For the week of April 29th, Walt Disney Home Entertainment will release Blu-ray and 4K UHD editions of Andor: The Complete First Season (2022), starring Diego Luna, Genevieve O'Reilly, Stellan Skarsgård, Adria Arjona, Denise Gough and Kyle Soller.
Description: Explore a new perspective from the Star Wars galaxy, focusing on Cassian Andor's journey to discover the difference he can make. The series brings forward the tale of the burgeoning rebellion against the Empire and how people and planets became involved. It's an era filled with danger, deception, and intrigue where Cassian will embark on the path that is destined to turn him into a rebel hero.
Disney's 4K UHD release of Andor: The Complete First Season contains HDR and Dolby Atmos audio. Extras include Ferrix Part 1: Imperial Occupation, Aldhani: Rebel Heist, Coruscant: Whispers of Rebellion, Narkina 5: One Way Out and Ferrix Part 2: Fight the Empire. Note that both releases will be available in separate 4K UHD or Blu-ray SteelBook editions.
Next from Disney is a Blu-ray and 4K UHD release for Obi-Wan Kenobi: The Complete Series (2022), starring Ewan McGregor, Hayden Christensen, Moses Ingram, Joel Edgerton, Bonnie Piesse and Kumail Nanjiani.
Description: Obi-Wan Kenobi begins 10 years after the dramatic events of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith where Obi-Wan Kenobi faced his greatest defeat—the downfall and corruption of his best friend and Jedi apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, who turned to the dark side as evil Sith Lord Darth Vader.
Disney's 4K UHD release of Obi-Wan Kenobi: The Complete Series contains HDR and Dolby Atmos audio. Extras include filmmaker commentary and the featurettes Duels of Fate: Obi-Wan vs Vader, The Dark Times: Villains and Designing the Galaxy. Note that both releases will be available in separate 4K UHD or Blu-ray SteelBook editions.
Description: Marvel Studios' The Falcon and The Winter Soldier stars Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson, aka The Falcon, and Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, aka The Winter Soldier. The pair, who came together in the final moments of Avengers: Endgame, team up on a global adventure that tests their abilities — and patience.
Disney's 4K UHD release of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier: The Complete First Season contains HDR and Dolby Atmos audio. Extras include Cap's Shield, a gag reel, deleted scenes and Assembled: The Making of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. Note that both releases will be available in separate 4K UHD or Blu-ray SteelBook editions.
Finally from Disney is a Blu-ray and 4K UHD release for Moon Knight: The Complete First Season (2022), starring Oscar Isaac, Ethan Hawke, May Calamawy, F. Murray Abraham, Karim El Hakim and Gaspard Ulliel.
Description: When Steven Grant (Oscar Isaac), a mild-mannered gift shop employee, becomes plagued with blackouts and memories of another life, he discovers he has dissociative identity disorder and shares a body with mercenary Marc Spector. As Steven/Marc's enemies converge upon them, they must navigate their complex identities while thrust into a deadly mystery among the powerful gods of Egypt.
Disney's 4K UHD release of Moon Knight: The Complete First Season contains HDR and Dolby Atmos audio. Extras include Egyptology, Assembled: The Making of Moon Knight, deleted scenes and a gag reel. Note that both releases will be available in separate 4K UHD or Blu-ray SteelBook editions.
New on Blu-ray and 4K UHD from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is S.J. Clarkson's Madame Web, starring Dakota Johnson, Sydney Sweeney, Isabela Merced, Adam Scott, Emma Roberts and Mike Epps.
In a switch from the typical genre, Madame Web tells the standalone origin story of one of Marvel publishing's most enigmatic heroines. The suspense-driven thriller stars Dakota Johnson as Cassandra Webb, a paramedic in Manhattan who develops the power to see the future… and realizes she can use that insight to change it. Forced to confront revelations about her past, she forges a relationship with three young women bound for powerful destinies...if they can all survive a deadly present.
Sony's 4K UHD release of Madame Web contains Dolby Vision HDR and the film's Dolby Atmos audio. Extras include the featurettes Future Vision, Casting the Web, Oracle of the Page and Fight Like a Spider, along with a gag reel a deleted scene and easter eggs. In addition to standard packaging, a SteelBook will also be available.
New from Paramount Home Media Distribution is a Blu-ray and 4K UHD release for Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr.'s Mean Girls (2024), starring Angourie Rice, Reneé Rapp, Auli'i Cravalho, Jaquel Spivey, Avantika and Bebe Wood.
Description: From the comedic mind of Tina Fey comes a new twist on the modern classic, MEAN GIRLS. New student Cady Heron (Angourie Rice) is welcomed into the top of the social food chain by the elite group of popular girls called "The Plastics," ruled by the conniving queen bee Regina George (Reneé Rapp) and her minions Gretchen (Bebe Wood) and Karen (Avantika). However, when Cady makes the major misstep of falling for Regina's ex-boyfriend Aaron Samuels (Christopher Briney), she finds herself prey in Regina's crosshairs. As Cady sets to take down the group's apex predator with the help of her outcast friends Janis (Auli'i Cravalho) and Damian (Jaquel Spivey), she must learn how to stay true to herself while navigating the most cutthroat jungle of all: high school.
Paramount's Blu-ray releases of Mean Girls (2024) contain the film's Dolby Atmos audio, with Dolby Vision HDR on the 4K UHD edition. Extras include the featurettes A New Age of Mean Girl, Song and Dance and The New Plastics, a gag reel, a music video for "Not My Fault" with Reneé Rapp and Megan Thee Stallion, an extended scene and a sing-along with select songs.
Also new from Paramount is a Blu-ray for Damian Marcano and Taylor Sheridan's miniseries Lawmen: Bass Reeves (2023), starring David Oyelowo, Lauren E. Banks, Demi Singleton, Forrest Goodluck, Barry Pepper and Dennis Quaid.
Description: From Executive Producers Taylor Sheridan and David Oyelowo comes the untold story of the most legendary lawman in the Old West: Bass Reeves. Lawmen: Bass Reeves, follows the journey of Reeves (Oyelowo) and his rise from enslavement to law enforcement as the first Black U.S. Marshal west of the Mississippi. Despite arresting over 3,000 outlaws during the course of his career, the weight of the badge was heavy, and he wrestled with its moral and spiritual cost to his beloved family.
Paramount's Blu-ray of contains all eight episodes of the miniseries with Dolby TrueHD 5.1 audio. Extras include A Breed Apart: Production Design with Wynn Thomas, Unbreakable: The Legend of Bass Reeves, Behind the Story featurettes for every episode, The Native American Nations, Behind the Battle of Pea Ridge, Building the World of Lawmen: Bass Reeves and The Legend Behind the Badge.
Then from Paramount is a 4K UHD upgrade for Mark Waters' Mean Girls (2004), starring Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Tina Fey, Tim Meadows, Amy Poehler and Ana Gasteyer. Sourced from a new 4K master, Paramount presents Mean Girls (2004) with Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby TrueHD 5.1 audio. Extras include the new featurette Mean Girls: Class of '04, along with legacy extras, including filmmaker commentary, three featurettes, deleted scenes with optional commentary, interstitials and the film's theatrical trailer. Limited edition packaging includes a slipcover with alternate artwork and a pink 4K UHD amaray case. For a full disc breakdown, read Martin Liebman's 4K UHD review.
New on Blu-ray from Magnolia Pictures is Nikolaj Arcel's The Promised Land (Bastarden), starring Mads Mikkelsen, Gustav Lindh, Amanda Collin, Jacob Lohmann, Kristine Kujath Thorp and Morten Hee Andersen.
Description: In 18th century Denmark, Captain Ludvig Kahlen (Mads Mikkelsen) – a proud, ambitious, but impoverished war hero -- sets out to tame a vast, uninhabitable land on which seemingly nothing can grow. He seeks to start farming crops, build a colony in the name of the King, and gain a noble title for himself. This beautiful but forbidding area also happens to be under the rule of the merciless Frederik De Schinkel, a preening nobleman who realizes the threat Kahlen represents to his power. Struggling against the elements and local brigands, Kahlen is joined by a couple who have fled the clutches of the rapacious De Schinkel. As this group of misfits begins to build a small community in this inhospitable place, De Schinkel swears vengeance, and the confrontation between him and Kahlen promises to be as violent and intense as these two men.
New on Blu-ray from Severin Films is Andrew Legge's Lola, starring Emma Appleton, Rory Fleck Byrne, Stefanie Martini and Aaron Monaghan.
Description: It wowed audiences at Locarno, Edinburgh and FrightFest, and won top prizes at Trieste and Sitges. It's been hailed as "magnetic" (Los Angeles Times), "masterful" (Indiewire) and "deeply disturbing" (Horror Cult Films). Now this "one-of-a-kind gem" (Cinemacy) can be discovered by genre fans everywhere: The year is 1941, and brilliant UK sisters Thomasina (Emma Appleton of THE KILLING KIND) and Martha (Stefanie Martini of PRIME SUSPECT 1973) have created a device that intercepts broadcasts from the future. Besides revealing the coming glories of rock & roll, the invention – which they call 'Lola' – also allows them to alter the course of World War II. But will their unmaking of history provoke a lifetime of shocking consequences? Rory Fleck Byrne (THIS IS GOING TO HURT) co-stars in the ingenious debut feature from director/co-writer Andrew Legge that Horror Buzz calls "a bracing sci-fi mind-bender that reminds you why you like movies."
Severin's Blu-ray of Lola contains filmmaker commentary, a making of featurette, an outtake, Legge's short films The Girl With the Mechanical Maiden (2012) and The Unusual Inventions of Henry Cavendish (2005), as well as a trailer. For a full disc breakdown, read Jeffrey Kauffman's Blu-ray review.
Also coming from Severin are two Blu-rays of films from producer Bob Cresse and director Lee Frost: First is Hot Spur (1968), starring Joseph Mascolo, Virginia Gordon and John Alderman. Sourced from new 4K scan of the original camera negative, Severin presents Hot Spur with new audio commentary by Vinegar Syndrome's Joe Rubin and Severin Films' Andrew Furtado, joined by Bob Cresse Friend / Former Something Weird General Manager Tim Lewis. Additional extras include an audio discussion on Frost / Cresse by David F. Friedman and Something Weird Founder Mike Vraney, the Frost / Cresse feature Hollywood's World of Flesh (1963), Cresse's short film The Casting Director, a theatrical trailer and a teaser. For a full disc breakdown, read Jeffrey Kauffman's Blu-ray review.
Then comes Frost's The Scavengers (1969), starring John Bliss, Maria Lease, Michael Divoka, Roda Spain, John Riazzi and Wes Bishop. Sourced from new 4K scan of the original camera negative, Severin presents The Scavengers in both its 94-minute R-rated and 104-minute Unrated versions. Extras include new audio commentary by Vinegar Syndrome's Joe Rubin, Severin Films' Andrew Furtado and Temple of Schlock's Chris Poggiali (on the Unrated version), a theatrical trailer, a "Hot Version" theatrical trailer and a replica program booklet. For a full disc breakdown, read Jeffrey Kauffman's Blu-ray review.
New from Oscilloscope Pictures is a Blu-ray for Kôji Fukada's Love Life (ラブ ライフ), starring Fumino Kimura, Kento Nagayama, Hirona Yamazaki, Misuzu Kanno, Natsume Mito and Akari Fukunaga.
Description: Taeko and her husband Jiro are living a peaceful existence with her young son Keita, when a tragic accident brings the boy's long-lost father, Park, back into her life. To cope with her pain and guilt, Taeko throws herself into helping Park, who is deaf and currently homeless. With nuanced performances and craftsmanship, LOVE LIFE is a melodramatic and moving meditation on grief and acceptance.
Oscilloscope's Blu-ray of Love Life contains a theatrical trailer and an essay by David Ehrlich.
Also from Oscilloscope is a Blu-ray for Helmut Dosantos' documentary Gods of Mexico (Dioses de México).
Description: With visually stunning landscapes and immersive sound, GODS OF MEXICO is a poetic survey of the vast landscapes and rich diversity of several communities of rural Mexico. Using richly saturated color and hypnotic black-and-white interludes, filmmaker Helmut Dosantos takes viewers through salt pans, deserts, highlands, jungle, and underground mines—paying tribute to those who fight to preserve their cultural identity amidst the shadows of modernization positions.
Oscilloscope's Blu-ray of Gods of Mexico contains an interview with Helmut Dosantos and a theatrical trailer.
Coming from GKIDS and Shout Factory is a Blu-ray for Yuzuru Tachikawa's anime film Blue Giant (ブルージャイアント), starring Yuki Yamada, Shotaro Mamiya, Amane Okayama, Sayaka Kinoshita, Yutaka Aoyama and Kenji Nomura.
Description: Dai Miyamoto's life changes when he discovers jazz. He picks up a tenor saxophone and practices every day. After leaving his hometown, Sendai, he pursues a music career in Tokyo with help from his friend Shunji. One day, Dai plays passionately from the heart and convinces talented pianist Yukinori to start a band together. Along with Shunji, a beginner drummer, they form the three-piece band, JASS. With each live performance, they get closer and closer to their dream of playing at So Blue, the most famous jazz club in Japan, in hopes of forever changing the world of jazz.
Based on the manga by Shinichi Ishizuka, Blue Giant from Yuzuru Tachikawa is a moving ode to the power of jazz with original music by HIROMI.
GKIDS and Shout's Blu-ray of Blue Giant contains a choice of Dolby Atmos, TrueHD 5.1 or LPCM 2.0 audio tracks in Japanese, with English, English SDH or Spanish subtitles. Extras include a Q&A with Hiromi and a trailer.
New from Lionsgate Home Entertainment is a Blu-ray for Jon Gunn's Ordinary Angels, starring Hilary Swank, Alan Ritchson, Emily Mitchell, Skywalker Hughes, Nancy Travis and Tamala Jones.
Description: Based on a remarkable true story, Ordinary Angels centers on Sharon (Hilary Swank), a fierce but struggling hairdresser in small-town Kentucky who discovers a renewed sense of purpose when she meets Ed (Alan Ritchson), a widower working hard to make ends meet for his two daughters. With his youngest daughter waiting for a liver transplant, Sharon sets her mind to helping the family and will move mountains to do it. What unfolds is the inspiring tale of faith, everyday miracles, and ordinary angels.
Lionsgate's Blu-ray of Ordinary Angels contains a Dolby Atmos audio track. Extras include filmmaker commentary, a making of, the featurettes Inspiring the Ordinary, Finding Your Purpose and You Are Not Alone and deleted scenes.
Turning to catalog titles, Arrow Video have a Blu-ray for Anthony Mann's The Tin Star (1957), starring Henry Fonda, Anthony Perkins, Betsy Palmer, Michel Ray, Neville Brand and John McIntire. Sourced from an HD master, Arrow presents The Tin Star with lossless original mono, stereo or 5.1 audio options. Extras include a new audio commentary by film historian Toby Roan, Apprenticing a Master: A new appreciation by author and critic Neil Sinyard, Beyond the Score: A new interview with Peter Bernstein (son of composer Elmer Bernstein), an original theatrical trailer and an image gallery. Limited edition content includes an "illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Barry Forshaw, and original press notes", six art cards and a double-sided fold-out poster, while packaging includes a reversible jacket with original artwork and a slipcover.
Also coming from Arrow is a 4K UHD upgrade for Frank Henenlotter's Basket Case (1982), starring Kevin Van Hentenryck, Terri Susan Smith, Beverly Bonner, Robert Vogel, Diana Browne and Lloyd Pace. Sourced from a 4K scan of the original 16mm camera negative by MoMA, Arrow presents Basket Case with Dolby Vision HDR and original LPCM Mono audio. Extras duplicate Arrow's 2018 Blu-ray release and include two audio commentaries with the cast and crew, Henenlotter's short film Basket Case 3 1/2: An Interview with Duane Bradley, five interviews with cast and crew members, an interview with critic Joe Bob Briggs, footage from the premiere of the remastered film at MoMA in 2017, the feature-length documentary What's in the Basket? and much more. Limited edition content includes a "collector's booklet featuring writing on the film by Michael Gingold and a Basket Case comic strip by artist Martin Trafford" and a double-sided fold-out poster, while packaging includes a reversible jacket with original artwork and a slipcover. For a full disc breakdown, read Jeffrey Kauffman's 4K UHD review.
Coming to Blu-ray from Radiance Films is Noboru Nakamura's The Shape of Night (夜の片鱗) (1964), starring Miyuki Kuwano, Mikijirô Hira, Keisuke Sonoi, Masuyo Iwamoto, Misako Tominaga and Bunta Sugawara. Sourced from an HD master, Radiance presents The Shape of Night with LPCM 2.0 Mono audio and optional English subtitles. Extras include an interview with Yoshio Nakamura (son of Noboru Nakamura) and Major Changes: Shochiku in the 1960s: A new visual essay by Tom Mes. Also included is a limited edition booklet "featuring new writing by Chuck Stephens" and more. For a full disc breakdown, read Jeffrey Kauffman's Blu-ray review.
Finally this week, the Criterion Collection has a Blu-ray for Nancy Savoca's Dogfight (1991), starring River Phoenix, Lili Taylor, Richard Panebianco, Anthony Clark, Mitchell Whitfield and Holly Near. Sourced from a new 2K master (supervised by Nancy Savoca), Criterion presents Dogfight with a DTS-HD MA 2.0 Surround audio track. Extras include audio commentary with Savoca and producer Richard Guay, a new interview with Savoca and Lili Taylor conducted by filmmaker Mary Harron, The Craft of Dogfight: A program of new interviews with various crew members, a trailer and a leaflet with "n essay by film critic Christina Newland". For a full disc breakdown, read Svet Atanasov's Blu-ray review.