The Top Ten Blu-Ray Catalog Releases of 2017

3. A New Leaf – Olive Signature Series

If there was any justice in this world eventually Elaine May will be discussing in the same manner that her contemporaries were.  While men like Mike Nichols, Warren Beatty, and Woody Allen took the spotlight, she created the backbone to their work that would shine incandescently. Olive Film’s release of A New Leaf is her directorial debut is a great start on that road.  This combination of perfect film, beautiful transfer and special features make this one of the best of the best of the year.  A New Leaf is a perfect example of was is a The B-Movie Podcast and Isle’s Movie; an Amazing film that’s been forgotten by many.  From my review: “A New Leaf is the darker side of the comedy with Walter Matthau cast as Henry Graham a New York dilatant so clueless he doesn’t understand the concept of “You have no money”.  As his trust fund has dried up because of frivolous spending Henry is forced to find himself a wife.  Henry finds an unsuspecting mark in Henrietta Lowell (May) a clueless klutzy Botanist with a huge inherited fortune.  His plan is not just to marry her but to also find a way of killing her off to allow him to continue with his bachelor lifestyle unabated.”

2. Phantasm Box Set – Well Go USA

Well Go USA managed to make a huge impact in the Home Video Market in 2017.  Already known by many for their Asian Genre Cinema releases, they managed to up their giving in every way with this box set.  Housing all of the Phantasm films and every single piece of archival special features and new content.  Don Coscarelli’s nightmare logic horror series is given it’s just due to this release which sports a brand new restoration of the original that was done by Bad Robot.  The set is not just exhaustive it’s exhausting (in a very good way).  The set itself took us a large part of the summer to soak it in.  The only unfortuante part is that if you didn’t get it during it’s intial release you are out of luck because it’s out of print.  None-the-less this is a hugely impressive set that was better than any other box set released this year for the B-movie conesurer.

1. Suspiria – Synapse

There isn’t enough hyperbole that can be written about how amazing this release Blu-Ray release looks and sounds.  Synapse has given Suspiria the treatment we (re: B-Movie Geeks) know it deserved.  It would have been enough if the film was released with only the 4K remaster but this is Synapse.  They managed to put every bit of content from all the releases of Suspiria on this disc, and a few additional bits.  Add in the legendary score by Goblin on CD.  Wrap it in a steelbook that for my money is the best designed Movie Art of the year.  What you get is the best Blu-Ray release of 2017 for one of the greatest films of all time.  The only problem is that this version (which at the time of writing this peice) is that the 6,000 unit run is all that Synapse can produce.  So get it before it’s gone!

With 2017 behind us it’s onto 2018 and all the amazing Blu-Rays (and UHDs) to come…