The Lion King 2019 on 4K and Blu-ray October

~ Justin Sluss

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The 2019 live-action adaptation of “The Lion King” is officially coming to both 4K UHD Blu-ray and Blu-ray Disc on October 22nd via Disney. The film, directed by Jon Favreau, features the voice talents of Donald Glover, Beyonce, Seth Rogen, John Oliver, James Earl Jones, Chiwetel Ejiofor, John Kani, Keegan-Michael Key, Eric Andre, and Billy Eichner. Tech specs for the 4K release include 2160p video in the 1.78:1 aspect ratio with HDR10 form of High Dynamic Range and Dolby Atmos sound. The technical specifications for the Blu-ray include 1080p HD video in the 1.78:1 aspect ratio and DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 sound. Both releases will come in the form of “combo pack” with the 4K getting the Blu-ray counterpart (including extras), the Blu-ray getting the DVD, and a digital code (copy) of the film for each. The 4K UHD Blu-ray and Blu-ray Disc of the film are now both available for preorder over at Amazon. There also will be a 4K Steelbook (pictured below) exclusive to retailer Best Buy, which you can also find available for preorder. In addition to that, retailer Target will be getting the typical exclusive Story Book (pictured below) style packaging that you can find up for preorder as well.

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Bonus materials set to be included on the releases of the film are listed below.

PRE-SELL BONUS:

  • Perfecting the Pride – Join the filmmakers on their research trip to Africa as they immerse themselves in the real world of “The Lion King.” From the animals in the pride, to the smallest of insects and the grasslands in the savanna, experience the attention to detail that brought the film to life.

DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE:

  • Pride Lands Pedia —Dung beetle shares the importance of his “roll” in the African Savanna in a fun, bug’s eye view of the land and its inhabitants.

BLU-RAY & DIGITAL BONUS:

  • The Journey to “The Lion King” –
    • The Music – Go inside the studio with the cast and crew as they work to honor and elevate The Lion King’s beloved music.
    • The Magic – Discover how the filmmakers blended the traditional filmmaking techniques with virtual reality technology to create amazing movie magic.
    • The Timeless Tale – Filmmakers and cast reflect on the story that has moved generations and share how this Lion King carries a proud legacy forward.
  • More to Be Scene – Recording studio and layer-by-layer progressions of some of most iconic moments in “The Lion King.”
    • “Circle of Life” – Peel back the layers of effects and go behind the scenes of this iconic musical moment from the film
    • “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King” – See all the effects, talent and fun that went into creating this vibrant version of “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King” for the movie
    • “Hakuna Matata” – Join Donald Glover (Simba), Seth Rogen (Pumbaa) and Billy Eichner (Timon) in the studio for the making of this memorable scene.
  • Music Videos
    • “Never Too Late” (lyric video) by Elton John
    • “Spirit” performed by Beyoncé Knowles-Carter
  • Filmmaker Introduction
  • Audio Commentary – By Director Jon Favreau.
  • Song Selection
    • “Circle of Life”
    • “I Just Can’t Wait to be King”
    • “Be Prepared”
    • “Hakuna Matata”
    • “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”
    • “Spirit”
    • “Never Too Late”
  • Protect the Pride –Director Jon Favreau, the Lion Recovery Fund and conservationists highlight efforts to protect the majestic lions and their home.

Further below, after the break, you can find the full announcement regarding those upcoming releases of the film.

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2019 horror film Crawl on Blu-ray in October

~ Justin Sluss

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The 2019 horror film “Crawl“ is officially coming to Blu-ray Disc on October 15th via Paramount. The film, produced by Sam Raimi and directed by Alexandre Aja, stars Kaya Scodelario and Barry Pepper. Tech specs for the release have not yet been fully detailed, although you can likely expect a lossless 5.1 mix but stay tuned for an update on that. The release will come in the form of “combo pack” with a DVD and a digital code (copy) of the film. The Blu-ray is now available to preorder over at Amazon. Bonus materials set to be included on the release are listed below.

  •  Intro to Alternate Opening
  • Alternate Opening
  • Deleted and Extended Scenes
  • Beneath Crawl
  • Category 5 Gators: The VFX of Crawl
  • Alligator Attacks

Further below, after the break, you can find the full announcement regarding the upcoming release.

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007 The Daniel Craig Collection on 4K October

~ Justin Sluss

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A “007: The Daniel Craig Collection“ box set is coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray on October 22nd via MGM, according to an early retailer alert. The set contains FOUR of the “007” films that starred Daniel Craig (so far). It’s a bit unclear why they’re choosing to reuse the title again, the same as the Blu-ray set (released earlier this year) when another film has been announced and is coming in 2020? Oh well, “hindsight is 20/20” or perhaps 2020 in this case. However, I digress.

This set does include the following films: “Casino Royale” (2006) directed by Martin Campbell, “Quantum of Solace” (2008) directed by Marc Forster, “Skyfall” (2012) and “Spectre” (2015) directed by Sam Mendes. These films co-starred Judi Dench, Eva Green, Mads Mikkelsen, Jeffrey Wright, Giancarlo Giannini, Caterina Murino, Olga Kurylenko, Mathieu Amalric, Gemma Arterton, Javier Bardem, Bérénice Marlohe, Albert Finney, Christoph Waltz, Léa Seydoux, Ralph Fiennes, Monica Bellucci, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, and Dave Bautista. I know that was rather lengthy but well, someone had to give credit to all of these actors and refresh your memory a bit as well.

The release will come as an 8-Disc set “combo pack” with Blu-ray Discs included for each film (likely to also house the original bonus materials) as well as digital code (copy) of each film. Speaking of which, so far there has not been an official announcement (sent to me) regarding this and as a result, we have no info regarding tech specs or if any new extras will be included on this [doubtful]. Stay tuned though, as I will keep this post updated. The 4K UHD Blu-ray is now available for preorder over at Amazon. Lastly, the release is said to include an “Extended UNRATED” version of the first film featuring Craig (Casino Royale). This has never been featured on the Blu-ray and seems to perhaps be a 4K exclusive? We shall see. Again, stay tuned.

1977 Dario Argento film Suspiria comes to 4K

~ Justin Sluss

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The original 1977 Dario Argento directed horror film “Suspiria“ is officially coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray on November 19th via distributor Synapse Films, as their first 4K release. The Italian film starred Jessica Harper, Stefania Casini, Flavio Bucci, Miguel Bosé, and Barbara Magnolfi. Tech specs for the release include 2160p video in the 2.39:1 aspect ratio in a 4K restoration with HDR10 form of High Dynamic Range. In regards to sound there is a new Dolby Atmos remix as well as the original Italian 5.1, the English mixes in both 4.0 and 5.1 configurations via DTS-HD Master Audio (96kHz).

You can now find the 4K UHD Blu-ray available for preorder over at Amazon, as well as over at DiabolikDVD. The release will include a Blu-ray Disc which contains bonus materials on the previous Blu-ray release of the film. Those extras set to be included in this release are listed below.

  • Two audio commentaries by authors and Argento scholars, Derek Botelho, David Del Valle and Troy Howarth.
  • Do You Know Anything About Witches? – 30 minute SUSPIRIA visual essay written, edited and narrated by Michael Mackenzie.
  • Suzy in Nazi Germany – Featurette on the German locations from SUSPIRIA.
  • A Sigh from the Depths: 40 Years of SUSPIRIA – All-new anniversary retrospective on the making of the film and its influence on cinema.
  • Olga’s Story – Interview with star Barbara Magnolfi.
  • Original theatrical trailers, TV spots and radio spots.
  • “International Classics” English “Breathing Letters” opening credit sequence from the U.S. release.
  • Alternate all-English opening and closing credits sequences, playable via seamless branching.
  • Reversible cover art by Wes Benscoter

Further below, after the break, you can find a bit further details about the release taken from the Amazon description. You also can find the artwork and the reversible artwork as well. Lastly, you can find info about this as originally reported as an exclusive over at Rue-Morgue.

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Hammer film The Devil Rides Out on Blu-ray

~ Justin Sluss

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The 1968 Hammer film “The Devil Rides Out“ is coming to Blu-ray Disc on October 29th via Scream Factory. The film, directed by Terence Fisher, starred Christopher Lee, Charles Gray, Nike Arrighi, Leon Greene, Patrick Mower, and Gwen Ffrangcon Davies. Tech specs for the release include 1080p HD video in the 1.66:1 aspect ratio with DTS-HD Master Audio Mono sound. The film is presented in a “NEW 2K scan of the 20th Century Fox interpositive” and also included is the Studio Canal restored master.” The title on Blu-ray is now available for preorder over at Amazon. Bonus materials set to be included on the release have just been revealed today and include the following.

  • NEW Audio Commentary with author/film historian Steve Haberman, filmmaker/film historian Constantine Nasr and author/screenwriter Richard Christian Matheson
  • NEW Satanic Shocks – author/film historian Kim Newman discusses THE DEVIL RIDES OUT
  • NEW Folk Horror Goes Haywire – author/film historian Jonathan Rigby discusses THE DEVIL RIDES OUT
  • Audio Commentary with actors Christopher Lee and Sarah Lawson
  • Black Magic: The Making of THE DEVIL RIDES OUT
  • Dennis Wheatley at Hammer
  • World of Hammer episode – HAMMER
  • Theatrical Trailers
  • Still Gallery

Further below, after the break, you can find the full details regarding this upcoming release.

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Hobbs & Shaw on 4K and Blu-ray in November

~ Justin Sluss

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The 2019 sequel “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw” is officially coming to both 4K UHD Blu-ray and Blu-ray Disc on November 5th via Universal. The film, directed by David Leitch, features a cast of Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Idris Elba, Vanessa Kirby, Cliff Curtis, and Helen Mirren. Tech specs for the 4K release include 2160p video in the 2.39:1 aspect ratio with HDR10, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision forms of High Dynamic Range as well as Dolby Atmos sound. The tech specs for the Blu-ray include 1080p video in the 2.39:1 aspect ratio with Dolby Atmos sound. Both releases will come in the form of “combo pack” with the 4K getting a Blu-ray, the Blu-ray getting a DVD, and both a digital (code) copy of the film included. You can find the 4K UHD Blu-ray and the Blu-ray Disc both available for pre-order now over at Amazon. It’s worth noting that retailer Best Buy will be getting an Exclusive 4K Steelbook for the release (pictured below) which is also available for pre-order now.

fast_and_furious_presents_hobbs_and_shaw_4k_steelbookBonus materials set to be included on the releases feature “80+ minutes” of extras such as an Alternate Opening, Deleted Scenes, and “even more content not seen in theaters.” That being said, no actual list of bonus content has been detailed yet – even on the back of the packaging.

Further below, after the break, you can find the full announcement regarding the upcoming home video releases of the film.

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RoboCop Limited Edition Blu-ray in November

~ Justin Sluss

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The 1987 Paul Verhoeven directed film “RoboCop” will be getting Limited Edition box set and Steelbook Blu-ray Disc releases on November 26th via Arrow Video. The film starred Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Dan O’Herlihy, Ronny Cox, Ray Wise, and Kurtwood Smith. The tech specs for the limited edition Blu-ray included 1080p video in the original 1.85:1 aspect ratio from a director-approved 4K restoration with lossless Stereo and 4.0 as well as DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound. This release will include both the Director’s Cut and Theatrical Cut of the film. You can find the Limited Edition Blu-ray box set and the Limited Edition Steelbook Blu-ray (pictured below) both available for pre-order now over at Amazon.

The Limited Edition Blu-ray box set version will include some physical bonus materials in the form of a booklet, a reversible sleeve, six collectible postcards, and a double-sided fold-out poster (pictured below).

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Below, after the break, you can find details about this 4K restoration, the audio mixes, and finally see a full list of the bonus materials set to be included on the 2-disc set.

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