The Alien Collection

The xenomorph. Nightmare Fuel personified, courtesy of Swiss artist H. R. Giger. Designed for the first Alien film, they make wasps – nature's own shit-bags – look like ladybirds. They're truly terrifying in their adult form, but that's only the tip of the ice-chill-berg. Even before their eventual metamorphosis, they exist as parasitic larvae of a type that taps into the kind of primal fears that have petrified mankind's fragile psyche for millennia.

Weirdly, despite being a victim of Hollywood's proclivity for milking iconic creatures until their initial power to astound or shock is much diluted, the xenomorph as a concept hasn't lost its appeal. It even survived a crossover.

Faustus' Noteworthy Video Game Boxart Collection

In response to an invitation by Neg in his magnificent Noteworthy Video Game Boxart Collection, I offer my selections. But because only four of the games that I'd choose to include in such a Top 10 actually have reviews that can be linked to, I've chosen instead to give due credit to the work of one celebrated Japanese development studio. It's just three games (so a Trilogy as opposed to a Collection), all of which are works of genuine art in themselves and for which a convenient review already exists. I'm referring to the games of Team Ico.

The Third Window Films Collection

Of all the so-called 'boutique' labels that continue to licence and distribute film on optical media, none is more consistently interesting to me than UK-based Third Window Films. I don’t buy every title the company release, I’m not that kind of collector, I buy only the ones that I’m interested in, but that in itself is a significant portion of what TWF have on their roster. Because of that discerning approach you won’t find links to every TWF film below the cut, but you'll find all of what I presently own (and a few from past Nutshell authors).

Neg's Noteworthy Video Game Boxart Collection

I honestly find myself being disappointed with video game boxart a startling amount of the time. Sure, sometimes it’s outright awful; I'm looking at you, Mega Man. But, more often than not, I'm usually displeased with what is objectively decent, or genuinely beautiful art, simply because I somehow find it to be incongruent with what it's trying to represent, and sell a consumer on. Still, I have been able to identify 10 examples that I either appreciate in a purely aesthetic sense, or that have something else about them that I consider worthy of celebrating and elaborating on. Below the cut, you will find all of them, as well as links to my reviews of each associated game.

The Mega Man Collection

To me, the Mega Man and Mega Man X series are about skill. When it comes to most forms of media, including video games, I am all in for two things: Character and Story. However, the medium of games is unique in that it undeniably has to cater to the development of skill, even if I, and many others, value narrative most highly. It is bound and defined by it. As a kid, I rented these games consistently, reveling in the colorful and characterful Robot Masters and Mavericks. I treated them as a collection of sampler platters. Indeed, it was not until I returned to the franchise as an adult that I came to appreciate Wily and Sigma’s abodes, finding the utmost joy in doing complete runs. Mega Man himself may be little more than an avatar to me, but that’s fitting, as it is through him that I am able to express my prowess at besting his foes.

Mega Man
Mega Man 2
Mega Man 3
Mega Man 4
Mega Man 5
Mega Man 6
Mega Man 7
Mega Man Powered Up

Mega Man X
Mega Man X2
Mega Man X3
Maverick Hunter X

Below the cut, I will be providing my thoughts on the structure of both the Anniversary and Mega Man X Collections.

The Lone Wolf and Cub Collection

Also sometimes referred to as the 'Baby Cart' series, the Lone Wolf and Cub films tell the story of a skilled rōnin (sword for hire) named Ogami Ittō (Tomisaburo Wakayama). They're characterised by extreme acts of violence, minimal dialogue and highly stylised framing that closely resembles the manga it's based on. When not dishing out vicious and bloody samurai action to the people that deserve it, Ogami wheels his young son Daigoro (Tomikawa Akihiro) from place to place in an iconic wooden baby cart.

The journey of the pair in the original six films was cut short before it could end naturally, but please don't let that put you off from watching. There's more than enough bloodshed and vengeance to satisfy fans of the genre. If you do need closure, then Kazuo Koike's original manga can provide it.

The original six films on In a Nutshell:

01. Sword of Vengeance (1972)
02. Baby Cart at the River Styx (1972)
03. Baby Cart to Hades (1972)
04. Baby Cart in Peril (1972)
05. Baby Cart in the Land of Demons (1973)
06. White Heaven in Hell (1974)

Other LW+C films on In a Nutshell:
07. Shogun Assassin (1980) (US cut and dub)
08. Lone Wolf and Child: Assassin on the Road to Hell (1989)
09. Lone Wolf and Cub: Final Conflict (1992)

Manga on our sister site, Nut Ink:
01. Lone Wolf and Cub Manga - Omnibus Editions (Vols 1-5 only)

The Bunny Collection

Is there someone in there....................Why do you wear that stupid bunny suit............I bet with those long ears you can hear the voices................................I don't have regrets about anythin' anymore..........Put....the.....bunny....back.....in.....the box......What's the matter, snuggle-bunny, finding out the world isn't all sunshine and rainbows?

Click the red link, you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.........

The Four or More Collection

I mentioned in The Trilogies Collection that film series that had gone past three entries were excluded from being listed therein, so Four or More was born. Below the cut you'll find links to film series that probably should've ended sooner and, in some rare cases, ones that ended too soon.
If there was an existing Collection post with links to all relevant films in a particular series, I've linked directly to it instead because it made my life easier... and making my life easier is my new favourite pastime.

NOTE: If text is coloured pink, it means no review currently exists for it.

The Viable Options Collection

Here on the Nut Blogs, we’ve covered plenty of Remakes, Reboots, and Reenvisionings. We’ve even tackled our fair share of adaptations (1, 2, 3, 4). As rare as it is for any of those to actually improve on their original works, it could be argued that the chances of them being equally worthwhile are even more astronomical. While these pairs (or, in a few cases, trios) may not share the exact same scores, they are considered to be comparable in quality and veritas by at least one of our authors. They are the narratives and experiences for which multiple incarnations deservedly stand side-by-side on our shelves.

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Mickey's Christmas Carol

Scrooged

The Muppet Christmas Carol
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Brimstone and Treacle (1976)

Brimstone and Treacle (1982)
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Castlevania II: Simon's Quest

Worlds of Power: Castlevania II — Simon's Quest

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Constantine (film)

Constantine (game)

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Dune (film)

Frank Herbert's Dune (TV Mini-Series)

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The Fall of the House of Usher (1928)

The Fall of the House of Usher (1960)

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Fist of Fury

Fist of Legend

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The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2009)

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2011)

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La Jetée

12 Monkeys

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The Last Man on Earth

The Omega Man

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The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D

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The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D

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Mega Man X

Maverick Hunter X

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Piranha (1978)

Piranha (2010)

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Seven Samurai

The Magnificent Seven

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The Shining (novel)

The Shining (film)

Stephen King's The Shining (TV Mini-Series)

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Silent Hill — Harry Mason

Silent Hill — Rose Da Silva

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories

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True Grit (1969)

True Grit (2010)

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Yojimbo

A Fistful of Dollars

The First Nut is the Deepest - Music Version

Following on from my The First Nut is the Deepest - Film Version post, this time it's Music. There's no 'Favourites' list on Nut Suite to choose from, so I engineered an alternative. Narrowing music down to a Top 10 would be an impossible task for me, anyhow, so I'm going with a more expansive A-Z instead. It's the First Nut – Music Version A-Z. Which BAND, ARTIST or ALBUM would I pick from my worryingly overstuffed shelves and offer to a willing participant who'd not heard that particular band, artist or album before?
In many cases I had multiple perfect options and just had to choose one or the other. I realise the resultant list probably won't be of interest to anyone who isn't me, but I plan to enjoy it enough for all of us. :D
NOTE: each one opens in new tab, so prob best not to click 'em all at once.

The Final Fantasy VII Collection

Admittedly, VII, and the universe that grew out of it, exists exalted in the minds of fanboys and those for whom nostalgia is not only king, but verily, everything. While I do have nostalgia for the game itself, I am not actually one of either of those numbers. I have experienced the below items—that I’ve personally reviewed—multiple times over the intervening years. In fact, I engaged with them, and their myriad faults, immediately prior to the time of this writing. As a critical fan, I see not only their shortcomings, but also the strengths buried therein. I am able to continually find inspiration, joy, and emotional resonance in this world’s characters, without having to turn a blind-eye to the problems the individual releases have as interactive and non-interactive pieces of media.

The track is far from the smoothest, but for me,

"There ain’t no gettin’ offa this train"~

Source:
Final Fantasy VII
Official Final Fantasy VII Strategy Guide

Sequel Film:
Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete

Prequel Anime:
Last Order: Final Fantasy VII

Spin-Off Game:
Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII

Copyright-Skirting Costume Accessory:
Spirit Deluxe Wide Blade Sword

The Ju-on Collection

The Ju-on franchise began life in 1998 as two short films directed by Takashi Shimizu that formed part of a TV Movie named Gakkô no kaidan G (1998); they were Katasumi (In a Corner) and 4444444444 (Ten Fours), respectively.
It then moved to V-Cinema for The Curse I + II (2000, both) before finally making the leap to a full theatrical release with Ju-on: The Grudge (2002).
Its success was such that Hollywood soon followed with a series of English language remakes, two of which were even helmed by Dir. Shimizu himself.
If you only want to experience the best that each region has to offer, the Nut Blogs contributors recommend number 03 in the Japanese language selection below, and number 02 in the English language selection:

Japanese Language Films:
01. Ju-on: The Curse (2000)
02. Ju-on: The Curse 2 (2000)
03. Ju-on: The Grudge (2002)
04. Ju-On: The Grudge 2 (2003)
05. Ju-on: Shiroi Rojo (2009)
06. Ju-on: Kuroi Shojo (2009)
07. Ju-on: The Beginning of the End (2014)
08. Ju-on: The Final Curse (2015)
09. Sadako vs. Kayako (2016)

English Language Films:
01. The Grudge (2004)
02. The Grudge: Director's Cut (2004)
03. The Grudge 2 (2006)
04. The Grudge 3 (2009)

NOTE: Sadako vs. Kayako (2016) is a crossover with the Ringu franchise. For short reviews of films in that series see the Ringu Collection.

The Magnificent Seven Collection

It doesn't matter to me whether or not the Western genre is representative of how life really was back in the day. I don't care if it's been exaggerated, romanticised or straight up invented. What matters is that it provides a recognisable framework within which many different types of story can be told: the frontier town, the bandits, the selfless hero, the guns for hire, etc, are versatile tools in the hands of experienced writers. The original Magnificent Seven film is that versatility in action. It's a remake that's respectful to both its Japanese source material and its own parent genre, proving that some stories truly can be universal at heart and it's just the telling that changes. The western appropriation of the seven hired hands is so good that it even spawned a number of imitators and sequels of its own:

The Source:
01. Seven Samurai (1954)

The Films:
01. The Magnificent Seven (1960)
02. Return of the Magnificent Seven (1966)
03. Guns of the Magnificent Seven (1969)
04. The Magnificent Seven Ride (1972)

The TV Series:
01. The Magnificent Seven: TV Series (1998–2000)

Films Influenced By TMS:
01. Battle Beyond the Stars (1980)
02. The Seven Magnificent Gladiators (1983)

The Remake of the Remake:
01. The Magnificent Seven (2016)

The Sword and Sorcery Collection

Wiki describes the term as 'a subgenre of fantasy generally characterised by sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent conflicts,' with elements of 'romance [...] magic and the supernatural.' It mentions also that it often overlaps with Heroic Fantasy films, as does my list below.
The Hyborian Conan is the undisputed king, but there are plenty of other heroes for hire; you'll more than likely find them standing stoutheartedly on hills while the sun sets; temporarily chained in dank castle dungeons; or jovially drinking and wenching in taverns. I still love the genre, but I feel that modern film techniques have sucked most of the soul out of it – its heyday is over, sadly. Here's what we've got so far (arranged alphabetically):

The PTU Collection

The real PTU (Police Tactical Unit) are a special unit within the Hong Kong Police Force that perform a number of roles, such as patrolling streets, providing backup to other divisions when needed, aiding disaster response teams, and participating in riot control, among other things. This PTU do all of that, too, but they're fictionalised. Their methods aren't always legal, but they cover their asses well, looking out for each other by stalling for time and hiding truths, except when there's a personal rivalry taking precedence.
The original film was by Hong Kong filmmaker Johnnie To (aka To Kei-Fung) in 2003 and remains to this day one of his best works. The five subsequent TV Movies used some of the same actors but as different characters.

The Original Film:
01. PTU: Police Tactical Unit (2003) Dir. Johnnie To

The Tactical Unit TV Movies:
01. Tactical Unit: The Code (2008) Dir. Wing-cheong Law
02. Tactical Unit: No Way Out (2009) Dir. Lawrence Ah Mon
03. Tactical Unit: Human Nature (2009) Dir. Andy Ng
04. Tactical Unit: Comrades in Arms (2009) Dir. Wing-cheong Law
05. Tactical Unit: Partners (2009) Dir. Lawrence Ah Mon

The Planet of the Apes Collection

Using metaphors to highlight human folly is a reliable and standard practice in sci-fi, but for some reason using apes helped the message hit closer to home. Perhaps because we know how similar to us they are genetically, and if evolution had taken a slight detour a few millennia ago...?
If ever you get the opportunity, stare into an ape's eyes and note what you find. There's a level of intelligence that you don't often see in 'lesser' animals.
With regards the films, parallels in how societies develop over time is an obvious thing for me to call attention to, but I know firsthand that something being obvious doesn't mean it's never overlooked, so I'm mentioning it.

Note: Links will take you to the relevant posts on the other Nut blogs (opens in new tab each time).

The Novel:
01. Planet of the Apes (1963) (aka Monkey Planet)

Original Films:
01. Planet of the Apes (1968)
02. Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)
03. Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971)
04. Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972)
05. Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973)

Television Series:
01. Planet of the Apes (1974)
02. Return to the Planet of the Apes (1975)

Remake Film:
01. Planet of the Apes (2001)

Reboot Films:
01. Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)
02. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)
03. War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)

The Trilogies Collection

Who doesn't love a threesome? When it comes to film there's something oddly satisfying about a trilogy. If the first one is lucky enough to be a success then a sequel can build upon it or tie up any threads that were left hanging. A third film can serve as a timely farewell. Or may in fact exist solely to milk cash from completists.

Because what's below the cut is alphabetical, to make life simpler for myself I'm not including the titles of individual films. Instead, I'll put the title by which they're known collectively, followed by links that'll take you to the relevant post on the relevant blog (opens in new window each time). It's a BIG list.

The Reboots Collection

Some films didn't fit comfortably under the Remakes heading and are best described as Reboots. It's usually undertaken because the studio had run the original series into the ground but still wants to milk it, so they make it shiny and new with actors and actresses that are more appealing to a younger audience. (We're probably all thinking it, so I'll go ahead and say it: sometimes it means that men/women are hired based on looks rather than talent.)

There might be some duplication of titles that are currently in the Remakes post. That's because they're either confusingly both or I've not personally seen them and can't make a judgement call on where they belong. I'm happy to take advice and/or suggestions from folks, either in relation to "add this title," or "remove that one, prick!" Sincere thanks to anyone that contributes.

The Remakes Collection

They suck, right? Mostly they do, but not always. In some cases your preference will depend upon which version you saw first. In others, there'll be a clear winner and only a fool would try to argue otherwise, which is not the same thing as loving something for personal reasons.

Below the cut is a list of films that are reviewed here on In a Nutshell and a few TV Miniseries that are reviewed over on Nut Box. The original/first version is on the left, with the remake/subsequent version(s) following. I'm not going to make a distinction between 'actual' remake and 'adapted from same source'. I'm sure I've missed some. Don't be shy. Point them out.

The Ace Attorney Collection

The Gyakuten Saiban/Ace Attorney series spins the incredibly simple (and perhaps initially off-putting) concept of donning the well-tailored blazers of defense attorneys (and sometimes prosecutors) into something much more. The morality of these stalwart advocates, and the judicial system itself, is inevitably placed under the microscope, but it is done through the lens of its impact on those who entrust their lives to these men and women—characters that are often as hilarious as they are endearing and relatable.

The Phoenix Arc of the progenitorial gaming series has been covered completely on our sister site, Nut Load.

1.) Ace Attorney: Phoenix Wright
2.) Ace Attorney: Phoenix Wright — Justice for All
3.) Ace Attorney: Phoenix Wright — Trials and Tribulations

Opinions on the music from the same era can be found on Nut Suite.

1.) Gyakuten Saiban Sound Box
2.) Gyakuten Saiban Meets Orchestra
3.) Gyakuten Saiban Meets Jazz Soul

The film has been tackled, here.