Hey folks, Vornoc here. Welcome to my almost-every-other-day dive into the movies I’ve been watching, collecting, and obsessing over, one Blu-ray, 4K, or box set at a time.
The work never ends, folks. Movies keep calling, discs keep stacking, and I keep watching. Here are the latest Vornoc picks that almost made the cut.
Michael Caine’s Harry Palmer is one of the great spy characters because he’s not polished, not glamorous, and definitely not trying to sip martinis while saving the world. He’s smart, tired, suspicious, and human in a way Bond rarely gets to be.
And man, John Barry’s score? Gorgeous. The kind of music that makes paperwork, paranoia, and rain-soaked espionage feel cool. This region-free Blu-ray feels like a lovely way to rediscover one of Britain’s best spy films, and that cover? Fantastic. It has that proper old-school spy novel energy, like something you’d find on a dusty shelf and immediately need to own.
This is basically Top Gun on four wheels, and I mean that in the most wonderfully ridiculous way possible. For crying out loud, this is a Tony Scott film — of course the engines roar like thunder, the sunlight hits everything like a religious event, and Tom Cruise’s hair deserves its own supporting credit.
Is his character making smart choices? Absolutely not. Does the movie get funnier the more seriously it treats its own turbo-charged nonsense? Oh yes. And in 4K? Absolutely gorgeous on a big-ass screen. The colors pop, the racing scenes roar, and the whole thing feels built for maximum living-room chaos.
Guy Ritchie slides right back into that swaggering crime-comedy lane sharp suits, bad decisions, fast mouths, and criminals who all think they’re smarter than they actually are. It’s easily one of his most effortlessly fun rides since Snatch, with that lovely kinetic snap where every scene feels like it’s about to start a bar fight.
Gerard Butler is shockingly funny here, like he wandered into Ritchie’s toy box and decided to have the time of his life. Tom Hardy just steals the thing. Completely natural, weirdly charming, and already giving off that “yeah, this guy is going to be a problem for every other actor in the room” energy. Solid crime chaos. Shelf-worthy fun.
Paul W.S. Anderson’s film doing grimy sci-fi military leftovers with Kurt Russell basically carved out of stone, saying very little, staring very hard, and letting the explosions do most of the emotional lifting.
It kind of feels like Hollywood looked at Kurt, shrugged, and forgot they had one of the coolest leading men just standing there. Sorry, Kurt! You deserved better than being left out in the sci-fi dirt with a thousand-yard stare and very few lines.
I know this one has its defenders. But for me? This is a pass. It has the pieces of something I should enjoy, but it never really clicks into gear. Cool concept, solid Kurt, some fun collector-shelf curiosity… but not one I’m rushing to revisit.
Yoshihiro Nishimura basically looks at the title and says, “Yep, let’s do all of that… and then keep going.” This thing is pure deranged splatter-cinema madness — loud, gross, ridiculous, and constantly trying to out-weird itself.
There’s no ceiling here. Every few minutes, the movie finds a new way to make you go, “Wait, are we really doing this?” If you think you’ve seen every wild genre movie out there, this one still has a few unhinged tricks waiting in the bag. Definitely not for casual viewing, but for the brave weirdos? Have fun.
Batman Anthology 4-Film Collection in 4K
This is a beautifully stacked anthology release strong 4K transfers, tons of extras, and enough Bat-goodies to make the shelf feel a little more powerful. And hey, the Blu-ray version is no slouch either. It may not have that extra 4K punch, but it still gives you a very solid way to enjoy the set.
The real jewel here? That storyboarded early draft sequence voiced by Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill as Batman and the Joker. Pure fan bliss. Burton’s two films still remind you how weird, bold, and visionary comic-book movies could be when studios let a filmmaker go full gothic circus. The Schumacher films? Well… they’re here too, glowing like neon caution signs. Still, as a collection, this is absolutely worth picking.