On Movies & Movie Collecting: ‘The Untouchables’ Steelbook Arrives Today; ‘Red Dawn’ Drops in August!

Hey, there, Dear Reader.

It is late morning here in Lithia, Florida, on Tuesday, May 31, 2022. It is a warm and humid last day of spring in the Tampa Bay area. Currently, the temperature is 83°F (28°C) under sunny skies. With humidity at 73% and the wind blowing from the east-northeast at 8 MPH (12 KM/H), the heat index is 87°F (30°C). Today’s forecast calls for thunderstorms to move through our area, and the high will be 93°F (34°C). Tonight, we can expect scattered rain showers. The low will be 71°F (21°C).

Considering that the weather is going to deteriorate soon, I will keep this post as brief as possible. (I also don’t have much in the way of personal news, so that helps, too!)

Today I woke up super early (4:11 AM Eastern) to “answer the call of nature.” I wasn’t happy about it, and I was less happy when I experienced a short bout of wakefulness that I did not want then. Luckily I decided to make an effort and tried to go back to sleep instead of starting my daily routine before sunrise. I did go back to sleep, thankfully, and I slept till just past 8:20 AM. (My café con leche had been waiting for me for a while by the time I drank it, but at least it was still a bit warm and not iced café con leche.)

I am also happy to report that my Amazon order of the 4K UHD Steelbook of The Untouchables will arrive today. Amazon emailed me yesterday (Memorial Day) that my order had shipped but was estimated to arrive tomorrow, mainly, I suppose, because of the federal holiday and because Amazon sent it via the Post Office rather than through its in-house Amazon Prime delivery service.

But – I’m guessing based on the package’s tracking history – Amazon must have received a consignment from Paramount Home Media Distribution in a distribution center in Central Florida, because my shipment originated from Orlando – a stone’s throw from Lithia via delivery truck – at 6:22 AM Eastern yesterday.

And per my USPS Informed Delivery and Amazon accounts, my package with the steelbook edition of The Untouchables is marked as Out for Delivery. The Post Office estimates that it will be in our mailbox between 10: 15 AM (an hour ago) and 2:15 PM.

I probably will have to wait till the evening – after the thunderstorm threat recedes – to try out my 4K disc; I have the 2K Blu-ray (which many people don’t like because it’s not a good transfer from the original negative to digital disc), so I’m not in a hurry to watch the whole movie.

But, hey, at least I have something to look forward to today.

This morning I also pre-ordered the 4K UHD Blu of the original Red Dawn from 1984. I am not a fan of Patrick Swayze, but I loved this movie so much in the summer of 1984 that not only did I go see it several times during its theatrical run, but it’s one of the titles I always get format upgrades of. I remember – all too well – that Red Dawn was one of the first movies I owned on VHS (I paid a bit over $80 for a brand-new copy either in ’85 or ’86), and I’ve owned the DVD and 2K Blu-ray editions as well.

Here’s the announcement of the release on Blu-ray.com:

Shout Factory will bring to 4K Blu-ray John Milius’ classic film Red Dawn (1984), starring Patrick Swayze, C. Thomas Howell, Lea Thompson, Charlie Sheen, and Darren Dalton. The release is scheduled to arrive on the market on August 16.

Label description: From legendary director and screenwriter John Milius (Apocalypse Now, Conan the Barbarian) comes the tale of what-could-have-been, had the Cold War gone another way.

Considering that Red Dawn deals with a Soviet (aka Russian) invasion of the United States and a group of teenaged American resistance fighters, I would not at all be surprised if Russia’s “special military operation” (aka invasion, aka armed robbery on a massive scale) spurred the honchos at Shout Factory to release Red Dawn on 4K Blu-ray.

Incidentally, I’ve seen photos online of destroyed Russian equipment – mostly Soviet-era armored vehicles like T-72 and T-80 tanks and BMP infantry fighting vehicles – “tagged” by Ukrainian resisters with the English-language word “Wolverines” – a direct reference to Red Dawn.

Here’s what the Special Collector’s Edition from the Shout Select collection will bring:

Special Features and Technical Specs:

DISC ONE – 4K BLU-RAY

• BRAND NEW 4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE
• Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature

DISC TWO – BLU-RAY

• BRAND NEW 4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE
• A Look Back at Red Dawn – Featuring Interviews with Actor Doug Toby, Casting Director Jane Jenkins, Production Designer Jackson DeGovia, and Editor Thom Noble
• Red Dawn Rising – Featurette
• Training for WWIII – Featurette
• Building the Red Menace – Featurette
• WWIII Comes to Town – Featurette
• Original Theatrical Trailer
• Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature

Anyway, now you know, Dear Reader, what I’ll be getting for my video library later this summer.

And with that, my friend, I’ll close this post. Until next time, stay safe, stay healthy, and I’ll catch you on the sunny side of things.