Revisiting HOWARDS END in 4K

HOWARDS END (4K UHD)

1992 / 142 min

Cohen Media Group

Reluctantly reviewed by D.M. Anderson😸

I saw Howards End back in the day. To be honest, this kind of stuff ain’t exactly in my wheelhouse, but it was up for a slew of Oscars and I always enjoy catching as many of the nominees as possible. The film was more entertaining than I expected - quite a bit more, actually - and if it weren’t for the Academy turning that year’s Oscar night into a belated Clint Eastwood love-fest, I suspect this would’ve nabbed more statues than it actually did.

Still, I’ve never felt compelled to revisit Howards End again, or any other Merchant Ivory movie, for that matter. When it comes to period dramas, once is generally enough, even for the good ones. Perhaps I’d change my tune if an occasional car chase or dinosaur attack were thrown in. 

So when the 4K UHD remaster of Howards End arrived, I hailed the rest of the Free Kittens staff: “Here, kitties! Howards End is here! Who’s up for a classic Edwardian drama about contrasting class cultures? Kitty-kitty-kitty!” Grabbing their treat bag, I shook it loudly. “I’ll throw in some snacks. Pepper! Bonnie! Stinky, I know you’re a big Anthony Hopkins fan, and I promise you’ll like it better than Solace!” 

Crickets. *sigh*

Looks like I’m revisiting Howards End, after all. That’s okay…it could be a lot worse (like rewatching Solace). And again, it isn’t that I don’t like Howards End. So I’ll get to it right after this Donnie Yen action flick I need to review…and maybe also that Australian shark movie that arrived yesterday. After all, it’s Friday, so I have all night.

When the Wifi goes down.

The next day:

You know what? I’d forgotten most of this movie in the 30+ years since I last watched it. More specifically, I’d forgotten how aesthetically gorgeous it is, so if nothing else, Long-time Merchant Ivory cohort Tony Pierce-Roberts’ cinematography really shines with this 4K disc, which is apparently remastered in its original aspect ratio (2.39:1) for the first time. For purists, that’s probably a big plus. This one also features two audio options DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and 2.0. Both sound really good, though the former is superior, especially with regard to Richard Robbins’ lush score.

Elsewhere, the performances carry the movie. Even someone whose tastes don’t lean toward period drama has to concur that Emma Thompson deserved her Oscar for Best Actress. As Margaret Schlegel, she’s totally engaging. And like Stinky, I’m also a big Anthony Hopkins fan, and rewatching him here reminded me of how effectively he embodies his characters, whether he’s playing psychos, gentlemen or conservative jerks like Henry Wilcox (and he still instills Henry with a complexity that’s occasionally relatable). I won’t go so far as to say he was robbed of an Oscar (not even being nominated), but this another example of Hopkins’ ability to elevate any movie (well, maybe not Solace). Looks like Stinky missed out on another great performance.

One might think I’m the wrong guy to review a movie like this. Then again, I did enjoy revisiting it more than I thought I would, at least enough that it no longer felt like an obligation (slowly but surely, the story drew me in once again). So maybe that’s a testament to how well Howards End transcends its genre, kind like how my horror-hating wife got sucked into Train to Busan. But fans of the film should keep in-mind that this new 4K release is just a technical upgrade. There are no new bonus features. 

EXTRA KIBBLES (most of this is from the 2016 Cohen Media Blu-ray release)

4K & BLU-RAY COPIES

FEATURETTES - Returning to Howards End is a 20 minute conversation between director James Ivory and film curator Laurence Kardish; Interview with James Ivory and Vanessa Redgrave; Q&A with James Ivory takes place following a 2016 screening; Behind-the-Scenes is a featurette from 1992; James Ivory Remembers Ismail Merchant has the director recalling his longtime professional and personal partner; Building Howards End is the longest, and in many ways, the best of the bonus features; The Design of Howards End is about the costuming and production design.

AUDIO COMMENTARY - By critics Wade Major and Lael Lowenstein.

ORIGINAL AND RE-RELEASE TRAILER

2025 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

‘Tis the season, and the big day is coming soon! But there’s still time to pick up some delicious crunchy kibbles for that special cinephile in your litter. Check out some of the purr-fect presents in our 2025 Holiday Gift Guide. 

SCARFACE AND FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S: TWO EPIC 4K COLLECTOR’S EDITIONS. SCARFACE: THE ULTIMATE COLLECTOR’S EDITION - Relive Brian De Palma’s crime epic like never before with this newly remastered 4K edition packed with exclusive bonus features and collectible packaging—perfect for fans and collectors alike. FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S: THE ULTIMATE COLLECTOR’S EDITION - Experience the global horror hit in stunning 4K with brand-new extras, behind-the-scenes content, and limited-edition artwork just in time for the holidays. From Universal

BRING MAXINE AND PEARL HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS WITH THE X TRILOGY COLLECTOR’S EDITION. Nothing signifies one’s love for a particular movie or franchise like a big boxed set with great new artwork and physical supplements you simply can’t get digitally. The three films in this collection feature new audio commentaries, and the discs themselves are stored in a gatefold digipak, and along with it is a 64 page booklet loaded with great artwork inspired by the films. From A24 Films

MORE IN-STORE FROM A24! More gems from the world’s most eclectic independent studio. Surprise your kittens with such great recent titles as Warfare, Eddington and one of this years best horror films, Bring Her Back. And in our opinion, A24’s Blu-ray packaging is super cool. From A24 Films

CLASSIC 4K STOCKING STUFFERS FROM WARNER BROS DISCOVERY. Four classic titles – One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Lethal Weapon, Seven and the James Bond: Sean Connery 6-Film Collection - are being released for the first time on 4K Ultra HD and Digital. From Warner Bros.

GREAT NEW HORROR MOVIES FROM NEON. Steven Soderbergh’s Presence is a deliberately paced ghostfest with a haunting denouement. Together is a wild piece of body horror with great performanceS and a high “yuck” factor. Osgood Perkins (Longlegs) takes an unexpected turn into blood-drenched black comedy with The Monkey, based on the Stephen King story. From NEON

GET FESTIVE WITH FREDDY IN 4K. A Nightmare on Elm Street 7-Film Collection includes every film in the classic franchise, each newly remastered. It’s available as a standard set and, for those special kittens on your list, a more elaborate Amazon Exclusive SteelBook edition. From Warner Bros.

2 SPIELBERG CLASSICS IN 4K! Both Minority Report and Catch Me If You Can were remastered this year in 4K and the sparkling new transfers were reviewed and approved by Spielberg.  The films also will be presented with Dolby Vision and HDR-10 for optimal image quality.  The 4K Ultra HD and Limited-Edition SteelBook presentations will include the feature film on 4K Ultra HD, a Blu-ray with legacy bonus features, and access to a Digital copy of the film. Originally released in 2002, Minority Report was a global hit hailed as one of the best sci-fi films of the 21st century. Catch Me If You Can also premiered theatrically in 2002 and was a massive hit with both audiences and critics. From Paramount

CHRISTMAS CAN BE A DISASTER! Airport: The Complete 4-Film Collection features four newly remastered legendary films from an era when disaster movies ruled the box office, Airport, Airport 1975, Airport ‘77 and last & certainly least, The Concorde: Airport ‘79. It’s available in both Blu-ray and 4K editions. There’s more mountain moving mayhem with the long-awaited 4K release of Dante’s Peak, newly remastered and featuring a bevy of bonus features. From Kino Lorber

THE GRINCH TURNS 25. Just in time for the holidays, here’s a new 25th Anniversary 4K edition of How the Grinch Stole Christmas, directed by Ron Howard. This version includes an all new retrospective documentary, which is pretty good and features interviews with director Ron Howard, producer Brian Grazer, make-up artist Rick Baker and actor Taylor Momsen. From Universal

SUPER STOCKING STUFFERS! Treat that special kitty in your life (or yourself) to some of these new Blu-ray & 4K titles, all of which were reviewed this year by Free Kittens and earned our Paw of Approval!

THE LONG WALK and the Long Wait

THE LONG WALK (Blu-ray)

2025 / 108 min

Lionsgate

Review by Princess Pepper😸

As a Stephen King fan most of my life, I’ve been waiting for a movie adaptation of The Long Walk for nearly as long. But I’ve also learned to temper my expectations over the years, since there have been plenty of great King stories that ended up being disappointing (and sometimes terrible) films. 

That being said, it was still hard not to get revved up over this one. Not only did the film have a decades-long, on-again-off-again production history, it’s been my view that most of the best King adaptations have been those that are not based on one of his horror novels. Though frequently horrifying, The Long Walk is not a horror story, but often labeled as such because of the author’s reputation. 

Fortunately - and at long last - the film does not disappoint. As directed by Francis Lawrence from a screenplay by JT Mollner, The Long Walk is not-only the best film either of these guys have been involved with, it’s one of the better King adaptations of the past 20 years. Most importantly, this feels like Stephen King, not just because of its general faithfulness to the novel, but in the grim tone, anti-authoritarian themes prevalent in much of his work, and well-drawn cast of characters.

The basic story is simple: In an alternate dystopian America, one young man from each state is selected by lottery to participate in the titular event, an annual competition in which everyone commences walking and do not stop until only one remains. Anybody falling below three miles per hour is given three warnings to pick up the pace before being shot. Overseeing the event is The Major (Mark Hamill), an enigmatic symbol of the totalitarian regime the country has become since an unspecified war has rendered it into a permanent state of economic depression.

The walk itself comprises a majority of the narrative, presented from the point-of-view of its competitors, primarily Ray Garraty (Cooper Hoffman) and Pete McVries (David Jonsson), who quickly develop a close bond. Along the way, other participants are introduced, as well as their motivation in volunteering for a competition that’ll likely result in their deaths. For most of these characters, it’s the prize that awaits the winner…massive wealth and the granting of any single wish they want. But some others, like the main protagonists, have more esoteric reasons.

Worst. Parade. Ever.

The concept alone has always been morbidly compelling, which is vividly depicted onscreen. Not only is the film extremely violent, it becomes vicariously exhausting as the walk drags on for hundreds of miles and the attrition grows. But what makes it a truly harrowing journey is the assortment of engaging characters. As friendships develop and more is revealed about each of them (for better and worse) we become emotionally invested in their fates. This is especially true regarding Ray and Pete, whose relationship develops into brotherly love…even as they realize one or both of them are certain to die. Bolstered by strong performances from Hoffman and Jonsson, their brief friendship as endearing as Red and Andy’s in The Shawshank Redemption, or perhaps more accurately, Gordie and Chris’ in Stand by Me.

Though there’s occasional levity and inspirational moments, The Long Walk is relentlessly downbeat, exacerbated by the characters’ desperation and brutal death scenes that are sometimes tough to watch, as well as the hauntingly sparse rural landscape through which they’re walking. Speaking of which, the film’s production design is unusual for a dystopian film, with vehicles, signage and houses that appear lifted from the 1960s. At the same time, there’s technology shown that didn’t exist back then, so we’re never certain exactly when this story takes place. Such aesthetic ambiguity is a neat creative touch, and along with excellent cinematography, it keeps things visually interesting.

Then there’s that ending, which takes a significant detour from the original novel. It isn’t better or worse than what King came up with, but certainly unexpected and I suppose some fans of the book might balk at the new climax. Beyond that, however, The Long Walk is a beautifully bleak and brutal adaptation that stays true to the spirit of its source material. Some of us waited a long time for this one, but it was worth it.

EXTRA KIBBLES

EVER ONWARD: MAKING THE LONG WALK - This is an excellent 75 minute making of documentary with plenty of behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with most of the cast & crew.

TRAILERS

DIGITAL COPY

THE CONJURING: LAST RITES is a Victory Lap

THE CONJURING: LAST RITES (Blu-ray)

2025 / 135 min

Warner Bros

#InPartnershipwithWB

Review by Josey, the Sudden Cat🙀

I never believed for a second that Ed and Lorraine Warren would know a real demon if it walked up, introduced itself and showed them some I.D. Even if their hearts were in the right place - but most likely their wallets - this couple put the ‘con’ in conjuring. 

Still, it’s fun to believe, which the Conjuring franchise has always exploited very effectively, especially with the first two films. Whether or not we buy into the Warrens’ paranormal exploits, what separates these movies from others of their ilk is the great care taken in portraying the couple as likable, sympathetic, sincere and dedicated, to each other and their job. Even as the series began to suffer from the inevitable Law of Diminishing Returns, one thing that remained constant was our affection for the Warrens. 

That affection is more important than ever regarding The Conjuring: Last Rites, which is supposedly the final film in the franchise. It certainly plays like one, assembling a massive collection of tropes, jump-scares, visual effects and ominous signs we’ve long since grown familiar with. These elements may have lost their ability to be truly scary a couple of movies ago, but wouldn’t we miss them if they were absent? Instead of Last Rites, the film could’ve been subtitled Greatest Hits, especially with all the fan service alluding to previous films.

"I dunno, Ed...I can't shake the feeling we're being followed."

But it’s the Warrens (earnestly played once again by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) who keep Last Rites afloat. Director Michael Chaves and his team of screenwriters must have realized that as well, adding now-adult daughter Judy (Mia Tomlinson) as a primary character (and a pretty good one). Not only is her engagement to boyfriend Tony (Ben Hardy) a charming subplot, both of them end up being part of Mom & Dad’s efforts to save the Smurl family from demons unleashed from an old mirror. The movie needs them, too, since there’s almost no effort to make the Smurls much more than a plot device. You could say the same thing about the demons themselves, whose history and intentions are pretty murky.

As a capper to the phenomenally successful Conjuring franchise (yeah, we’ll see), Last Rites is sort of a victory lap. Save for a chilling sequence involving the fate of a kindly priest, the film doesn’t really serve-up anything new and the ultimate outcome is a given. But as a fond cinematic farewell to the beloved Warrens, it works quite nicely. Who cares if their actual legacy is dubious at best?

EXTRA KIBBLES

FEATURETTES - Last Rites: An Era Ends looks back at the whole franchise; The Conjuring: Crafting Scenes focuses on the film’s visuals; Michael Chaves: Believer features the film’s director.

DIGITAL COPY