June 25, 2009
E1 has announced Tom Loughlin's Billy Jack quartet - The Born Losers (1967), Billy Jack (1971), The Trial of Billy Jack (1974), and Billy Jack Goes to Washington (1977) - will return to DVD Aug. 5th in a 4-disc set titled The Complete Billy Jack Collection, and will retail for $36.99 in Canada. Billy Jack was originally released by Warner Bros., whereas the full quartet made its DVD debut in a boxed set from Ventura, back in 2000 and again in 2005 in a remastered 35th Anniversary Edition. Whereas E1's Billy Jack will include 2 filmmaker commentary tracks (recorded for the 2000 and 2005 editions) on both the DVD ($18.99) and Blu-ray ($29.99) editions, there are no details regarding specific extras for the other three films.
E1 will also distribute Blue Underground's BR edition of Circle of Iron, staring John Carradine, slated to street June 30th.
Alliance will release the powerful drama Polytechnique Aug. 25th on DVD and BR, although there's no word on whether either release will include the English and French versions shot simultaneously.
Maple Picturtes is releasing a trio of horror films this summer on DVD: Frayed (Aug. 25), Last Resort (Aug. 11), and Cravings (Aug. 4), starring Jaime Winstone (Dead Set, Donkey Punch). On Sept. 15, Season 1 of Mick Garris' NBC TV series Fear Itself (2008) arrives on DVD in a 4-disc set, while a Special Edition of Mad Monster Party is released Sept. 8.
The label also brings the 1954 Kirk Douglas classic Ulysses (Aug. 4) back in print on DVD.
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June 23, 2009
Mya Communications returns with some new and old naughty Italian sexploitation gems, plus a few shockers. Coming out June 30th is Edwige Fenech's 1972 film Ubalda: All Naked and Warm / Quel gran pezzo dell'Ubalda tutta nuda e tutta calda (reissued from the old NoShame catalogue), Gloria Guida's screen debut in Monika / La ragazzina (1974), Joe D'Amato's Horrible / aka Absurd / Rosso sangue (1981), and Sergio Martino's Island of the Fishermen / L'isola degli uomini pesce (1979), which was originally released in North America as the edited/reshot Screamers, but did enjoy an uncut release in Europe as a Region 2 DVD via NoShame.
July 28th brings Arizona Colt Returns / Arizona si scatenò... e li fece fuori tutti (1970), Sergio Martino's sequel to Arizona Colt (1966), and the 1986 film Devil in the Flesh (another reissued NoShame title). On August 25th the label will release Lamberto Bava's TV movie Dinner with a Vampire / Brivido giallo - A cena col vampiro (1988), Pilar Velázquez in Italian Sex / Sesso in testa (1974), and Florinda Bolkan and Antonio Sabato in Mafia Connection / aka Black Lemons / E venne il giorno dei limoni neri (1970).
Also listed at a Mya blog are a pair of September titles: Lamberto Bava's 1987 film Until Death / Fino alla morte (released by NoShame as a Region 2 DVD), the efficiently titled Naked and Violent / America cosi nuda, cosi violenta (1970), and Lucifera: Demon Lover / L'Amante del demonio (1972).
Also of note is the Mr. Bongo Films re-release of The Saragossa Manuscript, previously available from Image Entertainment in 2001. The new DVD reportedly includes just a still gallery, and lacks extras that remain unique to the out of print Image DVD - an isolated music score and extensive liner notes by Darren Gross. Mr. Bongo Films is a UK-based label and distributor that also carries additional art house titles, and Saragossa seems to be the first that's being handled in North American by Facets Multimedia.
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June 16, 2009
On July 14th Anchor Bay will release in Canada Coco Chanel, followed by the comedy Bart Got a Room on July 28th
Volume 2 of t he BBC's Primeval arrives on DVD via Warner Bros. Sept. 15 ($39.98). WB will also release Karloff and Lugosi Classics, a set featuring Frankenstein 1970 (1958), The Walking Dead (1936), You'll Find Out (1940) and Zombies on Broadway (1945) . Greg Mank and Tom Weaver will reportedly provide commentary tracks.
Disney will release their enviro-themed Earth on BR ($29.99) and DVD ($39.99) September 1st
Fox's Delgo DVD streets August 4th ($22.98), and coming on BR are a wave of TV series: My Name is Earl: Season 4 ($59.99) on Sept. 15, and The Unit: Season 4 ($69.99) on Sept. 29
Coming September 15th from Paramount on Blu-ray are Deep Impact, Escape from L.A., The Firm, 48 HRS., K-19: The Widowmaker, The Score and Varsity Blues.
Streeting on standard DVD the same day are several 'official' TV series releases (which can be interpreted as sets made from Paramount's own archives, and meant to usurp the attention and wallets of collectors who've been snapping up the public domain collections currently on the market). Announced titles include Season 1, Vols. 1 and 2 of Bonanza; the full Season 7 of CSI: Miami, and Season 1 of (apparently) the original One Step Beyond.
Good news for fans of the old anthology sci-fi series, but one question really stands out: why arte studios sticking with this unnecessary two-volume release plan for older TV series. If Mission: Impossible can be released in single season boxed sets (that do sell), why is Paramount trying consumer and fan patience by splitting up some series in two parts? What is the purpose if fans are the ones buying the shows? Is it meant to test the market, or does it indicate studio nervousness for some shows, even though the video masters have already been struck and are likely ready for the pressing plant?
Fox may be the culprit who introduced the process after the second season of Lost in Space popped up in two volume boxes - either an effort to make a few extra dollars by boosting the price of inherently costlier-to-manufacture two-part sets, or some nervousness over whether fans would want to 'taste' a series in smaller doses. If fans are the ones buying the series, doesn't it make sense to offer a full season set, since that's what the fans will buy anyways? One would think Bonanza - one of the longest running prime series - would have a bigger audience than One Step Beyond, a cult series, unless the Bonanza release strategy is merely to extract a few extra dollars. Either way, the release plan is senseless and ultimately frustrating to consumers.
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June 5, 2009
Here's some quick details regarding up-and-coming titles slated for Canadian release in August with dates and SRP pricing (when available):
- Cadavres, the latest film from director Eric Cannuel (Bon Cop, Bad Cop) comes out July 21st via Paradox (price TBA)
- the second part of Steven Soderbergh's Che, "Guerilla," will be released by E1 Films Aug. 4th ($29.99), about three weeks after the June 14th release of Part 1, "The Argentine." Also from the label comes Gomorrah on Aug. 4th ($32.99), while Alliance will release the next title in the Weinstein Company's Dragon Dynasty series, An Empress and the Warriors (price TBA), and Seven Media Films will carry Nature's Grace ($30.99), the latest film by Jamie Blanks (Storm Warning)
- after a long delay, Waltzing with Bashir will appear via E1 (Entertainment One) Films Aug. 11 (price TBA), while KOCH will release Andrzej Wajda's latest film, Katyn (price TBA) on the same day
- TVA will release The Mutant Chronicles in Aug. on DVD ($25.99) and Blu-ray ($33.99)
- after a limited release in U.S. theatres back in April and apparently never released to theatres in Canada, Brett Easton Ellis' The Informers goes straight to DVD Aug. 25th ($34.95) via E1 Films
And while the standard DVD edition of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) returns to DVD Nov. 24th, here's some details on how Disney will divide up the 2-disc Blu-ray editions, all of which will street far earlier on Oct. 6th:
- the following features will be exclusive to the BR release: "Magic Mirror," a feature that keeps track of a viewer's history and suggests what areas to explore next in the film; "Disney View," where artist Toby Bluth shares how the classic film inspired him; "Mirror, Mirror on the Wall," where a viewer can create a personal message that can be relayed by a princess via telephone; "Scene Stealer," which allows a viewer to upload a personal photo and appear as one of the seven dwarfs; "Hyperion Studios," a featurette on the studio where the film was made; and two games - "What Do You See?" and "Jewel Jumble"
- the Diamond Edition ($47.99) will contain the 2-disc BR edition plus a single standard DVD edition, and ultimate fans will have their choice of three gift sets: a Limited Collector's Set ($279.99) which houses the DVDs in a gift box, with collectible art and toys; a Collector's Book ($68.99); and a Seven Dwarfs Plush Gift Set ($89.99) with the movie, and plush toys of the characters in a carrying gift box