But back to the Oscars... boy, I’ll tell you, my wife and I shed real tears while watching the In Memoriam segment of last night’s broadcast. I think it was very touching and well done—in spite of some criticism today (which happens every year) about the people who were left off. But man, that was brutal. We’ve lost SO much great talent this year. To single out a particular moment, Billy Crystal’s tribute to his friend Rob Reiner (and Michele Singer Reiner) was very emotional indeed, as was the lineup on stage of Reiner’s many collaborators. Whew!
Anyway, you can find the full list of Oscar winners here at the official website.
Now then… the big release news today is that our friends at the Criterion Collection have unveiled their June slate of Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD releases, and yet again it includes some real gems.
On 6/2, look for upgrades of Bob Rafelson’s Five Easy Pieces (1970) (Spine #546 – 4K UHD + Blu-ray) and Stanley Donen’s Charade (1963) (Spine #57 – 4K UHD + Blu-ray). Following on 6/9, you’ll get Med Hondo’s West Indies: The Fugitive Slaves of Liberty (1979) (Spine #1313 – Blu-ray). On 6/16, look for Lisa Cholodenko’s High Art (1998) (Spine #1314 – Blu-ray). Next up on 6/23 are a pair of John Waters titles, Hairspray (1988) (Spine #1315 – 4K UHD + Blu-ray and Blu-ray) and Desperate Living (1977) (Spine #1316 – 4K UHD + Blu-ray and Blu-ray)! And finally, on 6/30 look for Jafar Panahi’s It Was Just an Accident (2025) (Spine #1317 – 4K UHD + Blu-ray, Blu-ray, and DVD) and Eclipse Series 6: Carlos Saura’s Flamenco Trilogy on Blu-ray—which includes Blood Wedding (1981), Carmen (1983), and El amor brujo (1986).
Also coming from Criterion on 6/23 is another Criterion Premieres title on Blu-ray and DVD, which is Lav Diaz’s Magellan (2025). Here’s a look at the complete slate…
And finally today, producer/director Arnold Leibovit would like you all to know that the newly restored Director’s Cut of his beloved The Puppetoon Movie (1987) is now available for pre-order on region-free Blu-ray from the official Puppetoon.net website! It’s been mastered from a new 4K scan of the original 35 mm negative, featuring more than two hours of bonus content and a 28-page booklet. The street date is 4/24.
Per the official press release: “This restoration reinstates many of the individual Puppetoons original opening and closing titles removed from prior releases, along with full new restorations of Tulips Shall Grow, Together in the Weather, John Henry and the Inky-Poo, Jasper in a Jam, Tubby the Tuba, added Wilbur the Lion, with upgrades of all the original optical effects and transitions. Additional restored Puppetoons include The Philips Broadcast of 1938, South Sea Sweethearts, The Sleeping Beauty, Philips Cavalcade, and excerpts from The Little Broadcast and Hoola Boola. The film is presented in high definition with newly created DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround and LPCM stereo mix, preserving the artistry, music, humor, and visual imagination that defined George Pal’s pioneering ‘Color Cartoons in Three Dimension.’”
Here’s a look at the cover art (click here or on the image below to visits the official site)…
And that’s all for now! Stay tuned...
- Bill Hunt
(You can follow Bill on social media on Twitter/X, BlueSky, and Facebook, and also here on Patreon)