Creepshow 2 4K (1987/4K Ultra HD Blu-ray*)/The Good, The Bad and The Weird 4K (2008/Blu-ray/*both MVD/Arrow)/Knight Rider 4K: The Complete Series (1982 - 1986/Universal 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Set)/Lois & Clark: The Complete Series (1993 - 1997/DC Comics/Warner Blu-ray Set)

4K Ultra HD Picture: B+ Picture: X/X/X/B Sound: B-/B/B-/B Extras: B-/B-/B-/C+ Main Programs: B-/C+/C+/C+

Now for more action and genre fun, as we revisit some past hits in 4K and finally catch up to one we kept missing....

Michael Gornick's Creepshow 2 4K (1987) gets a solid Ultra HD upgrade from the previous Blu-ray only edition we covered a few years ago at this link:

https://fulvuedrive-in.com/review/14642/Creepshow+2+(1987/MVD+Visual/Arrow+Blu-ray

I also covered the anthology sequel on DVD and a link to that review appears in the one above. Sad anthologies have not made a comeback, especially when you have all these home video companies, cable channels, streaming services and so much filler being produced. Does this have to be a lost art?

Looking at this again, the actors, mood, pace and controlled energy make this hold up well enough and maybe this well-deserved upgrade might finally inspire some good anthology features (versus some really bad ones we shall not discuss here) and these stopped with a not-great third film, the trilogy of such films and these in particular can be sadly seen as the end of an era. I recommend this one.

Extras repeat the goodies on the previous Blu-ray only Arrow set as noted at the review link.

Kim Ji-woo's The Good, The Bad and The Weird 4K (2008) is a film that comes up at times when the Spaghetti Westerns it tries to emulate come up and we covered the shorter version in its older Blu-ray release here...

https://fulvuedrive-in.com/review/10230/The+Good,+The+Bad,+The+Weird+(2008/IFC/MPI+Blu

It is better than other imitators and revivals of the genre type, now here in its longer 139 Korean version that does not make a real dramatic difference, but shows the energy and love of what was being done here is here. It is a nice surprise that a lesser-known title is getting such deluxe treatment and 4K at that, but since it is Arrow, it is not as much of a surprise.

l'm still not a big fan of the film, but appreciate the ambition and like this presentation better than the then-decent Blu-ray, so those curious should check this out and in this expanded edition while supplies last.

Extras included in this 2-DISC 4K ULTRA HD LIMITED EDITION include...

• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Nathanael Marsh

• Perfect bound collector's book featuring writing by Darcy Paquet, Kyu Hyun Kim, Cho Jae-whee and Ariel Schudson

• Three postcard-sized artcards

• Double-sided fold-out poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Nathanael Marsh

• DISC ONE - FEATURE PRESENTATIONS (4K ULTRA-HD BLU-RAY)

• 4K master approved by director Kim Jee-woon

• Includes both the International and Korean versions of the film presented via seamless branching

• Audio commentary by film critic James Marsh and film critic and producer Pierce Conran

• Archival audio commentary of the International Cut by director Kim Jee-woon and actors Song Kang-ho, Lee Byung-hun, and Jung Woo-sung

• Archival audio commentary of the Korean Version by director Kim Jee-woon, cinematographer Lee Mogae, lighting director Oh Seung-chul, and art director Cho Hwa-sung (Korean Version)

• Introduction to the film by Kim Jee-woon

• DISC TWO - BONUS FEATURES (BLU-RAY)

• Corralling Chaos in the Desert, an interview with director Kim Jee-woon

• Dusty Dust-ups and Sweaty Saddles, an interview with martial arts coordinator Jung Doo-hong

• Archival making-of films and featurettes

• Trailer Gallery

• and an Image Gallery.

Knight Rider 4K: The Complete Series (1982 - 1986) was an initially exciting action show with an advanced, talking car (introducing the last era of the Firebird Trans Am from the now defunct Pontiac Motors, voiced perfectly by the late, great William Daniels) and now surprisingly released on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray by Universal in the first such turn for a TV show of its period. Before Mill Creek did a basic Blu-ray set of the whole series, we did manage to review the third of four seasons of the show at this link:

https://fulvuedrive-in.com/review/3301/Knight+Rider+-+Season+Three+(Universal+DVD

David Hasselhoff became a star form this and the show was initially fun, but instead of the writer and producers building on what they had, they went to narrative formulas and the show suffered a slow decline, but not before logging those four seasons. Along with Magnum, P.I., it was the last of the name hit Universal Television shows before its classic era came to an end. Edward Mulhare, a spiritual cousin to Rex Harrison (and Stewie Griffin for that matter,) best known for the hit TV version of The Ghost & Mrs. Muir, offers support that is a little underrated.

A revival telefilm is included here and people still talk about the show, but like William Peterson, whose feature films Manhunter and To Live & Die In L.A. should have been huge block busters, Hasselhoff shocked the industry by launching and co-producing the TV megahit Baywatch, even if critics hated it. Petersen did the same with C.S.I., just as massive, but more respectable. Ironically, had Knight Rider run longer and Petersen's films did the blockbuster business they should have, their later mega TV hits may have never happened.

Hasselhoff also became a big deal in Germany, all while fighting personal demons, but the fact that Knight Rider is getting 4K release before other big and similar Universal TV hits of the time like Battlestar Galactica (movie not included,) Buck Rogers (with is stunning Kino Lorber Blu-ray set,) Magnum, P.I., the earlier Kolchak: The Night Stalker (another Kino Blu-ray winner) or Universal detective shows going back to Columbo is a bit of a surprise. However, here it is and its not bad at all, even if you are not a fan. Now, its the best way to watch it.

Extras include...

• Behind-the-Scenes Interviews

• Knight Moves

• Knight Sounds

• Knight Rider: Under The Hood

• Blueprints Gallery

• Photo Gallery

• The Great '80s TV Flashback

• Commentary with David Hasselhoff and Glen Larson on ''Knight Of The Phoenix''

• The full Knight Rider 2000 TV Movie

• and Knight Rider: Behind the Wheel - An all-new, one-hour documentary with cast and crew interviews, revealing the stories behind the bold stunts, cutting tech, and how a talking car and a lone hero captured the imagination of a generation.

Also, a stereo CD of the Stu Philips music was issued years ago by Film Score Monthly's sadly folded limited edition soundtrack division and the sonics were amazing, so when it went out of print, the price skyrocketed, making it one of the most valuable TV CD soundtracks around. You can read more about it at this link:

https://fulvuedrive-in.com/review/2437/Knight+Rider+(Limited+TV+CD+Soundtrack

Last but not least is Lois & Clark: The Complete Series (1993 - 1997) with Teri Hatcher and Dean Cain playing the title roles in what was a cycle of doing hero genre TV with actors who were more 'attractive' than actors who previously played those roles (a few Tarzan TV shows of the time are among those who also did this, also trying for more of a female audience) resulting in shows that were not exactly the best or fan favorites or shows fans would take the most seriously, but ones that might be hits or semi-hits. This sort of started that and was the biggest of these shows.

Since DC Comics had lost the rights to Superboy at the time (after a rights dispute followed the late 1980s/early 1990s series of the same name, which had two actors in the title role in its run) they could only call Cain's incarnation Superman and he was not that young, so they went with it. His politics aside, I never totally bought him in the role despite being a little more naturalistic than the Superboy actors, though I was not the audience for this version and that was the point.

Still, Hatcher is watchable enough and this ran for four seasons for better or worse and has its following, so you can see why it is getting a Blu-ray release as the latest Superman feature film becomes a welcome big screen hit. John Shea is a Lex Luthor befitting the mode of the show, while K Callan, Beverly Garland, Lane Smith, Eddie Jones, Phyllis Coates, plus fine turns by Cindy Williams, Ben Vereen, Dick Van Patten, Caroline McWilliams, William Devane, Richard Belzer, Sal Viscuso, Harve Presnell, David Doyle, James Earl Jones, Mary Fran, Justine Bateman, Audrey Landers, Fred Willard, Barry Livingston, Barbara Bosson, Robert Culp, Harold Gould, Denise Richards, Nancy Dussault, Robert Carradine, J.T. Walsh, Emma Samms, William Christopher, Carol Lawrence, Cliff De Young, Shelley Long, Linden Chiles, Isabel Sanford, Bruce Weitz, Elliot Gould, Martin Mull, Jennifer Lewis, Tony Curtis, Kenneth Mars, Genie Francis, Delta Burke, Eve Plumb, Peter Scolari, Sherman Hemsley, Frank Gorshin, Persis Khambata, Charles Napier, Rosalind Cash, Charles Cyphers, Keene Curtis, Mary Crosby, Jasmine Guy, Ben Stein, Joseph Campanella, Sonny Bono, Antonio Sabato Jr., Eric Laneuville, Larry Linville, Michael McKean, Dean Stockwell, Dick Miller, Clive Revell, Kristanna Loken, Jack Wagner, Scott Valentine, Mac Davis, Michael Des Barres, Roger Daltrey, Drew Carey, Brian Doyle-Murray, Joyce Meadows and Raquel Welch add to the show against its unevenness.

Definitely showing the show siding with comedy a bit more than the average show in its genres, it is one of the last of the line of any TV show to be lucky enough to feature such top talent, but Warner treated the show like A-level product and it is the kind of thing you rarely see anymore. Lois & Clark is not the best Superman live action TV show and it does not try, but it often succeeded for what it was trying for. Just wish it had more to it.

Extras include FROM RIVALS TO ROMANCE: THE MAKING OF LOIS & CLARK; PILOT PRESENTATION; TAKING FLIGHT; PILOT EPISODE COMMENTARY; LOIS AND CLARK: SECRETS OF SEASON 2; LOIS AND CLARK: MARVELING METROPOLIS: THE FANS OF LOIS AND CLARK; LOIS AND CLARK: A HISTORY OF ROMANCE; and LOIS AND CLARK: THE MAN OF STEEL TRIVIA CHALLENGE.

Now for playback performance The 2160p HEVC/H.265, 1.85 X 1, Dolby Vision/HDR (10; Ultra HD Premium)-enhanced Ultra High Definition image on Creepshow 2 just tops the older Arrow Blu-ray with better color and warmth, even if grain is more obvious. The sound is again here in DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1, PCM 1.0 Mono and PCM 2.0 stereo lossless mixes, with the stereo version working best, but you can try out all three and see for yourself.

The 2160p HEVC/H.265, 2.35 X 1, Dolby Vision/HDR (10; Ultra HD Premium)-enhanced Ultra High Definition image on The Good, The Bad and The Weird 4K also brings out more of the color and detail the older Blu-ray could not, along with some good scope compositions better. The DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) Korean 7.1 lossless mix is sightly better than the DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) Korean 5.1 lossless mix on the older Blu-ray, but not by much, yet it is as dynamic as it could be. The combination will make fans and those who have never seen it before impressed enough.

The 2160p HEVC/H.265, 1.33 X 1, HDR (10; Ultra HD Premium)-enhanced Ultra High Definition image on the Knight Rider 4K episodes are a big improvement over the old DVD set and even better than the Blu-ray set from Mill Creek that was basic and only so well transferred. Some shots look good, while others have more grain than expected and some visual effects (the practical ones) are fine. However, the video screens on KITT's dashboard are superimposed, low-def video images and not the optical printing they would have been only a few years before. Ultimately, color and some better warmth are the improvements here and unless you have a great, mint print of a given episode, the show will likely not look better. But you can see why we get not Dolby Vision, as some of the visuals would not survive it. The DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 2.0 Mono lossless mixes on each episode is not bad, but can be on the flat side, especially after hearing how great the stereo was on the old CD. Apparently, these episodes have some music replaced form the original broadcast versions, but we'll get to that in a separate essay down the line.

The 1080p 1.33 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer on Lois has some good color and a solid look, but it can be a little uneven depending on the scene, if visual effects were used and the choice of film stock gives it a liteish look that does not always work to the show's advantage. Oddly, Knight Rider has aged about as well effects-wise for whatever reasons. The DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 2.0 Stereo lossless mixes on the episodes are not bad, but can be on the lite side. Used Pro Logic or a similar decoder when viewing on a serious home theater system.

- Nicholas Sheffo