Posted Mon May 6, 2024 at 09:00 AM PDT by D. LaFontaine
Lately, the release schedule for each month looks like a pattern, just a few titles on the beginning of the month, a linear curve throughout, and then a flood at the end. If you're ready, we are at the beginning and have just a few to pick from.
Welcome to Volume 4 Episode 49 of our weekly release guide. A look at the highlights of what's coming to disc the week of May 5th - May 11th, as well as a look at announcements from last week.
Import Monday begins with Night Swim, with yet another familiar pattern. Release a blu-ray in the US, then a 4K overseas, and then (possibly) a 4K in the US after that.
Domestic Tuesday this week has zero New Releases. With all the catalog title possibilities out there, this is A-OK, bring them!
Starting the week, cult classic The Crow with Brandon Lee. You can also choose the SteelBook if you so desire.
From Shout Factory, animated double-feature The Addams Family 1 & 2.
How about an Oscar winning Western from Kino Lorber, High Noon?
In the "you're welcome" category (because I recently bought the import), LionsGate brings us Francis Ford Coppola's One From The Heart: Reprise. Had I not bought it, you would all still be waiting for it. What other import purchases would you like me to make?
In the 'maybe' release listing, Frivolous Lola. Has been pushed back a couple of times, now listed as May 3rd on Amazon. The next 3rd of the month Tuesday is in August.
A pair of music concert releases come out on Friday,
Blu-ray counterparts of the above 4K releases include just High Noon from Kino Lorber and (maybe) Frivolous Lola from Cult Epics. There is also a Friday release of Queen Rock Montreal + Live Aid from Mercury.
Warner Archive Collection releases this week include Devil's Doorway, The Mask of Fu Manchu, The Rain People and Scooby-Doo On Zombie Island / Return to Zombie Island.
Delayed several times, and finally here, Hardware Wars: Collector's Edition comes to us via the MVD Rewind Collection. And, just because, let's also pick up Joysticks and Sabotage while we are at it. If you follow MVD on Facebook, they are very transparent about the whys for street date changes, which is very admirable.
Arrow Video has the crime/thriller Night Falls on Manhattan for us this week.
Criterion Collection this week has A Story of Floating Weeds / Floating Weeds: Two Films by Yasujiro Ozu.
Anime highlights include KamiKatsu: Working for God in a Godless World - The Complete Season, Mob Psycho 100 III - Season 3, also available as a Limited Edition, One Piece - Collection 34 and One Piece: Season Thirteen - Voyage Seven.
Monk: Season Six comes to us this week via Kino Lorber.
Honorable Mention: Mill Creek has a double feature for us, Director Spotlight: Sydney Pollack, which includes OOP title Bobby Deerfield and the previously unreleased blu-ray of Castle Keep.
Closing out the week, a couple of Austrailian imports this Friday via Amazon US:
Shout Factory has revealed their July title slate. For 4K releases, Dark Angel, House of Gucci, Phantoms and UHF. For blu-ray, Ali G Indahouse: The Movie, Storytelling and Who's That Girl. Getting that SteelBook double-dip, Evangelion: 3.0+1.11 Thrice Upon a Time (yeah I know, why not the 4K), and 4K general SteelBook releases of titles that were retailers exclusives previously, Natural Born Killers, Point Break and Weird: The Al Yankovic Story. Somewhere out there, there's a site listing Red Sonja for blu-ray release as well. With a previous StudioCanal 4K release of that title, I wonder if that listing is in error.
Warner Bros is on track to announce a 4K release of Twister (1996) and (rumored, but inevitable) that they are working on Nightmare on Elm Street for 4K as well. Expect the usual formulas we have seen with the UK vs US releases with cover arts, swag/no swag, extra/no extras.
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?
The latest news on all things 4K Ultra HD, blu-ray and Gear.