy

The Dark Knight

Casablanca

Seven Samurai

Lady Bird

The Wizard of Oz

Spirited Away

Lord of the Rings Trilogy

Some...

It is a piece of public knowledge that the Japanese master filmmaker Akira Kurosawa inspired the Hollywood filmmakers from John Sturges to George Lucas whose original “Star Wars” (1977) was “The Hidden Fortress” (1957) in space. Just as well, Kurosawa himself was inspired by the literature coming from the West, from Shakespeare to the Russian classics, and a lot of his work is based on their writings.

Once again, the western world comes back as an inspiration for a Japanese filmmaker, but this time in the form of Kevin Costner‘s “Dances with Wolves” (1990) which got a Japanese “reading” from the scriptwriter Masaya Ozaki and the director Hiroyuki Nakao with “Sisam”. After the national premiere in mid-September, the film was selected for Hawaii International Film Festival where it has the international premiere.

Sisam is screening at Hawai’i International Film Festival

Hokaido, Edo period. The Matsumae clan prospers from the trade with the indigenous Ainu people.

Dean Parisot's 1999 sci-fi/comedy "Galaxy Quest" puts an interesting spin on the traditional "Seven Samurai" formula. In Kurosawa's classic, an impoverished village, regularly beset by food-thieving bandits, seeks out an army of samurai protectors to defend them. The villagers, however, have no money, and only manage to attract seven samurai in dire straits of their own. The samurai, however, find a certain kind of weary, bemused nobility in their job, and agree to stage the best possible defense they can.

In Parisot's film, the beleaguered villagers are innocent, defenseless space aliens who are being murdered off by genocidal reptile men. The aliens, called Thermians, travel to Earth looking for brave space-faring heroes to defend them, specifically, they are looking for the stars of "Galaxy Quest," a decades-old "Star Trek"-like sci-fi TV series. The aliens have been watching rogue TV signals for years, and came to assume that "Galaxy Quest" was nonfiction.

Some cliche somewhere said that ‘a picture is worth a thousand words.’ This has proven to be the case for me and especially when it comes to fan art. I have always sought out great fan art and have wanted to share it with as many people as possible. “Awesome Art We’ve Found Around The Net” is the outlet for that passion. In this column, I will showcase the kick-ass artwork of some great artists, with the hopes that these artists get the attention they deserve. That’s the aim. If you have any questions or comments, or even suggestions of art or other great artists, feel free to contact me at any time at theodorebond@joblo.com.

Berserk by Dejan Delic

Big Trouble In Little China by John Dunn

Elektra by Grobi Grafik

Joker: Folie à Deux by ChunHann Ho

Kill Bill Vol. 1 by Alex G.

A Nightmare on Elm Street...

Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis makes its much-anticipated theatrical bow in UK and Ireland cinemas this weekend for Entertainment Film Distributors.

The sci-fi epic will open in at least 300 cinemas and marks The Godfather director’s biggest theatrical release in decades. It stars Adam Driver as a visionary architect tasked with rebuilding the city of New Rome as a modern Utopia.

Megalopolis polarised critics when it premiered at Cannes Film Festival earlier this year and has faced further controversy since, including several allegations of inappropriate behaviour from Coppola towards female extras on the film’s set. This extensive publicity, combined...

Tokyo International Film Festival has announced that Japanese filmmaker Sho Miyake and Taiwanese filmmaker Fu Tien-yu will be the joint recipients of the 2024 Kurosawa Akira Award.

The award honors the legacy and ongoing influence of the selected directors. Last year, China’s Gu Xiaogang and Indonesia’s Mouly Surya received the award. The selection committee for this year’s award included Yoji Yamada, Yoko Narahashi, Saburo Kawamoto and TIFF programming director Shozo Ichiyama.

Sho’s credits include Playback (2012), which was selected for Locarno competition and won the Rising Director Grand Prix award at the Takasaki Film Festival; And Your Bird Can Sing (2018); Small, Slow But Steady (2022) and All The Long Nights (2024), with the latter two films screening at Berlin.

Fu is a novelist turned filmmaker who made her directorial debut with Somewhere I Have Never Travelled, followed by My Egg Boy in 2016. In 2023, she directed her third feature film, Day Off,...

The beauty of Hayao Miyazaki’s works is that Studio Ghibli and his animation style provides a sense of tranquility. Whether it is Spirited Away or My Neighbour Totoro, not only is there ample range, but there exists something for everyone. The beauty that is consistent in Miyazaki’s works is derived from the dedication and importance of quality.

San, popularly known as Princess Mononoke | Credits: Studio Ghibli

On multiple occasions, the animation has stated that knowing one’s audience is a bigger task than most. Not acting like they are dumb and giving them the benefit of the doubt is what helps his movies shine in the first place. The effort that is put into the making of each and every panel adds to the beauty of the movies.

The Essense of Studio Ghibli’s Works

Even those who are heroes to others have their own people they look up to.

Quiver Distribution is releasing John Gulager's action, and I guess horror, Seven Cemetaries in theaters, on Digital and On Demand on October 11th, 2024. It stars everyone's favorite Mexican resteraunteur, Danny Trejo, along with Sal Lopez, Samantha Ashley, Efren Ramirez, Vincent M. Ward, Lew Temple, Richard Esteras and Maria Canals-Barrera. A recent parolee gets a Mexican witch to resurrect his old posse so that they can help him save a woman's ranch from a ruthless drug lord. Ah, we see what they've done here, they're making Seven Samurai, but with zombies. And guns. Should be good for a laugh. The official trailer came out this week. Take a look below. ...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

Cinema lovers are spoiled in just how many places are on their bucket list. We think of the Hollywood sign in Los Angeles, the steps of the Palais in Cannes, Mount Rushmore We can visit all of these, but one that is out of reach is the famed Criterion Closet, a tiny room packed wall-to-wall with the catalog of The Criterion Collection. But now, you may have your chance…with a twist.

The Criterion Collection has announced that they are taking their Closet out on the highway, posting on their website that this comes at just the right time. “In celebration of our fortieth anniversary, Criterion has built a replica of our famous film closet inside an eighteen-foot delivery van, and later this month, we’ll be taking our Criterion Closet Picks show on the road. Stocked with more than 1,500 of the greatest films from around the world, the Criterion...

Red Sun is not one of the most well respected spaghetti westerns. Face facts: in their time none of the spaghetti westerns were well respected, just populist vehicles for sex and violence. Made primarily for European audiences, they portrayed the wild west as brutal and dangerous, populated by mercenary thugs. They depicted violence, cruelty and outright criminality. In particular Once Upon A Time In The West shows the expansion of the US as being built out of exploitation, suffering and greed. As an outside view of American society they run against the nation-building narratives of the Hollywood westerns. "To see oursels as ithers see us!" There are no white hats. Might is destructive and oppressive, not right.

What make Red Sun a film of interest is its unusual cast and premise. In 1954, taking inspiration from a number of westerns, Akira Kurosawa made the cinematic masterpiece Seven Samurai. Toshiro Mifune co-stars.

Among the "Dark Tower" fandom, the typical consensus is that the first four books were amazing, and the final three books were a step down. There are a lot of reasons for this view. The big one is that books 5 through 7 were each written in rapid succession; after taking his sweet time with the first four, a post-car accident Stephen King seemingly wrote the final three books in one frantic burst. There's a sloppiness to the writing (especially with some of the anti-climactic villain deaths in book 7) that seems like it could easily be attributed to King rushing his way to the finish line.

But despite the way the final three novels tend to clump together in readers' minds, the fifth book ("Wolves of the Calla") is still very much its own distinct thing, and deserves to be treated as such. "Song of Susannah" might feel like a total bridge novel,...

Summer is winding down but it’s still hot hot hot out there, which means it’s the perfect time to kick back with a good movie. August has a bevy of noteworthy new movies streaming on various services, and we’ve put together a curated list of the best ones to watch this month. From Netflix to Prime Video to Hulu we’ve got a selection that offers something for everyone. And we’ve picked a handful of new movies streaming on Peacock so you can put that free trial to good use after the Olympics are over.

Check out our list of the best new movies streaming in August 2024 below.

“Tarot” Sony Pictures

Netflix – Aug. 1

First, let’s get this out of the way: this movie was once called “Horrorscope.” “Horrorscope” is a much better name than “Tarot.” In fact, one could argue, it’s one of the...

Exclusive: Ascot Elite Entertainment, which previously enjoyed success with Northmen – A Viking Saga, has announced a new Viking project, provisionally entitled Seven for Valhalla.

The project reunites the Swiss production group with writing duo Bastian Zach and Matthias Bauer, who co-wrote Northmen – A Viking Saga.

Their screenplay is set to take inspiration from Japanese director Akira Kurosawa’s 1954 classic action picture Seven Samurai, about seven samurai who muster their forces to defend their village from bandits.

The project comes a decade after Ascot Elite successfully made its first foray into production with the 2014 hit Northmen – A Viking Saga, directed by Claudio Fäh and starring Tom Hopper, Ed Skrein, James Norton and Johan Hegg.

In between times, writing partners Zach and Bauer have enjoyed success with their screenplay for the Ard/Orf crime series Death In The Prater, which achieved record viewing figures, and were also instrumental in shaping the concept...

In the midst of their press tour for Zoë Kravitz’s feature directorial debut, “Blink Twice,” starring romantic partner Channing Tatum, the duo took a not-so-brief pit-stop at the Criterion Closet to score a bevy of cinematic treats. Many of their choices outlined their shared eclectic taste and emphasized a relationship largely based around a love for films of all kind.

“We’re so excited to be here, this is like a dream come true,” Kravitz said as she and Tatum began their shopping spree. “I grew up in video stores, so this is also just a nice feeling cause that’s not really a thing anymore, sadly.”

Though the video was shot prior to the death of Gena Rowlands and posted on the day the news broke, there’s a serendipitous homage to the late actor, as well her husband and collaborator John Cassavetes.

“We love Cassavetes,” Kravitz said...

The Criterion Collection, known for releasing classic and influential films in high quality formats, has revealed several new movie titles coming in November 2024. The lineup showcases a diverse range of films from different eras and genres. Notable releases include upgraded versions of two iconic Japanese films from the 1950s as well as Oscar-winning American movies. Art house releases sitting lesser-known but important works are also part of the fall slate.

Leading the list are new 4K transfers of Akira Kurosawa’s epic “Seven Samurai” from 1954 and Ishirō Honda’s original “Godzilla” movie. These films helped establish their genres and are considered highly influential internationally. For the first time, “Godzilla” will be a stand-alone release rather than part of a box set.

Also debuting is Peter Bogdanovich’s 1973 film “Paper Moon” starring 10-year old Tatum O’Neal. Her performance opposite her father Ryan O’Neal won her an Academy Award for best supporting actress,...

Blu-ray collectors, rejoice. The Criterion Collection unveiled its November 2024 slate of releases this week, and the month looks like an embarrassment of riches for cinephiles looking to expand their physical media collections. The boutique distributor will be rolling out six new titles, several of which have long been coveted by Criterion fans: “Funny Girl,” “Paper Moon,” “Demon Pond,” and “Scarface,” along with new 4K editions of “Godzilla” and “Seven Samurai.”

William Wyler’s 1968 film adaptation of the musical “Funny Girl” marked Barbara Streisand’s big screen debut, turning the actress into one of Hollywood’s biggest stars overnight and earning her an Oscar for Best Actress on her first nomination. The film quickly became a cultural phenomenon and has remained one of the most popular (and quoted) movie musicals of all time.

Peter Bogdanovich’s “Paper Moon” is widely regarded as one of the greatest showcases for a child actor in film history.

Look, I'm not advocating selling the farm -- wait, do any of you own a farm?! -- or mortgaging the kids -- please don't do that -- but I am suggesting that if you don't have a 4K player and a 4K television, maybe put down that latte and start saving up. The august Criterion Collection is going 4K in a serious way in November. Their lineup includes the original Godzilla (Gojira) (1954), the original Seven Samurai (1954) -- can you believe both films came out in the same year (?!) -- the original Scarface (1932), the one and only Paper Moon (1973), and the most recent release of them all, Guillermo del Toro's The Shape of Water (2017), all in 4K. 'Nuff said. (For...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

Marking perhaps their biggest 4K month yet, the Criterion Collection’s November lineup runs between some of the company’s oldest titles, flagship newer(ish) releases, and a contemporary auteur’s career peak. The inevitable (but welcome!) follow-up to Janus’ theatrical rerelease is a big upgrade for Seven Samurai, Criterion’s second-ever DVD release––hopefully this portends Grand Illusion someday soon. Likewise, Godzilla grows from format to format as if an irradiated lizard.

Two movies somehow not in the Criterion Collection despite every neuron telling me otherwise, Howard Hawks’ Scarface gets 2,160 pixels, nearly equal to the number of bullets sprayed from Tony Camonte’s Tommy gun; and Peter Bogdanovich’s Paper Moon. Onto movies in color: William Wyler’s Funny Girl should only look dazzling in such resolution, while The Shape of Water means you now need two hands to count the number of Guillermo del Toro films given Criterion’s anointment.

Stars: Fiona Dorn, Eric Roberts, Gina Vitori, Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson, Sunny Tellone | Written by Jacob David Smith | Directed by Michael Su

Long before Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, The Asylum was updating and repurposing myths and fairy tales into films like The 7 Adventures of Sinbad, 3 Musketeers, Avengers Grimm and the absolutely bizarre King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Here, they’ve taken the legend of Snow White and thrown in a name check of Kurosawa’s classic Seven Samurai to give us Snow White and the Seven Samurai.

Anya Voight wants her father to consider a change of careers. Considering he’s one of the biggest cocaine kingpins in the country, that’s not an easy thing to do. But she’s adamant, not only is it dangerous, but because of what he does, people keep calling her Snow White.

Their heart-to-heart chat is interrupted by a hooded assassin,...

The impact of Frank Herbert’s Dune upon its release, which reshaped the sci-fi landscape, can’t be overstated. While it would take another two decades before the novel saw its own big-screen adaptation, directed by David Lynch, it did contribute to making George Lucas’ Star Wars iconic.

While Star Wars is an amalgamation of many works, including Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai and Victor Fleming’s The Wizard of Oz, it’s the influence of Dune that stands out the most. But despite the similarities, Lynch was less than thrilled when asked to direct Return of the Jedi.

David Lynch Had No Interest in Helming Return of the Jedi David Lynch. | Credit: Aaron from Seattle/Cca-2.0/Wikimedia Commons.

Before helming the first Dune adaptation in 1984, which ended up becoming one of the biggest mishaps in David Lynch‘s career, the director was initially offered to take the wheel of Star Wars.

Over three years since his overstuffed but artistically coherent re-edit of Justice League hit a pandemic-starved market, Netflix has made it clear that they still consider the booming, bullish buzz surrounding Zack Snyder’s triumph over studio interference a lucrative distribution strategy—so much so that they’re willing to...

[This story contains spoilers for Rebel Moon.]

After nearly three decades of development, Zack Snyder’s unadulterated vision for his Rebel Moon space opera is finally at your fingertips.

Snyder had to take an awfully circuitous path to today’s two-part director’s cut release of Rebel Moon on Netflix. Inspired by Seven Samurai, Star Wars, Heavy Metal magazine and a bevy of other properties, the project that was originally known as The Five began to formulate in 1997 alongside co-writer Kurt Johnstad. Eventually, in 2012, Snyder retrofitted his idea for Star Wars and pitched it to Lucasfilm shortly after Disney acquired the beloved IP from franchise mastermind George Lucas. When that didn’t take, he then tried to sell it as a video game and movie to his DC collaborators at the time, Warners Bros. There was even a period of time where he considered making a TV series with Narcos producer Eric Newman.

Snyder’s exit from...

Zack Snyder’s “Rebel Moon” movies are back, and this time they’re longer than ever. Not better, for the most part. Just longer. Unlike many director’s cuts — including Snyder’s own “Justice League” — the updated versions of “Rebel Moon” don’t change the narrative very much. There’s a little more backstory and a lot more fake-looking CGI blood, but “Rebel Moon — Chapter 1: Chalice of Blood” and “Rebel Moon — Chapter 2: Curse of Forgiveness” tell the same tale as before and make about as much of an impact.

The story of “Rebel Moon,” in case you missed it the first time, tells the tale of Veldt, a small farming village in outer space. When the evil Motherworld comes to take the town’s grain, a fugitive in their midst named Kora (Sofia Boutella) embarks on an epic quest to find warriors who will risk their lives to save her village,...

NYC Weekend Watch is our weekly round-up of repertory offerings.

Roxy Cinema

Fidelio, our four-film program with Chapo Trap House’s Movie Mindset, begins this Saturday with Eyes Wide Shut on 35mm, which plays again on Sunday.

Museum of the Moving Image

70mm prints of 2001 and Lawrence of Arabia screen.

Film at Lincoln Center

A retrospective of Mexican popular cinema from the 1940s to the 1960s continues and a new restoration of Shinji Sōmai’s Moving opens.

Film Forum

A career-spanning Jean-Pierre Melville retrospective continues, as do restorations of Les Blank’s Burden of Dreams and Seven Samurai.

Anthology Film Archives

Films by James Benning, Robert Bresson, and Jean Eustache screen in “Verbatim“; films by James Broughton play in “Essential Cinema.”

Bam

Claire Denis’ monumental No Fear, No Die and Mapantsula continue screening in new restorations.

Museum of Modern Art

“Silent Movie Week 2024” begins

IFC Center

“Defamed to Acclaimed” brings films by the Wachowskis,...

The British Film Institute (BFI) is set to make waves with its upcoming “Art of Action” season, anchored by a re-release of Kathryn Bigelow’s 1991 cult classic “Point Break.”

The U.K.-wide celebration of action choreography in cinema will run from October to December, offering audiences a high-octane journey through the evolution of the genre.

BFI Distribution will bring “Point Break,” starring Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze, back to U.K. cinemas on Nov. 8. The film’s return to the big screen after years of limited theatrical showings is expected to be a major draw for both nostalgic fans and new viewers alike.

The “Art of Action” season, presented by the BFI Film Audience Network using National Lottery funds, aims to showcase the artistry behind action sequences that have kept audiences enthralled for decades. The program will feature a diverse array of films, including silent era classics like Buster Keaton...

In December 2023, the first part of Zack Snyder's sci-fi epic "Rebel Moon" was released on Netflix to cold reviews and audience indifference. The story of "Rebel Moon" followed a rebel named Kora who knew that an evil Empire was traveling to her home world -- the titular rebel moon -- to steal all their grain and force the natives to starvation. Kora trekked out into the galaxy to collect whatever ragtag warriors she could find, hoping to hire them as her homeworld's scant defenders. 

The story, of course, was adapted directly from Akira Kurosawa's 1954 classic "Seven Samurai," and no review of Snyder's film was complete without direct comparison's to the master's work. Even the plot point of stolen grain is common between the two films. 

More cinematically well-versed critics likely also made a comparison to "Battle Beyond the Stars," a 1980 sci-fi "Seven Samurai" riff directed by Jimmy T. Murakami...

NYC Weekend Watch is our weekly round-up of repertory offerings.

Film at Lincoln Center

A retrospective of Mexican popular cinema from the 1940s to the 1960s is underway.

Film Forum

A career-spanning Jean-Pierre Melville retrospective has begun; restorations of Ann Hui’s July Rhapsody (watch our exclusive trailer debut), Les Blank’s Burden of Dreams, Fitzcarraldo and Seven Samurai continue.

Museum of the Moving Image

A 70mm print of Playtime screens this weekend; The Color of Pomegranates and Speed Racer play.

Anthology Film Archives

Robert Bresson plays in “Essential Cinema.”

Bam

Claire Denis’ monumental No Fear, No Die continues screening in a new restoration; Mapantsula begins playing.

Museum of Modern Art

A career-spanning Powell and Pressburger retrospective continues.

IFC Center

The Time Masters, Amadeus, and In the Mood for Love play daily; Fritz the Cat, Friday the 13th, The Last House on the Left, and The Matrix play late.

Metrograph...