You can see the cover artwork for both versions of Aladdin in Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD below.
Now then... the other piece of big news if that The Criterion Collection has just officially announced their long-awaited Spine #1000, as expected, and it’s exactly what we hoped for: An 8-disc, 15-film Godzilla: The Shōwa Era-Films, 1954-1975 Blu-ray box set! Available on 10/19, the set (SRP $224.95, but it’s already marked down to about $179) will include the films Godzilla (1954), Godzilla Raids Again (1955), King Kong vs. Godzilla (1963), Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964), Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964), Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965), Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966), Son of Godzilla (1967), Destroy All Monsters (1968), All Monsters Attack (1969), Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971), Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972), Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973), Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974), and Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975). Those will come packaged in a “giant deluxe hardcover book (10” x 14”) with notes on each film and new illustrations from sixteen artists, new and archival interviews with cast and crew members, and much, much more!” Here are the specs, straight from Criterion:
- High-definition digital transfers of all fifteen Godzilla films made between 1954 and 1975, released together for the first time, with uncompressed monaural soundtracks
- High-definition digital transfer of Godzilla, King of the Monsters (1956), the U.S.-release version of Godzilla
- Japanese-release version of King Kong vs. Godzilla from 1962
- Audio commentaries from 2011 on Godzilla and Godzilla, King of the Monsters featuring film historian David Kalat
- International English-language dub tracks for Invasion of Astro-Monster, Son of Godzilla, Destroy All Monsters, Godzilla vs. Megalon, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, and Terror of Mechagodzilla
- Directors Guild of Japan interview with director Ishiro Honda, conducted by director Yoshimitsu Banno in 1990
- Programs detailing the creation of Godzilla’s special effects and unused effects sequences from Toho releases including Destroy All Monsters
- New interview with filmmaker Alex Cox about his admiration for the Showa-era Godzilla films
- New and archival interviews with cast and crew members, including actors Bin Furuya, Tsugutoshi Komada, Haruo Nakajima, and Akira Takarada; composer Akira Ifukube; and effects technicians Yoshio Irie and Eizo Kaimai
- Interview with critic Tadao Sato from 2011
- Illustrated audio essay from 2011 about the real-life tragedy that inspired Godzilla
- New English subtitle translations
- Trailers
- PLUS: A lavishly illustrated deluxe hardcover book featuring an essay by cinema historian Steve Ryfle, notes on the films by cinema historian Ed Godziszewski, and new illustrations by Arthur Adams, Sophie Campbell, Becky Cloonan, Jorge Coelho, Geof Darrow, Simon Gane, Robert Goodin, Benjamin Marra, Monarobot, Takashi Okazaki, Angela Rizza, Yuko Shimizu, Bill Sienkiewicz, Katsuya Terada, Ronald Wimberly, and Chris Wisnia
That is just tremendous. And here’s what it all looks like (the open package and a sample page)...
And here’s the official teaser trailer for the set...
You can read more about this release here on the official Criterion website.
Now then... not to forget about Disney’s Aladdin, but here are the Blu-ray and 4K covers for each, and we’ll add the Amazon.com pre-order links when they go live...
Whew! That’s all for now. The 3rd and 4th Quarter of 2019 is shaping up to be a real bank account buster!
Speaking of which, here’s all the new Disney and Pixar 4K Ultra HD product due on 9/10: Cars, Cars 2, Brave, The Good Dinosaur, Inside Out, Ratatouille, Finding Nemo, and Finding Dory. You can actually pre-order them now on Amazon by clicking on the covers...
Stay tuned...
-Bill Hunt
(You can follow Bill on social media at these links: Twitter and Facebook)