Mill Creek Entertainment Announces Two Post-Labor Day Blu-ray And DVD Product Release Waves

Mill Creek Entertainment let it be known this past week that they are primed for the post-Labor Period with not one, but two waves of priced-to-own DVD and Blu-ray collectibles.

The big news — or should we say, “the biggest news” — is the Oct. 4 release of Miami Vice: The Complete Series as both 20-disc Blu-ray and 20-disc DVD collections. 

 

All 112 episodes of Miami Vice (running from the fall of 1984 trough May of 1989), teaming Don Johnson as detective James "Sonny" Crockett with Philip Michael Thomas as detective Ricardo Tubbs, are included is this prized collection.

But that’s not all that Mill Creek Entertainment has lined up for delivery to retail on Oct. 4.   They’ve also got 16-disc Blu-ray and DVD sets prepped for David Hasselhoff’s Knight Rider: The Complete Series and a 15-disc DVD collection of the sci-fi thriller, Sliders: The Complete Series.   

Not done yet!!!   Oct. 4 is also the street date for Dinotopia: The Complete Series — which will be available as both 4-disc DVD and double-disc Blu-ray SKUs.  Included in the collection is the Dinotopia: The Mini-Series Event from 2002 and the subsequent 13-episode television series, Dinotopia: The TV Series.

Shifting back to Sept. 6, Mill Creek Entertainment has its next double-feature Blu-ray    Set to be released on July 19 is the first group in what appears to be a continuing trend of providing classic sci-fi and horror films on Blu-ray at affordable price point.  This first pair of Blu-ray releases on July 19 are being launched under the William Castle Double Feature promotional banner (included are 13 Ghosts and 13 Frightened Girls and Homicidal and Mr. Sardonicus).   

releases planned.

The Sept. 6 pair will be released as Hammer Films Double Features, and include the double feature of The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958, directed by Terence Fisher and starring Peter Cushing) and The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb (1964, directed by Michael Carreras), and the double-feature of The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll (1960, directed by Terence Fisher and starring Christopher Lee) and The Gorgon (1964, Terence Fisher also directs and Christopher Lee is teamed with Peter Cushing).

Also tabbed for release as DVD product offerings on Sept. 6 are: Coach: Season One and Coach: Season Two (both are double-disc collections), Friday Night Lights: Season One (a four-disc set) and Friday Night Lights: Season Two (three discs) and Necessary Roughness: The Complete Series (a six-disc collection).

For more information on these priced-to-own DVD and Blu-ray selections from Mill Creek Entertainment please visit their website at: millcreekent.com.

Paramount Home Media Preps Blu-ray Editions Of A Boy Named Charlie Brown And Snoopy, Come Home For Blu-ray On Sept. 6

Paramount Home Media was busy this past week with a number of new DVD and Blu-ray product announcements that will be streeting during the post-Labor Day period.

Kicking off the hit parade on Sept. 6 are the long-awaited Blu-ray debuts of the 1969 National General Pictures theatrical release of A Boy Named Charlie Brown and National General’s 1972 follow-up, Snoopy, Come Home.   Emmy-winner (nominated 19 times, with six wins) Bill Melendez handled the direction for both films and was nominated for an Oscar for Best Music, Original Song Score for A Boy Named Charlie Brown.

Also hitting home on Sept. 6 will be both DVD and Blu-ray double-disc sets of the Comedy Central long-running animated smash, South Park: The Complete Nineteenth Season.

The series takes on a different tone as the scatter-shot random episodes (tackling social issues was a vengeance) give way to a more traditional serialized presentation.   Ten episodes are included, with the focus of the season of “political correctness” … and there is plenty of material around to lampoon.

Bonus features include deleted scenes, “mini commentaries” and “#Social Commentary.”

Also set for delivery on Sept. 6 from Paramount Home Media are a pair of mega-sets on DVD.    

Friday the 13th: The Series - The Complete Series arrives as a 17-disc collection and Tales of the Dark Side: The Complete Series showcases its 90 episodes as a 12-disc array.

Shifting to Sept.13, Paramount will be teaming with CSB for the DVD release of Madam Secretary: Season 2, starring Téa Leoni as Dr. Elizabeth McCord, the Secretary of State.     

All 23 episodes are featured as a six-disc collection.

Bonus goodies include a gag reel, deleted scenes, a photo gallery, the featurette titled “Surveillance: The Making of Madam Secretary” and video session of Madam Secretary at the Politico Playbook Panel.

Oscilloscope Laboratories Sets DVD And Blu-ray Editions Of Penélope Cruz’s Ma ma For Delivery On Sept. 20

Oscilloscope Laboratories may have an early entry for this year’s Best Actress sweepstakes with the Sept. 20 DVD and Blu-ray release of writer/director Julio Medem’s Ma ma.

The film has already been racking up awards internationally for Penélope Cruz’s performance — a performance where she has the opportunity to play “against type” — including a Goya Awards nomination for Best Lead Actress.   

Ma ma is in current theatrical release in the domestic market — a limited arthouse run — and will arrive with an ARR of 123 (it opened theatrically in May of this year, but this Spanish-language import was launched internationally last November).

The glamorous Cruz, already nominated three times for Oscars (with a Best Supporting Actress win in 2009 for Vicky Cristina Barcelona), plays Magda, a woman in a failed marriage, her husband Raúl (Alex Brendemühl) has been cheating, who gets hit with a double-whammy when she is diagnosed with breast cancer.

Get out the Kleenex for this one as Cruz is put through the emotional wringer.   She has put off having that “lump” examined too long and the cancer has spread, which will require a mastectomy.   At the same hospital, she crosses paths with Arturo (Luis Tosar), who has just lost his wife … and then his daughter dies days later from the same tragic car accident.   Both are at their low points.

How does one move beyond grief, loss and all of the pain that comes with it?   And how do two people dare take another chance when the past so clearly shows that life can be tenuous at best.   Maybe you just take your chances and enjoy the moments, no matter how brief and fleeting they may be for Magda. 

The bonus feature for this emotional rollercoaster — a genuine tearjerker — is the featurette titled “Making of Ma ma.”

Also announced this week for release as DVD and Blu-ray product offerings by Oscilloscope Laboratories is writer/director Anna Rose Holmer’s The Fits.

The street date is Sept. 13, which yields an ARR of 123 days and box office receipts from the film’s limited theatrical release currently stand at $109,307.

This is a difficult film to approach and ultimately one is prone to view it as more of an allegorical tale than that of a frightening mystery … although it could be both.  Clever, if it is both.   

Toni (Royalty Hightower in her film debut) is a Cincinnati pre-teen who trains at the local sports complex with her older brother, Maine (Da'Sean Minor).   She’s not shooting hoops or practicing volleyball, but boxing, yes, boxing.   She is silent, observant and dedicated to training.  There’s no TV, no video games and no drugs for this kid, she trains … and observes.   

One day the workouts of the Lionesses, the local dance team, catch her eye, and, as we’ve come to know of her and her ways, she watches their moves intently.  She practices what she can; what she’s observed — bits and pieces here and there.   While she’s smooth at boxing, smacking the bag, exchanging moves with her brother in the ring, her first efforts at mastering the floor moves of the Lionesses are comical.  

When tryouts are held, she breaks from her gym routine to give it a try.   She’s fit, she’s ready and we view her chances of making the squad as being pretty good.    But, then filmmaker Anna Rose Holmer takes us in a very different direction.   

Two of the leaders of the Lionesses — Legs (Makyla Burnam) and Karisma (Inayah Rodgers) — fall ill … uncontrollable spasms, fits.   There is some speculation that the building’s plumbing and the water might be the culprit.  It is never fully explained and the girls seemingly recover.   

Is The Fits a mystery?   Is it an allegory about “coming of age” … about leaving childhood behind and take the next big step in life?   We would like answers, but for now we need to be like Toni and simply observe.

 

Bonus features include outtakes, a blooper reel and a behind-the-scenes featurette.

Director Aidan Belizaire’s The Zombie King Makes Its Domestic DVD Debut On July 26

Shami Media, with sales and distribution support provided by MVD Entertainment Group, has selected July 26 as the street date for director Aidan Belizaire’s horror comedy, The Zombie King.

Very much in the spirit of Shaun of the Dead, this British import stars Terminator 2: Judgment Day’s Edward Furlong as Samuel, a bereaved widower, who turns to the dark side to bring his wife (Tanya Katarina) back from the dead.

As the film opens we get a whiff of the comedy to come as Munch, the local milkman (David McClelland — Coronation Street, Lexx, etc.), and a couple of his buddies are on the run from an unknown threat.   We then jump to Furlong’s plight, his wife dying and the wheels are set in motion for these seemingly two unrelated events to collide in full force.

While the locals try to deal with a zombie outbreak — and there are some very funny bits; it is as if refugees from The Benny Hill Show were brought out of retirement and given free reign to be “inventive” — we discover that it is Samuel who has brought forth Kalfu (Corey Feldman is one of his best “scenery-chew” roles in years) to resurrect his dead wife at a terrible cost.

The Zombie King is all great fun, with American actors Corey Feldman and Edward Furlong parachuting in for what amounts to guest star appearances. 

Most of the film’s action is supplied by Munch and his British mates — who are trapped when the army seals off their town and puts a “shoot on sight” policy in place.  They are stuck between the proverbial rock and a hard place and must figure out the cause of the zombie plague before they are wiped out … the clock is ticking as Kalfu has tasked Samuel to complete a seven-day ritual to become the “Zombie King.”  

The KimStim Collections Teams With Icarus Films For The Sept. 6 DVD Debut Of Director Yared Zeleke’s Lamb

The KimStim Collection, with domestic sales and distribution support provided by Icarus Films, announced this past week that Ethiopian writer/director Yared Zeleke’s award-winning Lamb will be released on DVD on Sept. 6.

With Lamb, one is immediately reminded of those wonderful, heart-tugging films that Disney used to make … The Incredible Journey, Old Yeller and Big Red (to name just a few) immediately spring to mind.   Instead of a faithful dog (or cat), this beautifully told story is more akin to director Irving Rapper’s 1956 film, The Brave One (a restored Blu-ray edition was recently released by VCI Entertainment). 

Ephraïm (Rediate Amare) is a young boy living in a remote village in Ethiopia who has just one friend in the whole world, a lamb … that’s right a sheep, good for wool and, ah, good for eating.  When his mother dies his world his turned upside down.

His father heads to Addis Ababa to find work and is unable to care for him, so he goes to live with relatives and with him goes his friend, the lamb.  It is as if Ephraïm has been dumped into an alien environment … yes, he understands the words being spoken, but life with his aunt Emama (Welela Assefa) and his uncle Solomon (Surafel Teka) is nothing like his home.

It would be easy to simply say that filmmaker Yared Zeleke’s Lamb is about a young boy and his pet trying to survive — especially the lamb — in an unfriendly environment, especially when his uncle announces that Ephraïm will be supplying the meal for a forthcoming feast.   

Yes, that’s part of the story, but parallel to the clock ticking in a life and death sense for his friend, is the story of his cousin Tsion (Kidist Siyum), who is literate and somewhat educated (by Ethiopian standards) and is under pressure to continue the traditional ways by getting married.   

While these stories play out, Zeleke takes the time to introduce Western eyes to his culture and the land of Ethiopia.   Little vignettes are mixed with stunning visuals (cinematography by Josée Deshaies — twice nominated for César Award for Best Cinematography: Saint Laurent and L'Apollonide) as both Ephraïm and Tsion struggle to overcome what seems to be inevitable.

Lamb is presented in Amharic with English subtitles.

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment Say No To A 4K Ultra HD Edition Of The Jungle Book On Sept. 13

In a pattern that has become all too clear, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment has elected to forego participation in the newly launched 4K Ultra HD format by not providing obvious titles for release — at least on a day/date basis this year. 

Two weeks ago it was a no-go for the Beauty and the Beast: 25^th Anniversary Edition promotion on Sept. 20.   Last week — and if there was ever a current theatrical release that was a perfect fit — it was again no, no, no to a 4K Ultra HD push for Captain America: Civil War on Sept. 13.

So it came as no surprise that on Wednesday afternoon, July 6, the Disney Store began taking orders for DVD and Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack editions — for delivery on Aug. 30 — of director Jon Favreau’s smash live-action remake of The Jungle Book … but no 4K Ultra HD edition could be found in the mix.

Disney’s PR people got around to confirming the Aug. 30 date the following day (Thursday, July 7) with a formal press announcement.

The ARR works out to 137 days and ticket sales stand at an eye-popping $359.9 million.

What does amount to something of a surprise is that Aug. 30 street date.   It would seem, and perhaps Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment knows best about such things, that a film of this magnitude would have found a higher profile release slot during the post-Labor Day period.    Sept. 20 or Sept. 27 would have been, perhaps, a more enlightened street date.

Another surprise is that this initial launch does not include a 3D Blu-ray SKU … if you saw the film theatrically in 3D was nothing short of spectacular.   Perhaps it will be later in the year for the release of a 3D presentation.   

As to bonus goodies, actor-turned-director (and producer) Jon Favreau provides commentary, there are two featurettes — “I am Mowgli” and “King Louie’s Temple: Layer by Layer” — and a 30-plus minute video session featuring Favreau, producer Brigham Taylor (Tomorrow Land, TRON: Legacy, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, etc.) and visual effects supervisor Robert Legato (Oscar-nominated three times, with wins for Titanic and Hugo).

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Includes A 4K Ultra HD Edition Of The Angry Birds Movie In Its Aug. 16 Home Entertainment Launch

In something of a surprise, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has selected Aug. 16 as the street date for a three-SKU helping of the animation directing team of Clay Kaytis and Fergal Reilly’s The Angry Birds Movie.

With $105.7 million in ticket sales it was anticipated that the film would get a post-Labor Day release date, but it looks like Red, Chuck, Bomb and Terence will be brightening up the doldrums of late August with DVD, Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD editions.   The ARR is a quick-to-market 88 days.

Bonus goodies common to all release SKUs are a bonus sequence titled “Chuck’s Rescue,” the featurette titled “Making Music!” and the Blake Shelton music video, “Friends.”

Exclusive to the Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD editions are four “Hatchlings” animated short films, including one titled “The Early Hatchling Gets the Worm,” deleted scenes and a half-dozen featurettes — “Crafty Birds: How to Build Your Own Piggy Tower,” “Dance Along Birds and Pigs,” “Creating the Real World of Angry Birds,” “Meet the Birds,” “Meet the Pigs” and “Meet the Hatchlings.”

Arrow Video Preps A 2K Restoration Of Female Prisoner Scorpion: The Complete Collection For Release As A Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack Set On Aug. 9

Arrow Video, with domestic sales and distribution expertise provided by MVD Entertainment Group, announced that the entire four-film Female Prisoner Scorpion: The Complete Collection (starring Meiko Kaji) will be getting a new 2K restoration — and released as an eight-disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack — on Aug. 9.

Included in the mix are: Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion (1972), Female Prisoner Scorpion: Jailhouse 41 (1972), Female Prisoner Scorpion: Beast Stable (1973) and Female Prisoner Scorpion: #701's Grudge Song (1973).

Bonus features include newly prepared (separate) video sessions with writer/director Gareth Evans (The Raid: Redemption), assistant director Yutaka Kohira (Female Prisoner Scorpion: #701: Scorpion and Female Prisoner Scorpion: #701's Grudge Song), film critic Kier-La Janisse (founder of The Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies), production designer Tadayuki Kuwana and film critic Kat Ellinger (Editor-in-Chief of Diabolique Magazine), plus vintage interviews with director Shunya Ito (Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion, Female Prisoner Scorpion: Jailhouse 41 and Female Prisoner Scorpion: Beast Stable) and director Yasuharu Hasebe (Female Prisoner Scorpion: #701's Grudge Song) … and more! 

Ariztical Entertainment Tabs Aug. 23 For The DVD Debut Of Writer/Director Joseph Graham’s Beautiful Something

Ariztical Entertainment announced this past week that writer/director Joseph Graham’s Beautiful Something, a haunting tale of emotional and sexual encounters over the course of one evening in the City of Brotherly Love, will be making its DVD debut on Aug. 23.

Drew (Colman Domingo — Fear the Walking Dead) is a renowned sculptor, his latest companion, Jim (Zack Ryan), is more than miffed that Drew’s work is more important than him.  

Brian (Brian Sheppard) is a one-hit wonder when it comes to his writing … and his love life follows the same pattern; nothing lasts.   He’s struggling to overcome a severe bout of writer’s block and lonely one-night stands.

Bob (John Lescault — Lincoln) is a Hollywood “producer,” who has taken some time off from the daily grind to stalk the streets of Philadelphia — in a white stretch limo, no less — for a “beautiful something.”   He thinks he knows what he wants … a hedonist to be sure, but so very much alone and unsatisfied in his pursuits (think: vampire).

Over the course of one very event-filled evening Drew, Jim, Brian and Bob will crisscross paths — with off-the-beaten-path areas of Philadelphia as the backdrop — in a series of erotic and emotional encounters.   Will each find that “beautiful something” … or will dawn bring just another day?

Artiztical Entertainment has bonus goodies for Beautiful Something that include a behind the scenes featurette, video sessions with the cast and a music video.