For the week of March 11th, Walt Disney Home Entertainment will release James Cameron's The Abyss (1989) and True Lies (1994) on Blu-ray and 4K UHD Blu-ray, finally ending an almost twenty year wait to get both films on the Blu-ray format. Not to be left out, Disney will also provide a 4K UHD Blu-ray and remastered Blu-ray for Cameron's Aliens (1986).
All three films will feature Dolby Atmos and DTS-HD MA 2.0 audio tracks and Dolby Vision HDR on 100 GB 4K UHD discs, with DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio on the Blu-rays.
For Aliens, a three-disc set includes both the theatrical and special editions of the film on 4K UHD and Blu-ray, along with the same exhaustive assortment of audio commentaries, isolated scores, "enhancement pods" and other video extras from the previous Blu-ray release.
For The Abyss, a three-disc set includes both the theatrical and special editions of the film on 4K UHD and Blu-ray, along with the new extras Deep Dive: A Conversation with James Cameron and The Legacy of The Abyss. Additional legacy extras include Under Pressure: Making The Abyss, featurettes, trailers and more.
Finally, for True Lies, the Blu-ray features the new extras Fear Is Not an Option: A Look Back at True Lies and Archives: Script, Artwork, Marketing.
Disney also has two new releases this week. First up from Disney and Searchlight Pictures is a Blu-ray for Yorgos Lanthimos' Poor Things, starring Emma Stone, Margaret Qualley, Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe, Christopher Abbott and Ramy Youssef.
Description: From filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos and producer Emma Stone comes this incredible tale and fantastical evolution of Bella Baxter (Emma Stone), a young woman brought back to life by the brilliant and unorthodox scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe). Under Baxter's protection, Bella is eager to learn. Hungry for the worldliness she is lacking, Bella runs off with Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo), a slick and debauched lawyer, on a whirlwind adventure across the continents. Free from the prejudices of her times, Bella grows steadfast in her purpose to stand for equality and liberation. Also starring Ramy Youssef, Christopher Abbott and Jerrod Carmichael, "Poor Things" was written by Tony McNamara, based on the book by Alasdair Gray, and produced by Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe, Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone.
Disney's Blu-ray of Poor Things contains Possessing Beauty – The Making of Poor Things as an extra.
Finally from Disney this week is a 4K UHD and Blu-ray for Chris Buck's Wish (2023), starring Ariana DeBose, Chris Pine, Alan Tudyk, Angelique Cabral, Victor Garber, and Natasha Rothwell.
Description: In this animated musical-comedy, Asha, a sharp-witted idealist in the kingdom of Rosas, makes a powerful wish that's answered by Star, a ball of boundless energy. Soon, Asha and Star must face a formidable foe—the ruler of Rosas—to save her community and prove that when one brave human connects with the magic of the stars, wondrous things happen.
Disney's 4K UHD Blu-ray of Wish contains the film's Dolby Atmos audio and HDR, while the Blu-ray features a DTS-HD MA 7.1 audio track. Extras include a sing-along version, the short Once Upon a Studio, Wish D-Classified, 100 Years In The Making: The Story of Wish, deleted scenes and a deleted song and outtakes.
New this week from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on 4K UHD and Blu-ray is James Wan's Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, starring Jason Momoa, Patrick Wilson, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Amber Heard, Nicole Kidman and Randall Park.
Description: Director James Wan and Aquaman himself, Jason Momoa—along with Patrick Wilson, Amber Heard, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Nicole Kidman—return in the sequel to the highest-grossing DC film of all time: "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom."
Having failed to defeat Aquaman the first time, Black Manta, still driven by the need to avenge his father's death, will stop at nothing to take Aquaman down once and for all. This time Black Manta is more formidable than ever before, wielding the power of the mythic Black Trident, which unleashes an ancient and malevolent force. To defeat him, Aquaman will turn to his imprisoned brother Orm, the former King of Atlantis, to forge an unlikely alliance. Together, they must set aside their differences in order to protect their kingdom and save Aquaman's family, and the world, from irreversible destruction.
Warner's Blu-ray releases of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom contain the film's Dolby Atmos audio, with Dolby Vision HDR on the 4K UHD disc. Extras include the behind-the-scenes featurette Finding the Lost Kingdom, and the shorter featurettes Aquaman: Worlds Above and Below. Atlantean Blood is Thicker than Water, It's a Manta World, Necrus, the Lost Black City, Escape from the Deserter World, Brawling at Kingfish's Lair and Oh, Topo!. In addition to standard packaging, a Walmart Exclusive SteelBook will also be available. For full disc breakdowns, read Randy Miller's 4K UHD review and Blu-ray review.
Also new from Warner on 4K UHD and Blu-ray is Blitz Bazawule's The Color Purple (2023), starring Taraji P. Henson, Fantasia Barrino, Danielle Brooks, Colman Domingo, Corey Hawkins and H.E.R.
Description: Warner Bros. Pictures invites you to experience the extraordinary sisterhood of three women who share one unbreakable bond in "The Color Purple." This bold new take on the beloved classic is directed by Blitz Bazawule ("Black Is King," "The Burial of Kojo") and produced by Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg, Scott Sanders and Quincy Jones.
Warner's Blu-ray releases of The Color Purple contain the film's Dolby Atmos audio, with Dolby Vision HDR on the 4K UHD disc. Extras include Creating The Color Purple: A Bold New Take on the Beloved Classic, Hell Yes! The Iconic Characters of The Color Purple, In The Flow: Creating The Color Purple's Biggest Musical Moments and A Story For Me: The Legacy of The Color Purple.
Also new from Warner is a Blu-ray for Rick and Morty: Season 7 (2023). The single-disc release contains all ten episodes, with the featurettes Inside the Episodes and Directing Unmortricken, as well as The Characters of Season 7 and Inside Season 7. In addition to standard packaging, a SteelBook will also be available.
Then from Warner is a Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection for Looney Tunes Collector's Choice: Volume 3 (1930-1969), which contains a further 25 classic cartoon shorts. For a list of the included titles, please see our news article here.
Finally from Warner is a Blu-ray box set from the Warner Archive Collection: Colt .45: The Complete Series (1957-1960), starring Wayde Preston and Donald May.
Description: Set in the American West of the 1870s, Colt .45 stars Wayde Preston as Christopher Colt, a giant of a man who works undercover on a special assignment for the U.S. Army Intelligence Corps to combat the lawlessness on the young country's frontier. Using the guise of salesman for his family's arms manufacturing company, Colt travels alone, bringing law to the dangerous West at the barrel of his family's signature weapon--the Colt .45. This action-packed series made Preston an instant TV favorite, and the series itself featured an impressive list of guest stars including Dan Blocker, Peter Brown, Robert Conrad, Angie Dickinson, Troy Donahue, Alan Hale Jr., and future TV icons Leonard Nimoy and Adam West. During the series' third season, the character of Sam Colt Jr. (portrayed by Donald May) was introduced as Christopher's cousin, taking on the family mantle to combat the nefarious villains and outlaws introduced in each episode. Long unavailable and out of public view, now all 67 episodes of COLT .45 are making their home video debut in this Blu-ray collection, which have been meticulously remastered from 4K scans of the original camera negatives.
New on Blu-ray from Decal Releasing is Michael Mann's Ferrari starring Adam Driver, Shailene Woodley, Penélope Cruz, Sarah Gadon, Jack O'Connell and Patrick Dempsey.
Description: It is the summer of 1957. Behind the spectacle of Formula 1, ex-racer Enzo Ferrari is in crisis. Bankruptcy threatens the factory he and his wife, Laura built from nothing ten years earlier. Their volatile marriage has been battered by the loss of their son, Dino a year earlier. Ferrari struggles to acknowledge his son Piero with Lina Lardi. Meanwhile, his drivers' passion to win pushes them to the edge as they launch into the treacherous 1,000-mile race across Italy, the Mille Miglia.
Decal's Blu-ray of Ferrari contains the film's Dolby Atmos audio, along with the featurettes Michael Mann: Building the World, Building Perfection, The Mille Miglia, Adam Driver on Enzo Ferrari and Penelope Cruz on Laura Ferrari.
Also from Decal is a Blu-ray for Gabriela Cowperthwaite's I.S.S., starring Ariana DeBose, Chris Messina, Pilou Asbæk, John Gallagher Jr. and Costa Ronin.
Description: Tensions flare in the near future aboard the International Space Station as a worldwide conflict breaks out on Earth. Reeling from this, the astronauts receive orders from the ground: take control of the station by any means necessary. Director Gabriela Cowperthwaite, working with Nick Shafir's Blacklist script, brings together a stellar cast that includes Academy Award winner Ariana DeBose, Chris Messina, Pilou Asbaek, John Gallagher Jr., Costa Ronin, and Masha Mashkova, in a high-stakes thriller set entirely in the confines of the I.S.S. as astronauts are called to duty in fateful and terrifying ways.
New on Blu-ray from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is Will Gluck's Anyone But You, starring Sydney Sweeney, Glen Powell, Alexandra Shipp, Gata, Hadley Robinson and Michelle Hurd.
Description: In the edgy comedy Anyone But You, Bea (Sydney Sweeney) and Ben (Glen Powell) look like the perfect couple, but after an amazing first date something happens that turns their fiery hot attraction ice cold - until they find themselves unexpectedly thrust together at a destination wedding in Australia. So they do what any two mature adults would do: pretend to be a couple.
Sony's Blu-ray of Anyone But You contains the featurettes He Said She Said, Everyone Down Under, ASMR Pickup Lines and Aussie Snacks, as well as outtakes and bloopers and deleted scenes.
Description: Fearless documentary filmmaker Laura Poitras's career-long pursuit of truth and justice finds powerful expression in an epic story of art, activism, and survival. Made in collaboration with renowned artist Nan Goldin, All the Beauty and the Bloodshed entwines the mission of PAIN—an advocacy group she founded to raise awareness about the billionaire Sackler family's integral role in the ongoing crisis of opioid overdoses—with an intimate journey through Goldin's life, from her rebellious adolescence and immersion in New York City's thriving underground arts scene to her personal experiences of addiction and the AIDS epidemic. Through it all, her indelible photographs and candid reflections on memory and trauma reveal her unyielding solidarity with marginalized communities that refuse to remain silent.
Criterion's Blu-ray of All the Beauty and the Bloodshed is sourced from an HD master (approved by director Laura Poitras and artist Nan Goldin) with DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio, optional audio description and optional English SDH subtitles. Extras include a new interview with Poitras, two conversations from the 2022 New York Film Festival and a trailer. Also included is an essay by author and activist Sarah Schulman.
Also coming to Blu-ray from Criterion is William Dieterle's All That Money Can Buy (AKA The Devil and Daniel Webster) (1941), starring Edward Arnold, Walter Huston, James Craig, Jane Darwell, Simone Simon and Gene Lockhart. Sourced from a new 4K master, Criterion presents All That Money Can Buy with LPCM Mono audio. Extras include adio commentary by film historian Bruce Eder and Steven C. Smith (biographer of composer Bernard Herrmann), a restoration demonstration, a reading by actor Alec Baldwin of the short story on which the film is based, an episode of Observations on Film Art about the film's editing, a comparison of the 1941 preview version and the 1943 re-release version, Columbia Workshop radio adaptations of Stephen Vincent Benét's short stories "The Devil and Daniel Webster" and "Daniel Webster and the Sea Serpent" and a trailer for the film. Also included is an essay by author Tom Piazza and a 1941 article by Benét.
Coming from Relativity Media is a Blu-ray release of Pierre Morel's Freelance (2023), starring John Cena, Alison Brie, Juan Pablo Raba, Christian Slater, Alice Eve and Marton Csokas.
Official description: An ex-special forces operative stuck in a dead-end desk job (John Cena) reluctantly takes on a gig to provide private security for a washed-up journalist (Alison Brie) as she interviews a ruthless—but impeccably dressed—dictator (Juan Pablo Raba). When a military coup breaks out just as she's about to get the scoop of a lifetime, the unlikely trio must figure out how to survive the jungle, the assassins, and each other in order to make it out alive.
Finally for new releases this week, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has a Blu-ray for The Prince of Egypt: The Musical, starring Luke Brady, Liam Tamne, Christine Allado and Alexia Khadime.
Description: A live stage recording of the musical based on DreamWorks Animation's 1998 film adapted from the biblical story of Moses, from his being a prince of Egypt to his ultimate destiny of leading the Children of Israel out of Egypt.
Also coming from Universal is a 4K UHD upgrade for Mark Osborne and John Stevenson's Kung Fu Panda (2008), featuring the voices of Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Ian McShane, Seth Rogen and Jackie Chan. The 4K UHD disc will be presented with a new Dolby Atmos audio track and HDR, while an included Blu-ray will feature legacy extras, such as filmmaker commentary, featurettes, a music video and more.
Turning to catalog titles, Arrow Video has a Blu-ray for Don Siegel's The Shootist (1976), starring John Wayne, Lauren Bacall, Ron Howard, James Stewart, Richard Boone and Hugh O'Brian. Sourced from a new 4K scan of the original camera negative by Paramount Pictures, Arrow presents The Shootist with LPCM Mono audio. Extras include a new audio commentary by filmmaker and critic Howard S. Berger, new visual essays by film critic David Cairns and filmmaker and critic Scout Tafoya, new interviews with author C. Courtney Joyner, film historian and composer Neil Brand, the archival featurette The Shootist: The Legend Lives On, an image gallery and the film's theatrical trailer. Packaging includes a reversible cover, a double-sided fold-out poster and six lobby cards,along with an "illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing by film critic Philip Kemp".
Finally this week, Shout Factory has two catalog titles to offer. First is a 4K UHD upgrade for Simon Wincer's Quigley Down Under (1990), starring Tom Selleck, Laura San Giacomo, Alan Rickman, Chris Haywood, Ron Haddrick and Tony Bonner. Sourced from a new 4K scan of the original camera negative, Shout presents Quigley Down Under with DTS-HD MA 2.0 audio and Dolby Vision HDR on the 4K UHD disc. Extras include interviews with Laura San Giacomo and master armorer Mike Tristano, the featurette The Rebirth of the Western TV spots and the film's theatrical trailer.
Also from Shout is a Blu-ray for Mick Garris' miniseries Stephen King's The Shining (1997), starring Steven Weber, Rebecca De Mornay, Melvin Van Peebles, Courtland Mead, Wil Horneff and Cynthia Garris. Sourced from a new 2K scan of an interpositive, Shout presents Stephen King's The Shining in its original broadcast aspect ratio of 1.33:1, with DTS-HD MA 2.0 audio. Extras include audio commentary by author Stephen King and the cast and crew, along with eleven additional scenes.