Displaying items by tag: BD

[Editor’s Note: Since the original publication of this column back in 2016, a new book on 2001 has been published that deserves to be mentioned here—Michael Benson’s Space Odyssey. I’ve added a new section at the end to address it. There is also an excellent 2018 Michael Coate retrospective on the film here at The Bits that we’ve included as well.]

–Originally published on The Digital Bits on 9/28/2016–

I decided that I wanted to do something a little different with today’s My Two Cents column on The Digital Bits, so I thought I’d review a few new and/or recent books that may be of interest to cinephiles, especially those of you who are fans of Stanley Kubrick’s legendary 2001: A Space Odyssey.

As many of you would agree, I’m sure, 2001 is a landmark of filmed science fiction. Based loosely on a short story by visionary author Arthur C. Clarke, it depicts an AI-guided but manned journey through deep space, first to Earth orbit, then the Moon, and eventually out to the distant gas giant Jupiter and beyond, in response to the discovery of an alien artifact on the Moon’s surface, apparently having been buried there millions of years ago.

Not only was Kubrick’s film notable for its realistic depiction of the Moon’s surface fully a year before NASA’s Apollo astronauts actually landed there, it’s been lauded ever since for its realistic approach to depicting future spaceflight technology. Indeed, some of those who contributed designs to the project were actually involved in the space program. [Read on here…]

JAMES CAMERON’S GLOBAL PHENOMENON
AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER ARRIVES ON BLU-RAY, BLU-RAY 3D AND 4K ULTRA HD ON JUNE 20

PLUS: EXPERIENCE THE ORIGINAL AVATAR REMASTERED IN STUNNING 4K AT DIGITAL RETAIL AND ON BLU-RAY DISC JUNE 20

BURBANK, CA (May 22, 2023) – On June 20, Avatar fans have double cause for celebration as Avatar: The Way of Water makes its long-awaited debut on 4K UHD, Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray and DVD and the original Avatar arrives for the first time on 4K UHD in High Dynamic Range to digital retailers and on Blu-ray disc.

Avatar: The Way of Water release will include over three hours of bonus content featuring the filmmakers, cast and crew.

The 4K UHD edition of the original Avatar has both existing and new bonus features including Memories From Avatar, where Producer Jon Landau leads a spirited conversation with cast members, Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver and Stephen Lang, recalling warm memories from production and reflecting on the extraordinary success of the film. Plus Avatar: A Look Back, provides a retrospective where cast and filmmakers reflect on their extraordinary journey making Avatar, the groundbreaking technologies they used to create an unparalleled cinematic experience, and the profound effect the film had on audiences worldwide.

Nominated for numerous Academy Awards including Best Picture, Avatar: The Way of Water became the third highest-grossing film of all time worldwide and set a new benchmark for visual effects. Produced by Cameron and his longtime partner Jon Landau, the 20th Century Studios—Lightstorm Entertainment production stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Cliff Curtis and Kate Winslet. Joining the illustrious adult cast are talented newcomers Britain Dalton, Jamie Flatters, Trinity Jo-Li Bliss, Bailey Bass and Jack Champion. The screenplay is by James Cameron & Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver, with story by James Cameron & Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver & Josh Friedman & Shane Salerno. David Valdes and Richard Baneham serve as the film’s executive producers. [Read on here...]

[Editor’s Note: This interview was originally posted on The Digital Bits on 5/4/01. It refers to the original and much-maligned Kubrick DVD collection release and also the better and properly remastered 2001 DVDs. It hints at future HD releases, but this was five years prior to the debut of Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD was still well over the horizon. Read it as an artifact of the period. But our admiration of Vitali has only been enhanced by the recent and terrific documentary about his life, Filmworker, not to mention his fine work on the new 4K release of 2001: A Space Odyssey, so we thought it would be fun to share this vintage interview we did with him. It’s clear just how protective he was then – and remains now – of Stanley Kubrick’s body of work. We salute him for it. All Kubrick fans owe him a great debt.]

One thing you can say for sure about Leon Vitali, is that he knew Stanley Kubrick. Vitali first came into contact with Kubrick when he was cast to play the role of Lord Bullingdon in Barry Lyndon. The two quickly struck up a friendship, and Vitali soon found himself working side-by-side with the director as his assistant and a permanent part of Kubrick’s staff. Over an association of more than 25 years, Vitali personally worked on nearly every facet of Kubrick’s films, from scripting to casting, production, laboratory supervision and advertising. He even worked on the translations of Kubrick’s films into other languages for international markets. [Read on here...]

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has just officially set IT for release on Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD on 1/9/2018 (SRP $35.99, $28.98, and $44.95, respectively). The Digital HD release is expected on 12/19. These SKUs will all include the theatrical version of the film. (Note that a Director’s Cut is rumored for release at a later date in 2018, but that is not yet confirmed.) The film is based on the book by Stephen King and is directed by Andy Muschietti. The Blu-ray versions will include deleted scenes and 3 featurettes (Pennywise Lives!, The Losers’ Club, and Author of Fear). Both will include Dolby Atmos audio and the 4K disc will include Dolby Vision HDR. [Read on here…]

All right, this is going to be our last regular post until Monday, though we will be back on Friday to let you know about any great Blu-ray or 4K deals worth mentioning. But we do have a few things for you...

First up, Tim has turned in a nice little batch of disc reviews as part of his Scream for a Week column, including his thoughts on David Cronenberg’s Dead Ringers and Rabid, as well as The Monkey’s Paw, all from Scream Factory. He’s also turned in a review of the new Mystery Science Theater 3000: Volume XXXVII on DVD from Shout! Factory. All are work a look, so enjoy!  [Read on here…]

The big news today is that Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has set a Jerry Maguire: 20th Anniversary Edition for release on Blu-ray on 1/3. The film has been remastered in 4K (though strangely, there’s no 4K Ultra HD release currently announced). New material in the set will include nearly 60 minutes of deleted and extended scenes, the 3-part Jerry Maguire: We Meet Again retrospective documentary, a new written introduction by writer/director Cameron Crowe, a photo gallery, and the film’s soundtrack on CD, as well as legacy extras. You can see the packaging below.

Also, Lionsgate has revealed the next pair of entries in their Vestron Video Collector’s Series Blu-ray line, which are due on 1/31. Look for Bob Balaban’s Parents (1989) and Ken Russell’s The Lair of the White Worm (1988). SRP is $34.97 each.  [Read on here…]

Well folks, it’s the Thanksgiving holiday week here in the States... which is also Black Friday Week on the Internet. And that means there probably isn’t going to be a lot of Blu-ray news or announcements to report on over the next few days.

But we do have a couple things for you today. And, as we’re always trying to help you guys get the most of your Blu-ray, DVD, and/or 4K experience, we’re going to point out a few deals each day that might make that easier for you.

First though, here at the website, our own Russell Hammond has posted the weekly update of the Release Dates & Artwork section with all the latest Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD cover artwork and Amazon.com pre-order links. As always, whenever you order literally anything from Amazon after clicking to them through one of our links, you’re helping to support The Bits and we really do appreciate it. So please remember that as you begin your holiday shopping this week!

Now then, let’s start with that release news... [Read on here…]

We’re closing out the week with a bit more announcement news, and some more great Amazon Deals. Let’s get those out of the way first, because they’re pretty damn good and you have to act fast on one of them.

The first is a BD Deal of the Day for 20th Century Fox’s The X-Files: Complete Series Collector’s Set + The Event Series for just $119. That’s 60% off the regular SRP and yes, it does include The X-Files: Season Ten (aka “The Event Series”). You can see my review here. That one is for today only, so act fast.

Also, if you’re interested in moving up to 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, Amazon currently has Samsung’s UBD-K8500 3D/4K UHD Blu-ray Player for just $197 – down the already low $399! As you may know, I’ve reviewed this player in some depth recently here on The Bits (see this link). It was already a good deal at $399 and now at half that price it’s a steal. I’m still using this as my go-to 4K player here. There will be better 4K players available over the next year, but you’re going to pay a lot more than $197 for them. So I definitely recommend the UBD-K8500 at that price. [Read on here…]

We’ve got a great feature column for you today, along with some announcement news, and a couple more great Amazon Blu-ray deals to mention. Let’s start with that feature...

Our own Michael Coate has just posted a new History, Legacy & Showmanship column, offering a great look back at the James Bond film Casino Royale on its 10th anniversary. The column features another excellent roundtable discussion with film historians John Cork, Bill Desowitz, Lisa Funnell, Lee Pfeiffer, and Bruce Scivally. Don’t miss it!  [Read on here…]

All right, we have two more Blu-ray Disc reviews for you this afternoon. Tim has checked out Theatre of Blood (1973) with Vincent Price, new on Blu-ray from Twilight Time. And Jim has looked at another new Twilight release in the form of Richard Marquand’s WWII spy thriller Eye of the Needle (1981). Both are pretty great releases and well worth a look if you’re interested.

In announcement news today, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has set The Girl on the Train for release on Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray on 1/17, with a Digital HD release due on 1/3. Bonus features will include audio commentary with director Tate Taylor, deleted and extended scenes, and 2 documentary featurettes (The Women Behind the Girl and On Board the Train).  [Read on here…]