Lovely Jon's Top Blu-Ray Releases 2025

It's that time of the year again where the more devoted 'open minded' cinephile Blu-ray connoisseur can look back on the multitude of never ending specialist releases that have broken out from the boutique scene - a truly mind melting situation where keeping on top of everything out there has become a nigh on impossible task (particularly those wallets which continue to receive a thorough, systematic bashing).  

It appears that whatever you're in to no matter how obscure/AWOL - it's out there in the grandest remasters possible - lost grindhouse anonymities, Asian underground nuggets, never before seen Eastern European Avant-animation, revelationary undercover documentaries, meticulously restored classics - it's all there waiting to be seen and heard (only so many hours in a day!). 

Here's my top releases of the year and as is the state of play with my personalised, smorgasbord tastes it's a scrambled, eclectic bunch.  

1. The Last Shark (Film Treasures Blu-ray)

Let's start with some straight up exploitation shall we? Enzo G. Castellari's endearing, wild Jaws rip off finally receives a proper HD upgrade from fan's fan UK label Film Treasures (whose Weird Worcester event this year was one of the best cult cinema conventions in a long while where Castellari served as guest).  

Equally memorable for its superior animatronic shark and Universal Studios ban (it was making too much money on the B-circuit) - this one strikes forth with cribbed scenes (the mighty helicopter attack from Jaws 2), slumming US cast (James Franciscus and Casterllari regular Vic Morrow pissed up on the brew whilst changing his accent every couple of minutes) and spectacular slo-mo stunt work (the director's cinematic calling card). Bud and Spencer go-to composers Guido and Maurizio De Angelis perform the catchy disco rock of 'Hollywood Big Time'. 

2.  Kingdom of Heaven (Warner Brothers 4K UHD Blu-ray)

If there was ever a film that was made for UHD times, then Ridley Scott's divisive epic is certainly it. His first production to roll out after era defining super hit Gladiator was never going to be an easy task (despite its status as big budget historical saga), however, hindsight and technology has done Kingdom of Heaven significant favours with Warner's pin sharp restoration culminating in an old school audio visual treat (thankfully in its original extended roadshow version - affectionally echoing those bombastic Hollywood 50s classics Ben Hur and The Ten Commandments to the hilt). Additional full marks to Warner's sound department for utilising punishing Dolby Atmos that just destroys (check the awesome siege of Jerusalem for uber aggressive low end sonic attack).

3. City on Fire (Shout Factory/Arrow 4K UHD Blu-ray)

The announcement of Shout Factory's acquisition of legendary Hong Kong production imprint Golden Princess (home to all those seminal John Woo gunplay classics such as The Killer) - sent shock waved panic amongst Asian cult film aficionados (not to mention their mortgage busting wallets). 

Whilst the Woo's were first out the door (with his break out hit Hardboiled selling out instantly) - we have received firm representation from those Halcyon pre-take over days via Ringo Lam's influential crime hitter (whose noir dipped heist patina was of course transplanted in to Reservoir Dogs). The UHD transfer here is nothing short of stunning - and as for the iron clad cast (icon Chow Yun Fan, charismatic Danny Sau Yin Lee ingeniously cast as a loyal sociopath, Sun 'Sad Face' Yueh dumping his usual tragi-comic persona) - it doesn't get any better. Don't forget to check the extras - Ric Meyers critical overhaul is a real education. 

4. Short Sharp Shocks Vol. 4 (BFI Blu-ray)

After a 2 year hiatus - BFI's essential Brit horror short marathon returns with some genuinely skin crawling gems - 1948's The Fatal Night featuring a super young Patrick 'Steed' Macnee, the same year’s true life 'Dead Zone' spooker Death in the Hand, Roger Christian's much requested sword and sorcery creeper Black Angel (shown alongside The Empire Strikes Back in 1980) and my favourite the terrifying kids warning public information shocker Play Safe: Electricity ("Jimmy!")....

5. Detonation! Violent Riders (88 Films Blu-ray)

88 Films relentless itinerary of global cult gems continues. Here's a wonderful full-on nihilistic Toei produced Japanese biker film from prolific genre favourite Teruo 'Blind Women's Curse' Ishii featuring a bombastic cast of Japan's greatest - Sonny 'Street Fighter' Chiba and real life bad boy Koichi Iwaki as old and new school bikers clashing over good girl Michiko (Tomoko Ai from all those old school Kaju movies). It all leads to a wonderfully bombastic burn out finale (with the entire cast wiped out Easy Rider style).     

6. Hexen - Mark of the Devil II (Turbine 4K UHD Blu-ray)

After years of languishing in the wilderness Adrian Hoven's 1973 follow up to his global super hit (starring the sadly departed king of psychotronic cinema Udo Kier) enters the digital arena in a sparkling 4K UHD media book (featuring 5 different sleeves - those Germans really know how to show the love).  It's more of the same diabolical witch-hunting and torture (the grandest of exploitation devices) this time starring Euro Queen Erika 'Devils Nightmare' Blanc as avenging aristocrat Elisabeth Von  Salmenau out for revenge after the needless killing of her husband by Natas  (villain's villain Reggie 'Salem's Lot' Nalder - returning in an identical role from the first entry).  Before pay off however, she has to endure the advances of corrupt official Von Ross  (a splendidly oily Anton 'Where Eagles Dare' Diffring) and Natas's lethal torture chamber.  

7. The Strange Affair (Vinegar Syndrome Blu-ray)

Back to old school Blighty with David Greene's risqué (for the time) 1968 counter cultural mediation on that staple of UK cinema - the beat copper (iconised by the great Jack 'Dixon of Dock Green' Warner) here re-routed for more modernised groovy times alongside the shady corrupt shenanigans of bent policeman who will do anything to 'get their man'. Up and coming Brit icon Michael York (just off Franco Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet) is new recruit Peter Strange - blackmailed after covertly being filmed in a sexy tryst with under age wild child rebel Fred (the gorgeous Susan George) and set up to take the fall when a deceptive collar goes south. 

Memorable for its boundary breaking sex (York and George get very naked) and violence (our naïve copper gets a drill in the face for his troubles) this was a late night ITV television favourite back in the late 70s/early 80s (where I first saw it).  Out there jazz electro weird composer Basil Kirchin is on firmly quirky OST duties.  

8. Phantasmatapes (Bleeding Skull Blu-ray)

Vinegar Syndrome's essential partner label (one of many in their ever expanding 'culture vulture' curated universe) presents a newly hipped adaptation to the boutique scene - 'the remix mix tape' - here presenting the conception of a late night fictional television horror marathon (replete with crazed ads and bizarre trailers alongside all 'new' reworked/re-edited versions of midnight camp favourite The Revenge of Dr Z and The Brain that Wouldn't Die abounded with newly recorded soundtracks).  One for the inebriated 3am crew. Also check AGFA's  Mystery Mixtape Vault for further demented cut and paste shenanigans.  

9. Bloody Legend: The Complete Cliff Twemlow Collection (Severin/Intervision Picture Corp Blu-ray)

When it comes to boxsets, uber cult imprint Severin are the Daddies of such gargantuan compendiums (their Al Adamson Masterpiece Collection setting the standard for shelf swelling multi-title tomes).  Here we have one of the years very best selections - chronicling Manchester's finest DIY hustler Twemlow - a requisite jack of all trades (composer/bouncer/bodybuilder/novelist) who never stopped making movies on the smallest of micro budgets (despite many of his productions remaining unreleased). That is until now - with this majestically huge testament to Twemlow's legacy.  Most famous for the Manchester SOV nasty GBH (whose original WOV 2000 UK precert VHS fetches hard currency and is of course included here)  - we have a wonderful potpourri of unseen gems - (Moon Stalker, Eye of Satan, The Art of Nude Massage) alongside Jake West and Marc Morris's comprehensive Doc Mancunian Man. Pile on an additional CD of Twemlow's De Wolfe library work (as 'Peter Reno') and you have a perennial cult auteur stocking filler like no other.  

10. The Ogre of Athens (Radiance Blu-ray)

Considered a classic of post civil war Greek cinema, I came in to this extraordinary left field uncategorizable Hitchcockian gem with no prior knowledge and found it quite the revelation. When a meek lonely bank clerk (an intensely restrained Dinos Aliopoulos) is mistaken for a ruthless super criminal it ignites the timid outcast to take on a new identity with tragic but life affirming consequences.  

Incorporating elements of noir, farce and inner cultural paranoia (think Antonioni's The Passenger and Hitch's The Wrong Man produced the same year in 1956), politically inclined leftist director Nikos Koundouros is quite the ahead of his time influencer whilst refusing to 'play by the genre rules' of populist Greek cinema. Soundtrack fans should pay attention to the driving neo-folk jazz score by ace composer Manos Hatzidakis (one of the best film arrangers in the business) - mentor to the great Nicola 'Life is Beautiful' Piovani and something of an undiscovered legend in musical cinema (Morricone was certainly taking notes for his score to Gillo Pontecorvo's seminal Battle of Algiers). 

and some honourable mentions...

11. Winchester 73 (Criterion 4K UHD Blu-ray) 
12. Weapons (Warner Brothers 4K UHD Blu-ray)
13. The Hop Pickers (Second Run Blu-ray)
14. Devil Fetus/Her Vengeance (Vinegar Syndrome/88 Films Blu-ray)
15. Night of The Juggler (Transmission 4K UHD Blu-ray)
16. Terror in the Fog: The Wallace Krimi at CCC (Eureka)
17. Sorcerer (Criterion 4K UHD Blu-ray)
18. The Crimson Rivers (Curzon 4K UHD Blur-ay)
19. The Rapacious Jailbreaker (Arrow Blu-ray)
20. Motorpsycho! (Severin 4K UHD Blu-ray)