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28 YEARS LATER: THE BONE TEMPLE (Blu-ray) - Picking up where last year’s 28 Years Later left off, The Bone Temple doesn’t simply continue the same story. Though Ralph Fiennes and Alfie Williams return in their roles, this one goes in a different narrative direction and introduces who might be the most menacing and hateful antagonist in the entire franchise, played with gleeful aplomb by Jack O’Connell. And while this is certainly the goriest chapter yet, it’s also the most emotionally affecting, largely due to Fiennes’ excellent performance. If nothing else, you haven’t lived until you’ve seen one of Britain’s most respected actors parading around as Satan while lip-synching Iron Maiden’s “The Number of the Beast.” A thrilling, brutal film, it also manages to be both heartwarming and heartbreaking. While the door is enticingly left open for a sequel, The Bone Temple’s underwhelming box office performance might have dashed those plans. If it does end up being the final film, at least the series ends on a high note. This Blu-ray release comes with some interesting behind-the-scenes featurettes, an audio commentary by director Nia DaCosta and (surprise!) a blooper reel. (2026/109 min/Sony).
KITTY CONSENSUS: 😼😼😼😼😼
ROBIN HOOD: PRINCE OF THIEVES Limited Edition (4H UHD) - How great was the late Alan Rickman? Sure, he was a big part of what made such films as Die Hard and Galaxy Quest modern classics, but the strongest testament to his talent might be his performance in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. For those who weren’t around back then, this film felt more like a corporate decision than a creative one, hastily assembled to capitalize on the tremendous audience goodwill afforded Kevin Costner after Dances with Wolves. Slickly assembled, Robin Hood boasts best production design and big-name cast money can buy, and even throws in the prerequisite Oscar-baiting power ballad. It made millions, of course, but 35 years later, Rickman’s scene-stealing, turbo-charged performance as the Sheriff of Nottingham remains the only memorable aspect of the entire film and the main reason for revisiting it today. This limited edition release from Arrow Video serves up good 4K UHD transfers of both the theatrical and extended cuts, as well as a big batch of bonus features, including a multipart documentary. (1991/143 min/Arrow Video).
KITTY CONSENSUS: 😺😺😺
SEND HELP (4K + Blu-ray) - While director Sam Raimi isn’t as prolific as most of us would like, he certainly brings his own unique panache to the films he does end up doing, even those where he’s essentially a director-for-hire. That being said, Send Help is his best film in years. This wildly constructed survivor thriller is chock-full of tension, black comedy, gruesome violence and relevant social commentary. It’s all built around a gonzo performance by Rachel McAdams, a socially awkward (and slightly looney) corporate employee to gets stranded on an island with her shallow, narcissistic boss (Dylan O’Brien) and uses the situation to turn the tables on him. The film runs a little longer than necessary, but it’s got a couple of nifty twists during the climax that we don’t see coming. This 4K/Blu-ray combo pack includes several making-of featurettes, a collection of bloopers and over an hour of deleted/extended scenes. (2026/113 min/20th Century Studios).
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