There’s only two which will be out very soon, so they should arrive in time for the holiday. What’s offered looks amazing for genre fans and although a few of them are repackaged material, that’s okay since I’m considering anniversary releases too.
To note, each entry is separated out into its own page (please scroll further down to find the next page markers). Presented in alphabetical order are:
ALF: The Complete Series (Deluxe Edition) + Bundle
Love him or hate him, Alf was part of 80s pop culture!
Everyone’s favourite wise-cracking alien from Melmac, Gordon Shumway — better known to Earthlings as ALF crash-lands onto DVD in this definitive 24-disc collection. The collection includes every episode of this interstellar hit series, restored to their original broadcast length for the first time in 30 years. It also includes the 1996 film Project: ALF starring Martin Sheen, and all 47 episodes of Saturday morning’s ALF: The Animated Series and ALF Tales! Never has a collection been so out of this world!
This ShoutFactory.com Exclusive includes the NEW DVD release of ALF, an exclusive 18” x 24” rolled poster featuring new artwork, a retro prism sticker, a 7″ vinyl, an enamel pin set, a lunch box, and an authentic Melmac rock.
The Complete Story of Film
From the press release:
The Story of Film: An Odyssey is an inclusive and ground-breaking journey through the history of world cinema, and a treat for movie lovers around the globe. Guided by filmmaker and historian Mark Cousins, this wonderfully insightful 15-hour love letter to the movies begins with the invention of motion pictures at the end of the 19th century, continuing through the entire 20th century of movie making and concluding with the globalised digital industry of the 21st. In The Story of Film: A New Generation, Cousins picks up where Odyssey left off, returning with a new epic and hopeful tale of modern cinematic innovation in the new millennium, exploring how movies and movie going have evolved and will continue to transform to our collective joy and wonder.
The Disney Legacy Animated Film Collection
This huge release retails at a MSRP of $1,499.96 USD, and it’s only a must for fans of this studio’s films from the past several decades. It’s exclusive to Walmart, and as for why own it, only the most seasoned and nostalgic of fans will be drooling over what’s offered. In this package this studio’s very first film, Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs (1937) and their latest Elemental (2023).
I should argue that PIXAR’s earlier works are best not to be included because Disney did not acquire this studio until 2006. However, ownership of all their titles was transferred, and it’s not fair to call Toy Story and The Incredibles truly Walt Disney products. Despite this nitpick, what’s offered in this Blu-ray mega set is drool worthy crystal Mickey Mouse ears that come with this set!
Jackie Chan Collection vol 1 and 2
Even this superstar deserves his own entry with the Shout! Studio’s label in this package release. There’s been cheaper offerings from other distributors, but what’s released there doesn’t quite do the job due to licensing; and only one half of the film is offered. That is, only one audio track is offered instead of many. What makes this distributor’s release special is the addition of new director’s commentary tracks and interviews when possible!
In addition to Shout! Studios’ release, there’s also The Criterion Collection’s Jackie Chan: Emergence of a Superstar. In this set are 2K digital restorations of Spiritual Kung Fu, The Fearless Hyena, Fearless Hyena II, The Young Master, and My Lucky Stars and high-definition digital restoration of Half a Loaf of Kung Fu, with uncompressed monaural soundtracks!
Other features include:
- Alternate stereo and 5.1 surround Cantonese soundtracks
- Classic English-dubbed tracks for Half a Loaf of Kung Fu, Spiritual Kung Fu, The Fearless Hyena, and Fearless Hyena II, plus an English-dubbed alternate track for Fearless Hyena II, and contemporary English-dubbed tracks for The Young Master and My Lucky Stars
- New audio commentaries for The Fearless Hyena and The Young Master, featuring Hong Kong cinema expert and producer Frank Djeng (Enter the Clones of Bruce)
- Interview with author Grady Hendrix (These Fists Break Bricks) about actor-director Jackie Chan
- Archival interviews with Chan, actor-director Sammo Hung, actors Michiko Nishiwaki and Hwang In-shik, and more
- The Young Master promo reel from the 1980 Cannes Film Festival and deleted scenes from the film
- Interview from 2005 with Hong Kong cinema critic Paul Fonoroff about producer-director Lo Wei
- NG shots from The Young Master and My Lucky Stars
- Trailers
- New English subtitle translations
- PLUS: An essay by critic Alex Pappademas
Widely regarded as one of the most imaginative and influential filmmakers working in animation, Masaaki Yuasa’s energetic style has been compared to Tex Avery and Max Fleischer. He is one of contemporary anime’s most prolific auteurs and has lent his humour and dynamism to genres as diverse as psychedelic thrillers, transcendent rock-operas and sweetly subversive teen romances.
This set is available to order on Amazon, and it includes Masaaki Yuasa’s five celebrated feature films – Mind Game (2004), The Night is Short, Walk on Girl (2017), Lu Over the Wall (2017), Ride Your Wave (2019), and Inu-Oh (2021) alongside never before seen bonus features, stunning art newly designed by Masaaki Yuasa throughout the packaging, a 22”x14” poster of the new art and an exclusive 60-page book celebrating the work of this one-of-a-kind storyteller featuring excerpts from the creative’s sketchbook.
The Shaw Brothers Collection, Volumes 1-4
Fans of martial arts know just how much The Shaw Brothers were an influence to the genre. Without them, there would not be any other studio who can make a similar mark, and as for what movies stood out, that depends on individual tastes, and why that film matters. Some of the stars we know of today got their breaks with this company, and two of the most well known are Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung. These sets are a must for anyone wanting to trace kung fu movie history, and for a complete list, it’s best to let the press release speak for itself:
Jam-packed with epic kung-fu tales from the legendary Hong Kong studio, these box sets make the classic films available on Blu-ray™ in North America for the first time, with Volume 1 including The Assassin, The Thundering Sword, The Golden Swallow, The Jade Raksha, The Bells of Death, The Sword of Swords, Killer Darts, The Invincible Fist, Dragon Swamp, The Flying Dagger and The Golden Sword.
Volume 2 contains Lady of Steel, Brothers Five, Crimson Charm, Bride from Hell, The Shadow Whip, Delightful Forest, The Devil’s Mirror, Man of Iron, Water Margin, Brides from Hell, Heroes Two and Flying Guillotine.
In Volume 3 are Killer Clans, The Shaolin Avengers, The Web of Death, The Vengeful Beauty, Death Duel, Life Gamble, Soul of the Sword, The Deadly Breaking Sword, Clan of the White Lotus, Shaolin Abbot and Shaolin Rescuers.
To continue this collection, Volume 4 due out in December will include The Rebel Intruder, Two Champions of Shaolin, Legend of the Fox, Black Lizard, House of Traps, Masked Avengers, The Sword Stained With Royal Blood, Five Element Ninjas, Shaolin Prince, Shaolin Intruders, Holy Flame of the Martial World and Opium and the Kung-Fu Master.
Another volume is expected because there’s a lot more films released from 1994 onwards. Although the output is not as prolific as in the early years, this studio continues to operate.
Star Trek: The Picard Legacy Collection
For more information and my reactions to this box set release, please check out this unboxing video and the followup I’ve recently posted about this set. At the time of writing, it’s available to order on Amazon USA.
Transformers 6-Movie Steelbook Collection
For more information and my reactions to this box set release, please check out this unboxing video. Also provided is a link for those interested in ordering this set from Amazon USA.
From the official press release:
This limited-edition collection contains six unique SteelBooks featuring the first five blockbuster TRANSFORMERS movies and the critical hit BUMBLEBEE on 4K Ultra HD with special features on bonus Blu-ray discs—all housed together in a striking magnetic slipcase.