“I’m Your Huckleberry.”
Even if you’ve never seen Tombstone (1993), you probably know that line. It was endlessly quoted when the film came out and I still hear it said with some regularity. It was, of course, spoken by the late, great Val Kilmer portraying Doc Holiday. It is a great line, and the one that comes after it – “Why, Johnny Ringo, you look like someone just walked over your grave” – is even better. It is an undeniably great performance from Kilmer, the one he’ll probably always be remembered for, but I have to admit I’ve never loved the movie like so many others do.
Buy Tombstone 4K UHDIt is a very good western and I do see the appeal, but something about it has never made it the masterpiece for me that others think it is. Yet, as I write this out and look at this new 4K UHD release of the film, all I want to do is buy this disc and watch it again.
Reportedly, this is a brand new 4K transfer and early reviews note that it is a very good one. All of the extras do seem to be ported over from an older Blu-ray release. I’m sold.
Also out this week that looks interesting:
Career Opportunities 4K UHD: This John Hughes scripted romantic comedy doesn’t have that special Hughes sauce that made films like The Breakfast Club and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off so wonderful. But it is definitely better than the famous meme it generated of Jennifer Connelly in a tank top. You can read my full review.
Sneakers 4K UHD: This thriller from 1992 has a stacked cast featuring Robert Redford, Dan Aykroyd, Ben Kingsley, Mary McDonnell, River Phoenix, and Sidney Poitier. Redford plays an old security pro pushed back into the game for one last job. This is another film I didn’t love when it came out but it feels like it is time to revisit.
Lady With a Sword: 88 Films presents this martial arts film about a woman who goes after a group of villains who killed her sister and is shocked to learn one of them is her fiance.
Jean de Florette / Manon of the Spring: Two Films by Claude Berri 4K UHD: The Criterion Collection presents these two French dramas based upon stories from Marcel Pagnol. The first details the life of two men as they try to secure some land via less than moral ways and the sequel follows one of their daughters as she travails in the same area. They are often cited as some of the best films ever made.
Yakuza Wives: Another 88 Films release, this one follows two sisters who run opposing Yakuza gangs while their husbands are imprisoned. They must decide if their loyalties lie with blood or their gangs.
Jakoman and Tetsu: Kenji Fukasaku directed this tale of a one-eyed gangster terrorizing a small village and the young man who tries to stop him.
