Posted September 18, 2022 09:57 PM by Sean Greenwood
For the week of September 19th, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has a Blu-ray and 4K UHD for Chris Palmer's Batman: The Long Halloween – Deluxe Edition, starring the voices of Jensen Ackles, Naya Rivera, Josh Duhamel, Billy Burke and Titus Welliver. Originally released in two parts on Blu-ray back in June and August of 2021, this animated adaptation of the 1990s graphic novel will now get a new release that combines both parts into one film and will be available on 4K UHD for the first time. New extras include the featurette Evolution of Evil.
Also from Warner are two 4K UHD upgrades: First is Tobe Hooper's Poltergeist (1982), starring Craig T. Nelson, JoBeth Williams, Beatrice Straight, Dominique Dunne, Oliver Robins and Heather O'Rourke. Taken from a new 4K master and presented with HDR and a choice of DTS-HD MA 5.1 or original DTS-HD MA 2.0 audio, Poltergeist also comes with a newly remastered Blu-ray, which contains the documentary from the previous Blu-ray edition, but also adds a 1982 making of featurette and a remastered theatrical trailer. In addition to standard packaging, a Best Buy Exclusive SteelBook will also be available. Reviewer Randy Miller gives the picture quality five stars and calls it "a real beauty", while also praising Warner for including the original theatrical audio in lossless quality. For a full disc breakdown and to see screenshots from the newly remastered Blu-ray, read Randy's 4K UHD review.
Then from Warner comes Joel Schumacher's The Lost Boys (1987), starring Jason Patric, Corey Haim, Dianne Wiest, Barnard Hughes, Edward Herrmann and Kiefer Sutherland. Once again taken from a new 4K master and presented with HDR and DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio, The Lost Boys also comes with a newly remastered Blu-ray, which contains several archival extras, including audio commentary with Schumacher, featurettes, delleted scenes, a music video and more. In addition to standard packaging, a Best Buy Exclusive SteelBook will also be available. Reviewer Randy Miller again gives high marks for the film's technical presentation, saying that the picture quality is "like seeing the film for the first time". For a full disc breakdown and to see screenshots from the newly remastered Blu-ray, read Randy's 4K UHD review.
New this week from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is a Blu-ray for Outlander: Season Six (2022). The four-disc set contains all eight episodes from the sixth season, as well as two Outlander Untold scenes, and Blu-ray exclusive extras like deleted scenes and episode commentaries. In addition to standard packaging, a Collector's Edition will also be available, which includes a 28-page booklet, soundtrack and sneak peek of Book 10 in Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series.
New this week from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment is a Blu-ray for B.J. Novak's Vengeance (2022), starring B.J. Novak, Boyd Holbrook, Analeigh Tipton, Dove Cameron, and Ashton Kutcher.
Description: Vengeance, the directorial debut from writer and star B.J. Novak ("The Office"), is a darkly comic thriller about Ben Manalowitz, a journalist and podcaster who travels from New York City to West Texas to investigate the death of a girl he was hooking up with.
Finally for new releases this week, Kino Lorber have a Blu-ray for Antoneta Alamat Kusijanovic's Murina, starring Gracija Filipović, Danica Čurčić, Leon Lučev and Cliff Curtis.
Description:On a remote island along Croatia's Adriatic coast, 17-year-old Julija spends her days diving for eel with her domineering father Ante and watching other teens party on a nearby yacht. Julija bristles at Ante's heavy handed cruelty and resents her mother Nela's passivity. She longs for independence but is unsure how to achieve it, until the arrival of the rich and mysterious Javier seems to offer a way out. Javier is considering buying Ante's land to build a resort, which would allow the family to escape their island isolation for the city. Once Ante's employer and Nela's lover, Javier flirts shamelessly with Nela and Julija, setting off a subtle battle of hypermasculine one-upmanship that pushes Ante to humiliate and control Julija even more. Flattered by Javier's praise and stories of traveling the world, Julija sees him as the solution to all her problems. But does his affection portend freedom, or something more sinister? Winner of the Caméra d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, lensed by award-winning cinematographer Hélène Louvart (The Lost Daughter, Never Rarely Sometimes Always), and Executive Produced by Martin Scorsese, Murina features a ferocious, star-making central performance by Gracija Filipovic and the most sumptuous images of the Mediterranean since The Big Blue. Equal parts fiery feminist outcry and stirring coming-of-age drama, the film announces director Antoneta Alamat Kusijanovic as a major new talent in world cinema.
Kino's Blu-ray of Murina also contains the film's theatrical trailer.
Also coming from Kino Lorber this week are several catalog titles:
James P. Hogan's The Last Train From Madrid (1937), starring Dorothy Lamour, Lew Ayres, Gilbert Roland, Karen Morley, and Lionel Atwill. Sourced from a new 2K master, Kino's Blu-ray contains a new audiocommentary by entertainment journalist and author Bryan Reesman, as well as the film's theatrical trailer.
Lewis Milestone's The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946), starring Barbara Stanwyck, Van Heflin, Lizabeth Scott, Kirk Douglas, and Judith Anderson. Newly remastered in 4K by Paramount Pictures, Kino's Blu-ray contains an audio commentary by author/film historian Alan K. Rode and trailers.
William Dieterle's The Turning Point (1952), starring William Holden, Edmond O'Brien, Alexis Smith, Tom Tully, and Ed Begley. Also remastered in 4K by Paramount Pictures, Kino's Blu-ray again contains an audio commentary by author/film historian Alan K. Rode and the film's theatrical trailer.
Giuseppe Colizzi's Ace High (I quattro dell'Ave Maria) (1968), starring Eli Wallach, Terence Hill, Bud Spencer, Brock Peters, and Kevin McCarthy. Yet again remastered in 4K by Paramount Pictures, Kino's Blu-ray contains an audio commentary by filmmaker Alex Cox and the film's theatrical trailer. Collectible packaging includes a limited edition slipcover.
Gavin Millar's Dreamchild (1985), starring Coral Browne, Ian Holm, Peter Gallagher, Caris Corfman, Nicola Cowper and Jane Asher. Kino's Blu-ray contains an audio commentary by author/film historian Lee Gambin, an audio interview Peter Medak Remembers Coral Browne, moderated by Gambin, and the film's theatrical trailer.
Description: South: Ernest Shackleton and the Endurance Expedition (1919) is the original documentary of the greatest epic in the history of exploration, produced by Shackleton and Frank Hurley.
When Shackleton set sail on the Endurance on August 8, 1914, he planned a brave attempt to cross the continent of Antarctica via the South Pole. But within a day's travel, the Endurance was trapped in unusually heavy pack ice. What followed is one of the most spectacular adventure stories ever—an unbelievable tale of courage and survival. The crew drifted on ice floes for months before landing on the completely deserted Elephant Island. With no chance for rescue, Ernest Shackleton and five of his men made a 850-mile journey in an open boat with only a sextant to guide them across the roughest seas in the world.
Made newly relevant with the 2022 discovery of the Endurance at the bottom of the Weddell Sea—this Milestone Films release of South is newly restored in 2K by the BFI National Archive with the original tints and toning and a new orchestral score by Neil Brand performed by Covent Garden Sinfonia, making this Blu-ray release one to cherish.
Extras for Milestone Films' Blu-ray of South: Ernest Shackleton and the Endurance Expedition include feature audio commentary, audio recordings of Shackleton, a 1999 featurette on Shackleton's boat journey and several vintage short films.
Turning with catalog titles, Paramount Home Media Distribution have a 4K UHD upgrade for Alexandre Aja's Crawl (2019), starring Kaya Scodelario, Barry Pepper, Morfydd Clark, Ross Anderson, and Jose Palma. The film now contains HDR and the extras from the previous Blu-ray, such as an alternate opening, making of featurette, and deleted and extended scenes, are also included.
Finally this week, the Criterion Collection has two Blu-rays to offer. First is Henri-Georges Clouzot's Le Corbeau (The Raven) (1946), starring Pierre Fresnay, Ginette Leclerc, Micheline Francey, Pierre Larquey, Héléna Manson and Noël Roquevert. Sourced from a new 4K master and presented with LPCM Mono sound in the original French (with optional English subtitles), Criterion's Blu-ray of Le Corbeau contains excerpts from a 1975 French television documentary featuring Clouzot, a 2003 featurette with filmmaker Bertrand Tavernier and the film's theatrical trailer. A booklet features an essay by film scholar Alan Williams. Reviewer Svet Atanasov is impressed with the presentation, calling the remastered picture "outstanding" and awarding the disc high marks for both picture and sound quality. For full a disc breakdown, read Svet's Blu-ray review.
Then from Criterion comes Exotica (1994), starring Arsinée Khanjian, Mia Kirshner, Atom Egoyan, Bruce Greenwood, Ashot Adamyan and Elias Koteas. Taken from a 4K master that was approved by director Atom Egoyan and director of photography Paul Sarossy, and featuring DTS-HD MA 2.0 audio, Criterion's Blu-ray of Exiotica comes jam packed with features, including Egoyan's feature film Calendar (1993) (presented with lossy Dolby Digital audio and without any subtitles) which also contains a new introduction. Other extras include audio commentary, a new conversation between Egoyan and actor Sarah Polley, three of Egoyan's short films, and more. Reviewer Svet Atanasov is very pleased with the new remaster, but feels that the single-disc release has some encoding issues. For full a disc breakdown, read Svet's Blu-ray review.