Phoenix DVD Blog

Some of my earliest memories of going to the cinema aren’t really about the films at all. They’re about the anticipation . As a child, getting to the cinema in Killorglin or Tralee with my cousins felt like a proper event. It wasn’t something you did casually. It was a treat. We queued for junk food at the front counter, impatiently watching the person ahead of us debate popcorn sizes, all the while worrying we might miss the start, even though we were nearly always 30 minutes too early. Once we had our snacks, modest for the time, a drink, popcorn, and a small packet of chocolate sweets, there was the scramble for decent seats (at the back, of course). Then came that familiar ten-minute wait as the auditorium slowly filled.  Then the lights dimmed, the cigarette burn edit marks crackled and fizzled on screen, the cartoon started, and you knew you were locked in for the next couple of hours. There was no pause button. No kettle-boiling tea breaks. No exit. You were there to wat...

I vaguely remember buying Black Hawk Down on DVD not long after it was released. I was interested in it, I watched it all the way through, but I wasn’t blown away by it, pardon the pun. It felt intense, sure, but it didn’t leave a lasting impression. At the time, I couldn’t quite understand why, given how highly regarded the film already was. I’ve had this experience with a few war films over the years, where the format quietly undermined the impact rather than the film itself , something I touched on in my post  5 Modern War Films You Must See for Intense, Gritty Viewing has some fine examples. Looking back now, the reason for my original view is obvious. I was watching it on a 32-inch TV , using built-in speakers , on a  DVD . Why It Fell Flat the First Time This is not a subtle film. It’s built on scale, chaos, overlapping sound, confusion, and sustained tension. That kind of experience depends heavily on presentation, and my setup simply couldn’t deliver it. On DVD...

If you’ve ever upgraded from DVD to Blu-ray and thought, “That’s nice, but is it really worth it?” , these films answer that question immediately. Blu-ray isn’t just about higher resolution. When it’s done properly, it’s about restoration, colour depth, film grain, shadow detail, and sound design that DVD simply cannot reproduce. Some films benefit more than others, and a handful feel like completely new experiences. These three titles are the ones I always come back to when someone asks me why I still buy physical media.  I’ve written more broadly about this before in my post on why physical media is still worth fighting for , but these three films are the clearest, most practical examples I can point to. This Post contains Affiliate links – I may earn a small commission if you buy, at no extra cost to you. Kingdom of Heaven (Director’s Cut) Ridley Scott’s Kingdom of Heaven is one of the most dramatic examples of how a film can be transformed by both a proper edit and a pr...

I’ve found myself getting increasingly disconnected from what Hollywood and the major studios are churning out these days. It’s not nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake, and it’s certainly not a complaint about actors getting older. Aging is natural. Careers evolve. That’s not the issue. What I miss is something more fundamental. There was a time, roughly from the 1980s through to the early 2010s , when cinema felt reliable in the best possible way. Every year you could almost guarantee two big summer blockbusters , followed by two or three genuinely strong films later in the year , with plenty of solid, mid-budget movies scattered in between across every genre.

Every December I end up looking back at the year in movies and asking myself the same question: why do I still bother collecting discs in a world that wants everything streamed? And every December, the answer gets clearer.

Every December, when the nights get darker and the house gets quieter, I always end up gravitating toward a few familiar dramas. Not Christmas movies, not really — just films with enough heart, weight, or emotional punch to feel right for this time of year. And even outside the holidays, these are the kinds of films that remind me why physical media still matters. Streaming is grand for convenience, but if you want the picture quality, the proper sound, and the full experience the filmmakers intended, you won’t get it from a compressed stream. These are films worth owning, revisiting, and keeping on your shelf.

Every year I try to squeeze in a few Christmas movies but I’m not always in the mood for the cosy, sugary stuff. Sometimes you just want explosions, sarcasm, and a hero who spends more time bleeding in a dirty vest top than wrapping presents. Christmas action movies scratch that itch perfectly. And while these films are easy to find online, I’ve learned (the hard way) that most streaming platforms don’t exactly give action movies the treatment they deserve. Fast cuts, dark scenes, snow, night-time shootouts, all of it turns into a blurry mess when the bitrate drops. Watching the Blu-ray, UHD, or even a good DVD gives you a cleaner picture and proper sound, especially for older action films.

The older I get, the more Christmas turns into a return to the same familiar movies. The ones I watched as a kid or ones I watched with my son when he was small. These are the movies that somehow feel like Christmas before anything in the house is decorated. This year I ended up rewatching The Santa Clause and The Santa Clause 2 . I still haven’t seen the third one, but judging by the reviews, I’m preparing myself for… let’s just call it an experience. (Author note: I have since watched it, see below) Either way, nostalgia gets the better of me every December, and this felt like the perfect time to revisit where the whole thing began. Check out my other Christmas movie post  5 Essential Family Films for Christmas and see if you remember those titles too. Affiliate links Below– I may earn a small commission if you buy, at no extra cost to you. The Santa Clause (1994) Scott Calvin accidentally becoming Santa, the North Pole unfolding in that magical 90s way, and Tim Allen right ...

Did you ever see that game of kiss, marry, kill mentioned on US TV or Movies? The premise is simple, who would you like to do those things to. I had a bright idea one day recently that I could do the same to movies but obviously change the options. I have to say in advance that I do like the films I have marked as Forget but I randomly picked titles to give myself a bit of a challenge. Even as I typed them out, I was humming and hawing about it. Would you have come to the same conclusion?

🎄 There’s something special about curling up on the sofa at Christmas, lights twinkling, a tin of chocolates within reach, and a film that everyone in the house can enjoy. It doesn’t matter if you’ve seen it a dozen times, the best Christmas movies have that magic that never fades. They’re part of the ritual: comfort, laughter, and a reminder that family (no matter how chaotic) is what the season’s really about. Below are five timeless Christmas films that every family should revisit this year. If Christmas isn’t quite the same without a bit of nostalgia, you might also enjoy my post My Top 5 All-Time Comedy Movie Picks , where I share some of my favourite feel-good classics for a cosy evening in. 🏠 1. Home Alone (1990) Synopsis: When eight-year-old Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) is accidentally left behind while his family jets off to Paris, he finds himself defending his home from two bumbling burglars, the Wet Bandits. Armed with a fierce imagination and plenty of ho...

Some nights, you just want a good laugh, no deep plots, no heavy themes, just pure, ridiculous fun. The best comedies are the ones you can rewatch again and again, the kind that lift your mood and make even the dullest Tuesday night feel better. Whether it’s physical humour, clever dialogue, or over-the-top characters, these films all have one thing in common — they deliver when you need a dose of feel-good escapism. I’ll admit, this one was tough to narrow down. there were at least another four or five films I could’ve included. I might just have to make a Part Two! Related Posts If you enjoy classic comedies with a bit more edge, check out my post 5 Essential Old-School Comedies That Couldn’t Be Made Today — it’s packed with nostalgia and films that pushed the limits of what comedy could get away with. If you are wondering whether streaming is going to take over completely and wipe out the old disc media, have a read of my post Is Disc Media Dying – or Just Waiting for Its Comeba...