10 Must-Have Movie Releases For Thanksgiving: From Jim Ca...

Jim Carrey, John Woo And Stanley Kubrick: 10 Must-Buy Thanksgiving Physical Media Releases physical media collage - November 2025

By Todd Gilchrist Published 27 minutes ago My writing has appeared at Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, Fangoria, The A.V. Club and dozens of online sites. I love movies and music in particular — especially collecting both — but embrace the label of "generalist," with a facility for writing about performers and art across a broad spectrum of media. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the holiday season. November brings an opportunity to gather with friends and family for a communal experience—one possibly forced, but hopefully, at least occasionally, fun. For many, a big part of that is sitting down to watch a movie, be it as a stopgap between awkward conversations about politics or just a way to ride out the waves of tryptophan coursing through everyone’s bodies after consuming copious amounts of turkey.

In anticipation of that shared event, we’ve collected a list of new releases that are worth hunting down, even if admittedly, not all are suitable for all ages. Beyond those listed below, there are others worth investigating. Among them, Univeral's new 4K versions of The Blues Brothers and Out Of Africa, Apple TV’s overdue physical edition of Best Picture winner CODA, and a disc for the original Naked Gun to go along with the new one. But check out our list and see what to watch, or perhaps what to pick up on Black Friday!

Hard Boiled / A Better Tomorrow Trilogy (Shout)

Shout Factory’s licensing deal with the rights holders for John Woo’s filmography blooms this month with the release of his maximalist opus Hard Boiled and the A Better Tomorrow Trilogy. The influence these films exerted on filmmakers worldwide cannot be overstated, not least of which is because they’re propulsive, irresistible entertainment with more style than you can throw a flock of slow-motion doves at. Aside from spectacular 4K picture and sound, they come with tons of new interviews and featurettes, including with Woo himself.

The Mask (Arrow)

Along with Ace Ventura: Pet Detective one of the films that catapulted Jim Carrey to megastardom, Chuck Russell’s The Mask feels long overdue for a proper reassessment. It gets a generous one with Arrow’s reliably overstuffed special edition 4K release, which not only compiles a ton of featurettes from earlier releases but adds interviews with Russell, the creators of the original comic book series, visual effects supervisors, and much more.

The Naked Gun (Paramount)

The Naked Gun starring Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson

Akiva Schaffer’s reboot/ reimagining of the Naked Gun film series was a modest hit upon its release in the summer of 2025, and Paramount Plushas delivered a home video package meant to keep the laughs going on the small screen. In addition to almost 20 minutes of deleted, alternate or extended scenes, there are two blooper reels and an impressive collection of featurettes that explore the series’ legacy and its stars.

One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest (Warner Home Video)

Milos Forman’s Oscar-winning masterpiece gets a well-deserved 4K upgrade in this new edition. It not only features remastered picture and sound but some heavy-hitter new bonus content, including a roundtable conversation between producer Michael Douglas and various members of the cast as they reunite today. It also features several deleted scenes and a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film, from conception to its eventual success and legacy.

The Luc Besson Collection (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)

From Subway to The Fifth Element, the films of Luc Besson are a fascinating mix of style and substance—not always equal in portions but invariably adding to something singular and provocative. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has compiled nine of them in this deluxe box set, not only including Leon: The Professional and The Fifth Element but acclaimed earlier projects and latter commercial hits. Featuring multiple cuts on The Big Blue, The Professional and Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc and feature-length documentaries or extensive featurettes on almost all the films, this is the definitive collection of his films.

Hell’s Angels (Criterion)

Howard Hughes’ 1930 war film may be best known for its depiction as an overlong, arguably self-indulgent production undertaken by the eccentric inventor and businessman in Martin Scorsese’s The Aviator, but that makes this woefully overdue 4K disc an absolute must-have for anyone who watched Scorsese’s film. In addition to a beautiful restoration of the Magnascope road-show version of the film, the disc features an interview with the visual effects supervisor for The Aviator, an interview about female star Kean Harlow, and outtakes from the film.

At Close Range (Cinématographe)

James Foley’s film is in many ways an ‘80s time capsule, marking a high-profile dramatic role for Sean Penn, then best known for playing a stoner in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, and one of Madonna’s first ballads, “Live to Tell” (which is all over the soundtrack). It’s also a violent, emotionally charged story about a son’s complex relationship with his criminal father (a chilling Christopher Walken). Cinématographe, as always, loads on the extras, including two commentaries (one new and another featuring the late Foley), several new interviews with Penn and Walken, and a handful of other featurettes to provide historical context to the real events the movie inspired.

Eyes Wide Shut (Criterion)

Just in time for Christmas! Kubrick’s final film continues to pay dividends as an artistic and narrative triumph, and receives a well-deserved upgrade to 4K on Criterion’s terrific new version featuring artwork designed by the director’s wife Christiane and daughter Katharina. In addition to a robust collection of legacy extras, the disc features interviews with cinematographer Larry Smith, set decorator Lisa Leone and archivist Georgina Orgill, and the documentary “Never Just A Dream,” featuring interviews with various members of Kubrick’s family and creative team on the film.

Death Wish (Kino Lorber)

For at least a generation or two, Charles Bronson’s Death Wish films are seminal—at least initially, capturing a resistance to the evolving landscapes of cities, and the growth of crime. What they became was effectively a counterpoint to the Dirty Harry films, and another progenitor of the action genre that more fully exploded in the 1980s and beyond. Kino Lorber’s five-film collections lets you explore the series from start to finish, along with commentaries on every installment and a handful of extras.

Sisters (Severin)

A 2006 reimagining of Brian De Palma’s 1972 film of the same name, Sisters’ legacy is largely as a part of the 2000s explosion of remakes of classic horror films. (It was released directly to home video, so it didn’t have the opportunity to develop even a cult following.) But the pedigree of its talent alone makes it worthy of discovery: starring Stephen Rea, Chloe Sevigny and then-newcomer Lou Doillon, the film takes seriously what has born out to be “minor De Palma,” in the process delivering an intriguing, bloody thriller. The three-disc set from Severin features two audio commentaries, deleted and extended scenes, and a copy of its score.

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