THE FOLLOWING WAS WRITTEN BY MY FRIEND AND COLLEAGUE ALONSO DURALDE. YOU CAN LEARN MORE ABOUT HIM HERE.
WHAT’S NEW ON DVD/BLU/4K IN NOVEMBER: SPLITSVILLE, HARD BOILED, EYES WIDE SHUT, AND MORE! PLUS: CHRISTMAS!
NEW RELEASE WALL
Splitsville (Decal Neon): For my money, the funniest movie of 2025. Co-writers Michael Angelo Covino (who also directed) and Kyle Marvin star as two husbands whose marriages (to characters played by Dakota Johnson and Adria Arjona, respectively) fall apart over miscommunications and misunderstandings about fidelity and monogamy. It’s a character piece, a banter-filled screwball comedy, and a broadly physical farce, yet each component underscores rather than contradicts the other, and the four hilarious leads are bolstered by a brilliant ensemble that includes Nicholas Braun, O-T Fagbenle, and comedically gifted newcomer Charlie Gillespie. This one got lost in the late-summer shuffle, but no one making lists (or presenting awards) for the year should miss it.
Also available:
The Americas (Universal): Tom Hanks narrates this sprawling documentary series about the fauna of North and South America.
Caught Stealing (Sony): Darren Aronofsky channels the thrillers of yore, with Austin Butler more than capably playing a flawed hero trying desperately to stay ahead of the bad guys.
The Conjuring: Last Rites (WBD): The final entry in this exorcism horror franchise, which started stronger than it finishes.
The Crow (Paramount): Bill Skarsgård has the physicality and the ethereal presence to play the doomed comic-book character, but this attempt at a franchise reboot didn’t quite land with audiences.
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale (Universal): It’s 1930, and everything is changing for the Crawley family and their devoted staff as the beloved TV series takes its last spin on the big screen.
Five Nights at Freddy’s (Universal): This “ultimate collector’s edition” of the horror hit, released just as the sequel is hitting theaters, includes a 4K steelbook, metal poster, and magnetic wall-mount system. (Amazon exclusive)
Freakier Friday (Disney): Lindsay Lohan’s character has a kid of her own, and she and Jamie Lee Curtis get caught up in more body-swap shenanigans in this clever and heartfelt sequel.
Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie (Universal): If you live in a household where this title means anything, you’ll need this in your library, and if you don’t, you don’t.
Him (Universal): Style outweighs substance in this pro-football horror tale, but Marlon Wayans is all-in as an aging athlete with some nefarious secrets behind his career longevity.
The Long Walk (Lionsgate): A bone-chilling adaptation of the Richard Bachman/Stephen King novel features incisive performances from David Jonsson, Cooper Hoffman, Judy Greer, and Mark Hamill. Also an Amazon-exclusive 4K release.
The Naked Gun (Paramount): The year’s second-funniest movie finds Liam Neeson fitting comfortably in Leslie Nielsen’s old Sam Browne belt, with a very game Pamela Anderson and Paul Walter Hauser providing witty support. In honor of this series reboot, Paramount also released a new 4K of The Naked Gun: From the
The Roses (Searchlight): Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch star in a kinder, gentler remake of the corrosive comedy The War of the Roses.
Spinal Tap II: The End Continues (Decal Bleecker): Their Social Security benefits go to 11, but the legendary metal combo returns for one more mockumentary.
Together (Neon): Alison Brie and Dave Franco explore the limits of couple bonding in this chilling horror feature.
NEW INDIE
East of Wall (Sony): This quasi-biographical Sundance fave follows the life of a woman trying to make ends meet as she raises both horses and a houseful of children, some hers and some whom she’s taking care of on behalf of neighbors who can’t.
Love, Brooklyn (Greenwich): André Holland, Nicole Beharie, Roy Wood Jr., and DeWanda Wise lead a sparkling ensemble in this contemporary comedy of love and careers.
NEW INTERNATIONAL
No Chains No Masters (Distrib/Icarus): An enslaved man in 18th century Mauritius escapes to rescue his fugitive daughter from French pursuers in this intense drama.
NEW DOCUMENTARY
Secret Mall Apartment (Music Box Films): What begins as an art prank turns into a deeper exploration of public spaces in this fascinating documentary from Jeremy Workman. When a new mall goes up, displacing low-rent artists’ spaces, a group of those artists find a dead space in the shopping center that becomes first a hangout and then an actual apartment as they figure out how to sneak in furniture and other amenities. A fascinating look at an impromptu project, and the lasting effect that it had on its creators, this film also raises questions about the places commerce takes away that we should nonetheless consider reclaiming.
Also available:
Bullets and Blueberries: The Hidden Holocaust(Kino Lorber): This harrowing documentary breaks down the methodologies and madness behind the Nazi’s mass slaughter of civilians.
Harley Flanagan: Wired for Chaos (Lightyear): An inside look at how a 13-year-old became a punk superstar.
I’m George Lucas: A Connor Ratliff Story (Kino Lorber): Comedian Ratliff created a whole talk show built around his impersonation of the Star Wars auteur, captured here in its ascendancy and as its host begins to question his choices.
The Making of a Japanese (First Run Features): Takes an intimate look at grammar-school students in a Tokyo suburb who learn self-reliance and teamwork by managing their institution of learning.
Pavarotti: The Lost Concert – Live at Llangollen 1995 (Mercury): This never-before-released performance makes its home-video debut as part of the celebration of the 90th birthday of legendary tenor Luciano Pavarotti.
Riefenstahl (Kino Lorber): Examines the artistic legendary of the still-controversial documentary filmmaker who was one of Hitler’s favorite artists.
Soul of a Nation (Greenwich): Israeli citizens grapple with the country’s present and its future.
Trinity (First Run): Digging into the legacy of what Oppenheimer wrought, this doc contrasts official histories with first-person testimonies.
NEW GRINDHOUSE
Hard-Boiled and A Better Tomorrow Trilogy (both Shout Studios): Hong Kong action cinema made a huge impact on American audiences in the 1990s, and its hyperkinetic editing and bold stuntwork made its way into Hollywood cinema. But the original movies that thrilled moviegoers became inaccessible in this country via streaming or Blu-ray – until now, that is. This year, Shout Studios began making streaming and physical versions of some of Hong Kong’s greatest films of the era available in North America; if you aren’t already a fan, these two sets are a great place to begin, as they show off John Woo’s signature blend of elegance and violence, adrenaline and chill, with some of the era’s greatest stars, including Chow Yun-fat, Tony Leung, and Leslie Cheung.
Also available:
7 Sins (IndiePix): An anthology about the deadly septet.
The Barbarians (KL Studio Classics): The magnum opus of twin bodybuilders Peter and David Paul, as they donned loincloths to become stars in the sword-and-sorcery realm.
The Blade Cuts Deeper (Leomark): The host of a cruel and sadistic TV show becomes hoist on his own video petard.
Café Flesh (Mondo Macabro): The erotic cult classic about the people who can still perform sexually in the post-apocalyptic, and the people who watch them do it, gets its first 4K release.
The Death Wish Collection / Death Wish II / Death Wish 3 (both KL Studio Classics): From the sublime-ish to the ridiculous, this new box set follows Charles Bronson on his many missions of vengeance; separately you can also pick up a Blu-ray of the second entry and a 4K of the third.
Dust Devil (KL Studio Classics): Cult director Richard Stanley’s opus about a wife running from an abusive husband and encountering a mysterious hitchhiker gets its first 4K release.
Eleven Days, Eleven Nights 2 (88 Films): In Joe D’Amato’s erotic tale, a woman has a week and a half to decide which of several men will receive an inheritance, and you can just imagine what they have to do to convince her.
The Ex (KL Studio Classics): How this for a 1996 cast: Nick Mancuso is caught in a steamy triangle with Suzy Amis and Yancy Butler.
Freaked (Drafthouse Films): Alex Winter and Tom Stern’s outrageous cult comedy-horror masterpiece finally comes out on 4K.
Frightmare (Kino Cult): When fans rob the grave of a beloved horror star, he comes back to life as an actual bloodsucking monster.
Ilsa: Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks (Kino Cult): Dyanne Thorne returns to be bad and get punished for it in the second of four Ilsa features, now in 4K.
The Ninja Trilogy (KL Studio Classics): Lovers of cheeseball martial-arts cinema, or of the output of Cannon Films in general, should pick up this deliriously goofy box set, which runs the gamut of Franco Nero’s double in a white ninja outfit to Breakin’ star Lucinda Dickey as an aerobics instructor possessed by the spirit of Sho Kosugi. They’re all in 4K, but you can also but all three titles — Enter the Ninja, Revenge of the Ninja (out 12/2), and Ninja III: The Domination — separately in 4K.
Prisoner of War (Well Go USA): Scott Adkins stars as a British airman captured and forced to fight in a Japanese POW camp in this WWII tale.
Purana Mandir: The Haunted Temple (Mondo Macabro): A young woman sets out to face the demon that has cursed her family for generations in this Indian horror story.
Saga Erotica: The Emmanuelle Collection(Severin): The Emmanuelle movies gave arthouse-cinema legitimacy to European softcore, and this exhaustive new box set features the trilogy of films starring Sylvia Kristel and directed by Just Jaeckin, along with the rarely-seen 1969 Italian feature I, Emmanuelle, which preceded them. All four films are available in 4K, plus 15 hours of bonus materials and a pair of soundtrack CDs (featuring the work of Francis Lai and Serge Gainsbough).
SS Experiment Love Camp (88 Films): Notorious sexploitation horror, now in 4K.
NEW CLASSIC
Eyes Wide Shut (The Criterion Collection): There’s a lot going on in Stanley Kubrick’s final film, from an exploration of the sexual secrets and lies that spouses keep from each other to Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, at the end of their storied marriage, giving some of their most complex performances. But it’s also a Christmas movie, and if you raise an eyebrow at that suggestion, go look again and see how much Yuletide decoration the notoriously perfectionist Kubrick has crammed into nearly every frame. (Or just watch this supercut of every Christmas tree that appears in the film.)
Also available:
Abbas Kiarostami: Early Shorts and Features (The Criterion Collection): The legendary Iranian filmmaker – and mentor of Jafar Panahi – has the first phase of his career highlighted in this Eclipse box set.
Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein / Meet the Invisible Man / Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde / Meet the Mummy (all KL Studio Classics): Gorgeous new Blu-rays capturing all of the legendary comedic duo’s run-ins with the Universal Monsters.
Airport: The Complete Four-Film Collection (KL Studio Classics): Slumming movie stars, airplanes in jeopardy – what more could a lover of kitsch, camp, or melodrama want? Bonus: they’ve all been remastered to 4K.
Alec Guinness: Masterpiece Collection (KL Studio Classics): A 4K box set featuring a quartet of the actor’s classic comedies: Kind Hearts and Coronets, The Ladykillers, The Lavender Hill Mob, and The Man in the White Suit.
Angry Harvest (Kino Classics): Armin Mueller-Stahl delivers a memorable performance as a Polish Catholic farmer tormented over his feelings for the Jewish woman (Elisabeth Trissenaar) he is hiding in his cellar in Agnieszka Holland’s powerful WWII drama.
At Close Range (Cinématographe): James Foley’s drama might be most remembered for its Madonna theme song (“Live to Tell”) but it’s a chilling tale of familial violence, with gutting work from Sean Penn and Chris Penn (playing siblings, as they were in real life), Mary Stuart Masterson, and Christopher Walken.
The Breakfast Club (The Criterion Collection): I am now “there’s a Criterion Breakfast Club 4K” years old.
Burden of Dreams (The Criterion Collection): Documentarian Les Blank takes us up close and personal to Werner Herzog’s mad quest to film Fitzcarraldo, in what many consider to be the greatest film ever made about filmmaking.
The Cat and the Canary (KL Studio Classics): There haven’t been a ton of 4K versions of silent classics, but this 1927 old-dark-house mystery starring Laura La Plante gets the ultra-HD treatment.
Donnie Darko (Mutant/Arrow): New 4K, in a limited edition of 2,000, of Richard Kelly’s cult comedy-drama-thriller.
Él (The Criterion Collection): Luis Buñuel’s searing portrait of an unhinged husband.
Eva Man/The Return of Eva Man (Mondo Macabro): Wild sexploitation double-bill about the adventures of an intersex woman; Corpses, Fools, and Monstersauthors Catelyn Willow Maclay and Caden Mark Gardner provide essential context on this new Blu-ray.
For Whom the Bell Tolls (KL Studio Classics): Ingrid Bergman and Gary Cooper play Hemingway’s star-crossed lovers in this glossy adaptation.
French Noir Collection II (KL Studio Classics): This latest set includes Rhine Virgin, The Beast Is Loose, Trapped by Fear, and The Passion of Slow Fire, featuring stars like Jean Gabin, Lino Ventura, Jean-Paul Belmondo, and Mireille Darc.
The Gracie Allen Murder Case (KL Studio Classics): The legendary comedian plays herself, helping ace detective Philo Vance (Warren William) to crack another case.
Grass / Chang (The Milestone Cinematheque): Two early silent films – a documentary shot in Iran, and a drama set in Thailand – from the creators of the original King Kong, Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack.
Hell’s Angels (The Criterion Collection): Howard Hughes’ magnum opus, now with a 4K restoration of the original Magnascope roadshow version.
Howards End (Cohen): New 4K of Merchant Ivory’s haunting, Oscar-winning adaptation of the E.M. Forster novel.
The Island Closest to Heaven (Cult Epics): A young Japanese girl travels to New Caledonia after the death of her father in this acclaimed 1984 feature.
King and Country (KL Studio Classics): British officer Dirk Bogarde defends private Tom Courtenay on desertion charges in Joseph Losey’s WWI drama.
Lady Chatterley’s Lover (Icarus): New Blu-ray of the original 1955 adaptation, starring Danielle Darrieux.
Laurel & Hardy: The Definitive Restorations, Volume 2 (MVD): This collection features eight shorts plus six hours of bonus material, including alternate versions, outtakes, trailers, interviews, commentary tracks, and the duo’s appearance on This Is Your Life.
The Luc Besson 9-Movie Collection (1983-2005) (Sony): A thorough sampling of the French auteur’s early career, including Le Dernier Combat, Subway, The Big Blue, La Femme Nikita, Atlantis, Léon: The Professional, The Fifth Element, The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc, and Angel-A.
The Mask (Arrow): New 4K release of the wild comedy that helped launch Jim Carrey’s career.
The Mike Diana Film Collection (Factory 25): Features remasters of the controversial underground filmmaker’s features Blood Brothers and Baked Baby Jesus along with outtakes, interviews, short films, and more.
No Wave: The Underground Films of Beth B and Scott B (Kino Classics): A salute to the New York downtown auteurs of the 1970s-80s, featuring shorts and features, interviews, and introductions from the filmmakers.
The Ogre of Athens (Radiance): A mild-mannered man is mistaken for a crime boss – and briefly steps into this shoes – in this Greek crime drama.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (WBD): New 4K release of the multi-Oscar-winning classic starring Jack Nicholson and Louise Fletcher.
Outland (Arrow): Sean Connery stars in High Noon in space, now in 4K.
Paul (KL Studio Classics): Simon Pegg and Nick Frost teamed up for this non-Cornetto comedy about a pair of slackers who encounter a very chill alien (voiced by Seth Rogen).
Pride & Prejudice (Universal): Bookshelf-ready 4K version of the beloved Keira Knightley-Matthew Macfadyen version, just in time for its 20thanniversary.
Radioland Murders (KL Studio Classics): “Dead air” gets a whole new meaning in this mystery-comedy set in the world of old-time radio, starring Brian Benben and Mary Stuart Masterson.
Rampage (KL Studio Classics): William Friedkin released this capital-punishment drama, retooled it, and released it again; both versions featured here in 4K.
Red Planet (Arrow): New 4K of the mission-to-Mars saga starring Carrie-Anne Moss, Val Kilmer, and Benjamin Bratt.
Scarface: The Ultimate Collector’s Edition(Universal): This elaborate box set, complete with 4K version of the film, is an Amazon exclusive and catnip for fans of Brian De Palma’s violent cartel saga.
The Ten Commandments (Paramount): Releasing this Biblical epic in 4K just makes it all the more Cecil B. DeMille-ier.
Wicked Games: Three Films by Robert Hossein(Radiance): The trio of films from the actor-turned-director featured here are The Wicked Go to Hell, Nude in a White Car, and The Taste of Violence.
NEW TV
The Morning Show: Seasons 1 & 2 (Alliance/Fifth Season): This rousingly entertaining Apple TV show maintains a tricky balancing act, keeping one foot firmly planted in the world of real issues around corporate-owned news and journalistic malpractice while the other one puts all the plots on the level of melodramatic nighttime soap. It’s a mix of flavors that isn’t for everyone, but if you enjoy this kind, it’s tons of fun. These first two seasons see West Virginia journalist Reese Witherspoon make it to the big time in New York, where she contends with lecherous veteran anchor Steve Carrell and network staple Jennifer Aniston. It’s a great binge.
Also available:
Arcane: Legend of Legends – Season 2 (GKIDS): More of the globally-acclaimed anime series.
Happy’s Place: Season One (Universal): Reba McEntire (and, thankfully, Melissa Peterman) return to prime time.
Rick and Morty: Season 8 (WBD): More mad-scientist shenanigans from the Cartoon Network.
Ted Lasso: The Richmond Way (WBD): As we await a new season, a 4K release of first three.
Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? (Alliance/Fifth Season): Hugh Laurie directs Will Poulter and Lucy Boynton in this sparkling Agatha Christie adaptation.
Yellowstone: The Complete Series (Alliance/Paramount): Wonder no more about what to get your dad for Christmas.
HOME (VIDEO) FOR THE HOLIDAYS
I’m thrilled to have released a revised and updated of my holiday film guide Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas (Bloomsbury) this year; the book itself makes a great gift and an invaluable addition to your library, and it includes many titles that were released on home video this year. Recent favorites span from action-packed adventures like Novocaine (Paramount) and Red One (WBD) to the charming Best Christmas Pageant Ever (Lionsgate) and the sublime Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point (IFC/Vinegar Syndrome).
Older favorites include the aforementioned Eyes Wide Shut, Yuletide action sagas The Long Kiss Goodnight (Arrow) and Lethal Weapon (WBD), a new Blu-ray of Yen Tan’s moving family tale 1985 (Wolfe), John Cusack in the raucous comedy Better Off Dead (Paramount), and heartbreaking musicals Rent (Sony) and The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (The Criterion Collection). And don’t forget the big 25th anniversary reissue of Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Universal); these films and many more are all featured in the recent documentary Best Christmas Movies Ever! (MVD).
There’s no shortage of new material, either, from the comedy-drama Drink and Be Merry (X4 Pictures) to family-friendly fare like Animal Tales of Christmas Magic (Icarus) and SuperClaus (Shout Kids). And if you’re a Hallmark fan, there are eight collections of their Christmas favorites.
