For the week of August 4th, A24 will release Andrew DeYoung's Friendship, starring Tim Robinson, Paul Rudd, Kate Mara, Josh Segarra, Jack Dylan Grazer and Rick Worthy.
Description: Suburban dad Craig's anodyne existence is jolted to life when he falls hard for his charismatic new neighbor. But as their easy rapport gradually buckles under Craig's enthusiasm, his attempts to make a new adult companion threaten to ruin both of their lives. Co-starring alongside Paul Rudd, comedy virtuoso Tim Robinson (I Think You Should Leave) delivers an unforgettable performance in this painfully hilarious testament to why men shouldn't have friends.
A24's Blu-ray of Friendship contains audio commentary by Andrew DeYoung, director of photography Andy Rydzewski and actor Conner O'Malley, deleted scenes, an extended Q&A with DeYoung and actors Eric Rahill, Paul Rudd and Tim Robinson and an extended Garage Scene with Conner O'Malley. DigiPack packaging includes six collectible postcards with behind-the-scenes photography.
New on Blu-ray from Oscilloscope Laboratories is Timm Kröger's The Universal Theory (Die Theorie von Allem), starring Jan Bülow, Olivia Ross, Hanns Zischler, Gottfried Breitfuss, David Bennent and Philippe Graber.
Description: Set in 1962 at a quantum mechanics conference in an isolated lodge nestled amid the towering landscapes of the Swiss Alps, THE UNIVERSAL THEORY is the story of a gifted young physicist, his curmudgeonly mentor, and an enigmatic jazz pianist who knows things about our wunderkind scientist that he's never told another living soul. German director Timm Kröger—himself also a cinematographer—films his tale with an eye for the majestic natural beauty that surrounds our characters, effectively evoking the paranoid postwar era. Driven by astonishing twists and improbable coincidences, THE UNIVERSAL THEORY unravels a captivatingly complex chronicle with brain-tickling suspense.
Oscilloscope's Blu-ray of The Universal Theory contains audio commentary and a theatrical trailer.
Turning to catalog titles, Paramount Home Media Distribution has a 4K UHD upgrade for Billy Wilder's Sunset Boulevard (1950), starring William Holden, Gloria Swanson, Erich von Stroheim, Nancy Olson, Fred Clark and Lloyd Gough. Sourced from a new 4K master, Paramount presents Sunset Boulevard with Dolby Vision HDR and the choice of a new Dolby TrueHD 5.1 remix or original Dolby TrueHD 2.0 Mono audio options. An included Blu-ray features audio commentary by author Ed Sikov (On Sunset Boulevard: The Life and Times of Billy Wilder), the featurettes Sunset Boulevard: The Beginning, Sunset Boulevard: A Look Back, The Noir Side of Sunset Boulevard, Sunset Boulevard Becomes a Classic, Two Sides of Ms. Swanson, Stories of Sunset Boulevard, Mad About the Boy: A Portrait of William Holden, Recording Sunset Boulevard, The City of Sunset Boulevard, Franz Waxman and the Music of Sunset Boulevard, Behind the Gates: The Lot, Edith Head: The Paramount Years and Paramount in the '50s. Also included are script pages for the film's cut morgue prologue, a deleted scene (in HD), a Hollywood location map, galleries and a theatrical trailer (also in HD).
Also coming to 4K UHD from Paramount is Savage Steve Holland's Better Off Dead (1985), starring John Cusack, David Ogden Stiers, Diane Franklin, Kim Darby, Amanda Wyss and Curtis Armstrong. Paramount presents Better Off Dead with Dolby Vision HDR and a DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio track.
Coming to 4K UHD from the Criterion Collection is Kon Ichikawa's The Burmese Harp (ビルマの竪琴) (1956), starring Rentarô Mikuni, Shôji Yasui, Jun Hamamura, Taketoshi Naitô, Shunji Kasuga and Kô Nishimura. Sourced from a new 4K master, Criterion presents The Burmese Harp with LPCM Mono audio, optional, newly-translated English subtitles and in 4K SDR on the 4K UHD disc. Extras include interviews with Kon Ichikawa and Rentaro Mikuni and a theatrical trailer. Also included is an essay by critic and historian Tony Rayns.
Also coming to 4K UHD from Criterion is Kon Ichikawa's Fires on the Plain (野火) (1959), starring Eiji Funakoshi, Mantarô Ushio, Yoshihiro Hamaguchi, Mickey Curtis, Yoshio Inaba and Jun Hamamura. Sourced from a new 4K master, Criterion presents Fires on the Plain with LPCM Mono audio, optional, newly-translated English subtitles and in 4K SDR on the 4K UHD disc. Extras include an introduction by Japanese film scholar Donald Richie, interviews with Kon Ichikawa and Mickey Curtis and a theatrical trailer. Also included is an essay by critic Chuck Stephens.
Coming to Blu-ray from Shout Factory is Shaw Brothers Classics: Vol. Seven (1973-1980), an eleven-disc box set with the films The Imperial Tomb Raiders (1973), Legend of the Bat (1978), The Shadow Boxer, The Spiritual Boxer (both 1975), Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre, Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre 2, Shaolin Hand Lock, Swordsman and Enchantress (all 1978), The Proud Twins (1979), A Deadly Secret and Heroes Shed No Tears (both 1980). All films come with Mandarin (Cantonese for Legend of the Bat): DTS-HD MA Mono audio and optional, newly-translated English subtitles. Extras include new audio commentaries for all films by James Mudge (veteran Hong Kong film critic at easternKicks) and new audio commentaries by film historian Brian Bankston (on The Imperial Tomb Raiders, Legend of the Bat, Shaolin Handlock and A Deadly Secret), new interviews with actor Li Chiang (The Imperial Tomb Raiders), James Mudge (The Shadow Boxer), critic and curator Frank Djeng (The Spiritual Boxer), author and academic Gary Bettinson (Shaolin Hand Lock) and Shaw Brothers Studios make-up artist Wu Mei-Ti (Heroes Shed No Tears), along with image galleries and trailers for all films.
Also coming from Shout and GKIDS is a 4K UHD upgrade for Mamoru Hosoda's anime film Wolf Children (おおかみこどもの雨と雪) (2012). Shout's 4K UHD release contains both original Japanese and English audio, with English, French or Spanish subtitles. Extras include an interview with Mamoru Hosoda, stage greetings, director's cut trailers and teasers and trailers.
Note: Shout and GKIDS' 4K UHD release of Wolf Children is currently available only as an Amazon Exclusive SteelBook.
Coming to 4K UHD from Kino Lorber is Sam Peckinpah's Convoy (1978), starring Kris Kristofferson, Ali MacGraw, Ernest Borgnine, Burt Young, Madge Sinclair and Franklyn Ajaye. Sourced from a new 4K master, Kino presents Convoy with a choice of lossless 5.1 or 2.0 audio tracks and Dolby Vision HDR on the 4K UHD disc. Extras include two legacy audio commentaries: one with Peckinpah historians Paul Seydor, Garner Simmons and Nick Redman and another with filmmaker / Peckinpah scholar Mike Siegel. A remastered Blu-ray also includes a 2024 edition of the 2013 documentary Sam's Trucker Movie, a 2024 video essay by Mike Siegel, three deleted scenes illustrated with photos, the 2013 featurettes Injokes, Friends & Cameos and Trucker Notes from Norway, the 2024 featurette The Duck Trucks, galleries of posters and lobby cards, as well as 125 color stills and 360 production stills, a theatrical trailer, TV spot and six radio spots.
Coming to 4K UHD from 20th Century Studios is Peter Weir's Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003), starring Russell Crowe, Paul Bettany, Billy Boyd, James D'Arcy, Lee Ingleby and George Innes. 20th Century Studios presents Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World with Dolby Vision HDR and a new Dolby Atmos remix. Extras on an included legacy Blu-ray copy of the film include deleted scenes, a historical and geographic trivia track, an interactive map and a theatrical trailer. For a full release breakdown, read Jeffrey Kauffman's 4K UHD review.
Note: 20th Century Studios' 4K UHD release of Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World is currently available only as a Limited Edition SteelBook.
Finally this week, IFC Films has a 4K UHD upgrade for Cameron Cairnes and Colin Cairnes' Late Night with the Devil (2023), starring David Dastmalchian, Laura Gordon, Ian Bliss, Fayssal Bazzi, Josh Quong Tart and Georgina Haig. The release is the film's premiere on 4K UHD and is currently only available in SteelBook packaging.