Please see the release calendar for releases from countries outside the US.
For the week of March 13th, Lionsgate Home Entertainment will release a Blu-ray for Darren Aronofsky's The Whale, starring Brendan Fraser, Sadie Sink, Ty Simpkins, Samantha Morton, Hong Chau and Ryan Heinke. Once a star of family comedies and action films, Brendan Fraser virtually disappeared from cinema screens in the 2010s, eventually turning to television roles, but his lead performance in The Whale, for which won an Oscar for Best Actor, has received near-universal acclaim, even as some reviewers took issue with the film's presentation of his character, an English teacher who has become so morbidly obese that he spends virtually all day on his couch, walks with the aid of a walker and never leaves his apartment. Somewhat unusually, the film opened in limited release for several weeks, until it expanded to 1500 screens and suddenly grossed $11 million dollars during its sixth week in release, with many putting the film's success down to buzz over Fraser's comeback to major roles in films. In addition to Fraser's win, the film also won the Oscar for Best Makeup and Hairstyling, while Hong Chau was nominated for Best Supporting Actress.
Lionsgate's Blu-ray of The Whale contains a 24-minute making of and a 7-minute featurette on the film's score. For a full disc breakdown, read Jeffrey Kauffman's Blu-ray review.
Also from Lionsgate this week is a Blu-ray for Mary Nighy's Alice, Darling, starring Anna Kendrick, Kaniehtiio Horn, Charlie Carrick, Wunmi Mosaku and Daniel Stolfi.
Description: Oscar nominee Anna Kendrick (Best Supporting Actress, Up in the Air, 2009) is Alice in this taut thriller about a woman pushed to the breaking point by her psychologically abusive boyfriend, Simon. While on vacation with two close girlfriends, Alice rediscovers the essence of herself and gains some much-needed perspective. Slowly, she starts to fray the cords of codependency that bind her. But Simon's vengeance is as inevitable as it is shattering – and, once unleashed, it tests Alice's strength, her courage, and the bonds of her deep-rooted friendships.
Lionsgate's Blu-ray of Alice, Darling contains a 10-minute making of. For a full disc breakdown, read Jeffrey Kauffman's Blu-ray review.
Finally from Lionsgate this week is a Blu-ray for The Walking Dead: The Complete Eleventh Season (2021-2022). The six-disc set contains all 24 episodes of the series' eleventh and final season, with Dolby TrueHD 7.1 audio. Extras include two deleted scenes.
New this week from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is a Blu-ray for Marc Forster's A Man Called Otto, starring Tom Hanks, John Higgins, Lily Kozub, Mack Bayda and Cameron Britton.
Official description: Based on the # 1 New York Times bestseller "A Man Called Ove," A Man Called Otto tells the story of Otto Anderson (Tom Hanks), a grump who no longer sees purpose in his life following the loss of his wife. Otto is ready to end it all, but his plans are interrupted when a lively young family moves in next door, and he meets his match in quick-witted Marisol. She challenges him to see life differently, leading to an unlikely friendship that turns his world around. A heartwarming and funny story about love, loss, and life, A Man Called Otto shows that family can sometimes be found in the most unexpected places.
Sony's Blu-ray of A Man Called Otto contains a making of featurette, a "Till You're Home" music video, the featurette In the Studio with Rita Wilson and Sebastian Yatra and a deleted scene.
New this week from RLJE Films is a Blu-ray for Rebekah McKendry's Glorious, starring Ryan Kwanten, J.K. Simmons, Tordy Clark and Sylvia Grace Kim.
Description: A heartbroken man finds himself trapped in a bathroom with a strange voice who says he may be the only hope in stopping a terrible event.
RLJE Films' Blu-ray of Glorious contains DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio. For a full disc breakdown, read Randy Miller's Blu-ray review.
New this week from RLJE Films,in association with Shudder, is a Blu-ray for Alison Locke's The Apology, starring Anna Gunn, Linus Roache, and Janeane Garofalo.
Label description: Twenty years after the disappearance of her daughter, recovering alcoholic Darlene Hagan (Anna Gunn) is preparing to host her family's Christmas celebration again with the help of her friend and neighbor, Gretchen (Janeane Garofalo). Late Christmas Eve, Darlene's estranged ex-brother-in-law, Jack (Linus Roache) arrives unannounced, bearing nostalgic gifts and a heavy secret. Soon, Darlene finds herself caught between reason and ruthless instinct. Trapped together by a dangerous storm, a battle of wits escalates to a violent game of revenge.
RLJE Films' Blu-ray of The Apology contains a making of featurette.
New this week on Blu-ray from Paramount Home Media Distribution is The Lost Symbol: The Complete Series, starring Ashley Zukerman, Eddie Izzard, Valorie Curry, Beau Knapp and Rick Gonzalez.
Synopsis: Based on Dan Brown's international bestselling thriller "The Lost Symbol," the series follows the early adventures of young Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon (Ashley Zukerman), who must solve a series of deadly puzzles to save his kidnapped mentor and thwart a chilling global conspiracy.
Also coming from Paramount is a 4K UHD upgrade for Jon Amiel's The Core (2003). Paramount presents the film with Dolby Vision HDR and DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio.
New on Blu-ray from Music Box Films is Martika Ramirez Escobar's Leonor Will Never Die, starring Sheila Francisco, Bong Cabrera and Rocky Salumbides.
Label description: Leonor Reyes was once a groundbreaking figure in the Filipino film industry during its ragtag action cinema glory days, but now she struggles with old age, mounting bills, and the untimely death of her son. While revisiting an unfinished script about a fearless protagonist trying to avenge his brother's murder, Leonor is struck on the head by a falling television set and knocked into a coma. As she lies unconscious in the hospital, fantasy and reality begin to blur when Leonor finds herself awake inside her script, becoming the hero of her own story. An innovative blend of pulpy action homages, playful comedy, and touching family drama, Leonor Will Never Die is a wonderfully imaginative tribute to the art of filmmaking.
Music Box's Blu-ray of Leonor Will Never Die contains an audio commentary and video interviews with Martika Ramirez Escobar, Pusong Bato, one of Escobar's short films, image galleries and a theatrical trailer. For a full disc breakdown, read Jeffrey Kauffman's Blu-ray review.
Turning to catalog titles, Shout Factory have a 4K UHD upgrade for Walter Hill's Streets of Fire (1984), starring Michael Paré, Diane Lane, Willem Dafoe, Rick Moranis and Amy Madigan. Sourced from a new 4K scan of the original camera negative, Shout presents Streets of Fire with a new Dolby Atmos audio remix, or DTS-HD MA 4.1 and 2.0 audio options, along with Dolby Vision HDR on the 4K UHD disc. A third disc replicates the extensive extras from the 2017 Shout Collector's Edition Blu-ray, including two feature-length documentaries, vintage featurettes, music videos, and more.
Then from Shout on Blu-ray comes Russell Mulcahy's Razorback (1984), starring Gregory Harrison, Arkie Whiteley, Bill Kerr, Chris Haywood and David Argue. Sourced from a 4K master created by Australia's Umbrella Entertainment, Shout presents Razorback with DTS-HD MA 5.1 or 2.0 Mono audio options. Extras include new audio commentary by film critics / historians Lee Gambin And Jarret Gahan, while archival extras include audio commentary by Russell Mulcahy and Shayne Armstrong, an audio interview with Gregory Harrison, Jaws on Trotters: The Making of Razorback, A 4:3 VHS cut of the film and more.
Also this week, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment adds four more titles to the Warner Archive Collection. They are:
Anatole Litvak's Confessions of a Nazi Spy (1939), starring Edward G. Robinson, Francis Lederer, George Sanders, Paul Lukas, Henry O'Neill and Dorothy Tree.
Description: FBI agent Ed Renard (Edward G. Robinson) goes on the hunt for a Nazi spy ring bent on subverting the citizenry of America. Beginning with Nazi rabble-rouser Kurt Schneider (Francis Lederer), Renard uses his well-honed instincts to find his way to the ring leader of the espionage campaign, Dr. Karl Kassell (Paul Lukas). With the Nazi secret police rounding up any security leaks and passing them back to Germany, Renard races to extract the information that will bring down the conspiracy.
Michael Curtiz's Flamingo Road (1949), starring Joan Crawford, Zachary Scott, Sydney Greenstreet, David Brian, Gladys George and Virginia Huston.
Description: Dancer Lane Bellamy (Joan Crawford) tours with a carnival, but is deserted in Boldon City when they flee to avoid their debts. Deputy Fielding Carlisle (Zachary Scott) arrives and, secretly smitten with her, helps Lane find employment as a waitress. However, scheming Sheriff Titus Semple's (Sydney Greenstreet) ambitious plans for Fielding to become a rep in the state legislature do not include his dating an itinerant woman, so he runs her out of town. Lane seeks revenge, but at what cost?
Edward Buzzell's Neptune's Daughter (1949), starring Esther Williams, Red Skelton, Ricardo Montalban, Betty Garrett, Keenan Wynn and Xavier Cugat.
Description: Aquatic dancer Eve Barrett (Esther Williams), now partnered with Joe Backett (Keenan Wynn) in a swimsuit design company, tries to prevent her sister, Betty (Betty Garrett), from falling in love with Jose O'Rourke (Ricardo Montalban), a suave South American polo player. Unbeknownst to Eve, Betty has actually fallen for Jack Spratt (Red Skelton), a masseuse who is posing as Jose. To protect her sister, Eve finds the real Jose, agrees to a date and also falls in love.
Laurence Olivier's The Prince and the Showgirl (1957), starring Marilyn Monroe, Laurence Olivier, Sybil Thorndike, Richard Wattis, Esmond Knight and Maxine Audley.
Description: A traveling party of royals from central Europe arrives in England in 1911, as the host country prepares to celebrate the coronation of a new king. But when the visiting Regent (Laurence Olivier) goes to a musical theater, his attraction to American performer Elsie (Marilyn Monroe) makes it hard to stay focused. Soon, Elsie learns of a potential coup in the Regent's home country, and it's up to her to smooth things out -- or watch as the nation hurtles toward instability.
Finally this week, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has a 4K UHD upgrade for Brenda Chapman, Steve Hickner and Simon Wells' The Prince of Egypt (1998), starring Val Kilmer, Ralph Fiennes, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sandra Bullock, Jeff Goldblum and Danny Glover. Sourced from a new master, Universal presents The Prince of Egypt with HDR and a DTS:X object-based surround audio track (with a DTS-HD MA 7.1 core). An included Blu-ray also contains archival audio commentary and video extras.
Day One for lots of the catalog titles and boutique titles, plus I’m finally picking up that Top Gun SteelBook set, Everything Everywhere All At Once, and a slew of other OOP discs this week.
The Prince of Egypt and The Whale for me! My copy of The Prince of Egypt arrived on Saturday and it looks pretty darn good on 4K U.H.D. -- not perfect, but better than the Blu-ray. My copy of The Whale arrives today and I'm looking forward to watching it AT HOME.
The Prince of Egypt 4K BD for me this week. Will be a great addition to my 4K-collection and one of the few remaining great animated movies I wish for in 4K (the others are The Secret of NIMH, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Anastasia).
The Whale is really good. Both Brendan and Hong Chau. I know the daughter is supposed to be a brat (to say the least) - but her performance is too over the top for me to revisit this much.
Walking Dead for me, but I will wait for the eventual $10-12 sale. It may not be until November, but I'm patient, and I have it parked on the DVR for now.