Upcoming Universal Studios Catalog Blu-rays
Universal Studios Home Entertainment will release five catalog titles on Blu-ray on August 14th. At this point, we don’t know any details about the contents, whether any of the titles have been re-scanned, or if the discs contain any special features. However, there are some well-loved titles here, which are sure to appeal to collectors. As a Gilbert & Sullivan fanatic, I’m especially happy that The Pirates of Penzance (1983) is getting an HD release.
Here’s what we know thus far:
Zoot Suit (1981) Blu-ray
Part fascinating fact, part dazzling fiction, Zoot Suit is the blistering film adaptation of playwright Luis Valdez’ critically acclaimed stage drama based on the zoot suit riots that rocked 1940s Los Angeles.
When barrio leader Henry Reyna (Daniel Valdez) and a group of his friends are unjustly convicted on circumstantial evidence and sent to San Quentin, activist lawyers Alice Bloomfield (Tyne Daly) and George Shearer (Charles Aidman) fight the blatant racially motivated miscarriage of justice to win Henry and his friends their freedom. Featuring Edward James Olmos (as the mythical Pachuco) in the role that catapulted him to stardom, Zoot Suit is a scorchingly searing and seductively provocative work that skillfully blends action, drama, romance and music!
Pirates of Penzance (1983) Blu-ray
The Pirates of Penzance, Gilbert and Sullivan’s classic musical comedy of mistaken identity, comes swashbuckling to the screen with all the laughs, songs and stars that made it a long-running Broadway smash!
Kevin Kline reprises his Tony Award-winning role along with Angela Lansbury, Linda Ronstadt, George Rose and Rex Smith in the story of a roguish pirate king and his adventurous young charge who explore the coastline in search of treasure and romance.
Digitally remastered for optimum picture quality, it’s a fresh, funny and colorful extravaganza thats the very model of a modern movie musical.
The Lonely Guy (1984) Blu-ray
The one and only Steve Martin stars along with Charles Grodin and Tony Award winner Judith Ivey in a funny and poignant romance inspired by Bruce Jay Friedman’s tongue-in-cheek survival manual.
The Lonely Guy follows the progress of Larry (Steve Martin) and his buddy Warren (Charles Grodin) as they attempt to eke out a successful social life in the Big Apple. They’re losers, until one day, Larry writes a book that turns loneliness into the ultimate love potion, and life is never the same!
The film features performances by Steve Lawrence and Robyn Douglass with special cameos by Merv Griffin and Dr. Joyce Brothers.
Bean (1997) Blu-ray
Rowan Atkinson is the outrageous Mr. Bean, sent on a mission to California to escort the world famous painting of “Whistler’s Mother” to its new home in The Grierson Gallery. What the gallery owner, one of the richest men in America, and his curator David Langley (Peter MacNicol) believe, is that Mr. Bean is Dr. Bean, a renowned art expert. In fact he is just a sleepy-headed, wildly eccentric museum guard. He’s also the clumsiest, craziest, wackiest, wildest, most bizarre character they have ever come across, and certainly not someone you’d entrust one of the world’s most valuable paintings to. But they have – and now wreaking havoc in the Grierson Gallery and wrecking Langley’s marriage is just the beginning. With only hours to go before the official unveiling by the museum’s benefactor, General Newton (Burt Reynolds), something terrible has happened to “Whistler’s Mother” and only one man has the power to put it right. The only problem is… that man is BEAN.
Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (2000) Blu-ray
Don’t miss out on what you couldn’t see in theaters!
Once again, Eddie Murphy is hilarious when he stars as the entire Klump family in this all-new version of the film The Klumps Uncensored: Director’s Cut from director Peter Segal. This hysterical version contains outrageous new scenes and never-before-seen footage when Professor Sherman Klump finds romance with fellow DNA specialist Denise Gaines (Janet Jackson)… and discovers a brilliant formula that reverses aging. But Sherman’s obnoxious alter ego, Buddy Love, wants out… and a big piece of the action. Now, it’s up to Mama, Papa, Ernie and Granny to save the day in this whopping, gut-busting comedy Good Morning America calls an incredible piece of filmmaking. Get ready to join in the fun as the Klumps are exposed and uncensored!
