Box office history was made when Marvel Studios’ “Avengers: Infinity War” shattered all opening records, surpassed the $2 billion mark at the global box office in just 48 days, and remains the fourth highest-grossing film of all time. Now, the cinematic event ten-years in the making comes home Digitally on July 31 and Blu-ray on Aug. 14 with over two hours of bonus.
“Marvels’ Avengers: Infinity War” is a must-own addition to every in-home film collection and is packaged several ways so that fans get the most out of their viewing experience. Consumers who experience the ultimate showdown Digitally will join a 30-minute roundtable with Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) directors Anthony and Joe Russo, Jon Favreau, Joss Whedon, James Gunn, Ryan Coogler, Peyton Reed and Taika Waititi who reflect on how
The 4K Cinematic Universe Edition’s never-before-seen bonus material grants behind-the-scenes access to MCU members and features the memorable moments when characters first meet, the rationale behind some unexpected on-screen pair-ups, and a funny Super Hero gag reel. Featurettes explore the frighteningly powerful Thanos and two action-packed attempts to prevent his collection of all six Infinity Stones: the struggle on Titan and the massive battle in Wakanda. Deleted scenes and filmmaker commentary reveal even more on-set secrets from Marvel Studios’ monumental undertaking.
The Multi-Screen Edition includes a Blu-ray and a Digital Copy of the film, giving viewers the flexibility to watch the film on different devices. Those with 4K Ultra HD capability may opt for a 4K Cinematic Universe Edition, which includes a 4K Ultra HD disc, a Blu-ray, and a Digital Copy.
And for those who wish to catch up on their MCU history, select retailers are also offering bundled packaging as well as individual Digital and Physical releases of “Marvel’s The Avengers” and “Avengers: Age of Ultron.”
BONUS MATERIAL (may vary by retailer):
Blu-ray & Digital:
- Strange Alchemy (5:08)– Share the thrill of characters from across the MCU meeting for the first time—and discover why some were teamed up together.
- The Mad Titan (6:34) – Explore the MCU’s biggest, baddest villain, his trail of influence through the stories, and the existential threat he represents.
- Beyond the Battle: Titan (9:36) – Dive into the climactic struggle on Thanos’ ruined world, including the epic stunts and VFX, to uncover the source of its power.
- Beyond the Battle: Wakanda (10:58) – Go behind the scenes to find out how the filmmakers pulled off the most massive and challenging battle Marvel had ever attempted.
- Deleted and Extended Scenes (10:07)
- Happy Knows Best (1:23) – Tony and Pepper spar over the details of their upcoming wedding—until a hassled Happy Hogan pulls up with an urgent request.
- Hunt for the Mind Stone (1:24) – On a darkened street, Wanda Maximoff and the wounded Vision attempt to hide from Thanos’ brutal allies.
- The Guardians Get Their Groove Back (3:20) – As Peter Quill and Drax quarrel over their failed mission to Knowhere, Mantis interrupts with news.
- A Father’s Choice (4:00) – Thanos confronts Gamora with a vision from her past—and with lying to him about the Soul Stone.
- Gag Reel (2:05)– Watch your favorite Super Heroes make super gaffes in this lighthearted collection of on-set antics.
- Audio Commentary (approx. 149 min.) by Anthony and Joe Russo, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely
Digital Exclusive:
- A Directors’ Roundtable (approx. 32 min.) – Eight amazing directors reflect on how their movies contribute to the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s larger storytelling adventure.
In “Avengers: Infinity War,” members from every MCU franchise must sacrifice like never before in an attempt to defeat the powerful Thanos before his blitz of devastation and ruin puts an end to the universe. The film stars Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/The Hulk, Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Captain America, Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, Don Cheadle as Colonel James Rhodes/War Machine, Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange, Tom Holland as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa/Black Panther, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Karen Gillan as Nebula, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Paul Bettany as Vision, Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch, Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/Falcon, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier, Idris Elba as Heimdall, Danai Gurira as Okoye, Peter Dinklage as Eitri, Benedict Wong as Wong, Pom Klementieff as Mantis, Dave Bautista as Drax, featuring Vin Diesel as Groot, Bradley Cooper as Rocket, with Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts, with Benicio Del Toro as The Collector, with Josh Brolin as Thanos, and Chris Pratt as Peter Quill/Star-Lord.
Marvel Studios’ “Avengers: Infinity War” is directed by Emmy® Award–winning directors Anthony and Joe Russo from an original screenplay by Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely. Kevin Feige produced the film, with Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Michael Grillo, Trinh Tran, Jon Favreau, James Gunn and Stan Lee serving as executive producers.
Directors Anthony and Joe Russo’s creative team includes director of photography Trent Opaloch (“Captain America: Civil War,” “Elysium”), production designer Charles Wood (“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” “The Matrix”), editors Jeffrey Ford, ACE (“Captain America: Civil War,” “Avengers: Age of Ultron”), and Matthew Schmidt (“Avengers: Age of Ultron,” “Iron Man 3”), three-time Oscar®-nominated costume designer Judianna Makovsky (“Captain America: Civil War,” “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”), visual effects supervisor Dan DeLeeuw (“Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” “Captain America: Civil War”), six-time Oscar®–nominated special effects supervisor Dan Sudick (“Captain America: Civil War,” “Black Panther”), and stunt coordinator Sam Hargrave (“Captain America: Civil War,” “Atomic Blonde”).
Based on the Marvel comic franchise first published in 1963, “Avengers: Infinity War” continues the lineage of epic big-screen adventures chronicled in “Iron Man,” “The Incredible Hulk,” “Iron Man 2,” “Thor,” “Captain America: The First Avenger,” “Marvel’s The Avengers,” “Iron Man 3,” “Thor: The Dark World,” “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” “Ant-Man,” “Captain America: Civil War,” “Doctor Strange,” “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” “Thor: Ragnarok,” and “Black Panther.”
DISC SPECIFICATIONS (applies to film content only):
Product SKUs: Cinematic Universe Edition (4K Ultra HD+Blu-ray+Digital), Multi-Screen Edition (Blu-ray+Digital), Digital UHD (select retailers include Dolby Vision), HD, SD, DVD and On-Demand
Feature Run Time: Approximately 149 minutes
Rating: PG-13
Aspect Ratio: 2.39
Audio: UHD BD: English Dolby Atmos, Latin Spanish 7.1 Dolby Digital Plus, French Canadian 5.1 Dolby Digital, English Descriptive Audio 2.0 Dolby Digital
Blu-ray: English 7.1 DTS-HDMA, Brazilian Portuguese, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, English Descriptive Audio 2.0 Dolby Digital
DVD: English, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, English Descriptive Audio 2.0 Dolby Digital
UHD Digital: English Dolby Atmos (some platforms), English 7.1 Dolby Digital Plus (some platforms), English 5.1 & 2.0 Dolby Digital, Latin Spanish 5.1 & 2.0 Dolby Digital, French 5.1 & 2.0 Dolby Digital, English Descriptive Audio 2.0 Dolby Digital
HD Digital: English 7.1 Dolby Digital Plus (some platforms), English 5.1 & 2.0 Dolby Digital, Latin Spanish 5.1 & 2.0 Dolby Digital, French 5.1 & 2.0 Dolby Digital, English Descriptive Audio 2.0 Dolby Digital
SD Digital: English 5.1 & 2.0 Dolby Digital, Latin Spanish 5.1 & 2.0 Dolby Digital, French 5.1 & 2.0 Dolby Digital, English Descriptive Audio 2.0 Dolby Digital
UHD Subtitles: English SDH, Cantonese, Japanese, Korean, Latin Spanish, Thai,
Traditional Chinese, French Canadian
BD Subtitles: English SDH, French Canadian, Brazilian Portuguese & Latin Spanish
DVD Subtitles: English SDH, French Canadian, Latin Spanish
Digital Subtitles: English SDH, French Canadian, Latin Spanish
Digital & DVD Captions: English
SOCIAL MEDIA:
Facebook: Facebook.com/Avengers
Twitter: Twitter.com/Avengers
Instagram: Instagram.com/Avengers
Directed by: Kishore Kumar Pardasani
Written by: Siva
Studio: North Star Entertainment
Runtime: 149 minutes
Genre: Action, Drama
Cast:
Pawan Kalyan as Katamarayudu
Shruti Haasan as Avanthika
Siva Balaji as Katamarayudu’s younger brother
Ajay, Kamal Kamaraju, Chaitanya Krishna in supporting roles
Katamarayudu is a Telugu-language remake of the Tamil film Veeram. This movie blends family drama with high-octane action sequences, delivering a narrative that is quintessentially rooted in southern Indian cinema’s flair for heroism and larger-than-life characters.
The story revolves around Katamarayudu, a righteous and fiercely protective elder brother who has dedicated his life to looking after his younger siblings. Known for his aversion to marriage, his life takes a turn when Avanthika, a poised and graceful woman, enters his life. The movie skillfully combines lighthearted romance, brotherly camaraderie, and intense action sequences, creating an engaging watch for the masses.
Kishore Kumar Pardasani delivers a visually grand spectacle while staying true to the essence of its Tamil original. While the screenplay lacks novelty, it compensates with fast-paced action and emotional beats. The dialogues, although simple, hit the right chords when it comes to showcasing family bonds and love.
Pawan Kalyan is the heart of the film. His screen presence and charismatic portrayal of Katamarayudu dominate every frame. Shruti Haasan offers a refreshing on-screen presence, and her chemistry with Pawan Kalyan adds charm to the narrative. The supporting cast, especially the actors playing the brothers, do justice to their roles, adding depth to the storyline.
The film boasts meticulously choreographed fight scenes, which are a visual treat for action lovers. Anup Rubens’ background score and songs elevate the emotional and action-packed moments. His mass appeal and command over action and emotion anchor the movie effectively.
The film adheres to a conventional template, leaving little room for surprises. At 149 minutes, the film feels stretched, especially in the second half.
Katamarayudu is a feast for fans of Pawan Kalyan and action-packed family dramas. It carries the essence of mass entertainment but doesn’t break new ground. While it caters to the sensibilities of Telugu cinema audiences, others might find its predictability a drawback.
Rating: 8/10 Fans of Pawan Kalyan and high-energy action films will undoubtedly enjoy this one, but those looking for a novel story might find it wanting.
“Do you want to watch a film with me? It’s called Marcel the Shell with Shoes On”
“What?”
“It’s about a little shell named Marcel who wears shoes.”
“…”
And that about sums it up! It’s the blob of a week between Christmas and New Year so it was the optimum time to watch a very surreal film recently added to UK Netflix.
Released in 2021 (a blob of a year) Marcel the Shell with Shoes On is about a one-inch-tall shell called Marcel who lives with his grandmother, Connie, in an Airbnb. Marcel usually stays out the way of the house’s various guests as he utilizes his only means of fast transportation (a tennis ball) and walks his pet lint on a string (Alan). This is until a documentary filmmaker named Dean, who is staying at the Airbnb, discovers Marcel and his unique lifestyle.
As filmmakers are wont to do Dean begins to film interviews with Marcel, consequently we get an insight into Marcel’s world both inside and out. Yes, Marcel is a stop-motion hermit crab shell with surprisingly expressive googly eyes but he feels very human. I was unsure about Marcel’s age and gender because he sounds a lot like Lisa Simpson, I did even check that Marcel wasn’t voiced by Yeardly Smith. But Marcel is voiced superbly by Jenny Slate. Marcel comes off as quite childlike with his wide-eyed optimism and naivety (he is a shell I suppose). Yet, like many children, Marcel will utter something so profound he will seem more of a fossil than a shell. When Dean uploads Marcel’s interviews onto YouTube Marcel of course becomes a viral sensation. Marcel reads the comments on his videos, using his tiny shoes to activate the laptop touchpad, which is just adorable! Despite his obvious popularity, Marcel remarks; “It’s an audience. It’s not a community.” Which just drives a stake into the heart of social media.
No, Marcel does not become a teeny-tiny-TikToker, he in fact uses the internet to find his lost community. The house used to be full of anthropomorphic objects including Marcel’s own shell family. They had been living in the house for generations, Connie herself came from the garage travelling by coat pocket to the main house; it’s why she has an accent. Among the community there are anthropomorphic pieces of cereal and because the internet notices this stuff; a tampon! An unfortunate event occurred and the community were accidentally removed from their home one tragic night, leaving Marcel and Connie on their own.
Being an A24 film I knew it would get deep. Marcel’s journey gives the audience a unique perspective of life, death, and community. In a modern world where we are more connected than ever but loneliness has been recognized as a universal health crisis. We could all learn something from this talented little shell and his grandmother. Be like Marcel and don’t get sanded down by life, stay connected to your community and know you are not just rattling around on your own!
It’s a beautifully poignant and quirky film. Despite its metaphysical and existential content, the film doesn’t take itself too seriously. Whether it’s Marcel making rope by winding together the pubic hairs he finds in the drain (he calls them ‘hardy hairs’) or sleeping on slices of bread referring to them as his ‘breadroom’. The film is painstakingly detailed and you can see its roots in a short film. It’s a delightful adventure that has something far bigger to say than its minuscule protagonist.
Five stars.
As an anime enthusiast and entertainment journalist, I’ve curated a list of the top five must-see anime series of 2024. These selections showcase the diversity and creativity that define the medium, offering compelling narratives and stunning animation.
Delicious in Dungeon
This series combines culinary arts with fantasy adventure, following a group of dungeon explorers who cook and eat the monsters they defeat. The unique premise and mouth-watering depictions of fantasy cuisine make it a standout this year. Kaiju No. 8
Set in a world plagued by kaiju attacks, the story centers on a protagonist who gains the ability to transform into a kaiju himself. The series offers a fresh take on the kaiju genre, blending action with deep character development.
Kaiju No. 8
Set in a world plagued by kaiju attacks, the story centers on a protagonist who gains the ability to transform into a kaiju himself. The series offers a fresh take on the kaiju genre, blending action with deep character development. Solo Leveling
Adapted from the popular web novel, this anime follows a weak hunter who becomes the world’s strongest after a mysterious system grants him unique abilities. Its dynamic animation and gripping storyline have captivated audiences worldwide.
Solo Leveling
Adapted from the popular web novel, this anime follows a weak hunter who becomes the world’s strongest after a mysterious system grants him unique abilities. Its dynamic animation and gripping storyline have captivated audiences worldwide. The Elusive Samurai
Set in feudal Japan, this historical series follows a young samurai who uses his agility and wit to survive in a turbulent era. The anime’s blend of historical context and engaging action sequences has garnered critical acclaim.
The Elusive Samurai
Set in feudal Japan, this historical series follows a young samurai who uses his agility and wit to survive in a turbulent era. The anime’s blend of historical context and engaging action sequences has garnered critical acclaim. Dragon Ball Daima
The latest installment in the iconic Dragon Ball franchise, this series introduces new transformations and challenges for Goku and his friends. Its high-octane battles and nostalgic elements appeal to both longtime fans and newcomers.
Dragon Ball Daima
The latest installment in the iconic Dragon Ball franchise, this series introduces new transformations and challenges for Goku and his friends. Its high-octane battles and nostalgic elements appeal to both longtime fans and newcomers. These anime series exemplify the innovation and storytelling prowess that continue to drive the medium’s global popularity. Whether you’re a seasoned otaku or new to anime, these titles are essential viewing for 2024.
Movie Review: Katamarayudu
You Are Not Ready for ‘Marcel the Shell with Shoes On’
Top Five anime in 2024
Mechanic Rocky
Nosferatu
Did JD from Scrubs Have a Dark Past?
You Are Not Ready for ‘Marcel the Shell with Shoes On’
‘Mufasa: The Lion King’ Will Leave You Breathless
Is ‘Kraven the Hunter’ a Total Letdown?
Nosferatu
Comic-Con 2024: Arthur C Clarke’s Venus Prime TV series
Comic-Con 2024: Max Collins’s TRUE NOIR
Comic-Con 2024: Will Wight’s Cradle
Interview With Heroes & Villains Creative Director Doug Johnson
Thatsmye Interviews: Les Weiler on Henchin’: the Series
