Posted December 17, 2023 10:25 PM by Sean Greenwood
For the week of December 18th, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment will release David Gordon Green's The Exorcist: Believer, starring Leslie Odom Jr., Lidya Jewett, Jennifer Nettles, Norbert Leo Butz, Ann Dowd and Ellen Burstyn.
Description: Exactly 50 years ago this fall, the most terrifying horror film in history landed on screens, shocking audiences around the world. From Blumhouse and director David Gordon Green, who shattered the status quo with their resurrection of the Halloween franchise, comes The Exorcist: Believer.
Since the death of his pregnant wife in a Haitian earthquake 12 years ago, Victor Fielding (Tony winner and Oscar® nominee Leslie Odom, Jr.; One Night in Miami, Hamilton) has raised their daughter, Angela (Lidya Jewett, Good Girls) on his own.
But when Angela and her friend Katherine (newcomer Olivia Marcum), disappear in the woods, only to return three days later with no memory of what happened to them, it unleashes a chain of events that will force Victor to confront the nadir of evil and, in his terror and desperation, seek out the only person alive who has witnessed anything like it before: Chris MacNeil.
Universal's Blu-ray releases of The Exorcist: Believer contain the film's Dolby Atmos audio, with Dolby Vision HDR on the 4K UHD disc. Extras include filmmaker commentary, Making a Believer, Ellen And Linda: Reunited, Stages of Possession, The Opening, Editing an Exorcism and Matters of Faith. In addition to standard packaging, a Best Buy Exclusive SteelBook and a Walmart Exclusive SteelBook will also be available.
New this week from Paramount Home Media Distribution is a Blu-ray and 4K UHD for Lindsey Beer's Pet Sematary: Bloodlines, starring Henry Thomas, Samantha Mathis, David Duchovny, Natalie Alyn Lind, Pam Grier and Jack Mulhern.
Description: In 1969, a young Jud Crandall is set to leave his hometown of Ludlow, Maine in search of his life's purpose. Before he makes it out, however, Jud and his childhood friends encounter an ancient evil that has gripped Ludlow since its founding.
Paramount's Blu-ray releases of Pet Sematary: Bloodlines contain the extras Origins, Fresh Blood, Death's Design, Method to the Madness and War Comes Home.
New on Blu-ray from Vertical Entertainment is Tim Brown's The Retirement Plan, starring Nicolas Cage, Ashley Greene, Jackie Earle Haley, Joel David Moore, Ernie Hudson and Ron Perlman.
Description: When Ashley (Ashley Greene) and her young daughter Sarah (Thalia Campbell) get caught up in a criminal enterprise that puts their lives at risk, she turns to the only person who can help – her estranged father Matt (Nicolas Cage), currently living the life of a retired beach bum in the Cayman Islands. Their reunion is fleeting as they are soon tracked down on the island by crime boss Donnie (Jackie Earle Haley) and his lieutenant Bobo (Ron Perlman). As Ashley, Sarah and Matt become entangled in an increasingly dangerous web, Ashley quickly learns her father had a secret past that she knew nothing about and that there is more to her father than meets the eye.
New on Blu-ray from Well Go USA is Jeong Yong-ki's The Ghost Station (옥수역 귀신), starring Bo-ra Kim, Jae Hyun Kim, Shin So-yul, Oh Jin-Seok, Kang-il Kim and Kim Na-Yoon.
Description: After a young reporter covers a suspicious accident, she learns from police that her source was supposedly already dead at the time of their interview. As more mysterious deaths occur, she and her partner dig deeper into the case and come face to face with a horrifying truth.
Also coming to Blu-ray from Well Go USA is Frant Gwo's The Wandering Earth II (流浪地球2), starring Andy Lau, Jing Wu, Xuejian Li, Yi Sha, Zhi Wang and Liya Tong.
Description: In the near future, after learning that the sun is rapidly burning out and will obliterate Earth in the process, humans build enormous engines to propel the planet to a new solar system, far out of reach of the sun's fiery flares. However, the journey out into the universe is perilous, and humankind's last shot at survival will depend on a group of young people brave enough to step up and execute a dangerous, life-or-death operation to save the earth.
Well Go USA's Blu-ray of The Wandering Earth II contains the film's Dolby Atmos audio and a trailer.
New on Blu-ray from Decal Releasing is Meg Ryan's What Happens Later, starring Meg Ryan, David Duchovny and Hal Liggett.
Description: Ex lovers Bill (David Duchovny), an eternal pessimist, and Willa (Meg Ryan), a magical thinker, get snowed in at an airport. Indefinitely delayed, they begin to wonder if their reunion is a coincidence or something more enchanted.
New on Blu-ray from Lionsgate Home Entertainment is Graham Phillips and Parker Phillips' Rumble Through the Dark, starring Aaron Eckhart, Bella Thorne, Ritchie Coster, Amanda Saunders, Joe Hursley and Mike McColl.
Description: Golden Globe nominee Aaron Eckhart (The Dark Knight) stars as a desperate, bare-knuckle cage fighter battling for the only thing he has left in Rumble Through The Dark, a riveting action thriller based on Michael Farris Smith's celebrated novel The Fighter. Bella Thorne (The DUFF) shines alongside Eckhart in this gripping film about one man's last-ditch effort to save his family home against the strongest of foes and the longest of odds.
Turning to catalog titles, Radiance Films have a Blu-ray for Yűzô Kawashima's Elegant Beast (しとやかな獣) (1962), starring Ayako Wakao, Yűnosuke Itô, Hisano Yamaoka, Eiji Funakoshi, Hideo Takamatsu and Yűko Hamada. Sourced from a new 4K master, Radiance presents Elegant Beast with LPCM Mono audio and optional English subtitles. Extras include a new interview with film critic Toshiaki Sato, a new appreciation by filmmaker Toshiaki Toyoda, a new visual essay by critic Tom Mes on post-war architecture in Japanese cinema and a trailer. A limited edition booklet with new writing by Midori Suiren and contemporary archival writing is also included.
Coming from Arrow Video is Savage Guns: 4 Classic Westerns (1968-1975) a Blu-ray box set with Paolo Bianchini's I Want Him Dead (1968), Edoardo Mulargia's El Puro (1969), Mario Camus' Wrath of the Wind (1970) and Lucio Fulci's The Four of the Apocalypse (1975). Sourced from new 2K masters struck from original camera negatives, Arrow presents all four films with Italian or English lossless audio tracks and both English and English SDH subtitles. Extras include new introductions to each film by journalist and critic Fabio Melelli, and an illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing on the films by author and critic Howard Hughes. A fold-out double-sided poster is also included, along with limited edition reversible artwork and a slipcover.
Also from Arrow is a remastered Blu-ray and 4K UHD upgrade for Walter Hill's The Warriors (1979), starring Michael Beck, James Remar, Deborah Van Valkenburgh, Marcelino Sánchez, David Harris and Tom McKitterick. Arrow presents The Warriors in both its theatrical and director's cuts, both sourced from new 4K masters and presented with a choice of lossless mono, stereo and new Dolby Atmos audio (theatrical cut) or stereo and 5.1 audio (director's cut) as well as Dolby Vision HDR on the 4K UHD discs. Extras include new audio commentary by film critic Walter Chaw, a new interview with director Walter Hill, a new roundtable discussion with filmmakers Josh Olson, Lexi Alexander and Robert D. Kryzkowski, new interviews with editor Billy Weber and costume designer Bobbie Mannix, a new appreciation of composer Barry De Vorzon by film historian Neil Brand, an isolated score option, archival extras and more. A 100-page perfect-bound collector's book includes new writing by film critic Dennis Cozzalio plus select archival material and limited edition packaging includes a double-sided fold-out poster, six artcards and gang logo stickers. In addition to standard packaging, an Arrow Store Exclusive with Original Artwork will also be available.
Coming to Blu-ray from Kino Lorber is Columbo: Seasons 1-7 (1968-1978), starring Peter Falk. The twenty-disc set contains all episodes of the first seven seasons of the series, sourced from new 4K scans done by NBCUniversal. Extras include the two pilot episodes "Prescription: Murder" (1968) and "Ransom for a Dead Man" (1971), along with the shorter 71-minute cut of "Étude in Black" (1972) and optional music and effects tracks for all episodes, as well as an episode guide booklet.
Also from Kino is a Blu-ray for Jess Franco's Sinner: The Secret Diary of a Nymphomaniac (Le Journal intime d'une nymphomane) (1973), starring Montserrat Prous, Anne Libert, Francisco Acosta, Jacqueline Laurent, Manuel Pereiro and Kali Hansa. Kino presents Sinner: The Secret Diary of a Nymphomaniac with French or English audio tracks and optional English subtitles. Extras include a new audio commentary by novelist and critic Tim Lucas and interviews with actress Jacqueline Laurent, actress Anne Libert and editor Gérard Kikoďne.
Coming to 4K UHD from Kino is George Pavlou's Underworld (1985), starring Denholm Elliott, Steven Berkoff, Ingrid Pitt, Larry Lamb, Nicola Cowper, Art Malik and Brian Croucher. Sourced from a new 4K scan of the original camera negative, Kino presents Underworld with Dolby Vision HDR on the 4K UHD disc. Extras include new audio commentary with George Pavlou, moderated by author Stephen Thrower (Nightmare USA: The Untold Story of the Exploitation Independents) and on the Blu-ray, the 103-minute Transmutations cut in HD, behind-the-scenes footage and image galleries.
Then from Kino is a Blu-ray for Monk: The Complete Second Season (2003-2004). The four-disc set contains all sixteen episodes newly remastered in 4K, along with four short featurettes.
Coming to re-remastered Blu-ray and 4K UHD from Shout is David Cronenberg's The Dead Zone (1983), starring Christopher Walken, Brooke Adams, Tom Skerritt, Herbert Lom, Anthony Zerbe and Colleen Dewhurst. Sourced from a 2023 scan of the original camera negative, Shout presents The Dead Zone with DTS-HD MA 2.0 and 5.1 audio tracks and Dolby Vision HDR on the 4K UHD disc. New extras include a new audio commentary with filmmaker Mike Flanagan and Eric Vespe and Scott Wampler (of The Kingcast), while legacy extras replicate Shout's 2021 Collector's Edition Blu-ray, with four additional audio commentaries (one with isolated score selections), and on the newly remastered Blu-ray, interviews with actress Brooke Adams, production manager John M. Eckert and associate producer Jeffrey Chernov, a Trailers from Hell featurette with Mick Garris, four archival featurettes produced by Paramount Pictures, a theatrical trailer, TV spots and a behind-the-scenes stills gallery.
And also coming to 4K UHD from Shout is Oliver Stone's JFK (1991), starring Kevin Costner, Kevin Bacon, Tommy Lee Jones, Laurie Metcalf, Gary Oldman and Beata Poźniak. Shout presents JFK in its director's cut on 4K UHD and in both its theatrical and director's cuts on Blu-ray, both sourced from new 4K scans of the original camera negative (approved by Oliver Stone) and presented with DTS-HD MA 2.0 and 5.1 audio tracks and Dolby Vision HDR on the 4K UHD disc. Three Blu-ray discs then house the director's cut, the theatrical cut and video extras. New extras include interviews with Oliver Stone, cinematographer Robert Richardson, editor Hank Corwin, co-producer Clayton Townsend, special make up effects artist Gordon J. Smith and Dallas location manager Patty Doherty Hess. Legacy extras include audio commentary with Oliver Stone (on 4K UHD and Blu-ray and both cuts of the film), twelve deleted and extended scenes and an alternate ending (with optional audio commentary by Oliver Stone), Assassination Updated and Meet Mr. X: The Personality and Thoughts of Fletcher Prouty, a still gallery and a theatrical trailer.
Finally this week, Walt Disney Home Entertainment and 20th Century Studios have two new Collector's Edition 4K UHD releases for James Cameron's Avatar (2009) and Avatar: The Way of Water (2022):
For Avatar (2009): This brand new digipack edition features all three cuts of the film on 4K UHD (with Dolby Vision HDR) and Blu-ray: Theatrical (with Dolby Atmos on 4K UHD), Special Edition, and Collector's Extended Cut (with DTS-HD MA 5.1), plus two Blu-rays of new and legacy bonus content. New extras include a behind-the-scenes presentation hosted by Jon Landau, Colonel Miles Quaritch RDA promos and a new still gallery, in addition to hours of legacy extras. For a full breakdown of extras, please see our news article here.
For Avatar: The Way of Water (2022): This brand new digipack edition features the film on 4K UHD (with Dolby Vision HDR) and Blu-ray, plus two Blu-rays of new and legacy bonus content. New extras include a behind-the-scenes presentation hosted by Jon Landau, Memories from Avatar: The Way of Water, a production design panel hosted by Jon Landau, deleted/extended scenes, scene deconstructions, production materials and more, as well as several legacy extras from the previous 4K UHD release. For a full breakdown of extras, please see our news article here.