20th Century Fox Home Entertainment has set the comedies The Way, Way Back and The Internship for Blu-ray and DVD release on 10/22.  The Way, Way Back will include 4 featurettes (The Making of The Way, Way Back, Tour of the Water Park, The Filmmakers: Jim & Nat and Ensemble) and deleted scenes.  The Internship will include both the theatrical and unrated versions, audio commentary on both with Shawn Levy, the Any Given Monday featurette and deleted scenes.  [Editor's Note: FYI, we’ve been informed that The Way, Way Back is not yet officially announced, but should be in the next few weeks, so street date and extras details are still subject to change.]

Here’s something cool: Shout! Factory and director Werner Herzog have joined up in a new distribution deal to release some 16 classic Herzog films on Blu-ray, DVD and digital.  These will include Fitzcarraldo, Aguirre: The Wrath of God, Nosferatu the Vampyre, The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser, Woyzeck, Heart of Glass, Cobra Verde, Stroszek, Fata Morgana, Little Dieter Needs to Fly, Lessons of Darkness, Ballad of the Little Soldier, Land of Silence and Darkness and more TBA.  Very nice indeed.

Meanwhile, the BBC has set Sinbad: The Complete First Season for Blu-ray and DVD release on 9/3 (SRP $34.98 and $29.98).

Cohen Media Group has set the film noir Two Men in Manhattan for release on Blu-ray and DVD on 9/17 (SRP $39.98 and $29.98). This is the 1959 film by writer-director Jean-Pierre Melville of Bob le Flambeur, Le Samourai and Army of Shadows fame.

Gaiam Vivendi Entertainment, Bloody Disgusting Selects and The Collective will release The Haunting of Helena on DVD on 9/17.

CBS and Paramount have set CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: The Thirteenth Season for DVD only release on 9/17.

Well Go USA Entertainment has set OKA! for release on Blu-ray and DVD on 10/22.

The Cinema Guild has set the documentary Leviathan for Blu-ray and DVD release on 10/8.

Universal has announced more new nature documentary Blu-rays for release on 11/12, including Fascination Coral Reef: Hunters and the Hunted, Ocean Predators and Polar Bears: Ice Bear.

Anchor Bay Films has set Embrace of the Vampire for Blu-ray and DVD Combo release on 10/15.  This is a remake of the 1995 cult film starring Alyssa Milano, which will also be available on Blu-ray for the first time that same day.

And following up on Anchor Bay’s announcement of the 11/12 Blu-ray release of Lion of the Desert and The Message, Lion’s running time will be 156 minutes and The Message will be 171 minutes.  The confirmed aspect ratio for each will be 1.78:1 (like the U.K. releases, though not OAR) for what it’s worth.

In other news, Sony has officially set the PlayStation 4 for release on 11/15 – SRP will be $399.

And finally, a tip of the hat this afternoon in honor of the passing of the great American writer and crime novelist Elmore Leonard, author of such classics as Get Shorty, Freaky Deaky and Glitz.  His short story Fire in the Hole inspired the TV series Justified.  He was 87.  More here at the New York Times.  (Note that the photo of Leonard above is by Daniel Borris for the Times).

We’ll leave you today with a look at some cool new Blu-ray cover artwork for Universal’s Notting Hill (due 10/15), Olive Film’s Betty Boop: The Essential Collection – Volume 1 (now available) and Volume 2 (due 9/24), and Criterion’s amazing Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman box set (11/26).  All are now available for order or pre-order on Amazon.com by clicking on the cover art...

Stay tuned...

- Bill Hunt