Posted February 5, 2023 09:10 PM by Sean Greenwood
For the week of February 6th, Walt Disney Home Entertainment will release Ryan Coogler's Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, starring Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Winston Duke and Angela Bassett. After the historic success of Black Panther in 2018, including seven Oscar nominations and three wins, as well as making over $1.3 billion worldwide, a sequel seemed obvious. However, unbeknownst to the public and to the film's cast and crew, star Chadwick Boseman had been privately battling cancer, and would pass away suddenly in August 2020. While Boseman's death could have meant that the Black Panther character would be recast, Marvel ultimately made the decision not to do so and instead, writer and director Coogler re-tooled the script to focus on other characters. The 30th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is considered the final film of Phase Four of the series, and released in November 2022 to critical acclaim and box office success, earning over $181 million on its opening weekend. So far, the film has grossed over $453 million domestically and over $842 million globally, with more to come, as this week, the film will become the first Marvel title to release in China since Spider-Man: Far from Home in 2019.
Disney's 4K UHD release of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will contain HDR and the film's Dolby Atmos audio, while the Blu-ray will contain a DTS-HD MA 7.1 track. Extras include filmmaker audio commentary, four deleted scenes, two featurettes and a gag reel. As usual, Disney has lined up several retailer exclusives in addition to standard 4K UHD and Blu-ray editions, including a Best Buy Exclusive Talokán SteelBook, a Best Buy Exclusive Wakanda SteelBook and a Walmart Exclusive with Enamel Pin. Reviewing the 4K UHD disc, Martin Liebman says that "The image is well improved from the Blu-ray. The overall clarity differences are fairly striking, with the 2160p resolution presenting a pleasing gain to sharpness overall and frame definition in general...This is the clear superior to the Blu-ray." For full disc breakdowns, read Martin's 4K UHD review and Blu-ray review.
Studio description: Celebrate 100 magical years of Disney with this collectible compilation of animated shorts! With new introductions by Mickey & Minnie, these 10 wonderful stories include such classics as the iconic Steamboat Willie, where Mickey Mouse first appeared, Brave Little Tailor, Hawaiian Holiday, On Ice, and six more delightful stories!
Disney's Blu-ray of Mickey & Minnie: 10 Classic Shorts - Volume 1 contains lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 audio, as well as French and Spanish audio and English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles. In addition to standard packaging, a Walmart Exclusive with Enamel Pin will also be available.
New this week on 4K UHD and Blu-ray from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment comes the latest DCAU movie, Legion of Super-Heroes, starring the voices of Jensen Ackles, Matt Bomer, Meg Donnelly, Harry Shum Jr., Darren Criss and Jennifer Hale.
Studio description: Welcome to the 31st century and the Legion Academy, where a new generation hones their powers with hopes of joining the Legion of Super-Heroes. Devastated by tragedy, Supergirl struggles to adjust to her new life on Earth. Taking her cousin Superman's advice, Supergirl leaves their space-time to attend the Academy. There, she quickly makes new friends, as well as a new enemy with old ties: Brainiac 5. But a nefarious plot lurks in the shadows – the mysterious group known as the Dark Circle seeks a powerful weapon held in the Academy's vault. Find out if the budding heroes can rise to the challenge in this all-new DC Universe Movie!
Warner's Blu-ray releases of Legion of Super-Heroes contain DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio, with HDR on the 4K UHD disc. Extras include four featurettes and two episodes of Superman: The Animated Series, as well as previews of other DCAU titles. For full disc breakdowns, read Randy Miller's 4K UHD review and Blu-ray review.
New this week from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment is a Blu-ray for Michael Showalter's Spoiler Alert, starring Jim Parsons, Ben Aldridge, Sally Field, Bill Irwin and Josh Pais.
Studio description: Based on the bestselling memoir, Spoiler Alert is a funny, heartwarming and life-affirming story of how a relationship is transformed and deepened when one of them falls ill.
Universal's Blu-ray of Spoiler Alert contains the featurette Spoiler Alert: From Memoir to Movie and deleted scenes.
New this week from Paramount Home Media Distribution is a Blu-ray for Joe Pickett: Season One (2021), starring Michael Dorman, Julianna Guill, Sharon Lawrence, Paul Sparks and David Alan Grier.
Description: Based on the best-selling book series from CJ Box, Joe Pickett is the new game warden of a town as beautiful and charming as it is corrupt and dangerous. When a poacher turns up brutally murdered, Joe decides to investigate it to keep his wife and young daughters safe. This sets off a chain of events that uncovers lies and deceit from within the community, putting Joe and his family in mortal danger. This three-disc set includes every episode from season one plus exclusive deleted scenes!
Turning to catalog titles, new label Radiance Films has a Blu-ray for Jean-Denis Bonan's A Woman Kills (La Femme bourreau) (1968), starring Claude Merlin, Solange Pradel, Myriam Mézières, Jackie Raynal and Catherine Deville.
Description: A series of prostitute murders disturbs the public with the thought of a serial killer on the loose. Hélène Picard, a prostitute, is sentenced and executed for the murders, but shortly thereafter similar crimes continue. Executioner Louis Guilbeau meanwhile develops a relationship with the investigating officer, Solange, who soon learns Louis may not be who he says he is.
Radiance Films presents A Woman Kills in a new 2K master sourced from original 16mm elements, with LPCM 2.0 Mono audio and optional English subtitles. Extras include audio commentary by critics Kat Ellinger and Virginie Sélavy, an introduction by Sélavy, a newly updated documentary On the Margin: The Cursed Films of Jean-Denis Bonan, several of Jean-Denis Bonan's short films and a trailer, along with a limited edition booklet with an interview and essays. Reviewer Jeffrey Kauffman says of the Blu-ray: "Considering the history of the production, this is often a fantastic looking transfer". For a full disc breakdown, read Jeffrey's Blu-ray review.
Then from Lightyear Entertainment comes a 4K UHD upgrade for Jim Wynorski's The Return of Swamp Thing (1989), starring Louis Jourdan, Heather Locklear, Sarah Douglas, Dick Durock and Joey Sagal. Presented in a new 4K master from an original interpositive, with Dolby Vision HDR and DTS-HD MA 5.1 and 2.0 audio tracks, Lightyear also includes extras on their 4K UHD disc, including two audio commentaries, a new interview with producer Michael E. Uslan, and a RiffTrax music video for "Your Ever-Lovin' Swamp Thing" by The RiffTones, along with additional legacy extras on an included Blu-ray. For a full disc breakdown, read Jeffrey Kauffman's 4K UHD review.
Then, the Criterion Collection has a 4K UHD upgrade for Krzysztof Kieślowski's Three Colors (Trois Couleurs) (1993-1994) trilogy, a six-disc box set that contains 4K UHD and remastered Blu-rays for Three Colors: Blue (Trois Couleurs: Bleu) (1993), Three Colors: White (Trois Couleurs: Blanc) (1994) and Three Colors: Red (Trois Couleurs: Rouge) (1994). Newly remastered in 4K and presented with DTS-HD MA 5.1 and 2.0 audio tracks, along with Dolby Vision HDR on the 4K UHD discs, Criterion's presentation includes the same extensive extras package as their previously released 2011 Blu-ray, including three cinema lessons Krzysztof Kieślowski, three short films by Kieślowski, Krzysztof Wierzbicki's documentary Krzysztof Kieslowski: I'm So-So... (1995), interviews with cast and crew, video essays and more. As of this writing, reviewer Svet Atanasov has already completed the Three Colors: Blue 4K UHD review, which can be accessed at the link.
New this week on Blu-ray from Shout Factory is a Blu-ray for Kamen Rider Ryuki: The Complete Series (仮面ライダー龍騎) (2002-2003), starring Takamasa Suga, Satoshi Matsuda, Ayano Sugiyama, Kenzaburo Kikuchi and Ryohei.
Label description: "Mirror World" exists symmetrically beyond an invisible mirror in space, and is an exact copy of our human world, where only monsters can dwell. Evil monsters frequently cross the mirror and attack our world. Only Kamen Riders, who make a contract with a specific monster and obtain a special power from it, can enter "Mirror World" to fight with the help of an "Advent Card." Shinji Kido, a journalist, contracts with a dragon and becomes Kamen Rider Ryuki. He fights a fierce battle with evil monsters. Many Kamen Riders appear one after another, and fight to satisfy their own aims. However, only one Kamen Rider can outlive the others. Thus, it is their fate to keep fighting to the last man.
Shout's Blu-ray of Kamen Rider Ryuki: The Complete Series is an eight-disc set that contains all 50 episodes in Japanese with English subtitles. Extras include Kamen Rider Ryuki Episode Final: The Director's Cut.
Finally this week, Shout has a 4K UHD upgrade for Don Coscarelli's Bubba Ho-Tep (2002), starring Bruce Campbell, Ossie Davis, Ella Joyce, Heidi Marnhout and Bob Ivy. Sourced from a new 4K scan of the original camera negative, Shout presents Bubba Ho-Tep with DTS-HD MA 5.1 and 2.0 audio tracks, along with Dolby Vision HDR on the 4K UHD disc. Extras include three previously unreleased featurettes: Bubba Ho-Tep Filming Locations Then And Now, Bubba Ho-Tep Egyptian Theatre Premiere and Bubba Ho-Tep At The Toronto Film Festival,as well as the three audio commentaries and numerous video extras from Shout's 2016 Collector's Edition Blu-ray.