Blu-ray

Originally banned outright by UK censors, this first screen adaptation of H.G. Wells’ The Island of Dr. Moreau has stood the test of time extremely well. Unlike other horrors from the same era, the film still maintains an unshakable aura of terror and taboo-busting.

It’s now 50 years since screen icon and sex symbol Marilyn Monroe passed away, but during that time her star power has not diminished one iota. Strange, then that until now none of her films have been released on Blu-ray in the UK. This four-disc set brings together four of her best (and best-loved) titles – Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, How to Marry a Millionaire, The Seven Year Itch and Some Like It Hot. So let’s get stuck in…

It’s easy to see why the likes of Bruce Willis and Forrest Whitaker were attracted to this debut feature by writer/director Aaron Harvey. Indeed, with its intricate plotting and tricky narrative structure, Catch .44 often feels like the bastard offspring of Elmore Leonard and Quentin Tarantino. Unfortunately, there are a few too many self-referential jokes (like the one about Bruce Willis’ album... Urgh!) that spoil the fun and take the edge off the film. The BD itself boasts an attractively detailed AVC 2.40:1 1080p encode and surprisingly forceful Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track. The disc also offers up an interesting chat-track from writer/director Harvey and editor Richard Byard.

Cult label Arrow Video has pulled out all the stops with this three-disc edition of Lucio Fulci’s legendary shocker. The Blu-ray disc includes a restored AVC 2.40:1 1080p presentation of the film that suffers a little from the digitised look familiar to Arrow releases (but still marks a general improvement in this regard for the company) accompanied by LPCM 2.0 Italian and English tracks, two commentaries and a series of interviews (including a general piece celebrating the ‘Ladies of Italian Horror’). This content is replicated in SD on an accompanying DVD platter. A second DVD offers a Q&A, deleted scene and various vintage trailers.

It may have had a pretty tough time with critics on its original release, but this animated take on the story of Pocahontas has stood the test of time slightly better than contemporary stablemates like The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Tarzan. In terms of disc content, it's also the best of the trio of recent Disney back catalogue Blu-ray releases (The Fox and the Hound and Tarzan) by a considerable distance.

When it comes to the pantheon of Marvel Comics superheroes, few can boast the same visual impact as Ghost Rider’s flaming skull and motorbike. But that’s pretty much all he offers – a stylish visual that wouldn’t look out of place on the cover of a 1980s heavy metal album.

Having reigned in his more outrageous sensibilities for the sublime 13 Assassins this live-action update of a ‘70s anime series lets director Miike Takashi cut loose once again, filling the screen with manic action and CG effects. The resulting film is a bit too smutty for kids and is too tongue-in-cheek for fans of the original Yatterman ‘toon, so I’m at a loss to guess who exactly it’s aimed at.