Tag Archives: Warren Oates

The 1983 film Blue Thunder is coming to 4K in May

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Movie cover for 'Blue Thunder' featuring a helicopter flying over a city skyline, with the title prominently displayed.
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The 1983 crime drama “Blue Thunder“ is coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray in a Limited Edition on May 5th via Arrow Video, distributed stateside by MVD Entertainment Group.

John Badham directed the movie, which featured a screenplay co-written by Dan O’Bannon and Don Jakoby. The film starred Roy Scheider, Daniel Stern, Warren Oates, Candy Clark, David Sheiner, Joe Santos, and Malcolm McDowell.

It has received a 4K restoration from the original negative. The tech specs for the 4K UHD Blu-ray include a 2160p video presentation in a 2.39:1 aspect ratio with Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) high dynamic range, along with lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (remix) surround and (original) 2.0 Stereo sound.

You can now preorder the 4K UHD Blu-ray Limited Edition from Amazon. Also, you can preorder it directly via the Arrow Video website and MVD Shop. Below, you can get a glimpse at the packaging and physical extras included with this set.

Blu-ray box set of the movie 'Blue Thunder' featuring a helicopter on the cover, alongside a disc and a booklet.

The bonus materials and physical extras included with this limited edition set are listed below.

  • Archival audio commentary by director John Badham, editor Frank Morriss, and motion control supervisor Hoyt Yeatman
  • Flight Risk, a brand new interview with director John Badham
  • A Rollercoaster Ride, a brand new interview with actor Candy Clark
  • Catching Up, a brand new interview with actor Malcolm McDowell
  • Ride with the Angels: Making Blue Thunder, an archival three-part documentary from 2006
  • The Special: Building Blue Thunder, an archival featurette from 2006 on the design and construction of the iconic helicopter
  • Archival 1983 promotion featurette
  • Extended scene
  • Theatrical trailer
  • Image gallery
  • Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Chris Skinner
  • Collectors’ booklet featuring new writing on the film by Dennis Capicik and original production notes

The 1981 film Stripes on 4K SteelBook in April

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The 1981 film “Stripes” will be coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray SteelBook on April 29th via Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. The film was directed by the late Ivan Reitman. It starred Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Warren Oates, P.J. Soles, and John Candy. This release includes both the theatrical version and extended cut of the movie.

The movie has been restored from the original camera negative. The tech specs for this release include a 2160p video presentation in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio with Dolby Vision (or HDR10) and Dolby Atmos, DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround and 2.0 Mono sound. The lossless Mono will only be included with the theatrical version. The release will come as a “combo pack” with its Blu-ray Disc counterpart. Also, a digital copy of the film (compatible with Movies Anywhere) will be included.

NOTE: This film had been released on the 4K format before. It was part of the “Columbia Classics: 4K Ultra HD Collection: Volume 2” from 2021. This will be the first time the film has had an individual 4K release, outside of that box set. It also will be the first time a 4K physical media release has contained Dolby Vision. The 2021 release only had HDR10 form of high dynamic range.

You can now find the 4K UHD Blu-ray SteelBook available for preorder at Amazon. The bonus materials set to be included on the release are listed below.

Disc 1 (4K UHD Blu-ray):

  • Special Features:
    • 40 Years of Stripes With Bill & Ivan – a two-part on-camera reunion between star Bill Murray and director Ivan Reitman, discussing their careers, memories from set, a tribute to the cast, as well as a special guest appearance from cinematographer Bill Butler
    • Theatrical Trailer

Disc 2 (Blu-ray):

  • Special Features:
    • Commentary with Ivan Reitman and Dan Goldberg (Extended version only)
    • 11 Additional Deleted & Extended Scenes
    • 1983 TV Version of the film (in standard definition)
    • Deleted & Extended Scenes from the Extended version of the film
    • Stars and Stripes Documentary

1967 film “In the Heat of the Night” gets a Criterion Blu-ray release in January

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The 1967 Norman Jewison directed film “In the Heat of the Night“ starring Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger is getting a Blu-ray Disc release from The Criterion Collection on January 29th, 2019. The film won a total of FIVE Academy Awards, and was previously released on the format in 2014 by MGM. Tech specs for the release include 1080p HD video in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio from a brand new 4K restoration with uncompressed Mono sound. The Criterion Blu-ray is already available for PRE-ORDER over at Amazon and directly via Criterion. There are several New bonus materials set to be included on the release, which are listed below along with info regarding the new restoration and sound.

New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray

  • New Interview with director Norman Jewison
  • New Interview with actor Lee Grant
  • New Interview with Aram Goudsouzian, author of Sidney Poitier: Man, Actor, Icon
  • Audio commentary from 2008 featuring Jewison, Grant, actor Rod Steiger, and cinematographer Haskell Wexler
  • Turning Up the Heat: Movie-Making in the ’60s, a 2008 program about the production of the film and its legacy, featuring Jewison, Wexler, producer Walter Mirisch, and filmmakers John Singleton and Reginald Hudlin
  • Quincy Jones: Breaking New Sound, a 2008 program about Jones’s innovative soundtrack, including its title song sung by Ray Charles, featuring interviews with Jones, lyricists Alan and Marilyn Bergman, and musician Herbie Hancock
  • Trailer
  • PLUS: An essay by critic K. Austin Collins
  • New cover by Sean Phillips