Warner Home Video's Batman: The Complete Television Series On DVD And Blu-ray As Mega-Sets On Nov. 11

Holy Wow and Gee-Whiz (to paraphrase Robin), news arrived this week that Warner Home Video will be releasing on Nov. 11 both Blu-ray and DVD collections of the iconic mid-60s TV series starring Adam West and Burt Ward.

Batman: The Complete Television Series will feature all 120 episodes and be available as a massive 18-disc DVD set or a 13-disc Blu-ray “Limited Edition” collection.

Also streeting on Nov. 11 is a five-disc DVD edition of Batman: The Complete First Season.

Bonus nuggets include six featurettes — “Hanging with Batman,” “Holy Memorabilia Batman!,” “Batmania Born!,” “Bats of the Round Table,” “Inventing Batman” and “Na Na Na Batman!” — with the Blu-ray SKU adding 44 trading cards from the period, a Hot Wheels replica of the Batmobile and the “Adam West Scrapbook.”   

The Blu-ray SKU also includes UltraViolet for all 120 episodes from the series three seasons.

In other release news this week — in chronological order — we have a three-disc collection of the Theo James detective series, Golden Boy: The Complete First Season, being added to the Aug. 5 DVD release schedule.

The following week (Aug. 12), Blu-ray editions of director Jacques Tourneur’s 1947 film noir thriller Out of the Past (teaming Robert Mitchum with Kirk Douglas, Jane Greer and Rhonda Fleming) and a double-disc selection of the animated series, Young Justice: Season One, have also been added to the current release slate.

Sept. 9 brings the Blu-ray debut of director Blake Edwards’ 1965 film comedy, The Great Race, reteaming Jack Lemmon with Tony Curtis … Natalie Wood joins the fun).

Lastly, for this week, Nov. 18 sees the DVD arrival of Daffy Duck's Movie: Fantastic Island.

To download this week's complete edition of the DVD and Blu-ray Release Report:  DVD & Blu-ray Release Report

Paramount Home Media's Postman Pat: The Movie Debuts On DVD On Sept. 23

Paramount Home Media Distribution will be bringing animation filmmaker Mike Disa’s Postman Pat: The Movie to the domestic market place as a DVD product offering on Sept. 23.

This former animator for Disney has worked in the industry from the ground up — animator for such films as Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Treasure Planet — and then made the move to direction with the animated short film The Origin of Stitch and the feature-length Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil.

With Postman Pat: The Movie he takes on the world of stop motion … and he absolutely nails it.  It’s a Brit-flick (think: Wallace and Gromit) with an American director, but you would never know it!   

Postman Pat (voice by Stephen Mangan — Billy Elliot, Confetti, Rush, etc.) of a village in England is against the wall when he doesn’t receive the bonus he had hoped for.  He was going to use the proceeds to take his wife Sara (Susan Duerden is the voice actress) on a long overdue trip to Italy, but he has come up with a plan, with the help of his son, to rectify this little shortcoming.  

The solution is deceptively simple.  He will win the TV talent showcase, You’re the One, hosted by Simon Cowbell (voiced by Robin Atkin Downes), and all will be right with the world since the grand prize is (drum roll please) … a trip to Italy!!!

Simple is and simple does, right?   If that were the case we wouldn’t have much of a story or, for that matter, any reason to enjoy Postman Pat: The Movie.   Instead, the popular Brit-series featuring Postman Pat — who goes feature-length here — jumps into a full-bore competition that begins to gnaw at his steadfast values.  Mean while, his daily task of delivering the mail is taken up by a Postman Pat robot, whose programming leaves quite a bit to be desired!!

Just how much is that trip to Italy worth … that’s the question!

To download this week's complete edition of the DVD and Blu-ray Release Report:  DVD & Blu-ray Release Report

Wolfe Tabs Sept. 30 For The Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack Release Of Filmmaker Del Shores' Sordid Lives

Wolfe announced this past week that writer/director Del Shores cult-status comedy, Sordid Lives, will be making its hi-def debut on Sept. 30 as a Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack.

When matriarch Peggy Ingram (Gloria LeRoy) dies — “tragically” on her way to the bathroom — it is reasoned that the clan must be gathered together for her funeral.  Perhaps, just perhaps, a better plan might have been considered.   But gather they must, which means truths will be revealed that these rural Texas folks might not be up to dealing with.   

There are many questions (some without understandable answers) … will “Tammy Wynette” (aka: Earl 'Brother Boy' Ingram — Leslie Jordan) get out of the nut house in time for the burial, will Ty (Kirk Geiger) come out, will his mother (Bonnie Bedelia) understand or just melt down (or both) and will G.W. (Beau Bridges) get what’s coming to him?    And good lord, what does Olivia Newton-John have to do with all of this?

If you like your comedies black and virtually all of the participants dysfunctional, then Sordid Lives is the perfect choice come Sept. 30!

Bonus goodies assembled by Wolfe include newly prepared interviews with filmmaker Del Shores and members of the cast that include Kirk Geiger, Bonnie Bedelia, Leslie Jordan, Sarah Hunley, Ann Walker, Newell Alexander, Rosemary Alexander, Beau Bridges and Beth Grant.   There is also a previously released commentary track that is included here.

To download this week's complete edition of the DVD and Blu-ray Release Report:  DVD & Blu-ray Release Report

Money For Nothing On DVD Oct. 7 Courtesy Of Virgil Films And Entertainment

Film editor-turned-documentary filmmaker Jamin Bricker’s Money For Nothing, a feature-length homage to the music video genre — or is more aptly described as an “art form?” — will be making its DVD debut from Virgil Films & Entertainment on Oct. 7.

Based on Saul Austerlitz’s book of the same name, with narration provided by Michael Charles Roman, Money For Nothing, is more than just a chronology of this particular visual medium, but a look inside the trends and mores of each period … an effort to provide a degree of clarity for an “art form” that seems, with all of its razzle-dazzle and visuals, to defy such analysis.

Provocative, and certainly worth a look, even if you just come for the “noise!”

To download this week's complete edition of the DVD and Blu-ray Release Report:  DVD & Blu-ray Release Report

House Of The Witchdoctor From Breaking Glass Pictures On Sept. 16

There is no peace for Leslie Van Hooten (Callie Stephens) in writer/director Devon Mikolas’ House of the Witchdoctor, which is heading to the DVD market place on Sept. 16 courtesy of Breaking Glass Pictures. 

She has retreated to the estate of her parents (played by none other than Bill Moseley and Leslie Easterbrook), with a few of her friends in tow to mark the one-year anniversary of a tragedy that took the life of a dear friend.   

Perhaps the comfort provided by familiar surroundings and the support of her friends and family will be the path for her to heal.   Well, in a perfect world — even a normal world — that would be the case, but with this trip home, there is no peace, no quiet, comfort or healing … just terror.

No sooner do Leslie and her pals settle in — with the caveat from her father that her friends should stay out of the basement — when two violent and drug-crazed career criminals, Cliff Rifton (Allan Kayser) and Buzz Schenk (David Willis), invade the place.   They think nothing of rape and murder … but at the Van Hooten’s place nothing is quite as it seems!!!   

Bonus features include a blooper reel and behind-the-scenes footage. 

To download this week's complete edition of the DVD and Blu-ray Release Report:  DVD & Blu-ray Release Report

Bunnyman Massacre On DVD From Midnight Releasing On Aug. 12

He’s back!   

Michael Myers?  No.  Leatherface?  No.   Bunnyman?   Yes, that crazed backwoods truck driver who likes to kill, kill, kill!

Bunnyman (Joshua Lang) returns for another round of bloodletting and carnage in Midnight Releasing’s Aug. 12 DVD debut of The Bunnyman Massacre.

Back in 2011, writer/director Carl Lindbergh took some pretty stock horror concepts — victim pool, remote locations and a mystery killer — and weaved them into a slasher/thriller that introduced a new menace to teens who dare wander off the main highway … Bunnyman.

This time out he’s expanded his field of candidates for slaughter from the standard victim pool of scantily clad young woman (and their friends) to include members of the local law enforcement community, which brings a shaper focus on his chainsaw’in ways.

Bonus features include filmmaker commentary, deleted scenes, cast and crew interviews and a trio of featurettes, including one titled “Joe's Guide to Dating” and a second titled “Bunnyman Gets Fast Food.”

To download this week's complete edition of the DVD and Blu-ray Release Report:  DVD & Blu-ray Release Report

Universal Studios Home Entertainment Serves Up Chef As DVD And Blu-ray/DVD Combo Packs On Sept. 30

Universal Studios Home Entertainment has tabbed Sept. 30 as the street date for DVD and Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack (with UltraViolet) editions of writer/director (and star) Jon Favreau’s Chef, a comedy about food — high and low end — taste and discovering love.

The ARR is 144 days and ticket sales for this all-star comedy (Sofía Vergara, John Leguizamo, Scarlett Johansson, Oliver Platt, Dustin Hoffman and Robert Downey, Jr., among others) came in at $27.3 million.   

Bonus features include commentary from filmmaker Favreau and deleted scenes.

To download this week's complete edition of the DVD and Blu-ray Release Report:  DVD & Blu-ray Release Report

           

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Brings Director Tim Story's Think Like A Man Too To DVD And Blu-ray On Sept. 16

Director Tim Story’s hit follow-up to his 2012 comedy, Think Like a Man, will be heading home on Sept. 16 and DVD and Blu-ray product offerings (both with UltraViolet) from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.   

With $64.7 million in summer ticket sales, Think Like a Man Too has all the trappings of a possible franchise series for filmmaker Tim Story (Ride Along, Barbershop, etc.).   The ARR comes in at a very quick 88 days.

No word just yet on any bonus features … and cover art is still MIA (theatrical poster will have to do for now).

To download this week's complete edition of the DVD and Blu-ray Release Report:  DVD & Blu-ray Release Report