At the risk of making some readers feel a little old, there are now several generations of people who have probably never used or handled optical discs. Add to that, modern Blu-ray discs are much more robust than CD or DVD technology, and there's a good chance you either don't know how to handle or store them, or you've forgotten.

This wouldn't matter much if physical media weren't relevant anymore, but as we've argued in the past, physical media have several advantages over streaming, and if we rely on online, cloud-based services alone for access to content, then we'll lose some forever, or at least for long stretches at a time.

So, if you've been convinced that it makes sense to collect and preserve content on disc, let's talk about how you can make those discs last as long as possible.

Is that... Godzilla Minus One on Blu-ray? Yes, it is.

The time has come. US fans can now pre-order Godzilla Minus One and Godzilla Minus One/Minus Color in one beautiful Blu-ray box set.

With an estimated ship date of September, the Godzilla Minus One Blu-ray Deluxe Japan Collector’s Edition is the first home video release US fans will be able to get their hands on and the only to bundle both the original and black and white versions of the film.

Exclusively available on the Godzilla Store, the box set mirrors the 4-disc deluxe release in Japan. The Deluxe Japan Collector’s Edition not only preserves the same gorgeous packaging as the Japan release, but also all the same content with the addition of English menus and the option to select English subtitles for Godzilla Minus One and Godzilla Minus One/Minus Color.

The four discs included are:

• Disc 1: Godzilla Minus One 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray
  • 125 minutes / 3 layers (100G) / 4K 2160p 16:9 scope size / Dolby Vision
  • Audio: (1) Japanese Dolby Atmos (2) Japanese 5.1ch Dolby TrueHD (3) Japanese 2.0ch Dolby TrueHD (4) Barrier-free Japanese audio guide 2.0ch Dolby TrueHD
  • Subtitles: (1) Barrier-free Japanese subtitles (2) English subtitles
• Disc 2: Godzilla Minus One Blu-ray
  • 125 minutes / Trailer compilation / 2 layers (BD50G) / 1080p High Definition 16:9 scope size
  • Audio: (1) Japanese Dolby Atmos (2) Japanese 5.1ch Dolby TrueHD (3) Japanese 2.0ch Dolby TrueHD (4) Barrier-free Japanese audio guide 2.0ch Dolby TrueHD
  • Subtitles: (1) Barrier-free Japanese subtitles (2) English subtitles
  • Trailer Collection (Japanese language only)
    • Special Announcements 1 & 2
    • Trailer
    • TV Spot
    • No. 1 Edition/That's Godzilla Edition/A Glimmer of Hope Edition/The World Praises Edition/Live and Resist Edition/Against Godzilla Edition
    • 6-Second Bumper
    • IMAX PR Video
    • ScreenX PR Video
    • TOHO CINEMAS MOVIE LINE UP
    • Cinema Mileage Announcement
• Disc 3: Godzilla Minus One/Minus Color Blu-ray
  • Main feature 125 minutes / Godzilla-1.0/C trailer / 2 layers (BD50G) / 1080p High Definition 16:9 scope size
  • Audio: (1) Japanese Dolby Atmos (2) Japanese 5.1ch Dolby TrueHD (3) Japanese 2.0ch Dolby TrueHD (4) Barrier-free Japanese audio guide 2.0ch Dolby TrueHD
  • Subtitles: (1) Barrier-free Japanese subtitles (2) English subtitles
• Disc 4: Bonus Blu-ray (Japanese language only)

  • Recording length: 240 minutes / 2 layers (BD50G) / 16:9 / 1080p High Definition (some 1080i)

  • Audio: Japanese 2.0ch Dolby Digital

  • Subtitles: NOTE - NO ENGLISH SUBTITLES

  • <Contents (Bonus DISC)>

    • Making of
    • VFX Making of
    • Release commemorative special program "Behind the scenes: The movie "Godzilla-1.0" -No.30-
    • Event footage:
      • September 4, 2023: Completion report press conference
      • October 18, 2023: World premiere red carpet event
      • October 23, 2023: Tokyo International Film Festival opening red carpet
      • November 1, 2023: Tokyo International Film Festival closing screening stage greetings
      • November 3, 2023 (National Holiday): Opening day stage greetings
      • November 8-10, 2023: North American premiere
      • November 29, 2023: Sapporo event
      • Yamazaki Takashi Selection Talk Show
        • September 15, 2023: "Yamazaki Takashi Selection Godzilla Screening" 1st (Guest: Higuchi Shinji)
        • Friday, September 29, 2023: "Yamazaki Takashi Selection Godzilla Screening" Vol. 2 (Guest: Murase Keizo)
        • Friday, October 13, 2023: "Yamazaki Takashi Selection Godzilla Screening" Vol. 3 (Guest: Kaneko Shusuke)
        • October 27, 2023: "Yamazaki Takashi Selection Godzilla Screening" Vol. 4 (Guest: Anno Hideaki) Specifications and Enclosures::
• 4-disc Digipack + outer case specifications
• Special booklet (Japanese language only)
• “Special Disaster Response Materials Compilation” Abridged version (Japanese language only)

Region Free

Pre-order: Godzilla.com

Toho surprised fans today with the long-awaited release of Godzilla Minus One to home entertainment in a four-disc 4K UHD Blu-ray box set. I also have an exclusive clip of writer-director-VFX supervisor Takashi Yamazaki and his team from their U.S. visit, plus a look at the different glorious versions of the Oscar-winning film.

The Godzilla Minus One box set is an exclusive through Toho’s official Godzilla site, and includes lots of behind-the-scenes features and making-of footage. Fans of the film have been eagerly awaiting word of a physical home media release, although the film finally arrived on streaming recently and VOD. The surprise today is part of a larger 70th anniversary celebration of Godzilla in 2024.

...

The black-and-white version — known as Godzilla Minus One/Minus Color and featured in Blu-ray, not 4K, in the set — enhances the sense of hyper-realism, as well as creating an even tighter bond between this modern masterpiece and the original 1954 masterpiece that launched the biggest and longest-lived franchise in cinema history.

One thing I noticed comparing the color and monochrome versions is how much the tone and impact of the film differ. The monochrome version creates more sense of the film as from another time, the black-and-white mirroring the 1940s-1950s origins of the story and series yet incongruent with the photorealistic effects, and this makes it seem even more real and documentary in nature.

The color version, however, carries more overt kinship with Steven Spielberg’s films, which of course served as inspiration for Godzilla Minus One. It has that very unique sense of timelessness, at once modern and also of any era, while reflective of an elevated reality from our own.

This distinction between the two versions of the film is especially noticeable during the first few sequences on the boats, including the run-in with Godzilla. It’s one of the few examples of the color version seeming more photo-realistic because the water effects and boat effects are so good that the addition of lifelike color enhances everything and ties it together perfectly.

For the first time ever on 4K Ultra HD, the spectacular adventure based on the book by Neil Gaiman (CORALINE) shines like never before. Tristan (Charlie Cox) hopes to woo a beautiful girl named Victoria (Sienna Miller) by bringing her a falling star. But the star is really a celestial beauty known as Yvaine (Claire Danes), with a witch named Lamia (Michelle Pfeiffer) simultaneously after Yvaine’s youth. STARDUST is a fairytale like nothing you’ve ever seen, with a combination of romance, action, and humor that will have you believing in pure magic. The all-star cast features Robert De Niro, Peter O’Toole, Rupert Everett, Ricky Gervais, and Henry Cavill, with the voice talents of Ian McKellen as the Narrator.

Pre-order: Amazon

Yet, the popularity of boutique Blu-Rays doesn’t seem to be waning, a sign that the interest in physical media is still going strong. The Criterion Collection is easily the biggest specialist company making Blu-Rays, having first released a series of DVDs in 1998. In 2008, they released their first Blu-Ray, Chungking Express, marking the start of several thousand high-quality editions released by the company, which they consider the finest pieces of cinema.

Criterion’s appeal resides in its attention to detail and consideration for dedicated film fans, filling every release with special features that are actually worth watching or reading, like short films, exclusive interviews, essays, and audio commentary. Each film comes with gorgeous artwork and sometimes even a poster inside, making the price tag (a single film is typically between £15 and £23) much more worth it. Additionally, Criterion takes great pride in restoring films to their original glory, with one of the most striking examples being their restoration of Jacques Demy’s The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. The company also offers boxsets for prestigious directors, like Agnes Varda, Ingmar Bergman and Wong Kar-wai, as well as film series, like the Before trilogy and Eric Rohmer’s Six Moral Tales.

Evidently, film fans can trust Criterion to deliver high-quality editions of their favourite pictures, with the company ensuring that beloved classics and newer releases all get special treatment. With frequent sale seasons allowing buyers to bulk buy some of their most-wanted titles for a more reasonable price, it’s rare you’ll meet a self-confessed cinephile who doesn’t own at least a few Criterions.

...

They’re not the only company releasing collector’s editions, though. Arrow Films, an independent British distributor, offers some of the greatest cult and horror films, complete with a variety of special features, carefully designed artwork, and high-quality Blu-Ray transfers. BFI also provides an impressive collection, focusing on niches such as kitchen sink dramas, forgotten British gems, documentaries, and other acclaimed classics. Another notable company is Eureka, which specialises in films by directors they consider masters of cinema.

Each of these companies taps into a niche to attract customers, whether that be horror or foreign cinema, or in the case of Shameless Screen Entertainment, “carefully picked vile, evil, gore-soaked, demented, disturbing [and] deranged” movies. While specialist companies have existed for a while, like Tartan, which stopped selling its DVDs in 2008, the landscape is now saturated with streaming services all competing to be the best, which you would think might make it harder for these companies to thrive. Yet, it seems as though film fans are keeping physical media alive for now, with many people still wanting to own copies of their favourite films without worrying about a streaming service removing them.

...

Collecting Criterions or other special edition Blu-Rays is the kind of hobby that keeps paying for itself – you can resell them for a decent price, watch them endless times, and access content, like shorts and essays, that you most likely can’t find for free anywhere else. We need physical media to survive in the internet age, and thanks to these companies and the passionate cinephiles who buy their Blu-Rays, hope is not yet lost.

Lee remains a singular presence in film history, and rewatching all his work recently reawakened me to just how good he was. He wasn’t just a great martial artist, but a tremendous screen presence. His characters don’t want to kill but they do so, without mercy but also with tremendous regret. That’s a particular kind of acting, a well-tuned harvest of subtle, authentic emotion. There was nobody quite like him before. Frankly, there’s been nobody since.

That is why studios around the world started exploiting Lee’s image mere months after his death, creating a short-lived but vast genre now referred to as “Bruceploitation.” Films with titles like Super Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story, Goodbye Bruce Lee: His Last Game of Death, The Dragon Lives Again and The Big Boss Part II promised “unseen” work by Lee to audiences in the pre-information age. These films starred men with stage names that often mimicked Lee’s own, such as Bruce Li or Dragon Lee. Martial artists themselves, they mimicked his fighting styles, battle cries, costumes and famous characters.

At first blush, there’s obviously something inherently disreputable about the entire endeavor. It’s bad taste at its core, particularly if you’re a fan of Lee’s work and philosophies.

But could it also be a treasure trove of hidden gems? A library of films that capture a particular time, place and filmmaking approach that feels impossible today? What about men like Bruce Li (real name Ho Chung-Tao) or Bruce Le (Lǚ Xiǎolóng)? These were talented martial artists playing the roles available to them. To what degree does their work deserve recognition, well after generations of fans have had time to process Lee’s death and the decades of work that have honored him hence?

...

Those questions form the hypothesis behind Severin Films’ new Blu-ray set, The Game of Clones: Bruceploitation Collection Vol. 1, an eight-disc set featuring 15 films curated to give new audiences an introduction to the genre and what it had to offer. The set also includes the recent documentary, Enter the Clones of Bruce, which serves as an introduction to the overall set and makes up the first disc. It’s essentially a must-watch thesis statement for why the set exists and provides a more forgiving lens through which to view the films.

As an avid reviewer of this sort of thing, it’s a unique pleasure to view a product so exquisitely crafted around asking a viewer to look at an entire genre in a new light. There’s no shortage of odd cult films receiving gorgeous restorations and fancy packages these days, filled with essays and commentaries attesting to their worth. But I don’t think I’ve ever seen something quite as deeply researched and passionate as the Game of Clones set.

This isn’t a release that just dug up a bunch of oddities, threw them on discs, shoved them in a hardshell and commissioned some artwork. This entire project is constantly, earnestly attesting to the underappreciated significance of the Bruceploitation genre and has the scholarly receipts to make its case. The commentaries by Hong Kong film expert Frank Djeng and director / actor Michael Worth (who also does introductions for each film) are informative and, frankly, a little seductive. They, along with Severin, have created a set that begs you to watch every single disc. It feels like a curated adventure. That may be the highest praise I can give a product like this.

...

The Game of Clones: Bruceploitation Collection Vol. 1 is an early contender for the best Blu-ray box set of 2024. Even my beloved Shawscope sets from Arrow Video — perhaps the height of martial-arts film curation in my eyes — operate with the understanding that their sets all include a few unimpeachable classic films as a selling point.

That’s not the case with Game of Clones. Everyone involved in this production understands they are operating on their back feet. They’re the underdogs, introducing new viewers to truly cult material. They understand the indescribable pleasure of discovery that comes with being a fan of schlock, of rarities, of true cinematic ephemera. And by god, they really manage to convey it. It’s not only that, but the selection of films and supplementary material really crafts an argument that these films — exploitative as they are — remain an enduring, even positive aspect of Lee’s legacy. I’m deeply impressed.

Tech specs at Blu-ray.com

Tom Tykwer's 'Run Lola Run' Sprints For A Solo 4K UHD Disc July 30th

Matthew Hartman

Posted Mon Jul 1, 2024 at 08:42 AM PDT by

**After enjoying a rest with the 13-Film Sony Pictures Classics 4K set, Sony is sending Tom Tykwer's iconic multiversal thriller 'Run Lola Run' to the solo-disc races. All indications are this is the same disc as before, only without ten other films... and possibly without a slipcover.   **

Run Lola Runis a hell of a film with a banger of a soundtrack. It looks amazing in 4K Dolby Vision and that German 5.1 mix is a beast. But, you'd only know that if you bought the 11-film Sony Pictures Classics 4K box set. Which is a great set if you wanted all of those other films. For those you didn't want the box set, well, Lola is taking another run on 4K, this time on her own! All indications for this press release tell me this is the same great disc as before. It doesn't indicate if the English and Spanish dubbed tracks will be included or not. My guess is that they will be and this is just a simple repackage without the custom slipcover - we've put in a question about that and when we get news we'll update. until then here's to 25 years of Run Lola** Run! **

***Run Lola Run - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray ***

*** ***

SYNOPSIS

A thrilling post-MTV roller-coaster ride, RUN LOLA RUN is the internationally acclaimed sensation
about two star-crossed lovers who have only minutes to change the course of their lives. Time is running out for Lola (Franka Potente). She's just received a frantic phone call from her boyfriend Manni (Moritz Bleibtreu), who's lost a small fortune belonging to his mobster boss. If Lola doesn't replace the money in twenty minutes, Manni will surely suffer severe consequences. Written and directed by Tom Tykwer.

**DISC DETAILS AND BONUS MATERIALS
4K ULTRA HD DISC **

• Feature presented in 4K resolution with Dolby Vision
• German 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
• Special Features:
  • Audio Commentary with Director Tom Tykwer and Actor Franka Potente
  • Audio Commentary with Director Tom Tykwer and Editor Mathilde Bonnefoy
  • Making-Of Featurette
  • Still Running Featurette
  • "Believe" Music Video
  • Theatrical Trailer

BRING HOME 87NORTH’S ACTION-PACKED COMEDY

NOW WITH MORE THAN AN HOUR OF EXCLUSIVE BONUS CONTENT FEATURING RYAN GOSLING AND EMILY BLUNT

PLUS AN EXTENDED CUT OF THE FILM THE FALL GUY

CERTIFIED FRESH ON ROTTEN TOMATOES

ON DIGITAL JULY 2, 2024, 4K ULTRA HD, BLU-RAY™ AND DVD JULY 23, 2024

Universal City, California, July 1, 2024 – Bring home the film that is “100 percent joy from start to finish” (Fresh Fiction), THE FALL GUY, available to own with all-new bonus content on Digital tomorrow July 2, 2024 and on 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD July 23, 2024 from 87North and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. Now featuring over an hour of never-before-seen bonus content including the filmmakers breaking down five different stunts from the film and a behind-the-scenes look at filming in Australia with the all-star cast and crew for an insider's look at turning the original TV series into a crowd-pleasing new movie, as well as a gag reel, alternate takes and much more. When you purchase, get both the theatrical version and the Extended Cut with 20 additional minutes containing more action, more laughs, more stunts, and more sexy bacon.

Directed by David Leitch (Bullet Train, Deadpool 2, Atomic Blonde), THE FALL GUY stars Oscar® nominee Ryan Gosling (Barbie, La La Land, Drive) as Colt Seavers, a battle-scarred stuntman who is drafted back into service after a near-career ending accident when Tom Ryder (Golden Globe® winner Aaron Taylor-Johnson; Bullet Train), the star of a mega-budget studio movie—being directed by Colt’s ex, Jody Moreno, played by Golden Globe® winner Emily Blunt (Oppenheimer, A Quiet Place films, Sicario)—goes missing.

Inspired by the hit 1980s TV series, THE FALL GUY also stars Emmy® winner Hannah Waddingham (Ted Lasso), Winston Duke (Black Panther franchise) and Academy Award® nominee Stephanie Hsu (Everything Everywhere All at Once). From a screenplay by Hobbs & Shaw screenwriter Drew Pearce, THE FALL GUY comes from production team Kelly McCormick and David Leitch (Bullet Train, Violent Night, Nobody,) and their company 87North Productions; from Ryan Gosling and his production shingle Entertainment 360; and from Guymon Casady (“Game of Thrones,” Steve Jobs ). The film is executive produced by Drew Pearce, Entertainment 360’s Geoff Shaevitz and the creator of the original Fall Guy television series, Glen A. Larson.

THE FALL GUY features an Original Motion Picture Soundtrack from Back Lot Music with music by composer Dominic Lewis. The album also features a cover of KISS’ “I Was Made for Lovin' You” by YUNGBLUD and a cover of Lee Major’s “Unknown Stuntman” by Blake Shelton. The soundtrack album is also available physically on Vinyl from Mutant Records.

EXCLUSIVE BONUS FEATURES WHEN YOU OWN ON DIGITAL, 4K ULTRA HD, BLU-RAY AND DVD:

• EXTENDED CUT - An extended cut of the film with 20 minutes of additional footage featuring more action, more laughs and more stunts.
• GAG REEL
• ALTERNATE TAKES
• STUNTS ON STUNTS: BREAKING DOWN THE ACTION - Five breathtaking breakdowns detail the meticulous designs, careful preparation, and astonishing execution that goes into pulling off the film's death-defying stunts.
• CITY TRUCK JUMP / SIDEWINDER - Grip the wheel with stunt driver Logan Holladay, who provides a first-person view of an incredible stunt that launches a truck onto a crowded city street.
• GARBAGE BIN - Speed across Sydney's Harbour Bridge while watching Ryan Gosling and the stunt performers surf on a skidding door, trade punches in a spinning bin, and wrestle with an attack dog.
• BOAT CHASE - Blast back to the past with a classic boat jump stunt, no green screen required, complete with an awesome explosion that lights up the water around the iconic Sydney Opera House.
• CAR JUMP - Prepare for possibly the film's most dangerous stunt: a bomb-blasting ride in a tricked-out vehicle that leads into a heart-stopping jump across an enormous expanse.
• HIGH FALL - Troy Brown, the son of legendary stunt performer Bob Brown, follows in his father's footsteps with a high fall off a helicopter like only their family can deliver. MAKING A META MASTERPIECE - THE FALL GUY's filmmaking team and all-star cast take you behind the scenes in Australia for an insider's look into the creativity and camaraderie that turns the original TV series into a thrilling new movie.
• HOW TO BREAK A WORLD RECORD - Cheer along with the crew as driving double Logan Holladay and the stunt team craft a cannon roll crash that breaks a Guinness World Record.
• NIGHTCLUB MAYHEM - Fight coordinator Sunny Sun and stunt double Justin Eaton venture behind the camera to choreograph a bottle-breaking battle between Colt Seavers and Doone’s goons.
• THE ART OF DOUBLING - Meet stunt double Ben Jenkin, a man willing to be set on fire, hit by a car, and take risks with Ryan Gosling to collectively make a single character look cool.
• MAKING METALSTORM - Cowboys collide with aliens in this look at the creation of METALSTORM, THE FALL GUY's film within the film.
• FALLING FOR THE FALL GUY WITH BOB REESE - Professional parkour athlete and influencer Bob Reese recreates stunts from the movie, including a scissor-lift dive, Kong vault, and heart-stopping high fall.
• FEATURE COMMENTARY with Director/Producer David Leitch and Producer Kelly McCormick [Available on both theatrical and extended cuts]

TECHNICAL INFORMATION 4K UHD:

• Street Date: July 23, 2024
• UPC Number: 191329260050 (US) / 191329260371 (CDN)
• Layers: BD 100
• Aspect Ratio: 16:9 2.39:1 Widescreen
• Rating: PG-13 for action and violence, drug content and some strong language.
• Languages/Subtitles: English, French Canadian, Latin American Spanish
• Sound: English (Dolby Atmos for Feature, Dolby Digital 2.0 for Bonus Content), French Canadian (Dolby Digital Plus 7.1), Latin American Spanish (Dolby Digital Plus 7.1)
• Run Time: 02:06:13

TECHNICAL INFORMATION BLU-RAY™:

• Street Date: July 23, 2024
• UPC Number: 191329260241 (US) / 191329260166 (CDN)
• Layers: BD 50
• Aspect Ratio: 16:9 2.39:1 Widescreen
• Rating: PG-13 for action and violence, drug content and some strong language.
• Languages/Subtitles: English, French Canadian, Latin American Spanish
• Sound: English (Dolby Atmos for Feature, Dolby Digital 2.0 for Bonus Content), French Canadian (Dolby Digital Plus 7.1), Latin American Spanish (Dolby Digital Plus 7.1)
• Run Time: 02:06:13

TECHNICAL INFORMATION DVD (US):

• Street Date: July 23, 2024
• UPC Number: 191329260364 (US) / 191329260067 (CDN)
• Layers: DVD 9
• Aspect Ratio: 16:9 2.39:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
• Rating: PG-13 for action and violence, drug content and some strong language.
• Languages/Subtitles: English, French Canadian, Latin American Spanish
• Sound: English (Dolby Digital 5.1 for Feature, Dolby Digital 2.0 for Bonus Content), French Canadian (Dolby Digital 5.1), Latin American Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Run Time: 02:06:13

Pre-order: Amazon · GRUV.com

Top 20 Disc Sellers

Source: Circana VideoScan (based on unit sales from reporting retailers)

*Units Sold Compared to No. 1 Title

**Re-entered the Top 200

† Percentage of Overall Disc Sales in a 3D format; 3D is considered a Blu-ray version and is also part of the BD Share for each title.

†† Percentage of Overall Disc Sales in a UHD BD format; UHD is considered a Blu-ray version and is also part of the BD Share for each title.

Top 20 Selling Blu-ray Discs

1. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
2. Dune: Part Two
3. Chinatown/The Two Jakes
4. RoboCop 2
5. The Beekeeper
6. House of the Dragon: The Complete First Season
7. Digimon Adventure 02: The Beginning
8. Oppenheimer
9. The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
10. Bound
11. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
12. American Fiction
13. The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy
14. Migration
15. Star Wars: Andor - The Complete First Season
16. Wonka (tie)
17. John Wick: Chapter 4 (tie)
18. Imaginary
19. RoboCop (2014)
20. The Iron Claw

Source: Circana VideoScan (based on unit sales from reporting retailers)

Top 20 Selling 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Discs

1. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
2. Chinatown/The Two Jakes
3. RoboCop 2
4. Dune: Part Two
5. Bound
6. Oppenheimer
7. RoboCop (2014)
8. House of the Dragon: The Complete First Season
9. The Karate Kid
10. Bad Lieutenant
11. American Gigolo
12. Star Wars: Andor - The Complete First Season
13. Killer Klowns from Outer Space
14. Saving Private Ryan
15. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier: The Complete First Season
16. Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi
17. True Lies
18. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
19. The Crow
20. Black Hawk Down

Source: Circana VideoScan (based on unit sales from reporting retailers)

Further reading:

• "Godzilla x Kong" Remains No. 1 on Weekly Disc Sales Charts
• Top 20 Disc Sellers for Week Ended 2024-06-22
• Top 20 Selling Blu-ray and 4K Discs for Week Ended 2024-06-22
• Top HD Formats Disc Share Per Title for Week Ended 2024-06-22

STUDIOCANAL announce a fantastic new 4K restoration of ORCA, THE KILLER WHALE, as part of the Cult Classics Collection. Terror is just below the surface in this ferocious action adventure of mythical proportions from legendary producer Dino Di Laurentiis (King Kong, Conan), starring screen legends Richard Harris (Oscar-nominated for This Sporting Life) and Charlotte Rampling (Oscar nominated for 45 Years). As well as a collectable 4K UHD SteelBook, the film is available on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, DVD and Digital.

From Academy Award nominated director Michael Anderson (Around The World In Eighty Days) and screenwriter Luciano Vincenzoni (The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly) comes a gripping and terrifying tale of man versus beast. Described by Scream Magazine as ‘Jaws with heart’, ORCA, THE KILLER WHALE features a marvellous lead performance from Harris as a sea captain targeted by a vengeful killer whale, and also stars Will Sampson, famous for his performance as in Chief Bromden One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Bo Derek (“10”), and Robert Carradine (The Long Riders).

With a magnificent, stirring score by Ennio Moricone (Oscar-winner for The Hateful Eight), and cinematography by Ted Moore (Oscar winner for A Man for All Seasons), you’ll have a whale of a time with this handsomely mounted and tremendously exciting adventure thriller, restored to its original glory in this beautiful restoration.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/13989416

This year's 50% off B&N Summer sale runs through July 28.

I missed Criterion's flash sale earlier this year so I'll probably stock up on this one sometime next week.

Arrow Announces and Details September 2024 4K UHD and Blu-ray Titles

Arrow Video's September 2024 4K UHD Blu-ray and Blu-ray lineup includes

• The Chronicles of Riddick (4K & Blu-ray)
• The Threat on Blu-ray
• Torso on 4K UHD Blu-ray with an Arrow store exclusive slipcover version
• Friday the 13th (2009) on 4K UHD Blu-ray
• (UK only) Love, Death & Apocalypse: Three Films by Álex de la Iglesia in 4K UHD & Blu-ray.

Did you hope to save some cash in September? Well, the bad news is you might want to check the couch cushions because Arrow is making sure we need to scrounge up all the spare change we can find! 

I tried posting all the details, but it was too much for Lemmy. Find all the details here.

Eureka! has announced its September 2024 line-up. Featured amongst this line-up four crime epics that have had an immeasurable impact on popular culture around the globe; a couple of crazy kung-fu extravaganzas from the first family of Hong Kong martial arts; a kung-fu soccer comedy starring Yuen Biao; plus re-issues of G. W. Pabst’s sordid melodrama Pandora’s Box, and Orson Welles’ film noir masterpiece, Touch of Evil.

Tech specs at Blu-ray.com

Now then... we’ve got a pretty significant piece of industry news to share with you today. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has completed an “umbrella” distribution deal with Studio Distribution Services (SDS) that covers not only their own Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD product, but also titles from Lionsgate and Disney (along with 20th Century Studios, Touchstone, Hollywood Pictures, and the other Disney-owned labels), which Sony produces for those studios. We first broke the news of this for our Patreon subscribers over the weekend.

The reason this deal is important is that it guarantees Sony, Disney, 20th Century Studios, and Lionsgate a direct and stable distribution channel for their physical media product into Walmart stores. And as we’ve reported previously, Walmart is the biggest disc retailer in North America with a whopping 45% share of the disc sales market (as of earlier this year—that number may have grown a bit with the recent exit of Best Buy, which had approximately 4% of the business).

This deal goes a long way in terms of giving studio executives the confidence to dig more deeply into their film vaults for new catalog remastering efforts and ultimately to release new catalog 4K titles on disc. All of this sets the stage for a very exciting slate of catalog 4K UHD titles from these studios and others in the next 12 to 24 months and beyond. In fact, I’m now more confident than ever that 2025 is going to be a big year for 4K disc fans! As always, I’ll share more on all this as it comes in from our sources in the weeks and months ahead... and as I’m able to reveal the details without disrupting any developing plans.

Top 20 Selling Blu-ray Discs

1. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
2. Dune: Part Two
3. Digimon Adventure 02: The Beginning
4. The Beekeeper
5. Oppenheimer
6. Immaculate
7. La Femme Nikita
8. The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
9. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
10. Star Wars: Andor — The Complete First Season
11. Doctor Who: The Celestial Toymaker
12. The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy
13. Migration
14. Superman and Lois: The Complete Third Season
15. John Wick: Chapter 4
16. House of the Dragon: The Complete First Season
17. Wonka
18. Imaginary
19. The Iron Claw
20. Dune: Part One

Source: Circana VideoScan (based on unit sales from reporting retailers)

Top 20 Selling 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Discs

1. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
2. Dune: Part Two
3. La Femme Nikita
4. Oppenheimer
5. Species II
6. Star Wars: Andor — The Complete First Season
7. Shrek 4-Movie Collection
8. Bad Lieutenant
9. Shrek Forever After
10. Killer Klowns from Outer Space
11. House of the Dragon: The Complete First Season
12. Mute Witness
13. Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi
14. True Lies
15. The Crow
16. Lawrence of Arabia
17. Dune 2-Film Collection
18. The Last Kumite
19. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
20. Dune: Part One

Source: Circana VideoScan (based on unit sales from reporting retailers)

https://www.mediaplaynews.com/research/top-20-selling-blu-ray-and-4k-discs-for-week-ended-6-15-24/

Director Martin Scorsese’s gripping and fiery masterpiece Bringing Out the Dead celebrates its 25th anniversary this year and Paramount Home Entertainment is marking the occasion by releasing the newly remastered film for the first time ever on both 4K Ultra HD™ and Blu-ray™ on September 17, 2024.

Bringing Out the Dead debuted on October 22, 1999 and marked the fourth collaboration between Scorsese and screenwriter Paul Schrader (Taxi Driver, Raging Bull). Nicolas Cage gives a riveting performance as a Manhattan paramedic barely clinging to sanity over the course of three chaotic nights. The film also stars Patricia Arquette, John Goodman, Ving Rhames, and Tom Sizemore.

Newly remastered from the original camera negative, this exceptional new release was reviewed by Scorsese, cinematographer Robert Richardson, and editor Thelma Schoonmaker. Arriving as part of the Paramount Presents line, Bringing Out the Dead is presented in a must-own two-disc set that includes the film on 4K Ultra HD with Dolby Atmos® and on Blu-ray, along with a wealth of new bonus content, including new interviews with Scorsese, Cage, Schrader, and Richardson, plus archival on-set interviews with Patricia Arquette, John Goodman, Ving Rhames, Tom Sizemore, and Marc Anthony. The release also includes access to a Digital copy of the film. New and legacy bonus content included on the Blu-ray Disc™ is detailed below.

Tech specs at Blu-ray.com

FROM THE CINEMATIC WORLD OF SONIC THE HEDGEHOG KNUCKLES ARRIVES SEPTEMBER 10 ON DVD, BLU-RAY™ AND LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY™ STEELBOOK®

Go Behind The Scenes With Special Features, Including An Exclusive Gag Reel and More!

LOS ANGELES – June 24, 2024 – “Ridiculously funny with a ton of heart” (Ryan Leston, IGN), the six-episode live-action event series KNUCKLES arrives on DVD, Blu-ray™ and a Limited Edition Blu-ray™ Steelbook® on September 10, 2024 from Paramount Home Entertainment. The KNUCKLES DVD and Blu-ray™ feature a never-before-seen gag reel and four featurettes, including “Meet the Cast,” “Working with Knuckles,” “This or That?” and “Cast Impressions.”

KNUCKLES will also be available on 4K Ultra HD™, manufactured on demand.

SYNOPSIS

KNUCKLES takes place between the films SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2 and SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3 and follows Knuckles (Idris Elba) on a hilarious and action-packed journey of self-discovery as he agrees to train Wade (Adam Pally) as his protege and teach him the ways of the Echidna warrior. Featuring appearances by Ben Schwartz as Sonic, Colleen O’Shaughnessey as Tails and Tika Sumpter (Maddie), the ensemble cast also includes Edi Patterson (The Righteous Gemstones), Rory McCann (Game of Thrones), Cary Elwes (Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning), Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future), and Paul Scheer (Black Monday). This collection includes every episode along with an exclusive gag reel, and more!

SPECIAL FEATURES

• Gag Reel
• “Meet the Cast” Featurette
• “Working with Knuckles” Featurette
• “This or That?” Featurette
• “Cast Impressions” Featurette

A Paramount+ Original, from Paramount Pictures and SEGA of America, KNUCKLES is the first TV series in the expanding “Cinematic World of Sonic the Hedgehog,” executive produced by Idris Elba, Neal H. Moritz, Toby Ascher, Jeff Fowler, John Whittington, Haruki Satomi, Shuji Utsumi and Toru Nakahara.

Paramount Home Entertainment (PHE) is part of Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment. PPC is a unit of Paramount (NASDAQ: PARA, PARAA), a leading global media and entertainment company that creates premium content and experiences for audiences worldwide. The PHE division oversees PPC’s home entertainment and transactional digital distribution activities worldwide. The division is responsible for the sales, marketing and distribution of home entertainment content on behalf of Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, Paramount Television Studios, Paramount Players, MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and CBS and applicable licensing and servicing of certain DreamWorks Animation titles. PHE additionally manages global licensing of studio content and transactional distribution across worldwide digital distribution platforms including online, mobile and portable devices and emerging technologies.

Specifications:

Blu-ray™ Specifications:

• Blu-ray: 1 Disc
• Video: 1080p High Definition
• Aspect Ratio: Widescreen
• Audio: English Dolby Atmos; English, French & German 5.1 Surround Dolby Digital AC3
• Subtitles: English SDH, French & German

DVD Specifications:

• DVD: 2 Discs
• Video: Standard Definition
• Aspect Ratio: Widescreen
• Audio: English 5.1 Surround Dolby Digital AC3
• Subtitles: English SDH

4K UHD Specifications:

• 4K UHD: 1 Disc -Audio: English Dolby Atmos; English 5.1 Surround Dolby Digital AC3 Subtitles: English SDH

U.S. Rating: Not Rated

Canadian Rating: G

Run Time: 3:00:00

Created for Television by JOHN WHITTINGTON and TOBY ASCHER

Written by JOHN WHITTINGTON (episodes 101, 102, 106)

Written by BRIAN SCHACTER (episodes 103, 105)

Written by JAMES MADEJSKI (episode 104)

Directed by JEFF FOWLER (episode 101)

Directed by GED WRIGHT (episode 102)

Directed by BRANDON TROST (episode 103)

Directed by JORMA TACCONE (episode 104)

Directed by CAROL BANKER (episodes 105 & 106)

Pre-order: Amazon

I got an Elgato capture card and a VCR off of EBay and have already digitized three tapes I've found at garage sales.

Any advice for cleaning up the image and audio? I recall there were VCR cleaners but never was confident of their efficacy.

South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut was animated digitally in a process that’s meant to replicate the look of traditional “done by hand” animation with physical pieces of colored construction paper (which is how the original South Park pilot was created). Upon completion, the film was scanned to 35 mm internegative stock framed at the 1.85:1 aspect ratio for its original theatrical release. For this new Ultra HD, it appears that original negative has itself been scanned in 4K to create a new Digital Intermediate, with new grading for high dynamic range in Dolby Vision. Essentially all of the detail—such as there is—that’s in that original negative is represented here on screen, including all of the line work and faux paper texturing. But there’s also a very light wash of photochemical grain that’s natural and organic looking at all times. Colors are well saturated and all of the subtle variations in hues and shading that were present in the original digital animation are visible. Beyond that, there’s not really much else to say. HDR expands the color and contrast space a little, but given the nature of this animation the improvements are very subtle. The film certainly looks great, and arguably better than it ever has before, but no one is going to mistake this for a reference quality 4K image—it’s just not that kind of film.

Likewise, the film’s English audio, which is included here in the same 5.1 Dolby TrueHD mix found on the original 2009 Blu-ray release (reviewed here at The Bits) sounds very good indeed. The soundstage is pleasingly wide, but largely front focused, with the surround channels engaged lightly for a bit of atmospherics, some occasional directional cues, and musical ambience. Clarity and fidelity are good as well, and the music sounds great from start to finish. Note that the 4K disc includes English 5.1 Dolby TrueHD and French 5.1 Dolby Digital, with optional subtitles in English for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and French. The Blu-ray disc in the package also includes the English 5.1 Dolby TrueHD mix but that’s all, with subs available in English (this is Sing-a-Long text) and English for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing only.

Paramount’s new Ultra HD package is a 2-disc set that includes the film in 4K as well as 1080p HD on Blu-ray. (Note that this is a newly-authored disc, with new menus and encoding, not the same BD released in 2009.) There are no extras on the 4K disc itself, but the Blu-ray adds the following special features…

• Audio Commentary with Matt Stone and Trey Parker
• What Would Brian Boitano Do? Music Video (SD – 2:44)
• Teaser Trailer (HD – :55)
• Theatrical Trailer #1 (HD – 1:32)
• Theatrical Trailer #2 (SD – 1:51)

These features are identical to those found on the 2009 Blu-ray, including the full-length audio commentary which was recorded specifically for that disc. It’s a very funny track. Trey and Matt joke, laugh, and tell great stories, then start inviting in other staffers and just about anyone who happened to be in the building at the time... whether they worked on the film or not. (“Wow, I can’t believe it’s been ten years since I didn’t work on this film!”) You get the idea. The commentary is a hoot. Also included are a trio of trailers in HD, and the original 1999 DVD’s music video. You also get a Digital Copy code on a paper insert, though it only redeems at Fandango at Home (ex Vudu).

...

To be fair, I’m not sure how much that experience really needed (or benefits from) a 4K Ultra HD upgrade, but what the hell—it’s like $23 on sale. If you really love this film, there are worse ways to spend your cash. And it makes a nice double-feature with Parker and Stone’s Team America: World Police which is also now available in 4K Ultra HD from Paramount (see our review here). Enjoy!

The Stanley Cup Finals might be over tonight, but you can catch some on-ice action this summer when Jean-Claude Van Damme's "Die Hard at a hockey game" action classic Sudden Death checks into 4K Blu-ray. Kino Lorber's two-disc set will be released on August 27.

The set will be centered around a brand-new HDR Dolby Vision master from a 16-bit 4K scan of the 35mm original camera negative. It will include an all-new audio commentary by action movie historian Mike Leeder and I Am VengeanceRoss Boyask. It will also include a number of archival special features, including contemporary interviews with stars Van Damme, Powers Boothe (Tombstone), and Ross Malinger (Sleepless in Seattle), and director Peter Hyams (Outland); behind-the-scenes footage; and the film's original theatrical trailer and TV spot. The set will retail for $26.57, and can be preordered at KinoLorber.com.

Fans were quick to dub Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers this summer’s undeniable hit, circulating fan edits and memes about (spoiler!) throuples, and writing fan fiction en masse on sites like Archive of Our Own and Wattpad.

The movie’s production team invited the stans behind the scenes with a video diary series on Instagram, as well as with new featurettes about some of the more technical aspects of filming certain tennis scenes popping up on X.

But when the Challengers Blu-ray was announced on May 16, it included no bonus content—it’s not even being released in 4K.

Fans weren’t just upset, they were downright baffled. Cinephiles voiced their deep disappointment in the release—specifically citing the lack of bonus features, cast commentary, interviews, and gag reels.

The outcry makes it clear that fans want these extras to exist as more than just ephemeral fodder on social media. They want ownership over the intimate details of a movie they love. A comment on the Challengers Instagram isn’t enough; fans want the high-res film clips of the three leads being cute together behind the scenes to watch for all eternity. So why won’t these studios give that to them?

...

“It’s no longer simply about men in their basement wanting to see Iron Man,” John Rotella, SVP of sales at Shout! Studios, said. “You have to be really, really careful. You have to really do your due diligence in really capturing everything. So you have to have people on staff that are hyperdetailed and fully aware of the extras that you need.”

More and more of these labels are finding ways to pack value into their offerings, with their own teams sourcing interviews and photos, commissioning new art, and more. Some labels deal exclusively in genre films, some focus on “the classics,” some don’t have a direction at all—but they all provide a high-quality product that doesn’t exist on any of the major streaming platforms, and that is luring in even the casual collector.