Tag Archives: Dan O’Bannon

The 1983 film Blue Thunder is coming to 4K in May

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Movie cover for 'Blue Thunder' featuring a helicopter flying over a city skyline, with the title prominently displayed.
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The 1983 crime drama “Blue Thunder“ is coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray in a Limited Edition on May 5th via Arrow Video, distributed stateside by MVD Entertainment Group.

John Badham directed the movie, which featured a screenplay co-written by Dan O’Bannon and Don Jakoby. The film starred Roy Scheider, Daniel Stern, Warren Oates, Candy Clark, David Sheiner, Joe Santos, and Malcolm McDowell.

It has received a 4K restoration from the original negative. The tech specs for the 4K UHD Blu-ray include a 2160p video presentation in a 2.39:1 aspect ratio with Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) high dynamic range, along with lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (remix) surround and (original) 2.0 Stereo sound.

You can now preorder the 4K UHD Blu-ray Limited Edition from Amazon. Also, you can preorder it directly via the Arrow Video website and MVD Shop. Below, you can get a glimpse at the packaging and physical extras included with this set.

Blu-ray box set of the movie 'Blue Thunder' featuring a helicopter on the cover, alongside a disc and a booklet.

The bonus materials and physical extras included with this limited edition set are listed below.

  • Archival audio commentary by director John Badham, editor Frank Morriss, and motion control supervisor Hoyt Yeatman
  • Flight Risk, a brand new interview with director John Badham
  • A Rollercoaster Ride, a brand new interview with actor Candy Clark
  • Catching Up, a brand new interview with actor Malcolm McDowell
  • Ride with the Angels: Making Blue Thunder, an archival three-part documentary from 2006
  • The Special: Building Blue Thunder, an archival featurette from 2006 on the design and construction of the iconic helicopter
  • Archival 1983 promotion featurette
  • Extended scene
  • Theatrical trailer
  • Image gallery
  • Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Chris Skinner
  • Collectors’ booklet featuring new writing on the film by Dennis Capicik and original production notes

The Return of the Living Dead on 4K in October

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The 1985 cult classic horror/comedy “The Return of the Living Dead“ is officially coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray on October 18th via Scream Factory (Shout! Factory).  The film, directed by Dan O’Bannon, starred Clu Gulager, Don Calfa, James Karen, Thom Mathews, Beverly Randolph, John Philbin, Jewel Shepard, Miguel A. Núñez Jr., Brian Peck, Linnea Quigley, and Mark Venturini.

The tech specs for the release will include a 2160p video presentation in the original 1.85:1 aspect ratio with [likely at least] HDR10 form of high dynamic range and presumably a lossless sound mix in either/or 5.1 or 2.0 configuration(s).  Perhaps they’ll even do a Dolby Atmos mix?  I can’t yet say for certain because the official tech specs have yet to be announced, along with the extras to be included with the release but stay tuned for a later update on that.

The release will come as a “combo pack” with the Blu-ray Disc counterpart included and seemingly another Blu-ray for extras, in what is said to be a 3-disc set. You can now find the 4K UHD Blu-ray available for preorder over at Amazon as well as directly via ShoutFactory.com where you’ll find an exclusive poster.  Also, Shout! Factory Store will have an exclusive enamel pin set and you can find that [limited to 1000] set available for preorder now.

1981 cult-classic horror Dead & Buried on 4K in July

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The 1981 cult-classic horror film “Dead & Buried” is officially coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray on July 20th via Blue Underground, distributed by MVD Entertainment Group. The film, now celebrating its 40th anniversary, was directed by Gary Sherman and was co-written by Dan O’Bannon, and it starred James Farentino, Melody Anderson, Lisa Blount, Jack Albertson, and Robert Englund. The movie has received a new 4K restoration “from the 35mm IP approved by Director of Photography Steven Poster, ASC” — according to the press release. The tech specs for the 4K release include a 2160p presentation in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio with HDR10 and Dolby Vision forms of high dynamic range as well as English Dolby Atmos sound. In addition to the new Atmos mix, this release on 4K will also contain English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and 1.0 Mono mixes as well

The release will come in the form of a 3-disc set with its Blu-ray Disc counterpart as well as a CD (compact disc) of the original motion picture Soundtrack. As of now, there’s no preorder listing yet available over at Amazon but stay tuned for an update on that. It’s certainly worth noting that Blue Underground has worked hard on bringing you a total choice of three different lenticular slipcovers for this release and the two others are pictured individually below. UPDATE: You can now find the 3 different lenticular cover options available for preorder on 4K UHD Blu-ray (individually) over at Amazon as well as online retailer DiabolikDVD. Here are the links for each version: Cover A / Cover B / Cover C.

The bonus materials set to be included on this release, in addition to those physical extras aforementioned, will come with a Collectible Booklet with a new essay written by Michael Gingold. Further below, after the break, you can find the trailer for this upcoming release of the film and a full list of bonus materials set to be included on the release.

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RUMOR: 1979 Ridley Scott film “Alien” coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray early next year

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1979 Ridley Scott directed Sci-Fi classic “Alien” may come to 4K UHD Blu-ray early next year, according to fansite AvP Galaxy, which reports that a Czech retailer (FilmArena) has a listing already up for the film in a 4K UHD Blu-ray release, which I’ve confirmed, and you can see HERE for yourself. The release date that is listed over there is January 5th. However, that fansite is reporting that you can see this come out sometime around, or specifically April 26th 2019 – Alien Day. Regardless of which month next year it will be coming out, the film coming to 4K next year would definitely make sense, as in 2019 the film will be celebrating its 40th anniversary. So far, no retailers in the United States are listing the title on 4K for pre-order, yet. As with all RUMOR posts, take this with a “grain of salt” so-to-speak, and wait for an official announcement from the studio (Fox). Lastly, I’d like to give credit to our friends over at Bloody-Disgusting for first reporting this. Stay tuned for any further developments on this possible upcoming 4K release.