Best Blu-ray Movies Under $10: ‘Midsommar,’ ‘Knives Out,’ More
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We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: It’s smart to invest in physical media, particularly in films you love by filmmakers you admire. Right now, you can get these movies — which range from all-time classics like “The Wizard of Oz” to gorgeous rom-coms like “Crazy Rich Asians” and Nancy Meyers’ “The Holiday” and even a triple feature of all three (current) “Matrix” movies — for less than $10. That’s less than a Sweetgreen salad, and many of them even come with Blu-ray, DVD, and digital versions of each film. And if you want to spend even less, check out this list of the best Blu-rays under $5.
Read on for the best current deals.
“Knives Out”
Not only did this Rian Johnson whodunnit introduce Chris Evans wearing the sweater that spawned a thousand impulse purchases, it also contains a “crackling, devious, and hugely satisfying” mystery with a modern twist in this story about a family who must solve the murder of their uber-rich patriarch.
“The Holiday”
Not to objectify anyone, but Jude Law is perhaps at his hottest as a widowed single dad in this Nancy Meyers banger about two women who swap houses and accidentally merge their lives at Christmastime.
“Wonder Woman”
Gal Gadot shines in this super-fun Patty Jenkins-directed DC superhero film whose sequel you can watch on HBO Max.
“Shazam”
Another fun DC superhero film, Zachary Levi stars as a streetwise foster kid who inadvertently acquires superpowers and must save his town from an evil villain played by Mark Strong.
“The Thing”
This John Carpenter bomb-turned-cult classic stars Kurt Russell as a heroic helicopter pilot working with a team of Antarctic researchers who come across a dangerous mutating life form. Fun fact: You can catch Carpenter and then-wife Adrienne Barbeau in hidden cameos in the film.
“Dunkirk”
Christopher Nolan’s massive war film is, according to IndieWire’s David Ehrlich, the best film the director has ever done, and you can own it for less than $7.
One of the best modern rom-coms, John Cho’s lush, colorful films highlights the beauty of Singapore in the story of an American woman (Constance Wu) who’s swept up in the world of her secretly super-rich boyfriend (Henry Golding).
“A Star Is Born”
Great news — the price of this Oscar-winning film is presently even less than the cost of a Venti seasonal latte at Starbucks. (Insert Lady Gaga riff here.)
“Midsommar”
One of many Florence Pugh breakout roles of 2019 (it came out the summer before “Little Women,” which would garner her an Oscar nomination), catch the up-and-coming star as a grieving woman on an interesting Scandanavian journey in Ari Aster’s horror-thriller.
“The Wizard of Oz”
Not only do you get a digitally remastered version of the all-time classic film, but since this is the special 75th anniversary edition, you’ll also get more than two hours of bonus material (including a feature-length documentary).
“La La Land”
A loving tribute to both Hollywood and jazz, Damien Chazelle’s Oscar- and Golden Globe-winning film is less than $10 on Amazon.
“The Matrix” Triple Feature
Hands down the best deal of the bunch, get all three of the Wachowskis’ “Matrix” films — “The Matrix,” “Matrix Reloaded,” and “Matrix Revolutions” — for just $8.99. (Sure, you’ll have to add an extra disc when “Matrix 4” comes out, but for such a nominal price this deal is still a mega-bargain.)
“Rocketman”
“Bohemian Rhapsody” might’ve sucked up all the musician biopic award season love the year before, but this Elton John-produced film about his life, starring Taron Egerton, did get the singer another Oscar.
“You’ve Got Mail”
The great ’90s rom-com duo of Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan team up with Nora Ephron again for one of the era’s best romantic comedies, about a chain bookstore magnate who cyber-stalks a small children’s bookshop owner and puts her shop out of business. (That’s definitely the plot of this film, but it’s somehow rendered charming by the three talents at the center.)
“Little Women”/”Marie Antoinette” Double Feature
Why are these two movies packaged together, other than the fact that they are both directed by women (and stories about women)? Who knows? But that doesn’t change the fact that you can get two well-crafted films — Gillian Armstrong’s 1994 “Little Women” (the one with Winona Ryder, Claire Danes, Kirsten Dunst, and Susan Sarandon) and Sofia Coppola’s booed-at-Cannes “Marie Antoinette” (which, by the way, IndieWire ranks as her No. 3 best film) for less than $5 each.
“E.T.”
Rounding out your Blu-ray library with a selection of all-time classic films like Steven Spielberg’s 1982 hit is imperative, especially with the ever-changing landscape of streaming rights. Sure, it’s available to stream on Netflix right now, but how long will that be the case?
“Downton Abbey” Movie
The fact that this upstairs-downstairs drama from Julian Fellowes that started as a one-off PBS Masterpiece import ended up with six seasons and a successful, theatrically-released movie sort of seems like a miracle in this era. But it also makes sense, considering the fervent fanbase that formed after the show — about the aristocratic Crawley family and their staff at a stately English countryside manor — premiered in 2010.