March 26, 2019: This Week on DVD, Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD
By Silas Lesnick | Mar 26, 2019
The king of Atlantis leads the charge for new releases this week as James Wan's DC Comics megahit Aquaman swims to DVD, Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD. Then, there's Jennifer Lopez headlining the comedy drama Second Act. Rounding out the list of new releases is director Jon S. Baird's loving tribute to one of the most iconic talent pairs that ever existed with Stan & Ollie. A virtually unrecognizable John C. Reilly and Steve Coogan star as Oliver Hardy and Stan Laurel. Moviebill even had the opportunity to tour some real world Laurel & Hardy filming locations, so check back tomorrow for our full report.
Stephen King's bone chilling terror gets an impressive restoration for the 4K release of director Mary Lambert's Pet Sematary. The film looks better than it ever has and, the best part is, no evil Wendigo magic needed to be invoked to get it that way! In addition to looking utterly pristine, the new disc also includes some great bonus features, including a feature length commentary track with Lambert.
The Criterion Collection has two new additions this week, starting with Robert Zemeckis' debut feature, 1978's I Wanna Hold Your Hand. The comedy is set in 1964 and follows six teens who go to extraordinary lengths to try and get into The Beatles' legendary performance on "The Ed Sullivan Show". Then, the 2002 Mexican drama Japon makes its Blu-ray debut. The film, from director Carlos Reygadas, follows a man on his journey towards suicide, only to make a chance encounter that has him reconsidering the value of life.
Shout! Factory's Shout Select line has an incredible treat for fans of martial arts cinema with their Street Fighter Collection. The set includes the original The Street Fighter and both sequels, Return of the Street Fighter and The Street Fighter's Last Revenge. All three films boast new 2K scans and even offer new interviews with star Sonny Chiba.
Also arriving this week from the Shout Select label is the 1986 Neil Simon adaptation Brighton Beach Memoirs. Starring Jonathan Silverman, the comedy delivers easily relatable moments about growing up in Brooklyn and coming of age alongside an American family.
An early Robert Wise film, The Body Snatcher debuts on blu-ray from Shout! Factory's Scream Factory label. Both Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi star in the 1945 horror thriller, produced by the legendary master of the genre, Val Lewton. Also arriving this week from Scream Factory is 1985's Warning Sign. Directed by Hal Barwood, Warning Sign stars Sam Waterston, Kathleen Quinlan and Yaphet Kotto, the thriller follows a group of workers at a pharmaceutical manufacturer who have to race against time to prevent a deadly viral outbreak.
Satoishi Kon, the late Japanese filmmaker responsible for animated masterpieces like Paprika, Millennium Actress and Tokyo Godfathers, made his feature film debut in 1997 with Perfect Blue, the story of a pop star turned actress whose fame causes her to lose her grip on reality as a murderous stalker goes after people in her life. An intense psychological thriller, Perfect Blue boasts newly created special features and a new, remastered transfer for the film itself.
Arrow Video has another impressive box set for horror fans with Blood Hunger: The Films Of Jose Larraz. Three early films from the underappreciated Spanish filmmaker are collected, including 1970's Whirlpool, 1974's Vampyres and 1978's The Coming of Sin. All three films boast feature length audio commentaries and a host of supplemental material.
It's a very busy week for Kino Lorber and their Studio Classics label. Douglar Sirk's 1957 melodrama The Tarnished Angels makes its blu-ray debut alongside a 3D edition of 1954's jungle adventure Jivaro. There's also a newly restored edition of Sergio Leone's second "Man with No Name" film, For a Few Dollars More, as well John Frankenheimer's 1973 contribution to the American Film Theatre, a feature adaptation of Eugene O'Neill's stageplay, The Iceman Cometh.
The first four of Bing Crosby and Bob Hope's famous "road" comedies arrive on Blu-ray, thanks to Kino Lorber's Studio Classics label. Look for 1940's Road to Singapore, 1941's Road to Zanzibar, 1942's Road to Morocco, and 1945's Road to Utopia.
Having already delivered a special edition of Albert Pyun's cult classic Nemesis, the MVD Rewind Collection turns its attention to all three sequels. The Nemesis Sequel Trilogy offers more Pyun fun with 1995's Nemesis 2: Nebula, 1998's Nemesis 3: Prey Harder and Nemesis 4: Death Angel.
It's William Shatner versus an arachnid army in the 1977 creature feature Kingdom of the Spiders. Directed by John "Bud" Cardos, the film finally gets an HD release with a brand new 2K transfer and a feature length audio commentary by star Tiffany Bolling and producer Igo Kantor.
Meet Chucky again for the first time in the full 'Child's Play' trailer
Mark Hamill voices the killer doll in the new take on the horror franchise, in theaters June 21.
Explore a world of Pokemon with new 'Detective Pikachu' stills
When there's a mystery that needs solving, it's time to call the fuzz.
Disney's live action 'Aladdin' teams with Make-a-Wish and reveals new footage
The live action take on the animated classic hits theaters May 24
Prepare for this Friday's magical adventure with four 'Little' clips
Regina Hall and Marsai Martin are both playing the same role in the April 12 release.