For the week of May 20th, Arrow Video will release a Blu-ray and 4K UHD Blu-ray for Joe Carnahan's Narc (2002), starring Jason Patric, Ray Liotta, Busta Rhymes, John Ortiz, Krista Bridges and Richard Chevolleau. Sourced from a new 4K scan of the original camera negative, Arrow presents Narc with a choice of original stereo audio or a Dolby Atmos remix and Dolby Vision HDR on the 4K UHD edition. Extras include audio commentary and a new introduction by Joe Carnahan, while a bonus Blu-ray disc also includes new interviews with Joe Carnahan, Krista Bridges, director of photography Alex Nepomniaschy, and costume designer Gersha Phillips, as well as legacy extras, including four featurettes, interviews a theatrical trailer and an image gallery. Limited edition content includes an "illustrated collectors' booklet featuring new writing by Michelle Kisner, producer Diane Nabatoff and archival interviews and articles", as well as reversible artwork and a double-sided poster. For full disc breakdowns, read Jeffrey Kauffman's 4K UHD review and Blu-ray review.
New on Blu-ray from MPI Home Video is Woody Allen's Coup de Chance, starring Valérie Lemercier, Niels Schneider, Lou de Laâge, Melvil Poupaud, Elsa Zylberstein and Guillaume de Tonquédec.
Description: Coup de Chance is about the important role chance and luck play in our lives. Fanny (Lou de Laâge) and Jean (Melvil Poupaud) look like the ideal married couple –they're both professionally accomplished, they live in a gorgeous apartment in an exclusive neighborhood of Paris, and they seem to be in love just as much as they were when they first met. But when Fanny accidentally bumps into Alain (Niels Schneider), a former high school classmate, she's swept off her feet. They soon see each other again and get closer and closer…
New on Blu-ray from Mill Creek is Rick Bieber's Dead Wrong, starring Derek Smith, Cress Williams, Katrina Bowden, Joshua Bitton, Chet Hanks and Chelsea Debo.
Description: A story of greed, envy, sex and murder. A narcissistic husband is not satisfied with his life and wants more. He devises a psychotic, get-rich-quick scheme with his new, gambling addicted attorney that ignites an emotional and deadly chain reaction.
Mill Creek's release of Dead Wrong contains both the original and director's cuts of the film. For a full disc breakdown, read Martin Liebman's Blu-ray review.
Turning to catalog titles, Kino Lorber have several Blu-ray releases on offer. They are:
Frank Tuttle and Malcolm St. Clair's Philo Vance Collection (1929-1930), starring William Powell, E.H. Calvert, Eugene Pallette, Jean Arthur, William 'Stage' Boyd and Florence Eldridge. A set including The Canary Murder Case (1929), The Greene Murder Case (1929) and The Benson Murder Case (1930). Sourced from new 4K masters (or 2K for The Benson Murder Case), Kino presents the Philo Vance Collection with new audio commentaries by novelist / critic Kim Newman and writer / journalist Barry Forshaw (The Canary Murder Case and The Greene Murder Case) and professor and film scholar Jason A. Ney (The Benson Murder Case).
The Republic Pictures Horror Collection (1944-1946), starring Richard Arlen, Vera Ralston, Robert Livingston, Carl Esmond, Stanley Ridges and Lorna Gray. A set including The Lady and the Monster (1944), The Phantom Speaks (1945), The Catman of Paris (1945) and Valley of the Zombies (1946). Sourced from new 4K masters by Paramount Pictures, Kino presents the Republic Pictures Horror Collection with new audio commentaries by film historian Stephen Bissette (The Lady and the Monster), and film historians David Del Valle and Miles Hunter (The Catman of Paris, Valley of the Zombies) as well as audio commentaries with novelist and critic Tim Lucas (The Phantom Speaks, Valley of the Zombies) and a sidebar on The Lady and the Monster with Lucas and Bissette.
The triple feature Burlesque Classics by Irving Klaw (1954-1946), starring Bettie Page, Lili St. Cyr, Tempest Storm, Cass Franklin, Trudy Wayne and Monica Lane. A set including Varietease (1954), Teaserama (1955) and Buxom Beautease (1956). Sourced from new 4K masters of the original camera negatives, Kino presents Burlesque Classics by Irving Klaw with audio commentaries by film historian Alexandra Heller-Nicholas (Varietease) and author Jo Weldon (Teaserama), as well as audio commentaries with David F. Friedman and Mike Vraney (on the Something Weird Video editions of Varietease and Teaserama) and theatrical trailers for all three films.
Charles Marquis Warren's Back from the Dead (1957), starring Peggie Castle, Arthur Franz, Marsha Hunt, Don Haggerty, Marianne Stewart and Otto Reichow. Kino presents Back from the Dead with two new audio commentaries: One by film historians Tom Weaver, Gary D. Rhodes and Larry Blamire and another by film historians David Del Valle and Dana M. Reemes.
Sidney J. Furie's The Lawyer (1970), starring Barry Newman, Harold Gould, Diana Muldaur, Robert Colbert, Kathleen Crowley and Warren J. Kemmerling. Sourced from a new 4K scan of the original camera negative by Paramount Pictures, Kino presents The Lawyer with audio commentary by film historian / filmmaker Daniel Kremer and film director Paul Lynch (with archival excerpts from Sidney J. Furie), interviews with Barry Newman and Diana Muldaur and a theatrical teaser.
Peter Bogdanovich's Daisy Miller (1974), starring Cybill Shepherd, Barry Brown, Mildred Natwick, Eileen Brennan, Cloris Leachman and Duilio Del Prete. Sourced from a new 4K scan of the original camera negative by Paramount Pictures, Kino presents Daisy Miller with new extras, including an interview with Cybill Shepherd and an audio commentary with film historian and critic Peter Tonguette. Also included is an audio commentary and introduction by Peter Bogdanovich and a theatrical trailer.
Jeremy Kagan's Big Man on Campus (1989), starring Allan Katz, Corey Parker, Cindy Williams, Cynthia Gouw, Melora Hardin and Gerrit Graham. Sourced from a new 2K scan of the 35mm interpositive, Kino presents Big Man on Campus with a new audio commentary by Jeremy Kagan and film historian Andrew Bentler, as well as a new interview with actor and screenwriter Allan Katz. Also included is an alternate ending with optional commentary, a stills gallery and a newly remastered theatrical trailer.
Marc Levin's Slam (1998), starring Saul Williams, Sonja Sohn, Bonz Malone. Lawrence Wilson, Beau Sia and Andre Taylor. Newly remastered from the 35mm interpositive by the Sundance Institute, the Academy Film Archive, the UCLA Film & Television Archive and Lionsgate, Kino presents Slam with an audio commentary by Marc Levin and Bonz Malone, behind-the-scenes footage and a theatrical trailer.
Coming from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is a Blu-ray for Frank Borzage's Man's Castle (1933), starring Spencer Tracy, Loretta Young, Marjorie Rambeau, Glenda Farrell, Walter Connolly and Arthur Hohl. The film will be making its worldwide debut on Blu-ray..
Also coming to Blu-ray from Sony is Michael Apted's Thunderheart (1992), starring Val Kilmer, Sam Shepard, Graham Greene, Fred Ward, Fred Dalton Thompson and John Trudell. Sourced from a new 4K master, Sony presents Thunderheart with an audio commentary by screenwriter John Fusco and a theatrical trailer..
Then from Sony is a Blu-ray for Anh Hung Tran's The Vertical Ray of the Sun (Mùa hè chiều thẳng đứng) (2000) starring Nu Yên-Khê Tran, Quynh Nhu, Khanh Le, Quang Hai Ngo, Chu Hung and Manh Cuong Tran. The film will be making its worldwide debut on Blu-ray..
Finally from Sony is a 4K UHD upgrade for David O. Russell's American Hustle (2013), starring Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Jennifer Lawrence and Louis C.K. Sourced from a 4K master, Sony presents American Hustle with a choice of DTS-HD MA 5.1 or a new Dolby Atmos remix and Dolby Vision HDR (with the HDR grade and Atmos mix approved by David O. Russell), as well as approximately 15 minutes of new deleted and extended scenes and a theatrical trailer. An included Blu-ray copy features 11 other deleted scenes and a making of featurette.
Coming to Blu-ray from ClassicFlix is Frank Capra's Meet John Doe (1941), starring Gary Cooper, Barbara Stanwyck, Edward Arnold, Walter Brennan, Spring Byington and James Gleason. Newly remastered from a a 35mm nitrate print at the Library of Congress (with additional 35mm nitrate material from the British Film Institute), ClassicFlix presents Meet John Doe with DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono audio. Extras include a restoration comparison featurette. For a full disc breakdown, read Jeffrey Kauffman's Blu-ray review.
Coming to Blu-ray from 88 Films is Han Hsiang Li's Beauty of Beauties (西施) (1965), starring Ching Chiang, Lei Zhao, Mu Chu, Chun Ku, Fei Wang and Kuan-Chang Li. Sourced from a new 4K master, 88 Films presents Beauty of Beauties with Mandarin: LPCM 2.0 Mono audio and optional, newly translated English subtitles. Extras include a new interview with Asian cinema expert Tony Rayns, a restoration comparison and a trailer. For a full disc breakdown, read Jeffrey Kauffman's Blu-ray review.
Coming to Blu-ray from the Criterion Collection is a box set: Three Revolutionary Films by Ousmane Sembène (1971-1977), a set including Emitaï (1971), Xala (1975) and Ceddo (1977). All films are sourced from new 4K masters and presented with LPCM Mono audio and optional, newly-translated English subtitles. Extras include a new conversation between Mahen Bonetti (founder and executive director of the African Film Festival) and writer Amy Sall, the documentary The Making of "Ceddo," (1981) and an essay by film scholar Yasmina Price.
Note: Posted below is the 2023 Janus Films trailer for the Sembène 100 retrospective.
Coming to remastered Blu-ray and 4K UHD from Blue Underground is Bob Clark's Deathdream (AKA Dead of Night) (1974), starring John Marley, Lynn Carlin, Richard Backus, Henderson Forsythe, Anya Ormsby and Jane Daly. Sourced from a new 4K scan of the original camera negative, Blue Underground presents Deathdream with DTS-HD MA Mono audio and Dolby Vision HDR on the 4K UHD edition. Extras include a new audio commentary with film historians Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson, two legacy audio commentaries and a trailer (presented with HDR), while an included remastered Blu-ray additionally features new interviews with composer Carl Zitter, star Anya Liffey and writer / make-up artist Alan Ormsby, and production manager John 'Bud' Cardos, as well as interviews with Tom Savini and Richard Backus, screen tests, Ormsby's student film and alternate opening titles. For full disc breakdowns, read Svet Atanasov's 4K UHD review and Blu-ray review.
Coming from Shout Factory is a remastered Blu-ray for John Frankenheimer's The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996), starring Marlon Brando, Val Kilmer, David Thewlis, Fairuza Balk, Temuera Morrison and Mark Dacascos. Shout presents both the theatrical and director's cuts of the film, with the latter sourced from a new 2K scan of the interpositive, and DTS-HD MA 5.1 or 2.0 audio options. Extras include a new interview with creature makeup effects supervisor Shane Mahan, as well as a making of featurette, photo gallery and trailer.
Also from Shout is a 4K UHD upgrade for Oz Perkins' Gretel & Hansel (2020), starring Sophia Lillis, Alice Krige, Jessica De Gouw, Charles Babalola, Ian Kenny and Fiona O'Shaughnessy. Sourced from a 4K master, Shout presents Gretel & Hansel with DTS-HD MA 5.1 or 2.0 audio options and Dolby Vision HDR on the 4K UHD disc. Extras include two new audio commentaries: One with Oz Perkins and another with horror historian Rebekah McKendry. The included Blu-ray additionally features a new interview with production designer Jeremy Reed and four legacy featurettes.
Finally this week, KimStim have a Blu-ray for Joaquín Cociña and Cristóbal León's The Wolf House (La casa lobo) (2018), starring Amalia Kassai, Rainer Krause, Karina Hyland, Carlos Cociña, Natalia Geisse, Carlos Vasquez and Javiera Ramirez. KimStim presents The Wolf House in Spanish with optional English subtitles. Extras include the filmmakers short films Der Kleinere Raum (The Smaller Room) (2009), Weathervene (2010) and La bruja y el amante (The Witch and the Lover) (2012).