My Two Cents
All right, we’ve got a couple things to report today...
First up, NBCUniversal’s Fandango service is going to purchase Vudu from Walmart, according to reports in the trades today (see this link at Variety). This is interesting and it doesn’t surprise me. I expect there will be lots of consolidation in the Digital space in the months and years ahead, and I also expect every major studio to try and grow their own footprint in the digital space or to team up with others who have. And of course the Digital category includes not just streaming/subscription services but transactional purchases too. So it makes a lot of sense.
Also today, I’ve been invited—and have just begun—to check out the high-end digital movie service Kaleidescape. I’ll have more on that experience here at The Digital Bits in a few weeks, after I’ve really given it a thorough test and tryout. [Read on here...]
All right, after months of “we knew it was coming” to last week’s early studio leak that was quickly pulled back, Universal has finally made it official: Steven Spielberg’s Jaws is coming to 4K Ultra HD on 6/2 in honor of the film’s 45th anniversary. The package will include the film on 4K and Blu-ray with a Digital code, lenticular packaging and a 44-page booklet with introductions, rare photos, storyboards and more from the archives.
Both the 4K UHD disc and the Blu-ray will include The Making of Jaws, The Shark Is Still Working: The Impact & Legacy of Jaws, Jaws: The Restoration, deleted Scenes and outtakes, From the Set, and the film’s theatrical trailer. The Blu-ray will add storyboards, production photos, Marketing Jaws, and The Jaws Phenomenon.
The 4K Ultra HD disc will also include HDR10, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision high dynamic range, along with Dolby Atmos audio. Additional audio options will include DTS and Dolby Digital 2.0 mono. And yes, that IS correct: There’s no DTS-X. Also, our sources tell us that the Atmos mix is a 12-channel expansion of the revisionist 7.1 mix done in 2013. The good news is that the original mono options are included. You can see the cover artwork above left and also below. [Read on here...]
The big news today is going to make some of you very happy. The Criterion Collection has just unveiled its full July slate of Blu-ray titles, and it’s set to include the classic War of the Worlds! The full slate is as follows...
Look for Byron Haskin’s War of the Worlds (Spine #1037 – Blu-ray and DVD) on 7/7, the previously-announced Bruce Lee: His Greatest Hits box set (Spine #1036 – includes The Big Boss, Fist of Fury, The Way of the Dragon, Enter the Dragon, and Game of Death – Blu-ray only) and Preston Sturges’ The Lady Eve (Spine #103 – Blu-ray and DVD) on 7/14, and Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story (Spine #1038 – Blu-ray and DVD) and Abbas Kiarostami’s Taste of Cherry (Spine #45 – Blu-ray and DVD) on 7/21. [Read on here...]
It’s kind of a slow news day today, but we do have some more disc reviews for you to check out...
Dennis has posted his thoughts on Franklin Gollings’ Connecting Rooms (1970) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics. The film stars Bette Davis and Michael Redgrave.
Also, Tim has taken a look at Ovidio G. Assonitis’ Beyond the Door (1974) on Blu-ray from Arrow Video.
In announcement news today, Fox has set Chris Sanders’ The Call of the Wild for release on Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD on 5/12. The 4K will include English Dolby Atmos, while the Blu-ray will feature DTS-HD MA. Extras on both will include 4 featurettes (Origins, The On-Set Experience, State of the Art, and The World of the Wild), along with a Digital-only featurette (A Man and His Dog). [Read on here...]
We’ve got a bit of fun news today, some release news and some other...
First up though, we also have a new disc review. Dennis has just turned in a look at director George Marshall’s classic Destry Rides Again (1939) now on Blu-ray from the Criterion Collection. It’s a classic western starring James Stewart and Marlene Dietrich that’s well worth your time.
And while we’re speaking of Criterion, that brings us to our first bit of release news, which is that Criterion has just announced a Bruce Lee: His Greatest Hits Blu-ray box set (Spine# 1036), which is set to include The Big Boss (1971), Fist of Fury (1972), The Way of the Dragon (1972), Enter the Dragon (1973), and Game of Death (1978). [Read on here...]