Tag Archives: The Criterion Collection

Menace II Society on Criterion 4K and Blu-ray November

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The 1993 Hughes brothers film “Menace II Society” is officially coming to both 4K UHD Blu-ray and Blu-ray Disc on November 23rd via The Criterion Collection. The film, directed by Albert Hughes & Allen Hughes, starred Tyrin Turner, Larenz Tate, Samuel L. Jackson, Anthony Johnson, Glenn Plummer, Reginald Ballard, Khandi Alexander, June Kyoto Lu, and Toshi Toda. The movie has received a new 4K restoration, as detailed below.

“New 4K digital restoration of the directors’ cut of the film, supervised by cinematographer Lisa Rinzler and codirector Albert Hughes …”

The tech specs for the 4K UHD Blu-ray include a 2160p video presentation in the original 1.85:1 aspect ratio with HDR10 and Dolby Vision forms of high dynamic range and DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 lossless surround sound and DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo lossless sound. The tech specs for the Blu-ray include a 1080p HD video presentation in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio with the same DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 and 2.0 sound mixes. The 4K release will come as a 2-disc “combo pack” and include its Blu-ray Disc counterpart.

You can now find the 4K UHD Blu-ray and the Blu-ray versions of The Criterion Collection releases available for preorder over at Amazon, as well as directly via Criterion‘s website. The releases both will come with the following bonus materials, including some physical.

  • Two audio commentaries from 1993 featuring directors Albert and Allen Hughes
  • Gangsta Vision, a 2009 featurette on the making of the film
  • New conversation among Albert Hughes, screenwriter Tyger Williams, and film critic Elvis Mitchell
  • New conversation among Allen Hughes, actor and filmmaker Bill Duke, and Mitchell
  • Interview from 1993 with the directors
  • Deleted scenes
  • Film-to-storyboard comparison
  • Trailer
  • English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
  • PLUS: An essay by film critic Craig D. Lindsey
  • New cover by Sister Hyde

Citizen Kane on 4K via Criterion Collection in November

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The 1941 classic film “Citizen Kane” is officially coming to the 4K UHD Blu-ray and Blu-ray Disc formats on November 23rd via The Criterion Collection. This will make one of the first 4K physical releases by Criterion, as they have just unveiled recently. The film, co-written, produced, and directed by Orson Welles, also starred Orson Welles, as well as Joseph Cotten, Dorothy Comingore, Agnes Moorehead, Ruth Warrick, Ray Collins, Erskine Sanford, and Everett Sloane.

The tech specs for the release include a 2160p video presentation (in Black & White) in the original 1.37:1 aspect ratio with HDR10 and Dolby Vision forms of high dynamic range and uncompressed Mono sound. The movie has received a new 4K restoration. The release will come in the form of a “combo pack” meaning that the Blu-ray Disc counterpart of the film will be included, with an additional two Blu-ray Discs for extras — making for a 4-disc set. You can now find the 4K UHD Blu-ray and Blu-ray Disc versions are available for preorder over at Amazon and directly via Criterion‘s website. The bonus materials set to be included with the release are listed below, including physical extras.

  • Three audio commentaries: from 2021 featuring Orson Welles scholars James Naremore and Jonathan Rosenbaum; from 2002 featuring filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich; and from 2002 featuring film critic Roger Ebert
  • The Complete “Citizen Kane,” (1991), a rarely seen feature-length BBC documentary
  • New interviews with critic Farran Smith Nehme and film scholar Racquel J. Gates
  • New video essay by Orson Welles scholar Robert Carringer
  • New program on the film’s special effects by film scholars and effects experts Craig Barron and Ben Burtt
  • Interviews from 1990 with editor Robert Wise; actor Ruth Warrick; optical-effects designer Linwood Dunn; Bogdanovich; filmmakers Martin Scorsese, Henry Jaglom, Martin Ritt, and Frank Marshall; and cinematographers Allen Daviau, Gary Graver, and Vilmos Zsigmond
  • New documentary featuring archival interviews with Welles
  • Interviews with actor Joseph Cotten from 1966 and 1975
  • The Hearts of Age, a brief silent film made by Welles as a student in 1934
  • Television programs from 1979 and 1988 featuring appearances by Welles and Mercury Theatre producer John Houseman
  • Program featuring a 1996 interview with actor William Alland on his collaborations with Welles
  • Selection of The Mercury Theatre on the Air radio plays featuring many of the actors from Citizen Kane
  • Trailer
  • English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
  • PLUS: Deluxe packaging, including a book with an essay by film critic Bilge Ebiri
  • New Cover by Mike McQuade

1992 Bill Duke film Deep Cover gets Criterion Blu-ray in July

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The 1992 film “Deep Cover” directed by Bill Duke is officially getting a Blu-ray Disc release on July 13th from The Criterion Collection. The film starred Laurence Fishburne, Jeff Goldblum, Lira Angel, Victoria Dillard, Gregory Sierra, James T. Morris, Julio Oscar Mechoso, and Clifton Powell.

The film has received a new director-approved digital 4K restoration. Tech specs for the release include a 1080p HD video presentation in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio with DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 surround sound. You can now find The Criterion Collection Blu-ray available for preorder over at Amazon and directly via Criterion. The bonus materials set to be included with the release are listed below.

  • New interview with director Bill Duke
  • New conversation between film scholars Racquel J. Gates and Michael B. Gillespie about Deep Cover’s place within both the Black film boom of the early 1990s and the noir genre
  • New conversation between scholar Claudrena N. Harold and professor, DJ, and podcaster Oliver Wang about the film’s title track and its importance to the history of hip-hop
  • Panel discussion from 2018 featuring Duke and Fishburne and moderated by film critic Elvis Mitchell
  • Trailer
  • English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
  • PLUS: An essay by Gillespie
  • New cover illustration by Ngabo “El’Cesart” Desire

Fast Times at Ridgemont High gets Criterion Blu-ray in May

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The 1982 film “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” will be getting a new Blu-ray Disc on May 11th via The Criterion Collection. The film, directed by Amy Heckerling and written by Cameron Crowe (based on his book), starred Sean Penn, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Judge Reinhold, Forest Whitaker, Anthony Edwards, Eric Stoltz, and Phoebe Cates. The movie has received a new 4K restoration that was supervised by the director Amy Heckerling. Tech specs for the upcoming Criterion Blu-ray include a 1080p HD presentation in the original 1.85:1 aspect ratio and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound. The Criterion Collection Blu-ray of the film is now available for preorder over at Amazon. The full bonus materials set to be included with this release are detailed below.

  • Audio commentary from 1999 featuring Heckerling and screenwriter Cameron Crowe
  • Television version of the film from the eighties, featuring deleted and alternate scenes
  • NEW conversation with Heckerling and Crowe, moderated by filmmaker Olivia Wilde
  • Reliving Our “Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” a 1999 documentary featuring interviews with cast and crew
  • Audio discussion from 1982 with Heckerling at the American Film Institute
  • English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
  • PLUS: An essay by film critic Dana Stevens and, for the Blu-ray edition, a new introduction by Crowe
  • New cover by F. Ron Miller

Bong Joon Ho film Memories of Murder on Blu-ray in April

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The 2003 Bong Joon Ho written & directed film “Memories of Murder“ is officially getting a Blu-ray Disc from The Criterion Collection on April 20th. The film, from South Korea and in the Korean language, has received a new 4K restoration that was supervised by the cinematographer and approved by the director. In terms of tech specs, the Criterion Blu-ray release will come with a 1080p HD presentation in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio and Korean DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless surround sound with English subtitles. The upcoming Blu-ray release of the film is now available for preorder over at Amazon and directly via The Criterion Collection. You can find a list of the details about the release and a list of the bonus materials set to be included with the release listed below, taken from Criterion’s website.

  • New 4K digital restoration, supervised by cinematographer Kim Hyung Ku and approved by director Bong Joon Ho, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray
  • Two 2009 commentaries featuring Bong and members of the cast and crew, plus a new commentary featuring critic Tony Rayns
  • New program featuring filmmaker Guillermo del Toro
  • New interview with Bong about the real-life serial killer who inspired the film
  • Documentary from 2004 on the making of the film
  • Deleted scenes, with optional audio commentary by Bong
  • New program about the use of sound in Bong’s work, featuring film scholar Jeff Smith
  • Incoherence, a 1994 student film by Bong, with a new introduction by the director
  • Teaser, trailer, and TV spot
  • PLUS: An essay by critic and novelist Ed Park
  • New cover by Greg Ruth

1996 film Crash gets a Criterion Blu-ray in December

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The 1996 NC-17 rated film “Crash” from director David Cronenberg is officially coming to Blu-ray Disc via The Criterion Collection on December 1st. The film, based on the novel by J.G. Ballard, starred James Spader, Holly Hunter, Elias Koteas, Deborah Kara Unger, Rosanna Arquette, and Peter MacNeill. The motion picture has received a 4K restoration that was “supervised by director of photography Peter Suschitzky,” and “approved by director David Cronenberg.” Tech specs for the release include a 1080p HD presentation in the 1.66:1 aspect ratio with DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 that has also been approved by the film’s director. The Criterion Collection Blu-ray is now available for preorder over at Amazon. You can find a full list of details about the release and bonus materials set to be included (taken from Criterion’s site) below.

  • New 4K digital restoration supervised by director of photography Peter Suschitzky, and 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray, both approved by director David Cronenberg
  • Audio commentary from 1997 featuring Cronenberg
  • Press conference from the 1996 Cannes Film Festival featuring Cronenberg; Suschitzky; author J. G. Ballard; producers Robert Lantos and Jeremy Thomas; and actors Rosanna Arquette, Holly Hunter, Elias Koteas, James Spader, and Deborah Kara Unger
  • Q&A from 1996 with Cronenberg and Ballard at the National Film Theatre in London
  • Behind-the-scenes footage and press interviews from 1996
  • Trailers
  • English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
  • PLUS: An essay by film critic Jessica Kiang
  • New cover by Phil Hale

Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai on Blu-ray

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The 1999 film “Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai“ is getting a Blu-ray Disc release on November 17th via The Criterion Collection. The film was written & directed by Jim Jarmusch, featured an original soundtrack by RZA (of the Wu-Tang Clan), and starred Forest Whitaker. The film’s cast also included John Tormey, Cliff Gorman, Richard Portnow, Tricia Vessey, Henry Silva, John Tormey, Victor Argo, Camille Winbush, and Damon Whitaker.

Tech specs for the Criterion Blu-ray include a 1080p HD presentation in the (OAR) original aspect ratio 1.85:1, from a new 4K restored transfer, supervised & approved by Jim Jarmusch, with DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound. You can find the Criterion Blu-ray available for preorder now over at Amazon as well as directly via Criterion. The info regarding this upcoming release and a list of bonus materials set to be included are listed below.

  • New, restored 4K digital transfer, supervised and approved by director Jim Jarmusch, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray
  • Alternate isolated stereo music track
  • New Q&A with Jarmusch, in which he responds to questions sent in by fans
  • New conversation between actors Forest Whitaker and Isaach De BankolĂ©, moderated by film scholar Michael B. Gillespie
  • New interview with casting director Ellen Lewis
  • New interview with Shifu Shi Yan Ming, founder of the USA Shaolin Temple
  • New video essay on RZA’s original score for the film
  • The Odyssey: A Journey into the Life of a Samurai, a 2000 program on the making of the film
  • Deleted scenes and outtakes
  • Archival interviews
  • Trailer
  • More!
  • English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
  • PLUS: An essay by critic Greg Tate and quotations from Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai, by the early-eighteenth-century monk Yamamoto Tsunetomo
  • New cover by Eric Skillman
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