The 2007 film “Eastern Promises” is officially coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray on March 22nd via KL Studio Classics. The film, directed by David Cronenberg, starred Viggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts, Vincent Cassel, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Sinéad Cusack, and Jerzy Skolimowski. The film will also be getting a “Special Edition”Blu-ray release on the same day from Kino Lorber.
This new 4K master of the film was “Approved & Color Graded by Cinematographer Peter Suschitzky,” according to Kino Lorber. Tech specs for the 4K include a 2160p video presentation in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio with HDR10 and Dolby Vision forms of high dynamic range with DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround and 2.0 Stereo sound, on a BD-100 disc. The release will also come in the form of a “combo pack,” so you’ll get the Special Edition Blu-ray counterpart with the 4K UHD Blu-ray.
You can now find the 4K UHD Blu-ray and the Special EditionBlu-ray directly available for preorder via Kino Lorber’s website. There are also already placeholder pages up for the 4K UHD Blu-ray and Special EditionBlu-ray over at Amazon but they’re not yet functional, so stay tuned regarding that for an eventual update. The bonus materials set to be included with both versions of the film being released are listed below, which will be housed on the Blu-ray Disc.
NEW Interview with Screenwriter Steven Knight
Secrets and Stories: Featurette with Director David Cronenberg (10:32)
Marked for Life: Featurette with David Cronenberg (6:42)
Two Guys Walk Into a Bath House: Featurette with David Cronenberg (1:55)
Watts on Wheels: Featurette with Naomi Watts (0:55)
Theatrical Trailer One (2:22) (Newly Mastered in 2K)
Theatrical Trailer Two (1:54) (Newly Mastered in 2K)
As promised, a “Middle-Earth Ultimate Collector’s Edition“ box set, now with a new release date, is officially coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray on November 16th, via Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. The 31-disc box set includes all six of the Peter Jackson-directed film adaptations of the J.R.R. Tolkein stories “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” via trilogies for each. The theatrical and extended versions of each of the six films will be included in this box set, and those films consist (chronologically) of the following:
“The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” (2001)
“The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” (2002)
“The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” (2003)
“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” (2012)
“The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” (2013)
“The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies” (2014)
MAJOR UPDATE: the original release date of late October (10/26 specifically) for this has now been pushed back to a new release date of November 16th.
The tech specs for the releases include 2160p video presentations for each film in the 2.39:1 aspect ratio with HDR10 and Dolby Vision forms of high dynamic range and Dolby Atmos sound. The theatrical versions of the film are on one BD-100 4K UHD Blu-ray Disc, while the Extended Cuts are presented on two BD-100 4K discs (as part 1 and part 2). This set will also come in the form of a “combo pack,” meaning that it will include the Blu-ray Disc counterparts (remastered in 1080p HD) for both trilogies and for both theatrical and extended cut for each. Then, there’s a bonus disc that I’ll discuss a bit further below, which makes this a 31-disc set. Also, you’ll get a digital code (copy) of each of the six films and of each version — compatible with Movies Anywhere.
You can now find the 4K UHD Blu-ray of the “Middle-Earth Ultimate Collector’s Edition“ available for preorder over at Amazon. The bonus materials set to be included with the release will feature all of the extras found on the previous Blu-ray (and DVD) releases as well as include an exclusive Bonus Disc. The contents of that disc are listed below.
Exclusive Blu-ray Bonus Disc includes:
Alamo Drafthouse: The Lord of the Rings Cast Reunions (hosted by Stephen Colbert)
“The Fellowship of the Ring” – RT: 39:38 (with Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Sean Astin and Elijah Wood)
“The Two Towers” – RT: 32:24 (with Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Liv Tyler and Viggo Mortenson)
“The Return of the King” – RT: 29:48 (with Ian McKellan, Andy Serkis, and Peter Jackson)
Festival De Cannes Presentation Reel
Also, as you’d expect, the audio commentary tracks will be included for each film, and (as mentioned) the extras will be physically included this time around as well. This set will contain a lot of physical extras and some rather impressive packaging that features the ability to change the slipcase into different configurations (as pictured below).
The physical extras included are detailed briefly below and further below I’ve included some further glimpses at the artwork and contents for this 4K set.
Exclusive Blu-ray Bonus Disc
64-Page Booklet of Costume Sketches, Photography and Production Notes
7 Travel Postcards
Lastly, I’ll remind you that this 4K set technically has yet to be officially announced by the studio [Warner], however, it’s obviously coming according to Amazon, but stay tuned for an update with confirmation and for further details.
UPDATE: This has been officially announced today [9/9] and you can find the full info regarding the release listed below.
According to multiple retailers, the 1993 film “Carlito’s Way” is coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray on October 12th via Universal Studios Home Entertainment. The film, directed by Brian De Palma, starred Al Pacino, Sean Penn, Penelope Ann Miller, John Leguizamo, Ingrid Rogers, Luis Guzmán, and Viggo Mortensen.
You can now find the standard 4K UHD Blu-ray available for preorder over at Amazon and the 4K SteelBook available for preorder over at retailer Best Buy. The tech specs for the 4K release include a 2160p video presentation in the 2.35:1 aspect ratio with HDR10 and HDR10+ forms of high dynamic range and DTS:X immersive lossless sound, on a BD-100 disc. The release will come in the form of a 2-disc “combo pack” meaning that the Blu-ray Disc counterpart will be included, along with a digital code (copy) of the film. The bonus materials set to be included with the release (according to the back of the packaging) are listed below.
Deleted Scenes
The Making of Carlito’s Way
Brian de Palma on Carlito’s Way
Original Promotional Featurette
Theatrical Trailer
NOTE: This title has not yet been officially announced by the studio (Universal), so stay tuned for an update that will hopefully be confirming this very soon.
“The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy“ is officially coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray on December 1st via Warner. Specifically, the trilogy is coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray in the form of a standard release on the format, a 4K UHD Blu-ray Giftset (pictured below), plus as a 4K UHD Blu-ray SteelBook exclusive to retailer Best Buy (also pictured, further below). The box set will include the films “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings” (2001), “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” (2002), and “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” (2003) — all directed by Peter Jackson. The three films starred Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom, Viggo Mortensen, Sala Baker, Sean Bean, Cate Blanchett, Ian Holm, Christopher Lee, Billy Boyd, John Bach, Brad Dourif, Marton Csokas, and Bernard Hill.
UPDATE #7: Alright. I have now received the official announcementdirectly from my contact at the studio (Warner) and I have the PRESS RELEASE which you will find at the very, very bottom of this already lengthy post. I’ll try to be condensing this and putting as much based on the final word of this announcement in the coming hours. So, without further ado! Alright, the tech specs for both trilogies (The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit) will both include 4K presentations in the HDR10 and Dolby Vision forms of high dynamic range, along with Dolby Atmos sound. In fact, here’s a short bit (from the press release) regarding that.
“The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray discs of The Hobbit Trilogy and The Lord of the Rings Trilogy will feature Dolby VisionTM HDR that dramatically expands the color palette and contrast range and uses dynamic metadata to automatically optimize the picture for every screen, frame by frame. The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray discs of The Hobbit Trilogy and The Lord of the Rings Trilogy will also feature a Dolby Atmos® soundtrack remixed specifically for the home theater environment to place and move audio anywhere in the room, including overhead.”
Next! The films as I can tell, from the hi-res images that Warner has provided me, will be like this in terms of the 4K UHD Blu-ray Discs included. And, yes, ONLY 4K discs will be included in these sets with no Blu-ray counterparts. The Lord of the Rings films will get 3 discs for each film in its trilogy, consisting of the first disc for each being the Theatrical version and the second & third discs being used for the Extended Cut split into two parts. Then, for The Hobbit films, it will be 2 discs for each film in that trilogy. It will consist of the first disc (for each) being used for that film’s Theatrical version and the second disc (for each) will be used for the Extended version (of that film). I know that’s a bit much to all take in at once. But, prepare for more.
Okay, so, it’s become apparent that there will not be any bonus materials included on these releases, likely because they didn’t have the Blu-ray counterparts for a purpose. That’s because they [Warner] actually plan to do a 2021 release of these films bundled together in what is being called the Six-film “Middle-Earth (Ultimate Collector’s Edition)” 4K UHD Blu-ray set. It will contain some specially created new extras and the original Blu-ray bonus materials on newly pressed remastered versions of the film included. The info regarding this can be found quoted below (from the press release).
“In addition, it was also announced that a 4K UHD “Middle-earth” Ultimate Collectors’ Edition featuring the theatrical and extended versions of all six films, along with new bonus content, previously released Blu-ray discs of The Hobbit Trilogy, and remastered Blu-ray discs of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy will be released in the summer of 2021. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy featuring remastered Blu-ray discs of the theatrical and extended versions of the 3 films will also be released in the fourth quarter 2021, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.”
Deep breath. Now more on that, via the press release headline.
“Six-film “Middle-earth” Ultimate Collectors’ Edition with new Bonus Content to be released in 4K UHD in Summer 2021
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy Remastered Blu-ray™ to be released in 4K UHD in fourth Quarter 2021 to celebrate 20th anniversary of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring”
I know. I know. Okay, so moving on with what all I just learned from this official announcement. Some stuff I had previously reported, well all of it really, but namely this can still be used and I’ll leave it as-is.
According to the actor Sean Aston (in an announcement video seen below), it is known that “Peter Jacksonoversaw the remastering” of all six of these films for the 4K releases, and they have all reportedly received a 4K DI (digital intermediate) new master for each. Meaning, it’s true 4K and was mastered in it for all of the films.
Now, finally, regarding the official info. It appears that no bonus materials will be included with these 2020 releases of the films. I’m trying to get a complete confirmation on that directly from Warner, but it sure seems that to be the case. Sorry to any fans this may upset, but this has been a hard year — I’m sure — to get physical media produced and projects finished like new extras, and so forth.
You can now find the standard 4K UHD Blu-ray version of the trilogy available for preorder over at Amazon. There will also be the aforementioned 4K UHD Blu-ray Giftset version of the trilogy, which is NOT exclusive to any retailer. It’s not only listed on Amazon but now is even listed over at retailer Best Buy!! And, there will be the 4K UHD Blu-ray SteelBook which is exclusive to Best Buy. That’s now back available for preorder and showing as in stock again. Below you can find the full glimpses at both the Giftset and the SteelBook versions of the 4K sets. Reminder, only one of these is an exclusive — despite all the confusion from earlier yesterday!!
The 2018 film “Green Book” starring Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali is coming to both 4K UHD Blu-ray and Blu-ray Disc on March 12th, via Universal. The film, directed by Peter Farrelly, co-stars Linda Cardellini, Sebastian Maniscalco, Dimiter D. Marinov, Mike Hatton, P.J. Byrne, and Joe Cortese.
Tech specs for the 4K release include 2160p video presented in the 2.00:1 aspect ratio with HDR10 form of High Dynamic Range and Dolby Atmos sound. Technical specifications for the Blu-ray release include 1080p video in the 2.00:1 aspect with Dolby Atmos sound. Both release will come in the form of “combo pack” with the 4K getting a Blu-ray, the Blu-ray getting DVD, and both getting a Digital Copy of the film. The 4K UHD Blu-ray and Blu-ray are both available now for pre-order over at Amazon. Bonus materials set to be included on the releases are listed below.
Virtuoso Performances– Go behind the scenes with Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali as they discuss their characters and the lengths they went to accurately portray them.
An Unforgettable Friendship – Cast and filmmakers discuss the friendship between Don Shirley and Tony Lip.
Going Beyond the Green Book – Filmmakers and cast discuss the significance of The Green Book.
Further below, after the break, you can find more info about the releases in the official announcement.
Amazon Commissions Earned
