Displaying items by tag: It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World

Our own Tim Salmons has turned in an epic review of Criterion’s fantastic new Blu-ray/DVD release of It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, World, which is available in stores now. Don’t miss it – both the review and the disc itself.

Also today, the good Dr. Jahnke has tuned in a new Burnt Offerings: MOD DVD installment today, running down the latest “manufactured on demand” DVD titles from Warner Archive and Fox Cinema Classics, so be sure to check it out. Marine Boy anyone?  [Read on here…]

More good stuff for you today…

First, Dr. Jahnke has posted a BD review of Sony’s The Big Gundown, a great spaghetti western from 1966 directed by Sergio Sollima. Sounds like the disc and its extras are pretty swell too. Don’t miss it.

Also today, our own Michael Coate has posted an update of his History, Legacy & Showmanship column from back on November – It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Retrospective – with a great roundtable interview from some of the folks involved in the film’s restoration and Criterion’s fine new Blu-ray release, including Karen Stetler, the Criterion Blu-ray Disc producer; Robert A. Harris, the restoration/reconstruction producer; Karen Sharpe-Kramer, the widow of producer-director Stanley Kramer; and the team that recorded the audio commentary track: Mark Evanier, Michael Schlesinger, and Paul Scrabo. It’s a great read, so I highly recommend that you give it a look. [Read on here…]

Afternoon, everyone.  We should have that review of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey – Extended Edition for you tomorrow.  However, the Cliff’s Notes version (for those of you wanting to know if you should buy it or not) is that the A/V quality is excellent, the extended footage doesn’t really add up to much (though there are a couple of nice character-enhancing moments), but the 9-hours worth of documentary material is terrific and well worth buying the disc for all by itself if you’re a Rings or Hobbit fan.  [Read on here…]

CELEBRATING “IT’S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD” ON ITS 50TH ANNIVERSARY

The Digital Bits is pleased to present this retrospective article commemorating the golden anniversary of the original release of Stanley Kramer’s It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World and a new Blu-ray Disc from The Criterion Collection.

Featured in this tribute are a list of the epic comedy’s roadshow engagements and an interview segment with several people involved with the production of the Blu-ray Disc. [Read on here...]

Well folks, we hope you all had a nice Halloween… and we sure hope you all enjoyed this year’s Hell Plaza Oktoberfest.  Dr. Jahnke and the rest of The Bits team pulled out all the stops to make it a goodun for you all, so there you go.  We sure appreciate your readership.

Now then, today’s update is going to be a quick news roundup from the last couple days, and then we expect to be back next week with more reviews, including a couple titles you guys have probably been waiting for, including Warner’s Man of Steel and New Line’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey – Extended Edition among others.  [Read on here…]

Here’s some exciting breaking news: Our friends at The Criterion Collection have just announced their January Blu-ray and DVD release slate, and WOW – some terrific titles!

The fun starts with a BD upgrade of Akira Kurosawa’s Throne of Blood (Cat #190 – Blu-ray/DVD – due 1/7/14) and the fortieth Eclipse set  Late Ray (DVD – due 1/7/14 – features Satyajit Ray’s The Home and the World, An Enemy of the People and The Stranger), and continues with a BD upgrade of Jules Dassin’s Rififi (Cat #114 – Blu-ray/DVD – due 1/14/14) and the all-new Michael Mann’s Thief (Cat #691 – Blu-ray/DVD – due 1/14/14), Aki Kaurismäki’s La vie de bohème (Cat #693 – Blu-ray/DVD – due 1/21/14), Stanley Kramer’s It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (Cat #692 – Blu-ray/DVD – due 1/21/14) and Terence Davies’s The Long Day Closes (Cat #694 – Blu-ray/DVD – due 1/28/14).  By the way, It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World includes a “restored 4K digital film transfer of the general release version of the film, with 5.1 surround Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray” plus a “new high-definition digital transfer of a 197-minute extended version of the film, reconstructed and restored by Robert A. Harris using visual and audio material from the longer original road-show version – including some scenes that have been returned to the film here for the first time – with 5.1 surround Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray.”  What a great slate!  You’ll find cover artwork for all the Blu-rays below.  [Read on here...]