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Coming Soon to Blu-ray: TOLKIEN, LONG SHOT, and More[teaser]Dome Karukoski's biobpic about Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien headlines our latest roundup of upcoming Blu-ray releases.[/teaser] Pre-orders are now available for several new Blu-rays from Lionsgate, Cohen Media Group, MVD, Kit Parker Films, 20th Century Fox, and Well Go USA. Here's a full rundown of recently revealed details and title announcements: First up, Lionsgate has announced plans to bring Claire Denis' High Life starring Robert Pattinson, Mia Goth, Juliette Binoche, André Benjamin, and Lars Eidinger to Blu-ray on July 9. Supplements will include: "Audacious, Passionate, and Dangerous: Making High Life" Featurette "Visualizing the Abyss: The Look of High Life" Featurette Likewise, Wayne Roberts' The Professor starring Johnny Depp, Rosemarie DeWitt, and Ron Livingston is also heading to Blu-ray on July 9. Supplements will include: "Death and How to Live It: Making The Professor” Featurette Meanwhile, Julia Hart's Fast Color starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw, David Strathairn, and Lorraine Toussaint will then follow on July 16. Supplements will include: Audio Commentary with Writer-Director Julia Hart and Writer-Producer Jordan Horowitz "A Mother's Power: Making Fast Color" Featurette In addition, Jonathan Levine's Long Shot starring Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron is set for release on July 30. Supplements will include: "All's Fair in Love & Politics: Making Long Shot" Featurette "Seven Minutes in Heaven: Seth + Charlize Uncensored" Featurette "Secret Weapons" Featurette "Epic Flarsky Falls" Featurette "Prime Minister Steward O-Rama" Featurette "Hanging with Boyz II Men" Featurette "Just Kinda Crushing It!" Featurette "The First Mister: A Portrait" Featurette "An Imperfect Union" Featurette "Love & Politics" Featurette "Friends Like These" Featurette And rounding out the studio's upcoming releases will be Brian De Palma's Domino starring Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Carice van Houten, and Guy Pearce. Supplements have not been detailed yet. Order the Blu-ray Order the Blu-ray Order the Blu-ray Order the Blu-ray Order the Blu-ray Cohen Media Group is set to release the Buster Keaton Collection: Volume 2 starring Buster Keaton and Kathryn McGuire on July 9. Supplements will include: NEW SCORE COMPOSED BY TIMOTHY BROCK for Sherlock Jr NEW SCORE COMPOSED BY ROBERT ISRAEL for The Navigator Buster Keaton: The Great Stone Face - Featurette Buster Keaton: The Comedian - Featurette Order the Blu-ray MVD is prepping Alec Baldwin's Shortcut to Happiness starring Alec Baldwin, Dan Aykroyd, Anthony Hopkins, Jennifer Love Hewitt, and Kim Cattrall for Blu-ray on July 16. Supplements will include: Original Theatrical Trailer Meanwhile, Nick Mead's documentary Clarence Clemons: Who Do I Think I Am? is set to arrive on Blu-ray on August 27. Supplements have not been detailed. In addition, the label is bringing Fred H. Dresch's My Samurai starring Julian Lee, Tupper Cullum, C. Edward McNeil, Christoph Clark, and Mako to Blu-ray on September 17. Supplements will include: NEW Interview with stars Julian Lee & Mark Steven Grove (HD, 45:18) NEW "Watching My Scenes" with actor Jim Turner (HD, 23:58) NEW A Conversation with Christophe Clark (HD, 28:40) Photo Galleries Original Theatrical Trailer (SD, 01:30) Collectible Mini-Poster Likewise, Sidney Lumet's Find Me Guilty starring Vin Diesel, Peter Dinklage, and Ron Silver is also scheduled for release on September 17. Supplements will include: 3 TV Spots (SD) Original Theatrical Trailer (SD, 2:27) A Conversation with Director Sidney Lumet featurette (SD, 4:43) Order the Blu-ray Order the Blu-ray Order the Blu-ray Order the Blu-ray Kit Parker Films is bringing Noir Archive Volume 2: 1954-1956 to Blu-ray on July 16. The 9-film collection will include: Bait (1954) The Crooked Web (1955) The Night Holds Terror (1955) Footsteps in the Fog (1955) Death Row (1955) 5 Against the House (1955) New Orleans Uncensored (1955) Spin a Dark Web (1955) Rumble on the Docks (1956) Order the Blu-ray 20th Century Fox is prepping Chris Butler's Missing Link starring Hugh Jackman, David Walliams, Stephen Fry for Blu-ray on July 23. Supplements will include: Audio Commentary by Chris Butler Creating Mr. Link Bringing the Final Battle on the Ice Bridge to Life Animation Inspiration w/optional Commentary by Chris Butler VFX Breakdown Reel – Realizing the Potential of Stop Motion Oh What a Mystery: Pulling the Camera Back on Missing Link's Magic Making Faces Inside the Magic of Laika Gallery x 24 Images In addition, the studio will release Dome Karukoski's Tolkien starring Nicholas Hoult, Lily Collins, Pam Ferris, Derek Jacobi, Genevieve O'Reilly, and Craig Roberts on August 6. Supplements will include: Audio Commentary by Director Dome Karukoski Deleted Scenes with optional commentary by Director Dome Karukoski First Look Gallery Meanwhile, Olivia Wilde's Booksmart starring Kaitlyn Dever, Beanie Feldstein, and Jessica Williams is also heading to Blu-ray. Supplements and an exact release date have not been announced yet, but pre-orders are now live. Order the Blu-ray Order the Blu-ray Order the Blu-ray Well Go USA has announced plans to release Woo-Ping Yuen's Master Z: Ip Man Legacy starring Jin Zhang, Dave Bautista, and Michelle Yeoh on July 23. Supplements will include: Behind the Scenes Trailers In addition, the label is bringing Chang Won Jang's The Swindlers starring Hyun Bin, Ji-tae Yu, and Seong-woo Bae to Blu-ray on July 30. Supplements will include: Trailer Likewise, Huang Bo's The Island starring Shu Qi, Wang Baoqiang, Zhang Yixing, and Huang Bo is also set to arrive on July 30. No supplements are currently listed for the disc. Meanwhile, Ho Pong Mak and Derrick Tao's The Lingering starring Bob Yin-Pok Cheung, Kai-Chung Cheung, and Athena Chu is scheduled for release on September 10. Supplements have not been detailed yet. And rounding out the label's upcoming lineup will be Jeffrey Lau's Kung Fu League starring Ashin, Kwok-Kwan Chan, and Jay Chou on September 17. No other details have been announced at this time. Order the Blu-ray Order the Blu-ray Order the Blu-ray Order the Blu-ray Order the Blu-ray You can find the latest specs for all of the titles listed above linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule.Posted Mon Jul 1, 2019 at 09:30 PM PDT by: -
Final HOBBS & SHAW Trailer Teases Lots of Fast & Furious Action[teaser]The Fast & Furious spin-off flick will hit theaters in August.[/teaser] Universal has released the final trailer for Hobbs & Shaw, highlighting more insane action and amusing banter. The film stars Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham, reprising their roles as Luke Hobbs and Deckard Shaw from the Fast & Furious franchise. Ever since hulking lawman Hobbs (Johnson), a loyal agent of America's Diplomatic Security Service, and lawless outcast Shaw (Statham), a former British military elite operative, first faced off in 2015's Furious 7, the duo have swapped smack talk and body blows as they've tried to take each other down. But when cyber-genetically enhanced anarchist Brixton (Idris Elba) gains control of an insidious bio-threat that could alter humanity forever — and bests a brilliant and fearless rogue MI6 agent (Vanessa Kirby), who just happens to be Shaw's sister — these two sworn enemies will have to partner up to bring down the only guy who might be badder than themselves. Check out the final trailer below! The film comes from director David Leitch (Deadpool 2) with a script written by Chris Morgan. In addition, Morgan also serves as a producer along with Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, and Hiram Garcia. Executive producers include Dany Garcia, Kelly McCormick, Steven Chasman, Ethan Smith, and Ainsley Davies. Hobbs and Shaw is set to premiere on August 2, 2019. The movie is the first spin-off in the Fast & Furious series and will be the ninth feature length entry in the franchise following The Fast and the Furious (2001), 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003), The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006), Fast & Furious (2009), Fast Five (2011), Fast & Furious 6 (2013), Furious 7 (2015), and The Fate of the Furious (2017). Source: Fast & Furious (YouTube)Posted Fri Jun 28, 2019 at 10:15 AM PDT by: -
Check Out a Behind The Scenes Look at the Epic MOUSE GUARD Movie We'll Never Get to See[teaser]Test footage from the now canceled film has been revealed.[/teaser] Though Disney's recent acquisition of 20th Century Fox might have some cool implications for Marvel fans, the merger has also resulted in its fair share of unfortunate creative casualties. Case in point: Director Wes Ball's now canceled CG motion capture adaptation of the Mouse Guard comic book series. While the film was in development at 20th Century Fox with stars like Andy Serkis and Idris Elba attached, following the Disney buyout, the movie was abruptly canceled just two weeks before it was scheduled to start production. An exact reason for the cancellation has not been given, but reports indicate that the movie's budget or similarities to other Disney projects in the works may have been the culprit. And though the filmmakers were free to shop the title around to other studios, Ball recently revealed via Twitter that the project is now officially dead. Check out the tweet below which includes a quick tour of the film's production offices. Yes sadly, its true. Our #mouseguard movie is dead. Seems it's too big a risk. It’s a damn shame really. We had something special. To my hella talented cast/crew: I’m sorry I couldn’t push this one through. The past year with you all has been a blast. May the Guard prevail! pic.twitter.com/MGRq54uI6O — Wes Ball (@wesball) June 26, 2019 In the wake of the movie's cancellation, however, fans of the property have been left with at least one small consolation in the form of an early proof of concept demo. Meant to act as a previz test to experiment with the film's potential visuals, the footage was all rendered in realtime using Epic's UNREAL engine. With that said, the demo was only designed to serve as a testing ground for the film's look and was never meant to represent the final style. Instead, the talented folks at WETA were slated to handle the actual CG work, which would have aimed for a photorealistic appearance. Sadly, we won't ever get a chance to see what the team could have accomplished. Check out the video below for a bittersweet glimpse at what could have been... The Mouse Guard comic book series is written and illustrated by David Petersen. The comic is published by Archaia Studios Press on a bi-monthly basis. Here's a synopsis of the first collected edition via Amazon: In the world of Mouse Guard, mice struggle to live safely and prosper amongst harsh conditions and a host of predators. Thus the Mouse Guard was formed: more than just soldiers that fight off intruders, they are guides for common mice looking to journey without confrontation from one hidden village to another. The Guard patrol borders, find safeways and paths through dangerous territories and treacherous terrain, watch weather patterns, and keep the mouse territories free of predatory infestation. They do so with fearless dedication so that they might not just exist, but truly live. Saxon, Kenzie and Lieam, three such Guardsmice, are dispatched to find a missing merchant mouse that never arrived at his destination. Their search for the missing mouse reveals much more than they expect, as they stumble across a traitor in the Guard’s own ranks. Sources: Wes Ball (Twitter), Wes Ball (YouTube), The Hollywood Reporter, AmazonPosted Thu Jun 27, 2019 at 02:55 PM PDT by: -
Elizabeth Banks Assembles a New Team in First CHARLIE'S ANGELS Trailer[teaser]A new big-screen version of the series will hit theaters in November.[/teaser] Sony has released the first trailer for Charlie's Angels. This new take on the franchise is directed by Elizabeth Banks, and is set to premiere on November 15, 2019. In Banks’ bold vision, Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott, and Ella Balinska are working for the mysterious Charles Townsend, whose security and investigative agency has expanded internationally. With the world’s smartest, bravest, and most highly trained women all over the globe, there are now teams of Angels guided by multiple Bosleys taking on the toughest jobs everywhere. The screenplay is by Elizabeth Banks from a story by Evan Spiliotopoulos and David Auburn. Check out the trailer below! In addition to Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott, and Ella Balinska, the movie also stars Noah Centineo, Sam Claflin, Djimon Hounsou, Elizabeth Banks, and Patrick Stewart. Meanwhile, Banks also serves as a producer, along with Max Handelman, Elizabeth Cantillon, and Doug Belgrad. Charlie's Angels is based on the television series of the same name created by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts, and produced by Aaron Spelling. The original show ran from 1976-1981 and starred Kate Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, Jaclyn Smith, Cheryl Ladd, Shelley Hack, Tanya Roberts, and David Doyle. A previous big-screen adaptation starring Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu, and Bill Murray was released in 2000, and was followed by a sequel in 2003. Likewise, a rebooted TV series starring Annie Ilonzeh, Minka Kelly, Rachael Taylor, and Ramón Rodríguez ran briefly in 2011 before being canceled. Though initially expected to be a complete reboot, reports now indicate this new film will feature connections to the original show and previous films. Source: Sony (YouTube)Posted Thu Jun 27, 2019 at 08:40 AM PDT by: -
FROM THE EARTH TO THE MOON Announced for Blu-ray[teaser]The critically-acclaimed miniseries has been remastered and will be released on Blu-ray this July! [/teaser] HBO is set to release From the Earth to the Moon on Blu-ray on July 16th. All 12 episodes of Tom Hanks’ From the Earth to the Moon miniseries have been fully remastered in HD. It's also worth mentioning that the “standard definition visual effects have been replaced with brand-new [HD] CG effects that are based on reference models from NASA” and the Blu-ray will feature a remixed soundtrack in Dolby Atmos. The Blu-ray will also include the Inside the Remastering featurette. CollectSpace has also reported: “On July 15, all 12 digitally-remastered episodes will be available to watch on HBO Go, HBO Now and HBO On Demand. Then, on July 20—the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing—HBO2 will air a marathon of the complete series, starting at 8:45 a.m. (ET/PT).” You can find the latest specs for From the Earth to the Moon linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it is indexed under July 16th.Posted Wed Jun 26, 2019 at 03:03 PM PDT by: -
MONTY PYTHON'S FLYING CIRCUS: 50th Anniversary Edition Headed for Blu-ray[teaser]All 45 episodes of the classic British comedy series have been restored and are heading to Blu-ray! [/teaser] According to MontyPython.com, Monty Python's Flying Circus: 50th Anniversary Limited Edition will be available on Blu-ray. The set will be available October 7. “Network Distributing will release all 45 episodes of Monty Python’s Flying Circus, on Blu-ray and DVD, fully restored for the first time ever. Each episode has been painstakingly restored using the original video and film elements exclusively for this release. All four series, along with unseen and excised footage, sketches and much more, will be presented in an exclusive 50th anniversary limited-edition box set available exclusively here from 29th July, with all four individual series available to purchase separately at a later date.” 7 discs featuring all 45 episodes presented series-by-series, for the first time totally uncut and beautifully restored from original film and videotape elements. Limited exploding box Norwegian Blu-ray Edition Each of the four series comes individually packaged with a book by Andrew Pixley (four books in total) detailing an exhaustive episode-by-episode production history. Previously unseen outtakes Extended scenes and sketches Restored-to-full-length sketches including Ursula Hitler, Cartoon Religions, A Book at Bedtime, and more. Rare promo films And more to be announced… You can find the latest specs for Monty Python's Flying Circus: 50th Anniversary Limited Edition linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it is indexed under October 7.Posted Wed Jun 26, 2019 at 02:24 PM PDT by: -
THE CURSE OF LA LLORONA Announced for Blu-ray[teaser]The horror flick will haunt audiences on Blu-ray in August.[/teaser] Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema have announced plans to bring The Curse of La Llorona to Blu-ray on August 6. In addition, the film will hit Digital HD on July 16 via select retailers like Amazon, FandangoNOW, iTunes, PlayStation, Vudu, Xbox, and more. Ignoring the eerie warning of a troubled mother suspected of child endangerment, a social worker and her own small kids are soon drawn into a frightening supernatural realm. Their only hope to survive La Llorona's deadly wrath may be a disillusioned priest and the mysticism he practices to keep evil at bay, on the fringes where fear and faith collide. Supplements for the Blu-ray/DVD/Digital combo pack will include: The Myth of La Llorona Behind the Curse The Making of a Movie Monster Deleted Scenes Storyboards You can find the latest specs for The Curse of La Llorona linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it is indexed under August 6. Order the Blu-rayPosted Tue Jun 18, 2019 at 03:15 PM PDT by: -
Coming Soon to Blu-ray: Criterion September 2019 Titles[teaser]Films directed by Charlie Chaplin, Ernst Lubitsch, John Waters, and more are all in the works for Blu-ray.[/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, Criterion is preparing Local Hero, The Circus, Polyester, Cluny Brown, The Cloud-Capped Star, and Fists in the Pocket for Blu-ray throughout the month of September. Fists in the Pocket (September 3) - Tormented by twisted desires, a young man takes drastic measures to rid his grotesquely dysfunctional family of its various afflictions, in this astonishing debut from Marco Bellocchio. Characterized by a coolly assured style, shocking perversity, and savage gallows humor, Fists in the Pocket was a gleaming ice pick in the eye of bourgeois family values and Catholic morality, a truly unique work that continues to rank as one of the great achievements of Italian cinema. On the Blu-ray: New 4K digital restoration, approved by director Marco Bellocchio, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack Interviews from 2005 with Bellocchio, actors Lou Castel and Paola Pitagora, editor Silvano Agosti, critic Tullio Kezich, and filmmaker Bernardo Bertolucci New interview with scholar Stefano Albertini (Blu-ray only) Trailer New English subtitle translation PLUS: An essay by film critic Deborah Young and (with the DVD) an interview with Bellocchio Order the Blu-ray The Cloud-Capped Star (September 10) - Directed by the visionary Bengali filmmaker Ritwik Ghatak, The Cloud-Capped Star tells the story of a family that has been uprooted by the Partition of India and come to depend on its eldest daughter, the self-sacrificing Neeta (Supriya Choudhury). She watches helplessly as her own hopes and desires are pushed aside time and again by those of her siblings and parents, until all her chances for happiness evaporate, leaving her crushed and sickly. Experimenting with off-balance compositions, discontinuous editing, and a densely layered soundtrack, Ghatak devised an intellectually ambitious and emotionally devastating new shape for the melodrama, lamenting the tragedies of Indian history and the inequities of traditional gender roles while blazing a formal trail for the generations of Indian filmmakers who have followed him. New 2K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray New conversation between filmmakers Saeed Akhtar Mirza and Kumar Shahani Stills gallery of Ghatak family photographs curated by writer and photographer Nabarupa Bhattacharjee New English subtitle translation PLUS: An essay by film scholar Ira Bhaskar Order the Blu-ray Cluny Brown (September 17) - The final film completed by Ernst Lubitsch, this zany, zippy comedy of manners, set in England on the cusp of World War II, is one of the worldly-wise director’s most effervescent creations. Jennifer Jones shines in a rare comedic turn as Cluny Brown, an irrepressible heroine with a zeal for plumbing. Sent to work as a parlormaid at a stuffy country manor, she proceeds to turn the household upside down—with plenty of help from Adam Belinski (Charles Boyer), an eccentric continental exile who has fled the Nazis but is still worried about where his next meal is coming from. Sending up British class hierarchy with Lubitsch’s famously light touch, Cluny Brown is a topsy-turvy farce that says nuts to the squirrels and squirrels to the nuts. New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray New conversation between film critics Molly Haskell and Farran Smith Nehme on unconventional female characters in Ernst Lubitsch’s films New video essay by film scholar Kristin Thompson The Lubitsch Touch, an interview with film scholar Bernard Eisenschitz from 2004 Lux Radio Theatre adaptation of the film from 1947, featuring Olivia de Havilland and Charles Boyer PLUS: An essay by novelist and essayist Siri Hustvedt Order the Blu-ray Polyester (September 17) - For his first studio picture, filth maestro John Waters took advantage of his biggest budget yet to allow his muse Divine to sink his teeth into a role unlike any he had played before: Baltimore housewife Francine Fishpaw, a heroine worthy of a Douglas Sirk melodrama. Blessed with a keen sense of smell and cursed with a philandering pornographer husband, a parasitic mother, and a pair of delinquent children, the long-suffering Francine turns to the bottle as her life falls apart—until deliverance appears in the form of a hunk named Todd Tomorrow (vintage heartthrob Tab Hunter). Enhanced with Odorama™ technology that enables you to scratch and sniff along with Francine, Polyester is one of Waters’ most hilarious inventions, replete with stomach-churning smells, sadistic nuns, AA meetings, and foot stomping galore. New, restored 4K digital transfer, supervised by director John Waters, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray Audio commentary featuring Waters from the 1993 Criterion laserdisc release of the film New conversation between Waters and critic Michael Musto New program featuring interviews with Waters collaborators Tab Hunter, Dennis Dermody, Pat Moran, Vincent Peranio, Mink Stole, Mary Garlington, and Greer Yeaton Interviews from 1993 with cast and crew members Waters, Divine, Moran, Peranio, Edith Massey, and Van Smith, featuring footage from the making of the film Archival interviews Deleted scenes and alternate takes Trailer Scratch-and-sniff Odorama™ card PLUS: An essay by film scholar Elena Gorfinkel Order the Blu-ray The Circus (September 24) - In the last film he made during the silent era, Charlie Chaplin revels in the art of the circus, paying tribute to the acrobats and pantomimists who inspired his virtuoso pratfalls. After being mistaken for a pickpocket, Chaplin’s Little Tramp flees into the ring of a traveling circus and soon becomes the star of the show, falling for the troupe’s bareback rider along the way. Despite its famously troubled production, this gag-packed comedy ranks among Chaplin’s finest, thanks to some of the most audacious set pieces of the director-performer’s career, including a close brush with a lion and a climactic tightrope walk with a barrelful of monkeys. Rereleased in 1969 with a new score by Chaplin, The Circus is an uproarious high-wire act that showcases silent cinema’s most popular entertainer at the peak of his comic powers. New 4K digital restoration of Charlie Chaplin’s 1969 rerelease version of the film, featuring an original score by Chaplin, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray New audio commentary featuring Charlie Chaplin biographer Jeffrey Vance Interview with Chaplin from 1969 New interview with Chaplin’s son Eugene Chaplin In the Service of the Story, a new program on the film’s visual effects and production design by effects specialist Craig Barron Chaplin Today: “The Circus,” a 2003 documentary on the film, featuring filmmaker Emir Kusturica Excerpted audio interview with Chaplin musical associate Eric James Unused café sequence with new score by composer Timothy Brock, and related outtakes with audio commentary by Chaplin historian Dan Kamin Newly discovered outtakes featuring the Tramp and the bareback rider Original recording of the film’s opening song, “Swing, Little Girl,” by Ken Barrie Footage of the 1928 Hollywood premiere Rerelease trailers PLUS: An essay by critic Pamela Hutchinson Order the Blu-ray Local Hero (September 24) - Bill Forsyth put Scottish cinema on the map with this delightfully eccentric culture-clash comedy. Riffing on popular representations of Scottish life and folklore, Local Hero follows the Texas oil executive Mac (Peter Riegert), who is dispatched by his crackpot boss (Burt Lancaster) to a remote seaside village in Scotland with orders to buy out the town and develop the region for an oil refinery. But as business mixes with pleasure, Mac finds himself enchanted by both the picturesque community and its oddball denizens—and Texas starts to feel awfully far away. Packed with a near nonstop stream of droll one-liners and deadpan gags, this enchanting cult hit finds Forsyth surveying the idiosyncrasies of small-town life with the satirical verve of a latter-day Preston Sturges, arriving at a sly commentary on conservation, corporate greed, and the legacies we leave behind. New 2K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray New conversation between Forsyth and film critic David Cairns Shooting from the Heart, a 1985 documentary about the work of cinematographer Chris Menges Episode of The South Bank Show from 1983 about the production of the film The Making of “Local Hero,” a documentary made during the film’s production, featuring interviews with actors Burt Lancaster and Peter Riegert I Thought Maybe I’d Get to Meet Alan Whicker, a 1983 interview with Forsyth on his early career in documentaries, his first narrative features, and the success of Local Hero PLUS: An essay by film scholar Jonny Murray Order the Blu-ray You can find the latest specs for all of the titles listed above linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where they're indexed throughout September.Posted Tue Jun 18, 2019 at 10:55 AM PDT by: -
The Story of Stephen King's THE SHINING Continues in First DOCTOR SLEEP Trailer[teaser]"I don't know about magic. I... I always called it the shining."[/teaser] Warner Bros. has released the first teaser trailer for Doctor Sleep. The film is based on the book by Stephen King, which serves as a sequel to the author's horror masterpiece, The Shining. Still irrevocably scarred by the trauma he endured as a child at the Overlook, Dan Torrance has fought to find some semblance of peace. But that peace is shattered when he encounters Abra, a courageous teenager with her own powerful extrasensory gift, known as the "shine." Instinctively recognizing that Dan shares her power, Abra has sought him out, desperate for his help against the merciless Rose the Hat and her followers, The True Knot, who feed off the shine of innocents in their quest for immortality. Forming an unlikely alliance, Dan and Abra engage in a brutal life-or-death battle with Rose. Abra's innocence and fearless embrace of her shine compel Dan to call upon his own powers as never before—at once facing his fears and reawakening the ghosts of the past. Check out the teaser trailer below! The movie stars Ewan McGregor as Dan Torrance, Rebecca Ferguson as Rose the Hat, and Kyliegh Curran as Abra. Additional cast members include Carl Lumbly, Zahn McClarnon, Emily Alyn Lind, Bruce Greenwood, Jocelin Donahue, Alex Essoe, and Cliff Curtis. Doctor Sleep comes from writer/director Mike Flanagan (Hush, Oculus, Netflix's The Haunting of Hill House). Trevor Macy and Jon Berg serve as producers on the film. Meanwhile Roy Lee, Scott Lumpkin, Akiva Goldsman and Kevin McCormick are all on board as executive producers. The movie is set to hit theaters on November 8, 2019. Source: Warner Bros. (YouTube)Posted Thu Jun 13, 2019 at 09:50 AM PDT by: -
Calculating High-Def Digest's "Overall Score" (A Small Change)A lot has changed since High-Def Digest started reviewing movies in 2006. We've changed with the times, naturally, but remain focused on sharing our subjective movie opinions as well as our objective analysis of video presentations, audio mixes, and bonus materials. Back in the halcyon days of DVD and physical media, multi-disc boxed sets with hours of special features were much more common. Here in 2019, most studios release a handful of featurettes, a few trailers, and maybe an audio commentary or two. The best releases still have in-depth documentaries, but they're pretty rare. What does this have to do with review scoring, you might ask? Before today, we calculated our Overall Score by giving equal weight to Story, Video, Audio, and Special Features. But, in an era where Special Features are less common, or non-existent, it feels like Special Features carry too much weight. It's not like you're going to skip buying a great movie with demo-worthy audio-video because the bonus featurettes are on the light side, right? As such, we plan to treat Special Features a bit like extra credit. To be clear, we're still going to grade the Special Features and let you know if they're good, bad, or somewhere in between. As fellow movie collectors, we understand how a fantastic set of bonus materials can be a value-add, or make a re-release worthy of a double-dip. (Longtime readers may recall our old HD Exclusives section, which was created to cover Blu-ray special features not on the DVD. That section was also treated like extra credit.) So here's how our system works, starting today: We now calculate our Overall Score by averaging Story, Video, and Audio. BUT if the Special Features are -- Lackluster, we knock said Overall Score down by 0.5 stars Good, we leave said Overall Score unchanged Amazing, we bump said Overall Score up by a 0.5 stars Admittedly, this is more subjective than what we've been doing, but based on a few experiments, this adjustment should course-correct scenarios where Special Features tank the Overall Score of otherwise worthy 4K, 3D, & HD releases. Ultimately, the goal is to make our Overall Score reflect whether or not you should buy a disc or digital download. And we hope this quick note lets you into our process, explaining how we work and why this choice was made. Thanks so much for your time and readership!Posted Wed Jun 12, 2019 at 02:04 PM PDT by:
