What were you planning to do in June? Four films and a pair of complete series make up Warner Archive Collection's June wave arriving on the 14th.
The titles in this batch include Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1941), The Man I Love (1947), The Shining Hour (1938), Act of Violence (1948), plus The Alaskans: The Complete Series (1959-60) featuring Roger Moore and The Flash: The Original Series from 1990. Needless to say, June is going to be a busy, expensive, and very exciting month!
Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1941) - Warner Archive Collection
“If you had it to do all over again, would you have married me?” Yes, gentlemen, there is a right answer. That’s something David Smith learns the hard way when his bubbly and beautiful wife Ann queries him over breakfast.
Also right are radiant Carole Lombard and easygoing Robert Montgomery as the stars of this breezy Alfred Hitchcock comedy. For three years, the Smiths have been blissed but battling. When a technicality voids their union, Mr. misses Mrs., orbiting the tale into the delightful confection of the screwball genre. From a script by Academy Award® winner Norman Krasna, Hitchcock made his change-of-pace foray into the all-out humor memorable. “Here again are his unmistakable touches” Look Magazine declared. “The net effect is the same, too: another Alfred Hitchcock hit.”
SPECIAL FEATURES: Featurette: “Mr. Hitchcock Meets the Smiths”, Classic cartoons: THE CAT’S TALE and SPORTS CHUMPIONS ; Two Audio only radio broadcasts: Lux Radio Theater broadcast with Carole Lombard and Bob Hope, and Screen Guild Players broadcast with Errol Flynn and Lana Turner. Original Theatrical Trailer
The Man I Love (1947) - Warner Archive Collection
Torch singer Petey Brown is beautiful and smart. The beautiful gets her in trouble. She’ll need all the smarts to get out of it in this bluesy, boozy noir salute to tough dames in tough times. On a holiday visit to her family in the waning days of World War II, Petey expects a merry Christmas. Instead, she gets a tangled web of mobsters, cheating wives, war-traumatized vets and the kind of love that grabs hold fast and goes wrong faster. Ida Lupino portrays Petey, scoring a triumph under the direction of Raoul Walsh, who helped put her on the road to stardom in the Bogart classic High Sierra. The Man I Love is also notable for its songbook of sophisticated standards and as one of the inspirations for Martin Scorsese’s “New York, New York”. This new Blu-ray presentation restores 6 minutes cut from the film and unseen for nearly seven decades. Now, newly remastered the film can finally be experienced as first shown in its original theatrical release.
Special features: Classic WB cartoons “ROUGHLY SQUEAKING”, “SLICK HARE”. Includes the Original Theatrical Trailer
The Shining Hour (1938) - Warner Archive Collection
When Joan Crawford saw The Shining Hour on the Broadway stage, she pleaded with M-G-M executives to let her spread her acting wings in the film version. Ms. Crawford got her way, playing a New York siren who marries a prosperous farmer (Melvyn Douglas) and moves to Wisconsin. There she is drawn to his handsome brother (Robert Young) , even as she befriends the brother’s selfless wife (Margaret Sullavan, Crawford’s choice for the role). The passionate triangle plays out in the best tradition of classic screen melodrama, glossy and chic, but resonant with honest emotion, all under the expert direction of the great Frank Borzage. The film’s heart-stopping climax with Crawford battling flames to rescue Sullavan from certain death is both literally and figuratively, incendiary filmmaking.
SPECIAL FEATURES: Audio only vintage M-G-M radio program GOOD NEWS OF 1939, with scenes from THE SHINING HOUR, Classic cartoons: LOVE AND CURSES and THE SNEEZING WEASEL, Original Theatrical Trailer
Act of Violence (1948) - Warner Archive Collection
When two World War II veterans meet again--one a decorated war hero and successful, married businessman; the other permanently crippled and mentally deranged--the encounter will lead to a shocking Act of Violence. Frank Enly (Van Heflin) survived a German concentration camp to return home a hero and build a good life for himself. But when Joe Parkson (Robert Ryan) comes to town, Enly flees. Now, as his life and sanity rapidly unravel, is Enly really a lying traitor who sold the lives of fellow concentration camp inmates for his own survival as the mentally unstable Parkson claims, or is he a victim of survivor's guilt that has suddenly resurfaced with Parkson's return? And will the enmity between the two lead to murder in this acclaimed film noir thriller, from masterful director Fred Zinnemann.
Special features: Feature commentary by film historian Dr. Drew Casper, Featurette “Act of Violence: Dealing with the Devil”, Original Theatrical Trailer
The Alaskans: The Complete Series (1959-60) - Warner Archive Collection
Set against the backdrop of the 1890s gold rush in the Yukon, Roger Moore, Jeff York and Dorothy Provine star in The Alaskans. This Warner Bros. Television series built on the growing popularity of the studio’s westerns which became a mainstay on ABC in the late 1950s and early 1960s, with . Years before establishing himself as The Saint and later James Bond, Moore brought his unique stylish swagger to the series, adding distinctive class to the role of Silky Harris, an adventurer who teams up with his friend Reno McKeean (Jeff York). Joined in their ever-exciting activities by showgirl Rocky Shaw (Dorothy Provine), the trio stake their luck, love and lives on ice-coated gambles for riches and survival. The series also had the benefit of an impressive array of guest stars including James Coburn, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Troy Donahue, Lee Van Cleef, Neil Hamilton, Alan Hale, Werner Klemperer, and Julie Adams to name but a few. Long unavailable for viewing in any media, the series has now been remastered in 1080p HD for this Warner Archive Blu-ray™ release, derived from new 4K scans of the original camera negatives.
The Flash: The Original Series - Warner Archive Collection
Who-o-o-o-osh! The origins and exploits of the crimefighting DC Comics superhero come your way in this 22-episode live-action series, from the 1990-91 television season. John Wesley Shipp portrays Barry Allen, a police crime technologist endowed with sudden talents after a fluke lab accident. He pledges to use his new powers for good, powers that include ultra-speed reflexes and the ability to vibrate his molecules so rapidly he can pass through solid walls. Amanda Pays is medical researcher Tina McGee, who monitors Allen’s accelerated metabolism and guards his secret identity. The Tricksters, Captain Cold, the Ghost, mad inventors: Central City is rife with criminals. Now there’s a hero to keep pace with them. He’s called The Flash. And in our era of instant communications, he’s more in step with the times than ever.
Pre-orders for all six Blu-ray releases should be available soon and full details can be found on Warner Archive Collection's Facebook Page.
Amazon MGM Studios' Orion Pictures critically-acclaimed comedy 'American Fiction' will be available on Blu-ray this June 18th with a SRP of $22.99.
'American Fiction' stars Oscar-nominee Jeffrey Wright, Tracee Ellis Rose, John Ortiz, Erika Alexander, Adam Brody, Keith David, Leslie Uggams, Issa Rae, and Oscar-nominee Sterling K. Brown. The film was written and directed by Academy Award-winner Cord Jefferson and received five Oscar nominations including Best Picture.
American Fiction is Cord Jefferson's hilarious directorial debut, which confronts our culture’s obsession with reducing people to outrageous stereotypes. Jeffrey Wright stars as Monk, a frustrated novelist who’s fed up with the establishment profiting from “Black” entertainment that relies on tired and offensive tropes. To prove his point, Monk uses a pen name to write an outlandish “Black” book of his own, a book that propels him to the heart of hypocrisy and the madness he claims to disdain.
Pre-orders for American Fiction should be going live soon, Amazon has the listing but no ordering options yet.
“American Fiction is smart and, thanks to its fine cast, has genuine heart.”
The Hollywood Reporter / Lovia Gyarkye
AMERICAN FICTION
ARRIVES ON BLU-RAY ON JUNE 18
Burbank, CA, April 24 – The critically acclaimed, American Fiction, from Amazon MGM Studios’ Orion Pictures, will be available for purchase on Blu-ray on June 18.
Written for the screen and directed by Academy Award® winner Cord Jefferson (TV’s “Watchmen”), the film is produced by Ben LeClair, p.g.a., Nikos Karamigios, p.g.a., Cord Jefferson, p.g.a., and Jermaine Johnson, p.g.a. The film was nominated for five Academy Awards®, including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Score and winning for Best Adapted Screenplay.
American Fiction stars Academy Award® nominee Jeffrey Wright (“The Batman”, “No Time to Die”), Tracee Ellis Ross (TV’s “Blackish”), John Ortiz (“The Fast and Furious” films), Erika Alexander (TV’s “Living Single”), Leslie Uggams (The “Deadpool” films), Keith David (“Nope”) Adam Brody (TV’s “The O.C.”) with Issa Rae (TV’s “Insecure), and Academy Award® nominee Sterling K. Brown (TV’s “This Is Us”)
American Fiction will be available on June 18 on Blu-ray for $22.99 (ERP).
ABOUT THE FILM:
American Fiction is Cord Jefferson's hilarious directorial debut, which confronts our culture’s obsession with reducing people to outrageous stereotypes. Jeffrey Wright stars as Monk, a frustrated novelist who’s fed up with the establishment profiting from “Black” entertainment that relies on tired and offensive tropes. To prove his point, Monk uses a pen name to write an outlandish “Black” book of his own, a book that propels him to the heart of hypocrisy and the madness he claims to disdain.
Orion Pictures and MRC Present a T-Street Production
An Almost Infinite / 3 Arts Entertainment Production
A Film by Cord Jefferson
Written for the Screen and Directed by: Cord Jefferson
Based Upon the Novel “Erasure” by: Percival Everett
Produced by: Ben LeClair, p.g.a. Nikos Karamigios, p.g.a., Cord Jefferson, p.g.a. and Jermaine Johnson, p.g.a.
Executive Producers: Rian Johnson, Ram Bergman, Percival Everett
Cast: Jeffery Wright, Tracee Ellis Ross, John Ortiz, Erika Alexander, Leslie Uggams, Adam Brody, Keith David, with Issa Rae and Sterling K. Brown
BASICS
PRODUCT
Blu-ray
Languages: English, Parisian French, Latin Spanish
Subtitles: English SDH, Parisian French, Latin Spanish, Latin Spanish- Forced,
Parisian French-Forced
Running Time: 117 minutes
Rating: Rated R for language throughout, some drug use, sexual references and brief violence.
THE CREDITS
Blue Underground is working on 50th anniversary 4K UHD Blu-ray and Blu-ray editions of director Bob Clark's 'Deathdream' (AKA 'Dead of Night') that will be available on May 21.
The 1974 cult classic film is inspired by W. W. Jacobs' short story The Monkey’s Paw and features the debut of special effects wizard and legend, Tom Savini. Both Blue Underground releases have been restored in 4K 16-bit from the 35mm negative with (Dolby Vision HDR on the 4K UHD Blu-ray) and include numerous exclusive new and archival supplements.
Charles and Christine (Academy Award® nominees John Marley and Lynn Carlin) receive the tragic news that their son Andy (Richard Backus) has died in Vietnam. As Charles and their daughter (Anya Ormsby) begin to process their grief, Christine refuses to believe her son has been killed. Indeed, when Andy shows up at the front door soon thereafter, the family joyfully welcomes him home and chalks the whole thing up to a clerical error. As the days go by, Andy’s behavior becomes stranger and more erratic and when his true violent nature is revealed, sides are drawn in the family – setting up an unforgettable ending.
Deathdream - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray
You can pre-order Deathdream now - Happy Collecting!
Lionsgate is preparing Ordinary Angels for a Blu-ray + DVD + Digital combo pack release on April 30.
Ordinary Angels is a drama based on a true story about a "ticked off hairdresser with a splitting headache" who makes it her mission to help a widower's daughter receive a liver transplant starring Hilary Swank and Alan Ritchson. The Blu-ray + DVD + Digital combo pack includes Dolby Atmos audio and a few supplements with a SRP of $39.99.
Based on a remarkable true story, Ordinary Angels centers on Sharon (Hilary Swank), a fierce but struggling hairdresser in small-town Kentucky who discovers a renewed sense of purpose when she meets Ed (Alan Ritchson), a widower working hard to make ends meet for his two daughters. With Ed’s youngest daughter waiting for a liver transplant, Sharon sets her mind to helping the family and moves mountains to do it. What unfolds is an inspiring tale of faith, everyday miracles, and ordinary angels.
The Blu-ray + DVD + Digital combo pack includes Dolby Atmos audio and the following supplements:
Pre-orders for Ordinary Angels are now listed and here is the full press release:
Ordinary Angels will be available on Blu-ray™ and DVD on April 30, 2024
Starring
Hilary Swank, Alan Ritchson, Nancy Travis, Tamala Jones,
Drew Powell, Amy Acker, Skywalker Hughes, Emily Mitchell
Directed by
Jon Gunn
Screenplay by
Meg Tilly and Kelly Fremon Craig
Synopsis
Based on a remarkable true story, Ordinary Angels centers on Sharon (Hilary Swank), a fierce but struggling hairdresser in small-town Kentucky who discovers a renewed sense of purpose when she meets Ed (Alan Ritchson), a widower working hard to make ends meet for his two daughters. With Ed’s youngest daughter waiting for a liver transplant, Sharon sets her mind to helping the family and moves mountains to do it. What unfolds is an inspiring tale of faith, everyday miracles, and ordinary angels.
Lionsgate presents, a Vertigo Entertainment / Stampede Ventures production.
A Kingdom Story Company production.
Run Time: 118 min
Rated PG for thematic content, brief bloody images and smoking.
Press Materials
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/
Program Information
Title Copyright: Ordinary Angels © 2023, Artwork & Supplementary Materials ®, ™ & © 2024 Lions Gate Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Type: New Release
Closed-Captioned: N/A
Subtitles: Spanish, French, English SDH
Blu-ray Format: 1080p High Definition 16x9 (2.39:1) Presentation
DVD Format: 16x9 (2.39:1) Presentation
Blu-ray Audio: English Dolby Atmos, English Descriptive Audio, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Audio, French 5.1 Dolby Audio
DVD Audio: English 5.1 Dolby Audio, English Descriptive Audio, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Audio, French 5.1 Dolby Audio
Blu-ray SRP: $39.99
DVD SRP: $29.96
Blu-ray / DVD Special Features:
Audio Commentary with Director Jon Gunn and Producers Jon Berg and Kevin Downes
Making Ordinary Angels
Inspiring the Ordinary
Finding Your Purpose
You Are Not Alone
Deleted Scenes
Lionsgate is set to release Arthur the King on Blu-ray + DVD + Digital combo pack on May 28. Digital will be available on April 23.
Arthur the King is based on the incredible true story of adventure racer Mikael Lindnord and the dog that changed Lindnord’s life called Arthur. The film stars Mark Wahlberg, Simu Liu and Ukai the dog, and the Blu-ray package include several supplements and a Dolby Atmos soundtrack.
In ARTHUR THE KING, an unbreakable bond is forged between pro adventure racer Michael Light and a scrappy street dog companion dubbed Arthur over the course of a grueling 10-day, 435-mile racecourse. An “inspiring story for the whole family” (Rachel Wagner, Rachel’s Reviews), and based on true events, ARTHUR THE KING follows Light, desperate for one last chance to win, as he convinces a sponsor to back him and a team of athletes for the Adventure Racing World Championship in the Dominican Republic. Pushing the team to the outer limits of endurance and sacrifice, Arthur redefines what victory, loyalty, and friendship truly mean.
The Blu-ray + DVD + Digital combo pack includes Dolby Atmos audio and the following supplements:
Pre-orders for Arthur the King are up and here is the full press release:
|
|
|
|
Matt Stone and Trey Parker are set to conquer your 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Collection! South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut celebrates its 25th Anniversary while Team America: World Police dominates its 20th Anniversary. Paramount Home Entertainment drops both releases June 25th!
Dear god, am I really that old that South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut is celebrating its 25th Anniversary!?! That was one of my very first DVDs for crying out loud! Crazy as it may seem, the South Park film was once supposed to be the exit for the show when Matt Stone and Trey Parker thought the show was going to get canceled at any minute. And look at it now, new episodes come out each year and stream on Max while new event films drop on Paramount+ - what a crazy world to live in! Not to be outdone, one of Jodie Foster's favorite films, Team America: World Police comes to 4K celebrating its own 20th Anniversary! Legacy extras look to return for both films, but South Park will also pick up a new "Sing A-long" experience - in case you already didn't know the words to Kyle's Mom Is A Bitch.
South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut 25th Anniversary
4K Ultra HD Blu-ray
Team America: World Police 20th Anniversary
4K Ultra HD Blu-ray
Now the press release for these didn't include HDR info, but since both are up for Pre-Order on Amazon right now, the back cover info was there and that does indicate Dolby Vision - which isn't a surprise since these are Paramount releases after all. Now on the audio side, it looks like the same mixes from before return, so Dolby TrueHD 5.1 for South Park and DTS-HD MA 5.1 for Team America. Team America also looks to include both the Theatrical and Unrated versions as well.
Here's the bonus feature info for these films:
South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut - 25th Anniversary
Team America: World Police - 20th Anniversary
As mentioned, both discs are now up for pre-order - Happy Collecting!
Title volume ticks up quite a bit this week. Call it a bit of an appetizer to the smorgasbord of titles next week. Statham returns as a 'beekeeper,' no doubt Stathaming as best as Statham knows how!
Welcome to Volume 4 Episode 47 of our weekly release guide. A look at the highlights of what's coming to disc the week of April 21st - April 27th, as well as a look at announcements from last week.
Try not to buy something this week, just try!
Import Monday has a couple of titles to choose from. First, StudioCanal's premium label, their "Vintage Classics" presentation of The Lavender Hill Mob. A comedy/crime classic starring Sir Alec Guinness. I might have just bought my first title of the week and we are not even on to Domestic titles yet.
In my slightly annoyed leer, recent hit comedy/drama The Holdovers gets a 4K import. The leer is aimed at Universal Pictures, not Dazzler Media who brings it to us in 4K, while Uni does not. I totally get that not every film gets 4K, but this one should!
And a hard rock music title, somehow now showing up as a January release, but probably an error on Amazon's part, Mötley Crüe: The End - Live in Los Angeles.
And on to Domestic Tuesday titles we go as we look at two new release from Warner Bros!
First up, a Jason Statham action/thriller (bet you thought I was going to say romcom right?) The Beekeeper. How are you holding up for the buy nothing challenge?
Next, DC Animation's Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part 2.
Starting off catalog releases, might as well stick with Warner Bros for their star-filled, award winning director release of The Departed. You can also opt for the SteelBook if you wish.
Sony Pictures has the SteelBook of Steel Magnolias this week.
Up next, a pair of Indicator Series Limited Editions with The Demoniacs and The Nude Vampire.
A label we don't see every week, Blue Underground has Goodbye Uncle Tom, presented as a 4-Disc Limited Edition. Personally have never been steered wrong yet with the quality of any of their releases.
Criterion has foreign film I Am Cuba this week.
From team Kino, Andrei Tarkovsky's Nostalghia.
And closing out the week for 4K, Shout Select release Rolling Thunder.
How did you fare? I got 5 for sures and 3 maybes. Next week, Disc-ocalypse returns with way too many titles to summarize! (Although, a bunch of them are standard edition reissues, so there is hope yet of not quite destroying your account balance.)
Blu-ray counterparts of the above 4K releases include a lot, The Beekeeper and Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part Two from Warner Bros, The Demoniacs and The Nude Vampire under the Indicator Series, Goodbye Uncle Tom from Blue Underground, I Am Cuba from Criterion, and Nostalghia from Kino Lorber.
The blu-ray category looks quite busy, even if we exclude the off-brand boutiques, there are still a lot to look at. (And maybe there are some lesser known boutique titles you want to look at.)
New action/comedy Drive-Away Dolls comes to us via Universal.
From Eureka Entertainment, Jet Li stars in Black Mask, available as a 2-disc limited edition. Wouldn't be a Eureka week if there were only one title. Also look for The Cat and the Canary, all the way back from 1927.
MPI has a mediabook of Hansel and Gretel (1987) this week. If you opt for the standard release, there's that too.
From Arrow Video, The Scarface Mob, a crime/drama based on a TV pilot of the hunt for ruthless gangster Al Capone.
Friday via Amazon US, lots of Umbrella Entertainment and Via Vision (Australia) imports become available to the US market:
Criterion has announced their July 2024 disc slate. Look for Black God, White Devil blu-ray, Farewell My Concubine blu-ray and 4K, Le Samouraï in 4K, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid blu-ray and 4K, Perfect Days blu-ray and 4K, and Risky Business blu-ray and 4K.
Which titles are you buying this week? Which ones are on your wishlist, be it to buy as an impulse buy or to wait for the right price?
At long last, Martin Scorsese's iconic "Taxi Driver" is coming to 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray in a solo SteelBook release June 25th. Long sought after by fans, the film has been kept as part of the Columbia Classics Vol 2 4K set. Now fans who only want the one film can pick it up at a better price point complete with fancy SteelBook packaging too!
Here's our 4K UHD Blu-ray review from 2021
Doing a quick lookover of the press release, it doesn't appear that anything new has been added (or removed for that matter). You're still getting Dolby Vision HDR, with DTS-HD MA 5.1 and 1.0 audio, and what looks to be a list of the same extra features which isn't a bad thing at all since this disc was fantastic. Now those who held out hope for a solo release can jump on this one without having to buy five other films with it!
EDIT - 4/22 - NOW UP FOR PRE-ORDER
Taxi Driver - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray SteelBook
So far, this disc isn't up for pre-order yet but we expect that to change soon and we'll update listings ASAP. NOW UP FOR PRE-ORDER Here's all the gory details:
SYNOPSIS Winner of the prestigious Golden Palm at the Cannes Film Festival (1976) and nominated for 4 Academy Awards® including Best Picture (1976), TAXI DRIVER stars Robert De Niro in Martin Scorsese's classic film of a psychotic New York cabbie driven to violence by loneliness and desperation. Co-starring Jodie Foster, Albert Brooks, Harvey Keitel, Peter Boyle and Cybill Shepherd.
DISC DETAILS AND BONUS MATERIALS
4K ULTRA HD DISC
BLU-RAY DISC
Neon's latest horror effort Immaculate from director Michael Mohan will birth its first domestic Blu-ray release on June 11th. Those who have moved on to digital streaming collecting will be able to pick up the film today, April 16th.
4K UHD collectors can look to import from Capelight in Germany.
Between The First Omen and Immaculate - 2024 has been one hell of a devilishly delicious year for religiously-themed female body horror films. Given recent legal events of the past couple of years in the U.S., the timing of these films couldn't be more perfect - and they're both actually pretty damn good! Now if we can get Late Night with the Devil on disc soon, we can have a devilishly great triple feature for the collections. Taking a page from Italian Giallo and Nunsploitation classics, Immaculate enjoyed a successful theatrical run and is ready to take over your home video collection. Neon hasn't been bountiful about the disc details of A/V specs or bonus features, but we have a firm street date and it's up for pre-order right now!
Now for all those asking, "Where's the 4K, where's the 4K?" - well, right now you're going to have to import that. Thanks to Germany's Capelight Pictures. A two-disc 4K UHD + Blu-ray Mediabook; this edition is set to offer Dolby Vision HDR (and HDR10), DTS-HD MA 5.1 in German and English language tracks. Capelight hasn't yet listed any bonus features yet either. For fans who don't want to wait for a 4K to maybe, hopefully, possibly get a 4K release here stateside, importing looks to be the best way to go. So far, no other foreign territories have offered up a 4K disc release, but that could change. We'll keep an eye out.
Immaculate - 4K UHD Mediabook (German Import)
Both of these releases are now up for pre-order. As soon as we get updated info for either of these releases or if another import release enters the market, we'll update listings ASAP - Happy collecting!
The Criterion Collection's July's wave of 4K UHD Blu-ray and Blu-ray titles include Glauber Rocha's western Black God, White Devil on Blu-ray only; Wim Wenders' drama Perfect Days; Sam Peckinpah's western Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid; Chen Kaige's Farewell My Concubine; and Paul Brickman's classic Risky Business starring Tom Cruise and Rebecca De Mornay - all arriving on both formats.
Not only that, there is a 4K upgrade of Jean-Pierre Melville's classic, Le samouraï.
First up on July 2 comes Sam Peckinpah's western Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid - arriving on 4K UHD Blu-ray as well as Blu-ray.
Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid - The Criterion Collection 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray
Sam Peckinpah’s cycle of genre-redefining westerns came to a close with this blood- and dust-caked elegy for the American West, which marries his renegade style with a fatalistic sense of finality. As newly minted lawman Pat Garrett (James Coburn) stalks the outlaw Billy the Kid (Kris Kristofferson) across the plains, their old friendship is twisted into rivalry, and mythic ideals of freedom come up against an emerging ruling-class order—all to the strains of a haunting soundtrack by Bob Dylan (who also appears as the mercurial Alias). Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid—presented here for the first time in three separate versions—stands as perhaps the maverick auteur’s richest, most mature work, a world-weary ballad that bears the solemn weight of history passing into legend.
4K UHD + BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES
The week after that on July 9, Jean-Pierre Melville's Le samouraï will be getting its long-awaited 4K UHD Blu-ray debut.
Le samouraï - The Criterion Collection 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray
In a career-defining performance, Alain Delon plays Jef Costello, a contract killer with samurai instincts. After carrying out a flawlessly planned hit, Jef finds himself caught between a persistent police investigator and a ruthless employer, and not even his armor of fedora and trench coat can protect him. An elegantly stylized masterpiece of cool by maverick director Jean?Pierre Melville, Le samouraï is a razor-sharp cocktail of 1940s American gangster cinema and 1960s French pop culture—with a liberal dose of Japanese lone-warrior mythology.
4K UHD + BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES
Then a Blu-ray of Glauber Rocha's Black God, White Devil will be hitting stores on July 16.
Black God, White Devil - The Criterion Collection
Myth, mysticism, and revolution collide in a blistering existential western from Glauber Rocha, the father of Brazil’s socially committed Cinema Novo movement. After killing his swindling boss, ranch hand Manoel (Geraldo Del Rey) goes on the run with his wife, Rosa (Yona? Magalha?es). In the stark hinterlands, they join forces with armed bandits and pledge allegiance to a self-styled holy man who preaches revolt against rich landowners while perpetrating unspeakable acts of violence against the innocent. Suffused with antiauthoritarian fervor and the intensity of life in the desert, this landmark work of radical cinema is a scorched-earth allegory about mindless fanaticism and the allure of dead-end ideologies.
TWO-BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES
Also on July 16, Wim Wenders' Perfect Days will be available on 4K UHD Blu-ray and Blu-ray.
Perfect Days - The Criterion Collection 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray
A perfect song that hits at just the right moment, the play of sunlight through leaves, a fleeting moment of human connection in a vast metropolis: the wonders of everyday life come into breathtaking focus in this profoundly moving film by Wim Wenders. In a radiant, Cannes-award-winning performance of few words but extraordinary expressiveness, Koji Yakusho plays a public-toilet cleaner in Tokyo whose rich inner world is gradually revealed through his small exchanges with those around him and with the city itself. Channeling his idol Yasujiro Ozu, Wenders crafts a serenely minimalist ode to the miracle that is the here and now.
DIRECTOR-APPROVED 4K UHD + BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES
Chen Kaige's Farewell My Concubine will be available on 4K UHD Blu-ray and Blu-ray on July 23.
Farewell My Concubine - The Criterion Collection 4K UHD Ultra HD Blu-ray
A breathtakingly intimate romance unfolds against a sweeping backdrop of social upheaval in renowned director Chen Kaige’s sumptuous saga of passion, fate, and the transcendent possibilities of art. Spanning fifty years of twentieth-century Chinese history, Farewell My Concubine follows aspiring actors Dieyi (a heartbreaking Leslie Cheung) and Xiaolou (Zhang Fengyi) as they emerge from a childhood of brutal training to become Beijing-opera stars, with life mirroring art as Dieyi’s unrequited love for Xiaolou and the country’s changing political tides engulf them in their own personal tragedies of jealousy and betrayal. The first Chinese film to win the Palme d’Or is epic filmmaking of the highest order—visually and emotionally ravishing from frame to exquisite frame.
4K UHD + BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES
And finally the film that launched Tom Cruise into super-stardom, Paul Brickman's Risky Business will hit stores on 4K UHD Blu-ray and Blu-ray on the same date.
Risky Business - The Criterion Collection 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray
A sly piece of pop subversion, this irresistible satire of Reagan-era materialism features Tom Cruise in his star-is-born breakthrough as a Chicago suburban prepster whose college-bound life spirals out of control when his parents go out of town for the week and an enterprising call girl (Rebecca De Mornay) invites him to walk on the wild side. While Cruise boogying in his briefs yielded one of the most iconic pop-cultural moments of the 1980s, it is the film’s unexpected mix of tender romance (enhanced by a moody synth score by Tangerine Dream) and sharp-witted capitalist critique that remains fresh and daring.
DIRECTOR-APPROVED 4K UHD + BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES
Pre-orders for The Criterion Collection's July releases should be available soon!
