2021 West Side Story on 4K and Blu-ray in March

Amazon Commissions Earned

The 2021 film adaptation of “West Side Story” is coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray and Blu-ray on March 15th via 20th Century Studios (Disney).  The film, directed by Steven Spielberg, stars Ansel Elgort, Rachel Zegler, Ariana DeBose, David Alvarez, Rita Moreno, Brian d’Arcy James, Corey Stoll, and Mike Faist.  It is worth noting, that at the time of writing, this film is “Certified Fresh” over at Rotten Tomatoes.

The tech specs for the 4K UHD Blu-ray include a 2160p video presentation in the 2.39:1 aspect ratio with HDR10 form of high dynamic range and Dolby Atmos sound.  Tech specs for the Blu-ray include a 1080p HD video presentation in the 2.39:1 aspect with DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 lossless surround sound.  The 4K will come in the form of a “combo pack” meaning that it will include its Blu-ray Disc counterpart.  Both the 4K and the Blu-ray will come with a digital code (copy) of the film.

UPDATE:  You can now find the 4K UHD Blu-ray and the Blu-ray available for preorder over at Amazon.

You can also find the 4K UHD Blu-ray and Blu-ray available for preorder over at retailers Best Buy and Target.  It’s definitely worth noting that Best Buy will be getting a 4K UHD Blu-ray SteelBook exclusive (pictured below) and Target will be getting a 4K UHD Blu-ray Art Edition exclusive (pictured further below).  You can find both of those retailer exclusives now available for preorder as well.

The bonus materials set to be included are over 90 minutes in length which have yet to be fully detailed.  Stay tuned for an update on that when the title gets a full press release — very likely later today.

Further below, after the break, you can find the trailer for the find.

Read more

Musical 1776 on 4K for 50th anniversary in May

Amazon Commissions Earned

The musical 1776 will officially be celebrating its 50th anniversary with a 4K UHD Blu-ray release on May 31st via Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.  The 1972 film adaptation of the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical (of the same title), directed by Peter H. Hunt, starred William Daniels, Howard Da Silva, Ken Howard, Donald Madden, Blythe Danner, John Cullum, Roy Poole, David Ford, and Virginia Vestoff.  It’s most certainly worth noting that this will include the 165-minute Director’s Cut and the 167-minute Extended Cut forms of the film.  In addition to that, the original 1972 Theatrical (in HD) and 1992 Laserdisc (in SD) presentations will be included on Blu-ray.  More on that a bit later.

The tech specs on the 4K UHD Blu-ray include a 2160p video presentation in the 2.35:1 aspect ratio with Dolby Vision and HDR10 forms of high dynamic range as well as Dolby Atmos and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless surround sound.  The release will come in the form of a “combo pack” meaning that it will include its Blu-ray Disc counterpart (of the Director’s Cut and Extended Cut) as well as a digital code (copy) of the film.

UPDATE:  You can now find the 4K UHD Blu-ray available for preorder over at Amazon.

There will be bonus materials on this release, spanning across the 3-disc set, with the latter two discs containing the following extras.

1776 BLU-RAY FEATURE DISC

  • Includes both the 165-minute Director’s Cut and the 167-minute Extended Cut
  • Both versions presented in High Definition with 5.1 audio
  • Special Features:
    • Commentary with Peter H. Hunt, William Daniels & Ken Howard (Director’s Cut only)
    • Commentary with Peter H. Hunt and Peter Stone (Director’s Cut only)
    • Deleted & Alternate Scenes with Director Commentary
    • 9 Screen Tests
    • Teaser & Theatrical Trailers

1776 BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURE DISC

  • 1972 Theatrical Version of the Film (presented in HD with original mono audio)
  • 1992 Laserdisc Version of the Film (presented in SD with stereo audio)
    • Includes optional archival commentary featuring director Peter H. Hunt

Further below, after the break, you can find the full announcement about the 50th anniversary home video release of this film.

Read more

1981 animated film Heavy Metal comes to 4K in April

Amazon Commissions Earned

The 1981 cult-classic animated film Heavy Metal is officially coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray on April 19th via Sony Pictures Home Entertainment in a “Limited Edition 2-Film Collection” SteelBook.  This will also include the Blu-ray Disc debut of “Heavy Metal 2000” (2000) in 1080p HD.  The 1981 film, directed by Gerald Potterton, along with John Bruno, and John Halas, featured the voice talents of John Candy, Harold Ramis, Eugene Levy, Joe Flaherty, and Richard Romanus.

This new 4K version of the 1981 film was reviewed, approved, and supervised by producer Ivan Reitman.  Tech specs for the 4K UHD Blu-ray include a 2160p video presentation in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio with Dolby Vision and HDR10 forms of high dynamic range and a new 2022 Dolby Atmos sound mix, along with lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround and 2.0 Stereo sound mixes.  There will also be a Blu-ray of the 1981 film included in this “combo pack” with 1080p HD video in 1.85:1 and lossless 5.1 surround sound.

As mentioned, this will also include the Blu-ray Disc debut of the film “Heavy Metal 2000” which has been “newly remastered.” It will be presented in 1080p HD video in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio and a lossless 5.1 surround sound mix.  A digital code (copy) of each film will be included with this set.

You can now find the 4K UHD Blu-ray and Blu-ray 2-Film Collection SteelBook available for preorder over at Amazon and at retailer Best Buy.  Bonus materials and details about the release are found below, after the break.

Read more

Nightmare Alley comes to 4K and Blu-ray in March

Amazon Commissions Earned

The 2021 film “Nightmare Alley” is officially coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray and Blu-ray on March 22nd via 20th Century Studios (Disney).  The film, directed and co-written by Guillermo del Toro, stars Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe, Richard Jenkins, Rooney Mara, Ron Perlman, Mary Steenburgen, and David Strathairn.  It is certainly worth noting, at the time of writing, this film is “Certified Fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes.

The tech specs for the 4K UHD Blu-ray include a 2160p video presentation in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio with HDR10 form of high dynamic range and Dolby Atmos sound.  Tech specs for the Blu-ray include a 1080p HD video presentation in the 1.85:1 aspect with DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless surround sound.  The 4K UHD Blu-ray will come in the form of a “combo pack” with its Blu-ray Disc counterpart.  Both the 4K UHD Blu-ray and the Blu-ray releases will include a digital code (copy) of the film.

UPDATE:  You can now find the 4K UHD Blu-ray and Blu-ray available for preorder over at Amazon.  You can also find the 4K UHD Blu-ray and Blu-ray available for preorder over at Best Buy.  It’s also worth noting that retailer Best Buy will also be getting an exclusive 4K UHD Blu-ray SteelBook (pictured below) which is now available for preorder as well.

The bonus materials set to be included with both the 4K UHD Blu-ray and Blu-rau are listed below.

  • Del Toro’s Neo Noir – Writer-director Guillermo del Toro and his standout cast decipher the dark, complicated world of Nightmare Alley. The filmmaker reveals how his take on noir is rooted in classic cinema but offers an accessible, modern narrative.
  • Beneath the Tarp – Production designer Tamara Deverell and her talented team skillfully delivered both a decaying traveling carnival world and a gilded Art Deco high society with striking visuals. We explore how this design supported del Toro’s genre-bending filmmaking.
  • What Exists in the Fringe – Costume designer Luis Sequeira unravels his collaboration with Guillermo del Toro and reveals the symbolism that’s constantly at play in the film’s carefully crafted wardrobe’s design.

Further below, after the break, you can find the trailer for the film and the official announcement regarding the home video releases.

Read more

1995 Terry Gilliam film 12 Monkeys arrives on 4K April

Amazon Commissions Earned

The 1995 film “12 Monkeys” is officially coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray for the very first time on April 26th via Arrow Video here in the United States.  The film, directed by Terry Gilliam, starred Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe, David Morse, Christopher Plummer, and Brad Pitt.

The tech specs for the release include a 2160p video presentation in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio with HDR10 and Dolby Vision forms of high dynamic range and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround and 2.0 Stereo lossless sound mixes.  This is said to be using a “brand new restoration from a 4K scan of the original negative by Arrow Films, approved by director Terry Gilliam.”  

You can now find the 4K UHD Blu-ray available for preorder over at Amazon here in the US.  Also, the United Kingdom will be getting their 4K UHD Blu-ray release a day early, and on that note, here’s the Amazon UK preorder for that version.  The bonus materials set to be included with the release are listed below.

  • Audio commentary by Terry Gilliam and producer Charles Roven
  • The Hamster Factor and Other Tales of Twelve Monkeys, feature-length making-of documentary by Keith Fulton and Louis Pepe (Lost in La Mancha)
  • The Film Exchange with Terry Gilliam, a 1996 interview with Gilliam and critic Jonathan Romney, recorded at the London Film Festival
  • Appreciation by Ian Christie, author of Gilliam on Gilliam
  • The Twelve Monkeys Archives
  • Theatrical trailer
  • Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Gary Pullin
  • FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring writing on the film by Nathan Rabin and Ian Christie
« Older Entries Recent Entries »