Most Wanted on Blu-ray and 4K This Week

Details: By Frank Wilkins; 27 October 2018

Lots of blu-ray action this week (October 30) as a couple of new titles get the 4K Ultra HD + blu-ray treatment in addition to several catalog titles getting blu-ray remasters and in-store exclusive editions. Additionally, in the last few days we received word that an all-time sci-fi classic that was originally scheduled for release this week has been officially delayed until November 20.

So, let’s get this party started with our most wanted blu-rays for the week of October 30, 2018. Making home video debuts this week are the Mila Kunis/Kate McKinnon spy thriller comedy The Spy Who Dumped Me and the post-apocalyptic teen drama The Darkest Minds, both of which get 4K Ultra HD + blu-ray releases. Both films were in theaters a few months back and are now ready for their home theater debuts. Mandy

Also, getting a 6-disc 4K Ultra HD and blu-ray release are the BBC’s nature documentary series Planet Earth II and Blue Planet II which get a Complete Collection edition, and The Matrix Trilogy from Warner Bros. which includes all three films (The Matrix; The Matrix Reloaded; and The Matrix Revolutions) in a single collection with new scans of original camera negatives which is the first remaster of the films in nearly 15 years.

We just received word that the much-anticipated 4K Ultra HD + blu-ray release of the Stanley Kubrick sc-fi classic 2001: A Space Odyssey has been delayed until November 20. So, expect that release to show up on our Most Wanted list next month. As we understand it, the upcoming 4K Blu-ray with HDR presentation was mastered from the 65mm original camera negative. The 4K Blu-ray will also include both a remixed and restored 5.1 DTS-HD master audio track, as well as the original 1968 6-track theatrical audio mix. This one is a biggie, folks!

Until then, a couple of titles getting fantastic blu-ray releases this week are the Criterion Collection release of the 1987 classic The Princess Bride which gets a Digibook release with a new 4K digital transfer, a couple of new programs and all the previous bonus materials. Another is the Batman: The Complete Animated Series which is getting a Deluxe Limited Edition blu-ray + digital copy release which features new remasters of all episodes in the series, remasters of Batman: Mask of the Phantasm and Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero, a new feature, select audio commentaries, three Funko Pops, and a Deluxe Art Book. {googleads}

Another title making its blu-ray debut is the Panos Cosmatos-directed thriller called Mandy starring Nicolas Cage, Andrea Riseborough, and Linus Roache which includes features, and some deleted scenes.

The 1959 Roger Corman-directed sci-fi classic, The Wasp Woman is getting a blu-ray release this week from Shout Factory which will be sourced from a brand new remaster. Of course, the film was previously released on blu-ray by Retromedia last year on the The Wasp Woman/Beast From Haunted Cave double-bill.

A couple of horror titles getting blu-ray release this week in the form of Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment’s release of Slender Man with but a single feature, and the Happy Birthday to Me Wal-Mart Exclusive Retro VHS Packaging release from Mill Creek Entertainment with the cool retro slipcover packaging. wasp woman lg

The lone television series that gets our attention this week is the Complete First Season of MacGyver which gets a blu-ray release that will represent the first time the show has been in hi-def on blu-ray. That bad news however, is that it will cost you a whopping 50 bucks over at Amazon. $50 for just one season. Perhaps for the complete series we’d be all in, but think we’ll wait and see if a complete series edition comes out later.

And finally, rounding out our most wanted blu-ray for the week October 30, 2018 is the Arrow Films blu-ray release of the Terry Gilliam sci-fi classic Twelve Monkeys that includes a commentary, several featurettes, an image gallery, an insert booklet and the original theatrical trailer.

Following is a list of notable titles that will be released on blu-ray and/or 4K this week on October 30, 2018:

The Darkest Minds - 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital 4K Ultra HD \| Blu-ray Street Date: 10/30/2018 Special Features: Remember – A Look Beyond Ruby and Liam's Last Kiss (Original Animatic by Jennifer Yuh Nelson); Deleted Scene; Gag Reel; Jennifer Yuh Nelson: Heroine at the Helm; Character Profiles; Storyboard to Screen Comparison; Feature Commentary by Jennifer Yuh Nelson, Dan Levine and Dan Cohen; The Power of Georgia; Behind the Scenes in Georgia; Gallery; Theatrical Trailer		The Matrix Trilogy - 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital 4K Ultra HD \| Blu-ray Street Date: 10/30/2018 Special Features: The Matrix - Written Introduction by The Wachowskis; "Philosopher" Commentary by Dr. Cornel West and Ken Wilbur; "Critics" Commentary by Todd McCarthy, John Powers and David Thomson; "Cast & Crew" Commentary by Carrie-Anne Moss, Zach Staenberg and John Gaeta; "Composer" Commentary by Don Davis with Music Only Track; The Matrix Revisited; Follow the White Rabbit; Take the Red Pill; Marilyn Manson "Rock is Dead" Music Video; Teaser Trailer; Theatrical Trailer; TV Spots The Matrix Reloaded - In-Movie Experience – Cast and creative team guide you through a unique infiltration of the filmmaking; Written Introduction by The Wachowskis; "Philosopher" Commentary by Dr. Cornel West and Ken Wilbur; "Critics" Commentary by Todd McCarthy, John Powers and David Thomson; Behind The Matrix; Car Chase; Teahouse Fight; Unplugged; I'll Handle Them; The Exiles; Enter The Matrix: The Game; Enter The Matrix; P.O.D Sleeping Awake Music Video; Theatrical Trailer; TV Spots The Matrix Revolutions - In-Movie Experience – Cast and creators navigate you through the Trilogy's thunderous conclusion – all as you watch the movie; Written Introduction by The Wachowskis; "Philosopher" Commentary by Dr. Cornel West and Ken Wilbur; "Critics" Commentary by Todd McCarthy, John Powers and David Thomson; Behind The Matrix; Crew; Hell; New Blue World; Siege; Aftermath; Theatrical Trailer; TV Spots

The Planet Earth Collection 4K Ultra HD (Planet Earth II) \| Blu-ray Street Date: 10/30/2018 Special Features:		Batman: The Complete Animated Series - Deluxe Limited Edition, Blu-ray + Digital Blu-ray + Digital Street Date: 10/30/2018 Special Features: New remasters of all episodes in the seriesl remasters of Batman: Mask of the Phantasm and Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero; NEW Heart of the Batman - featurette; Select Audio Commentaries; Three Funko Pops; Deluxe Art Book

The Princess Bride - Blu-ray Digibook Blu-ray Street Date: 10/30/2018 Special Features: New 4K Digital Transfer with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray; Audio commentary from 1996 featuring director Rob Reiner, screenwriter William Goldman, producer Andrew Scheinman, and actors Billy Crystal and Peter Falk; Edited 1987 audiobook reading of Goldman's novel The Princess Bride by Reiner; New program about Goldman's screenplay; New program about Goldman's tapestry based on the film; Archival interviews with Reiner, Goldman, and actors Crystal, Cary Elwes, Christopher Guest, Mandy Patinkin, Chris Sarandon, Fred Savage, and Robin Wright; New interview with art director Richard Holland; Programs about makeup, fencing, and fairy tales; On-set video diary filmed and narrated by Elwes; Five behind-the-scenes videos with commentaries from 1996 by Reiner, Scheinman, and Crystal; Trailer; An essay by author Sloane Crosley and, for the Blu-ray edition, Goldman's introduction to his Princess Bride script from the 1995 collection Four Screenplays, in a lavishly illustrated, clothbound book; Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature		The Wasp Woman - Blu-ray Blu-ray Street Date: 10/30/2018 Special Features:

The Spy Who Dumped Me - 4k Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital 4K Ultra HD \| Blu-ray \| Digital Street Date: 10/30/2018 Special Features: Covert Operations: The Making of The Spy Who Dumped Me" Featurette - "Gary Powell: The King of Action" Featurette; "Makin' Friends with Hasan Minhaj" Featurette; Deleted Scenes; Outtakes; "Off Script" Featurette		Mandy - Blu-ray Blu-ray Street Date: 10/30/2018 Special Features: Behind the Scenes - Featurette; Deleted & Extended Scenes; Optional English SDH, Spanish, and French subtitles for the main feature

*Slender Man* - Blu-ray + Digital Blu-ray Street Date: 10/30/2018 Special Features: Summoning Slender Man: Meet the Cast - featurette; Optional English SDH, French, Portuguese, Vietnamese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Indonesian, Thai, and Spanish subtitles for the main feature		Happy Birthday to Me - Wal-Mart Exclusive / Retro VHS Packaging Blu-ray Street Date: 10/30/2018 Special Features:

MacGyver - Blu-ray Blu-ray Street Date: 10/30/2018 Special Features: None		Twelve Monkeys - Blu-ray Blu-ray + Digital Street Date: 10/23/2018 Special Features: Commentary by Terry Gilliam and Charles Roven; The Hamster Factor and Other Tales of Twelve Monkeys; The Film Exchange with Terry Gilliam; Appreciation by Ian Christie; Twelve Monkeys Archive; Theatrical Trailer