October 16, 2018: This Week on DVD, Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD
The week kicks off with Marvel Studios’ latest adventure, Ant-Man and the Wasp. Director Peyton Reed returns with a story that puts Evangeline Lilly‘s Hope Van Dyne in the spotlight. Special features included deleted scenes, behind the scenes featurettes and a feature length commentary with Reed.
There’s also a pair of “dark” releases hitting in time for Halloween. 2014’s cyber-slasher “Unfriended” gets a sequel with Unfriended: Dark Web while AnnaSophia Robb and Uma Thurman headline the thriller Down a Dark Hall, based on the 1974 young adult novel by Lois Duncan.
Arriving on DVD only is the family road trip adventure Boundaries. Vera Farmiga joins Christopher Plummer in the story of a woman (Farmiga) who is forced to drive her father (Plummer) from Portland to Los Angeles after he is kicked out his retirement home for dealing marijuana. “Country Strong” director Shana Feste helms the lighthearted dramedy.
One of the most popular home entertainment titles of all time gets a 4K Ultra HD upgrade this week as Joel and Ethan Coen’s The Big Lebowski receives a deluxe set the celebrates 20 years of Jeff Bridges’ The Dude.
There’s a trio of animated features hitting shelves on October 16th. Not only does Don Bluth’s An American Tail get a rerelease (now with a Digital HD copy), but there are HD debuts for two films that celebrate their 20th anniversary this year: the biblical adventure The Prince of Egypt and the insect comedy Antz.
Following releases of both Harold and Maude and Being There, Criterion brings Hal Ashby’s Shampoo to the collection. Warren Beatty headlines the 1975 release as a Beverly Hills hairdresser juggling his own business with a variety of overlapping romances. Goldie Hawn, Julie Christie and Lee Grant also star.
If you’d like to learn more about Hal Ashby, be sure to check out Moviebill’s interview with director Amy Scott. Her new film, “Hal” is playing in theaters now and recalls the life and works of a truly unique filmmaking talent.
Shout! Factory’s Shout! Select line continues this week with a special edition of the 1991 comedy City Slickers. Billy Crystal, Daniel Stern and Bruno Kirby star as three men who, in the hopes of escaping a midlife crisis, decide to join a Southwestern cattle drive.
Just in time for the David Gordon Green’s new big screen “Halloween,” Shout! Factory’s Scream Factory label is returning to both Halloween II and Halloween III: Season of the Witch. Both Blu-ray reissues boast new 4K transfers and arrive in Steelbook packages that offers gorgeous wraparound art by Nathaniel Marsh.
Warner Archive has another horror treat this week with Dracula AD 1972. The Hammer Film production stars Christopher Lee in his penultimate performance as Dracula.
Another horror classic gets a Blu-ray update as Olive Films welcomes Don Siegel’s original Invasion of the Bodysnatchers to the Olive Signature line. The truly terrifying alien invasion story looks immaculate in HD and is jam packed with special features, including two different feature length audio commentary tracks.
Arrow Video has a fun surprise for fans of John Landis. Before he made films like “An American Werewolf in London,” “The Three Amigos,” and “Coming to America,” Landis released his debut feature, Shchlock, about an ape man trying to fit in in the Southern California suburbs in the 1970’s.
Kino adds to the Halloween fun with the 1975 made for TV anthology Trilogy of Terror. They’ve also got a pair of 90’s “gems” for collectors of the obscure with both the “Saturday Night Live” movie It’s Pat and the Shaq-is-a-Genie adventure Kazaam.
When it comes to the small screen this week, STARZ has a double helping of complete series sets. Look for Ash vs. Evil Dead, offering all three seasons the Bruce Campbell led continuation of the ultimate experience in grueling terror. Then, all four seasons of the epic pirate series Black Sails come together for a complete collection.
Silas Lesnick is the Senior Editor of Moviebill. He has been covering entertainment news out of Los Angeles for more than a decade. You can reach him via e-mail or on Twitter.
