The week of May 30th is a 4K UHD catalog bonanza. To start, the Criterion Collection will release Billy Wilder's Double Indemnity (1944), starring Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck, Edward G. Robinson, Porter Hall, Jean Heather and Tom Powers. Nominated for seven Oscars, including Best Actress (Stanwyck), Best Director and Best Picture, Wilder's stunning adaptation of the Raymond Chandler of the same name is regarded by most as the film that set the standard for the noir genre. Criterion present the film on 4K UHD and Blu-ray from a new 4K master, with uncompressed original mono audio and Dolby Vision HDR on the 4K UHD disc. Extras include new interviews and archival featurettes, but the highlight of the extras package must be the second Blu-ray disc, which is devoted to the three-part, three hour documentary Billy, How Did You Do It? (1992), which was originally broadcast by the BBC as part of their series Arena and features lengthy interviews with Wilder. Reviewer Svet Atanasov gave both releases 5 stars in every category. For full disc breakdowns, read Svet's 4K UHD review and Blu-ray review.
Also coming from Criterion on Blu-ray this week is Wayne Wang's Chan Is Missing (1982), starring Wood Moy, Marc Hayashi, Peter Wang, Emily Woo Yamasaki. Criterion's Blu-ray is sourced from an HD master approved by Wayne Wang, with uncompressed mono audio. Extras include a making of documentary and new conversations between Wang and critic Hua Hsu and Wang and filmmaker Ang Lee.
New on 4K UHD from Kino Lorber are Sergio Leone's A Fistful of Dollars (1964), starring Clint Eastwood, Marianne Koch, Gian Maria Volontè, Wolfgang Lukschy, and Sieghardt Rupp, and For a Few Dollars More (1965), starring Eastwood, Volontè, Lee Van Cleef, Mara Krupp, and Luigi Pistilli. Both films are presented by Kino Lorber on Blu-ray and 4K UHD with both 2.0 mono and 5.1 surround audio tracks. Extras include commentaries by Christopher Frayling and critic Tim Lucas, as well as archival featurettes, interviews and more. Note that Kino Lorber released the final part of Leone's Dollars Trilogy, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966), on 4K UHD back in April 2021.
Also coming on Blu-ray from Kino this week is Gomorrah: The Fifth and Final Season (2021). The three-disc set will include all 10 episodes, with both original Italian audio with English subtitles and an English dubbed audio track.
New on 4K UHD from Paramount Home Media Distribution is Brian De Palma's The Untouchables (1987), starring Kevin Costner, Sean Connery, Charles Martin Smith, Andy Garcia, and Robert De Niro. Released just in time for the film's 35th anniversary, the 4K UHD disc of The Untouchables has been sourced from a new 4K master and sports both Dolby Vision HDR and a new Dolby Atmos remix. Extras on this single-disc 4K UHD release have been ported over from the Blu-ray, including five featurettes and the theatrical trailer. In addition to standard packaging, a Limited Edition SteelBook will also be available.
New on 4K UHD from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is Peter H. Hunt's 1776 (1972), starring William Daniels, Howard Da Silva, Ken Howard, Donald Madden, John Cullum and Roy Poole. Released to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the classic musical film, Sony's new release is a three-disc 4K UHD and-Blu-ray set that contains four cuts of the film. The 4K UHD disc contains the Director's Cut and the Extended Cut in 4K with Dolby Vision HDR and a brand new Dolby Atmos track (as well as DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio), while the first Blu-ray is identical to the previous 2015 disc, which contains the same two cuts in 1080p with 5.1 audio. A new addition is a second Blu-ray disc with both the 1972 Theatrical Version in HD (with DTS-HD MA 2.0 audio) and the 1992 LaserDisc version, sourced from the 480i LaserDsic master, which also includes optional audio commentary with Hunt.
Reviewer Martin Liebman is quite enamored with the picture quality of the 4K UHD of 1776, awarding it 5/5 score and stating in part that: "For as elegant and sophisticated the transfer accompanying the Blu-ray may be...this UHD is its superior, and its superior by a wide margin at that. The picture boasts a substantial gain to sharpness and clarity. Facial close-ups, for example, reveal greatly improved levels of raw detail and intimacy...The colors are beautiful, too. The Dolby Vision grading allows for richer, deeper colors compared to the Blu-ray...this is absolutely the best presentation one is going to find of this film for many years to come and easily one of the nicest looking UHDs on the market today". For a full disc breakdown, read Martin's 4K UHD review.
Also coming this week from Sony on Blu-ray is The Boys: Season 1 & 2 Collection (2019-2020). The six-disc set contains all 16 episodes from the first two seasons of the series, plus bonus features. Reviewer Martin Liebman gave the set a perfect 5/5 score for picture quality, calling it "pretty much perfect". For a full breakdown of the release, read Martin's Blu-ray review.
New on 4K UHD this week from Shout Factory are Christopher Landon's Happy Death Day (2017), starring Jessica Rothe, Israel Broussard, Ruby Modine, Charles Aitken, Laura Clifton and Jason Bayle, and its follow up, Happy Death Day 2U (2019), starring Rothe, Broussard, Phi Vu, Suraj Sharma, Sarah Yarkin and Rachel Matthews. Each film is presented on both Blu-ray and 4K UHD, with HDR on the 4K discs. In addition to the archival extras from the previous Blu-ray releases, both films include a new audio commentary with Landon and Rothe.
Finally this week, new on Blu-ray from Lionsgate Home Entertainment is a Blu-ray for Charles Murray's The Devil You Know (2022), starring Omar Epps, Vaughn W. Hebron, Michael Beach, B.J. Britt, and Ashley A. Williams.
Synopsis: Boundaries and bonds are tested in this gritty crime-thriller drama about family, morality, and redemption. Once-incarcerated Marcus Cowans (Omar Epps) is trying to turn over a new leaf with the support of his loving family. Upon discovering that one of his brothers (Will Catlett) may have been involved in a horrific crime, Marcus grapples with the limits of brotherhood and loyalty. He and his family, increasingly weary of the justice system's failings, end up in the crosshairs of a seasoned but jaded detective (Michael Ealy). Written and directed by Charles Murray, The Devil You Know evokes the question: Am I my brother's keeper? And at what cost?