Displaying items by tag: Michael Coate

“Quite simply, A Clockwork Orange is significant because it’s a Stanley Kubrick film.” – Raymond Benson, Cinema Retro

The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the golden anniversary of the release of A Clockwork Orange, Stanley Kubrick’s (Dr. Strangelove, 2001: A Space Odyssey) critically acclaimed film based upon Anthony Burgess’s novel and starring Malcolm McDowell (Time After Time, O Lucky Man!) as gang leader Alex whose principal interests of rape, ultra-violence and Beethoven occupy his life before the government attempts a rehabilitation.

The film was nominated for four Academy Awards (including Best Picture), and in 2020 the Library of Congress selected A Clockwork Orange for preservation in the National Film Registry as being “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.” Its most recent home media release, on 4K UHD, was in 2021 (and is reviewed here). [Read on here...]

We’ve got three more new disc reviews for you to enjoy today, starting with Tim’s look at Tom Tykwer’s Run Lola Run (1998), as recently released on Blu-ray from Umbrella Entertainment. It’s an Aussie import title, but all-region.

Also today, Dennis has turned in his thoughts on Alan J. Pakula’s The Parallax View (1974), which is newly released on Blu-ray from Imprint Films in Australia, also a region-free disc.

And Stephen has offered his thoughts on Shinsuke Terasawa’s animated Catwoman: Hunted in 4K Ultra HD from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, the latest installment in their DC Animated Universe.

What’s more, we have another “bonus” film retrospective from our own Michael Coate today in his History, Legacy and Showmanship column, as he takes a look back at Robert Wise’s original West Side Story (1961) in honor of the film’s 60th anniversary. Michael is joined by film and musical experts Matthew Kennedy, Bruce Kimmel, and Mike Matessino for a great roundtable discussion. Enjoy! [Read on here...]

“West Side Story stands as a prime example of successfully rendering a stage musical in cinematic terms.” – Matthew Kennedy, author of Roadshow!

The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the 60th anniversary of the release of West Side Story, Robert Wise (The Sound of Music, Star!) and Jerome Robbins’ (The King and I, Gypsy) screen adaptation of the popular musical stage production inspired by Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and starring Natalie Wood (Rebel Without a Cause, Brainstorm) as Maria and Richard Beymer (The Diary of Anne Frank, Twin Peaks) as Tony.

The winner of ten Academy Awards including Best Picture, the most popular movie of 1961 and one of the most popular musicals ever also featured Russ Tamblyn (Seven Brides for Seven Brothers) as Riff, Rita Moreno (The King and I) as Anita, and George Chakiris (The Young Girls of Rochefort) as Bernardo. [Read on here...]

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...]

“If you are the rare person who has never seen a Clint Eastwood film and wonder what all the fuss is about, Dirty Harry would be a good place to start.” – Patrick McGilligan, author of Clint: The Life and Legend

The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the golden anniversary of the release of Dirty Harry, the popular action-thriller about San Francisco Police Department Inspector “Dirty” Harry Callahan and his quest to apprehend a psychopath. Starring Clint Eastwood (Unforgiven, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly) in the titular role, the film was inspired by the Zodiac Killer case and spawned a series of Dirty Harry films.

Directed by Don Siegel (Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Escape from Alcatraz), the film also starred Andy Robinson (Hellraiser, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), Harry Guardino (Pork Chop Hill, Rollercoaster), Reni Santoni (Bad Boys, Cobra), and John Vernon (The Outlaw Josey Wales, Animal House). [Read on here...]

We begin the day with a pair of new Blu-ray reviews from Stephen... Bill Forsyth’s Breaking In (1989) from Kino Lorber Studio Classics and Harry Watt’s The Overlanders (1946) from Umbrella Entertainment.

Also here at The Bits today, we’ve got another “bonus” History, Legacy & Showmanship column for you that’s leftover from 2021, in which Michael and film historian/author Raymond Benson celebrate the 50th anniversary of Peter Bogdanovich’s The Last Picture Show (1971). Enjoy!

In title announcements today, the big news is that Scream Factory has officially set Happy Death Day and Happy Death Day 2U for release on 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo on 4/26, just as we’ve been expecting for the last week or so.

Expect at least HDR10 high dynamic range and we’ll post the other AV details when we have them. [Read on here...]

“With excellent performances from an ensemble cast, moody and insightful direction by Peter Bogdanovich, and a lovely melancholy that will stay with you long after viewing it, The Last Picture Show is one of my favorite movies.” – Raymond Benson, Cinema Retro

The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this multi-page retrospective commemorating the golden anniversary of the release of The Last Picture Show, Peter Bogdanovich’s (Targets, What’s Up, Doc?) critically acclaimed film based upon Larry McMurtry’s 1966 novel set in a small Texas town during the early 1950s.

The Last Picture Show starred Timothy Bottoms (Johnny Got His Gun), Jeff Bridges (The Big Lebowski), Ellen Burstyn (The Exorcist), Ben Johnson (The Wild Bunch), Cloris Leachman (The Mary Tyler Moore Show), and Cybill Shepherd (Moonlighting), and was nominated for eight Academy Awards (including Best Picture) and was the winner of two (supporting nods for Johnson and Leachman). [Read on here...]

We’ve got a couple more new disc reviews to start the week with here at The Bits...

Stephen has given Alfred Hitchcock’s Rich and Strange (1931) a look on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

He’s also offered his thoughts today on John Duigan’s Sirens (1994) on Blu-ray from Umbrella Entertainment, recently released as part of their Sunburnt Screens label.

And we’ve got another new History, Legacy & Showmanship piece for you this afternoon from our own Michael Coate. Michael’s film retrospectives take a great deal of time and effort to produce, and as such they occasionally become bonus content. So here’s a fun “leftover” from 2021 in which Michael and film historian Gary Gerani celebrate the 50th anniversary of Steven Spielberg’s Duel. Enjoy!

Now then... the big announcement news today is that Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has officially set Lana Wachowski’s The Matrix Resurrections for release on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD on 3/8 (SRP $29.99, $24.99, and $19.99), with the Digital release available on 1/25. [Read on here...]

“Duel showed us that art could be produced on a television budget and on a television schedule.” — Gary Gerani, co-author of Fantastic Television

The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the golden anniversary of the original broadcast of Duel, the acclaimed television film adapted from Richard Matheson’s short story about a man menaced on the highway by the unseen driver of a truck.

Duel featured Dennis Weaver (Gunsmoke, Gentle Ben) and originally aired as a part of the ABC Movie of the Week in autumn 1971 before being expanded into a theatrical release.

Directed by a 24-year-old Steven Spielberg, Duel marked Spielberg’s transition into the production of feature-length motion pictures following two years of directing episodic television. [Read on here...]

We’ve got a bunch of ground to cover today, including a TON of new and recent disc reviews, lots of 4K Ultra HD catalog and new release news, and some regular Blu-ray news as well. I’ve been so distracted over the last week or so, what with all of the major announcements and the time required to track down and confirm release rumors, that I’ve neglected to mention the many disc reviews that we’ve posted here at the site during that time. So, let’s tackle those first...

Stephen has turned in his thoughts on Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch (2021) and Scott Cooper’s Antlers (2021) from 20th Century Studios, James C Wasson’s Night of the Demon (1980) from Severin Films, and Dario Argento’s Trauma (1993) from Vinegar Syndrome, all on Blu-ray Disc.

Tim has looked at Barry Sonnenfeld’s The Addams Family (1991) from Paramount, David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive (2001) from Criterion, Dennis Donnelly’s The Toolbox Murders (1978) from Blue Underground, and William Lustig’s Maniac Cop 3: Badge of Silence (1993) from Blue Underground, all in 4K Ultra HD, as well as the Nasty Habits: The Nunsploitation Collection from Severin Films, John Hancock’s Let’s Scare Jessica to Death (1971) from Imprint Films, Mike Judge’s Beavis and Butt-Head Do America (1996) from Paramount, and Brian Trenchard-Smith’s Turkey Shoot (1982) from Umbrella Entertainment, all on Blu-ray.

And Dennis has delivered his take on Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) as recently re-issued by Paramount, as well as Hal Ashby’s Harold and Maude (1971), also from Paramount and both released on regular Blu-ray.

All of these titles are worth a look and there’s certainly something for everyone in that line-up. If you’re a fan of It’s a Wonderful Life, don’t forget that our own Michael Coate recently profiled the film for its 75th anniversary in his most recent History, Legacy and Showmanship column here at The Bits—it’s definitely worth a look if you missed at Christmas time. [Read on here...]