Tuesday, June 18, 2024
New DVD • Blu-ray • 4K Ultra HD Activity For The Period Ending June 07, 2024
New DVD Additions
101 Films
A24 Films
A24 Films
MVD Entertainment Group Looks To Sept. 10 For The Blu-ray And DVD Debut Of Writer/Director Signe Baumane's Award-Winning Animated Film Titled My Love Affair With Marriage
Animated films are for kids, right?
Sure, if you head down to the local multiplex and see long lines of parents and their kids waiting to get in for the next showing of this animated film or that animated film (all the noise and chaos) you might arrive at that conclusion.
On the other hand, check out the animated film from writer/director Signe Baumane that MVD Entertainment Group has lined up for release on Sept. 10 as both Blu-ray and DVD product offerings.
My Love Affair with Marriage is not a kid’s flick, but rather an award-winning arthouse entry … a film festival favorite. An adult animated film like Rene Laloux’ Fantastic Planet, Bozzetto’s Allegro non Troppo, Satoshi Kon’s Paprika or even Mamoru Oshii’s Ghost in the Shell.
There are plenty of examples — some experiment, some very slick, doesn’t matter — of animated films that are not intended for kiddie matinees. Baumane’s film is one of those!
The film opened at the Tribeca Festival in June of 2022 and then proceeded to work the international festival circuit for a solid year, with stops at the Reykjavik International Film Festival, Raindance Film Festival and the Beijing International Film Festival (to mention just a few).In October of last year, My Love Affair with Marriage had a very limited theatrical showcase, which (with the Sept. 10 street date) yields a long-in-the-tooth ARR of 343 days. Unless you managed to catch one of the festival screenings or one of the limited major metro arthouse showcase screenings, the film is likely to be unfamiliar to you.
My Love Affair with Marriage is the semi-autobiographical story about the two-decade long evolution of Zelma, beginning as a young girl in Soviet-controlled Eastern Europe, who desires the perfect marriage; a perfect relationship. She even has “mentoring” in her quest from a trio of “Sirens,” who may or may not be giving her the best guidance.
We begin in school at the age of eight and by the end of Baumane’s animated journey, Zelma is 31 and has experienced love, relationships, marriage and more. It is complicated and the animation is a marvel — “wide-eyed” and surreal.
MVD Entertainment Group has a real treat in store for film lovers, especially those who enjoy the offbeat, animated films, well-told stories and more.
Included with the release as a bonus is Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series Presents Director Signe Baumane on the Making of My Love Affair With Marriage.
Synapse Films Is Out Early With The "Halloween Season" 4K Ultra HD Release Announcement For Director Mike Mendez's The Convent On Oct. 08
Synapse Films, with sales and distribution support provided by MVD Entertainment Group, is out with the first “Halloween Season” announcement this past week. Arriving on Oct. 08 as a 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo Pack is director Mike Mendez’s The Convent … a film that should have had a theatrical release but didn’t.
This is a new 4K re-mastering of the uncut version of the film, which was supervised and approved by Mendez.
It started out as Alpine Pictures production with distribution lined up through Unapix Entertainment and its home video arm, A-Pix Entertainment. The Convent made its debut at the Sundance Film Festival in January of 2000, which signaled that this is a genre film that has some real potential.
Indeed, counted among the cast is none other than Adrienne Barbeau, who had established her genre-film bona fides with both John Carpenter’s The Fog in 1980 and his 1981 release of Escape from New York (they were married at the time) and Wes Craven’s 1982 creature feature, Swamp Thing.
However, Unapix was in dire financial straits and the film dropped out of sight … there was no follow-up to the film festival screening.
It resurfaced on Dec. 18, 2001 as part of an eleven-title DVD release blitz from Trimark (aka: Lionsgate). In other words, Mendez’s film went direct to video. The long delay of nearly two years may have had something to do with the MPAA rating of NC-17 (X), which was based on “too much bloody violence” (geeze) … the cut version (R-rated) was the direct to video product offering, which was a 19 second trim job (a little less blood here, a little less there).
Synapse Films has the fully restored version of the film ready for 4K (a stand-alone Blu-ray will also be available on Oct. 8).
As to the film itself, it is a classic haunted house thriller, complete with a victim pool (college kids), the “haunted house” (in this case an abandoned convent) and a crazed killer (possessed demons).
The Convent opens with a bloody hook, where we witness Christine (played by future Emmy-winning consume designer Oakley Stevenson) enter the convent and systematically slaughter all of the nuns and then she leaves (she will return as an adult in “present times” and be played by, yes, Adrienne Barbeau).
We skip ahead to present times and the arrival of our victim pool, which is actually two separate victim pools (the college kids and a group of “Satanists”), who — regardless of “team” affiliation — are butchered in turn.
However, Clorissa (Joanna Canton), one of the college students, manages to escape. For backstory and plot development, she hooks up with the adult Christine (who wasn’t really slaughtering nuns, but nuns possessed by demons) and they team up to return to the convent in an effort to save the remaining “victim pool” members and vanquish the demons!
There is a clever twist at the end (not revealed here). The Convent has it all … perfect!!
As to bonus features, there are two commentary options. The first features director Mike Mendez, while the second, titled “Lords of Hell,” features cast member David Gunn (Saul) and Kelly Mantle (Dickie-Boy).
Additionally, there is a deleted scene, outtakes, a video tour of the filming locations and a vintage “Making Of” featurette.
Monday, June 17, 2024
Mill Creek Entertainment Targets July 09 For The Blu-ray And DVD Debut Of Director L. Van Dyke Siboutszen’s Deer Camp '86
Here’s a twist and a twist and a twist … that’s what in store for genre fans on July 9 as director L. Van Dyke Siboutszen’s 2022 Screamfest LA terror flick, Deer Camp ’86, makes the transition from its May 31, 2024 limited theatrical run to the DVD and Blu-ray marketplace courtesy of Mill Creek Entertainment.
For the record, the ARR is 39 days and the box office take from the film’s very limited run stands at $58,449.
Filmed in and around the Grand Rapids, Michigan area, this indie horror entry is both traditional — victim pool, haunted house thriller and maniacal killer — and offbeat; different.
First the traditional “horror” elements, we have a victim pool featuring six Detroit buddies who think it’s a wonderful idea to go deer hunting one weekend in the remote woods.
It’s the start of deer season and the year is 1986. Drinking beer, pissing in the woods, shooting guns and maybe bagging a buck is the plan.
Included in the victim pool are: Wes (Noah LaLonde — as Cole in the My Life with the Walter Boys Netflix series), Egbert “EP” (David Lautman — The Sunday Night Slaughter, Consumption, As Real as You Make It), Simon (Arthur Cartwright — Do You Believe?, God Bless the Broken Road) and Buck (Jay J. Bidwell).
Then there’s the remote cabin in the woods (haunted house, abandoned building, insane asylum … they are all interchangeable). And finally, a crazed killer that picks off the various members of the “victim pool” in gruesome ways.
As for the offbeat, the “boys” decide to stop of at Murphy’s, a local watering hole, where Wes flirts with the “Native American” bartender, Star (Tina Manera — She’s Just Making It Up, The Secret Children), and the Detroit contingent gets into a scuffle with the locals.
And then comes the first twist. Star is murdered in the alley behind the bar.
Without giving too much away — certainly not the other twists — we learn, via the local law official, Sheriff Paulson (played by Paul Wilson — The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, Big Stone Gap), that there have been a series of unsolved “Native American” women murders in the area over the years, which is always followed by groups of hunters being slaughtered … which Sheriff Paulson chalks up to marauding bear attacks (sure).
So who lives (no final girl here)? Who dies? Who did it? To find out all the answers be sure to check either the DVD or Blu-ray editions of Deer Camp ’86 from Mill Creek Entertainment on July 9.
Writer/Director John Krasinski's Mixed Animated/Live Action Hit IF Gets A Full-Spread Physical Media Rollout On Aug. 27 From Paramount Home Entertainment
Paramount Home Entertainment will be serving up a full spread of writer/director/producer John Krasinski’s mixed animated/live action hit, IF, on Aug. 27.
The ARR for IF (“Imaginary Friends”), starring Ryan Reynolds and Cailey Fleming (plus a who’s who of voice talents), works out to 88 days and the domestic box office haul currently stands at an impressive $100.9 million.
Planned for release are stand-alone editions across all three physical media formats — 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD.
A premium VOD window opens on June 18, 32 days into the film’s theatrical run, which gives the very sophisticated “Helper” community eight full weeks to manufacture and ship counterfeit Blu-ray editions of their own to unsuspecting consumers (or consumers who simply don’t care about the source).
Bonus features, which are limited to the 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray SKUs, include a gag reel, a tutorial titled “Learn to Draw Blue from IF” and a half-dozen featurettes — “The Imagination Behind IF,” “Give IFs a Voice,” “Blending the Real and the Imaginary,” “Tina Turner Forever!” and “The Imaginative World of IF.”
In other release news from Paramount Home Entertainment this past week,
Star Trek: Discovery - The Final Season will be heading home as both four-disc Blu-ray and four-disc DVD collections on Aug. 27.
Bonus goodies include episode commentary, a gag reel, a deleted scene and five featurettes — “Being Michael Burnham,” “Character Development,” “Star Trek: Discovery – The Voyage of Season 5,” “A Team Effort” and “Discovery’s Creative Force.”
Actor/Filmmaker Dev Patel's Monkey Man Gets Full-Spread Physical Media Launch On June 25 • Helper Community Got Nine Week Head Start With VOD Window 18 Days After Theatrical Release
Universal Pictures Home Entertainment strikes like lightning with the release revelation for actor/director Dev Patel’s Monkey Man.
This will be a full-spread physical media launch on — are you ready? — June 25.
Planned for distribution on that date are Combo Pack selections for both the 4K Ultra HD (with Blu-ray) and Blu-ray (with DVD) formats, plus a stand-alone DVD edition.
The ARR works out to 81 days and the film’s domestic theatrical run generated box office receipts of $25 million.
A VOD window opened 18 days into Monkey Man’s theatrical release, giving the “Helper” community nine full weeks to move their own Blu-ray editions of the film. An additional “Collector’s Edition” VOD window is being launch on June 11, two weeks before the physical media SKUs arrive.
Bonus features kick off with commentary from filmmaker/actor Dev Patel, who is joined by producers Jomon Thomas, Sam Shani and Raghuvir Joshi.
There are also deleted and extended scenes, an alternate opening, an alternate ending and four production featurettes — “A Labor of Love,” “Monkey Man of Action,” “Fateful Encounters” and “Roots Exposed.”
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Readies New 4K Ultra HD Releases • A League Of Their Own (Sept. 03) • Can't Hardly Wait (Aug. 20)
The news this past week is that Sony Pictures Home Entertainment will be going to the film vaults for its next two 4K Ultra HD releases. So let’s get to it and find out what they are!
Arriving Sept. 3 is the 4K film restoration (from the original camera negative) of director Penny Marshall’s 1992 homage to the “All-American Girls Professional Baseball League,” which was launched during World War II, A League of Their Own.
This will be a 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo Pack presentation.
The bonus features will be found on the companion Blu-ray disc. These include commentary with director Penny Marshall, who is joined by actors Lori Petty (as Kit Keller), Tracy Reiner (as Betty Horn) and Megan Cavanagh (as Marla Hooch), deleted scenes, the documentary titled Nine Memorable Innings, the Madonna music video “This Used to Be My Playground,” a trio of episodes from the 1993 television series and the featurette, “The Enduring Legacy of A League of Their Own.”
Streeting on Aug. 20 is the new 4K Ultra HD release (scanned from the original camera negative”) of the writing and directing team of Harry Elfont and Deborah Kaplan’s 1998 high school comedy, Can’t Hardly Wait.
Riding high on her success of I Know What You Did Last Summer, Jennifer Love Hewitt leads an ensemble cast of high school seniors who gather for a final party. She’s the prom queen and lowly Preston Meyers (played by Ethan Embry) has one last chance to reveal his love for her … one night, one party to win her heart. Does he do it? Or does he simply get on the train the next morning for his summer internship with no goodbyes?Bonus features kick off with eleven newly uncovered alternate and deleted scenes.
Additional bonus goodies (vintage), include two commentary options (cast and crew … and cast and crew ten years later), the Smash Mouth music video titled “I Can’t Get Enough of You Baby,” six deleted scenes and a trio of featurettes — “Huntington Hills High Class of ’98 Reunion,” “The Life of the Party” and “Can’t Hardly Wait: The Making of a Teen Classic.”