My Two Cents
Wednesday, 29 July 2020 15:49

Lionsgate makes Mamoru Oshii’s Ghost in the Shell official for 4K in September, plus more reviews & news

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We’ve got a new 4K Ultra HD announcement today, but first some more disc reviews...

Tim has turned in his thoughts on Harley Cokeliss’ Dream Demon: Director’s Cut (1998) on Blu-ray from Arrow Video.

And Dennis has taken a look at Francois Reichenbach’s documentary America as Seen by a Frenchman on Blu-ray from Arrow Academy.

Now then, the big release news today is that Lionsgate has just officially set Mamoru Oshii’s landmark 1995 anime Ghost in the Shell for release on 4K Ultra HD on 9/8 (SRP $19.29).

The 4K release will feature Dolby Vision HDR and new Dolby Atmos audio mixes in both Japanese and English (along with the previous Japanese 2.0 LPCM mix). The package will also include a Blu-ray version and a Digital copy code. The Blu-ray will carry over archival features including the Production Report and Digital Works featurettes and the theatrical trailer. [Read on here...]

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But for this release, you’ll also get a new full-length audio commentary with Mary Claypool (animation writer and English language scriptwriter), Eric Calderon (animation producer and writer), Richard Epcar (the voice of Batou), and Charles Solomon (animation historian and critic) and 2 new featurettes (Accessing Section 9: 25 Years into the Future and Landscapes & Dreamscapes: The Art and Architecture of Ghost in the Shell). Here’s a look at the cover artwork (and yes, it’s now available for pre-order on Amazon.com by clicking here or on the cover)...

Ghost in the Shell (4K Ultra HD) Back to the Future Trilogy (Wide Release - 4K Ultra HD) Back to the Future Trilogy (Amazon exclusive 4K Ultra HD)

Also, as you can see we’ve included two different 4K Ultra HD versions of the Back to the Future Trilogy—the regular edition (without swag) and the Amazon-exclusive gift set that includes the levitating Hoverboard replica—each is now available for pre-order on Amazon by clicking on the cover art (and keep in mind that we expect the usual sale prices to kick in soon—if you pre-order now, you’ll get the price adjusted to the sale price when it ships). [Editor’s Note: The Giftset may be sold out for the moment—we’ll post an update when and if they restock.]

In other news, Shout! Factory has confirmed that Spike Jones’ Adaptation will be a Shout Select release on Blu-ray on 10/20, with extras confirmed to include the original featurette, a trailer, and a still gallery.

Well Go USA Entertainment has set Evil Boy for release on DVD and Digital on 9/8.

And Epic Pictures has just released Garo Setian’s robot office comedy/thriller Automation (2019) on Blu-ray and Digital. You can order that here.

By the way, are there any fans of either Blade Runner 2049 or Battlestar Galactica in the house? There are a couple of great new hardcover art books coming next month that you might be interested in. Titan Books is releasing Tanya Lapointe’s Blade Runner 2049: Interlinked – The Art on 8/11. This is the sequel to her earlier (and excellent—I have a copy myself) The Art and Soul of Blade Runner 2049. Lapointe also happens to be the wife of the film’s director, Denis Villeneuve, so she had extraordinary access to the production. Also, for Galactica fans, Hero Collector is releasing The Ships of Battlestar Galactica on 8/4, featuring a detailed look at all of the spacecraft from not just the 2003 Ron Moore reboot series, but the original 1978 series too. I’m looking forward to both of these, so I thought some of you might be interested as well.

The Art and Soul of Blade Runner 2049 Blade Runner 2049: Interlinked The Ships of Battlestar Galactica

Finally today, thanks to all those of you who made donations to The Digital Bits via PayPal in the last few weeks (and especially since my post yesterday). A couple times a month we’ll be putting out the call as we work our way through this pandemic and try to get back to normal, so please be patient when we do. Every little bit helps, and just know that we really do very much appreciate your support.

That’s all for now. Stay tuned...!

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