Displaying items by tag: Alexander Payne
Warner makes its Purple Rain 4K official, plus Twister, The First Omen, Sting, Pee-Wee & Speed Racer (1967) in Digital via Shout!, Megalopolis & more
Today’s update is a quick one, but we’re starting with more new disc reviews...
Tim has posted his thoughts on Guillermo del Toro’s Crimson Peak (2015) in 4K Ultra HD from Arrow Video, as well as Hanna-Barbera’s Top Cat and the Beverly Hills Cats (1988) on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection.
And Dennis has reviewed Francis Ford Coppola’s The Rain People (1969) on Blu-ray, also from the Warner Archive Collection.
In announcement news today, Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment has just made Albert Magnoli’s Purple Rain (1984) official for release in physical 4K Ultra HD and 4K Digital on 6/25 (SRP $33.99 for the disc). As expected, the disc will include audio commentary by Magnoli, Robert Cavallo, and Donald E. Thorin, 3 featurettes (First Avenue: The Road to Pop Royalty, Purple Rain Backstage Pass: Behind the Scenes, and Riffs, Ruffles and a Revolution: The Impact and Influence of Purple Rain), the MTV Premiere Party Original Broadcast, a gallery of Prince movie trailers, and 8 music videos for songs from the film. [Read on here...]
- The New Adventures of Batman: The Complete Collection BD
- Reunion
- The Rain People BD review
- Top Cat and the Beverly Hills Cats BD review
- Hanna Barbera
- The Warner Archive Collection
- Arrow Video
- Crimson Peak 4K review
- Tim Salmons
- Dennis Seuling
- Megalopolis (2024)
- Francis Ford Coppola
- Shout! Studios
- Mach GoGoGo
- Speed Racer (1967)
- PeeWee's Playhouse
- Well Go USA
- Sting
- 20th Century Studios
- The First Omen
- Jan de Bont
- Twister 4K
- Prince
- Purple Rain 4K
- Warner Bros Home Entertainment
- 4K Ultra HD Release List update
- Back the Bits
- Support The Digital Bits via Patreon
- Bluray
- My Two Cents
- The Digital Bits
- Bill Hunt
- 4K Ultra HD
- Paramount Home Entertainment
- Election 4K
- Alexander Payne
- Paramount Presents
- The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie 4K
- Collateral 4K Steelbook
Election in 4K, Dune: Part Two & Stop Making Sense reviewed, plus SpongeBob, Cannibal Apocalypse, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire & farewell Roger Corman
We’re starting this week off with a pair of major new disc reviews here at The Bits...
Stephen has taken a deep dive into Jonathan Demme’s legendary concert film, Stop Making Sense (1984), newly-restored in 4K Ultra HD and available exclusively from the A24 online shop. This is arguably the greatest concert film ever produced, featuring the music of Talking Heads and the cinematography of Jordan Cronenweth (he shot this right after completing work on Blade Runner and Buckaroo Banzai).
I’ve also finished my in-depth review of Denis Villeneuve’s magnificent Dune: Part Two (2024) in 4K Ultra HD from Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment. It’s an epic pure-cinema masterpiece and, along with Dune: Part One, rightly takes its place alongside Stanley Kubrick’s 2001 and Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner as one of the greatest science fiction films of all time. And while one could pick a few nits with Warner’s 4K release, the A/V quality is demo-worthy.
Both films are absolutely not to be missed on disc, so be sure to give the reviews a look. And more reviews are on the way this week, so be sure to watch for those.
In release news today, the big item worth mentioning is that Paramount has just set Alexander Payne’s Election (1999) for release on 4K Ultra HD on 7/30 as a new Paramount Presents title. You can see the cover artwork at left. [Read on here...]
- Denis Villeneuve
- Warner Bros Home Entertainment
- 4K Ultra HD Release List update
- Back the Bits
- Support The Digital Bits via Patreon
- Bluray
- My Two Cents
- The Digital Bits
- Bill Hunt
- 4K Ultra HD
- Stephen Bjork
- Stop Making Sense 4K review
- Dune: Part Two 4K review
- Jonathan Demme
- A24
- Paramount Home Entertainment
- Election 4K
- Alexander Payne
- Paramount Presents
- The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie 4K
- Collateral 4K Steelbook
- Kino Lorber Studio Classics
- Cannibal Apocalypse (1980) 4K
- Bad Boys (1983) 4K
- The Lonely Man (1957) BD
- Sony
- Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
- Criterion Collection sale
- Roger Corman RIP
A trio of BD reviews, plus word of the home video release of Jodorowsky’s Dune
All right, we’ve got a nice piece of release news for you guys today, as well as a trio of new Blu-ray reviews for you to enjoy. Let’s have the reviews first…
The good Dr. Jahnke has checked in with his thoughts on a true classic of French New Wave cinema: Jean-Luc Godard’s Breathless, newly re-issued in Dual Disc (Blu-ray and DVD in the same package) by our friends at Criterion.
Also today, I’ve offered up my take on what might be my favorite film of 2013: Alexander Payne’s Nebraska, now available on Blu-ray from Paramount. Having grown up in the Plains States, I can say with some authority that I’ve not seen it so perfectly captured on film since the Coen Brothers’ Fargo. The film is poignant, filled with great character performances, and it’s damn funny too. Nebraska made me laugh hard and often. I hope you enjoy it. [Read on here…]
Nebraska on 2/25, Big Gundown BD review, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World interview & more
More good stuff for you today…
First, Dr. Jahnke has posted a BD review of Sony’s The Big Gundown, a great spaghetti western from 1966 directed by Sergio Sollima. Sounds like the disc and its extras are pretty swell too. Don’t miss it.
Also today, our own Michael Coate has posted an update of his History, Legacy & Showmanship column from back on November – It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Retrospective – with a great roundtable interview from some of the folks involved in the film’s restoration and Criterion’s fine new Blu-ray release, including Karen Stetler, the Criterion Blu-ray Disc producer; Robert A. Harris, the restoration/reconstruction producer; Karen Sharpe-Kramer, the widow of producer-director Stanley Kramer; and the team that recorded the audio commentary track: Mark Evanier, Michael Schlesinger, and Paul Scrabo. It’s a great read, so I highly recommend that you give it a look. [Read on here…]