GOOOAAALLL!!! Taika Waititi's Next Goal Wins Scores a Blu-ray Release on February 27

Tom Landy

5--6 minutes

The soccer sports comedy based on a true story and starring Michael Fassbender, Oscar Kightly, Will Arnett, and Elisabeth Moss will arrive on Blu-ray on February 27. Digital will be available on January 16th.

Based on a true story, this heartfelt underdog comedy follows the American Samoa soccer team, infamous for their brutal 31-0 FIFA loss in 2001. With the World Cup qualifiers fast approaching, the team hires down-on-his-luck, maverick coach Thomas Rongen (Michael Fassbender), hoping he will turn the world's worst soccer team into winners.

Next Goal Wins - Blu-ray 

The Blu-ray + Digital release will feature lossless 5.1 audio and supplements include:

Featurette

• Creating The Pitch of Life -- Explore filmmaker Taika Waititi's loving homage to American Samoa, Polynesian culture, and the sports movie in this delightfully entertaining short-form documentary. See what it took to make a winning movie about the losingest soccer team in the world.

Deleted Scene

• Priest Blessing the Team

Pre-orders for Next Goal Wins are up and here is the full press release:

"HEARTFELT AND HILARIOUS"
-- Pete Hammond, Deadline

Searchlight Pictures' Delightful Feelgood Comedy Next Goal Wins
Arrives on Digital January 16 and Blu-ray™ and DVD February 27

BURBANK, CA (January 4, 2024) -- From Academy Award® winner Taika Waititi* (Thor: Ragnarok, Jojo Rabbit, What We Do In The Shadows) comes Next Goal Wins, a heartwarming and hilarious tale inspired by the true-life story of soccer underdogs American Samoa and their stumbling attempts to qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Described as "big-hearted and feel-good" (Wendy Ide, Screen Daily), "a perfect underdog movie" (Martin Tsai, The Wrap), and "one of the best comedies of the year" (Dayna Eileen, CGM Backlot), the film stars acclaimed actor Michael Fassbender (X-Men: First Class, The Killer) as Thomas Rongen, the maverick coach with the near-impossible task of trying to turn one of the world's worst soccer team into winners. The international ensemble cast also includes Oscar Kightley, Kaimana, David Fane, Rachel House, Beulah Koale, Uli Latukefu, Semu Filipo, Lehi Falepapalangi, with Will Arnett and Elisabeth Moss.

Be the first to watch at home when Next Goal Wins becomes available from all major digital retailers including Prime Video, Apple TV, and Vudu on January 16, and arrives on Blu-ray and DVD on February 27, with never-before-seen bonus content including Taika Waititi's homage to American Samoa, Polynesian culture, and sports movies.

*Best Adapted Screenplay 2020, Jojo Rabbit

Film Synopsis
Based on a true story, this heartfelt underdog comedy follows the American Samoa soccer team, infamous for their brutal 31-0 FIFA loss in 2001. With the World Cup qualifiers fast approaching, the team hires down-on-his- luck, maverick coach Thomas Rongen (Michael Fassbender), hoping he will turn the world's worst soccer team into winners.

Bonus Features**
Featurette

• Creating The Pitch of Life -- Explore filmmaker Taika Waititi's loving homage to American Samoa, Polynesian culture, and the sports movie in this delightfully entertaining short-form documentary. See what it took to make a winning movie about the losingest soccer team in the world.

Deleted Scene

• Priest Blessing the Team

**Bonus features vary by product and retailer

Cast
Michael Fassbender as Thomas Rongen
Oscar Kightley as Tavita
Kaimana as Jaiyah Saelua
David Fane as Ace
Rachel House as Ruth
Beulah Koale as Daru Taumua
Uli Latukefu as Nicky Salapu
Chris Alosio as Jonah Semu
Filipo as Rambo
Ioane Goodhue as Smiley
Lehi Falepapalangi as Pisa
Hio Pelesasa as Samson
With Will Arnett as Alex Magnussen
And Elisabeth Moss as Gail

Directed by
Taika Waititi

Written by
Taika Waititi, Iain Morris

Produced by
Jonathan Cavendish p.g.a.
Garrett Basch p.g.a.
Taika Waititi p.g.a.
Mike Brett
Steve Jamison

Music by
Michael Giacchino

Product Specifications
Street Date
Digital: January 16, 2024
Physical: February 27, 2024

 Product SKUs
Digital: 4K UHD, HD, SD
Physical: Blu-ray (Blu-ray + Digital Code) & DVD

Feature Run Time
Approx. 104 minutes

 Rating
U.S. Rated PG-13
**For some strong language and crude material

Aspect Ratio
Digital: 2.00:1
Physical: 2.00:1

 Disc Size
Blu-ray: 50GB
DVD: 8.5GB

U.S. Audio
Blu-ray: English 5.1 DTS-HDMA and 2.0 Dolby Digital Descriptive Audio, Spanish and French 5.1 Dolby Digital
DVD: English, Spanish and French 5.1 Dolby Digital, English 2.0 Dolby Digital Descriptive Audio
Digital: English Dolby (UHD only, some platforms), English 5.1 (Dolby Digital) & 2.0, Spanish 5.1 (Dolby Digital) & 2.0, French 5.1 (Dolby Digital) & 2.0, English Descriptive Audio 2.0

U.S. Subtitles
Blu-ray: English SDH, Spanish, French
DVD: English SDH, Spanish, French
Digital: English SDH, French, Spanish (some platforms)

Lionsgate Home Entertainment has officially announced that it will release on 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes .The two releases are scheduled to arrive on the market on February 13.

Also releasing on the same day, Walmart will have an exclusive 4K Bluray + Blu-ray + Digital SteelBook, debuting with brand-new art prominently featuring the star-studded cast. The stand-alone SteelBook will be available for the suggested retail price of $29.96.

Fans of the franchise can collect the previously released The Hunger Games films in the 4K Blu-ray SteelBook 4-Film Collection which includes the original four films, featuring art of Katniss Everdeen and Coriolanus Snow, also available at Walmart.

In The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, three-time GRAMMY Award® winner and six-time nominee singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo joins the prestigious franchise, co-writing and performing the preeminent original song "Can't Catch Me Now."

64 years before Katniss Everdeen volunteered as tribute, and decades before Coriolanus Snow became the tyrannical President of Panem, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes follows a young Coriolanus as he unites with Lucy Gray Baird in the 10th Hunger Games, and battles his instincts for both good and evil.

Based on the Suzanne Collins best-selling novel of the same name, with a screenplay by Michael Lesslie and Michael Arndt, and directed by Francis Lawrence, the star-studded cast features Tom Blyth (Benediction), Golden Globe® winner Rachel Zegler (Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, West Side Story, 2022), Emmy® Award winner Peter Dinklage (Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, "Game of Thrones," 2019), Hunter Schafer ("Euphoria"), Josh Andrés Rivera (West Side Story), Jason Schwartzman (Asteroid City), and EGOT winner Viola Davis (Emmy® for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, "How to Get Away with Murder," 2015; GRAMMY® for Best Audio Book, Narration, and Storytelling Recording, Finding Me, 2023; Oscar® for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role, Fences, 2017; Tony® for Best Actress (Leading Role – Play), Fences, 2010). The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is currently still in theaters, where it has earned over $325 million worldwide.

Special Features and Technical Specs:

• DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
• DOLBY ATMOS AUDIO TRACK
• Audio Commentary with Producer-Director Francis Lawrence and Producer Nina Jacobson
• "Predator or Prey: Making The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes" 8-Part Documentary
• Songbirds & Snakes (The Acting Ensemble)
• Pure as the Driven Snow (The Music of Lucy Gray Baird)
• A Palette of Tactics (On Location in Poland and Berlin)
• Humanity Undressed (Costume, Makeup & Hair)
• To the Victor Go the Spoils (Stunts & Weapons)
• Inner Sanctum (The Post-Production Process)
• Snow Lands on Top (Reflections)
• "The Hanging Tree" Song by Rachel Zegler
• A Letter to the Fans
• Theatrical Trailers (4K Only)
• Spanish, French, English SDH subtitles

Well, seeing as it's the first of the month, I obviously haven't bought anything yet, but here are some leftovers from last month.

Damn - Feddit.uk isn't accepting any picture uploads. Uh oh. Anyway.

Continuing my efforts to get all of James Cameron's films on Blu-ray, I bought Titanic (£3). Loads of bonus content on the two disc set, looking forward to getting through it all.

Having recently acquired a lovely book on the making of The Shape of Water, I recently picked that up as well to remind myself of the film before I delve behind the scenes. Another eBay cheapie.

Finally, a brand-new title, RoboDoc - The Creation of Robocop. This four part series running for five hours covers everything you need to know about the making of the iconic 80s sci-fi film. Highly recommended.

Happy New Year to everyone who posts or just frequents our little community here at Home Video.

It will be interesting to see how physical media develops in 2024.

Have a good one.

Are Blu-rays the new vinyl? Physical Media will be different - but better - in 2024

Chris Bumbray

While studios seem to have given up on physical media, niche indie labels are having huge success with loving restorations of cult titles.

Something interesting happened the other day. I reached out to Arrow Video to get a review copy of their upcoming Conan the Barbarian 4k release, The Conan Chronicles (which also features Conan the Destroyer). I was told their retail stock (on their end only, mind you) of the much-anticipated title had already sold out (don't worry -- more is on the way). To me, this is a very promising sign, with interesting companies like Arrow, Scream/Shout Factory, and Kino Lorber making really thoughtful, beautifully assembled 4K collector's editions of cult hits on physical media that, despite being more niche than they were twenty or so years ago, are actually selling really well.

Studios have all but abandoned physical media, at least as far as library titles go. Some studios, like Paramount, still re-release their classics through labels like Paramount Presents, but for many companies, these titles are an afterthought, even for their biggest movies. Even Paramount offloaded the recent 4K special edition of Witness, a stone-cold classic, to Arrow. The James Bond film series, one of the most popular of all time, is currently streaming in 4K, but the physical releases have never happened, despite the masters being ready to go. That's crazy, isn't it?

Yet, with physical media no longer a priority for studios, independent labels have moved in and started to put together loving restorations of their films. Such is the case of Oliver Stone's JFK, which remains one of Warner Bros's most popular catalogue titles, but one they seemingly had no interest in pressing on 4K Disc. Their loss is Shout Factory's gain, with them releasing both the director's cut and theatrical version in beautifully restored versions. 

But it's not just classics. One of Arrow's best-selling recent editions is Blackhat. This infamous Michael Mann flop grossed a princely $19 million (worldwide) but has found new life via this release, with many saying the director's cut contained as an extra is far better than the version we got in theatres. Even a movie like William Friedkin's Rampage, which never even got a legit theatrical release in the US, generates tremedous interest.

All this is an interesting look at the future of physical media (which we always keep track of here), as it seems increasingly like it may become a niche market for collectors -- but a very healthy one. Movie fans are collectors, and if you give them a product that's worth paying for, they'll happily do so. These new 4K editions will probably cost more than they would were studios to release them. The day of the $10-15 collector's edition is probably behind us. But, with editions that are treated like an event, with extras carefully crafted by fans, perhaps shelling out a little extra cash is a good way forward for the format. These indie labels are doing good work, and what's exciting about the whole thing is that fans are very happy to support their efforts. Now, if only we can get someone to put out Cocoon or Strange Days!

Mean Guns: Christopher Lambert and Ice-T action-thriller from Albert Pyun is getting a new Collector's Edition Blu-ray

EJ Tangonan

The MVP Rewind Collection has announced that Mean Guns, which is a previously rare title to find, will be getting a Collector's Edition release on Blu-ray.

December 29th 2023, 11:58am

Lately, we at JoBlo have been championing the collection of physical media in the face of certain movies that have been getting somewhat lost due to extremely limited availability. This is especially an issue for those who partake in a digital collection of movies, which has the potential of disappearing despite purchasing them. However, there are great distributors like Vinegar Syndrome and Arrow Video that have done a fantastic job remastering rare movies for Blu-ray releases. The MVP Rewind Collection has recently announced that the Albert Pyun action-thriller, Mean Guns, starring Christopher Lambert, Ice-T, Michael Halsey, Deborah Van Valkenburgh and Tina Cote is set for a Blu-ray release on April 9.

The plot description, courtesy of Blu-ray.com, reads,
"The world's most dangerous criminals are summoned to a new prison on the eve before its grand opening by Moon (Ice-T, New Jack City), the ruthless leader of the world's most powerful crime syndicate. Chaos ensues when weapons and ammunition are passed around and the group, including Lou (Christopher Lambert, Highlander), begin their fight to survive. The last three men standing by midnight have been promised $10,000,000 in cash by Moon, who watches from his surveillance camera as gunfire and bodies fly. Rivalries develop between friends and the lines of loyalty are crossed as each criminal attempts to outwit, outrun and outlive the other in the action packed game of elimination."

The special features and technical specs are set to include:

• High-definition transfer in the original 2.39:1 aspect ratio
• NEW Interview with Producer Gary Schmoeller (HD, 28:57)
• NEW Interview with Executive Producer Paul Rosenblum (HD, 23:41)
• NEW Interview with Composer Anthony Riparetti (HD, 18:31)
• Audio Commentary from Director Albert Pyun
• Archival Introduction by Director Albert Pyun (HD, 00:39)
• Original Theatrical Trailer
• Audio: LPCM 2.0 Stereo
• Optional English, Spanish and French Subtitles
• Reversible artwork
• Collectible Mini-Poster

Top 20 Selling Blu-ray Discs

1. Oppenheimer
2. Five Nights at Freddy's
3. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
4. The Mandalorian: The Complete First Season
5. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
6. The Mandalorian: The Complete Second Season
7. Barbie
8. The Creator
9. The Equalizer 3
10. The Expendables 4
11. John Wick: Chapter 4
12. Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning, Part One
13. PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie
14. The Super Mario Bros. Movie
15. Weird: The Al Yankovic Story
16. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
17. Home Alone/Home Alonw 2: Lost in New York
18. The Grinch
19. Clue
20. Saw X

Top 20 Selling 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Discs

1. Oppenheimer
2. The Mandalorian: The Complete First Season
3. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
4. The Mandalorian: The Complete Second Season
5. The Creator
6. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
7. Five Nights at Freddy's
8. Clue
9. Titanic
10. Barbie
11. Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
12. The Expendables 4
13. Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning, Part One
14. Weird: The Al Yankovic Story
15. John Wick: Chapter 4
16. The Wailing
17. Avatar: The Way of Water
18. The Equalizer 3
19. Interstellar
20. The Lost Boys

Source: MediaPlayNews.com

As reported by The Digital Bits,

Finally, we’ve learned from industry sources that the 4K Ultra HD release of James Cameron’s The Abyss (1989) in the UK has been cancelled, and for exactly the reason you think—the scene in which the rat is made to breath underwater. UK censors asked for the scene to be cut, Disney apparently wanted to comply, but Lightstorm vetoed it. So if you want this title in 4K and you live in the UK, you’ll have to import it from elsewhere.

For those who don't know the history, the RSPCA (The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) made a complaint about the scene where the rat is forced to breathe the oxygenated liquid.

Despite James Cameron protesting that no rats were harmed in the making of the film, the BBFC upheld the complaint and the scene is cut in the UK.

I first saw the film on television, where the station accidentally broadcast the uncut version, so I was very surprised to find the scene cut when I purchased my copy of the Special Edition on VHS.

The scene in question is sloppily edited using alternate footage in a quality vastly different to that of the rest of the film and, if I remember correctly, the aspect ratio changed as well!

Yes, this news has annoyed me but at the end of the day, it's a region free 4K disc, and I'll simply import from a neighbouring country.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/5877989

They are:

• Cronos
• Following
• Stalker
• Diabolique
• The Piano Teacher
• Blow Out
• Paris, Texas
• Days of Heaven
• On the Waterfront
• Quadrophenia
• Pale Flower
• Woman in the Dunes
• La Haine
• My Life as a Dog
• Naked
• Do the Right Thing
• Brazil
• Cries and Whispers
• The Passion of Joan of Arc
• Le Samourai

Jackie Chan's Project A films are getting a 4K Blu-ray release courtesy of 88 Films

EJ Tangonan

4--5 minutes

The Jackie Chan classic franchise, Project A and Project A -- Part II, are getting 4K remasters to be released in the Spring.

December 20th 2023, 10:35am

One of Jackie Chan's action masterpieces is 1983's Project A. The film brought Chan together with his brothers from the China Drama Academy, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao. Project A features Chan's signature action with the famous set pieces that have been inspired by such classic silent-era performers as Harold Lloyd and Charlie Chaplin. Now, the home video distribution company 88 Films, which has released remastered Chan movies like Dragons Forever and the Police Story movies, will now be releasing Project A and Project A -- Part II on 4K Blu-ray. Blu-ray.com has announced that the set will be available on April 23, 2024.

Special Features and Technical Specs include:

• DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE HONG KONG CUT (106 min)
• DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE TAIWAN CUT (115 min)
• CANTONESE DOLBY ATMOS TRACK and Cantonese 1.0 and with newly translated subtitles + English Dub
• NEW Interview with Stuntman Mars (2024)
• Interview with Jackie Chan
• Interview with actor Lee Hoi San
• Interview with actor Yuen Biao
• Interview with actor Dick Wei
• Interview with producer Michael Chan Wai-Man
• Interview with composer Michael Lai
• Interview with writer and producer Edward Tang
• Interview with stuntman Mars
• LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE -- Perfect-bound book
• LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE -- Six Replica Lobby Cards
• LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE -- Double-sided foldout Poster
• LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE -- Slipcase with brand-new artwork from Kung Fu Bob
• AND MORE...

The synopsis for Project A reads,
"Dragon Ma (Jackie Chan, Rush Hour) is a lieutenant in the 19th-century Hong Kong marines. Pirates have been terrorizing local waters, with assistance from the corrupt authorities. Dragon Ma hopes to defeat the evil pirate clan led by Sanpao (Dick Wei), but his plan is short-circuited. Ma then teams with a navy admiral (Hak Suen Lau), a police captain Tzu (Biao Yuen) and a crafty thief (Sammo Hung) in a new round of high-seas battles with Sanpao and his pirates."

The synopsis for Project A -- Part II reads,
"Corrupt police inspector Chun (David Lam) has made himself the most powerful law enforcement officer in Hong Kong by staging high-profile arrests of the criminals and mobsters with whom he's in cahoots. The British authorities know Chun is a dirty cop but have not been able to infiltrate his inner circle. Enter fearless and incorruptible military policeman "Dragon Ma" Yun (Jackie Chan), who comes back to his hometown to pose as Chun's new right-hand man and take down both cops and criminals."

George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead: Why is it so hard to find?

Cody Hamman

7--8 minutes

A new video looks at George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead, which is getting hard to find on physical media and digital

The JoBlo Original video covering Dawn of the Dead's physical media and digital releases was Written by Paul Bookstaber, Edited by Lance Vlcek, and Narrated by Kier Gomes.

Would it be a total buzz kill to find out one day, when you decide to open your streaming service and see some of your own digital copies gone in an instant? What if you didn't have the chance to pick up a physical copy as backup, when it was put on store shelves at your local retailer months or years prior? Chances are, it's happening much more frequently and that's a sad, hard pill to swallow. As an avid film collector and movie junkie, I always preorder a steelbook of my favorite films that I need to obtain for my own volition, but it seems that window is getting much harder as well -- thanks Best Buy for your low inventory of Oppenheimer steelbooks, what the hell is the matter with you? Today, let's talk about a film that has disappeared in the ether when it comes to physical and digital release. A movie so prevalent in zombie lore that you may scratch your head wondering how this came to be? When you think of Damon Lindelof's HBO hit series, The Leftovers, you think of "The Departure." Those 2% that left the world in an instant, without a trace, loved ones gone in the blink of an eye. Well, let's replace human lives for Blu-rays and digital copies of George A. Romero's 1978 zombie epic, Dawn of the Dead.

Dawn is a zombie film so good, cemented in time, dealing with countless censorship violations abroad due to its gore-filled nature. You can't help but be in total shock of its disappearance. And when you say, "woah, woah I can just get a quick copy of it on Youtube to watch," that doesn't count because a rip of the film can lose the actual intended quality and experience put on disc or digital streaming in exchange for a horrible aspect ratio on Youtube's viewing browser. Or you can say, "Well, let me just watch Zack Snyder's, 2004 Dawn of the Dead." That's great and all, but it doesn't hold a candle, or in better terms, guts to the original. It also deviates a whole lot from its 1978 counterpart, especially in the whole zombie chase component. So nice swing and a miss there.

Now even though there are region-free discs available, why is it so hard to obtain a physical copy today through its primary licensor or film distributor? Let me take you back to simpler times when George A Romero's Dawn of the Dead was easily accessible to the masses. Its popularity ran deep within the roots of horror movie cinema, coming hot off the heels of Romero's first installment, Night of the Living Dead, which is attainable to watch digitally or in physical release, along with George's other zombie films like Day of the Dead and Land of the Dead, but why not Dawn? Surely, there are possibilities of getting an updated physical release by Scream/Shout Factory, or another disc manufacturer down the road, right? There have been multiple ways to purchase Dawn of the Dead back in the day either by VHS, laserdisc, and DVD, but that all seemed to fade rather quickly due to Dawn's messy legalities and distribution rights that were unspooled. Although there is no concrete answer as to why we can't find physical and digital copies at our local retailer or streaming apps, let us go down that rabbit hole and get some much-needed clues. I just wish everyone got their Anchor Bay Limited Edition version some time ago to avoid the heartache and sorrows that's about to unfold with all the behind-the-scenes politics.

Dawn of the Dead was funded by Italian horror directing legend, Dario Argento, when Romero's production group Laurel Group Production, couldn't find the necessary funds within the United States prior to yelling action. This resulted in a Frankenstein-monster styled release of Dawn of the Dead through Romero's eyes, and the second version of Dawn of the Dead, retitled and edited differently called Zombi, through the eyes of Argento which was released internationally. This also required Dario Argento to file for foreign distribution rights in the process which can have legal ties with the Laurel Group and its producer, Richard P. Rubenstein. We'll get to him next.

It's been said that producer, Mr. Richard P. Rubenstein cut all of Dawn's physical and digital releases due to his losses in the 3D version of Dawn that has barely seen the light of day, a loss of a few million. He also added exuberant fees to the home media licensing that Dawn needs for it to hit store shelves or streaming services again so that you, yourself could obtain a copy if it came to it. Call it bitter and unreasonable actions due to one man's spite, or so it seems. Dawn of the Dead has seen its time in the sun, which has been released in multiple formats throughout the years. I possess the director's cut double decker VHS back in the 90s that was released as well as the Anchor Bay edition. Dawn of the Dead is a crowning achievement due to its practical effects, its demanding scope, excellent direction by Romero, and quite an excellent cast, most notably Ken Foree. For a film done in 1978 that still stands the test of time is an accomplishment in itself.

If you're in quite the pickle when it comes to watching Dawn of the Dead, there are quite a few ways into trying to attain it. This seems like its unfolding into a turbo man, Wonka golden ticket, situation, but try Ebay or Amazon, they still have availability for you to obtain a copy. You need to realize what the value is to you when it comes to needing the physical copy. One man's treasure might mean a different sort of worth to another. But you might get a deal when it's all said and done. It might even entail driving around several entertainment retailers and getting lucky with a lone copy submerged deep within shelving or bargain bins (It's happened to me). And like I stated above, you can purchase a region-free Korean-import disc through Amazon, but that may come with limitations. Unfortunately for digital, there is no solution, and you may have to just wait, even if that means until you're old and frail, let's hope not, but invest in physical. Oppenheimer director Christopher Nolan stresses the importance of physical media and how it's a safeguard from digital streamers selecting what stays, and what goes, on a timely basis, neglecting you of your entertainment experience. Let's just hope a solution is reached in the not-too-distant future and we can enjoy the flesh chomping, intestine ripping, zombie mayhem at home whether it be in physical media or digital form.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/5728857

These are:

• All That Money Can Buy (1941) 4k
• All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (2022).
• The Runner (1984)
• Saint Omer (2022)
• To Die For (1995) 4k

Tech specs: Blu-ray.com

The quote is,

“The streamers are denying us any access whatsoever to certain films, and I think people are responding with their natural reaction, which is ‘I’m going to buy it, and I’m going to watch it any time I want."

Yes, that's certainly true for me, Mr Cameron, that's why I'm currently curating my collection of your films in the best possible Blu-ray format. I'm not a big fan of your AI upscales, but I will purchase The Abyss because it's better than my twenty-year-old DVD.

It's bad enough that Disney's doing it, but Sony too? I extend my sympathy to the Aussies...looks like you guys will have no choice but to sail the seven seas for Sony films...

(Good thing 4K discs are region-free!)

After reading through several threads over on Bluray.com forums, it seems that James Cameron now wants his older films to look a certain way.

If you didn't know, new 4K presentations of Aliens, The Abyss and True Lies were released today on various digital platforms in the US.

Rather than simply perform 4K scans of the original negative like other transfers, Cameron has tweaked the picture, including the use of AI, to make the films look brand new.

The best way to describe this is by repeating a passage I saw on the discussion of Aliens.

I didn't hate it. Part of the problem is there's this cognitive dissidence with these new transfers. They're too clean...but not waxy. They should be grainy, but they almost look digitally shot. They're sharp but don't look edge enhanced. It looks great. But it seems wrong... Color timing looked proper. Shadow detail was great. Blacks are deep without crush. The new 5.1 mix is a lot more active, you can tell it's an Atmos downconvert. No, no new sounds have been added.

And there's proof that AI tinkering doesn't always work...

Generally, it sounds like True Lies is the weakest of the bunch (interestingly, the bonus features include interviews from 2012 which confirm a 2013 Blu-ray was prepared but never approved by Cameron) followed by Aliens and then The Abyss comes out on top relatively unscathed.

At the end of the day, it's all down to personal preference. It'll be interesting to read the reviews.

No official spec sheet, but you can see pictures of the packaging, including the back cover with bonus details, over at Amazon (UK)

Some great news via The Digital Bits.

Still on the subject of Paramount, cinematographer Dariusz Wolski shared on Instagram this weekend that he’s been asked by Paramount to supervise a new 4K HDR restoration of Alex Proyas’ The Crow (1994). So that’s likely coming to 4K Digital and probably physical 4K Ultra HD as well next year. Thanks to Bits reader Scotty W. for the heads-up.

Warner Bros. UK is preparing a 4K Blu-ray release of David Fincher's Seven (1995), starring Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow, Richard Roundtree, and R. Lee Ermey. The release is expected to arrive on the market early next year.

Description: When retiring police Detective William Somerset (Morgan Freeman) tackles a final case with the aid of newly transferred David Mills (Brad Pitt), they discover a number of elaborate and grizzly murders. They soon realize they are dealing with a serial killer (Kevin Spacey) who is targeting people he thinks represent one of the seven deadly sins. Somerset also befriends Mills' wife, Tracy (Gwyneth Paltrow), who is pregnant and afraid to raise her child in the crime-riddled city.

10 Movies That Are Surprisingly Hard to Find (So Keep Your Discs)

A surprising amount of prominent, classic movies are unavailable on disc or streaming.

By Chris Bumbray

December 9th 2023, 11:01am

Recently, I wrote an article about how Ron Howard's Cocoon was hard to find in any format. It came out on DVD many years ago but went out of print and has never been issued on Blu-ray. You also can't find it digitally on any platform. This is a perfect example of why you should always hang on to your physical media, as I'm lucky enough to own the now out-of-print DVD of that movie, and while it's far from an ideal copy, it's something. 

But that got me thinking. What other movies are hard to find? I opened up the forum on Twitter, and I was shocked by how many prominent films aren't available digitally and have gone out of print on disc, making them all the more precious for collectors. At the same time, there are some happy endings, such as Martin Campbell's No Escape, which got a beautiful Blu-ray recently; too many of these films are caught up in legal limbo (or studio antipathy). 

Here are 10:

Cocoon: 

The one that started it all. How does a movie that won Don Ameche an Oscar and revitalized the careers of Jessica Tandy, Hume Cronyn, and the great Wilford Brimley go out of print? This is the movie that made Ron Howard an A-list director, and it was enough of a smash hit that it spawned a (pretty crappy) sequel, which, ironically, is very easy to find. What's going on here? Disney may be working on a significant restoration, but it's been gone for a long time.

Strange Days: 

Kathryn Bigelow's Strange Days was a major flop when it came out in 1995 but has since been reevaluated as a classic. As it stars Ralph Fiennes, Juliette Lewis and Angela Bassett and is widely considered one of the greatest films of the nineties, some significant release -- possibly through a company like Criterion would seem like a no-brainer. However, Disney has been sitting on this one for a while now, with the likely culprit being that James Cameron's Lightstorm Entertainment owns the movie. Presumably, any redux has to be cleared by him. With The Abyss, True Lies and Aliens all getting 4K re-releases, Strange Days may be coming. This one is streaming on Max but in the wrong aspect ratio. The existing DVD is non-anamorphic, meaning it gets window-boxed on your TV unless you stretch it out.

Showtime: 

This minor Eddie Murphy/ Robert De Niro comedy made a decent amount of coin when it came out, but it wasn't a blockbuster. Yet, it's a decent little action comedy, with a funny performance by William Shatner as himself. While it came out on DVD in an excellent anamorphic transfer, and you can buy it digitally in HD, it's never been issued on Blu-ray.

Crossroads: 

This Brittany Spears cult classic would have gotten a Blu-ray re-release with all sorts of bells and whistles. Yet, outside of its original DVD run, it's never been issued on Blu-ray and can't be bought digitally. However, it was recently released to theatres in a special limited run to celebrate Spears' new autobiography so the movie may be coming relatively soon.

Dawn of the Dead: 

This one comes with a caveat. George A. Romero's zombie classic has been released on a beautiful 4K disc internationally and is region-free. Yet, it still needs to get a North American release on 4K and isn't available digitally, which is a shame. Younger horror fans watch most of their stuff this way, and one hates to think they could be missing out on one of the genre's best movies. 

Looking for Mr. Goodbar: 

This 1977 film helped establish Diane Keaton as a star and was a significant hit. It's based on the true story of a teacher who was played the bar scene in the early seventies and was eventually murdered by a man she had a one-night stand with. It's a haunting film with a disturbing ending, but very hard to find. It's only ever been released on VHS and Laserdisc, with rights issues surrounding the film's music, which is what's kept this in limbo. It doesn't help that Paramount Pictures is famously slow regarding releasing library titles. Again, this would be a great one for the Criterion Collection.

Something Wicked This Way Comes: 

We recently covered this movie in our series Fantasizing About Fantasy Films, which was available on DVD/ Blu-ray for a while. Yet, Disney has vaulted this Ray Bradbury adaptation, and you can't stream it or buy it digitally, either.

The Blood of Heroes (aka Salute of the Jugger):

This post-apocalyptic action movie comes from David Webb Peoples, the writer of Blade Runner, Unforgiven and Soldier. It was a rare directorial effort that reteamed him with Rutger Hauer, who stars opposite a young Joan Chen and Vincent D'Onofrio. Legal rights limbo has kept this one obscure in North America, with various cuts circulating in bad transfers. Hopefully, it gets some kind of restoration, and it's a neat little sci-fi movie.

John Woo's Hong Kong Films: 

Recently, John Woo mentioned that he would love to restore his Hong Kong classics with a company like Criterion, but that the rights to most of the movies are caught up in legal limbo. The Killer and Hard Boiled are streaming and on Blu-ray (albeit in interlaced transfers), but A Better Tomorrow 1 & 2 and Bullet in the Head are MIA.

The Heartbreak Kid:

Elaine May is a revered figure on film Twitter, but her biggest hit, The Heartbreak Kid, which got remade by the Farrelly Bros, is impossible to find. This is a shame as it's one of star Charles Gordon's best movies and features two Oscar-nominated performances by Jeannie Berlin (also May's daughter) and Eddie Albert.

Sam Raimi's Darkman is getting a 4K release from Scream Factory

JoBlo

By: Cody Hamman

8 December 2023 at 16:24

Before he made his Spider-Man trilogy and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but after he unsuccessfully tried to get the job directing a Batman or The Shadow movie, Sam Raimi made his debut in the superhero world with a character he created: Darkman. Raimi's film Darkman was first released in 1990, and in recent years Scream Factory has brought that movie and its direct-to-video sequels Darkman II: The Return of Durant and Darkman III: Die Darkman Die to Blu-ray. Now the company has announced that they'll be giving Darkman a 4K release on February 20th!

Scream Factory hasn't announced what special features will be found on the 4K release, but they are accepting pre-orders for it. You can get the 4K / Blu-ray combo on its own, get it in a limited edition steelbook, get the steelbook with a prism sticker and poster, get the steelbook with a prism sticker, poster, a pin, and lobby cards, get the regular collector's edition with a prism sticker and poster, get the regular collector's edition with a pin, prism sticker, poster, and lobby cards, or get both the collector's edition and the limited edition steelbook with a pin, a prism sticker, two posters, and lobby cards.

Scripted by Sam Raimi with Chuck Pfarrer, Ivan Raimi, Daniel Goldin, and Joshua Goldin, Darkman has the following synopsis: When the laboratory of Dr. Peyton Westlake is blown up by gangsters, he is burned beyond recognition. Altered by an experimental medical procedure, he assumes alternate identities in his quest for revenge.

Liam Neeson stars as Dr. Peyton Westlake and is joined in the cast by Frances McDormand, Colin Friels, Larry Drake, Ted Raimi, Nicholas Worth, Dan Bell, and Danny Hicks. Of course, Bruce Campbell makes a cameo appearance.

Scream Factory's Blu-ray release of Darkman had the following special features:

NEW interviews with Liam Neeson and Frances McDormand
NEW interview with Larry Drake
NEW interview with Makeup Designer Tony Gardner
NEW interviews with actors Danny Hicks and Dan Bell
NEW interviews with Production Designer Randy Ser and Art Director Philip Dagort
Audio Commentary with director of photography Bill Pope
Vintage "Making of" and interview featurettes featuring interviews with Sam Raimi, Liam Neeson, Frances McDormand and more...
Vintage full-length interviews with Sam Raimi, Liam Neeson and Frances McDormand
Theatrical Trailer
TV Spots
Still Galleries -- Posters & production stills, Behind the Scenes, Make-up Effects and Storyboards

David Cronenberg's mind-bending virtual reality epic eXistenZ is coming to 4K Blu-ray. The two-disc Vinegar Syndrome set will feature a number of special features and, for the adventurous, a gruesome flesh-textured slipcase. The set will feature an all-new 4K restoration of the 1999 film from its 35mm interpositive, letting you see the film's gruesome special effects in unparalleled detail.

It will also feature a number of special features, both new and archival, including commentaries from Cronenberg, cinematographer Peter Suschitzky, visual effects supervisor Jim Isaac, and film historian Jennifer Moorman, as well as featurettes on the film and its cast. The limited-edition set will include all of these features, as well as a special flesh-textured slipcase and a perfect-bound book featuring essays on the film. The standard edition will retail for $34.99 USD, while the limited edition will sell for $44.99; both can be pre-ordered now on Vinegar Syndrome's website.

edit: apparently it could be bought from their website but December is Partners Only month, so it is now hidden away. 🤷

Tech specs

Season's greetings, physical media lovers! Christmas is almost upon us. Hopefully we've all been good little boys and girls and our stockings will be stuffed with high definition film goodness!

What are you buying others or just for yourself as a sneaky little present? I'm sure you deserve it!

I've just received my copy of Arrow Video's rather nice release of Tremors 2: Aftershocks.

I have another film currently in the postal system, but I'll save that for another post.

December is a busy month for films, and I wish I had the money! The excellent Prey has just been released, with Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and Titanic just around the corner.

This is going slightly off track for this community but come December 15th, we'll finally have a look at The Abyss, True Lies and Aliens in their new 4K editions via digital services, the physical discs will arrive in March.