Displaying items by tag: Gordon Parks

We have two more new disc reviews for you to enjoy today, including...

Stephen’s take on Peter Hyams’ Timecop (1994) in 4K Ultra HD from Shout! Factory.

And Dennis’ look at Leigh Whannell’s Wolf Man (2025) on Blu-ray from Blumhouse via Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.

In announcement news this afternoon, our friends at Kino Lorber Studio Classics have revealed a pair of new 4K Ultra HD catalog titles for release on 6/17, including Billy Wilder’s Sabrina (1954)—a Paramount title—and Sean S. Cunningham’s DeepStar Six (1989)—a Carolco Pictures/Tri-Star Pictures film. Both will include Dolby Vision HDR.

Also today, Imprint Films has announced their fiftieth wave of catalog titles for Blu-ray release in June, including Martin Scorsese’s Raging Bull (1980) and New York, New York (1977), John Huston’s The Man Who Would Be King (1975), John Milius’ The Wind and the Lion (1975), Gordon Parks’ Leadbelly (1976), Cliff Robertson’s J.W. Coop (1971), and Harold Becker’s The Onion Field (1979). The street date is 6/25, and each is limited to 1500 copies. [Read on here...]

“It really was Shaft that proved the true value of the Black dollar. Up until then Hollywood hadn’t seriously considered the breadth, scope and power of the Black moviegoing audience.” – Josiah Howard, author of Blaxploitation Cinema: The Essential Reference Guide

“With Shaft, an underrepresented audience finally got the representation they were thirsty for.” – Chris Utley, Shaft fan

“While the Blaxploitation genre lasted less than a decade before burning out, I always thought the Shaft franchise could have endured indefinitely, as the Bond films did.” – Lee Pfeiffer, Cinema Retro

The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this multi-page retrospective commemorating the golden anniversary of the release of Shaft, the groundbreaking, franchise-inspiring, crime thriller directed by Gordon Parks (The Learning Tree) and starring then-newcomer Richard Roundtree as the titular character.

Shaft, also starring Moses Gunn (Roots, Ragtime) and featuring Isaac Hayes’ memorable and award-winning music, was released to theaters fifty years ago this month. For the occasion The Bits features a package of statistics and box-office data that places the movie’s performance in context, along with passages from some of its film reviews, a reference/historical listing of its original theatrical engagements, and, finally, a roundtable interview segment with a trio of film historians and Shaft authorities who reflect on the movie (and franchise) five decades after its debut. [Read on here...]