A return to normal volume this week for disc releases. I will buy the ones that most interest me of course, but in a month there are a ton of good titles coming so I am going to be a little more selective in what I actually buy to maintain an appearance I am trying to be making the right choices financially, ha ha ha. Welcome to Episode 49 of our weekly guide to releases for the week, as well as a look at the highlights of what was announced (last week) for upcoming titles.
4K Ultra HD Blu-ray/Digital Releases-
Nice assortment of catalog titles highlight the 4K disc category this week.
Dirty Dancing, the surprise smash hit from the Vestron Video days leads off as a Best Buy Exclusive SteelBook. There is no standard release as of yet, best guess would be a couple of months. Watch the back story of how this movie was rejected by every studio except Vestron on the Netflix series The Movies That Made Us. A lot of smash hit movies had the same sort of beginning.
Next from Arrow Video, look for Donnie Darko in the familiar 'fat-pack' release format. When I had bought the Blu-ray release I thought it would never see 4K but I'm kind of glad it did. I almost expect a last minute delay but we shall see.
Closing out the 4K category this week, Kino Lorber brings us one of Sergio Leone's finest Westerns, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. Extensive work was done to bring us this release so kudos goes to team Kino. This one does not feature HDR, but it is the best this film has ever looked.
HD Blu-ray/Digital releases-
Compared to last week, this week is huge as far as Blu-ray releases.
From Warner Archive look for Another Thin Man, the third 'Thin Man' movie released by Warner Archive. Film-Noir release starring James Cagney titled Each Dawn I Die sees a release this week. A more recent film starring Bill Murray titled Quick Change also debuts on Blu-ray.
If you like Rock Hudson or Douglas Sirk films, look for Battle Hymn from Kino Lorber this week. Also from Kino this week and done previously by Twilight Time, Heartworn Highways and Heartworn Highways Revisited is back in print! Kirk Douglas' A Lovely Way To Die also gets the Kino treatment this week.
Maybe not a brand new release, but Elvira: Mistress of the Dark gets a spiffy looking SteelBook release this week.
Arrow Video's other Blu-ray this week is a release titled Switchblade Sisters.
Anime releases have been sporadic the past month or two. This week though there are a couple to ponder. HERO MASK Seasons 1 & 2 for starters. Discotek's releases this week are pretty much Japanese only (no dubs) but if that interests you, go for it. Their only English dubbed release this week is s-CRY-ed - The Complete TV Series.
Just like last week, Criterion Collection is gaining two (non-4K) entries this week. Irma Vep is the first one, and French film Masculin Féminin being the second one.
LionsGate's obligatory weekly entry this week is titled Vanquish, an action/crime/thriller starring Ruby Rose and Morgan Freeman. And speaking of Morgan Freeman, it looks like Shawshank Redemption might finally be getting a 4K disc this year.
Notable announcements from last week:
FUNimation's July batch of releases have been announced, the titles are Diary of Our Days at the Breakwater, Arte - The Complete Season, Plunderer - Part 2, Tenchi Muyo! War on Geminar - The Complete Series (Classics), Listeners - The Complete Season, Uzaki-Chan Wants to Hang Out! The Complete Season, Uzaki-Chan Wants to Hang Out! The Complete Season (Limited Edition), A Certain Magical Index: Season 1 (Essentials), Isekai Quartet2 - Season 2, Gleipnir - The Complete Season, All Out!!: The Complete Series (Essentials), The Vision of Escaflowne - Complete Series (Classics), One Piece: Season Eleven - Voyage Three and Shironeko Project ZERO Chronicle - The Complete Season.
Shout Factory has also added State and Main and House of Wax (2005) to their July title mix.
TV on Blu-ray is good. A couple of years ago CBS decided it was going to release the original MacGyver and the original Charmed TV series on blu-ray. Out came season 1, then season 2 for Charmed, and now for this coming May, Charmed gets Season 3 released. Did they forget MacGyver?
LionsGate has announced the 2018 Bio/Crime/Drama City of Lies will be available for purchase on Blu-ray and DVD on June 8th. Also a 2019 film titled Siberia (not the Keanu Reeves film) will be available on June 22nd.
One last side note -- those curious about what's going on with blu-ray.com, if you visit their Facebook page or try going directly to their forum (forum.blu-ray.com), they indicate there was a drive failure, among other things. We take pride in HighDefDigest and never wish an ill will of other sites. I find their site useful on several avenues so I am a bit anxious too to see the outage going so long.
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? All the 4Ks this week interest me. I preordered Dirty Dancing and Donnie Darko, will most likely get The Good, The Bad and The Ugly soon. I will probably finally break down and get the Elvira movie thanks to the new cover art SteelBook. Wishlist? Hero Mask Season 1 & 2, Nomadland, s-CRY-ed The TV Series, Vanquish and the Saint Seiya Collection. I really with the Saint Seiya had an English dub, I have the DVDs of Knights of the Zodiac tucked away somewhere.
December is upon us and so many have already seen snow in Northern Hemisphere, have fun with that. Snuggle up under those blankets or throws and enjoy a movie or binge-watching session.
Welcome to Episode 29 of our weekly look at the highlights if what's coming to home video.
4K Ultra HD Blu-ray/Digital Releases-
Somewhat mixed bag on 4K disc releases this week, perhaps something for everyone.
Kicking off this week, the recently restored by StudioCanal UK, Total Recall (1990). If you didn't order the over the top import, you can order the three-disc standard edition or the Best Buy Exclusive SteelBook that is similar to the UK SteelBook release.
A catalog release by Paramount to ponder, that release being the 2004 action/thriller Collateral.
A recent 2020 film, Possessor comes to you by Well Go USA. Sounds to me like a high-tech for-profit evil-company version of a body snatcher type of movie, could be interesting.
If you opted to wait for the SteelBook release of WestWorld: Season Three, Best Buy's got you covered.
I save this one for last and cautiously say it's finally due this week, after what seems like half a dozen missed release dates, Arrow Academy's first 4K title, Cinema Paradiso. I wouldn't be surprised to see a new date next week.
HD Blu-ray/Digital releases-
Highlights in the Anime category include 7 Seeds - Part One, a complete Season 2 collection of Black Clover, Bleach: Set 9 and Violet Evergarden: The Complete Series, available in a standard release and a Limited Edition release.
A cautiously optimistic insertion of Cinema Paradiso on Blu-ray goes here.
Also available on Blu-ray if the 4K disc is not for you, Possessor.
Kino Lorber brings us Fellini's Casanova after a delay or three. My previous years of growing up with HBO in the house remembers My Science Project playing late night, not a bad movie actually.
Producing lots of movies and still offering something nearly every week, LionsGate releases Smiley Face Killers this week on Blu-ray.
Some week previously I had mentioned that a bunch of Jack Lemmon movies were coming soon. This week starts them with Good Neighbor Sam, Mister Roberts, The Notorious Landlady, Operation Mad Ball, Phffft & Under the Yum-Yum Tree. Tell you what, the film I am still waiting for to hit Blu-ray is the comedy My Fellow Americans, (Kino or Warner Archive, you hear me?) My last updated purchase of that one was on Laserdisc. There is a mismatch between the studio and Amazon regarding the Warner Archive release for Mister Roberts, Amazon indicates next week, WA indicates this week.
Criterion Collection offers two releases this week, foreign film drama Mouchette. and Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Two Takes by William Greaves.
Notable announcements from last week:
The week really had no major announcements. Some RLJ titles, some Kino Lorber and other independent label items. If you count The Little Prince and The Kid Detective as announcements, then there were a couple.
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?My list is short this week. I ordered Total Recall 4K standard edition, the $15 price is very nice, and from the sounds of it this will be a good release anyway. Everything else is on a wishlist, Collateral 4K, Possessor 4K, Westworld Season 3 4K SteelBook, 7 Seeds Part One, My Science Project, Mister Roberts and Violet Evergarden Complete Series Limited Edition.
"E's kicked the bucket, 'e's shuffled off 'is mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the bleedin' choir invisible!! THIS IS AN EX-FORUMS!!"
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