On the Shelf: ‘Materialists,’ ‘Lilo & Stitch,’ Modern Horror Mayhem, Criterions, and More Arrive Home on Physical Media
A stacked week of physical media is arriving at your doorsteps as we start with two of the most talked about films of the summer, with one even being the biggest hit the year so far. First up is Materialists, the romantic drama, sophomore feature film from Oscar nominated writer-director Celine Song, starring Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans, and Pedro Pascal. The film follows Lucy, a matchmaker who is coming to terms with the woman she wants to be and the man she wants to be with, as she decides between a wealthy man in Harry or her former, struggling boyfriend John. Balancing the modern ideas of materialism, capitalism, settling, mathematics found within modern dating, Song crafted a fascinating conversation piece, layered in realism, featuring natural performances from the gorgeous trio of actors. In her review from earlier this summer, our Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello called the film “a sparkling cocktail of a movie that’s sure to zap the hearts of audiences,” a “lovely” follow up to her brilliant debut, Past Lives. Moving over to Disney, they are delivering the highest grossing film of the year, their live-action remake of Lilo and Stitch. Stitch, an extraterrestrial entity, comes to Earth after escaping prison, where he tries to impersonate a dog. Things take a turn when a lonely Hawaiian girl, Lilo (Maia Kealoha), adopts him from an animal shelter and he helps mend her broken family. We’ve seen this movie before, as our review from Jay Ledbetter noted “nostalgia can only carry so far” and “at the end of the day, a sloppy balancing act that saves its best for last, sending the crowd out on an emotional high note” This makes sense as audiences around the world kept going back for more, and can pick it up today and watch it over and over again.
At the beginning of September, the latest and last film in The Conjuring franchise, The Conjuring: Last Rites, will be released in cinema, so many it’s a good time for a refresher as the original makes its way onto 4K Blu-ray. From master of horror James Wan, The Conjuring follows a horrifying tale of how paranormal investigators were called upon to help a family terrorized in a secluded farmhouse. Based loosely upon the stories and experiences of Ed and Lorraine Warren, the 2010 supernatural horror flick is one of the best horror films of the last fifteen years, and solidified Wan’s position as someone who you could trust to scare you to death. As this is releasing, Arrow Video is delivering a horror double feature from the early 2000’s with the 2003 edition of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and its 2006 prequel,
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning. The remake follows five 20-year-olds whose free-spirited road trip becomes a terrifying descent into madness. When they find themselves isolated in a rural Texas community, they fall into the clutches of a monstrous clan of Texas cannibals and find themselves being whittled away by the chainsaw-wielding Leatherface. The prequel follows a young Leatherface and his first batch of victim. Bloody, unrelenting in its violence, darkly entertaining, both films are presented on 4K for the first time and are packed with a ton of previous released extras and new material that includes brand new commentaries, making-of documentaries, screen tests for the actors, and more. Arrow has been knocking it out of the park with their releases lately and this is a must-own for horror fans.
Two excellent movies from the 1970s are getting a 4K upgrade this week, with one of them celebrating their 50th anniversary. Warner Archive Collection has 1971’s Get Carter starring Michael Caine, which follows the Oscar winning actor as he plays coldblooded gangster Jack Carter, who returns to his hometown of Newcastle to investigate and exact vengeance on those who murdered his brother. Harsh but effective action filmmaking makes Get Carter one of the best revenge films of all time, including a fantastic, cold performance from Caine that ranks has one of his career best. Over at Sony, the timeless comedy Monty Python and the Holy Grail celebrates 50 years with a Steelbook 4K release. From the minds of one of the greatest comedy groups ever assembled, the film is an absurdist send-up of the legend of King Arthur and his knights’ quest for the Holy Grail. Filled with dozens of memorable lines all spoken by the five comedians playing several roles, if you don’t already this marvel of comedy, you must get you coconut shells, mount your imaginary horse, and pick it up this week.
Kino Lorber has a very busy week of releases, with five total releases to show from the independent distributor. The major highlights of their week are two titles from the early 2000’s making their way to Blu-ray physical media for the first time. The Rundown, an action-comedy hit directed by Peter Berg starring The Rock, Sean William Scott, Christopher Walken, and Rosario Dawson, follows a tight-lipped bounty hunter who accepts a job in locating his employer’s cocky son, who is hiding the jungle. Once he gets there, the pair realize that they are trapped within the world of a tyrannical treasure hunter and must do whatever they can to survive. An entertaining, explosive time at the movies that you’ll want to pick up if you want to watch a dumb fun action film at the end of the week, featuring audio commentary from Berg and The Rock. If that doesn’t suit you, then you could pick a breezy comedic mystery in Scoop, which follows Sondra (Scarlett Johansson), an American journalist hot on the heels of solving the case of her deceased professor by the hands of the “Tarot Card Killer,” whom she assumes is a aristocrat named Peter Lyman (Hugh Jackman). Directed and co-star Woody Allen as Sondra’s friend/famous magician Sid Waterman, this romantic mystery will have you laughing as you find out who the killer is.
Last up this week is a trio of modern films from the Criterion Collect that are landmark, intimate portraits of unseen perspectives in cinema that should be celebrated. With Compensation, director Zeinabu irene Davis created a groundbreaking piece of cinema about inclusion and visibility centered on a poignant look of Deaf African Americans and their complexity of love within their community. Michelle A. Banks and John Earl Jelks play an educated dressmaker and an illiterate migrant in 1910s Chicago, and a resilient graphic artist and an endearing librarian living in the same city eight decades later; each giving rich, layered work of tender humanity that spreads across time. It’s a vital piece of independent filmmaker that is a must own of this month’s latter entries to the collection. Alice Wu’s Saving Face is a vibrant, irresistible debut feature busting with life and love alongside snappy dialogue and elegant visual storytelling. Just as Wil (Michelle Krusiec), a harried young surgical resident, begins a promising romance with the flirtatious dancer Vivian (Lynn Chen), her life is turned upside down when her more traditional Chinese mother (Joan Chen)—unwed and unexpectedly pregnant—moves in with her, forcing both women to confront the generational and cultural barriers that have long troubled their relationship. Clever, confident filmmaking from Wu makes this queer romantic comedy a must own as well alongside Compensation. For the most recent release to make it into the collection, as well as the Criterion Premieres selection of the month, we have Maura Delpero’s exquisite wartime drama, Vermiglio. Winner of the Venice Film Festival’s Grand Jury Prize, Delpero blends historically grounded realism with artistic grace as she explores the relationships of a family turned upside down by the arrival of a relative’s return home to their small Alpine village. Stirring and tense, it’s a fascinating film that you should seek out; an underrated gem from 2024.
Other Notable Releases for the Week of August 25, 2025 include:
Blue in the Face (1995, Blu-ray, Kino Lorber)
City of Fire (1987, 4K Blu-ray, Shout Factory)
Erin Brockovich (2000, 4K Blu-ray, Universal)
Ghostlight (2024, Blu-ray, IFC Films)
Karate Kid: Legends (2025, 4K Blu-ray, Sony Pictures)
Mac and Me (1988, 4K Blu-ray, Vinegar Syndrome)
Save the Tiger (1973, Blu-ray, Kino Lorber)
Smoke (1995, Blu-ray, Kino Lorber)
The Hard Way (1943, Blu-ray, Warner Bros.)
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