In announcement news today, Paramount has just officially set xXx: Return of Xander Cage for Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD release on 5/16, with the Digital HD release expected on 5/2. The Blu-ray and 4K discs will include Dolby Atmos audio, 4 featurettes (Third Time’s the Charm: Xander Returns, Rebels, Tyrants & Ghosts: The Cast, Opening Pandora’s Box: On Location, and I Live for This Sh#t!: Stunts), plus a gag reel.

Kino Lorber has just officially confirmed its April Blu-ray and DVD slate, which is set to include a 4K restoration of David O. Selznick’s A Farewell to Arms (1957 – BD), a 4K restoration of Sunset in the West (1950 – BD and DVD), The Scar (1948 – BD and DVD), The Mephisto Waltz (1971 – BD and DVD), The Crucible (1996 – BD), Tristan + Isolde (2006 – BD), and The Migrants (1974 – DVD) all on 4/18, followed by a 2K restoration of Broken Arrow (1950 – BD), a 4K restoration of the classic serial Daredevils of the Red Circle (1939 – BD and DVD), a 4K restoration of Don’t Give Up the Ship (1959 – BD and DVD), Papa’s Delicate Condition (1963 – BD and DVD), Those Daring Young Men in Their Jaunty Jalopies (1969 – BD and DVD), The Pied Piper (1972 – BD and DVD) and The Optimists (1973 – BD and DVD) all on 4/25.

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has set The Comedian for Blu-ray and DVD release on 5/2.

And in other news today, TCM has just announced the schedule for the 2017 TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood (April 6-9). Highlights include a 30th anniversary screening of Broadcast News with James L. Brooks, an 85th anniversary screening of Ernst Lubitsch’s One Hour with You (1932), an 85th anniversary screening of Howard Hughes’ Cock of the Air (1932), an 80th anniversary World Premiere Restoration screening of The Awful Truth (1937), and a 60th anniversary screening of The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957). You should know, Bridge is going to be released in 4K later this year. You can read more here at the official website.

Now then... I promised a couple of hardware reviews this week, which I’m going to have to push until next week. The reason is that we expect to receive our 4K Ultra HD review copies of Fantastic Beasts, the four Harry Potter films, and Planet Earth II in the next couple of days. Based on the number of e-mails we’ve been getting from many of you guys, we know how much interested you have in those titles. So we’re going to start reviewing those immediately as they arrive, and then I’ll try to post the hardware reviews Monday and Tuesday of next week. There’s not enough hours in the day, folks!

We’ll leave you today with a look at some new Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD cover artwork. Click on the covers to ore-order each on Amazon.com, if available...

Stay tuned!

- Bill Hunt