The monstrous Godzilla is colossal in more ways than one, dominating screens since 1954. One of the most recognizable reptilian figures in cultural history, fans lap up the spectacle of this kaiju (a Japanese term for large monster) towering over urban landscapes and battling with other untamed beasts. In 1989, one of the weirdest movies in the genre was released, Godzilla vs. Biollante, becoming a firm franchise favorite for many fans..

Director Kazuki Ōmori delved deep into his imagination for Godzilla vs. Biollante. The film proudly displays some of the coolest special effects of the franchise, one of its strangest antagonists, and some great social commentary. It's been a challenge for anyone to track down a watchable physical copy of the movie, and anything on streaming usually has poorly translated subtitles, but that all ends next spring. Audiences will be able to get their hands on the 4K restoration of the film (with new, properly handled subtitles and a 5.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack), so they can judge how wonderfully eccentric it is for themselves.

...

Along with the restoration, The Criterion Collection release is stuffed with special features as usual:

There's a new audio commentary featuring film historian Samm Deighan, host of the podcast Eros + Massacre and coeditor of the book Revolution in 35mm. There's also a making-of program from 1993 featuring director Kazuki Ōmori and special-effects director Koichi Kawakita, among others. There are deleted special effects, TV spots, and a short documentary from 1993 about the Biollante and Super X2 vehicle concepts.

Robert Eggers has confirmed that “Nosferatu” will be released on 4K Blu-Ray in an extended cut. Is it the near 3-hour version that was test screened earlier in the year? Quite possibly.

In 2023, I read the script and after having seen the released cut, all I can say is that Eggers left a lot of footage out of version we saw in theaters.

Clip of the announcement (if you don't want to watch the full video linked), on Reddit

With 2024 coming to a close, I’m looking back on everything that happened with 4K Blu-ray over the past year. Needless to say, it’s been a year of ups and downs. We’ve seen some excellent releases, especially from independent distributors. We’ve also seen brands and retailers exit the 4K Blu-ray market, whether it’s selling discs or players.

...

But 2024 really has been a rollercoaster year for us 4K Blu-ray fans. There have been reports of increasing disc sales from major UK retailers, and then elsewhere you read that the state of physical media is in decline and it’s all very doom and gloom. So what did happen in the world of 4K Blu-ray in 2024?

...

4K Blu-ray and physical media in general has faced a year of highs and lows in 2024 and while I’m hopeful for its future in 2025, I know there is still uncertainty. Physical media sales overall remain on the decline and despite rising prices, streaming services are still the main way people watch movies and TV shows.

But, 4K Blu-ray is the best way to enjoy movies on your home theater system and the more people get to experience this wonderful format, the more popular it will become.

Any highlights or low points for you in 2024?

WICKED, one of the most beloved and enduring musicals on the stage, arrives on your screen as a generation-defining cinematic sensation. The untold story of the witches of Oz, WICKED stars Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, a misunderstood young woman who has yet to discover her true power, and Ariana Grande as Glinda, a popular young woman who has yet to discover her true heart. The two meet at Shiz University and forge an unlikely friendship – before their lives take different paths following an encounter with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Their extraordinary adventures will ultimately see them fulfill their destinies as the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good. Wicked is an immersive, cultural celebration you'll want to experience over and over again!

Based on the stage play with music and lyrics by the legendary Grammy and Oscar® winning composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz, WICKED is expertly directed by acclaimed filmmaker Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians, In the Heights). The film also stars Oscar® winner Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All at Once, Crazy Rich Asians), Oliver Award winner and Emmy nominee Jonathan Bailey (Bridgerton, Fellow Travelers), Tony nominee Ethan Slater (Broadway's SpongeBob SquarePants, Fosse/Verdon), Marissa Bode, Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes), and Jeff Goldblum (Jurassic Park, Independence Day).

Special Features and Technical Specs:

• DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
• DOLBY ATMOS AUDIO TRACK
• SING ALONG - ALTERNATE FEATURE-LENGTH VERSION – Rejoicify, it's your turn to sing your way through Oz! Sing-along to all of your favorite Wicked songs as you join Elphaba and Glinda on their magical journey.
• DELETED AND EXTENDED SCENES
  • Pfannee & ShenShen Meet Glinda - Reunited at Shiz University, Glinda, Pfannee, and ShenShen recall their past by performing a twirling routine together.
  • Shiz Gazette Introduces Fiyero - Excitement spreads across Shiz as word gets out that Prince Fiyero is on his way.
  • Toss Toss - Glinda teaches Elphaba the art of Toss Toss, with mixed results.
  • Elphaba & Fiyero in the Forest - The relationship between Elphaba and Fiyero takes a turn as they come to care for a lost lion cub.
  • Elphaba's Promise - Elphaba makes a pledge to Glinda that they both hope will strengthen their friendship.
  • Train Platform Farewell - Glinda, Madame Morrible, and Governor Thropp gather to send Elphaba off to Emerald City.
  • Boq & Elphaba Talk - Elphaba challenges Boq to face the truth about his feelings for Nessa Rose, but she has difficulty doing the same when it comes to Fiyero.
  • Train Ride to Emerald City- Glinda and Elphaba expand their world by taking a luxurious train ride to Emerald City.
  • In the Emerald City - The bustling streets of Emerald City take Glinda and Elphaba one step closer to finally meeting the Wizard.
  • Palace Monkeys Chase - Elphaba and Glinda race through a maddening maze of winged monkeys determined to take them down.
• MAKING WICKED – Return to Oz for a fantastic behind-the-scenes journey with this expansive look inside the characters, choreography, and creativity that make up the movie's unforgettable world.
• WELCOME TO SHIZ – Unlimited imagination, couture fashion, and spectacular production design come together at Shiz University, providing a place for performers and viewers to be fully immersed in the fantasy. Designed from details in L. Frank Baum's books, the uniforms, clever contraptions, and circular sets create a sprawling campus where magic feels like an everyday occurrence.
• A WICKED LEGACY –Take delight in the cast and filmmakers sharing personal memories of their first encounters with the original Broadway production, and how those lasting connections created emotional experiences while making the movie. Also highlighted are the iconic cameos that pay tribute to the cultural phenomenon that became one of the most popular musicals of all time.
• THE WONDERFUL WIZARD – Follow the yellow brick road to Emerald City for an in-depth look at the infamous Wizard of Oz. Inside the palace's throne room, the Wizard himself, Jeff Goldblum, pulls back the curtain to peer at his character's magic and mechanics with senior special effects technician Christopher Clarke, who details how the Wizard's massive robotic head comes to life.
• FEATURE COMMENTARY WITH DIRECTOR JON M. CHU
• FEATURE COMMENTARY WITH STARS CYNTHIA ERIVO AND ARIANA GRANDE
• Optional English, French Canadian, and Latin American Spanish subtitles for the main feature

Pre-order: Amazon · GRUV.com

Hailed as "the single greatest movie of the year" (Dave Morales, FOX TV) and "an epic sequel worthy of its Oscar®-winning predecessor" (Scott Mantz, KTLA), GLADIATOR II boasts breathtaking action and sensational performances from a star-powered cast, including Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, and the sublime Denzel Washington in "one of his most charismatic and riveting performances" (Clayton Davis, Variety).

Fans who purchase the film on 4K Blu-ray will have access to over 100 minutes of fascinating behind-the-scenes footage and interviews. Discover the epic journey of the highly anticipated film as the cast and filmmakers share their personal experiences. Explore some of the exotic filming locations, including Malta and Morocco, and see the extraordinary sets that brought the Roman Empire back to life. Plus, enter the arena to find out how carefully choreographed combat and visual effects combined to deliver mind-blowing battles on a truly epic scale.

From legendary director Ridley Scott, Gladiator II continues the epic saga of power, intrigue, and vengeance set in Ancient Rome. Years after witnessing the death of the revered hero Maximus at the hands of his uncle, Lucius (Paul Mescal) is forced to enter the Colosseum after his home is conquered by the tyrannical Emperors who now lead Rome with an iron fist. With rage in his heart and the future of the Empire at stake, Lucius must look to his past to find strength and honor to return the glory of Rome to its people.

Special Features and Technical Specs:

• DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
• DOLBY ATMOS AUDIO TRACK
• A Dream That Was Rome: Origins—Director Ridley Scott and producers delve into the history behind Gladiator II and how the story developed over many years before coming to the screen. What We Do In Life Echoes In Eternity: The Cast—Take an inside look into Ridley Scott's casting process.
• In The Arena: Filmmakers—Go behind the scenes as the cast and crew journey to Malta, Morocco, and the UK for the epic production.
• To Those About To Die, We Salute You: Combat—Discover how Ridley Scott and his team combined choreographed combat with cutting-edge visual effects to take the action to a whole new level.
• Building An Empire: Post-Production—Join the filmmakers for insights into the fascinating process of crafting the finished movie, which includes a scoring session led by composer Harry Gregson-Williams.
• The Making Of Gladiator II—Explore how Ridley Scott, the cast, and crew worked to bring Gladiator II to life.
• Deleted Scenes

Pre-order: Amazon

Top 20 Selling Blu-ray Discs

1. Alien: Romulus
2. The Wild Robot
3. Deadpool & Wolveirne
4. Interstellar
5. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
6. Godzilla Minus One
7. No Country for Old Men
8. Reagan
9. Star Wars: The Mandalorian - The Complete Third Season
10. Twisters
11. Star Wars: Ahsoka - The Complete First Season
12. The Grinch
13. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
14. The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy
15. Doctor Who: 60th Anniversary Specials
16. Oppenheimer
17. Willow
18. A Charlie Brown Christmas
19. Dune 2-Film Collection
20. Dune: Part Two

Source: Circana VideoScan (based on unit sales from reporting retailers)

Top 20 Selling 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Discs

1. Alien: Romulus
2. Interstellar
3. Star Wars: The Mandalorian - The Complete Third Season
4. No Country for Old Men
5. Star Wars: Ahsoka - The Complete First Season
6. Deadpool & Wolveirne
7. Godzilla Minus One
8. The Wild Robot
9. The Grinch
10. Willow
11. Loki: The Complete Second Season
12. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
13. Oppenheimer
14. Riddick
15. Shaun of the Dead
16. Hawkeye: The Complete First Season
17. The Peanuts Holiday Collection
18. Twisters
19. Terminator 2: Judgement Day
20. Dune: Part Two

Source: Circana VideoScan (based on unit sales from reporting retailers)

Top 10 Home Media Sellers (% of Blu-ray's Market Share Noted)

1. ALien: Romulus (72%)
2. The Wild Robot (47%)
3. Deadpool & Wolveirne (67%)
4. The Grinch (2018) (26%)
5. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (50%)
6. Interstellar (89%)
7. Twisters (48%)
8. A Charlie Brown Christmas (24%)
9. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) (32%)
10. The Forge (19%)

Source: Circana VideoScan (based on unit sales from reporting retailers)

Further Reading:

• Top 20 Selling Blu-ray and 4K Discs for Week Ended 2024-12-14
• Top 20 Disc Sellers for Week Ended 2024-12-14
• Blu-ray Sales: December 8-14: Alien: Romulus Still on Top of the Charts in Second Week

A nerdy deep dive on the recent release.

The fact the AI upscale removed diegetic dust and artistic faux grain surprised me. That’s an undeniable mistake/error, IMO.

He also demos audio pitch issues.

He’s a spy. She’s an assassin. Together with their telepathic daughter and their clairvoyant dog, the Forgers make the perfect faux family. But while on vacation, Loid’s mission is put at risk when Anya eats a chocolate hiding the fate of the world.

Special Features and Technical Specs:

• Audio: Japanese TrueHD 5.1 and English TrueHD 5.1
• Trailers

Pre-order: Amazon · Crunchyroll Store

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners will also receive a Blu-ray edition, arriving in 2025 to the following territories: Japan, USA, Canada, Latin America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Thailand. Discover the standalone, ten-episode story of street kid David Martinez trying to survive in a technology and body modification-obsessed city of the future — soon available in a physical format!

If you're not well-versed in Japanese horror, there's a good chance you might not have heard of Shozin Fukui's 964 Pinocchio. But, trust us, you're gonna want to see this one, post haste.

Thanks to brand new Blu-ray and 4K UHD releases from 88 Films and Media Blasters respectively, the 1991 hallucinogenic cyberpunk body horror is finally getting the physical media upgrade it deserves.

In 964 Pinocchio, a memory-wiped sex slave cyborg, disposed of by his owners for failure to maintain an erection, is taken in by a homeless girl and the pair wreak havoc across the city of Tokyo.

...

For those in the UK, 88 Films' release of 964 Pinocchio contains special features such as an exclusive interview with Fukui, as well as two of his short films, Georisuto and Caterpillar. 88 Films' release comes on March 24.

Daybreakers gets a 4K and Blu-ray collector's edition release from Umbrella

Umbrella Home Entertainment is giving the Spierig Brothers' vampire movie Daybreakers a 4K and Blu-ray collector's edition release

By Cody Hamman

December 11th 2024, 10:35am

Back in 2009, the German-Australian sibling duo of Peter Spierig and Michael Spierig, a.k.a. The Spierig Brothers, brought us the sci-fi action horror vampire film Daybreakers -- and now, the Australia-based company Umbrella Home Entertainment is celebrating the 15th anniversary of the film by giving it a 4K and Blu-ray collector's edition release! Copies are available for purchase at THIS LINK.

The plot the Spierig Brothers crafted for Daybreakers has the following synopsis: Ten years after a plague turns most of the world's population into vampires, a critical blood shortage causes panic and gruesome mutations among the reanimated. Edward, a vampire hematologist, tries to develop a blood substitute when he meets Lionel and Audrey, two fugitive humans who claim to have a possible cure. Edward casts his lot with them in the hope of perfecting the cure before it's too late.

The film stars Ethan Hawke as Edward, Willem Dafoe as Lionel, and Claudia Karvan as Audrey. They're joined in the cast by Sam Neill, Michael Dorman, Isabel Lucas, Vince Colosimo, Jay Laga'aia, and Renai Caruso.

Only available from the Umbrella webstore, the Daybreakers Collector's Edition includes: -- Dolby Vision & Dolby Atmos 4K feature

-- A 100+ page hardback book with never before seen behind-the-scenes, experiences and art provided by director's Michael and Peter Speirig

-- Original poster artwork rigid case and slipcase

-- 8 artcards

-- A3 reversible poster

-- Limited Edition Numbered release

-- Audio Commentary with Co-Directors Peter and Michael Spierig and Creature Designer Steve Boyle

-- "Making of Daybreakers" Feature-Length Documentary

-- NEW! Daybreakers Gag Reel

-- NEW! Animatics

-- NEW! On The Set of Daybreakers Featurette

-- NEW! Art Department and Lighting Tests

-- NEW! Makeup, Costume and Hair Tests

-- NEW! Makeup and Effects Tests

-- NEW! Daybreakers Stunt Department Featurette

-- Trailer

The company Kino Lorber previously announced that they will be releasing John Candy's 80s comedy, Summer Rental, on 4K Blu-ray in January. The boutique label has now announced that the following month another beloved John Candy movie will be having a new physical video remastering. Blu-ray.com has revealed that Uncle Buck will get its own Blu-ray and 4K Blu-ray release on February 18. This film was a much bigger hit for Candy and is seen as one of his best movies. This is also the film that would give Hughes the idea to write Home Alone with Macaulay Culkin in mind.

The movie stars John Candy, Amy Madigan, Jean Louisa Kelly, Gaby Hoffmann and Macaulay Culkin. The Description reads, "When Cindy (Elaine Bromka) and her husband, Bob (Garrett M. Brown), have to leave town for a family emergency, there is only one person available to babysit for their three kids: Bob's lazy, carefree brother, Buck (John Candy). While he immediately gets along with the two younger children (Gaby Hoffman, Macaulay Culkin), Buck must change his bachelor lifestyle if he wants to be a responsible caregiver for the angst-filled teenager, Tia (Jean Louisa Kelly)."

Special Features and Technical Specs are set to include:

DISC ONE -- 4K BLU-RAY

• NEW 4K RESTORATION FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE
• DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
• NEW Audio Commentary by critics Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Josh Nelson
• NEW Audio Commentary by critic Historian Joe Ramoni
• 5.1 Surround and Lossless 2.0 Audio
• Optional English SDH Subtitles

DISC TWO -- BLU-RAY

• Optional English Subtitles
• NEW 4K RESTORATION FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE
• NEW Audio Commentary by critics Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Josh Nelson
• NEW Audio Commentary by critic Historian Joe Ramoni
• Sixteen Going on Seventeen: NEW Interview with Actress Jean Louisa Kelly
• Theatrical Trailer
• 5.1 Surround and Lossless 2.0 Audio

Video
Codec: HEVC / H.265
Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)
HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Audio
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)

Subtitles
English SDH

Discs
4K Ultra HD
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD-100, 1 BD-50)

Packaging
Slipcover in original pressing

Playback
4K Blu-ray: Region free
2K Blu-ray: Region A

Before developing his penchant for crime thrillers and high-octane films like Heat and Ferrari, director Michael Mann took an unexpected dive into the realm of horror and fantasy with his 1983 film The Keep. His second theatrical feature, after his 1981 project Thief, is widely known for being an unmitigated disaster in post-production, suffering from the death of its special effects supervisor and studio meddling that cut Mann's original 210 minutes of footage down to just 96. For a time, the director himself even disowned the film. Its problems haven't stopped it from becoming a cult classic though. Now, the war horror is finally coming home with a long-overdue upgrade thanks to a 4K Ultra HD release from Vinegar Syndrome which is now available for purchase.

At the time, Mann's cursed film was widely panned, and, to this day, it still holds a 39% score from critics and a 43% score from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. However, it has managed to generate a following in the years since, with plenty of fans calling for a release of a director's cut showing the over 100 minutes of lost content. Regardless of the final result, it benefitted from an excellent cast. Joining the Das Boot breakout Prochnow and Lord of the Rings star McKellen were Scott Glenn, Gabriel Byrne, Alberta Watson, Michael Carter, and Robert Prosky, among others. Adding to the ambiance was a soundtrack by the German electronic band Tangerine Dream, who also lent their talents to Mann's Thief, Risky Business, and Grand Theft Auto V.

...

Vinegar Syndrome's 4K restoration of The Keep comes in either a standard release or a special edition limited to only 12,000 units that comes with a creepy new spot gloss hard slipcase and slipcover combo designed by Edward Kinsella highlighting the monstrous Molasar. In addition to the 4K/Blu-ray discs, it also comes packed with a 40-page bound book for collectors who want even more content from the film. Rounding out the collection is a wide array of special features delving into the creation of the film with the author Wilson, film historians, and others who worked on the project. One featurette also appears to honor the unfinished work of late special effects supervisor Wally Veevers​​​​​​.

People still continue to buy the Bose TV Speaker even after we made a dedicated video on it…. To get you to stop, we took to facebook marketplace and gave ourselves the SAME budget and managed to buy a 5.1 surround sound setup with dedicated receivers!

Considering this is the home video section, I thought this would apply to this community. Reminds me of when I had my tiny dirt cheap 5.1 system, which sounded great to me. Especially when playing Bad Company 2 on my Xbox360.

Just in time for the holidays, we can enjoy Ron Howard and George Lucas' family-friendly fantasy adventure film Willow finally arrives on 4K UHD Blu-ray with deluxe SteelBook packaging.

The George Lucas / Ron Howard team-up Willowmight have been something of a box office misfire at release, but the film has grown into a fan-favorite fantasy adventure classic. Now we can enjoy the exploits of Warwick Davis' Willow and his pal Madmartigan and the beautiful Sorsha in full 2160p with HDR. The press release wasn't specific about HDR grade, remember Disney is punching Dolby Vision onto their 4K discs on a case-by-case basis - so this one might not have made the cut. We'll see if any clarification comes out on that. But we can at least expect HDR10 on the BD66 disc with DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio. We also don't have a breakdown of extra features yet, but it's a safe bet those will be on the included Blu-ray. Hopefully, if this sells well, maybe we'll get the abandoned series' first season on disc too. 

***Willow - 4K UHD SteelBook ***

*** ***

Here's all of the specs as we know them: 

Cast
**Val Kilmer **as Madmartigan
**Joanne Whalley **as Sorsha
Warwick Davis as Willow
Billy Barty as High Aldwin
Jean Marsh as Queen Bavmorda

Produced by
Nigel Wooll

Executive Producers
George Lucas

Written by
George Lucas
Bob Dolman

Directed by
Ron Howard

Product Specifications
Release Date
Digital: December 10, 2024
Physical: December 10, 2024

Product SKUs
Digital: 4K UHD
Physical: 4K UHD + Blu-ray + Digital Code SteelBook®

Feature Run Time
Approx. 126 minutes

Rating
U.S.: Rated PG

Disc Size
4K UHD Blu-ray: 66GB
Blu-ray: 50GB

Aspect Ratio
Digital: 2.39:1
Physical: 2.39:1

Audio
4K: English 5.1 DTS-HDMA and 2.0 Dolby Digital Descriptive Audio, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, French 5.1 DTS-HDHR Language Tracks
Blu-ray: English 5.1 DTS-HDMA, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital and French 5.1 DTS Digital Surround Language Tracks
Digital: English 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby Digital Descriptive Audio, Spanish 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby Digital and French 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby Digital

Subtitles
4K: English SDH, Spanish and French Subtitles
Blu-ray: English SDH, Spanish and French Subtitles (Specifications Apply To Film Content Only)
Digital: English SDH, Spanish and French Subtitles

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/19813184

A quarter of a century ago, it seemed like nobody wanted Dogma. Kevin Smith’s subversive comedy about a pair of disgraced angels (played by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon) was met with fierce protests soon after it debuted at the Cannes Film Festival. Writer-director Smith, riding high off his 1997 romcom Chasing Amy, received 300,000 pieces of hate mail, including several “bona fide death threats”. Religious campaign group the Catholic League picketed outside cinemas. Critics also sharpened their knives, with The Independent’s Gilbert Adair among those who crucified the film. “Nothing, absolutely nothing, not a single idea, not a shot, not a camera movement, not a performance, not a gesture, not a gag, nothing at all, I repeat, works in this movie,” he sneered.

Some of us, though, couldn’t get enough of the film, which celebrates its 25th anniversary on 12 November. I was a Sunday School-attending teenager when I first stumbled across Dogma on late-night television, and I was hooked from the moment Linda Fiorentino’s beleaguered abortion counsellor Bethany set upon Alan Rickman’s Metatron, the flaming voice of God, with a fire extinguisher. He had appeared in her bedroom to recruit her on a quest to stop Bartleby and Loki, Affleck and Damon’s fallen angels, from making it to a church in New Jersey. There they intend to use a doctrinal loophole known as a “plenary indulgence” to wash away all their sins and sneak back into heaven. What they don’t realise is that in doing so they’ll disprove the fundamental concept of God’s omnipotence and immediately wipe out all of existence.

...

The real star, though, was Smith’s script, which plays out like a pop-culture-infused catechism. It uses a technicolour version of the Catholic belief system to bring to life a vigorous moral debate, as when Bartleby and Loki hand out righteous vengeance to the board of a clearly Disney-inspired cartoon company they accuse of raising up a false idol, Mooby the Golden Calf. Last year, Affleck recalled reading the screenplay in an interview with Vanity Fair, saying: “Kevin’s very focused on the written word. He’s got a cadence that he likes, but I thought it was a really creative, interesting script. It was a sort of imagining of Catholicism in a very literal sense, and also in a comic sense. I was thinking my kids would actually like that; they have that sense of humour… Kevin’s always had the sense of humour of an adolescent!”

...

The controversy that surrounded the film’s release didn’t actually do anything to harm its box-office performance, and may well have helped it to rake in $31m (£24m) worldwide, easily recouping its $10m (£7m) budget. Yet 25 years on, Dogma is not available on any streaming service and last received a physical release when it came out on Blu-ray in 2008. DVDs and VHS copies now change hands for inflated sums online. The reason the film is so hard to find is a direct result of all those Catholic League protests years ago. They kicked up such a fuss that Disney, which at the time owned Miramax, decided they wanted no part of its release. To solve the problem, Weinstein and his brother Bob personally bought the rights to Dogma and set up a distribution deal with Lionsgate. The Weinsteins continued to hold the rights for years but refused to do anything with them, which led Smith to joke of Weinstein in 2022: “He’s holding it hostage. My movie about angels is owned by the devil himself.”

But there is reason to be optimistic. A few weeks ago, Smith revealed during an appearance on podcast That Hashtag Show that the movie rights have been bought by a new distribution company, and plans are afoot to re-release the film in 2025. He went on to say that Dogma could finally get a streaming release, too, as well as new physical versions to accompany a cinema run in the new year. Most excitingly for fans, though, was his suggestion that he could – now that his film is out of Weinstein’s clutches – return to the world of Dogma to tell new tales on a Biblical scale.

Over the years, the original Star Wars films have been subject to many changes and additions. According to Lucas, the original cuts have been lost to time. Well, sorry George. We the fans cannot let that happen. This is the story of how the fans saved Star Wars.

This is Part I in a new series I'm creating documenting the fan preservation of the Theatrical Cuts of Star Wars. This episode focuses on Laserdisc Bootlegs.

This bought back some memories. I remember downloading the TR47 bootlegs which were really good copies for the time.

Mind you, I’m not the pickiest person out there and only have a couple 4Ks (all I’ve got at the moment are Lawrence of Arabia, Bridge on the River Kwai, the Good the Bad and the Ugly, and Blue Planet II) but I was quite happy with this one. The original was shot on 35mm. There’s no DNR for this release thankfully, so lots of beautiful film grain. Sound is great too. I’ve noticed details on this version I’ve never noticed watching it in the past. I’d recommend it if you like this movie