Evans Above

Pierre Coffin’s Minion & Monsters is the third film in the Minions prequel series, the seventh in the Despicable Me franchise, and the first one to have an ampersand in the title. It’s become a comfort food franchise in a way and the Minions are perfect stars: cute, subversive and highly marketable. This story is led by a new trio of Minions – James, Henry and Ed – who, like all Minions, search for a villain to serve when they stumble across a silent movie production. The director, Max (Christoph Waltz),. makes them stars, but when talkies hit, their days are over. James is a creative Minion and with the support of Henry and Ed he dreams up a monster movie. When they summon a real monster, Goomi (Trey Parker), it looks like he’ll help them. Or does he have other plans? The voice cast also includes Allison Janney, Jesse Eisenberg, Jeff Bridges, Zoey Deutch, Bobby Moynihan, and Phil LaMarr, while Coffin voices all the Minions. Universal has now released Minions & Monsters on 4K and I had a chance to take a look.

The 2160p HEVC / H.265 encoded upscaled 4K digital transfer with Dolby Vision and HDR10 is presented in a 2.39:1 aspect ratio. The computer animation has great detail from the characters to the backgrounds. The colour palette ranges from bright primaries to more muted tones. Black levels are nice and deep without any loss of detail in darker moments. The image is clean without any compression artifacts and the footage from the old movie footage inside the story has added film grain and scratches to complete the feeling.

On the audio side of things, we get an English Dolby Atmos soundtrack that folds back to Dolby TrueHD 7.1 as well as Spanish and French Dolby Digital Plus 7.1 tracks and an English Dolby Digital 2.0 audio descriptive track. Subtitles are available for English SDH, French and Spanish. The Atmos soundtrack uses the heights well to expand the soundscape, with the surrounds already do a good job of placing us inside the zany action. The low frequency effects give additional weight to action and monsters, while the score is powerful without taking away from anything else. Dialogue is clear in the mix.

The Minions & Monsters 4K comes with a Blu-ray copy and a digital code, though once again there’s no code for the Canadian release. There’s a nice selection of extras. In Minions Take on Hollywood, the artists at Illumination discuss creating the Old Hollywood setting. We get some behind-the-scenes looks at casting and sound, as well as tutorials on how to make monster slime, create a flipbook, and draw the characters.

The Minions & Monsters 4K has some fun elements we haven’t seen from previous Minions outings. Combined with excellent audio and video and some nice extras, fans of the franchise will enjoy adding this to their collection.

If you’re a fan of the sitcom Perfect Strangers, then it’s time to do the dance of joy as Warner Bros. has just released Perfect Strangers: The Complete Series on DVD. Perfect Strangers, which ran on ABC for eight seasons from 1986 to 1993, starred Mark Linn-Baker as Larry Appleton, a tightly-wound young man tasting his first bit of independence from his large Midwest family. Larry, who works in a second-hand shop and wants to be a photojournalist, has his solitude upended when Balki Bartokomous (Bronson Pinchot) arrives at his door. Balki is his distant cousin from a Mediterranean country called “Mypos” and while Larry is cynical, Balki is wide-eyed and naive, his views of the USA based on pop culture tropes and stereotypes. Larry reluctantly agrees to let Balki crash with him for a few days, which of course turns into eight seasons of comedy. Thanks to Warner Bros. and Allied Vaughn, I had a chance to look at the release. The WB likes disclaimers, so here goes: Though Warner Brothers provided me with a copy of this release to review, the thoughts and opinions below are mine.

The 1080p AVC encoded digital transfer is presented in the original 1.33:1 aspect ratio. As an aspect ratio purist, I’m glad they didn’t zoom in to make it a widescreen release. Perfect Strangers was shot on 35mm film, so Warner Bros. has been able to do an HD scan and provide us with this upgrade over the previous DVD releases. Though there’s some occasional softness, detail is far superior to the original standard definition broadcasts and DVD releases and there’s a nice film grain as well. Some establishing shots of exteriors don’t have the same detail, but the in-studio shots look very good. It’s the 1980s, so the colour palette is full of popping primaries that can sometimes verge on being a tad oversaturated.

On the audio side of things, we have an English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono track for seasons 1-4 and DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo for seasons 5-8. Subtitles are available for English SDH. The mix keeps the jokes well-placed in the mix, while musical cues are bright and dynamic.

The Perfect Strangers: The Complete Series Blu-ray spreads the 150 episodes over seventeen discs. There is no digital code. Sadly, there are no extras. It would have been nice to see a couple of interviews from Mark and Bronson. There is a list of episodes in the inside cover, which houses the flipping pages of spindles. The spindles aren’t actually attached to the box and the spindles are those four-prong affairs which seem to hang on to the discs for dear life.

Mark Linn-Baker and Bronson Pinchot have perfect chemistry. Whether they’re doing verbal or physical comedy their antics are bound to bring a smile to your face. I’m pleasantly surprised to see that Perfect Strangers got a Blu-ray upgrade and if you’re a fan of the series you’ll want to add this to your collection.

Vincent Sherman’s 1942 comedy-crime-spy thriller All Through the Night stars Humphrey Bogart, Conrad Veidt and Kaaren Verne. Bogart is Alfred “Gloves” Donahue, a big time gambler and former gangster. When his favourite baker doesn’t deliver the cheesecake he loves, he heads over to find him dead. How is a nightclub singer involved and what is her connection to a Nazi spy ring? Gloves and his ragtag crew will need to get to the bottom of this. The movie also stars a collection of Warner contract players including Peter Lorre, Frank McHugh, Jackie Gleason, Phil Silvers, Barton MacLane, and William Demarest. Warner Archive has now released a Blu-ray of the film and thanks to them and Allied Vaughn I had a chance to take a look. The WB likes disclaimers, so here goes: Though Warner Brothers provided me with a copy of this release to review, the thoughts and opinions below are mine.

The 1080p AVC encoded digital transfer is presented in a 1.37:1 aspect ratio. The transfer is done from a 4K scan of the original camera negative and at this point I may as well put “Warner Archive has done a great job with the restoration” as a keyboard shortcut to save time. Excellent detail in clothes, sets, and facial features. There’s a nice wide greyscale and deep blacks. The film grain is fine and natural and there’s nary a sign of any print damage.

On the the audio side of things, there’s an English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono soundtrack. Subtitles are available for English SDH. Dialogue is crystal clear and both Adolph Deutsch’s score and the sound effects are blended nicely in the mix. No age-related hiss, pops or clicks stood out to me.

The All Through the Night Blu-ray does not come with a digital code. We get an audio commentary by director Vincent Sherman and Bogart biographer Eric Lax. There’s a featurette on the character actors that populated this film and the WB lot. We also get Richard L. Bare’s first Joe McDoakes comedy short, “So You Want To Give Up Smoking”, which stars George O’Hanlon as the everyman who gets tossed in a variety of situations. To round out the extras, we get a Merrie Melodies cartoon short “Lights Fantastic”, a newsreel about a torpedoed tanker, and the theatrical trailer.

All Through the Night gives us Bogart in a comedy, surrounded by an excellent supporting cast and present with an excellent audio and video restoration. Recommended.

1958’s Auntie Mame, directed by Morton DaCosta., stars Rosalind Russell as Mame Dennis, an independent, free-thinking, flamboyant woman and host of some of the best parties in Manhattan. When she becomes the guardian of her orphaned nephew, Patrick, she wants to teach him to embrace life to the fullest even when she faces challenges. The cast also includes Forrest Tucker, Coral Browne, Peggy Cass, Jan Handzlik, Roger Smith, Fred Clark, Connie Gilchrist, and Yuki Shimoda. The comedy, based on the book and stage play, was nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Picture, Actress and Supporting Actress. Warner Archive has just released a 4K restoration of the movie and thanks to them and Allied Vaughn I was able to take a look. The WB likes disclaimers, so here goes: Though Warner Brothers provided me with a copy of this release to review, the thoughts and opinions below are mine.

The 2160p HEVC / H.265 encoded native 4K digital transfer with Dolby Vision and HDR10 is presented in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio. The team over at Warner Archive did the 4K transfer from a 12K scan of the Technirama camera negative. I’m going to be using a lot of superlatives right now, so have a seat. The image is beautiful with sharp detail from the costumes designed by Orry_Kelly to the Oscar-nominated Art Direction and Set Decoration by Malcolm Bert and George James Hopkins. The colour palette is stunning running the gamut from rich browns and greens to popping primaries. It has a fine film grain and no real sign of damage or scratches. I’m just going to get my jaw off the floor.

On the audio side of things, you have the choice of the original English mono track (presented here as DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono) for the purists and a newly mixed DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. This new track. Though still mostly focused on the front of the soundscape, it does allow for some dialogue and elements of Bronislau Kaper’s score to find themselves in the surrounds. Subtitles are available for English SDH.

The Auntie Mame 4K also comes with a copy of Warner Archive’s 2017 Blu-ray release. There is no digital code. Inside the case, you’ll find a small booklet with poster art and press clipping and info. On the disc, we get a new chat between TCM host Dave Karger and the only surviving cast member, Jan Handzlik, who played Patrick as a boy. They discuss his work on both the Broadway play and the film, the casting process, and other memories from the production. There’s also a before and after piece on the restoration, a theatrical trailer and a music only track.

The Auntie Mame 4K looks and sounds great and that’s an understatement. It’s also nice to see some new extras. Highly, highly recommended.

2026 marks the 75th anniversary of Raoul Walsh’s 1951 swashbuckler Captain Horatio Hornblower and Warner Archive has just released a new restoration of it on Blu-ray. Gregory Peck has the title role in a cast that includes Virginia Mayo, Robert Beatty, Terence Morgan, and James Robertson Justice. Set during the Napoleonic Wars, Hornblower commands a Royal Navy vessel on a secret mission to Central America to support a rebellion against France’s Spanish allies and their colonial authorities. Besides dealing with war and geopolitics, Hornblower must take on a female passenger (Mayo) and finds romance is added to the mix. Thanks to Warner Archive and Allied Vaughn, I had a chance to take a look at this release. The WB likes disclaimers, so here goes: Though Warner Brothers provided me with a copy of this release to review, the thoughts and opinions below are mine.

The 1080p AVC encoded digital transfer is presented in a 1.37:1 aspect ratio. The Blu-ray transfer is from a 4K scan of the original Technicolor nitrates. It’s just stunning. When you’ve only seen some of these movies decades ago on TV or on a DVD, you forget how good they look as you approach a quality equivalent to their original theatrical release with a fresh print. Details are everywhere, in the faces of Peck and his sailors, the uniforms, and the ship itself. The Technicolor palette is wide from the muted tones of the uniforms to the occasional popping primary and blue skies. Black levels are nice and deep.

On the audio side, we get an English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono soundtrack with English SDH subtitles. Dialogue is clear in the mix and both audio effects and Robert Farnon’s score add drama and adventure to the soundscape. 

The Captain Horatio Hornblower Blu-ray does not come with a digital code. As always, Warner Archive does give us a nice selection of extras. We get the 1954 Merrie Melodies short Captain Hareblower which pits Bugs Bunny against a pirate Yosemite Sam. There’s also the 1950 Oscar-nominated short documentary My Country ‘Tis of Thee, which gives a brief look at US history, a Lux Radio Theater broadcast of the story with Peck and Mayo, and the theatrical trailer.

The Captain Horatio Hornblower Blu-ray combines the dashing Gregory Peck and beautiful Virginia Mayo, adds a serving of swashbuckling adventure, a great audio and video presentation and a nice dose of bonus materials. Recommended. 

Paramount has released Enemy at the Gates as a 4K Steelbook to celebrate the film’s 25th anniversary. Directed, co-written and produced by Jean-Jacques Annaud, it follows a Russian sniper, Vasily (Jude Law), during the Battle of Stalingrad as he matches wits against the top German sniper (Ed Harris). Joseph Fiennes plays the Russian political officer tasked with using Vasily’s exploits to improve morale. The great cast also includes Rachel Weisz, Bob Hoskins, and Ron Perlman. I had a chance to take a look.

The 2160p HEVC / H.265 encoded native 4K digital transfer with Dolby Vision and HDR10 is presented in a 2.39:1 aspect ratio. The details are sharp, from the weathered faces of the soldiers to the fabrics of their uniforms and the battle-torn streets of Stalingrad. The colour palette is muted and cold. Black levels are deep and there’s no loss of detail in shadows and darker scenes. There s a pleasing film grain and no compression artifacts.

On the audio side of things, there’s a choice of an English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtrack, as well a French and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks and an English Descriptive Audio track. Subtitles are available for English SDH, French, and Spanish. Surrounds are mostly used for ambient effects, but when the action kicks up they immerse you in the scene. The low frequency effects give additional weight to artillery fire and explosions. Dialogue is clear in the mix, even at the height of battle.

The 25th Anniversary Limited Edition Steelbook of Enemy at the Gates also comes with a Blu-ray copy and a digital code. The extras are on the Blu-ray copy, and as those were brought over from a previous DVD release, they are in standard definition except for the theatrical trailer. We get a behind-the-scenes featurette that details the specific training the lead actors went through, a look at the characters and historical context, some deleted scenes and the trailer.

Enemy at the Gates provides a stark look at the Battle of Stalingrad. The Soviet Union’s fight against Hitler often gets overlooked in Western movies and media, a product of first the Cold War and then subsequent geopolitical tensions. The story can occasionally thud when we divert to the romantic subplot and the amount of historical inaccuracies is, to borrow a phrase from the military, above my pay grade. I cannot deny the excellent cast and look of the film nor how the audio and video presentations of the Enemy at the Gates 25th Anniversary Limited Edition 4K Steelbook is an upgrade from previous home entertainment releases. If you’re interested in the genre, then this is recommended.

Warner Archive have just released the Laurel and Hardy comedy Bonnie Scotland on Blu-ray and I couldn’t be happier. Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, the Three Stooges and Abbott and Costello were a big part of the Sunday Morning Funnies TV show that beamed across the border from Buffalo. My Dad and I would watch them each week and laugh our brains out. 1935’s Bonnie Scotland, directed by James W. Horne, sees the pair heading off to Scotland, where they unwittingly sign up for the Scottish Regiment and get shipped off to India. Their time in India sees them clashing with their stern Sergeant and a local terrorist threat. Thanks to Warner Archive and Allied Vaughn, I had a chance to take a look. The WB likes disclaimers, so here goes: Though Warner Brothers provided me with a copy of this release to review, the thoughts and opinions below are mine.

The 1080p AVC encoded digital transfer is presented in a 1.37:1 aspect ratio. The Blu-ray transfer is sourced from a 4K scan of the nitrate protection elements. I’m getting very used to the great job that Warner Archive does. The presentation has nice details and a wide range of greyscale between dark blacks and crisp whites. The feature presentation has been beautifully restored (compare it to some scratchy shots from the included trailer) and it’s head and shoulders above what I saw as a kid.

On the audio side of things, we get an English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono soundtrack. Subtitles are available for English SDH. Dialogue is clear and the sound effects that accompany their slapstick are nicely presented in the track as well. There’s no hiss or pops to speak of.

The Bonnie Scotland Blu-ray does not come with a digital code. As for extras, we get an audio commentary from Leonard Maltin and Richard W. Bann, who both have written and lectured about the duo. We also get scenes from the movies Hollywood Party (1934) and Pick a Star (1937) that featured Laurel and Hardy, as well as a theatrical trailer.

It’s great to see Warner Archive giving Bonnie Scotland a restored Blu-ray release. Fans of the legendary Laurel and Hardy will want to add this to their collection.

The fictional documentary crew that chronicled the lives of Dunder Mifflin in The Office now turn their cameras on the newsroom of the struggling local paper, the Toledo Truth Teller in The Paper. Produced by Greg Daniels and Michael Koman, The Paper stars Domhnall Gleeson as Ned Sampson, the new editor-in-chief who is tasked with reviving the publication while dealing with a quirky staff, many of whom think clickbait equals journalism. (So, a reverse Bari Weiss.) He’s joined in the cast by Sabrina Impacciatore,  Chelsea Frei, Melvin Gregg, Gbemisola Ikumelo, Alex Edelman, Ramona Young, Tim Key,  and Óscar Núñez who reprises his role from The Office. Universal has now released The Paper: Season One on Blu-ray and thanks to them and Allied Vaughn, I had a chance to take a look.

The 1080p AVC encoded digital transfer is presented in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio. The video presentation is sharp with good detail on faces, textiles and busy newsroom backgrounds and only the occasional softness. The ten episodes are spread over two discs, so there’s room to breathe with no compression artifacts. The show has a mostly muted, natural palette that befits its setting. Black levels are nice and deep.

The Paper: Season One comes with an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack. Though the surrounds occasionally get some usage for ambient sounds, this is a front heavy soundtrack. Dialogue is clear and centred. Subtitles are available for English SDH.

The Paper: Season One’s ten episodes are on two discs. The set does not include any extras or a digital code.

The Paper has been renewed for a second season and it will be interesting to see what happens in their sophomore year. If you’re a fan of the show, The Paper: Season One Blu-ray combines good audio and video and releases your from the whims of streaming services. 

Bud Yorkin’s 1970 period comedy Start the Revolution Without Me stars Gene Wilder and Donald Sutherland in the dual role of mismatched identical twins separated at birth. One set is raised as aristocrats, while the other set get the peasant life. It’s the start of the French Revolution and the aristocratic DeSisi brothers are tasked with protecting Louis XVI, while the dim-witted Coupé brothers are part of the angry mob trying to overthrow him. Mayhem ensues when the twins are mistaken for each other. The cast also includes Hugh Griffith, Jack MacGowran, Billie Whitelaw, Victor Spinetti, and Orson Welles as the narrator. Warner Archive has now released the movie on Blu-ray and thanks to them and Allied Vaughn, I had a chance to take a look. The WB likes disclaimers, so here goes: Though Warner Brothers provided me with a copy of this release to review, the thoughts and opinions below are mine.

The 1080p AVC encoded digital transfer is presented in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio. The Blu-ray transfer comes from a 4K scan of the original elements and Warner Archive has once again done a great job. There’s great detail in every palace room, every period costume, and every facial exprssion. Though the colour palette is mostly muted, the aristocratic primaries and other lush tones pop. Whites are bright and dark levels are deep without any real sign of crushing. While an occasional soft shot occurs, none warrants the guillotine.

On the audio side of things, there’s an English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono soundtrack. Subtitles are available for English SDH. Despite the revolution, comedy is still king. It needs understandable dialogue, which is clear and well-prioritized in this mix. The score fits perfectly with the film’s action and period.

The Start the Revolution Without Me Blu-ray does not come with a digital code. We do get an audio commentary from Gene Wilder, Donald Sutherland, and Bud Yorkin, a theatrical trailer, and two classic Warner Bros. cartoons that fit the subject of the film: 1950’s The Scarlet Punpernickel and 1956’s Napoleon Bunny-Part.

Wilder and Sutherland make a fun comic duo in both of their settings and the supporting cast is stellar. Warner Archive does its usual great job with the audio and video and there’s a fun selection of extras. That’s why the Start the Revolution Without Me Blu-ray is recommended.

Mervyn LeRoy’s 1944 war drama Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo, written by Dalton Trumbo, follows the training, execution, and aftermath of the Doolittle Raids. When United States Army Air Forces Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle (Spencer Tracy) plans a dangerous carrier-launched bomber raid on the Japanese mainland after Pearl Harbor, pilot Captain Ted W. Lawson (Van Johnson) says goodbye to his expectant wife (Phyllis Thaxter) and volunteers for the mission. The film also stars Robert Walker and marks the film debut of Robert Mitchum. Warner Archive has now released the film on Blu-ray and thanks to them and Allied Vaughn, I had a chance to take a look. Warner Bros. likes disclaimers, so though this disc was provided to me, the thoughts and opinions are mine.

The 1080p AVC encoded digital transfer is presented in a 1.37:1 aspect ratio. It’s almost repetitive to say that Warner Archive does a good job with these releases. The video presentation has great detail from facial features to textiles and environments. The black levels are nice and deep and there’s a pleasing film grain.

On the audio side, there’s an English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono soundtrack. Subtitles are available for English SDH. Dialogue is clear, effects have sufficient weight, and there is no real sign of hiss or pops.

The Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo Blu-ray does not come with a digital code. Bonus features include the patriotic music medley “Ode to Victory”, the Oscar-nominated short
“A Lady Fights Back” which details the luxury liner’s path to becoming a troop transport, the Tom and Jerry short “Mouse Trouble”, and the theatrical trailer.

Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo is a wartime record of an important event in America’s war against Japan. A great cast combined with Warner Archive’s excellent work on the audio and video and a nice selection of extras make this a recommended release.

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