‘The Flash’ is no flash in the pan on Blu-ray

Forget Usain Bolt, as the fastest man alive without question is the Flash.

“The Flash: The Complete Sixth Season” (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment) shows off that speed. The highest-rated series on the CW now debuts Season 6 on Blu-ray and DVD with all 19 one-hour episodes.

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Season 6 includes two all-new villains, Bloodwork and Mirror Master, as well as the inventive all-new black-and-white version of the “Kiss Kiss Breach Breach: Noir” special episode. Bonus features include commentary on that “Noir” episode, deleted scenes, gag reel, and an entire Blu-ray bonus disc with all five episodes of the DC crossover event on Infinite Earths from Supergirl, Batwoman, The Flash, Arrow, and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, along with bonus features.

Other titles

When 10 episodes are so good that it seems like the value of 20 episodes, that’s when you know you have a good thing. So it goes with “Rick and Morty: Season 4” (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment), now available on Blu-ray or DVD. If I must pick favorites, the episode “Rattlerstar Ricklactica” fills the bill for me, but all 10 are out of this world in a Rick and Morty kind of way. These wayward universe adventurers are a pure delight to watch, even if they are Adult Swim animated! Bonus features are numerous: inside-the-episode featurettes for each episode, along with “A Day at Rick and Morty: Inside Season 4,” “Creating Snake Jazz,” “Directing Rick and Morty,” “Samurai and Shogun,” “Prop Process,” “Character Creation,” and “Animation Challenges.”

A quarter century ago, life changed in the anime world. “Ghost in the Shell” was born in 1995, and Lionsgate is celebrating with the titles debut on 4K Ultra HD combo pack, which includes Blu-ray. The beloved manga is from the creative genius of Japanese writer and illustrator Shirow Masamune. In addition to archival Blu-ray special features, this new package includes  a fresh full-length audio commentary and two featurettes.

Ah, 1982. After a summer of hearing Asia sing “Now you find yourself in ’82” during the smash hit “Heat of the Moment,” music fans on the west coast looked forward to Labor Day. On that carefree weekend in 1982, the US Festival took place in southern California. One of the bands was the B-52s. Now, the DVD “The B-52s: Live at the US Festival” (Shout! Factory) has been released, packed with 13 hits from the group’s early years, including “Rock Lobster” and “Private Idaho.” The disc includes brand-new interviews with band members Fred Schneider, Kate Pierson, and Cindy Wilson, who talk about late member Ricky Wilson.

“Gunsmoke: The Movie Collection” (CBS/Paramount) features three movie sequels to the long-running Western TV series “Gunsmoke” (1955-1975). James Arness stars in “Return to Dodge,” “The Last Apache,” and “To the Last Man.”

“Universal Horror Collection Volume 6” (Scream Factory) is a mega-pack Blu-ray of four classic horror flicks: “The Black Castle” starring Boris Karloff, “Cult of the Cobra,” “The Thing That Couldn’t Die,” and “The Shadow of the Cat.”

“Pilgrimage” (IndiePix Films) is a film well worth watching. This official Oscar submission for Portugal for best international film in 2019 is a sweeping period drama from director Joao Botelho. It follows Portuguese adventurer and pilgrim Fernao Mendes Pinto and his exploration of the Orient, as well as his posthumously publication of “The Travels of Mendes Pinto.”

“Santiago Italia” (Icarus Films) documents the efforts of the Italian embassy to save and relocate citizens targeted by the fascist regime of Chile’s Augusto Pinochet, who opposed democratically elected socialist Chilean leader Salvador Allende. The movie is told through the testimonies of those who were there.

“Einstein’s Universe” (Corinth Films) is a digitally remastered documentary on Albert Einstein. The documentary is lovingly restored from its original broadcast, March 14, 1979, which was the centenary of Einstein’s birth. Peter Ustinov narrates.

Article written by Steve Slosarek

Staff Writer
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