MOVIES TURNING 50 IN 2025

Here’s something that’ll make some of you feel ancient. The following is a list of noteworthy movies celebrating their Golden Anniversary this year. Some are now classics, others were blockbusters of their time, and a few still retain a certain amount of cultural relevance. As for this crusty old cat, I remember seeing most of them for the first time like it was yesterday. How many have you seen?

JAWS - Once the highest grossing film of all time, it remains as thrilling as ever and a cultural milestone. Even today, you see the iconic logo and image everywhere.

ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST - It swept the Academy Awards that year, winning Oscars for Best Picture, Best Actor (Jack Nicholson), Best Actress (Louise Fletcher), Best Director (Milos Foreman) and Best Screenplay (Lawrence Hudson & Bo Goldman).

THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW - The quintessential cult film, it’s been playing every weekend in my hometown for 50 years.

DOG DAY AFTERNOON - “Attica! Attica!”

ROLLERBALL - In the not-to-distant future (2018), wars will no longer exist. But there will be Rollerball. I still wish this was a real sport.

TOMMY - Actually, this one felt dated even back in 1975.

NASHVILLE - One of eclectic director Robert Altman’s greatest (and longest) films.

DEEP RED - Still the ultimate giallo film, and along with Suspiria, the high point of director Dario Argento’s career. 

DEATH RACE 2000 - Back when the year 2000 still seemed like the distant future. Kids don’t know how good they have it these days. Now they can mow down pedestrians themselves with their PS5.

THE STEPFORD WIVES - This one still gives off a creepy vibe.

MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL - People still quote this movie, even those who weren’t even born yet.

FRENCH CONNECTION II - Never approaching the greatness of the original, it’s still a solid sequel.

THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR - One of the most paranoid movies ever made.

ROOSTER COGBURN - John Wayne’s penultimate film. 

BARRY LYNDON - This three-hour epic isn’t Stanley Kubrick’s best film, but it is arguably one of his prettiest. 

THE GIANT SPIDER INVASION - If you ever wondered what the Skipper was up to after being rescued from Gilligan’s Island, here you go. I actually paid to see this junk in a theater. On the plus side, it inspired one of Mystery Science Theater 3000’s best episodes.

THE POOP SCOOP: Upcoming Kibbles!

🧛NOSFERATU is now available on Digital and coming to 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD on February 18, 2025 from Universal.

As audiences continue to succumb to the darkness in theaters across the nation, Focus Features’ NOSFERATU debuts exclusively on digital platforms to own or rent today from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. The hauntingly suspenseful horror film will be available on 4K UHD, Blu-ray™ and DVD on February 18, 2025. Own NOSFERATU with an extended cut never-before-seen in theaters, bonus content including deleted and behind-the-scenes footage as well as Robert Eggers’ exclusive director’s commentary only when you purchase from participating retailers nationwide. NOSFERATU is a gothic tale of obsession between a haunted young woman and the terrifying vampire infatuated with her, causing untold horror in its wake. Starring Bill Skarsgård, Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Emma Corrin, and Willem Dafoe.

🦔SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3 debuts on Digital January 21st and on 4K UHD/Blu-ray/DVD April 15th from Paramount.

Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails return for their most epic adventure yet in the blockbuster hit SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3, arriving to buy on Digital January 21, 2025 from Paramount Home Entertainment.  The film will also be available on Digital as part of a 3-movie collection that includes the first two feature films.  SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3 will arrive on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD on April 15, 2025.  The 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray Combo will also be available in two collectible SteelBooks while supplies last. Directed by Jeff Fowler, who has directed all three films in the series, SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3 stars Jim Carrey, Ben Schwartz, Krysten Ritter, Natasha Rothwell, Shemar Moore, with James Marsden with Tika Sumpter with Idris Elba and Keanu Reeves, who joins the all-star cast as Shadow the Hedgehog. Fans who purchase the film on Digital** or 4K Ultra HD will have access to over 50 minutes of fun-filled bonus content.  Go behind the scenes with the cast and crew as they speed from London to Tokyo, listen to entertaining commentary by director Jeff Fowler and the wildly funny Ben Schwartz, watch hilarious bloopers and on-set antics, check out deleted scenes not shown in theatres, and much more!

😺Jackie Chan and Jet Li in THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM 4K/Blu-ray SteelBook Coming February 25 from Criterion Collection.

A MARTIAL ARTS EXPLOSION! Individually, they’ve starred in the most adrenaline-pumping martial arts adventures ever. Together for the first time, Jet Li and Jackie Chan join forces to create the greatest epic of them all – The Forbidden Kingdom. As ancient Chinese warriors, they must train and mentor a 21st-century kung fu fanatic who’s been summoned to fight a centuries-old battle and free the imprisoned Monkey King. If you’re a fighting fan, the wait is over. The team is ready. The Forbidden Kingdom arrives on 4K + Blu-ray SteelBook February 25 from Lionsgate. 

😺THE THIRD MAN 4K SteelBook Coming February 25 from Lionsgate.

Widely regarded as the greatest British film of all time, and making its 4K debut, director Carol Reed's noir The Third Man, brilliantly scripted by Graham Greene – and set to Anton Karas's evocative zither score – is a justly celebrated classic further enhanced by Orson Welles in one of his most iconic roles. After writer Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten) arrives in post-WWII Vienna to meet his old friend Harry Lime (the incomparable Welles), he discovers Lime has been killed in a suspicious accident. As the accident's witnesses disappear, the sardonic Major Calloway (Trevor Howard) and Lime's mistress, Anna Schmidt (Alida Valli), complicate Martins's search for answers regarding his friend's death. But will his relentless curiosity lead him to discoveries about Lime he'd rather not know? This release also comes with many bonus features, including a 56 page booklet, art cards and numerous featurettes.

SMILE 2 (4K): More of the Same...Only Bigger

SMILE 2 (4K UHD SteelBook)

2024 / 127 min

From Paramount

Review by Josey, the Sudden Cat🙀

2022’s Smile was a solid horror film built on a creepy premise, that of a malicious entity that transfers from one human host to another by inducing suicide. Whoever witnesses the suicide becomes ‘infected’ themselves, driven mad during the course of the week before, they too, take their own lives. With unsettling imagery, a consistently dark tone and solid performances, the film was a gory good time.

That it was also a sleeper hit made a sequel inevitable. Original writer/director Parker Finn is back with more sick tricks up his sleeve for Smile 2. Save for Joel (Kyle Gallner) returning in a wild prologue, this film tells essentially the same story with new characters, only bigger, bloodier and often morbidly funnier. Hey, if it ain’t broke, why fix it? Narratively, Smile 2 doesn’t reinvent the wheel or anything, but for now, the formula is still pretty fresh.

This time around, the protagonist/victim is Skye Riley (Naomi Scott), a famous pop diva and recovering addict trying to resume her career following a tragedy the previous year…a car crash in which she was injured and her boyfriend died. While she's trying to score Vicodin for recurring pain, her dealer kills himself, a hellish smile never faltering as he bashes his own face into a pulp (one of many spectacularly gruesome scenes).

Thus, Skye’s now “possessed” by this entity, which subjects her to hallucinatory torment while those in her circle - including demanding mother/manager (Rosemarie DeWitt) - think she’s either suffering from exhaustion or is back on drugs. And because she’s famous, everyone appears more concerned over how her increasingly bizarre behavior will affect her career (allowing the narrative to inject a bit of amusing social commentary). Skye herself can’t understand what's happening until she meets Morris (Peter Jacobson), a nurse who’s been tracking the entity’s pattern ever since his brother met the same fate. However, his solution to destroying it might be more than Skye is able or willing to do.

When the cat finds your toes under the blanket.

One thing Smile 2 does very well - better than the first film - is making the viewer as disoriented as its protagonist. The story initially seems fairly straightforward - maybe even a little meandering - but by the middle of the second act, we’re increasingly unsure if what we’re witnessing is real or not, a tone the film maintains all the way through the climax. Along the way, there are effective set-pieces, some of which are disturbing, others laced with surprising black humor. It concludes with a final scene that’s both horrifying and hilarious (maybe even a little apocalyptic).

The movie could’ve used some trimming during the first hour, especially since Skye doesn’t always come across as a particularly sympathetic character (though Scott certainly goes all-in with a knock-out performance). Still, Smile 2 ends up being a fun sequel with a nasty mean streak. The concept may be familiar, but hasn’t worn out its welcome quite yet.

Smile 2 looks and sounds great in 4K UHD, with a detailed overall image that makes for a pretty immersive experience. I was especially impressed with Dolby Atmos audio track, which has remarkably good balance. The SteelBook packaging features a clever design that creatively reflects the film’s themes and tone.

EXTRA KIBBLES

4K, BLU-RAY & DIGITAL COPIES

FEATURETTES - Ear to Ear; The Rise and Fall of Skye Riley; Behind the Music; A New Smile; Smiler: A New Monster; Turn That Frown Upside Down; Show Me Your Teeth. These segments run approximately 5 minutes each and feature interviews with cast & crew, as well as some behind-the-scenes footage.

AUDIO COMMENTARY - By writer/director Parker Finn

DELETED/EXTENDED SCENES

RUNAWAY TRAIN: Existential Disaster

RUNAWAY TRAIN (1985)

Starring Jon Voight, Eric Roberts, Rebecca De Mornay, John P. Ryan, Kyle T. Heffner, T.K. Carter, Kenneth McMillan. Directed by Andei Konchalovsky. 110 min.

Essay by D.M. ANDERSON💀

If this were made a decade earlier, some stoic stud like Charlton Heston would be airdropped onto the train in order to save an all-star supporting cast from certain death. There’d probably be an Oscar-baiting song thrown in there somewhere, too.

But Runaway Train isn’t a traditional disaster film. It’s adapted from an unproduced screenplay by none other than Akira Kurosawa, who conceived the project in the 1960s but later gave up trying to get it made. Exactly how much of his original vision remains in the final film is questionable, but if there is such a thing as an existential disaster movie, Runaway Train fits the bill. 

Jon Voight plays Oscar "Manny" Manheim, a career convict who manages to escape from an Alaska maximum security prison with dumbell boxer Buck McGeehy (Eric Roberts) in tow. The two hop aboard the second engine of a freight train, but after the conductor suffers a heart attack and dies, they become helpless passengers as it picks up speed. Also on-board is Sara (Rebecca De Mornay), a railroad worker who had fallen asleep in the second engine.

Those in charge at central dispatch, who come across as obnoxious, bumbling fools, fail to stop the train’s momentum (even attempting to derail it despite being aware people are on-board). Meanwhile, sadistic prison warden Rankin (John P. Ryan), obsessed with tracking and killing Manny, relentlessly pursues the train and doesn’t care who he has to step over (or sacrifice) to get there.

The film features some brilliantly-executed action sequences and stunts, including a couple of attempts to airdrop a man onto the engine from a helicopter (one of which fails spectacularly), as well as the lead locomotive plowing through the hapless caboose of another train that was unable to switch tracks in time. Scenes of the runaway speeding through the freezing, foreboding Alaskan tundra are not-only aesthetically beautiful, they tend to underscore the overall tone. 

When you forget your boarding pass, but still need to get to work on time.

Runaway Train is a dark and intense film that has more on its mind than destruction and spectacle. For much of the film, nearly every character is morally ambiguous at best. The one exception might be Sara, a hostage/ally who bridges the gap between Manny’s hardened cynicism and Buck’s brash naivete. Through these three, the story progresses from a standard action thriller to one which questions its main characters’ values and ideas of what freedom actually means.

However, the film isn’t without its drawbacks. There’s a lot of tremendous overacting on display, starting with its star. I know Voight earned an Oscar nomination for this (as did Roberts), but his performance borders on cartoonish and he often sounds like the Cowardly Lion from The Wizard of Oz (I half-expected him to raise his dukes and shout “Put ‘em uuup”). As antagonist Warden Rankin, Ryan is strictly one-note, perpetually grinning behind a dastardly mustache that evokes memories of Snidely Whiplash. Elsewhere, everyone at central dispatch practically scream all their dialogue.

Speaking of which…while the dialogue is frequently thought provoking, it’s just-as-often really clunky, such as early scenes that could’ve been lifted from damn near any prison film from 1940s (updated with f-bombs and stick-it-to-the-man attaboys for Manny, who’s beloved by every inmate). Later, Manny’s lecture to Buck about reality for prison escapees  - cleaning toilets for a living - quickly escalates into comedy gold, exacerbated by Voight’s bug-eyed pantomiming.

Conversely though, Roberts is actually really good in his role, which might be a surprise to those who only know him from his later bargain bin debacles. But back in ‘85, he was still flirting with respectability, maybe even stardom. He effectively embodies Buck, who is, by turns, stupid, offensive, pathetic, heroic, and in the end, the most likable guy in the movie. It takes a hell of a lot of skill to pull that off.

In addition to Oscar nods, Runaway Train was critically well received, but bombed at the box office and has largely been forgotten. Perhaps it was too thematically ambitious for moviegoers expecting another action-packed ‘80s crowd pleaser. Too bad, really, because it’s one of those films that sticks with you after the end-credits roll. The haunting final scene is narratively perfect, suggesting there’s victory (and freedom) in death when it’s on your own terms, which is probably one of the aspects of Kurosawa’s original screenplay that remains intact.

THE POOP SCOOP: Classic & New Classics

AMADEUS on 4K Ultra HD February 25, 2025 from Warner Bros Discovery.

Celebrating the 40th anniversary of the epic historical film’s 8 Academy Awards,  Amadeus, from acclaimed director Milos Forman (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest), will be available for the first time Digitally in 4K Ultra HD and on 4K UHD Blu-ray Disc on February 25. One of the most celebrated films in cinematic history, the theatrical version of Amadeus will be available to purchase on Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc online and in-store at major retailers and available Digitally from Amazon Prime Video, AppleTV, Fandango at Home and more. The film is based on the play Amadeus by Shaffer and Mozart and Salieri by Alexander Pushkin. Amadeus was produced by three-time Academy Award winner and Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award recipient Saul Zaentz. It received eleven Academy Award nominations and won eight Oscars - Best Picture, Best Directing Best Actor (F. Murray Abraham), Best Screenplay based on Material from Another Medium, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup, and Best Sound. In 2019, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” The restoration and mastering of the Amadeus original theatrical cut was completed by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences with the participation of Paul Zaentz.

🎅RED ONE on 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD March 4 from Warner Bros Discovery.

Director Jake Kasdan’s (Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, Bad Teacher) Christmas action-adventure comedy Red One, from Metro-Goldwyn Mayer Pictures, will be available for purchase on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD on March 4, 2025. Red One stars Dwayne Johnson (the Fast & Furious franchise), Chris Evans (Captain America in the Marvel Cinematic Universe), Lucy Liu (Charlie’s Angels, Kill Bill), Kiernan Shipka (Twisters), Bonnie Hunt (Jerry Maguire), Kristofer Hivju (TV’s Game of Thrones), Nick Kroll (Get Him to The Greek), Wesley Kimmel, and Academy Award winner J.K. Simmons (Whiplash) as Santa Claus. In the film, Santa Claus – Code Name: RED ONE – is kidnapped, the North Pole’s Head of Security (Dwayne Johnson) must team up with the world’s most infamous bounty hunter (Chris Evans) in a globe-trotting, action-packed mission to save Christmas. 

😺ANORA on 4K, Blu-ray and DVD on January 21, 2025 from Criterion Collection.

Contemporary cinema’s foremost chronicler of American dreamers and schemers hustling on the margins of capitalist promise, Sean Baker, reaches new heights of mastery with this audacious anti–Cinderella story—a whirlwind neorealist screwball comedy with an aching heart. In an electric, star-is-born performance, Mikey Madison soars as Anora, an enterprising, ferociously foulmouthed Brooklyn erotic dancer and sex worker whose Prince Not-So-Charming comes along in the form of a Russian oligarch’s wild-child son (Mark Eydelshteyn). This is the beginning of a fractured fairy tale—also featuring standout performances from Karren Karagulian, Yura Borisov, and Vache Tovmasyan—that turns the cruel realities of class inside out. Winner of the Palme d’Or at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, Anora confirms Baker as one of our preeminent auteurs.

😺THE THIRD MAN 4K SteelBook Coming February 25 from Lionsgate.

Widely regarded as the greatest British film of all time, and making its 4K debut, director Carol Reed's noir The Third Man, brilliantly scripted by Graham Greene – and set to Anton Karas's evocative zither score – is a justly celebrated classic further enhanced by Orson Welles in one of his most iconic roles. After writer Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten) arrives in post-WWII Vienna to meet his old friend Harry Lime (the incomparable Welles), he discovers Lime has been killed in a suspicious accident. As the accident's witnesses disappear, the sardonic Major Calloway (Trevor Howard) and Lime's mistress, Anna Schmidt (Alida Valli), complicate Martins's search for answers regarding his friend's death. But will his relentless curiosity lead him to discoveries about Lime he'd rather not know? This release also comes with many bonus features, including a 56 page booklet, art cards and numerous featurettes.

😺A REAL PAIN on Digital NOW and Blu-Ray February 4th from Searchlight/Disney.

Mismatched cousins, David and Benji, reunite for a tour through Poland to honor their beloved grandmother. The adventure takes a turn when the pair's old tensions resurface against the backdrop of their family history. A Real Pain has been nominated for 4 Golden Globe Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor Jesse Eisenberg, Best Supporting Actor Kieran Culkin and Best Screenplay. The film won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year.

INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS in 4K...with Extra Goodies

INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS Limited Edition 

(Blu-ray)

2009 / 153 min

From Arrow Video

Review by Mr. Bonnie, the Basterd😺

In this writer’s humble opinion, Quentin Tarantino is our greatest living filmmaker, and Inglourious Basterds is his second greatest film. At this point, I can’t imagine him ever topping Pulp Fiction (which also just recently got a pretty elaborate 4K boxed set).

If you’re really interested in more of my gushing, you can read my review of Universal’s 4K edition HERE. Though that version came out only a few years ago, Arrow Video has just released their own 4K and Blu-ray editions. We were sent the Blu-ray edition for review, and to be honest, I didn’t notice any difference between this video/audio transfer and the previous one (which still means it’s pretty damn good).

Hans tastes Skittles for the first time.

However, this edition comes with a bunch of brand new supplemental materiel, the best being individual interviews with several Tarantino cohorts...make-up FX supervisor Greg Nicotero, actor Omar Doom and editor Fred Raskin, as well as one with film scholar Christine Leteux. Also included is a new audio commentary and a couple of lengthy visual essays related to the film. Additionally, nearly all of the bonus features from the Universal releases are carried over to this one. All that’s missing the New York Times’ Q&A session.

As usual with Arrow’s limited edition boxed sets, this one also comes with a lot of physical goodies, such as a mini poster, art cards, a strudel recipe and a 60-page booklet. So while Inglourious Basterds hasn’t gotten any technical upgrades (nor does it really need any), the substantial new bonus material and packaging make it worth picking up for fans who can’t get enough of the film...such as yours truly.

EXTRA KIBBLES

NOTE: Free Kittens Movie Guide was provided with a promo disc for review purposes. Physical supplemental material included with the final product (booklets, artwork, inserts, etc) were not available for review.

NEW INTERVIEWS - What Would Sally Do? features frequent QT editor Fred Raskin, who discusses how his career got started, his work with QT and working under the late Sally Menke (who was the actual editor of Inglourious Basterds); Blood Fiction is an interview with make-up supervisor Greg Nicotero, who has worked on every Tarantino film and goes into a lot of details on the make-up effects in this one; Doomstruck features actor/musician Omar Doom, who plays one of the Basterds; Filmmaking in Occupied France is an interview with film scholar Christine Leteux.

VISUAL ESSAYS - 2 new visual essays are included. In Making it Right, critic Walter Chaw discusses themes of kindness in Tarantino’s films, which isn’t quite the stretch it seems; Film History on Fire features author Pamela Hutchinson, you mostly focuses on the recurring themes and imagery of films within the film.

AUDIO COMMENTARY - New audio commentary by author/critic Tim Lucas. 

ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION - The best of the bonus features, Quentin Tarantino and Brad Pitt talk with moderator Elvis Mitchell.

“NATION’S PRIDE” - The Eli Roth-directed short that served as the film shown in the French cinema during the final act.

FEATURETTES - “The Making of ‘Nation’s Pride’”; “The Original Inglorious Bastards” (a tribute to the film - and its director - that inspired the title); “A Conversation with Rod Taylor” (Taylor played Churchill in the film); “Rod Taylor on Victoria Bitters” (an amusing anecdote); “Hi Sallys” (something of a running gag during Tarantino shoots, in reference to editor Sally Menke); “Quentin Tarantino’s Camera Angel” (the director’s amusing clapboard operator).

DELETED/EXTENDED SCENES

IMAGE GALLERY - Instead of the usual gallery of one-sheets and stills, this one features poster artwork actually used in the film, narrated by Elvis Mitchell.

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