Today’s big title news comes from the halls of Scream Factory, and it should make you happy indeed. The company plans to release a brand new Army of Darkness: Collector’s Edition on Blu-ray in October, just in time for Halloween. Says the company on their Facebook page: “We will certainly aim to make it the most definitive version to own to date.”
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment will release The Last Dragon fully remastered on Blu-ray on 8/25, in honor of its 30th anniversary. Also coming on 8/4 from Sony is Lake Placid vs. Anaconda on DVD and digital only.
Meanwhile, Warner Home Video has announced the price and extras you’ll find on their Special Effects Collection Blu-ray titles. The 4-film set will sell for $54.96. Son of Kong (1933) will include a theatrical trailer. Mighty Joe Young (1949) will include audio commentary by Terry Moore and special effects veterans Ray Harryhausen and Ken Ralston, 2 featurettes (A Conversation with Ray Harryhausen and the Chiodo Brothers and Ray Harryhausen and Mighty Joe Young), and the theatrical trailer. The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953) will include 3 featurettes (The Rhedosaurus and the Roller Coaster: Making the Beast, Harryhausen & Bradbury: An Unfathomable Friendship, and Armatures) plus the theatrical trailer. Finally, Them! (1954) will include the featurette Ants and the theatrical trailer.
Speaking of Warner, newly available via the Warner Archive Collection this week is The Sunshine Boys (1975) on Blu-ray, plus Quick, Before it Melts (1964), Doctor, You’ve Got to Be Kidding! (1976), and Three Bites of the Apple (1967) on DVD.
Universal has just announced Billy Elliot, The Family Man, Identity Thief, Love Actually, The Life of David Gale, Jarhead 2: Field of Fire, Riddick, and The Man Who Wasn’t There for Blu-ray release on 9/8. Most of these have been released before, but I believe the Coen Brothers’ The Man Who Wasn’t There is new to Blu-ray here in the States.
Universal has also set Alejandro Monteverde’s Little Boy for Blu-ray and DVD release on 8/18.
Fox has announced True Story, starring Jonah Hill, James Franco, and Felicity Jones, for Blu-ray and DVD release on 8/4. They also have Far from the Madding Crowd coming to Blu-ray and DVD on 8/4. That latter title will have TONS of extras, including 9 deleted and extended scenes, the theatrical trailer, and 9 featurettes (Bathsheba Everdene, The Suitors, Adapting Far from the Madding Crowd, The Look of Far from the Madding Crowd, Gabriel Oak, William Boldwood, Sergeant Troy, The Locations of Far from the Madding Crowd, and Thomas Vinterberg).
Arrow Video has set Brian Yuzna’s Society (1989) for Blu-ray/DVD combo release on 9/8.
Double R Films will release the music documentary Quiet Riot: Well Now You’re Here, There’s No Way Back on Blu-ray on 9/1.
Alchemy will release Brother’s Keeper on Blu-ray and DVD on 8/4.
For you Chicago Blackhawks fans, Cinedigm and the NHL will release 2015 Stanley Cup Champions on Blu-ray and DVD on 7/28.
Severin Films has set the 3-disc Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley’s Island of Dr. Moreau – House of Pain Edition for Blu-ray release on 7/14.
Lionsgate will release the thriller Vendetta, starring Dead Cain and WWE’s Big Show, on Blu-ray and DVD on 8/18.
By the way, Kino’s House of the Long Shadows Blu-ray is due on 9/15, with Young Billy Young set to follow on 9/29. Better still, the company has just announced that John Frankenheimer’s The Fourth War is coming to Blu-ray later this year. I can’t wait for that one! The film stars Roy Scheider, Jurgen Prochnow, Tim Reid, Lara Harris, Dale Dye, and Harry Dean Stanton.
Finally today, I wanted to address an issue about our advertising. We’ve had a few video ads appear on the site lately that play automatically and have sound by default. We’re irritated by this, as probably are some of you. We’re trying to limit these ads, but we’re really operating in a tough budget environment at the moment. The problem is that drop-offs in advertising revenue (studios aren’t spending nearly as much to promote their releases anymore), plus the slow decline of physical media sales, and massive increases in cyber-security costs (what with dramatic increases in Internet-wide hacking over the past two years) has all really impacted our operating budget. So we’re having to do what we can here and there. When that happens, we do appreciate your patience.
We’ll leave you today with a look at more new Blu-ray cover artwork...
Stay tuned...
- Bill Hunt