Displaying items by tag: The Untouchables 4K 35th anniversary

We’ve got a brand new History, Legacy & Showmanship column from our own Michael Coate for you to enjoy today, and it’s another bonus column originally meant to be posted late last year, but that took longer to complete than expected. In this installment, Michael looks back at Don Seigel’s Dirty Harry (1971) in honor of the film’s 50th anniversary. He’s joined by documentary filmmaker Gary Leva and authors Patrick McGilligan and Lee Pfeiffer, historians all. The piece is well worth your time if you’re a fan of the film.

Also today here at The Bits we have a trio of new Blu-ray reviews from Tim, including his take on the animated The Addams Family (2019) and The Addams Family 2 (2021) from Universal, and also Tom Gries’ Breakheart Pass (1976) from Kino Lorber Studio Classics. Enjoy!

The big piece of announcement news today is that Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment has just officially set Guillermo del Toro’s Nightmare Alley for release on Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD on 3/22, with the Digital release expected on 3/8. The Blu-ray and 4K will include three featurettes (Del Toro’s Neo Noir, Beneath the Tarp, and What Exists in the Fringe). Audio will be Dolby Atmos on the 4K and DTS-HD MA on the Blu-ray SKU. The 4K will also include HDR10 high dynamic range. You can see the cover artwork above left and also below. [Read on here...]

We’ve got some interesting odds and ends to share news-wise here at The Bits today, as well as another big disc review, and some sad news unfortunately. But first, the review...

Tim has just delivered his in-depth look at Sony’s new Ghostbusters Ultimate Collection 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray box set, which includes new 4K editions of Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II—now with Dolby Vision HDR—as well as Ghostbusters: Afterlife on disc, and Ghostbusters: Answer the Call on Digital only (though the code redeems for both versions of that film in 4K). Plus the set include no less than two Blu-ray bonus discs with a ton of legacy extras, as well as new material exclusive to this set. And you get a mini replica of Don Shay’s Making Ghostbusters book from 1985.

Unfortunately, the set is a limited edition release from Sony and it’s sold out almost everywhere. (At last check, you could still get it from a few international retailers, but that version may have region issues and will not come with Digital codes.) We have asked the studio whether it might be released in a second printing, or perhaps in a discs-only configuration at some point in the future, and have been told that while it’s possible there’s no news to report at this time. Should that change, we will of course post an update here on The Bits.

In the meantime, we’ve gotten reports from a number of readers that their sets were damaged in shipment, or that the box they received had the wrong discs resulting from a packaging error (for example, they may have gave gotten two copies of Ghostbusters in BD and 4K, but no copies of Ghostbusters II). If that applies to you, Sony has provided us with a customer service email address for you to use to get things sorted. [Read on here...]

Thursday brings two more new disc reviews, and more release news—this time including some pretty great catalog 4K titles for Hitchcock fans.

First, Stephen has taken a look at Ruggero Deodato’s House on the Edge of the Park (1980) on Blu-ray from Severin Films.

And Dennis has turned in his thoughts on Michael Anderson’s Shake Hands with the Devil (1959), which stars James Cagney. The film is now available on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

A quick note: We’ve just gotten our hands on Sony’s new Ghostbusters Ultimate Collection 4K set and Tim is neck deep in work on an in-depth review. So watch for that coming soon here at The Bits.

Now then, in 4K Ultra HD catalog news, Spanish retail sources are indicating that Universal is planning another big wave of Alfred Hitchcock titles for release in 4K UHD this year. [Read on here...]

We’ve got another new review for you today: Stephen has taken a look at Lewis Gilbert’s The 7th Dawn (1964), which stars William Holden and Susannah York. It’s now available on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

Stephen has also posted a first for The Bits—A Blu-ray Review Supplemental—this one for his review from yesterday of Allan Arkush’s Get Crazy on Blu-ray, also from KLSC. After reading Stephen’s review, Arkush himself was generous enough to provide some additional background information on the remastering work and the making of the disc and its special features. If you’re a fan of the film, I think you’ll really enjoy it.

Now then... some release news: Kino Lorber Studio Classics has officially set their 4K Ultra HD of In the Heat of the Night for release on 4/19. You can see the cover artwork on the left. Note that this is one of KLSC’s 4K titles that will have SDR only, along with 5.1 and the original 2.0 mono audio. Extras on the UHD disc will include a new audio commentary by film historians Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson, along with Robert Mirisch (nephew of Walter Mirisch, and son of the Mirisch Company founder Harold Mirisch). You’ll also get the existing commentary with director Norman Jewison, cinematographer Haskell Wexler, and actors Rod Steiger and Lee Grant. [Read on here...]