Monthly Archives: February 2019
Born in East L.A. – Blu-ray Review
Suburbia – Blu-ray Review
1974 Hammer film “The Legend of the 7 Gold Vampires” comes to Blu-ray in April
The 1974 Hammer Films kung fu horror “The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires“ starring Peter Cushing is coming to Blu-ray Disc on April 9th, via Scream Factory. The film, directed by Roy Ward Baker, featured a supporting cast of David Chiang, Julie Ege, Szu Shih, and John Forbes-Robertson. Tech specs for the release have not yet been fully detailed but it is known that it will come with 1080p video in the 2.35:1 aspect ratio which comes from a new 2K scan of the original film elements. The audio configuration has not yet been detailed, but you can for sure expect it to be lossless (likely in DTS-HD Master Audio). The Blu-ray is now available for pre-order over at Amazon. Details about the release and bonus materials are listed below.
- NEW 2K scan of the original film elements
- NEW Audio Commentary with author/film historian Bruce G. Hallenbeck
- NEW When Hammer Met Shaw – an interview with actor David Chiang
- NEW Kung Fear – an interview with Hong Kong Film Expert Rick Baker
- Alternate U.S. Theatrical version – The 7 Brothers Meet Dracula (in HD with some standard definition inserts)
- Theatrical Trailers
- TV Spot
- Still Gallery
Further below, after the break, you can find the official announcement regarding this upcoming release.
1972 spaghetti Western “The Grand Duel” gets Arrow Video Blu-ray release in May
The 1972 spaghetti western film “The Grand Duel“ starring Lee Van Cleef is getting a Blu-ray Disc release on May 7th, via Arrow Video. The film, directed by Giancarlo Santi, co-starred Philipp Wermeer, Alberto Dentice, Jess Hahn, and Horst Frank. Tech specs for the new Blu-ray include 1080p video from a new 2K restoration (taken from the original 35mm camera negative) and uncompressed Linear PCM Mono sound. The Blu-ray is now available to pre-order over at Amazon. Details regarding this release and bonus materials set to be included are listed below (taken from the Amazon listing).
- New 2K restoration from the original 35mm camera negative
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
- Uncompressed mono 1.0 LPCM audio
- Original English and Italian soundtracks, titles and credits
- Newly translated English subtitles for the Italian soundtrack
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack
- New audio commentary by film critic, historian and theorist Stephen Prince
- An Unconventional Western, a newly filmed interview with director Giancarlo Santi
- The Last of the Great Westerns, a newly filmed interview with screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi
- Out of the Box, a newly filmed interview with producer Ettore Rosboch
- The Day of the Big Showdown, a newly filmed interview with assistant director Harald Buggenig
- Saxon City Showdown, a newly filmed video appreciation by the academic Austin Fisher
- Original Italian and international theatrical trailers
- Extensive image gallery featuring stills, posters, lobby cards and home video sleeves, drawn from the Mike Siegel Archive and other collections
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Matt Griffin
- FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Kevin Grant and original reviews
RUMOR: “Field of Dreams” with Kevin Costner comes to 4K UHD Blu-ray in May
It’s been rumored and it nears being confirmed that the 1989 film “Field of Dreams” starring Kevin Costner is getting a 4K UHD Blu-ray release on May 14th via Universal, according to an early alert to retailers. The film, directed by Phil Alden Robinson, co-starred James Earl Jones, Ray Liotta, Timothy Busfield, Amy Madigan, Gaby Hoffman, Frank Whaley, and Burt Lancaster. Tech specs and bonus materials have not at all yet been detailed for the 4K release. It is known that there will be an exclusive Steelbook for the 4K release available at retailer Best Buy (pictured above). That 4K steelbook and the standard 4K release both have placeholders over at Best Buy. The only other detail that seems to be obvious is that the release comes in the form of a “combo pack” with the Blu-ray of the film also included (as shown in the Steelbook art).
UPDATE: This 4K UHD Blu-ray release has now (as of 3/14) been officially announced and is now available for pre-order over at Amazon. You can read further details about the upcoming 4K releases of the film here.
“Alien” gets a 40th Anniversary 4K UHD Blu-ray in April
The 1979 Ridley Scott directed sci-fi thriller “Alien“ is getting a “40th Anniversary” 4K UHD Blu-ray release on April 23rd via Fox, as officially announced today. The film featured a cast of Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, John Hurt, Harry Dean Stanton, Veronica Cartwright, Yaphet Kotto, and Ian Holm. The 4K release will be sporting a new 4K restoration that was supervised by the director himself, as you can see quoted (from the press release) below.
The film was restored in 4K in 2018 by 20th Century Fox at Company 3/Deluxe Entertainment Services Group, supervised by Ridley Scott and Pam Dery, with the 4K scans were done at EFilm.
Tech specs for the 4K release include 2160p video in the 2.40:1 aspect ratio with HDR10 form of High Dynamic Range and DTS-HD Master Audio sound in 5.1 for both versions of the film and also in a 4.1 configuration for the Theatrical Version. Yes, this is the same audio as found as the previously released Blu-ray. The release will come in a form of “combo pack” with the Blu-ray and a digital copy of the film included.
UPDATE: The 4K UHD Blu-ray is now available for pre-order over at Amazon and quite affordable.
It’s known that there will also be a Best Buy Exclusive Steelbook available, pictured below.
Best Buy Exclusive 4K Steelbook
The 4K release will include both the original 1979 Theatrical Version and the 2003 Director’s Cut of the film. Details about and bonus materials set to be included on the release are listed below.
ALIEN 40th Anniversary Bonus Features:
- 1979 Theatrical Version
- 2003 Director’s Cut
- 2003 Audio Commentary by Ridley Scott and the Cast & Crew
- 1999 Audio Commentary by Ridley Scott (1979 Theatrical Version Only)
- Final Theatrical Isolated Score – Dolby Digital 5.1 (1979 Theatrical Version Only)
- Composer’s Original Isolated Score – Dolby Digital 5.1 (1979 Theatrical Version Only)
- Deleted Scenes
Further below, after the break, you can find the official announcement regarding this upcoming 4K release.
Sister Street Fighter – Blu-ray Screenshots
Available as part of:
Read more
“Replicas” featuring Keanu Reeves and Alice Eve is coming to Blu-ray in April
Science fiction thriller “Replicas“ featuring Keanu Reeves and Alice Eve is officially coming to Blu-ray Disc on April 16th via Lionsgate. The film, directed by Jeffrey Nachmanoff, features a supporting cast consisting of Thomas Middleditch, John Ortiz, Emjay Anthony, and Emily Alyn Lind. Tech specs for the Blu-ray include 1080p HD video in the 2.40:1 aspect ratio with DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio sound. The release will come in the form of a “combo pack” with a DVD and digital copy of the film included. The Blu-ray doesn’t have a functional pre-order listing yet over at Amazon, but there is a placeholder. Bonus materials set to be included on the release are listed below.
- Audio Commentary with Director Jeffrey Nachmanoff and Executive Producer James Dodson
- “Imprint Complete: The Making of Replicas” Featurette
- Deleted Scenes
Further below, after the break, you can find the full details about this upcoming release from the official announcement.