The physical media box set market has slowed in recent years as studios have kinda run out of collections to release. So we wanted to highlight two of the coolest such releases in a very long time, box sets aimed at fans of two icons of film history: Steven Spielberg and Jackie Chan. The former gets a lavish limited-edition steelbook set that collects some of his most beloved films for the first time to celebrate the release of “Disclosure Day”; the latter gets a special-features-loaded 10-disc set that spotlights a formative period in his legacy. They’re both going to be on any shortlist of the best Blu-ray box sets of the year. Pick ’em up at an online outlet or store near you while you can.
“Steven Spielberg: The Spotlight Collection”
There are very few filmmakers who could assemble an 8-film box set as impressive as this one. Collected for the first time, this impressive set not only includes Spielberg’s three other alien movies—“Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial,” and “War of the Worlds”—but accompanies them with five other straight-up masterpieces: “Jaws,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “Jurassic Park,” “Schindler’s List,” and “Saving Private Ryan.” It’s a box set that features more disc-by-disc quality than arguably any other 8-movie collection you could buy.
Each film slides into a 4K steelbook edition, and the entire collection features over 25 hours of bonus features, all of which are listed below:
Jaws
JAWS @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story
The Making of JAWS
The Shark Is Still Working: The Impact & Legacy of JAWS
JAWS: The Restoration
Deleted Scenes and Outtakes
From The Set
Theatrical Trailer
Galleries
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Includes all 3 versions of the film (Theatrical Version, Special Edition, Director’s Cut)
Three Kinds of Close Encounters
Steven’s Home Videos & Outtakes
Steven Spielberg: 30 Years of Close Encounters
Close Encounters of the Third Kind: Making of Documentary
Close Encounters of the Third Kind: Watch the Skies
Deleted Scenes
Storyboard Comparisons
Extensive Photo Gallery
Close Encounters of the Third Kind – Original Theatrical Trailer
Close Encounters of the Third Kind – Special Edition Trailer
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Teaser Trailer
Theatrical Trailer
Re-Issue Trailer
T. The Extra-Terrestrial
40 Years of T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL
TCM Classic Film Festival: An Evening with Steven Spielberg
The E.T. Journals
Deleted Scenes
Steven Spielberg & E.T.
A Look Back
The Evolution and Creation of E.T.
The E.T. Reunion
The Music of E.T.: A Discussion with John Williams
The 20th Anniversary Premiere
Designs, Photographs, and Marketing
Theatrical Trailer
Special Olympics TV Spot
Jurassic Park
Return to Jurassic Park: Dawn of a New Era
Return to Jurassic Park: Making Prehistory
Return to Jurassic Park: The Next Step in Evolution
Archival Featurettes
The Making of Jurassic Park
Original Featurette on the Making of the Film
Steven Spielberg Directs Jurassic Park
Hurricane in Kauai Featurette
Behind the Scenes
Early Pre-Production Meetings
Location Scouting
Phil Tippett Animatics: Raptors in the Kitchen
Animatics: T-Rex Attack
ILM and Jurassic Park: Before and After the Visual Effects
Foley Artists
Storyboards
Production Archives
Theatrical Trailer
Schindler’s List
Schindler’s List: 25 Years Later
Voices from the List
USC Shoah Foundation Story with Steven Spielberg (2018)
Let Their Testimonies Speak – Stronger Than Hate
About iWitness (2018)
Saving Private Ryan
An Introduction
Looking Into the Past
Miller and His Platoon
Boot Camp
Making Saving Private Ryan
Re-Creating Omaha Beach
Music and Sound
Parting Thoughts
Into the Breach: Saving Private Ryan
Theatrical Trailer
Re-Release Trailer
Shooting War
War of the Worlds
Revisiting the Invasion
The H.G. Wells Legacy
Steven Spielberg and the Original War of the Worlds
Characters: The Family Unit
Previsualization
Production Diaries
Designing the Enemy: Tripods and Aliens
Scoring War of the Worlds
We Are Not Alone
Galleries
Theatrical Teaser Trailer
“Jackie Chan’s Breakout Hits”
There was a run of international releases in the mid-‘90s when Jackie Chan went from a beloved action star for those who knew the genre’s world market to a household name in the United States. By the end of it, Chan would star in 1997’s “Rush Hour,” beginning a wave of blockbuster releases in which his name was above the title, with some of them standing the test of time better than others. (I’ll still defend the goofy fun of “Shanghai Noon”; less so “The Tuxedo.”)
Of course, Jackie Chan’s career didn’t start in the ‘90s. By then, he had already amassed dozens of credits, dating all the way back to 1962. And as someone old enough to remember this period, I knew about films like “Police Story” and “Supercop.” But it was Stanley Tong’s “Rumble in the Bronx” that was really the star’s breakthrough North American hit, despite how legendarily it falters in its attempts to make Vancouver look like New York. “Rumble” made over $75 million, the highest-grossing film in Hong Kong to that date. Chan truly was the biggest action star in the world.
To commemorate that period, Arrow Home Video has released a collection of six Chan films, all presented in 4K for the first time: The box set features “Drunken Master II” (1994), “Rumble in the Bronx” (1995), “Thunderbolt” (1995), “Police Story IV” (1996), “Mr. Nice Guy” (1997), and “Who Am I?” (1997). The box includes a 160-page book with new writing on the films, 24 lobby cards, and even a reversible poster, but it’s the films themselves that are LOADED with material that Chan fans will want to see. It’s overwhelming, and listed below:
DISC 1 – DRUNKEN MASTER II
4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentations in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) of three versions: the uncut 102-minute Hong Kong Cut , the 100-minute International Cut and the American Cut re-titled The Legend of Drunken Master (102 mins)
Original lossless Cantonese, Mandarin and English mono audio for the Hong Kong Cut
Original lossless English mono audio for the International Cut
Original English DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround audio for The Legend of Drunken Master
Optional English subtitles and subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
Brand new commentary by martial arts cinema experts Frank Djeng and F.J. DeSanto
Before the Breakout, a new featurette in which stuntman Wang Yao, academic Dr. Wayne Wong and critics David West and James Mudge look back at Jackie Chan’s earlier career
Breakout! Part 1, a new featurette in which Wong, West, Mudge and stuntman Mars look back at the film
Deadly When Drunken, a new interview with co-writer Yuen Kai-chi
Tipsy Tribulations, an expanded interview with stuntman Mars
Period Postures, a new interview with academic Dr. Lars Laamann on the historical context behind the film
Drunken Defiance, a new appreciation of the film by martial arts cinema expert Ricky Baker
Archive interview with Jackie Chan filmed for the American release in 2000
Alternate Mandarin drinking scene (contains standard-definition inserts)
Textless outtakes
Chinese New Year messages recorded by Jackie for the Taiwanese and Malaysian openings
Trailer gallery
Image gallery
DISC 2 – RUMBLE IN THE BRONX (HONG KONG CUT)
4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
Original lossless Cantonese/English (sync-sound) stereo audio and English (export dub) mono audio
Optional English subtitles and subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
Brand new commentary by martial arts cinema experts Frank Djeng and F.J. DeSanto
Breakout! Part 2, a new featurette in which stuntman Mars, stuntwoman Kathy Hubble, martial arts cinema expert Ricky Baker and critics David West and James Mudge look back at the film
Rumble Recollections, an expanded interview with Hubble
Alternate footage
Textless outtakes
Image gallery
DISC 3 – RUMBLE IN THE BRONX (INTERNATIONAL CUT)
4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
Original English-dubbed lossless stereo audio and DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround audio
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
Electronic press kit interview with Jackie Chan
Two scenes added for the network TV version with dubbing unique to this version
US trailer and TV spots
DISC 4 – THUNDERBOLT
4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) of the uncut 110-minute International Cut
Original lossless Cantonese/English (sync-sound) stereo audio, English (export dub) stereo audio and English (US dub) DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround audio
Optional English subtitles and subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
97-minute Japanese Cut with lossless Cantonese/English sync-sound stereo audio (high-definition only)
Brand new commentary by martial arts cinema experts Frank Djeng and F.J. DeSanto
Breakout! Part 3, a new featurette in which stuntman Mars, critics David West and James Mudge, and dubbing supervisor Paul Clay look back at the film
A Thunderous Presence, an expanded interview with Clay on his collaborations with Jackie Chan
Alternate English export credits
Textless outtakes
International trailer
Japanese trailers
Image gallery
DISC 5 – POLICE STORY 4: FIRST STRIKE (HONG KONG CUT)
4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
Original lossless Cantonese/English (sync-sound) stereo and Mandarin (dubbed) stereo audio
Optional English subtitles and subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
Brand new commentary by martial arts cinema experts Frank Djeng and F.J. DeSanto
Breakout! Part 4, a new featurette in which critics David West and James Mudge look back at the film
Textless outtakes
Image gallery
DISC 6 – POLICE STORY 4: FIRST STRIKE (INTERNATIONAL CUT)
4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
Original English-dubbed lossless stereo and DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround audio
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
Striking Back, a new interview with martial arts cinema expert Frank Djeng
Scenes added for the US network TV version with dubbing unique to this version
US trailer
DISC 7 – MR. NICE GUY (JAPANESE & HONG KONG CUTS)
4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
Original lossless English DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround and lossless stereo audio for both cuts
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
Brand new commentary by critic James Mudge
Breakout! Part 5, a new featurette in which stuntman Mars and critics David West and James Mudge look back at the film
Nice Thoughts, a new appreciation by martial arts cinema expert Frank Djeng
Alternate English credits
Textless outtakes
Original trailer
Image gallery
DISC 8 – MR. NICE GUY (INTERNATIONAL CUT)
4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
Original lossless English DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround and lossless stereo audio
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
US trailer
DISC 9 – WHO AM I? (HONG KONG CUT)
4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
Original lossless English DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround and lossless stereo audio
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
Brand new commentary by critic James Mudge
Breakout! Part 6, a new featurette in which critic James Mudge, actor Glory Simon and second unit cinematographer Ray Wong look back at the film
From Drunk to Slam Dunk: Jackie Chan in the New Millennium, a new featurette in which Mudge, Simon, Wong, stuntwoman Kathy Hubble, stuntmen Wang Yao and Mars, critic David West and others look at Jackie’s career in the years since
The Making of Who Am I?, a three-part archive behind-the-scenes featurette
Alternate English credits
Textless outtakes
Original trailer
Image gallery
DISC 10 – WHO AM I? (INTERNATIONAL CUT)
4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
Original lossless English DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround and lossless stereo audio
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
Who, When & Where, an expanded interview with Wong
Jostling with Jackie, an expanded interview with Simon
US trailer
