For the week of July 8th, Lionsgate Home Entertainment has a Blu-ray and 4K UHD release for Alex Garland's Civil War, starring Kirsten Dunst, Cailee Spaeny, Wagner Moura, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Nick Offerman and Jefferson White.
Description: A journey across a dystopian future America, following a team of military-embedded journalists as they race against time to reach DC before rebel factions descend upon the White House.
Lionsgate's Blu-ray releases of Civil War contain the film's Dolby Atmos audio, with Dolby Vision HDR on the 4K UHD disc. Extras include the six-part making of documentary Torn Asunder: Waging Alex Garland's Civil War and a theatrical trailer. In addition to standard packaging, an Amazon Exclusive with bonus content also contains a director and cast Q&A as well as alternate artwork. For full release breakdowns, read Jeffrey Kauffman's Blu-ray review and 4K UHD review.
Also onBlu-ray and 4K UHD from Lionsgate is Moritz Mohr's Boy Kills World, starring Bill Skarsgård, Jessica Rothe, Michelle Dockery, Brett Gelman, Isaiah Mustafa and Yayan Ruhian.
Description: Skarsgård stars as "Boy" who avows revenge after his family is murdered by Hilda Van Der Koy (Janssen), the deranged matriarch of a corrupt post-apocalyptic dynasty that left the boy orphaned, deaf and voiceless. Driven by his inner voice, one which he co-opted from his favorite childhood video game, Boy trains with a mysterious shaman (Ruhian) to become an instrument of death and is set loose on the eve of the annual culling of dissidents. Bedlam ensues as Boy commits bloody martial arts mayhem, inciting a wrath of carnage and blood-letting. As he tries to get his bearings in this delirious realm, Boy soon falls in with a desperate resistance group, all the while bickering with the apparent ghost of his rebellious little sister.
Lionsgate's Blu-ray releases of Boy Kills World contain the film's Dolby Atmos audio, with the 4K UHD disc presenting the film in SDR. Extras include Total Bedlam: Making Boys Kills World, Winter Wonderland, Bill Skarsgård Training, Bill and Yayan, two trailers and more.
Finally from Lionsgate is a Blu-ray for Joel Smallbone's Unsung Hero, starring Daisy Betts, Joel Smallbone, Kirrilee Berger, Jonathan Jackson, Lucas Black and Candace Cameron Bure.
Description: Based on a remarkable true story, Unsung Hero follows David Smallbone as he moves his family from Down Under to the States, searching for a brighter future after his successful music company collapses. With nothing more than their seven children, suitcases, and their love of music, David (for KING + COUNTRY's Joel Smallbone) and his pregnant wife Helen (Daisy Betts) set out to rebuild their lives. Helen's faith stands against all odds and inspires her husband and children to hold onto theirs. With their own dreams on hold, David and Helen begin to realize the musical prowess in their children, who would go on to become two of the most successful acts in Inspirational Music history: five-time GRAMMY Award®-winning artists for KING + COUNTRY and Rebecca St. James.
Lionsgate's Blu-ray of Unsung Hero contains filmmaker commentary, deleted scenes, a making of featurette, trailer and more.
Coming from GKIDS and Shout Factory is a Blu-ray and 4K UHD release for Hayao Miyazaki's The Boy and the Heron (AKA How Do You Live?) (君たちはどう生きるか), starring Soma Santoki, Masaki Suda, Kô Shibasaki, Yoshino Kimura, Takuya Kimura and Keiko Takeshita.
From the legendary Studio Ghibli and director Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away) comes an Academy Award®-winning new fantasy adventure. After losing his mother during the war, young Mahito moves to his family's estate in the countryside. There, a series of mysterious events lead him to a secluded and ancient tower, home to a mischievous gray heron. When Mahito's new stepmother disappears, he follows the gray heron into a fantastic world shared by the living and the dead. As he embarks on an epic journey, Mahito must uncover the secrets of this world and the truth about himself.
Shout's 4K UHD release of The Boy and the Heron presents the film with Dolby Vision HDR and its original Japanese: Dolby Atmos audio with English subtitles. An English: Dolby Atmos dub track, Spanish dubbing, English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles are also offered. Extras include feature-length storyboards, interviews with composer Joe Hisaishi, producer Toshio Suzuki and supervising animator Takeshi Honda, Drawing with Takeshi Honda a "Spinning Globe" music video, and teasers and trailers. In addition to standard packaging, an Limited Edition SteelBook will also be available.
Also from Shout is a 4K UHD upgrade for Craig R. Baxley's Dark Angel (AKA I Come in Peace) (1990), starring Dolph Lundgren, Brian Benben, Jim Haynie, Michael J. Pollard, Jesse Vint and Al Leong. Sourced from a new 4K scan of the original camera negative, Shout presents Dark Angel with DTS-HD MA 5.1 and 2.0 audio options and Dolby Vision HDR on the 4K UHD disc. Extras include the new featurette Go in Pieces: Remembering Dark Angel (featuring interviews with cinematographer Mark Irwin, editor Mark Helfrich, Brian Benben and special make-up effects artist Gabriel Bartalos), A Look Back at Dark Angel, a theatrical trailer and an image gallery.
Finally from Shout is a Blu-ray for Todd Solondz's Storytelling (2001), starring Selma Blair, Leo Fitzpatrick, Robert Wisdom, Maria Thayer, Paul Giamatti and Xander Berkeley. Sourced from a new 2K scan of the interpositive (approved by cinematographer Frederick Elmes), Shout presents Storytelling with DTS-HD MA 5.1 and 2.0 audio options. Extras include new interviews with Frederick Elmes and composer Nathan Larson, an alternate censored scene and a theatrical trailer.
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment and MGM is a Luca Guadagnino's Challengers (2024), starring Zendaya, Josh O'Connor, Mike Faist, Jake Jensen, Faith Fay and Christine Dye.
Description: From visionary filmmaker Luca Guadagnino, Challengers stars Zendaya as Tashi Duncan, a former tennis prodigy turned coach and a force of nature who makes no apologies for her game on and off the court. Married to a champion on a losing streak (Mike Faist – West Side Story), Tashi's strategy for her husband's redemption takes a surprising turn when he must face off against the washed-up Patrick (Josh O'Connor – The Crown) – his former best friend and Tashi's former boyfriend. As their pasts and presents collide, and tensions run high, Tashi must ask herself, what will it cost to win.
Warner's Blu-ray of Challengers contains the film's Dolby Atmos audio.
Also coming from Warner is a Blu-ray for True Detective: Night Country (2024), starring Jodie Foster, Kali Reis, John Hawkes, Christopher Eccleston, Fiona Shaw and Finn Bennett.
Description: When the long winter night falls in Ennis, Alaska, the eight men who operate the Tsalal Arctic Research Station vanish without a trace. To solve the case, detectives Liz Danvers (Jodie Foster) and Evangeline Navarro (Kali Reis) will have to confront the darkness they carry in themselves, and dig into the haunted truths that lie buried under the eternal ice.
Warner's Blu-ray of True Detective: Night Country is a two-disc set with all six episodes. Extras include a cast Q&A and the featurettes New Chapter, Exploring Indigenous Themes, Max Inkblots, Setting and Atmospheric Teases.
Then from Warner is a 4K UHD upgrade for Jan de Bont's Twister (1996), starring Bill Paxton, Helen Hunt, Jami Gertz, Cary Elwes, Lois Smith and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Sourced from a new 4K master, Warner presents Twister with a new Dolby Atmos remix and HDR. Extras include the new featurette The Legacy of Twister: Taken by the Wind, as well as legacy extras, including filmmaker commentary, featurettes and a music video for Van Halen's "Humans Being". In addition to standard packaging, an Limited Edition SteelBook will also be available. For a full disc breakdown, read Randy Miller's 4K UHD review and 4K UHD SteelBook review.
New from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment is a Blu-ray for Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett's Abigail (2024), starring Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens, Kathryn Newton, Will Catlett, Kevin Durand and Angus Cloud.
Description: Radio Silence, the filmmakers behind the horror hits Ready or Not, Scream (2022) and Scream VI, bring a brash and bloodthirsty new vision of vampires with ABIGAIL. A heist team is hired by a mysterious fixer to kidnap the daughter of a powerful underworld figure. They must guard the 12-year-old ballerina for one night to net a $50 million ransom. As the captors start to dwindle one by one, they discover to their mounting terror that they're locked inside an isolated mansion with no ordinary little girl.
Universal's Blu-ray of Abigail contains a Dolby TrueHD 7.1 audio track. Extras include filmmaker commentary, deleted and extended scenes and four featurettes.
New on Blu-ray from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is Spenser Cohen and Anna Halberg's Tarot (2024), starring Avantika, Jacob Batalon, Olwen Fouéré, Harriet Slater, Humberly González and Wolfgang Novogratz.
Description: When a group of friends recklessly violates the sacred rule of Tarot readings – never use someone else's deck – they unknowingly unleash an unspeakable evil trapped within the cursed cards. One by one, they come face to face with fate and end up in a race against death to escape the future foretold in their readings.
Sony's Blu-ray of Tarot contains two featurettes and outtakes.
New on Blu-ray from Magnolia Pictures is Robert Kenner and Melissa Robledo's documentary Food, Inc. 2.
In Food, Inc. 2, the sequel to the 2008 Oscar®-nominated and Emmy®-award winning documentary, Food, Inc., filmmakers Robert Kenner and Melissa Robledo reunite with investigative authors Michael Pollan (The Omnivore's Dilemma) and Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation) to take a fresh look at our efficient yet vulnerable food system. Since the first film, multinational corporations have tightened their stronghold on the U.S. government. The system at large has robbed workers of a fair living wage, and profit focused corporations are proliferating a chemically formulated international health crisis by focusing on growing the market for ultra-processed foods.
The film centers around innovative farmers, future-thinking food producers, workers' rights activists and prominent legislators such as U.S Senators Cory Booker and Jon Tester, who are facing these companies head-on to inspire change and build a healthier, more sustainable future.
Finally for new releases, Liberator Film Studios has a Blu-ray for Austin Shaw's Titanic: The Musical, starring Graham Bickley, Martin Allanson, Ian McLarnon, Adam Filipe, Sam Brown and Alastair Hill.
Description: From composer Maury Yeston, five-time Tony Award® winner Titanic The Musical recounts the hopes, dreams and aspirations of all on board her fateful maiden voyage. From the ship's owner, her builder, the millionaire first class passengers to the third class dreaming of a new life in America. This stunning and stirring production is 'Breathtaking' (The Guardian) and 'Magnificent' (The Telegraph).
Liberator Film Studios' Blu-ray of Titanic: The Musical contains a trailer. For a full disc breakdown, read Jeffrey Kauffman's Blu-ray review.
Turning to catalog titles, Kino Lorber have several coming to Blu-ray. They are:
Ernst Lubitsch's Carmen (1918), starring Pola Negri, Harry Liedtke, Leopold von Ledebur, Grete Diercks and Magnus Stifter. Sourced from a new 4K master by the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung, Kino presents Carmen with a score by Tobias Schwenke. Extras include audio commentary by film historian Anthony Slide and a short documentary on the film's restoration.
Daniel Mann's Come Back, Little Sheba (1952), starring Burt Lancaster, Shirley Booth, Terry Moore, Richard Jaeckel, Philip Ober and Edwin Max. Sourced from a 2021 4K scan by Paramount Pictures, Kino presents Come Back, Little Sheba with audio commentary by film historian Scott Harrison and a theatrical trailer.
George Seaton's The Country Girl (1954), starring Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, William Holden, Anthony Ross, Gene Reynolds and Jacqueline Fontaine. Sourced from a 2023 4K scan by Paramount Pictures, Kino presents The Country Girl in a 1.66:1 aspect ratio, with audio commentary by professor and film scholar Jason A. Ney, as well as a theatrical trailer.
Daniel Mann's The Rose Tattoo (1955), starring Anna Magnani, Burt Lancaster, Marisa Pavan, Virginia Grey and Jo Van Fleet. Sourced from a 2021 4K scan by Paramount Pictures, Kino presents The Rose Tattoo with audio commentary by film historian / writer Julie Kirgo and writer / filmmaker Peter Hankoff, as well as a theatrical trailer.
Patrice Leconte's The Hairdresser's Husband (Le Mari de la coiffeuse) (1990), starring Anna Galiena, Jean Rochefort, Roland Bertin, Yveline Ailhaud, Maurice Chevit and Philippe Clévenot. Sourced from a 4K remaster by Hiventy, Kino presents The Hairdresser's Husband with audio commentary by film historian Adrian Martin, interviews with Patrice Leconte and Anna Galiena and trailers.
And finally from Kino is the Blu-ray and 4K UHD premiere of Robert Butler's Turbulence (1997), starring Ray Liotta, Lauren Holly, Hector Elizondo, Rachel Ticotin, Catherine Hicks and Brendan Gleeson. Sourced from a new 4K scan of the original camera negative, Kino presents Turbulence with DTS-HD MA 5.1 and 2.0 audio options and Dolby Vision HDR on the 4K UHD disc. Extras include a new audio commentary with Robert Butler (moderated by filmmaker Joe Begos) a theatrical trailer and TV spots.
Coming to Blu-ray from Grasshopper Film is a double feature of Jean Grémillon's Lady Killer / The Strange Monsieur Victor (Gueule d'amour / L'Étrange Monsieur Victor) (1937-1938), starring Jean Gabin, Mireille Balin, Pierre Etchepare, Raimu, Madeleine Renaud and Pierre Blanchar. Both films are sourced from 4K masters. Extras include a theatrical trailer for Gueule d'amour and reversible cover art.
Coming to 4K UHD from the Criterion Collection is Jean-Pierre Melville's Le Samouraï (1967), starring Alain Delon, François Périer, Nathalie Delon, Cathy Rosier, Jacques Leroy and Michel Boisrond. Sourced from a 4K master, Criterion presents Le Samouraï with French: LPCM Mono audio (with optional English subtitles) and HDR. Extras are on an included legacy Blu-ray and include interviews with critic Rui Nogueira and film historian Ginette Vincendeau, archival interviews with Jean-Pierre Melville, Alain Delon, François Périer, Nathalie Delon and Cathy Rosier, the short documentary Melville-Delon: D'honneur et de nuit (2011) and a trailer. Also included is a 30-page booklet with "an essay by film scholar David Thomson, an appreciation by filmmaker John Woo, and excerpts from Melville on Melville". For a full release breakdown, read Svet Atanasov's 4K UHD review.
Finally this week, coming to 4K UHD and remastered Blu-ray from MVD Visual is Albert Band's Ghoulies II (1988), starring Damon Martin, Royal Dano, Phil Fondacaro, J. Downing, Kerry Remsen and Dale Wyatt. Sourced from a 2024 4K scan of the original camera negative, MVD Visual presents Ghoulies II in both its 90-minute PG-13 and 91-minute Unrated / R-rated cuts, with LPCM 2.0 audio and Dolby Vision HDR on the 4K UHD disc. Extras include an introduction by screenwriter Dennis Paoli and a theatrical trailer, while an included remastered Blu-ray additionally features a making of featurette, an interview with Dennis Paoli, deleted scenes and a photo gallery. Packaging includes a reversible cover and a "4K LaserVision" mini-poster.