What’s New in Home Video & Pop Culture – February 25th, 2025 – Amadeus, Cruising, The Cat, Dinner with Leatherface and more

Amadeus

It’s a catalogue and specialty heavy release slate this week, as we get 4K Ultra HD releases of one of cinemas most acclaimed films and a cult classic with one of cinema’s most acclaimed actors. We also have some strong foreign classics and an outstanding vinyl soundtrack album, and that’s not all. Read on for more details!

In This Week’s Column:

• Amadeus (4K Ultra HD + Digital)
• Cruising (4K UHD + Blu-ray)
• Hokuriku Proxy War (Blu-ray)
• The Cat (Blu-ray)
• The Bikeriders Soundtrack (Vinyl Record)
• Dinner with Leatherface (Blu-ray)

Amadeus (4K Ultra HD + Digital)

The Movie: 

You know how there are some movies that – no matter how popular or successful or critically acclaimed they are – you just never get around to seeing? Well, Amadeus is one of those films for me. I’ve always meant to watch it but just never seemed to find the time. With Warner Bros. dropping the film on 4K Ultra HD this week, it was the perfect time to finally correct that oversight.

The movie, which chronicles the rise and fall of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart through the lens of fellow composer Antonio Salieri, who was incredibly jealous of Mozart’s talent, was a massive success when it came out in 1984. It’s based on Peter Sheffield’s play of the same name, and while much of it is based in fact, there is also a lot of conjecture and dramatization of real events. It also won eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor (for F. Murray Abraham.)

Now, I can’t say that I found the movie to be an absolute masterpiece. It’s a little long for my tastes and there’s an awful lot of opera in it. (I get that the operas are part of the plot, but the sequences could have been much shorter and still gotten the point across in my opinion.) But the performances… oh man, what a tour de force! F. Murray Abraham absolutely deserved his Oscar for Best Actor; his performance is one of the greatest I’ve ever seen put to film. But for that to come at the expense of Tom Hulce, who played the titular character, and who is also a complete revelation… well, it’s just a shame they couldn’t have both won.

The 4K Video/Audio:

Amadeus has been completely restored and remastered and for the most part, looks and sounds very good in the premium format. The color saturation isn’t quite what I would call vibrant, as the film has a lot of yellow and orange hues tinting the picture throughout that seem to be the predominant look of the film. Having never seen the movie theatrically, I have to imagine this is how it looked originally and was intentional. Image clarity is sharp, however, and with such a visually sumptuous film, the overall effect is quite strong. The surround soundtrack isn’t the most immersive ever, but it does a great job of bringing the music and dialogue into your living room. Obviously, orchestral and operatic music drive the proceedings here, and it sounds lush and full as you would expect. Meanwhile, the powerful bass channel ensure there’s an occasional rumble through your bones. All in all, this is a very impressive A/V presentation.

The Bonus Features: 

• Amadeus: The Making of a Masterpiece (23 minutes) – A new documentary about the making of the film, which includes participation by both Abraham and Hulce.
• The Making of Amadeus (61 minutes) – A comprehensive documentary from 2002.

Digital Copy Included: Yes

The Wrap-Up:

Even if I don’t consider Amadeus an unimpeachable or perfect movie, I did enjoy it immensely. It’s an interesting story, the visual spectacle of the film is impressive, and the performances are staggeringly good. There’s never been a better time to revisit the film or, if you’re like me, discover it for the first time.

Cruising (4K UHD + Blu-ray)

The Movie: 

Al Pacino has had such an interesting career. Nominated for eight Academy Awards for Best Actor (and only winning one) his films have veered from critically-acclaimed masterpieces (The Godfather, Dog Day Afternoon) to Adam Sandler comedies (Jack and Jill) and everything in between. Cruising is definitely one of those in-between movies, although it’s a film I like quite a bit.

In it, Pacino plays a young cop who’s angling to make detective and gets called on to go undercover to catch a serial killer who’s targeting underground gay clubs, the home of the “cruising” scene. As he gets pulled deeper and deeper into the lifestyle, he starts to find his personal life affected, all while young men keep dying around him. Aside from a tragic hairdo (that’s a product of its time), Pacino is impeccable here, turning in another terrific performance here in a film that will keep you guessing throughout.

Not entirely surprisingly, the movie – which features an incredible amount of homosexual activity – was not a big box office success despite Pacino’s involvement. I don’t say that as a judgment on the film’s content, just that traditionally in the U.S. box office, movies with explicit homosexuality aren’t typically big screen blockbusters. In recent years, however, the movie has been reevaluated as a top-notch mystery/thriller and is rightly seen as a strong entry in the genre from its era.

This week, Arrow Video releases the film on 4K Ultra HD as a deluxe edition that comes packaged in a slipcase cover with an essay book and a metric ton of extra features.

The 4K Video/Audio:

The film has been restored and remastered as is usual for Criterion and this release comes with both a 4K Ultra HD disc and a Blu-ray Disc. The 4K Ultra HD adds some punch to the proceedings, notably in terms of the colors taking on more vibrant hues and the image clarity looking as good as a film from 1980 could. The soundtrack is a 2.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio that largely focuses on music and dialogue, making sure neither overpowers the other nor gets lost behind the other. All in all, it’s a strong presentation for a film that probably didn’t have the best source material to work with.

The Bonus Features: 

• 120-page perfect-bound collector’s book featuring articles from The Village Voice and The New York Times, essays from the film’s extras cast, an introduction from William Friedkin, and an archive interview with Al Pacino
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sister Hyde
• Two archive audio commentaries by director William Friedkin, one solo and one moderated by critic and broadcaster Mark Kermode
• Brand new commentary featuring original musicians involved with the soundtrack
• I Want to Be the Curator, a brand-new interview with actress Karen Allen
• Deleted scenes and alternative footage
• On-set audio featuring the club scenes and protest coverage
• Censored material reels
• Theatrical trailer, teasers, and TV spots
• Walking the Line, a brand-new interview with actor, film consultant, and former police detective Randy Jurgensen
• Cut Offs, an interview with editor Bud S. Smith
• Who’s That Guy?, an interview with actor Jay Acovone
• Pounding the Beat, an interview with actor Mike Starr
• Boy on the Bus, an interview with actor Mark Zecca
• Mineshaft Memories, an archive interview with Wally Wallace, former manager of the Mineshaft
• Breaking the Codes, a brand-new visual essay surrounding the hanky-codes featuring actor and writer David McGillivray
• Stop the Movie, a short film by Jim Hubbard capturing the Cruising protests
• The History of Cruising, an archival featurette looking at the film’s origins and production
• Exorcising Cruising, an archival featurette looking at the controversy surrounding the film and its enduring legacy
• William Friedkin’s BeyondFest 2022 Q&A at the American Cinematheque
• Extensive image gallery featuring international promotional material, on-set sketches, and more

Digital Copy Included: No 

The Wrap-Up:

While far from Pacino’s most famous movie, it’s a terrific thriller and he’s in top form here. Arrow Video is pretty much my favorite home video content creator these days and this is another incredible release from the studio.

The Bikeriders Soundtrack (Vinyl Record)

The Album: 

Made by Mutant returns with another limited-edition vinyl soundtrack this week, this time from the recent counterculture drama The Bikeriders starring Austin Butler, Tom Hardy, and Jodie Comer. While I wasn’t a particularly big fan of the movie itself, the soundtrack is a terrific collection of songs that truly captures the film’s entire aesthetic.

Picture in your head the song that’s playing anytime you see a scene in a movie that takes place in a back-alley pool hall populated by bikers; that’s what this soundtrack is all about. It’s dirty, fuzzy rockabilly/soul/blues from the 1950s, paired with more melodic pop fare like The Shangri-La’s, all mixed together in way that evokes a mood and an image of a world most of us have only ever seen in movies. It’s incredibly effective, but also a lot of fun to listen to.

The Specs: 

This limited-edition single-LP physical release features liner notes by the film’s writer/director Jeff Nichols, and is pressed on 140g vinyl.

Tracklist:

Side 1:

1. Lonely Room – By Mickey Murray
2. I Wanta Holler (But the Town’s Too Small) – By Gary U.S. Bonds
3. Out in the Streets – By The Shangri-Las
4. My Babe – By Dale Hawkins
5. Raunchy – By Bill Justis
6. Mama, Mama Talk to Your Daughter – By Magic Sam
7. Mannish Boy (Electric Mud Version) – By Muddy Waters

Side 2

1. New Orleans – By Gary U.S. Bonds
2. Masters of War – By The Staple Singers
3. I’m Going Home – By The Sonics
4. I’ll Never Learn – By The Shangri-Las
5. Down on the Street (2005 Remaster) – By The Stooges
6. Treat Him Right – By Mickey Murray

The Wrap-Up:

Available only through the Mutant webstore (www.madebymutant.com), The Bikeriders soundtrack is a slice of aural perfection that will transport you to another time and place. This is the only place to get the soundtrack, so if you’re a fan of the film or the music, track it down ASAP.

Hokuriku Proxy War (Blu-ray)

The Movie: 

I’m not an expert on all things Asian cinema; the genre is too large for me to have ever really memorized all the players and films that are essential to mastery of the genre’s conventions. So director Kinji Fukasaku isn’t a name that instantly leapt out at me when I saw that he directed Hokuriku Proxy War, but with a little bit of thought I remembered that he not only directed a movie I reviewed last week (Legend of the 8 Samurai) but also the international hit Battle Royale and its sequel.

So it’s no surprise that Hokuriku Proxy War is an engaging and enjoyable film. What is a little surprising is how different the movie feels from the others of his that I’ve seen (which admittedly is pretty much just the three I just listed.) This action/crime film borders on slapstick in a way that his other films I’ve encountered don’t, and it’s both a fun stylistic touch and an odd one. The film is a little hard to nail down, but ultimately it’s a stylistic thriller with lots of snow, lots of action, and lots of offbeat humor. Hard to argue with that.

This week, the film is released on a special edition Blu-ray that is limited to 3000 copies and has been restored from a 4K master. It comes with a bevy of extra features and sharp packaging.

The Bonus Features: 

• Interview – Yoko Takahashi (16 minutes)
• Interview – Koji Takada (18 minutes)
• The Hokuriku Proxy War Case (14 minutes) featurette
• Illustrated Essay Booklet
• Trailer

Digital Copy Included: No 

The Wrap-Up:

Hokuriku Proxy War is a strong release from Radiance, in terms of being a good movie with nice packaging and not only great sound and picture, but also a nice collection of extras. This is definitely one that any Asian cinema fan will want to add to their collection.

The Cat (Blu-ray)

The Movie: 

Ignore the fact that The Cat makes this movie sound like an anime about a cuddly companion, or maybe a movie about a cat burglar. Instead, this 1988 German film is a heist movie that might have served as an inspiration for Quentin Tarantino’s early filmmaking efforts. (For the record, I have no idea if QT has seen this film or been influenced by it, but it seems like the kind of movie he would have found inspiration in.)

The film’s plot is fairly standard, in that it’s a heist movie about a bank robbery that at some point begins to not quite go as planned, leading to hostages being taken. But in this case, the heist’s mastermind is watching from a distance while also having some closer connections to the bank than just being a random victim of his efforts.

The film was a huge hit in its native Germany when it came out, even while critics and fans took notice of its explicit violence, which was probably a little shocking in a pre-Tarantino 1980s film that wasn’t a Schwarzenegger or Stallone vehicle. But the film’s pacing, editing, and action sequences are so intense and visceral that it’s not hard at all to see why the movie took audiences by storm. It’s pretty darn impressive.

Like Hokuriku Proxy War above, this week, the film is released on a special edition Blu-ray that is limited to 3000 copies and has been restored from a 4K master. It comes with a ton of extra feature materials and a cool case and artwork.

The Bonus Features: 

• Interview – Director Dominik Graf (65 minutes)
• Interview – Writer Christoph Fromm (32 minutes)
• Interview – Producer Georg Feil (32 minutes)
• Select Scene Audio Commentaries by Dominik Graf (12 minutes)
• Illustrated Essay Booklet
• Trailer (HD; 1:52)

Digital Copy Included: No 

The Wrap-Up:

I was completely unfamiliar with The Cat before this new Blu-ray release crossed my desk for review and I’m glad I got the chance to watch it. It’s the kind of movie that would have had a much bigger audience if it was an English-language movie, so now’s a great chance to discover it.

Dinner with Leatherface (Blu-ray)

The Movie: 

While the film’s title might have you thinking this is another entry in the never-ending Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise, it is actually a documentary about Gunnar Hansen, the actor who played the iconic Leatherface in the original 1974 film.

The most notable thing revealed throughout the course of the documentary – and something that’s brought up quite often – is how different Gunnar Hansen is from his character. Intelligent and quiet and creative, Hansen is much more than just a slasher killer actor. We learn about him through a variety of interviews with colleagues and castmates, including notable ones such as Bruce Campbell, Barbara Crampton, Kane Hodder, Linnea Quigley, Danielle Harris, and, of course, Hansen himself.

The film runs about an hour and 45 minutes, but it’s pretty jam-packed with interviews and photos and video clips and it all goes by pretty quickly, making for an enjoyable viewing experience.

The Bonus Features: 

• Audio commentary with writer/director Michael Kallio and editor Josh Wagner
• Extended Interview with filmmaker and historian Michael Felsher
• Convention Chat with actress Danielle Harris
• Southern Hospitality Trailer – 2022 Remastered, Recut, HD
• Tales of Gunner Hansen

Digital Copy Included: No 

The Wrap-Up:

Dinner With Leatherface is the kind of documentary that will obviously appeal to its target demographic (horror movie fans and Texas Chainsaw aficionados), but its appeal is broader than that. Any fan of movie documentaries or actors in general will enjoy it.