Synopsis: After the stories of Jango and Boba Fett, another warrior emerges in the Star Wars universe. "The Mandalorian" is set after the fall of the Empire and before the emergence of the First Order. We follow the travails of a lone gunfighter in the outer reaches of the galaxy far from the authority of the New Republic.
Disney's 4K UHD releases of The Mandalorian: The Complete First Season and The Mandalorian: The Complete Second Season contain HDR and Dolby Atmos audio. Extras on the first season include Remnants of the Empire and Forging the Covert: Part One, while season two includes Designing the New Republic and Forging the Covert: Part Two. Note that both releases will be available in separate 4K UHD (Season One), Blu-ray (Season One) and 4K UHD (Season Two), Blu-ray (Season Two) SteelBook editions.
Also coming from Disney and 20th Century Studios is a Blu-ray for Gareth Edwards' The Creator (2023), starring John David Washington, Madeleine Yuna Voyles, Gemma Chan, Allison Janney, Ken Watanabe and Sturgill Simpson.
Description: Amidst a future war between the human race and the forces of artificial intelligence, Joshua (John David Washington), a hardened ex-special forces agent grieving the disappearance of his wife (Gemma Chan), is recruited to hunt down and kill the Creator, the elusive architect of advanced AI who has developed a mysterious weapon with the power to end the war — and humankind. Joshua and his team of elite operatives journey across enemy lines into the dark heart of AI-occupied territory, only to discover the world-ending weapon he's been instructed to destroy is an AI in the form of a young child, in this epic sci-fi action thriller directed by Gareth Edwards (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) from a screenplay by Edwards and Chris Weitz.
Disney's 4K UHD release of The Creator contains HDR and the film's Dolby Atmos audio. Extras include the 56-minute featurette True Love: Making The Creator. For a full disc breakdown, read Jeffrey Kauffman's 4K UHD review and Blu-ray review.
New on Blu-ray and 4K UHD from the Criterion Collection is Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson's Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio, starring Ewan McGregor, David Bradley, Gregory Mann, Burn Gorman, Ron Perlman and John Turturro.
Description: A classic tale is reborn through the inspired imagination of cinematic dream-weaver Guillermo del Toro, directing alongside Mark Gustafson. Realized through boundary-pushing, breathtakingly intricate stop-motion animation, this dark rendering of the fable of the puppet boy and his maker—which won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature—daringly transfers the story to Fascist Italy, where the irrepressible Pinocchio gradually learns what it means to be human through his experiences of war, death, and sacrifice. Featuring the voices of Ewan McGregor, Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton, and Christoph Waltz, this Pinocchio imbues the oft-told tale with a bold new resonance about living with courage and compassion.
Criterion's Blu-ray releases of Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio contain the film's Dolby Atmos audio, with Dolby Vision HDR on the 4K UHD disc. Extras include the documentary Handcarved Cinema, shorter featurettes like Directing Stop-Motion and Eight Rules of Animation, a conversation between del Toro and film critic Farran Smith Nehme, an interview with curator Ron Magliozzi on The Museum of Modern Art's 2022 exhibition devoted to the film, two Q&A Sessions recorded in 2022 and 2023 and a trailer for the film. A booklet includes essays by film critic Matt Zoller Seitz and author Cornelia Funke. For a full release breakdowns, read Svet Atanasov's Blu-ray review and 4K UHD review.
Also from Criterion is a Blu-ray box set: The Red Balloon and Other Stories: Five Films by Albert Lamorisse (1951-1965), a two-disc set featuring a new 4K remasters of White Mane (1953) and The Red Balloon (1956), along with new 2K remasters of Bim, the Little Donkey (1951), Stowaway in the Sky (1960) and Circus Angel (1965), all with LPCM Mono audio. Extras include the US English-language version of Bim, the Little Donkey, English narrations for White Mane (by Peter Strauss) and Stowaway in the Sky (by Jack Lemmon) and an English-dubbed track for Circus Angel, a new interview with actor Pascal Lamorisse (Albert Lamorisse's son), the documentary My Father Was a Red Balloon (2008) two archival French TV interviews with Albert Lamorisse. A booklet with an essay by critic David Cairns is also included.
New from Shout Factory on Blu-ray and 4K UHD is Eric Appel's Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, starring Daniel Radcliffe, Evan Rachel Wood, Rainn Wilson, Julianne Nicholson Diedrich Bader and David Bloom.
Description: Daniel Radcliffe is "Weird" Al Yankovic in the unexaggerated true story about the greatest musician of our time. From a conventional upbringing where playing the accordion was a sin, Al rebelled and made his dream of changing the words to world-renowned songs come true. An instant success and sex symbol, Al lives an excessive lifestyle and pursues an infamous romance that nearly destroys him. With Evan Rachel Wood, Rainn Wilson, and an A-list cast of thousands their agents won't let us reveal.
Shout's Blu-ray releases of Weird: The Al Yankovic Story contain DTS-HD MA 7.1 audio, with Dolby Vision HDR on the 4K UHD disc. Extras include commentary with Al Yankovic and Eric Appel, deleted/extended/alternate scenes hosted by Al Yankovic and Eric Appel, movie promos, making of, interviews, a lyric video, trailers and more.
Also new from Shout is a Blu-ray for Orson Oblowitz's Showdown at the Grand, starring Terrence Howard, Dolph Lundgren, Amanda Righetti, John Savage, Piper Curda and Mike Ferguson.
Description: Terrence Howard (Hustle & Flow, Empire), John Savage (The Deer Hunter), Amanda Righetti (The Mentalist), and Dolph Lundgren (Rocky IV, Universal Soldier) star in the no-holds-barred action-comedy Showdown At The Grand. Proud cinephile George Fuller (Howard) loves the movies like no one else. As the owner of a movie theater, he's always got the best seat in the house. But when corporate developers threaten his livelihood, he finds himself closer to the action than he ever imagined! Now Fuller must defend his family business against an onslaught of ne'er-do-wells alongside legendary action star Claude Luc (Lundgren) as art imitates life in a showdown for the ages.
Shout's Blu-ray of Showdown at the Grand contains audio commentary with writer/director Orson Oblowitz and a trailer.
Description: From Multi-Award-Winning Independent Animation Studio Aardman Comes The Complete Collection Of Shaun The Sheep!
Meet Shaun, Bitzer, the Farmer and the rest of the Mossy Bottom flock, and get ready for some awesome farmyard fun! From scrapping with the Naughty Pigs on the farm to hitching a ride into town to find pizza, there's never a dull moment for Shaun and his friends!
The seven-disc Blu-ray of Shaun the Sheep: The Complete Series contains all six series (seasons) of the Aardman Animations program, along with the specials The Farmer's Llamas (2015) and The Flight Before Christmas (2021), as well as Mossy Bottom Shorts and Championsheeps Shorts.
Finally from Shout is a 4K UHD upgrade for Jonathan Lynn's Clue (1985), starring Tim Curry, Christopher Lloyd, Eileen Brennan, Michael McKean, Colleen Camp and Lesley Ann Warren. Sourced from a new 4K scan of the original camera negative, Shout presents Clue with DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono audio and Dolby Vision HDR on the 4K UHD disc. Extras include three different surprise endings (on Blu-ray and 4K UHD) while the included remastered Blu-ray also has new interviews with Jonathan Lynn, associate producer Jeffrey Chernov and film music historian Daniel Schweiger, along with a trailer for the film.
New on Blu-ray and 4K UHD from Paramount Home Media Distribution is Jeff Rowe and Kyler Spears' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, starring Micah Abbey, Shamon Brown Jr., Nicolas Cantu, Brady Noon, Ayo Edebiri and Maya Rudolph.
Studio description: After years of being sheltered from the human world, the Turtle brothers set out to win the hearts of New Yorkers and be accepted as normal teenagers through heroic acts. Their new friend April O'Neil helps them take on a mysterious crime syndicate, but they soon get in over their heads when an army of mutants is unleashed upon them.
Paramount's Blu-ray releases of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem contain the film's Dolby Atmos audio, with Dolby Vision HDR on the 4K UHD edition. Extras include the featurettes TEENage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Mutant Uprising, New York, New York: The Visual World of MUTANT MAYHEM and Learn to Draw Leo. In addition to standard packaging, a Dual Format SteelBook and a Walmart Exclusive Dual Format SteelBook with Mini-Poster will also be available.
Also new from Paramount is a Blu-ray for Cal Brunker's PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie, starring Mckenna Grace, Taraji P. Henson, Marsai Martin, Christian Convery, Ron Pardo and Lil Rel Howery.
Synopsis: When a magical meteor crash lands in Adventure City, it gives the PAW Patrol pups superpowers, transforming them into The MIGHTY PUPS! But they face their mightiest challenge yet when the pups' archrival Humdinger breaks out of jail and teams up with Victoria Vance, a mad scientist, to steal the superpowers for themselves. With the fate of Adventure City hanging in the balance, the Mighty Pups have to stop the supervillains before it's too late.
Paramount's Blu-ray release of PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie contains the film's Dolby Atmos audio. Extras include the featurettes PAW-Somely Mighty Pups and A Totally PAW-Some Cast. For a full disc breakdown, read Martin Liebman's Blu-ray review.
New this week on Blu-ray and 4K UHD from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment is Emma Tammi's Five Nights at Freddy's, starring Josh Hutcherson, Piper Rubio, Elizabeth Lail, Matthew Lillard, Mary Stuart Masterson and Kat Conner Sterling.
Description: The producers of M3GAN and The Black Phone bring the terrifying horror game phenomenon to life as a blood-chilling film. Recently fired and desperate for work so that he can keep custody of his little sister, Mike (Josh Hutcherson; The Hunger Games Franchise) agrees to take a position as a night security guard at an abandoned theme restaurant: Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria. But Mike soon discovers that nothing at Freddy's is what it seems. Mike's nights at Freddy's will lead him into unexplainable encounters with the supernatural and drag him into the black heart of an unspeakable nightmare.
Universal's Blu-ray releases of Five Nights at Freddy's contain the film's Dolby Atmos audio, with HDR on the 4K UHD edition. Extras include the featurettes Five Night's at Freddy's: From Game to the Big Screen, Killer Animatronics and Five Nights in Three Dimensions, as well as a trailer for the film.
New on Blu-ray from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is Craig Gillespie's Dumb Money, starring Paul Dano, Pete Davidson, Vincent D'Onofrio, America Ferrera, Myha'la and Nick Offerman.
Description: Dumb Money is the ultimate David vs. Goliath tale, based on the insane true story of everyday people who flipped the script on Wall Street and got rich by turning GameStop (yes, the mall video game store) into the world's hottest company. In the middle of everything is regular guy Keith Gill (Paul Dano), who starts it all by sinking his life savings into the stock and posting about it. When his social posts start blowing up, so does his life and the lives of everyone following him. As a stock tip becomes a movement, everyone gets rich – until the billionaires fight back, and both sides find their worlds turned upside down.
Sony's Blu-ray release of Dumb Money contains filmmaker commentary, deleted scenes and the featurettes Fat Cats vs. The Roaring Kitty , Diamond Hand Ensemble and Join the Cast & Discover the Insane True Story! as extras.
Also coming from Sony is a Blu-ray for Ed Harris' Pollock (2000), starring Ed Harris, Marcia Gay Harden, Tom Bower, Jennifer Connelly, Bud Cort and John Heard. Extras include audio commentary with Ed Harris, a making of documentary, an interview with Ed Harris by Charlie Rose, deleted scenes and theatrical trailers.
New on Blu-ray from MUBI is Ira Sachs' Passages (2023), starring Franz Rogowski, Ben Whishaw, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Erwan Kepoa Falé, William Nadylam and Caroline Chaniolleau.
Description: Celebrated filmmaker Ira Sachs (Love is Strange) makes a breathtaking return with PASSAGES, a fresh, honest and brutally funny take on messy, modern relationships, starring Franz Rogowski (Great Freedom), Ben Whishaw (Women Talking) and Adèle Exarchopoulos (Blue Is the Warmest Colour). Set in Paris, this seductive drama tells the story of Tomas (Rogowski) and Martin (Whishaw), a gay couple whose marriage is thrown into crisis when Tomas begins a passionate affair with Agathe (Exarchopoulos), a younger woman he meets after completing his latest film. Perceptive, intimate and unashamedly sexy, PASSAGES sees Sachs bridge his usually tender style with a uniquely European sensibility, providing an insightful and authentic take on the complexities, contradictions and cruelties of love and desire.
MUBI's Blu-ray of Passages contains a Q&A with Ira Sachs as an extra.
New on Blu-ray from Cinema Guild is Hong Sangsoo's Walk Up (탑) starring Kwon Hae-hyo, Lee Hye-yeong, Song Seon-mi, Yun-hee Cho, Mi-so Park and Shin Seok-ho.
Description: In his ninth film for Hong Sangsoo, Kwon Haehyo plays Byungsoo, a film director who goes with his daughter Jeongsu (Park Miso), an aspiring interior designer, to a building owned by an old friend (Lee Hyeyoung) already established in the design field. She gives them a tour of the property, which includes a restaurant and cooking studio on the first two floors, her office in the basement, a residence on the third floor and an artist's studio at the top. The three of them amicably chat the day away. But when his daughter leaves to get more wine, Byungsoo is left to spend time with the landlord and the other residents of her building. With Walk Up, Hong Sangsoo returns to an interest in structure that has been a defining characteristic of his work from the beginning. And this time the structure is a literal one. As Byunsgoo makes his way up the floors of the building, Hong fills these spaces with a profusion of everyday details spanning art, love, career, religion, dietary decisions and home renovations.
Cinema Guild's Blu-ray of Walk Up contains a video tour of the building featured in the film, a theatrical trailer and a booklet with an essay by translator and Korean film scholar Darcy Paquet.
New on Blu-ray from Music Box Films is Babak Jalali's Fremont, starring Anaita Wali Zada, Gregg Turkington, Jeremy Allen White, Hilda Schmelling, Avis See-tho and Siddique Ahmed.
Description: Each morning Donya (Anaita Wali Zada) leaves her tight-knit community of Afghan immigrants in Fremont, California. She crosses the Bay to work at a family-run fortune cookie factory in San Francisco. Donya drifts through her routine, struggling to connect with the culture and people of her new, unfamiliar surroundings while processing complicated feelings about her past as a translator for the U.S. government in Afghanistan. Unable to sleep, she finagles her way into a regular slot with a therapist (Gregg Turkington) who grasps for prospective role models. When an unexpected promotion at work thrusts Donya into the position to write her own story, she communicates her loneliness and longing through a concise medium: the fortunes inside each cookie. Donya's koans travel, making a humble social impact and expanding her world far beyond Fremont and her turbulent past, including an encounter with a quiet auto mechanic (Jeremy Allen White) who could stand to see his own world expanded.
New on Blu-ray from Well Go USA is John Curran's Mercy Road, starring Luke Bracey, Huw Higginson, Toby Jones and Susie Porter.
Description: After committing an impulsive, vicious crime while searching for his missing daughter, a frantic father (Luke Bracey) goes on the run from law enforcement and soon begins receiving chilling calls from an unknown entity claiming to know her whereabouts. As he faithfully follows the caller's increasingly unhinged instructions, he is driven perilously close to the edge of sanity while discovering exactly how far he is willing to go to save his child.
Well Go USA's Blu-ray of Mercy Road contains a trailer for the film. For a full disc breakdown, read Jeffrey Kauffman's Blu-ray review.
Description: Cody Wilson is one of the most incendiary and polarizing figures of the digital revolution. With unprecedented access, Jessica Solce has crafted a riveting and intimate film that places the viewer right alongside Wilson on his harrowing, revelatory journey.
Encode Production's Blu-ray of Death Athletic: A Dissident Architecture contains deleted scenes, a trailer and more.
New on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber is Aristotle Torres' Story Ave, starring Asante Blackk, Luis Guzman, Melvin Gregg, Alex Hibbert and Coral Peña.
Description: South Bronx teen Kadir (Asante Blackk) is a gifted visual artist who loses his way following the death of his younger brother. Overcome with grief and struggling with the pressures of school and family, he escapes into the thrilling yet dangerous world of graffiti gangs, seeking an outlet for the creative force threatening to explode out of him. To prove himself and join his neighborhood's ruling gang, Kadir tries to rob no-nonsense MTA conductor Luis (Luis Guzmán) on the Story Ave subway platform. He is caught off guard when Luis agrees to give Kadir the cash if he'll sit down to a meal with him. Following their conversation and the delicate, transformative friendship that grows out of it, Kadir sees for the first time how his artistic talent could lead to a better life. Winner of the Best Cinematography prize at SXSW, this moving and authentic portrait of the South Bronx announces an exciting new cinematic voice in Aristotle Torres and offers a welcome showcase for beloved character actor Guzman and rising star Blackk (This Is Us), alongside a supporting cast of up-and-comers including Alex R. Hibbert (Moonlight), Cassandra Freeman (Bel-Air), Coral Peña (For All Mankind), and Melvin Gregg (The Blackening).
Kino's Blu-ray of Story Ave contains a theatrical trailer.
Also from Kino are three special edition re-releases on Blu-ray, for Val Guest's The Quatermass Xperiment (1955), which adds a new audio commentary with film historian / screenwriter Gary Gerani, Pete Walker's House of the Long Shadows (1983), which adds the feature-length documentary House of the Long Shadows… Revisited and a new interview with Pete Walker, and a newly-encoded release of Peter Hyams' Running Scared (1986) with the same extras as the previous Kino Blu-ray.
Coming to Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D from Kino and the 3-D Film Archive is Bruce Malmuth's The Man Who Wasn't There (1983), starring Steve Guttenberg, Art Hindle, Lisa Langlois, William Forsythe, Bruce Malmuth and Deborah Dutch. Newly remastered from a 4K scan of the original camera negative by Paramount Pictures, Kino presents The Man Who Wasn't There in standard 2D, anaglyph 3D and Blu-ray 3D presentations, with new audio commentary by Paul Corupe of Canuxploitation.com and film historian Jason Pichonsky, as well as a theatrical trailer (in 2D or 3D). A pair of anaglyphic 3D glasses is also included.
Finally this week, Kino has two titles coming to both Blu-ray and 4K UHD. First is John Woo's Face/Off (1997), starring John Travolta, Nicolas Cage, Joan Allen, Alessandro Nivola, Gina Gershon and Dominique Swain. Newly remastered from a 4K scan of the original camera negative, Kino presents Face/Off with lossless 5.1 and 2.0 audio tracks and Dolby Vision HDR on the 4K UHD disc. Extras include new audio commentary by action film historians Mike Leeder and Arne Venema, while legacy extras include two filmmaker commentaries, deleted scenes, making of documentary, featurette and theatrical trailer.
Then from Kino is a Blu-ray and 4K UHD release for E. Elias Merhige's Suspect Zero (2004), starring Aaron Eckhart, Ben Kingsley, Carrie-Anne Moss, Harry Lennix, Kevin Chamberlin and Chloe Russell. Newly remastered from a 4K scan of the original camera negative, Kino presents Suspect Zero with lossless 5.1 and 2.0 audio tracks and Dolby Vision HDR on the 4K UHD disc. Extras include filmmaker commentary, featurettes, an alternate ending with optional filmmaker commentary, TV spots and theatrical trailers.