Day
Of The Dead (1985
remaster/Romero/Umbrella Blu-ray)/Horror
Of Dracula
(1958/Hammer*)/Short Night
Of Glass Dolls (1971/Twilight
Time Limited Edition Blu-ray)/The
Thing From Another World
(1951/RKO/*both Warner Archive Blu-rays)/Westworld
- Season Two: The Door
(2018/Warner 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray w/Blu-ray Set)
4K
Ultra HD Picture: A- Picture: B+/B+/B/B+/B Sound:
B+/B+/B/B+/B+ & B Extras: B/C-/B/C-/C+ Main Programs:
B+/A/B/A/B
PLEASE
NOTE:
The Short
Night Of Glass Dolls
Blu-ray is now only available from our friends at Twilight Time is
limited to only 3,000 copies and can be ordered while supplies last,
the upgraded import Blu-ray set of Day
Of The Dead
is now only available from our friends at Umbrella Entertainment in
Australia and can only play on all 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray players,
while Horror
Of Dracula
and The
Thing From Another World
are now only available from Warner Bros. through their Warner Archive
series. All can be ordered from the links below.
Here's
a great set of genre releases that often exceed genre, which is why
they are classics or nearly so...
Umbrella
re-releases George A. Romero's third entry in the 'Living Dead' saga,
Day of
the Dead
(1985) in this new, more definitive Blu-ray edition. While the film
has been released on Blu-ray a few times, most recently by Scream
Factory in the U.S., this is slightly more packed edition of the
classic that has a solid HD presentation all around.
Produced
several years after Romero's Dawn
of the Dead
(1979), Day was cited as the his favorite in the series, and has some
of the greatest practical special effects in horror history by Tom
Savini. Taking place mainly in a underground missile silo, the film
centers around a small group of survivors (both scientists and
soldiers) who study and prepare for the onslaught of the undead.
The
film stars Lori Cardille, Terry Alexander, Richard Liberty, and
Joseph Pilato. Special Effects Icon Greg Nicotero (a Pittsburgh
native who now is a leading force behind The Walking Dead) is
also seen here on screen as a solider. This one was his first big
movie that helped spark his talent and special effects company, KNB,
which has done countless films over the years. This is a fun little
side tidbit for the film.
As
with all of the Romero Living Dead movies, there are a few
featured zombies that are truly memorable. In this one there's Dr.
Tongue (whose seen in the opening titles sequence), and Bub - a self
thinking zombie that slowly remembers his past.
The
film is presented in a 1.77:1 widescreen aspect ratio in 1080p
Blu-ray with a nice sounding DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) lossless tracks
in 5.1 and 2.0. This release is pretty pristine and an improvement
over the past Anchor Bay release, however comparable to the Scream
Factory release it may or may not be.
Special
Features include...
2
Audio Commentaries
World's
End: The Legacy of Day of the Dead
Behind
The Scenes Featurettes, On-Set, Tom Savini, The Many Days of the
Dead, Joe of the Dead, Reflections on the Living Dead, Travelogue of
the Dead
Interview
with George A. Romero at MIFF 2000
Trailers/TV
Spots
and
Gateway Commerce Centre Promo Video
You
can never have too many copies of George A. Romero's films in my
opinion, and this new edition of Day
is the Dead
is slightly better than the last one. For more on this and the
entire trilogy of Romero zombie films, try this link...
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/10388/Night+Of+The+Living+Dead+(1968)+++Dawn+Of
and
there's the restoration of the original 1968 Night
Of The Living Dead
on Criterion Blu-ray here...
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/15134/Alfred+Hitchcock:+The+Ultimate+Collection+(1942
After
the success that Hammer had with Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee in
The
Curse of Frankenstein
(1957),
Horror of Dracula
(1958) was the company's second stab at the horror genre, and the
film that solidified the two men as horror icons. Second only to the
Bela Lugosi's 1931 original, this is a strong Dracula movie that
remains timeless. This startling new HD restoration of the film
easily bests its previous releases on DVD. Unlike the sequels which
followed which were original takes on the character, Horror
of Dracula
is the closest to the original Bram Stoker story. Also, this was the
first full color Dracula movie as the Frankenstein Hammer from the
year before was, both scripted by the great James Sangster.
The
Horror of Dracula
is directed by Hammer mastermind Terence Fisher and also stars
Michael Gough, Melissa Stribling, John Van Eyssen, Carol Marsh, and
Olga Dickie.
As
mentioned, Horror of Dracula is quite similar to the original Bram
Stoker novel, but with a few liberties... Jonathan Harker (Eyssen)
travels to Castle Dracula on a mission to kill him... but instead
ends up a prey to the Count. It's up to Vampire Hunter Dr. Van
Helsing (Cushing) to go up against Dracula (Lee) and protect Lucy,
Harker's fiancee.
It's
also worth noting that this is the third Hammer Dracula film
that Warner Archive has released as of late. Be sure to check out
the links below to read our reviews of them:
Dracula
A.D. 1972
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/15312/Dracula+A.D.+1972+(Hammer/Warner+Archive+Bl
The
Satanic Rites of Dracula
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/15319/Adventures+Of+Hajji+Baba+(1954/Fox/Twilight+Ti
Now,
Warner Archive just needs to put out Scars
of Dracula
on Blu-ray and the Lee/Cushing classics will finally all be available
in HD in the US! Sadly, the only extra on the disc is an HD
trailer. This being such a landmark film for the company, I'm
surprised there wasn't more supplemental material.
Horror
of Dracula
is presented here in 1080p high definition with a widescreen aspect
ratio of 1.75:1 (original British widescreen aspect ratio) and a new
English DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 2.0 Mono lossless mix. The film has
been lovingly restored to the format thanks to Hammer and the BFI,
and the splendid cinematography looks better than ever, save some
softness. This new transfer restores the original color palette of
the film, using dye-transfer three-strip Technicolor prints as a
reference, and has been meticulously cleaned of film-related damage
for a superior presentation. This disc is highly recommended!
The
classic Italian giallo Short
Night of Glass Dolls
(1971) gets a fantastic HD restoration thanks to the new Blu-ray
edition from Twilight Time. The film, directed by Aldo Lado (his
film debut), is a whodunit murder/mystery with an excellent score by
the icon Ennio Morricone (The
Good, The Bad, and the Ugly).
While it's not your traditional giallo, per say, as in it doesn't
have a black gloved killer, it does have many of the tropes found
that qualify it to be so.
The
film stars Ingrid Thulin, Jean Sorel, Mario Adorf, and Barbara Bach
to name a few.
The
body of a reporter (Sorel) is found in a park and brought into a
hospital. While thought to be dead, he is really alive and trapped
inside his body. As he tries to recall the mystery that lead to his
death and the disappearance of his girlfriend (Bach).
Short
Night of Glass Dolls is
presented in 1080p high definition with a widescreen aspect ratio of
2.35:1 and two great sounding DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 2.0 Mono
lossless tracks in both English and Italian. The film has been
nicely restored and is crystal clear throughout. You can tell even
by watching trailers of the film, how much sharper and more defined
it looks on his new HD release.
Special
Features...
Audio
Commentary by Film Historian David Del Valle and Matteo Molinari
Isolated
Music Score by Ennio Morricone
Two
HD Trailers (English/Italian)
and
Insert Booklet with color photos with more great linear notes by
Julie Kirgo.
Howard
Hawks' RKO production of The
Thing From Another World!
(1951) finally gets the presentation that it deserves in 1080p and
has been cleaned up considerably. This is, of course, the film which
was remade as John Carpenter's The
Thing
(1982, reviewed elsewhere on this site), however the events that
conspire don't go down the same way. I simply love watching this
movie, and try to do so as often as possible... so needless to say,
I'm thrilled about this release!
The
Thing From Another World is directed by Christian Nyby (plus Howard
Hawks in parts, reportedly) and stars Margaret Sheridan, Kenneth
Tobey, Robert Cornthwaite, Douglas Spencer, James Young, and Dewey
Martin.
The
plot is similar to the Carpenter remake, and centers around a crew
who journey to a remote Arctic Base. What at first seems to be a
routine mission soon turns into a struggle for survival as they face
off against an alien being from space.
The
film is presented in the first time in the US in 1080p high
definition black and white and has its original 1.37:1 widescreen
aspect ratio. Paired with a DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 2.0 Mono
lossless mix, this is the best that the film has looked or sounded
maybe ever. It's a shame that this (and Horror
of Dracula
for that matter) didn't get limited releases in theaters to show
these new transfers off. An isolated music score track would have
been nice, but here's my review
of the limited edition soundtrack, sadly long out of print...
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/2162/The+Thing+From+Another+World+(1951)/Take+The
Last
and absolutely not least is Westworld
- Season Two: The Door
(2018) that continues the remarkable debut season (and revival of a
Michael Crichton franchise) that became an instant hit for HBO and
people are still talking about. After the events of the previous
season, Delos premiere adult amusement park is more complex than ever
before, but whole new layers of storytelling, technology,
possibilities, joys and nightmares. The exceptional cast is now
really deep into their roles and to say anything much more plot-wise
would spoil everything, but we get some nice new twists this time
around.
Whereas
last season, I thought they had too much of 'The West' itself, the
events of the debut episodes has that West being twisted, turned and
made out to be something else this time. New worlds of several kinds
emerge and by the middle of these episodes, any gap between this
series and the original two feature films has been addressed. Once
you start watching (especially if you watched all of the First
Season), it becomes much to take in and yet, you cannot stop
until you get to the end. Save a few false turns in the final
episode that might matter (or have their meaning changed later), this
all amazingly holds together.
Though
we get plenty of blood and violence, since much of it is between
robots, you can only take it so seriously, but this is still too
graphic for younger viewers just the same. It remains me of the
violence complaints over Cameron's Terminator 2 (see the 4K
review elsewhere on this site), but the separation of human and
machines/biological replicants is more blurred here like Blade
Runner, Alphaville
and more challenging science fiction (think David Cronenberg at his
best).
Thus,
I strongly recommend this sophomore season of Westworld, but
highly recommend you see the early episodes before this and even the
two feature films from the 1970s. Lost producer J.J. Abrams
has gone one better in what he did with that show here and it may
just be on its way to becoming at least a minor classic.
The
2160p HEVC/H.265, Dolby Vision/HDR (10; Ultra HD Premium)-enhanced
Ultra High Definition image once again delivers a wide variety of
exceptional images and supports my belief that (even with some fine
competition) that this is the best-looking show on television
anywhere, still shot on Kodak Vision 3 35mm negative film, yet
somehow managing to make all the expensive, advanced digital effects
look first rate. There are demo shots a plenty, but it is never a
show that wants to show off a look, but serve the narrative.
The
1080p 1.78 X 1 digital High Definition image on the Blu-ray is not
bad, but simply cannot compared to the 4K disc which even has shots
that exceed my letter grade. Still, the regular Blu-rays here can
more than compete with most TV on Blu-ray.
The
4K discs exclusively offer an impressive Dolby Atmos 11.1 (Dolby
TrueHD 7.1 mixdown for older systems) lossless mix is even a little
better this time out with even more imaginative uses for the tracks
and as the story advances, comes up with more ways to utilize the
tracks. Remarkably, the DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mix on
the regular Blu-ray discs is also still impressive, but it is a
mixdown as well and shows it limits when compared tot he Atmos
soundmaster.
Extras
include Digital HD Copy for PC, PC portable and other cyber iTunes
capable devices and a paper pullout with episode guide and
description of the extras, on both disc versions including four
featurettes: The Truth Behind Delos, These Violent Delights
Have Violent Ends, the 3-part Bring Yourself Back Online
(love the group interview discussions) and the 10-part Creating
Westworld's Reality.
For
more on the series debut season, with links to the original feature
films that started it all, go to this link for the great 4K set on
the show...
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/15091/Westworld+-+Season+One:+The+Maze+(2017/HB
To
order the Short
Night Of Glass Dolls
limited edition Blu-ray, buy it and other limited editions while
supplies last at these links:
www.screenarchives.com
and
http://www.twilighttimemovies.com/
...to
order the
upgraded Umbrella import Blu-ray of Day
Of The Dead,
go to this link:
http://www.umbrellaent.com.au/
...and
to order either of the Warner Archive Blu-rays Horror
Of Dracula
and The
Thing From Another World,
go to this link for them and many more great web-exclusive releases
at:
http://www.wbshop.com/
-
Nicholas Sheffo (Westworld)
and James
Lockhart
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/
