Movie Night - Superman (1978)
In keeping with my tribute to the late Gene Hackman, tonight's movie is the 1978 Richard Donner Superman.
Of course, Christopher Reeve will always be the star of this film, but Superheroes can only be Super when overcoming a Supervillain. And Gene Hackman was a brilliant foil to Christopher Reeve's All-American Comic Book Hero performance. And at least to date, the best Lex Luther on the big screen.
I'm not the only person who feels this way. A terrific write up of Hackman's performance was recently posted on Inverse:
inverse.com/entertainment/gene…
My copy of Superman is the wonderfully restored 4k UHD Blu Ray from Warner. For fans of this movie with compatible Home Theatre Systems, it's a great disk to own.
Again, Thanks Gene.
47 Years Ago, Gene Hackman Saved 'Superman'
The beloved actor Gene Hackman has died at 95. For superhero fans, he was the best Lex Luthor. Here's why his 'Superman' role changed everything.Ryan Britt (Inverse)
Michael Kohlman reshared this.
Movie Night:
I love it when new movies arrive in the mail. 😎
The Constantine Steelbook is a remastered 4k release. It's always been a visual masterpiece, and in 4k it should look spectacular. Definitely eager to check it out.
Cabaret has been on my grab-a-copy list for a while as it one of Bob Fosse's best, but with everything going on in the U.S. lately, watching it again seemed particularly relevant.
{reviews in the comments}
Michael Edward Kohlman
in reply to Michael Edward Kohlman • •Quick Constantine 4k review... This probably one of the best 4k remasterings I have seen for the graphic novel film genre since last year's The Crow. Indeed it may be the best remastering of any legacy film I've seen in the last year period. I've had the blu-ray for many years now, and honestly it's no slouch. It's actually good enough that I hesitated on pre-ordering the 4k reissue as there have been some dissapointments recently with other films (looking at you, Mr Cameron). But given Francis Lawrence and Keanu Reeve's love for the film, I was hopeful that the 20th anniversary upgrade would get the love it deserved.
And it does not dissapoint. Without looking overly processed, elevating this to a 4k HDR format deepens the colors, textures, and grains of what has always been a visual feast that delights in the nuances between lightness and dark, and fire and light.
And additional surprise is the soundtrack, which is a Dolby Atmos remaster. Even with my modest 3.1 sound sytem, the sounds are far more immersive and nuanced that the original blu-ray release, with the bas
... show moreQuick Constantine 4k review... This probably one of the best 4k remasterings I have seen for the graphic novel film genre since last year's The Crow. Indeed it may be the best remastering of any legacy film I've seen in the last year period. I've had the blu-ray for many years now, and honestly it's no slouch. It's actually good enough that I hesitated on pre-ordering the 4k reissue as there have been some dissapointments recently with other films (looking at you, Mr Cameron). But given Francis Lawrence and Keanu Reeve's love for the film, I was hopeful that the 20th anniversary upgrade would get the love it deserved.
And it does not dissapoint. Without looking overly processed, elevating this to a 4k HDR format deepens the colors, textures, and grains of what has always been a visual feast that delights in the nuances between lightness and dark, and fire and light.
And additional surprise is the soundtrack, which is a Dolby Atmos remaster. Even with my modest 3.1 sound sytem, the sounds are far more immersive and nuanced that the original blu-ray release, with the bass not overdone (which seems to be an issue with re-releases lately) and the positioning of things seen and unseen within the soundstage spot-on.
In short, I loved it.
The only caution I would give is that, in what is becoming a more common practice, the 20th anniversary steelbook edition is a 4k only blu-ray. There is no accompaning 1080p disk. Not a problem for me, but don't buy this unless you have the equipment to play it back. As always, GRUV delivered my edition a a few days, well packaged, and in great condition.
So If you are a Constantine fan and have a 4k system, don't even hesitiate to get this.