The next film in the epic science fiction saga stars Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jada Pinkett Smith and Neil Patrick Harris.  

Lana Wachowski tries to resuscitate the genre-defining franchise that has been lying dormant for nearly two decades and sends it back down the rabbit hole with The Matrix Resurrections -- currently available for Premium Digital Ownership (or rental) on certain platforms and on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray and Blu-ray on March 8.  In case you missed it, be sure to check out our theatrical review here.

In The Matrix Resurrections,” return to a world of two realities: one, everyday life; the other, what lies behind it. To find out if his reality is a physical or mental construct, to truly know himself, Mr. Anderson (Keanu Reeves) will have to choose to follow the white rabbit once more. And if Thomas…Neo…has learned anything, it’s that choice, while an illusion, is still the only way out of—or into—the Matrix. Of course, Neo already knows what he has to do. But what he doesn’t yet know is the Matrix is stronger, more secure, and more dangerous than ever before. Déjà vu.

The Matrix Resurrections - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray
 

 The 4K release of The Matrix Resurrections will include several featurettes -- most of which are exclusive to the 4K edition -- as well as a Dolby Atmos soundtrack. See the press release at the end of this article for complete details.

The Matrix Resurrections - Blu-ray
 

The Matrix Resurrections 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray - SteelBook (Final Artwork TBA) 
 

The Matrix 4-Film Déjà Vu Collection 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray
 

The Matrix 4-Film Déjà Vu Collection Blu-ray
 

Here's the full press release:

“Exacting and rapturous”

K. Austin Collins, Rolling Stone

The Matrix Resurrections

COMES HOME FROM

WARNER BROS. HOME ENTERTAINMENT

Premium Digital Ownership

debuts early on January 25

 4K, Blu-ray and DVD arrive on March 8

Burbank, CA, January 24 – Experience the long-awaited fourth film in the groundbreaking franchise that redefined a genre when “The Matrix Resurrections” arrives for Premium Digital Ownership at home on January 25. The film is directed by Lana Wachowski from a screenplay by Wachowski, David Mitchell and Aleksander Hemon, based on characters created by The Wachowskis, and stars Keanu Reeves (The “Matrix” franchise, the “John Wick” franchise) and Carrie-Anne Moss (The “Matrix” franchise, TV’s “Jessica Jones”). The film will also be available on 4K, Blu-ray and DVD beginning on March 8.

The film also stars Yahya Abdul Mateen II (“Candyman,” the “Aquaman” franchise), Jessica Henwick (TV’s “Iron Fist,” “Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens”), Jonathan Groff (“Hamilton,” TV’s “Mindhunter”), Neil Patrick Harris (“Gone Girl”), Priyanka Chopra Jonas (TV’s “Quantico”) and Jada Pinkett Smith (“Angel Has Fallen,” TV’s “Gotham”). The film was produced by James McTeigue, Wachowski and Grant Hill, with Michael Salven, Karin Wachowski, Jesse Ehrman and Bruce Berman executive producing.

• On January 25, “The Matrix Resurrections” will be available for early Premium Digital Ownership at home for $29.99 and for 48-hour rental via PVOD for $24.99 SRP on participating digital platforms where you purchase movies.

• On March 8, “The Matrix Resurrections” will be available on 4K, Blu-ray and DVD. “The Matrix Resurrections” will also continue to be available to own in high definition and standard definition from participating digital retailers.

“The Matrix Resurrections” will also be available on Movies Anywhere. Using the free Movies Anywhere app and website, consumers can access all their eligible movies by connecting their Movies Anywhere account with their participating digital retailer accounts.

SYNOPSIS

In “The Matrix Resurrections,” return to a world of two realities: one, everyday life; the other, what lies behind it. To find out if his reality is a physical or mental construct, to truly know himself, Mr. Anderson (Keanu Reeves) will have to choose to follow the white rabbit once more. And if Thomas…Neo…has learned anything, it’s that choice, while an illusion, is still the only way out of—or into—the Matrix. Of course, Neo already knows what he has to do. But what he doesn’t yet know is the Matrix is stronger, more secure and more dangerous than ever before. Déjà vu.

4K, BLU-RAY & DVD ELEMENTS

“The Matrix Resurrections” 4K UHD combo pack and Blu-ray contain the following special features: 

• No One Can Be Told What The Matrix Is
• Resurrecting The Matrix
• Neo x Trinity: Return to the Matrix
• Allies + Adversaries: The Matrix Remixed
• Matrix for Life
• The Matrix Reactions

o   Echo Opening

o   Deus Ex Machina

o   Welcome to IØ

o   Bullet Time Redux

o   Morpheus vs Neo

o   Exiles Fight

o   Neo vs Smith

o   The San Fran Chase

o   The San Fran Jump

“The Matrix Resurrections” DVD contains the following special feature: 

• The Matrix Reactions: Welcome to IØ

ABOUT MOVIES ANYWHERE

Movies Anywhere is a digital movie platform that enables movie fans to discover, access, and watch their favorite digital movies in one place. Movies Anywhere brings together a library of nearly 7,500 digital movies from Sony Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox Film, The Walt Disney Studios (including Disney, Pixar, Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm), Universal Pictures (including DreamWorks and Illumination Entertainment) and Warner Bros., and will continue to expand the consumer experience as more content providers, digital retailers and platforms are added. By connecting participating digital retailers that include Amazon Prime Video, FandangoNOW, Google Play, iTunes and Vudu, movie fans can now bring together their digital movie collections (whether purchased or redeemed) in one place and enjoy them from the comfort of their living rooms, and across multiple devices and platforms, including Amazon Fire devices; Android devices and Android TV; Apple TV; Chromecast; iPhone, iPad and iPod touch; Roku® devices and popular browsers. Movie fans can also redeem digital codes found in eligible Blu-ray and DVD disc packages from participating studios and enjoy them through Movies Anywhere. Movies Anywhere – your movies, together at last.

ABOUT DIGITAL

*Digital movies or TV episodes allow fans to watch a digital version of their movie or TV show anywhere, on their favorite devices. Digital movies or TV episodes are included with the purchase of specially marked Blu-ray discs. With digital, consumers are able to instantly stream and download movies and TV shows to TVs, computers, tablets and smartphones through retail services. For more information on compatible devices and services go to wb.com/digitalmoviefaq. Consult a digital retailer for details and requirements and for a list of digital-compatible devices.

BASICS

PRODUCT                                                                            SRP

                                                            4K UHD Combo Pack                                                            $29.99

Blu-ray                                                                                    $24.99

DVD                                                                                       $19.99

Digital Ownership: January 25, 2022

PVOD: January 25, 2022

4K, Blu-ray and DVD Street Date: March 8, 2022

DVD Languages: Canadian French, English, Latin Spanish

BD Languages: Brazilian portuguese, Canadian French, English, Latin Spanish, Polish

4K Languages: Canadian French, English, German, Italian, Latin Spanish

DVD Subtitles: Canadian French, English, Latin Spanish, Parisian French

BD Subtitles: Brazilian Portugese, Canadian French, English, Greek, Korean, Latin Spanish, Parisian French

4K Subtitles: Canadian French, Danish, English SDH, Finnish, German, Italian, Latin Spanish, Norwegian, Parisian French, Swedish

Running Time: 148 minutes

Rating: Rated R for violence and some language

DVD: DLBY/DGTL

Blu-ray: ATMOS TrueHD

4K: ATMOS TrueHD

The Credits

About “The Matrix Resurrections”

The film is directed by Lana Wachowski from a screenplay by Wachowski, David Mitchell and Aleksander Hemon, based on characters created by The Wachowskis, produced by James McTeigue, Wachowski and Grant Hill, with Michael Salven, Karin Wachowski, Jesse Ehrman and Bruce Berman executive producing.

The ensemble stars Keanu Reeves (The “Matrix” franchise, the “John Wick” franchise) and Carrie-Anne Moss (The “Matrix” franchise, TV’s “Jessica Jones”), alongside Yahya Abdul Mateen II (“Candyman,” the “Aquaman” franchise) Jessica Henwick (TV’s “Iron Fist,” “Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens”), Jonathan Groff (“Hamilton,” TV’s “Mindhunter”), Neil Patrick Harris (“Gone Girl”), Priyanka Chopra Jonas (TV’s “Quantico”), Christina Ricci (TV’s “Escaping the Madhouse: The Nellie Bly Story,” “The Lizzie Borden Chronicles”), Telma Hopkins (TV’s “Dead to Me”), Eréndira Ibarra (TV’s “Sense8,” “Ingobernable”), Toby Onwumere (TV’s “Empire”), Max Riemelt (TV’s “Sense8”), Brian J. Smith (TV’s “Sense8,” “Treadstone”) and Jada Pinkett Smith (“Angel Has Fallen,” TV’s “Gotham”).

Warner Bros. Pictures Presents, In Association with Village Roadshow Pictures, In Association with Venus Castina Productions, “The Matrix Resurrections.”

About Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, Inc.

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment (WBHE) brings together Warner Bros. Entertainment's home video and digital distribution businesses in order to maximize current and next-generation distribution scenarios. An industry leader since its inception, WBHE oversees the global distribution of content through packaged goods (Blu-ray Disc™ and DVD) and digital media in the form of electronic sell-through and video-on-demand via cable, satellite, online and mobile channels. WBHE distributes its product through third party retail partners and licensees. 

The film based on the inspirational true story of Hall of Famer quarterback Kurt Warner American Underdog starring Zachary Levi, Anna Paquin, Ser’Darius Blain, and Dennis Quaid arrives on Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray on February 22.  

Directed by The Erwin Brothers (I Still Believe and I Can Only Imagine) and based on the book "All Things Possible” by Kurt Warner with Michael Silver, Lionsgate's American Underdog tells the tale of how a grocery store stockboy follows his dreams and becomes an NHL superstar. The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray will feature a Dolby Atmos soundtrack and several bonus features including an audio commentary, multiple featurettes, and deleted scenes.  Pre-Order the 4K UHD here.

American Underdog - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray
 

 American Underdog will also be available on Blu-ray and will include the same bonus features as the 4K release and both editions will present the film in 2.39:1 aspect ratio. Pre-Order the Blu-ray here.

American Underdog - Blu-ray
 

Here's the full press release:

American Underdog Available on Digital February 4
4K Ultra HD™ Combo Pack, Blu-ray™ Combo Pack, DVD,  
& On Demand on February 22 from Lionsgate^® 
 

SANTA MONICA, CA (January 18, 2022) – Based on the inspirational true story of two-time NFL MVP, Super Bowl MVP, and Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner, American Underdog arrives on Digital February 4 and on 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack (plus Blu-ray and Digital), Blu-ray Combo Pack (plus DVD and Digital), DVD, and On Demand February 22 from Lionsgate. From The Erwin Brothers (I Still Believe and I Can Only Imagine) and screenwriters Jon Erwin (I Still Believe and I Can Only Imagine) & David Aaron Cohen (Friday Night Lights) and Jon Gunn (I Still Believe), the film stars Zachary Levi (Shazam!, Thor: The Dark World, Tangled), Academy Award^® winner Anna Paquin (Best Supporting Actress, The Piano, 1993; X-Men franchise, The Irishman), Ser’Darius Blain (Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Jumanji: The Next Level, “Charmed”), and Primetime Emmy^® Award nominee Dennis Quaid (Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie, The Special Relationship, 2010; The Day After Tomorrow, Far From Heaven, In Good Company).

American Underdog tells the inspirational true story of Kurt Warner (Zachary Levi), who went from a stockboy at a grocery store to a two-time NFL MVP, Super Bowl champion, and Hall of Fame quarterback. The film centers on Warner’s unique story and years of challenges and setbacks that could have derailed his aspirations to become an NFL player – but just when his dreams seemed all but out of reach, it is only with the support of his wife, Brenda (Anna Paquin) and the encouragement of his family, coaches, and teammates that Warner perseveres and finds the strength to show the world the champion that he already is. American Underdog is an uplifting story that demonstrates that anything is possible when you have faith, family and determination.

Based on the Book “All Things Possible” by Kurt Warner with Michael Silver. Screenplay by Jon Erwin & David Aaron Cohen and Jon Gunn. Directed by The Erwin Brothers.
 
The  American Underdog 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack, Blu-ray Combo Pack, and DVD will be available for the suggested retail price of $39.99, $39.99, and $29.96, respectively. 

4K ULTRA HD / BLU-RAY / DVD / DIGITAL SPECIAL FEATURES 

• Audio Commentary with Directors Andrew and Jon Erwin, and Producer Kevin Downes
• “Inspired” Featurette
• “Making the Cut” Featurette
• “A Coach's Faith” Featurette (on 4K and Blu-ray™ only)
• “New to the Scene: Hayden Zaller” Featurette
• “Meet the Champion” Featurette
• “Behind the Game” Featurette
• “American Underdog: Behind the Story” Featurette
• Deleted Scenes with Optional Audio Commentary by Andrew Erwin
• Theatrical Trailer (on 4K and Blu-ray™ only)

PROGRAM INFORMATION
Year of Production: 2021
Title Copyright: American Underdog © 2021 American Underdog, LLC. Artwork & Supplementary Materials ^®, TM & © 2022 Lions Gate Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Type: Theatrical Release
Rating: PG for some language and thematic elements
Genre: Inspirational Drama
Feature Run Time: 112 Minutes
Closed-Captioned: N/A
Subtitles: Spanish, French, English SDH
4K Ultra HD™ Format: 2160p Ultra High Definition, 16x9 (2.39:1) Presentation 
Blu-ray Format: 1080p High Definition, 16x9 (2.39:1) Presentation 
DVD Format: 16x9 (2.39:1) Presentation 
4K Audio Status: English Dolby Atmos, English Descriptive Audio, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Audio, French 5.1 Dolby Audio 
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, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Audio, French 5.1 Dolby Audio, English Descriptive Audio 

Six titles will be available from The Criterion Collection this April featuring a 4K upgrade of "the best moon movie ever made". 

First up on the 4K front, For All Mankind - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray will be getting a 4K/Blu-ray combo release on April 26th.

In July 1969, the space race ended when Apollo 11 fulfilled President John F. Kennedy’s challenge of “landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth.” No one who witnessed the lunar landing will ever forget it. Twenty years later, Al Reinert constructed a documentary that imparts the unforgettable story of the twenty-four astronauts who participated in the Apollo mission to land on the moon—told in their words and in their voices, using the images they captured. With its awe-inspiring, otherworldly footage and a haunting atmospheric soundtrack by Brian Eno, For All Mankind stirs us with a profound sense of compassion for the “pale blue dot” that is our home, and it is still the most radical, visually dazzling work of cinema that has been made about this earthshaking event.

4K UHD + BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

• In the 4K UHD edition: New 4K digital restorations of the original 1.33:1 framing and the alternate 1.85:1 theatrical presentation, with 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
• In the 4K UHD edition: One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
• In the Blu-ray and DVD editions: High-definition digital transfer, supervised and approved by producer-director Al Reinert, with DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack on the Blu-ray
• Audio commentary featuring director Al Reinert and Apollo 17 commander Eugene A. Cernan, the last person to set foot on the moon
• An Accidental Gift: The Making of “For All Mankind,” a documentary featuring interviews with Reinert, Apollo 12 and Skylab astronaut Alan Bean, and NASA archive specialists
• Selection of excerpted interviews with fifteen of the Apollo astronauts
• Program about Bean’s artwork, accompanied by a gallery of his paintings
• NASA audio highlights and liftoff footage
• Optional on-screen identification of astronauts and mission-control specialists
• PLUS: Essays by film critic Terrence Rafferty and Reinert

The other five titles are Blu-ray only starting with the rock-and-roll 1950s musical The Girl Can't Help It starring Jayne Mansfield on April 19th.

In 1956, Frank Tashlin brought the talent for zany visual gags and absurdist pop-culture satire that he’d honed as a master of animation to the task of capturing, in glorious DeLuxe Color, a brand-new craze: rock and roll. This blissfully bonkers jukebox musical tells the story of a mobster’s bombshell girlfriend—the one and only Jayne Mansfield, in a showstopping first major film role—and the washed-up talent agent (Tom Ewell) who seeks to revive his career by turning her into a musical sensation. The only question is: Can she actually sing? A CinemaScope feast of eye-popping midcentury design, The Girl Can’t Help It bops along to a parade of performances by rock-and-roll trailblazers—including Little Richard, Fats Domino, Julie London, Eddie Cochran, the Platters, and Gene Vincent—who light up the screen with the uniquely American sound that was about to conquer the world.

BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

• New high-definition digital transfer, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray
• Audio commentary featuring film scholar Toby Miller
• New interview with Eve Golden, biographer of actor Jayne Mansfield
• New video essay by film critic David Cairns
• Interview with filmmaker John Waters
• New conversation between WFMU DJs Dave “the Spazz” Abramson and Gaylord Fields about the music in the film
• On-set footage
• Interviews with Mansfield (1957) and musician Little Richard (1984)
• Episode of Karina Longworth’s podcast You Must Remember This about Mansfield
• Trailer
• English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• PLUS: An essay by critic Rachel Syme and, for the Blu-ray, excerpts from director Frank Tashlin’s 1952 book How to Create Cartoons with a new introduction by Ethan de Seife, author of Tashlinesque: The Hollywood Comedies of Frank Tashlin
  
  New cover by Jaffa the Unknown

Also on the 19th comes the fantastical comedy Miracle in Milan  from director Vittorio De Sica.

Renowned filmmaker Vittorio De Sica followed up his international triumph Bicycle Thieves with this enchantingly playful neorealist fairy tale, in which he combines his celebrated slice-of-life poetry with flights of graceful comedy and storybook fantasy. On the outskirts of Milan, a band of vagabonds work together to form a shantytown. When it is discovered that the land they occupy contains oil, however, it’s up to the cherubic orphan Totò (Francesco Golisano)—with some divine help—to save their community from greedy developers. Tipping their hats to the imaginative whimsy of Charles Chaplin and René Clair, De Sica and screenwriter Cesare Zavattini, adapting his own novel, craft a bighearted ode to the nobility of everyday people.

BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

• New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray
• New interview with neorealism expert and film scholar David Forgacs
• Audio interview from the late 1960s in which director Vittorio De Sica looks back on his career, conducted by film critic Gideon Bachmann
• Interviews with actor Brunella Bovo and Manuel De Sica, the director’s son
• Feature-length documentary from 2019 on screenwriter Cesare Zavattini
• Trailers
• New English subtitle translation
• PLUS: An essay by film critic Christina Newland and, on the Blu-ray, “Totò il buono,” a 1940 short story by Zavattini and stage actor Totò that is the earliest version of the narrative on which Miracle in Milan is based
  
  New cover by Manule Fior

On the 26th, the directorial debut of twins Arie and Chuko Esiri Eyimofe (This Is My Desire)  is set for a Blu-ray release.

This revelatory, award-winning debut feature from codirectors (and twin brothers) Arie and Chuko Esiri is a heartrending and hopeful portrait of everyday human endurance in Lagos, Nigeria. Shot on richly textured 16 mm film and infused with the spirit of neorealism, Eyimofe (This Is My Desire) traces the journeys of two distantly connected strangers—Mofe (Jude Akuwudike), an electrician dealing with the fallout of a family tragedy, and Rosa (Temi Ami-Williams), a hairdresser supporting her pregnant teenage sister—as they each pursue their dream of starting a new life in Europe while bumping up against the harsh economic realities of a world in which every interaction is a transaction. From these intimate stories emerges a vivid snapshot of life in contemporary Lagos, whose social fabric is captured in all its vibrancy and complexity.

BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

• New 2K digital transfer, approved by directors Arie and Chuko Esiri, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray
• New conversation between the directors, moderated by filmmaker Bette Gordon
• Interview with producer Melissa O. Adeyemo
• Deleted scenes featuring audio commentary by the directors
• Three short films: Goose (2017), directed by Arie and Chuko Esiri; Besida (2018), directed by Chuko Esiri; and Because Men in Silk Shirts on Lagos Nights (2018), directed by Arie Esiri
• Trailer
• PLUS: An essay by writer and filmmaker Maryam Kazeem
  
  New cover by Diana Ejaita

Next, Bertrand Tavernier directs Dexter Gordon in the critically-acclaimed jazz film ’Round Midnight which will be released on Blu-ray on April 26th.

’Round Midnight is a love letter from director Bertrand Tavernier to the heyday of bebop and to the Black American musicians who found refuge in the smoky underground jazz clubs of 1950s Paris. In a miraculous, sui generis fusion of performer and character that was nominated for an Oscar, legendary saxophonist Dexter Gordon plays Dale Turner, a brilliant New York jazz veteran whose music aches with beauty but whose personal life is ravaged by addiction. Searching for a fresh start in Paris, Turner strikes up an unlikely friendship with a struggling single father and ardent jazz fan (François Cluzet) who finds his life transformed as he attempts to help the self-destructive musician. Herbie Hancock’s evocative, Oscar-winning score sets the mood for this definitive jazz film, a bittersweet opus that glows with lived-in, soulful authenticity.

BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

• New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed stereo soundtrack on the Blu-ray
• Alternate 5.1 surround soundtrack, supervised by composer Herbie Hancock and presented in DTS-HD Master Audio
• New interview with jazz and cultural critic Gary Giddins
• New conversation with music producer Michael Cuscuna and author Maxine Gordon, widow of musician Dexter Gordon
• Before Midnight, a 1986 behind-the-scenes documentary
• Panel discussion from 2014 featuring director Bertrand Tavernier, Cuscuna, Maxine Gordon, and jazz scholar John Szwed, moderated by jazz critic and broadcaster Mark Ruffin
• Performance from 1969 of “Fried Bananas” by Dexter Gordon, directed by Teit Jørgensen
• New English subtitle translation and English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• PLUS: An essay by scholar Mark Anthony Neal
  
  New cover by F. Ron Miller

Finally, Alex Cox's blistering biopic Walker  leads off the month on April 12th.

A hallucinatory biopic that breaks all cinematic conventions, Walker, from British director Alex Cox, tells the story of nineteenth-century American adventurer William Walker (Ed Harris), who abandoned a series of careers in law, politics, journalism, and medicine to become a soldier of fortune and, for many months, the dictator of Nicaragua. Made with mad abandon and political acuity—and the support of the Sandinista army and government during the contra war—the film uses this true tale as a satirical attack on American ultrapatriotism and a freewheeling condemnation of “manifest destiny.” Featuring a powerful score by Joe Strummer and a performance of intense, repressed rage by Harris, Walker remains one of Cox’s most daring works.

BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

• Restored high-definition digital transfer, approved by director Alex Cox, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray
• Audio commentary by Cox and screenwriter Rudy Wurlitzer
• Dispatches from Nicaragua, a documentary about the filming of Walker
• On Moviemaking and the Revolution, reminiscences about the production twenty years later from an extra on the film
• Walker 2008 and On the Origins of “Walker” (2016), two short films by Cox (Blu-ray only)
• Behind-the-scenes photos
• Trailer (Blu-ray only)
• English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• PLUS: Essays by film critic Graham Fuller, Wurlitzer, and Linda Sandoval
  
  Blu-ray cover by Paul Mavrides (pictured); DVD cover by Marc English

These titles aren't available for pre-order yet but we will post an update when they are ASAP.  As always, thank you for your support and pre-orders! 

The year is nearly half over. For some of us, where has the time gone, while others might say, when is this year going to end. I guess I see the year both ways, depending on the topic du jour. In the United States, Independence Day weekend is approaching, tourist season would normally be in full swing, and campgrounds would be at capacity. Welcome to Episode 6 of our Home Video releases calendar feature article. As far as video releases this week, it is similar to last week in that there are not major titles being released this week, but there are enough different ones that everyone should find something that interests them.

4K Ultra HD Blu-ray/Digital Releases-

There are no 4K disc releases slated for this week.

There are no 4K digital releases slated for this week.

HD Blu-ray/Digital releases-

Where we lack in 4K releases, this week brings us more title choices than last week.

What's Mel Gibson up to these days? He has a role in the 2020 movie Force of Nature, and LionsGate is bringing it to you. Next from LionsGate, Four Kids and It. When I was trying to figure out what this movie was about, it turns out there are many movies with "it." It's a family movie with a furry creature, not a horror, I know you were thinking of Pennywise for a monent. Michael Caine and Russell Brand are listed 3rd and 4th on the cover artm I think you've heard of them.

Warner Archive has a couple of titles this week. First though, it looks like a last minute switcheroo happened with Cannery Row. It was slated to release on June 30th, but was quietly released on June 9th.

Severin Films is releasing The Complete Lenzi/Baker Giallo Collection this week after a delay. I am not familiar with this set, but I have been pleased with the Severin titles that interest me that I have purchased in the past. Fans waiting for this collection should snatch it up.

Fans of Django should rejoice that the Django + Texas Adios set is finally coming this week from Arrow. This one was tied up for quite some time in legal limbo. This one is being offered in a loaded 2-disc Limited Edition, as well as an identical release, but in a SteelBook.

The musical Hair (1979) is getting the Olive Signature treatment. Releases from Olive have been rather scarce lately, it is good to see they're still releasing discs.

Miss Fisher fans can now buy the movie Crypt of Tears this week from Acorn Media.

Kino Lorber has about a half dozen releases this week, I've selected two. Check out the release calendar for the full listing. First, Ten Little Indians, based on an Agatha Christie novel. I remember this one when it was a new movie, and I was entertained by it enough to merit a mention today. Jim Belushi fans should also be happy to see Wild Palms being released this week as well. It is a TV mini-series from my early life and is, in my opinion, underrated on IMDB.

For anime fans, there's most always a release every week worth looking at. Sentai Filmworks is releasing After the Rain: Complete Collection. Titles like this are worth mentioning as many of their releases do not feature an English dub. I myself have trouble appreciating what's going on on the screen if I am focused on reading subtitles. Famous for their Premium Box sets that increase in valud over time, cannot say for sure if this one will, but Run With the Wind: Complete Series is being offered as one this week.

Discotek often times releases all their offerings in a single week. This week we see Astroganger: The Complete Series which is an SD on BD offering. When shows are not available in HD, I am still most appreciative that they are offering it on Blu-ray. Imagine entire seasons of TV shows on one single disc, with better picture clarity than if it were released as a DVD set instead. Part 2 of City Hunter: Season 1 arrives this week too. Next from Discotek, Crusher Joe: The Movie. The next Lupin the 3rd movie, titled Goodbye Partner is also coming this week. Ninja Scroll: The Series closes out the titles for the month from Discotek.

FUNimation is offering Black Clover: Season 2 Part 5 as a regular offering, as well as a set that includes an art book. Also this week, Midnight Occult Civil Servants: The Complete Series as well as several of the usual 'Essentials' releases.

A final note, the Laurel & Hardy: Definitive Restorations was delayed 2 weeks, from the 16th. You should be able to purchase that this week.

For digital releases, Warner Bros. has quietly pushed out Scoob! this week. Oddly enough though, the 4K digital is reading as "not available in your area." Where do they think my area is anyway?

Notable announcements from last week:

Warner Bros has announced Young Sheldon: The Complete Third Season via the Warner Archive. While not like going to find this on the cheap side, on a positive note, at least they're still releasing TV programs on physical media. Warner Bros also has a street date for the physical releases of Scoob! Available as a 4K Combo Pack and a Blu-ray Combo Pack on July 21.

Samuel Goldwyn Films has announced a release of Mel Gibson's Apocalypto, which means you no longer have to pay an ebay scalper $60 for this film. The previous release was over 13 years ago.

FUNimation has announced their September titles. Along with the usual glut of Essentials Releases, highlights of the regular releases are: Fire Force: Season One Part Two which is available as a standard edition and a limited edition release, Fairy gone: Seaone One Part Two, Arifureta: From Commonplace to Worlds Strongest: Season 1 available as a standard release and a limited edition, A Certain Scientific Accelerator: The Complete Series and lastly, Africa Salaryman: The Complete Series.

4K Release Calendar

2K/BD Release Calendar

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?

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While 4K Blu-ray and streaming get most of the big headlines these days, 2018 was a great year for the Blu-ray format too. From new releases to definitive special editions, from dramas to classic to kid films and horror, there were too many incredible releases to list them all – but this gets pretty darn close!

Here are our favorite 2018 releases available only on 1080p Blu-ray!

It's been a long wait, but the Limited Collectors Edition of Terminator 2: Judgment Day is finally on the way.

Should apply to existing preorders.

Welcome to the Fox Innovation Lab, circa 2016.

HDD Tests the RiffTrax App! 

Some movies just have it coming! Hollywood makes hundreds of movies every single year. Some of them are good, some are just mediocre, others are downright awful. So what do you do with those big-budget blockbusters that are virtually unwatchable? The guys over at RiffTrax know what to do with those terrible movies! Started in 2006 by Mike Nelson of MST3k fame along with his co-stars Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett, the new RiffTrax App makes enjoying your favorite bad movies a whole lot easier! 

Currently, RiffTrax is beta testing their automatic syncing app for iOS and Android platforms. All you need to do is download the app to your device and it currently comes pre-packed with all six riffs Mike, Kevin, and Bill recorded for the Star Wars films, free! The way the app works is by using your device's built-in microphone to detect the dialogue of the movie. After about thirty seconds or so, the track syncs up and in no time Mike, Kevin, and Bill are riffing away at midichlorians, Hayden Christensen's mullet braid, the hideous digital creatures, digital Jabba The Hutt, and everything else George Lucas' creations has to offer. Given that this is new territory for the guys at RiffTrax, the app understandably has some good points, but it also has some areas for improvement: 

On the plus side, the automatic synching works really, really well. Since the microphone is always listening for the movie dialogue, anytime the track may fall out of sync, it catches up really quickly. It's also nice not to have to monitor either your computer or mobile device throughout the movie. Since the app takes care of everything, all you have to do is sit back and laugh your socks off.

If there is something that needs work for this App before it goes primetime, it's the 30 seconds of dialogue that the App requires for the RiffTrax to sync up to the movie. Take the six 'Star Wars' films for example, as anyone who has watched a Star Wars film knows that there are several minutes of the opening without dialogue. Consider that the RiffTrax guys make jokes the whole time, that's a lot of missed material. 

Since this is new tech for RiffTrax to be toying with, I wasn't expecting a top of the lineup, out of the park home run. However, thankfully this is a solid double base hit. When I first heard this App was on the way, I was excited but also a little worried at how well it would work. Thankfully the tech is there, it works, it just needs a little fine tuning. I'm sure the RiffTrax team is hard at work making various perfections so that when the full version is released, it'll be a well-oiled laugh machine! That said, if you're new to RiffTrax or have only heard a couple riffs, here are my 10 Favorite RiffTrax releases to help get you started:

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier:

Picture a movie that features Spock wearing flying boots, a Vulcan with emotional issues on a quest to find God, and Uhura doing a sexy fan dance to distract some bad guys, and you have the makings for one of the lamest 'Star Trek' films ever made. There' s very little redeemable value with this movie making it ripe pickings for RiffTrax. Mike and Keven do a grand job taking this one apart and never miss the chance to chime in with their own impersonations of Shatner and DeForest Kelley.

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Get Your RiffTrax Commentary Here

The Happening: 

Considering the excess of really bad M. Night Shyamalan movies to come out, it was hard to pick just one of his movies the RiffTrax crew eviscerated. As bad as 'The Last Airbender' is, and they do a good job of making fun of it, Mike, Kevin, and Bill are in pitch perfect form with this one. From jokes about Mark Wahlberg as a science teacher to Zooey Deschanel's doe-eyed stare and John Leguizamo talking like he had a stroke, it's hard to get a full breath of air from laughing so hard. 

Get Your Blu-ray Here

Get Your RiffTrax Commentary Here

Titanic:

While it may well be one of the highest grossing movies of all time, 'Titanic' is also one of the most unintentionally hilarious films. Part of that has to do with the on-the-nose plot but also the shallow dialogue and hammy acting. Add all of those elements together and 'Titanic' has a big joke target painted on it's stern and Mike, Kevin and Bill are more than capable of exploiting the film's many flaws. As one of the longest movies for the trio to take on, they maintain the energy and prove themselves to be spry commentators never leaving a good joke hanging.

Get Your Blu-ray Here

Get Your RiffTrax Commentary Here

Any of the Transformers Movies:

From 'Transformers' to 'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen' to 'Transformers: Dark of the Moon,' Mike Kevin and Bill have made short work of Michael Bay's cinematic adaptations of the beloved 80s cartoon. If you've watched any of these films, it's easy to see where and how they could be undone by the RiffTrax brand of humor and thankfully these riffs don't disappoint. Considering the range of quality of this franchise, the RiffTrax goes a long way towards making them a truly enjoyable experience.

Get Your Blu-rays Here

Get Your RiffTrax Commentaries Here

Starship Troopers:

This is a studio recording version of the first big-budget RiffTrax Live! event. Since they weren't able to get the rights to release that show on VOD, Blu-ray, or even just the theater recorded audio, we have to settle for this version, which is still hilarious. While a lot of people feel and defend the film as a work of satire to begin with, it's impossible to ignore the epic level of canned cheese on display. From the first minute to the last, the Mike, Kevin, and Bill toss off the jokes one after another and the results are fantastic. Even if you're an ardent fan of the film, it's easy to still appreciate what RiffTrax brings to the show. 

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Get Your RiffTrax Commentary Here

Jurassic Park:

Granted, this is probably one of my favorite movies from my childhood and I've seen it dozens of times, I can appreciate how easy it is to be made fun of. Mike along with special guest riffer Weird Al Yankovic do a great job at poking fun at the film while also appreciating that it still is a pretty good movie. My favorite knock is during the scene where our scientists see a dinosaur for the first time and Weird Al politely notes that they must not have very good peripheral vision if they failed to see a thirty foot dinosaur standing to the side of them! 

Get Your Blu-ray Here

Get Your RiffTrax Commentary Here

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull:

Without a doubt, this is the least liked entry in the entire 'Indiana Jones' franchise - making it perfect RiffTrax bait! From the opening prairie dogs to the drag racer with really big teeth to the nuclear refrigerator escape, Mike, Kevin, and Bill don't miss a chance to put this movie in its place. Add in their frequent gags about the presence of Shia LaBeouf and this stands as one of the funniest RiffTrax releases. I know it's a tall order for a number of people to even give 'Crystal Skull' another shot, but trust me, RiffTrax makes it worth it! 

Get Your Blu-ray Here

Get Your RiffTrax Commentary Here

Anaconda:

This is another studio recording of one of the RiffTrax Live! shows, and like 'Starship Troopers' it's absolutely hilarious. I've long loved this movie for exactly how cheesy bad it is. When you've got Ice Cube, Jennifer Lopez and a sneering Jon Voight fighting a gigantic intermittently animatronic and digital snake you've got a great movie, add in a young Owen "Oh, wow!" Wilson and a comatose Eric Stoltz and the movie just gets better. The jokes fly a mile a minute as Mike, Kevin and Bill never fail to point out the film's numerous flaws, including a waterfall that goes backward because the filmmakers were too cheap to shoot a boat going in reverse!

Get Your Blu-ray Here

Get Your RiffTrax Commentary Here

The Twilight Saga:

While some may think this series of star-crossed sparkly vampire lovers is a case of low-hanging fruit, but 'Twilight,' 'New Moon,' 'Eclipse,' and 'Breaking Dawn: Part 1 and 2' prove to provide Mike, Kevin and Bill with some of their best material. Each of the four films is a laugh a minute and it's darn near impossible to chose one over the other, so I lumped the whole franchise in together. If you had a hard time watching these movies in the first place, you now have a good reason to try them again! After all, you don't have to love them, you just have to laugh at them!

Get Your Blu-rays Here

Get Your RiffTrax Commentaries Here

Road House:

This seminal Patrick Swayze classic is one of the best/bad action movies ever made. Pain may not hurt, but Mike Nelson makes you hurt so good from the constant jokes. As the very first RiffTrax release, it still stands as one of the best. While numerous other bad movies have been riffed over the years, I keep coming back to this one because it is just that good. While I loved that the RiffTrax App included the six 'Star Wars' riffs, there's a big part of me that wished that it came packed with this one instead! If you've yet to hear a RiffTrax, this is the movie to start with!  

Get Your Blu-ray Here

Get Your RiffTrax Commentary Here

The wonderful thing about RiffTrax is they have done nearly 80 commentary tracks, making this list far from definitive - but it's a great place to start! When you have 'Point Break,' 'Over the Top,' and 'Glitter' among dozens others, you now have a great reason buy some guilty pleasure bad movies and some RiffTrax commentaries. The new RiffTrax App is just going to make getting your laugh fix easier! 

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