My Two Cents
Monday, 26 February 2024 18:31

Dune: Part Two is a wonder, plus Glory (1989) & the Ocean’s Trilogy in 4K, new Kino Lorber Studio Classics, Arrow, Umbrella & Radiance titles & more

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We’ve got some more new announcement for you today, including a few interesting ones. And we have new disc reviews today as well. But first, I saw Dune: Part Two last night. So let me just share some very quick and non-spoiler comments. Here’s my initial reaction posted on social media afterwards...

“You see a film like DUNE: PART TWO and you think: That’s either the last great film of a dying Hollywood, or proof that there’s still a bit of life left in this industry. Either way, it’s a wonder. And absolutely perfect. Don’t look now, but Denis Villeneuve has just casually knocked out three of the greatest science fiction films of all time. See it on the BIGGEST POSSIBLE SCREEN.”

I guess “three of the greatest” depends on whether you calculate Dune as a single film or not. But Arrival, Blade Runner: 2049, and the combined Dune adaptation are all superb. I would rank them right up there with Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner and Alien, and the Wachowskis’ The Matrix. Maybe I’d add Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind in there as well. All extraordinary pieces of hard science fiction cinema.

Honestly, if you liked Dune: Part One—and particularly if you loved Frank Herbert’s original novel, which is rightly regarded as the greatest work of science fiction literature—Villeneuve has just nailed the landing. [Read on here...]

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The moment I walked out of the theater, I texted some friends: “Holy Shit. EPIC.” That was my honest, in-the-moment instant reaction.

A few minutes later, as I’m walking to the car with my brain still spinning, my old friend Robert Meyer Burnett texted me, having also just walked out of a theater upon seeing this film: “Dude. HOLY SHIT.”

This film is definitely that kind of experience. And it is a sublime and cinematic IMAX experience. Seriously, if you can see it in IMAX, don’t watch it any other way.

All right, more on that later. In the meantime, here are our latest new disc reviews...

Stuart has weighed in with a trio of titles, including his thoughts on Fernando di Leo’s Loaded Guns (1975) from Raro Video, Louis Malle’s Damage (1992) from Imprint, and Henri Verneuil’s Mille milliards de dollars (1982) from Kino Lorber, all of them on regular Blu-ray.

Stephen has checked in with a look at both the Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD editions of Jeff Wamester’s animated Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part One (2024) from Warner Bros. and DC Studios.

And Tim has delivered his in-depth take on Sony’s Resident Evil: 6-Movie Collection box set in 4K Ultra HD.

While we’re on the topic of Sony, in announcement news today the studio has just officially set Edward Zwick’s Glory (1989) for release in 4K Ultra HD Steelbook on 6/4 in honor of the film’s 35th anniversary. The film has been restored from the original camera negative and given a new Dolby Vision HDR grade as well as a new Atmos mix. The existing 5.1 and 2.0 mixes will also be included. And all of the legacy Blu-ray special features will carry over as well. You can see the cover artwork above left.

Kino Lorber Studio Classics has revealed that Bernardo Bertolucci’s Little Buddha (1993) is “coming soon” to 4K Ultra HD. Also coming soon to Blu-ray is Claude Miller’s Deadly Circuit (1982). And in terms of titles that now have specific street dates, look for Alan J. Pakula’s Starting Over (1979) on Blu-ray on 4/23, along with Nancy Savoca’s True Love (1989) and the Bettie Page Double Feature of Varietease (1954) and Teaserama (1955) that same day.

Umbrella Entertainment has revealed its May Blu-ray slate, which will include Shane Carruth’s Primer (2004) and Upstream Color (2013), Harmony Korine’s Trash Humpers (2009), and Josiah Allen and Indianna Bell’s You’ll Never Find Me (2023) all on 5/22.

Not to be outdone, Arrow Video’s newly-announced May slate includes Sidney Lumet’s Night Falls on Manhattan (1996) on Blu-ray (US and Canada only) on 5/7, followed by Joe Carnahan’s Narc (2002) on 4K Ultra HD (US and Canada only) and Guillermo del Toro’s Crimson Peak (2015) on 4K Ultra HD (UK, US, and Canada) on 5/21, and John Mackenzie’s The Long Good Friday (1980) on 4K Ultra HD (UK only) and Quarxx’s Pandemonium (2023) on Blu-ray (UK, US, and Canada) on 5/28. Here’s a look at the packaging...

Arrow Video May 2024 slate

Radiance Films in the UK has a nice slate of upcoming Blu-ray catalog titles, including a Shinobi box set due on 5/27 that features Satsuo Yamamoto’s Band of Assassins (1962) and Revenge (1963), as well as Kazuo Mori’s Resurrection (1966). Also coming that day is Mario Bava’s Planet of the Vampires (1965) and Laura Citarella’s Trenque Lauquen (2023).

Also, Turbine is releasing David Twohy’s Pitch Black (2000) in 4K Ultra HD in Germany on 2/29.

88 Films is releasing Paul Weitz’s American Pie (1999) on 4K Ultra HD in the UK on 6/24.

Vinegar Syndrome has set Henry Hathaway’s 5 Card Stud (1968) for 4K Ultra HD release on 3/26.

And Warner Bros. is expected to release Steven Soderbergh’s Ocean’s Eleven (2001), Ocean’s Twelve (2004), and Ocean’s Thirteen (2007) in 4K Ultra HD Steelbook in the coming months. We don’t have an official street date yet, but, Q2 seems likely.

Back tomorrow with more! Stay tuned...

(You can follow Bill on social media at these links: Twitter and Facebook)

 

 

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