We recently received some great titles that have already been released throughout July so let’s talk about them!
First is Warfare, an absolutely visceral retelling of an event in Iraq during the Global War on Terrorism. From Alex Garland and Iraq War veteran Ray Mendoza, it is one of the best films of 2025. Told through the memories of those who experienced it, it is one of the most intense films I’ve seen in ages. With a cast of fantastic young actors, fans of Lone Survivor and Saving Private Ryan will absolutely eat it up. It’s beautifully shot putting the audience in the close quarters of a house with soldiers trying to fight off insurgents while waiting for backup. With Mendoza being a Navy SEAL himself, there’s a level of authenticity I haven’t seen in a military film in a long time. From the use of proper military wording and soldier movements to the angles the directors take in shooting the action, you feel like you are in there with them. It is an absolute gut punch of intensity that will have you taking deep breaths while you watch. It is without a doubt one of A24’s best films to date. Bonus features include commentary with Mendoza, Garland and Military Consultant Brian Philpot, making of featurette, behind-the-scenes photograph postcards and more.
Sticking with A24, they also have another gem that hit physical media this month, Death of a Unicorn. Before they started winning awards A24 was the quirky studio with films like Swiss Army Man. I loved their oddball flicks and I’m happy to report that this Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega lead film is a return to those whacky days. I kind of loved this film because it’s so randomly bananas. It’s a dark comedy, but also secretly a remake of Aliens, but with unicorns. Rudd and Ortega play father and daughter and he goes to the house of his boss, but along the way accidentally run over a unicorn. Tea Leoni, Richard E. Grant, Anthony Carrigan and Will Poulter (also in Warfare) round out the cast. It’s super funny with over the top performances and it’s filled with Alien/Aliens references. There’s a xenomorph type tracker and scenes similar to the Ridley Scott/James Cameron flicks. Carrigan and Poulter steal every scene they are in and it’s either a film you’ll talk about all year or absolutely hate/not understand. It 100% worked for me and will be something I rewatch for years. Bonus features include commentary with its director, deleted scenes, a featurette and behind the scenes photograph postcards as well.
Paul Rudd comes up again with a 4K 30th Anniversary Limited Edition Steelbook of the 1990s classic Clueless. I feel old at the fact that this Alicia Silverstone comedy came out 30 years ago. I’m glad to say though that after 30 years it still holds up pretty darn well. It truly captures a time of the 1990s perfectly especially in that part of the country. We get absolutely vapid characters in today’s movies, but back then we got characters who were airheads, but at least had heart. Cher, Dionne, Murray, Tai, Amber and the rest of the gang weren’t the brightest bulbs, but they at least had heart and charm. They were clueless, but it was honest and wholesome. Nowadays we get social media influencers using words that no one will remember six months from now. Clueless is a rare film in that it was financially a hit, grew even bigger on home video and cable and grew a cult following on top of it. It spun off a TV series and is still part of pop culture 3 decades later.
If you are a fan, this new physical media release is pretty sweet. I love collecting Steelbooks, but on top of it it’s a 4K with a Blu-ray and digital code and it’s packed with bonus features. There is an awesome then and now look at the cast, a creative writing feature with writer/director Amy Heckerling, a look at the fashion of Clueless, stories from the cast & crew and much more. Even if you own it on physical media this 30th Anniversary edition is very much worth the upgrade.
Hell of a Summer was a nice little surprise. It’s not a full blown campground slasher like the cover art might suggest, but it’s a solid horror comedy from Billy Bryk and Finn Wolfhard (of Stranger Things fame). Both wrote and directed it and it’s about a group of camp counselors returning to camp who soon realize something is off. The couple who are usually there to greet them aren’t there and eventually bodies start dropping. But it’s not just a Friday the 13th clone, there are genuine laughs and fun characters. Fred Hechinger plays the counselor who seems a bit too old to be there and they all start to think he’s the killer. His need to be liked and fit in brings all kinds of laughs as he doesn’t truly think they will torture him for answers as he believes the best in everyone. A different actor might not have brought a lovable goofiness to the character and the film works because of it. There are just enough other characters to make it all work and it never wanders too far away from what it’s trying to accomplish. It’s a fun little film from Neon that I can see gaining a following through the years especially with Stranger Things in the news for finally coming to an end and Hechinger growing more and more popular.
Last we have Mill Creek Entertainment‘s latest Ultraman release, Ultraman USA aka Ultraman: The Adventure Begins. This was a 1980s animated film co-produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and Tsuburaya Productions that was sort of a pilot intended to lead to a full animated series that never happened. They turned it into a feature-length film instead. I think I remember this as a kid, but I can’t be sure. It was actually pretty cool to see what they thought American audiences wanted back in the 1980s. It involves three stunt pilots who crash, but aren’t hurt thanks to a space peace keeping organization and the three are told they now host warriors from space. It’s very Ultraman, but also Green Lantern-ish. I’ve been watching a lot of newer Ultraman stuff through Mill Creek so I loved seeing this older animated story because it’s the Ultraman I grew up on, but I also watched Voltron and Thundercats and stuff like that. It was a nice trip down memory lane actually. Plus the voice cast is great with Stacy Keach Sr., Adrienne Barbeau, and more. If you have been collecting Mill Creek’s Ultraman sets then you need to add this to your collection.
The Nerds Templar 