Shout! Factory in October

I don't want to blow myself or anything, but I'm kind of impressed I've managed to keep going since the middle of April, with few days off from writing. It helps to know folks are out there visiting, and even sharing. So, thanks, gang. Rabbit rabbit. Let's talk Shout! Factory for October, a month they traditionally break out the big releases for.

October 6

I can't say I was initially very familiar with director Keiichi Hara's work. I remember "Colorful" coming out here in the States in 2010-2011, and I'm of course familiar with "Doraemon" and "Crayon Shin-Chan". I am definitely amused that someone who spent a good part of their career directing for those last two classics swerved into making more whimsical, magical fare. But that's filmmaking for you: you make a bunch of movies that make money, you get to make a film that's closer to your heart. I've read a fair amount of reviews that 2019's "The Wonderland" ("バースデー・ワンダーランド") aims for, but fails to reach, that hallowed realm of Miyazaki films its coming-of-age fantasy tale. But the stills I've seen look dope, and the character designs by Russian illustrator Ilya Kuvshinov really pop for me. So I think it's worth a shot, whether you buy it on Blu-ray or DVD.

Longtime readers know I've been eagerly awaiting the final volume of Year Seven of "When Calls The Heart". Well, wait no longer. The last two-movie collection from this latest season of Canadian family TV arrives October 6. If you've been waiting to add to your "WCTH" box set collection, you can also pick up the Year Seven Collection on DVD the same day. No word, as of yet, if or when we'll get that Jack Wagner commentary track we've all been eagerly awaiting.

I honestly can't work up a shit to give about "Digimon Adventure". I guess that the release of "Digimon Adventure: Last Evolution Kizuna" marks the final story in that universe. Which, you know, cool, I guess. I was 22 when this started aired on Fox Kids. I'm not supposed to give a shit; that'd be weird. It's available as a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack, or simply as a DVD. Moving on...

I've checked out a couple episodes of "B The Beginning" on Netflix when we started streaming again earlier this year, and, as ONAs go, I liked what I saw. It's like if "Zodiac" merged with "Godfather III". OK, that's a shitty example, but I will say that I'll be diving back into this 2018 limited series with the release of physical media for it. Now, you could pick up the Blu-ray/DVD combo pack, featuring both the original Japanese audio and an English dub, an interview with director Kazuto Nakazawa, and other nice extras. OR, for the bargain price of a mere $130, you could snag yourself a copy of the "The Ultimate Collection". A Blu-ray only release, this includes the soundtrack to the series, three art cards, and the 160 pg Killer B Case File, a behind-the-scenes look at "B The Beginning" with concept art, production interviews, etc., etc., etc. It all comes wrapped in a swell-looking O-card. I think it looks handsome as hell, although I can recognize it's for trve cvlt fans only.

October 13

When Scream Factory released their Collector's Edition of "Halloween II" back in 2012, there was an omission from the release just a year before that really stood out. The Universal 30th Anniversary release contained the first-ever disc release of 1984's "Terror In The Aisles", a really fun documentary about horror movies featuring Donald Pleasence and Nancy Allen in the host roles. While it's fairly easy to snag a copy of the 30th Anniversary edition, Scream is now releasing their own standalone edition of "Terror In The Aisles", with a bunch of fun stuff included that makes it worth snagging. You'll get both the theatrical version and a broadcast version, with different commentary and films. There's new interviews with the living principles, including Nancy Allen. And you get that sharp-ass cover, adapted from the theatrical poster.

Mrs. Ape is a huge fan of "Motel Hell"; the 2014 Scream Factory Collector's Edition is the rare Blu-ray that never goes into storage. Personally, I can always co-sign a good cannibal flick, and I'll never turn down the chance to re-watch this 1980 black comedy. The Scream gang has taken the opportunity to revisit their previous release with a new Steelbook Blu-ray release of this classic. It's your first chance to see Rory Calhoun stand up on his own two legs as Farmer Vincent in a gleaming 4K restoration. Scream has also restored the stereo mix from the film, as well as added new trailers and radio spots to an already-packed special edition. But let's be fair: you're buying this for that amazing cover. That is quality artwork. AND there are still 28"x16" lithographs available with your order at Shout! Factory. So, yeah...snag it.

I don't feel like the "Friday the 13th" Collection is going to be a hard sell for anyone who likes horror or who reads these posts. Jason Voorhees is an iconic character, and, no matter how cheesy one of the sequels might be, they're always entertaining. Will this be the third, fifth, or even tenth time someone's bought these movies? Yeah, probably. But this is certainly the best each of these movies have ever looked. The first four movies in the "Friday the 13th" series all have received 4K restorations from the original camera negatives for each film. The sound mixes also get some attention: every film up through "Friday the 13th Part VII" have received a sound restoration, and are presented via DTS-HD in both their original presentation and a 5.1 mix. I'm personally pretty happy for the alternate cuts available for "Friday the 13th", "Jason Goes to Hell", and the 2009 revival. There are also two bonus discs crammed full of extras, 15 of which are brand new and exclusive to this set. In all, this is a 16-disc, 22 hour hack fest, the likes of which we haven't seen since the acclaimed "Halloween" box set Scream released back in 2014. This is one for the Christmas stockings, kids.

October 20

William Shatner's "Has Been" was the first album I bought on iTunes. As a collector, it's weird to admit you spent money on something that's intangible, especially in light of how often purchased content has suddenly disappeared in a flash of terms of service and territories. That's my awkward lead-in to Shout!s exclusive release of "The Captains" Collection, expanding the 2011 Shatner-helmed documentary into a massive, limited edition five-disc Blu-ray release. There's just a metric fuckton here: expanded interviews with each captain of the Enterprise, the "Chaos on the Bridge" documentary, the "William Shatner's Gonzo Ballet" doc, and further interviews with many of the acting and production principals from the 55 year history of Trek are all included. Shout is also issuing, for the first time ever, "Has Been" on grey/green splattered vinyl, in a limited edition of just 1,000 pieces. If you've never experienced the record, produced and arranged by Ben Folds, you really should give it a shot. And if you have bread left over in your wallet after last week's "Friday the 13th" release, you can pick up the Collection and "Has Been" in a bundle for just $100.

I'm running a bit out of steam, so my rundown on "Pumpkinhead" is going to be brief. If you don't already own the 2014 Collector's Edition, or are a degenerate Steelbook collector, then this is a must-have. In addition to a killer new cover, the "Pumpkinhead" print has now received a full 4K restoration, as well as new 5.1 and 2.0 sound mixes. I'm not a mega-fan of this movie by any stretch of the imagination, but I know a lot of folks are, and there's some great monster work here. So I won't put anyone down for preordering it.

We're also up to the third pair of Studio Ghibli Steelbooks, and they are big ones. "My Neighbor Totoro" and "Princess Mononoke" are Hayao Miyazaki's fourth and seventh features, and both remain high on critics' and fans' lists of the best animated works. "Totoro" was one of the first movies Mrs. Ape and I ever connected over, so it holds a special place in our hearts. The only difference between the initial 2017 combo packs and these is, of course, the Steelbook packaging. I really like the abstraction and clean looks of the covers, although I'll be rather pissed if GKids ends up doing a big ol' box set with all of them in one package.

Finally, Shout! Select jumps in with a Blu-ray reissue of the 2002 Spike Jonze/Charlie Kaufman classic meta-comedy "Adaptation". Jonze's follow-up to "Being John Malkovich" is still weird and amazing and headache-inducing, 18 years after it initially came out. Every actor's performance is great: Nicolas Cage as the Kaufman twins, Meryl Streep as writer Susan Orlean, and Chris Cooper as horticulturist John Laforge all turn in envious portrayals of real-life figures. I've never experienced a movie that spoke to me more about the angst of creation and the paper-thin line between fact and fiction. I remember walking out opening night and being surrounded by people who were either exhilarated or bummed out by what they'd just watched. As usual the extras are pretty spare: just a making-of, trailer, and still gallery on this release. It seems weird to me that this had gone out of print, but it's nice to see if available again.

From "Adaptation" (Spike Jonze, 2002)

And that's that. Nothing coming out on the 27th, so you'll get a whole extra week to enjoy your prettys before November kicks off. For my money, I think I'm onboard for "Adaptation" and "Motel Hell", and I may have talked myself into picking up that "Has Been" vinyl. As for the "Friday the 13th" Collection...well, you have to leave something for people to give you for Christmas. I'm back in 30 to talk about a November lineup that includes my favorite Arnold Schwarzenegger movie, some AIP and Hammer horror, and some debuts on Blu-ray for some GKids classics. See you there...aloha.