Home Video (VHS, DVD, Blu-ray, 4k)

Director Wes Ball's new installment in the franchise, which takes place 300 years after 2017's War for the Planet of the Apes, comes out on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray on Aug. 27, and that is the only way fans can see a side-by-side cut of the movie using the raw performance-capture footage next to the final version — the first time an entire film has been released this way.

"Inside the Lens: The Raw Cut" is a full-length split-screen version of the movie included as a special feature on the 4K Blu-ray, featuring unfinished VFX and showing how the actors use motion capture to deliver their performances as apes with optional audio commentary by the director, editor Dan Zimmerman, and VFX supervisor Erik Winquist.

...

"During the year or so spent in post-production, working on more than 1,500 VFX shots, we would frequently compare our VFX works-in-progress with the original footage, ensuring we were getting the details right," Ball tells EW. "I often found myself completely mesmerized by the magic of WetaFX's work and how seamlessly it translated from the raw dailies. Around the latter half of post, it struck me how fantastic it would be to share this experience with fans like myself — those who relish peeking behind the curtain of movie making."

Ball was pleasantly surprised at the response he got to his idea. "When I brought the idea to the studio, there was unsurprisingly no resistance," he says. "They, too, are film nerds and thought it was a cool idea. The only challenge we faced was logistical — navigating the technicalities of 'data budgets' and figuring out how to include an entirely separate version of the film on the discs without sacrificing visual quality."

...

Ball was inspired to release this raw cut because he grew up "in the era of DVDs and their rich behind-the-scenes features."

"I often found myself watching those documentaries more than the movies themselves," he says. "Unfortunately, we don’t get a lot of that stuff today. So this release is my way of giving back, offering something that would have inspired me as a young filmmaker. Perhaps more importantly, I see this as a unique way to celebrate the extraordinary work of our VFX team at WetaFX, as well as the unseen talent of our amazing actors. Without their dedication, these films simply wouldn’t exist."

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/16275742

The Criterion Collection, a beloved film distribution company, was questioned by cinephiles this week because of their new deluxe box set.

Last week, Criterion announced a new collection, called CC40, which includes a box set of forty films. The films were chosen based on popular picks in their Criterion Closet series, in which actors and filmmakers choose five films from their film library to take home with them. The box set, which also includes “hundreds of hours of supplemental footage,” retails for $640, and arrives in November.

Reactions from Criterion fans varied. On the positive side, some suggested this could be a great resource for those looking to get into film, the box set serving as a film syllabus of sorts. Others noted this could be a good product for those who don’t know which films to watch or buy, as the choice has already been made for them. Some were simply excited by the news of a new Criterion release.

Many others were less than thrilled. The most common question asked by Criterion-heads was: “who is the audience for this box set?” Cinephiles noted that dedicated Criterion fans are likely to already own many of the films in the box set, while newcomers might not be inclined to drop $600 on movies if they’re just getting into film. “This is an incredible set for someone who has never bought a Criterion disc but now wants to spend several hundred dollars on them at once,” one user joked on X.

Others questioned the content of the box set. Many were shocked to see that none of David Lynch’s films were included in the collection, and legendary Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa was another omission bemoaned by fans. Some suggested that the curation of the collection seems “random,” noting that there appears to be little connection between the films.

Much of this criticism comes down to the question of audience, and how this collection might shift Criterion’s intended market. There is a sense of gatekeeping here in terms of who can—or should—get to own Criterions. “Feel like this set is for people who never heard of the Criterion Collection until their favorite celebrity did a closet video,” one X user noted, delineating a distinction between cinephile and celebrity stan. On Instagram, one user suggested the box set is intended for holiday shoppers, perhaps answering the marketing question.

The announcement

Cinematographer Alex Thompson shot Fear Is the Key on 35mm film using Panavision cameras with anamorphic lenses, framed at 2.35:1 for its theatrical release. This version from Arrow Video uses a high-definition master provided by Paramount, with no other details available regarding the source elements that were used or any work that was done to them. It looks like an older master, with some minor damage like light scratches still visible. The opening titles and any other optical work really look like optical dupe elements, especially in any shots featuring traveling mattes in the windows of the submarine. The night shots also look a little rough, with flat contrast and boosted levels that adds some noise to the prominent grain. With all of that out of the way, it’s still a generally decent transfer, with colors that look quite good if sometimes a bit uneven—the 2B Bright Red paint on the Gran Torino looks a little orange in a few shots, but to be fair, it always has (and it’s a color that doesn’t necessarily photograph consistently anyway). It’s not a perfect transfer of Fear Is the Key, but it’s a more than adequate one.

Audio is offered in English 2.0 mono LPCM, with optional English SDH subtitles. There’s not much in the way of dynamics and the bass is somewhat limited, but it’s clean and free of noise or obvious distortion. Some of the dialogue sounds a little muffled, but that may be partly due to bad ADR—Suzy Kendall sounds like her dialogue was frequently looped. Roy Budd’s memorably jazzy score sounds fine, however.

Arrow Video’s Limited Edition Blu-ray release of Fear Is the Key comes with a reversible insert featuring new artwork by Nathanael Marsh on one side and the theatrical poster artwork on the other, as well as a fold-out poster offering both artworks. There’s also a slipcover with the new artwork and a 20-page booklet featuring an essay by Sean Hogan. The following extras are included:

• Audio Commentary by Howard S. Berger
• A Different Kind of Spy Game (HD – 23:33)
• Fear in the Key of Budd (HD – 16:34)
• Producing the Action (HD – 29:55)
• Bayou to Bray (HD – 39:30)
• Theatrical Trailer (Upscaled SD – 2:16)

“Let all those critics make their own movies, and they can restore them as they see fit. That’s my opinion. Jim, in every possible meaning of the word auteur, is an auteur. And whatever version he wants to release, everyone should be fine with. You know, it’s his film!

When asked about how many fans who grew up with these films do feel a certain degree of ownership over them, she admitted, “Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Absolutely. We made the movie for the fans, not for the critics, even though we did get some lovely reviews. And so, they’re absolutely entitled to their opinion. But, you know, Jim’s entitled, creatively, to do it absolutely how he sees fit. You know, it’s his creation.”

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/16244088

The titles this batch include: William Wyler's Funny Girl on 4K UHD and Blu-ray, Peter Bogdanovich's Paper Moon on 4K UHD and Blu-ray, Howard Hawks' Scarface on 4K UHD and Blu-ray, PLUS Guillermo del Toro's The Shape of Water, Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai, and Ishiro Honda's Godzilla all on 4K UHD Blu-ray.

Physical media has had a resurgence in recent years, helped by the curating and marketing of 4K heritage titles in attractive packaging for a keen, if niche, market of collectors. That was the consensus of the Heritage Roundtable discussion held as part of the Locarno Pro section of the Locarno Film Festival.

Having seen a drastic collapse in the mass market, the panelists agreed that the one area of growth was the curation of heritage titles, restored to 4 or 2K and presented with an abundance of extras.

...

One of the major obstacles to releases is the issue of rights, specifically when held by American studios. Ronald Chammah of Les film du Camélia argued: “We have the feeling that American studios are less interested to have a movie release, either by themselves or by somebody else, on physical media, because their main goal is VOD, and for them, maybe physical media is the enemy of the video platform.”

Manlio Gomarasca of Plaion and Severin noted, “In Italy, the situation is not shiny. The mass market of DVDs is dead. People are going straight to platforms.”

...

Speaking as a consumer and collector herself, K.J. Relth-Miller of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures said: “I’m seeing similar trajectories in that those of us who are collectors and appreciate the aspects of physical media – the booklet essays and the special features – this is something that is on par with what vinyl collecting became 10 years ago for my generation.”

She continued, “We’re seeing that with Gen Z, and also with millennials, this real desire to have physical objects because the ephemeral nature of streaming means that something that you want to watch and you put on your watch list, and then you go to revisit it a week later, and it’s gone. It’s ephemeral. It’s never permanent. So, if you’re really invested in learning more about the history of this art form that we all love, I think that investing in physical media is one way to do that.”

Relth-Miller also noted that VHS collecting is growing in Los Angeles and cited the example of Quentin Tarantino and Robert Avery’s Video Archives in Los Angeles, a microcinema that specializes in VHS and 16mm projections.

...

Manlio Gomarasca stated, “We talk about the market because we are selling stuff. But for me, Blu-rays are also cultural objects. Think about how many directors were interviewed for the bonus features that have passed away: the witness of their life is there because of the Blu-ray. So, for me, the Blu-ray is a cultural object that has to be supported.”

This support should also come from governments, Gomarasco argued, as it does in France.

Top 20 Selling Blu-ray Discs

1. The Fall Guy
2. Civil War
3. Twister
4. The Boy and the Heron
5. The First Omen
6. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
7. Ted Lasso: The Richmond Way
8. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
9. Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths, Part Three
10. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare
11. The Strangers: Chapter 1
12. Dune: Part Two
13. Abigail
14. Starship Troopers
15. The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
16. Challengers
17. Boy Kills World
18. Ghostbusters 2-Movie Collection: Afterlife/Frozen Empire
19. Coraline
20. Arcadian

Source: Circana VideoScan (based on unit sales from reporting retailers)

Top 20 Selling 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Discs

1. The Fall Guy
2. Twister
3. Civil War
4. The Boy and the Heron
5. Starship Troopers
6. The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
7. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare
8. Dune: Part Two
9. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
10. Election
11. The Dark Knight Trilogy
12. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
13. The Lady From Shanghai
14. The Strangers: Chapter 1
15. Coraline
16. No Way Out
17. Boy Kills World
18. The Fifth Element
19. Run Lola Run
20. Oppenheimer

Source: Circana VideoScan (based on unit sales from reporting retailers)

Top 10 Home Media Sellers (% of Blu-ray’s Market Share Noted)

1. The Fall Guy (54%)
2. Twister (60%)
3. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (43%)
4. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (41%)
5. Civil War (100%)
6. The First Omen (59%)
7. Ted Lasso: The Richmond Way (2020-2023) (58%)
8. The Boy and the Heron (100%)
9. The Strangers: Chapter 1 (62%)
10. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (64%)

Further Reading:

• Top 20 Selling Blu-ray and 4K Discs for Week Ended 2024-08-03
• Top 20 Disc Sellers for Week Ended 2024-08-03

Linus Tech Tips - How to rip blurays/4K discs to your own server and reencode then if you want to, the history of copy protection and the benefits of physical media. Quite interesting.

You can find the full interview here. Not very long but some interesting titbits on various projects including a new Terminator (he reveals nothing).

Disney and Pixar's Inside Out 2 returns to the mind of newly minted teenager Riley just as headquarters is undergoing a sudden demolition to make room for something entirely unexpected: new Emotions! Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust, who've long been running a successful operation by all accounts, aren't sure how to feel when Anxiety shows up. And it looks like she's not alone. Maya Hawke lends her voice to Anxiety, alongside Amy Poehler as Joy, Phyllis Smith as Sadness, Lewis Black as Anger, Tony Hale as Fear, and Liza Lapira as Disgust. Directed by Kelsey Mann and produced by Mark Nielsen.

Certified-Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and celebrated by critics as "absolute perfection, hilarious" (Jazz Tangcay, Variety) and "an unforgettable experience" (Landon Johnson, Awards Watch), the historic box office run has also established Inside Out 2 as Pixar's top-grossing movie of all time globally. Fans can continue the emotional roller coaster with exclusive content featuring an all-new documentary, an alternative opening, deleted scenes and much more. The 4K Blu-ray will be available in a Limited-Edition Collectable SteelBook release.

New Emotions – With Riley's imminent puberty, the story of Inside Out 2 always suggested that there would be a party of new emotions complicating Riley's world—and throwing a wrench into Joy's hard-won stability. But exactly what those new emotions could be was a big question mark. Casting the new emotions in Riley's mind was a fun exploration into the shifting mindset of a teenager, and was also informed by some of the discarded scenes and characters from the original film. In this documentary we'll discuss that process of creating Anxiety, Embarrassment, Ennui, and Envy—from narrowing them down from a long list of possible emotions, to the design, animation, and voicing of these new, hilarious, and strangely recognizable characters.

Special Features:

• Unlocking the Vault – In a kind of visual commentary, a group of central creatives watch and discuss the scene "The Vault." As they stop and start—and refer to various IP versions of the scene—we'll hear about the inspiration for Riley's repressed memories like Bloofy and Lance Slashblade, the development of the scene in Story, and the technical challenges of creating 2D characters that exist in the CG world of Riley's mind.
• Deleted Scenes:
  • Cold Open – In this alternate opening, a now 13-year-old Riley awkwardly fumbles her way through an original song she wrote for a school audition.
  • Broken Joy – After momentarily being unable to drive the console, Joy worries that she might be starting to malfunction.
  • Pool Party – After Riley tries too hard to be fun at an older teen's party – resulting in utter embarrassment – her "Anxiety" becomes "Self-Loathing" who then ousts our hero emotions from headquarters.
  • Puberty Park – After seeing their faces printed on "wanted posters," Joy and the others rogue emotions race through a puberty-themed amusement park while being chased by mind worker cops.
  • Shame Spiral – At a lock-in with some cool, older girls, Riley and friends play a game of "Never Have I Ever" that goes a bit too far – wreaking havoc in Riley's mind.

Pre-order: Amazon

The Borderlands movie has just arrived in theaters, and like clockwork, preorders are now open for its upcoming Blu-ray release. In fact, there are two different steelbook editions for the 4K Blu-ray release. Amazon's exclusive steelbook features Claptrap and costs $35. Meanwhile, Walmart's exclusive steelbook showcases key art from the film and is up for preorder for $40. Regardless of which one you choose, you'll get 4K Blu-ray and standard Blu-ray discs as well as a digital version of the movie. You could watch Borderlands once in each format, or you could just admire the cool steelbook cases (especially Amazon's Claptrap exclusive).

This is a pretty good-looking steelbook case to pick up--currently priced at $35--and it looks like it was pulled straight from the Borderlands video games. It even comes with a 4K version of the film and a digital code to stream the movie, just to prove that there is no escape from Eli Roth's version of Pandora.

Right, I'll keep this short and sweet. Went to Amazon UK and for the sum of £18, I could get a Spanish Blu-ray in a week. I also tried Amazon Germany as Koch Media released it there once but couldn't see it. I did however find the US Blu-ray, still sealed, for £18.

Sigh.

NEXT!!

😄

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/15943381

The iconic Criterion Collection has expanded into viral Closet trips, its streaming channel, and of course its staple 4k restorations on Blu-ray. Now, the Criterion Collection celebrates 40 years since its founding with a monumental 40-film box set including works from auteurs Agnès Varda, Spike Lee, Jean-Luc Godard, and Federico Fellini.

The box set, titled CC40, spans an eclectic selection of curated classic films that includes special features and essays. The collection encompasses the works “frequently chosen by the hundreds of filmmakers, actors, writers, and other movie-loving luminaries who have visited Criterion over the years, as documented in our popular Closet Picks video series,” per the official press release. “Neither a historical survey nor a top-40 compilation, this exciting, personal, unpredictable anthology reflects the cinematic joys and inspirations of the creative community that makes the Criterion Collection possible.”

The 40th anniversary Blu-ray box set includes films like “8½” (1963), “All That Jazz” (1979), “Bicycle Thieves” (1948), “Repo Man” (1984), “Jules and Jim” (1962), “Weekend” (1967), “On the Waterfront” (1954), and “Do the Right Thing” (1989).

Additional titles range from “His Girl Friday” (1940) to “Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters” (1985) and “Y tu mamá también” (2001), as well as “My Own Private Idaho” (1991), “Love & Basketball” (2000), “Night of the Living Dead” (1968), “3 Women” (1977), “The Red Shoes” (1948), “A Woman Under the Influence” (1974), “Cléo from 5 to 7” (1962), “Persona” (1966), and “In the Mood for Love” (2000).

The box set boasts digital restorations of all 40 films, plus hundreds of hours of supplemental features and extensive documentaries and making-of programs coupled with interviews with casts and crews. The set has deluxe packaging with a lavishly illustrated 216-page book featuring essays on the films by critics, scholars, and authors.

...

Cinephiles can purchase the collection for $799.95. The collection will be released November 19. Check out the trailer for the CC40 box set below.

Trailer

With Pixar’s “Inside Out 2” finally coming to the end of a monster cinematic run that saw it become both the fastest animated film to reach $1 billion at the global box office and the 10th highest grossing film of all time, Disney has wasted no time in revealing details of the film’s home entertainment release. And the good news for the film’s legion of fans is that as well as not having to wait too long to see the film in the comfort of their own living room, they can also expect its physical media release to be accompanied by a wealth of all-new original bonus features.

The film arrives at digital retailers Prime Video, Apple TV and Fandango At Home on August 20, before then appearing on 4K Blu-ray, Blu-ray and DVD on September 10. The 4K Blu-ray version that I’m most interested in here will be available as a limited-edition collectable SteelBook release.

The 4K Blu-ray master will, as you would expect, feature a high dynamic range (HDR) grade to go with its Ultra HD resolution, along with a Dolby Atmos soundtrack (unlike the HD Blu-ray release, which drops to a 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track).

The film will be presented in a 2.39:1 aspect ratio throughout, and will ship on a 66GB 4K Blu-ray disc. Not using a 100GB disc should on this occasion not represent a serious problem given that “Inside Out 2”s running time is a compact 96 minutes.

Ten months after the film first hit theaters in the U.S., Godzilla Minus One is finally coming to Blu-ray. Director Takashi Yamazaki’s widely acclaimed take on the franchise is getting several different home video releases with 4K, Blu-ray and DVDs available, depending on one’s preference. This is very good news for hardcore fans who wish to add this gem to the ol’ physical media shelf. There is, however, a pretty big catch. We’ll get to that in a moment.

Toho has confirmed not one but four different releases for the film in the U.S., including a 4K Steelbook, which you can check out below. Toho had previously announced a deluxe Japanese collector’s edition of Godzilla Minus One, which is expected to arrive in September. That four-disc set was priced at $65 and wasn’t for the average viewer, per se. Just about everyone has a viable option now. The full list of options includes…

• Godzilla Minus One Steelbook (4K UHD + Blu-ray + Blu-ray Bonus)
• Godzilla Minus One 4K (4K + Blu-ray Bonus)
• Godzilla Minus One Blu-Ray (Blu-ray + Blu-ray Bonus)
• Godzilla Minus One DVD (DVD)

The various releases vary a bit in price from retailer to retailer at the moment, but they are available for pre-order as we speak. Now, let’s get back to the catch. Unlike the Minus One Blu-ray Deluxe Japan Collector’s Edition, these forthcoming releases do not include the black and white version of the film, Godzilla Minus One/Minus Color, which is currently streaming on Netflix following its run in theaters last year. It’s unclear at this time if the Minus Color version will be given a separate release in the U.S. Even if that does happen, it means fans who want to watch that version on disc will have to buy the movie twice. That’s not ideal, to say the least.

At this point, there is no perfect option. Even the deluxe edition doesn’t have subtitles on the special features disc, which makes it pretty useless for anyone who doesn’t speak Japanese. For what has become one of the most roundly-beloved entries in the 70 year history of the Godzilla franchise, it’s a little frustrating that none of these releases seem to have it all.

Turbine (Germany) is releasing a cheaper version of their excellent 4K edition of The Frighteners.

The set now contains two 4K discs (theatrical and director's cut), and includes a single Blu-ray of extras, which includes their new 95-minute documentary and the exceptional 4½ hour documentary from the original laserdisc and Blu-rays. (Highly recommended.)

If you're wondering what the full fat and more expensive edition included, there were three more Blu-rays. One each for the theatrical and director's cut, and a third containing an open matte edition of the director's cut as well. There were also posters, cards, 200-page booklet and several other physical goodies in the package.

It's priced at €40 which including shipping is about £50 for me. Yikes.

Apparently, Turbine has a worldwide exclusivity deal with Universal for the 4K transfer. Arrow Video was rumoured to be releasing their own 4K release elsewhere, but they would have to source their own 4K print now or wait until Dec 2026 to use Turbine's transfer.

Looks like I'm waiting a couple of years. 😄

Hard to find movies, either on disc or streaming. Here are some examples of why you should hang on to physical media

You know I love doing these, so here goes! (interlocks fingers and cracks knuckles) OK, so the list this time is as follows.

Panic Room

They are correct, Panic Room has sadly never had a physical HD release anywhere. I remember getting the original US three disc DVD, which was excellent. Full of bonus features.

28 Days Later

Very easy to find on DVD and lots of Blu-ray copies on eBay, usually a double pack with its sequel 28 Weeks Later. However, due to the out of print nature of the original film, prices range from one copy at £10 with the rest currently around £50+. Also, it should be noted, the film was shot with standard definition cameras, so maybe a Blu-ray isn’t such a great upgrade from DVD?

Dogma

The JoBlo article is correct. As convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein personally owns the rights to Dogma, not Miramax, there’s not much chance of seeing a reissue of this one on Blu-ray. It depends on how badly you want it, lots on eBay, but you’re looking at £50+

Shoot to Kill

JoBlo correct on this one, easily available to buy on DVD but never been available in HD in any form.

The Devils

Once again, an issue with availability in North America, as they explain. I think the film is available uncut on DVD in the UK. There is also a Spanish bootleg Blu-ray available, but the quality is dubious, with obvious scene insertions from other sources.

Wired

If the film is as bad as they describe, are they now just trying to prove a point by including terrible films? They’re right though, if you want to see this, you can find US VHS copies on eBay and that’s yer lot.

Well, until the next JoBlo article on physical media, that’s all, folks! Don’t blame me, blame my autism! 😁

Paramount Home Media Distribution is preparing a 4K Blu-ray release of David Fincher's Zodiac (2007), starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr., Anthony Edwards, and Brian Cox. The release is scheduled to arrive on the market on October 29.

Description: Based on the true story of the notorious serial killer and the intense manhunt he inspired, Zodiac is a superbly crafted thriller form the director of Se7en and Panic Room. Featuring an outstanding ensemble cast led by Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo and Chloë Sevigny, Zodiac is a searing and singularly haunting examination of twin obsessions: one man's desire to kill and another's quest for the truth.

Paramount Home Media Distribution is preparing a 4K Blu-ray release of Barry Sonnenfeld's Addams Family Values (1993), starring Anjelica Huston, Raul Juliá, Christopher Lloyd, Joan Cusack, and Christina Ricci. The release is scheduled to arrive on the market on October 29.

Description: It's love at first fright when Gomez (Raul Julia) and Morticia (Anjelica Huston) welcome a new addition to the Addams household -- Pubert, their soft, cuddly, mustachioed baby boy. As Fester (Christopher Lloyd) falls hard for voluptuous nanny Debbie Jilinksy (Joan Cusack), Wednesday (Christina Ricci) and Pugsley (Jimmy Workman) discover she's a black-widow murderess who plans to add Fester to her collection of dead husbands. The family's future grows even bleaker when the no-good nanny marries Fester and has the kids shipped off to summer camp. But Wednesday still has a Thing or two up her sleeve... With gags and ghouls galore, Addams Family Values is "screamingly funny!" (Jeff Craig, Sixty Second Preview)

TLDR: A few new modern sound effects and all the grain has been wiped from the film.

Oh dear.

Released in August is the long awaited Blu-ray edition of Ikiru (1952). This marks the first time Akira Kurosawa’s intensely lyrical and moving masterpiece has been available on Blu-ray in the UK. Centred on an incredible central performance from Takashi Shimura as a civil service bureaucrat who reappraises his life after a cancer diagnosis

...

Throughout the 1930s, director Michael Powell honed his craft on a succession of modestly budgeted feature films produced under the UK’s screen ‘quota’ system. Many of these titles remain lost, but those which survive reveal a burgeoning talent. Our new 2-disc collection released in September, Michael Powell: Early Works, brings together five of those early films directed by Powell, newly remastered by the BFI National Archive, including murder mysteries, sensational thrillers and a comedy caper.

...

Also released in September is the 49th release in our Flipside collection, The Outcasts, a previously unavailable Irish folk horror written and directed by the writer of The Blood on Satan’s Claw. Robert Wynne-Simmons’ film is set in an isolated rural community in pre-famine Ireland when poverty and magic were rife. Once billed as the first Irish feature film in 50 years, but hardly seen in the last 40 years, this new 2K restoration by the Irish Film Institute marks the first time The Outcasts has been available on Blu-ray.

Ikiru is in 4k.

Top 20 Selling Blu-ray Discs

1. The Fall Guy
2. The Boy and the Heron
3. Civil War
4. Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths, Part Three
5. Twister
6. The Strangers: Chapter 1
7. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
8. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
9. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare
10. Dune: Part Two
11. Risky Business
12. Oppenheimer
13. Halo: Season Two
14. The Dark Knight Trilogy
15. Abigail
16. The Thing
17. Beetlejuice
18. Challengers
19. The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy
20. Arcadian

Source: Circana VideoScan (based on unit sales from reporting retailers)

Top 20 Selling 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Discs

1. The Boy and the Heron
2. The Fall Guy
3. Twister
4. Civil War
5. Oppenheimer
6. Risky Business
7. Dune: Part Two
8. The Thing
9. Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths, Part Three
10. The Dark Knight Trilogy
11. The Strangers: Chapter 1
12. Jaws 3
13. Halo: Season Two
14. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
15. The Shining
16. Jaws: The Revenge
17. Edge of Tomorrow
18. Beetlejuice
19. Harry Potter Complete 8-Film Collection
20. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare

Source: Circana VideoScan (based on unit sales from reporting retailers)

Top 10 Home Media Sellers (% of Blu-ray’s Market Share Noted)

1. The Fall Guy (64%)
2. The Boy and the Heron (100%)
3. Civil War (100%)
4. Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths, Part Three (100%)
5. Twister (65%)
6. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (56%)
7. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (43%)
8. The Strangers: Chapter 1 (70%)
9. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (67%)
10. Abigail (48%)

Further Reading:

• Top 20 Disc Sellers for Week Ended 2024-07-47
• Top 20 Selling Blu-ray and 4K Discs for Week Ended 2024-07-27

One of the greatest films of all time, Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai has influenced the work of directors from George Lucas to Steven Spielberg, and spawned remakes, most notably John Sturges’ acclaimed The Magnificent Seven.

When 16th-century farmers whose village is repeatedly attacked by merciless bandits ask an elderly, masterless samurai (Takashi Shimura) for help, offering nothing but food in return, he hesitantly agrees and assembles a band of warriors to defend and train the villagers. Boasting terrific performances (with Shimura and Toshiro Mifune – as a peasant masquerading as a samurai – particularly memorable), superb camerawork, and expertly mounted battle sequences, Seven Samurai is undoubtedly one of the greatest action movies ever made.

Newly restored by Toho in 4K, the BFI is delighted to release this all-time classic on UHD for the first time. Available as a limited edition 2-disc set with a book, a set of four postcards and a double-sided poster.

Extras:

• 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
• Newly recorded audio commentary by film critic Adrian Martin
• Akira Kurosawa: It is Wonderful to Create – Seven Samurai (2002, 50 mins)
• The Art of Akira Kurosawa (2013, 49 mins): Asian-cinema expert Tony Rayns discusses Kurosawa's career and influence
• Original trailer
• BFI rerelease trailer
• Double-sided poster featuring artwork by Matt Needle and the BFI’s poster designed for the film’s rerelease
• A set of four postcards featuring iconic scenes from the film
• Perfect-bound book featuring new and archival writing on the film
• Updated and improved English subtitles
• Other extras TBC

Pre-order: BFI Shop

By the power of Umbrella Entertainment! Australia’s indie distribution treasure has given us another banger of a release with 1987’s Masters of the Universe. Now we can all watch the live-action production from the defunct, yet beloved, Cannon Films pitting He-Man versus Skeletor battle for Eternia re-Mastered via a new Blu-ray!

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In the summer of 1987, Cannon Films doubled-dipped with two superhero films, including this one and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (which also received a 4K release as a part of the franchise’s quadrilogy boxset last year). The movies were released mere weeks apart and pulled in equally meager returns at the box office at approximately $17m each; less than their production budgets. Needless to say, they were both considered flops. Most cinephiles know Cannon’s history and recognize Superman and MOTU as the notable releases that were instrumental to the production company’s demise.

Speculation to the many reasons why the film was panned upon its initial release are due to it being released on the end of Masters’ early ’80s craze, having little screen time on Eternia, lack of familiar characters from the popular cartoon and toy line, and the peculiarly shot final battle between He-Man and Skeletor because Mattel cut bait during production. And as much as Dolph Lundgren has recently found a place in the hearts of many nowadays, his casting as He-Man was not considered a good move by critics as well as Mattel back then.

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So it appears that time has been kind to the film, for the most part. It is recognized in both the franchise’s expanded universe by fans and seems to reinvigorate nostalgia of that decade by those who continue to discover it nowadays. And here we are in 2024 with the box office failure-cum-cult classic live action MOTU film getting some new Blu-ray play from our friends Down Under!

The verdict: it’s safe to throw away your cardboard snap case DVD and any other older versions and upgrade to Umbrella’s outstanding Blu-ray transfer. The picture looks mint with the cleanest print ever made commercially available. The audio is 2.0, and while 5.0 would have been more than welcome, it is not a detractor from enjoying this release. But wow did Umbrella kill with that picture quality!

They didn’t skimp on the extras either. There is an all-new featurette on the planned sequel that never saw the light of day. We hear from some players behind that doomed project, such as the late Albert Pyun (Cyborg). Other bonus features include director commentary, extended interviews from Electric Boogaloo, archival features, a Cannon Films reel, trailers and even an Easter Egg. The almost-immediately sold-out Collector’s edition included a 48-page booklet set of lobby cards, rigid slipcase and a poster. So if that set piques your interest, unfortunately you will have to hunt for it on the secondary market since it was adios during the pre-order stage.

Good journey, everyone! If you are a fan of this film or even slightly curious about checking this one out for the first time, you will most certainly get the bang for your buck.