Displaying items by tag: Mike Matessino
Flintstones replacement BDs are shipping, plus a new 4K review, release news & Michael Apted RIP
Evening, folks. We’ve got a quick news update for you here today at the site.
But first, a new disc review: Tim has just posted his thoughts on William Lustig’s Vigilante (1982) on 4K Ultra HD from the good folks at Blue Underground. And it sounds like it’s a pretty terrific release if you like the film, which stars Robert Forster and Fred Williamson. Do check it out.
Also a reminder today: We posted a new History, Legacy & Showmanship column from our own Michael Coate on Friday—a piece that was delayed from the very end of 2020 due to all of the site maintenance we’ve been doing over the past several weeks. This one is a look back at the early 70mm cut of The Empire Strikes Back, featuring a new roundtable discussion with historian and soundtrack producer Mike Matessino along with director Saul Pincus. We think you’ll really enjoy it, so do give that a look here if you missed it.
Now then... there’s not a lot of release news to report today, but we do have a few things worth mentioning. [Read on here...]
- My Fair Lady 4K
- Super 8 4K
- Saul Pincus
- Mike Matessino
- Empire @ 40: Remembering the Early 70MM Cut
- The Empire Strikes Back
- History Legacy & Showmanship
- Michael Coate
- The Criterion Collection
- Santa Sangre 4K
- 4K Ultra HD
- Bluray
- My Two Cents
- The Digital Bits
- Bill Hunt
- The Ten Commandments 4K
- Tim Salmons
- Vigilante 4K review
- Blue Underground
- Michael Apted RIP
- His Dark Materials: Season Two BD
- Kino Lorber Studio Classics
- The Good The Bad and The Ugly 4K
- The Flintstones: The Complete Series BD replacement program
- News of the World 4K
- GATTACA 4K
- World of Wong Karwai BD
- Monster Hunter 4K
Criterion’s April slate, plus new 4K catalog coming from Paramount & Severin, and new catalog Blu-ray titles too
Hey everyone! Well... another week is officially in the can and, as promised, I’ve got an update for you on some release news and whatnot.
First up, I wanted to alert you to a 4K Ultra HD deal: Amazon currently has Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite available in 4K for just $11.00 for a limited time only. So click here to order a copy if you’re interested.
Also today, we’ve got a great new History, Legacy & Showmanship column from our own Michael Coate—one that was delayed from the very end of 2020 due to all of the site maintenance we’ve been doing over the past several weeks. This one is a terrific look back at the early 70mm cut of The Empire Strikes Back, featuring a new roundtable discussion with historian and soundtrack producer Mike Matessino along with director Saul Pincus. We think you’ll really enjoy it, so do give that a look here.
Now then, in announcement news today, Severin Films has revealed that it’s working on a new 4K Ultra HD release of Alejandro Jodorowsky’s Santa Sangre (1989) that’s due on 4/27. The title will also be released on Blu-ray and DVD. You can see the cover artwork for the 4K at left. Click here to pre-order on Amazon: 4K, Blu-ray, DVD.
But that’s not the only 4K catalog title we now know is coming from our retail sources... [Read on here...]
- Bill Hunt
- The Digital Bits
- My Two Cents
- Bluray
- 4K Ultra HD
- Santa Sangre 4K
- Severin Films
- The Criterion Collection
- Criterion April 2021 slate
- Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment
- Parasite 4K deal
- Michael Coate
- History Legacy & Showmanship
- The Empire Strikes Back
- Empire @ 40: Remembering the Early 70MM Cut
- Mike Matessino
- Saul Pincus
- The Ten Commandments 4K
- Super 8 4K
- The Indiana Jones 4K Collection
- My Fair Lady 4K
- History Is Made at Night
- The Criterion Spines Project
- The 4K Ultra HD Release List
- The Furies
- Memories of Murder
- Bong Joonho
- Masculin féminin
- JeanLuc Godard
- Irma Vep
- Anthony Mann
- Olivier Assayas
- Frank Borzage
- The Warner Archive Collection
- Pump Up the Volume
- Imprint
- Indicator Films
- The Very Excellent Mr Dundee
- Greenland 4K
Empire @ 40: Remembering the Early 70MM Cut
“On my thirteenth viewing, which was the first time I saw it at a different theater than the one I’d gone to since opening day, I knew there were noticeable changes when the final scene began with different music.” — film music historian Mike Matessino
The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present a continuation of our 40th anniversary coverage of the release of The Empire Strikes Back, the middle act of George Lucas’s original Star Wars trilogy and one of the most celebrated and beloved sequels of all time. Part One of our Empire 40th coverage appeared back in May.
George Lucas’s penchant for making revisions to his work is about as legendary as his movies. The majority of Lucas’s alterations have occurred years after his films’ original releases. With The Empire Strikes Back, however, the first (of several rounds of) revisions were actually made while the movie was in first release, and it is this lesser-known aspect of the otherwise very-well-known production that is the subject of this column. [Read on here...]
- Billy Dee Williams
- Peter Mayhew
- Alec Guinness
- Frank Oz
- Kenny Baker
- Anthony Daniels
- Carrie Fisher
- Harrison Ford
- Mark Hamill
- John Williams
- 40th anniversary
- The Digital Bits
- Michael Coate
- History Legacy & Showmanship
- The Empire Strikes Back
- Irvin Kershner
- George Lucas
- Star Wars
- Mike Matessino
- Saul Pincus
Pitch Black 4K delay, Dawn of the Dead 4K now shipping to the US, “lost” silent film recovered, Rick & Morty: S4 & Star Trek: TMP 4K on hold
All right, today’s news update is going to be a quick one. The reason is that I’m working to confirm a number of interesting rumors that I’ve heard in the last 24 hours, both on the interwebs and also from my own industry sources. I’m talking not one, but multiple interesting topics, including word of forthcoming releases and also more general stuff that’s going on in the home video industry right now. I’d actually hoped to be able to confirm one of them in time for this post, but I’m waiting on sources to get back to me. So I’ve decided to post a quick update now and come back with more as I hear it.
Before I continue with what news we have this afternoon, we do have a new disc review for you here at The Digital Bits today. Dennis has turned in his thoughts on Noel Black’s A Man, a Woman, and a Bank (1979) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics. You can read that here.
Now then... Arrow Video has pushed back the street date for Pitch Black on 4K Ultra HD to 9/1 (from 8/18). Adjust your plans accordingly. [Read on here...]
- My Two Cents
- The Digital Bits
- Bill Hunt
- Dennis Seuling
- A Man a Woman and a Bank BD review
- Pitch Black 4K
- Zavvi US and UK
- Second Sight Films UK
- George Romero's Dawn of the Dead 4K
- Rick & Morty: Season 4 BD
- Blue Ridge
- The B52s: Live at the US Festival DVD
- The First Degree (1923)
- Edward Sedgwick
- Bruce Motnick
- Atmos mix
- Star Trek: The Motion Picture The Director's Edition 4K
- Robert Wise
- Paramount Home Entertainment
- Mike Matessino
Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood reviewed in 4K, plus Michael Coate celebrates 40 years of Spielberg’s 1941
Verisimilitude: Remembering “Superman: The Movie” on its 40th Anniversary
“Superman: The Movie radiated magic in 1978 and continues to captivate the world 40 years later. This December, surely multitudes of fans will be watching Superman—via streaming, DVD, Blu-ray or the new 4K UHD—with the same hope, optimism, and innocence they felt the first time they watched in awe as Christopher Reeve soared out of the Fortress of Solitude and into the world.” — Jim Bowers, CapedWonder.com
The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the 40th anniversary of the release of Superman, Richard Donner’s classic superhero adventure starring Christopher Reeve (Somewhere in Time, Monsignor). The year 2018 also marks the 80th anniversary of Superman’s debut in Action Comics.
Often described as the first modern-day superhero movie, Superman (aka Superman: The Movie) was a box-office smash and winner of numerous awards and, of course, inspired a series of sequels and spin-offs as well as, arguably, decades of superhero/comicbook-themed media. [Read on here...]
- John Williams
- Mike Matessino
- Joseph McBride
- film retrospective
- The Digital Bits
- Michael Coate
- History Legacy & Showmanship
- Jim Bowers
- Caped Wonder
- Kevin Burns
- Look, Up in the Sky! The Amazing Story of Superman
- Superman soundtrack CD
- Bruce Scivally
- Superman on Film, Television, Radio & Broadway
- Larry Tye
- 40th anniversary
- Superman: The Movie
- Richard Donner
- Christopher Reeve
- Gene Hackman
- Superman: The HighFlying History of America’s Most Enduring Hero
- Marlon Brando
- Margot Kidder
- Glenn Ford
- Ned Beatty
- Jackie Cooper
- Terrance Stamp
- Phyllis Thaxter
- Trevor Howard
- Vallerie Perrine
- Maria Schell
- Susannah York
- Jeff East
- Marc McClure
- Sarah Douglas
- Jack O’Halloran
- Geoffrey Unsworth
- Mario Puzo
- 70mm
When Dinosaurs Ruled the Cinema: Remembering “Jurassic Park” on its 25th Anniversary
“It takes a filmmaker as deeply imaginative, but also technically savvy as Steven Spielberg to orchestrate and bring [all of the elements] together into a cohesive whole that works with his intricate vision as a storyteller, in both moments and big picture. There are other filmmakers who would have made wonderful adaptations of the Crichton book, no doubt, but the project landed in the right, highly skilled hands, heart and imagination.” — Steven Awalt, author of Steven Spielberg and Duel: The Making of a Film Career
The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the silver anniversary of the release of Jurassic Park, Steven Spielberg’s popular and franchise-inspiring adaptation of Michael Crichton’s best-selling novel starring Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum and Richard Attenborough and which showcased groundbreaking and award-winning visual effects and audio. [Read on here...]
- film retrospective
- The Digital Bits
- Michael Coate
- History Legacy & Showmanship
- Jurassic Park
- Jeff Goldblum
- Sam Neill
- Laura Dern
- Steven Spielberg
- 25th Anniversary
- Richard Attenborough
- Michael Crichton
- CG dinosaurs
- Joseph McBride
- Mike Matessino
- Steven Awalt
- Steven Spielberg: A Biography
- Steven Spielberg and Duel: The Making of a Film Career
- La La Land Records
- The John Williams Jurassic Park Soundtrack Collection
Still Watching the Skies: Remembering “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” on its 40th Anniversary
“Close Encounters helps demonstrate perhaps better than any other why Steven Spielberg is one of the greatest American filmmakers.” — Spielberg biographer Joseph McBride
The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the 40th anniversary of the release of Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Steven Spielberg’s legendary science-fiction film starring Richard Dreyfuss as Roy Neary, an electrical lineman who obsesses over the sighting, physical evidence and, ultimately, contact with a UFO.
The film, which also starred Teri Garr, Melinda Dillon and Francois Truffaut, was nominated for eight Academy Awards, winning for Vilmos Zsigmond’s cinematography (and also receiving a special achievement award for sound effects editing). [Read on here...]
- History Legacy & Showmanship
- Michael Coate
- The Digital Bits
- film retrospective
- Steven Spielberg
- Close Encounters of the Third Kind: 40th Anniversary
- Richard Dreyfuss
- Terri Garr
- Melinda Dillon
- Francois Truffaut
- Joseph McBride
- Vilmos Zsigmond
- Laurent Bouzereau
- Michael Klastorin
- Mike Matessino
- John Williams
Revisiting Cuesta Verde: Remembering “Poltergeist” on its 35th Anniversary
“It knows what scares you.”
The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective article commemorating the 35th anniversary of the release of Poltergeist, Tobe Hooper and Steven Spielberg’s acclaimed horror film starring Jobeth Williams, Craig T. Nelson and Zelda Rubinstein and featuring Academy Award-nominated Visual Effects, Music and Sound Effects Editing. [Read on here...]
The Great Adventure: Remembering “Raiders of the Lost Ark” on its 35th Anniversary
“The guys who made Jaws and Star Wars have done it again. It’s too good to be true.” — David Ansen, Newsweek
The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective article commemorating the 35th anniversary of the release of Raiders of the Lost Ark, the immensely popular Spielberg & Lucas action extravaganza that introduced moviegoers to the globe-trotting adventures of Indiana Jones.
Raiders, featuring Harrison Ford as everyone’s favorite archaeologist, opened 35 years ago this week, and for the occasion The Bits features a compilation of box-office data that places the movie’s performance in context, production and exhibition information, a list of the film’s 70-millimeter “showcase” presentations, and an interview segment with a group of Spielberg authorities. [Read on here...]
- 1
- 2