Tag Archives: Ray Charles

The 2004 film Ray is coming to 4K in February

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Cover art for the film 'Ray' featuring Jamie Foxx's silhouette against a black background.
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The 2004 film “Ray” is coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray on February 17th via KL Studio Classics [Kino Lorber]. The movie, directed by Taylor Hackford, won two Academy Awards, including “Best Actor in a Leading Role.” It starred Jamie Foxx, Regina King, Kerry Washington, and Clifton Powell. Its supporting cast included Bokeem Woodbine, Harry Lennix, Curtis Armstrong, Richard Schiff, Lorenz Tate, Terrence Howard, David Krumholtz, Wendell Pierce, Sharon Warren, and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor.

The movie has received a new 4K scan from the original 35mm camera negative, approved by Director Taylor Hackford. The tech specs for the 4K UHD Blu-ray include a 2160p video presentation in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio with Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) and lossless sound, on a BD-100 disc. The audio format and configuration(s) have yet to be detailed by Kino Lorber, but stay tuned for an update. The 2-disc release will come as a “combo pack” with its Blu-ray Disc counterpart included.

The 4K UHD Blu-ray is not yet available for preorder at Amazon or Walmart, but stay tuned for an update on that very soon. In the meantime, you can preorder directly via the Kino Lorber website. The bonus materials included with this release are listed below, sorted by disc.

Disc 1 (4K UHD Blu-ray):

  • NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historian and Author Dwayne Epstein
  • Audio Commentary by Director Taylor Hackford

Disc 2 (Blu-ray):

  • NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historian and Author Dwayne Epstein
  • Audio Commentary by Director Taylor Hackford
  • Director’s Introduction (1:34)
  • Stepping Into the Part: Featurette (10:40)
  • Ray Remembered: Featurette (4:03)
  • The Women of Ray: Featurette (9:55)
  • The Filmmakers’ Journey: Featurette (9:22)
  • Ray: An American Story: Featurette (28:47)
  • A Look Inside Ray: Featurette (3:20)
  • 14 Deleted Scenes (with Optional Director’s Commentary) (27:36)
  • 9 Uncut Music Performances (25:33)
  • Theatrical Trailer (2:48)

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

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the_blues_brothers_4k– Amazon Commissions Earned –

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.