HER
(2014, Blu-ray released May 13, 2014 – MSRP $35.99)

THE FILM:

“Set in the Los Angeles of the slight future, Her follows Theodore Twombly, a complex, soulful man who makes his living writing touching, personal letters for other people. Heartbroken after the end of a long relationship, he becomes intrigued with a new, advanced operating system, which promises to be an intuitive entity in its own right, individual to each user. Upon initiating it, he is delighted to meet “Samantha,” a bright, female voice, who is insightful, sensitive and surprisingly funny. As her needs and desires grow, in tandem with his own, their friendship deepens into an eventual love for each other.“

SON OF BATMAN
(2014, Blu-ray released May 06, 2014 – MSRP $24.98)

THE FILM:

“Hidden atop a secret mountain stronghold lies the League of Shadows and its fearless leader, Ra’s al Ghul. Together with his equally dangerous daughter Talia, he oversees a trained army of assassins with plans for global domination. But an uprising from within the league now threatens to shift the balance of power and sends Talia and her young son, Damian, fleeing to Gotham City. With assassins on their trail, Talia seeks the protection of Batman, who, unbeknownst to him, is the boy’s father. With his son in tow, Batman wages war against the villain Deathstroke and the League of Shadows, all while teaching his headstrong boy that one can’t fight crime by becoming a criminal. With help from Gotham’s finest, including Commissioner Gordon and Nightwing, Batman will soon discover that his son and most trusted ally are one and the same.“

SORCERER
(1977, Blu-ray released April 22 2014 – MSRP CDN$ 19.99)

THE FILM:

“Roy Scheider lends his intense talent to this taut action-adventure from director William Friedkin. Set on the edge of a South American jungle, a desperate four-man team, led by Scheider, must transport a volatile cargo of nitroglycerin over 200 miles of treacherous terrain in order to stop a potentially disastrous oil fire. Enter into this explosive mix of split-second strategy and jolting suspense set against an outstanding score by Tangerine Dream.“

ANCHORMAN 2: THE LEGEND CONTINUES
(2013, Blu-ray released April 1, 2014 – MSRP $26.98)

THE FILM:

“With the 70′s behind him, San Diego’s top rated newsman, Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell), returns to the news desk in ‘Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues.’ Also back for more are Ron’s co-anchor and wife, Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate), weather man Brick Tamland (Steve Carell), man on the street Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd) and sports guy Champ Kind (David Koechner) – All of whom won’t make it easy to stay classy… while taking the nation’s first 24-hour news channel by storm. “

THE WOLF OF WALL STREET
(2013, Blu-ray released March 25, 2014 – MSRP $26.98)

THE FILM:

“Revered filmmaker Martin Scorsese directs the story of New York stockbroker Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio). From the American dream to corporate greed, Belfort goes from penny stocks and righteousness to IPOs and a life of corruption in the late 80s. Excess success and affluence in his early twenties as founder of the brokerage firm Stratton Oakmont warranted Belfort the title – “The Wolf of Wall Street.”

Sex. Money. Power. Drugs. Brace yourself for an outrageous true story from legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese. Leonardo DiCaprio stars as a young stockbroker hungry for a life of non-stop thrills where corruption was king and more was never enough. His rise to power earned him the title The Wolf of Wall Street. Together Scorsese and DiCaprio deliver a story of American excess.

“

THE HIDDEN FORTRESS
(1958, Blu-ray released March 18, 2014 – MSRP $39.95)

THE FILM:

“A grand-scale adventure as only Akira Kurosawa could make one, The Hidden Fortress stars the inimitable Toshiro Mifune as a general charged with guarding his defeated clan’s princess (a fierce Misa Uehara) as the two smuggle royal treasure across hostile territory. Accompanying them are a pair of bumbling, conniving peasants who may or may not be their friends. This rip-roaring ride is among the director’s most beloved films and was a primary influence on George Lucas’s Star Wars. The Hidden Fortress delivers Kurosawa’s trademark deft blend of wry humor, breathtaking action, and compassionate humanity.“

Ladies and gentlemen, Criterion have The Beatles! It’s hard to believe they were able to grab back the rights to A Hard Day’s Night – possibly the greatest film ever made about a rock band, released by Criterion on laser disc back in 1987 – but it looks like they’ve put the license to good use, affording it a 4K restoration and a brand new 5.1 mix by Apple studios! Exciting! June will also see the long awaited high-def upgrades of several popular DVD titles – Peter Weir‘s Picnic at Hanging Rock, Douglas Sirk‘s All That Heaven Allows and Michelangelo Antonioni‘s l’Eclisse. It’s gonna be a great month for classic Criterion!

Oliver Stone has re-cut his epic film Alexander. Yet again. On the surface this doesn’t seem like a release I’d be interested in but I’m going to admit I harbour a morbid curiosity about this project. I mean, I really enjoy aspects of the cuts I’ve seen but the film seems flawed at its core – off-the-mark casting and a truly oddball script – to the extent I’m not sure Stone will ever get what he’s looking for out of his footage. Ah well, what do I know. This new “Ultimate” cut could end up being a real revelation. And that’s exciting shit. I kinda can’t wait to watch this and see what the man has cooked up! Alexander: The Ultimate Cut is in stores June 3.