8 4K Blu-rays to pick up in Amazon’s two for half-off deal — here are the ones I’m buying

Set between the events of "Alien" and "Aliens," "Romulus" finally gives us the answers to how the Xenomorph survived its harrowing fight with Sigourney Weaver's Ripley. Director Fede Álvarez first step into the Alien universe is a true thrill ride filled with unrelenting perils that make it an instant horror classic and ripe for those who can't wait for "Alien: Earth."

A classic of the noir film genre, the jazz-filled "Chinatown" remains iconic for its portrayal of the seedy and dark criminal underbelly of California. It's led by Jack Nicholson who plays Jake Gittes, a private eye who duly becomes entangled in a conspiracy that at first merely seems like nothing more than a case of infidelity. Roman Polanski's 1974 hit mystery will keep you guessing up to its very end and deserves to be watched in pure 4K.

"Ghost in the Shell" is responsible for not only bringing about the creation of "The Matrix" but also the cyberpunk theme itself. It's set in the year 2029, with androids running rampant. Motoko Kusanagi, a cyborg police agent, hunts down a hacker known only as the Puppet Master. But the hunt itself leaves her questioning her own place within the world, pondering identity and the makeup of life itself in a technologically fueled world.

With Michael Mann's "Heat 2" in the works and a novelization just waiting for you dive into, now's the perfect time to put your body armor on and get the popcorn heated for this legendary heist flick. How could you pass up seeing its unforgettable shootout scene in UHD on your big screen? Plus, "Heat" is the perfect way to gear up the debut of GTA 6 next year.

You can rattle off a multitude of war movies that might stick in your mind for months, but few match the brevity and horror that underpins "Black Hawk Down." Set within the gripping battle of Mogadishu, amid the Somali Civil War, "Black Hawk Down" follows a team of US forces in their attempt to capture warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid. After two helicopters get blasted out of the sky, a routine capture operation becomes a rescue mission that turns into an all-out battle for survival.

"Akira" needs no introduction. Released at the tail end of the 1980s, "Akira" has earned itself a top spot within the pantheon of animation. It follows the story of Kaneda, set in the year 2019, 31 years after the Tokyo government dropped an atomic bomb on the city in an attempt to cover up a heart-wrenching conspiracy of child experimentation. Kaneda goes toe-to-toe with shady politicians and scientists to find the truth behind what happened to his friend Tetsuo.

I couldn't help myself after the mention of Polanski's "Chinatown" without dropping "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" in the mix. Rick Dalton, a Hollywood western legend, and Cliff Booth, his long-time on-screen body double, spend a lazy evening in the Hollywood hills when the fates of Roman Polanski and Sharon Tate are forever altered at the hands of the Manson family.

You don't often see shows in the mix when on the hunt for new DVDs, but I couldn't resist tossing in this incredible series written and directed by Craig Mazin. As someone who cancelled my Max subscription, I can attest to the need for a consistent re-watch of "Chernobyl," which showcases in great detail the events surrounding the explosion of Reactor 4 of the Ukrainian power plant. It's a harrowing tale of survivor, bravery, and conviction, one that saw the loss of so much life, but averted so much more disaster thanks to the folks who would save the entire planet from devastating radioactive consequences.