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April 1
Fargo Remastered Edition
(1996) Dir.: Joel and Ethan Coen; Frances McDormand, William H. Macy, Steve Buscemi, Peter Stormare, John Carroll Lynch, Harve Presnell. Formats: Blu-ray Disc. Extras: Commentary with director of photography Roger A. Deakins, "Minnesota Nice," trivia track, American Cinematographer article, photo gallery, theatrical trailer, TV spot. (Fox).
Joe Kidd
(1972) Dir.: John Sturges. Clint Eastwood, Robert Duvall. Also available on DVD. (Universal).
King Kong Escapes
(1968 -- USA/Japan) Rhodes Reason, Mie Hama, Linda Miller, Akira Takarada. Also available on DVD. (Universal).
(1989) Hulk Hogan, Joan Severance, Kurt Fuller, Tommy 'Tiny' Lister, Mark Pellegrino, David Paymer, Jesse Ventura. When world wrestling champion Rip Thomas (Hulk Hogan) refuses to join a competing network, an evil executive creates a new program, "The Battle of the Tough Guys," where rules don't exist, and where Rip must eventually face off against the evil Zeus in a final "No Holds Barred" fight. Extras: No Holds Barred (12/27/1989) tag team match, Summer Slam (8/28/1989) tag team match, photo gallery. (Image Entertainment).
Norma Rae
(1979) Dir.: Martin Ritt; Sally Field, Beau Bridges, Ron Leibman, Pat Hingle. Extras: "Hollywood Backstory: Norma Rae," theatrical trailer, still gallery, "Easter Egg - Fan Club Piece," "The Making of the Wedding of the Century" featurette. (Fox).
Once
(2006) Glen Hansard, Marketa Irgolova. Extras: Commentary with writer-director John Carney and actor-musicians Glen Hansard and Marketa Irgolova, musical commentary with Carney, Hansard and Irgolova, "Making a Modern Day Musical," "More Guy, More Girl," webisodes. (Fox).
Rooster Cogburn
(1975) John Wayne, Katharine Hepburn. (Universal).
(1968) Dan Duryea, John Ericson, Lois Nettleton, Bob Hastings, Vincent Beck, Bernard Fox. Read more here.Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc. (Olive Films).
Bang! Bang! You're Dead!
(1966) Tony Randall, Senta Berger, Herbert Lom, Klaus Kinski, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Terry Thomas, Margaret Lee. Read more here.Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc. (Olive Films).
Cry Danger
(1951) Dick Powell, Rhonda Fleming, Regis Toomey, Richard Erdman, William Conrad. Restored by the UCLA Film & Television Archive. Restoration with funding provided by the Film Noir Foundation. Read more here.Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc. (Olive Films).
The 400 Blows
(1959) The unforgettable debut feature by Francois Truffaut is a wrenchingly personal coming-of-age story that introduced the character that would become the director's lifelong cinematic counterpart, Antoine Doinel (Jean-Pierre Leaud, in one of the screen's great child performances). With the utmost sensitivity, "The 400 Blows" dramatizes the trials of Truffaut's own difficult childhood, characterized by aloof parents, oppressive teachers, and petty crime. The film marks its maker's official transition from influential critic to one of Europe's most brilliant auteurs, and is considered the first true work of the French New Wave. High-definition digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack.
Formats: Blu-ray/DVD Dual Format Edition. Extras: Two audio commentaries, one by cinema professor Brian Stonehill and another by Francois Truffaut's lifelong friend Robert Lachenay; rare audition footage of Jean-Pierre Leaud, Patrick Auffay, and Richard Kanayan; newsreel footage of Leaud at Cannes in 1959; excerpt from a 1965 French television program in which Truffaut discusses his youth, his critical writing, and the origins of Antoine Doinel; television interview with Truffaut from 1960 about the global reception of "The 400 Blows" and his own critical impression of the film; trailer; booklet featuring an essay by film scholar Annette Insdorf. (The Criterion Collection).
Funny Face
(1957) Dir.: Stanley Donen; Audrey Hepburn, Fred Astaire, Kay Thompson, Michel Auclair, Robert Flemyng, Suzy Parker. Extras: "Kay Thompson: Think Pink" featurette, "This Is VistaVision," "Fashion Photographers Exposed," "The Fashion Designer and His Muse," "Parisian Dreams," trailer. (Warner).
Sabrina
(1954) Dir.: Billy Wilder; Humphrey Bogart, Audrey Hepburn, William Holden, Martha Hyer. Extras: "Audrey Hepburn: Fashion Icon," "Sabrina's World," "William Holden: The Paramount Years," "Sabrina" documentary. (Warner).
Young At Heart
(1954) Doris Day, Frank Sinatra, Gig Young, Ethel Barrymore, Dorothy Malone, Robert Keith, Elisabeth Fraser, Alan Hale Jr., Lonny Chapman. Read more here.Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc. (Olive Films).
April 15
Alice
(1989 -- Czechoslovakia) Kristina Kohoutova, Camilla Power. Czech animator Jan Svankmajer has created a masterpiece of cinema, a strikingly original interpretation of Lewis Carroll's classic tale. Svankmajer's Alice remains true to the absurdity of Carroll's original, but bears the stamp of his own distinctive style and obsessions. Combining techniques of animation and live action, he gives a new and fascinating dimension to the classic tale of childhood fantasies. (First Run Features).
Breaking the Waves
(1996) Lars von Trier became an international sensation with this galvanizing realist fable about sex and spiritual transcendence. Emily Watson stuns in an Oscar-nominated performance, as Bess, a simple, pious newlywed in a tiny Scottish village who gives herself up to a shocking form of martyrdom after her husband (Stellan Skarsgard) is paralyzed in an oil-rig accident. "Breaking the Waves," both brazen and tender, profane and pure, is an examination of the expansiveness of faith and of its limits. New 4K digital restoration, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. Formats: Blu-ray/two-DVD Dual Format Edition. Extras: Selected-scene audio commentary featuring von Trier, editor Anders Refn, and location scout Anthony Dod Mantle; new interview with filmmaker and critic Stig Bjorkman; new interviews with Watson and Skarsgard; interview from 2004 with actor Adrian Rawlins; Watson's audition tape, with commentary by von Trier; deleted and extended scenes, with commentary by von Trier; deleted scene featuring the late actor Katrin Cartlidge; Cannes Film Festival promotional clip; trailer; an essay by critic David Sterritt. (The Criterion Collection).
Double Indemnity 70th Anniversary Limited Edition
(1944) Dir.: Billy Wilder; Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck, Edward G. Robinson. Extras: Introduction by Robert Osborne, "Shadows of Suspense" featurette, "Double Indemnity" (1973) TV movie, theatrical trailer, commentary with film historian Richard Schickel, commentary with film historian/screenwriter Lem Dobbs and film historian Nick Redman. (Universal).
Men in War
(1957) Dir.: Anthony Mann; Robert Ryan, Aldo Ray, Robert Keith, Phillip Pine, Nehemiah Persoff, James Edwards, L.Q. Jones. Read more here.Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc. (Olive Films).
Sleep My Love
(1948) Dir.: Douglas Sirk; Don Ameche, Claudette Colbert, Robert Cumming, Raymond Burr, George Coulouris, Rita Johnson. First time on DVD and Blu-Ray. Newly Remastered in HD. Read more here.Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc. (Olive Films).
Touch of Evil Limited Edition
(1958) Dir.: Orson Welles; Charlton Heston, Janet Leigh, Orson Welles, Joseph Calleia, Akim Tamiroff, Joanna Moore, Ray Collins, Dennis Weaver, Marlene Dietrich. Features three versions of the film: the Preview version, the Theatrical version and the Reconstructed version based on Orson Welles' original vision. Extras: "Bringing Evil to Life" featurette; "Evil Lost and Found" featurette; theatrical trailer; reconstructed version commentary with Charlton Heston, Janet Leigh, and reconstruction Producer Rick Schmidlin; reconstructed version commentary with reconstruction producer Rick Schmidlin; theatrical version commentary with writer-filmmaker F.X. Feeney; preview version commentary with Orson Welles Historians Jonathan Rosenbaum and James Naremore. (Universal).
April 22
Chances Are: 25th Anniversary Edition
(1989) Robert Downey, Jr., Cybill Shepard, Mary Stuart Masterson, Ryan O'Neal. (Image Entertainment).
Inspector Lavardin Collection
Two mystery-suspense films from the French master Claude Chabrol make their U.S. Blu-ray debut. In" Chicken With Vinegar" (1985, also known as "Coq au Vin"), based on the novel "Une mort en trop" by Dominique Roulet, a cruel invalid (Stephane Audran) who consistently terrorizes her teen son into abject obedience is threatened with the loss of her home by a conniving trio who want her property as part of a deal for a lucrative development project. After several of the principal figures suffer grisly deaths, Inspector Jean Lavardin (Jean Poiret) arrives to get to the bottom of it all. In the 1986 followup "Inspector Lavardin," the detective travels to a small coastal town to investigate the puzzling death of a wealthy writer found murdered on a beach, with the word "pig" scrawled on his backside. Lavardin is thrown off balance when he discovers that the writer's widow is none other than his own former lover. Extras: Two additional Lavardin mysteries that Chabrol directed for television: "The Black Snail" (1988) and "Danger Lies in the Words" (1989); commentary by film critics Wade Major and Andy Klein; a new essay by critic Peter Tonguette. Formats: Two-disc DVD, two-disc Blu-ray. (Cohen Film Collection).
Master of the House
(1925) Before he got up close and personal with "Joan of Arc," the Danish cinema genius Carl Theodor Dreyer ("Vampyr") fashioned this finely detailed, ahead-of-its-time examination of domestic life. In this heartfelt story of a housewife who, with the help of a wily nanny, turns the tables on her tyrannical husband, Dreyer finds lightness and humor; it's a deft comedy of revenge that was an enormous boxoffice success and is considered an early example of feminism on-screen. Constructed with the director's customary meticulousness and stirring sense of justice, "Master of the House" is a jewel of silent cinema. New 2K digital restoration, with a recent score by Gillian Anderson, presented in uncompressed stereo. Formats: Blu-ray/DVD Dual Format Edition. Extras: New interview with Dreyer historian Casper Tybjerg; new visual essay on Dreyer's camera work and editing by film historian David Bordwell; new English intertitle translation; booklet featuring an essay by film scholar Mark Le Fanu. (The Criterion Collection).
The Pawnbroker
(1964) Dir.: Sidney Lumet; Rod Steiger, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Brock Peters, Thelma Oliver, Jaime Sanchez, Raymond St. Jacques. Rod Steiger gives a mesmerizing Oscar-nominated performance as the embittered survivor of a Nazi death camp -- where his wife, parents and children were murdered -- who can't escape the ghosts of his past. His soul robbed of hope, he takes refuge in misery and a bitter condemnation of humanity -- the endless parade of prostitutes, pimps and thieves who pass through his shop -- and ridicules his idealistic assistant, Ortiz, who dreams of a better life. Only when Ortiz, powerfully portrayed by Jaime Sanchez, puts his life on the line for Sol, does he learn the ultimate truth about hope and humanity. Under the brilliant direction of Sidney Lumet, Steiger's first major starring role is among the finest of his career. Hugely controversial and denounced by everyone, including the Catholic Legion of Decency for a taboo-breaking nude scene, this landmark film remains not just powerful entertainment, but a stunning example of how movies can alter our emotions and perceptions forever. Two of the film's best features are the gorgeous black-and-white cinematography by the great Boris Kaufman ("On the Waterfront") and the memorable trumpet score by the legendary Quincy Jones. Remastered. Formats: Blu-ray, DVD. (Olive Films).
Riot in Cell Block 11
(1954) Early in his career, Don Siegel ("The Killers," "Dirty Harry") made his mark with this sensational and high-octane but economically constructed drama set in a maximum-security penitentiary. "Riot in Cell Block 11," the brainchild of producer extraordinaire Walter Wanger, is a ripped-from-the-headlines social-problem picture about prisoners' rights that was inspired by a recent spate of uprisings in American prisons. In Siegel's hands, the film is at once brash and humane, showcasing the hard-boiled visual flair and bold storytelling for which the director would become known and shot on location at Folsom State Prison, with real inmates and guards as extras. New high-definition digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack. Formats: Blu-ray/DVD Dual Format Edition. Extras: New audio commentary by film scholar Matthew Bernstein; excerpts from the director's 1993 autobiography," A Siegel Film," read by his son Kristoffer Tabori; a booklet featuring an essay by critic Chris Fujiwara, a 1954 article by co-producer Wanger, and a 1974 tribute to Siegel by filmmaker Sam Peckinpah. (The Criterion Collection).
Sorcerer
(1977) Dir.: William Friedkin; Roy Scheider, Bruno Cremer, Francisco Rabal, Amidou. Restored, under Friedkin's supervision, in a 4K film resolution scan of the original 35mm camera negative, with the soundtrack restored from the original 35mm 4-track stereo masters. Packaged as a 40-page Blu-ray book with images from the film and excerpts from the book, "The Friedkin Connection: A Memoir." Also available on DVD. (Warner).
Stranger on the Prowl
(1952) Dir.: Joseph Losey, Paul Muni, Vittorio Manunta. Upon its initial American release, the film's credits read: written and directed by Andrea Forzano. In truth Forzano was two people: screenwriter Ben Barzman and director Joseph Losey, both of whom had been blacklisted by Hollywood and were forced to work under pseudonyms. First time on DVD and Blu-Ray. Newly Remastered in HD. Read more here.Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc. (Olive Films).
April 29
Betty Boop: The Essential Collection Vol. 3 (1932-38)
Includes 12 animated short films available for the first time on DVD and Blu-ray, all produced by Max Fleischer and directed by his brother, Dave Fleischer: "Minnie the Moocher" (1932), "I'll Be Glad When You're Dead You Rascal You" (1932), "Mother Goose Land" (1933), "The Old Man of the Mountain" (1933), "I Heard" (1933), "Ha! Ha! Ha!" (1934), "Stop That Noise" (1935), "Service With a Smile" (1937), "The New Deal Show" (1937), "Be Up to Date" (1938), "Out of the Inkwell" (1938) and "Pudgy in Thrills and Chills" (1938). Read more here.Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc. (Olive Films).
Il sorpasso
(1962) The ultimate Italian road comedy, "Il sorpasso" stars the unlikely pair of Vittorio Gassman and Jean-Louis Trintignant as, respectively, a waggish, free-wheeling bachelor and the bookish law student he takes on a madcap trip from Rome to rural Southern Italy. An unpredictable journey that careers from slapstick to tragedy, this film, directed by Dino Risi (the original "Scent of a Woman"), is a wildly entertaining commentary on the pleasures and consequences of the good life. A holy grail of commedia all'italiana, "Il sorpasso" is so fresh and exciting that one can easily see why it has long been adored in Italy. New 2K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack. Formats: Blu-ray/two-DVD Dual Format Edition. Extras: New interviews with screenwriter Ettore Scola and film scholar and professor Remi Fournier Lanzoni; interview from 2004 with Risi by film critic Jean A. Gili; introduction by Trintignant from a 1983 French television broadcast of the film; "A Beautiful Vacation," a 2006 documentary on Risi featuring interviews with the director and his collaborators and friends; excerpts from a 2012 documentary that returns to Castiglioncello, the location for the film's beach scenes, featuring rare on-set color footage; trailer; a booklet featuring essays by critics Phillip Lopate and Antonio Monda, as well as excerpts from Risi's writings, with an introduction by film critic Valerio Caprara. (The Criterion Collection).
Notes on a Scandal
(2006) Judi Dench, Cate Blanchett, Bill Nighy, Juno Temple. Extras: Commentary by director Richard Eyre," "Notes on a Scandal: The Story of Two Obsessions," "Notes on a Scandal: Behind the Scenes," "In Character with: Cate Blanchett," webisodes, "A Conversation With Cate Blanchett and Bill Nighy." (Fox).
Sophie's Choice (Collector’s Edition)
(1982) Dir.: Alan J Pakula; Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, Peter MacNicol. Extras: New roundtable interview featuring Streep, Kline, Donald Laventhall (director Alan Pakula's assistant during the film), Hanna Pakula (director Alan Pakula's widow), Rose Styron (the widow of the novel's author, William Styron) and moderator Boaty Boatwright (who was Pakula's agent at the time of the film and is presently an agent at ICM). Available as a Blu-ray/DVD combo. (Shout! Factory).
Star Trek: Enterprise - Season 4
(2004-05) Six-disc set with all 22 episodes of the final season, $130.00. Stars Scott Bakula, Jolene Blalock, Connor Trinneer, Dominic Keating, Linda Park, Anthony Montgomery and John Billingsley, and follows the thrilling adventures of the first Earth-built vessel capable of breaking the Warp 5 barrier. A special highlight to the collection is "In Conversation: Writing Star Trek Enterprise," an exclusive, 90-minute writing staff reunion special. The compelling discussion includes series creator and executive producer Brannon Braga, along with Mike Sussman, Andre Bormanis, David Goodman, Chris Black, Phyllis Strong, and Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens, all detailing some of the series' most fascinating behind-the-scenes stories. Plus, fans will get special insight on the creation of the final episodes with a newly produced, four-part documentary "Before Her Time: Decommissioning Enterprise," which includes more in-depth interviews with the cast and crew. Extras: "In Conversation: Writing Star Trek Enterprise"; "Enterprise Moments: Season Four"; commentaries; deleted scenes; extended scenes; "Archival Mission Logs"; "Before Her Time: Decommissioning Enterprise"; "Visual Effects Magic"; "Links to the Legacy"; "Enterprise Secrets"; "That's a Wrap!" more. (CBS Home Entertainment/Paramount).
Up the Junction
(1968) Suzy Kendall, Dennis Waterman. First time on DVD and Blu-Ray. Newly Remastered in HD. Read more here.Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc. (Olive Films).
This Month's BR
Two mystery-suspense films from the French master Claude Chabrol make their U.S. Blu-ray debut. In" Chicken With Vinegar" (1985, also known as "Coq au Vin"), based on the novel "Une mort en trop" by Dominique Roulet, a cruel invalid (Stephane Audran) who consistently terrorizes her teen son into abject obedience is threatened with the loss of her home by a conniving trio who want her property as part of a deal for a lucrative development project. After several of the principal figures suffer grisly deaths, Inspector Jean Lavardin (Jean Poiret) arrives to get to the bottom of it all. In the 1986 followup "Inspector Lavardin," the detective travels to a small coastal town to investigate the puzzling death of a wealthy writer found murdered on a beach, with the word "pig" scrawled on his backside. Lavardin is thrown off balance when he discovers that the writer's widow is none other than his own former lover. Extras: Two additional Lavardin mysteries that Chabrol directed for television: "The Black Snail" (1988) and "Danger Lies in the Words" (1989); commentary by film critics Wade Major and Andy Klein; a new essay by critic Peter Tonguette. Formats: Two-disc DVD, two-disc Blu-ray. (Cohen Film Collection).
-- who can't escape the ghosts of his past. His soul robbed of hope, he takes refuge in misery and a bitter condemnation of humanity -- the endless parade of prostitutes, pimps and thieves who pass through his shop -- and ridicules his idealistic assistant, Ortiz, who dreams of a better life. Only when Ortiz, powerfully portrayed by Jaime Sanchez, puts his life on the line for Sol, does he learn the ultimate truth about hope and humanity. Under the brilliant direction of Sidney Lumet, Steiger's first major starring role is among the finest of his career. Hugely controversial and denounced by everyone, including the Catholic Legion of Decency for a taboo-breaking nude scene, this landmark film remains not just powerful entertainment, but a stunning example of how movies can alter our emotions and perceptions forever. Two of the film's best features are the gorgeous black-and-white cinematography by the great Boris Kaufman ("On the Waterfront") and the memorable trumpet score by the legendary Quincy Jones. Remastered. Formats: Blu-ray, DVD. (Olive Films).
discussion includes series creator and executive producer Brannon Braga, along with Mike Sussman, Andre Bormanis, David Goodman, Chris Black, Phyllis Strong, and Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens, all detailing some of the series' most fascinating behind-the-scenes stories. Plus, fans will get special insight on the creation of the final episodes with a newly produced, four-part documentary "Before Her Time: Decommissioning Enterprise," which includes more in-depth interviews with the cast and crew. Extras: "In Conversation: Writing Star Trek Enterprise"; "Enterprise Moments: Season Four"; commentaries; deleted scenes; extended scenes; "Archival Mission Logs"; "Before Her Time: Decommissioning Enterprise"; "Visual Effects Magic"; "Links to the Legacy"; "Enterprise Secrets"; "That's a Wrap!" more. (CBS Home Entertainment/Paramount).
