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If you grew up watching cartoons in the ‘70s or ‘80s, there was no way of not running into SUPER FRIENDS (Warner), the Hanna-Barbera adaptation of DC Comics heroes which became one of the era’s biggest Saturday morning ratings grabbers for ABC. Running in various formats from 1973 through 1985 (and for years thereafter in syndication), “Super Friends” brought young kids colorful action and the adventures of Superman, Batman and Robin, Wonder Woman, Aquaman and other Justice League of America members, usually fighting crime and battling alien menaces that didn’t have a whole lot to do with the actual DC Comics they were based on.
This new Warner Blu-Ray box-set anthology (also on DVD) presents the entire run of “Super Friends” in new 1080p (1.33) masters that predictably improve upon whatever over-the-air broadcast you might have seen from way back. The animation is standard Saturday morning fare for its time, the stories skewed towards kids in a way none of today’s super-hero offerings are – yet from a nostalgia standpoint, and for parents hunting for suitable comic book fun that isn’t as graphic as Nolan or Snyder, the series holds up as well as can be expected.
Warner’s Blu-Ray incorporates a number of iterations of the show, starting off with its original 1973 run SUPER FRIENDS. Surprisingly, these 16 episodes didn’t meet with the same success as the series’ 1977 revival (which would run straight until the mid ‘80s) but are still amusing and laid the groundwork for the more effective formula that followed (episodes include “The Power Pirate,” “The Baffles Puzzle,” “Professor Goodfellow’s G.E.E.C.,” “The Weather Maker,” “Dr. Pelagian’s War,” “The Shaman U,” “Too Hot to Handle,” “The Androids,” “The Balloon People,” “The Fantastic FREPs,” “The Ultra Beam,” “The Menace of the White Dwarf,” “The Mysterious Moles,” “Gulliver’s Gigantic Goof,” “The Planet-Splitter” and “The Watermen”).
Following the success of the Lynda Carter “Wonder Woman” and in-time for the about-to-be launched “Incredible Hulk,” THE ALL-NEW SUPER FRIENDS HOUR revived the franchise in 1977 and became an immediate hit. The “Super Friends” I happened to grew up with, this wackier and more lighthearted ABC Saturday morning cartoon once again paired up classic Justice League heroes with the amazing “Wonder Twins” Zan and Jayna and their monkey pal Gleek. Though usually derided by hard-core comic book geeks, these “Super Friends” entertained many of us grade-schoolers through the late ‘70s and ‘80s.
That run – with its four-story episode structure — would be followed by the two-story CHALLENGE OF THE SUPER FRIENDS, which launched in 1978-79 and sported the introduction of even more DC heroes (The Flash, Green Lantern, etc.) and villains as well. Subsequent packagings included THE WORLD’S GREATEST SUPER FRIENDS (1979-80), SUPER FRIENDS: THE LEGENDARY SUPER POWERS SHOW (1984-85), and THE SUPER POWERS TEAM: GALACTIC GUARDIANS (1985).
The latter concluded Hanna-Barbera’s long run of “Super Friends” adventures with Batman, Robin, Wonder Woman, Superman, Firestorm, Aquaman and new member Cyborg taking on a fuller run of villains from the DC universe. For that reason, fans considered “Galactic Guardians” to be a superior effort and arguably the best in the franchise.
Warner Archive’s Blu-Ray includes all of these series – plus the “lost episodes” produced in the early ‘80s after the “Super Friends” series had finished its ABC run, boasting Batman, Robin, Superman, Wonder Woman, Aqua Man, the Wonder Twins and even Hanna-Barbera created heroes like El Dorado. These shows mostly didn’t air in the USA until many years later, but are also included herein.
Overall, this is a must-have package for fans and all pajama-clad super-heroes everywhere – especially those who once wore “Underoos” as younger tykes!
Even younger viewers who grew up in the ’90s may well recall CAPTAIN PLANET AND THE PLANETEERS (Warner). This cable-TV animated cartoon was one of the first “environmentally conscious” kid shows of its kind, finding five diverse children from around the globe brought together by Captain Planet himself (a green-mulleted super-hero) to help save the world. Very heavy-handed at times, “Captain Planet” was still a beloved show for certain kids of that era, and Warner’s DVD houses the COMPLETE FRANCHISE as it’s being called in one DVD box-set. This multi-disc package sports both the original “Captain Planet and the Planeteers” plus “The New Adventures of Captain Planet” in 4:3 transfers with mono (seasons 1-3) and 2.0 stereo (season 4 onward) soundtracks.
FRIENDS: The Complete Series 4K UHD (1994-2004; Warner): When “Friends” debuted on NBC in the fall of 1994, few – if anyone – would have believed the success the series would generate. An ensemble comedy of twentysomethings living, dating, loving, and laughing in New York City, the series – created by David Crane and Marta Kauffmann – boasted a (then) mostly nondescript cast that most viewers wouldn’t have had any familiarity with. Yet, thanks to smart writing, ample chemistry between the stars and the power of NBC’s Thursday night prime-time line-up during the era, the series garnered a fanbase right off the bat and would see its viewership steadily increase as the years progressed.
Mixing laughs with romance in a format that became more arc-driven – and less self-contained – as it went on, “Friends” introduced viewers to chef Monica (Courtney Cox), her paleontologist brother Ross (David Schwimmer), fashionista Rachel (Jennifer Aniston), actor Joey (Matt LeBlanc), corporate exec Chandler (Matthew Perry) and hippie-crunchy waitress Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow). The group’s various personal and professional aspirations are, like the best ensemble sitcoms, given ample time to percolate: the on-again, off-again romance between Rachel and Ross; Joey’s often funny television roles (including a starring role in the action-drama “Mac and C.H.E.E.SE.”); Phoebe becoming a surrogate mom for her brother, while intermittently butting heads with “evil twin” Ursula; Chandler and Monica’s slow-developing relationship; and assorted break-ups (many of them) along the way.
“Friends” debuted strongly during the fall of 1994, and by its fifth season had an audience that climbed to nearly 20 million viewers on average weekly. Over 50 million viewers tuned into the show’s finale in 2004, nearly a decade – and a total of 236 episodes – after it first premiered. The show’s theme song – The Remembrandts’ “I’ll Be There For You” – became one of the last big TV themes to hit it big on the pop charts, and the series is still viewed in syndication on an almost-daily basis. Though I was never a weekly viewer of “Friends,” you have to admire any series that remains on the air for 10 years; the program remains one of the pop-culture smash success stories of its day, and its devoted fans should be excited by the series’ complete run now being available on 4K UHD.
Warner Home Video brings the entire “Friends” series to 4K UHD with nice looking HDR10 transfers and 5.1 DTS MA soundtracks across 23 discs. Loads of extras (mostly, it seems, carried over from the Blu-Ray box) include over 20 hours of supplements, from retrospective “True Friends” documentaries that take viewers behind the scenes; the original script and producer’s cut for the memorable episode “The One Where Rachel Tells Ross”; cast appearances on “The Tonight Show” and Ellen DeGeneres from 2004-05; Season 7’s originally longer “Super-sized” episodes; the series’ music video; commentaries, gag reels and more. Highly recommended for “Friends” fans and a welcome addition to the small run of 4K-released TV series we’ve seen on UHD to date!
“Super Friends” isn’t the only Hanna-Barbera property to generate a Blu-Ray release this month. TOP CAT: THE COMPLETE SERIES (749 mins., 1961-62) was an early hit for the legendary Saturday morning tandem, and just their second prime-time effort. Arnold Stang voiced “T.C.,” forever trying to make a big score with his buddies, much to the dismay of Officer Dibble. While the series only lasted one year in prime-time, those 30 episodes quickly became popular both on Saturday morning and syndicated reruns for decades to follow, and all of them have been collected in yet another sturdy Archive Blu-Ray (1.33, mono) with perfectly acceptable encoding across its four discs.
THE WEST WING: The Complete Series Blu-Ray (6176 mins., 1999-2006; Warner): Aaron Sorkin’s celebrated NBC series earned some 26 Emmys throughout the course of its seven seasons. With exceptionally strong writing and performances sustaining the series — which earned the coveted Outstanding Drama Series Emmy four different times — “The West Wing” remains one of the top, politically-oriented shows of its kind, and Warner’s Blu-Ray box-set collects its entire run in a 28-disc box-set. The 1080p (1.78) transfers and 2.0 DTS MA soundtracks are better-than-broadcast with 20 commentaries, behind-the-scenes featurettes, unaired scenes, gag reels and other extras scattered about the oversized clamshell case (divided into two sections). For fans or newcomers looking to discover the series for the first time, this convenient assemblage of all 156 episodes comes strongly recommended.
New on DVD, meanwhile, is the Complete Series DVD of YOUNG SHELDON (2017-24; Warner). This prequel series to “The Big Bang Theory” featuring a young Sheldon Cooper trying to make his way in the world, yet the series had its own look and feel: eschewing the single-camera “sitcom” format of its predecessor, this more “Wonder Years”-infuenced series found its own footing, offering a mix of comedy and heartwarming family drama across its just-concluded seven seasons. Warner’s DVD box-set includes 16:9 (1.78) transfers, 5.1 Dolby Digital soundtracks, and six behind-the-scenes featurettes in its clamshell-sized plastic box.
Warner Archive New Releases
BLACK BELT JONES Blu-Ray (85 mins., 1974, R): Solidly entertaining vehicle for Jim Kelly, then coming off his appearance in the Bruce Lee classic “Enter the Dragon” and reuniting with its director, Robert Clouse. Despite also being funded by Warner Bros., “Black Belt Jones” is a decidedly “thriftier” affair – not even shot in scope – that nevertheless delivers the goods once karate instructor Kelly (as the title character) takes revenge on the mob trying to close down his new LA martial arts school. The plot is familiar but Oscar Williams’ script offers some choice one-liners (“Batman, muthaf—–r!”) and the film provides quite a bit of fun for fans. The Archive Blu-Ray (1.85, mono) looks spiffy and includes a mono soundtrack.
WORDS AND MUSIC Blu-Ray (121 mins., 1948): Big-time MGM production offers a huge cast in a biopic of Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, including many of the duo’s biggest hits in a sprawling affair that includes the likes of June Allyson, Perry Como, Judy Garland, Lena Horne, Gene Kelly and Mickey Rooney amongst other MGM luminaries of the time. The music is great and it’s fun watching everyone from Janet Leigh to Mel Torme walk through Arthur Freed’s production, which despite being a box-office hit, cost so much that it didn’t return much of a profit. Warner Archive’s Blu-Ray sports yet another outstanding transfer (1.37, mono) with welcome extras: commentary from historian Richard Barrios, a featurette, two unused musical numbers featuring Como, MGM shorts and cartoons, and audio-only musical outtakes.
More MGM musical entertainment is new from Warner Archive this month with THREE LITTLE WORDS (102 mins. 1950), another biopic that paid tribute to songwriters Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby. From “Who’s Sorry Now,” “I Wanna Be Loved By You” and “Hooray For Captain Splauding” to the title song, this Richard Thorpe-helmed effort was a box-office smash and remains memorable for its songs and pairing of Fred Astaire and Red Skelton, the latter in a more dramatic acting role than he was typically afforded. Vera-Ellen and Arlene Dahl co-star, with the Archive’s Blu-Ray sporting a lovely 1080p (1.37) transfer with DTS MA mono sound, a featurette, vintage MGM cartoons and shorts, and the trailer.
Orson Welles’ Mercury Theater was behind JOURNEY INTO FEAR (68 mins., 1943), an adaptation of Eric Ambler’s novel from star Joseph Cotten, who also wrote this screen adaptation about an American engineer selling weapons in Istanbul who’s pursued by Gestapo agents. Cotten plays the hero with Welles as a Turkish cop and the usual Mercury players (Dolores Del Rio, Ruth Warick, Agnes Moorhead among them) in support of a technically polished yet somewhat underwhelming thriller due to its brevity — issues caused when Welles was fired in post-production and the movie apparently unfinished. Editor Mark Robson reportedly did his best assembling what was left behind but this is a problematic movie still worth seeing for Welles devotees; Warner Archive’s Blu-Ray features a superb B&W (1.37, mono) transfer with three 1938 Mercury radio broadcasts (Dracula, Treasure Island, A Tale of Two Cities) included on the supplemental side.
Also New From Warner Archive: George Stevens’ celebrated filming of John Van Druten’s I REMEMBER MAMA (134 mins., 1948) started the director’s run of important works with this gentle, acclaimed film that earned multiple Oscar nominations. Irene Dunne plays the matriarch in a nostalgic tale of a new American family with Barbara Bel Geddes, Oscar Homolka and Philip Dorn also on-hand in Warner Archive’s no-frills Blu-Ray (1.37 B&W, mono)…Film noir fans will enjoy checking out CONFLICT (86 mins., 1945), a serviceable Warner Bros. thriller featuring Humphrey Bogart as a conniving man who loves his wife’s sister (Alexis Smith); his plan to off his spouse becomes complicated once she apparently turns up alive in a film directed by noir specialist and German immigrant Curtis Bernhardt. Warner Archive’s Blu (1.37 B&W, mono) sports a quartet of HD mastered Warner cartoons and shorts, plus the trailer and a 1945 radio adaptation featuring Bogart.
Severin New Releases
A trio of new cult releases from Severin are out this month on Blu-Ray. Here’s a quick rundown:
THE CREATURE (101 mins., 1977): Spanish horror auteur Eloy de la Iglesia, who gave us the heartwarming “Cannibal Man,” comes back with this disturbing 1977 piece about a couple who adopt a dog following the death of their infant during childbirth. The ensuing drama manages to be provocative and unsettling but is as much about Spain’s social classes and political commentary as it is horrific elements that barred the film from release in the US – in fact, Severin’s Blu-Ray marks its North American debut of any kind. The disc offers a new 2K scan from the OCN (1.85) with Spanish audio and English subtitles, with extras including an interview with AD Alejo Loren, filmmaker Gaspar Noe, and an introduction at the Cinematheqeue Francaise by Noe.
Another canine-fueled affair making its U.S. debut on Blu-Ray, A DOG CALLED…VENGEANCE (115 mins., 1978) was produced a short time after the Franco regime ended in Spain. This tense if overlong thriller stars “The Exorcist”’s Jason Miller as a political prisoner who is hunted by a trained assassin – a dog – in a harrowing mix of politics and paranoia, with director Antonio Isasi keeping the viewer off-kilter throughout. Worth seeing for Miller’s determined performance alone, “Vengeance” makes its U.S. debut with another strong Severin scan (1.66) of the OCN in 2K with Spanish audio and English subtitles. Extras include an appreciation by Angel Sala; an interview with actress Marisa Paredes; and a talk with Isasi’s daughter Maria and Paredes.
Finally, outrageous camp can be found in the wild and woolly THE MUMMY AND THE CURSE OF THE JACKALS (81 mins., 1969), a hearty mix of surf tracks and silliness with John Carradine starring in a seldom-seen genre mash-up from director Oliver Drake. In fact, the movie was scanned in 4K from an OCN discovered at a Los Angeles estate sale – now horror buffs can enjoy this late ‘60s low-budget camp affair with werewolves, gore, and a surf-laden soundtrack, presented alongside the adult feature “Angelica, The Young Vixen.” Other extras in the Blu-Ray (1.66, mono) include an interview with Stephen Thrower; a talk with C. Courtney Joyner; an interview with the son of the movie’s investors and commentary by Joe Rubin and Shawn Langrick.
Synapse New Releases
A pair of out-there Mike Mendez thrillers have been newly remastered from Synapse Films this month, just in time for Halloween consumption.
THE CONVENT (80 mins., 2000) sums up Mendez’s approach to horror perfectly: opening up with Lesley Gore backing a gore-laden opening where nuns are slaughtered by a young woman who later grows up to become Adrienne Barbeau – years later, she pops up just in time to help a group of college students from being slaughtered by supernatural remnants in the same haunted boarding school. There’s lots of humor and, of course, plenty of gore on-hand in this unrated cut of “The Convent,” premiering on 4K UHD from Synapse with Dolby Vision HDR and a 5.1 DTS MA mix culled from the original 16-track masters. Extras include cast/crew commentary, a “Lords of Hell” commentary, video tour of both this and “Killers” film locations, a vintage Making Of, deleted scenes, gore outtakes, a still gallery, and booklet notes from Corey Danna.
An earlier Mendez picture, KILLERS (96 mins., 1996), also makes its way to Blu-Ray from Synapse. Dave Larsen and David Gunn play the title pair, who choose the wrong house and “typical American family” to take refuge in after escaping from death row. Mendez’s original unrated director’s cut is pretty grizzly, especially at the end, and is restored here in Synapse’s Blu-Ray (1.78, 2.0 DTS MA stereo) with extras featuring a commentary by Mendez and Michael Gingold; promo trailers; an alternate ending; and liner notes featuring writing by critic Heather Drain.
Also New & Noteworthy
DESPICABLE ME 4 4K Ultra HD/Blu-Ray (95 mins., 2024, R; Universal): Illumination strikes again with this fourth go-around for Gru and crew, but the inspiration’s starting to run out with this episodic affair introducing little Gru Jr. while the fam – and assorted minions, of course – are the subject of vengeance from one of Gru’s high school rivals (voiced by Will Ferrell). “Despicable Me 4,” naturally, offers the same kind of comic hyjinks, bouncy music, and good humor as its predecessors, but Chris Renaud’s sequel here feels extremely fragmented in nature, moving from a few plot threads to another before ending with the same kind of big, sprawling set-piece every one of these films has finished with. It all feels too familiar, and doesn’t connect as much as its predecessors in the humor department.
Nevertheless a surefire option for family viewers, “Despicable Me 4”’s Blu-Ray offers eye-popping Dolby Vision HDR (1.85) with Dolby Atmos sound. The a/v presentation is top notch with extras including two mini-movies, deleted scenes, featurettes, games, a Blu-Ray and Digital HD code.
BAD BOYS: RIDE OR DIE Blu-Ray (115 mins., 2024, R; Sony): Will Smith and Martin Lawrence return yet again for another go-around, but the excitement is dialed back minus the participation of director Michael Bay, with writers Chris Bremner and Will Beall spinning another formula concoction of one liners and standard-issue action. It’s a feeble revival under the direction of “Adil and Bilall,” brightened up only by fleeting cameos from a ghostly Joe Pantoliano. Sony’s Blu-Ray (2.39, 5.1 DTS MA) sports outtakes, bloopers, featurettes and a Digital HD copy.
CLOCKWATCHERS Blu-Ray (96 mins., 1997, PG-13; Shout!): Amusing late ‘90s female-ensemble comedy gets a much needed revival on Blu-Ray courtesy of Shout! Factory. Toni Collette, Parker Posey, Lisa Kudrow and Alanna Ubach are four women working as temps and their respective relationships with one another are played out in Jill Sprecher’s enjoyable look at office drones trying, of course, to seek something beyond their mundane daily existence. The performances are terrific in this Goldcrest-produced entry into the US indie film market of the mid 90s, here remastered by Shout in a no-frills but good-looking 1080p (1.85) transfer with 2.0 DTS MA sound.
FIRE COUNTRY Season 2 DVD (7 hours, 2024; CBS): Second go-around for the high-rated CBS primetime drama finds Bode (Max Thieriot) having to get out from behind bars in order to rejoin the Three Rock crew. He subsequently navigates through family turmoil and similar calamities in and around his Northern California hometown of Edgewater in this three-disc DVD set (16:9, 5.1) sporting its 10 second season episodes. Extra features include deleted scenes plus VFX and gag reels.
Well Go USA New Releases: Out October 8th from Well Go, EXHUMA (135 mins., 2024) is a Korean import that finds a shaman and her protege being tasked by a wealthy family to probe an illness of supernatural origin that plagues first-born children in their clan. Lots of background into Korean regional mysticism permeates this supernatural chiller Well Go brings to Blu-Ray with a 1080p transfer and Dolby Atmos sound, in Korean with English subtitles while an English dub track is also included.
On October 22nd, Well Go releases THE BEAST WITHIN (97 mins., 2024), not a remake of the early ‘80s Tom Holland gross-out quasi-classic, about a family of werewolves and a young girl trying to make sense of her father’s transformation. Alexander J. Farrell’s indie thriller is more a mystery than a literal horror film and ends up being something quite different than what it initially promises over the first two-thirds; despite good performances, it doesn’t quite come off. Well Go’s Blu-Ray includes a 1080p transfer and 5.1 DTS MA sound.
REDNECK MILLER Blu-Ray Limited Edition (89 mins., 1976; Film Masters): Barely-seen slice of mid ’70s drive-in fare receives its first-ever home video release: a so-called “Hicksploitation” film following a morning disc jockey who has to run around town in an effort to clear his good name after his motorcycle is stolen and used by drug dealers. There’s some saucy sex, action and stilted performances to spare in “Redneck Miller,” which drags in places but should satisfy fans of ’70s independents made far outside the Hollywood system. A perfect example of a “regional” release that fell through the cracks of home video, the movie has been mastered through an extensive restoration process since the only surviving materials were 35mm release prints. The result (1.85, mono) maintains enough of its grindhouse appearance to provide ample nostalgia for buffs, and Justin Humphreys’ commentary and liner notes boast behind-the-scenes nuggets about this obscure picture’s production.
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