Posted Sun Jan 17, 2021 at 12:00 PM PST by D. LaFontaine
Has certainly been an interesting tumultuous month outside of the entertainment industry. The goal of these weekly updates though serves one purpose, home entertainment updates.
Welcome to Episode 35 of our weekly look at the highlights of the week's home video releases.
4K Ultra HD Blu-ray/Digital Releases-
This week we see see three catalog titles hitting 4K disc.
Sony Pictures brings us the Roland Emmerich 2009 disaster film 2012. Films of this nature were never meant to be entirely and scientifically accurate, but they still entertain us for a couple of hours and make us think of how life in our reality could be different. This one has an array of camera sources and a 2K DI, but how Sony produces the final 4K disc, I do not know, you can bet that bare minimum the HDR aspect will improve this release.
Next, a pair of John Carpenter classics from the 80's, Prince of Darkness and They Live, brought to you by Scream Factory. These were restored by StudioCanal and released in the UK in 2018. Scream Factory no doubt took the same source but upped the ante a little bit by adding Dolby Atmos audio. We have done reviews of both releases already and they are favorable, follow the links and check them out. I hope they also release the other two films from the StudioCanal batch in 4K, Escape From New York and The Fog.
HD Blu-ray/Digital releases-
For 2K/HD disc releases this week, there's quite an assortment. As always, the highlights are here.
From Mill Creek, Accepted debuts on Blu-ray for the first time globally. Your Higness gets a Mill Creek reissue in case you missed the actual Universal Pictures release from 10 years ago.
Anime releases every week are expected, it's a huge industry and a fair market across the globe. Shout Factory releases a 15th Anniversary edition of Bartender. Note this does not have an English dub though. Sentai Filmworks releases Blade of the Immortal - Complete Series.
FUNimation brings us Part Two of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba as well as Season 6 and Season 7 of the Dragon Ball Z SteelBook releases.
2019's Drama/Thriller Dreamland debuts from Paramount this week,
The synopsis sounds interesting, Dead Reckoning is being released by Shout/Scream factory this week. Keep in mind though that a synopsis doesn't paint the whole picture.
Still on track for this week, Arrow Video's reissue of JSA: Joint Security Area. This one is worthy of mention as the previous release is listed for upwards of $100 from 3rd party sellers.
Criterion Collectors should be eager to ponder Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese, two big names right there.
Notable announcements from last week:
There are a few B movie delays this week, no doubt related to the fact that there are not many places to produce discs any more and the COVID virus.
Warner Archive has announced their February titles, which include Baby Doll, Harley Quinn: The Complete First and Second Seasons, My Dream Is Yours, On Moonlight Bay, Pump Up the Volume, San Francisco, Show Boat (1951), Six by Sondheim and A Tale of Two Cities (1935).
Will you be singing 'Happy Trails To You' when I mention that MVD Rewind Collection will be releasing Mackintosh and T.J. on May 18th? I certainly hope so. So many of the classic westerns need to be preserved and this one is no exception.
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? Slow week for me. I certainly want all three of the 4K releases, I actually preordered the Shout Factory ones on impulse when they were at a pretty low price on Amazon. Also have Demon Slayer Part Two and the DBZ #6 and #7 on order as well.
The latest news on all things 4K Ultra HD, blu-ray and Gear.