KITTEN KATNIP: The Best Stuff We Reviewed in 2024

We reviewed a slew of Blu-rays, DVDs and movies in 2024. Time to take a look back at the best of them. While we have seen more movies than the Surgeon General recommends, our list consists strictly of titles which were sent to us for review purposes.

PURR-R-R...THE BEST: We reviewed some good stuff this year, but the following titles were better than taunting a mouse to death:

10) CUCKOO (Decal Releasing) - Cuckoo is a crazy film, and the less you know going in, the more fun you’re likely to have. It benefits from writer-director Tilman Singer’s creepy stylistic touches and disorienting sequences of hallucinatory psychological horror. He never spoonfeeds the audience, instead inviting us to come along for the ride, even if we’re never sure of the destination.

9) DUNE: PART TWO (Warner Bros) - While their overall visual and sonic grandeur is certainly diminished at home, watching Parts One & Two back-to-back on the sofa becomes immersive in a different way. It's a sprawling, complex story that may not always display a lot of heart, but is consistently engaging enough to justify two films and an epic overall length.

8) A QUIET PLACE: DAY ONE (Paramount) - Though presented on a grander scale than the first two films, A Quiet Place: Part One is ultimately a personal journey, the smaller moments nicely contrasting all the monster mayhem. Exciting, intense and often touching, it’s more that just another cash-grabbing prequel.

7) THE CHILDE (Well Go USA) - The film is mostly an extended pursuit filled with car chases, guns and bloody, close-quarters fighting, but also has an intriguing plot with plenty of surprises and a tone similar to a Tarantino film. Another winner by director Park Hoon-jung, The Childe wins no awards for plausibility, but it’s the best action movie of 2023.

6) DRIVING MADELEINE (Cohen Media Group) - Driving Madeleine takes the viewer on an entertaining - often revealing - personal journey of two wonderfully realized characters. With a perceptive screenplay, fluid direction by Christian Carion and affecting performances (including Alice Isaaz as young Madeleine), this is an emotional ride worth taking.

5) ACT OF VIOLENCE (Warner Archive) - Running a lean 82 minutes, the film hits the ground running and doesn't slow down, seldom straying from the dark tone established in the very first scene. Featuring tight direction by Fred Zinnemann and aided to a great degree by Robert Surtees’ moody cinematography, Act of Violence is an underseen film noir gem.

4) INTERSTELLAR and PULP FICTION Anniversary Editions (Paramount) - In this writer’s opinion, Interstellar is one of the best films of the 21st Century and among the greatest sci-fi films ever made. For those who feel the same way, the 10th Anniversary Limited Edition is a perfect souvenir. The 30th Anniversary Limited Edition of Pulp Fiction is a wonderfully packaged boxed set intended for those who love everything about the Tarantino classic. A great souvenir commemorating one of modern cinema’s best, most influential films.

3) NORTH BY NORTHWEST 4K (Warner Bros) - This undisputable classic remains as suspenseful, intriguing and funny as it was 65 years ago. On 4K, it has never looked better, and in addition to a big batch of vintage bonus features, a couple of new ones are included. North by Northwest is Alfred Hitchcock’s greatest overall film and remains essential viewing for anyone claiming to be a cinephile.

2) CHINATOWN 4K and ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST 4K (Paramount) - The Paramount Presents series has been getting better and better lately, especially their 4K releases. Chinatown includes new bonus features along with a substantial list of supplemental material carried over from previous Blu-ray/DVD editions. But the cherry-on-top is the Blu-ray debut of The Two Jakes, the belated and maligned sequel. Once Upon a Time in the West is another long-overdue 4K release and a decent upgrade from previous editions. It includes substantial bonus features, a new audio commentary and a brief appreciation by critic Leonard Maltin

1) ALL THE HAUNTS BE OURS, VOLUME II (Severin Films) - Like Volume One, All the Haunts Be Ours Volume Two isn’t for everyone, but for folk horror lovers who've always defined the genre by the likes of The Wicker Man and Midsommar, it's a treasure trove of obscurities. In terms of quantity, comprehensiveness and presentation, this is the best boxed set of the year.

HONORABLE MENTION: They Drive by Night (Warner Archive), The Mexico Trilogy (Arrow), Strange Darling (Decal), Paramount Scares Volume 2 4K (Paramount), Cruel Jaws - The Novelization (Encyclopacalypse), The Lady from Shanghai 4K (Sony), Monkey Man 4K (Universal), American Fiction (Warner Bros), The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (Lionsgate), The First Omen (20th Century Studios), Cemetery Man 4K (Severin), The Beekeeper (Warner Bros), Fear is the Key (Arrow); The Searchers 4K (Warner Archive).

Be sure to check out THE WORST STUFF WE REVIEWED IN 2024.

THE BAY: The Creepy Crawly Disaster Movie

THE BAY (2012)

Starring Kether Donohue, Kristen Connelly, Will Rogers, Stephen Kunken, Frank Deal, Michael Beasley. Directed by Barry Levinson. (85 min)

Essay by D.M. Anderson💀

I’m generally not a fan of found footage films. 

For the sake of clarification, these are films where the actors themselves appear to do most of the work, documenting the story as it’s happening with hand-held video cameras. They are cheap to make and easy to market, as The Blair Witch Project demonstrated back in 1999. Though not the first found footage film - the deplorable Cannibal Holocaust might hold that distinction - it was the first that became a blockbuster, aided in no-small-part by an ingenious viral marketing campaign that suggested it was a true story (duping legions of Drano-drinking doorknobs).

The film's success obviously convinced scores of other would-be filmmakers to do the same thing and we’ve been inundated by found footage flicks ever since, the most successful being Paranormal Activity, which was cheaper than Blair Witch and made even more money. A few major studios have since jumped on the bandwagon as well. Cloverfield had 60-times the budget of Blair Witch, but was still a relative bargain compared to, say, Transformers.

Movies made in this style are hard for me to view with an open mind, mainly because what was once a fairly novel idea has been run into the ground (especially in the horror genre). Additionally, I automatically assume using found footage is more of an economic decision than a creative one. Most of the time, it’s a lazy and distracting way to get things done cheaply. But there have been some good ones. Cloverfield, As Above So Below, The Borderlands and Apollo 18 immediately come-to-mind (though admittedly, I’m in the minority on that last one). 

There has even been a great one, directed by the last guy you’d expect to make a horror film, let-alone utilizing found footage. Barry Levinson is best known for such classics as Diner, The Natural, Rain Man and Good Morning Vietnam. But in 2012, he cranked out The Bay, a disturbing, timely and really gruesome ecological disaster film where the use of found footage adds a sense of urgency to its story that would have been missing otherwise.

The least popular item on Long John Silver's menu.

After a brief prologue, most of the film consists of footage assembled by a rookie reporter, Donna Thompson (Kether Donohue), who is at a small town on Chesapeake Bay to cover the 4th of July celebration. Instead, people start vomiting blood and bleeding out before dying horribly. They turn out to be mutated isopods that have proliferated in the bay and gotten into the town’s water supply, the result of a local processing plant dumping chicken waste into the water. Worse yet, the CDC is at a loss over what to do about it.

The film’s body horror elements are really unnerving because, despite a premise that sounds pretty outrageous on paper, it presents the idea of being eaten alive from the inside out as something plausible. And as vividly depicted here, it’s hard to imagine a nastier way to die. Because it’s presented as a guerrilla style documentary, The Bay never feels like a horror story or science fiction, which renders the whole thing more disturbing.

As to be expected, cautionary themes run throughout the film, such as humankind’s shortsightedness and none-too-subtle commentary on authority figures ignoring the problem until it’s too late (the mayor in this film makes Mayor Vaughn in Jaws look like a pillar of intelligence). Not for the squeamish or anyone who gets the heebie-jeebies from creepy-crawlies, The Bay is an excellent horror-disaster film that gets under your skin…and one of the few examples of found footage done right.

THE POOP SCOOP: More New Years Kibbles

😺GLADIATOR II debuts on Digital December 24th and on 4K Ultra HD & Blu-ray March 4, 2025 from Paramount

Director Ridley Scott’s action-packed epic GLADIATOR II continues to thrill audiences around the world, having already earned over $416 million at the global box office.  Fans will be able to relive the astonishing spectacle at home—along with a wealth of behind-the-scenes bonus content—when it arrives to purchase on Digital December 24, 2024, followed by a physical release on March 4, from Paramount Home Entertainment. Fans who purchase the film on Digital* or 4K Ultra HD will have access to over 100 minutes of fascinating behind-the-scenes footage and interviews.  Discover the epic journey of the highly anticipated film as the cast and filmmakers share their personal experiences.  Explore some of the exotic filming locations, including Malta and Morocco, and see the extraordinary sets that brought the Roman Empire back to life.  Plus, enter the arena to find out how carefully choreographed combat and visual effects combined to deliver mind-blowing battles on a truly epic scale.

😺THE SUBSTANCE on 4K, Blu-ray and DVD on January 21, 2025 from Mubi.

Have you ever dreamt of a better version of yourself? You've got to try this new product: The Substance. IT CHANGED MY LIFE. One of 2024’s biggest - and ickiest - sleeper hits is coming to 4K, Blu-ray and DVD in January. Written & directed by Coralie Fareat and starring Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley, & Dennis Quaid, The Substance is a satiric body horror film about a fading actress who’s willing to go to extreme lengths to regain her youthful beauty, which involves using an experimental new drug. However, the side effects are dire…and must be seen to be believed. The Substance currently has 88% Rotten Tomatoes score and is certain to become a body horror classic.

😺CONSTANTINE on 4K UHD February 18, 2025 from Warner Bros Discovery.

Celebrating the 20th anniversary of the fan-favorite superhero thriller Constantine, the 2005 film will be available for purchase Digitally in 4K Ultra HD and on 4K UHD Blu-ray Disc on February 18. Featuring an all-star cast led by Keanu Reeves, the film marks the directorial debut of Francis Lawrence.  The newly remastered film will also include new bonus content featuring Keanu Reeves and Francis Lawrence reflecting on the making of the film 20 years later. Based on the DC Comics/Vertigo “Hellblazer” graphic novels and written by Kevin Brodbin and Frank Cappello, Constantine tells the story of John Constantine (Keanu Reeves), a man who has literally been to hell and back.  When he teams up with skeptical policewoman Angela Dodson (Rachel Weisz) to solve the mysterious suicide of her twin sister, their investigation takes them through the world of demons and angels that exists just beneath the landscape of contemporary Los Angeles.  Caught in a catastrophic series of otherworldly events, the two become inextricably involved and seek to find their own peace at whatever cost.

😺MY NAME IS ALFRED HITCHCOCK on Blu-ray & DVD January 14th, 2025 from Cohen Media Group.

A century after Alfred Hitchcock’s first film, he remains one of the most influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. But how does his vast body of work and legacy hold up in today’s society? Mark Cousins, the award-winning filmmaker behind The Story of Film: An Odyssey, The Eyes of Orson Welles, and The Storms of Jeremy Thomas, tackles this question and looks at the auteur with a new and radical approach: through the use of his own voice. As Hitchcock rewatches his films, we are taken on an odyssey through his vast career - his vivid silent films, the legendary films of the 1950s and 60s and his later works - in playful and revealing ways.

😺THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE WAR OF THE ROHIRRIM on Digital December 27 from Warner Bros Discovery.

New Line Cinema’s original anime feature “The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim,” which returns audiences to the epic world brought to life in “The Lord of the Rings” Trilogy, based on the revered books by J.R.R. Tolkien, debuts Digitally at home on December 27. “The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim” continues the legendary “The Lord of the Rings” film franchise that debuted 23 years ago. Set 183 years before the events chronicled in the original trilogy of films, “The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim” tells the saga of the legendary House of Helm Hammerhand, the King of Rohan. When a clever and ruthless Dunlending lord attacks seeking vengeance for the death of his father, Helm’s daughter Héra must summon the will to lead the resistance or face total destruction. 

😺MORE UPCOMING KIBBLES THAT MAKE US PURR: Se7en 4K (1/7/25); Inglourious Basterds 4K Limited Edition (1/14/25); Kill Bill 1 & 2 4K (1/21/25); Jackie Brown 4K (1/21/25); Smile 2 (1/21/25); The Cell Limited Edition (1/21/25); Dario Argento’s Opera (1/28/25); Juror #2 (2/4/25); The Shining 4K Steelbook (2/4/25); Dante’s Peak 4K (2/11/25); Conclave (2/11/25); Cronos 4K (2/25/25); Hard Truths (2/25/25)

Remember HARD RAIN? Probably Not

HARD RAIN (1998)

Starring Christian Slater, Morgan Freeman, Minnie Driver, Randy Quaid, Betty White, Richard Dysart, Dann Florek, Mark Rolston, Michael Goorjian. Directed by Mikael Saloman. (96 min)

Essay by D.M. ANDERSON💀

Released in 1998, Hard Rain is slick hybrid of crime thriller and disaster film, the latter of which was enjoying a resurgence in popularity thanks to such high-concept blockbusters as Twister, Deep Impact and Titanic. It was largely dismissed by critics, but that’s nothing new. With notable exceptions, ‘disaster film’ and ‘great’ aren’t often used to the same sentence.

It was also ignored by audiences, perhaps because it was released in January, the typical major studio dumping ground where movies are sent to die. Besides, a little film called Titanic, released during the Christmas season a month earlier, was still tearing-up the box office with people lining up to see it more than once. Even if Hard Rain was a masterpiece (which it isn’t), the movie didn't stand a chance…and Christian Slater never made teenage girls swoon quite like Leonardo DiCaprio.

Hard Rain is largely forgotten today, which is sort of a shame because, while certainly no classic, it boasts a decent story, some interesting characters and special effects at-least on par with other big budget disaster films released around the same time.

Christian Slater plays Tom, an armored car trainee learning the ropes from his disgruntled uncle, Charlie (an amusingly gruff Ed Answer). They’re making a cash pickup in a small town, which is being evacuated due to rising flood waters and the danger of the nearby dam breaking. At the same time, a gang of four led by Jim (Morgan Freeman) try to rob the armored car. One of the gang, Kenny (Michael Goorjian), accidentally shoots and kills Charlie, but Tom escapes with the money.

Most disaster films immediately establish at-least one secondary character who’s not-only doomed from the start, you can’t wait to watch him die. That guy here is Kenny. He’s loud, obnoxious and such an epic dumbass that even Jim threatens to kill him. 

"Something touched my leg!"

Much of the movie is a game of cat & mouse, with Tom trying to stay one step ahead of the thieves as the water continues to rise. At one point, they’re even chasing him on jet-skis through the halls of an elementary school. After awhile, burnt out sheriff Mike Collig (Randy Quaid) decides he’s had enough of his thankless job and wants the money too. Now the primary antagonist, Mike coerces his two deputies and dam operator Hank to hunt down Tom and Jim. Naturally, this means Hank abandons his post at the dam. Naturally, this ends up being a monumentally shitty idea.

Minnie Driver is also on-hand as an artist who gets caught up in the melee. Somewhat refreshingly, her character doesn’t entirely exist just to be put in peril, saving Jim from drowning in a jail cell. Nor is she a gratuitous love interest, sparing us from yet-another romantic subplot. Elsewhere, Betty White steals a few scenes as Doreen, a perpetually bitchy local who berates damn near everybody, including henpecked husband Henry (Richard Dysart). It’s a hilarious, scenery-chewing performance similar to her role in Lake Placid (minus all the uproarious expletives).

Unmanned and unable to hold back the rising water any longer, the damn gives-way during the climax, pretty-much wasting what’s left of the town. By this time, Jim and Tom have become reluctant allies as they clash with Mike’s crew while trying to survive the deadly flash flood. Hard Rain features (mostly) convincing visuals and some impressive action sequences, particularly during a violent gunfight inside a flooded church. 

The film is fairly predictable and features a few lapses in plausibility…maybe more than a few. Still, it’s enjoyable in the moment and boasts a solid cast who brave soaking wet conditions to deliver good overall performances. Mostly ignored during its theatrical release, Hard Rain may not stimulate the intellect, but it serves up enough action and torrential destruction to make it worth seeking out.

Cary Grant is THE TALK OF THE TOWN in 4K

THE TALK OF THE TOWN (4K UHD)

1942 / 117 min

From Sony

Available at www.MovieZyng.com

Review by Mr. Paws😺

Leopold Dilg (Cary Grant) is an outspoken political activist accused of burning down the paper mill where he works, which resulted in a death. During the trial, he manages to escape - injuring himself in the process - and takes refuge in a house owned by Nora Shelley (Jean Arthur). 

Though they’re old friends, she wants no part of harboring a fugitive, especially since she’s renting the place to famous law professor Michael Lightcap (Ronald Colman), who wants some peace and quiet to write his book. This situation is made more complicated when he actually arrives a day early, just minutes after Leopold. So Nora stashes Leopold in the attic.

The trial and escape are big news around town, with most people (including the local police and an inept judge) already convinced Dilg is guilty. As the manhunt continues, Leopold’s lawyer, Sam Yates (Edgar Buchanan), feels Michael could greatly help in the case, but Michael wants to remain neutral, especially since he’s up for a seat on the supreme court. However, Sam and Nora - offering her services as a secretary - work on wearing him down.

Michael eventually meets Leopold, but doesn’t know who he really is, told by Nora he’s Joseph the gardener. However, they strike up a friendship based on their philosophies regarding the law, having numerous spirited discussions on the subject over meals and chess. The story has a romantic angle, too. Leopold has always had a crush on Nora, while Michael grows increasingly enamored with her. When Michael finally realizes Joseph is really the fugitive everyone’s looking for, he plans adhere to the law and turn him in, despite their friendship. However, Leopold knocks him out and escapes. After being admonished by Nora, Michael decides to investigate the details behind the case, uncovering a conspiracy to set-up Leopold, framing him for the mill fire. 

"Checkmate, my friend. Now how 'bout a little Hungry Hungry Hippos."

The Talk of the Town takes an entertaining narrative path, kicking things off as a thriller with film noir touches before evolving into a light comedy with romantic flourishes. Finally, it evolves into a procedural as Michael attempts to solve the mystery - and motive - behind the crime. For the most part, it’s an enjoyable journey. Grant’s role, and much of his dialogue, seem tailor-made for him, so while he ain’t exactly stretching himself here, it’s an enjoyable performance. Colman makes an interesting foil, his character undergoing the most change throughout the story. As Nora, Arthur is initially kind-of irritating, but the more she gets involved, the more endearing she becomes.

While never uproarious, The Talk of the Town largely achieves a congenial comic tone, with director George Stevens maintaining a lively pace. I don’t know if I’d rank it among his greatest films, but it was nominated for a lot of Oscars. Though it didn’t win any, a strong argument can be made that its witty, sometimes thought-provoking screenplay deserved a trophy. 

Over eight decades later, The Talk of the Town film holds up pretty well. It’s an intelligent and engaging dramatic comedy, given a considerable boost by its trio of lead actors. Somewhat perplexingly, this 4K UHD disc is the first time the film has been re-issued since the DVD 20 years ago, foregoing any kind of Blu-ray release. While that might be sad news for some, it does look and sound quite good in high definition.

EXTRA KIBBLES

FEATURETTE - Talking About Talk of the Town features the director’s son, George Stevens Jr., discussing his father’s career, particularly his collaborations with Cary Grant.

AUDIO COMMENTARY - By author Marilyn Ann Moss.

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JOKER: FOLIE Á DEUX: Expectations Be Damned

JOKER: FOLIE Á DEUX (Blu-ray)

2024 / 138 min

From Warner Bros.

#InPartnershipwithWB

Review by Mr. Bonnie, the Bad Guy😼

If nothing else, we gotta give director/co-writer Todd Phillips props for displaying some epic bravery. The prudent, less financially risky move would’ve been to assemble a follow-up that simply delivered more of what made Joker such a massive hit, even if its characters, story and themes wouldn’t be quite as fresh (like most sequels). Conversely, and somewhat notoriously at this point, Joker: Folie á Deux defiantly flies in the face of expectations…for better or worse.

It begins brilliantly, with an animated opening prologue that not-only evokes classic Looney Tunes, it effectively foreshadows the film’s driving theme, that Arthur Fleck/Joker (Joaquin Phoenix) suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder, which caused him to murder five people in the first film (six, if you include his mother). That’s the defense his beleaguered attorney plans to use in Fleck’s trial, which comprises a majority of the story and one of the major reasons this film falls short (for some viewers, way short) of the original. I think the last thing viewers expected (or wanted) was for Joker to be stuck in a courtroom for half the film.

The other half is Fleck’s relationship with Harleen Quinzel (Lady Gaga), whom he meets while incarcerated at Arkham State Hospital. This budding romance is built on her obsession with Joker, not Fleck himself. As the defacto antagonist, she’s the catalyst for Fleck to re-embrace his Joker identity in court. Much of their relationship is depicted through musical numbers, with the two main characters performing old standards, sometimes accompanied by elaborate choreography and production design. Cemented by strong performances from Phoenix and Gaga, this is the most intriguing aspect of the entire film.

"Shoulda paid for that bagel, Fleck."

I know many balked at the idea of Joker: Folie á Deux being a musical, but it seldom comes across as a cheap novelty. Without forsaking the dark tone, the segments serve an important narrative purpose, especially with regard to Fleck’s delusional view of the world and, more importantly, Quinzel’s true nature. Some of these numbers, such as one which recalls old TV variety shows like Sonny & Cher, are actually quite creative. Admittedly, the song & dance grows a little tiresome after awhile, but that isn’t the biggest issue…

Narratively, not a hell of a lot actually happens over 138 minutes. The courtroom scenes move from point A to B, mostly just recapping events from Joker before the inevitable verdict. Other conflicts, notably those involving Fleck and sadistic prison guard Jackie Sullivan (Brendan Gleeson), are given ample screen time but never resolved. Even most of the sympathy/empathy we’ve developed for the titular character stems from how he was presented in the original film. For a large portion of this one, he’s just along for the ride, which culminates in an unnecessarily dour conclusion.

Still, Joker: Folie á Deux does maintain interest, if for no other reason than the brave attempt to try something different with a sequel, expectations be damned. There’s something admirable about that approach, though I can certainly understand why some people hated it. 

EXTRA KIBBLES

EVERYTHING MUST GO - This is a multi-chapter behind-the-scenes chronicle of the production, featuring plenty of interviews with the cast and crew.

FEATURETTES - The Character of Music is about the musical set-pieces; Crafted with Class covers set design; Colors of Madness focuses of the varying uses of color; Live! With Joker showcases the opening animated sequence (created by The Triplets of Belleville director, Sylvain Chomet.

DIGITAL COPY