Happy November! Hope everyone had a good night last night with more treats than tricks. We start the month off right with one of my favorite movies of the year, and an unexpected one at that, Top Gun: Maverick. Tom Cruise returns after 36 years as Capt. Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell. Now a test pilot for hi tech new aircraft, Maverick is called back to Top Gun school to train a new generation of pilots to pull off a seemingly impossible mission. But when he discovers his former partner Goose’s son Bradley (Miles Teller) is in the class, and still blames Maverick for his father’s death, Mavericks task becomes doubly hard.

When I heard they were doing a sequel to one of the biggest hits of the 80s, I was very skeptical. I wasn’t a huge fan of the original Top Gun; it was fun but I never held it in particularly high regard. But somehow director Joseph Kosinski and writer Peter Craig managed to craft a film that was nostalgic, very much so, without ever crossing the line into outright cheesiness, and giving the character of Maverick real heart as portrayed by Cruise wonderfully, and better than in the first film. And thanks to Cruise and his personal training program for the young actors, the real life flying in the film is jaw dropping and over the top entertaining. This is pretty much the new standard for a perfect summer popcorn blockbuster. And now that it is available in 4K for your home theatre, it is the new disc you will use to show off your system. I can’t recommend Top Gun: Maverick highly enough. Just give in and enter the Danger Zone.

Also of note this week, it is a big week for 4K fans with Bob Clark’s holiday classic A Christmas Story arriving in 4K, Chevy Chase in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation in 4K, Will Ferrell in Jon Favreau’s brilliant Elf in 4K, and some TV holiday classic’s, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, and A Charlie Brown Christmas all arriving in 4K. Now that Halloween is over, time to settle in with those classics!

Until next week movie lovers, stay safe!

DVD and Blu-ray Releases for Tuesday November 1, 2022

A Christmas Story (1983) 4K

A Discovery of Witches: Season 3 (2022)

Belle (2021)

Daisies (1966)* - Criterion Collection

Dark Winds: Season One (2022)

Dream Lover (1994)*

E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) 4K 40th Anniversary Gift Set

Elf (2003) 4K

Felix and Lola / Love Street: Two Films Directed by Patrice Leconte (2001-2002)*

Frosty the Snowman (1969) 4K

Holiday Inn (1942) 4K

Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul. (2022)

In the Mood for Love (2000) 4K - Criterion Collection

Khartoum (1966)*

Lights! Camera! Elvis! Collection

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989) 4K

Peter von Kant (2022)

Piranha (1978) 4K

Rubikon (2022)

Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964) 4K

Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town (1970) 4K

Sesame Street: My Favorite Holidays!

Starship Troopers (1997) 4K Steelbook

Summer Ghost (2021)

The Black Vampire a.k.a. El Vampiro Negro (1953)*

The Classic Christmas Specials Collection (1964-1970)* 4K

The Evil Dead Double Feature Collection 4K

The Good Boss (2021)

The Polar Express (2004) 4K

Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan: Season One 4K

Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan: Season Two 4K

Top Gun 2-Movie Collection 4K

Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

Wuthering Heights (1970)*

Young Rock: Season Two (2022)

*New to Blu-ray