Tag Archives: John Landis

An American Werewolf in London comes to 4K in March

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The 1981 film “An American Werewolf in London“ is officially coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray in a Limited Edition box set on March 15th, 2022 via Arrow Video. The film, written & directed by John Landis, starred David Naughton and Griffin Dunne.

This includes a new 4K restoration from the original camera negative. The tech specs for the 4K UHD Blu-ray include a 2160p video presentation in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio with HDR10 and Dolby Vision forms of high dynamic range as well as DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless surround sound and an uncompressed Mono 1.0 sound mix.

UPDATE:  You can now find the 4K UHD Blu-ray set available for preorder over at Amazon.  As stated, this is a box set and includes some physical extras (pictured below).

The bonus materials set to be included with the release and a list of the physical extras set to be included are detailed below.

  • Audio commentary by Beware the Moon filmmaker Paul Davis
  • Audio commentary by actors David Naughton and Griffin Dunne
  • Mark of The Beast: The Legacy of the Universal Werewolf, a feature-length documentary by filmmaker Daniel Griffith, featuring interviews with John Landis, David Naughton, Joe Dante and more
  • An American Filmmaker in London, an interview with John Landis in which he reflects on British cinema and his time working in Britain
  • I Think He’s a Jew: The Werewolf’s Secret, a video essay by filmmaker Jon Spira (Elstree 1976) about how Landis’ film explores Jewish identity
  • The Werewolf’s Call, Corin Hardy, director of The Hallow and The Nun, chats with writer Simon Ward about their formative experiences with Landis’ film
  • Wares of the Wolf, a featurette in which SFX artist Dan Martin and Tim Lawes of Prop Store look at some of the original costumes and special effects artefacts from the film
  • Beware the Moon, Paul Davis’ acclaimed, feature-length exploration of Landis’ film which boasts extensive cast and crew interviews
  • An American Werewolf in Bob’s Basement and Causing a Disturbance: Piccadilly Revisited, two 2008 featurettes filmed by Paul Davis
  • Making An American Werewolf in London, a short archival featurette on the film’s production
  • An Interview with John Landis, a lengthy archival interview with the director about the film
  • Make-up Artist Rick Baker on An American Werewolf in London, the legendary make-up artist discusses his work on the film
  • I Walked with a Werewolf, an archival interview with Rick Baker about Universal horror and its legacy of Wolfman films
  • Casting of the Hand, archival footage from Rick Baker’s workshop showing the casting of David Naughton’s hand
  • Outtakes
  • Storyboards featurette
  • Original trailer and teaser plus TV and radio spots
  • Extensive image gallery featuring over 200 stills, posters and other ephemera
  • Reversible sleeve featuring original poster art and artwork by Graham Humphreys
  • Double-sided fold-out poster
  • Six double-sided, postcard-sized lobby card reproductions
  • Limited edition 60-page, perfect-bound book featuring new writing by Craig Ian Mann and Simon Ward, archival articles and original reviews

The Monster Collection box set comes to Blu-ray in July

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“The Monster Collection” (Collector’s Edition) will officially be coming to Blu-ray Disc on July 13th via Doppelgänger Releasing, a genre label of Music Box Films. This 3-Disc box set includes two documentaries: “The Frankenstein Complex” (2015) and “Phil Tippett: Mad Dreams and Monsters” (2019). Both documentaries were directed by Gilles Penso and Alexandre Poncet. If you’re a fan of horror, fantasy, and science fiction films you’ll definitely be interested in these documentaries that take a look at the design of famous creatures and characters from motion pictures. These documentaries feature some excellent interviews with famous special effects artists and directors such as Rick Baker, Guillermo del Toro, Joe Dante, Mick Garris, John Landis, Greg Nicotero, Kevin Smith, Chris Wallas, Phil Tippett, Dennis Muren, Tom Woodruff Jr., Matt Winston, and Paul Verhoeven. Tech specs for the release have not yet been detailed.

UPDATE: You can now find this Blu-ray set available for preorder over at Amazon.

There will be over 12 hours total of bonus materials included with this 3-Disc box set, which are listed entirely below.

  • Feature Commentary with Phil Tippett and directors Alexandre Poncet and Gilles Penso
  • “Meeting the Monsters” Making Of Documentary
  • Prehistoric Beast (1985) a short film by Phil Tippett with audio commentary
  • Mutant Land (2010) a short film by Phil Tippett with audio commentary
  • Phil Tippett Museum: A Virtual Gallery of Tippett Creations
  • Joy of Working with Phil: Interview with Paul Verhoeven
  • Phil Will Fix This!: Interview with Joe Johnston
  • Animating with Phil: Interview with Tom St. Amand
  • Phil’s Vision: Interview with Chris Wallas
  • Friendship, Robots, and Dinosaurs: Interview with Dennis Muren
  •  From Stop-Motion to Computer: Interview with Craig Hayes
  •  Memories and Archives with Phil Tippett
  • Dinosaur Supervisor (Jurassic Park) with Phil Tippett
  • Starship Troopers 2 with Phil Tippet and Jon Davison
  • “Dinosaur!” with Paul Verhoevenand Jon Davison
  • Mutant Fish (Piranha) with Joe Dante (1978)
  • Modern Craftsmanship with Alec Gillis-Robot Design with Craig Hayes
  • The Birth of a Poster with Paul Wee
  • Musical Storytelling with Alexandre Poncet
  • Mad Dreams and Monsters Isolated Musical Score
  • “The Frankenstein Odyssey” Making Of Documentary
  • “Digital Craftmanship” Post-Production featurette
  • The Frankenstein Complex Musical Score
  • Master Class with Guillermo Del Toro
  • An Extended Conversation with John Landis and Joe Dante
  • An Extended Conversation with Mick Garris
  • An Extended Conversation with Steve Johnson and John Vulich
  • Q&A with Joe Dante, Alexandre Poncet and Gilles Penso
  • Inside the Lair of Rick Baker
  • Inside the Lair of Tom Woodruff and Alec Gillis
  • Paper Monsters: The Art of Charles Chiodo
  • Living With Monsters: The Art of Kevin Yagh
  • Sympathy for the Devil: Interview with Bernard Rose
  • The Gremlins Pool: Interview with Sacha Feiner interview
  • From Latex to Pixels: The Art of Gino Acevedo
  • The Beauty and the Beasts: The Art of Ve Neill
  • Deleted and Alternate Scenes
  • Photo Galleries
  • Theatrical Trailers

Below, after the break, you can find the trailers for the two documentaries as well as the full information regarding the release itself.

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1978 film National Lampoon’s Animal House on 4K in May

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The 1978 film “National Lampoon’s Animal House” will be officially coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray on May 18th via Universal Studios Home Entertainment. The film, directed by John Landis and co-written by the late Harold Ramis, starred John Belushi, Karen Allen, Tom Hulce, Tim Matheson, Martha Smith, James Daughton, Douglas Kenney, Peter Riegert, and Kevin Bacon. The tech specs for the 4K release include a 2160p presentation in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio with HDR10 form of High Dynamic Range and DTS:X sound on a BD-100 disc. The release will come in the form of a “combo pack” meaning that it’ll include its Blu-ray Disc counterpart and a digital code (copy) of the film. You can now find the standard 4K UHD Blu-ray release available for preorder over at Amazon.

It’s most certainly worth noting that, it appears, an exclusive 4K UHD Blu-ray SteelBook release of the film will be available over at retailer Best Buy (pictured below) on the same date. Speaking of which, you can now find that 4K SteelBook of the film listed as coming soon over at Best Buy but not yet as a functional preorder. I would expect that should be changing very soon, so stay tuned to its listing, if you’re looking to preorder the SteelBook.

The bonus materials set to be included with both versions of this film on 4K UHD Blu-ray will be using the archival extras from the previous Blu-ray release, on both the 4K and Blu-ray Discs. Those extras include.

  • The Yearbook: An Animal House Reunion
  • Where Are They Now? A Delta Alumni Update
  • Scene It? Animal House
  • Theatrical Trailer

Trading Places on Paramount Presents Blu-ray December

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The 1983 film “Trading Places“ starring Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd will be getting a new limited edition Blu-ray Disc release on December 1st via Paramount Presents. The film, directed by John Landis, co-starred Ralph Bellamy, Denholm Elliott, Don Ameche, Jim Belushi, and Jamie Lee Curtis. This movie has received a new 4K remastered transfer that was supervised by the film’s director (John Landis) as described below:

“Newly remastered from a 4K film transfer supervised by director John Landis, TRADING PLACES cemented Eddie Murphy’s star status.  The limited-edition Paramount Presents Blu-ray Disc™ is presented in collectible packaging that includes a foldout image of the film’s theatrical poster and an interior spread with key movie moments.  The film will also be available on 4K Ultra HD Digital.”

The tech specs for the release have not yet been fully detailed, but hopefully, I’ll be able to give you a rundown on that soon, as I put in an inquiry to the studio about those. You can find the upcoming Paramount Presents Blu-ray now available for preorder over at Amazon.

This release, spine #12 in the series, will feature the beautiful packaging we have come to expect from the Paramount Presents line, complete with a fold-out mini theatrical poster (pictured below).

Below, you will find a list of the bonus materials set to be included on the Blu-ray release.

  • NEW Filmmaker Focus with John Landis
  • A Digital Copy of the film
  • Previously released bonus content:

    • Deleted Scenes
    • Insider Trading: The Making of Trading Places
    • Dressing the Part
    • The Trade in Trading Places
    • Trading Stories
    • Industry Promotional Piece
    • Theatrical Trailer
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Eddie Murphy film Coming to America on 4K in December

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The 1988 film “Coming to America“ starring Eddie Murphy is officially coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray on December 1st via Paramount. This is an obvious promotion for the film’s upcoming and highly anticipated sequel — likely coming later this year. The film, directed by John Landis, co-starred Paul Bates, Garcelle Beauvais, Victoria Dillard, James Earl Jones, Madge Sinclair, Sheila Johnson, and Arsenio Hall. Tech specs for the release include a 2160p 4K presentation in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio with HDR10 form of High Dynamic Range from a new 4K restoration supervised by the film’s director John Landis. In fact, here’s an official statement regarding this release:

“Newly remastered in 4K with HDR from a supervised restoration by director John Landis, COMING TO AMERICA is an essential comedy-classic for your collection.  Available for the first time on 4K Ultra HD with Digital copy, in a limited-edition 4K Ultra HD Steelbook with Digital copy and themed mini poster, or on 4K Ultra HD Digital.”

No word yet on the specific sound format for the release, although I have inquired to the studio [Paramount] about that and will hopefully have an update on it soon. The release will come in the form of a “combo pack” meaning that it will include its Blu-ray Disc counterpart and a digital code (copy) of the film. UPDATE #1: There’s now a preorder listing available for this 4K UHD Blu-ray over at Amazon. The bonus materials set to be included on the release are listed below.

  • Prince-ipal Photography: The Coming Together of America
  • Fit For Akeem: The Costumes of Coming to America
  • Character Building: The Many Faces of Rick Baker
  • Composing America: The Musical Talents of Nile Rodgers
  • A Vintage Sit-Down with Eddie & Arsenio
  • Theatrical Trailer
  • Photo Gallery

It is most certainly worth noting that there will be a limited-edition 4K UHD Blu-ray SteelBook release of the film, likely an exclusive to some retailer, available as well (pictured below). UPDATE #2: The 4K UHD Blu-ray SteelBook is now available for preorder over at Amazon as well as at retailers Best Buy and Target. This SteelBook will not be any exclusive to any specific retailer.

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RUMOR: “The Blues Brothers” on 4K in May

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RUMOR time again at HDDN, and it seems that the 1980 film “The Blues Brothers“ is coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray here in the United States on May 19th, via Universal, according to a retailer listings. Yes, plural. The film, directed by John Landis, starred John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Frank Oz, Kathleen Freeman, Cab Calloway, Henry Gibson, James Brown, Carrie Fisher, Ray Charles, Matt Murphy, and Aretha Franklin.

UPDATE: The artwork for the front and back is now available via a retailer listing (I’ll discuss below) and I now have more info on this release. It will include both the Theatrical (R-Rated) and Extended Cut (UNRATED) of the film. The tech specs include 4K video in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio with HDR10 form of High Dynamic Range and DTS:X sound, on a BD-100 (100-gigabyte disc). It will come as a “combo pack” with the previous Blu-ray and its existing extras, as well as a digital code (copy) of the film. UPDATE: Now, as of today (3/11) you can find the 4K UHD Blu-ray of the film listed for preorder over at Amazon. You can also find the 4K UHD Blu-ray listed for preorder over at retailer Target, and it’s showing that release date listed above. This would all make sense considering it was announced back last month that France would be getting a 4K release in May, as well (as seen on Amazon.fr). UPDATE: The bonus materials listed to be included on the release are as follows:

  • Stories Behind the Making of The Blues Brothers
  • Transposing the Music
  • Remembering John

UPDATE: Retailer Best Buy will officially be getting an exclusive 4K UHD Blu-ray SteelBook release of the film the very same date as mentioned. Its artwork (pictured below) is very similar, if not identical to the art that the French SteelBook release previously discussed and linked to. You can now find a preorder link for it over at Best Buy.

Beverly Hills Cop Collection on Blu-ray January

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The “Beverly Hills Cop 3-Movie Collection“ is coming to Blu-ray Disc as a set on January 14th, 2020 via Paramount. This set includes 4K remastered versions of the films “Beverly Hills Cop” (1984), “Beverly Hills Cop II” (1987), and “Beverly Hills Cop III” (1994). The two sequels have never been released yet on the Blu-ray format and are making their debut in this 3-Movie Collection. The tech specs for the releases have not yet been detailed but I’m trying to get some info from Paramount soon regarding that. So, stay updated. UPDATE: The Blu-ray set is now available for preorder over at Amazon. Bonus materials set to be included on the Blu-ray Disc for the first film include new and previously materials listed below.

  • NEW Two never-before-seen deleted scenes
  • NEW Four new behind-the-scenes featurettes incorporating vintage 1984 interviews
  • NEW An isolated audio track of the original score by Harold Faltermeyer
  • NEW “BHC Mixtape ‘84”, which allows viewers to go directly to the scenes featuring the hit songs “The Heat Is On,” “Neutron Dance,” “New Attitude,” “Stir It Up,” “Do You Really,” and “Nasty Girl.”
  • Commentary by director Martin Brest
  • Beverly Hills Cop — The Phenomenon Begins
  • A Glimpse Inside the Casting Process
  • The Music of Beverly Hills Cop
  • Location Map
  • Theatrical Trailer

Below, after the break, you’ll find the full information regarding the upcoming physical HD and 4K digital releases.

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