On the Shelf: ‘Birth,’ ‘House Party,’ ‘Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985),’ ‘Once a Thief’ Arrive on 4K Physical Media Releases for Week of January 26
The last week for the first month of 2026 is carried by three anticipated releases from the most prestigious physical media distributor, Criterion Collection, with the arrival of Birth, House Party, and Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985) on 4K. In Oscar nominee Jonathan Glazer’s second feature film, Birth is a chilling cinematic examination of how love lingers long after some has physically gone, a widow still mourning the death of her husband a decade earlier when she meets a ten-year-old boy who claims to be his reincarnation—leading her into a wrenching confrontation with her own unresolved grief and desires. Lead by a magnificent performance from Nicole Kidman, and a hypnotic, top-tier score from Alexandre Desplat, Birth plays with the form of what a romance can be, if love is possible beyond the physical realm, and how desperate we can be to get that lost connection back. On an Oscar retrospective episode of the AwardsWatch podcast, we gave Birth the Oscar for Best Picture, so now is your chance to see why this once critically rejected film is now not only our pick for the best film of 2004, but also another masterpiece found within Glazer’s acclaimed career.
Also at Criterion this week is House Party, the dazzling, debut teen comedy from writer-director Reginald Hudlin, using hip-hop duo Kid ’n Play bring their star power to the big screen as aspiring MCs preparing for the party of the year. Over the course of a wild night, featuring dance-offs, rap battles, run-ins with bullies and cops, and a bit of romance, we see a full cultural expression of cinematic life from the black community of the early 1990s. This snapshot of black culture is a bright, beloved film of the time the still resonates today, and is an essential additional to the Criterion Collection. Alongside these two films is the 1985 version of Kiss of the Spider Woman, a work of radical compassion that boldly expands notions of love, gender, and revolution featuring marvelous performances from Raul Julia and an Academy Award–winning William Hurt. Within a film about a militant leftist activist and a queer, cinema-obsessed window dresser, imprisoned together under a repressive military dictatorship, we see the two men form a bond that transforms the way they understand each other’s point of view. It’s a powerful vision of liberation and acceptance that looks stunning in the newest 4K transfer. Grab it along with the other Criterion releases this week.
From our friends over at Shout Factory and Kino Lorber comes two releases you’ll want to pick up as soon as they are on the shelf, Once a Thief and The Mechanic. With Once a Thief, we see the label release another classic from director John Woo, featuring his frequent collaborator in actor Chow Yun-fat, this time following three master thieves who were orphans raised together and are wrapped up in a heist involving a mysterious “cursed” painting that effects their relationship. Featuring the incredible action that Woo is known for, this title features some of the most heart found within one of the director’s film. For The Mechanic, the classic action film features the all-time tag line “He has 100 ways to kill…and they all work;” which is just brilliant. Starring Charles Bronson as a professional assassin who “fixes things” for the all-powerful Organization, only for things to go wrong and he’s on his own to make sure he clears his name as well as high body count of bad guys. Packed with hard-edged action, hair-raising chase sequences, exotic locales and shocking plot twists, The Mechanic is the ultimate ‘70s crime thriller and up there as some of Bronson’s best work of his career. Both films are excellent actions films to add to your collections.
Other Notable Releases for the Week of January 26, 2026 include:
By the Light of Silvery Moon (1953, Blu-ray, Warner Bros.)
Cheap Thrills (2013, Blu-ray, Arrow Video)
Gang Related (1997, Blu-ray, Cinématographe)
Married to the Mob (1988, 4K Blu-ray, Cinématographe)
Red Dust (1932, Blu-ray, Warner Bros.)Sabrina (1995, Blu-ray, Kino Lorber)
The Rolling Stones: Let’s Spend the Night Together (1982, Blu-ray, Kino Lorber)
The Thing with Feathers (2025, Blu-ray, Universal)The Verdict (1946, Blu-ray, Warner Bros.)
- On the Shelf: ‘Birth,’ ‘House Party,’ ‘Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985),’ ‘Once a Thief’ Arrive on 4K Physical Media Releases for Week of January 26 - January 26, 2026
- Director Watch Podcast Ep. 136 – ‘Rules Don’t Apply’ (Warren Beatty, 2016) - January 22, 2026
- AwardsWatch Podcast Ep. 328 – Reviewing ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’ with Special Guest Christina Jeurling Birro - January 19, 2026
On the Shelf: ‘Birth,’ ‘House Party,’ ‘Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985),’ ‘Once a Thief’ Arrive on 4K Physical Media Releases for Week of January 26 
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