Vincent Pereira’s remastered A Better Place hits Blu-ray from MVD, plus Companion, Clint Eastwood 4K Steelbook pre-orders, new KL Studio Classics titles & more!

Monday, 17 February 2025 13:00

Vincent Pereira’s remastered A Better Place hits Blu-ray from MVD, plus Companion, Clint Eastwood 4K Steelbook pre-orders, new KL Studio Classics titles & more!

by Bill Hunt

We’re starting the week with more new disc reviews here at The Bits, including...

Stephen’s take on John Carpenter’s Ghosts of Mars (2001) in 4K UHD from Shout! and Scream Factory.

Stuart’s look at Richard Thorpe’s That Funny Feeling (1965) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

And Dennis’ thoughts on Jack Haley Jr.’s That’s Entertainment: 50th Anniversary Remastered Edition Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection. And we’ve also fixed his review of Frank Borzage’s The Spanish Main (1945) on Blu-ray—also from Warner Archive—that was displaying oddly here on the site last week.

Now then... the big catalog release news today is that our friend Vincent Pereira has just announced a new remastered Director’s Cut Blu-ray of his excellent A Better Place (1997)! It’s available exclusively from the MVD Shop (click this link), for release on 5/27.

The disc features a new 2K restoration of a 3K scan of the original camera negative and first-generation print elements, and it’s presented in the originally-intended 1.50:1 aspect ratio. Audio will be 5.1 LPCM surround, with optional English subtitles. Extras will include a new introduction by Pereira, the legacy commentary with Pereira and the cast and crew, the 2001 version of the film in SD with stereo audio, vintage introductions by executive producers Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier, the vintage “goof” commentary on the 2001 version, deleted scenes with optional commentary, outtakes and bloopers, and a new 2025 trailer. You can see the cover artwork at left and the trailer is available to view below the break. [Read on here...]

And if you buy the disc “Direct from the Director” you can choose from one of several autographed bundles including:

Autographed Blu-ray alone – $40
Autographed Blu-ray plus 8 frame clippings with a personalized letter – $50
Autographed Blu-ray plus autographed vintage 11x17 mini-poster – $65 (add 8 frame clippings with personalized letter to this set, $75)
Autographed Blu-ray plus autographed screenplay reprint – $70 (add 8 frame clippings with personalized letter to this set, $80)
Autographed Blu-ray, autographed vintage 11x17 mini-poster, autographed screenplay reprint – $90
Full bundle (autographed Blu-ray, 8 frame clippings with personalized letter, autographed vintage 11x17 mini-poster, autographed screenplay reprint) – $100

If you’re interested in one of these options, you can see the details here on Pereira’s Facebook page, which includes instructions on how to contact him and order directly.

In terms of new release announcements today, Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment has set Drew Hancock’s sci-fi comedy/thriller Companion (2025) for Digital release on 2/18 (tomorrow), with the 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD release set to street on 4/1. The 4K will have Dolby Atmos audio. Extras will include a trio of featurettes (I Feel, Therefore I Am, Love, Eli, and AI Horror). You can see the temp cover artwork below.

Kino Lorber Studio Classics has revealed a pair of new coming soon catalog titles, including Cavalcanti, Charles Crichton, Basil Dearden, and Robert Hamer’s Dead of Night (1945) on 4K Ultra HD and Robert Butler’s Night of the Juggler (1980) on both 4K and Blu-ray. And Gary Fleder’s Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead (1995) has been officially set for 4K release on 4/29.

Meanwhile, Universal has set DreamWorks Animation’s Dog Man for Blu-ray and DVD release on 4/1, with the Digital version due to drop tomorrow (2/18). Extras will include tons of deleted and extended scenes, as well as audio commentary with writer/director Peter Hastings, and a series of behind the scenes and “how to draw” featurettes.

And here’s a nice surprise: Warner’s Clint Eastwood Steelbooks—Dirty Harry, Pale Rider, and The Outlaw Josey Wales—are all now available for pre-order on Amazon.com! We don’t yet have a street date, but they’re definitely coming soon. Click on the images below to pre-order each...

The Outlaw Josey Wales (4K Ultra HD Steelbook)

We’ll leave you with a look at Criterion’s April slate of titles, all of which are now available for pre-order on Amazon by clicking on the covers below...

A Complete Unknown (4K Ultra HD)

Stay tuned!

- Bill Hunt

(You can follow Bill on social media on Twitter, BlueSky, and Facebook, and also here on Patreon)

Published in My Two Cents

Tagged under

Vincent Pereira’s remastered A Better Place hits Blu-ray from MVD, plus Companion, Clint Eastwood 4K Steelbook pre-orders, new KL Studio Classics titles & more!

Contact Bill Hunt