Shout! Factory in January

From "They Live" (John Carpenter, 1988)

Like December, January is a light month for Shout! Factory releases. A mere five films/shows arrive on 5" discs in the first month of 2021. HOWEVAH! Two of these are must haves for the Ultra High-Definition collector. What, you didn't get a 4K TV and UHD Blu-ray player from Santa this Christmas? Well, maybe yours is on backorder with mine, sure to arrive within the next 12 to 24 months. Never mind that: let's look at what's coming.

January 12

I know I'm not the only person confused or intimidated by all the various "Lupin the Third" manga and anime releases over the years. No less a master than Hayao Miyazaki made his directorial debut on the second "Lupin" feature film, 1979s "The Castle of Caligostro". There have been a total of six anime series and six theatrical releases over the years, the newest of which, 2019s "Lupin III: The First" gets its home release via GKids today. It's the first 3D and first CGI release in the series and, frankly, looks like a good place to jump in for yours truly. There's options for fidelity and packaging: you can choose from the DVD, the Blu-ray/DVD combo pack, or the steelbook Blu-ray/DVD combo pack. The steelbook features that attractive cover to the left; all three versions come with a lithograph if you order them direct from Shout! Factory. As for bonuses, look for Blu-ray-only interviews with director Takashi Yamazaki and the Japanese cast, as well as animation breakdowns, a CG model gallery, Japanese- and English-language trailers, and a featurette on the "yellow" carpet premiere. No need to steal this one.

January 19

Everything else is coming this week, with a couple of real bangers leading the pack. I'll get to those shortly, after I dispatch with the direct to Blu-ray and DVD release of "Dead Reckoning". Andrzej Bartkowiak is a long way from directing "DOOM" and "Exit Wounds", now helming this action thriller starring K.J. Apa from "Riverdale" and India Eisley from "The Secret Life of the American Teenager". It was originally shot back in 2016, and finally came to VOD in November. The most interesting parts of this to me are Scott Adkins as the lead antagonist, and James Remar serving as what I assume is some sort of law enforcement officer, preferably grizzled. I do love a meaty role for a favorite character actor, and Scott Adkins is always threatening. Light pass from your favorite Ape.

Anime Limited is the latest label to join the Shout! family. This Scottish distributor is already pretty well established in the UK and EU, spinning out of the Scotland Loves Anime convention 9 years ago. They hit my radar back in May when they announced they'd be releasing "Neon Genesis Evangelion" and the two films from the series on Blu-ray for the first time ever. They'll be releasing Masaki Watanabe's adaptation of Araki JOH's manga "Bartender" ("バーテンダー") on Blu-ray on the 19th. Originally airing in Japan in 2006 on BS Fuji, "Bartender" centers around Ryu, a genius barman with a kind ear and a golden arm. It was only available on DVD in Japan, along with some unsubbed, undubbed bootlegs, so the announcement back in September that this would be appearing in Region A & B was welcomed. It's a cool looking set: along with all 11 episodes on two discs, purchasers will get nine recipe cards featuring Ryu's best cocktails, and four bar coasters. It's rare that anime inspires me to drink, so bottom's up to "Bartender" coming to Blu-ray.

Finally, a pair of John Carpenter classics come to UHD for the first time. I already own the Collector's Editions of "They Live" and "Prince Of Darkness" that came out in 2012 and 2013, respectively. And, as I alluded to above, I still don't have the 4K TV or UHD player that would require copping these immediately. But there's enough bonus material available as part of the preorder that I'm considering snagging them. Both films now come as a UHD/Blu-ray combo pack, with Dolby Atmos 7.1 soundtracks available on both for the first time ever. It appears that the Blu-ray portion of each release more or less the same of as their earlier releases; the most obvious changes being the 7.1 mixes being upgrades over the earlier versions. "Prince Of Darkness" is available as two different pre-order SKUs: the standard combo pack with poster, or a package including the combo pack, poster, and exclusive colorway of the new Sacred Bones 7" featuring Carpenter's re-recording of the film's theme. As has been the case with other Scream/Bones collabs, this 7" gets its own pretty rad slipcase illustrated by Chris Bilheimer.

As for "They Live", still my all-time favorite John Carpenter film (don't @ me), there are a lot of options. There's the UHD/Blu-ray combo pack, which, at one point, had a poster as a bonus, which is now gone. This is the one you'll see on the shelves of finer video retailers around the world. As with "Prince Of Darkness", there's also a package containing the combo pack, a poster, and an exclusive colorway of Carpenter's 2017 re-recording with his son Cody of the title theme. This also gets a dope Chris Bilheimer cover and slipcase. NECA has also recreated Keith David's Frank in their Mego-style 8" action figure line. The figure, limited to just 4,000 pieces, is sold out as a separate SKU, but is still available as part of a movie/poster/figure package AND/or movie/poster/7"/figure package. If Santa brought you a bit more holiday dosh, or you've got nothing better to spend your Trump bonus on, well...congratulations. You're in better waters than the most of us. Enjoy your giant stack of "They Live" gear!

From "Lupin III The First" (Takashi Yamazaki, 2019)

Things get back to normal in February, with a full slate of new releases, Steelbook reissues, another NECA action figure, and even a Shout! exclusive color of vinyl headed our way. I'll get back to normal by writing and posting this before the first of the month. Hooray! Be there...aloha.

Shout! Factory in December

From "The Rising Hawk" (Akhtem Seitablayev/John Wynn, 2019)

I can sit here and spend your reading time bitching about what a kick in the dick 2020 has been (and, make no mistake, it has been a size 12 steel-toed boot to the testes for almost everyone). But once a month since May, I've hunkered down and detailed every single release Shout! Factory has put out on their various imprints. I would have never gotten to do that if I hadn't been laid off, or locked inside due to COVID, or gotten a job with a company overseas working from home. That's been cool. So let's finish a day late and a dollar short: here's December.

December 1

I am an absolute sucker for Movies For Guys Who Like Movies (TM TNT, 1992). Shout! Factory releases a lot of the direct-to-video, spiritual grandchildren of Cannon and American International. Here we have last year's "The Rising Hawk: Battle for the Carpathians", starring the T-1000, Elsa Schneider, and Chibs. Without having seen a trailer or done anything more than read a logline, I'm preemptively scoring this a 7 out of 10 on the MFGWLM Meter. It's Mongols versus Carpathians, shot on location in Ukraine, and featuring heroism in the face of otherwhelming odds. I wonder who's going to win. This sort of title sells a shit ton via Walmart, which isn't a dig; I just see their racking full on Tuesday and clear within a week. Look for it on Blu-ray or DVD!

If you're treating your fella to a copy of "The Rising Hawk" for his Christmas stocking, why not treat yourself to a copy of James D'Arcy's 2020 film "Made In Italy"? The English actor, who I know best from playing Anthony Hopkins in "Hitchcock", made his writing and directorial debut this year with this tale of a London widower who travels to Tuscany with his estranged son to sell the villa of his now-dead wife. Comic hijinx ensue? Five will get you ten that father and son discover some things about their relationship, and that they each find people to help them live again. I like that Liam Neeson still makes these kind of movies, alternating Brit-roms and B-shooters. There's comfort in that fact. Also available on Blu-ray or DVD. Get one for your auntie with all the cats!

Last, but certainly not least, is the debut thriller from Dave Franco, "The Rental", who I believe to be the more likeable of the two Francos. Starring personal fav Alison Brie, "Downton Abbey" hunk Dan Stevens, the fella who plays Lip on "Shameless", and the incredibly underrated Sheila Vand, it reads like a siege story, with two couples stuck in an Oregon vacation house by an unknown threat, all while slowly losing trust in each other. Joe Swanberg ("Easy", "Drinking Buddies") co-wrote the screenplay with Franco. This one's right up my alley. It feels creepy, the trailer is really well cut together, and it sure seems that Toby Huss might be the villain in this one. I hope this ends up in my stocking, Santa.

December 8

I've yet to have a chance to mention it here, so credit where credit's due: Shout! does a fantastic job with their baseball championship releases. I've ended up with a few of these over the years, and even though my beloved Orioles have yet to receive their own volume, these Blu-rays are always entertaining if you're a baseball fan. This year celebrates the first L.A. Dodgers World Series win in 32 years, as the likes of Mookie Betts, Clayton Kershaw, and WS MVP Corey Seager overcame years of disappointing playoff finishes with a 6-game win over Tampa Bay. Diehards will want to wait for the Collector's Edition that comes out in February; that version costs three times as much, but features eight complete games (all six World Series contests, plus the NLCS and NLDS clinchers). But if you weren't around in 1988 for Kirk Gibson and Orel Hershiser bringing home the trophy, you'll probably want a copy of this to watch while waiting for the 2021 season to begin.

December 15

I remember how hyped we all were for November's "MacShayne" release. But I hope you held onto a bit of that excitement for December, since another volume of Kenny Rogers TV movies has arrived. 1981's "Coward of the County" and 1985's "Wild Horses" were helmed by long-time TV director (and 2nd unit director on "Piranha II"!) Dick Lowry, and starred the Gambler himself, garnering the kind of ratings on CBS that would make a network exec ejaculate with joy in 2020. Was this all just a clever ruse to work "ejaculate" into a preview? Bet your ass it was. Sorry, hi-def fans: this is a DVD-only release. Get ready to upscale!

Back in the day, before Scream Factory became a whole thing, Shout! Factory was known for their MST3K sets and the vintage cartoon boxes they released. They originally put out the "Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales" Complete Collection back in 2012, but they're reissuing it here, I'm assuming in a more value-oriented package. It would appear that all the extras in the 2012 version still apply here, so you're no worse or better off if you already own the original copy. I have few frames of reference to "Tennessee Tuxedo": I remember an old boss calling a co-worker Chumley, and it came from the same studio that put out "Underdog". So this is either completely your thing, or you have no clue what I'm talking about. Moving on...

GKids continues their series of Studio Ghibli steelbook reissues with "Spirited Away" and "Castle In The Sky". That leaves only "Porco Rosso" and "The Wind Rises" to be released in this steelbook packaging. You're either a collector of these, or you're not. But as I've said before, it's a great excuse to add copies of Miyazaki films that you don't already own, in a package that looks really sharp. Truth be told: I've been considering selling off my older versions and replacing them with these. At $27 a pop, they're not inexpensive, but I bet they look great on a shelf.

2011's "From Up On Poppy Hill" ("コクリコ坂から") was the first theatrical release in the partnership between Studio Ghibli and GKids here in the States. Director Gorō Miyazaki's second feature told the story of two students working to save their school's clubhouse from demolition, and remains incredibly well-regarded in the ten years since its Japanese release. The video was originally distributed via New Video, so its been long overdue for a reissue under the Shout!/GKids umbrella. Available once again as either a combo pack or standalone DVD, the "Poppy Hill" set has a ton of extras and a really good reminder that Papa Hayao isn't the only great filmmaker in the Miyazaki clan.

From "The Rental" (Dave Franco, 2020)

It's a very short month, as Decembers tend to be. And, as with some of the other video houses, there will be a three week holiday until the first batch of January releases. But when those come...oooh, boy! A pair of John Carpenter classics come to UHD, the new "Lupin III" feature makes its home video debut here in the States, and Araki Joh's "Bartender" finally gets a US debut via a 15th anniversary box set. All this, plus pithy commentary, in less than 30 days. Be there...aloha.

Shout! Factory in November

from "Let's Scare Julie" (Jud Cremata, 2019)

It's the last big release month of 2020 for the folks at Shout! Factory, with 16 titles coming out in November. The schedule has shifted a lot over the past few months, with "Event Horizon" in particular seeing its street date move multiple times. It's not a huge deal, though; there's some good stuff coming out in time for the stuffing of stockings and whatnot. Let's take a peek, shall we?

November 3

Well, I guess I'm a week late on this post, which makes me a real bum-ass. GKids has reissued a trio of their classic animation catalog on Blu-ray, a welcome return after each of these went out of print in the recent past. 2009's "The Secret of Kells", and 2010's "Chico & Rita" and "A Cat In Paris" all received Oscar noms for Best Animated Feature, and set GKids up as a strong home for progressive animation. Each of these came out under their prior distributor; "The Secret of Kells" never got a Blu-ray release in the States. While there aren't any new additions to these releases, it's great to get to revisit each of these acclaimed features without having to track down a copy in the secondary market.

Jud Cremata's debut, "Let's Scare Julie", came out in October via video-on-demand, and came out a month late via this Scream Factory release. The conceit is that a bunch of teenaged girls pull a prank on their neighbor, which has terrible results. I'm always down for a well-choreographed single-take movie, and the cast, a lot of whom we've already seen via streaming releases, makes this look like a potential fountain of new talent. With a cheap price point, this is definitely a title I'll end up getting; whether I order it now, or wait a few weeks until it's $10 or less at Walmart, is the only question.

"Misbehaviour" is one of those films that I'll see a trailer for in a 25-minute compilation on YouTube, say, "Hey, that looks like a larf!", then promptly forget about. That's not a mark of its quality; it's more an indictment of the current theatrical distribution and marketing models. Phillipa Lowthorpe's second feature, in the midst of an acclaimed career in television, looks to be the kind of film that Miramax and Lionsgate made their names on 20 years ago, and the sort that Shout! Studios is building a strong catalog out of. Set during the 1970 Miss World Pageant, "Misbehaviour" is a collision of race, gender, and culture, starring the likes of Kiera Knightly, Suki Waterhouse, and Greg Kinnear. I'm down to give it a look.

November 10

Stop: Hammer time! Here's another in Scream Factory's long series of Hammer Films reissues. This time, it's 1960's "The Brides of Dracula", the sequel to 1958's "(Horror of) Dracula", directed again by Terrance Fisher and starring Peter Cushing as Van Helsing. Yeah! This has been available as a standalone British release for years, and as part of Universal's 2016 "Hammer Horror 8-Film Collection", but has received a really nice release via Scream Factory. The print has received a 2K scan, and is viewable in both a 1.85:1 and a 1.66:1 aspect ratio. There are also new features highlighting Fisher, D.P. Jack Asher, and score composer Malcolm Williamson. Add a new commentary track, carry-over features from the earlier UK releases, and a killer cover, and this Collector's Edition is on my wishlist!

I'm definitely interested in GKids' release of the 2019 French animated feature "Marona's Fantastic Tale" ("L'extraordinaire Voyage de Marona"). Ya like dags? Well, Marona is a dog what ping-pongs from name to name and owner to owner, in a tale of blind love. This got a bit of theatrical play before COVID-19, and while the story seems a bit sad (it's all told in retrospect after MARONA WAS HIT BY A CAR!!!!), the blend of animation styles looks fantastic.

"How To Make A Monster" reads like a 50s meta-thriller; a master make-up artist is fired by the new owners of American International Pictures and creates monsters to seek revenge. It's a Arkoff/Nicholson presentation, starring Henry from "Valley Of The Dolls"! It has both a teenage werewolf AND a teenage Frankenstein! It's a B-movie freakout! You get a 2K fine grain scan, two commentary tracks, a featurette on director Herman Cohen, an interview with both teenage monsters (hopefully in character), and the trailer to the movie.

It's been a minute since there have been any "Sesame Street" releases, and, normally, yeah, you'd say "Who cares?" if you don't have kids. But these first two "Old School" releases, covering 1969 to 1974 and 1974 to 1979 should be fairly interesting to collectors who follow classic television. Each volumes has five complete season premieres, along with an archival release (the pitch film on Volume 1, the pilot episode on Volume 2). It should be of no small interest to also see the entertainers featured from those first ten seasons: everyone from Jackie Robinson to Richard Pryor to Lena Horne all make appearances over these two volumes. This is the era of "Sesame Street" I was raised on; I'm really excited to introduce my niece to this huge influence.

Colonel Glenn Manning (one of the pseudonyms I travel under) returns disfigured, brain damaged, starving, and still 70 ft. tall after falling off the Hoover Dam in "War of the Colossal Beast", the 1958 sequel to the previous year's "The Amazing Colossal Man". This quickly-assembled AIP B feature has recycled footage, a mentally disabled antagonist, and some dogshit FX. Of course it got the MST3K treatment. This Blu-ray debut gets a 2K scan, commentary from film historian C. Courtney Joyner, filmmaker Donald F. Glut and monster historian Eric Hoffman, a featurete on director Bert I. Gordon, and the alternate 16mm ending originally created for syndication. It's a bit weird to see this come out before Scream releases "The Amazing Colossal Man". But what do I know?

November 17

GKids released some really nice editions of "Weathering With You" back in September. But the Collector's Edition coming out in November looks to be the definitive version. It's a 4K UHD/Blu-ray combo, and includes Radwimps' soundtrack from the film. The set also includes a feature-length making-of documentary, a 108-page art book, a mini poster and a decal, along with all the extras that appeared on the previous GKids releases. If you've been holding off on snagging a copy, and/or have a UHD player, this is the version to buy.

One can make an argument that the definitive television version of Las Vegas appeared via the 1994 NBC Friday Night Mystery movies "MacShayne: Winner Takes All" and "MacShayne: Final Roll Of The Dice". One can make that argument, but they'd probably be wrong. You, however, can determine it for yourself, via this first-ever home video release. Starring the Gambler himself, Kenny Rogers, as a small-time hustler fresh out of the clink, these got your Nana all worked up back when you were in middle school.

These last two are releases I've actually been looking forward to. I've read a ton of good reviews of this year's "Relic", an IFC Films release that I think would have gotten a lot more publicity had COVID-19 not squashed its theatrical run. Produced by the Russo Brothers and Jake Gyllenhall, Natalie Erika James's first feature is a meditation of family and infirmity, wrapped within a haunted house story. The recaps I've read so far tell me this is a slow burn that really blows up in the third act. As with "Let's Scare Julie", I'll be keeping an eye out for an inexpensive copy of this over the next few months.

I have a ton of fond memories of "Twins" when I was a kid. I actually experienced Arnold Schwarzeneggar first in comedic roles like this; I wasn't going to get to go see "Red Heat" or "Commando", but I could go see this and "Kindergarten Cop" with my parents. It was also my first exposure to comedy legend Danny Devito, and the first time I'd seen an Ivan Reitman film. So, you know...fond memories. There are a pair of new featurettes on this Blu-ray debut, along with the theatrical trailer. But you ain't buying it for all that; you're looking for the mismatched antics of the Terminator meeting the Penguin. And this movie delivers twice as many antics as you can handle!!!

from "Brides Of Dracula" (Terence Fisher, 1960)

There are a lot of titles in November, but not a ton of must-haves. "Twins" probably tops that list for me, with the two new horror releases also ranking up there. Had I not already bought a copy, I'd probably queue up for that "Weathering For You" Collector's Edition as well. There are a few noteworthy releases coming in December: a new pair of Studio Ghibli steelbooks, Dave Franco's "The Rental", and another Kenny Rogers TV movie collection. I'm back in less than 30 to tell you all about them!

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.

Shout! Factory in September

from "Weathering With You"

I've felt a bit underwhelmed in the past few months by Shout! Factory's releases, due in great part to the shipping issues they've experienced at their fulfillment facility. There are a great many titles that have come out recently that, in the past, I would have preordered direct from SF. But knowing they might arrive two or three weeks after the release date has really dampened my excitement. The last straw? I ordered a couple of steelbooks in their sale a couple weeks ago, both of which were in stock. The order's been sitting in pre-shipment for over a week. I'm sympathetic that COVID-19 has screwed everything up, but this sort of thing keeps me from spending money on anything other than that limited edition must have. Speaking of which...

ShoutFactory.com Exclusives

I don't recall seeing any sort of announcement on this program, and it's not like Shout! has put me on their media list yet, but at some point in July, listings for a pair of ShoutFactory.com exclusives popped up on the website. Limited to just 1,000 pieces, they've announced some pretty cool titles so far. July saw a Double Feature Blu-ray of "Caged Heat!" and "Jackson County Jail", along with a Blu-ray of 1985's "Streetwalkin'", featuring a young Melissa Leo. August brings a pair of Roger Corman exploitation Blu-rays in 1957's "Attack of the Crab Monsters" and 1978's "Deathsport". None of these are bare-bones releases; each Blu-ray features a commentary track as well as behind the scenes featurettes, trailers, etc. I'm all for driving traffic to the website, and all but the most specialist retailers would probably skip stocking these, so I'm in favor of the program. It looks like these release the last Friday of each month, so keep your eyes peeled.

September 1

Now let's dive in the ninth month with last year's "Children of the Sea" ("海獣の子供"). Based on the manga by Daisuke Igarashi, "Children of the Sea" sounds like a pretty decent fantasy adventure film: a girl and two mysterious boys meet in an aquarium and try to solve the mystery of the world's missing fish. If watching the trailer says anything to me, it's "whimsy". Longtime Studio Ghibli composer Joe Hisaishi wrote his first non-Ghibli score in 30 years for "Children...", so that's another mark in the plus column. GKids is awful about listing extras for their releases, but I'd assume we'd get Japanese and international trailers on the disc.

The first Scream Factory release in September is "Baba Yaga: Terror of the Dark Forest" ("Яга. Кошмар тёмного леса"), a Russian demon flick that came out just before COVID-19 went wide. Writer/director Svyatoslav Podgaevskiy's last film, 2018's "Mermaid: Lake of the Dead", had some really clever moments, and Slavic monster folklore always interests me. Whether it's rusalkas or the zmey or Baba Yaga, I'm willing to give anything covering this world a bit of my time. And, at a $19.99 list price, one isn't spending a lot to take a wag.

I have to assume that you, kind reader, are probably not the target audience for "Monster Hits: Rock & Rhyme With Elmo". That's cool; I'm still going to cover it. You get two - that's right, two! - hours of sing-along fun with Elmo and his crew. For folks with young kids and without HBO Max, this release is going to be a pandemic godsend. Just park the wee ones in front of the TV with this and let them sing until they can't sing anymore. No word yet on whether these come with a pair of noise-cancelling headphones for Mommy's quiet time.

September 4

It's the rare Friday release! It's concert footage of the classic lineup of the B-52s! It's the US Festival! It's only available on DVD!  "The B-52s: Live at US Festival" captures the Athens quintet at the tail end of their (arguably) best era, playing on the Saturday before Labor Day, 1982, in San Bernadino, CA. Shout!'s been releasing sets from US Festival for almost a decade now, and they've always been pretty well produced. If you want to nerd out, think about seeing the lineup from New Wave Day, 1982:

• The Police: I hate them, but they're at the tale end of the "Ghost in the Machine" tour, and they had the horn section from Sugarhill Records backing them
• Talking Heads: on hiatus, but had started recording "Speaking in Tongues" earlier in the summer
• The B-52s: had been touring behind the David Byrne-produced "Mesopotamia" all summer
• Oingo Boingo: "Nothing To Fear" had come out earlier in the summer, and they'd been opening for the Police
• The (English) Beat: "Special Beat Service" marked their 3rd album in five years, and the end of their classic lineup. Shout! put out a release in 2012 of the Beat's 1982 & 1983 sets at US Festival that's worth checking out
• Ramones: were the Ramones ever bad live? I could take or leave the "Subterranean Jungle"-era Ramones, but I dunno if they even played anything off that record, which they wouldn't start recording until December
• Gang of Four: "Songs of the Free" was their first record with Sara Bell on bass...I'm a fan

September 8

I've been hyped for "True History of the Kelly Gang" since seeing the trailer last year. Of course, it got released here in April, which meant I was not going to see it until the Blu-ray came out. This is a more-fictionalized version of the Ned Kelly story, told by Kelly to his (fictional) daughter. Ned Kelly was the subject of the first featuring length film, "The Story of the Kelly Gang" (1906), as well as a Mick Jagger feature AND a Yahoo Serious comedy that I saw in the theatre. The cast is top notch, starring George MacKay from "1917", and featuring the likes of Russell Crowe (fighting 'round the world), Essie Davis ("Mrs. Fisher's Murder Mysteries"), Nicholas Hoult ("About a Boy"), and Charlie Hunnam ("Undeclared"). There's some great Australian history at play, a great Aussie cast, and I hear the action scenes are really well executed. Sign me up for some bush ranging!

September 15

Much like the rest of the world, I really liked 2016's "Your Name" ("君の名は。"). "Your Name" became the highest-grossed anime film of all time, topping "Spirited Away" by $4 million. Writer/director Makoto Shinkai followed that success up with last year's "Weathering With You" ("天気の子"). It looks like it has a lot of the same sort of mood as "Your Name", and is set in the same world and time period as the previous film. So, based on nothing more than reviews at this point, I'd say, if you liked "Your Name", you'll probably like "Weathering With You". GKids is going full out on this release: you can choose from a DVD, a Blu-ray/DVD combo, or a limited edition steelbook Blu-ray/DVD combo. That steelbook also comes with a lithograph of the cover, which is nice. You'll get both the Japanese v.o. and the US dub, which features Lee Pace, Alison Brie, and Riz Ahmed, as well as trailers, interviews with Shinkai, and an overview of his ouevre. All in all, this should be one of the big releases this month.

I have no recollection of "The TV Set" coming out in 2006. While it wasn't a big budget film, it had a director whose work I followed (Jake Kasdan), a cast of people who I've always liked (Sigourney Weaver, David Duchovny, Judy Greer), the involvement of Judd Apatwo, and a plot about creating a TV show. It also came out the year before "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story", one of my favorite comedies of the past twenty years. So why didn't I hear about this until now, when it hits a lot of my sweet spots? Probably because it was put out by TH!NKfilm, the now-defunct NYC distributor also responsible for "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead" and "Encounters at the End of the World". I recall them having really shitty reach; I had to go to DC to see "Encounters", and waited to see "Devil" until it was on DVD. At any rate, this is the reason Shout Select exists: an under-seen movie comes to Blu-ray, with the kind of extras that contextualize the film and give it new life.

September 22

I've lost track of where things lie with GKids reissuing the Studio Ghibli catalog through Shout! Factory. For example, I really thought they'd already put out 2013's "The Wind Rises" ("風立ちぬ"), the film billed as Hayao Miyazaki's retirement film. But I must have confused it with the earlier Disney release. Meh, it happens. At first blush, it looks like a fairly straight-forward reissue of the 2014 Disney release. This Blu-ray/DVD combo comes with the "Behind the Microphone" featurette, feature-length storyboards, trailers and TV spots. Added to this reissue is a new insert, and an episode from the documentary series "Hayao Miyazaki: 10 Years with the Master". The DVD reissue is missing those new extras, so I'd suggest going combo pack for this one.

Speaking of reissues: the first volume of "The Vincent Price Collection" is back! Originally released in 2013, this collected six of Price's American International films on Blu-ray for the first time. Having gone out of print a few years back, the secondary market for this collection has gotten nuts; I've seen it go for anywhere from $135.00 to $350.00. That's just wild. So it's nice to have it available again. The only change is the removal of the Vincent Price introductions from each film; a nice touch, to be sure, but hardly a deal-breaker. Additionally, 1964's "The Masque of the Red Death", previously only available in this set, is now available as a stand-alone Blu-ray. As before, "Masque" comes in both its theatrical version and extended version. Here's hoping that this means we might see additional stand-alone reissues!

September 29

Has it been 20 years since "Thomas and the Magic Railroad" came out in the cinema? It feels like it was only yesterday that we saw Mara Wilson take her final, glorious stroll across the silver screen, opposite the likes of Alec Baldwin, Peter Fonda, and Didi Conn. What a shame that director/creator Britt Allcroft wasn't able to present her original vision. We're now a step closer to realizing that vision, with this wonderful 20th anniversary edition. It's our first chance to see the deleted storylines, to listen to the actors and composer, to relive the glory of the summer of 2000. Were we ever so young?

Shout! Factory released a complete collection of "The Bob Newhart Show" back in 2014; I think I gave it to my then-girlfriend. Now all 142 episodes are being reissued, in all their mid-70s glory. I love listening to Newhart's standup from the early 60's (rediscovered as a result of "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel"), and I prefer Bob as innkeeper in "Newhart" over Bob as psychologist in "The Bob Newhart Show". But, as far as sitcoms from this era go, it's pretty good...up there with "The Mary Tyler Moore Show".

We end September with the Scream Factory collector's edition of 2002's "Ghost Ship", or, as I never fail to call it, "Ghost Shit". I saw a matinee of this back then, hungover from work the night before and in between a morning and a night class. Everything about this movie feels like a off-brand version of another movie, from the obvious plot influence of "Event Horizon", to the poster almost completely copied from 1980's "Death Ship". The best part of "Ghost Shit" is the totally brutal opening scene; it's all downhill from there, with a cast borrowed from TV casts (AND Gabriel Byrne!). Of course, only Scream Factory could make this worth purchasing, with better extras than a film of this ilk deserves. Having now seen the "Thirteen Ghosts" release from July, I can better understand why Scream brought director Steve Beck's second and final film to Blu-ray.

What have we learned this month? Well, it's to appreciate that they can't ALL be winners. There's an audience for everything here, and it's ok that I'm not it. I'll be grabbing "Weathering With You" and "The History of the Kelly Gang" this month; any of the others can probably wait until a sale or a full-time job. We're back in 30 for more Ghibli steelbooks, Charlie Kaufman's "Adaptation" on Blu-ray, and the long-awaited "Friday the 13th" collection. Be there; aloha.

Shout! Factory in August

It was this time last month when I said to myself, "You know, I could save myself a little pain if I started the Shout! Factory post early this month." Did I follow my own advice? No, other Barry, I did not. With a whopping 12 releases in August, there's a lot to go through. So let's begin, shall we?

August 4

Let's kick off with the newest volume of the "When the Heart Calls" series. June saw the release of the first and second episodes from Season 7; "Family Matters & In Perfect Unity" brings home episodes three through six which originally aired in spring 2020 on the Hallmark Channel. I'll personally be holding out for the steelbook collected Season 7 on Blu-ray, due to release in December at a Hallmark store exclusive (with bonus Erin Krakow Christmas ornament!).

I've been super stoked to check out "Swallow", the debut from writer/director Carlo Mirabella-Davis, since I saw a trailer earlier this year, and I'm thrilled to see it get the IFC/Shout! Factory treatment. This story of a housewife developing pica to process the stresses of marriage and familial expectations should be relatable to...well, any of us. If the reviews I've read are any indication, this is one whose reputation is bound to grow as more folks get hip to it. Sadly, like most of the IFC releases via Shout! Factory, the extras are completely bare bones. We get an audio descriptive track and trailer, and that's that.

There have been more and more cinema from South Africa that I've been enjoying, whether it's been arthouse or grindhouse. Harold Hölscher's theatrical debut, 2019's "The Soul Collector", looks to have more in common with the latter, although the trailer shows enough touches of the former to make this a really interesting pickup. The themes of loss and family bely a deeper meaning behind the scary "demon baby" A-story. No word on any extras with this one, but as a Shout Studios release, I hope we'll get trailers, behind-the-scenes featurettes, commentary, and the like.

I've really been trying not to limit my war movie viewing to Anglo-American directors. So when I read the synopsis of "The Resistance Fighter" (Kurier), from Polish writer/director Wladyslaw Pasikowski, I got interested. "The Resistance Fighter" is a biopic about Polish patriot Jan Nowak-Jeziorański who helped report on the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising and later fought in the Powstanie Warszawskie in the summer of 1944. Pasikowski directed a movie in 2012 called "Aftermath" about the consequence of Polish participation in a pogrom in World War II that really stuck with me, and I'll watch any story that serves as a "fuck you" to Nazis. This one's available as either a Blu-ray or DVD, so choose your pleasure.

Director Masaaki Yuasa has worked on some great anime over the years. His direction of the "Devilman Crybaby" OVA led to what is regarded as Netflix's best anime pickup, and all the work coming from his studio Science Saru has been top notch since being founded in 2013. "Ride Your Wave" (きみと、波にのれたら) came out in 2019, and while it seems to missing some of the whimsy and weirdness of Yuasa's other films, it's been really well reviewed. This supernatural romance revolves around a relationship formed by rescue and water, and serves as Yuasa's swan song as president at Science Saru. This combo pack comes with a detailed booklet, trailers, featurettes, and a brand new cover.

I had originally planned to grab the steelbook release of "Promare" when it released in May. But when I learned that GKids had planned a Collector's Edition release, I decided to hold off. I'm glad I did. In addition to a Blu-ray of what's already being called the best release of the year, the Collector's Edition comes with the soundtrack by Hiroyuki Sawano ("Attack on Titan", "Kill la Kill"), an English translation of the script, a bonus behind-the-scenes booklet, a decal, and a mini poster. It's all housed inside a handsome looking slipcover. Yeah, it's pricier than the steelbook...but the content! The content!!!

August 11

If you have to pick one Shout! release from the second week of August to buy, make it the Collector's Edition of "The Phantom of the Opera"! I saw this on TV when I was a kid, and it scared the shit out of me. Herbert Lom plays a creepy-ass Phantom in this 1962 Hammer Horror release. Honestly, this looks like one I want simply for the extras. There's an Anthony Hinds featurette, highlighting the "Quartermass Xperiment" screenwriter and Hammer scion. Academy Award-winner Brian Johnson stops by to discuss his special effects work on "Phantom". There are also interviews with authors David Huckvale and C. Courtney Joyner, as well as the now-customary presentations of this Hammer classic in both theatrical (1.85:1) and television (1.66:1) aspect ratios. I never cease to be impressed in the work Scream Factory does on these under-seen Hammer films, introducing them to a new generation of fans. It also looks like you can still get an 18"x24" poster of the new cover with a preorder at Shout! Factory.

August 18

If you have to pick one Shout! release from the third week of August to buy, make it this Blu-ray reissue of 1974's "Frankenstein and the Monster From Hell"! Even though this has been available for a while as a Region B/2 combo pack, it's the first time it's been available domestically uncensored. It's the last film in Hammer's "Frankenstein" series, as well as one of the final films of the Hammer Horror era. It has a pretty great performance from Peter Cushing, who returned to the Baron Victor Frankenstein role he originated back in 1957. David Prowse also returns as Frankenstein's monster. Steve Haberman and Constantine Nasr provide an all-new commentary track for this Scream Factory release. There's also a second archival commentary track featuring Prowse , actress Madeline Smith, and author Jonathan Sothcott. Like the previous week's "Phantom" release, SF provides another "The Men Who Made Hammer" featurette, this time examining producer Roy Skeggs. I'm not super familiar with the late-period Hammer titles, so I'm stoked to give this one a whirl.

August 25

Shout! continues to revisit the Universal horror catalog with this Blu-ray release, "Universal Horror Collection: Vol. 6". As with previous volumes, there's always at least one movie in each release that I definitely want to see. This time, it's 1955's "Cult of the Cobra", featuring David Janssen in an early role. It covers a lot of the same thematic ground as the Tourneur/Lewton classic "Cat People", one of my all-time favorites. Also included are 1952's "The Black Castle", 1958's "The Thing That Wouldn't Die", and a pretty cool Hammer rarity in 1961's "The Shadow of the Cat". All four films receive a 2K restoration and fresh, new commentaries. Add in some pretty cool sounding featurettes, and this is a surprisingly-robust archival release in this series.

It's time for a new set of Studio Ghibli steelbooks. Shout!s second wave of Miyazaki reissues includes "Nausicaä Of The Valley Of The Wind" and "Kiki's Delivery Service". If you already own the 2017 reissue of "Nausicaä", or the old Disney version, you're all set; the only new thing you'll get is the steelbook. HOWEVER, Shout! has never reissued "Kiki" on Blu-ray, so if you don't own the 2014 Disney release, here's a chance to grab a copy. I've never really noticed much difference between the Disney releases and the Shout! reissues (they're missing the digital downloads), but each of these is chock full of archival material for a body of work that stands amongst the finest not just in animation, but in filmmaking as a whole.

Last, but certainly not least this month, is the Scream Factory Collector's Edition of 1990's "Tales from the Darkside: The Movie". This movie has it all: gargoyles, Christian Slater, cat assassins, witches, George Romero, mummies, Julianne Moore, laughs, screams, and JAMES REMAR! I was a bit too young to see this in the theatre, but this, along with its predecessors "Creepshow" and "Creepshow 2", were go-to VHS pickups for movie nights and sleepovers throughout high school. There are some solid extras on this release: trailers, commentary, the EPK from the theatrical release. But the big get has gotta be the addition of the new documentary "Tales Behind the Darkside: The Making of Four Ghoulish Fables". A ton of the film's principles appear and comment, among them director John Harrison, the SFX team of Nicotero, Kurtzman, and Berger, DP Robert Draper, and man-in-suit Michael Deak. In spite of cruddy reviews at the time of release, this anthology has a bunch of fans who now run the industry. It's great to revisit this 30 years after its debut.

I've already grabbed a preorder on "Promare" and "Kiki's Delivery Service", and I'll probably grab the rest of these over the next couple of months. I'm sure I've mentioned it before, but I've really been drawn to the Hammer catalog throughout quarantine, so if there's a sale coming up, I'll grab "Phantom", "Frankenstein", and July's "Kiss of the Vampire". September has some great releases coming, including reissue sof the long out-of-print Vincent Price Collection and "Bob Newhart Show" sets, first-time home video releases of "Weathering With You" and "True History of the Kelly Gang", and a 20th anniversary release of the "Thomas and the Magic Railroad". Be there in 30. Aloha.