May I mambo dogface to the banana patch? Loosely translated for those of you reading this with a shred of sanity left, welcome back for another edition of The Digital Wire! This week, we’ve gotta another assorted batch of Blu-ray and DVD new release announcements guaranteed to appeal the wide-eyed child in us all. Of course that depends on whether your inner child prefers musical numbers and fancy digital effects or rampant violence, hair-raising car chases, and other adult fare that both the critics and audiences of this world can unite to celebrate its existence.

Below you’ll find info on several future home video releases complete with technical specs, release dates, and links to pre-order at Amazon. We would greatly appreciate it if you use those links to order because a small percentage of each order helps keep this website running at max power. The cover art for certain titles has yet to be finalized.

A home video release more than a decade in the making, Grindhouse Releasing has finally set an official release date for the late Duke Mitchell‘s infamously unfinished B-movie masterpiece Gone with the Pope. This crazy violent and politically incorrect crime comedy comes to Blu-ray/DVD combo pack on March 24, 2015. Long considered “the Holy Grail of exploitation cinema”, Mitchell’s final labor of cinematic love has been in the works since the early 2000’s and has been gifted with a 2K digital restoration sourced from the original 35mm camera negative, three lossless audio options including a new 5.1 soundtrack created by Emmy Award-winning mixer Marti Humphrey, and some tantalizing and insightful bonus features:

I remember seeing the hilarious trailer for Gone with the Pope on Grindhouse’s DVD release of Cannibal Holocaust….back in 2005. Since then it’s been previewed on every DVD and Blu-ray from the company and I’m very happy this legendary lost trash classic will finally be available soon for the world to enjoy.

In related news, Grindhouse’s Blu-rays of Mitchell’s Massacre Mafia Style and Lucio Fulci’s horror classic The Beyond have been pushed back from their initial February 10, 2015 release date to February 24, 2015. Just two weeks. Hang in there friends, these discs will be well worth the extended wait.

The star-powered modern day remake of the beloved musical classic Annie starring Jamie Foxx, Cameron Diaz, and Quvenzhané Wallis in the title role is coming to Blu-ray and DVD from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment on March 17, 2015. The DVD version will contain some extra features, but it’s the Blu-ray that will have the bulk of the new supplements:

Just in time for the theatrical debut of the franchise’s long-awaited fourth installment Fury Road, the original Mad Max is returning to Blu-ray from Shout! Factory’s horror/sci-fi label Scream Factory on May 5, 2015. This will be a collector’s edition release and though the extra features have not yet been finalized the good folks at Scream have confirmed that among the bonuses produced will be an all-new interview with the mad one himself, Mel Gibson. The company has also unveiled the official artwork and it is a beauty.

20th Century Fox Home Entertainment will release Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb, the second – and probably not the last – sequel to their 2006 family-friendly fantasy smash, on Blu-ray and DVD on March 10, 2015. The Blu-ray will include the following bonus features (which I’m sure a small portion of will be available on the DVD):

Chris Rock‘s honest and hilarious comedy hit Top Five – his third as director – finds the veteran stand-up comedian and filmmaker taking on his most challenging movie role to date alongside a star-packed supporting cast of dramatic and comedic talent that includes Rosario Dawson, Gabrielle Union, Cedric The Entertainer, JB Smoove, Tracy Morgan, Kevin Hart, Anders Holm, Sherri Shepherd, and Rock’s fellow Saturday Night Live alumni Jay Pharaoh, Michael Che, and Leslie Jones. Paramount Home Media Distribution will release the critically-acclaimed feature on Blu-ray and DVD on March 17, 2015. The DVD will contain no bonus features but the Blu-ray will be fully loaded:

Sure to be a big winner at this year’s Academy Awards, Alejandro González Iñárritu‘s dark comedy Birdman features Michael Keaton in the performance of his life as a has-been action movie star attempting against insurmountable odds to rehabilitate his personal and professional domains. With a powerful supporting cast that includes laudable turns from Edward Norton, Emma Stone, Zach Galifianakis, Amy Ryan, and Naomi Watts, the hypnotic film comes to Blu-ray and DVD from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment on February 17, 2015. Bonus features will include:

Out This Week

101 Dalmatians: Diamond Edition: Blu-ray

Nightcrawler: Blu-ray|DVD

LEGO DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League vs. Bizarro League: Blu-ray|DVD

Predestination: Blu-ray|DVD

Don’t Look Now: Criterion Collection: Blu-ray|DVD

Kill the Messenger: Blu-ray|DVD

Those are the highlights of this week. Come back same time next week for more of the coolest home video news tidbits on the web.