For the period ending May 31, 2018 ... New DVD and Blu-ray selections added to the DVD & Blu-ray Release Report's database.

 

DVD New Additions:

 

Acorn Media

05/29/18 — Released Detectorists, Series 3 (2 disc set) and East West 101: Series 2 (2 disc set)

Adult Source Media

05/29/18 — Released College Cuties

Bayview Entertainment

05/29/18 — Released Fit For Sex, Mermaids: Best of Sea Fever, Mermaids: Tropical Storm and Topless Miss Texas

CMAA (MOD)

05/29/18 — Released Civilian Combat Ground Fighting #1: Get to Your Feet from the Bottom

Central Home Entertainment

05/22/18 — Released Aadhi (Malayalam)

Chesslecture.com

05/15/18 — Released Petrosian on the King's Indian Attack, Nigel Method (3 disc set) and Sicilian Dragon (2 disc set)

Classicflix

05/29/18 — Released Man Who Watched Trains

Cohen Media Group

05/29/18 — Released Two of Us (French)

DreamScape Media, LLC

05/29/18 — Released Breathe Like a Bear: 30 Mindful Moments for Kids to Feel Calm and Focused Anytime, Anywhere

EWTN

05/29/18 — Released Women of Grace: Exposing the Truth about Mindfulness Meditation - Susan Brinkmann and Dr. Anthony Clark

Echo Bridge Home Entertainment

05/29/18 — Released 5 Film Horror Collection (5 film set: King of the Zombies, The Monster Maker, Lady Frankenstein, Sisters of Death, Monstrocity), I Will Fight No More Forever … Includes 3 Bonus Movies (4 film set: I Will Fight No More Forever, Blue Steel, McLintock, Pioneer Women), Personal Effects and Smother

Giant Interactive (MOD)

06/12/18 — Sets White Boy

07/10/18 — Sets Generation Zapped

07/17/18 — Sets Pressing On: The Letterpress Film

Gravitas Ventures (MOD)

05/29/18 — Released Dating My Mother, Maximum Achievement: The Brian Tracy Story, Miami (Finnish), Nobody Famous, Run Like Hell and To the Moon and Back

Guest House Films, LLC

05/29/18 — Released Happiness Adjacent

I-Cine

05/29/18 — Released Ngay Mai Anh Sang (18 disc set), Ong Trum Da Quy (15 disc set) and Tan Hiep Khach Hanh (13 disc set)

ISIS Asia, Ltd.

05/29/18 — Released Virtual Cycle Rides: Athens, Greece

06/12/18 — Sets Bali Waves, Bird Safari, Nature Walks: Tropical Bird Safari, Virtual Cycle Rides: Bangkok, Thailand, Virtual Cycle Rides: Barcelona, Spain, Virtual Cycle Rides: Budapest, Hungary, Virtual Cycle Rides: Cappadocia, Turkey, Virtual Cycle Rides: Istanbul, Turkey, Virtual Cycle Rides: Jaipur, India, Virtual Cycle Rides: Lisbon, Portugal, Virtual Cycle Rides: Madrid, Spain, Virtual Cycle Rides: Prague, Czech Republic, Virtual Cycle Rides: Rome, Italy, Virtual Cycle Rides: Thailand Temples and Virtual Cycle Rides: Tropical Coastline & Beaches of Thailand

iChess, LLC

05/15/18 — Released Damian Lemos' Middlegame Chess Masterclass (2 disc set), Delorme Method (3 disc set), Martin Method (3 disc set), Nigel Method (3 disc set) and Sicilian Dragon (2 disc set)

In the Studio with Dianne Mize (MOD)

05/29/18 — Released Creating Distance: Grading with Color

Indie Right, Inc. (MOD)

05/29/18 — Released Black Scar Blues

Kelly’s FilmWorks

05/29/18 — Released Clancy Once Again

Kino Lorber

05/29/18 — Released Reincarnation of Peter Proud

Lamb & Lion Home Video

05/29/18 — Released Myths About Israel

Level 33 Entertainment (MOD)

05/29/18 — Released Agenda: Payback

Ligonier Ministries

05/29/18 — Released Great Commission

Lionsgate Home Entertainment

05/29/18 — Released Paws P.I.

Naxos

05/29/18 — Released Israel Philharmonic Orchestra - 60th Anniversary Concert and Mendelssohn: Midsummer Night's Dream …

Olive Films

05/29/18 — Released Bucket of Blood, Cold Turkey and Odds Against Tomorrow

PBS Direct

05/29/18 — Released Weinstein

Panache Records

05/29/18 — Released Savoy Brown: Live From Daryl's House

Paramount Home Media

07/10/18 — Sets A Quiet Place (ARR of 95 days; box office: $180,830,910)

Rarefilmsandmore.com (MOD)

05/29/18 — Released Dying on the Eastern Front: January 1945 (Russian)

Rhino Entertainment

09/28/18 — Sets Barenaked Ladies: Stunt - 20th Anniversary Edition (DVD/CD Combo Pack)

Sentai FilmWorks

05/29/18 — Released Sword Oratoria Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?: The Complete Collection (3 disc set)

Serpent Films (MOD)

05/29/18 — Released Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, All the Kind Strangers, Attack of the Giant Leeches, Back Room Boy, Beast of Yucca Flats, Blancheville Monster (Italian), Blood Creature (aka: Terror is a Man), Bloody Wednesday, Boothill Brigade, Buckskin Frontier, Bushwackers, Confessions of a Vice Baron, Crimes of Stephen Hawke, Curse of the Headless Horseman, Demon, Disappearance of Flight 412, Double Deal, Fighting Men (English dubbed), Get Christie Love, Ghosts on the Loose, Girl in Room 20, Good Against Evil, Good Morning Boys, Great Flamarion, Green Eyes, Guest in the House, Haunted Ranch, High School Caesar, Hittin' the Trail, Home in Oklahoma, House of the Dead (aka: Alien Zone), How Awful About Allan, I Eat Your Skin, Love Light (silent-1921), Magnificent Rogue, Manster, Matter of Life and Death, Menace from Outer Space, Mohawk, Mooch Goes to Hollywood, Moon of the Wolf, Mysterious Rider, Old Bones of the River, One Rainy Afternoon, Panther's Claw, People are Funny, Phantom Broadcast, Public Cowboy No. 1, Rainbow's End, Remedy for Riches, Revenge of Doctor X (aka: Venus Flytrap), Salome (silent-1922), Sepia Cinderella, Tangled Destinies, Three Steps North, With Love and Kisses, Young Buffalo Bill, Young Dynamite and Yukon Flight

Severin Films, LLC

05/29/18 — Released Shocking Dark (Italian), Zombie 3 (Italian) and Zombie 4: After Death

Shout! Factory

05/29/18 — Released Diff'rent Strokes: The Complete Final Season (2 disc set)

Silent Hall of Fame (MOD)

05/29/18 — Released Brass (silent-1923)

Solution Tree, Inc.

05/29/18 — Released Passion and Persistence: How to Develop a Professional Learning Community at Work

The Orchard (MOD)

05/29/18 — Released Everything Beautiful is Far Away, It Happened in L.A., Miss Stevens (ARR of 620 days; box office: $4,611) and Swing State

Universal Pictures Home Ent.

07/31/18 — Sets Tully (ARR of 88 days; box office: $8,991,095)

Vanishing, Inc.

05/29/18 — Released Woody Aragon: Instant Memorized Deck (2 disc set), Woody Aragon: Memorized Deck (2 disc set) and Woody Aragon: The Show

WWE

05/29/18 — Released WWE: Randy Savage Unleashed (3 disc set)

Warner Bros. Home Ent.

07/17/18 — Sets Rampage (ARR of 95 days; box office: $94,192,405)

 

Blu-ray New Additions:

 

Acorn Media

05/29/18 — Released Detectorists, Series 3 (2 disc set)

Aniplex of America

05/29/18 — Released Granblue Fantasy and Oreimo: The Complete Collection (4 disc set)

Classicflix

05/29/18 — Released Man Who Watched Trains

Claudio Records

05/29/18 — Released Granados - Goyescas, Vol. 3

Cohen Media Group

05/29/18 — Released Two of Us (French)

Eastern Star

05/29/18 — Released Fist of the North Star: The Movie, Like the Clouds Like the Wind, Lupin III: Part IV - The Italian Adventure (4 disc set), Monster Rancher (2 disc set), Star Ocean EX: The Complete Series (4 disc set) and Tokyo Underground: The Complete Series (4 disc set)

FUNimation

05/29/18 — Released Show by Rock: Season Two (2 Blu-ray/2 DVD Combo Pack)

Giant Interactive (MOD)

05/29/18 — Released They Remain

07/17/18 — Sets Pressing On: The Letterpress Film

Gravitas Ventures (MOD)

05/29/18 — Released Dating My Mother, Maximum Achievement: The Brian Tracy Story, Miami (Finnish), Nobody Famous, Run Like Hell and To the Moon and Back

Kino Lorber

05/29/18 — Released Reincarnation of Peter Proud

Kitty Media

05/29/18 — Released Hentai Heaven, Collection 3

Ligonier Ministries

05/29/18 — Released Great Commission

Naxos

05/29/18 — Released Mendelssohn: Midsummer Night's Dream …

Olive Films

05/29/18 — Released Cold Turkey and Odds Against Tomorrow

Paramount Home Media

07/10/18 — Sets A Quiet Place (Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack) (with UltraViolet Digital Copy)

Sentai FilmWorks

05/29/18 — Released Sword Oratoria Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?: The Complete Collection (2 disc set)

Severin Films, LLC

05/29/18 — Released Shocking Dark (Italian), Zombie 3 (Italian) and Zombie 4: After Death

Warner Bros. Home Ent.

07/10/18 — Sets Rampage (Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack) (with UltraViolet Digital Copy) and Rampage 2D/3D (2 disc set) (with UltraViolet Digital Copy)

 

 

 

Paramount Home Media Tabs July 10 For The Home Entertainment Rollout Of Director John Krasinski's A Quiet Place

It was smart move on Paramount Home Media’s part this past week … one that some of its competitors should take note of and try to emulate on occasion.  

They took one look at the July release calendar and noticed that there was nothing in the form of a hit theatrical film in place on July 10.   Blockers on July 3, Rampage, I Feel Pretty and Truth or Dare on July 17 and Ready Player One was in place on July 24, so Paramount deftly dropped in actor/director John Krasinski’s blockbuster sci-fi/horror hit, A Quiet Place, into the empty spot!

Of course, it really doesn’t matter where they put this gem, but it is always nice to see some strategic thinking … as opposed to, “Oh, it’s 88 days out from the film’s theatrical debut, time to release it.”    

For the record, the ARR comes in at 95 days and domestic box office receipts currently stand at a whopping $180.8 million.

As for the release configuration, Paramount has a stand-alone DVD SKU, a Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack and a 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray/Combo Pack planned for delivery.

Indie filmmakers Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, who have been around for over a decade making films, came up with the story and pitched it.   John Krasinski, who is best known to audiences as Jim from The Office television series (plus such films as 13 Hours, Aloha, etc.), got involved as both director, writer and actor, as did his wife, Emily Blunt, who co-stars. 

 

There’s nothing on paper that says that an actor with limited directing experience and two indie filmmakers would come up with a blockbuster.  Indeed, no one really thought it would be this big of a hit … it opened at the South by Southwest film festival in March and one month later theatrically on something like 3,500 screens.   Box office estimates were nowhere near what finally took shape … and the only way you get to a number at least three-times larger than what was expected is through word-of-mouth.   A Quiet Place is that kind of a film.

Sure, it is a terrific horror film, blended with the sci-fi elements of an alien invasion, but the Beck/Woods story is something that Hollywood is desperately short of these days, originality.   It surprised everyone when it crossed-over to a much, much wider audience.   The lesson to be learned … tell a good story and they will come.

Creatures, who are super sensitive to sound and seemingly unstoppable, have wiped out what we know of civilization, leaving the humans that remain to fend for themselves, and not make any noise doing it.   This is what the Abbott family, Lee (Krasinski) and Evelyn (Blunt) and their three children are faced with.   Scavenge, survive and do it in silence.

They have one advantage, their daughter, Regan (Millicent Simmonds), is deaf and the family is adept at ASL to communicate.  Of note, Millicent Simmonds is actually deaf … Krasinski and Blunt, along with the child actor playing Regan’s younger brother, Marcus (Noah Jupe), learned ASL for the film, which is largely silent (almost no dialog).

A heart-wrenching episode early in the film sets the terror of A Quiet Place … make a single sound and the result is horrific.   The Abbott’s overcome the incident and continue, but it foreshadows the sacrifice that parents must be willing to make to protect their children.

At the end of the day, A Quiet Place, works so well because it transcends the horror elements to weave a tale of family; of parenthood and survival.  You can expect a sequel as the ending leaves open a path to human salvation and the vanquishing of the invader.   

As to bonus nuggets, which are exclusive to the Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD SKUs, there are a trio of production featurettes — “Creating the Quiet,” “The Sound of Darkness” and “A Reason for Silence.”

MVD Entertainment Group's Latest Marquee Collection On Aug. 28 • Blu-ray For Autumn In New York

Last week MVD Entertainment Group’s popular “Rewind Collection” got a new promotional tent mate with the launch of the “Marquee Collection” and the Aug. 14 Blu-ray release of Walking Tall starring Dwayne Johnson.

MVD describes the “Marquee Collection” as films too new to be “cult,” but just old enough to be “catalog.”   That perfectly describes the company’s second entry on Aug. 28, director Joan Chen’s 2000 tearjerker, Autumn in New York.

This new “Marquee Collection” will mark the Blu-ray debut for this September/May romantic tale starring Richard Gere and Winona Ryder.    

Gere plays a successful restaurateur by the name of Will Keane, who likes being single and free to “enjoy” life, but he happens to meet Charlotte (Ryder), a woman 20 years his junior, and becomes enamored with her.   Sadly, Charlotte has rare heart condition and despite the best of intensions, their brief love affair ends with the metaphorical arrival of winter.    

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Targets July 17 For The Home Entertainment Launch Of Rampage

It is pretty apparent that Dwayne Johnson can star in the most insipid of films and deliver box office gold.   San Andreas, Baywatch, Hercules and a remake of Jumanji (which was actually pretty good) … it doesn’t matter, he’s gold.

The latest, director Brad Peyton’s film adaptation of the Midway Games series (something like a half-dozen versions going back three decades), Rampage, was a hit with audiences, while critics were lukewarm … audiences count, critics, well, not so much.   

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment announced this past week that Rampage will be heading home on July 17 as a four-SKU array of product offerings.  Included in the mix are a stand-alone DVD edition, a pair of Blu-ray Combo Packs — one configured as a Blu-ray/DVD presentation, while the other is a double-disc Blu-ray set featuring 2D and 3D viewing options — and a 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo Pack.

The ARR is 95 days and the domestic box office haul currently comes in at $94.2 million.

The evil Energyne bio-tech company has been hard at work developing a new bio-weapon — safely at a space lab — but (naturally) things go wrong and samples of the goop end up crashing back to earth.   The weapon is actually a gene-altering concoction that causes extreme mutation (how that works out as a plausible weapon system remains to be seen).

The canisters end up in the Florida Everglades, a remote area of Wyoming and at the Wild Animal Park north of San Diego (of course, that’s not what they are calling it these days, but locals still know it by that name), where Dwayne Johnson is Davis Okoye, a Primatologist, who works with a white gorilla by the name of George.   

There are some pretty funny introductions that establish the relationship between Davis and George, which are important later in the film.   George is smart and playful.

In any case, George is exposed to the Energyne mixture and grows ten times his original size.   Meanwhile, a wolf in Wyoming is exposed and a crocodile in Florida … and the result is the same.  Giant, “rampaging” creatures of destruction who Energyne, as it turns out, can summon through sound (genetically engineered into the mutations).    

Poor Chicago, where Energyne is headquartered, as the trio of mutant monsters arrive and set about to destroy the city … the logic of beckoning the mutants is suspect, but then you wouldn’t have much of a movie if they simply saw the sights of the city and went to Cub games.

Rampage is an hour and 45 minutes worth of pure entertainment.  Johnson has fun … and George is a winner.   The film works at that level and that is all that counts.

As to bonus treasures, the featurette titled “Not a Game Anymore” is common to all home entertainment release configurations.   Exclusive to the Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD SKUs are deleted scenes, a gag reel and four additional featurettes — “Rampage: Actors in Action,” “Trio of Destruction,” “Attack on Chicago” and “Bringing George to Life.”

Cleopatra Music And Film Readies The DVD Debut Of Director Daniel Jerome Gill’s Modern Life is Rubbish On July 10

Cleopatra Music and Film, with sales and distribution support provided by MVD Entertainment Group, has tabbed July 10 for the DVD debut of director Daniel Jerome Gill’s romantic comedy, Modern Life is Rubbish.

Natalie (Freya Mavor — The Lady in the Car with Glasses and a Gun, Not Another Happy Ending, etc.) longs to be an artist (a unique artist), but who finds herself working her way up the hierarchy of a London creative agency.   Her dreams are her future, so she plays the game.  

Liam (Josh Whitehouse — Poldark, Alleycats, Northern Soul) also dreams … he’s the frontman for a local rock group called the Headcleaner and imagines himself a great recording artist.  He just needs to find his groove; experience life (or so he thinks), but he steadfastly refuses to play “the game” (as he sees it).

The two meet-cute at a local record shop and later at a local nightclub and hit it off.   Two dreamers, who are faced — after a number of years together — with the sad fact that it is not working out and their music collection must, somehow, now be divided up.   

Through a series of flashbacks their relationship plays out as Natalie has realized, perhaps too late, that she has put her dreams on hold in order to support those of Liam’s.  He’s a man-child who has yet to find his “voice;” his unique music sound.  And therein is the conflict that filmmaker Daniel Jerome Gill has set up in this bittersweet tale of love and music … and dreams that are unfulfilled!

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment To Release DVD And Blu-ray Editions Of Director Jason Reitman’s Tully On July 31

Charlize Theron gets an opportunity to play against type in director Jason Reitman’s dramedy, Tully, which will be heading home on July 31 from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment as both DVD and Blu-ray SKUs.

The ARR for this story about an overwhelmed mother of three who gets a special gift — in the form of a “night nanny” (played by Mackenzie Davis) — works out to 88 days.  Ticket sales were a little soft at just $9.0 million.

The only bonus feature with Tully is the production featurette titled “The Relationships of Tully.”

Rhino Entertainment Looks To Sept. 28 For The DVD/CD Combo Pack Release Of Barenaked Ladies: Stunt – 20th Anniversary Edition

Rhino Entertainment, the catalog development and marketing division of the Warner Music Group, has set up a long promotional lead for the DVD/CD Combo Pack release of Barenaked Ladies: Stunt – 20^th Anniversary Edition.   They are looking to Sept. 28 as the street date … that’s roughly four months out.

The Barenaked Ladies will be on tour for most of the summer, kicking off in Prior Lake, MN on June 1, so there is plenty of time to promote the package. 

The DVD/CD Combo Pack includes the Stunt album (with bonus tracks) and the companion DVD is the documentary, Barenaked In America, which includes live performances and behind-the-scenes footage.