Displaying items by tag: John Williams
Reese’s Pieces, Flying Bicycles, and a Boy’s Life: Remembering “E.T.” on its 40th Anniversary
“E.T. is the perfect balance between epic and intimate. It is an incredible example of how cinema can transport us into a world of limitless possibilities through imagination, and it showcases filmmaking at the highest level in its use of technology, skill, and craft.” — Brian Herzlinger, director of My Date with Drew
The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the 40th anniversary of the release of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Steven Spielberg’s classic family film about the friendship between a boy and an alien visitor who is afraid, totally alone, and three million light years from home.
E.T. was the winner of four Academy Awards (visual effects, sound, sound editing, and John Williams’ original score) and starred Dee Wallace (The Howling), Henry Thomas (Cloak & Dagger), Robert MacNaughton (I Am the Cheese), Drew Barrymore (Firestarter), and Peter Coyote (Timerider). [Read on here...]
- The Digital Bits
- Michael Coate
- History Legacy & Showmanship
- Bill Hunt
- Steven Spielberg
- John Williams
- ET The ExtraTerrestrial
- Dee Wallace
- 40th anniversary
- Henry Thomas
- Robert MacNaughton
- Drew Barrymore
- Peter Coyote
- 4K Ultra HD
- Mark A Altman
- William Kallay
- Steven Awalt
- Brian Herzlinger
- Caseen Gaines
- James Kendrick
- Mike Matessino
- Ray Morton
- Joseph McBride
- Saul Pincus
- M David Mullen
- Bill Mead
- Steve Lee
- Joe Fordham
- John Scoleri
- Alison Martino
- John Cork
- Scott Mendelson
- April Wright
- John Sittig
- Ross Melnick
- Gary Gerani
- Scott Rogers
Across the Stars: Remembering “Attack of the Clones” on its 20th Anniversary
“Attack of the Clones represents George Lucas’ forward-thinking perhaps more than any of his other films.” – Stephen Danley, Star Wars at the Movies
The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the 20th anniversary of the release of Attack of the Clones, the second and middle episode in George Lucas’s Star Wars prequel trilogy.
For the occasion of Attack of the Clones’s recent anniversary, The Bits features a multi-page article consisting of a Q&A with a trio of Star Wars historians and enthusiasts who reflect on the film.
It also contains detailed box-office data and statistics, passages from film reviews, and a reference listing of its North American first-run D-Cinema and IMAX presentations. [Read on here...]
- The Digital Bits
- Michael Coate
- History Legacy & Showmanship
- George Lucas
- Star Wars: Episode II
- Attack of the Clones
- John Williams
- prequels
- 20th Anniversary
- Ewan McGregor
- Natalie Portman
- Hayden Christensen
- Ian McDiarmid
- Christopher Lee
- Samuel L Jackson
- Lucasfilm
- Jedi
- Sith
- Stephen Danley
- Richard Woloski
- WR Miller
It’s Not the Years, It’s the Mileage: Remembering “Raiders of the Lost Ark” on its 40th Anniversary
“As soon as Indy stepped out of the shadows in that first scene and revealed himself to us with that badass confidence and intensity, I feel like in that moment, Harrison Ford truly became a movie star of the highest order.” – Charles de Lauzirika, producer/director of Dangerous Days: Making Blade Runner
The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this multi-page retrospective article commemorating the 40th anniversary of the release of Raiders of the Lost Ark, the Lucas & Spielberg action classic that introduced moviegoers to the globe-trotting adventures of Indiana Jones and spawned a franchise of sequels, prequels, games, and theme park attractions.
Raiders, featuring Harrison Ford as everyone’s favorite cinematic archaeologist, was the most successful movie of its year of release and for a period of time the third highest-grossing motion picture of all time. The Oscar-winning movie also starred Karen Allen as heroine Marion Ravenwood, Paul Freeman as archvillain Belloq, Ronald Lacey as villain Toht, John Rhys-Davies as sidekick Sallah, and Denholm Elliott as colleague Marcus Brody.
In 1999 the Library of Congress selected Raiders of the Lost Ark for preservation in the National Film Registry as being “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant,” and earlier this year, Raiders and the other movies in the series were released for the first time on 4K UHD (reviewed here). [Read on here...]
- 40th anniversary
- 70 mm
- John Williams
- The Digital Bits
- Michael Coate
- History Legacy & Showmanship
- Raiders of the Lost Ark
- Indiana Jones
- Harrison Ford
- Steven Spielberg
- George Lucas
- Karen Allen
- Marion Ravenwood
- Paul Freeman
- Belloq
- Ronald Lacey
- Toht
- Nazis
- John RhysDavies
- Sallah
- Denholm Elliott
- Marcus Brody
- archeology
- 1981
- Marshall College
- 1930s
- Mike Matessino
- Scott Higgins
- Bill Hunt
- Eric Lichtenfeld
- Julie Kirgo
- Zaki Hasan
- Steven Awalt
- Van Ling
- Dan Madsen
- Mark O’Connell
- Stephen Danley
- Steve Lee
- Joseph McBride
- Craig Stevens
- Jonathan Rinzler
- Bruce Scivally
- Paul M Sammon
- Saul Pincus
- Laurent Bouzereau
- Tom Shone
- Scott Mendelson
- Sheldon Hall
- James Kendrick
- Jeff Bond
- Michael Kaminski
- Daren Dochterman
- Peter Krämer
- Gary Leva
- WR Miller
- Lee Pfeiffer
- Mark A Altman
- Michael Klastorin
- Chris Salewicz
- Charles de Lauzirika
- William Kallay
- Michael Rubin
- John Cork
- Ray Morton
- Pete Vilmur
- Alison Martino
- Eric Zala
- Steven Jay Rubin
- Scott Mantz
- Cliff Stephenson
- John Scoleri
- Michael Stradford
- Sarah Woloski
- Neil S Bulk
- Beverly Gray
- M David Mullen ASC
- Jon Burlingame
- Joe Fordham
- Gianluca Sergi
- Ioan Allen
- F Hudson Miller
- Jim Bowers
- David C Fein
- John Wilson
- Don Beelik
- Nick Coston
- Gabriel August Neeb
- Tim Bishop
- Gary Gerani
- Scott Rogers
- Caseen Gaines
Battle on Planet Houston: Remembering “Superman II” on its 40th Anniversary
“Clark Kent’s alley transformation into Superman and Superman’s flight to the White House to return the American Flag are two of the best moments; they are just as chill-inducing and magical today as they were 40 years ago!” — Jim Bowers, CapedWonder.com
The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this multi-page retrospective commemorating the 40th anniversary of the release of Superman II, the 1980/1981/2006 follow-up to 1978’s Superman: The Movie and featuring Christopher Reeve reprising his legendary dual role of Superman and alter ego Clark Kent.
Taking over from Richard Donner midway through production, Richard Lester (The Three Musketeers, Help!) directed and re-shot much of the Saturn Award-winning sequel, which focused on the three Kyptonian outlaws (Terrence Stamp, Sarah Douglas and Jack O’Halloran) breaking free from their cosmic imprisonment and seeking revenge on the Man of Steel.
The first Superman sequel—also starring Clifton James as Sheriff and E.G. Marshall as The President—featured reprisal performances by Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor, Ned Beatty as Otis, Jackie Cooper as Perry White, Margot Kidder as Lois Lane, Valerie Perrine as Miss Teschmacher, Susannah York as Superman’s biological mother Lara, and Marc McClure as Jimmy Olsen. [Read on here...]
- History Legacy & Showmanship
- Michael Coate
- The Digital Bits
- Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut
- Superman II
- Jim Bowers
- Richard Donner
- Richard Lester
- John Williams
- Man of Steel
- Terrence Stamp
- Christopher Reeve
- Sarah Douglas
- Margot Kidder
- Jack O’Halloran
- Clifton James
- EG Marshall
- Gene Hackman
- Jackie Cooper
- Ned Beatty
- Valerie Perrine
- Marc McClure
- Susannah York
- 70 mm
- 40th anniversary
- Warner Bros
- Caped Wonder
Empire @ 40: Remembering the Early 70MM Cut
“On my thirteenth viewing, which was the first time I saw it at a different theater than the one I’d gone to since opening day, I knew there were noticeable changes when the final scene began with different music.” — film music historian Mike Matessino
The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present a continuation of our 40th anniversary coverage of the release of The Empire Strikes Back, the middle act of George Lucas’s original Star Wars trilogy and one of the most celebrated and beloved sequels of all time. Part One of our Empire 40th coverage appeared back in May.
George Lucas’s penchant for making revisions to his work is about as legendary as his movies. The majority of Lucas’s alterations have occurred years after his films’ original releases. With The Empire Strikes Back, however, the first (of several rounds of) revisions were actually made while the movie was in first release, and it is this lesser-known aspect of the otherwise very-well-known production that is the subject of this column. [Read on here...]
- Billy Dee Williams
- Peter Mayhew
- Alec Guinness
- Frank Oz
- Kenny Baker
- Anthony Daniels
- Carrie Fisher
- Harrison Ford
- Mark Hamill
- John Williams
- 40th anniversary
- The Digital Bits
- Michael Coate
- History Legacy & Showmanship
- The Empire Strikes Back
- Irvin Kershner
- George Lucas
- Star Wars
- Mike Matessino
- Saul Pincus
Betting the Ranch: Remembering “The Empire Strikes Back” on its 40th Anniversary
“The Empire Strikes Back should be remembered as one of the greatest films of all time!” — Skywalking through Neverland co-host Richard Woloski
The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the 40th anniversary of the release of The Empire Strikes Back, the middle act of George Lucas’s original Star Wars trilogy and one of the most celebrated and beloved sequels of all time.
The Empire Strikes Back (aka Star Wars: Episode V—The Empire Strikes Back) was directed by Irvin Kershner (The Flim-Flam Man, Eyes of Laura Mars) and starred Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher, reprising their popular roles of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Princess Leia, respectively.
As well, Empire featured returning cast members Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), Kenny Baker (R2-D2), Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca), David Prowse (Darth Vader), and an uncredited James Earl Jones as the voice of Darth Vader. Newly introduced in Empire were Lando Calrissian (played by Billy Dee Williams) and Yoda (performed by Frank Oz and a team of muppeteers). [Read on here...]
- Star Wars
- George Lucas
- Irvin Kershner
- The Empire Strikes Back
- History Legacy & Showmanship
- Michael Coate
- The Digital Bits
- WR Miller
- Justin Berger
- Richard Woloski
- 40th anniversary
- John Williams
- Mark Hamill
- Harrison Ford
- Carrie Fisher
- Anthony Daniels
- Kenny Baker
- Frank Oz
- Alec Guinness
- Peter Mayhew
- Billy Dee Williams
Hellzapoppin’: Remembering “1941” on its 40th Anniversary
“Any legitimate study of Spielberg’s career has to include 1941.” — film music historian Mike Matessino
The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the 40th anniversary of the release of 1941, Steven Spielberg’s zany, whacky, epic World War II comedy featuring a screenplay by Robert Zemeckis & Bob Gale (Used Cars, Back to the Future) and John Milius (Big Wednesday, Red Dawn), an all-star cast headed by Dan Aykroyd (The Blues Brothers, Ghostbusters) and John Belushi (Animal House, The Blues Brothers), and Oscar-nominated Cinematography, Sound and Visual Effects.
The large ensemble cast also featured Nancy Allen (Dressed to Kill), Ned Beatty (Deliverance), Eddie Deezen (Grease), Bobby DiCicco (I Wanna Hold Your Hand), Lorraine Gary (Jaws), Murray Hamilton (Jaws), Diane Kay (Eight is Enough TV series), Christopher Lee (The Man with the Golden Gun), Tim Matheson (Animal House), Frank McRae (Used Cars), Toshiro Mifune (The Hidden Fortress), Warren Oates (The Wild Bunch), Slim Pickens (Dr. Strangelove), Wendie Jo Sperber (Back to the Future), Robert Stack (The Untouchables TV series), Lionel Stander (Hart to Hart TV series), and Treat Williams (Prince of the City). [Read more here...]
Verisimilitude: Remembering “Superman: The Movie” on its 40th Anniversary
“Superman: The Movie radiated magic in 1978 and continues to captivate the world 40 years later. This December, surely multitudes of fans will be watching Superman—via streaming, DVD, Blu-ray or the new 4K UHD—with the same hope, optimism, and innocence they felt the first time they watched in awe as Christopher Reeve soared out of the Fortress of Solitude and into the world.” — Jim Bowers, CapedWonder.com
The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the 40th anniversary of the release of Superman, Richard Donner’s classic superhero adventure starring Christopher Reeve (Somewhere in Time, Monsignor). The year 2018 also marks the 80th anniversary of Superman’s debut in Action Comics.
Often described as the first modern-day superhero movie, Superman (aka Superman: The Movie) was a box-office smash and winner of numerous awards and, of course, inspired a series of sequels and spin-offs as well as, arguably, decades of superhero/comicbook-themed media. [Read on here...]
- John Williams
- Mike Matessino
- Joseph McBride
- film retrospective
- The Digital Bits
- Michael Coate
- History Legacy & Showmanship
- Jim Bowers
- Caped Wonder
- Kevin Burns
- Look, Up in the Sky! The Amazing Story of Superman
- Superman soundtrack CD
- Bruce Scivally
- Superman on Film, Television, Radio & Broadway
- Larry Tye
- 40th anniversary
- Superman: The Movie
- Richard Donner
- Christopher Reeve
- Gene Hackman
- Superman: The HighFlying History of America’s Most Enduring Hero
- Marlon Brando
- Margot Kidder
- Glenn Ford
- Ned Beatty
- Jackie Cooper
- Terrance Stamp
- Phyllis Thaxter
- Trevor Howard
- Vallerie Perrine
- Maria Schell
- Susannah York
- Jeff East
- Marc McClure
- Sarah Douglas
- Jack O’Halloran
- Geoffrey Unsworth
- Mario Puzo
- 70mm
Still Watching the Skies: Remembering “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” on its 40th Anniversary
“Close Encounters helps demonstrate perhaps better than any other why Steven Spielberg is one of the greatest American filmmakers.” — Spielberg biographer Joseph McBride
The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the 40th anniversary of the release of Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Steven Spielberg’s legendary science-fiction film starring Richard Dreyfuss as Roy Neary, an electrical lineman who obsesses over the sighting, physical evidence and, ultimately, contact with a UFO.
The film, which also starred Teri Garr, Melinda Dillon and Francois Truffaut, was nominated for eight Academy Awards, winning for Vilmos Zsigmond’s cinematography (and also receiving a special achievement award for sound effects editing). [Read on here...]
- History Legacy & Showmanship
- Michael Coate
- The Digital Bits
- film retrospective
- Steven Spielberg
- Close Encounters of the Third Kind: 40th Anniversary
- Richard Dreyfuss
- Terri Garr
- Melinda Dillon
- Francois Truffaut
- Joseph McBride
- Vilmos Zsigmond
- Laurent Bouzereau
- Michael Klastorin
- Mike Matessino
- John Williams
Blu-ray News – Hannibal: S3, Shaun the Sheep, Ricki, Star Wars soundtracks, new Kino/Twilight & a Prelude to Axanar BD review
[Editor’s Note: Be sure to like TheDigitalBits.com page on Facebook for breaking news, site updates on the go, discussion with our staff and other readers, giveaways and more!]
We’re kicking things off today with another new Blu-ray review. This one is a little unusual and should be more than a little interesting for Star Trek fans: It’s my look at Prelude to Axanar on Blu-ray, the 2014 proof-of-concept short film directed by Christian Gossett and produced by Alec Peters that launched the effort to produce the full Axanar feature film (to be directed by Robert Meyer Burnett and co-written by yours truly). Prelude to Axanar is now available on Blu-ray but ONLY as a perk for contributing $35 to the Axanar IndieGoGo campaign. You won’t find it in stores. But if you love Star Trek on Blu-ray, it’s definitely a title you’re going to want to add to your collections. Be sure to read the review to learn more about it. [Read on here…]
- Defiance
- Bluray Disc
- Bill Hunt
- The Digital Bits
- My Two Cents
- BD
- Bluray
- Axanar
- Prelude to Axanar Bluray review
- Hannibal: Season Three
- Shaun the Sheep
- Ricki and the Flash
- Devil in a Blue Dress
- Count Yorga Vampire
- Strange Invaders
- Scream and Scream Again
- Black Widow
- Twilight Time
- Kino Lorber Studio Classics
- F/X2
- Sony Classical
- The Ultimate Star Wars Soundtrack Collection
- Vinyl LP
- lossless digital
- CD/DVD
- John Williams
- Defiance: Season Three
- Dominion: Season Two
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