I just got back from the Toronto Film Festival and am on my way to Fantastic Fest, so I haven’t had any time to clear any space on my Blu-ray shelves. Yet they keep announcing more awesome Blu-rays that we’ll want to own. In between film fests, where I’ve discovered all sorts of new movies for which I’ll eventually want to make shelf space, here are some of the impending releases to which I wanted to alert you.
Before Midnight – October 22
There is both a commentary and Q&A with Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy and director Richard Linklater. Does that mean a feature length discussion plus an on camera chat? A featurette “Revisiting Jesse & Celine” is a behind the scenes making of the film. This is a film I’m going to watch over and over, so I’m definitely clearing some space on my “B” shelf.
The Conjuring – October 22
Wan’s summer scarefest comes to Blu-ray just a week before Halloween. In addition to the film, three bonus features promise to deepen the mythology of the Warren family’s ghost busting business. One of the features is called “Scaring the @$*% Out of You.” I believe that means “Scaring the Shit Out of You.” Enough said.
Grown-Ups 2 – November 5
So November 5th, mark your calendars. It’s rated PG-13 for “suggestive content, language and some male rear nudity” so I’ll get to see that in HD. Then there’s three bonus features too, including a list of all the cameos, David Spade’s stunt and the soundstage cabin where the film is set. There are eight deleted scenes. Can you imagine what didn’t make it into Grown Up 2? One last feature, for both DVD and Blu-ray, is “Shaq and Dante: Police Force” which speaks for itself really.
Akira – November 12
The Funimation release includes three audio tracks: original Japanese, 1988 English dub and 2001 English dub. There are six feature, subtitled trailers and commercials, additional trailers and a glossary. That glossary should really come in handy for an anime novice like me.
Breaking Bad: The Complete Series – November 26
I usually stay away from monitoring every release of every season of every TV show. It should just be a given that every show is eventually going to be available on DVD or Blu-ray. However, with all the buzz about the finale of “Breaking Bad,” this seems like a more significant announcement.
The Blu-ray set will include all five seasons and a brand new two hour documentary, plus all the bonus features from previous seasonal releases. The latter is significant because it includes specials that were formally retail only exclusives, so you might not have them yet. The series comes in a special barrel packaging and includes physical tchotchkes like a Los Pollos Hermanos apron, collectible booklet, letter from Vince Gilligan and a commemorative challenge coin.
The Killing Fields – January 7
Extra features are rather slight, just an audio commentary by Joffe and the theatrical trailer. Not even a vintage feature of interviews from 1984. They are including a 36-page booklet with photos, production notes and other material at least.
Sorcerer – April 14th, 2014
Several studios were involved, complicating the rights, so this has been a journey for Friedkin almost as precarious as the one portrayed in the film. The tweet confirms: Blu-ray from Warners, a theatrical re-release from Paramount, and TV airings from Universal. I’ve actually never seen Sorcerer so I’ll thank Friedkin for giving me the chance to judge for myself next year.
Fred Topel is a staff writer at CraveOnline and the man behind Shelf Space Weekly. Follow him on Twitter at @FredTopel.
