The Quest to Own Our Favorite Movies

Inglourious Basterds (2009)
So this is interesting. You can get your hands on this movie pretty easily, both on Blu-Ray and 4K UHD. The 4K edition is praised pretty highly by Blu-Ray.com reviewers (and I have no issues with it). Where it gets weird is how Arrow Video recently rereleased it under their own branding. The video isn’t any different from the original 4K release, it just comes with a different cover, booklet, and price tag. I think Arrow does awesome work more often than not, but this is a puzzling release that I think points towards a trend that physical media has been heading towards lately, with less focus on the movie and more focus on various pieces of extra cardboard it comes with. Still, from a “keep circulating the tapes” standpoint, I can’t deny that multiple labels making more of the same movie is only a good thing.
Difficulty: Easy

Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem (2003)
This one breaks my heart. One of my favorite movies ever, and I was lucky enough to have the foresight to ask for this on DVD for Christmas one year and save my disc and the box it came in. Otherwise, I would be out over $250. This disc fluctuates, but whether it’s because of the Toei rights or the Virgin Media rights, it just can’t stay in print.

A Blu-Ray release happened at some point in 2011, but it’s just an upscale that doesn’t seem to be worth it. It’s also out-of-print. The movie has also been released on UMD! I’d love to own that one just for fun. Here’s an awesome article comparing every home release of Interstella 5555 so you can decide which one is best for you.

Also, if they ever announce a 4K release or new release of the Blu-Ray, do not fall for it. Unfortunately, a new company has gotten some kind of distribution rights and spat out a terrible-looking AI-powered upscale into theaters that Mandy and I were unfortunate enough to go see for ourselves. Just writing about it makes me mad enough to want to break out the DVD and watch that.
Difficulty: Hard

It’s Such A Beautiful Day (2015)
It is shocking to me that not only is this movie easy to find on Blu-Ray, it also has an excellent release containing this movie and most of Don Hertzfeldt’s other short films. Sometimes you can even get it signed! It’s available on Amazon, but I think it’s better to order through Bitter Films directly.
Difficulty: Easy

Jason X (2001)
Once upon a time, the only way to get a Blu-Ray of this movie was to purchase Shout Factory’s now-out-of-print Friday the 13th box set, and even then you’d be lucky if you received the version with the corrected disc that didn’t have sound issues. Now, Arrow Video has come through with a great 4K release. We’re lucky in that we have that aforementioned box set, and before we got that we were able to get just the movie alone on eBay, but things were dicey for a minute there.
Difficulty: Hard (Easy as of 2025)

Jennifer’s Body (2009)
Another movie from the time where Blu-Ray was gaining steam and everyone owned a copy of Talladega Nights, Jennifer’s Body has a Blu-Ray release that still holds up, not least of which because it includes an unrated cut where Patrick Star’s voice actor swears like a sailor. Good features, easy availability, thumbs up!
Difficulty: Easy

Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989)
Shout Factory rereleased this movie in 2017, but both it and the Disney Blu-Ray are easily-available. The Shout Factory version actually has slightly better picture quality, and the only feature it’s missing is the John Lasseter introduction from the original Disney DVD. That may be for the best, but it does technically mean the Disney version is slightly more feature-rich at the cost of quality.
Difficulty: Easy

Kill Bill (2003)
We own a Blu-Ray two-pack of both Kill Bill and Kill Bill Vol. 2. It’s still freely available, and in January of 2025 (yes, it’s taken me this long to write some of these entries, and I’m so sorry) 4K UHD releases of both films were released to glowing reviews. I haven’t seen how the upscales look, but I trust the word-of-mouth. They’re not available in a two-pack yet, though. Interestingly, there are rumors that a new edit of both parts into a mega-movie called The Whole Bloody Affair is on the physical horizon. We’ll have to see how that pans out, but at the same time, that’s out of the scope of this article. Bottom line is that if you want the original Kill Bill, it’s there for you.
Difficulty: Easy

King Kong (1933)
This one is so strange to me! I was sure that this would be an easy movie to find, because it’s an absolute classic. However, after scouring thrift stores all around the area the most I could find was a DVD that seems to have been formerly owned by a local library. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy to have this release in the collection, but after further research it seems that the only Blu-Ray release this movie has gotten in Region A was a 2022 release by Warner Archives, which is a reprint from one they made in 2010. I would have figured a 4K UHD release would be inevitable, but no, you’re more likely to find Peter Jackson’s version in stores. The movie is still in print, but the stock fluctuation is so strange and the fact that such an important movie doesn’t have an eternal, up-to-date release yet makes me rank it higher.
Difficulty: Medium

Knives Out (2019)
An early 4K release that is nevertheless excellent. Great audio, great video, great features, and you can buy this movie on Blu-Ray or DVD if you so desire. That’s more than can be said about the Netflix-exclusive sequels, which if we were rating would be Impossible. But we’re not rating Glass Onion or Wake Up Dead Man; I just have to mention how annoyed I am at that.
Difficulty: Easy

La La Land (2016)
Another excellent 4K UHD release, with particular care placed on the audio tracks. That’s good, because it’s a musical. The 4K UHD release even comes with a Blu-Ray for extra accessibility – a big plus!
Difficulty: Easy