As we exit the month of January and enter the month of February, what movies are you anxious to see come to disc? Avatar - The Way of Water has surpassed 2-Billion dollars, which means no doubt it will stay in the theaters awhile longer til they decide on a home video release date. There is lots of speculation on James Cameron movies finally hitting the 4K and HD disc formats this year. Yeah, we've heard that one before, right? But it might be true this time!
Welcome to Volume 3 Episode 35 of our weekly release guide. A look at the highlights of what's coming to disc the week of January 29th - February 4th, as well as a look at announcements from last week.
There is one new release this week, it was already released to blu-ray in August but now we get a 4K upgrade. A David Cronenberg film that is (surprisingly) not released by Criterion, it's titled Crimes of the Future.
On to catalog titles, from Scream Factory, Zack Snyder's Dawn of the Dead (2004). As remakes go, this one is worth grabbing.
From Vinegar Syndrome, a general release of Road House. Note that the general release has a different package. If you wish to get the premium edition in the linked review, visit Vinegar Syndrome.
From Kino Lorber, the original 1969 edition of The Italian Job.
In the double-dip department, Event Horizon, but in a regular uhd case instead of a SteelBook.
Lastly, from Vinegar Syndrome's adult-film line (Peekarama), a release titled The Young Like It Hot / Sweet Young Foxes.
Next Week, dark cat two, blue suede, more DC animated, bog beast comes back, blue-white-red, temperate masses and Disney-100 begins!
This category has been a bit light the past few weeks, but it appears to be returning to normal this week. There is one single blu-ray counterpart of the above listed titles, that would be The Italian Job (1969) from Kino Lorber.
TV on disc includes The Great: Season One, The Great: Season Two and Maigret: Season Two.
From Criterion Collection this week, Bergman Island. I cannot personally attest to this film, but it's got some recognizable names behind it, worth checking out.
New horror/romance from Warner Bros. titled Bones and All.
Arrow Video has a 6-disc box set this week titled The Lukas Moodysson Collection.
Staying with Box Sets, there are two from the Powerhouse Films Indicator Series line, Enter Santo: The First Adventures of the Silver-Masked Man and Magic, Myth & Mutilation: The Micro-Budget Cinema of Michael J Murphy, 1967-2015.
Catalog titles from Paramount debuting to blu-ray, Big Night, Gallipoli and Young Sherlock Holmes [SteelBook].
Anime highlights include Ascendance of a Bookworm - Season 3, City Hunter: Movie & TV Special Collection, Virtua Fighter - The Animated Series and Yu Yu Hakusho - 30th Anniversary Box Set, which you may have to order from Best Buy as Amazon is SOLD OUT (?)
Honorable mention: Kino Lorber is releasing the gothic horror The Asphyx to blu-ray this week. It appears to be the best release of this title to date, do check it out.
From Disney, the classic animated Cinderella is getting a 4K release on or around March 28th. Official word has not dropped yet. Here's hoping they finally adopt Dolby Vision on disc.
Amazon has listed Dreamworks Animation The Prince of Egypt for 4K release on March 14th.
It would also appear that Flashdance is getting a 4K release on April 11th from Paramount.
Arrow Video's domestic slate for April includes The Assassination Bureau, Heart of Dragon and Lovers Lane for blu-ray release. Of their April slate, Naked Lunch is getting a 4K release in the UK.
Powerhouse Films and the Indicator Series will be releasing The Shiver of the Vampires and Two Orphan Vampires to blu-ray and 4K on April 25th.
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?
Searchlight Pictures is set to release Sam Mendes' Academy Award-nominated Empire of Light starring Olivia Colman on Blu-ray and DVD on February 21. The Digital option will be available a few weeks earlier on February 7.
From director and writer Sam Mendes (“1917” and “Skyfall”), “Empire of Light” is a moving drama about the power of human connection during turbulent times. Set in and around a faded old cinema in an English coastal town in the early 1980s, it follows Hilary (Olivia Colman), a cinema manager struggling with her mental health, and Stephen (Micheal Ward), a new employee who longs to escape this provincial town in which he faces daily adversity. Both Hilary and Stephen find a sense of belonging through their unlikely and tender relationship and come to experience the healing power of music, cinema, and community.
The Blu-ray will include a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack, although the press release indicates the Digital will include a Dolby Atmos soundtrack.
Bonus Features*
Featurette
*Bonus features vary by product and retailer
Preorders for Empire of Light should be available soon. Here is the full press release:
Searchlight Pictures’ and Sam Mendes’ moving drama Empire of Light
Arrives on Digital February 7 and Blu-ray™ and DVD February 21
BURBANK, CA (January 25, 2023) – From acclaimed filmmaker Sam Mendes (1917, Skyfall) comes the moving and Academy Award®* nominated Empire of Light. This deeply personal tale of love, friendship and compassion set around a fading cinema in an English coastal town in the 1980s, has been described as “an achingly lovely film – the best Sam Mendes has yet made” (Richard Lawson, Vanity Fair) and features an acclaimed performance from Olivia Colman as a cinema manager coping with mental health issues. The film arrives on Digital February 7 and Blu-ray and DVD on February 21, with never-before-seen bonus content featuring Sam Mendes and the cast that uncovers the story’s origins and the director’s love of cinema.
*Best Cinematography, 2023
Film Synopsis
From director and writer Sam Mendes (“1917” and “Skyfall”), “Empire of Light” is a moving drama about the power of human connection during turbulent times. Set in and around a faded old cinema in an English coastal town in the early 1980s, it follows Hilary (Olivia Colman), a cinema manager struggling with her mental health, and Stephen (Micheal Ward), a new employee who longs to escape this provincial town in which he faces daily adversity. Both Hilary and Stephen find a sense of belonging through their unlikely and tender relationship and come to experience the healing power of music, cinema, and community.
Bonus Features*
Featurette
*Bonus features vary by product and retailer
Cast
Olivia Colman as Hilary
Micheal Ward as Stephen
Colin Firth as Mr. Ellis
Toby Jones as Norman
Directed by
Sam Mendes
Produced by
Pippa Harris
Sam Mendes
Executive Produced by
Michael Lerman
Julie Pastor
Written by
Sam Mendes
Music by
Atticus Ross, Trent Reznor
Product Specifications
Street Date
Digital: February 7, 2023
Physical: February 21, 2023
Product SKUs
Digital: UHD, HD, SD
Physical: Blu-ray Combo Pack (Blu-ray + Digital Code) & DVD
Feature Run Time
115 minutes
Rating
U.S. Rated R
**For sexual content, language and brief violence. Bonus material not rated.
Aspect Ratio
Digital: 2.39:1
Physical: 2.39:1
U.S. Audio
Blu-ray: English 5.1 DTS-HDMA, English AD 2.0 Dolby Digital
DVD: English 5.1 Dolby, English AD 2.0 Dolby
Digital: Dolby Atmos, 5.1 & 2.0 Dolby Digital, English Descriptive Audio 2.0 Dolby Digital (some platforms), Spanish 5.1 & 2.0 Dolby Digital, French 5.1 & 2.0 Dolby Digital
U.S. Subtitles
Blu-ray: English SDH, Spanish, French
DVD: English SDH, Spanish, French
Digital: English SDH, French, Spanish (some platforms)
“A CAREER-BEST PERFORMANCE
FROM OLIVIA COLMAN”
– Clayton Davis, Variety
Lionsgate's The Old Way featuring Nicolas Cage's first role in the western genre is set for a Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital release on February 21.
Academy Award® winner Nicolas Cage stars in his first-ever Western as Colton Briggs, a cold-blooded gunslinger turned respectable family man. When an outlaw and his gang put Colton and his family in peril, Colton is forced to take up arms with an unlikely partner — his 12-year-old daughter (Ryan Kiera Armstrong) — in this action-filled film that builds toward its fateful showdown with pulse-pounding suspense.
The Blu-ray will include a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack and supplements include two audio commentaries (by director Brett Donowho and composer Andrew Morgan Smith), The Old Way Behind The Scenes, and Scoring Sessions. Suggested retail price for the Blu-ray is $21.99, while the DVD is $19.98 and Digital ranges from $5.99 to $14.99.
Order your copy of The Old Way today and here is the full press release:
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As I have mentioned several times recently, physical media is still running strong. OCN media mentions a bright future as well, do check out the article. Again, as long as the demand (purchases) are there, physical media will continue to be around. And as mentioned, if you make your purchases via our links, it helps keep this little operation running that much longer.
Welcome to Volume 3 Episode 34 of our weekly release guide. A look at the highlights of what's coming to disc the week of January 22nd - January 28th, as well as a look at announcements from last week.
Another week of no actual New Releases, but that is OK, there are so many catalog titles to catch up with, we can roll with them!
First from LionsGate, chances are if you liked Juice, you will like Belly. This one is being offered up as a standard edition and as a Best Buy Exclusive Slipcover SteelBook.
From Kino Lorber, the film that spawned several sequels as well as many copycats, Death Wish debuts to 4K disc. After Vinegar Syndrome had released the first sequel, a lot of us were hoping to get the original.
Next, from Shout Factory, Vince Vaughn's comedy Freaky. I will hold back on my Blumhouse lack of 4K rants (*cough* M3GAN).
Puppet Master III: Toulon's Revenge may or may not be out this Tuesday, there is a question about the release date.
Next week, criminal activity that hasn't happened yet, a dead remake, the original .IT task, a famous Swayze film and more.
There are no blu-ray counterparts of the above titles getting shiny new releases this week. Let's take a look at the highlights of what is coming out though.
TV on disc this week only includes City on a Hill: The Complete Series from Showtime Entertainment.
New release from Universal Pictures, Violent Night. This one stars 'Hopper' from Stranger Things.
The next Vestron Video Collector's Series release (via LionsGate) The Dentist Collection comes to blu-ray this week. From the Lionsgate label, this one is peculiar, it's a thriller that appears to be packaged in a DVD case, titled Mindcage. Not sure what the idea is behind that, are DVD cases cheaper? Also look for Rock Dog 3: Battle the Beat, an animated film.
From the Warner Archive Collection, a trio of drama/romance releases, Goodbye, Mr. Chips and The Long, Long Trailer and Wife vs. Secretary.
Anime highlights include I'm Quitting Heroing - Complete Collection, Inu-Oh, Lupin the 3rd Part 6 and The Stranger by the Shore - Movie [Limited Edition].
From the Shout Select label, The Jackie Chan Collection: Volume 1 (1976 - 1982). This title implies there will be a volume 2, especially if volume 1 garners enough interest.
Single title from Criterion this week with This Is Not a Burial, It’s a Resurrection.
There's a pair of MVD Rewind Collection releases this week, The Last American Virgin and Men at Work.
Criterion has announced their april slate. Short and sweet, but do check it out! I think you may know a few of these titles.
Amazon has listed The Core for 4K release on March 14th. The newest Paramount Presents 4K title will be Wes Craven's Red Eye with a March 21 street date. Devotion is getting a 4K and blu-ray release on February 28th. Lastly, file this one under hard rumor, according to The Bits and HD Movie Source, the Star Trek Next Generation films are coming to 4K disc on April 4th.
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?
Taking a nod from the Friday the 13th franchise - Scream 6 takes the action out of small-town America and goes to the Big Apple with a new Theatrical Trailer and Poster!
Kind-of a slick poster but that's a lot of people staring off into the distance looking pensive. How cool would it have been if it was just Ghost Face looming over the skyline?
Aside from Scream 3, the franchise mayhem hasn't really left the sleepy Californian town of Woodsboro. But after Scream (5) effectively handed the franchise off to a new generation of elevated horror movie-obsessed fans and mysterious would-be killers, the action moves to New York City. After a delightfully creepy teaser trailer, Paramount delivers a new full-length Theatrical Trailer and a new one-sheet poster to hammer home this new setting for blood-curdling murder! On top of our "New Blood" Jenna Ortega, Melissa Barrera, and Jasmin Savoy Brown and Mason Gooding coming back, past franchise faces Courteney Cox and Hayden Panettiere will be back and I'm sure they'll each do their part donating a few pints of the red stuff for this intense-looking sixth installment.
Scream VI hits movie theaters March 10th, 2023 - See you there!
OCN, Vinegar Syndrome's sister company, offers up new details about what Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray collectors can expect for 2023
Fans of physical media know that Vinegar Syndrome has quickly become a premiere independent label delivering cult classics of all flavors to 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray and Blu-ray. Part of those efforts have been expanded with their sister company OCN Distribution which handles all of their Partner Label's new exciting releases each and every month. 2023 is going to be another exciting year for collectors. Australian label Umbrella Entertainment has joined the OCN ranks offering up their first Blu-ray release through this new partnership with a new Limited Edition of 2003's Undead.
As Terror Vision and Fun City Editions will be leaving OCN for new distribution opportunities, newcomers XYZ Films and The Film Desk will be debuting their first releases soon and Vinegar Syndrome Partner Label favorite AFGA will be offering up their first 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release. Apparently, other OCN labels will also be making the leap to 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray in the coming months as well. While not included with Vinegar Syndrome's annual subscription plans, subscribers can get some welcome discounts on these discs and add even more obscure genre favorites to their collections!
Check out the full OCN press release below for more details:
OCN DISTRIBUTION EXPANDS LABEL ROSTER FOR 2023 WHILE CELEBRATING MILESTONES
[Bridgeport, CT January 17th, 2023] – OCN Distribution, sister company of popular boutique genre home video label Vinegar Syndrome, is expanding its roster of Partner Labels in 2023 (and beyond) with at least three new labels introduced in this calendar year.
Australian home video juggernauts Umbrella Entertainment joined the fold in January with a domestic blu-ray release of the sci-fi, horror, action, comedy hybrid UNDEAD and have at least a half dozen releases expected to hit American shores in 2023. Speaking on the new relationship with OCN, Hudson Sowada, National Sales Manager for Umbrella, said "Umbrella Entertainment is beyond thrilled to announce its official partnership with kindred spirit and long-time collaborators Vinegar Syndrome via OCN. Umbrella has spent the last 20 years unearthing and restoring the wild side of Australian cinema and now, we unleash it with the OCN’s signature touch. So brace yourselves yanks, this is how we do it downunder!”
In the coming months, two American independent distributors will debut home video releases with OCN with genre focused XYZ Films and The Film Desk, a repertory art-house focused project by celebrated film programmer Jacob Perlin, both of who will see their first releases with OCN released this spring. Both companies see the importance in physical media for distribution of their films with James Shapiro of XYZ stating “I've admired OCN since its beginning and the incredible labels Justin has gathered under its umbrella. In this new digital age, packaged goods is the only way to ensure movies are truly owned by the folks who love them, and I am so proud XYZ is working with the best Blu Ray distributors in the business” and Perlin stating "I have loved OCN's partner label releases from the moment I saw them. With the new Film Desk titles, either new to blu-ray or first time ever released on disc, I am thrilled to now have our own line where we can really dig into these titles in special editions that share our enthusiasm for these great works."
The existing roster of over twenty Partner Labels will continue to release carefully curated and packaged products throughout the year with longtime labels like the non-profit AGFA celebrating major milestones like their fiftieth disc release and also their first 4K UHD release. "Our home video label wouldn't be what it is today without OCN," said Joe Ziemba, AGFA Creative Director. "They made our releases more accessible to the public and encouraged us to hit the ground running. And that's how physical media become an essential component for fulfilling our non-profit mission—we couldn't have done it without them." Other OCN Partner Labels will make the jump to 4K UHD releases in 2023 as well, including Canadian International Pictures who are celebrating their first UHD release this year with a new 4K restoration of an often overlooked Canadian exploitation gem.
While celebrating new labels coming in, OCN is also sending well wishes to labels that have moved on to different means of distribution. Terror Vision will now handle self-distribution of their home video releases while continuing to partner with OCN on exclusive vinyl variants of their upcoming record releases which will be sold via the Vinegar Syndrome website. Fun City Editions will, following an upcoming release in March, be distributed exclusively by MVD. Certain previously released titles will continue to be exclusively distributed by OCN.
2023 is already proving to be an exciting year for OCN, with much more planned than has been revealed here, including more new Partner Labels, high profile releases and more surprises to be announced at a later date, all of which intends to provide the highest quality home video product to consumers, from a carefully curated group of Partner Labels that share the same principles and passion for the format.
It's not an April Fool's joke - Criterion's April releases include three 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray of titles. The titles include: The Fisher King (4K UHD Blu-ray), The Seventh Seal (4K UHD), Small Axe - Five Films by Steve McQueen (Blu-ray), and Triangle of Sadness (both 4K UHD and Blu-ray).
Up first on April 11 comes Terry Gilliam's The Fisher King starring Jeff Bridges and Robin Williams.
The Fisher King - The Criterion Collection 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray
A fairy tale grounded in poignant reality, Terry Gilliam’s magnificent, Manhattan-set The Fisher King features Jeff Bridges and Robin Williams in two of their most brilliant roles. Bridges plays a former radio shock jock reconstructing his life after a scandal, and Williams a homeless man on a quest for the Holy Grail—which he believes to be hidden somewhere on the Upper East Side. Unknowingly linked by their pasts, the two men aid each other on a fanciful journey toward their own humanity. This singular American odyssey features a witty script by Richard LaGravenese, evocative cinematography by Roger Pratt, and superb supporting performances by Amanda Plummer and an Oscar-winning Mercedes Ruehl, all harnessed by Gilliam into a compassionate, funny modern-day myth.
1991 • 138 minutes • Color • 5.1 surround • 1.85:1 aspect ratio
DIRECTOR-APPROVED 4K UHD + BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES
• New 4K digital restoration, approved by director Terry Gilliam, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
• One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
• Audio commentary featuring Gilliam
• Interviews with Gilliam, producer Lynda Obst, screenwriter Richard LaGravenese, and actors Jeff Bridges, Amanda Plummer, and Mercedes Ruehl
• Interviews with artists Keith Greco and Vincent Jefferds on the creation of the film’s Red Knight
• Interview from 2006 with actor Robin Williams
• Video essay featuring Bridges’s on-set photographs
• Footage from 1991 of Bridges training as a radio personality with acting coach Stephen W. Bridgewater
• Deleted scenes, with audio commentary by Gilliam
• Costume tests
• Trailers
• English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• PLUS: An essay by critic Bilge Ebiri
Next on April 18, Ingmar Bergman's classic tale The Seventh Seal starring Max von Sydow gets a 4K upgrade as well.
The Seventh Seal - The Criterion Collection 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray
Returning exhausted from the Crusades to find medieval Sweden gripped by the Plague, a knight (Max von Sydow) suddenly comes face-to-face with the hooded figure of Death, and challenges him to a game of chess. As the fateful game progresses, and the knight and his squire encounter a gallery of outcasts from a society in despair, Ingmar Bergman mounts a profound inquiry into the nature of faith and the torment of mortality. One of the most influential films of its time, The Seventh Seal is a stunning allegory of man’s search for meaning and a work of stark visual poetry.
1957 • 97 minutes • Black & White • Monaural • In Swedish with English subtitles • 1.37:1 aspect ratio
4K UHD + BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES
• 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
• One 4K UHD disc of the film and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
• Introduction from 2003 by director Ingmar Bergman
• Audio commentary and video afterword by Bergman expert Peter Cowie
• Bergman Island (2006), a feature-length documentary on Bergman by Marie Nyreröd
• Audio interview from 1998 with actor Max von Sydow
• Tribute to Bergman from 1989 by filmmaker Woody Allen
• Bergman 101, a selected video filmography tracing Bergman’s career, narrated by Cowie
• Trailer
• Optional English-dubbed soundtrack
• PLUS: An essay by critic Gary Giddins
Arriving on April 25 comes Small Axe - a collection of five films by Steve McQueen only on Blu-ray.
Small Axe - Five Films by Steve McQueen
With the five films that make up his Small Axe anthology, director Steve McQueen offers a richly evocative panorama of West Indian life in London from the 1960s through the ’80s—a time defined for the community by the terror of police violence, the empowering awakening of political consciousness, and the ecstatic escape of a vibrant reggae scene. Ranging in tone from the tenderly impressionistic to the devastatingly clear-eyed, these powerfully performed portraits of Black resistance, joy, creativity, and collective action—all sumptuously shot by Shabier Kirchner—form a revolutionary counterhistory of mid-twentieth-century Britain at a transformational moment.
DIRECTOR-APPROVED THREE-BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES
• New high-definition masters of all five films, approved by director Steve McQueen, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtracks
• New conversation between McQueen and writer and professor Paul Gilroy
• Behind-the-scenes featurettes including interviews with McQueen, executive producer Tracey Scoffield, writing consultant Alex Wheatle, and members of the Small Axe cast
• Uprising (2021), a three-part documentary codirected by McQueen and James Rogan about the tragic 1981 New Cross house fire
• Audio conversation among McQueen, music producer Dennis Bovell, and Beastie Boys member Mike D
• Trailers
• English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• PLUS: An essay by film programmer and critic Ashley Clark
Steve McQueen’s multistrand anthology of West Indian immigrant life in London opens in the late 1960s with this stirring ensemble film. In a Caribbean restaurant, a group of Black activists, intellectuals, and ordinary people converge and unite in struggle against incessant police harassment, leading to an explosive showdown on the streets and a courtroom drama that challenges the racist power structures of British society. Based on real events, this is a passionate vision of community as a form of resistance, performed by a dynamic cast (led by Shaun Parkes, Letitia Wright, and Malachi Kirby) and bolstered by McQueen’s eye for vivid sensory detail.
2020 • 133 minutes • Color/B&W • 5.1 surround • 2.39:1 aspect ratio
LOVERS ROCK
Suffused with the intoxicating sounds of reggae, dub, and lovers rock, the second installment in Steve McQueen’s Small Axe series unfolds over the course of one rapturous night into dawn in early-1980s West London, as a young woman (the luminous Amarah-Jae St. Aubyn) sneaks out to attend a house party. As the alternately languorous and ecstatic rhythms pulse from a homemade sound system, romance sparks on the dance floor, small human dramas play out, and, for a moment, this gathering is a safe haven from the outside world. Aided by the sensuous cinematography of Shabier Kirchner, McQueen captures an exhilarating expression of Black joy in a society often intent on stifling it.
2020 • 73 minutes • Color/B&W • 5.1 surround • 1.78:1 aspect ratio
RED, WHITE AND BLUE
Both a hard-hitting indictment of structural injustice and a penetrating portrait of a complex man, Red, White and Blueboasts a passionate, multilayered performance from John Boyega as Leroy Logan, a Black research scientist whose decision to join the notoriously racist London police force, in hopes of reforming it from the inside, brings him into conflict with his family, community, and very sense of self. Based on a true story, this nuanced exploration of Margaret Thatcher–era racial tensions powerfully portrays the psychic struggle of a lone man going up against a system designed to crush him.
2020 • 84 minutes • Color • 5.1 surround • 1.85:1 aspect ratio
ALEX WHEATLE
An intimate account of a decisive moment in British history unfolds via the true story of one man’s awakening Black consciousness. Raised in cold, oppressive children’s homes that have left him estranged from his West Indian roots, the eponymous orphan Alex Wheatle (Sheyi Cole) gradually finds his voice as an artist, activist, and writer on the streets of Brixton—a transformation that intersects with the 1981 uprising in which the neighborhood’s mainly Black youth erupt in protest against police violence. Interwoven with the vibrant reggae that inspired its subject’s journey, Alex Wheatlecrackles with the heady political and cultural energy of a singular time and place.
2020 • 69 minutes • Color • 5.1 surround • 2.00:1 aspect ratio
EDUCATION
A Black boy’s journey through an ineffectual public school system reveals the racial inequities built into everyday British life. Young Kingsley Smith (Kenyah Sandy) is a spirited aspiring astronaut with a love of drawing whose life is turned upside down when he is thrust into a new school for the “educationally subnormal”—a harrowing experience that gradually awakens his mother (Sharlene Whyte) to the institutional mistreatment of the children of West Indian immigrants. Shot on Super 16 mm to evoke BBC television dramas from the 1970s, the final Small Axe film concludes the pentalogy with a hopeful vision of the power of Black-led collective action.
2020 • 66 minutes • Color • 5.1 surround • 1.66:1 aspect ratio
And finally, also due on April 25 comes Ruben Östlund's Palme d’Or–winner Triangle of Sadness on Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray.
Triangle of Sadness - The Criterion Collection 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray
Master of social discomfort Ruben Östlund trains his unsparing lens on the world of wealth, beauty, and privilege in this audacious, Palme d’Or–winning satire of our status-obsessed culture. A model-influencer couple (Harris Dickinson and Charlbi Dean) get a ticket to the luxe life when they’re invited aboard an all-expenses-paid cruise alongside a coterie of the rich and ghoulish—but an act of fate turns their Insta-perfect world upside down. Pushing each provocative set piece to its outré extreme, Östlund maps the shifting social hierarchies with the irreverence of a modern-day Luis Buñuel and the incisiveness of a cinematic anthropologist.
2022 • 147 minutes • Color • 5.1 surround • 2.35:1 aspect ratio
DIRECTOR-APPROVED SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES
• New 4K digital master, approved by director Ruben Östlund, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
• In the 4K UHD edition: One 4K UHD disc of the film and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
• New interview with Östlund and filmmaker and actor Johan Jonason
• Two new programs: one about the film’s special effects and one about a challenging day on set
• Trailer
• English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
As usual with The Criterion Collection, preorders should be available within the next few days - Happy Collecting!
Another month is halfway over, and fortunately for us, another week of releases is upon us.
Welcome to Volume 3 Episode 34 of our weekly release guide. A look at the highlights of what's coming to disc the week of January 15th - January 21st, as well as a look at announcements from last week.
Import Monday begins with the Zavvi SteelBook of Halloween Ends, I like to cover art much better than the current Best Buy one. If they do a repeat like before, Best Buy will get a V2 release, which will be this artwork.
This week is another week with no actual new releases, but there are a few good catalog titles pining for our attention.
From the Paramount Presents line, (and one-upping Imprint Films' blu-ray only release) comes Double Jeopardy starring Tommy Lee Jones and Ashley Judd.
Closing out Paramount this week, a double-dip of Cloverfield, but this time as a semi-translucent slipcover SteelBook.
Just like Paramount, Shout Factory has a new catalog release of Wrath of Man this week,
and for a double-dip as a SteelBook, John Carpenter's They Live.
Next week, classic vigilante movie, tummy, and how bizarre.
Did someone say Bruce Willis? Yes, I did, last week, and just now! Our man Bruce gets a sequel release from LionsGate this week, Detective Knight: Redemption. The third film in this series will be available on February 28th. How many movies did he film before announcing he was retiring?
Action double feature from Arrow Video, Angela Mao in Lady Whirlwind & Hapkido.
Anime highlights include Black Clover - Season 3 Complete Collection, The Genius Prince's Guide to Raising a Nation out of Debt - The Complete Season, Mobile Suit Gundam SEED C.E. 73: Stargazer, No Game, No Life - Complete Collection and One Piece: Season Twelve - Voyage Two.
From the Criterion Collection, Lars von Trier’s Europe Trilogy. I will leave the analyzing of this one to the experts, can't even pretend to know this one.
From 20th Century Studios, 'Highly Recommended' film The Menu. Sans a 4K disc and slipcover, this release is nearly perfect.
From Kino Lorber, Missing in Action Trilogy with Chuck Norris. If you opt for the individual titles instead, you gain individual slipcovers and lose the box, those films are Missing in Action, Missing in Action 2: The Beginning and Braddock: Missing in Action III.
From Universal, a drama depicting the events that spawned the creation of the civil rights movement, titled Till (as in Mamie Till-Mobley).
Disney has announced Black Panther: Wakanda Forever for blu-ray/4K release on February 7th. Interestingly enough, there are TWO Best Buy SteelBooks this go round. I like aspects of both of them, tough choice!
The Fabelman's gets a blu-ray and 4K disc release on February 14th.
Warner Bros. is likely releasing more classics to 4K around April. If they follow the current formula, the UK will get a nice gift set option with some pretty cool swag, the US will get a disc only release. So far we are looking for The Maltese Falcon, Rebel Without a Cause and Cool Hand Luke.
The James Wan hit M3GAN currently has a preorder spot for blu-ray release. This being a Blumhouse release, don't hold your breath for a 4K. Maybe Mr. Wan has enough pull to make 4K happen?
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?
The gory Christmas action-comedy starring Stranger Things' David Harbour as Santa Claus will be available on Blu-ray/DVD on January 24th
When a team of mercenaries breaks into a wealthy family compound taking everyone inside hostage, they are not prepared for a surprise combatant: Santa Claus. David Harbour (“Stranger Things”) stars as St. Nick in the “wildly entertaining” (SCREEN RANT) holiday romp, delivering some serious season’s beatings to save the family and the spirit of Christmas.
There doesn't appear to be a 4K UHD Blu-ray release at this time, but the releases include over half an hour of supplements including deleted scenes, featurettes, and an audio commentary with Director Tommy Wirkola, Producer Guy Danella, Writer Pat Casey and Writer Josh Miller.
Order your copy now and here is the full press release (I love how it says that Violent Night's home video release arrives just in time for next Christmas):
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Steven Spielberg's hugely acclaimed Golden Globe-winning drama starring Michelle Williams, Paul Dano, Seth Rogan, Gabriel LaBelle and Judd Hirsch will be available for digital streaming on January 17 and on home video including 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray on February 14.
Read our theatrical review of The Fabelmans
Inspired by Steven Spielberg’s own childhood, rediscover the magic of movies in THE FABELMANS, a coming-of-age story about a young man uncovering a shattering family secret and the power of film and imagination to help us see the truth about ourselves and each other. With a star-studded cast featuring Michelle Williams (Manchester by the Sea, My Week with Marilyn), Paul Dano (The Batman, There Will Be Blood), Seth Rogen (Steve Jobs, An American Pickle), Gabriel LaBelle (The Predator, “American Gigolo”) and Academy Award® nominee Judd Hirsch (Uncut Gems, Ordinary People), THE FABELMANS tells a timeless tale of heartbreak, healing, and hope for the dreamer inside all of us.
The Fabelmans - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray
BONUS FEATURES ON BLU-RAYTM, DVD & DIGITAL:
*Not on DVD
Preorder your copy now and see the full press release below:
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