My Two Cents

Displaying items by tag: Ridley Scott

We’ve got more new disc reviews for you to enjoy today, including a couple that we posted over the weekend...

First up, Tim and Dennis have taken a look at Billy Wilder’s Some Like It Hot (1959) in 4K Ultra HD from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

I’ve also posted my thoughts on Steven Spielberg’s new West Side Story on 4K Ultra HD from 20th Century Studios.

And Tim has offered his thoughts on Philip Marshak’s Dracula Sucks (1978) in 4K Ultra HD as well, an infamous adult genre title available from Vinegar Syndrome.

Finally, Dennis has posted his take on Ridley Scott’s House of Gucci on regular Blu-ray too.

More new disc reviews are on the way soon, so be sure to check back for them in the coming days, including my in-depth look at Paramount’s The Godfather Trilogy in 4K. I had the chance to watch the films over the weekend, and let me tell you: They’ve simply never looked better. The new 2020 restoration is a night and day improvement upon the already fine 2007 restoration that was released previously on Blu-ray, so you’re definitely not going to want to miss this new set. [Read on here...]

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Today’s update is a quick one, with two more new disc reviews, two rather significant pieces of release news, and some additional release news as well. First, the reviews...

Dennis has turned in a look at Ronald Neame’s Gambit (1966) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, which stars Michael Caine and Shriley MacLaine.

And Stephen has reviewed Nadia Tass’ The Big Steal (1990) on Blu-ray from Columbia Pictures via Umbrella Entertainment’s Sunburnt Screens line.

A quick note: I’ve taken a bit of a break from reviewing discs myself as I’ve been focused on planning The Bits site upgrade that we’re going to be doing in the coming months. But I expect to get back to reviewing more in the next couple of weeks, and I’ll definitely catch up on specific titles then. So thanks for your patience in the meantime.

Now then... Disney has informed us today that their 2/8 Blu-ray and DVD release of the Peter Jackson documentary The Beatles: Get Back is being delayed. Apparently, the studio caught an audio glitch in the release at the last minute and needs to correct it. So just be aware of the delay, and we’ll post updates here direct from the studio when they reschedule the title with a new street date. [Read on here...]

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All right, I’m finally feeling better after my recent brush with an allergic reaction, so I’ve got a good My Two Cents update for you all today with some exciting 4K UHD release news and more new disc reviews as well.

First up is Stephen’s look at Joe Dante’s The Howling, now available in a new 40th anniversary release in 4K Ultra HD from Studio Canal in the UK. The 4K disc in the package will work on any UHD player, but the Blu-ray is Region B only and the DVD is Region 2 only.

Also today, Stephen has taken a look at Anthony Mann’s The Naked Spur (1953) on Blu-ray from MGM via the Warner Archive Collection.

And Tim has reviewed Camillo Mastrocinque’s An Angel for Satan (1966) on Blu-ray from Severin Films, as well as Don Siegel’s Coogan’s Bluff (1968) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics. [Read on here...]

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We’re starting out the new week today here at The Bits with a trio of new disc reviews...

First up, Tim and I have taken a look at Arrow Video’s terrific new Limited Edition Blu-ray of Ridley Scott’s Legend. The 2-disc set is absolutely loaded with vintage and new extras, and it includes the US Theatrical Cut newly-remastered from a 4K scan, as well as the Director’s Cut. Legend is a challenging title for a lot of reasons, but Arrow’s done a really great job with this one. If you’re a fan of the film, this is as good as it’s ever looked, and this is essentially a complete archive of all the previous special features and more.

Also today, Stephen has reviewed Chloe Zhao’s first film, Songs My Brothers Taught Me, newly-released on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber. If that name is familiar, it’s because Zhao is the filmmaker who’s just made The Eternals for Marvel Studios. It sounds like this earlier work is pretty terrific.

And finally, Dennis has given Wallace Worsley’s 1923 version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame a look on Blu-ray from Kino Classics. As many of you will already be aware, this version features the great Lon Chaney in the role of Quasimodo. It’s worth a look if you haven’t seen it yet.

While we’re on the subject of Universal Monsters, I’m currently working on a review of the Universal Classic Monsters: Icons of Horror Collection in 4K and should have that up by the end of the week. I’m giving myself the week to work on it, however, because I’m attending a studio screening of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune tomorrow afternoon. And I have a sneaking suspicion that’s going to occupy my mind for the next few days afterwards. I’ll definitely post a few non-spoiler thoughts about that film as well this week, rest assured. [Read on here...]

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All right, we’ll have a bit of additional announcement news for the week tomorrow here at The Bits, and I’ll be spending the afternoon working on a review of Akira Kurosawa’s Ran in 4K UHD, which will be posted then as well.

But today, I want to talk about Denis Villeneuve’s DUNE.

I had the opportunity last night to attend one of Warner and Legendary’s IMAX sneak peek events for the film as a member of the press.

A little background first... I would definitely go so far as to call myself an expert on the subject of science fiction cinema. I’ve been reading literary science fiction my entire life (including DUNE many times), I’m known in some circles to be well-versed on the topic human spaceflight, and I’m a life-long student of science in general. I read physics and astronomy research papers like some people read comic books.

So as I noted in my recent review of Voyagers in 4K, I have certain critical expectations of science fiction films and TV series. Is the story and its science setup plausible, or does it require too many contrivances or conveniences? Is the story logically consistent? Is the world-building credible and convincing? And most importantly, is the story entertaining, engaging, or thought-provoking? The vast majority of genre programming fails on one or more of those criteria. In other words, on both the big and small screen, truly great science fiction is rare. [Read on here...]

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We’ve got a couple interesting things for you this afternoon before we get to today’s release news...

First up, reviews... I’ve posted my in-depth thoughts on Tim Burton’s Batman (1989) in 4K Ultra HD here at The Bits and will have reviews of Batman Returns, Batman Forever, and Batman & Robin in 4K over the next few days. The upshot of this first Batman film in 4K is that Warner’s new transfer and Atmos mix are terrific, but the HDR may take a little getting used to and a few of the sound effects have been changed for reasons explained in the review. You can read that here.

Also, Tim has posted a review of Archer: Danger Island – The Complete Season Nine on DVD from Fox and Dennis has looked at Isn’t It Romantic on Blu-ray from Warner.

And some of you may know that this past weekend was the 40th anniversary of Ridley Scott’s original Alien (1979). So our own Michael Coate has posted a new History, Legacy, and Showmanship retrospective column looking back at the film’s theatrical release. It includes a great new roundtable of experts to discuss the film, including authors Chris Barsanti, Paul M. Sammon, and J.W. Rinzler (whose new book The Making of Alien is coming in July). You can read the piece here and if you’re a fan of the film, I think you’ll really enjoy it. [Read on here...]

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Alien (like other 1970s films such as Jaws, Superman, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Godfather, and Star Wars) was a seminal landmark in the upgrade of shopworn B-movie clichés — monsters, comic book characters, flying saucers, gangsters, Saturday afternoon serials — into major A-movie assets.” — Paul M. Sammon, author of Ridley Scott: The Making of His Movies

The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the 40th anniversary of the release of Alien, the sci-fi/horror classic about the five-man, two-woman (and one cat) crew of the Nostromo, who got more than they bargained for after investigating a distress signal from a mysterious planet.

Suspense, atmospheric moodiness and Oscar-winning visual effects were among the highlights of Alien, directed by Ridley Scott (Blade Runner, Gladiator) and starring Tom Skerritt (Top Gun), Veronica Cartwright (The Right Stuff), Harry Dean Stanton (Repo Man), John Hurt (The Elephant Man), Ian Holm (Chariots of Fire), Yaphet Kotto (Live and Let Die), and Sigourney Weaver (Ghostbusters) as Ellen Ripley. [Read on here...]

Today’s Retro Release Day title here at The Bits happens to be the very first DVD title I ever purchased and it’s also one of the very first titles released on the format.

I’m talking of course of Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner: The Director’s Cut on DVD, released twenty-two years ago today on March 26, 1997.

The film stars Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Edward James Olmos, and Daryl Hannah, with cinematography by the great Jordan Cronenweth, and music by Vangelis.

This was not the first time that Blade Runner had been released in its Director’s Cut form for home viewing; it appeared on VHS and LaserDisc in 1993. It would also not be the last version of the film to reach home video. [Read on here...]

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All right, we’re going to have a larger post with a big release news update later this afternoon, but I wanted to chime in quickly with this...

For months now, we’ve been saying that 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment was planning to promote the 40th anniversary of director Ridley Scott’s original Alien (1979). This was based on our sources within the industry.

Well... now we have the first word from retailers.

UK disc retailer Zavvi has just listed a 2-disc Alien: 40th Anniversary Edition for release on 4K Ultra HD on 4/1/2019 (or 1, April as you guys would say across the pond).

There are no other details yet available. We expect that the US release date will be somewhat different, but certainly within a week or two. The official announcement is likely due very soon and we’ve already asked the studio about this.

In the meantime, you can see temp UK cover artwork above left. Keep in mind, it’s subject to change – this is just the temporary artwork the studio has given to retailers.

Thanks to an overseas friend and Bits reader for alerting me to this.

Back later with a much larger post and more news. Stay tuned...

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

 

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