Universal Monsters

Universal’s 100th Anniversary Blu-ray releases include restored Dracula, Frankenstein, Jaws, All Quiet on the Western Front, The Birds and more!

By Brenden ⋅ January 14, 2012 ⋅ Post a comment

This has been a stunning week of Blu-ray news (most of which I’ll get to posting in due time), all released surrounding the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The news that walloped me the hardest is that 2012 will be the year that Universal will finally offer up select titles from it’s beloved collection of monster films in new, restored Blu-ray releases!! That’s right, the gods of monsters and the gods of HD have, at long last, seen fit to allow me to own the original 1930s Dracula and Frankenstein films in glorious 1080p! …Continued…

Top New Blu-ray releases for the Week of November 1

By Brenden ⋅ November 2, 2011 ⋅ One comment

This week’s new Blu-ray releases include ‘THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA’, ‘SCROOGED’, ‘CARS 2′, ‘SNOW FLOWER AND THE SECRET FAN’, ‘IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE: GIFT SET’, ‘BEGINNERS’ and many, many more!

1925 Phantom of the Opera Blu-ray package art and details

By Brenden ⋅ August 29, 2011 ⋅ One comment

When the news hit a couple of weeks ago that there was going to be a Blu-ray edition of Lon Chaney’s classic 1925/1929 film Phantom of the Opera, I think I went a little nuts. I posted all the details I could scrounge from all the forums and websites that were discussing the release. I even went so far as to talk about the version of the film I had just screened at the Fantasia Festival here in Montreal – a pretty nice 35 mm print projected with a score performed by a 30-piece orchestra, conducted by its composer, Gabriel Thibaudeau. It was shortly after that post went live that I returned to my old Image DVD edition of the film and realized it was he who composed and conducted the score for that disc. So, that soundtrack, present on the new Blu-ray, is not new work then. However, with the reveal of all the proper details of the disc, we now have a better picture of what the release will be like. And that includes what it will look like, as the package art has now also been revealed. I honestly can’t wait to get my hands on this one. I fear that it might be the only Universal Monster film to ever exist on Blu-ray at this rate. …Continued…

1925 Phantom of the Opera coming to Blu-ray

By Brenden ⋅ August 14, 2011 ⋅ 2 comments

November 1 will be a landmark day for we fans of the Universal Monsters. It will mark the debut of the very first of the classic films to be released on Blu-ray. The Robert Julian (among uncredited others) directed Phantom of the Opera, starring the “Man of a Thousand Faces”, Lon Chaney, in the title role, will arrive on Blu sporting two brand new transfers of the film, distributed by Image Entertainment. Details have yet to be officially released but producer David Shepard has revealed some juicy tidbits on the nitrateville.com forums …Continued…

Top 5 New Blu-ray releases for the Week of June 1

By Brenden ⋅ June 1, 2010 ⋅ Post a comment

Oh geez. I’m all confused here. There are just too many titles hitting shelves again this week but no obvious “must-buy” disc, as far as I’m concerned. The new Hollywood blockbuster remakes all stumble in the storytelling department, the catalogue titles feature far-from-perfect presentations and there are just no damn Criterion titles as far as the eye can see! But don’t fear, if none of the brand spanking new titles do it for you this week, I’m sure you can find something in the massive batch of Eastwood newly released or re-released, as the case may be, on Blu-ray! Seriously, how many movies did has that guy made?! …Continued…

The Wolfman (2010) coming to Blu-ray in June (UPDATED!)

By Brenden ⋅ March 29, 2010 ⋅ One comment

Has this film really been in theatres so long now that it’s already on the verge of being released on Blu-ray? This is almost depressing! I still haven’t found the free time to get out and see The Wolfman in the cinema and I’ve been pretty bummed about that. But now, seeing that the Blu-ray edition of the film is being listed for sale in the UK this coming June 14th, I feel it’s a pretty safe bet that it’ll turn up on this side of the Atlantic around the same date, guaranteeing that I’ll have a chance to check it out before Halloween 2010 rolls around. …Continued…

Universal Monster Legacy: clips, large crisp images, texts, factoids

By Brenden ⋅ December 9, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

Universal Monster Legacy: clips, large crisp images, texts, factoids: http://bit.ly/8QjcHz (via @theauteursdaily) Related posts Universal gives details on the Blu-ray Disc release of Clint Eastwood’s “Changeling” scheduled for February (0) Universal Drops DreamWorks (0) 'Fletch' Blu-ray Disc Review (0) [VIDEO] Panasonic's End-to-End 3D Solution: From Dealerscope (0) [VIDEO] Halloween Wish List – Karloff & Lugosi: [...]

[VIDEO] Halloween Wish List – Karloff & Lugosi: Horror Classics on Blu-ray

By Brenden ⋅ October 28, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

As I just mentioned in my review of the Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein Blu-ray disc, I’m a passionate fan of the Universal Monster films of the 30s and 40s. And through them, I’ve become fascinated with the actors who played many of the starring roles. In particular, Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff, most famous for their iconic portrayals of Dracula and the Frankenstein monster, respectfully. Watching the newly released Karloff & Lugosi: Horror Classics on DVD over the last few evenings has just led me to feel overjoyed that we’ve finally got access to these fantastic films on home video while at the same time, frustrated that we haven’t seen a single horror classic from their era in high-def yet! …Continued…