Charles Martin Smith movies available on 4K Blu-ray, ranked by transfer quality.
dir. John Carpenter
Sony S-Tier 4K. One of the more under-appreciated John Carpenter films, with Jeff Bridges playing an alien on a road trip across America. The Columbia Classics box set originally included this, and Sony releasing a standalone steelbook is good news for people who didn't want to buy the whole set. Target's buy 2 get 1 free deal has brought the price down to around $30 USD.
Sony Pictures · 4K + Blu-ray
dir. Brian De Palma
Paramount's 2022 4K scored 4.5 on blu-ray.com with natural grain and a punchier audio mix than the old Blu-ray. Avoid the $11 USD Paramount 4K Preorders line on Amazon, which ships in DVD-sized cases with no special features and is cheaply produced on purpose. The Best Buy steelbook has better artwork if you want the premium version.
Paramount Pictures · 4K + Blu-ray
dir. George Lucas
D-Tier Universal 4K. George Lucas re-colored the film for the special edition and the 4K carries that same color timing over. People noticed immediately and there was a wave of returns. The resolution bump is there if you can live with the color changes.
Universal Pictures · Blu-ray
dir. Steve Rash
A chronicle of the rise and brief career of rock 'n' roll star Buddy Holly, who aspires to play music the way he wants it to sound. Holly and his band, the Crickets, are first invited to record in Nashville, where they encounter creative differences with the producing staff. Later they play a major booking at the Apollo Theater, scheduled there under the mistaken assumption that they're a black band. Holly's career eventually goes solo -- until the tragic day the music dies.
