Here at The Bits today, we’ve got a couple things for you...
First up, Tim has turned in another new Blu-ray review featuring his thoughts on Shout! Factory’s Midnight Run: Collector’s Edition. It’s a great disc, so do give Tim’s review a look.
Also, Russell Hammond has posted the weekly update of our Release Dates & Artwork section here on The Bits, featuring all the latest Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD cover art and Amazon.com pre-order links. As always, whenever you order literally anything from Amazon after clicking through one of our links, you’re helping to support our work here at the site and we truly and deeply appreciate it.
Meanwhile, the 4K/Blu-ray news trend continues today with this: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment has just announced Ridley Scott’s Alien: Covenant for release on Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD on 8/15. There will be retail-exclusive editions as well, featuring: Target (with a 36-page book of concept art from the film), Walmart (with an Alien Day fan t-shirt), and Best Buy (with Steelbook packaging featuring the baby Xenomorph). The Blu-ray and 4K editions will feature audio commentary by director Ridley Scott, the Master Class: Ridley Scott making-of documentary, 12 Deleted and Extended Scenes (including Prologue: Extended, Walter in Greenhouse, Oram and Daniels: Extended, Walter Visits Daniels, Daniels Bedroom Flashback, Jacob’s Funeral: Extended, Ledwards Fall, Crossing the Plaza: Extended, Daniels Thanks Walter, Rosenthal Prayer, Walter Reports Back, and Stairs to Eggroom: Extended), 3 USCSS Covenant features (Meet Walter, Phobos, and The Last Supper), 3 SECTOR 87 – PLANET 4 features (The Crossing, Advent, and David’s Illustrations – Image Gallery), and a Production Gallery. Note that the 4K Ultra HD will feature Dolby Atmos audio, while the Blu-ray will have 7.1 DTS-HD MA. You can see the final cover artwork above left and also below.
Back to Shout! Factory again for a moment: The company has just announced that they’re working on a Three O’Clock High: Collector’s Edition and The Incredible Shrinking Woman for Blu-ray release in October as part of their Shout Select line-up. Street dates and additional details are TBA.
On a similar note, our friends at Scream Factory have set The Poughkeepsie Tapes for release on Blu-ray/DVD Combo on 10/10, followed by George Romero’s Land of the Dead on Blu-ray only on 10/24. I also have it on very good authority that Scream will shortly be announcing the Blu-ray release of Tom DeSimone’s Hell Night on 10/24.
In other announcement news today, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has set The Big Bang Theory: The Complete Tenth Season for release on Blu-ray and DVD on 9/12.
Mill Creek Entertainment has set Peter Yates’ Suspect: 30th Anniversary Edition for release on Blu-ray on 9/12. The film stars Cher and Dennis Quaid. The company has also set Leonard: Part 6 for Blu-ray release that same day.
Alliance Entertainment has announced the Blu-ray release of the Abbott and Costello film The Noose Hangs High on 8/15.
Universal will release Arctic Tale, The Devil Inside, Case 39, and Disturbia on Blu-ray on 8/1.
Speaking of Universal, Bits reader Gregory R. has alerted us to the fact that Best Buy is going to have an exclusive new series of Universal Classic Monsters Blu-ray releases on 9/12 in Steelbook packaging, each featuring cover artwork by comic book artist Alex Ross. Each will sell for $19.99, and they’ll include The Creature from the Black Lagoon, Frankenstein, The Bride of Frankenstein, Dracula, The Wolf Man, The Mummy, and The Invisible Man. You can see them here, and they’re pretty terrific, so do check them out. This is speculation, but I would guess that Universal’s wide release of the Complete Legacy Collection Blu-ray sets for The Creature from the Black Lagoon and The Invisible Man will arrive in stores around then as well.
FilmRise has set Young Dracula – The BBC Series: The Complete Fifth Season for release on Blu-ray and DVD on 7/31.
And finally today, our old friend and filmmaker Robert Meyer Burnett has called our attention to a terrific new U.K. Blu-ray label that’s gone a bit under the radar until now: Indicator, which was started by Powerhouse Films Ltd in London (here’s a link to their website). They’re producing wonderful new limited edition Blu-ray and DVD titles of classic catalog films. Coming this month they have Castle Keep, The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T, and Mickey One, followed by A Day in the Death of Joe Egg, The Deadly Affair, The National Health, and The Reckoning. Rob says they’re doing absolutely gorgeous new film transfers for many of these releases. A recent release of note from Indicator is The Sinbad Trilogy Blu-ray box set, which includes The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, The Golden Voyage of Sinbad, and Sinbad and The Eye of the Tiger. Our friend Ed Peters has confirmed that this box set is ALL REGION and the quality is terrific. The set is LOADED with extras and includes an exclusive 80-page book featuring artwork, new essays on Harryhausen and the films, and so much more. It’s limited to 6,000 copies, so if you missed out on the fine past Twilight Time releases of these films, act fast. You can order the set from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk (it’s $80 on Amazon.com but with the current Pound/US Dollar exchange rate it’s just $56 USD on Amazon.co.uk, so that’s the better way to go if you can). I’ve included the cover art with the Amazon.co.uk link below. ACT FAST if you’re interested as the set is selling fast.
All right, we’ll leave you with a look at the cover artwork for some of the titles we’ve mentioned below, with Amazon pre-orders links...
Stay tuned!
- Bill Hunt
(You can follow Bill on social media at these links: Twitter and Facebook)