The Jokers

dir. Bong Joon Ho

A teenage girl is captured by a giant mutated squid-like creature that appears from Seoul's Han River after toxic waste was dumped in it, prompting her family into a frantic search for her.

The Jokers · 4K + Blu-ray (France)

dir. Wong Kar-Wai

A-Tier Criterion 4K. Wong Kar-wai's Hong Kong mood piece. A Criterion essential.

Criterion Collection · 4K + Blu-ray

dir. Bong Joon Ho

S-Tier Curzon Film 4K. Bong Joon Ho's serial killer masterpiece. The 4K remaster has a reputation for being too dark and green compared to the original South Korean Blu-ray, which has the more natural color timing. Multiple versions exist across regions. The Curzon release is the one most English-speaking collectors are buying, though the import shipping is steep.

Curzon Film · 4K + Blu-ray (United Kingdom)

dir. Bong Joon Ho

S-Tier Artificial Eye 4K. Bong Joon Ho's Palme d'Or winner, and the French debossed steelbook is gorgeous. The B&W version is included, and most people picked it up specifically for that. The "ass" in the middle of the steelbook text was pointed out and now nobody can unsee it.

Curzon Film · 4K + Blu-ray (United Kingdom)

dir. Akira Kurosawa

The BFI vs. Criterion debate dominated every thread. BFI has HDR and what people call the best authoring house in the world (Fidelity in Motion), while Criterion has the deeper extras catalog. Most people who already own the Criterion Blu-ray went BFI for the encode quality bump. The BFI hardbox at $35 USD from OrbitDVD was considered a steal compared to the typical $42-60 USD range for rigid box editions. Criterion's 4K is SDR, which stung given BFI was offering HDR of the same restoration. Seeing it in theaters during the 4K restoration tour was almost too sharp for some viewers, with bald cap seams visible for the first time.

Criterion Collection · 4K + Blu-ray