It is apparently impossible for me not to pick John Woo films when they get a 4K UHD upgrade. They’ve been slowly doling them out, and every time I do, I make it my Pick. That’s not a complaint or anything, just an observation. I wouldn’t say I’m the biggest John Woo fan; I’ve only seen a handful of his films, but every time I watch them, I enjoy myself. Knowing they are getting killer upgrades makes me eternally happy.
Buy Once a ThiefI have not seen Once a Thief, so I can’t tell you how good it is. I can tell you it stars Cherie Chung, Chow Yun-Fat, and Leslie Cheung as three master thieves who team up to take revenge on their former boss, who has double-crossed them. Reviews note that this is Woo in comedy/action/romance mode rather than just straight action.
It doesn’t matter what mode he’s in. I’m always happy to make a John Woo film getting a UHD upgrade my Pick of the Week.
Also out this week that looks interesting:
The Rolling Stones: Let’s Spend the Night Together: Hal Ashby directed this concert movie that features two concerts on the Stones celebrated 1981 tour and all the backstage work that goes into putting on a show by one of the biggest rock and roll acts of all time.
Kiss of the Spider Woman 4K UHD: Criterion brings us this drama starring Raul Julia and William Hurt. Two men who share a cell in a Brazilian prison. To pass the time, one of them reenacts a melodramatic film, which also helps bridge the gap between the two men’s belief systems.
World War Z 4K UHD: Shout Factory gives this pretty good zombie movie starring Brad Pitt the UHD treatment with a Steelbook cover.
Birth 4K UHD: Nicole Kidman stars in this Jonathan Glazer-directed drama about a young boy who attempts to convince a woman that he is her dead husband reborn. Criterion has the release.
House Party 4K UHD: I can’t believe I’m about to type this, but Kid n’ Play, the popular 1980s rap group, have made it into the Criterion Collection. House Party is a ridiculously fun film (or at least it was in my memory – I haven’t seen it in decades) about two rappers who throw a massive party in order to prove their skills. Craziness ensues.
The Mechanic 4K UHD: Charles Bronson and Jan-Michael Vincent as an aging hitman and the young man he befriends and trains in the business.
Blood of Revenge: Radiance Films presents this Japanese film about two rival clans, one honorable and the other shady, competing to control the construction business in Osaka in the early 1900s.
