“Whoa.  Free toy inside!  Free toy inside!”

Do I have your attention Cult of UHF?  Because the blu-ray you want and need has just been released.

"Weird Al" Yankovic, the reigning king of pop song parody, once took on Hollywood with his gift of satirical gab.  It was the summer of 1989 when Batman and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade dominated the box office with a whip and a cowl.  There was little hope for his movie to survive its July release.  Critics groaned at the idea of rock’s satirist trying his luck with jabs at Hollywood and television gags.  They had no idea how correct his vision of entertainment would prove to be.

Released by Orion Pictures, UHF was immediately appreciated by the geeks and the weirdos and few others (and, yes, I was one of those geeks who saw it multiple times at the theater).  It is the wacky story of a ne’er-do-well who takes over his uncle’s fledging TV station and turns it into a local sensation by programming absurdly bizarre shows like “Wheel Of Fish” and “Stanley Spadowski’s Clubhouse”.  Imagine that.  Television stations going to extremes with their programming and choices in entertainment.  Hmmmm.  Sounds damn near prophetic to me.

Anyway, in 1989, the normal people fled from theaters.  The sane stayed home.  And UHF passed into film obscurity…

…but it was not forgotten.  Years have passed and, believe it or not, its fanbase has grown.  YouTube is a wonderful thing, you know.  UHF now has a certifiable legacy and, even though the film lives in a special bubble of nostalgia where it cannot be harmed, its protectors are clamoring for more from the people involved.

Now, thanks to the efforts of Shout! Factory, Yankovic’s UHF gets all bright and shiny in this 35th Anniversary release on blu-ray.  Starring "Weird Al" Yankovic, Michael Richards (Seinfeld), Kevin McCarthy (Invasion of the Body Snatchers), Fran Drescher (The Nanny), Gedde Watanabe (Sixteen Candles), and Victoria Jackson (Saturday Night Live), UHF has never looked this good.

“Joel Miller, you’ve just found the marble in the oatmeal. You’re a lucky, lucky, lucky little boy. You know why? You get to drink from… THE FIREHOSE!” explains Stanley Spadowski to one lucky boy in his audience.  Revisiting UHF – now in HD – feels a lot like that, too.   The film is uneven but in its unevenness is a vision of entertainment we never thought would become America’s future.  No cultural touchstone is too taboo for UHF.  From skits like Conan The Librarian delivering a violent repercussion for an overdue book to tossing a poodle from an open window during a manic animal show called Raul’s Wild Kingdom, the shows on Channel 62 may seem wholly normal when compared to today’s programming.

But it all began with “Weird Al” doing what he does best in UHF.  They really do have it all – including the future – on Channel 62.  For “Weird Al” Yankovic fans, owning UHF is a total no-brainer.  Is the film a subversive call to creativity disguising itself as low-brow?  Hard to say.  Everyone is having too much fun.  This is a world where Ghandi kicks major ass and everyone wants to, has to, needs to drink from the fire hose.  UHF is funny as hell and that’s enough for me.

4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray 35th Anniversary Edition

Home Video Distributor: Shout Factory
Available on Blu-ray - July 2, 2024
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles: English SDH
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
Discs: 4K Ultra HD; Blu-ray Disc; Two-disc set
Region Encoding: 4K region-free; blu-ray locked to Region A

In the cult classic UHF, "Weird Al" Yankovic is George Newman, a daydreamer who becomes the manager of a small TV station that's losing money as quickly as it's losing viewers. Before long, he's programming shows like "Stanley Spadowski's Clubhouse," "Wheel Of Fish" and "Raul's Wild Kingdom." But can Channel 62's new popularity save it from sinister forces? To find out ... don't touch that dial!  Starring "Weird Al" Yankovic, Michael Richards (Seinfeld), Kevin McCarthy (Invasion Of The Body Snatchers), Fran Drescher (The Nanny), Gedde Watanabe (Sixteen Candles), Victoria Jackson (Saturday Night Live), and more!

VIDEO

Shout! Studios brings UHF to Ultra HD for the first time with a 4K scan of the original camera negative, graded for High Dynamic Range in HDR10 and Dolby Vision, and presented on a double-layered BD-66 disc. The HD image varies considerably in terms of clarity and grain levels, but it’s hard to say how much of that is inherent in the original cinematography.  UHF was a low-budget affair that has always looked pretty unsightly but there are many effects layered into the film which get a nice boost thanks to the 4K treatment..  The “Money for Nothing” and commercial parodies (gotta love “Spatula City,” even after all these years) were designed to look like crappy standard definition broadcast TV of the era but they do look better than the previous release..  Fine details are stronger for much of the film, too.  The contrast is much improved, too.  Overall, this is a solid effort.

AUDIO

There’s only a bit of a new boost thanks to the English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio with optional subtitles in English SDH track.  Nothing special, but it works.

Supplements:

Commentary:

• Weird Al and co-writer/director Jay Levey provide the amusing commentary.  The co-writers look back at the film and provide an amazing amount of trivia from Al about the production, his fellow actors' resumes, the street addresses of the Tulsa locations, trivia, and more.

Special Features:

There’s more where that came from.  Much more.  UHF was trimmed by an hour from its rough cut, and the special features provide a hilariously self-deprecating guide to the deleted scenes, with Yankovic running through 20 minutes of jokes that were deleted “because they suck.”  All the previous DVD’s special features are ported over, including commentary, a short EPK featurette, music video, trailer, deleted scenes, and still photos.  But best of all is the brand new inclusion, the 2014 San Diego Comic Con “Weird Al” Yankovic panel hosted by comedian Jonah Ray. The panel runs about 51 minutes and includes some very funny Q&A moments.

DISC ONE:

• NEW 4K Scan Of The Original 35mm Camera Negative
• Audio Commentary With "Weird Al" Yankovic And Director Jay Levey

DISC TWO (BLU-RAY):

• NEW 4K Scan Of The Original 35mm Camera Negative
• Retrospective Panel From San Diego Comic-Con 2014
• Audio Commentary With "Weird Al" Yankovic And Director Jay Levey
• Deleted Scenes
• Behind-The-Scenes Footage
• Music Video
• Production Stills
• Easter Eggs
• Promotional Materials

	Movie
	Video
	Audio
	Extras
Composite Blu-ray Grade

MPAA Rating: PG-13.
Runtime: 97 mins
Director: Jay Levey
Writer: 'Weird Al' Yankovic; Jay Levey; Charles Holloway
Cast: 'Weird Al' Yankovic; Victoria Jackson; Kevin McCarthy
Genre: Comedy | Parody
Tagline: A lot of TV stations have forgotten what "quality" means, but not Channel 62.They never knew what it meant.
Memorable Movie Quote: "Gun control is for wimps and commies. Listen, let's get one thing straight. Guns don't kill people. I do."
Theatrical Distributor: Orion Pictures
Official Site: https://shoutfactory.com/products/uhf-35th-anniversary-edition-exclusive-poster
Release Date: July 21, 1989
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: July 2, 2024.
Synopsis: An unemployed visionary becomes the manager of a local television station. The station becomes a success, with all sorts of hilarious sight gags and wacky humor.