THE LITTLE MERMAID: DIAMOND EDITION
(1989, Blu-ray released October 1, 2013 – MSRP $44.99)

THE FILM:

“With unforgettable characters, thrilling adventures, soaring Academy Award-winning music (1989: Best Music, Original Score, and Best Music, Original Song, Under The Sea.), The Little Mermaid is one of the most celebrated animated films of all time. Now spectacularly transformed for the first time on Blu-ray with digitally restored picture and brilliant high-definition sound! Venture under the sea where Ariel, a free-spirited mermaid princess, longs to be part of the human world. After bravely striking a bargain with Ursula, a sneaky sea witch, Ariel embarks on the adventure of a lifetime. With Flounder and Sebastian at her side, Ariel will need all of her courage and determination to make things right in both her worlds.“

All hail Masters of Cinema! I’ve been waiting a long time for this and I’m thrilled to see that one of the best boutique home video labels in the world is taking on F.W. Murnau’s Nosferatu, one of the best ever adaptations of Stoker’s Dracula. MoC have yet to announce their full slate of special features for the disc but I love what I see so far – 2 commentary tracks, a feature-length doc and an interview. Great start! I can’t wait to get my filthy mitts on this bad boy. It hits UK shops on November 18.

ARROW: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON
(2012-2013, Blu-ray released September 17, 2013 – MSRP $69.97)

THE SERIES:

“Justice hits its mark! Based on DC Comics series, Arrow reinvents the edgy and iconic character for today’s audiences in the year’s most thrill-packed and visually stunning action series. After being marooned for five years on a remote island, billionaire Oliver Queen comes home with a mysterious agenda and lethal new skills to fight crime in Starling City. Wearing the dark hood of a “vigilante” archer, Oliver’s fiercely determined to right the wrongs of his father and thwart those who’ve corrupted his city. But his crusade is complicated by his own family’s dark secrets, a best friend’s unwitting ties to evil, and the woman he loves but betrayed in his earlier life. From Oliver’s harrowing island ordeals to Arrow’s breathtaking urban stealth warfare, this 23-episode Season One is a heroic adventure delivered dead center!“

Criterion ends off a banner year of releases with what seems, at first glance, to be a slimmed down holiday season offering. But look closer and you’ll find a robust set of releases, including a box full of six obscure films rescued and restored by Martin Scorsese‘s World Cinema Project. As excited as I am to see Altman‘s Nashville in high def, it’s this box of six films that has fired my imagination.

STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS
(2013, Blu-ray released September 10, 2013 – MSRP $39.99)

THE FILM:

“When the crew of the Enterprise is called back home, they find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization has detonated the fleet and everything it stands for, leaving our world in a state of crisis. With a personal score to settle, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction. As our heroes are propelled into an epic chess game of life and death, love will be challenged, friendships will be torn apart, and sacrifices must be made for the only family Kirk has left: his crew.“

IDOLMAKER
(1980, Blu-ray released August 27, 2013 – MSRP $19.97)

THE FILM:

“Vincent Vaccari (Ray Sharkey) is an idol maker, a music promoter and manager who is obsessively driven by his desire to discover the next big act. After transforming Tomaso DeLorusso (Paul Land), a popular saxophone player, into rock ’n’ roll sensation Tommy Dee, Vinnie becomes obsessed with his next big hit, a local busboy named Guido (Peter Gallagher). With a single-minded vision of what Guido needs to become, Vinnie embarks on a destructive journey to control every aspect of his new act’s image, a journey that might end up destroying everyone around him, including himself.

The Idolmaker marked the feature film debut for Peter Gallagher (American Beauty, The O.C. ) and Joe Pantoliano (The Sopranos, The Matrix) and starred Ray Sharkey (Wiseguy) as rock promoter Vincent Vaccari, a character based on the real life of manager Bob Marcucci, who discovered and promoted several rock ’n’ roll stars including Frankie Avalon and Fabian. Sharkey would go on to win the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Musical/Comedy for his performance.

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THE GREAT GATSBY
(2013, Blu-ray released August 27, 2013 – MSRP $35.99)

THE FILM:

“The Great Gatsby follows Fitzgerald-like, would-be writer Nick Carraway as he leaves the Midwest and comes to New York City in the spring of 1922, an era of loosening morals, glittering jazz and bootleg kings. Chasing his own American Dream, Nick lands next door to a mysterious, party-giving millionaire, Jay Gatsby, and across the bay from his cousin Daisy and her philandering, blue-blooded husband Tom Buchanan. It is thus that Nick is drawn into the captivating world of the super rich, their illusions, loves and deceits. As Nick bears witness, within and without the world he inhabits, he pens a tale of impossible love, incorruptible dreams and high-octane tragedy, and holds a mirror to our own modern times and struggles.“

Ima call it right now – The Vincent Price Collection is going to be my Blu-ray boxed set of the year. I was excited for this bad boy before but now that Scream Factory have announced the following killer collection of special features for this set I can barely contain my excitement. Drink in the substantial list below and hop over to Amazon to make your pre-order happen. Or, better yet, order direct from Shout! Factory and grab “an exclusive 18″x24″ poster featuring our newly commissioned artwork!” The 4-disc set will be on shelves this coming October 22.