The last week of October 2020 is upon us, Halloween is this Saturday. As far as home video releases are concerned, I call it an 'in between' week. There are a handful of titles that might interest you, but there are no major releases this week. Welcome to episode 23 of our weekly look at what's coming out this week in the home video market.
4K Ultra HD Blu-ray/Digital Releases-
The 4K disc front originally was going to start out with a UK import for Dawn of the Dead (1978). Unfortunately, that got pushed back into November because of production delays - but this gives you more time to pre-order! Remember that 4K discs are region-free and this is currently the only way to own all three versions of the film on 4K disc, and Second Sight has loaded this edition with extras!
Next, from Blue Underground, screen icon Delphine Seyrig's Daughters of Darkness debuts to 4K disc this week. And finally, in case you didn't buy the individual releases already, Rambo: The Complete SteelBook Collection. Am not a fan of the art style of the latest Rambo SteelBooks.
HD Blu-ray/Digital releases-
In a last minute annoucement, the digital release of Toys of Terror comes out this week from Warner Bros.
Abbott and Costello fans should be looking at Africa Screams this week. Read the review, buy the disc.
The gap in your Amityville collection will be filled this week, Vinegar Syndrome is releasing Amityville 4: The Evil Escapes, Amityville 5: It's About Time, Amityville 6: A New Generation and Amityville 7: Dollhouse.
Under the various Warner labels this week, Warner Archive is offering DC's Black Lightning, Season Two and Season Three. Also, The Flintstones: The Complete Series is coming this week. Warner's anime release this week is K: Seven Stories.
Criterion Collection's release of Parasite (2019) streets this week, but note that it is NOT a 4K release. It's still an extensive set so if you're a fan of the movie, check it out.
Kino Lorber has an assortment of titles this week. Highlights include Babylon Berlin, Seasons 1 & 2. Season 3 comes out in Novemeber. The trailers for this one are interesting. Clint Eastwood fan? This week is for you. High Plains Drifter has received the Kino treatment and it is deemed 'Highly Recommended' in our review, check it out. Also reviewed, Two Mules for Sister Sara. A lesser-appreciated Eastwood film, Joe Kidd also comes out this week.
Lionsgate's title of the week -- a comedy/drama titled Friendsgiving.
Previously delayed but now coming out this week, Arrow Video's release of The Last Starfighter. Am surprised they didn't make a 4K of this, but I would guess the available elements are not in good enough condition or it was determined there wouldn't be enough interest.
This week is a slightly above average for quantity of anime release, here's the highlights. Sentai brings us Akame ga Kill! Complete Series in a SteelBook package. Also, Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon II in a Premium Ediiton. Get this one NOW if you intend to, volume I is listed upwards of $1,000 online from 3rd party sellers.
FUNimation is offering Black Clover: Season 3 Part 1, Ensemble Stars! Part Two, My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising, Stand My Heroes: Piece of Truth. Discotek is also releasing their October titles this week, including Isuca TV series, Lupin III: The Pursuit of Harimao's Treasure, Osamu Tezuka's Cleapoarta and Symphogear Season One,
Notable announcements from last week:
A week doesn't pass without at least a couple of announcements, which is a good thing. This past week has been pretty busy, but as far as major announcements, not so much.
Sony has revealed plans to release Roland Emmerich's disaster flick 2012 on 4K disc in January. Expect a purchase link very soon.
On the Blu-ray front, a bunch of announcements, FUNimation's next wave, Discotek's next wave, Mill Creek's next wave, and Criterion has announced its January releases. For Criterion releases, and no, this is not the month they start releasing 4K titles, the titles are The Ascent, Three Films by Luis Buñuel, Minding the Gap and Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese. The FUNimation title I am probably waiting for is Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - Part Two.
Warner's got the second season of Doom Patrol up, Snowpiercer apparently got a spinoff TV show and Season One is up for order, and Toys of Terror on disc is coming January 19.
Which titles are you buying this week? Which ones are on your wishlist, be it to buy as an impulse buy or to wait for the right price? Nothing screams out to me this week but the wishlist is still extensive. Daughters of Darkness 4K, but not at the $53 price. Flintstones is a strong candidate too. The Amityville movies, Zombie 5, Babylon Berlin as well. The Clint Eastwood movies if I get an impulse or shop a Kino sale. Handful of the anime releases too, I like the look of the Is It Wrong To Try... set, the Akame ga Kill SteelBook, K Seven Stories, Stand My Heroes and Lupin 3 are on the radar. The Tom & Jerry special is a maybe as well, haven't seen any modern T & J releases.
Hope you didn't overspend on Prime Day, which we have seen evolve over the years. Originally an Amazon event, but this year we see Best Buy, Target and Walmart also hopping on for online deals, as well as a handful of random deals on other e-tailers. Welcome to Episode 22 of our weekly look at the highlights of what's coming out this week on home video.
4K Ultra HD Blu-ray/Digital Releases-
There are no 4K digital releases slated for this week.
The next six weeks are going to be costly for us movie buffs. This week it's all about Back to the Future. I have bought this movie since it debuted on VHS and every media iteration since. This week the trilogy debuts in glorious 4K, options are a Standard Edition, Amazon Exclusive Giftset and a Best Buy Exclusive SteelBook.
HD Blu-ray/Digital releases-
There are no digital HD titles slated for this week.
On the Blu-ray front, not a huge week, but there is a good mix.
Shout Factory has a handful of releases under their various labels. The Shout Factory label brings another Star Trek related title, The Captains Collection, four Star Trek Documentaries directed by William Shatner. Under their Shout Select Line, comes 2002's Nic Cage/Meryl Streep Comedy/Drama Adaptation.. The GKIDS label, they've got some reissues this week, more Studio Ghibli titltes in a SteelBook package. My Neighbor Totoro and Princess Mononoke. Lastly under the Scream Factory label, Pumpkinhead gets a SteelBook this week.
LionsGate continues to regularly produce movies in 2020 despite theater closings, and the movie Alone comes out this week.
For Criterion Collection Offerings this week, Gregory Peck's The Gunfighter. Also this week, The Hit.
The Paramount Presents Label is releasing The Haunting this week.
Just what we've been waiting for, another direct to video Tremors movie right? Tremors: Shrieker Island debuts this week.
The weekly anime (excluding GKIDS) includes Negima! + Negima? - Complete Collection and a SteelBook of Your Name..
Notable announcements from last week:
Inner Sanctum Mysteries got delayed yet again, now the new date is November 17th.
Pretty active week for new titles being added, here's a couple of the highlights.
Shout Factory is releasing the next John Carpenter 4K flick previously released in Europe by StudioCanal, this time look for Prince of Darkness on January 19th. Just like Shout's release of They Live, this one is also getting a Dolby Atmos track, which by the way has been pushed back to January 19th as well.
Paramount has announced pre-orders (with street date pending) for Love and Monsters, available as a Blu-ray and as a 4K set. With as expensive as the next couple of months are going to be, maybe a January release date would be wise. Debuting on Blu-ray on November 10th also from Paramount are The Stooge and The Odd Couple II.
Friday releases this week are dominated by the arts.
Which titles are you buying this week? Which ones are on your wishlist, be it to buy as an impulse buy or to wait for the right price? If you couldn't tell from the opening, I will be getting Back to the Future 4K, I prefer the look of the SteelBook. On the wishlist, Adaptation., Alone, Captains Collection, the Negima set and the Tremors release.
Happy Friday the 16th!
As we work to pull together full coverage for this full set - we're breaking out coverage into three distinct eras of the franchise for convenience - Shout! Factory has issued a statement regarding some of the disc errors fans have noticed - and they will be replacing them ASAP. From their statement, they hope to have replacements out by November 2020 - so pretty fast turn around.
Discs affected are:
Friday the 13th Part 3 3-D: (When viewing in 3D) First instance of 3D opening credits does not come out of the screen correctly.
Jason Goes to Hell: (Unrated Cut) Missing “snapped wrist” gore in an uncut scene.
Jason X: Missing audio during a scene in the film in which Jason kills camp counselors in a sleeping bag.
CLICK HERE for details and how to request your replacement.
We hope to have our first round of coverage for this set very shorty, but with 12 films and 16 discs on top of HOURS of bonus features - this has been a big effort. As we get our replacement discs we'll keep you posted on those changes as well.
Have a great weekend!
Welcome to Episode 21 of our weekly look at what's coming this week in the home video market. Not much is going on that is newsworthy, so let's get right down to business.
4K Ultra HD Blu-ray/Digital Releases-
There are no digital 4K releases this week. On the disc front though, there are two movies to mention. First, District 9, which I thought was a pretty peculiar movie, but feel that this would be worthy of an upgrade on my video wall. Available in a standard edition and as a Best Buy Exclusive SteelBook. Again, generally not a fan of cover art that is primarily RED in color, but this one is entirely appropriate to this movie (cover art shown is the standard edition). And the second title is Requiem for a Dream, which we have already reviewed, check out the review, buy the disc.
HD Blu-ray/Digital releases-
There are no digital HD releases slated for this week.
On the disc front however, it looks like an average week.
Criterion Collection releases Claudine this week. Personally never saw this film, but no doubt it will be 4+ stars across the board when we review it.
LionsGate's new release of The Doorman comes out this week.
Kino Lorber offers a multitude of titles, but the one I remember the most is DeepStar Six. This one came out about the time that The Abyss was released so it's easy to confuse the two. The latter we still await James Cameron to act upon with a Blu-ray or 4K release.
Sony Pictures has an average week, but the title I think they are pushing the most this week is El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie. I might be in that 10 percentile of people that hasn't seen an episode of the series. If it means anything, I did bookmark it on Netflix.
RLJ Entertainment releases The American West: Season 1 this week. This show has potential, and according to IMDB the ratings are decent.
Shout Factory, under the Scream Factory label is finally releasing their Friday the 13th Collection Deluxe Edition. Although it is inevitable that perhaps the first movie will get a 4K release, this complete collection is a definitive way to own the complete set.
Previously delayed, but appears to be coming out finally, Arrow Video's release of Mallrats.
Warner Bros. releases the animated title Batman: Death in the Family. For some reason the 4K was never officially announced so we have moved it to the 'Postponed' column, and honestly, I was just getting into these animated DC 4K releases.
RWBY Volume 7 is being released by Warner Bros this week as well. Also on the Warner release front, Cats & Dogs 3 gets a general release this week, looks like it snuck out as a Walmart exclusive a month ago, which is becoming more commonplace with their non-major releases. Still Going strong, Vikings Season 6 Volume 1 streets this week. From the Warner Archive Collection, Space Ghost & Dino Boy: The Complete Series will be available. I remember watching this show years ago, something about it made me come back for more.
Elsewhere within the animated category, our weekly anime highlights are always present. Viz Video release Boruto: Naruto Next Generation Vol 7. FUNimation has two versions of ID: Invaded, a standard release edition and a Limited Edition. If you didn't buy the individual releases of Kakuriyo Bed & Breakfast for Spirits, it is now available as a Complete Series Set. Season Two of Kono Oto Tamare! Sounds of Life also debuts this week on Blu-ray.
There are two Friday releases this week, an arts release and a music/concert release.
Notable announcements from last week:
As far as new release announcements are, the week has proven to be very dry.
But, I did mention last week to expect a 4K Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogy announcement. Do read our news story here which indicates a December 1st street date and get your orders in today. In both trilogies I think I prefer the SteelBooks, but they are on the pricier side.
Disney has also announced a street date for The New Mutants, November 17th. Available as a Blu-ray, 4K Blu-ray and 4K SteelBook. This does not count as a true commitment on Disney's part of the 4K format -- as previously mentioned and covered, it is rumored that they have abandoned catalog titles with regards to the 4K disc format, James Cameron titles excluded, and this of course is a 2020 film.
Which titles are you buying this week? Which ones are on your wishlist, be it to buy as an impulse buy or to wait for the right price? For me, the Friday the 13th set has been on preorder as has Space Ghost. I will decide on which version of District 9 4K I want soon, and most likely will order DeepStar Six too. Wishlist items include American West Season 1, the Mill Creek 3-pack Diabolique/Incognito/In Crowd, Imaginary Crimes/Silent Fall, Kakuriyo B&B, The Pledge & RWBY Vol 7.
Scream Factory's Friday the 13th Collection Deluxe Edition has been shipped out - those with pre-orders should be getting them any day now if you haven't gotten them already. Obviously from all of the coverage we've done and announcements the fine folks at Scream have put out - this is a massive set. Our man with a plan M. Enois Duarte will be handling the review of this beast, but it's going to take us some time to dig through everything.
\Some of the films got new transfers, Friday the 13th: Part 3 3-D actually has a genuine stereoscopic 3-D presentation, I briefly looked at it at 2:00am this morning and it looks so much better than the old anaglyph 3-D presentation. To that point - since it's going to take us a while to start posting in-depth coverage, we wanted to give you fine folks a look at this set with a quick unboxing. I ordered my set direct from Shout Factory to get the Limited Edition poster and lithograph - those extras being the only differences if you ordered this set from a different retailer.
As soon as we start breaking out the coverage we'll get those reviews posted and shared, but for now - have an awesome weekend, enjoy some fright flicks, or if you already have this amazing set in hand, enjoy digging through all of these movies in one epic binge!
And the time keeps changing and the calendar keeps flipping. October 2020 is upon us, pumpkin spice everything is invading our senses, the title releases (thankfully) keep coming. Welcome to Episode 20 of our weekly highlights on what to expect in the home video market. To those that bought a handful of Miramax titles a couple of weeks ago, by now you have a couple in your hand and Amazon notices of shipping dates as late as December 15th. If there was an Epic Fail, this one qualifies. Even though they're supposed to have new printed sleeves to reflect Paramount as the distributor, some simply have UPC stickers pasted over the old ones.
4K Ultra HD Blu-ray/Digital Releases-
There are no 4K digital releases slated for this week.
On the 4K disc front though, let's get right to it. First, Frank Miller's epic 300, available as a standard edition and a Best Buy SteelBook edition. As this movie has CGI, we can expect the largest gain to be from the HDR.
Shutter Island sees a standard edition (non-SteelBook) release this week. Also in the same think 'lower cost' category, Jaws is getting reissued as well, without the swag and fancy cover.
Next in the 4K disc category, a new(er) title, The Tax Collector. When I heard this title, I immediately thought crime family, not IRS. The 4K of this title can currently only be bought from Best Buy. And on the Best Buy front, Christopher Nolan's Interstellar gets an exclusive 4K SteelBook this week as well. Nolan is a great director, but I am a bit annoyed by his lack of allowing/adopting direcional audio (Atmos or DTS:X.) Also, looks like Saving Private Ryan is getting another SteelBook release too, not sure what is different about this one.
HD Blu-ray/Digital releases-
There are no digital HD releases slated for this week.
Universal's 2020 releases coming to Blu-ray this week is titled The 2nd, Save Yourselves!, The Secret Garden, direct to video Tales From the Hood 3, Season Four of The Last Kingdom also streets this week. I feel as though I should have caught that series, there is still time to do so.
From Warner Bros, debuting on Blu-ray via the Warner Archive, Drop Dead Gorgeous. From Warner's regular label, the 2020 reboot of Valley Girl is expected to street this week.
From CBS/Paramount, the long awaited Star Trek: Picard Season One comes out this week, available as a standard edition and as a SteelBook Edition.
Mill Creek's delayed September titles are out this week, Battlefield Earth, Big Bully/Wrongfully Accused, The King and I (animated) & Snow White: A Tale of Terror,
Michael J Fox fans should be delighted to know Kino is releasing two of his films this week, The Hard Way & The Secret of My Success. And as usual, they have a bunch of older classics to ponder as well.
The above mentioned film, The Tax Collector also gets a non-retailer-exclusive Blu-ray release.
Anime this week, FUNimation has got After School Dice Club, Fairy Tail Part 24 & One Piece: Stampede (SteelBook). Sentai Filmworks has one, in the no English dub category, Beautiful Bones Sakurako's Investigation. Shout Factory releases B: The Beginning Season One as a standard edition and as an 'Ultimate Edition.' I like the latter, but it would be a large investment for a blind buy. Shout also releases Digimon Adventure: Last Evolution Kizuna this week, and a reissue of The Wonderland. From Viz, the Naruto Triple Feature, available in a standard collector's edition and as a SteelBook collector's edition.
There are three music/concert titles scheduled for a Friday release.
Notable announcements from last week:
Newcomer to the Blu-ray market, Wild East Productions seems to have their expected titles this week on delay. Updates will happen as we get them. Also delayed, the touted 2016 movie The Veil, from Kino Lorber got pushed back a month to November 3.
For new announcements though, this past week was pretty slow. We can confirm that Blade will be coming to 4K disc, as a standard edition and as a Best Buy SteelBook. Your guess is as good as mine on a trilogy in 4K or the Amazon Exclusive Gift Sets that Warner Bros seems to be doing a lot of.
Blue Underground has announced Fire & Ice on 4K disc, expect it to come probably around Dec/Jan.
Collateral 4K disc (2004) also has been announced with a Dec 8 street date.
In the works with an announcement any time soon, Warner is preparing 4K discs of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and The Hobbit Trilogy. Expected are the theatrical and extended versions. Serpico is coming soon as well in 4K, but maybe only as an import, it is currently listed on Amazon Germany's site, and Three Days of the Condor is on Amazon France's site.
Next Week, October 13 & 14 Amazon Prime Day is on!
Which titles are you buying this week? Which ones are on your wishlist, be it to buy as an impulse buy or to wait for the right price? I am pretty sure I will buy Picard - Season One, The Secret Garden, The King & I, and Pale Door. I have a mild interest in 300 4K and Tax Collector 4K. Wishlist, B: Ultimate Edition, Big Bully/Wrongfully Accused, Naruto SteelBook, One Piece SteelBook & Snow White Tale of Terror.
Our own Bryan Kluger took a deep dive into his collection to find us the 10 Best Horror Movies in the Criterion Collection. It's always hard to narrow down a definitive list like this but you can't go wrong with any of these. Take a look:
Order Eyes Without A Face on Blu-ray
Order The Devil's Backbone on Blu-ray
Order Rosemary's Baby on Blu-ray
Order Night of the Living Dead on Blu-ray
Have you got any free cash or available credit after last week? This week is also an above average week for home video releases too. Although it's primarily a catalog title/reissue kind of week, there still are a handful of titles that might merit a purchase. Welcome to Episode 19 of our weekly look at the highlights of the home video releases for the week. Just a tidbit about the Miramax releases --- apparently there is a delay for most of them, and I am speculating it is likely related to COVID, be it people to ship the product, or if they're pressing new discs for some of them, the facility that manufactures is behind. And another supply issue, anyone that had ordered the Gamera collection from Arrow Video, feel lucky if you've received your copy. Either they simply did a small run or demand was very high, in either case, this is out of stock just about everywhere and 3rd party listings have crazy insane prices.
4K Ultra HD Blu-ray/Digital Releases-
There are no 4K digital releases slated for this week.
The 4K disc front is owned by Best Buy and its SteelBooks. Offered this week are Evil Dead Double Feature, Halloween (1978) and Mad Max Fury Road.
HD Blu-ray/Digital releases-
There is one digital HD release slated for this week, on October 2 titled Death of Me.
Criterion Collection's HD/Blu-ray release for The Elephant Man streets this week. You've heard my rants, you know I imported the 4K, but if this release covers your needs, you can bet it's the usual excellent Criterion quality. Also look for Martin Scorsese's World Cinema Project No. 3 this week.
A different version of Agatha Christies's Death on the Nile comes this week from Acorn media. It appears to be a segment from the series Poirot.
Universal is flooding us with 10-Movie pack editions. If you don't own half of them, these releases could be a way to save a few bucks. The collections are Blumhouse of Horrors, Dreamworks Collection, Focus Features Spotlights, Illumination Collection, Universal Action Collection & Universal Sci-Fi Collection. There appear to be a few others but are DVD only, despite those movies being released on Blu-ray. Also a Jaws 3-movie collection, which includes Jaws 2, 3 & 4. Not a Universal release, but a title dubbed Jaws 5, Cruel Jaws comes to us from Severin Films.
Slow week for Warner Bros, but they are releasing Stargirl: The Complete First Season this week.
Ghost Ship from Shout Factory finally comes out this week after a delay or two, finally I can replace my DVD of this film.
In the weekly dose of anime, Bleach: Set 8 arrives from Viz Media. Discotek is releasing their September titles this week, they include Case Closed: Zero the Enforcer, Galaxy Express 999 TV Series Vol. 3, Wicked City & Space Adventure Cobra - Complete Series.
FUNimation highlights include Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - Part One, Fire Force Season One Part Two as a standard edition and a limited edition, Kemono Michi: Rise Up - Complete Series and My Hero Academia Season Four Part One. Sentai Filmworks releases Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit this week.
Notable announcements from last week:
The Arrow Video release of Mallrats has been pushed to October 13.
On the Arrow Video topic, they just announced Tremors on 4K disc for December 15th. As with so many of their releases, it's loaded with extras, and some swag as well. I sort of expect to see a single disc with no swag listed shortly as well, but I'm going for the loaded one. A 2 disc Blu-ray edition is available as well.
Kino Lorber has announced they are releasing Spaceballs on 4K disc. I am a fan of this movie and have bought it each time it has come to a new format, I look forward to this edition as well. I laugh every time I see Michael Winslow's "jammed radar" scene.
Sentai Filmworks has revealed their December 2020 titles. Most of them do not have an English dub, but they still might interest you. Check em out, the titles are 7 Seeds - Part 1, About Ahiru no Sora - Collection One, Ajin: Demi-Human - The OADS Collection, Chidori RSC - Complete Collection, The Garden of Words (reissue), Outburst Dreamer Boys & When Supernatural Battles Became Commonplace - Complete Collection.
Which titles are you buying this week? Which ones are on your wishlist, be it to buy as an impulse buy or to wait for the right price? For myself, there are a couple of anime titles on order. The Kemoni Michi Rise Up synopsis sounds amusing. I'm reluctant to buy Demon Slayer Part One because FUNimation listed it as "Standard Edition" which implies there will be a limited edition soon, maybe not. Sentai usually does the split releases, not FUNimation, so I will likely buy it. Like I mentioned above, replacing my DVD of Ghost Ship would be nice, but the wallet fatigue of last week might put me on hold, but not for that long. The Penny Dreadful release interests me, but not enough for a blind buy.
December 1st 2020 – after the year to end all years with one WTF moment after another – the nation can come together and heal thanks to Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment and their decision to unleash a barrage of new Eddie Murphy releases to 4K UHD and Blu-ray! Just when we all could really use a laugh – Murphy and Paramount are going to deliver the goods with some classics and one that’s been on a lot of wish lists for years.
Not only are we getting 4K UHD Blu-ray releases of Coming to America and Beverly Hills Cop – we’re also getting new prestige Paramount Presents releases of the holiday classic Trading Places and the bizarrely amazing action/adventure/comedy The Golden Child! An eclectic collection
These aren’t yet up for pre-order, Amazon has some placeholders for Coming to America 4K and Beverly Hills Cop 4K, but we expect these to be available soon. Also, no word if the Coming to America 4K SteelBook will be a retailer exclusive or not, or what HDR grade or if a new Atmos/DTS:X mix will be available. We’ve reached out for clarification AND to possibly participate in a giveaway for these releases so as soon as we’ve got that info, we’ll let you know!
Beverly Hills Cop 4K UHD Blu-ray
Coming to America 4K UHD Blu-ray
Coming to America 4K UHD Blu-ray SteelBook
Trading Places (Paramount Presents)
Not sure how your month has been going thus far with regards to wallet fatique, but if ever there was a week for me to go overboard with purchases, this week certainly qualifies as being a very expensive week. For quantity of releases, we have not seen a week like this in years. Fortunately many of them are in the sub-$10 range, so you get a lot of bang for the buck. Welcome to Episode 18 of our weekly look at the highlights of the home video market.
4K Ultra HD Blu-ray/Digital Releases-
There are no 4K digital releases slated for this week.
This week offers a couple of 4K disc releases, available in different SKUs. Let's get to it. Stanley Kubrick fans are up first --- Full Metal Jacket debuts on 4K disc this week, as a standard ediion, a Best Buy SteelBook edition, and lastly as part of a three pack, Stanley Kubrick 3 Film Collection, which also includes 2001: A Space Odyssey and The Shining. It probably was hard to predict there would be a 3-movie collection, so most of us are likely going to get Full Metal Jacket this week as we already own the other two. And the other 4K disc title this week, Whiplash, available as a standard edition and as a Best Buy SteelBook edition.
HD Blu-ray/Digital releases-
There are no Digital HD releases for this week.
As far as physical disc releases, Paramount dominates the listings with 40+ releases. It should be obvious they have acquired the distribution rights to Miramax titles, and oh boy, the flood gates have opened. On a positive note though, if you held off on some of them, the street price for a lot of them is around $10, considerably less than the $20-25 price they were selling for under previous distributorships. You also get to skip paying $80 in the secondary market for a catalog release, so this week could be considered a win:win. Just look for the (reissue) in the title names and you've found the Miramax releases (of course there's ALWAYS an exception, this week it's the Ghostbusters reissue.) Under the Paramont label that is new this week though, Most Wanted, another one of those movies that skipped the theaters due to the COVID pandemic, priced to sell.
Criterion Collectors look for Christ Stopped at Eboli this week.
From Warner Bros, DC's Legends of Tomorrow: The Complete Fifth Season. I've not been following this series, but to see a fifth season tells me I should. Also from Warner, Rick and Morty: Season 4, available in a standard edition and a SteelBook release.
What's a week without anime in some shape or form? FUNimation brings us Dr. Stone: Season One, Part One. Also Part Two of Season One for the series Fairy gone. I seriously thought there would be a deluxe edition in here somewhere, it's FUNimation's style. Discotek's Jungle De Ikou comes out this week. Sentai brings us Wasteful Days of High School Girls: Complete Collection. And closing out the Anime highlights for the week, Shout Factory GKIDS brings us The Wind Rises. I seriously thought GKIDS had released all of the Studio Ghibli titles that Disney previously did already, did not look hard enough to realize this one was missed.
LionsGate is releasing Red Shoes and Seven Dwarfs on Blu-ray, a different take on the Snow White story. I got to mention this because those "Dove Approved" releases are hit and miss with Blu-ray releases. For a live action release, The Secret: Dare To Dream, probably another release that skipped the theaters due to current events. The plot sounds like one of those feel good movies.
The reissued release of The Vincent Price Collection comes to you from Scream/Shout Factory, this one has had a delay or two as well. This one is a perfect example of how petty the home video market can be sometimes, this reissue had to revise its extras due to licensing rights. Like it's going to be a huge deal if a behind the scenes featurette or deleted scene is so sacred that a reissue cannot contain it. This release is still quite extensive so don't let the new package scare you away.
For Friday releases, this week is above average for that as well. There are five releases in the arts category, and three different versions of The Rolling Stones: Steel Wheels Live.
Notable announcements from last week:
Delayed for the second time, Inner Sanctum Mysteries. Making a guess here, probably due to reduced manufacturing capacity related delays.
Warner Archive has announced that Space Ghost and Dino Boy: The Complete Series will hit retailers on October 13th. I don't ever recall "and Dino Boy" being in the title of the series, no matter, it's the same series many of us watched in our childhoods.
FUNimation has announced their December releases. I see a few maybes in there, but nothing really jumps out at me. Azur Lane and the next volume of Dr. STONE are on my list. Also, Akira is getting a 4K disc release on 12/22. Also the next two SteelBook releases of Dragon Ball Z are coming as well in December.
Another Studio Ghibli title I had thought was released by GKIDS/Shout Factory already, but not, From Up on Poppy Hill. OK, seriously, are all the Disney releases now out or announced from GKIDS?
When we had our forums running, there was a thread on HD DVD titles not yet released on Blu-ray, I think Popeye was on it, well, now it's got a street date of Dec 1.
Criterion has announced their December titles as well, and guess what, they're releasing another BD/HD title that was announced to get a 4K release overseas, I'm referring to Cronenberg's Crash (1996) which actually never made it to Blu-ray. Again, Criterion, please, why are you not offering 4K releases? Practically every studio on the planet except you are now offering these. The other titles announced for December are Amores Perros, Mouchette and Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Two Takes by William Greaves.
Lastly on the announcements front, Vinegar Syndrome has announced its October slate, which are all due 10/27, which I must note, includes a 4K disc release, Dial Code Santa Claus.
Which titles are you buying this week? Which ones are on your wishlist, be it to buy as an impulse buy or to wait for the right price? I possibly have half of the Miramax titles on order, I never did get em back then. I will likely be picking up Full Metal Jacket 4K, just not sure of which release(leaning towards standard release.) Anime titles, the Dr. Stone, Fairy gone, Jungle De Ikou, KITE Liberator, Wasteful Days & The Wind Rises releases interest me, the latter is on order. Rick & Morty also could be an impulse buy, alas, which version? I like the SteelBook look better. Red Shoes & 7 Dwarfs could also be an impulse buy as well.
September disc releases are sort of like a hill, this week we are on the climb, next week we are at the summit, or as I could call it, a wallet-buster of a week. The week after is almost identical to this week but we are going back down.
Welcome to Episode 17, a look at some of the highlights for the week in the home video releases market.
4K Ultra HD Blu-ray/Digital Releases-
There are no digital 4K releases slated for this week.
For 4K discs though, that's a different story. Where to begin?
I guess I will get the reissue out of the way first. Although a reissue, it's a Best Buy Exclusive SteelBook and available at a lower price point, so if you've been on the fence solely for price, this might be your sweet spot. First up, Goodfellas, known to me as one of the more modern mob movies that set a bar for others to meet or beat. Delayed two weeks to 9/29, Mad Max: Fury Road, which I am not a fan of this cover art at all. There have been a fair amount of recent SteelBooks with an overly orange cover art, I guess it is to match the red standard editions or something.
The remainder of the 4K releases this week debut on 4K disc for the first time. Alphabetically, they are 21 Jump Street, 22 Jump Street, Hocus Pocus (Standard Edition or Best Buy SteelBook) and Home Alone (Standard Edition or Best Buy SteelBook). The latter two were announced before the Covid pandemic and pre-date the rumored news of Disney no longer producing 4K discs of catalog releases so this point going forward I am watching Disney's actions to see if their rebuttal to the news holds water. Also keep in mind that Disney and Amazon's dispute is in its third year so we have provided Best Buy links if you are wanting to pre-order the standard editions. If you don't mind a sort of 'meh' cover art, Best Buy is also offering a SteelBook for 21 Jump Street / 22 Jump Street.
HD Blu-ray/Digital releases-
There are no standalone digital releases this week. A handful of day and date releases with the disc versions are available though.
For disc releases there are a few noteworthy titles.
Criterion Collection brings us one title, Beau Travail. A semi-recent French film based on Herman Melville's Billy Budd.
Warner Archive has bundled 4 previous film noir releases into one package for this week, titled 4-Film Collection: Film Noir which includes Gun Crazy / Murder, My Sweet / Out of the Past / The Set-up. John Wayne's Flying Leathernecks gets its Blu-ray debut as well.
Kino Lorber is offering a handful of titles this week, Bob Hope fans will be happy to see The Cat and the Canary and The Ghost Breakers.
LionsGate's Vestron Video offerings present us with two releases this week, Little Monsters and Shivers. These two are priced to sell, hopefully this low-price model fares better than the $30 MSRP seen on previous Vestron releases and enough people buy these, so we can continue to go deeper into the Vestron library.
Would a week go by without anime releases? This week is not a big week, but Sentai Filmworks brings Bodacious Space Pirates: Complete Collection to Blu-ray Disc. Also from Sentai this week, Z/X Code Reunion: Complete Collection, if only it had an English dub. FUNimation's general release of Cowboy Bebop: The Complete Series SteelBook streets this week. Shout Factory's GKIDS line has two versions of Weathering With You this week, a standard edition and a SteelBook edition. A 4K four-disc Collector's Set loaded with extras and swag is coming November 17th, so choose wisely.
Shout Factory's 'Shout Select' line brings us The TV Set this week. Most everything that Duchovny has been in has done fairly well, for Shout to invest in making this a Select title probably reinforces that statement.
Season Five of Outlander will be available this week as a standard edition and as a collector's edition. Sony has been pretty consistent with the dual offerings on this series, that's a nice touch.
Under the Paramount Presents label, Roman Holiday debuts this week in a 'Highly Recommended" release, follow the link, read our review, buy a copy for yourself. The only thing that would make this release better is if it was offered on a 4K disc, but don't let that detract you from a well produced HD release. Paramount also has a couple of budget priced titles this week, currently $9.99, they are Barefoot in the Park, The Phantom, Private Parts, The Sons of Katie Elder, Timeline, The Two Jakes, Uncommon Valor and Vampire in Brooklyn. These wallet friendly releases have a commonality in that they've got star power but maybe not that star's best movies, I would say they're certainly worth the $10 price tag.
There are a hanful of Friday releases, all special interest. Do take a look in case this means you.
Notable announcements from last week:
Mill Creek's September 15th titles got pushed to October 6th.
Scream Factory (Shout! Factory) has given a pre-lim announcement that they will be bringing us John Carpenter's They Live to 4K disc this fall. This a great news for those that held out importing it. Maybe they can secure the rights to the rest of the Carpenter 4K releases, or the originating studio will make an announcement soon. Back in 2018 StudioCanal had released Escape From New York, Prince of Darkness, The Fog and They Live, which were released as collectable digipaks and SteelBook editions. At the time you could buy them for around $45, now they're reselling for over $200.
Also, LionsGate, has officially announced (with a pre-order page) Total Recall (1990) in 4K. This is the same new transfer that StudioCanal is releasing in the UK. This promises to be quite the set, and the price is nice as well. Check out or recent news story on the topic.
Sentai Filmworks has announced their November titles, they are Assassins Pride: Complete Collection, The Garden of Words (SteelBook), Granbelm: Complete Collection, Hayate the Combat Butler: Ultimate Collection, Locke the Superman and Val X Love: Complete Collection.
RLJ Entertainment has added a 4K release for The Tax Collector, this one will be a SteelBook.
Universal has announced a 4K disc release for The Croods, slated for November 17th.
A Standard Edition and a Best Buy SteelBook have been announced for V For Vendetta. Also from Warner Bros/HBO, the series Chernobyl will be getting a 4K disc release on December 1st.
Which titles are you buying this week? Which ones are on your wishlist, be it to buy as an impulse buy or to wait for the right price?
I've got Hocus Pocus 4K (both releases) on order, Home Alone SteelBook on order, and the SteelBook of GoodFellas on order as well. I also am picking up both Vestron releases as well. Wishlist items include Bodacious Space Pirates, Roman Holiday, The TV Set and a majority of the Paramount value priced releases. If next week were not such a huge wallet buster week I probably would have already had the Paramount releases on order. The Z/X Code Reunion would also be on order if there were an English dub, maybe next time. As far as Weathering With You, I have the 4K set on order for November so I will pass on this week's versions.
At HDD we hope everyone is having a relaxing long Labor Day holiday weekend! We are giving away one Blu-ray of The King of Staten Island starring Pete Davidson and directed by Judd Apatow. This delightful comedy could be yours... if you follow some simple steps:
1: Leave a funny joke (keep it PG13-ish) comment in the Disqus section below.
2: Share our Facebook post about this giveaway and include @highdefdigest in your so we can find you!
That's it! Pretty simple. The contest is open to all U.S. residents with a valid mailing address, no P.O. boxes. The contest closes 12:00 PM Eastern Time on Tuesday, September 8th. After that time I will hunt through all valid entries and select a winner at random.
Have fun out there everyone - we've got some great reviews in the pipeline to share with you next week!
For much of the country, there is some relief from the very hot weather that's been betroved upon us. When I try to sit down and be serious and watch a movie, I personally do not like to hear the AC running in the background, or an overhead fan distorting the soundscape, or even the tick tick tick of the clock in the kitchen. The latter, I move it to another room when I do a serious viewing.
This week is probably the slowest week of the month, but that doesn't mean you're not spending any money on a title you've just got to have. Welcome to Episode 16 of our weekly series on the highlights of what's coming out on home video.
4K Ultra HD Blu-ray/Digital Releases-
There are no digital 4K releases this week.
For 4K disc releases though, there are a few choices this week. For animated titles, we see the 1995 version of Ghost in the Shell. Available as a standard edition and a Best Buy SteelBook. If you've known me over the years, I am sort of a critic on cover art, and each version seems to have their own merit here, personally I opted for the Best Buy edition but every time I look at the choices, I still feel a bit undecided on which one I like or hate. The SteelBook reminds me of a Mondo edition in that it has a slip cover that reveals something different underneath. This one is priced to sell in either edition. Next, a Superman animated title named Man of Tomorrow. This one is available as a standard release or as a Best Buy Exclusive, which the latter includes an exclusive collectable figure.
And now for live action titles. In case you missed this year's release of Invisible Man (2020), it is now available as a Best Buy SteelBook. Personally not a fan of this cover, but maybe you are, if so, enjoy. It appears to have a lower MSRP than the standard edition does, so there's that. And lastly in the live action 4K category, the Alfred Hitchcock Classics Collection. I'm sure many of you are probably looking forward to Psycho, Rear Window or Vertigo, but my favorite is The Birds. Thus far, we have seen some incredible 4K discs of classic films, hopefully this set continues with the trend. Best Buy is also offering a 4K SteelBook of just Psycho.
HD Blu-ray/Digital releases-
There are no digital HD releases slated for this week.
Now for disc releases though, there are a few to choose from. This week is sort of a 'low' week for September, which is OK.
Criterion Collection is releasing the Burt Lancaster film Brute Force this week. Also from Criterion this week, The Naked City. I have no insight on either, sorry.
In another pandemic skipped the theaters release, LionsGate brings us The Big Ugly this week. It has star power and the synopsis is generic enough that it could be a fair movie. As I've said in the past though, don't look for an Oscar from a film of this calibre. Also from LionsGate this week, maybe an afterthought, maybe a good movie? Anyway, they're releasing First Cow on disc this week. This one sounds like a comedy, but is listed as a drama, interesting, no? First Cow was released on 4K digital already, but no 4K disc is in sight. Just when you thought that was it for LionsGate this week, they're also releasing Retaliation, described as a 'taut thriller.'
Warner Archive releases Bad Education on Tuesday, starring a couple of people you have probably heard of, do check it out. The series Prodigal Son sounds like it could be interesting, The Complete First Season streets this week.
From the Warner label, Superman: Man of Tomorrow gets a standard BD release, and also this week, Supergirl: The Complete Fifth Season. I actually got tuned into Supergirl at one of my many boring nights in a hotel room as I was away from home doing some job training during the day shifts.
Kino's got a couple of releases this week as well. One highlight that might interest you is the Cary Grant Collection which offers three of his films in one box set. Stay tuned for a review. Also from Kino this week, the previously delayed Peter Cushing as Dr. Who movies, Dr. Who and the Daleks and Daleks' - Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D..
Surprisingly slow week for Anime releases (my wallet thanks thee.) Sentai Filmwork is releasing Diabolik Lovers: Complete Collection this week. I had only been starting to buy anime regularly in the past 12 months, it's quite a connected system, the videos, the swag, the books, even the cosplay stuff available out there, and the convention scenes.
Again, I do not normally mention a DVD release unless there's no alternative. I'm referring to the hit animated everything Pokémon. In this case, it appears that Viz entertainment did not sell enough Blu-ray copies of Season 21 to merit a Season 22 release. How I wish I was in Japan right now, where DVDs have pretty much been stopped altogether. Everyone has an HDTV or a 4K TV, so why the low-rez discs? The first 18 episodes come out this week of Season 22, dubbed Pokémon Sun and Moon Ultra Legends: The Last Grand Trial.
There are a couple of Friday releases, which are most often times Concert or Arts themed. In this case, one is music and three are arts related. Most interesting cover art for Ekman: Eskapist which features the Royal Swedish Ballet.
Notable announcements from last week:
To me, the biggest announcement of the week is that Paramount has announced that they are releasing the entire TV series Mission: Impossible on Blu-ray on November 17th. The Amazon pre-order price is no doubt temporary, as I have already seen it for less elsewhere, so stay tuned.
Sentai Filmworks has also listed their November releases, and we have them here too. This go round, most of them do not have English dubs available. They are Granbelm: Complete Collection, Hayate the Combat Butler: Ultimate Collection, The Garden of Words (SteelBook), Val X Love: Complete Collection, Assassins Pride: Complete Collection, Locke the Superman.
Showtime Networks has announced Penny Dreadful: City of Angels - Season One for release on September 29th. I never got thru the original series but I will some day, did not realize there was another series in the works.
Sony also listed something that caught my attention, Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist, slated for October 13th. The trailer had me interested, can't wait to check this one out. IMDB ratings did not fare it too well, but there is a trailer there for you to watch.
Which titles are you buying this week? Which ones are on your wishlist, be it to buy as an impulse buy or to wait for the right price?
For myself, of course I want more in my 4K library, overall though it's a pretty slow week. Already on order, Ghost in the Shell Best Buy version. The Alfred Hitchcock Collection is very high on my want list, might be ordered by the time you read this. Probably saying the same about the Superman 4K release, likely the standard edition. Standard wishlist, Diabolik Lovers Collection. I'm weighing my options on the Pokémon release. I've emailed Viz about the continuation of Blu-ray releases, maybe they will wait til the whole season is ready, maybe I will find an import with English langauge.
As you probably had read last week, September could be considered a pretty expensive month. Although Matthew's article mostly covered 4K wallet busters, regular HD/2K has a lot to offer this month as well. I know if I buy every title I want to this month, it literally could add up to a grand.
Unsure if there has been a production issue or a delay, but I still am awaiting my Gamera Collection (Arrow Video) from Amazon, Amazon has actually delisted it, showing unavailable.
Welcome to Episode 15 of our weekly take on what's hot or worthy for home video releases.
4K Ultra HD Blu-ray/Digital Releases-
There are no 4K digital releases slated for this week.
For 4K releases, there are a handful, and some of them have choices as to which one to get. First let's cover the single sku releases. From Arrow Video, the sci-fi/horror Vin Diesel flick Pitch Black. Early reviews thus far have been favorable for this release, our review should be live by the time you read this. Next, the Robert Downey Jr versions of Sherlock Holmes. The first movie Sherlock Holmes, and the sequel Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. I seem to recall from reviewers that the Sherlock Holmes movies were love or hate flicks, mostly hate.
And now for the multi-sku releases.
First up is Beetlejuice. There are a lot of people pretty excited to see this one coming, and it is available in 3 different SKUs. A standard 4K release, a Deluxe Giftset 4K release, and a Best Buy 4K SteelBook release. Do you buy the one you really love, but then have to buy the standard release to keep that one in mint condition? Do you buy two, keeping one back and enjoying the other? Do you simply buy the one you want and no worry about any of that? The Deluxe Giftset's selling point is it's a Handbook For the Recently Deceased edition, which includes special packaging and some swag.
And the next of the multi-SKU releases, The Goonies. This one also has three different skus, similar to Beetlejuice. And they are the standard 4K release, the deluxe giftset 4K release and the Best Buy 4K SteelBook.
HD Blu-ray/Digital releases-
There are no digital HD releases for this week.
Shout Factory highlights of the week. Foreign film Baba Yaga: Terror of the Dark Forest. This one is dubbed in English, but the original Russian language track also remains in case you're curious about the native track or trying to learn Russian. The GKIDS label this week offers the animated feature Children of the Sea. Having seen the manga, but not having read it, I am going to go in this one blind, it looks interesting.
Universal is releasing the Steve Carell comedy/drama Irresistible this week. It's another movie that woud have been in theaters but was put on hold due to the pandemic shutdown. I had never really connected Carell til I had watched him on the Netflix series Space Force, which I enjoyed the first season, looking back I see he's voiced a couple of animated films I have seen. He's also played in a few other movies, so he is a significant player in the field.
Another movie that fell victim to the theater closures, LionsGate is bringing us Rogue, an action film starring Megan Fox. The plot doesn't sound like anything entirely new, but it might have enough variations in it to be an enjoyable flick, so long as you're not looking for Oscar material here.
A piece of the Warner Archive's next batch of titles comes out this week, Young Sheldon: The Complete Third Season. I personally could never understand the draw to The Big Bang Theory, maybe it's one of those shows I might check out someday on a streaming service, starting with episode one so as to get some background on it.
In the anime category, there are a bunch of first time releases that might interest you, I will be picking a few up myself for sure. Aside from the above mentioned GKIDS release, from FUNimation this week, Africa Salaryman which gives me a Zootopia sort of vibe. Also from FUNimation, Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest: Season 1, available as a standard edition and as a limited edition, and A Certain Scientific Accelerator: The Complete Series, and before you ask, yes it is based on the similarly named series, A Certain Scientific Railgun. Radiant: Season 2 - Part 1 also streets this week. Sentai brings us The Demon Girl Next Door - Complete Collection.
There are two titles announced with Friday street dates, and both are concert/music releases. Just last week we listed the Rolling Stones' Steel Wheels concert, in three different skus. This week, their Goats Head Soup gets a Deluxe Edition release.
Notable announcements from last week:
Kino just announced Buck Rogers in the 25th Century: The Complete Collection, which includes both seasons of the TV show as well as the movie. I consider this pretty big news and look forward to the release. Also from Kino, a title I have been waiting for, Amazon Women on the Moon, coming November 10th. Something about that one makes me smile every time I watch it. Play Misty For Me is getting the Kino treatment, with a street date of November 10th, and this one is loaded with extras.
Order links for the upcoming November Criterion titles mentioned in last week's article are now available. A couple of these titles might have to end up in my collection, sooner than later.
There is a newcomer in the field of releasing blu-ray discs, the company's name is Cauldron Films. In their debut, they've announced two movies, Abrakadabra and American Rickshaw. Do check them out, hopefully you've got an interest in one or both of them and do the right thing by placing a preorder.
Mill Creek has announced two collections for November 17th, Hammer Films - Ultimate Collection and Rita Hayworth - Ultimate Collection. I know there are some Hammer films currently available, just not to this extent.
Arrow UK has just revealed 4K discs coming for the 1996 Cronenberg film Crash as well as the 1990 film King of New York starring Christopher Walken and many other big names. There is no definite U.S. release announced, rights to films vary from country to country, but one can hope and expect that Arrow is actively seeking the rights to a U.S. distribution.
Finally, early listings have appeared on Amazon for "Best of" decades collections from Warner Bros. They span 70s, 80s, 90s and 00s. Look for them under PENDING on our release calendar. I expect a couple more to be added as well in the next few days. If I had to guess, I would say late November or early December.
Which titles are you buying this week? Which ones are on your wishlist, be it to buy as an impulse buy or to wait for the right price?
Where do I begin? I probably want all the 4K titles this week, probably the exclusive giftset for Beetlejuice, with the rest of the titles to be the standard editions. My copy of The Demon Girl Next Door has already arrived. I have on order Arifureta, the box set to keep and the standard edition to use and enjoy, also on order, A Certain Scientific Accelerator. Children of the Sea is high on my list as well. Also on order, I took a chance with Rogue, and on the wishlist is Irresistible, Terrified and Z.
Remember, supporting the studios on disc purchases is more important now more than ever. With physical media dropping in sales double digits year after year, showing your support by buying is the best way you can combat decisions from the studios on not offering a physical release. Purchasing from our links also helps us to bring you news and reviews every week. Your support is greatly appreciated. Not sure what you want to buy today? Click the Amazon logo below and shop til you drop!
September is fast approaching, and for those in the Northern Hemisphere, Fall is just a month away. After a hot and humid week for much of the country this past week, Fall probably seems pretty appealing. My copy of Flash Gordon 4K (Arrow fat-pack) arrived Thursday, not too bad of a delay, I presume Matthew is still waiting for the 4K mega-pack from Amazon UK, which still reigns supreme of all the sets.
Welcome to Episode 14, our weekly look at the highlights of new releases, and news on recent announcements.
4K Ultra HD Blu-ray/Digital Releases-
There are no digital 4K releases for this week.
For physical releases, Blue Underground is providing two Lucio Fulci titles this week. The House by the Cemetery and The New York Ripper. Both offerings appear to be loaded with features and the previous Blu-ray offerings were fantastic, so if you're fans of either, a purchase is merited!
HD Blu-ray/Digital releases-
There are no digital HD title releases for this week. For disc releases, the quantity of titles streeting this week is quite large.
If you opt for this week's 4K titles, know that Severin Films has more Lucio Fulci, this being Aenigma, Demonia & a documentary about him titled Fulci For Fake.
Warner Bros. is offering a couple of titles this week, a general release of Deep Blue Sea 3 streets this week (just in case you missed it at Walmart this past month.) It's probably not a top notch movie, but I want to mention that the available assets for this movie are in 4K, but the home release is only 2K. I would suspect Germany would get a 4K release if anywhere, there are a ton of shark movies available there. Also from Warner, DC's The Flash: The Complete Sixth Season.
Followers of the TV series Endeavour can purchase season seven this week.
There are a handful of titles from Kino Lorber this week, no doubt some great classics, for which I have never seen, and our staff writer David Krauss will enamour us with some great reviews as the days and weeks pass. The title I do remember seeing from this week's batch is more recent, titled Hollywoodland. It's not a solid "A" title, but I liked it.
Just announced not long ago and streeting this week and considered a 'sleeper hit,' The King of Staten Island. The audio format is still unclear for this title, but I doubt it is Dolby Digital, let alone 2.0 as the sell sheets say.
For Anime titles, there are course plenty to pick from. Discotek Media releases titles once a month, and this week is the week for theirs, do have a look. You've seen me mentioning how Sentai Premium titles seem to be a good investment, this week they're offering Domestic Girlfrind: Complete Collection in such a package. Under the Shout Factory/GKIDS label, you can get the SteelBooks for Kiki's Delivery Service and Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind this week.
Also from Shout Factory this week, Tales From the Darkside: The Movie. Check out our review, buy the movie! Look this week for Universal Horror Collection: Volume 6 as well. A lot of those movies would be lost if it were not for the likes of companies like Shout Factory, Kino Lorber, Criterion, Severin, Vinegar Syndrome, etc.
A Friday release that's probably worth your time, S&M2: Metallica and San Francisco Symphony. When the original S&M came out, it was quite a breakthrough. It's been done multiple times before, but every time I have seen a hard rock/metal band team up with an orchestra, it's quite a treat. How many of you remember Guns 'n Roses' November Rain music video?
Notable announcements from last week:
Delayed: Arrow Video's The Comic has been pushed to September 8. Also from Arrow, another delay for Cinema Paradiso, both the Blu-ray and 4K Discs have been pushed back to November 24.
The Criterion release of Parasite has been delayed until October 27, which is a rairity for Criterion (to have a delayed title).
Warner Archive has finalized their titles for the next 6 weeks, they are Bad Education, Flying Leathernecks, Kentucky Kernels, Genesis II / Planet Earth (Double Feature), Prodigal Son: Season One & Young Sheldon: Season Three. There is also a reissue of the That's Entertainment collection coming out as well.
Kino Lorber's biggest announcement of the week is they're bringing us Mad Max (1979) on November 24th. Semi-exciting news, right? Okaaaayyy. What if I also told you that they're also bringing it to you in 4K with HDR10 and Dolby Vision HDR? Extras and other details are not known yet, but the 4K specific page is right here.
Criterion Collection has also announced their November titles. They include Essential Fellini, Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, Girlfriends, The Irishman and lastly, Moonstruck. I had misspoken and said I only knew one of these titles. I should have said I had only *seen* one of these titles (Moonstruck) but I am familiar with The Irishman. And now for a little Criterion rant... one of the selling points of these titles is that they're from a 4K Remaster. With that being said, again, why are we not seeing these titles in a 4K disc release option. If anything, at least the ones that make sense to make a 4K disc. When The Elephant Man was restored and released overseas in 4K, Criterion announces said title, but not as a 4K disc release. The labor involved was already done so it was just a matter getting the proper rights to do so. I love Criterion's work, but come on folks, it's time to join the bandwagon. When I reached out to Shout Factory about Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure getting a 4K disc in the UK, they responded that they did not have the rights to a 4K disc release in the USA, but they were certainly interested in pursuing such avenues.
Carrying over the same rant, the next Paramount Presents release has just been announced and is coming on October 20th, I'm referring to the 1999 release of The Haunting. Remastered in 4K is another selling point to this release, and maybe this film is not 4K disc worthy, but when there are not many releases from week to week of 4K discs, it might be worth taking a chance, viewers are hungry for more titles! Days of Thunder and Airplane! should have most certainly had Paramount Presents 4K disc releases, the former title had a 4K day and day release, but it was barebones and not Paramount Presents.
Which titles are you buying this week? Which ones are on your wishlist, be it to buy as an impulse buy or to wait for the right price? For me, I'm definitely interested in Tales From the Darkside and the Metallica S&M2 releases. The ole' wishlist, House By the Cemetery 4K, NY Ripper 4K, The Flash Season 6, Human Lost The Movie, Hollywoodland, Pet Girl Sakurasou and the Domestic Girlfriend Premium set. I already got Deep Blue Sea 3 from Walmart last month.
Welcome to Episode 13 in our series of weekly articles highlighting what's new and upcoming in the home video market.
This past week a fair amount of news has been coming out of the studios regarding business direction. The one that got me to most is that Disney is focusing more in its Disney + platform, and as a result, they will be slowing down or stopping altogether with live-action catalog titles coming to 4K disc. This fall we see Hocus Pocus and Home Alone getting 4K disc releases, but nothing else past that. I do encourage you to read the article at The Bits. I have already done my part and sent feedback to Disney. If you do so, remember to be respectful. How many people exactly do they need to devote to Disney+ development? How many people are needed to continue to produce discs? How does a $6 a month subscription service make more sense than $28-30 disc sale? Yeah, it's a numbers game, but still, of that $6 monthly fee, what is the cost involved? A $27 disc could result in $6+ in profit alone. An unnamed source at Disney has responded with an official, but rather flatulent statement, ""There are no plans to discontinue releases in a particular format. We evaluate each release on a case by case basis and pursue the best strategy to bring our content into consumer homes across platforms that meet a variety of demands."" I personally believe the respondent did a great job NOT saying specifically what their 4K disc plans are, thus, talking out their behind, and just like that, their answer stinks.
Also, Warner Media has entered a restructuring phase and is currently laying off 600 people. What does this mean for physical media? Hopefully it's just a response to their deal with Universal to distribute discs, and nothing more. Do read that one too if you got a moment. Meanwhile Warner Bros has responded with "we're not going anywhere" which is a better response to any rumors.
Purchasing your favorite movies is the best way to show the studios that you are still out there and are hungry for more. This site has evolved over the years from being primarily physical disc, to now where digital options are being offered as well. Each format has its pros and cons so we are not here to tell you what you should do to build up your collection. Lastly, if you do make a purchase, please remember to do so from our product links, it also helps us continue to provide you news, title info and reviews even during these uneasy times.
Sorry to make the intro so long, but one last thing of importance. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment wants your input on the next batch of 4K releases, including Columbia Classics Volume 2. Read our news story here.
4K Ultra HD Blu-ray/Digital Releases-
There are no digital releases slated for this week.
As far as physical disc releases, this week, barring any last minute issues should be the week that Arrow Video releases the recently restored (by StudioCanal) presentation for Flash Gordon! Available as a standard movie release with minimal extras, and a Two-Disc 'fat pack' edition with an extra disc loaded with bonus material and some swag as well. I've opted for the latter as you probably have surmised.
HD Blu-ray/Digital releases-
There are no digital releases slated for this week.
Just like last week, there are a bunch of physical titles coming out, here are some of the highlights.
DC Universe's Batwoman: The Complete First Season arrives this week from Warner Bros. Also another DC universe title, Deathstroke: Knights & Dragons should be released this week barring any delays.
A Criterion Collection Fan? The Comfort of Strangers debuts this week, as well as Town Bloody Hall.
How many of you remember the movie Clara's Heart, starring Whoopi Goldberg? Warner Archive releases this title this week on Blu-ray.
In the anime category, there are of course multiple titles from several vendors. Beyond the Boundary - The Complete Series is getting a SteelBook release this week. Just like so many other Sentai releases, this one is likely to be priced quite high in the secondary market in a few years. Another SteelBook with a 2 month Best Buy exclusive window releases this week, Your Name. If you want to wait for the general Amazon release, that's your choice of course, but if you want it now, do click the provided link.
A Dog's Courage might be out this week. Another title that was delayed a time or three as well.
Arrow Video makes our headlines again, this time with the release of Flash Gordon (Restored Edition) as a standard edition Blu-ray set, and just like the 4K offering, a 'fat pack' 2-disc edition. Also this week from arrow, Gamera: The Complete Collection. Check out the details on this one, they've been recently updated, and I never knew there was so much Gamera! As mentioned last week, the Arrow release for Pitch Black 4K was pushed back to September, but the standard Blu-ray is still on schedule (allegedly.)
LionsGate is releasing AMC's The Terror: Infamy - Season Two this week on Blu-ray. Has AMC had an recent shows that are terrible? (Don't answer that)
You will almost never see me plug a DVD release, my preferred format is Blu-ray, even if the show was never produced in HD, releasing SD on BD looks a lot better than SD on DVD, the codecs and bit rate look much better on Blu-ray. Any how, this week look for Pokémon Diamond and Pearl: Galactic Battles to be issued on DVD again. To those that have bought this series as it has progressed over the years, the sets got to be quite expensive. If you have a partial set, it's very very expensive to fill in the gaps. I have provided a Best Buy link as it would appear Amazon is not currently offering it for sale. I could certainly hope some day that Viz decides to release each season on Blu-ray in some form. I did buy the Indigo League (Season One) and season Twenty-One on Blu-ray.
Notable announcements from last week:
Delayed: Code Red's Conquest has been delayed again, this time to September 29th. The last time it was delayed it actually disappeared altogether.
Day the World Ended has disappeared from pre-order pages and from Shout's own store site, but other sites seem to list it as November 10th. Usually they're (Shout) good at communicating such delays, but not so much this time.
Additional Miramax reissues have been added to last week's list, and they too have a street date of September 22nd. The titles are Adventureland, The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl, Chicago, The Crow, Cop Land: Collector's Edition, Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood, Ella Enchanted, From Dusk Till Dawn, Gangs of New York, Good Will Hunting, Halloween 3-Movie Collection, Hero, Kill Bill: 2-Movie Collection, Kill Bill: Volume 1, Kill Bill: Volume 2, Mimic: 3-Movie Collection, No Country for Old Men, The Others, The Prophecy: The Complete Collection, Pulp Fiction, Scary Movie Collection, Scream: 3-Movie Collection, Serendipity, She's All That.
Kino has revealed details and street date for DeepStar Six. October 13h is the date, and details are aplenty, just click on the link for more information.
Another 4K title was announced at the end of the week, V for Vendetta. The one provided at the link is the Amazon Exclusive Giftset, stay tuned for a standard edition and no doubt a Best Buy SteelBook. When I first viewed this movie, I did not know what to expect, but was pleasantly surprised by it.
Which titles are you buying this week? Which ones are on your wishlist, be it to buy as an impulse buy or to wait for the right price? I should expect a ship notice any day now for Flash Gordon 4K (Arrow) 'fat pack', Beyond the Boundary SteelBook has already shipped, Your Name SteelBook should ship by the time this article goes live. I do need the Pokémon release mentioned above to fill in a gap, usually these reissue complete sets go for $30, perhaps this one is larger than most. I broke down and also ordered the Gamera Collection. Wishlist contains Ensemble Stars Part 1 and Open 24 Hours. The two DC Universe titles might be in my collection at some point - sometimes Best Buy has some crazy deals (that Amazon sometimes matches) so I am watching.
Welcome to Episode 12 of our weekly home video releases series. It's not a witty week for me so I am getting right on to business. In case you were wondering what I decided for my 4K purchase of Flash Gordon, I opted to cancel my UK order and get the Arrow Video release instead. I did opt for the 'fat pack' offering that includes the extra disc and swag. Another deciding factor was the new, considerably higher shipping rates Amazon UK is charging, currently £14.38 for just about any movie. If you order more than one item it appears to still stay the same cost however. Zavvi has also seemingly done the same thing with Shipping Rates.
4K Ultra HD Blu-ray/Digital Releases-
For 4K offerings this week, if you have opted to import Flash Gordon, it should ship on Monday. Also shipping on the import release schedule is the 4K restoration of Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, also done by StudioCanal.
HD Blu-ray/Digital releases-
Digital:
There is a single digital offering this week, The King of Staten Island. The street date for this movie was just announced, the physical release will be available August 25. All resolutions are selling at the same price, which is boggling, 4K, 2K, SD, same price, say what?
Physical:
Disc offerings this week are aplenty. Here's a run down of some of the highlights...
From Sony, followers of the TV show Blacklist can expect Season Seven this week.
Handful of offerings this week for anime, as there always is. Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card is getting a complete series set this week, instead of a split set that was previously offered. InuYasha Set 2 is coming out this week, Set 1 came out not too long ago.
SteelBook collectors might be insterested in Casper this week at Best Buy. It wasn't a horrible movie, but the only way I am going to buy it again is if it was a 4K release.
Criterion Collection brings us The Complete Films of Agnès Varda - Criterion Collection. Sorry, I'm not familiar with these, but with Criterion doing this release, it's sure to be thorough.
While Kino has got a handful of titles this week, the ones I remember the most from the 80's are Date With an Angel and The Quest, the latter having been in limbo for awhile, but is finally getting released. The trailer for Lucky Grandma is quite amusing, Kino releases this disc this week as well.
Shout Factory is releasing the previously delayed Phantom of the Opera (1962) this week. I'm used to the Robert Englund version, but just like so many other movies that have been remade multiple times, everyone has their favorite version.
Eureka - The Complete Series does appear to finally be coming out this week. I had this on preorder since the early announcement days, but it was delayed a time or two it seems. Mill Creek has been doing a so/so job on their TV releases. A lot of them would never see the light of day on Blu-ray so I'm thankful they're still releasing titles, I think their lacking is with video bit rates.
On the subject of TV shows, Warner Archive is releasing Final Space: The Complete First & Second season this week. Not a TV show, but back to movies, remember when John Travolta played the role of an angel? Michael debuts on Blu-ray this week.
This year's drama/romance The High Note comes out this week from UPHE.
Recent action movie I Am Vengenace: Retaliation comes out this week from LionsGate.
I've come to dig some of the IFC and Shudder films coming to disc lately, this week we see The Wretched coming from the IFC label.
Notable announcements from last week:
Delayed: Pitch Black 4K was coming out next week, according to Amazon it's now September 1st. The Blu-ray is still on schedule, subject to change of course. I'm still waiting for the Flash Gordon delay even though it's due this next week. I did get an email from Amazon indicating an unknown delivery date, which to me translates to a delay. I guess when it gets here, it will get here, and I'm sure I will enjoy it.
Normally I do not make much mention of title reissues, but this is one of those exceptions. Towards then end of 2019 Paramount acquired a large stake in the Miramax company. The fruits of these labors is now coming to bear. Paramount has distribution rights to their home video releases, and come September 22, there are a bunch of reissue releases. This might not seem like a big deal, but a lot of their releases have been out of print for quite some time, the secondary market has been asking for upwards of $80 for some of the titles that are in the September release slate, and Paramount is asking a mere $14.99 MSRP for these titles. The title list includes Bad Santa, Bridget Jones's Diary, The Brothers Grimm, Children of the Corn Series: 4-Movie Collection, Dracula: Double Feature, Extract, Extract / The Switch (Double Feature), The Faculty, Finding Neverland, Jackie Brown, Hellraiser Series: 4-Movie Collection, Kevin Smith: 3-Movie Collection, Shall We Dance?, Sin City, Spy Kids: Triple Feature & The Switch. Do check these out under the release calandar, September 22. Previously both Disney and LionsGate had the rights to release their titles at various points in time.
For 4K announcements, Warner has announced 300 for October 6th, and Sony has announced the Resident Evil collection for November 3rd.
Naruto fans will probably look forward to Naruto Triple Feature - SteelBook Collector's Edition, which includes Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow / Legend of the Stone of Gelel / Guardians of the Crescent Moon Kingdom. This set is also available as a standard release.
RLJ Entertainment continues to announce its release titles, including multiple Shudder Originals, the one non-Shudder title that caught my attention though is The American West: Season 1. I've been waiting for this one actually, I thought it was a well produced show when it debuted. I do not watch much broadcast TV, so the current state of the show as best as I can tell is it is still being produced.
Arrow continues to add more titles to their October slate. The one I most recognize is The Last Starfighter. This could probably be a decent 4K release but it's not so much mainstream, so I would likely be happy with a standard 2K/BD release. Add the Arrow Video treatment, it should be a well produced disc. Still, I'd be open to a 4K disc.
The Last Kingdom: Season Four also has an announced date of October 6th. I thought the cover art for the UK releases were better for this series, I'm just saying!
Which titles are you buying this week? Which ones are on your wishlist, be it to buy as an impulse buy or to wait for the right price?
Myself, for anime I did not buy the individual CardCaptor releases, so do I want the single release this week or do I want the previous offerings? As a person that likes slip covers, it's a tough choice as the single release does not have one. I have the InuYasha #2 on order, and as I've mentioned, The Wretched is a wishlist/strong maybe.
From entertaining the troops in the Pacific during WWII to a brief cameo in Toy Story 4, Carl Reiner's entertainment legacy spans decades. He was that rare multifaceted entertainer who was just as comfortable in front of the camera as well as behind, be it as a director, writer or producer. When looking back at his career, we find a man who never achieved the level of fame or notoriety as those he felt privileged to have worked with, the sort of celebrityhood we'd expect given the wealth of memorable films and TV sitcoms he has left behind. But neither did he seek the stardom nor publicity. Mr. Reiner truly was that unique, genuine talent who simply wanted to share his gift and make people laugh.
For many contemporary audiences, Carl Reiner is not a well-known name or hardly rises to the level of acclaim as Mel Brooks, Jerry Seinfeld, Steve Martin, George Clooney, Bette Midler and so many others fortunate enough to have known the legendary comedian personally. Nevertheless, his impact on comedy and the entertainment industry is immeasurable and can be felt everywhere. As an actor, he usually played supporting roles, but his performances always stood out and his presence always brightened every scene. Mr. Reiner is a true legend and he will be dearly missed, and so, we celebrate his legacy by revisiting some of our personal favorites from his oeuvre.
After coming to prominence working on Sid Caesar's variety shows Your Show of Shows and Ceasar's Hour, Carl Reiner began working on a sitcom loosely based on his experiences as a writer for those aforementioned shows while trying to raise a family. Originally titled Head of the Family with Reiner as the star, Reiner reworked his pilot script with Dick Van Dyke in the lead and co-starring Mary Tyler Moore. With Reiner playing Alan Brady, the host of a variety show and Van Dyke's boss, the sitcom was a smash hit for CBS and is today considered a TV classic that still delivers the laughs and heartwarming smiles.
After the show ended in 1966, Reiner tried his hand at film directing, but Hollywood success didn't come as easily with one box-office fail after another. Of his first three directorial efforts, Where's Poppa? has actually garnered a well-respected cult following, and it's for good reason. It features an absolutely delightful and hilariously memorable performance by Ruth Gordon as the most embarrassing mother ever. More importantly, Reiner demonstrated a talent for telling a witty tale with an unobtrusive camera and excellent timing, trusting his cast to sell the silly premise of a son struggling with a moral quandary.
A few years later, Reiner went on to co-write and direct Steve Martin to box-office success and A-list stardom in the cult comedy favorite about a naïve dolt on a personal, self-discovery journey. Admittedly, the movie is rather stupid, and for some contemporary viewers, it may be a challenge to see the humor or fuss. But the moronic absurdity is precisely what makes it hilarious because the daffy nonsense is surprisingly clever and Steve Martin sells it with deadpan seriousness. The premise of a white man too dense to realize he was adopted by a black family is more than enough to see this beloved comedy immediately.
A few years later, Reiner and Martin reunited for another absurd comedy about another hapless oaf drifts through a world he doesn't belong. Only this time, the two comedians go further into complete absurdity by inserting Martin into vintage 1940s noir films. As a private eye hired to investigate the murder of noted scientist, Martin's hysterical performance flawlessly interacting with a laundry list of legendary actors of classic film noir is the movie's most memorable comedic achievement. It's a bizarre, quirky parody, but as the saying goes ("Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery."), this beloved cult comedy has to be the most lovingly heartfelt homage to the bygone-popularity of the pulp detective genre.
Another Reiner-Martin team-up introduced audiences to a Martin at his most weird, wacky and absolutely bonkers, playing a renowned neurosurgeon who created a brain transplant procedure he called "cranial screw-top." How could any movie-lover possibly go wrong in a strangely ludicrous romantic tale of a well-intentioned doctor who literally falls in love with a brain in a vat named Anne (voiced by Sissy Spacek), which was placed there by a mad scientist played by David Warner. All the while, he's fighting for his life from his scheming, murderous wife Dolores (Kathleen Turner). The movie demands to be watched for the tagline alone: "HEALTH WARNING: Watching This Movie May Cause Severe Brain Damage!"
Ten years after not letting Steve Martin wear plaid, Carl Reiner returned to lampooning the film noir genre in this ridiculously dumb but much too fun to watch comedy. With Armand Assante as a lawyer who moonlights as a police detective, which means he also defends the same criminals he arrests, the jokes practically write themselves. But if we're going to be honest, the movie is pretty bad, and I would never argue it's an underrated gem. Still, it has its moments and comes with enough chuckles for a lazy Sunday afternoon watch. Besides, seeing Sean Young and Sherilyn Fenn intentionally overacting is worth the price alone.
At the height of the Cold War, Norman Jewison directed Reiner in this cult black comedy classic about a Russian submarine accidentally grounding off the coast of a small New England island. Reiner is terrific as Walt Whittaker, a loving father and husband to Eva Marie Saint, and he plays opposite a hysterically wonderful Alan Arkin in his feature-film debut. Looking back at the film, it was rather bold of Jewison and crew to make light of a very serious and terrifying fear many Americans were experiencing at the time, and some of the political sentiments underlining the plot and characters are also somewhat prophetic.
There is absolutely no way of talking about Carl Reiner without also mentioning Steven Soderbergh's Ocean's movies. It's near sacrilege not to point out his stupendously memorable performance as the always-scene-stealing con man Saul Bloom. It may be a supporting role and arguably, a bit part amongst a large ensemble cast with a majority of the attention favoring George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon. But Reiner, nonetheless, stands out, which speaks volumes of his comedic talent. His Saul is proof "There are no small parts, only small actors," and in Ocean's, Reiner is a huge star.
Here are other memorable Carl Reiner features deserving of HD releases:
The first full week of August is upon us. I myself have got a very busy week ahead of me at work, so keeping up with movie releases is a bit of a challenge, but I still do manage my time and take a slice out of my day to update you on what's new this week. Welcome to Episode 11 of our featured Home Video releases article series.
Folowup on a previous discussion - my trip to Barnes & Noble was a BUST. I planned on picking up War of the Worlds and a couple of other titles. War of the Worlds was sold out and their selection of Blu-ray had shrunk considerably -- square footage was lost to DVDs. That alone angered me enough to leave. How many people nowadays do not had a hi-def TV? So why are we getting more exposure to low-def video? Blu-ray has been out long enough that there should be ample opportunity to make the prices comparable to what DVDs were. Why can't we do like they did in Japan, stop making DVDs? Fortunately Amazon had a price of $22.99 on that movie, so I bought it from them.
4K Ultra HD Blu-ray/Digital Releases-
On the 4K disc front, if you've ordered the UK import of Flash Gordon, it has been delayed a week, as I mentioned towards the bottom of last week's article. The domestic release is still on track to be released on the 18th. I did preorder the import premium set, but I am still having second thoughts. It was a decent movie with a stellar soundtrack, but do I want to wait and get the domestic release? I don't want both, I usually watch extras just once, so is the Collector's Edition Arrow set the set for me? When I did preorder the import set, it was at a lower price, so the difference between the two is minimal, unless of course Amazon USA were to offer a one-day low price somewhere in there.
For actual substance in the 4K disc realm, we get a Best Buy exclusive SteelBook release of a movie that's already out, The Town. I once made the mistake of thinking this one was The Village. Oh Well, Shyamalan movies have always had a unique and confusing to me (sometimes) flair. It would appear that this one, as with a few other Warner Bros titles carries a lower retail price. Also this week, apparently it was delayed, the 4K Best Buy SteelBook for Inception.
There are no digital 4K titles slated for this week.
HD Blu-ray/Digital releases-
As far as physical disc HD (Blu-ray) releases this week, it is a rather slow week.
Kino Lorber is pushing forward on its "collections" releases. This week we see the Audie Murphy Collection, Carole Lombard Collection I & the Tony Curtis Collection. Thus far these 'collections' have been a good value.
The weekly obligatory fill of anime titles worth mentioning.... FUNimation has Astra: Lost in Space, which having not seen the series, I wonder if this is an anime take on the popular classic TV show Lost in Space, which also had a reboot series and movie. Those following the series Fairy Tail, Part 23, the Final Season is releasing this week. As far as I know, Part 24, coming in October is the final release of the series.
Sentai has Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? II Complete Collection coming this week. The first collection has a deluxe edition where third party sellers are asking for >$1000.00. Whoa.
Not sure if this merits a mention, but MPI media is releasing Coma, both as a standard disc and a SteelBook edition. Generally speaking a company will not offer two editions if the feature is terrible, but I guess it is possible.
Dispatches From Elsewhere Season 1 is brought to you by RLJ entertainment. I do not watch a lot of regular TV, this being an AMC series, was it a hit or not? Your thoughts?
Doctor Who fans looking to complete their classic series collections, the Tom Baker Season Three set comes out this week. I feel as though Doctor Who is much like music, being that, the music most people think is the best is generally and commonly the music they listened to during their teen years. I remember Tom Baker the most. Although I do follow some of the other doctors, Tom Baker is still my favorite.
HBO, via Warner Bros is releasing His Dark Materials: Season One this week. As I do not have HBO, I'm not sure what to think about it. This series is based on The Golden Compass lore, so I am pretty sure that unless they totally blow it, I will like it. I've seen two different covers for this one making two different domestic releases, oddly enough the edition withOUT the digital code costs $7 more. Zavvi had a SteelBook release for this one too, if they didn't want £10 for shipping, I probably would want it. Why they rose shipping so high is beyond me, I highly doubt it was to package the movies better. Some of the assets available for this series are available in 4K, so I wonder if this is another decision to not release the set in 4K.
A Friday release this week titled Fantashmphony - previously delayed. We often take movie soundtracks for granted, but if you pay attention to the minute details, there is a lot of music and effects and without that, movies and TV shows are pretty bland. This disc covers many popular titles, and is worth checking out.
There are no digital releases slated for this week.
Notable announcements from last week:
Perhaps the biggest announcement from last week is the 4K box set release of the Back to the Future trilogy. I've lost count how many times I have personally bought these movies. The original BTTF was gold when it came out, and it is one of those movies I have watched multiple multiple times. We have an article on this release, and there are multiple SKUs available to order. I usually opt for the SteelBook of any release, unless of course the cover art is hideous. This go round Best Buy is releasing a pretty classy set. They are releasing another Blu-ray editon of this as well, but like Matthew says in the article, most of us interested are going 4K on this. The original Back to the Future was also known as one of the first VHS tapes to have Macrovision employed. I guess I took it for granted, I had a Panasonic AG-1240 VHS machine, so when my circle of friends talked about how it was impossible to make a copy, it never clicked to me why they could not. Back then VHS tapes for $100+ for new releases, so it made sense to want to make a personal copy.
More details for Ghost in the Shell (1995) have emerged as well, along with a Best Buy Exclusive SteelBook, which in my opinion has a much better cover art than the standard release.
RLJ Entertainment contines to keep announcing Shudder Originals. The Pale Door might sound like a Western version of From Dust Til Dawn. It's got a cover art I rather like, hopefully the street date will be less than $20.
Sony and Best Buy have added a SteelBook option for the 4K release of District 9, I generally loathe cover arts with too much red, but this one is appropriate to the film.
Discotek announced their first release of Lupin III movies to 4K, Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro.
Paramount has also added a couple of more catalog titles to their budget-friendly line (around $10 each.) Notably, Uncommon Valor is one of the title's they've added that I will most likely purchase. All of their movies in this line release on September 15th.
Sony has also added a couple of catalog titles for September release as well. Whether they're considered Sony MOD titles or Sony Pictures Classics, take your pick, either way they're limited run release titles that typically do not include a digital code. As fans of physical media, that should not bother us too much. If I'm vegging on my bed watching TV though, sometimes the digital stream is a convenience. These titles release on Septemebr 22nd.
Kino continues to build on their October release list. They have officially announced an October 27 release for High Plains Drifter. Those demanding 4K releases of some of these Western films should know that Kino had full intention of releasing them, but when they tried to do so, they determined the quality of the product was going to suffer based on the elements they had available to them. This does not write off a future 4K release, but for the time being, this is the best available.
Which titles are you buying this week? Which ones are on your wishlist, be it to buy as an impulse buy or to wait for the right price? I've got His Dark Materials (with digital) on order. As I do not currently own The Town in 4K, the SteelBook might merit a purchase. The Sentai release of Is It Wrong To Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon Volume 2 is a wish list item, I guess I missed the boat on the first set. There's a 0% chance I will get that for $1000. Of course my copy of Flash Gordon (4K Import) would have shipped this week as well, maybe it was meant to be to give me more time to ponder on the domestice release.
For a time, it seemed like Olivia de Havilland might live forever...and through her gallery of indelible performances in an array of classic films, she will. The gallant, gracious, and beloved star of such wonderful films as Gone with the Wind, The Heiress, and The Adventures of Robin Hood died July 25 at her home in Paris at the grand old age of 104. Along with screen legend Kirk Douglas, who also passed away this year at age 103, she was the last gleaming light and surviving giant of Hollywood's storied Golden Age, a two-time Best Actress Oscar winner and five-time nominee whose boundless talent and breathtaking beauty enlivened more than 60 movies over the course of an enviable career that spanned half a century.
De Havilland was born in Tokyo to British parents, but became an American icon. She made her film debut in 1935 at age 19 and became an instant star. De Havilland made eight pictures with the dashing Errol Flynn between 1935 and 1941, portrayed Melanie Hamilton Wilkes to great acclaim in Gone with the Wind in 1939, and over the next several decades co-starred with such accomplished actors as James Cagney, Bette Davis, Charles Boyer, Henry Fonda, Montgomery Clift, Richard Burton, and Ray Milland.
In 1943, she won a historic legal victory, effectively freeing actors from being forced to make up time spent on suspension at the end of their contracts. The "De Havilland Law," which forever changed the Hollywood studio system, is still in effect today and stands as arguably the actress's greatest contribution to her industry. Gossip-mongers had a field day over her decades-long feud with her equally famous sister Joan Fontaine, but the regal, refined De Havilland always rose above such tabloid fodder, and as her Golden Age compatriots began to pass away one by one over the past 30 years, she became the enduring ambassador and grande dame of a bygone era defined by glamor, myth, and magic.
De Havilland always will be ranked as one of cinema's greatest actresses, and her portrayals of strong, vibrant, dimensional women resonate with truth and remain timeless. The following list contains 10 films in chronological order that best represent her talent and versatility and stand as shining examples of the beauty, strength, elegance, grit, vivacity, and warmth that define Olivia De Havilland, a woman every movie fan will forever hold in high regard and deeply miss.
The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) - Of all the movies in which she co-starred with Errol Flynn, this quintessential swashbuckler directed by Michael Curtiz earns the highest marks. De Havilland is a vision of loveliness as the fresh-faced Maid Marian. Her role is largely ornamental, but in glorious three-strip Technicolor, who cares?
Gone with the Wind (1939) - Melanie Hamilton Wilkes may be a Plain Jane by Hollywood glamor standards, but her inner beauty and enviable strength - and De Havilland's marvelous portrayal - make her a luminous presence in David O. Selznick's sweeping adaptation of Margaret Mitchell's saga of the Old South. As the patient, adoring wife of Leslie Howard's noble yet weak Ashley and devoted friend to Vivien Leigh's selfish Scarlett O'Hara, De Havilland proved she was an actress to be reckoned with and much more than a pretty face. She also garnered a well-deserved supporting Oscar nomination, but (rightfully) lost to her castmate Hattie McDaniel.
Hold Back the Dawn (1941) - De Havilland received her first Best Actress Oscar nomination (and lost to her sister) for this literate, nuanced romantic drama about an unscrupulous Romanian expatriate (Charles Boyer) who manipulates a naive American schoolteacher (De Havilland) into marriage so he can obtain entry into the U.S. Directed by Mitchell Leisen and written by Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett, Hold the Back Dawn is an underrated gem filled with emotion and substance. It's also surprisingly timely, given the tensions swirling about U.S. immigration issues today.
The Dark Mirror (1946) - Playing twins is both a challenge and a hoot for many actresses, and De Havilland makes the most of her chance in this noirish Freudian murder mystery that received an Oscar nomination for its original story. Directed by Robert Siodmak (The Spiral Staircase) and written by Nunnally Johnson (The Three Faces of Eve), the film showcases De Havilland's versatility and builds to a stunning climax.
To Each His Own (1946) - Though it's all too easy to dismiss this story of unrequited mother love as shameless soap opera, De Havilland's measured, heart-wrenching portrayal diffuses the melodrama and lends authenticity to the tale of a woman who gives up her illegitimate son and becomes a shadowy figure on the periphery of his life. To Each His Own was De Havilland's first film following a two-year period of inactivity resulting from an industry backlash after her historic court victory, and she justly earned her first Best Actress Oscar for her bravura performance. Amazingly, To Each His Own has never been released on Blu-ray; hopefully, Paramount will right that wrong soon.
The Snake Pit (1948) - De Havilland nabbed another Oscar nod for her riveting, highly believable portrayal of a mentally disturbed woman who must endure harrowing treatments and painful therapy sessions during her turbulent stay in a state psychiatric hospital. Director Anatole Litvak's drama was one of a series of social issue films in the late 1940s that tackled taboo topics with sensitivity and insight.
The Heiress (1949) - Arguably De Havilland's crowning achievement, director William Wyler's impeccable adaptation of Henry James' portrait of a painfully shy, sheltered, insecure, impressionable, yet very rich young woman who's dominated by her cold, disparaging father (Ralph Richardson) and courted by a handsome suitor with questionable motives won the star her second Best Actress Oscar. De Havilland is tender, tragic, and ultimately chilling in an understated, tour de force performance that's just as powerful today as it surely was 70 years ago.
My Cousin Rachel (1952) - Is she or isn't she? This brooding, atmospheric adaptation of Daphne du Maurier's gothic novel casts De Havilland as an English lord's mysterious widow who might be both a greedy opportunist and ruthless murderess. A young Richard Burton co-stars as the dead lord's impetuous heir, who's either the love of Rachel's life or her next victim. De Havilland doesn't give away much in a fascinating performance that will keep you guessing...even after the movie ends.
Light in the Piazza (1962) - De Havilland gives an empathetic performance as the concerned mother of a mentally challenged young woman (Yvette Mimieux) who falls in love with a dashing Italian (George Hamilton) while vacatoning in Florence. Director Guy Green's delicate drama, which was adapted into a successful Broadway musical in 2005, features gorgeous Italian locations and addresses important issues. Hopefully, along with To Each His Own, it will see a Blu-ray release in the not-too-distant future.
Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964) - Guilty pleasures don't get much guiltier (or provoke more pleasure) than this captivating bit of Grand Guignol melodrama that casts De Havilland as the duplicitous cousin of a deranged woman (Bette Davis) who's haunted by the brutal murder of her lover 35 years ago. De Havilland rarely played bitches, but she's a humdinger of one here, and recites every deliciously nasty line with relish. Packed with plot twists and scenery-chewing performances galore, Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte is a ghoulishly good thriller that elevates camp to high art.
