Independent distributors Shout Factory announced today that they have launched an all-new series of film releases called Shout Select. The series will include a variety of titles, from acknowledged classics to cult favorites to unheralded gems.
The first titles that will be released on Blu-ray are
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across The 8th Dimension (Collector's Edition), John Carpenter's
Elvis,
Midnight Run (Collector's Edition),
Road House, and
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure and
Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey. More will be announced later this year.
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension
Expect the unexpected… he does. Neurosurgeon. Physicist. Rock Star. Hero. Buckaroo Banzai (Peter Weller, Robocop) is a true 80s renaissance man. With the help of his uniquely qualified team, The Hong Kong Cavaliers, Buckaroo is ready to save the world on a moment's notice. But after his successful test of the Oscillation Overthruster – a device that allows him to travel through solid matter – he unleashes the threat of "evil, pure and simple from the 8th Dimension"… the alien Red Lectroids.
Led by the deranged dictator Lord John Whorfin (John Lithgow), the Lectroids steal the Overthruster with the intent of using it to return to their home of Planet 10 "real soon!" But no matter where you go, there Buckaroo Banzai is… ready to battle an interdimensional menace that could spell doom for the human race.
How can Buckaroo stop the Lectroids' fiendish plots? Who is the mysterious Penny Priddy? Why is there a watermelon there? For the answers to these and other questions, you have to watch The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai, monkey boy!
Featuring Ellen Barkin, Jeff Goldblum, Christopher Lloyd, and Clancy Brown, Buckaroo Banzai is a cleverly crazed cult classic as only the 80s could deliver.
Special Features will be detailed at a later time.
STREET DATE: AUGUST 16.
Elvis
Kurt Russell IS Elvis in a career-defining performance. Just two years after Elvis Presley died, Kurt Russell brought him back to life in the original biopic about the King of Rock 'n' Roll. Broadcast on ABC in 1979, Elvis marked the first time director John Carpenter would work together in what would become a legendary pairing in film history (Escape From New York, The Thing, Big Trouble In Little China, and Escape From L.A.).
Tracing Presley's life from his impoverished childhood to his meteoric rise to stardom to his triumphant conquering of Las Vegas, Elvis features Shelley Winters (Gladys Presley), Season Hubley (Priscilla Presley), Bing Russell (Kurt's real-life father as Vernon Presley), Pat Hingle (Colonel Tom Parker), Joe Mantegna ("Memphis Mafia" member Joe Esposito) and Ed Begley Jr. (drummer D.J. Fontana) in an all-star supporting cast for an effort that garnered numarous Emmy nominations including Outstanding Lead Actor for Russell.
Special Features:
- "Bringing A Legend To Life" Featurette With Archival Interviews Of Kurt Russell And John Carpenter (1979)
- Audio Commentary By "The Voice Of Elvis" Ronnie McDowell And Author Edie Hand
- Rare Clips From American Bandstand
- Photo Gallery
STREET DATE: AUGUST 16.
Midnight Run
Jack Walsh (Robert De Niro) is a tough ex-cop turned bounty hunter. Jonathan "The Duke" Mardukas (Charles Grodin) is a sensitive accountant who embezzled $15 million from the Mob, gave it to charity and then jumped bail. Jack's in for a cool $100,000 if he can deliver The Duke from New York to L.A. on time…and alive. Sounds like just another Midnight Run (a piece of cake in bounty hunter slang), but it turns into a cross-country chase. The FBI is after The Duke to testify. The Mob is after him for revenge and Walsh is after him to just shut up. If someone else doesn't do the job, the two unlikely partners may end up killing each other in this hilarious, action-filled ride from producer-director Martin Brest (Beverly Hills Cop).
Special Features:
- NEW Interview With Actor Robert De Niro
- We've Got The Duke – An Interview With Actor Charles Grodin
- Moscone Bail Bonds – An Interview With Actor Joe Pantoliano
- Hey Marvin! – An Interview With Actor John Ashton
- I'm Mosely! – An Interview With Actor Yaphet Kotto
- Midnight Writer – An Interview With Writer George Gallo
- Vintage "Making Of" Featurette
- Theatrical Trailer
STREET DATE: AUGUST 23.