For the period ending February 15, 2019 ... New DVD, Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD selections added to the DVD & Blu-ray Release Report's database

DVD New Additions:

 

Aflick TV (MOD)

02/12/19 — Released Beautiful Liar, Because of Money 1, Because of Money 2, Because of Money 3, Because of Money 4, Confession 1, Confession 2, Cruz 1, Cruz 2, Devine Escape, Families Nightmare 1, Families Nightmare 2, Igwe America 1, Igwe America 2, Igwe America 3, Igwe America 4, Igwe America 5, Igwe America 6, Journey of Survival 1, Journey of Survival 2, Journey of Survival 3, Millennium Parent 1, Millennium Parent 2, Occultic Failure 1, Occultic Failure 2, One Last Word, Palace War, Price of Infidelity, Razor Blade 1, Razor Blade 2, Tears of Sound 1, To Love Again, Twisted Fate 1, Twisted Fate 2, Uncomfortable Truth, Wedding Night and Wind of Mistake

BJJ Fanatics (MOD)

02/12/19 — Released Simple Judo Takedowns for BJJ (5 disc set), Systematically Attacking the Guard with King Ryan: The 3-Part Formula, Part 1 (4 disc set) and Ultimate Askren Wrestling by Ben Askren (8 disc set)

Championship Productions

02/12/19 — Released C.A.R.E. (Contagious Attack Riding Effort) Riding System, Developing Offensive Tenets, Developing Perimeter Players: Drills for Skills, Dribble Drive Offense, Drills to Develop A Complete Goaltender,  Drive & Kick 4 Out Motion Offense & Drills, Gap Man-to-Man Defense, Hurricane Gun Option Offense: Installation & Game Planning, Hurricane Gun Option Offense: RPOs, Hurricane Gun Option Offense: Run Game (the 'Duo' Play), Hurricane Gun Option Offense: The Wide Zone, Individual Practice Drills for Infielders & Outfielders, Open Practice: Training for Toughness - Hard-Nosed, High-Intensity Practice, Post Play + Drills to Reduce Turnovers, Ryan Odom's Competitive Practice Drills, Team Practice Drills for Building a Dominant Defense, Tim Vom Steeg: Attacking from Transition and Tim Vom Steeg: Shooting Progressions to Improve Scoring

Cinedigm Entertainment

02/12/19 — Released Beyblade Metal Fury (6 disc set) and Beyblade Shogun Steel (4 disc set)

Criterion Collection

05/07/19 — Sets Heiress (2 disc set)

05/14/19 — Sets Funny Games (German) and House of Games

05/21/19 — Sets Let the Sunshine In (French) (ARR of 389 days; box office: $864,565)

05/28/19 — Sets Blue Velvet (2 disc set) and One Sings, the Other Doesn't (French)

Dark Entity Music, LLC

02/12/19 — Released Engine Trouble

DreamScape Media, LLC

02/12/19 — Released Leprechaun Tales, Line: Poverty in America, Parkland: Inside Building 12 and Storm and Luther's Forbidden Letter

EM3, LLC (MOD)

02/12/19 — Released General Electric Theatre: Committed

Get Digital World (MOD)

02/12/19 — Released 9 Profit Pillars Of Making Money Online, Affiliate Cash Mastery, Bitcoin Madness Video Course, Brain Health for Dummies, Discover How To Build A Super High Converting Video Sales Letter Using A Hybrid Strategy, Discover How To Start Your Own High Ticket Coaching Business And Charge Premium Prices For Your Advice, Email Marketing For Dummies, Email Marketing Tactics That Convert to Sales, Excellence Pinterest Marketing, Facebook Ads For Dummies, How to Nurture and Nourish Your Brain for Top Performance in Every Aspect of Your Life, How to Quickly and Easily Create Continuity Income Streams, Internet Marketing For Beginners, Make Money With Kindle Made Super Simple, Master the Art of Generating Leads for Big Cash,  Pinterest Marketing For Dummies, Product Launch Magic, Profitable YouTube Marketing Made Simple, Successful Membership Site Blueprint and WhatsApp Marketing For Dummies

Gravitas Ventures (MOD)

02/12/19 — Released Appearance, Bayou Caviar, Bogalusa Charm, Bubblegum Fairies' Valentines Day Party, Cut: Exposing FGM Worldwide, Nothing is Truer Than Truth and Pull (aka: Pulled to Hell)

Hope of the World (MOD)

02/12/19 — Released Schemes of the Snake and Smart Student's Guide to Passing Tests

Icarus Films

04/09/19 — Sets School of Life (French) (ARR of 214 days; box office: $6,300)

Kalmbach Publishing

02/12/19 — Released Golden Spike Route Today

Juno Films

04/23/19 — Sets Torment

Mill Creek Entertainment

04/16/19 — Adds Cold War Thrillers (6 film set: Man on a String, The Deadly Affair, Otley, A Dandy in Aspec, Hammerhead, The Executioner) (2 disc set)

Movie Detective (MOD)

02/12/19 — Released Il Minestrone (Italian), La Belle Meuniere (French), Long Live with Dearly Departed (Czech), Proshu Slova (Russian), Satan Tempts with Love (German) and Sheherazade (French)

Paramount Home Media

04/02/19 — Sets Bumblebee (ARR of 102 days; box office: $125,773,102)

Pentrex

02/12/19 — Released Vintage Rio Grande Triple Feature

Playfort Productions (MOD)

02/12/19 — Released Riot on the Dance Floor: The Story of Randy Now & City Gardens

Rarefilmsandmore.com (MOD)

02/12/19 — Released Lotna (Polish) and Roman Einer Jungen Ehe (German)

Revelation Video, Inc. (MOD)

02/12/19 — Released Iron Rooster: Whatever Happened to Jingpeng Pass, Railroad Video Quarterly #106: Winter 2019, Railscapes: A 9000 Mile Amtrak Odyssey, Skinny Rooster: Narrow Gauge Lines of China and White Nights Steam Express Russia

Serpent Films (MOD)

02/12/19 — Released Classic Horror: Eegah, Classic Silent Movie: Body and Soul (silent-1925), Classic Silent Movie: Ten Nights in a Bar Room (silent-1926), Classic Silent Movie: The Phantom of the Opera (silent-1925), Classic Silent Movie: The Primitive Lover (silent-1922), Classic Silent Movie: Safety Last (silent-1923), Classic Silent Movie: The Saphead (silent-1920), Classic Silent Movie: The Squaw Man (silent-1918), Classic Silent Movie: The Thief of Bagdad (silent-1924), Classic Silent Movie: The Virginian (silent-1914), Classic Silent Movie: The Whistle (silent-1921) and Classic Silent Movie: Three Ages (silent-1923)

Silent Hall of Fame (MOD)

02/12/19 — Released Rejected Woman (silent-1924)

Sony Pictures Home Ent.

02/12/19 — Released Happy Prince (ARR of 123 days; box office: $464,495) and Maria by Callas (ARR of 102 days; box office: $1,264,409)

03/26/19 — Sets Stan & Ollie (ARR of 88 days; box office: $4,303,334)

04/09/19 — Sets Holmes & Watson (with Digital Copy) (ARR of 102 days; box office: $30,533,061)

Uncork’d Entertainment (MOD)

02/12/19 — Released Blue My Mind and Heretics

Undercrank Productions (MOD)

03/05/19 — Sets Alice Howell Collection (12 silent short films: Shot in the Excitement (1914), Father Was a Loafer (1915), Under New Management (1915), How Stars are Made (1916), Neptune’s Naughty Daughter (1917), In Dutch (1918), Distilled Love (1920), His Wooden Leg-acy (1920), Her Lucky Day (1920), Cinderella Cinders (1920), A Convict’s Happy Bride (1920), Under a Spell (1925)) (2 disc set)

Unearthed Films

02/12/19 — Released Purgatory Road

Universal Pictures Home Ent.

02/12/19 — Released Nightflyers: Season One (2 disc set)

VCI Entertainment

05/28/19 — Sets Roaring West (15 chapter serial) (2 disc set)

VIZ Media

02/12/19 — Released Sailor Moon Super S: The Movie

Warner Bros. Home Ent.

04/02/19 — Sets The Mule (ARR of 109 days; box office: $102,604,241)

Well Go U.S.A.

02/12/19 — Released Haunted Hospital: Heilstätten (German)

Blu-ray New Additions:

 

Aniplex of America

02/12/19 — Released Fate/Apocrypha, Set 2 (2 disc set)

Arrow Video

05/14/19 — Sets The Big Clock

BBC Home Entertainment

02/12/19 — Released Pride & Prejudice: Season One (2 Blu-ray/2 DVD Combo Pack)

Cohen Media Group

02/12/19 — Released Peppermint Soda (French)

Criterion Collection

05/07/19 — Sets Heiress

05/14/19 — Sets Funny Games (German) and House of Games

05/21/19 — Sets Let the Sunshine In (French)

05/28/19 — Sets Blue Velvet and One Sings, the Other Doesn't (French)

Cult Epics

02/12/19 — Released Blue Movie (Dutch) (Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack)

Dark Entity Music, LLC

02/12/19 — Released Engine Trouble

FUNimation

02/12/19 — Released Grimgar (2 disc set) (with Digital Copy) and Haruchika (2 disc set) (with Digital Copy)

Gravitas Ventures (MOD)

02/12/19 — Released Appearance, Bayou Caviar, Bogalusa Charm, Bubblegum Fairies' Valentines Day Party, Cut: Exposing FGM Worldwide, Nothing is Truer Than Truth and Pull (aka: Pulled to Hell)

Kino Lorber

02/12/19 — Released Desert Fury, F.W. Murnau: Haunted Castle (silent-1921)/The Finances of the Grand Duke (silent-1924), Group, Real McCoy and Summer Lovers

Paramount Home Media

04/02/19 — Sets Bumblebee (Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack) (with UltraViolet Digital Copy)

Playfort Productions (MOD)

02/12/19 — Released Riot on the Dance Floor: The Story of Randy Now & City Gardens

Sentai FilmWorks

02/12/19 — Released My Girlfriend is Shobitch (2 disc set)

Shout! Factory

02/12/19 — Released Four Weddings and a Funeral: 25th Anniversary Edition, Poison Ivy Collection (4 film set: Poison Ivy, Poison Ivy 2: Lily, Poison Ivy: The New Seduction, Poison Ivy: The Secret Society) (4 disc set) and Valentine: Collector's Edition

Smart Mark Video (MOD)

02/12/19 — Released AAW: The Final Stand - Chicago, IL, Black Label Pro: Unplugged - Crown Point, IN, F1rst Wrestling: Wrestlepalooza 13 - Minnesota, MN and F1rst Wrestling: Wrestlepalooza 14 - Minnesota, MN

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

02/12/19 — Released Fright Night, Happy Prince and Maria by Callas

03/26/19 — Sets Stan & Ollie

04/09/19 — Sets Holmes & Watson (Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack) (with Digital Copy)

Sony Pictures Home Ent. (MOD)

02/12/19 — Released None Shall Escape

Uncork’d Entertainment (MOD)

02/12/19 — Released Blue My Mind

Unearthed Films

02/12/19 — Released Purgatory Road

Universal Pictures Home Ent.

02/12/19 — Released Nightflyers: Season One (2 disc set)

VIZ Media

02/12/19 — Released Sailor Moon Super S: The Movie (Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack)

Vinegar Syndrome

03/26/19 — Sets Dominique (Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack), Fleshpot on 42nd Street (Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack), In the Cold of the Night (Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack) and Suckling (Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack)

Warner Bros. Home Ent.

04/02/19 — Sets The Mule (Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack) (with Digital Copy)

Well Go U.S.A.

02/12/19 — Released Haunted Hospital: Heilstätten (German) (Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack)

4K Ultra HD New Additions:

Lionsgate Home Entertainment

04/23/19 — Sets The Witch (4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo Pack) (with Digital Copy)

Sony Pictures Home Ent.

04/16/19 — Sets Karate Kid: 35th Anniversary Edition (4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo Pack)

05/14/19 — Sets Godzilla (4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo Pack) (with Digital Copy)

Paramount Home Media

04/02/19 — Sets Bumblebee (4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo Pack) (with UltraViolet Digital Copy)

Warner Bros. Home Ent.

04/02/19 — Sets The Mule (4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo Pack) (with Digital Copy)

 

 

Paramount Home Media Tabs Apr. 2 For The Home Entertainment Launch Of Bumblebee

Paramount Home Media made it official this past week, director Travis Knight’s sixth installment in the studio’s Transformers film franchise series, Bumblebee, will be ready for fans to add to their libraries on Apr. 2.

The ARR works out to 102 days and domestic ticket sales were solid at $125.8 million (with another $325 million generated in overseas markets).

Planned for release is a three-SKU array of home entertainment packaged media products, which include a stand-alone DVD edition and Combo Packs for both the 4K Ultra HD (with Blu-ray) and Blu-ray (with DVD) formats.

The action takes place in 1987 with a heartbroken teen by the name of Charlie Watson (Hailee Steinfeld — The Edge of Seventeen, True Grit, Perfect Pitch 3, etc.) befriending B-127, an Autobot, who escaped to Earth during the civil war between the Decepticons and the forces of Optimus Prime.   He takes the form of a yellow VW Bug and is nicknamed “Bumblebee” by Charlie.

The Decepticons track the Autobot to Earth and things look pretty dicey, especially since a secret government agency — Sector 7 — initially gets on the wrong side of the battle and views poor Bumblebee/B-127 as an alien invader.   Charlie, along with her friend Memo (Jorge Lendeborg Jr. — Love, Simon, Spider-Man: Homecoming), is resourceful enough to get her new friend out of some pretty tight spots, which keeps the action going at a fever-pace (and the outcome is even in doubt).

Fortunately for all, Colonel Jack Burns (John Cena — Blockers, Daddy’s Home, 12 Rounds, etc.) of Sector 7 realizes his mistake and joins forces with Charlie and Bumblebee just in time to drive off the Decepticons … and in the process set up a perfect transition to the next film in the Transformers series.

As to bonus goodies, which are limited to the Combo Pack SKUs, we have deleted and extended scenes, outtakes, a two-part presentation titled “Sector 7 Archive,” which includes a newly prepared motion comic, “Sector 7 Adventures: The Battle at Half Dome,” a five-part product series focusing on Bumblebee titled, “Bringing Bumblebee to the Big Screen” and the featurette, “Bee Vision: The Transformers robots of Cybertron.”

Mill Creek Entertainment Tabs Apr. 16 For A Six-Film Cold War Thrillers Promotion On DVD

Mill Creek Entertainment continues to provide some of the best collectible film bargains with a combination of attractive price-points and solid programming selections.

A case in point is the latest addition to its Apr. 16 release calendar, the six-film, double-disc DVD collection titled Cold War Thrillers.   Priced at just $14.98, and that before discounts at retail, genre-fans with a penchant for suspense, spies and action get a terrific selection of films produced during the Cold War, including a few that are hard to come by.

We kick off with director André De Toth’s 1960 film adaptation of the Boris Morros and Charles Samuels collaboration, “My Ten Years a My Counterspy,” which was renamed for its theatrical release as Man on a String.

Based on the true story of Russian-born composer and film producer Boris Morros (nominated for three Oscars for Best Music Score — Tropic Holiday, Souls at Sea, The General Died at Dawn), who portrayed by Ernest Borgnine (named changed to Boris Mitrov for the film).  Morros was recruited as a Soviet spy in the 1930s and flipped to become a counter-spy for the FBI in 1947 — Kerwin Mathews plays one of the F.B.I. agents who recruits him. 

Man on a String is an effective, edge-of-your-seat thriller, which is currently available on amazon.com as a DVD MOD for $24.95.   Do the math, for ten dollars less you get this gem of a movie from Mill Creek Entertainment and not one or two, but five “bonus” movies.  

As to the “bonus” movies — which are terrific in their own right — you get director Sidney Lumet’s 1967 film adaptation of the John le Carré’s debut spy novel, “Call For The Dead,” which was released theatrically as The Deadly Affair.

Here, James Mason plays Charles Dobbs, a British agent who suspects that a suicide was actually an assassination … and something is fishy about his colleagues being so willing to accept the “official” version and quickly move on.  Maximilian Schell, Simone Signoret and Lynn Redgrave co-star in this elaborate mystery.

Rounding out the selections we find two-time Oscar nominee Tom Courtenay in writer/director Dick Clement’s 1969 murder mystery, Otley, where he plays a London lay-about who gets drunk one night and awakes to find that he’s wanted for murder.   Courtenay also teams up with Laurence Harvey and Mia Farrow in filmmaker Anthony Mann’s film adaptation of the Derek Marlowe spy novel, A Dandy in Aspic.   

And then there’s director David Miller’s 1968 thriller Hammerhead, which stars Vince Edwards as an American agent out to stop international criminal “Hammerhead” (played by Peter Vaughan) — Judy Geeson, Diana Dors and Beverly Adams co-star — and finally, George Peppard stars in director Sam Wanamaker’s 1970 spy-vs-spy thriller, The Executioner … Judy Geeson, Joan Collins and Oscar Homolka are Peppard’s co-stars.

Icarus Film Picks Apr. 9 For The Domestic DVD Debut Of Writer/Director Nicolas Vanier’s School of Life

Between the wars and at the beginning of the Great Depression, we meet Paul (Jean Scandel in his film debut), who is an orphan living in some godforsaken prison-like facility on the outskirts of Paris.   It’s a hellish place, the times are hard — and about to get even tougher — but it is all that he has ever known.

Thus begins writer/director Nicolas Vanier’s School of Life, a Distrib Films release heading to this shores on Apr. 9 courtesy of Icarus Films.

The film had a very limited arthouse run during the post-Labor Day period of this past year and arrives in the home entertainment marketplace virtually unseen by domestic audiences.   For the record, the ARR is 214 days.

Paul’s about to catch a life-changing break, it will take him a bit to recognize it, but there it is nonetheless in the form of a woman by the name of Célestine (Valérie Karsenti — Modern Love, How Much Do You Love Me?, etc.).   She is visiting the orphanage and happens to see, Paul a defiant young boy being smacked across the face for some offense, which is all she needs to scoop him up and take him home. 

The young boy is mystified to find himself living with Célestine and Borel (Eric Elmosnino — Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life, La Famille Bélier) in the middle of nowhere.  He has spent his entire life in what amounts to a prison and now he’s in the woods; in the wilds … and Borel is the gamekeeper for this vast track of land.

Out there in the forest, perhaps in the meadows some where, is Totoche (played by France’s acting icon — nominated 11 times for César Awards — François Cluzet), the bane of Borel’s existence.  He’s a poacher, but more than that he is at one with nature.   Naturally, Paul finds his way to Borel’s nemesis and a teacher/student relationship is formed; a friendship.   Paul, with Totoche’s help and guidance, will learn how lucky he is to be in this “strange” and marvelous place.

School of Life, a gorgeously-filmed coming-of-age tale, is presented in French with English subtitles.

Arrow Video Restores Director John Farrow's The Big Clock For Blu-ray Release On May 14

Arrow Video, with domestic sales and distribution support provided by MVD Entertainment Group, has picked May 14 as the street for a new hi-def transfer of director John Farrow’s twisted film noir thriller, The Big Clock.   

It will be available on that date as Blu-ray product offering.

What a delight, John Farrow produced and directed and had the very good fortune of talking his wife, Maureen O'Sullivan, to come out of retirement and star in the film.

Based on a novel by Kenneth Fearing, the MacGuffin in the film is the search for the mysterious Jefferson Randolph, an individual who was reportedly seen with a murdered woman named Pauline (Rita Johnson — They Won't Believe Me, My Friend Flicka, Here Comes Mr. Jordan, etc.).   Of note, Fearing’s book was remade by director Roger Donaldson in 1987 as No Way Out (with Kevin Costner, Gene Hackman and Sean Young).

We first meet Ray Milland hiding out in the clock tower of the Janoth Building and then in flashback when learn why he is there.  Milland plays George Stroud, the editor of Crimeways Magazine, which is one of eccentric and tyrannical Earl Janoth’s (played by Charles Laughton) many publishing properties.   He’s about to depart for a long-overdue honeymoon with his wife, Georgette (Maureen O’Sullivan), when Janoth demands that he cover this or that right now or be fired — it really didn’t matter what it was, it was just Janoth being Janoth.   

George calls his bluff, quits and eventually ends up in a popular watering hole with none other than Janoth’s mistress, the aforementioned Pauline.   The pair loathe Janoth and concoct a petty little plot to embarrass him … time passes, a drink turns into several and George misses his train.

No matter, George and Pauline need a clock, which needs to be a certain color, to carry out their bit of silliness.  The search proves fruitless, but not uneventful … and they end up at another bar.   Here the MacGuffin is introduced as George and Pauline chat it up with George’s hambone actor of a friend, McKinley (Lloyd Corrigan), who ticks various characters off that he’s played, including, you guessed it, Jefferson Randolph.

It’s getting late and the pair end up at Pauline’s place where George passes out.   It is about this time that the amorous Janoth comes calling and fortunately Pauline is able to get George moving before the jealous Janoth can identify him.   Enraged, he demands to know who she was fooling around with when he arrived and bingo, “Jefferson Randolph” pops out of her mouth.   

Famous last words as he kills her.   George, unaware that Pauline is dead joins his wife and soon Janoth contacts him, all is forgiven, there’s just one little thing … find Jefferson Randolph!!!

The Big Clock is a tightly written, star-studded film noir thriller that works from beginning to end … and clever too, with a cute little “small world” twist at the end.

As to bonus goodies, there is a newly-minted film commentary from film scholar Adrian Martin (author of “Mysteries of Cinema,” “Movie Mutations: The Changing Face of World Cinephilia,” “The Mad Max Movies,” etc.), plus a newly prepared featurette titled “Turning Back the Clock” (featuring film critic Adrian Wootton) and a video session with actor Simon Callow discussing the performance of Charles Laughton.  

Also included is the November of 1948 Lux Radio Theatre dramatization featuring Ray Milland and Maureen O'Sullivan.