Paramount Home Media Tabs Dec. 4 For The Home Entertainment Launch Of Director Christopher McQuarrie’s Mission: Impossible – Fallout

Say what you will about Tom Cruise, but one thing that you have to acknowledge, he is one savvy player when it comes to his film career.   Like Sandra Bullock, Cruise relies on his instincts and has total control over the steps he takes and the films he makes, which are invariably commercial.    

His latest, director Christopher McQuarrie’s Mission: Impossible – Fallout — McQuarrie has teamed with Cruise on Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation and Jack Reacher (and provided scripts for Edge of Tomorrow, The Mummy and Valkyrie) — is yet another box office smash.   

With that said, word arrived this past week from Paramount Home Media that Mission: Impossible – Fallout will be available as DVD, Double-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack and 4K Ultra HD/Double-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack product offerings on Dec. 4.

That early December street date yields an ARR of 130 days and multiplex summer crowds chipped in $219.2 million in domestic box office sales — $790 million if you look at the worldwide picture.

The film is remarkable beyond the storyline and the action itself.   Tom Cruise does his own stunts and was injured during the rooftop chase sequence (broken ankle, etc.), which shutdown the film for seven full weeks.   The HALO jumps (High Altitude Low Opening) in the film that featured Cruise were real, however they were not done over the city of Paris (that was digitally painted in).

As to bonus features for this sixth installment in the Mission: Impossible film series, we begin with three — count’em, three — commentary options.   The first features director Christopher McQuarrie and producer/actor Tom Cruise, the second also has McQuarrie, who is joined by film editor Eddie Hamilton (he also edited Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation and the two Kingsman films), and the third features commentary from composer Lorne Balfe.

There’s a seven-part making-of presentation titled “Behind the Fallout,” deleted scenes (with optional commentary by McQuarrie and Hamilton), storyboards and two additional featurettes — “Foot Chase Musical Breakdown” and “The Ultimate Mission.”

To get all of this extra material included in the release, both the 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray SKUs include a second Blu-ray companion disc.  

In other home entertainment release news from Paramount Home Media this past week, the Comedy Central production of Nathan For You, starring comedian Nathan Fielder — who also just happens to have a degree in business — as a very unconventional “business consultant.”   His advice, while well-meaning and sincere, is often askew, which creates for very funny running skits.

Nathan For You: The Complete Series on DVD includes all four seasons of the series as a nine-disc presentation.    Bonus features include commentary by Fielder, who is joined by “Special Guests,” deleted scenes and two special featurettes — “Blue Smoke Detector Tutorial” and “The Banzai Predicament Studio Performance.”

MVD Entertainment Group Bestows Rewind Collection Status On Director Alber Pyun's Dec. 11 Blu-ray Release Of Nemesis

MVD Entertainment Group just announced it next Rewind Collection Blu-ray release and it will certainly be a keeper come Dec. 11.

Director Albert Pyun teams up with Olivier Gruner for the 1992 sci-fi thriller, Nemesis, which will be a double-disc presentation, featuring three different cuts of the film … the original theatrical cut, a director’s cut and the Japanese Extended cut of the film.   Sweet!

Both filmmaker Albert Pyun and French kickboxer-turned-actor, Olivier Gruner have already been showcased by MVD Entertainment Group, with Pyun’s Crazy Six (starring the late Burt Reynolds) getting a Marquee Collection Blu-ray launch on Aug. 28 and Gruner’s all-action Angel Town going the Rewind Collection route on Sept. 25.

It’s 2027 in Los Angeles and Olivier Gruner is a cyborg/human police officer by the name of Alex Raine — actually more of a “hired gun” — who is ambushed by a radical group of cyborg-enhanced criminals who called themselves “The Red Army Hammerheads.”   

As the film progresses and Alex gets repaired and repaired and repaired (like that bunny, he takes a licking and keeps on ticking) we come to learn that the “Hammerheads” are actually the good guys and that there is a sinister plot afoot to replace key humans with android lookalikes.    

Nemesis clearly takes its cues from the Terminator franchise (Terminator 2: Judgment Day was released theatrical the previous year), but dials the action up several notches.   Nemesis works and it is certainly an enjoyable thrill ride … especially trying to keep up with who is who … android replicant or human!

As to bonus goodies, the “Director’s Cut” of the film includes optional commentary by director Albert Pyun, there are separate introductions by both Pyun and Gruner, a pair of making-of featurettes, a short video session with Gruner and a pair of production featurettes — “The Saga” and “Killcount.”

Icarus Films To Release Documentary Filmmaker Guy Reid’s Planetary On DVD On Nov. 20

Icarus Films and Bullfrog Films will team on Nov. 20 for the DVD debut of documentary filmmaker Guy Reid’s (with Steve Watts Kennedy) Planetary.

The idea for this film sprung from Reid’s 2012 short film, Overview, which examined the experience reported by astronauts when viewing Earth from hundreds of miles in space.   Dubbed the “Overview Effect,” Earth is seen in a different light — from a different perspective if you will — which is often described as seeing a fragile, life-sustaining orb floating in the vastness of an endless space.   

The film was so well-received, Reid decided to expand the discussion of this view of our planet and the implications thereof and include not only observations from astronauts, but from philosophers and the like.   

So that it wouldn’t just be a group of “talking heads” discussing an esoteric idea (read that as: boring), Reid teamed with photographer-turned-cinematographer Christopher Ferstad to juxtapose the stunning visuals from space with equally magnificent shots of our planet and then mix in the hustle and bustle of human endeavors on a global basis — cities, people at work and play, roads, airports … the scope of humanity.   

The result is a thought-provoking examination of the “Overview Effect” and the current state of human existence on this fragile floating orb.   The point that is examined is that we are all interconnected.

Contributing to the conversation are astronauts Ronald Garan and Mae Jemison, who are joined by the likes of natural resource management professor and author, Janine Benyus (“Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature,” “The Field Guide to Wildlife Habitats of the Eastern United States”), Zen Buddhist instructor Joan Halifax (“The Fruitful Darkness: Reconnecting With the Body of the Earth”) and author Paul Hawken (“The Ecology of Commerce: A Declaration of Sustainability,” “Natural Capitalism: Creating the Next Industrial Revolution”) … among others.

Included with the DVD release of Planetary is the aforementioned short film from Guy Reid, Overview.

Indican Pictures Tabs Nov. 6 For The DVD Debut Of Writer/Director Jordan Horowitz’s Painless

Writer/director Jordan Horowitz’s Painless could continue to work genre-themed film festivals until the crack of doom, but indie filmmakers in competition against him are clapping with glee that his film will be making its way to the home entertainment marketplace on Nov. 6.

Painless is entered in competition at, oh let’s say, Cinequest San Jose Film Festival and it wins.  Or the Filmfestival Kitzbuehel and it wins the coveted “Audience Award” … we could on, it is an impressive list.   

But, Indican Pictures let it be known this past week that genre fans who didn’t  have the luxury of visiting a film festival playing near them — or the limited post-Labor Day theatrical run — will have the opportunity to enjoy Painless on DVD during the first week of November.   For the record, the ARR is 46 days.

Painless is part sci-fi, part mystery and part heartfelt dramatic tale.   It is the story of Henry Long (Joey Klein — The Vow, On the Road, The Other Half, etc.), a brilliant research scientist who now lives a closed-off, near solitary life because he suffers from the rare condition of congenital analgesia, which is a fancy way of saying that he can’t feel pain.

We get a little bit of a backstory that shows how he grew up without ever experiencing pain.   He now must take precautions against burning, scalding himself — is the coffee too hot … what about the soup?    He bundles up against the cold, not knowing if the extra layer is even necessary.

Without the condition, Henry would have a solid career and perhaps even relationship, both emotion and sexual in nature.   But without the sensation of pain, these joys have eluded him, instead he spends his days working on a cure and funds his research by manufacturing drugs for a low-life named Eddie (Tommie Sox).

Henry can be a pest too.   Dr. Raymond Parks (Kip Gilman), a fellow research scientist, is plagued by Henry’s demands for this and that … his opinions are often ignored as he cautions to take it slow, but Henry has other ideas.

Into this hellish world come two people — both of which will alter the life-trajectory that Henry seems destined to be on … alone and “painless.”   The first is a chance meeting with Shani (Evalena Marie — Serena and the Ratts, Splitting Image), who has an exotic, but kind-hearted look about her.   Perhaps she has empathy for Henry.

The other is a fellow researcher, Dr. Andrews (Pascal Yen-Pfister - Nobody's Watching, Sully), who would like to help Henry, for reasons that become clear as the narrative progresses.

Filmmaker Jordan Horowitz’s Painless doesn’t fit into one category or another and that is precisely what it has enjoyed such praise in the limited venues in which it has played thus far.   Nov. 6, on DVD, that universe expands exponentially! 

Arrow Video Tabs Dec. 11 For A 4K Scan Of Director Kevin Reynolds’ Waterworld

Arrow Video, with domestic sales and distribution expertise provided by MVD Entertainment Group, has a new 4K scan (from the original negative) of director Kevin Reynolds’ 1995 futuristic thriller, Waterworld … and Waterworld … and Waterworld planned for Blu-ray release on Dec. 11.   

Kevin Costner is certainly going to be waterlogged with so many Waterworld presentations, but that’s exactly what Arrow Video has planned — three different cuts of the film!

There will be the original theatrical cut, the extended television cut (clocking in at an extra 40 minutes) and the extended European “Ulysses” cut, which includes censored shots and dialogue (171 minutes).  

But wait, there’s more!!!   Arrow Video has also included in this double-disc collection the newly-prepared feature-length making of documentary titled Maelstrom: The Odyssey of Waterworld.   Also counted among the bonus nuggets are a vintage making-of featurette and the featurette titled “Global Warnings,” hosted by film critic Glenn Kenny.  

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Preps Director Jon Turteltaub’s The Meg For A Home Entertainment Launch On Nov. 13

Warner Bros. had one of the most effective theatrical trailers among the summer crop of films.  This was the previews for director Jon Turteltaub’s The Meg … it really sold the film as a “must-see” summer event! 

It begins with little Meiying (Shuya Sophia Cai) playing on the enclosed deck of an immense underwater research facility when suddenly a monstrous shape appears out of the darkness and attempts to swallow her whole … only the reinforced glass stops the beast!    In the aftermath, however, bite marks of an ominous size remain.  

The trailer continues with some additional teases and in the process reveals that the creature is thought to be a Megalodon — a giant — no, make that ENORMOUS — shark that went extinct some $2.5 million years ago!

This pre-launch campaign proved to be very effective as The Meg rolled to a tasty $142 million at the box office.

Word arrived this past week that Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has tabbed Nov. 13 as the street date for a four-SKU helping of this chomp, chomp, chomp adventure feast.   The ARR is 95 days.

Among the home entertainment product options are a stand-alone DVD presentation, a Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack, a double-disc Blu-ray set featuring 3D and 2D viewing options and a 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo Pack selection.

As to the film itself, in a thrilling underwater opening sequence we are introduced to Jonas Taylor (Jason Statham), a deep dive rescue specialist, who fails in his attempt to rescue men aboard a submarine.   He claims — and no one believes him — that some giant (unknown) creature attacked the sub and caused it to eventually implode.

  

Disgraced, Taylor is forgotten … except it is now five years later and his services have suddenly become needed at the “Mana One,” the aforementioned underwater research facility.   It seems that there is a deep-dive vesicle — with three people aboard, including Taylor’s ex-wife, Lori (Jessica McNamee) — that has become stranded near the famed Marianas Trench … the circumstances are eerily similar to what Taylor described five years earlier.

Talk about a small world, ex-wife (how convenient), stranded submersible and an unknown creature lurking in the depths.   The Meg, with that sort of a set up, could have easily gone off of the rails, but filmmaker Jon Turteltaub (who gave us the two National Treasure films) holds it together and keeps the action following at a zippity-zip pace (that way you don’t have to ask too many questions). 

 

The film works … and audiences loved it!

As to bonus treasures, there are just two featurettes included with the home entertainment launch — “Chomp on This: The Making of The Meg” and “Creating The Beast.”

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Selects Nov. 13 For The Release Of DVD And Blu-ray Editions Of Director Albert Hughes’s Alpha

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment’s caveman and wolf saga, director Albert Hughes’s Alpha, will be making its way to the home entertainment marketplace on Nov. 13 as both DVD and Blu-ray product offerings.

Despite a slow start during its mid-August theatrical run, Alpha, fairly strong word of mouth propelled the film to an impressive $35.5 million in domestic box office receipts.   The ARR works out to 88 days.

Bonus goodies common to both the DVD and Blu-ray SKUs consist of two production featurettes — “The Wolf Behind Alpha” and “Boy & Wolf.”

Exclusive to the Blu-ray presentation are a “Director’s Cut” of the film (no information on the additional running time associated with the “Director’s Cut” was provided by Sony Pictures), both an alternative opening and ending (with commentary by Hughes), deleted scenes (also with commentary by Hughes) and two additional featurettes — “Building the World” and “A Hero’s Journey.”