SNAKE EYES Headlines Kino Lorber's 4K Roundup

Streaming might be the future, but physical media is still the present. It's also awesome, depending on the title, the label, and the release, so join us as we take a look at the new 4K UHDs, Blu-rays, and DVDs making their way into the world. Now join us as we explore... some of the best new 4K UHD releases from KL Studio Classics!

Kino Lorber's Studio Classics line is arguably one of the most reliable labels going when it comes to keeping older films in the physical media conversation. They've recently added 4K UHD releases to their monthly drops, and we're going to take a look at the best from the past couple months.

First out of the gate is Brian De Palma's Snake Eyes (1998), a slick, quick, and suitably ridiculous thriller that sees an amped-up Nicolas Cage as a New Orleans homicide detective. He's hanging out with a longtime friend (Gary Sinise) and enjoying a high-profile boxing match when an assassin kills the U.S. Secretery of Defense. With a hurricane approaching outside, Cage's determined cop sets out to crack an increasingly muddled conspiracy.

Take a splash of paranoid thrills from Blow Out (1981), a dash of lunacy from Raising Cain (1992), and a whole lot of Cage shenanigans, and you have a fun De Palma flick delivering stylish, goofy entertainment. From its terrific opening oner to split-screen antics to not one but two mysterious femme fatales, this is a filmmaker flexing his muscles while having fun.

Kino's new 4K UHD features a 4K scan from the original 35mm negative, and it looks fantastic with sharp details and popping colors. The vibrancy matches the film's energy well. Extras are limited to a new commentary with film historians Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson, but it's a casually informative listen for fans.

Staying in the realm of 90s thrillers, Mike Figgis' Internal Affairs (1990) gets a new 4K UHD upgrade too, and it's another winner. Andy Garcia is a young, hot-headed detective working the case of a dirty cop (played by a terrifically sleazy and cruel Richard Gere), but the case spirals out of control when it grows both personal and deadly.

This one doesn't get talked about enough as one of the great adult thrillers, the likes of which they just don't make anymore. It's a sadly neglected subgenre (one celebrated with Imprint's excellent After Dark Noir Neo-Noir box sets), so it's great seeing Kino give this title a solid 4K upgrade. As mentioned, Gere is an unpredictable force to be reckoned with here, both sexy and disturbing in equal measure. Garcia keeps pace, first as a straightlaced professional and then as a man and husband pushed over the edge. Add in the always welcome Nancy Travis, Laurie Metcalf, and Annabella Sciorra, and you have a movie worth revisiting.

Kino brings the film to UHD with a new 4K scan and some fun, informative extras. We get deleted scenes, new interviews with Figgis, the screenwriter, and the co-composer, and a commentary track featuring film critics Alain Silver and James Ursini. Pick this one up for a thrilling reminder of what we used to get from Hollywood.

M. Night Shyamalan's latest, Trap, thrilled audiences this past summer, and fans looking to keep that high going will want to pick up the new 4K UHD of his highly profitable 2015 hit, The Visit. Two kids are sent to visit their estranged grandparents whom they've never met, and what starts as an awkward visit quickly becomes something weird and frightening. Surprise! These goofy old folks aren't actually their grandparents...

As mentioned, this was a big hit for Shyamalan, so you can probably ignore my thoughts, but it's just never worked for me. From annoying kids and a found footage angle that stretches credulity to the sum of the film being "old people are creepy!" it's a ride that just doesn't land.

Fans, though, will be quite happy as the disc lands with a new HDR/Dolby Vision master and plenty of extras. Deleted scenes, interviews, a making-of featurette, and more are joined by a commentary from journalists Bryan Reesman and Max Evry.

While that film struck box-office gold, David Twohy's Below (2002) hit theaters and quickly disappeared into the depths. It's a shame, as the World War II-set tale delivers solid chills beneath the waves as a submarine crew picks up some castaways and begins experiencing creepy events. The supernatural thrills run parallel to WWII action as the sub deals with German ships above, and Twohy milks all the claustrophobic tension you could want along the way.

Bruce Greenwood, Olivia Williams, and Zach Galifianakis star from a script co-written by Darren Aronofsky, and their work gets a stellar showcase from Kino with a new 4K scan and some engaging extras. Deleted scenes and a featurette are nice, but the supplement highpoint here is a commentary track featuring Twohy, Greenwood, Williams, Galifianakis, Matt Davis, Nick Chinlund, and Holt McCallany.

Three Clint Eastwood classics are new to 4K UHD as well, starting with his second outing with director Don Siegel, 1970's Two Mules for Sister Sara. It's arguably a lesser-known Eastwood western, but it deserves more love as a fun tale with plenty of action and a splash of romance courtesy of Shirley MacLaine. The pair play mismatched souls caught up in the French occupation of Mexico, resulting in some exciting set-pieces and bloody violence, and their chemistry is damn good too.

Kino's 4K scan results in a beautiful transfer capturing grain and detail with color to spare. The film's longer international cut is on the 4K UHD while the theatrical version is on a Blu-ray, and it comes with some terrific extras including two commentaries (one with film historian Justin Humphreys and another with filmmaker Alex Cox) and a little-seen vintage interview with Eastwood.

Eastwood plays a man stuck in a wholly different kind of relationship in the psycho thriller Play Misty for Me, which sees a saucy and sick Jessica Walter as a woman with a deadly crush. Eastwood makes his directorial debut here, and he showcases a strong sense of pacing and tone right out of the gate as we ease into the relationship only to see it go sideways in violent fashion.

The beachside beauty of Carmel, California has rarely looked better (outside of real life, obviously), and both the colorful fashions and deep shadows look killer, thanks to Kino's new 4K scan. It's a two-disc release with the film on 4K UHD and Blu-ray, and we get two commentaries from Alan Spencer and critic Tim Lucas. Add in a documentary, featurettes, and an interview with co-star Donna Mills, and you have another packed release guaranteed to appeal to Eastwood fans.

The last of the three Eastwood films new to 4K UHD is probably the least loved, and I get why. 1975's The Eiger Sanction is a messy, overlong, and rude spy thriller that has trouble getting out of its own way -- but it's also a good time, people. Eastwood directs and plays an ex-assassin turned art collector who's pulled out of retirement by his goofily sinister boss to catch a killer, and how can you not love all of that.

Kino's new 4K scan breathes sharp, detailed life into the film's gorgeous, mountainous landscapes and some fantastic climbing footage. Two interviews and two commentaries (one with film historian Justin Humphries, and one with film critic Nick Pinkerton) make up the extras.

The label also brought two lesser-discussed William Friedkin films to 4K UHD, starting with what is easily one of his most "normal" movies. The Hunted (2003) is essentially a riff on First Blood (1982), but instead of a disturbed vet going out of his way to avoid killing, Benicio Del Toro's disturbed vet is as homicidal as they come. Good thing the man (Tommy Lee Jones) who trained him is hot on his trail.

This is a solid action/thriller that knows exactly what it's doing at just over ninety minutes, and in addition to some fun character beats between two great actors, we also get a pretty terrific knife fight and plenty of kills. Kino's new 4K scan sees the greens of the Pacific Northwest popping, and the disc includes deleted scenes, featurettes, and a commentary by the director.

Far less commerical is Friedkin's 2006 feature, Bug, starring Ashley Judd and Michael Shannon as new couple sharing delusions, paranoid fears, and hallucinations alongside their romantic feelings. It's a sad film watching these two sink further and further into despair and ruin, and while it's categorized by some as a love story, I think that's stretching things a bit.

Kino's new disc features a 4K scan from the 35mm, a featurette, an interview with Friedkin, and a fairly lackluster commentary from the director as well. He's delivered some great ones elsewhere, but this is a boring recital of screen events and big picture ideas that never quite gel.

Finally, we head to the '60s with a pair of oft-neglected spectacles that benefit well from their respective 4K upgrades. First up is 1960's Circus of Horrors, a film that feels Hammer-like despite being wholly unrelated to the horror studio. Here a psychopathic plastic surgeon opens a circus (obviously) and builds it into something spectacular only for a series of murders to bring it all crashing to the ground.

Anton Diffring is the mad doctor, but the real stars here are the wonderfully garish color schemes and dangerous circus stunts. The film pops on 4K, and while the only extra is a commentary with David Del Valle, it's a worthwhile pickup for fans of British horror.

The legendary Howard Hawks helms our final 4K UHD pick from KL Studio Classics with his John Wayne-led safari epic, Hatari! While arguably short on plot, the film delivers numerous set-pieces showcasing efforts to capture, not kill, various wild animals. Thrilling cinematography pairs well with quieter moments showing the men banter, roughhouse, and attempt to woo the ladies.

Kino's new disc features a brand new HDR/Dolby Vision master from a 4K scan alongside a new commentary with film historians Julie Kirgo and Peter Hankoff. It's as laid back a film as you're likely to find from Hawks and Wayne, and it's well worth revisiting or discovering for the first time.