“One of the longest running and most popular classic Western series, Bonanza follows wise patriarch Ben Cartwright (Lorne Greene, ‘Earthquake’) and his three sons, Adam (Pernell Roberts, ‘Trapper John, M.D.’), Hoss (Dan Blocker, ‘Cimarron City’) and Little Joe (Michael Landon, ‘Little House on the Prairie’). The Cartwright family runs and defends the Ponderosa, their thousand-square mile ranch above the shores of Lake Tahoe, while helping the surrounding community.” – from CBS
Bonanza: The Eleventh Season will be released on October 27th as a pairing of two DVD sets (Volume One and Volume Two). Together the sets include all 28 episodes of Season Eleven, complete with digitally remastered sound and color. Special features on these are somewhat limited, but do include new audio commentary on each volume by Executive Producer Andrew J. Klyde (apart from that fans can enjoy a photo gallery and a vintage Chevrolet commercial featuring Lorne Greene). To add it to your home library, you can pre-order Volume 1 and Volume 2 separately on Amazon, each priced at $32.99.
“Created and executive produced by Academy Award® and Golden Globe® nominee* Tony McNamara (The Favourite?), ‘The Great’ is a satirical, comedic drama—and occasionally true story—about the rise of Catherine the Great (Elle Fanning) from outsider to the longest reigning female ruler in Russia’s history. An idealistic romantic young girl, she arrives from Prussia for an arranged marriage to the mercurial Emperor Peter (Nicholas Hoult) hoping for love and sunshine, and finds instead a dangerous, depraved, backward world that she resolves to change. All she has to do is kill her husband, beat the church, baffle the military and get the court on her side.” – from Paramount
Out now on DVD is the premiere season of The Great, which includes all ten episodes of Season One as well as a handful of extras. Bonus content includes two featurettes with interviews from the creators and cast as well as a behind-the-scenes tour and examinations of the costumes and hair / makeup and a gag reel. You can grab The Great: Season One on Amazon for $19.99.
Staying in this Halloween and wondering what to do? The recently released 5-movie Stephen King set from Paramount may be just the ticket. Films in the set include Pet Sematary (1989), Pet Sematary (2019), The Stand, The Dead Zone, and Silver Bullet:
Pet Sematary – When tragedy strikes, a grief-stricken father sets off a perilous chain of events that unleashes unfathomable evil in this horror classic.
The Stand – Adapted by Stephen King from his acclaimed novel and directed by Mick Garris, this epic story of good vs. evil unfolds as the few remaining people on Earth fight to survive after a deadly plague kills most of the world’s population.
The Dead Zone – Director David Cronenberg delivers a taut psychological thriller with the story of Johnny Smith, a schoolteacher who awakens from a coma to discover he has psychic abilities.
Silver Bullet – When a series of brutal killings plague a small town, a paraplegic boy becomes convinced they are the work of a werewolf.
(Synopses courtesy of Paramount)
In addition to the films themselves, the set boasts hours of bonus content, including interviews with cast and creators, photo galleries, behind-the-scenes featurettes, deleted and extended scenes, audio commentary, and more. Fans can snag the Blu-ray set on Amazon for just $22.99 (which considering the amount of film and bonus content included is a pretty sweet deal.)
“For over a century, the foreboding Hill House mansion has sat abandoned…or so it seemed. Intrigued by its past, Dr. Marrow lures three subjects to the site for an experiment. But, from the moment of their arrival, as night descends, the study goes horrifyingly awry, and Hill House unleashes its supernatural wrath on the unsuspecting subjects…Widely regarded as one of the finest and most frightening ghost stories ever written, Shirley Jackson’s ‘The Haunting of Hill House’ serves up sinister source material for this edge-of-your-seat thriller starring Liam Neeson, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Lili Taylor, Owen Wilson and Bruce Dern.” – from Paramount
Also out just in time for Halloween is the limited-edition Blu-ray release of The Haunting, presented in a newly remastered 4K film transfer and housed in collectible packaging that features a foldout image of the theatrical poster for the film as well as an interior spread of key plot points. Bonus features on the Blu-ray include two featurettes (one previously released behind-the-scenes look with Catherine Zeta-Jones as well as a “New Filmmaker Focus” on director Jan deBont) as well as a couple of original trailers. Collectors can grab the Blu-ray on Amazon, currently priced at $22.99.
