Mill Creek Entertainment's Ultraman Double Feature: Utraman Zearth/Ultraman Zearth 2 Available On Oct. 11 • Vintage Video DVD Line Launches Oct. 18

Mill Creek Entertainment announced this past week that the latest product offering from the massive Ultraman program library will take place on Oct. 11 with the DVD debut of the Ultraman Double Feature: Utraman Zearth/Ultraman Zearth 2.

Oh my, the world’s gold supply has vanished and MYDO (the Mysterious Yonder Defense Organization) has been called in to investigate.  Operating from their super-secret lair — a seemingly run-of-the-mill gas station — the assignment is clear, find the culprit and the reason why!!

It doesn’t take long to “unearth” the Alien Benzen, who is using the Cottenpoppe (yes, Cottenpoppe) monster to convert gold into a massive power source for Alien Benzen … massive pollution will quickly follow.  

The problem becomes clear in the fast-paced feature film, Ultraman Zearth, as the title character (aka: Katsuto Asahi — played by Masaharu Sekiguchi) suffers from germaphobia … how can you possibly face a polution monster and save the planet with such a handicap!?

A cliffhanger takes us into the second feature, Ultraman Zearth 2, which finds the evil Lady Benzen summoning Ultraman Shadow to murder Ultraman Zearth (Katsuto) … is this the end of Ultraman Zearth; the end of the gold supply … gulp, the end of the earth?

Oct. 11 to find the answer.   Ultraman Double Feature: Utraman Zearth/Ultraman Zearth 2 is presented in Japanese with English subtitles.

In other release news from Mill Creek Entertainment this past week, a DVD line of products titled “Vintage Video” — which mirrors the company’s popular “Retro VHS Packaging” Blu-ray promotional line — will be launched on Oct. 18 with a five-strong release slated.

The first wave consists of Crossroads: Vintage Video DVD, Hudson Hawk: Vintage Video DVD, Krull: Vintage Video DVD, King Ralph: Vintage Video DVD and Renegades: Vintage Video DVD.

 

 

 

Nozomi Entertainment's Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny: Collection 1 Arrives On Blu-ray This Coming Oct. 11

Bayview Entertainment will be teaming up Nozomi Entertainment on Oct. 11 for the domestic Blu-ray rollout of Yoshiyuki Tomino and Hajime Yatate’s Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny: Collection 1.

This five-disc collection features episodes one through 25 of the series, which was a sequel-series to the original Mobile Suit Gundam SEED (also from the team of Tomino and Yatate).

There is peace as the Bloody Valentine War has ended with the Junius Seven Treaty.   But there might be treachery afoot as ZAFT (Zodiac Alliance of Freedom Treaty) has a new “strictly-defensive” fighting machine, the Impulse Gundam.   When a prototype is stolen, the stage is set for a return to all-out conflict … can it be avoided??

Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny: Collection 1 is presented in Japanese with English subtitles.   Bonus nuggets include video sessions with filmmaker Mitsuo Fukuda and line producer Hiroomi Ikeya, concept music videos and textless opening and closings.

 

 

 

Cleopatra Entertainment Looks To Nov. 18 For The Release Of Blu-ray And DVD Edition Of Tubular Bells 50th Anniversary Tour: Live at the Royal Festival Hall

Cleopatra Entertainment, with sales and distribution expertise provided by MVD Entertainment Group, has tabbed Nov. 18 as the street for both double-disc Blu-ray and double-disc DVD editions of Tubular Bells 50th Anniversary Tour: Live at the Royal Festival Hall.

In 1973, Mike Oldfield was tinkering around with a “new” sound (the backstory on that is absolutely fascinating).  That might have been the beginning and the end of it, but according to legend, filmmaker William Friedkin needed some “replacement” music for his film, The Exorcist, and by chance got to listen to Oldfield’s experiment album and liked what he heard.   The rest, they say, is history … “Tubular Bells” (heard briefly at the beginning and again at the end of the film) has sold over 17 million copies since 1973.

Over a three-night period at London’s famed Royal Festival Hall in 2013, the 50^th Anniversary celebration was filmed with the original music blended with spectacular dance and acrobatic feats by Circa Contemporary Circus.    

The elaborate stage presentation also included “The Gem,” a new work by Grammy Award-nominee and musical director Robin Smith (a long-time collaborator with Oldfield), a presentation of “Summit Day” from Oldfield’s “Guitar Album” and “Moonlight Shadow,” Oldfield’s hit single.

Bonus features include a companion disc with director Julian Rodd’s feature-length documentary, narrated by Bill Nighy, which explores the history, music and legend of “Tubular Bells.”   There is also a featurette titled “Turning Back the Clock.”

 

 

 

 

George Pal's War Of The Worlds On 4K Ultra HD From Paramount Home Entertainment On Sept. 27

Paramount Home Entertainment has a new entry lined up for its popular “Paramount Presents” promotional library — a 4K Ultra HD presentation — which will be available for genre fans to enjoy on Sept. 27.

This would be none other than director Byron Haskin’s 1953 film adaptation of H.G. Wells’ 1898 novel, The War of the Worlds.

Paramount acquired the rights way, way back in the mid-1920s, but an ambitious film production, although planned, never got off the ground.   It wasn’t until the evening of October 30, 1938 that audiences really got a taste of the potential of Wells’ alien-invasion story for the first time.   Orson Welles and his Mercury Theatre Players presented the story on the radio as if it were actually happening.   Panic ensued.

Finally in 1953, Paramount and producer George Pal adapted the Wells’ sci-fi novel, but with a few twists.   Playwright-turned-script writer, Barré Lyndon (Man in the Attic, The Lodger, Hangover Square, The Greatest Show on Earth) worked with George Pal to expand the Martian invasion motif to include a romantic side story featuring scientist Dr. Clayton Forrester (Gene Barry — Naked Alibi, China Gate, The 27^th Day, Thunder Road … as Bat Masterson in the television series of the same name … and as Capt. Amos Burke in the Burke’s Law series) and librarian Sylvia Van Buren (Ann Robinson — Dragnet, The Glass Wall, Bad for Each Other).

It worked like charm.   Now an iconic sci-fi classic, War of the Worlds was a forerunner to the sci-fi explosion that marked the 1950s … it was also nominated for three-Oscars, winning for Best Special Effects.

As to bonus goodies, Paramount is including the Blu-ray debut of producer George Pal’s 1951 sci-fi thriller When Worlds Collide (direction by Rudolph Maté — D.O.A., Union Station, The Dark Past) as a bonus feature. 

Plus, there is the vintage commentary track featuring Ann Robinson and Gene Barry.

Additional bonuses include the tag-team commentary option with filmmaker Joe Dante, film historian Bob Burns and author Bill Warren (“Keep Watching the Skies!), two vintage featurettes — “The Sky Is Falling: Making the War of the Worlds” and “H.G. Wells: The Father of Science Fiction” — and, yes, Orson’s 1938 radio broadcast!!                                                                      

In other release news from Paramount Home Entertainment this past week, there will be both DVD and Blu-ray editions of the animated film, Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank, available on Oct. 18.

The ARR comes in at 95 days and box office receipts for the film’s mid-July theatrical launch were $17.8 million.

Bonus features common to both SKUs is the featurette titled “In the Drawing Room with Director Rob Minkoff.”   Exclusive to the Blu-ray edition are two additional featurettes — “Cool Cats and One Hot Dog” and “Giving Voice to Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank.”

 

 

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment's 80th Anniversary Edition Of Casablanca Will Be A Newly-Minted 4K Ultra HD Edition On Nov. 08

 

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment will be celebrating the 80^th Anniversary of one of the greatest films ever made, director Michael Curtiz’s 1942 Best Picture-winner, Casablanca, with a newly-minted 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo Pack presentation on Nov. 8.  

80-years old and just as enjoyable today as it was when released theatrically in November of 1942.  Best Picture, Best Director and Best Screenplay … Bogart and Claude Rains were both nominated for their acting as well.

Restored and remastered from the best-surviving nitrate film elements for this 4K launch, Casablanca is one of the most researched and talked about films in cinema circles … and deservedly so.  

President Ronald Reagan was rumored for the role of Rick Blaine (most creditable sources believe that was nothing more than a publicity plant and that Humphrey Bogart was always the pick from the get-go for the role).   Yes. Ann Sheridan, a super-star at Warner Bros. at the time, was initially tabbed for the role of Ilsa Lund, but it ultimately went to Ingrid Bergman (who was nominated for Best Actress, but not for her performance in Casablanca, but for her role as Maria in For Whom the Bell Tolls).

The film itself was almost completely filmed on sound stages on the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank (the magic of “Hollywood” … Morocco in Burbank).  The only reported location shot took place at the nearby Van Nuys airport.

The 4K Ultra HD disc contains two vintage commentary options, the first with Roger Ebert and the second featuring author and film historian Rudy Behlmer (“Memo from David O. Selznick,” “Inside Warner Bros. 1935-1951,” “Hollywood’s Hollywood: The Movies About the Movies”), plus there is a vintage introduction by Lauren Bacall.

The companion Blu-ray disc includes deleted scenes, outtakes, two vintage radio productions — “Lady Esther Screen Guild Theater Radio Broadcast” (1943, featuring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman and Paul Henreid) and the Vox Pop Radio Broadcast of Nov. 19, 1947 (a “streamlined” version) — four vintage cartoons (The Bird Came C.O.D., Carrotblanca, The Dover Boys at Pimento University and The Squawkin’ Hawk), documentary filmmaker Scott Benson’s 1992 short film titled You Must Remember This: A Tribute to Casablanca and more … much, much more!!

In other release news from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment this past week, there will be two new Blu-ray debuts drawn from the studio’s vast film library.

Heading home for the first time on Blu-ray on Oct. 11 will be director Tod Browning’s 1935 horror film, Mark of the Vampire, reuniting Browning with Bela Lugosi from their 1931 iconic classic, Dracula.

This is a new 4K scan from the original nitrate camera negative (this should really pop on Blu-ray).

Bonus features include commentary by author, journalist and film critic Kim Newman, who is joined by fellow film critic and lecturer Steve Jones, the vintage cartoon titled The Calico Dragon and 1935 short film from director Edward L. Cahn, A Thrill for Thelma (featuring Irene Hervey).

Arriving on Blu-ray two weeks later (Oct. 25) is director Rouben Mamoulian’s elaborate 1931 production of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, starring Frederic March and Miriam Hopkins … Frederic March would win his first of two acting Oscars for his tormented Hyde/Jekyll performance (The Best Years of Our Lives 1946 would be the other).

This is a 4K scan from “the best surviving nitrate elements” … there are two commentary options, the first (newly-minted) features Dr. Steve Haberman and Constanine Nasr, and the second is a vintage commentary option with Greg Mank.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Criterion Collection Reveals Its December Release Line-Up — Including Todd Haynes' The Velvet Underground Documentary

Last week it was the good news from the Criterion Collection that a deal had been struck with the Walt Disney Studios to release WALL•E as a 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo Pack edition on Nov. 22.   That gives us hope that other film vault treasures might be unearthed from the combined Disney/20^th Century-Fox library for future release.

This week it was more good news, the Apple + documentary from filmmaker Todd Haynes (Oscar-nominated for his 2002 script for Far from Heaven; Emmy-nominated for his 2011 Mildred Pierce mini-series), The Velvet Underground, is included in Criterion’s December line-up of new Blu-ray and DVD product offerings.

Disney, Apple + and Netflix (Power of the Dog on Nov. 8) have all worked out deals with the Criterion Collection, which gives us hope that films such as CODA (Oscar-winner for Best Picture), Song of the South (Oscar-winner for Best Song, “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah”), 4K Ultra HD editions of The Day the Earth Stood Still, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Fantastic Voyage and more will become part of the Criterion family.

The Velvet Underground, a nostalgic look at the American rock/underground band from the mid-60s (featuring Lou Reed, John Cale, Maureen “Moe” Tucker, Nico and others), opened at the Cannes Film Festival in July of last year, and then worked the festival circuit until mid-October when it hit the Apple + streaming service … and also opened in selected theatrical venues (Apple + is always mums the word on box office results).

Criterion will be releasing both DVD and Blu-ray editions on Dec. 13.  Bonus goodies include commentary with Haynes, who is joined by film editors Affonso Gonçalves and Adam Kurnitz, a series of outtakes, video sessions with Haynes, John Cale and Moe Tucker and several short avant-garde films from the period, including director Piero Heliczer’s Venus in Furs.

Also heading home in December from the Criterion Collection are director Michael Schultz’s 1975 film, Cooley High (Dec. 13) and two three-film collections (on Blu-ray only) — on Dec. 6, the Michael Haneke Trilogy (featuring The Seventh Continent, Benny's Video and 71 Fragments of a Chronology of Chance) and on Dec. 13, Three Films by Mai Zetterling (included here are Loving Couples, Night Games and The Girls).

 

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment Selects Oct. 25 As The Street Date For Director Jordan Peele's Nope

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has joined the Halloween promotional season fun with news this past week that director Jordan Peele’s latest horror-treat, Nope, will be streeting on Oct. 25 as a three-SKU array of home entertainment packaged media product offerings.

The ARR is a pre-pandemic normal of 95 days and domestic ticket sales were a tasty $122 million.

Planned for release are Combo Pack editions for the 4K Ultra HD (with Blu-ray) and Blu-ray (with DVD) formats, plus a stand-alone DVD edition.

As to bonus features, common to all three release SKUs are deleted scenes (five in total), a gag reel and a pair of featurettes — “Call Him Jean Jacket” and “Mystery Man of Muybridge.”

Exclusive to the Combo Pack purchasing opens is the feature-length presentation of Shadows: The Making of Nope.