In the meantime, Criterion’s November slate officially includes
- John Hughes’ The Breakfast Club (1995) on 11/4 (4K + BD and BD)
- Reginald Hudlin’s House Party (1990) on 11/11 (4K + BD and BD)
- Les Blank’s Burden of Dreams (1982) on 11/11 (4K + BD, BD, and DVD)
- Eclipse Series 47: Abbas Kiarostami – Early Shorts and Features (BD) on 11/18
- Howard Hughes’ Hell’s Angels (1930) on 11/18 (4K + BD and BD)
- Luis Buñuel’s Él (1953) on 11/18 (4K + BD, BD, and DVD)
- Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut (1999) on 11/25 (4K + BD and BD) on 11/25
Yes, you read that right: Stanley Kubrick’s final film, Eyes Wide Shut, is coming to 4K Ultra HD from Criterion. And just to give you a taste of the kinds of thing we regularly talk about on our Patreon… I’ve confirmed that Warner has licensed Kubrick’s Lolita (1962) to Criterion as well. So in the not too distant future, Kubrick’s entire filmography will finally be available in 4K Ultra HD!
You can read more about these titles here. And here’s a look at the cover artwork for a few of these titles below (we’ll add the Amazon pre-order links as soon as they become available)…
Also today, the UK retailer Astro Creations has just revealed an exclusive and highly-limited “premium” edition of Alex Garland’s Annihilation (2018) in 4K Ultra HD Steelbook that’s soon going to be available from their own webstore and select retailers in the UK. You can order a copy here: www.astrocreationsretail.shop
In hardware news, we’re sorry to have to report this afternoon that the French electronics company Reavon has decided to end production of its high-end UBR-X100, UBR-X110, and UBR-X200 4K Ultra HD players and exit the player market altogether, essentially following Oppo in doing so—the company they sought to replace. The reason for the decision is apparently a shortage of components (which means repair of existing models could be an issue going forward as well). The move essentially leaves Magnetar as the only remaining high-end 4K player maker, while Panasonic and Sony continue to support the more mainstream 4K and Blu-ray consumer market.
As to why there’s a component shortage, it’s down to multiple ongoing issues, including increased demand for chips and other electronic parts as AI gains traction, lingering supply chain disruptions due to the COVID pandemic, factory closures, labor shortages, geopolitical issues (tariffs, trade instability, and shipping disruptions), and raw materials scarcity. In any case, it’s a shame to see them go.
Finally today, we have one more sad piece of news to report: The great British actor Terence Stamp has died. Stamp is perhaps best known to American audiences as General Zod in Richard Donner’s Superman: The Movie (1978). But of course he started in so many great films, including The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994), The Limey (1999), Young Guns (1988), Bowfinger (1999), Last Night in Soho (2021), and many more. He also voiced Jor-El in TV’s Smallville (2003-11) and recently appeared in the BBC’s His Dark Materials (2020). Stamp was 87. You can read more about his life and work here. (Photo by Betina La Plante.)
That’s all for now. Stay tuned…
- Bill Hunt
(You can follow Bill on social media on Twitter, BlueSky, and Facebook, and also here on Patreon)