Displaying items by tag: Robert Zemeckis

We’re starting the new week as always with more new disc reviews…

First, our own Tim Salmons has turned in his thoughts on Imprint Films’ new double feature of The Uninvited (1944) and The Unseen (1945) on region-free Blu-ray, a pair of film noir titles both directed by Lewis Allen.

And Stephen has weighed in with a look at a hefty title of his own: Full Moon Features’ new The Primevals: Ultimate Collector’s Edition Blu-ray box set, featuring the restored 2023 David Allen film, which was originally greenlit in 1978 but wasn’t filmed until 1994. Sadly, Allen passed away in 1999 before the film was completed. But thanks to an Indiegogo campaign, it’s finally completed as much as is possible and available on disc. And what a nice package it is too.

More reviews are on the way of course, but today we’ve got a TON of Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD release news to catch up all up on. It starts with Arrow’s Friday morning announcement of their October slate, which includes John Boorman’s Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977) on Blu-ray (in the UK only) on 10/7, William Peter Blatty’s The Exorcist III (1990) on 4K (in the UK only) on 10/7, the Hellraiser: Quartet of Torment box set—which includes Clive Barker’s Hellraiser (1987), Tony Randel’s Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988), Anthony Hickox’s Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth (1992), and Kevin Yagher’s Hellraiser: Bloodline (1996)—on Blu-ray and 4K (in the US and Canada only, it was already released in the UK) on 10/22, Michael Dougherty’s Trick ‘r Treat (2007) on 4K (in the UK, US, and Canada) on 10/28, and the J-Horror Rising: Limited Edition Blu-ray box set—which includes Shunichi Nagasaki’s Shikoku (1999), Toshiyuki Mizutani’s Isola: Multiple Personality Girl (2000), Masato Harada’s Inugami (2001), Ten Shimoyama’s St. John’s Wort (2001), Kōji Shiraishi’s Carved: The Slit-Mouthed Woman (2007), Takashi Komatsu’s Persona (2000), and Koji Shiraishi’s Noroi: The Curse (2005)—on Blu-ray (in the UK, US, and Canada) also on 10/28. [Read on here...]

We’re very pleased this morning to bring you some great breaking release news...

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment has just officially set director Robert Zemeckis’ ground-breaking animation/live action comedy Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) for release on 4K Ultra HD on 12/7! You can see the cover artwork at left and also below.

We first reported that this title was coming over a year ago here at The Digital Bits, with studio sources originally providing us with a street date of 10/12. More recently those same sources had suggested to us that the title could slip into early 2022. (The other 4K title we were told to expect along with it—Michael Mann’s Heat (1995)—is likely to be so delayed.) So it’s great to see that work on the Roger Rabbit 4K release has finally been completed in time for a release this year. [Read on here...]

All right, it’s finally official: Universal Studios Home Entertainment will release Back to the Future: The Ultimate Trilogy on Blu-ray, DVD, 4K Ultra HD, and Digital on 10/20. The set will include all three films with a bonus disc that includes all-new content.

In addition to the wide-release SKUs, there will be a trio of retail exclusive versions here in the States: a Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD Gift Set on Amazon that includes a levitating hoverboard replica and Digibook packaging, a Limited Edition Blu-ray Gift Set at Target that includes a levitating hoverboard replica and Digibook packaging, and a Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD Gift Set at Best Buy that includes Steelbook packaging.

You can see the wide release 4K Ultra HD cover artwork at left, and we’ve got the rest of the open packaging for you to look at below. [Read on here...]

“Any legitimate study of Spielberg’s career has to include 1941.” — film music historian Mike Matessino

The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the 40th anniversary of the release of 1941, Steven Spielberg’s zany, whacky, epic World War II comedy featuring a screenplay by Robert Zemeckis & Bob Gale (Used Cars, Back to the Future) and John Milius (Big Wednesday, Red Dawn), an all-star cast headed by Dan Aykroyd (The Blues Brothers, Ghostbusters) and John Belushi (Animal House, The Blues Brothers), and Oscar-nominated Cinematography, Sound and Visual Effects.

The large ensemble cast also featured Nancy Allen (Dressed to Kill), Ned Beatty (Deliverance), Eddie Deezen (Grease), Bobby DiCicco (I Wanna Hold Your Hand), Lorraine Gary (Jaws), Murray Hamilton (Jaws), Diane Kay (Eight is Enough TV series), Christopher Lee (The Man with the Golden Gun), Tim Matheson (Animal House), Frank McRae (Used Cars), Toshiro Mifune (The Hidden Fortress), Warren Oates (The Wild Bunch), Slim Pickens (Dr. Strangelove), Wendie Jo Sperber (Back to the Future), Robert Stack (The Untouchables TV series), Lionel Stander (Hart to Hart TV series), and Treat Williams (Prince of the City). [Read more here...]

All right, first things first today...

I’m currently at work on a 4K Ultra HD review of MGM’s 007: The Daniel Craig Collection, which includes all four of the existing Craig Bond films. That will be up either later today or first thing AM.

The quick preview is that the films look very good, a nice uptick from Blu-ray in terms of the video quality, with a restrained HDR grade. For video, I’d score the films as follows… Casino Royale: B+, Quantum of Solace: A-, Skyfall: A, SPECTRE: A. The first two are 2K upsamples, while the latter two are native 4K DIs. Watch for more details in the review.

Now then... the big news today has to do with Universal and Amblin’s Back to the Future films. Universal Brand Development (a division of Universal Studios) has revealed today that The Back to the Future Trilogy will officially be coming to 4K Ultra HD next year (in 2020) in honor of the original film’s 35th anniversary. [Read on here...]

I’ve figured out what’s wrong with movies.

This thesis prevailed on me as I went to see the 3-D Imax version of a new picture called The Great Wall. This picture opened to dismal reviews, but the previews had made it look righteous and the effects, I knew, would be fun, and they were and the whole experience wasn’t bad.

And on the way out, I was thinking of all these feckless movie reviewers who get published and why they would trash this movie. I thought to myself: “Why were they so hard on this movie? It’s just a fun “B” picture?”

And then I figured it out. They all are. 90% of what we see in the theaters are “B” pictures with “A” budgets.

Let’s discuss... [Read on here...]

Welcome to a new edition of Pick-Ups!

Thanks for joining me. I’m back again this week to cover some more titles from various genres and labels that we’ve missed along the way, including comedy titles, science fiction, and horror.

Among the offerings will be great titles from the likes of Warner Home Video, Kino Lorber, Shout! and Scream Factory, Scorpion Releasing, and more.

As usual, we’ll be rolling each review out one at a time all week, so be sure to check back for new ones.  [Read on here…]

[Editor’s Note: Be sure to like TheDigitalBits.com page on Facebook for breaking news, site updates on the go, discussion with our staff and other readers, giveaways and more!]

All right, we’ve got some pretty darned good announcement news for you all today...

First up, Ridley Scott’s The Martian is now available for pre-order on Amazon on Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray, and DVD (Amazon price: $44.99, $22.99, and $14.99), set to be released by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. There’s no street date yet available, but sources suggest early-to-mid January is likely. Here’s a look at the Blu-ray cover artwork...  [Read on here…]

“Four Stars! One of the most endearing and accomplished of entertainments. The writing here is really the star. It would be a classic even in Hollywood’s golden era.” — Gene Siskel, Chicago Tribune/At the Movies

The Digital Bits is pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the 30th anniversary of the release of Back to the Future, Robert Zemeckis’s “comedy adventure science fiction time travel love story” starring Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd.  [Read on here…]

“[Spielberg] has said he felt invincible at the time, so what you get is a Steven Spielberg channeling his inner ten-year-old and going crazy on a movie backlot.” — Mike Matessino

“The main reason to celebrate 1941,” says Mike Matessino, “is because it has been restored in HD and released on Blu-ray, particularly the extended version that fans have come to love and which Steven Spielberg considers his Director’s Cut.” Matessino produced the two-disc CD soundtrack release of 1941 issued by La-La Land Records in 2011 and will be hosting the American Cinematheque’s March 22nd screening of the film and cast-and-crew Q&A. The screening will mark the theatrical debut of a new DCP of the extended cut of the film.  [Read more here...]