Posted Sun Dec 10, 2023 at 09:00 AM PST by D. LaFontaine
We did warn you last week, there is no other way to say it, this week's ultrahd (and blu-ray) guide may be ultra-dangerous to your wallets. We have a couple of notable imports, Cowabunga! (pizza sold separately), more Disney+ to disc, FNAF, Netflix movie to disc, and a ton more, and that's just 4K. Blu-rays are also coming out the ears with more than 60 titles.
Welcome to Volume 4 Episode 28 of our weekly release guide. A look at the highlights of what's coming to disc the week of December 10th - December 16th, as well as a look at announcements from last week.
Import Monday kicks off with a new release first, The Wandering Earth II as a UK SteelBook from Cine-Asia. According to their FaceBook page, there will be an English dub on this release, just like their prior blu-ray release. It is unknown at this time if Well Go USA will follow through with a 4K release in the near future, but for now they have just a blu-ray scheduled.
Next, not a long wait from the Part 1 release, Nadia: Secret of the Blue Water: Part 2 is available on Monday.
After a short delay, Child's Play Collection from Arrow UK is also available on Monday. Read the disclaimer before buying. It's a nice looking set, adding a 4K disc from Shout Factory for the first movie would be a pretty simple solution.
Delayed until January, Second Sight's release of High Tension. Maybe by then Criterion (or LionsGate) will also announce a US release.
On to domestic releases, and starting with new releases first, and sorted by Rotten Tomatoes rankings seems the be a good way to proceed.
If you were ready to shout cowabunga!, you were correct in the rankings. Scoring at 96%, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. This one is available as a Standard Edition, a Standard SteelBook Edition and as a Walmart Exclusive SteelBook Edition. Odd that both SteelBooks have the same cover art, but that's OK.
Next, another streaming exclusive coming to disc, Disney's The Mandalorian, which gets a RT score of 90%. This series is available as a SteelBook, season sold separately, Season One and Season Two.
Next, scoring a 66 at RT, sci-fi/war film The Creator, available via 20th Century Studios.
The final new release of the week is Five Nights at Freddy's. This one scored a 31 at RT, but audiences felt it was an 87. It's that critic<>average Joe disparity we are seeing here. Work of art, NO, fun film, YES.
How about a new(ish) release section this week?
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio comes to us from Netflix and via the Criterion Collection.
And another streaming to disc feature, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story comes to us from The Roku Channel and via Shout Factory. Thank me for this release, I imported the Umbrella Entertainment version way back when.
Now for catalog titles, Clue (1985) comes to us via Shout Factory.
Kino Lorber has a pair of releases this week, John Woo's action/crime film Face/Off, and the horror/mystery Suspect Zero.
Well Go USA has 4K upgrades of The Man from Nowhere and The Wailing.
Decal Releasing is offering up Oldboy (2003/Directed by Park Chan-wook) on a Collector's 4K disc as well that looks very much like an A24 shop release. Previous blu-ray releases did contain English dubs, so there is a good chance this one will as well.
From Sony Pictures, Spike Lee's School Daze: 35th Anniversary.
Arrow Video's The Warriors got a pushback to December 19th.
Turbine Media Group has The Last Emperor available on Friday in several different options.
Next week, Believer, Bloodlines, Kino Cult, JFK, more Avatar!
Blu-ray counterparts of the above 4K releases include Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, The Mandalorian: The Complete First Season, The Complete Second Season, The Creator, Five Nights at Freddy's, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story and Suspect Zero.
Sony Pictures has the 2023 comedy/drama Dumb Money this week.
New this week from Paramount, PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie. Glad to see a blu-ray of this and not DVD only, unlike the two most recent live-action Monster High movies. This isn't 1995, our big screens demand blu-ray or better, thank you.
From the Warner Archive this week, Anna Christie, Gentleman Jim, The Great Ziegfeld, Looney Tunes Collector's Choice: Volume 2, Madame Bovary, A Midwinter's Tale, Saving Grace and Tarzan, the Ape Man.
Anime highlights include A Couple of Cuckoos Season 1 Part 2, I'm the Villainess So I'm Taming the Final Boss and One Piece - Collection 33.
From Criterion this week, The Red Balloon and Other Stories: Five Films by Albert Lamorisse.
Debuting to blu-ray via Arrow Video, The Day of the Locust.
Arrow Video Shaw Brothers sets this week include Shaw Brothers Presents: The Basher Box, Shaw Brothers Presents: Four Films by Chang Cheh and Shaw Brothers Presents: Four Films by Lau Kar-Leung.
If you have been piecing it together one at a time, this week Shout Factory has Shaun The Sheep: The Complete Series.
Worthy mention: If you seek all things 3D, this week Kino Lorber releases The Man Who Wasn't There to the format. As before, digital 3D and analyph.
Next week in the blu-ray category, a return to normal volume.
I won't say NOTHING happened last week, but it was slow, as expected for the time of year. Lots of onesie twosie reveals, mostly from boutique labels.
Which titles are you buying this week? Which ones are on your wishlist, be it to buy as an impulse buy or to wait for the right price?
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