Hello TNM readers and welcome to the TNM Home Media News Recap for 03/08/18. We are going to be trying a new format so you, our reader, will be informed of what is going on in the world of Blu-ray and Home Media News. We’ll also at times include some indie gaming items that we love and the big guys might miss. This will also be a way to support our partners and let you stay abreast of what they have coming out. Just click on the links and it will scroll to the news you want to see.
TNM Home Media News Recap for 03/08/18
Blu-ray News
- Lionsgate
- Universal
- Cult Epics
- Well Go USA
- Powerhouse/Indicator
Dear White People Season One – Based on Justin Simien’s critically acclaimed film of the same name, the refreshing and thought-provoking satire Dear White People Season One arrives on DVD and Digital May 8 from Lionsgate. Set among a diverse group of students of color as they navigate a predominantly white Ivy League college, Dear White People Season One “gives you an abundance of characters to care about and entertains with its inspired, hilarious storytelling” (Entertainment Weekly). The show stars Logan Browning (TV’s “Meet the Browns,” “Hit the Floor”), Brandon P. Bell (TV’s “Insecure”), DeRon Horton (TV’s “Lethal Weapon”), Antoinette Robertson (TV’s “Heart of Dixie,” “Atlanta”), John Patrick Amedori (TV’s “Gossip Girl,” “Hindsight”), Ashley Blaine Featherson (TV’s “Glee”), and guest stars Marque Richardson (TV’s “True Blood,” “The Newsroom”), with Featherson, Richardson, and Pell reprising their original roles from the film in this timely comedy. The series is produced by Lionsgate for Netflix and received a very rare and coveted 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Set against the backdrop of a predominantly white Ivy League university, where racial tensions bubble just below the surface, Dear White People Season One is a send-up of the now post-postracial America that tells the universal story of finding one’s own identity and forging a wholly unique path. The satirical series – which picks up where the acclaimed 2014 film by the same name left off – follows a group of Winchester University students of color as they navigate a diverse landscape of social injustice, cultural bias, political correctness (or lack thereof), and activism in the millennial age. Through its absurdist lens, Dear White People Season One leads with laughter as it utilizes biting irony, self-deprecation, and sometimes brutal honesty to hold a mirror up to the issues plaguing society today.
The series is created and executive produced by Simien (Dear White People), who also directed the first episode. Yvette Lee Bowser (TV’s “Black-ish,” “Living Single”) serves as showrunner and executive producer, with Stephanie Allain Bray (Hustle & Flow, Dear White People) and Julia Lebedev (The Dinner, Dear White People) also serving as executive producers.
The Dear White People Season One DVD and Digital special features include two never-before-seen featurettes, “Dear White People: Art as Activism” and “Filming Chapter V,” and two audio commentaries on episodes “Chapter I” and “Chapter X” with Justin Simien. “Dear White People: Art as Activism” explores the show’s multi-dimensional characters from the cast, showrunner, creator, and costume designer’s perspective. “Filming Chapter V” centers on the Barry Jenkins (Moonlight) directed episode, “Chapter V,” and why it’s a powerful episode meant to be discussed. The Dear White People Season One DVD will be available for the suggested retail price of $29.98.
Backstabbing for Beginners – Based on a true story, the edge-of-your-seat thriller, Backstabbing for Beginners, arrives on Blu-ray™ (plus Digital) and DVD April 24 from Lionsgate. Starring Theo James (Divergent series), Golden Globe® winner Jacqueline Bisset (Best Supporting Actress – Limited Series or Television Motion Picture, Dancing on the Edge, 2014), and Oscar® winner Ben Kingsley (Best Actor, Gandhi, 1982), the compelling story tells the tale of a young man who lands his dream job at the United Nation’s Oil and Food program, but soon finds himself in the middle of a worldwide conspiracy. The Backstabbing for Beginners Blu-ray and DVD release includes an in-depth making-of featurette and will be available for the suggested retail price of $24.99 and $19.98, respectively.
OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS
Based on a true story, this gripping and timely thriller follows an idealistic UN employee (James) as he investigates the grisly murder of his predecessor and uncovers a vast global conspiracy that may even involve his own boss (Kingsley).
BLU-RAY/DVD SPECIAL FEATURES
“The Truth Behind Backstabbing for Beginners” Featurette
Blu-ray Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio™
Subtitles: Spanish, English SDH
Den of Thieves – The inevitable clash between an unbeatable crew addicted to heists and an elite unit of Los Angeles detectives comes to a head in Den of Thieves, arriving on Digital on April 10, 2018 and on Blu-ray™, DVD and On Demand on April 24, 2018 from STXfilms and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. Directed by Christian Gudegast (London Has Fallen), the film blurs the lines between good and evil by examining the rivalry between a police unit, led by Gerard Butler (London Has Fallen), and a crew of career criminals featuring Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson (Get Rich or Die Trying), Pablo Schreiber (13 Hours), O’Shea Jackson Jr. (Straight Outta Compton) and Evan Jones (A Million Ways to Die in the West).
Den of Thieves is a gritty Los Angeles crime saga which follows the intersecting and often personally connected lives of an elite unit of the LA County Sheriff’s Department and the state’s most successful bank robbery crew as they plan a seemingly impossible heist on the Federal Reserve Bank of Downtown Los Angeles. Filled with gripping, explosive action and an ending that left audiences stunned, Den of Thieves is an electrifying game of cat-and-mouse that critics call “a gritty, realistic, engrossing LA heist movie” (Michael Rougeau, Gamespot).
In addition to both the action-packed theatrical version and the extended unrated version with footage not seen in theaters, Den of Thieves on Blu-ray™, DVD, and Digital also features never-before-seen bonus content including an alternate ending, outtakes and deleted scenes, and insightful commentary from the filmmakers.
BONUS FEATURES on BLU-RAY, DVD, AND DIGITAL
- Alternate Ending
- Alpha Males – The cast describes how the tough characters in the film blur the lines between the good guys and the bad guys.
- Into the Den – Director Christian Gudegast and the cast describe the two brotherhoods within the film, the renegades and the outlaws, and their unique sets of skills.
- Alameda Corridor – The cast and director discuss filming the intense scene that takes place on the streets of L.A. and the extensive weapons training it took to film it.
- Outtakes and Deleted Scenes
- Commentary with Director Christian Gudegast and Producer Tucker Tooley
- Den of Thieves Theatrical Cut
Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, Latin Spanish
Moon Child – Cult Epics presents Agusti Villaronga’s MOON CHILD (El Nino de la Luna) featuring an unreleased score by DEAD CAN DANCE on Blu-ray/DVD on April 24, 2018
Inspired by famed occultist Aleister Crowley’s 1923 novel of the same name, Agusti Villaronga’s film centers around the extraordinary 12-year-old David (Enrique Saldana), who has been adopted by a treacherous scientific cult where extraordinary mental powers are common. He begins an archetypal journey across two continents with Georgina (Lisa Gerrard) to find his destiny as Child of the Moon.
Coming on the heels of Villaronga’s unforgettable 1986 film, In a Glass Cage, Moon Child is a mystical fantasy film for adults, available for the first time in the United States on Blu-ray & DVD. Presented in a new High Definition transfer and boasting an unreleased soundtrack by the band Dead Can Dance, Moon Child is a thoroughly unique gift to cinema and music fans alike.
Special Features:
- New HD Transfer (from original 35mm film)
- Interview with Agusti Villaronga (2018)
- Lobby Cards photo gallery
- Theatrical Trailers
- Isolated Score by Dead Can Dance (50 Mins)
Cult Epics website MOON CHILD Exclusive: THE MOON Tarot Card featuring Lisa Gerard (Limited edition of 500 with Blu-ray/DVD Combo) Pre-order here: www.cultepics.com
Spain. 1989. Approx. 120 Mins. Original Aspect Ratio 1.66: 1. Spanish language with optional English subtitles. DTS-HD 5.1 Surround/Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
– : The Two Worlds Well Go USA will release on Blu-ray director Kim Yong-hwa’s film Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds (2017), starring Cha Tae-hyun, Ha Jung-woo, and Lee Jung-jae. The release will be available for purchase on April 10.
Synopsis: After dying unexpectedly, firefighter Ja-hong is taken to the afterlife by three guardians, where only after passing seven trials and proving he lived a noble life will he be able to reincarnate. Based on the wildly popular webcomic, Along With the Gods: Two Worlds is a star-studded, action-packed fantasy epic about life, death, rebirth, and the unseen forces that guide us through all.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
- Behind the scenes of Along With the Gods: Two Worlds – Featurette
- Character introduction
- Original trailers
- Original Korean audio track
- Optional English subtitles for the main feature
Five Tall Tales– Indicator/Powerhouse Films has announced that it will release a five-disc box set with films directed by Budd Boetticher and starring Randolph Scott. The box set will be available for purchase on May 21.
Five classic, iconic and slyly subversive westerns collected on Blu-ray for the very first time. Containing a selection of new and archival extras – including interviews with director Budd Boetticher and an appreciation by film critic Kim Newman – this collectable five-disc box set also contains an 80-page book with newly commissioned essays, archival interviews and full credits, and is strictly limited to 6,000 units.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
- 2K restoration of Ride Lonesome
- HD restorations of The Tall T, Decision at Sundown, Buchanan Rides Alone and Comanche Station
- Original mono audio
- The John Player Lecture with Budd Boetticher (1969): archival audio interview conducted by Horizons West author Jim Kitses at the National Film Theatre, London
- The Guardian Interview with Budd Boetticher (1994): an extensive filmed interview conducted by film historian David Meeker at the National Film Theatre, London
- Budd Boetticher on the Ranown Cycle (1999): excerpts from Eckhart Schmidt’s documentary Visiting… Budd Boetticher
- Kim Newman on the Ranown Cycle (2018): an appreciation and analysis by the critic and author of Wild West Movies
- The Guardian Interview with Elmore Leonard (1997): the celebrated author, and writer of the short story upon which The Tall T is based, in conversation at London’s National Film Theatre
- Original theatrical trailers
- Ride Lonesome trailer commentary (2013): a short critical appreciation by filmmaker John Sayles
- Comanche Station trailer commentary (2014): a short critical appreciation by screenwriter Sam Hamm
- Image galleries: extensive promotional and on-set photography, poster art and marketing materials
- Limited Edition exclusive 80-page book containing newly commissioned essays by Pamela Hutchinson, Glenn Kenny, James Oliver, Neil Sinyard and Farran Smith Nehme, archival interviews with director Budd Boetticher and screenwriter Burt Kennedy, a critical anthology, and full film credits
- World Blu-ray premieres of The Tall T, Decision at Sundown, Buchanan Rides Alone and Ride Lonesome
- UK Blu-ray premiere of Comanche Station
- Limited Edition Box Set of 6,000 numbered copies