Criterion’s February slate includes McCabe & Mrs. Miller in 4K, plus Columbia Pictures’ 100th, Christopher Nolan, The Raid: Redemption & more

Thursday, 16 November 2023 16:09

Criterion’s February slate includes McCabe & Mrs. Miller in 4K, plus Columbia Pictures’ 100th, Christopher Nolan, The Raid: Redemption & more

by Bill Hunt

Whew! Yesterday was a big day, was it not? I was up all night prior to the announcement, formatting the post for 7 AM Pacific release, and man was it ever good to finally share that! I’ve been sitting on some of that information for months, so I’m very glad to finally be able to speak about it openly. And after thirteen years, it’s damn good to finally confirm that those James Cameron titles are indeed coming to 4K and Blu-ray at long last.

We have more new disc reviews to share today here at The Bits, and there’s more release news today as well. But first, I wanted to let you all know that I’ve just done a new blog post over on Patreon: My Two Cents on the New Abyss Trailer, and the Subject of DNR and Film Grain. It’s based on an impromptu Q&A thread I was involved in over on Twitter/X this morning, but with some added detail that will definitely be of interest to fans of these James Cameron films in remastered 4K. So if you’re a backer of The Bits’ new Patreon—and if you’re not, you should be, as we really need and appreciate the support!—I think you’ll certainly enjoy that. But for the rest of you, rest assured: Much of the substance of that post will be shared here on The Bits website when we review The Abyss, True Lies, Aliens, and Titanic in 4K, first on Digital in a few weeks and then in a few months on actual 4K UHD disc.

Now then, speaking of reviews... Stephen has posted his thoughts on Roger Spottiswoode’s The Best of Times (1986) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

Dennis has reviewed Éric Gravel’s Full Time (2021) on Blu-ray from Music Box Films and Vinegar Syndrome, as well as Jared Moshe’s Aporia (2023) on Blu-ray from Well Go USA.

Stuart has weighed in with his take on Roy Del Ruth’s Du Barry Was a Lady (1943) on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection, along with Jules Dassin’s Uptight (1968) on Blu-ray from Imprint Films.

And for you Peckinpah fans, Tim has shared his in-depth look at Sam Peckinpah’s Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974), also on Blu-ray from Imprint Films.

As always, more new disc reviews are on the way for tomorrow and all next week, so be sure to watch for them. [Read on here...]

In terms of announcement news today, our friends at The Criterion Collection have just revealed their February slate of Blu-ray and 4K titles, which is officially expected to include an upgrade of Robert Altman’s McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971) (Spine #827 – 4K Ultra HD) on 2/6, Eric Rohmer’s Tales of the Four Seasons (Spine #1206 – includes A Tale of Springtime (1990), A Tale of Winter (1992), A Tale of Summer (1996), and A Tale of Autumn (1998) – Blu-ray only) on 2/13, Johnnie To and Ching Siu-tung’s The Heroic Trio/Executioners (both 1993) (Spine #1207 – 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray) and Michael Roemer’s Nothing but a Man (1964) (Spine #1209 – Blu-ray and DVD) on 2/20, and finally Raoul Walsh’s The Roaring Twenties (1939) (Spine #1208 – 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD) on 2/27. You can read more about each of them here on the Criterion website, and you’ll find all the cover artwork (and Amazon pre-order links) below.

Also today (per Media Play News), Sony Pictures Entertainment is celebrating the 100th anniversary of Columbia Pictures on 1/10/24, and has unveiled a new logo to that effect...

Columbia Pictures 100th Anniversary

Per the article: “In honor of the anniversary, publisher Assouline will release a commemorative book highlighting 100 moments of Columbia Pictures, and the studio will host festival screenings, live concerts of prominent film scores, and debut curated home entertainment products celebrating the scope of the studio’s library. Additional details regarding the 100 Year Anniversary celebration will be revealed throughout the year.”

I think it’s reasonable to assume that we’ll see another Columbia Classics 4K Ultra HD Collection next year as a part of this celebration, not to mention some other great new 4K and Blu-ray catalog restorations. So stay tuned for news on that front in the weeks and months ahead.

Also (per Variety), director Christopher Nolan has something to interesting say on the subject of the physical Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD versions of Oppenheimer (which street next Tuesday, on 11/21): “And in the case of Oppenheimer, we put a lot of care and attention into the Blu-ray version… and trying to translate the photography and the sound, putting that into the digital realm with a version you can buy and own at home and put on a shelf so no evil streaming service can come steal it from you.” Right on.

In other announcements… Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment has set the animated Urkel Saves Santa: The Movie for Digital only release on 11/21.

Paramount has made director Brian Robbins’ Varsity Blues (1999) official for release on 4K Ultra HD on 1/9/24, in honor of the film’s 25th anniversary. The Blu-ray included in the packaging will carry over the legacy extras, including an audio commentary, 4 featurettes, and the film’s trailer.

And Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has set Gareth Evans’ The Raid: Redemption (2011) for release as a 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray Steelbook on 1/16. It features a new Dolby Vision HDR grade supervised by Evans, audio in the original Indonesian/Bahasa Dolby Atmos and 5.1, and both the Original Indonesian Score and the International Score by Mike Shinoda and Joe Trapanese. The previous Blu-ray extras will carry over as well. You can see the cover art below.

We’ll leave you with a look at the cover artwork for some of the titles mentioned above, with Amazon.com pre-order links if available (just click on the covers)...

The Raid: Redemption (4K Ultra HD Steelbook)

Back tomorrow with more. Stay tuned!

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Criterion’s February slate includes McCabe & Mrs. Miller in 4K, plus Columbia Pictures’ 100th, Christopher Nolan, The Raid: Redemption & more

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