Jack Reacher, Christine & Van Wilder in 4K, plus Young Sheldon, the final Universal Monster BD sets & much more

Monday, 11 June 2018 17:20

Jack Reacher, Christine & Van Wilder in 4K, plus Young Sheldon, the final Universal Monster BD sets & much more

by Bill Hunt

Creature from the Black Lagoon: Complete Legacy Collection (Blu-ray Disc)

All right, we’ve got a LOT of ground to cover here on The Bits today. There’s lots of news to catch up on.

First though, I posted my reviews of Warner’s Tomb Raider (2018) and Disney’s A Wrinkle in Time in 4K Ultra HD here on The Bits on Friday.

Also, Tim has posted a review of Scream Factory’s new Ninja III: The Domination – Collector’s Edition on Blu-ray.

And in case you missed it when we posted it on Thursday, Michael Coate has turned in a new retrospective History, Legacy & Showmanship column looking back at the 007 film Octopussy in honor of its 35th anniversary.

So do give all of those a look. [Read on here...]

Now... in announcement news today, Paramount has officially set Jack Reacher for release on 4K Ultra HD on 6/26. The 4K disc will include 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and HDR in HDR10. You’ll also get the previous Blu-ray edition with all of its extras.

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has announced a 4K Ultra HD release of John Carpenter’s Christine on 9/11 in honor of the film’s 35th anniversary. It will include HDR10 and Dolby Atmos audio, along with the Blu-ray edition and all of its extras.

Lionsgate has announced the 8/14 4K Ultra HD release of National Lampoon’s Van Wilder (SRP $22.99). The 4K disc will include HDR10 and Dolby Vision high dynamic range, along with Dolby Atmos audio. You’ll also get the previous Blu-ray edition with all of its extras.

And Shout! Factory has announced their scheduled 7/24 4K Ultra HD release of National Parks Adventure and Dream Big: Engineering Our World. Each package will also include the documentaries in Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D.

We’re also hearing that Predator is likely an August title in 4K from 20th Century Fox. We’ve updated the 4K Ultra HD Release List here at The Bits accordingly.

In regular Blu-ray news, here’s something awesome: We’ve confirmed that Universal Studios Home Entertainment is finally going to be releasing the last of their Universal Classic Monsters Blu-ray collections – the Creature from the Black Lagoon: Complete Legacy Collection and The Invisible Man: Complete Legacy Collection – on Blu-ray on 8/28. The Creature set will include Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954), Revenge of the Creature (1955), and The Creature Walks Among Us (1956). Revenge of the Creature has been newly scanned in 4K from the original 35mm left/right camera negative and will be presented in the package on Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D, restored by the 3-D Film Archive. The Invisible Man set will include The Invisible Man (1933), The Invisible Man Returns (1940), The Invisible Woman (1940), Invisible Agent (1942), The Invisible Man’s Revenge (1944), and Abbot and Costello Meet the Invisible Man (1951). SRP for each is $39.98. You can see the cover art and pre-order each below.

Shout Factory has set Quigley Down Under for release as a Shout Select title on Blu-ray on 9/25. They’ve already revealed City Slickers as a new Shout Select title due on 9/11, and they have the Rolling Stone: Stories from the Edge documentary coming that same day as well. Look for their Mac and Me: Collector’s Edition on 8/7. And watch for Power Rangers: Chōjin Sentai Jetman – The Complete Series on DVD on 9/25.

Meanwhile, Scream Factory will release John Boorman’s Exorcist II: The Heretic on Blu-ray on 9/25 as well, featuring two different cuts of the film. Scream is also releasing Brain Dead and The Seventh Sign on 9/11.

By the way, Shout and Scream have a big slate of releases planned for the second half of 2018, and you’ll be able to learn all about their at their San Diego Comic-Con in July, which I’m very honored to have been asked to host again this year. So mark your calendars for Friday, 7/20/18 from 7-8PM in Room: 32AB and we’ll see you there!

Also today, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has set Young Sheldon: The Complete First Season for DVD only release on 9/4, featuring all 22 episodes and 2 featurettes. [Note: The Blu-ray will be released by the Warner Archive.]

Kino Lorber has revealed that John Cromwell’s Made for Each Other (1939) is coming to Blu-ray and DVD this fall as part of their Studio Classics line-up. Also on the way are Gold (1974) and The Inkwell (1994), along with the other titles we mentioned last week.

Mill Creek is releasing Osamu Tezuka’s anime Metropolis in a Blu-ray Steelbook edition on 10/30 (SRP $34.98).

HBO and Cinemax will release Strike Back: Season Five on Blu-ray and DVD on 8/21.

Lionsgate has set Chappaquiddick for release on Blu-ray and DVD on 7/10, with the Digital release due on 7/3. Lean on Pete is due on both Blu-ray and DVD that day as well. Lionsgate also has Shark Week: Sharktacular Adventures coming on DVD only on 7/3, along with a Shark Week: 30th Anniversary Edition on Blu-ray only that same day.

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment will release The Good Doctor: Season One on DVD only on 8/7.

And Ash vs. Evil Dead: Season Three is officially coming from Starz and Anchor Bay on Blu-ray and DVD on 8/21.

Finally today, we need to take a moment to acknowledge the passing of a dear friend of ours here at The Bits: Stacey Locke. As some of you will no doubt remember from our news post in April (linked here), Stacey was a talent young woman who helped us to redesign our website a number of years ago. She was recently diagnosed with cancer and sadly she lost her battle with it this weekend. We’d like to send out all our love, thoughts, and prayers to Stacey’s friends and family in this difficult time. Thank you for everything, Stacey. We miss you terribly. You can read more about Stacey here.

We’ll leave you today with a look at cover artwork for a bunch of the titles mentioned above, with Amazon pre-order links if available (just click on the covers)...

Christine (4K Ultra HD)