For the week of July 1st, Cohen Media Group will release a Blu-ray for Marco Bellocchio's Kidnapped (Rapito), starring Barbara Ronchi, Fabrizio Gifuni, Filippo Timi, Corrado Invernizzi and Fausto Russo Alesi.
Description: From one of Italy's most revered directors, Marco Bellocchio (The Traitor, Fists in the Pocket), comes Kidnapped, the true story of Edgardo Mortara. Mortara was a young Jewish boy living in Bologna, Italy, when in 1858, after being secretly baptized, was forcibly taken from his family by the Pope, to be raised Catholic. His parents' struggle to free their son became part of a larger political battle that pitted the papacy against forces of democracy and Italian unification.
Cohen's Blu-ray of Kidnapped contains an introduction by Marco Bellocchio, an interview with Bellocchio and a theatrical trailer.
Coming to Blu-ray from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment is Goran Stolevski's Housekeeping for Beginners (Домаќинство за почетници | Domaḱinstvo za početnici), starring Anamaria Marinca, Alina Șerban, Samson Selim, Vladimir Tintor, Mia Mustafi and Džada Selim.
Description: From acclaimed filmmaker Goran Stolevski comes a story exploring the universal truths of family, both the ones we're born into and the ones we find for ourselves. Dita never wanted to be a mother, but circumstances force her to raise her girlfriend's two daughters, tiny troublemaker Mia and rebellious teen Vanesa. A battle of wills ensues as the three continue to butt heads and become an unlikely family that must fight to stay together.
New on Blu-ray from Mill Creek Entertainment is Brian Volk-Weiss' documentary series Icons Unearthed: The Simpsons (2022), starring Cooper Barnes, Jon Vitti, Wes Archer, Pete Michels, Bill Oakley and Ken Levine.
Description: Icons Unearthed: The Simpsons highlights who and what has kept this beloved series rolling for so long, unpacking backstage stories, creative disputes, production changes, and the continual comedy gold behind the ultimate animation juggernaut.
Mill Creek's Blu-ray of Icons Unearthed: The Simpsons is a four-disc set with all six episodes. Extras include eleven hours of uncut interviews with The Simpsons writers and network executives as extras.
Coming from Crunchyroll are three new anime series on Blu-ray. They are:
Vinland Saga: Season 2 Part 1 (ヴィンランド・サガ) (2023), starring Naoya Uchida, Hiroki Yasumoto, Yûto Uemura, Kenshô Ono, Akio Ôtsuka and Atsushi Ono. Crunchyroll's Blu-ray contains all 12 episodes, with Japanese: Dolby TrueHD 2.0 audio (with English subtitles) or English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 audio. Extras include promo videos and textless opening and closing songs.
Bungo Stray Dogs - Season Four (文豪ストレイドッグス) (2023), starring Mamoru Miyano, Yûto Uemura, Yoshimasa Hosoya, Kenshô Ono, Toshiyuki Toyonaga and Hiroshi Kamiya. Crunchyroll's Blu-ray contains all 13 episodes, with Japanese: Dolby TrueHD 2.0 audio (with English subtitles) or dubbed English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 audio (French: Dolby TrueHD 2.0 and French subtitles are also included). Extras include episode previews, promo videos, commercials and textless opening and closing songs.
In Another World with My Smartphone: Season 2 (異世界はスマートフォンとともに。) (2023), starring Katsumi Fukuhara, Marika Kôno, Maaya Uchida, Nanami Yamashita, Chinatsu Akasaki and Sumire Uesaka. Crunchyroll's Blu-ray contains all 12 episodes, with Japanese: Dolby TrueHD 2.0 audio (with English subtitles) or English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 audio. Extras include promo videos and a teaser.
Turning to catalog titles, the Criterion Collection has the Blu-ray and 4K UHD world premiere of Sam Peckinpah's Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973), starring James Coburn, Kris Kristofferson, Richard Jaeckel, Katy Jurado, Chill Wills and Barry Sullivan. Criterion includes three cuts of the film, two of which are on 4K UHD with Dolby Vision HDR: The original 1973 theatrical version and a new 50th Anniversary Release, supervised by editors Paul Seydor and Roger Spottiswoode. Also included on Blu-ray only is a 2K scan of Sam Peckinpah's Final Preview Cut. All three cuts come with LPCM Mono audio and optional English SDH subtitles. Extras include an audio commentary on the 50th Anniversary Release version with Seydor, Spottiswoode and critic Michael Sragow, a new interview with author Clinton Heylin about the film's soundtrack, a new documentary about the making of the film, an archival interview with James Coburn, a trailer and TV spots and an essay by author Steve Erickson. For full release breakdowns, read Svet Atanasov's Blu-ray review and 4K UHD review.
Coming to 4K UHD from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver (1976), starring Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Albert Brooks, Harvey Keitel, Leonard Harris and Peter Boyle. Previously released as part of Sony's Columbia Classics Collection: Volume 2 box set in 2021, the film is now available individually on 4K UHD for the first time worldwide.
Note: The standalone 4K UHD release of Taxi Driver is currently only available in SteelBook packaging.
Coming to Blu-ray from Shout Factory is James Foley's Who's That Girl? (1987), starring Madonna, Griffin Dunne, Bibi Besch, John Mills, John McMartin and Robert Swann. Sourced from a new 2K scan of the 35mm interpositive, Shout presents Who's That Girl? with a choice of DTS-HD MA 2.0 or 5.1 audio tracks. Extras include a new audio commentary by film historian Russell Dyball and a theatrical trailer.
Coming to remastered Blu-ray and 4K UHD from Shout is Jay Levey's UHF (1989), starring 'Weird Al' Yankovic, Kevin McCarthy, Michael Richards, Victoria Jackson, David Bowe and Anthony Geary. Sourced from a new 4K scan of the original camera negative, Shout presents UHF with DTS-HD MA 2.0 audio and Dolby Vision HDR on the 4K UHD disc. Extras include audio commentary by "Weird Al" Yankovic and Jay Levey, a retrospective panel from 2014, deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes footage, a music video, production stills, easter eggs and promotional materials.
Coming to 4K UHD and remastered Blu-ray from Kino Lorber is Peter Hyams' Narrow Margin (1990), starring Gene Hackman, Anne Archer, James Sikking, J.T. Walsh, M. Emmet Walsh and Nigel Bennett. Sourced from a 4K master, Kino presents Narrow Margin with a choice of DTS-HD MA 2.0 or 5.1 audio tracks and in 4K SDR on the 4K UHD disc. Extras include two audio commentaries: One by Peter Hyams and another by film historian and critic Peter Tonguette. Also included is a making of featurette, selected sound bites and B-rolls and a theatrical trailer.
Also from Kino is a remastered Blu-ray and 4K UHD release for Stephen Hopkins' Blown Away (1994), starring Jeff Bridges, Tommy Lee Jones, Suzy Amis, Lloyd Bridges, Forest Whitaker and Stephi Lineburg. Sourced from a new 4K scan of the original camera negative, Kino presents Blown Away with a choice of DTS-HD MA 2.0 or 5.1 audio tracks and Dolby Vision HDR on the 4K UHD disc. Extras include two audio commentaries: One by Stephen Hopkins and another by action film historians Mike Leeder and Arne Venema. Also included is a making of featurette, a music video, a theatrical trailer and five TV spots.
Coming to Blu-ray and 4K UHD from Unearthed Films is Screaming Mad George and Steve Wang's The Guyver (1991), starring Mark Hamill, Vivian Wu, Jack Armstrong, Jimmie Walker, David Gale and Michael Berryman. Sourced from a new 4K scan of the original camera negative, Unearthed Films presents the R-rated version of The Guyver with a choice of DTS-HD MA 2.0 or 5.1 audio tracks and HDR on the 4K UHD disc. Extras include audio commentary by co-directors Screaming Mad George and Steve Wang, new interviews with producer Brian Yuzna and Screaming Mad George, suit tests, outtakes and a gag roll with commentary by the co-directors, an alternate title sequence and trailers Also included is a CD of the film's soundtrack by composer Matthew Morse.
Finally this week, Paramount Home Media Distribution have a 4K UHD upgrade for Adam McKay's Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004), starring Will Ferrell, Christina Applegate, Paul Rudd, Steve Carell, David Koechner and Fred Willard. Paramount presents Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy with its theatrical cut on 4K UHD with Dolby Vision HDR and DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio, while two Blu-rays feature theatrical and extended cuts of the film as well as the full-length Wake Up, Ron Burgundy film. Extras on the Blu-rays include audio commentary, deleted and extended scenes, bloopers and much more. For a full release breakdown, read Martin Liebman's 4K UHD review.