In the Heat of the Night Is the Pick of the Week

It is a weird, small week for new releases. I’ve long since given up trying to figure out why some weeks are absolutely loaded with stuff and others are not. There are some good releases coming out this week, but they are all reissues getting a 4K upgrade or repackaging of older releases.

It has been a long time since I’ve seen In the Heat of the Night, but I remember loving it. Made in 1967, it stars Sidney Poitier as a Philadelphia police detective who is arrested by the racist police chief of a small Mississippi town (a fantastic Rod Steiger) for murder. Once he proves his innocence, the detective goes on to help the chief find out who committed the crime. The Criterion Collection previously released this film in Blu-ray, but now they are giving it a 4K UHD upgrade. I don’t own any copy of the film, so I’m excited to add it to my collection, but I suspect even if you do own it, this will be worth the upgrade.

Also out this week that looks interesting:

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg: Jacques Demy’s musical about a shopkeeper’s daughter falling in love with a mechanic who is then shipped off to war is a beautifully shot, colorful wonder. I don’t like it as much as his other musical, The Young Girls of Rochefort, mainly because none of the songs in Umbrellas stick in my head, but I’m in the minority. Criterion has upgraded its previous release to 4K UHD.

Lilo and Stitch: Ultimate Collector’s Edition 4K UHD: I’ve somehow never managed to see this Disney classic. I think it fell at a time when I was enamored with what Pixar was doing, thus making traditional Disney animation old hat. But this tale of a Hawaiian girl and her adventures with an alien pet is beloved by many, and now it’s getting a nice upgrade.

What Lies Beneath 4K UHD: I hated this film when it first came out in 2000. So much so that I’ve never revisited it. But I find myself returning to films from this period pretty regularly these days. Often, I find myself liking them much more than I did back in the day. I’ve been thinking about this (a Robert Zemeckis-mystery starring Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer) for a few months now. It keeps popping up on streaming services, and it feels like I should watch it again. And now if I like it, I can buy it in 4K.

Tom Tyler Silent Film Collection (The Law of the Planes & The Man From Nevada): I know nothing about Tom Tyler or either of these films. They are westerns, judging from the cover art. I’m always happy when more silent films get good releases.

Gladiator/Gladiator 2 Amazon Exclusive Steelbook 4K UHD: The original film is a stone-cold classic with a terrific central performance from Russell Crowe. Considering his character – and spoilers here for the ending of a 25-year-old film – dies, a sequel didn’t seem inevitable. But this is the year of our lord 2025, and all sequels are now inevitable. Not counting a terrifically fun performance from Denzel Washington, Gladiator 2 sucked. But if you like it, you can buy both films with a new Steelbook packaging.

Star Trek: 10-Movie Collection: Contains all of the theatrical released movies, including the director’s cut of The Motion Picture. All of these films have been released in stand-alone 4K editions, so this package is for those who haven’t already purchased and are looking for a bargain.