For the week of July 15th, the Criterion Collection has a Blu-ray and 4K UHD release for Wim Wenders' Perfect Days, starring Koji Yakusho, Tokio Emoto, Arisa Nakano, Aoi Yamada, Yumi Aso and Sayuri Ishikawa.
Description: A perfect song that hits at just the right moment, the play of sunlight through leaves, a fleeting moment of human connection in a vast metropolis: the wonders of everyday life come into breathtaking focus in this profoundly moving film by Wim Wenders. In a radiant, Cannes-award-winning performance of few words but extraordinary expressiveness, Koji Yakusho plays a public-toilet cleaner in Tokyo whose rich inner world is gradually revealed through his small exchanges with those around him and with the city itself. Channeling his idol Yasujiro Ozu, Wenders crafts a serenely minimalist ode to the miracle that is the here and now.
Criterion's releases of Perfect Days contain DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio, with HDR on the 4K UHD disc. Extras include interviews with Wim Wenders, Koji Yakusho and producer Koji Yanai, Wenders' short film some body comes into the light (2023) with a director's introduction, and a trailer for the main feature. Also included is an essay by film critic Bilge Ebiri.
Also coming from Criterion is a Blu-ray for Glauber Rocha's Black God, White Devil (Deus e o Diabo na Terra do Sol) (1964), starring Geraldo Del Rey, Yoná Magalhães, Othon Bastos, Maurício do Valle, Lidio Silva and Sonia dos Humildes. Sourced from a new 4K master, Criterion presents Black God, White Devil with LPCM Mono audio and newly-translated English subtitles. Extras include audio commentary by restoration producer Lino Meireles, a new interview with film scholar Richard Peña, the documentaries Memória do cangaço (1964), Glauber the Movie, Labyrinth of Brazil (2003) and Cinema Novo (2016) and a trailer for the main feature. Also included is an essay by film scholar Fábio Andrade.
New from Well Go USA is a Blu-ray release for Francis Galluppi's The Last Stop in Yuma County, starring Jim Cummings, Jocelin Donahue, Richard Brake, Sierra McCormick, Nicholas Logan and Michael Abbott Jr..
Description: While stranded at a rural Arizona rest stop, a traveling salesman is thrust into a dire hostage situation by the arrival of two bank robbers with no qualms about using cruelty—or cold, hard steel—to protect their bloodstained fortune.
Well Go USA's Blu-ray of The Last Stop in Yuma County contains filmmaker commentary, a making of and a trailer.
Turning to catalog titles, Kino Lorber have several on offer this week. They are:
A remastered Blu-ray and 4K UHD release for Don Siegel's Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), starring Kevin McCarthy, Dana Wynter, Larry Gates, King Donovan, Carolyn Jones and Jean Willes. Sourced from a new 4K scan of the best available elements, Kino presents Invasion of the Body Snatchers in both 2.00:1 and 1.85:1 aspect ratios, with Dolby Vision HDR on the 4K UHD disc. New extras include two audio commentaries: One by film historians Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson and another by professor and film scholar Jason A. Ney. Also included are two legacy commentaries: One with Kevin McCarthy and Dana Wynter (moderated by filmmaker Joe Dante) and another with film historian Richard Harland Smith, as well as three featurettes and both 1956 and 1978 theatrical trailers.
A new special edition of Etienne Perier's When Eight Bells Toll (1971), starring Anthony Hopkins, Robert Morley, Nathalie Delon, Jack Hawkins, Corin Redgrave and Derek Bond. Previously released by Kino in 2016, this special edition is newly-encoded on a dual-layered BD-50 disc and comes with optional English subtitles. Extras include a new audio commentary by filmmaker / historian Steve Mitchell and screenwriter / producer Cyrus Voris, as well as a trailer. Packaging includes reversible artwork and a slipcover.
A Blu-ray for David Steinberg's Paternity (1981), starring Burt Reynolds, Beverly D'Angelo, Norman Fell, Paul Dooley, Elizabeth Ashley and Lauren Hutton. Sourced from a new 4K scan of the original camera negative, Kino presents Paternity with audio commentary by entertainment journalists / authors Bryan Reesman and Max Evry, as well as two TV spots.
The Blu-ray box set Columbo: The Return (1989-2003), starring Peter Falk. Sourced from new 4K scans by NBCUniversal, Kino presents all 24 episodes of Columbo: The Return with optional music and effects tracks and an episode guide booklet.
A Blu-ray for Patrice Leconte's Yvonne's Perfume (Le Parfum d'Yvonne) (1994), starring Jean-Pierre Marielle, Hippolyte Girardot, Sandra Majani, Richard Bohringer, Paul Guers and Corinne Marchand. Kino presents Yvonne's Perfume with audio commentary by film historian Samm Deighan, as well as an interview with Patrice Leconte and trailers.
A remastered Blu-ray and 4K UHD release for Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain (2005), starring Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Linda Cardellini, Anna Faris, Anne Hathaway and Michelle Williams. Sourced from a new 4K scan of the original camera negative, Kino presents Brokeback Mountain with 5.1 and 2.0 lossless audio tracks and Dolby Vision HDR on the 4K UHD disc. New extras include audio commentary by film historian / writer Julie Kirgo. Also included are a making of and several shorter featurettes, as well as a theatrical trailer and TV spots.
Coming from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment and MGM are 4K UHD upgrades for John G. Avildsen's Rocky V (1990) and Sylvester Stallone's Rocky Balboa (2006), both starring Sylvester Stallone and Burt Young. Both films are presented on 4K UHD with DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio and Dolby Vision HDR, with Rocky Balboa presented in both its 102-minute theatrical version and a 116-minute director's cut. Each film is released separately in SteelBook packaging, with Rocky Balboa including filmmaker commentary, a deleted scene and alternate ending and four featurettes. On the same day, Warner and MGM will release the Rocky: Ultimate Knockout Collection (1976-2006), a seven-disc set collecting the first six films in the series on 4K UHD, along with a bonus Blu-ray disc with the extras from Rocky and The Making of "Rocky vs. Drago": Keep Punching.
Coming to Blu-ray and 4K UHD from Shout Factory is Joe Chappelle's Phantoms (1998), starring Peter O'Toole, Rose McGowan, Joanna Going, Liev Schreiber, Ben Affleck and Nicky Katt. Sourced from a new 4K scan of the original camera negative (approved by Joe Chappelle), Shout presents Phantoms with 5.1 and 2.0 lossless audio tracks and Dolby Vision HDR on the 4K UHD disc. New extras include interviews with producer Joel Soisson and cinematographer Richard Clabaugh. Also included is a trailer and TV spot.
Coming to 4K UHD from Paramount Home Media Distribution is Stephen Hillenburg and Mark Osborne's The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004), starring Tom Kenny, Bill Fagerbakke, Clancy Brown, Rodger Bumpass, Mr. Lawrence and Alec Baldwin. Sourced from a new 4K master, Paramount presents The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie with DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio and Dolby Vision HDR. An included legacy Blu-ray features a making of, several featurettes, a music video for The Flaming Lips' "SpongeBob and Patrick Confront the Psychic Wall of Energy" and a making of the music video, as well as a teaser trailer.
Note: The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie is currently only available on 4K UHD in SteelBook packaging.
Finally this week, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment have a 4K UHD upgrade for Paul Greengrass' Captain Phillips (2013), starring Tom Hanks, Catherine Keener, Barkhad Abdi, Barkhad Abdirahman, Faysal Ahmed and Mahat M. Ali. Sourced from a 4K master, Sony presents Captain Phillips with a choice of original DTS-HD MA 5.1 or new Dolby Atmos audio and Dolby Vision HDR. Extras include a theatrical trailer, while an included legacy Blu-ray features filmmaker commentary and a three-part making of featurette.
Note: Captain Phillips is currently only available on 4K UHD in SteelBook packaging.