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Owen Wilson and Pierce Brosnan star in 'No Escape'. On Blu-ray Next Month[teaser]The intense international thriller starring Owen Wilson, Lake Bell, and Pierce Brosnan arrives on Blu-ray in November. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, Starz/Anchor Bay is preparing to release 'No Escape' on Blu-ray on November 24. NO ESCAPE centers on an American businessman (Wilson) as he and his family settle into their new home in Southeast Asia. Suddenly finding themselves in the middle of a violent political uprising, they must frantically look for a safe escape as rebels mercilessly attack the city. The Blu-ray combo pack will feature 1080p video, lossless 5.1 audio, and supplements include: Feature Commentary with Writer/Director John Erick Dowdle and Writer/Producer Drew Dowdle; Deleted Scenes; and Behind-the-Scenes Gallery. You can find the latest specs for 'No Escape' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under November 24. Order the Blu-rayPosted Thu Oct 15, 2015 at 12:00 PM PDT by: -
'The Walk' Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D Up for Pre-Order![teaser]Joseph Gordon-Levitt will balance his way toward Blu-ray later this year, and you can pre-order the disc now.[/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, Sony is preparing 'The Walk' for Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D. An exact release date has not been announced yet. Twelve people have walked on the moon, but only one man – Philippe Petit (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) – has ever walked in the immense void between the World Trade Center towers. Guided by his real-life mentor, Papa Rudy (Ben Kingsley), and aided by an unlikely band of international recruits, Petit and his gang overcome long odds, betrayals, dissension, and countless close calls to conceive and execute their mad plan. Academy Award-winning director Robert Zemeckis uses advanced technology in the service of an emotional, character-driven story. The Walk is a love letter to Paris and New York City in the 1970s, but most of all, to the Towers of the World Trade Center. Specs and supplements have not been detailed yet. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray/UltraViolet combo pack is $34.99. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray/UltraViolet combo pack is $40.99. You can find the latest specs for 'The Walk' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under PENDING. Order the Blu-ray Order the Blu-ray 3DPosted Thu Oct 15, 2015 at 10:00 AM PDT by: -
Janet Greek's 'Spellbinder' Bound for Blu-ray[teaser]The horror romance flick will cast a spell on Blu-ray in 2016. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, Scorpion Releasing is preparing 'Spellbinder' for Blu-ray in January. When Los Angeles lawyer Jeff Mills and his friend Derek Clayton rescue a beautiful young woman from an apparently abusive boyfriend, the trouble starts. Jeff unknowing becomes involved with Miranda Reed and the web of intrigue that follows her. But as the two became lovers, Jeff learns that Miranda is on the run from the witches coven (to which she belongs). Miranda tells Jeff of her situation, but not the entire truth, and Jeff willingly helps Miranda out of her troubles, but creates his own. Specs and a suggested list price have not been detailed yet, but supplements will include: Audio commentary with director Janet Greek and On-camera interview with co-star Anthony Crivello. You can find the latest specs for 'Spellbinder' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under PENDING.Posted Thu Oct 15, 2015 at 08:00 AM PDT by: -
Robert Martin Carroll's 'Sonny Boy' Headed for Blu-ray[teaser]The 1989 thriller will make its Blu-ray debut in January. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, Scream Factory says 'Sonny Boy' will arrive on Blu-ray on January 5. In a remote desert town, a psychopathic petty crook (Paul L. Smith) and his transvestite girlfriend (David Carradine) kidnap and raise an orphaned infant, cage it like an animal and train it to steal and kill on their command. Years later, when the half-wild Sonny Boy escapes and embarks on a bloody rampage, the couple's monstrous attempt at "child development" provokes the local populace into vengeful retaliation. Unlike any film you've ever seen, Sonny Boy is an unsettling, wildly bizarre allegory on the devastating effects of child abuse and the violent consequences that follow. No other details have been revealed at this time. You can find the latest specs for 'Sonny Boy' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under January 5.Posted Thu Oct 15, 2015 at 06:00 AM PDT by: -
Camille Delamarre's 'The Transporter Refueled' Speeds to Blu-ray[teaser]The action-thriller starring Ed Skrein will be delivered to Blu-ray in December. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, 20th Century Fox will be releasing 'The Transporter Refueled' on Blu-ray on December 8. Frank Martin, played by newcomer Ed Skrein, a former special-ops mercenary, is now living a less perilous life- or so he thinks- as an independent agent contracted to transport classified packages for questionable people. When Frank's father (Ray Stevenson), pays him a visit in the south of France, their father-son bonding weekend soon takes a turn for the worst when Frank is engaged by the cunning femme-fatale, Anna (Loan Chabanol), and her three seductive sidekicks on a mission to orchestrate the bank heist of the century. Frank must use his covert expertise and knowledge of fast cars, fast driving and fast women in an attempt to outrun a sinister Russian kingpin, and worse than that, they are thrust into a dangerous game of chess with a team of gorgeous women looking for revenge. No other details have been released at this time. You can find the latest specs for 'The Transporter Refueled' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under December 8.Posted Wed Oct 14, 2015 at 12:00 PM PDT by: -
Scream Factory Announces 'Bloodsucking Bastards' for Blu-ray[teaser]The horror comedy is now available for pre-order. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, Scream Factory is preparing 'Bloodsucking Bastards' for Blu-ray on November 3. An action-packed vampire comedy in the vein of Office Space and Shaun of the Dead, Bloodsucking Bastards stars Fran Kranz (Cabin in the Woods) as Evan Sanders, a dutiful and overworked employee stuck at a soul-killing corporation with his beautiful girlfriend, Amanda (Emma Fitzpatrick, Significant Mother), and his slacker best friend Tim (Joey Kern, Beneath). Evan's world begins to crumble when Amanda dumps him and his boss, Ted (Joel Murray, God Bless America), hands his coveted promotion to his nemesis Max (Pedro Pascal, Game of Thrones). But just when Evan's convinced that life couldn't bite any harder, his office mates start going through disturbing changes… and bodies begin to pile up. Evan must find a way to stop the evil brewing amidst the cubicles and water coolers, win back Amanda, and rescue his workplace pals before his life and career go from dead-end... to just dead. Specs have not been detailed yet, but supplements will include: Gag Reel; Behind the Scenes (Bloodsucking Bastards on Set); and Audio Commentary with Dr. God comedy troupe including Director Brian James O'Connell, Producer/Actor Justin Ware,, Writer/Actor Sean Cowhig, Actor Neil W. Garguilo and Actor David F. Park. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $26.99. You can find the latest specs for 'Bloodsucking Bastards' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under November 3. Order the Blu-rayPosted Wed Oct 14, 2015 at 10:00 AM PDT by: -
Top 10 Dolby Atmos Demos in 'San Andreas'October is unofficially Dolby Atmos Month here at High-Def Digest. Hot off the release of last month's ultra dynamic 'Mad Max: Fury Road', we're getting four new Dolby Atmos Blu-rays by month's end (alongside theatrical features like 'The Martian', 'Sicario', and 'Pan'). Sony has dipped into its catalog for the new Supreme Cinema Series with 'Bram Stoker's Dracula', 'Leon: The Professional', and 'The Fifth Element', while Warners is unleashing its summer disaster blockbuster, 'San Andreas'. 'San Andreas' stars Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson as hotshot LAFD helicopter pilot, Ray Gaines. When a Earthquake swarm reaps massive destruction from Los Angeles to San Francisco, Ray teams up with his estranged wife, Emma (Carla Gugino), to find and rescue their daughter, Blake (Alexandra Daddario), who had hitched a ride up to San Francisco with Emma's new boyfriend, Daniel, in advance of starting college. The movie weaves together scenes of survival and apocalyptic disaster with a thrilling sense of scope made all the more effective by one of the best Dolby Atmos mixes to date. This track is guttural and explosive and immersive from beginning to end. If you're looking for sequences to test out and show off your Atmos home cinema, here are the Top 10 Dolby Atmos demos from 'San Andreas', arranged in chronological order (WARNING: SPOILERS to follow): Tip The Hat Chapter 1: 00:05:45 - 00:09:21 In the film's save the cat sequence first major setpiece, Ray and his team swoop in to rescue a teenage girl from an SUV hanging precariously off the side of a claustrophobic canyon wall. This demo sets the tone for the rest of the soundtrack, featuring a storm of swirling helicopter rotors, spitting rock debris, tinkling glass, and snapping metal. For much of this sequence, it truly feels as though you're trapped of the side of the cliff with the characters. Close Your Eyes Chapter 2: 00:16:08 - 00:18:40 Behold thundering LFE. The movie's first major earthquake sequence takes place at the Hoover Dam. Cal Tech seismologists Dr. Lawrence Hayes (Paul Giamatti) and Dr. Kim Park (Will Yun Lee) are trying to calibrate their new earthquake prediction software when a quake rocks a previously undetected fault line and brings down the massive dam as tourists flee to escape. This demo boats thudding bass in the form of cracking concrete and crashing waves. Atmos height channels are most active in the dam's tunnel, while driving electric guitars really wake up front right and left. Go, Go, Go Chapter 4: 00:33:40 - 00:34:50 As the Earthquake swarm reaches San Francisco, Blake and Daniel are attempting to depart an underground parking garage. Their drive races to escape the structure as car alarms blare and chunks of concussive concrete begin to fall. This scene takes the rumbling quake and adds a mixture of revving engines, squeezing tires, and exploding glass. What makes this special is the way the sound designers captured the tonal reverberations of a concrete parking garage. Height effects also come to life in the form of objects falling down onto the audience as well as the limo's tumble through a hole in the garage. Helicopter vs Skyscrapers Chapter 5: 00:40:10 - 00:44:10 As one of the film's two signature setpieces, it's hard to beat this demo. In it, Ray flies into downtown Los Angeles as the city crumbles to rescue Emma, who is trapped on a rooftop. If that weren't insane enough, as soon as Emma is on board the helicopter, Ray and Emma find themselves in the shadow of several timbering buildings. This demo is awesome in the purest sense of the word, mixing together explosions with helicopter rotors and alarms, and bouncing the audience POV from the rooftop to the chopper's cockpit where Ray fights to control his aircraft amidst tumbling debris. The sequence even stops for a moment to take a quick breather before ramping up the destruction once again. The Atmos immersion truly makes it feel like a building is cascading downwards into your home theatre. Engine Failure Chapter 6: 00:56:45 - 00:58:00 What can go wrong will go wrong. As Ray and Emma race for San Francisco to rescue Blake, glancing at the carnage below, Ray's damaged helicopter gives out and he's forced to auto-rotate into a shopping plaza parking lot. This demo stands out because it offers some of the best 360-degree effects panning in the whole film as the helicopter spins out of control amidst blaring alarms, crunching metal, and smashing glass. This demo is likely the closest you'll get to experience a helicopter crash without having to survive the real thing. Plan B Chapter 7: 01:09:15 - 01:11:25 Time to take it down a notch. Disaster movies and action extravaganzas get a lot of attention for their auditory might and muscle, but it's important to remember Dolby Atmos immersion works just as well (and some might even argue better) for quiet moments. In this scene, Blake and her new friends, Ben and Ollie, are walking the streets of San Francisco with the other survivors. They're supposed to meet Ray at the famous Coit Tower, but the neighborhood is on fire and now they need to figure out Plan B. While these scene finally gives your subs a rest, it offers the best atmospherics on the Blu-ray. Clear dialog, crowd noise, footsteps, distant helicopter and sirens. The sound mixers have built a immersive universe that feels audibly real. Tsunami Chapter 9: 01:23:07 - 01:25:36 f you only have a chance to demo one scene from 'San Andreas', make it this one. The Holy Crap moment from the trailer in full, glorious, extended form. Ray and Emma have barely made it to San Francisco where they commandeer a small motor boat to go around the peninsula city. But before they can figure out where Blake might be, the bay's water level begins to drop. On the horizon, a cataclysmic tsunami, hundreds of feet tall and growing, is racing to overwhelm them. Ray and Emma's only hope of survival: make it over the tidal wave before it crests. This sequence blends a nuanced mix of roaring boat engines, spraying water, rising musical score, a creaking metal cargo ship dumping truck-sized containers from above, and the rippling destruction of the Golden Gate Bridge. An orchestrated maelstrom designed to slap a smile onto every audio geek's face, the Atmos immersion truly comes to live when Ray and Emma slip their boat under the slicing propellers of a titanic cargo ship. We Found Her Chapter 10: 01:32:30 - 01:34:05 The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. In this scene, the Gaines family is briefly reunited (visually), only for the building where Blake, Ben, and Ollie had been hiding to begin sinking. It erupts with a massive low frequency note followed by crystal clear windows exploding inwards, and makes excellent use of height channels to really immerse the audience under the flowing water. If you don't swim or don't really like water, maybe this demo isn't for you. Mama Bear with a Boat Chapter 11: 01:40:07 - 01:41:55 There are a few scenes where in the place of bombast, the filmmakers elected to show more aural restraint by pulling back on realism and, instead, opting to show off somber orchestral elements. In this sequence, Ray tells Ben and Ollie to break a window so they can escape the building and board Emma's waiting boat. But when the glass won't break, Emma takes the boat, rams through the window, and drives everyone to safety as Ray does CPR on his dying daughter. It plays a little bit like the Millennium Falcon escaping the second Death Star. From an Atmos perspective, there is falling debris plunging into water, a broken window, and the rising / enveloping score. California Dreamin' Chapter 12: 01:48:47 - 01:52:27 Dolby Atmos is for immersive movie sound mixes, yes, but it also works wonders with music that's traditionally presented in stereo. For our last demo, cue the disc two minutes into the closing credits where Sia's remake of the classic Mamas and the Papas song begins. This track was used evocatively in the film's marketing campaign, as it opens with Sia's haunting voice over a still piano and a bit of choir before launching into something more akin to a Bond theme song. Hearing this track in Dolby Atmos with different instruments and bits of background vocals popping up in all locations, is a lushes experience that excites me for more Dolby Atmos music opportunities.Posted Wed Oct 14, 2015 at 08:02 AM PDT by: -
Donald Cammell's 'White of the Eye' Blu-ray Dated[teaser]The 1987 thriller starring David Keith will stalk Blu-ray in November. [/teaser] As previously reported, Scream Factory says that they will release 'White of the Eye' on Blu-ray on November 17. If you're a wealthy, attractive woman, stay out of Arizona, because you are fair game. A twisted killer is on the loose and he tortures and dissects his beautiful victims as part of a primitive Indian ritual. All the clues lead to one man who is clearly innocent. But nothing is as simple as black and white in White Of The Eye. David Keith (An Officer And A Gentleman, Firestarter, Daredevil) and Cathy Moriarty (Raging Bull, Casper) star in this shocking mystery-thriller co-written and directed by Donald Cammell (Demon Seed and co-director of Performance). The film also features an eclectic score by Nick Mason (Pink Floyd) and Rick Fenn (10cc). Specs have not been detailed yet, but supplements will include: NEW Into The Vortex – An Interview With Actor Alan Rosenberg; NEW Eye Of The Detective – An Interview With Actor Art Evans; Audio Commentary By Donald Cammell Biographer Sam Umland; Deleted Scenes With Commentary By Sam Umland; Into The White - An Interview With Cinematographer And Steadicam Operator Larry McConkey; Alternate Credit Sequence; and Flashback Sequences Prior To The Bleach Bypass Process. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $29.99. You can find the latest specs for 'White of the Eye' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it is indexed under November 17. Order the Blu-rayPosted Wed Oct 14, 2015 at 08:00 AM PDT by: -
Two Robert Mugge Music Documentaries Set for Blu-ray[teaser]Two of the director's films are heading to Blu-ray. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, Mug-Shot Productions is preparing 'Gil Scott-Heron: Black Wax' for Blu-ray on November 13 and 'Sun Ra: A Joyful Noise' for Blu-ray on December 11. 'Gil Scott-Heron: Black Wax' - 'Black Wax' is a musical-political entertainment film produced and directed by Robert Mugge in 1982. It was the first American film to be fully funded by Britain's then-brand-new Channel 4 Television and also likely the first film to use Steadicam from first frame to last. Black Wax centers on the late African American poet-singer-songwriter Gil Scott-Heron - the man Melody Maker called "the most dangerous musician alive" and many dubbed the forefather of rap music - and his 10-piece Midnight Band. It was filmed entirely on location in Washington, D.C., primarily at the Wax Museum Nightclub (now defunct). Songs performed by the band include such potent political numbers as "Winter in America," "Alien," "Johannesburg," "Storm Music," "Waiting for the Axe to Fall," "Gun," and "'B' Movie" (a scathing analysis of how and why Ronald Reagan was elected President of the United States). Between songs, Mr. Scott-Heron is shown reciting his equally powerful poems ("Paint it Black," "Black History," "Billy Green is Dead," The H2O-Gate Blues," and "Whitey on the Moon"), leading the camera on a unique tour of Washington, D.C. (from the monuments of official Washington through the minority neighborhoods that make up most of the rest), and finally confronting the "ghosts of America's past" (life-sized wax figures of John Wayne, Uncle Sam, Neil Armstrong, Benjamin Franklin, Betsy Ross, four U.S. Presidents, and black leaders from W.E.B. Du Bois to Martin Luther King). This is Mr. Scott-Heron at the absolute peak of his powers. The politics is always entertaining, and the entertainment is nothing if not political. 'Sun Ra: A Joyful Noise' - Years ahead of his time, composer, keyboard player, bandleader, poet, and philosopher Sun Ra coupled images of outer space with those of ancient Egypt, acoustic instruments with electronic ones, and modern American musical genres (jazz, soul, gospel, blues, swing) with the sounds of Africa and the Caribbean. He also combined his music with dance, poetry, colorful costumes and backdrops, and pure theatricality, influencing other innovative musical ensembles as diverse as the Art Ensemble of Chicago, George Clinton's Parliament Funkadelic, and Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention, and he was among the first musicians to use electronic keyboards and portable synthesizers in public performance. For his one-hour documentary, 'Sun Ra: A Joyful Noise,' Robert Mugge spent two years shooting Sun Ra and members of his so-called jazz Arkestra in a wide variety of situations. Ensemble performances were filmed at Baltimore's Famous Ballroom, at Danny's Hollywood Palace in Philadelphia, and on the roof of Philadelphia's International House on the edge of the campus of the University of Pennsylvania. Sun Ra's poetry and mythological pronouncements were filmed in the Egyptian Room of the University of Pennsylvania's anthropology museum, in a sculpture garden in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park, in front of the White House in Washington, D.C., and inside and outside of the house he shared with key band members in the Germantown section of Philadelphia. Interviews with band members were filmed inside and outside of the house, as well as inside their nearby Pharaoh's Den food store, and a band rehearsal and a solo keyboard performance were filmed in the house as well.Transferred to HD from the original 16mm film and lovingly restored for the best possible viewing experience. Songs performed in the film include such Sun Ra classics as "Astro Black," "Mister Mystery," "We Travel the Spaceways," "Along Came Ra/The Living Myth," "Spaceship Earth (Destination Unknown), "Requiem for Trevor Johnson," and many more. This release also includes extended audio versions of these and other songs Specs and supplements have not been detailed yet. Suggested list price for each Blu-ray is 19.95 You can find the latest specs for 'Gil Scott-Heron: Black Wax' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under November 13. You can find the latest specs for 'Sun Ra: A Joyful Noise' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under December 11. Order the Blu-ray Order the Blu-rayPosted Wed Oct 14, 2015 at 06:00 AM PDT by: -
Eli Roth's 'Knock Knock' Dated and Detailed for Blu-ray[teaser]The thriller starring Keanu Reeves will be at Blu-ray's door of this December. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, Lionsgate will be releasing 'Knock Knock' on Blu-ray on December 8. When a devoted husband and father is left home alone for the weekend, two stranded young women unexpectedly knock on his door for help. What starts out as a kind gesture results in a dangerous seduction and a deadly game of cat and mouse. A sexy new thriller from director Eli Roth, Knock Knock stars Keanu Reeves as the family man who falls into temptation and Lorenza Izzo and Ana de Armas as the seductresses who wreak havoc upon his life, turning a married man's dark fantasy into his worst nightmare. The Blu-ray will feature 1080p video, lossless 5.1 audio, and supplements include: Audio Commentary by Eli Roth, Lorenza Izo, Nicolás López and Colleen Camp; Deleted Scenes with Optional Audio Commentary by Eli Roth; "The Art of Destruction: The Making of Knock Knock" Featurette; and Still Gallery. You can find the latest specs for 'Knock Knock' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it is indexed under December 8. Order the Blu-rayPosted Tue Oct 13, 2015 at 12:00 PM PDT by:
