At the end of the original 1985 film, Marty McMcfly (Michael J Fox) and his girlfriend Jennifer (Claudia Wells) are met by Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd) who comes back from the future to warn them about their children.
When director Robert Zemeckis filmed Part II, Wells was not available, which meant the role was recast with Elisabeth Shue and the whole scene reshot.
Back to the Future Trilogy (Universal): The time-travel comedy trilogy gets released on Blu-ray for the first time and Universal have put together a package which does full justice to these inventive and much loved films.
A lot of viewers will be pleasantly surprised how good a job Universal has done with the audio and visual transfer (screenshots can be seen here) and it certainly gives them an added kick if you haven’t seen them in a while. But for most people the reason for getting this box set will be the huge array of extras detailing the production. [Read the full review here]
Alien Anthology (20th Century Fox): Although this is essentially a Blu-ray upgrade from the previous Alien Quadrilogy boxset, that was one of the best boxsets in living memory.
However, the HD transfers for Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986) have been done with considerable care and attention and there is extra material which will be of interest to fans of the series.
James Cameron personally oversaw the new transfer of Aliens, the audio for Alien 3 has been upgraded with Charles Dance and Lance Henriksen recording new dialogue and there is a previously unreleased ‘Alien 3′ documentary which features visual evidence of the nightmare David Fincher had on the set of his directorial debut. [Read the full review here]
The Guillermo Del Toro Trilogy (Optimum): Mexican director Guillermo Del Toro is recognised as one of the world’s most visually inventive directors, balancing a career torn between films such as Hellboy with smaller, personal projects such as the three films brought together in this collection – The Devil’s Backbone (2001), Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) and his debut feature, Cronos (1993).
Special Features include:
UK Exclusive interview with Guillermo Del Toro
Exclusive pages from Guillermo Del Toro’s The Strain Trilogy
Brand new interviews
Featurettes
Motion Comics
Early short film Geomtria
Sketches and storyboards
Galleries
Trailers
ALSO OUT
13 Hrs (High Fliers Video Distribution) [Blu-ray / Normal] 8 Mile (UCA) [Blu-ray / Normal] A Nightmare On Elm Street (Warner Home Video) [Blu-ray / with DVD and Digital Copy] Baby Mama (UCA) [Blu-ray / Normal] Billy Madison (Universal Pictures) [Blu-ray / Normal] Bulletproof (UCA) [Blu-ray / Normal] D-Tox (UCA) [Blu-ray / Normal] Dante’s Peak (Universal Pictures) [Blu-ray / Normal] Dead Silence (Universal Pictures) [Blu-ray / Normal] Dinosaurs Alive! (Cornerstone Media Int.) [Blu-ray / with 3D Version] First Blood/Cliffhanger/Lock Up (Optimum Home Entertainment) [Blu-ray / Box Set] Happy Gilmore (Universal Pictures) [Blu-ray / Normal] Hard Rain (Universal Pictures) [Blu-ray / Normal] Iron Man 1 and 2 (Paramount Home Entertainment) [Blu-ray / Normal] Iron Man 2 (Paramount Home Entertainment) [Blu-ray / Normal] Killers (Lionsgate UK) [Blu-ray / Normal] Leatherheads (UCA) [Blu-ray / Normal] Make Way for Tomorrow (Eureka) [Blu-ray / Normal] Mercury Rising (Universal Pictures) [Blu-ray / Normal] Scent of a Woman (Universal Pictures) [Blu-ray / Normal] Smallville: Season 9 (Warner Home Video) [Blu-ray / Normal] Spirits of the Dead (Arrow Films) [Blu-ray / Normal] Star Wars – The Clone Wars: Season 2 (Warner Home Video) [Blu-ray / Normal] Taking Woodstock (UCA) [Blu-ray / Normal] The Break Up (Universal Pictures) [Blu-ray / Normal] The Express (UCA) [Blu-ray / Normal] The Game (Universal Pictures) [Blu-ray / Normal] The Holiday (Universal Pictures) [Blu-ray / Normal] The Interpreter (Universal Pictures) [Blu-ray / Normal] The Jackal (Universal Pictures) [Blu-ray / Normal] The Skeleton Key (Universal Pictures) [Blu-ray / Normal] Total Recall/Raw Deal/Red Heat (Optimum Home Entertainment) [Blu-ray / Box Set] True Legend (Optimum Home Entertainment) [Blu-ray / Normal] Waist Deep (UCA) [Blu-ray / Normal] We Own the Night (Universal Pictures) [Blu-ray / Normal] Wild at Heart (Universal Pictures) [Blu-ray / Normal] Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? (Eureka) [Blu-ray / Normal] You, Me and Dupree (Universal Pictures) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Back to the Future Trilogy (Universal): The time-travel comedy trilogy gets released on Blu-ray for the first time and Universal have put together a package which does full justice to these inventive and much loved films.
Directed by Robert Zemeckis, the first film was the tale of high school student Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) who accidentally travels back 30 years in time after an eccentric scientist (Christopher Lloyd) builds a time machine which strands him in 1955.
There he inadvertently interferes with the romance of his then teenage parents: nerdy father (Crispin Glover) and mother (Lea Thompson), whilst also having to deal with Biff (Thomas F. Wilson), Marty’s dad’s bullying supervisor.
The story, written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale, then becomes a race to reunite his parents-to-be and find a way of getting back to 1985.
An instant critical and commercial hit on its release in the summer of 1985, it launched Fox as a movie star and established Zemeckis as an A-list director.
The inventive premise, smart humour and excellent performances still shine and it has aged remarkably well, appealing to a new generation of audiences.
In retrospect, some of the comedy is surprisingly daring: it is difficult to imagine a studio comedy today featuring gags about terrorists (“the Libyans!”), potential incest (“are you telling me that my mom …has the hots for me?!”) and Ronald Regan (“who is the Vice-president in 1985? Jerry Lewis?).
Despite those more daring undercurrents, it is one of those rare mainstream films that genuinely appeals to audiences of all ages, combining innocence, invention and a great central premise which makes older and younger audiences think whilst they laugh.
The sequels, shot back-to-back, were not as good as the original but certainly had their moments.
The second film, which picked up precisely where they left off, saw Marty and Doc Brown travel to 2015 to fine-tune the future, only to cause havoc with the space time continuum, which they have to repair by going back to 1955 again.
One can only imagine the hoops Zemeckis and Gale had to jump through in writing the follow up – they hadn’t initially planned one – and their screenplay ingeniously interacts with the events of the first film.
Another impressive aspect, sometimes overlooked, is the visual effects, which are used to create multiple characters from the same actor, as well as painting a detailed picture of the future.
Made in 1989 on the cusp of the CGI revolution ushered in by The Abyss, Terminator and Jurassic Park, the visual effects still hold up well.
The third film, released in 1990 saw Marty (Michael J. Fox) travel back to 1885 in order to rescue Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd) before he becomes smitten with a schoolteacher (Mary Steenburgen).
Cleverly referencing the first two films, it doesn’t quite match up to them but is still an amiable and entertaining end to the series.
A lot of viewers will be pleasantly surprised how good a job Universal has done with the audio and visual transfer (screenshots can be seen here) and it certainly gives them an added kick if you haven’t seen them in a while.
But for most people the reason for getting this box set will be the huge array of extras detailing the production.
The supplements duplicate all the extras from the previous DVD releases, including commentaries, but also feature a lot of brand new material, principally Tales from the Future, a 6 part, 2 hour documentary in HD.
The whole package is spread over 3 Blu-ray discs and there are brand new interviews with Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, director Robert Zemeckis, producers Bob Gale and Neil Canton, plus executive producer Steven Spielberg.
There is also a digital copy of each film for playback on a portable device.
SPECIAL FEATURES
(*Denotes new footage debuting on the 25th Anniversary Trilogy Blu-ray)
Tales from the Future: New six-part retrospective documentary featuring interviews with Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Director Robert Zemeckis, Producers Bob Gale and Neil Canton, plus Executive Producer Steven Spielberg.*
In the Beginning . . .: Delve into the genesis of the project, casting, re-casting, the DeLorean, sets and overall pre-production.
Time to Go: Production stories through the release of the first film.
Keeping Time: The score and the songs of the Back to the Future Trilogy.
Time Flies: Learn more about how the sequel came about, the futuristic look, the special and visual effects, recreating 1955 and more.
Third Time’s the Charm: Learn about building a western town, Doc Brown’s love story, the casting of Mary Steenburgen, the train sequence and completing the Trilogy.
The Test of Time: Back to the Future becomes a phenomenon! President Reagan quotes the film, the Back to the Future ride opens at Universal Studios theme park and fans rebuild the iconic DeLorean. The film’s cast and crew take a look back and discuss why these beloved movies live on.
The Physics of Back To The Future: A discussion with celebrity best-selling author and physicist Dr. Michio Kaku about the overall appreciation of the science in the Back to the Future Trilogy*
Nuclear Test Site Ending Storyboard Sequence: Storyboard sequence of the original proposed ending of the film.*
16 Deleted Scenes
Michael J. Fox Q&A
Q&A Commentaries with Director Robert Zemeckis and Producer Bob Gale
Feature Commentaries with Producers Bob Gale and Neil Canton
Making the Trilogy: Chapters One, Two & Three: Original 2002 DVD documentary that takes a look back in time.The Making Of Back to the Future Part I, II & III: Provides a vintage and historic look at the making of all three films.
The Secrets of the Back to the Future Trilogy: a televised special hosted by Kirk Cameron addressing fans unanswered Back to the Future questions.
Back to the Future Night: Hosted by Leslie Nielsen, this original 30-minute special aired on NBC prior to the first television screening of the Back to the Future.
Behind-the-Scenes Outtakes
Original Makeup Tests
Production Design
Storyboarding
Designing the DeLorean
Designing Time Travel
Hoverboard Test
Designing Hill Valley
Designing the Campaign
Back to the Future: The Ride
Music Videos: Huey Lewis and the News “Power of Love” / ZZ Top “DoubleBack”
Photo Galleries, Including Production Art, Additional Storyboards, Photographs, Marketing Materials and Character Portraits
Theatrical Trailers
* There is also a Special Collector’s Edition featuring a Delorean blueprint, Outtatime number plate, Sports Almanac, Save The Clocktower poster, and a Lenticular photo of Marty’s family 8
INTERACTIVE BLU-RAY BONUS FEATURES *
U-CONTROL: Universal’s exclusive feature allows viewers to learn more about their favorite film without ever leaving the movie.
Setups & Payoffs: As you watch each of the three films, each “set up” showcases items in the scene that prepare you for a future plot point. When you get to that moment in the film, the “payoff” is shown.
Storyboard Comparison: Compare key scenes in the movie with the original storyboards.
Trivia Track: Get inside trivia and facts while you watch the movies.
BD-LIVE: Access the BD-LiveTM Centre through your Internet-connected player to get even more content, watch the latest trailers and more!
My Scenes: Bookmark your favourite scenes from the movies.
pocket BLU™: Universal’s groundbreaking pocket BLU app uses iPhone®, iPod® touch, iPad®, Blackberry®, Android™, Windows and Macintosh computers and more to work seamlessly with a network-connected Blu-rayTM player and offers advanced features such as: o Advanced Remote Control: A sleek, elegant new way to operate your Blu-ray™ player. Users can navigate through menus, playback and BD-Live™ functions with ease.
Video Timeline: Users can easily bring up the video timeline, allowing them to instantly access any point in their favorite episode.
Mobile-To-Go: Users can unlock a selection of bonus content with their Blu-ray™ discs to save to their device or to stream from anywhere there’s a Wi-Fi network, enabling them to enjoy exclusive content on the go, anytime, anywhere.
Browse Titles: Users will have access to a complete list of pocket BLU™-enabled titles available and coming to Blu-ray™. They can view free previews and see what additional content is available to unlock on their device.
Keyboard: Enter data into a Blu-ray™ player with your device’s easy and intuitive keyboard.
The Back to the Future Trilogy is out on Monday 25th October from Universal Home Entertainment
New video has surfaced of Eric Stolz as Marty McFly in Back to the Future.
Included on the forthcoming Blu-ray special edition of the 1985 time-travel comedy, it features director Robert Zemeckis, along with producers Frank Marshall and Steven Spielberg, explaining the decision to replace Stolz with Michael J Fox.
Zemeckis then convinced Universal – who would’ve cancelled the production if it didn’t meet their deadline – to re-shoot five weeks worth of footage with Fox, who somehow combined the role with working on the TV show ‘Family Ties’.
Stoltz went on to star in films such as The Fly II (1989) and Pulp Fiction (1994) and more recently has moved into directing television shows such as Law & Order, Grey’s Anatomy and Glee.
The Back to the Future trilogy is out on Blu-ray on Monday 25th October
If you’ve just been listening to me on the radio with Ian Collins on talkSPORT, then here is a fuller list of classic cars from films we were just talking about.
Aston Martin DB5 in Goldfinger (Dir. Terence Young, 1963): The Bond films in the early 1960s were a massive cultural phenomenon with Sean Connery playing the iconic British spy. Goldfinger perhaps remains the apex of the Connery-era with its famous villain (Gert Frobe), Bond girl (Honor Blackman), theme song and setpieces.
Along with his licence to kill, shaken-not-stirred Martinis and Walther PPK was Bond’s silver Aston Martin DB5 which featured an oil slick, smoke screen, ejector seat, radar tracking system, machine guns, and revolving license plates. [IMDb / Amazon]
1968 Ford Mustang GTin Bullitt (Dir. Peter Yates, 1968): Famous for an extended car chase – frequently cited as one of the best in cinema history – this thriller sees a San Francisco cop (Steve McQueen) who is assigned to protect a mafia informant before uncovering a more sinister plot involving an ambitious senator (Robert Vaughn).
The famous car chase had Bullitt in a dark “Highland Green” 1968 Ford Mustang GT 390 CID Fastback, chasing two hit-men in a “Tuxedo Black” 1968 Dodge Charger R/T 440 Magnum. [IMDb / Amazon]
1963 Volkswagen Beetle in The Love Bug (Dir. Robert Stevenson, 1968): The 1968 Disney film The Love Bug featured a Volkswagen Beetle named Herbie, his driver (Dean Jones) and love interest (Michele Lee).
It went on to star in 4 sequels Herbie Rides Again, Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo, Herbie Goes Bananas, and Herbie: Fully Loaded. One the iconic cars to emerge in post-war Europe, its popularity and awareness were boosted by the Herbie series. [IMDb / Amazon]
Mark II Mini in The Italian Job (Dir. Peter Collings, 1969): It is hard to imagine now, but this late 1960s caper film about British criminals (led by Michael Caine) stealing gold bullion from Turin wasn’t a huge success on initial release. Over the years it gradually became something of an institution due to its witty (and heavily romanticised) evocation of the Swinging Sixties.
Although the film contains some memorable cars (including a Jaguar E-Type and Aston Martin DB4) it is synonymous with the Mini, three of which are used for the climactic getaway, thankfully all cars have a great motor trader policy. The cars used were the Mark II Minis and they are driven down staircases, storm drains, over the FIAT factory and – most memorably – into the back of a moving bus to the sounds of Quincy Jones’ famous soundtrack. [IMDb / Amazon]
1970 Dodge Challenger R/T in Vanishing Point (Dir. Richard C. Sarafian, 1971): Down the years this film has established a formidable cult reputation. The story involves a Vietnam vet named Kowalski (Barry Newman) who drives from Denver to San Francisco, refusing to stop for the police – who soon start to chase him – and becomes a media sensation after being championed by a blind black disc jockey (Cleavon Little).
Although not a big hit at the time, it captures the black counter-culture mood of early 1970s America and the white Dodge Challenger has gone on to inspire albums (Primal Scream’s 1997 Vanishing Point) and other films (Quentin Tarantino used the same model in Death Proof in 2007). [IMDb / Amazon]
1971 Pontiac LeMans in The French Connection (Dir. William Friedkin, 1971): One of the classic crime movies of the 1970s was this gritty tale of New York narcotics detectives “Popeye” Doyle (Gene Hackman) and Buddy Russo (Roy Scheider) tracking down the source of heroin coming into the United States.
It also contained one of the most remarkable car chases ever put on screen, in which Doyle frantically chases an elevated train. It was made all the more remarkable by the fact that it was shot for ‘real’ in Brooklyn, New York with terrified observers avoiding Doyle’s car, which was driven by stunt driver Bill Hickman. [IMDb / Amazon]
Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6 in C’était un Rendezvous / English Title: “It Was A Date” (Dir. Claude Lelouch, 1976): One of the most jaw dropping and riveting examples of a car on film is this incredible short film (under 10 minutes) showing a high speed drive through Paris in the early hours of the morning.
Shot in a single take, with a gyro-stabilised camera mounted on the bonnet of a Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6, it has been shrouded in rumour and controversy for years due to the illegal nature of how it was filmed. It is thought that the sound of a Ferrari was dubbed on, even though the car was probably a Mercedes. Jeremy Clarkson once said it “makes Bullitt look like a cartoon”. [IMDb / Amazon]
1975 Lotus Esprit in The Spy Who Loved Me (Dir. Lewis Gilbert, 1977): The second iconic Bond car appeared in the late 1970s in the heyday of the Roger Moore era. The plot saw 007 try to stop a madman (Curt Jurgens) from taking over the world with the help of a KGB agent (Barbara Bach).
But the highlight for car enthusiasts was the sequence involving a Lotus Esprit which also doubled as a submarine complete with rocket launcher and mines. At the time of shooting only two of these Lotus models were available, and the film helped boost it’s image with what was a groundbreaking stunt sequence for the time. [IMDb / Amazon]
1974 Dodge Monaco in The Blues Brothers (Dir. John Landis, 1980): The ‘Bluesmobile’ was the long suffering cop vehicle that John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd drove on their ‘mission from God’ in the popular 1980 comedy. After the extended chase from their concert gig in the film, a 106-mile trip to Chicago in which they are chased by the police and Neo-Nazis, the Bluesmobile collapses as the Brothers arrive at the Richard J. Daley Center.
The film used 13 different cars to depict the Bluesmobile, all of which were former police cars purchased from the California Highway Patrol, and were mocked up to look like Illinois patrol cars. [IMDb / Amazon]
Modified 1973 Ford Falcon XB GT in Mad Max (Dir. George Miller, 1979): The low budget Australian thriller that launched Mel Gisbson as a star was the story of a traffic cop who hunts down the crazed motorcycle thugs who kill his family.
Featuring plenty of car chases, there are many memorable vehicles in this film but no more so than the modified car Max eventually drives, a 1973 Ford Falcon XB GT. The actual model used in the film (and the 1981 sequel Mad Max 2) is currently at The Cars of the Stars Motor Museum in Keswick, Cumbria. [IMDb / Amazon]
DeLorean DMC 12 in Back to the Future (Dir. Robert Zemeckis, 1985): One of the major box office hits of the 1980s was this clever tale of a teenager (Michael J Fox) who inadvertently travels back in time thanks to a maverick professor (Christopher Lloyd) who has built a time machine into a Delorean car.
Interestingly, the Delorean never really took off as a car after the company went bankrupt in 1982, but it has become synonymous with this film and in 2007 a limited number were produced again. [IMDb / Amazon]
1961 Ferrari 250 GT Spyder California in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (Dir. John Hughes, 1986): The late John Hughes directed several films that captured the growing pains of teenagers in Reagan’s America, but this tale of a Chicago whizz-kid (Matthew Broderick) who plays truant with his girlfriend (Mia Sara) and best buddy Cameron (Alan Ruck) was arguably his funniest.
A key subplot was that they used a vintage Ferrari to drive around own in, a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT Spyder California which forms part of a key scene towards the end of the film. [IMDb / Amazon]
1976 Ford Gran Torino in Starsky and Hutch (Todd Phillips, 2004): A bit of a cheat this one, as the film version of the long running TV series about two LA detectives also featured the famous red Ford Gran Torino with the white stripe down the side. In truth this remake wasn’t really up to much (Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson didn’t really have the chemistry of Paul Michael Glaser and David Soul), although the car remains one of the most iconic of TV shows in this era.
Ford built 1,000 replicas of the “Starsky and Hutch” car in the spring of 1976, due to the TV show. [IMDb / Amazon]
The Tumbler in Batman Begins & The Dark Knight (Dir. Christopher Nolan, 2005 & 2008): Of the bat-mobiles that have graced the big screen, the one in the most recent films with Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne / Batman was the most radical. Invented by Wayne Industries’ Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman), it resembles an armoured vehicle and is powered by a massive jet-booster.
The vehicle does not have a front axle, a design which was influenced by the ‘spinners’ from Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner. The film’s production designer described the machine as a cross between “a Lamborghini and a Tank”. The second film saw a nifty Bat-bike (the Batpod) hidden within the main body of the vehicle. [IMDb / Amazon]
It has been in The Evil Dead films, the Spiderman trilogy and most recently appeared in Drag Me to Hell, driven by the elderly gypsy woman who can’t get a mortgage.
If you have any classic film cars, leave a comment below.
