Shout! Factory / Scream Factory

[flyonthewall2983]

Wouldn't it have been better to just edit the interviews together into one big documentary?

[captveg]

There's often payments that need to kick in if bonus features are beyond a certain length. Union rules and all that. So often smaller labels will do a bunch of small bonus features to avoid this. The participants usually know this going in, which is why you often only get interviews with people who don't mind doing it for a nominal small appearance fee or for free instead of the higher union designated fee if they appear in a more substantial bonus feature.

[flyonthewall2983]

Manhunter came in the mail today. I don't know if this is true of their other titles, but immediately I noticed that it had a reversible sleeve. On the front it's that more animated cover that's posted over in the worst DVD art thread, but on the other it has the classic poster with the shot of Will Graham and the flashlight. That's pretty cool.

[Professor Wagstaff]

Yes, all Scream Factory releases with original artwork for the cover have reversible sleeves with the original artwork. It was nice to see the original work when I opened up my copy.

[flyonthewall2983]

I'm really digging this release. The interviews I've gone through so far are very good, particularly with Tom Noonan. Such an underrated actor in my opinion.

[beamish13]

I'm really digging this release. The interviews I've gone through so far are very good, particularly with Tom Noonan. Such an underrated actor in my opinion.

Yes. Brilliant director, too-he's practically begged Criterion to release his amazing What Happened Was...
As an aside, his brother John Ford Noonan is also a formidable talent as a writer.

[AfterTheRain]

September 13th brings Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn on Blu-ray in 2D as well as the original 3-D version!

[CSM126]

September 13th brings Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn on Blu-ray in 2D as well as the original 3-D version!

Jesus god. I can hear the barrel bottom being scraped.

[Big Ben]

Box art!

[captveg]

The Transformers: The Movie 30th Anniversary Edition on 9/13/16

Shout's September release schedule is hitting me in my perfect 80s zone.

[willoneill]

The Transformers: The Movie 30th Anniversary Edition on 9/13/16

One of the first two movies I ever saw in a theatre. And I highly doubt the other (Song of the South) is hitting Blu-ray anytime soon.

[beamish13]

Hope they can get an interview with Aeon Flux creator Peter Chung, who was a storyboard artist on Transformers: The Movie, or at least show some work samples

[Luke M]

Specs for The Thing:

NEW 2K scan of the Inter-positive supervised and approved by director of photography Dean Cundey
NEW 4.1 created from the original 70MM Six Track Dolby Stereo soundtrack
NEW Audio Commentary with director of photography Dean Cundey
NEW The Men of Outpost 31 - interviews with Keith David, Thomas Waites, Peter Maloney and more…
NEW Assembling and Assimilation – an interview with editor Todd Ramsay
NEW Behind the Chameleon – interviews with visual effects artists Peter Kuran and Susan Turner, special make-up effects artist Rob Burman and Brian Wade and more….
NEW Sounds from the Cold – interviews with supervising sound editor David Lewis Yewdall and special sound effects designer Alan Howarth
NEW Between the Lines – an interview with novelization author Alan Dean Foster
Audio Commentary by director John Carpenter and actor Kurt Russell
John Carpenter’s The Thing: Terror Takes Shape – a documentary on the making of THE THING featuring interviews with John Carpenter, Kurt Russell, special effects make-up designer Rob Bottin, legendary matte artist Albert Whitlock plus members of the cast and crew (80 minutes – SD)
Outtakes (5 minutes - SD)
Vintage featurettes from the electronic press kit featuring interviews with John Carpenter, Kurt Russell and Rob Bottin (12 minutes - SD)
Vintage featurettes – The Making of a Chilling Tale and The Making of THE THING (1982 – 14 minutes - SD)
Vintage Product Reel – contains a promotional condensed version of the film with additional footage not in the film (19 minutes - SD)
Vintage Behind-the-Scenes footage (2 minutes - SD)
Annotated Production Archive – Production Art and Storyboards, Location Scouting, Special Make-up Effects, Post Production (48 minutes - SD)
Network TV Broadcast version of THE THING (92 minutes - SD)
Teaser Trailer
Theatrical Trailers (U.S. and German Trailer)
TV spots
Radio Spots
Still Gallery (behind-the-scenes photos, posters and lobby cards)

[Big Ben]

THIS is the home version of The Thing I've been waiting for for years! Wonderful specs. Thanks for posting!

[Ribs]

Shout is releasing Fanny (1961) which is an... odd choice...

It's not exactly one of the BP nominees I was expecting to see come around by the end of the year.

[dwk]

Invasion of the Body Snatchers specs:
• NEW 2K scan of the interpositive
• NEW Star-Crossed in The Invasion - an interview with actress Brooke Adams
• NEW Leading the Invasion - an interview with actor Art Hindle
• NEW Re-Creating The Invasion - an interview with writer W.D. Richter
• NEW Scoring the Invasion an interview with composer Denny Zeitlin
• NEW Audio Commentary with author/film historian Steve Haberman
• Audio Commentary by director Philip Kaufman
• Re-Visitors From Outer Space, or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Pod - including interviews with director Philip Kaufman, screenwriter W.D. Richter, director of photography Michael Chapman and actors Donald Sutherland and Veronica Cartwright
• Practical Magic: The Special Effects Pod
• The Man Behind The Scream: The Sound Effects Pod – an interview with Ben Burtt and sound editor Bonnie Koehler
• The Invasion Will Be Televised: The Cinematography Pod
• Theatrical Trailer
• TV & Radio Spots
• Photo Gallery
• An episode of SCIENCE FICTION THEATRE, Time is Just A Place, based on Jack Finney’s short story. Directed by Jack Arnold.

[Drucker]

Specs for The Thing:

NEW 2K scan of the Inter-positive supervised and approved by director of photography Dean Cundey
NEW 4.1 created from the original 70MM Six Track Dolby Stereo soundtrack
NEW Audio Commentary with director of photography Dean Cundey
NEW The Men of Outpost 31 - interviews with Keith David, Thomas Waites, Peter Maloney and more…
NEW Assembling and Assimilation – an interview with editor Todd Ramsay
NEW Behind the Chameleon – interviews with visual effects artists Peter Kuran and Susan Turner, special make-up effects artist Rob Burman and Brian Wade and more….
NEW Sounds from the Cold – interviews with supervising sound editor David Lewis Yewdall and special sound effects designer Alan Howarth
NEW Between the Lines – an interview with novelization author Alan Dean Foster
Audio Commentary by director John Carpenter and actor Kurt Russell
John Carpenter’s The Thing: Terror Takes Shape – a documentary on the making of THE THING featuring interviews with John Carpenter, Kurt Russell, special effects make-up designer Rob Bottin, legendary matte artist Albert Whitlock plus members of the cast and crew (80 minutes – SD)
Outtakes (5 minutes - SD)
Vintage featurettes from the electronic press kit featuring interviews with John Carpenter, Kurt Russell and Rob Bottin (12 minutes - SD)
Vintage featurettes – The Making of a Chilling Tale and The Making of THE THING (1982 – 14 minutes - SD)
Vintage Product Reel – contains a promotional condensed version of the film with additional footage not in the film (19 minutes - SD)
Vintage Behind-the-Scenes footage (2 minutes - SD)
Annotated Production Archive – Production Art and Storyboards, Location Scouting, Special Make-up Effects, Post Production (48 minutes - SD)
Network TV Broadcast version of THE THING (92 minutes - SD)
Teaser Trailer
Theatrical Trailers (U.S. and German Trailer)
TV spots
Radio Spots
Still Gallery (behind-the-scenes photos, posters and lobby cards)

So what are the odds this same thing gets released by Arrow?

[JamesF]

So what are the odds this same thing gets released by Arrow?

Scream/Shout's recent response to having plundered every genre tentpole possible from the Universal and MGM libraries (with the notable exception of De Palma's Carrie...) seems to be doubling down on ultra-deluxe editions for films that have already had quite decent BD releases in the USA previously - Return Of The Living Dead, Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, Army Of Darkness, Invasion of the Body Snatchers '78 and now The Thing. Arrow, on the other hand, seem to have been more able to break new ground and not rely on these so much - though I certainly wouldn't complain if I were proved wrong and The Thing were on their agenda!

[rapta]

So what are the odds this same thing gets released by Arrow?

Scream/Shout's recent response to having plundered every genre tentpole possible from the Universal and MGM libraries (with the notable exception of De Palma's Carrie...) seems to be doubling down on ultra-deluxe editions for films that have already had quite decent BD releases in the USA previously - Return Of The Living Dead, Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, Army Of Darkness, Invasion of the Body Snatchers '78 and now The Thing. Arrow, on the other hand, seem to have been more able to break new ground and not rely on these so much - though I certainly wouldn't complain if I were proved wrong and The Thing were on their agenda!

Despite the sheer joy I felt when Arrow Video announced one of my most-wanted titles from them - Joe Dante's Matinee - if they were to announce their own edition of Carpenter's The Thing it's safe to say that would instantly be my all-time favourite Arrow release. One of my favourite horror films, and a masterclass in tension and restraint. Oh, and that score...

Seeing as Arrow just licensed a bunch of Universal titles - Matinee, Raising Cain, The Blue Dahlia, The Glass Key - perhaps they're actually negotiating a UK-only release of The Thing? I mean, if Universal are willing to license it to Shout!, why not Arrow too?

Nevertheless, Arrow must realise the UK crowd are itching for more Carpenter since they released Big Trouble in Little China (no doubt one of their biggest sellers...I missed out on the steelbook myself). Second Sight have Assault on Precinct 13 pencilled in for October, which is pretty big news (and hopefully just in time for my birthday). I wonder if StudioCanal still have the titles they previously released under Optimum, and whether they'd reissue them with improved transfers?

[JamesF]

I wonder if StudioCanal still have the titles they previously released under Optimum, and whether they'd reissue them with improved transfers?

Studiocanal do indeed still hold the rights to The Fog, Escape From New York, Prince Of Darkness and They Live outside the US, but I wouldn't hold your breath. The genre side of their catalogue is woefully neglected - a tremendously missed opportunity on their end - and they don't sublicense, at least within the UK.

[dwk]

So what are the odds this same thing gets released by Arrow?

Scream/Shout's recent response to having plundered every genre tentpole possible from the Universal and MGM libraries (with the notable exception of De Palma's Carrie...) seems to be doubling down on ultra-deluxe editions for films that have already had quite decent BD releases in the USA previously - Return Of The Living Dead, Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, Army Of Darkness, Invasion of the Body Snatchers '78 and now The Thing. Arrow, on the other hand, seem to have been more able to break new ground and not rely on these so much - though I certainly wouldn't complain if I were proved wrong and The Thing were on their agenda!

I have to disagree with the notion that all the films you mentioned have "quite decent BD" All of those releases use decade old masters. The the MGM ones are relatively unmolested, but they still have room for improvement (TCM2 is the only one out now and it seems to look better, so I have no doubt that the other two will be also look better.) The two Universal titles were awful. Army of Darkness in particular was unwatchable.

[colinr0380]

Nevertheless, Arrow must realise the UK crowd are itching for more Carpenter since they released Big Trouble in Little China (no doubt one of their biggest sellers...I missed out on the steelbook myself).

I actually have some affection for Ghosts of Mars too, less perhaps for anything to do with the storyline but more for its interlocking Russian doll-like flashback structure of stories within stories. I'd love to see that film get its due sometime.

[rapta]

I wonder if StudioCanal still have the titles they previously released under Optimum, and whether they'd reissue them with improved transfers?

Studiocanal do indeed still hold the rights to The Fog, Escape From New York, Prince Of Darkness and They Live outside the US, but I wouldn't hold your breath. The genre side of their catalogue is woefully neglected - a tremendously missed opportunity on their end - and they don't sublicense, at least within the UK.

A shame then...I have StudioCanal's They Live disc which is actually quite good, but I've heard worse things about The Fog (but I may be forced to buy it at some point, probably just on eBay). I have their Escape from New York disc but haven't watched it yet and heard it's not particularly great either (though a little better than The Fog).

I notice they've been releasing a few cult/genre titles in middling form lately: Naked Lunch, Red Sun, and even The City of Lost Children all got so-so Blu-ray issues (or actually pretty lazy in the case of the latter). It's a strange stance to have though - going to the trouble of issuing a title on Blu-ray only to provide a disappointing transfer, few or no extras, and a mark-up of £15+.

Oh well, I'm sure some of these UK rights-holders will wake up and sort themselves out...eventually.

[JamesF]

I have to disagree with the notion that all the films you mentioned have "quite decent BD" All of those releases use decade old masters. The the MGM ones are relatively unmolested, but they still have room for improvement (TCM2 is the only one out now and it seems to look better, so I have no doubt that the other two will be also look better.) The two Universal titles were awful. Army of Darkness in particular was unwatchable.

I'll re-phrase then: in the absence of previously unreleased major titles they can license, they've adopted a new strategy of re-issuing tentpole titles other companies have already released that fanboys already own but can't resist double-dipping for new transfers and extras.

[Ribs]

A poster over at Blu-ray's forums has heard from Nancy Allen that a remastered SE of Carrie is due October 11.

As ever, one hopes that Arrow will be releasing this as well.