Warner has also announced the 11/11 release of a new Batman: 25th Anniversary Two-Disc Edition Blu-ray in “Diamond Luxe” packaging (SRP $24.98). It’s not clear from the press release whether all of the previous special features carry over to this new edition, but there is at least one new feature: The Batman: The Birth of the Modern Blockbuster featurette on the film’s marketing and merchandising.
20th Century Fox is also getting in on the catalog anniversary edition action on 9/9 with a brand new Young Frankenstein: 40th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray. Extras will include audio commentary with director Mel Brooks, interviews with stars Marty Feldman, Gene Wilder, and Cloris Leachman, deleted scenes and outtakes, production photo galleries, the Blucher Button, 4 featurettes (Inside the Lab: Secret Formulas to the Making of Young Frankenstein, It’s Alive: Creating a Monster Classic, Making FrankenSense of Young Frankenstein, and Transylvanian Lullaby: The Music of John Norris), and more. And starting on 9/1, if you visit the YoungFrankSweeps.com website (it’s not up yet), you’ll be able to enter for a chance to win one of 40 set photos signed by Brooks himself. You can see the cover artwork below.
Meanwhile, MGM will release Vikings: The Complete Second Season on Blu-ray on 10/7 (SRP $49.99). MGM has also set the musical Oklahoma! for BD single release on 10/7 (SRP $29.99). This is essentially the exact same disc that was in last year’s The Rodgers & Hammerstein Collection BD set, and includes both the Todd-AO and CinemaScope versions of the film.
In other news today, IFC Films has set Mad Men actor John Slattery’s first film God’s Pocket for Blu-ray and DVD release on 9/9. The film stars Philip Seymour Hoffman, Richard Jenkins, Christina Hendricks, and John Turturro.
Cinedigm will release Chinese-language historical action film The Last Supper on Blu-ray, DVD and digital on 10/14.
CBS and Paramount have set Bonanza: The Official Seventh Season – Volumes One and Two for DVD release on 9/2, followed by Dynasty: The Final Season – Volumes One and Two on DVD on 9/9.
Paramount will also release William H. Macy’s first film, Rudderless, digitally on 10/17, the same day as it arrives in theaters. One presumes a disc release will follow.
Not sure if we’ve mentioned this before, but Disney’s Maleficent will street on Blu-ray and DVD on 11/4 (SRP $36.99 and $29.99). Pre-orders are currently disabled on Amazon thanks to their latest dispute with the studio.
Image Entertainment has set Sony’s The China Syndrome for BD release on 10/14 (SRP $17.97).
Cult Epics has set the 1987 horror shocker Nekromantik for release on Blu-ray and DVD on 10/7.
Our friends at Olive Films have announced that they’re releasing Billy Wilder’s Fedora (1978) on Blu-ray and DVD on 10/28 (SRP $29.95 and $24.95). The film stars Henry Fonda, William Holden, Stephen Collins, Michael York and more. This will be followed by the camp sci-fi classic Moontrap (1989) on 11/4 (SRP $29.95 and $24.95), starring Bruce Campbell and Star Trek’s Walter Koenig.
Speaking of classics, our friends at Twilight have let slip that they’re going to be releasing a pair of classic Barbara Streisand films on Blu-ray on 12/9: Yentl (1983) and Funny Lady (1975). Additional details will be announced soon. Thanks to Bits reader Bill M. for the heads-up.
And StarVista Entertainment and Time Live have announced the 9/8 DVD only release of The Midnight Special: Collector’s Edition (SRP $99.95), 16 hours of classic 1970s rock and roll performances on 11 discs. You can pre-order it here.
Finally today, we need to take a moment to acknowledge the passing of legendary actress Lauren Bacall on Tuesday. Her extensive catalog of film appearances includes such classics as The Big Sleep, To Have and Have Not, Key Largo, Dark Passage, Murder on the Orient Express, How to Marry a Millionaire, and more recently Lars von Trier’s Dogville and Manderlay. She also worked extensively on TV and in the theater. Bacall was 89. You can read much more on her life and career here in The New York Times.
We’ll leave you today with a look at the Blu-ray cover artwork for Edge of Tomorrow, the Batman: 25th Anniversary Edition, the Young Frankenstein: 40th Anniversary Edition, Vikings: The Complete Second Season, The Strain: The Complete First Season (street date TBA), and Maleficent…
Stay tuned...
- Bill Hunt