For the week of April 22nd, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment and MGM have a Blu-ray and 4K UHD release for David Ayer's The Beekeeper, starring Jason Statham, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Bobby Naderi, Josh Hutcherson, Jeremy Irons and David Witts.
Description: In The Beekeeper, one man's brutal campaign for vengeance takes on national stakes after he is revealed to be a former operative of a powerful and clandestine organization known as "Beekeepers."
Warner and MGM's Blu-ray releases of The Beekeeper contain the film's Dolby Atmos audio, with HDR on the 4K UHD edition.
Also from Warner is a Blu-ray and 4K UHD SteelBook for Jeff Wamester's Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths, Part Two, starring Jensen Ackles, Stana Katic, Jimmi Simpson, Gideon Adlon, Lou Diamond Phillips and Jennifer Hale.
Description: An endless army of SHADOW DEMONS bent on the destruction of all reality swarms over our world and all parallel Earths! The only thing opposing them is the mightiest team of metahumans ever assembled. But not even the combined power of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and all their fellow superheroes can slow down the onslaught of this invincible horde. What mysterious force is driving them? And how do the long-buried secrets of the Monitor and Supergirl threaten to crush our last defense?
Warner's Blu-ray releases of Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths, Part Two contain DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio, with HDR on the 4K UHD edition. Extras include the featurettes Voices in Crisis, The Bat-Family of the Multiverse and a sneak peek at Part Three. Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part One is already available, also on Blu-ray and 4K UHD SteelBook.
Finally from Warner comes the hotly anticipated 4K UHD upgrade for Martin Scorsese's The Departed (2006), starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen and Ray Winstone. Sourced from a new 4K master completed by Warner's MPI ("with the participation of...editor Thelma Schoonmaker"), Warner presents The Departed with DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio and HDR. New for this release is the featurette Guilt and Betrayal: Looking into The Departed, along with two featurettes and deleted scenes as legacy extras. In addition to standard packaging, a SteelBook will also be available. For a full disc breakdown, read Randy Miller's 4K UHD review and 4K UHD SteelBook review.
New on Blu-ray from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has detailed its upcoming Blu-ray release of Ethan Coen's Drive-Away Dolls (2924), starring Margaret Qualley, Geraldine Viswanathan, Beanie Feldstein, Pedro Pascal, Matt Damon and Bill Camp.
Written by Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke, the story follows Jamie (Margaret Qualley), an uninhibited free spirit bemoaning yet another breakup with a girlfriend, and her demure friend Marian (Geraldine Viswanathan), who desperately needs to loosen up. In search of a fresh start, the two embark on an impromptu road trip to Tallahassee, but things quickly go awry when they cross paths with a group of inept criminals along the way.
Universal's Blu-ray release of Drive-Away Dolls contains a Dolby TrueHD 7.1 audio track. Extras include The Drive-Away Gang, Drive-Away Dolls: An Ethan and Tricia Project and Road Trip Essentials.
Well Go USA has detailed its upcoming Blu-ray release of Matt Vesely's Monolith, starring Lily Sullivan, Ling Cooper Tang, Ansuya Nathan, Erik Thomson, Terence Crawford and Matt Crook.
Description: While trying to salvage her career, a disgraced journalist turns to clickbait investigative podcasting, but her headstrong rush to generate headlines soon uncovers a strange artifact she believes is evidence of an alien conspiracy. But as the trail leads uncomfortably close to home, she is left to grapple with the lies at the heart of her own story.
Well Go USA's Blu-ray of Monolith includes filmmaker commentary, a behind-the-scenes featurette and a trailer. For a full disc breakdown, read Jeffrey Kauffman's Blu-ray review.
Finally for new releases this week, Cinema Guild has a Blu-ray for Laura Citarella's Trenque Lauquen, starring Laura Paredes, Ezequiel Pierri, Rafael Spregelburd, Elisa Carricajo, Verónica Llinás and Juliana Muras.
Description: The search for a missing woman unspools in two unexpectedly interconnected parts in Laura Citarella's playful new feature. The missing woman is Laura (Laura Paredes), a biologist cataloging plant species in and around the Argentinean city of Trenque Lauquen. The men searching for her: Rafael, her boyfriend, and Ezequiel, a coworker who has come to mean more to her in recent days. But in order to uncover the truth of Laura's disappearance, a profusion of mysteries must be explored. There's the question of love letters hidden in books in the local library, the discovery of a new species of flower, and then there's the mysterious being, rumored to be haunting the lake at the center of town.
Cinema Guild's Blu-ray of Trenque Lauquen contains Laura Citarella and Mercedes Halfon's feature-length film The Poets Visit Juana Bignozzi (2019) as a Blu-ray exclusive extra. Additional extras include the short film Eiko Ishibashi x Laura Citarella (2023) and a Q&A with Citarella from the New York Film Festival. Also included is a booklet with an essay by Marcos Uzal (Chief editor, Cahiers du Cinéma).
Turning to catalog titles, Eureka Entertainment makes its eagerly anticipated debut in North America with two Blu-ray releases. First is Paul Leni's The Cat and the Canary (1927), starring Laura La Plante, Creighton Hale, Forrest Stanley, Tully Marshall, Gertrude Astor and Flora Finch. Sourced from a new 4K scan done by MoMA, Eureka presents The Cat and the Canary with a score by Robert Israel in DTS-HD MA 5.1. Extras include two new audio commentaries: One by author Stephen Jones and author / critic Kim Newman, and the other by Kevin Lyons and Jonathan Rigby, Mysteries Mean Dark Corners: A new video essay by David Cairns and Fiona Watson, new interviews with writer and film critic Pamela Hutchinson, film critic Phuong Le, two extracts from John Willard's original play, and Lucky Strike: A vintage advertisement with voice work by Leni. Also included is a booklet with "new writing on the film by Richard Combs, Craig Ian Mann, and Imogen Sara Smith". Collectible packaging includes a limited edition slipcover. For a full disc breakdown, read Jeffrey Kauffman's Blu-ray review.
Also coming to Blu-ray from Eureka is a Limited Edition of Daniel Lee's Black Mask (黑俠) (1996), starring Jet Li, Karen Mok, Françoise Yip, Patrick Lung Kang, Anthony Chau-Sang Wong and Xin Xin Xiong. Eureka presents Black Mask in a choice of four versions: 2K masters of both the uncut original Hong Kong version and the US version, or or a second Blu-ray exclusive to the Limited Edition, the Taiwanese version or an extended version of the film with "all the unique footage from the various releases". Audio options include Cantonese: LPCM 2.0 and DTS-HD MA 5.1 (Hong Kong version) two English LPCM 2.0 tracks (US version), original and alternate Mandarin: LPCM 2.0 tracks (Taiwanese version) and LPCM 2.0 (Extended version). Extras include new audio commentaries by Frank Djeng (Hong Kong version) and Mike Leeder and Arne Venema (US version), new interviews with with stuntman Mike Lambert, film critic Andrew Heskins and author Leon Hunt (Kung Fu Cult Masters: From Bruce Lee to Crouching Tiger), as well as legacy extras, including a making of featurette and trailers. Also included is a booklet with "new writing on the film by James Oliver". Collectible packaging includes a slipcover. For a full disc breakdown, read Jeffrey Kauffman's Blu-ray review.
Coming to Blu-ray from Arrow Video is Phil Karlson's The Scarface Mob (1959), starring Robert Stack, Keenan Wynn, Barbara Nichols, Pat Crowley, Bill Williams and Joe Mantell. Sourced from an HD master, Arrow presents The Scarface Mob with lossless original mono audio in its original television broadcast ratio of 1.33:1. Extras include new video essays by film critics David Cairns and Philip Kemp, a theatrical trailer and image galleries. Also included is a booklet with "new writing on the film by Barry Forshaw and liner notes on The Untouchables by Dan Lynch and Kelly Lynch". Collectible packaging includes a slipcover, six lobby cards, a double-sided fold-out poster.
Coming to Blu-ray from Film Masters is Bert I. Gordon's Tormented (1960), starring Richard Carlson, Susan Gordon, Lugene Sanders, Juli Reding, Joe Turkel and Lillian Adams. Sourced from a new 4K scan of archival elements, Film Masters presents Tormented with DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono audio. Extras include feature commentary by Gary Rhodes and Larry Blamire, a Mystery Science Theater 3000 version of the film from 1992, an archival interview with Bert I. Gordon, The Spirit is Willing: A visual essay by The Flying Maciste Brothers, an unaired pilot for Famous Ghost Stories, the documentary Bert I. Gordon in the 1950s & 1960s: Bigger Than Life and more. For a full disc breakdown, read Jeffrey Kauffman's Blu-ray review.
Coming to Blu-ray and 4K UHD from the Criterion Collection is Mikhail Kalatozov's I Am Cuba (Soy Cuba) (1964), starring Raquel Revuelta, Luz María Collazo, José Gallardo, Sergio Corrieri, Mario González Broche and María de las Mercedes Díez. Sourced from a 4K master, Criterion presents I Am Cuba with a choice of Spanish or Russian-dubbed LPCM Mono audio tracks, with optional English subtitles for both language tracks and the film presented in 4K SDR on the 4K UHD disc. Extras include the feature-length documentary "I Am Cuba," the Siberian Mammoth (2004), a 2003 interview with filmmaker Martin Scorsese, a new appreciation with cinematographer Bradford Young and a trailer. Also included is "an essay by film critic Juan Antonio García Borrero". For full release breakdowns, read Svet Atanasov's 4K UHD review and Blu-ray review.
Coming to 4K UHD and Blu-ray from Powerhouse Films are two more films by Jean Rollin. First is The Nude Vampire (La Vampire nue) (1970), starring Maurice Lemaître, Caroline Cartier, Ly Lestrong, Bernard Musson, Jean Aron and Ursule Pauly. Sourced from a new 4K scan of the original camera negative, Powerhouse presents The Nude Vampire with lossless French and English mono audio tracks, new and improved optional English and English SDH subtitles and Dolby Vision HDR on the 4K UHD edition. Extras include audio commentary by film historians Kevin Lyons and Jonathan Rigby, an introduction by Jean Rollin from 1998, Le Passage: An updated making of documentary, Fragment d'un dialogue: Excerpts of interviews with Rollin from 1968-2003. new interviews with archivist Lucas Balbo and author and film historian Virginie Sélavy, an image gallery and French and English trailers. Also included is a "Limited edition exclusive 80-page book with a selection of new and archival writing including a new essay by David Jenkins, an archival introduction by director Jean Rollin, an archival interview with Rollin, and full film credits."
Also from Powerhouse comes Rollin's The Demoniacs (Les Démoniaques) (1974), starring Joëlle Coeur, John Rico, Willy Braque, Paul Bisciglia, Louise Dhour and Ben Zimet. Sourced from a new 4K scan of the original camera negative, Powerhouse presents The Demoniacs in three versions: the original theatrical version, a longer, explicit export version and the English-language version Curse of the Living Dead all with lossless mono audio tracks, new and improved optional English and English SDH subtitles and Dolby Vision HDR on the 4K UHD edition. Extras include audio commentary by film expert Tim Lucas, as well as selected-scene commentary by Jean Rollin, an introduction by Jean Rollin from 1998, Le Passage: An updated making of documentary, Fragment d'un dialogue: Excerpts of interviews with Rollin from 1968-2003. new or newly-edited interviews with Rollin collaborator Jean-Pierre Bouyxou, actor Willy Braque and author and musician Stephen Thrower, outtake footage, an image gallery and the original theatrical trailer. Also included is a "Limited edition exclusive 80-page book with a new essay by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, an archival piece on the making of the film by Jean Rollin, an archival interview with Rollin, an archival interview with actor Monica Swinn, and full film credits."
Coming to 4K UHD and Blu-ray from Blue Underground is Gualtiero Jacopetti and Franco Prosperi's Goodbye Uncle Tom (Addio zio Tom) (1971), starring Dick Gregory, Gualtiero Jacopetti, Franco Prosperi and Shelley Spurlock. Sourced from new 4K masters, Blue Underground presents Goodbye Uncle Tom in both its shorter English version and its longer Italian version, with DTS-HD MA Mono audio and optional English subtitles for the Italian version, as well as English SDH or Spanish subtitles for the English version. For the 4K UHD edition, each version is presented with Dolby Vision HDR on its own 4K UHD disc and also contains the English or Italian trailers. A Blu-ray bonus disc contains the feature-length documentaries The Importance of Shocking: Gualtiero Jacopetti (2009) and The Godfathers of Mondo (2003), archival interviews with Jacopetti, Prosperi, and composer Riz Ortolani, behind-the-scenes footage, new interviews with author and academic Marc Goodall and professor Matthew J. Smith and several image galleries. A CD with over 50 minutes of Ortolani's original soundtrack is also included, as is a 20-page booklet with an essay by Dan Madigan. Collectible packaging includes a slipcover and reversible artwork. For a full release breakdown, read Svet Atanasov's 4K UHD review.
Coming to 4K UHD from Shout Factory is John Flynn's Rolling Thunder (1977), starring William Devane, Tommy Lee Jones, Linda Haynes, James Best, Dabney Coleman and Lisa Blake Richards. Sourced from a new 4K scan of the original camera negative, Shout presents Rolling Thunder with DTS-HD MA Mono audio and Dolby Vision HDR on the 4K UHD disc. Extras include two new audio commentaries: One with screenwriter / novelist Heywood Gould and author / film historian C. Courtney Joyner and another with filmmakers Jackson Stewart and Francis Galluppi. An included remastered Blu-ray also features new interviews with Joyner and composer Barry De Vorzon, as well as legacy extras, such as The Making of Rolling Thunder, a Trailers from Hell featurette, a theatrical trailer, TV and radio spots and a still gallery. For a full release breakdown, read Stephen Larson's 4K UHD review.
Coming to 4K UHD and remastered Blu-ray from Kino Lorber is Andrei Tarkovsky's Nostalghia (1983), starring Oleg Yankovsky, Erland Josephson, Delia Boccardo, Milena Vukotic, Domiziana Giordano and Patrizia Terreno. Sourced from a new 4K scan of the original camera negative by the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia - Cineteca Nazionale, Kino presents Nostalghia with DTS-HD MA Mono audio and optional English subtitles, in 4K SDR on the 4K UHD disc. Extras include audio commentary by film historian Daniel Bird, while the included remastered Blu-ray also features the documentary Voyage in Time (1983). an interview with cinematographer Giuseppe Lanci and a re-release trailer.
Coming to 4K UHD from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is Herbert Ross' Steel Magnolias (1989), starring Sally Field, Dolly Parton, Shirley MacLaine, Daryl Hannah, Olympia Dukakis and Julia Roberts. Sourced from a new 4K scan of the original camera negative, Sony presents Steel Magnolias with a choice of a new Dolby Atmos remix, DTS-HD MA 5.1 or the original DTS-HD MA 2.0 audio, with Dolby Vision HDR. New for this release is the TV pilot of Steel Magnolias (1990), while legacy extras include filmmaker commentary, In Full Bloom: Remembering Steel Magnolias, ten deleted scenes and a theatrical trailer.
Coming to Blu-ray from Milestone Films is Nancy Savoca's Household Saints (1993), starring Vincent D'Onofrio, Tracey Ullman, Lili Taylor, Judith Malina, Michael Rispoli, Victor Argo and Michael Imperioli. Milestone presents Household Saints from a new 4K master. Extras include Nancy Savoca's student films Renata (1982) and Bad Timing (1983), the making of documentary The Many Miracles of Household Saints, archival interviews with the cast and crew and new interviews with Nancy Savoca and Lili Taylor.
Finally this week, MUBI has a Blu-ray box set for the Blu-ray premiere of Lars von Trier and Morten Arnfred's The Kingdom Trilogy (1994-2022), starring Søren Pilmark, Ghita Nørby, Birgitte Raaberg, Peter Mygind, Ernst-Hugo Järegård and Kirsten Rolffes. The Kingdom Trilogy is a seven-disc set, which includes the miniseries The Kingdom (Riget) (1994), The Kingdom II (Riget II) (1997) and The Kingdom: Exodus (Riget: Exodus) (2022). Extras include selected episode commentary with Lars von Trier, Niels Vørsel and Molly Stensgård, the documentary In Lars von Trier's Kingdom behind-the-scenes interviews with the cast and crew, a TV commercial for the Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet directed by von Trier and a 28-page booklet.