Tag Archives: Keenan Wynn

The 1967 film Point Blank on Criterion 4K in April

Movie poster for 'Point Blank' featuring Lee Marvin, directed by John Boorman, with a stylized design and bold colors.

John Boorman directed the movie, which starred Lee Marvin. It co-starred Angie Dickinson, Keenan Wynn, Carroll O’Connor, Lloyd Bochner, Michael Strong, Sharon Acker, and John Vernon.

The tech specs for the 4K UHD Blu-ray include a 2160p video presentation in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio with Dolby Vision (HDR10-compatible) with uncompressed Linear PCM Mono sound. Tech specs for the Blu-ray include a 1080p HD video presentation in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio with LPCM Mono sound. The 4K release will come as a 2-disc “combo pack” with its Blu-ray Disc counterpart included.

This movie has received a new 4K digital restoration, supervised and approved by director John Boorman. You can now find the 4K UHD Blu-ray and Blu-ray available for preorder at Amazon. Also, you can preorder directly via the Criterion website. The bonus materials for the Criterion release(s) are listed below.

  • Audio commentary featuring Boorman and filmmaker Steven Soderbergh
  • Interview with Boorman conducted by author Geoff Dyer
  • New interview with critic Mark Harris
  • New reflections on the film by filmmaker Jim Jarmusch
  • New program on the midcentury Los Angeles architecture featured in the film, with historian Alison Martino
  • The Rock (1967), a short documentary on Alcatraz and the making of the film
  • Interview with Marvin from a 1970 episode of The Dick Cavett Show
  • Trailer
  • English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
  • PLUS: An essay by Dyer
  • New cover by Jay Shaw

The 1972 film The Mechanic comes to 4K in January

Commissions Earned

The movie has received a new 4K scan of the 35mm original camera negative. Technical specifications for the 4K UHD Blu-ray include a 2160p video presentation in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio, with Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible), on a BD-100 disc. The audio presentation has not yet been detailed, but should come in a lossless format, such as DTS-HD Master Audio. The 2-disc release will come as a “combo pack” with its Blu-ray Disc counterpart.

The 4K UHD Blu-ray is not yet available for preorder at Amazon, but stay tuned for an update. You can preorder directly via Kino Lorber’s website. The bonus materials set to be included with the release are listed below, sorted by disc.

Disc 1 (4K UHD Blu-ray):

  • NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historians Steve Mitchell and Troy Howarth
  • Audio Commentary by Film Historian Paul Talbot, the Author of the Bronson’s Loose! Books
  • Audio Commentary by Cinematographer Richard H. Kline, Moderated by Film Historian Nick Redman

Disc 2 (Blu-ray):

  • NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historians Steve Mitchell and Troy Howarth
  • Audio Commentary by Film Historian Paul Talbot, the Author of the Bronson’s Loose! Books
  • Audio Commentary by Cinematographer Richard H. Kline, Moderated by Film Historian Nick Redman
  • Interview with Screenwriter Lewis John Carlino
  • Theatrical Trailer

The 1977 film Orca: The Killer Whale on 4K in January

Commissions Earned

The 1977 film “Orca” (a.k.a. “Orca: The Killer Whale”) is coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray on January 21st via KL Studio Classics. The film was directed by Michael Anderson. Its cast included Richard HarrisCharlotte RamplingBo DerekWill SampsonKeenan WynnRobert CarradinePeter Hooten, and Don ‘Red’ Barry.

This movie has received a new master from a 4K scan of the original film elements. The tech specs for the 4K release include a 2160p video presentation in the 2.35:1 aspect ratio with Dolby Vision or HDR10 forms of high dynamic range and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround and lossless 2.0 stereo sound, on a BD-100 disc. The 4K release will be a “combo pack” and include its Blu-ray Disc counterpart. You can now find the 4K UHD Blu-ray available for preorder at Amazon. You also can preorder directly via Kino Lorber’s website. The bonus materials set to be included with the release are listed below.

  • NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historians Howard S. Berger, Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson (on 4K and Blu-ray)
  • Audio Commentary by Author/Film Historian Lee Gambin (on 4K and Blu-ray)
  • Theatrical Trailer (only on Blu-ray)

Once Upon A Time in the West comes to 4K in May

Commissions Earned

The 1969 Sergio Leone film “Once Upon A Time in the West” is coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray on May 14th via Paramount Presents – as spine number 44 in the series. The movie, co-written by Dario Argento, starred Claudia Cardinale, Henry Fonda, Jason Robards, Charles Bronson, Gabriele Ferzetti, Woody Strode, Keenan Wynn, and Jack Elam.

UPDATE: Tech specs for the release include a 2160p video presentation in Dolby Vision or HDR10 forms of high dynamic range and lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround as well as a Dolby Digital Mono sound mix. This has received a new restoration as noted below (from a product description):

“Restored from the original camera negative by Paramount’s archive team, L’immagine Ritrovata and The Film Foundation. Special thanks to Martin Scorsese for his consultation on this restoration.”

The release will include both the 4K and Blu-ray Disc counterpart as well as presumably a digital code (copy) of the film – although not yet confirmed. You can find a glimpse at the fold-out poster and packaging below. The 4K UHD Blu-ray is available now for preorder over at Amazon. The bonus materials set to be included are listed below.

  • Commentary by the Hosts of the Spaghetti Western Podcast –NEW!
  • A Look Back with Leonard Maltin—NEW!
  • Commentary with contributions from directors John Carpenter, John Milius & Alex Cox, film historians Sir Christopher Frayling & Dr. Sheldon Hall, and cast and crew
  • An Opera of Violence
  • The Wages of Sin
  • Something To Do With Death
  • Railroad: Revolutionising the West
  • Locations Then & Now (Gallery)
  • Production Gallery
  • Theatrical Trailer

The Mechanic with Charles Bronson on Blu-ray in May

Amazon Commissions Earned

The 1972 film The Mechanic starring Charles Bronson will be getting a “Special Edition” Blu-ray release on May 10th via Ronin Flix.  The film, directed by Michael Winner, co-starred Jan-Michael Vincent, Keenan Wynn, Jill Ireland, and Frank DeKova.  This will mark only the second time this film has been available on the Blu-ray format since back in 2014 via a release which is now OOP [Out Of Print].

The movie has received a new 2K scan from the interpositive and is presented in 1080p HD video in the 1.78:1 aspect ratio with DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo lossless sound.  You can now find the Special Edition Blu-ray available for preorder over at Amazon.  The bonus materials set to be included with this release are listed below.

  • Interview with writer Lewis John Carlino
  • Audio Commentary with author Paul Talbot (Bronson’s Loose book series)
  • Audio Commentary With Cinematographer Richard H. Kline, Moderated By Nick Redman
  • Theatrical Trailer

Stanley Kubrick film Dr. Strangelove gets a 4K in July

Amazon Commissions Earned

According to Amazon, the 1964 film Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb is finally getting an individual 4K UHD Blu-ray release on July 6th via Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. The reason I say finally getting an individual release for this title is that it was previously exclusively part of the Columbia Classics 4K Ultra HD Collection Volume 1 released back in June of 2020, and now long OOP (out of print). The film, directed by Stanley Kubrick, starred Peter Sellers (in numerous roles), George C. Scott, Keenan Wynn, Slim Pickens, Peter Bull, James Earl Jones, Tracy Reed, and Sterling Hayden. The tech specs for the 4K release include a Black & White 2160p video presentation in the 1.66:1 aspect ratio with HDR10 form of high dynamic range and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 as well as DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 Mono lossless sound mixes. The release will come in the form of a “combo pack” meaning that it will include its Blu-ray Disc counterpart as well as a digital code (copy) of the film. You can now find the individual 4K UHD Blu-ray available for preorder over at Amazon. No official announcement regarding this release has been made yet by the studio [Sony] but stay tuned for an update and confirmation on that. The bonus materials set to be included on both the 4K UHD Blu-ray Disc and the Blu-ray Disc are listed below, accordingly.

4K UHD Blu-ray Disc Extras:

  • NEW: “Stanley Kubrick Considers the Bomb” Featurette
  • Mick Broderick Interview
  • Joe Dunton and Kelvin Pike Interview
  • Richard Daniels Interview
  • David George Interview
  • Rodney Hill Interview
  • Archival Stanley Kubrick Audio Interview
  • The Today Show Clips featuring Peter Sellers and George C. Scott
  • Exhibitor Trailer
  • Theatrical Trailer

Blu-ray Disc Extras:

  • The Cold War Feature-Length Picture-in-Picture Track
  • Inside Dr. Strangelove
  • No Fighting in the War Room
  • An Interview with Robert McNamara
  • Best Sellers
  • The Art of Stanley Kubrick
  • Split-Screen Interviews with Peter Sellers and George C. Scott

Below, after the break, you can find the first 10 minutes of the film (an extended preview) from Sony on YouTube as well as the trailer for the original Columbia Classics 4K Ultra HD Collection Volume 1 box set that the 4K UHD Blu-ray first appeared on as an exclusive.

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