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Wednesday, 11 May 2016 08:00

New Martian: Extended details, plus Midnight Run, Vinyl, a BD tribute to James Horner & Star Wars: Despecialized v2.7

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[Editor’s Note: Be sure to follow us on Twitter @thedigitalbits @BillHuntBits and on Facebook here and here. And you can help support The Bits by pre-ordering Blu-rays and other items from Amazon through this link.]

We’ve got more new announcement news for you this morning...

First up today, we’ve confirmed with 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment that The Martian: Extended Edition will be available in 2 SKUs on 6/7 – a 2-disc Blu-ray version and a 3-disc 4K Ultra HD version (which will include a 4K disc plus the 2-disc Blu-ray set). We’ve asked the studio some additional questions about the content of those discs (including whether or not the discs will include both the theatrical cut and Extended Edition versions of the film or just the latter, and whether or not the disc will include the previous BD extras as well as the new features). We’ll let you know as soon as we hear back. Note that there are currently no plans for a Blu-ray 3D release. Meanwhile, we do have the final cover artwork for the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray version, which you can see to the left and below (with the Amazon.com pre-order link). [Read on here…]

Now then... as many of you know (and as we reported here on The Bits last week), Shout! Factory has launched a new Shout Selects line of Collector’s Edition Blu-rays, with the first bactch set to street this Summer. From their press release: “Handpicked by the film buffs at Shout! Factory, Shout Select shines a light on films that deserve a spot on your shelf. From acknowledged classics to cult favorites to unheralded gems, Shout Select celebrates the best in filmmaking, giving these movies the love and attention they deserve.” We’ve mentioned that The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai, Road House, John Carpenter’s Elvis, and both Bill & Ted films are all on the way as part of the line, but we’d like to give a special mention to their new Midnight Run: Collector’s Edition (due on 8/23), which will include a new interview with actor Robert De Niro, as well as interview featurettes with actors Charles Grodin, Joe Pantoliano, John Ashton, and Yaphet Kotto, and writer George Gallo. You’ll also get a vintage making of featurette and the film’s trailer. You can see the final cover artwork below.

Shout! Factory has also set Can Evrenol’s Baskin for Blu-ray release on 8/9.

On the catalog front today, Warner Home Video has set McQ and Chisum for Blu-ray release on 6/7, both starring John Wayne.

Meanwhile, HBO will release Ballers: The Complete First Season on Blu-ray and DVD on 6/14. HBO has also set Vinyl: The Complete First Season for release on both formats on 6/7.

Film Movement will release Billy August’s The Best Intentions on Blu-ray on 6/7.

Arrow Video has set Duccio Tessari’s The Bloodstained Butterfly for Blu-ray/DVD Combo release on 8/23. The studio has also set Wayne Berwick’s Microwave Massacre for Blu-ray/DVD Combo on 8/16. Also coming from the studio on 8/9 are single-film BD editions of all The Yakuza Papers films, including Battles Without Honor and Humanity, Hiroshima Death Match, Police Tactics, and Final Episode.

Moving on, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment will release Miracles from Heaven on Blu-ray and DVD on 7/12.

20th Century Fox Home Entertainment has set The League: The Final Fantasy (a.k.a. The Final Season) and The League: The Complete Series for DVD only release on 6/14.

Here’s something great: Varèse Sarabande and Tomek Productions are releasing Hollywood in Vienna: The World of James Horner on Blu-ray on 6/24. This is an HD recording of a live concert performance by the ORF Vienna Radio-Symphony Orchestra, conducted by David Newman back in October 2013, honoring the film music of James Horner. It features selections from Horner’s scores for Star Trek II, Avatar, Titanic, The Amazing Spider-Man, Willow, A Beautiful Mind, Aliens, Apollo 13, The Mask of Zorro, The Rocketeer, An American Tail, and Braveheart.

PBS Distribution has set Masterpiece Mystery!: Grantchester Season 2 for DVD and Blu-ray release on 6/14.

Magnolia Home Entertainment has set My Golden Days for DVD and Digital HD on 7/12.

Monarch Home Entertainment has set Dusk for DVD only on 5/24.

Mill Creek Entertainment has set a pair of William Castle Double Feature Blu-rays for release on 7/5, one including 13 Ghosts (1960) and 13 Frightened Girls (1963) and another including Homicidal (1961) and Mr. Sardonicus (1961).

Sentai Filmworks and Section 23 have set Arch Angels for Blu-ray/DVD Combo release on 7/5.

Starz is releasing One More Time, starring Christopher Walken and Amber Heard, on DVD on 6/7.

Lionsgate has set Steven Seagal’s Code of Honor for Blu-ray release on 7/5. They also have the romantic comedy The Perfect Match coming on Blu-ray and DVD on 7/19.

And Universal Studios Home Entertainment has set The Young Messiah for Blu-ray and DVD release on 6/14.

Finally today, some of you may be interested to know that there’s a new 2.7 version of Harmy’s Star Wars: Despecialized available online, which apparently includes improved color timing (over 2.5) and more SD shots upgraded to HD from Team Negative 1’s recent 35mm HD scan (of a print of the original theatrical version of the film). This isn’t an official Harmy release, but it should hold you over until he finishes his own version 3.0. You can read more here in this discussion thread at Original Trilogy.com.

We’ll leave you today with a look at more new and recent cover artwork, including some of the titles mentioned above (click on the covers to pre-order the titles on Amazon if available)...

The Martian: Extended Edition (4K Ultra HD Blu-ray)    The Martian: Extended Edition (Blu-ray Disc)    Midnight Run: Collector's Edition (Blu-ray Disc)

The Bloodstained Butterfly (Blu-ray Disc)    Chisum (Blu-ray Disc)    McQ (Blu-ray Disc)

Stay tuned...

- Bill Hunt (@BillHuntBits)