My Two Cents
Monday, 01 February 2021 19:28

Arrow sets Battle Royale & Donnie Darko for 4K, plus Shout! & GKids’ Earwig and the Witch & more catalog announcements

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All right, we’ve got a few new reviews for you today...

I’ve taken a look at Neill Blomkamp’s Elysium (2013) coming to 4K Ultra on 2/9 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. It’s a nice upgrade of the existing Blu-ray release. You’ll find that here.

Also, Tim has reviewed Park Chan-wook’s JSA: Joint Security Area (2000) on Blu-ray from Arrow Video.

And Dennis has given Robert Siodmak’s The Suspect (1944) a look on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

More reviews are on the way this week, including 2012 and Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro both in 4K, plus more new and catalog Blu-rays, so be sure to watch for them.

Let’s start with some 4K Ultra HD news... [Read on here...]

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Arrow Video has announced their April Blu-ray and 4K slate, which is set to include Death Has Blue Eyes (on 4/5), Switchblade Sisters (on 4/18), and Elvira Mistress of the Dark (TBA) on Blu-ray in Steelbook packaging (all in the US, UK, and Canada), Clapboard Jungle (on 4/12) on Blu-ray (in the UK and Canada), Donnie Darko (on 4/26) in 4K Ultra HD (in the US, UK, and Canada), and Battle Royale (on 4/26) on 4K Ultra HD (in the UK only). You can see the open packaging below.

Battle Royale will be a 5-disc set that includes both the Original Theatrical Version and the Special Edition Director’s Cut in 4K mastered from the original camera negative and approved by Kenta Fukasaku (with Dolby Vision and HDR10). You’ll also both versions in Blu-ray, plus Blu-ray editions of the Battle Royale II: Requiem theatrical cut and the Battle Royale II: Revenge extended cut, as well as a soundtrack CD, and significant special features. Here’s a look at the open packaging (click here to pre-order on Amazon.co.uk and here to pre-order on Zavvi US)...

Battle Royale: Limited Edition (4K Ultra HD - UK only)

Donnie Darko will be a 2-disc set that includes 4K restorations of both the Theatrical Cut and Director’s Cut mastered from the original camera negative and supervised and approved by director Richard Kelly and DP Steven Poster (with Dolby Vision and HDR10), plus additional special features. Again, here’s a look at the open packaging (click here to pre-order on Amazon.co.uk and here to pre-order on Zavvi US)...

Donnie Darko: Limited Edition (4K Ultra HD)

On the standard Blu-ray front, our friends at the Warner Archive Collection have announced some new catalog titles, including The Bermuda Depths (1978 – mastered from a new 4K scan of the original camera negative), Crossfire (1947 – mastered from a new 4K scan of the original camera negative), Thundarr the Barbarian: The Complete Series (1980-81), Isle of the Dead (1945 – mastered from a new 4K scan of the original nitrate camera negative), Damn Yankees (1958 – mastered from a new 4K scan of the preservation separation masters), and The Great Caruso (1951 – mastered from a new 4K scan of the original nitrate Technicolor negatives).

Kino Lorber Studio Classics have revealed more new titles too, these for release in April and May, including The Delicious Little Devil (1919) on 4/6, CB4 (1993), Cool as Ice (1991), The Hot Spot (1990), Sweet Liberty (1986), and The Last Married Couple in America (1980) on 5/4, Wild Geese II (1985), Tank (1984), Quantez (1957), and Horizons West (1952) on 5/11, The Daydreamer (1966) and Baxter (1989) on 5/18 (for Scorpion Releasing), and Honky Tonk Freeway (1981), Million Dollar Mystery (1987), and The Night of the Following Day (1969) on 5/25. Also coming in June (street date TBA) are Career Opportunities (1991) and Le Magnifique (1973). And Arise, My Love (1940), The Web (1947), Cartouche (1962), and O.S.S. (1946) are all coming soon (street date TBA).

Meanwhile, Ken Burns’ Baseball is finally being released fully restored and remastered in HD on Blu-ray on 4/13. You can see the cover artwork below. Also coming that day from PBS and is Burns’ new documentary series Hemingway. Again, you can see the cover art below.

Paramount is releasing Cecil B. DeMille’s The Greatest Show on Earth (1952) on Blu-ray on 3/30 as part of their Paramount Presents line. They also have a new Friday the 13th Part II Steelbook Blu-ray on 3/23.

The MVD Rewind Collection have set a Drive: Director’s Cut (1997) for release on Blu-ray on 5/11. This will feature the Extended Director’s Cut in 2.35:1 mastered from a new 4K scan of the camera negative, along with the Theatrical Cut in 1.78:1. Audio will include Dolby Digital 5.1 and LPCM 2.0 on the Extended Cut and 2.0 on the Theatrical. Extras will feature audio commentary (by director Steve Wang, fight choreographer Koichi Sakamoto and stars Mark Dacascos and Kadeem Hardison), 6 deleted scenes, the Drive: The Force Behind The Storm documentary, a 24-minute cast and crew interview gallery, the trailer, reversible artwork, a limited edition slipcover, and a mini-poster.

MVD will also release Action (1989) on Blu-ray that same day in 1.78:1 with 5.1 DTS-HD MA audio, audio commentary (by director John Stewart, star Gregory Scott Cummins and cinematographer Thomas Callaway, moderated by filmmaker Steve Latshaw) an Interview with Director John Stewart, the MVD-exclusive Action U.S.A. Behind the Scenes stunts featurette, a trailer, reversible artwork, a limited edition slipcover, and a mini-poster.

Vinegar Syndrome has set Hitcher in the Dark, The Fear, and a Forgotten Gialli: Volume Three set (includes Autopsy, Murder Mansion, and Crazy Desires of a Murderer) for Blu-ray release on 2/23.

Severin Films will release The Dungeon of Andy Milligan Collection on Blu-ray on 3/16, including 15 films (The Ghastly Ones, The Body Beneath, Nightbirds, Torture Dungeon, Bloodythirsty Butchers, The Rats Are Coming! The Werewolves Are Here!, The Curse of the Full Moon, The Man with Two Heads, Guru the Mad Monk, Legacy of Blood, Legacy of Horror, Fleshpot on 42nd Street, Seeds of Sin, Carnage, and Blood) on 8 Blu-rays, along with a 128-page book and a CD of music by Milligan collaborator Hal Borske.

And finally, not to be outdone, Shout! Factory and GKids have just set Goro Miyazaki’s Earwig and the Witch for release on Blu-ray, DVD, and Steelbook Blu-ray on 4/6. This is Studio Ghibli’s first all-CG animated film.

Here’s a look at the cover artwork for a few of the titles mentioned above, with Amazon.com pre-order links...

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (4K Ultra HD) Earwig and the Witch (Blu-ray Disc) Spaceballs (4K Ultra HD)

Ken Burns' Baseball (Blu-ray Disc) Ken Burns' Hemingway (Blu-ray Disc) The Greatest Show on Earth (Blu-ray Disc)

Back tomorrow with more. Stay tuned!

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