First Man (2018) - Movie Review

And another hi-def hello to all our fellow physical media geeks out there. Welcome to our weekly look at the most wanted titles coming to blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD.

This week in blu-ray brings a wondrous slate of new titles on blu-ray and 4K UHD with three of those coming to home video for the first time.

First up is a new movie making its home video debut. The race-relations drama called The Hate U Give is getting a two disc blu-ray and a 4k UHD release this week.

And the second of the new films getting the hi-def treatment is Universal Studios' Rowan Atkinson comedy Johnny English Strikes Again. The film gets a 4K Ultra HD edition as well as a blu-ray + DVD + Digital HD release. {googleads}

Criterion follows up last week with another notable release in the form of the Romanian arthouse film called 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days that is directed by Cristian Mungiu.

Shout Factory comes through big again this week with three titles that are getting collector's Edition releases. The Frank Oz comedy, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is getting a new 2K remaster and a new interview for its release while the Collector's Edition for Sylvester Stallone's actioner Cobra will feature a new 2K remaster and five new interviews. Shout Factory is also putting out a Collector's Edition of the Charles Bronson crime thriller 10 to Midnight that comes with a new 4K remaster plus four new interviews and a new audio commentary from film historian Paul Talbot.

Universal Studios is putting out a blu-ray + digital release of How to Train Your Dragon 1 & 2 while Warner Bros. goes all classic monster on us with a dip into its Warner Archive Collection to release 1959's The Giant Behemoth which will feature a brand spanking new 2019 remaster of the film.

Evil meets its match in the MVD Visual blu-ray + DVD release of Double Dragon that comes with a couple of new featurettes while Arrow Video revisits the most expensive film ever made at the time of its release with its two-disc Limited Edition release of Kevin Costner's Waterworld which gets a new restoration from a 4K scan of the original negatives. The set will include the original theatrical cut in addition to the US TV cut and the extended European "Ulysses cut," postcards, posters, booklets, galleries, featurettes and additional footage. This is looking like a fantastic edition, folks.First Man (2018) - Movie Review

Twilight Time is making a splash this week with its Limited Edition release of John Huston's 1973 crime thriller Beat the Devil which will have a production run limited to just 3000 units and will feature the 2016 restoration of the original un-cut film. The film is an outright classic and stars Humphrey Bogart, Gina Lollobrigida, Peter Lorre, and Jennifer Jones.

Our Most Wanted

And finally, our Most Wanted title on blu-ray / 4K Ultra HD this week. Damien Chazelle's space drama First Man is getting a 4k UHD and a Blu-ray + DVD + Digital HD release. Our expectations are sky-high for this release. The disc comes with a full slate of extras including, deleted scenes, eight bonus features, a feature-length commentary with director Damien Chazelle, screenwriter Josh Singer, and editor Tom Cross.


The Hate U GiveThe Hate U Give (4K Ultra HD)

20th Century Fox

Street Date: January 22, 2019

Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Now, facing pressures from all sides of the community, Starr must find her voice and stand up for what's right.

Blu-ray Details:

Extended scenes:

  • Maverick and Seven Protecting Their Home
  • Uprising
  • Seven's Graduation

Featurettes:

  • Starting a Conversation
  • The Talk
  • Code Switching
  • The Heart of Georgia
  • Thank You Georgia
  • Starr: Shine Your Light

Johnny English Strikes AgainJohnny English Strikes Again (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital HD)

Universal Studios

Street Date: January 22, 2019

Rowan Atkinson returns as the much-loved accidental secret agent in JOHNNY ENGLISH STRIKES AGAIN. When a cyber-attack reveals the identity of all active undercover agents in Britain, the country’s only hope is called out of retirement. English’s new mission is his most critical to date: Dive head first into action to find the mastermind hacker. A man with few skills and analogue methods, English must overcome the challenges of modern technology—or his newest mission will become the Secret Service’s last.

Blu-ray Details:

  • Audio Commentary with Director David Kerr
  • The Comedy Genius of Rowan Atkinson - Fetaurette
  • A Cast of Characters - Featurette
  • The Johnny English Legacy - Featurette
  • Virtual Reality Johnny English Style
  • The Gadgets
  • The Cars
  • Locations and Design

WaterworldWaterworld (Limited Edition Blu-ray)

Arrow

Street Date: January 22, 2019

Waterworld stars Kevin Costner (The Untouchables) as The Mariner - a mutant trader, adrift in a dystopian future where Earth is submerged under water and humankind struggles to survive on boats and in ramshackle floating cities. The Mariner becomes embroiled with the Smokers, a gang of pirates who, led by villainous leader Deacon (Dennis Hopper, Blue Velvet), are seeking Enola (Tina Majorino, Napoleon Dynamite), a girl with a map to the mythical realm of “Dryland” tattooed on her back.

Special Features:

THREE-DISC LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS

  • Three cuts of the film newly restored from original film elements by Arrow Films Original 5.1 DTSHD Master Audio and 2.0 stereo audio options Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing Six collector’s postcards Double-sided fold-out poster Limited edition 60-page perfect bound book featuring new writing on the film by David J. Moore and Daniel Griffith, and archival articles Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Paul Shipper

DISC ONE – THE THEATRICAL CUT

  • High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation of the original theatrical cut Maelstrom: The Odyssey of Waterworld, an all-new, feature-length making-of documentary including extensive cast and crew interviews and behind the scenes footage Dances With Waves, an original archival featurette capturing the film’s production Global Warnings, film critic Glenn Kenny explores the subgenre of ecologically themed end-of-the-world films Production and promotional stills gallery Visual effects stills gallery Original trailers and TV spots

DISC TWO – THE TV CUT [LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE]

  • High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation of the extended US TV cut, which runs over 40 minutes longer than the theatrical cut

DISC THREE – THE “ULYSSES” CUT [LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE]

  • High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation of the extended European “Ulysses” cut, which include previously censored shots and dialogue

how to train your dragon 1 2How to Train Your Dragon 1 & 2 (Blu-ray + Digital HD)

Universal Studios

Street Date: January 22, 2019

How to Train Your Dragon 1: A young Viking named Hiccup lives on the windswept island of Berk, where his father Stoic the Vast is the tribe's feared chief, and fighting dragons is part of every young warrior's training. But Hiccup's destiny of becoming a prized dragon fighter takes an unexpected diversion when he saves and befriends an injured dragon, Toothless. Hiccup now embarks on a mission of his own to convince his tribe to abandon its barbaric tradition of ruthless dragon-slaying and try out some new methods.

How to Train Your Dragon 2: When Hiccup and Toothless discover an ice cave that is home to hundreds of new wild dragons and the mysterious Dragon Rider, the two friends find themselves at the center of a battle to protect the peace.

Special Features:

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4 month 3 weeks4 Months, Three Weeks, and 2 Days (Blu-ray)

Criterion

Street Date: January 2, 2019

In 1987, during the dictatorship of Nicolae Ceaușescu, college roommates Otilia (Anamaria Marinca) and Găbița (Laura Vasiliu) seek an illegal abortion for Găbița. In unflinching but empathetic detail, the film recounts the events of twenty-four perilous hours in their lives, culminating in their encounter with a manipulative and menacing abortionist (Vlad Ivanov)

Special Features:

  • New 4K restoration of the film, supervised and approved by director Cristian Mungiu, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray
  • New interview with Mungiu
  • New interview with film critic Jay Weissberg on the New Romanian Cinema Press conference from the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, featuring Mungiu; director of photography Oleg Mutu; and actors Laura Vasiliu, Vlad Ivanov, and Alexandru Potocean
  • The Romanian Tour, a short documentary from 2007 on the film's reception in Romania
  • Alternate and deleted scenes
  • Trailer
  • New English subtitle translation
  • PLUS: An essay by critic Ella Taylor


 giant behemothThe Giant Behemoth (Blu-ray)

Warner Archive Collection

Street Date: January 22, 2019

As in his classic The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, director Eugene Lourie plunges us into a thrilling stomping ground, unleashing another Thunder Lizard to stomp on everything in sight. Alarming levels of radiation have infused the water, plants and skies, and a radiated paleosaurus rises from the ocean depths. In its path: London. In its arsenal: a strength to topple buildings (King Kong’s Willis O’Brien contributes rampaging stop-motion effects), a stride that flattens cars, a flesh-searing radioactive ray and a ticked-off attitude. Left in ruins on land, humankind takes the fight to the beast’s undersea realm, where a two-man submarine crew must ensure the torpedo they fire is dead-on. The first chance is all anyone gets with The Giant Behemoth.

Special Features:

  • Brand new 2019 remaster of the film
  • Audio Commentary by SFX veterans Phil Tippett and Dennis Muren
  • Vintage trailer for the film

 dirty rotten scoundrelsDirty Rotten Scoundrels (Collector's Edition Blu-ray)

Shout Factory

Street Date: January 22, 2019

In the south of France, two rival con men — suave and sophisticated Lawrence (two-time Oscar®-winner Michael Caine, The Cider House Rules) and third-rate American hustler Freddy (Steve Martin, The Jerk) — make a wager. The first one to extract $50,000 from the next woman they meet wins ... and the other leaves town. The bet is on, the stakes are high and the blows are low in this hysterically funny, ruthlessly witty, dirty, rotten comedy!

Special Features:

  • Brand new 2K remaster of the film
  • New Interview with Writer Dale Launer
  • Audio Commentary with Director Frank Oz
  • Featurette
  • Trailers

 CobraCobra (Collector's Edition Blu-ray)

Shout Factory

Street Date: January 22, 2019

Lt. Cobretti (Sylvester Stallone) is a one-man assault team whose laser-mount submachine gun and pearl-handled Colt .45 spit pure crime-stopping venom! Director George P. Cosmatos (Rambo: First Blood Part II, Tombstone) teams up again with Stallone for this thriller pitting Cobretti against a merciless serial killer. The trail leads to not one murderer but also an army of psychos bent on slashing their way to a "New Order" – and killing a witness (Brigitte Nielsen) along the way. Fortunately, her protector is Cobra, a man who delivers vigilante justice like no other!

Special features:

  • Brand new 2k remaster of the film from original elements
  • New Stalking and Slashing – an interview with actor Brian Thompson
  • New Meet the Disease – an interview with actor Marco Rodriguez
  • New Feel the Heat – an interview with actor Andrew Robinson
  • New Double Crossed – an interview with actress Lee Garlington
  • New A Work of Art – an interview with actor Art LaFleur
  • Audio Commentary with director George P. Cosmatos
  • Vintage Featurette
  • Teaser Trailer
  • Theatrical Trailer
  • Still Galleries – stills, movie posters and lobby cards

 10 to midnigt10 to Midnight (Collector's Edition blu-ray)

Shout Factory

Street Date: January 22, 2019

Charles Bronson plays Leo Kessler, a cynical Los Angeles cop on the trail of Warren Stacy (Gene Davis), a homicidal maniac who turns rejection from beautiful women into the ultimate revenge. When the legal system sets Stacy free, Kessler plants evidence to put him behind bars for good. But Kessler's plan backfires, leaving him with only one option: to hunt down Stacy on his own ... before the crazed killer can strike again!

  • Brand new 4K remaster struck from the original camera negative
  • New Charlie's Partner – an interview with actor Andrew Stevens
  • New Producing Bronson – an interview with producer Lance Hool
  • New Remembering Bronson – an interview with actor Robert F. Lyons
  • New Undressed to Kill – an interview with actress Jeana Tomasina Keough
  • New Audio Commentary with writer/historian Paul Talbot (the Bronson's Loose! books)
  • Audio Commentary with producer Pancho Kohner, casting director John Crowther and film historian David Del Valle
  • Theatrical Trailer
  • Radio Spots
  • Still Gallery

 Double DragonDouble Dragon (Collector's Edition Blu-ray + DVD)

MVD Visual

Street Date: January 22, 2019

It's the year 2007, and what remains of L.A. is now ''New Angeles'', a city ravaged by earthquakes, tidal waves and vicious gangs. The evil tycoon Koga Shuko (Robert Patrick, Terminator 2: Judgment Day) is obsessed with finding the two halves of a talisman known as the ''Double Dragon'', which will give him awesome mystical powers. Two teenaged brothers, Jimmy (Mark Dacascos, John Wick 3) and Billy Lee (Scott Wolf, ''Party of Five'') find themselves in possession of the amulet's missing half, thrusting them into the adventure of their lives. With the help of Maria (Alyssa Milano, ''Charmed'') and her vigilante group ''The Power Corps'', Jimmy and Billy must summon all of their courage, resourcefulness and martial-arts skills to stop the villain's malevolent plan.

Special Features:

  • High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations of the main feature
  • New "The Making of Double Dragon" (full length documentary featuring interviews with stars Scott Wolf and Marc Dacascos, writers Peter Gould & Michael Davis and producer Don Murphy)
  • New "Don Murphy: Portrait of a Producer" featurette
  • Archival ''Making of'' featurette
  • Behind the Scenes featurette
  • 1993 Double Dragon Animated Series Pilot Episode #101: "The Shadow Falls"
  • Storyboard Gallery
  • Press Photos, Marketing and Behind The Scenes Photo Galleries
  • TV Spots
  • VHS Home Video Trailer
  • Original Theatrical Trailer
  • Collectible Mini-Poster
  • Reversible Sleeve Featuring Alternate Artwork

 Beat the DevilBeat the Devil (Limited Edition to 3000 Blu-ray)

Twilight Time

Street Date: January 22, 2019

In this one, everything goes amusingly wrong for its gallery of liars, thieves, and fantasists, including Humphrey Bogart, Jennifer Jones, Gina Lollobrigida, Robert Morley, Peter Lorre, and Edward Underdown. Even more amusingly, they hardly care, so enraptured are they with each other’s company and with the gorgeous Italian scenery, magnificently shot by the great Oswald Morris. 

Special Features:

  • Audio commentary with Film historians Lem Dobbs, Julie Kirgo, and Nick Redman
  • Alexander Cockburn Beat the Devil
  • Original theatrical trailer

And now for our MOST WANTED ON BLU-RAY AND 4K for the week of January 22, 2019

First ManFirst Man (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital HD)

Universal Studios

Street Date: January 22, 2019

A look at the life of astronaut, Neil A. Armstrong, and the legendary space mission that led him to become the first man to walk on the moon. Based on the book, "First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong".

Special Features:

  • Deleted Scenes
  • Shooting for the Moon
  • Preparing to Launch
  • Giant Leap in One Small Step
  • Mission Gone Wrong
  • Putting You In the Seat
  • Recreating the Moon Landing
  • Shooting at NASA
  • Astronaut Training
  • Feature Commentary with Director Damien Chazelle, Screenwriter Josh Singer and Editor Tom Cross