Universal Studios Home Entertainment has set The Bourne Complete Collection for release on 4K Ultra HD on 6/7, featuring all 5 films in the series.
MVD Visual has set Steve Wang’s Drive (1997) for release on 4K Ultra HD on 8/9.
88 Films is releasing Sammo Hung’s 1988 Jackie Chan classic Dragons Forever on 4K Ultra HD on 8/23, featuring no less than three versions of the film (the 94-minute Hong Kong theatrical cut, the 94-minute International theatrical cut, and the 98-minute Japanese theatrical cut).
While we’re on the topic of 4K Ultra HD... no, Sony and Marvel’s Spider-Man: No Way Home release isn’t really missing deleted scenes. Apparently, there were early plans to include about 10 minutes of deleted scenes in the extras (which were teased in early solicitation materials to retailers) but the scenes were cut—presumably by Marvel—prior to the title being officially announced. The studio press release made no mention of them. And be advised that none of the actual shipped discs include them. Just FYI.
Also on the 4K front, many Digital Bits readers are now reporting that they’re receiving their replacement copies of the fixed Mad Max: The Road Warrior (aka Mad Max 2) on 4K Ultra HD. And they aren’t receiving the usual single discs in paper sleeves, but entirely new copies of the whole 4K package. So just be aware, you should be getting your copies any time now. If for some reason you haven’t gotten yours by the end of the month, contact WB Customer Service here: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
On a related note, we still don’t have an official revised street date for Disney’s audio-corrected Blu-ray release of The Beatles: Get Back – Collector’s Edition. However Bits readers have been informed via email that: “Due to these supply chain issues, the release date for this item has again been delayed to the summer of 2022.” So adjust your plans accordingly.
Meanwhile, in exciting classic film restoration news, our old friend Bob Furmanek messaged me this morning to let us know that ClassicFlix and the 3-D Film Archive will be releasing the fully-restored 1952 classic Jack and the Beanstalk, starring Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, on Blu-ray and DVD on 7/12 in a special 70th Anniversary Limited Edition. The original camera negative and color separation masters apparently went missing in 1959, so the restoration team had to work from 35 mm SuperCinecolor release prints—an enormous challenge. And yet we hear that the final result looks fantastic. The disc is also going to be loaded with special features. You can read more on all of this here on the ClassicFlix website.
In other news today, according to a new interview on the AV Club website, director David Lynch has apparently gained some new interest in going back to create a new director’s cut of Dune (1984), though he believes it isn’t likely to happen. (Perhaps Koch Media sent him a copy of their impressive new German 4K release?) The piece also reveals that Lynch has been working on a new 4K restoration of Inland Empire (2006) with Janus Films, that no doubt The Criterion Collection will eventually release on 4K Ultra HD. You can read all the details here. I’ll tell you, I’d love to see a proper Dune: Director’s Cut happen, because the Spicediver fan edit of that film is the best version I’ve ever seen by far. (You can watch it here on YouTube.) In any case, thanks to Bits reader Marshall C. for the heads-up!
Also, Matt Reeves’ The Batman officially drops today on HBO Max in 4K Ultra HD with HDR and Dolby Atmos audio. So if you haven’t seen it yet, now’s your chance.
And are there any Top Gun fans in the house? Paramount has just dropped a new Training promo featurette for next month’s long-awaited sequel, Top Gun: Maverick, on YouTube, and it’s pretty great. I’ll tell you, this is going to be a helluva film experience in IMAX and Dolby Cinema. The film hits theaters on 5/27. You can see the promo here...
Finally today, we are now officially gearing up for our big site update here, which will help us mark the 25th anniversary of The Digital Bits! We’re just making some final decisions and working with our hosting company and server team to get the update scheduled. Cosmetically, there’s not going to be a huge difference, but there will be many under-the-hood improvements here at the site. Everything should function more smoothly and the site should be faster as well. But of course it’s going to cost us not a small amount of money to get all of the work completed and tested. So if you believe in and appreciate the work we do here at The Bits, please consider making a donation to the site via PayPal (click here or the button below). Every little bit will help us to complete the update and improve our game here—to cover more release news, to review more discs, and carry on with our mission to support the enjoyment of great film and TV content on physical media and digital for many years to come. Our thanks to all those of you who’ve stuck with us since 1997. Thanks also to all those who have donated in the past, and to all those of you who support our work in other ways. We’re very grateful to have all of you as readers.
Back tomorrow with more. Stay tuned...
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