For the week of March 18th, the Criterion Collection will release a Blu-ray of Alexandre O. Philippe's documentary Lynch/Oz, starring Rodney Ascher, Karyn Kusama, Justin Benson, Amy Nicholson, Aaron Moorhead and John Waters.
Description: The themes, images, and cultural vernacular of Victor Fleming's The Wizard of Oz continue to haunt David Lynch's filmography—from his early short The Alphabet to his recent television series Twin Peaks: The Return. Arguably, no filmmaker has so consistently drawn inspiration—consciously or unconsciously—from a single work. Is Lynch trapped in the Land of Oz? If so, what can we learn about his body of work by taking a closer look at how it intersects and communicates with that legendary fantasy? In turn, what do Lynch's films have to say about the enduring resonance of one of America's most beloved classics? Through six distinct perspectives, Alexandre O. Philippe's Lynch/Oz helps us reexperience and reinterpret The Wizard of Oz by way of David Lynch, delivering new appreciations of both.
Criterion's Blu-ray of Lynch/Oz contains a Meet the Filmmakers featurette and a trailer.
Also on Blu-ray from Criterion is Amir Naderi's The Runner (دونده) (1984), starring Madjid Niroumand, Moussa Torkizadeh and Abbas Nazeri. Sourced from a new 2K master (supervised by Amir Naderi), Criterion presents The Runner with LPCM Mono audio and optional English subtitles. Extras include a new conversation between Naderi and filmmaker Ramin Bahrani, a 2022 audio interview with Naderi and Madjid Niroumand, Naderi's short film Waiting (1974) with an afterword by the director and a trailer for the main feature. Also included is an essay by critic Ehsan Khoshbakht.
New on Blu-ray from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment is The Act: The Complete Limited Series (2019), starring Patricia Arquette, Joey King, Chloë Sevigny, AnnaSophia Robb and Calum Worthy.
The Act is a seasonal anthology series that tells startling, stranger-than-fiction true crime stories. Season One follows Gypsy Blanchard (Joey King), a girl trying to escape the toxic relationship she has with her overprotective mother, Dee Dee (Patricia Arquette). Her quest for independence opens a Pandora's box of secrets, one that ultimately leads to murder.
Also new to Blu-ray from Universal is a Blu-ray box set for Suits: The Complete Series (2011-2019), starring Gabriel Macht, Patrick J. Adams, Rick Hoffman, Meghan Markle, Sarah Rafferty and Gina Torres. The 34-disc set contains all nine seasons of the series and hours of extras, including an extended pilot episode, audio commentaries, deleted and extended scenes, featurettes and more.
New on Blu-ray from Cohen Media Group is Christian Carion's Driving Madeleine (Une belle course), starring Line Renaud, Dany Boon, Alice Isaaz, Jeremie Laheurte, Gwendoline Hamon and Julie Delarme.
Description; A seemingly simple taxi ride across Paris evolves into a profound meditation on the realities of the driver and his fare, a 92-year-old woman whose warmth belies her shocking past. Charles (Dany Boon) is a taxi driver in Paris, and he is having a very bad day. Enter Madeleine (Line Renaud), an immaculately groomed nonagenarian, who informs Charles that the trip today will not be a direct one. She is moving into a nursing home and would like to make some stops along the way predicting that this might be her last car ride through the city. Their ride takes them through the momentous locations of her life and their brief friendship deepens as Madeleine listens to Charles confess his own worries.
Cohen Media's Blu-ray of Driving Madeleine contains an interview with Christian Carion and a trailer.
Turning to catalog titles, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has two titles coming to Blu-ray. First is Victor Schertzinger's Cocktail Hour (1933), starring Bebe Daniels, Randolph Scott, Sidney Blackmer, Muriel Kirkland, Jessie Ralph and Barry Norton.
Description: Cynthia Warren (Bebe Daniels) is a successful, young commercial artist with no interest in settling down. After fending off the romantic pursuits of boss Randolph Morgan (Randolph Scott), she leaves New York City behind for the allure of Paris. On the journey, she finds herself falling for an Englishman until her arrival in Paris introduces a third suitor: a handsome prince. With three men competing for her affections, Cynthia must decide what she really wants from her love life.
Sony's Cocktail Hour will be making its worldwide debut on Blu-ray.
Also from Sony is a Blu-ray for Ann Hu's Shadow Magic (2000), starring Jared Harris, Yu Xia, Yufei Xing, Peiqi Liu, Liping Lü and Jingming Wang. Extras include audio commentary by Ann Hu and a theatrical trailer.
New from BBC is a Blu-ray for Doctor Who: The Daleks in Color (2023), starring William Hartnell, William Russell, Jacqueline Hill and Carole Ann Ford. This release is a re-edited and colorized 75-minute version of the 170-minute seven-part black-and-white serial, which originally aired in 1963-1964. It features a new musical score in a choice of Dolby Atmos or DTS-HD MA 5.1 and extras include a making-of featurette. The original serial is also included on a DVD disc.
New on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber is R.O. Blechman and Christian Blackwood's The Soldier's Tale (1984), starring Max von Sydow, Dusan Makavejev, Grigorivich Vertov,, Galina Panova, Andre Gregory and Theodore Gottlieb. Extras include filmmaker commentary, R.O. Blechman's short film No Room at the Inn and The Hand of R.O. Blechman: A collection of animated shorts and commercials.
Also from Kino is a Blu-ray for Arthur Penn's Target (1985), starring Gene Hackman, Matt Dillon, Gayle Hunnicutt, Josef Sommer, Ilona Grübel and Guy Boyd. Sourced from a 2019 4K scan by Paramount Pictures, Kino presents Target with a new audio commentary by entertainment journalists / authors Bryan Reesman and Max Evry, along with a theatrical trailer.
Then from Kino is a Blu-ray for Jerry London's Rent-a-Cop (1987), starring Burt Reynolds, Liza Minnelli, James Remar, Richard Masur, Dionne Warwick and Bernie Casey. Sourced from a 4K scan of the original camera negative, Kino presents Rent-a-Cop with a new audio commentary by film historian / critic Lee Gambin with actor Richard Masur, as well as a newly remastered theatrical trailer.
Coming to 4K UHD and remastered Blu-ray from Kino is Roger Michell's Changing Lanes (2002), starring Ben Affleck, Samuel L. Jackson, Kim Staunton, Toni Collette, Sydney Pollack and Tina Sloan. Sourced from a 4K scan of the original camera negative, Kino presents Changing Lanes with lossless 5.1 and 2.0 audio tracks and Dolby Vision HDR on the 4K UHD disc. Extras include filmmaker commentary, while the included Blu-ray also has two featurettes, deleted / extended scenes and a theatrical trailer.
Finally from Kino is a 4K UHD and remastered Blu-ray for Jonathan Demme's The Manchurian Candidate (2004), starring Denzel Washington, Meryl Streep, Liev Schreiber, Jon Voight, Kimberly Elise and Jeffrey Wright. Sourced from a 4K scan of the original camera negative, Kino presents The Manchurian Candidate with lossless 5.1 and 2.0 audio tracks and Dolby Vision HDR on the 4K UHD disc. Extras include filmmaker commentary, while an included remastered Blu-ray also has three featurettes, a Liev Schreiber screen test, deleted / extended scenes and outtakes (with optional commentary) and a theatrical trailer.
Also this week, Shout Factory has four 4K UHD upgrades to offer. First up is Kathryn Bigelow's K-19: The Widowmaker (2002), starring Harrison Ford, Liam Neeson, Peter Sarsgaard, Joss Ackland, John Shrapnel and Donald Sumpter. Sourced from a 4K scan of the original camera negative, Shout presents K-19: The Widowmaker with DTS-HD MA 5.1 and Dolby Vision HDR on the 4K UHD disc. Extras include filmmaker commentary, while an included remastered Blu-ray also has a making of, three featurettes and a theatrical trailer.
Also from Shout is a box set for The Ring Collection (2002-2017), which contains the 4K UHD premieres of The Ring (2002), The Ring Two (2005) and Rings (2017). Sourced from new 4K scans of the original camera negatives (The Ring and The Ring Two) and a 4K master (Rings), Shout presents The Ring Collection with DTS-HD MA 5.1 and 2.0 (7.1 and 2.0 for Rings) and Dolby Vision HDR on the 4K UHD discs. New extras on the remastered Blu-rays include the featurette Ghost Girl Gone Global, audio commentary on The Ring Two by film critics Emily Higgins and Billy Dunham (also on 4K UHD) and legacy extras, including the unrated cut of The Ring Two, featurettes, deleted scenes and theatrical trailers.
Then from Shout comes Kimberly Peirce's Carrie (2013), starring Chloë Grace Moretz, Judy Greer, Portia Doubleday, Alex Russell, Gabriella Wilde and Julianne Moore. Sourced from a 4K master, Shout presents Carrie with DTS-HD MA 5.1 and 2.0 audio tracks and Dolby Vision HDR on the 4K UHD disc. Extras include filmmaker commentary, while an included Blu-ray also has new interviews with production designer Carol Spier and author Joseph Maddrey, as well as an alternate ending, deleted / alternate scenes, four featurettes and a theatrical trailer.
Finally from Shout comes Lars Klevberg's Child's Play (2019), starring Aubrey Plaza, Brian Tyree Henry, Gabriel Bateman, Ty Consiglio, Nicole Anthony and Carlease Burke. Sourced from a new 4K master, Shout presents Child's Play with DTS-HD MA 5.1 and 2.0 audio tracks and Dolby Vision HDR on the 4K UHD disc. Extras include filmmaker commentary, while an included Blu-ray also has new interviews with production designer Dan Hermansen and actors Gabriel Bateman and David James Lewis, as well as two featurettes, a soundtrack trailer, Lee Hardcastle claymations, a gallery and a theatrical trailer.
Finally this week, Arrow Video has a 4K UHD upgrade for Hideo Nakata's Dark Water (仄暗い水の底から) (2002), starring Hitomi Kuroki, Rio Kanno, Mirei Oguchi, Asami Mizukawa, Fumiyo Kohinata and Yu Tokui. Sourced from a new 4K master, Arrow presents Dark Water with DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio and Dolby Vision HDR on the 4K UHD disc. Extras replicate Arrow's 2016 Blu-ray and include then-new interviews with Hideo Nakata, author Koji Suzuki and cinematographer Junichiro Hayashi, a making of featurette, archive interviews with Hitomi Kuroki, Asami Mizukawa and theme song artist Shikao Suga, and a trailer and TV spots. Packaging includes reversible artwork and an "illustrated collector's booklet featuring writing on the film by David Kalat and Michael Gingold". In addition to standard packaging, an Arrow Store Exclusive with Original Artwork will also be available.