New DVD • Blu-ray • 4K Ultra HD Activity For The Period Ending November 10, 2023

 DVD New Additions

 

4 Digital Media
11/07/23 — Released Red Shoes: Next Step

7idea Productions (MOD)
11/07/23 — Released Farewell MRL, Part 4: Bozeman Pass to Yellowstone River Valley

360 Sound & Vision
11/07/23 — Released Times Square In 3D and Times Square In HD

Asian Cult Cinema (MOD)
11/07/23 — Released Bad Girls (Italian), Nefele and the Seductress of Lesbos (Spanish) and Stop the World and Let Me Off (Italian)

BCSN (MOD)
10/31/23 — Released 2023 - Boys Soccer: Division II Regional Semifinal - Richfield Revere vs. Maumee, 2023 - Football: Division II Regional Playoffs - Olmsted Falls vs. Southview, 2023 - Football: Division IV Regional Playoffs - Napoleon vs. Glenville, 2023 - Football: Division V Regional Playoffs - Eastwood vs. Edison, 2023 - Football: Division V Regional Playoffs - Huron vs. Liberty Center and 2023 - Girls Soccer: Division III Regional Playoffs - Huron vs. Sherwood Fairview
11/0/23 — Released 2023 - Football: Marshall vs. Central Catholic, 2023 - Girls Soccer: Division I Regional Final - Strongsville vs. Perrysburg and From the Vaults: Football All-Star Game - July 16, 2004

Barlates Body Blitz (MOD)
11/07/23 — Released Barlates Body Blitz: Comprehesive Series - 4 Workouts

Bounty Films (MOD)
11/07/23 — Released Dome House Six

Breaking Glass Pictuers
11/07/23 — Released Isaac (Spanish) and Jump Darling

Bridgestone Multimedia (MOD)
11/07/23 — Released Hank's Christmas Wish

Buck Cody (MOD)
10/24/23 — Released Cariboo Trail, King of the Carnival (12 chapter serial) (2 disc set), Shadows Over Shanghai, Storm Rider and Waterfront (44 episodes) (11 disc set)
10/31/23 — Released Battling with Buffalo Bill (12-chapter serial) (2 disc set), Clairvoyant, Crimson Ghost (12 chapter serial) (2 disc set), Frontier Marshal, Hurricane Express (12 chapter serial) (2 disc set), Invitation to Happiness, It Happened Out West, Royal Mounted Rides Again (13-chapter serial) (2 disc set). Shadow (15 chapter serial) (3 disc set), Supernatural, Tiger Woman (aka: Perils of the Darkest Jungle) (12 chapter serial) (2 disc set) and Unknown Island
11/07/23 — Released City of Shadows, Last of the Pony Riders, Snorkle and Whispering City

Capital Community Media (MOD)
11/07/23 — Released 2023 - Marion County Commissioners Meeting

CasablancaDVDs/truth3152 (MOD)
10/31/23 — Released Arsene Lupin, Arsene Lupin Returns and White Cockatoo
Durango Kid, Volume 1 (9 film set: Durango Kid, Return of the Durango Kid, Both Barrels Blazing, Outlaws of the Rockies, Blazing the Western Trail, Lawless Empire, Texas Panhangle, Roaring Rangers, Gunning for Vengeance) (3 disc set), Durango Kid, Volume 2 (9 film set: Galloping Thunder, Two Fisted Stranger, The Desert Horsemen, Heading West, Landrush, Terror Trail, The Fighting Frontiersman, South of the Chisholm Trail, The Lone Hand Texan) (3 disc set), Durango Kid, Volume 3 (9 film set: West of Dodge City, Law of the Canyon, Prairie Raiders, Stranger from Ponca City, Riders of the Lone Star, Buckaroo from Powder Creek, Last Days of Boothill, Six Gun Law, Phantom Valley) (3 disc set), Durango Kid, Volume 4 (9 film set: West of Sonora, Whilwind Raiders, Blazing Across the Pecos, Trail to Lorado, Challenge of the Range, Desert Vigilante, South of Death Valley, Laramie, The Blazing Trail) (3 disc set), Durango Kid, Volume 5 (9 film set: Bandits of El Dorado, Trail of Rustlers, Streets of Ghost Town, Frontier Outpost, Lightning Guns, Prairie Round Up, Snake River Desperadoes, Bonanza Town, Cyclone Fury) (3 disc set) and Durango Kid, Volume 6 (6 film set: Pecos River, Smokey Canyon, Hawk of Wild River, Laramie Mountain, The Rough Tough West, the Kid from Broken Gun) (3 disc set)

Championship Productions
11/07/23 — Released Practice Makes Perfect! Drills to Reduce Turnovers, Skill-Building Workouts, On-the-Floor Communication Plan & More!

Cheezy Flicks
11/07/23 — Released Betrayal, Catholics and Island Monster

Cheol9260696 (MOD)
10/03/23 — Released Die Trapp Familie in Amerika (German), Le Piege (French), Madchen in Uniform (German) and Million Pound Note
10/17/23 — Released Serenade

City of Tacoma (MOD)
11/07/23 — Released 2023 - Tacoma City Council Meeting and 2023 - Tacoma City Council Study Session

Classic Flix
11/07/23 — Released World of Giants: The Complete Series (2 disc set)

Claugir-16/Grimpe-94/Dili6963/debor1245/danaswe_0/icolewa15/mouni_3162/icolewa15 (MOD)
10/31/23 — Released Destined with You (5 disc set)

Cleopatra Entertainment
11/07/23 — Released Lion-Girl

Creature Feature Video/CFV, LLC/Horror Haven 77 (MOD)
11/07/23 — Released 1,000 Convicts and a Woman, Junior, Long Night and Xavana, Island of Love (Spanish)

Decal Releasing, LLC
11/07/23 — Released It Lives Inside (ARR of 46 days; box office: $4,662,146)

DreamScape Media, LLC
11/07/23 — Released Christmas Lucky Charm andChristmas on 5th Avenue

Drive In DVD (MOD)
10/17/23 — Released Andy Williams: The Best of Christmas, Angel (8 disc set), Christmas with Ray Conniff and Merry Olde Christmas with Bing Crosby (2 disc set)
10/24/23 — Released Fiesta and Wild Guitar
10/31/23 — Released Bing Crosby Final Concert, Frank Sinatra Spectacular, Hollywood Stars (9 disc set) and Judy Garland Live with Liza Minnelli
11/07/23 — Released House on Haunted Hill (2 disc set)

DVDRParty (MOD)
11/07/23 — Released Alfred Hitchcock Double Feature (2 film set: The Skin Game, Number 17), Brigitte Bardot the Divine, Elvis in 3D, Heaven and Earth Magic, Mondo Keyhole, Mothra, Prison Girls: 3D and Warm Nights & Hot Pleasures

Elton Video Movies (MOD)
11/07/23 — Released Being Human: Seasons 3 & 4 (4 disc set), Double Feature (2 film set: The Stepford Children, the Stepford Husbands), Kingdom: Season 3 (4 disc set), Long Hot Summer, Message from Nam, Ranch: The Complete Series (8 disc set), Rich Girl, Stalked by My Doctor (5 film set: Stalked by My Doctor, Stalked by My Doctor: The Return, Just What the Doctor Ordered, Stalked by My Doctor: Patient's Revenge, Stalked by My Doctor: A Sleepwalker's Nightmare) (5 disc set), Stalker: The Complete Series (3 disc set) and Tomorrow People: The Complete Series (3 disc set)

Elvis DVD Collector & Movie Store (MOD)
11/07/23 — Released Key to the City, Lady for a Day, Random Harvest, Secret Ways, Six of a Kind, Talk of the Town, Who was that Lady and Young Lions

FilmHub, Inc. (MOD)
11/07/23 — Released Best Forget Me Not, Hate Crime, Jake's Closet, Khazana, Neon Detroit Knights, Noise Matters, Stranger in the Night, Tasmanian Tiger and T H E M

FilmRise
11/07/23 — Released The Admirer

Freestyle Digital Media (MOD)
11/07/23 — Released Best Birthday Ever and Still a Black Star

Gravitas Ventures (MOD)
11/07/23 — Released Deep Fear, Halfway to Amarillo and Last Bumblebee

Hallmark Entertainment
11/07/23 — Released Hallmark Channel 3-Movie Collection (3 film set: Lights, Camera, Christmas, Undercover Holiday, A Cozy Christmas Inn), Hallmark Channel 3-Movie Collection (3 film set: Our Italian Christmas Memories, Long Lost Christmas, We Need a Little Christmas), Hallmark Countdown to Christmas 6-Movie Collection 3 (6 film set: A Royal Corgi Christmas, A Fabled Holiday, The Royal Nanny, A Tale of Two Christmases, A Big Fat Family Christmas, A Kismet Christmas) (2 disc set), Three Wise Men and a Baby and Time for Him to Come Home for Christmas

Hallmark Entertainment (MOD)
11/07/23 — Released Hallmark 2-Movie Collection (2 film set: Pumpkin Everything, Autumn in the City)

Hard to Find Stuff by Don (MOD)
10/31/23 — Released Fear Footage, Fear Footage 2: Curse of the Tape, Fear Footage: 3AM and Teacher
11/07/23 — Released Banker, Begotten, Boneyard, Close, Hell House, LLC, Phantom of the Paradise, Revenger (Korean), Sweetheart and Zandalee

Indiepix
11/07/23 — Released There Goes the Neighborhood

Intellectual Reserve
11/07/23 — Released Season of Light:  Christmas With the Tabernacle Choir

June Films, Inc.
11/07/23 — Released Hilma (ARR of 207 days; box office: $35,935) and Róise & Frank (ARR of 221 days; box office: $58,063)

KimStim
11/07/23 — Released Unrest (German)

Kino Lorber
11/07/23 — Released Running Scared and Scrapper (ARR of 74 days; box office: $209,419)

Las Vegas Video (MOD)
11/07/23 — Released Check Inn to Christmas, Christmas by Design, Christmas Frenzy, Christmas Pitch, Christmas Venue, Destined 2: Christmas Once More, Merry Single Christmas, Ms Christmas Comes to Town, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3, My Christmas Guide, Reporting for Christmas and Where are You, Christmas?

Level 33 Entertainment (MOD)
11/07/23 — Released Don't Look Away

MHz Home Entertainment
11/07/23 — Released Homicide Hills: The Complete Series (12 disc set)

Media Outlet (MOD)
10/31/23 — Released American Masters: Ten Year Lunch: Wit and Legend of the Algonquin and
French Revolution (4 episodes) (2 disc set)
11/07/23 — Released Hitler: The Whole Story (2 disc set), Nuke Films (3 short films: The War Game, A Guide to Armageddon, Doomsday Clock) and Presidential Campaign TV Ads: 1952 - 1992 (4 disc set)

Mill Creek Entertainment
12/05/23 — Sets Daddy Daughter Trip (ARR of 431 days; box office estimated: $20,000)

Movie Time Video
11/07/23 — Released Ek Tha Hero (Hindi) and Operation Romeo (Hindi)

Movie Time Video - GCMT
11/07/23 — Released Red Ballon (5 disc set)

Olive Tree Ministries (MOD)
10/10/23 — Released As You See the Day Approaching

Orion Neighborhood Television (MOD)
10/03/23 — Released 2023 - Village of Lake Orion Village Planning Commission
10/10/23 — Released 2023 - Village of Lake Orion Village Council Meeting
10/17/23 — Released 2023 - Orion Township Board of Trustees Meeting and 2023 - Village of Lake Orion: Downtown Development Authority Meeting
10/24/23 — Released 2023 - Lake Orion School Board Meeting and 2023 - Village of Lake Orion Village Council Meeting
10/31/23 — Released 2023 - Orion Township Planning Commission Meeting
11/07/23 — Released 2023 - Lake Orion School Board Meeting, 2023 - Orion Township Board of Trustees Meeting and 2023 - Village of Lake Orion Village Council Meeting

PBS Direct
11/07/23 — Released American Buffalo (2 disc set), Annika: Season Two (2 disc set), Hotel Portofino: Season Two (2 disc set) and Mary Berry's Ultimate Christmas

Paramount Home Entertainment
11/07/23 — Released Man From Rome, South Park: The Complete Twenty-Sixth Season and South Park: The Streaming Wars
11/14/23 — Sets 57 Seconds (ARR of 46 days; box office estimate: $20,000)

Screen Media
11/07/23 — Released Man From Rome

Showtime Networks, Inc. (MOD)
11/07/23 — Released Murder In Big Horn

Sony Pictures Home Ent. (MOD)
11/07/23 — Released Miracle Club (ARR of 116 days; box office: $2,401,726)

T-Series
11/07/23 — Released Tu Jhooti Main Makkar (Hindi)

The Teaching Company, LLC
11/07/23 — Released Bob Krist's Off the Beaten Path, How the Crusades Changed History (4 disc set), London in the Time of Dickens (2 disc set) and Power of Storytelling (2 disc set)

Universal Pictures Home Ent. (MOD)
11/07/23 — Released Office: Complete Christmas Collection (7 episodes) (2 disc set) and Shooting Stars

Well Go U.S.A.
11/07/23 — Released Warhorse One (ARR of 130 days; box office estimate: $20,000)

Zeus Video (MOD)
11/07/23 — Released Bearcats!: Powderkeg, Breakdowns of 1944, Dear Mr. Gable, Free French: Unsung Victors, Paris When It Sizzles, Passage to Marseille, Pistol Packin' Mama, Pocket Money, Popeye, President's Analyst, Prince and the Showgirl, Private Screenings: Debbie Reynolds, Prophecy and Remembering Brando

Blu-ray New Additions

Asuka the Disc Dog (Fred the Blu-ray Dog) (MOD)
11/07/23 — Released Don't Look Under the Bed, Kenan & Kel: The Complete Series (2 disc set), The Killer, Loki: Season 2, Morning Show: Season 3, Upload: Season 3 and Winter King: Season 1

Bounty Films (MOD)
11/07/23 — Released Dome House Six

Capital Community Media (MOD)
11/07/23 — Released 2023 - Marion County Commissioners Meeting

City of Tacoma (MOD)
11/07/23 — Released 2023 - Tacoma City Council Meeting and 2023 - Tacoma City Council Study Session

Classic Flix
11/07/23 — Released World of Giants: The Complete Series (2 disc set)

Claugir-16/Grimpe-94/Dili6963/debor1245/danaswe_0/icolewa15/mouni_3162/icolewa15 (MOD)
11/07/23 — Released 6 Underground, Adam Project, Beautiful Mind, Biutiful (Spanish), Black Lotus, Call the Midwife: The Complete Series (12 disc set), Criminal Minds: The Complete Series (38 disc set), Crown: Seasons 1 - 5 (10 disc set), Daily Done of Sunshine (2 disc set), Downton Abbey: The Complete Series (12 disc set), Dumb Money, Foe, Friends: The Complete Series (20 disc set), Gen V: Season 1 (2 disc set), Hammerharte Jungs (German), Huesera: The Bone Woman (Spanish), Just Beyond: The Complete Series (2 disc set), Lupin the 3rd: The Complete Series (12 disc set), M3gan, Magicians: The Complete Series (8 disc set), Makoto Shinkai Collection (8 film set: Voices of a Distant Star, 5 Cemeters per Second, Children Who Chase Lost Voices from Deep Below, The Garden of Words, You Name, Flavors of Youth, Weather Child, Suzume) (Japanese) (4 disc set), Morning Show: The Complete Series (6 disc set), Nip/Tuck: The Complete Series (15 disc set), Ozark: The Complete Series (8 disc set), Professionals: The Complete Series (5 disc set), Remains of the Day, School for Good and Evil, Secrets of the Whales (2 disc set), Shameless: The Complete Series (22 disc set), Shining Vale (2 disc set), Sly, Sonne und Beton (German), Special Forces, Stepford Wives, Strange Way of Life, Swagger: Season 1 (2 disc set), This is Us: The Complete Series (17 disc set), Triple Agent (French/Russian), Tudors: The Complete Series (8 disc set), Turn of the Tide (2 disc set), Violent Night, When Calls the Heart: The Complete Series (23 disc set) and Young Sheldon: The Complete Series (12 disc set)

Cleopatra Entertainment
11/07/23 — Released Lion-Girl

Cohen Media Group
11/07/23 — Released Buster Keaton Collection, Volume 5 (2 silent film set: Three Ages (1923), Our Hospitality (1923))

Criterion Collection
11/07/23 — Released Jackie Chan: Emergence of a Superstar (6 film set: Half a Loaf of Kung Fu, Spiritual Kung Fu, The Young Master, Fearless Hyena, Fear Hyena II, My Lucky Stars) (Cantonese) (4 disc set)

Dark Star Pictures
11/07/23 — Released Elderly (Spanish)

Decal Releasing, LLC
11/07/23 — Released It Lives Inside

Film Masters
01/16/24 — Sets Double Feature (2 film set: The Devil's Partner, Creature from the Haunted Sea) (2 disc set)

FilmRise
11/07/23 — Released The Admirer

FUNimation
11/07/23 — Released Beast Tamer: The Complete Season (2 disc set), Classroom of the Elite: Season 2 (2 disc set), More than a Married Couple, but Not Lovers: The Complete Series (2 disc set) and My Dress Up Darling: The Complete Season (2 Blu-ray/2 DVD Combo Pack)

Gemini Entertainment (MOD)
11/07/23 — Released Light Spirit: Lighthouses of the Maine Coast/Lighthouses of Maine: A Journey Through Time

Gravitas Ventures (MOD)
11/07/23 — Released Deep Fear,

Kino Lorber
11/07/23 — Released Scrapper

Leomark Studios (MOD)
11/07/23 — Released Sleepless Nights

Movies R USA (MOD)
11/07/23 — Released American Dragon - Jack Long: The Complete Series, Amityville Christmas Vacation, Attack of the Puppet People, Between Mercy and Me, Black Pirate (silent - 1926), Christmas with a Capital C, Coonskin, Daddy Daughter Trip, Dumb Money, Dying Gaul, Empress: Season 1, Fingernails, Gen V: Season 1, Grimcutty, Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2 - 3D, Hell House LLC: Origins - The Carmichael Manor, L.A.'s Finest: The Complete Series (2 disc set), Last Days of Ptolemy Grey: Season 1, Lupin: Part 2, Man Who Saved the World (Turkish), Next 365 Days (Polish), Outfit, Pain Hustlers, PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie, Reporting for Christmas, Sabaya (Kurdish), Star Trek: Lower Decks, Season 4, Take Me Back for Christmas, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, Thai Cave Rescue (2 disc set), Umbrella Academy: The Complete Series (4 disc set), Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window: Season 1, Wu Lin: The Society and Young Hercules: The Complete Series (2 disc set)

PBS Direct
11/07/23 — Released American Buffalo (2 disc set)

Radiance Films
01/16/24 — Sets Yakuza Graveyard (Japanese)

Raro Video USA, Ltd.
11/07/23 — Released Perfume of the Lady in Black (Italian)

Sentai FilmWorks
11/07/23 — Released Familiar of Zero: The Complete Collection (8 disc set)

Severin Films
01/30/24 — Sets Nightmare

Shout! Studios
11/07/23 — Released Surviving the Game

Sloppy Seconds (MOD)
11/07/23 — Released The Killer

Sony Pictures Home Ent. (MOD)
11/07/23 — Released Miracle Club

Universal Pictures Home Ent.
11/07/23 — Released Casino: Remastered Edition

Universal Pictures Home Ent. (MOD)
11/07/23 — Released Animal Crackers, Cocoanuts, Duck Soup, Horse Feathers, Monkey Business and Office: Complete Christmas Collection (7 episodes) (2 disc set)

VCI Entertainment
12/12/23 — Sets Horrors of the Black Museum

Well Go U.S.A.
11/07/23 — Released Warhorse One (ARR of 130 days; box office estimate: $20,000)

4K Ultra HD New Additions

Paramount Home Entertainment
11/07/23 — Released Trading Places (4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo Pack) (with Digital Copy)

Severin Films
01/30/24 — Sets Nightmare (4K Ultra HD/2 Blu-ray Combo Pack)

Shout! Studios
11/07/23 — Released Fargo: Collector's Edition (4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo Pack)

Sony Pictures Home Ent.
11/07/23 — Released Black Hawk Down (4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo Pack) (with Digital Copy) and Guns of Navarone (4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo Pack) (with Digital Copy)

Universal Pictures Home Ent.
11/07/23 — Released American Graffiti: 50th Anniversary Edition (4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo Pack) (with Digital Copy)

The Genius Of Roger Corman On Display In The FIlm Masters' Jan. 16 Blu-ray Double Feature Of The Devil's Partner And Creature From The Haunted Sea

Film Masters does it again!!

It was just about a month ago that Film Masters announced the Roger Corman double feature of The Terror and Little Shop of Horrors, which will be available as either Blu-ray or DVD product offerings on Dec. 12.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if Film Masters continued with some additional Corman treasures?   That was probably fanciful thinking.   Just musing.   Wishing.

News arrived this past week that they are indeed doing “more Corman!”  Yes!  Yes!!  YES!!!

In the New Year — Jan. 16 to be exact —Film Masters will have their first double feature Blu-ray presentation to kick off 2024 (also available on DVD) and it is a Roger Corman special. 

The first film is director Charles R. Rondeau’s 1960 (1961 domestic) film release of The Devil’s Partner.   Stop the presses, how is that a Roger Corman film?

Rondeau shot the film sometime in 1958, it finally got a theatrical release in England in early 1960 and Corman’s distribution company — when he wasn’t doing AIP films — The Filmgroup (in partners with his brother, Gene Corman), picked it up for domestic distribution.   

Here Ed Nelson (Attack of the Crab Monsters, Invasion of the Saucer Men Night of the Blood Beast, etc.) plays the parts of both the elderly Pete Jensen, who is something of a hermit living in a shack, and his “nephew,” Nick Richards, who arrives in town after Jensen is reported dead.    

A series of mysterious deaths follow — all caused one way or another by animals — until the local mechanic, David Simpson (Richard Crane — The Alligator People, House of the Damned), puts two and two together and realizes that Jensen has somehow transformed into the younger Nick.   It doesn’t end well for Nick.

So Roger Corman has the distribution rights to The Devil’s Partner and comes up with the brilliant idea of taking his “left-over” film (his words — “How I Made a Hundred Movies in Hollywood and Never Lost a Dime”), Creature from the Haunted Sea, which he filmed in a matter of days in Puerto Rico after finishing both The Last Woman on Earth and Battle of Blood Island in record time.   

Corman was having such a good time that they threw together Creature from the Haunted Sea, which turned out to be a pretty funny comedy, even though it is billed as a horror film.
You can see the wheels turning.   Acquired film, little risk, double featured with an ultra-low budget “left over” film … this pair would be released theatrically as a double-bill and the rest is history!   Success.   Here they are, reunited.'

Both are new 4K scans from the original 35mm film elements.   Plus, there’s a bonus.   Corman needed additional footage for Creature from the Haunted Sea for television syndication (shot by Monte Hellman) and that extended version is also included here.

As to bonus features, Larry Strothe, James Gonis, Shawn Sheridan and Matt Weinhold of the Monstery Party Podcast provide commentary on The Devil’s Partner and Tom Weaver does the commentary for Creature from the Haunted Sea.

Additional bonus goodies include the Ballyhoo Motion Pictures presentation of “Hollywood Intruders: The Filmgroup Story” and a video session with Roger Corman discussing the formation of The Filmgroup. 

Severin Films Has A 4K Ultra HD Edition Of Writer/Director Romano Scavolini's Nightmare Ready For Genre Fans On Jan. 30

Severin Films, with sales and distribution expertise provided by MVD Entertainment Group, has a 4K Ultra HD/Double-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack edition of writer/director Romano Scavolini’s 1981 slasher film, Nightmare, ready for genre fans to savor on Jan. 30.

Filmmaker Romano Scavolini had a somewhat “checkered” background, “artistic porn” in Italian, etc., and that “reputation” (likely unfounded) may have colored the MPAA’s decision to slap the dreaded X-rating on the film.   It even got so bad in the UK that several involved with the distribution of the film did prison time for defying demands that the film, titled Nightmares in a Damaged Brain, be censored.

Domestically, Scavolini’s film had limited theatrical distribution, with the limited number of prints being “bicycled” from market to market … stretching the release from the Halloween season in 1981 well into the spring of the following year.   Nightmare was an early VHS release … and has been out in various forms on DVD and Blu-ray over the years.   This, however, is the definitive version.

Severin Films has scoured the world to gather the best film elements to assemble the “most complete version” of Scavolini’s Nightmare.

So what is Severin Films serving up on Jan. 30?  

For starters, the 4K Ultra HD presentation (disc one) has two commentary options.   The first features the film’s star, Baird Stafford (as George) who is joined special effects assistant Cleve Hall, with moderation by Lee Christian and David DeCoteau.   The second is with producer William Paul.

The first companion Blu-ray disc includes both commentary options, plus deleted scenes, the feature-length session with filmmaker Romano Scavolini titled “Kill Thy Father and Thy Mother” (clocks in at 71 minutes) and five featurettes — “The Nightmare of Nightmare,” “The Stuff that Nightmares are Made Of,” “A Nightmare on Many Streets,” “Dreaming Up a Nightmare” and “Open Matte Peep Show Sequence.”

The other companion Blu-ray disc in this Combo Pack from Severin Films is loaded with bonus feature films from David Hamilton-Grant, the leading UK film distributor who did prison time for refusing to make cuts to the film.   

Included in the collection are The Office Party, Under the Bed and You’re Driving Me Crazy, plus the short film titled Escape to Entebbe and the documentary titled Damaged: The Very British Obscenity if David Hamilton-Grant.

In short WOW.  Nightmare in 4K Ultra HD, two feature-length documentaries, a short film and three bonus films … that’s quite the package from Severin Films on Jan. 30.

The first companion Blu-ray disc is also available on Jan. 30 as a purchasing option.

Radiance Films Has A Special Edition Blu-ray Of Japanese Filmmaker Kinji Fukasaku's Yakuza Graveyard Ready For Release On Jan. 16

Radiance Films, with sales and distribution expertise provided by MVD Entertainment Group, has targeted Jan. 16 for the release of a Blu-ray special edition of Japanese filmmaker Kinji Fukasaku’s 1976 classic “yakuza” film, Yakuza Graveyard.

It is a simple story, beautifully told.   Detective Kuroiwa Ryu (Tetsuya Watari — Tokyo Drifter, as Goro in the Outlaw series) makes one little, itty-bitty, minor mistake.  He’s a crime fighter, make no mistake about that (he is even willing to cut a few corners to get the job done), but he crosses the line when he falls in love with the widow of a Nishida-clan “gangster” that he killed in the line of duty.   

This “transgression” will take him down an ever-expanding rabbit-hole that will not end well.   We know this in our heart from the get-go,  We sense that he is a dead man walking.   It is the getting to his predestined end — yes, you can call Yakuza Graveyard a passion play — that makes Fukasaku’s tale a classic.

Bonus features are a pair of featurettes — “Appreciation by Filmmaker Kazuya Shiraishi” and “The Rage and the Passion’ — plus an extensive photo gallery.

 

 

VCI Entertainment Restores Director Arthur Crabtree's Horrors Of The Black Museum For Release On Blu-ray This Coming Dec. 12

VCI Entertainment has a “Restored Uncut Special Edition” Blu-ray ready for shipment on Dec. 12 of director Arthur Crabtree’s 1959 horror gem that urged audiences to kindly wait in the lobby during the opening sequences if they were susceptible to being hypnotized!!

Of course we are taking about Horrors of the Black Museum, and anyone foolish enough to follow that advice would have missed the bizarre murder of Gail (Dorinda Stevens).  It was quite a shocking opening … package arrives, she opens it, binoculars enclosed, she takes a look-see through them, adjusts the focus and two spikes pierce her eyeballs and impale her brain.  DEAD!

As it turns out, poor Gail is not the first mysterious murder of a young woman in the London area.   Two others have also died horribly in recent weeks … the murders remain unsolved.   

No worries, Scotland Yard Inspector Graham (played by Geoffrey Keen … recurring role as “Minister of Defense” in six 007 films, beginning with The Spy Who Loved Me in 1977 and finishing up with The Living Daylights ten years later) and Police Inspector Lodge (John Warwick) are on the case.   Enter Edmond Bancroft (played by Michael Gough, perhaps best known as Alfred in Batman, Batman Returns, Batman Forever and Batman & Robin), a “crime journalist” and author of mystery books, who examines the deadly binoculars and all but accuses the police of being incompetent.  

As events unfold we begin to suspect that Bancroft knows a whole lot more about the murders than he lets on, especially when his assistant, Joan (June Cunningham) has her head separated from her body — in bed — by a makeshift guillotine!!

Horrors of the Black Museum is a wonderful horror entry cloaked as a crime mystery.   More victims will also meet grisly ends before the “incompetent” authorities solve the case … solve the mystery of the “Black Museum.”

Bonus features include two commentary options.  The first is a newly prepared commentary with film historian Robert Kelly, and the second is an archival commentary with writer and producer Herman Cohen.

Other bonus nuggets include the aforementioned opening with “psychologist” Emile Franchel, a video tribute to Herman Cohen  (producer/writer of I was a Teenage Werewolf, I was a Teenage Frankenstein and How to Make a Monster) and vintage featurette with Herman Cohen.

A DVD purchasing option will also be available on Dec. 12. 

 

 

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment Preps 4K Ultra HD Editions Of The Abyss, True Lies And Aliens For Delivery On Mar. 12 2024

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment will be stepping up with a six-title 4K Ultra HD promotion showcasing the creative film art of James Cameron.   What is exceptional about this news are the long overdue 4K Ultra HD rollouts both The Abyss and True Lies.

Details are a little sketchy at this time, but will be filled in with extras, etc. as we get closer to the release dates.

That said, Disney is hooking up with Paramount Home Entertainment on Dec. 5 to promote Cameron’s 4K Ultra HD release of Titanic (previously announced and covered).

The following week, Dec. 12, the promotion takes something of a misstep with multi-platform VOD (Prime, Apple, VUDU, etc.) 4K Ultra HD “Collector’s Editions” of Aliens, The Abyss, True Lies and the two Avatar films.  While we applaud the new 4K Ultra HD transfers (which will be absolutely gorgeous), this will also be a feeding frenzy for what has become a very sophisticated “helper” community (aka: pirates, bootleggers, etc.).   

They learned all the tricks during the pandemic and the “streaming wars” that followed … they will be quick to turn both Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD knockoffs (with professional looking packaging) to unsuspecting consumers who either don’t care or don’t know that what they are buying will not be the real deal.  These “early” editions will look real and the quality of what they get is good enough for most.

For those fans who wish to wait for the physical media editions, the wait will be long … from now until the street date, over four months.   Punish the good buyers, reward the lazy … what kind of business model is that?

So the question becomes why?   Why the urgency to sell the equivalent of “paperback” book editions — that can be shared and pirated — when you can sell the “hardcover” editions first and still have the option of selling to the down market afterwards? 

A case can be made that Disney could have done a much strong promotion for the films of James Cameron by re-releasing The Abyss theatrically (in 4K), followed by the 4K Ultra HD edition before turning it loose on VOD.   When you can consider how many films have been bumped as a result of the SAG strike, this would have been gold.

When you have the gold, market it wisely.   How many movies with the status of The Abyss on 4K are there?

The “real” 4K Ultra HD editions of The Abyss, True Lies and Aliens will arrive on Mar. 12, 2024 … real film fans will endure the wait.    Others … not so much.  Details to follow.

Mill Creek Entertainment Has Tabbed Dec. 5 As The DVD Debut Date For Director/Actor Rob Schneider's Daddy Daughter Trip

Mill Creek Entertainment continues to make news with its cutting-edge promotion of films operating outside-the-traditional theatrical distribution network.

As an example, on Nov. 14 they will be guiding writer/director Andrew Hyatt’s faith-based biopic, The Blind: The True Story of the Robertson Family, to the home entertainment marketplace with the release of both DVD and Blu-ray editions.

The film, operating largely through word of mouth, was launch theatrically on Sept. 28 as a Fathom Event.   That usually means a one-night stand.   However, audiences are so hungry for quality entertainment these days that the film broke all Fathom Event records with a 43-day run and generated $17.3 million in ticket sales.

You are probably shaking your head.   A non-Hollywood movie goes the indie route and shatters all box office records.   Oh wait, that’s the becoming the norm in the entertainment world obsessed with streaming.   Sound of Freedom and Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour ring in bells?

In any case, Mill Creek Entertainment was right there with news that once Hyatt’s film finished its marvelous theatrical run it would be available for fans to purchase as either DVD or Blu-ray copies.

We can report that Mill Creek Entertainment has done it again with news this past week that comedian Rob Schneider’s Daddy Daughter Trip will be making its DVD debut on Dec. 12.

Schneider, a noted stand-up comedian, television and film star, decided to step outside the box in 2022 and produce, star and direct Daddy Daughter Trip.   It’s not the first time … he did the trifecta back in 2010 with The Chosen One and made his debut as a director back in 2007 with Big Stan.   

For distribution this time he took the unique approach of hooking up with Arizona-based exhibitor, Harkins Theatres, and together they launched the film in October of 2022 in their theatres on an exclusive basis.

Technically speaking — and for the record — the ARR for Daddy Daughter Trip works out 431 days.

Indie theatrical exhibition followed by … yes, Mill Creek Entertainment!

This is a family affair, with Schneider’s daughter, Miranda Scarlett Schneider (note: her timing is spot-on, must be in her DNA), making her screen debut as (do we call this type casting?) his daughter, Meara, and Jackie Sandler (wife of Adam Sandler) starring as Schneider’s wife, Megan.   Also counted among the cast members are John Cleese and Michael Bublé (an inside joke).

Here we have Schneider as Larry Bublé, an inventor, whose inventions are not quite mainstream.   He’s a failure, a scammer and at something of a crossroads in his life … meaning, he’s broke.

When his daughter is put on the spot in class about her plans for the spring break, Larry realizes that he has to step up and see what he can do about making them happen (the previous year didn’t quite work out).   This gives Schneider free rein to line up a series of comedy bits and sight gags that are a hoot — taking Megan through a car wash in lieu of experiencing a high-priced water park is just one of them.

Through a serendipitous encounter with two “famous” travel bloggers (aka: travel “influencers” … famous for being famous), the Arechavaletas (played by Monica Huarte and Miquel Angel Munoz), the pair make Schneider’s adventures with his daughter’s spring break “wish list” into a series of hilarious blog videos (how that happens is a sight to behold).

Rob Schneider, stand-up comedian, starring in a family-fun film with a heart of gold … what more can you ask for!!   Be sure to check Daddy Daughter Trip out on DVD from Mill Creek Entertainment this coming Dec. 5th.

Bonus goodies include outtakes, deleted scenes, a blooper reel and a video session with Schneider.