Displaying items by tag: Steven Spielberg

“Four Stars! One of the most endearing and accomplished of entertainments. The writing here is really the star. It would be a classic even in Hollywood’s golden era.” — Gene Siskel, Chicago Tribune/At the Movies

The Digital Bits is pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the 30th anniversary of the release of Back to the Future, Robert Zemeckis’s “comedy adventure science fiction time travel love story” starring Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd.  [Read on here…]

“Jaws was something of an accidental blockbuster. It should not be blamed for being a good movie.” — Joseph McBride

The Digital Bits is pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the 40th anniversary of the release of Jaws, Steven Spielberg’s legendary tale of a Great White preying on a coastal New England resort community during the lucrative summer tourism season.

Based upon Peter Benchley’s best-selling novel and starring Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss, Jaws shattered all existing box-office records, scared the wits out of beachgoers, and became every studio’s dream model of a summer blockbuster (and, in some circles, a whipping boy for popular, successful movies). [Read on here…]

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We’re closing out the week today (on this first day of Spring) with a new History, Legacy & Showmanship column from our own Michael Coate, looking back at Steven Spielberg’s 1941. The film turned 35 last year. Speaking of which, if you happen to live in the L.A. area, be sure to check out the American Cinematheque screening of 1941 at the Egyptian this Sunday, hosted by Mike Matessino of La-La Land Records. Members of the cast and crew are expected to attend. It should be a lot of fun.  [Read on here…]

“[Spielberg] has said he felt invincible at the time, so what you get is a Steven Spielberg channeling his inner ten-year-old and going crazy on a movie backlot.” — Mike Matessino

“The main reason to celebrate 1941,” says Mike Matessino, “is because it has been restored in HD and released on Blu-ray, particularly the extended version that fans have come to love and which Steven Spielberg considers his Director’s Cut.” Matessino produced the two-disc CD soundtrack release of 1941 issued by La-La Land Records in 2011 and will be hosting the American Cinematheque’s March 22nd screening of the film and cast-and-crew Q&A. The screening will mark the theatrical debut of a new DCP of the extended cut of the film.  [Read more here...]

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The big unofficial release news today is that we now finally have a release date for director Ridley Scott’s Exodus: Gods & Kings. Per Amazon, look for it on 3/17 on Blu-ray and DVD from 20th Century Fox. The Blu-ray is now available for pre-order on Amazon here.  [Read on here…]

“There was no way for Spielberg to top himself, and perhaps it is just as well that Last Crusade will indeed be Indy's last film. It would be too sad to see the series grow old and thin, like the James Bond movies.” — Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

The Digital Bits is pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the silver anniversary of the release of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, George Lucas & Steven Spielberg’s third entry in the popular Indiana Jones movie series starring Harrison Ford as everyone’s favorite archaeologist-adventurer.

The Bits celebrates the occasion with this retrospective featuring a compilation of box-office data that places the movie’s performance in context, quotes from well-known movie critics, production and exhibition information, and a list of the 70-millimeter “showcase” presentations.

The article also features an interview segment with a quartet of film historians (found on Page 2), who discuss the attributes of the movie and whether or not it has endured. [Read on here…]

Quick update on yesterday’s news: A number of readers have asked why Schindler’s List and Munich weren’t included in Universal’s newly announced The Steven Spielberg Director’s Collection Blu-ray box set. So we contacted the studio and got this statement:

“The Steven Spielberg Collection showcases the Director’s journey at Universal making some of the biggest blockbusters in film history that have thrilled, entertained and delighted audiences around the world. Due to the historical significance and deeply serious nature of the films, Schindler’s List and Munich were not included so as to not understate their unique impact.” [Read on here...]

Okay… we’ve got a few pretty cool things to report today that should kick off July in high style!

First, here at the site today we have a couple of new columns. Todd Doogan has posted his weekly Doogan’s Queue column running down this week’s latest Blu-ray and DVD releases. Our very own Dr. Adam Jahnke has also delivered his weekly Burnt Offerings: MOD DVD column, detailing the latest hand-crafted deep catalog titles from Warner Archive and the Sony Pictures Choice Collection.

Speaking of Jahnke, he’s also turned in a review of Warner’s new 300: Rise of an Empire Blu-ray. Sounds as though the film is exactly what you’d expect. The review is a good read, so do give it a look. [Read on here…]

“This picture is not called The Temple of Roses; it is called The Temple of Doom. The warning is clearly marked on the box.” — Steven Spielberg

The Digital Bits is pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the 30th anniversary of the release of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, the follow-up to the incredibly popular Raiders of the Lost Ark.

The Bits celebrates the occasion with this retrospective column. It features some quotes from movie critics, some trivia on the film, an interview segment (featuring film historians Scott Higgins and Eric Lichtenfeld), a list of the movie’s premium-format (70mm) presentations, and a compilation of box-office data that places the movie’s performance in context. [Read on here…]

If it can be difficult to remember who won the Academy Award for Best Picture, it’s downright mind-bending trying to remember everything else it was up against. In An Honor To Be Nominated, I’ll be taking a look back at some of the movies the Oscar didn’t go to and trying to determine if they were robbed, if the Academy got it right, or if they should ever have been nominated in the first place.  [Read on here…]