I suppose every generation has its favorite Peanuts special. They’ve been making a new one every few years since A Charlie Brown Christmas came out in 1965. Or maybe everybody’s favorite is that first one, and It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. Those two were always my favorites. I remember watching them every single year when I was a kid. I watched other ones, too, probably some of the ones that came out in the 1970s and 1980s, but looking at the lists of all the specials that have been released, I couldn’t tell you which ones they were.
Buy Peanuts: 75th Anniversary Ultimate TV Specials Collection Blu-rayIt has been a long while since I watched any of those old ones, and I’ve not seen any new ones in a good couple of decades, but I love the idea of Peanuts specials continually being made and the old ones continually being aired.
Charles Schulz’s creation of this little boy who is a bit of a loser who experiences regret, sadness, joy, and anger is one of the world’s greatest cartoon characters. Snoopy, Woodstock, Linus, and Lucy all add to his world and their appeal.
A great many of the specials have been released in a variety of forms, but this set combines almost all of them. I write “almost” because it doesn’t quite include them all. There are a few tied up with various rights issues, and I think a couple of others that were so disliked on their initial release they’ve never seen the light of day in any physical format. What is included are 40 specials, including all your favorites, all remastered on Blu-ray.
That’s something worth being this week’s pick of the week.
Also coming out this week that looks interesting
F1 The Movie: Brad Pitt and Javier Bardem star in this thrill-packed racing movie about a driver pulled out of retirement to mentor a young hotshot. It comes in a variety of packages, including a nice looking 4K UHD Steelbook.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show 4K UHD: This cult classic is getting a beautiful looking new 4K UHD steelbook release, and it is absolutely loaded with extras. My secret admission is that I’ve never really cared for this movie. It has some great music, and I can appreciate the camp, but I’ve always found it overlong and kind of exhausting after a while. But for those who love it, this is a cool release.
Nobody 2 4K UHD: The fun of the first film was turning Bob Odenkirk into an action hero. His performances in sketch comedy and Breaking Bad are wonderful things, but no one was ever looking at him and thinking he could kick ass. But Nobody proved he could. This sequel promises to show even more of that. Unfortunately, the reviews have not been kind, but I’ll definitely check it out.
Dark Water 4K UHD: This dark, dank, and moody horror film was part of the early 2000s J-Horror cycle. It isn’t quite as good as Ju-On: The Grudge or the original Ring, but it is well worth watching. It finds a woman and young child moving into a creepy apartment complex full of leaks and supernatural things. Arrow Video has the release.
The Man From U.N.C.L.E. 4K UHD: This surprisingly good update of an old 1960s spy series stars Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer, Alicia Vikander, and Elizabeth Debicki. Arrow Video has given it the UHD treatment and loaded it with extras.
Black Sunday 4K UHD: Scream Factory is giving this classic Mario Bava film its first UHD upgrade. It comes with a whopping five different audio commentaries.
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me 4K UHD: David Lynch’s prequel to his revolutionary television series gets the UHD treatment from Criterion.
Dangerous Animals 4K UHD: This film keeps popping up in my streaming feeds, and having now read the synopsis, I can see why. A surfer is captured by a shark-obsessed serial killer, and she must find a way to escape before being fed to the sharks in some kind of crazy ritual.
I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025) 4K UHD: The original is a bit of a guilty pleasure movie for me. It isn’t good, but it has a good cast (including Sarah Michelle Gellar and Jennifer Love Hewitt), and it is all kinds of dumb fun. The sequel was terrible and killed off the franchise. But we live in a world where nothing is truly killed off (much like the killers in these types of films), so we now have the legacy sequel. Sadly, it is worse than the sequel.
The Quick and the Dead 4K UHD: Sam Raimi’s take on the western stars Sharon Stone, Gene Hackman, Russell Crowe, and Leonardo DiCaprio. Sony Pictures is giving it the UHD treatment for its 30th anniversary.
Spawn 4K UHD: This late 1990s superhero film was too dark for audiences at the time (our hero makes a pact with the devil to see his wife one last time and is forced to bring on Armageddon), but it has taken on a cult status. Arrow Video has the release.
Silverado: Lawrence Kasdan directs an all-star cast (including Kevin Kline, Kevin Costner, Scott Glenn, and Rosanne Arquette) in this western that I always want to love more than I actually do. It has a great score though.
