A few years ago I rewatched Sidney Lumet’s filming of the hit Broadway musical “The Wiz” and was surprised that I enjoyed it as much as I did, especially given my vague memories of seeing it as a child and its long-attached reputation as another “bloated musical flop” from the ‘70s. Now on 4K UHD in a gorgeous restoration from Universal that Criterion is premiering for the first time, THE WIZ (135 mins., 1978, G) can be better appreciated by fans and newcomers alike. It’s a picture that’s aged in a number of different ways – and not all of them necessarily bad.
A box-office disappointment that was mostly savaged by critics, the Motown-produced filming of “The Wiz” features superstar Diana Ross as Dorothy, reconfigured as a young girl from Kansas into a black Harlem schoolteacher still living at home. Her sojourn to Oz is a journey of independence for its older heroine, as she engages with the standard outline of L. Frank Baum’s original source material and meets the Scarecrow (Michael Jackson), Cowardly Lion (Ted Ross) and Tin Man (Nipsey Russell) on a journey to find the Wizard (Richard Pryor) – one that embraces an alternately fantastical or nightmarish number of NYC locations, depending on one’s point of view (at times it’s both!).
“The Wiz” was Universal’s big Christmas ‘78 release and while some of the initial reviews from Variety and other trade papers indicated a big hit, the picture was dumped on by most major critics and gained the stigma of being just one more big-budget Hollywood bastardization of a popular Broadway show.
Despite the story’s mild alteration to accommodate her age, Ross was still too old to play Dorothy, a role she certainly wasn’t born to play despite her constant lobbying for the part. While Motown’s Berry Gordy wanted stage lead Stephanie Mills to reprise her acclaimed performance on-screen, Ross’ pitch of her playing L. Frank Baum’s heroine and Michael Jackson coming along to essay the Scarecrow was too much of an offer for Universal studio brass to refuse. Meanwhile, after director John Badham dropped out due to Ross’ arrival, Sidney Lumet came on-board, changed the setting from Kansas to NYC, and Joel Schumacher wrote a script Cohen later claimed was filled with “EST”-ian values popular in the ‘70s.
The film production does lose its way through some of these ill-advised decisions, yet enough of the musical’s charm, including Charlie Small’s songs, is retained, while some of the technical aspects of the film are fascinating to watch – especially today. Tony Walton’s production design and costumes have an odd, almost futuristic look to them (no surprise coming a year after “Star Wars”) which are alternately bizarre or effective, and Oswald Morris’ cinematography, Albert Whitlock’s vast matte paintings and the use of real Big Apple locales – especially the World Trade Center at the film’s climax – gives “The Wiz” a unique, dreamy feel.
The latter aspects of the film hold up better than some of its overstated emotion, and Ross’ sometimes stoic performance, making it a production that certainly isn’t the clunker its initial reputation would lead you to believe – one that unfairly lumped “The Wiz” together with Universal’s truly bad musical misfire “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” from earlier that same year.
Musically, “The Wiz” is also a powerhouse. Quincy Jones’ masterful arrangements encompass a large orchestra and chorus, providing an epic scale to Smalls’ original songs, some of which were augmented for the film by a few original Jones contributions (a couple he wrote with hit ‘70s duo Ashford & Simpson). The original show itself, of course, already had some great songs built in: the classic “Ease On Down the Road” and Dorothy’s concluding ballad “Home” became immediate hits, and the play also brought in a showstopper from soon-to-be hit solo artist Luther Vandross, whose “Everybody Rejoice” is exuberantly rendered on-screen.
Criterion’s UHD of “The Wiz” boasts Dolby Vision HDR (1.85) and Dolby Atmos sound; it’s a huge improvement (as is the included Blu-Ray) over Universal’s softish Blu-Ray of over a decade ago. The Atmos sound is beautifully remixed and all of it was approved by producer Rob Cohen. On the supplemental side, the goods are a little disappointing, limited to an enjoyable commentary between NYU professors Michael Gillespie and Alfred Martin, plus archival conversations with Diana Ross and a later talk with Sidney Lumet, who blamed himself for the film’s commercial failure (specifically his lack of expertise helming a musical with too much of the production relegated to the studio).
“The Wiz” itself traveled a rocky road to Broadway, nearly closing multiple times and kept afloat only because 20th Century-Fox (which bankrolled the show but passed, ironically, on producing the movie) threw money at TV ads which eventually brought in a young audience that embraced the struggling production. The movie version isn’t perfect either, with Lumet’s blocking of some of the various song sequences leaving something to be desired (the camera coverage should’ve been better), but it still offers a fresh perspective on “Oz” – and a great soundtrack – that seems more impressive now in the wake of the oversaturation of “Wicked”’s still-ongoing movie adaptation.
DROP 4K UHD (96 mins., 2025, PG-13; Universal): Agreeable little thriller from Blumhouse and producer Michael Bay works as a showcase for Meghann Fahy, recently seen on the terrific Netflix series “Sirens” and cast here as a widow who finally lands a first date with a photographer (Brandon Sklenar from “1923”) only to have it disrupted by a killer who orders her to follow a bunch of instructions with her date’s death at the end of the list. Fahy is terrific in this Jillian Jacobs-Chris Roach script which engagingly works through genre cliches and ends up a perfectly serviceable time killer under the direction of Christopher Landon. Universal’s 4K UHD (2.39, Dolby Atmos) is out sporting a Landon commentary, featurettes, Blu-Ray and Digital HD copy.
Kino Lorber June Releases
1989 was the year of the “Underwater Thriller,” with James Cameron’s expensive fantasy “The Abyss” and the dingy “Alien” rip-off “Leviathan” vying for audience share along with DEEPSTAR SIX (99 mins., 1989, R), which had the benefit of getting out of the gate first and now arrives in a 4K UHD package from Kino Lorber.
A Carolco production from director Sean S. Cunningham (“Friday the 13th”), “Deepstar” was released by Tri-Star in January ’89 and received a few decent reviews at the time of its release. The movie didn’t perform that well at the box-office, yet for a film that had a lower budget than either of its genre counterparts, Cunningham does okay under the circumstances here as a cast of TV vets (Greg Evigan. Nancy Everhard, Tauren Blacque, Matt McCoy, Miguel Ferrer, Nia Peeples, Thom Bray, Cindy Pickett), constructing a missile base on the bottom of the ocean floor, run into all kinds of trouble – most notably a large crustacean who’s none too happy about their presence.
I saw this film in theaters during my freshman year of high school and recall mildly enjoying it, even if the film’s clunky pacing doesn’t generate a whole lot of thrills. The monster doesn’t even make an appearance until the final third, by which point most viewers may have been sufficiently waterlogged by the picture’s story and one-dimensional (save for Ferrer’s turn) characters. Yet, even on its comparatively minor scale, “Deepstar Six” is ultimately more appealing than the trashy “Leviathan,” and does manage to score an entertaining enough final act with the big crab running amok.
“Deepstar Six”’s 4K UHD sports a Dolby Vision HDR upgrading of Kino Lorber’s 2020 Blu-Ray Special Edition plus an active and well-engineered 2.0 DTS MA track, which is one of the most enjoyable components of the production. A new commentary by podcasters James G. Chandler and Ash Hamilton is included along with extensive supplements from Kino Lorber’s previous Blu-Ray.
Those include archival extras (a commentary with Cunningham and FX supervisor James Isaac; vintage interview segments and Making Of promos) that were included alongside a generous assortment of exclusive interviews produced for the 2020 release. These include Greg Evigan and Nancy Everhard, stunt coordinator (and “Jason” performer) Kane Hodder, interviews with FX artists Greg Nicotero and Robert Kurtzman (among others), plus a wide-ranging talk with composer Harry Manfredini (who wrote one of his finest, and most orchestral, scores for the film), and a commentary with writers Lewis Abernathy and Geof Miller. The duo make for an engaging listen as they recall shooting the film in an abandoned IGA supermarket, even if Abernathy seems a little out of control at times.
THE PEACEMAKER 4K UHD (124 mins., 1997, R; Kino Lorber): Dreamworks’ first theatrical release was this underrated action vehicle for George Clooney and Nicole Kidman (underrated as a brunette, I might add), which only met with lukewarm results at the box-office in fall 1997.
Mimi Leder, who helmed many of E.R’s finest hours as well as “Deep Impact,” made her feature directorial debut with this taut, exciting, well-scripted globe-trotting adventure. Clooney and Kidman are both believable as they attempt to track down missing nuclear warheads, in a plot that constantly moves from start to finish–pausing only to establish the various locations our characters find themselves in. If you can keep up with the plot, this is great fun, and certainly better than, say, “Air Force One,” which hit multiplexes around the same time.
Kino Lorber’s 4K UHD of “The Peacemaker” features a good-looking Dolby Vision HDR (2.35) transfer with 5.1 DTS MA sound (even Hans Zimmer’s relatively subdued score is effective); a remastered Blu-Ray disc is also included. New extras include a pair of commentaries (one from Laurence Lerman, another from Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson), while carried over from the DVD are including deleted scenes and stunt footage.
I, MADMAN Blu-Ray (89 mins., 1989, R; Kino Lorber): When a bookstore worker and avid reader (Jenny Wright) becomes attached to a particular pulp paperback author, she finds that her passion has unknowingly – and incredibly – let loose the deranged madman who wrote the books in the first place – and who begins to make the fictional murders of his writings real. Tibor Takacs (“The Gate”) helmed this entertaining, well-regarded indie horror outing, which moves along at a swift clip and boasts colorful cinematography by Bryan England and a sense of fun to go along with its gory (but not overly gross) effects. Shout released a Special Edition of “I, Madman” back in 2015 and Kino’s “Kino Cult” special edition recycles its extras: commentary with Takacs and co-star/”artistic supervisor” Randall William Cook, a Making of, behind-the-scenes footage, and the trailer are on-hand plus MGM’s same, perfectly serviceable HD master (1.85, 2.0 DTS MA).
ROAD TRIP 4K UHD (93 mins., R/Unrated, 2000; Paramount): The highest-grossing raunchy teen comedy of 2000 is a great deal of fun, as it chronicles a group of college students who travel from Ithaca, NY to Texas to patch up a small misunderstanding between a sensitive guy (Breckin Meyer) and his girlfriend (Rachel Blanchard). Lots of low-brow gags are mixed with genuinely funny moments, most of which are provided by MTV comedian Tom Green. Though obviously inspired by “American Pie” and similar genre films of the time, “Road Trip” has a certain charm and energy, most of which is likely attributable to director Todd Phillips, whose career took off with this film’s success, leading to his breakout hit, “The Hangover,” several years later.
Kino Lorber’s 4K UHD sports a fresh Dolby Vision HDR (1.85) presentation of the movie’s R-rated theatrical cut, with the unrated version (1.78) on the Blu-Ray platter (which also houses the remastered Director’s Cut). A new commentary by Youtuber Joe Ramoni is featured plus legacy extras from past home video releases (deleted scenes, featurette, the “Eels” music video).
SABRINA 4K UHD (113 mins., 1954; Kino Lorber): Billy Wilder’s classic romantic comedy notched six Oscar nominations and helped propel star Audrey Hepburn into superstardom as the daughter of the family chauffeur who charms both the younger (William Holden) and elder (Humphrey Bogart) brothers of Long Island’s Larrabee family. Wilder, Samuel Taylor and Ernest Lehman’s script is funny and witty, enabling all three leads to shine, even with the 30 year age gap between Bogart and Hepburn being something of an issue (it was less so between stars Harrison Ford and Julia Ormond in Sydney Pollak’s serviceable remake, over 40 years later). Kino Lorber serves up another strong 4K scan (1.75) of the 35mm OCN here with Dolby Vision HDR and a remastered Blu-Ray also included. Extras include two commentaries by author Joseph McBride with another track sporting Julie Kirgo and Peter Hankoff. Legacy extras offer a number of featurettes and a documentary, culled from previous Paramount releases.
NATE AND HAYES Blu-Ray (100 mins., 1983, PG; Kino Lorber): Oddball pirate adventure features a charismatic Tommy Lee Jones as Captain “Bully” Hayes,” a real-life buccaneer who’s more Indiana Jones than Jack Sparrow in a New Zealand-financed adventure written by the unusual team of David Odell (“The Dark Crystal,” “Supergirl”) and John Hughes (yes, that John Hughes). Jones is quite a bit of fun as he helps young reverend Michael O’Keefe try to salvage fiancee Jenny Seagrove from the hands of villainous Max Phipps. The tone is erratic in Ferdinand Fairfax’s film, released overseas as “Savage Islands,” but some of the set-pieces are fun – including a rope-bridge sequence nearly identical to the one in “Indiana Jones & The Temple Of Doom,” then a year away from release! A 4K scan of the 35mm OCN (1.85, 2.0 DTS MA stereo) is on tap in Kino Lorber’s Blu-Ray with two commentaries on the supplemental side (one with Mike Leeder and Russelll Wait, the other with Dwayne Epstein).
RUSTLERS’ RHAPSODY Blu-Ray (88 mins., 1985, PG; Kino Lorber): Wan spoof/homage to B-movie westerns from the 1940s was a pet project of “WKRP” creator Hugh Wilson, who managed to parlay his success off “Police Academy” to get “Rustlers’ Rhapsody” made. Like the other comedic genre takes of the mid ‘80s (“Lust in the Dust” and “Three Amigos”), “Rhapsody” is a forgettable affair as a genre-knowing hero (Tom Berenger) saddles up to take on villainous Fernando Rey with the help of sidekick G.W. Bailey. Andy Griffith, Marilu Henner, Sela Ward and Patrick Wayne also appear in a well-intentioned Paramount release that’s just low on laughs, despite the cast and a nice score by Steve Dorff. A commentary by Max Allan Collins and podcaster Heath Holland is the sole extra in Kino Lorber’s attractive new Blu-Ray which debuts a new 4K scan (1.85) of the OCN.
New From Universal
The original summer blockbuster, Steven Spielberg’s JAWS (124 mins., 1975, PG; Universal) quickly became my favorite film growing up, having devoured it on VHS and on ABC’s Sunday Night Movie presentation (the one with the added footage) so many times I could recite some dialogue before I was out of grade school. Over the years I’ve been able to see it on the big screen (thanks to a visit with Lukas on Martha’s Vineyard back in the ’90s), but despite that – and having reviewed numerous laserdisc and DVD releases over the years – only with Universal’s Blu-Ray and 4K UHD edition have I felt like I’ve completely been able to appreciate “Jaws.” The Blu-Ray offered a brilliant HD presentation that was one-upped by a HDR/Dolby Vision-enhanced 4K transfer that does one notch better on an already-superb restoration, doing full justice to the classic 1975 screen adaptation of Peter Benchley’s bestseller.
Now in a 50th Anniversary UHD, “Jaws” offers a reprise of Universal’s 2020 release with the added “Jaws @ 50” documentary produced by Amblin and National Geographic (and which also debuts on the Nat Geo channel and Hulu in a couple of weeks).
There’s not much I can say about the movie that hasn’t been written or documented – from behind-the-scenes books to countless documentaries – since the film’s 1975 release date. Spielberg’s miraculous direction took advantage of every difficult production situation to create an all-time film masterwork that’s always been as satisfying for its unforgettable characterizations, surprising humor and memorable atmosphere as it is a white-knuckle thriller about a great white marauding swimmers off the shores of Amity Island. “Jaws” itself was a collaborative success, one that saw actors from Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss and Robert Shaw down to assorted extras improvising their lines, giving the film a real, human center that we seldom see in modern filmmaking. The daily shooting schedule couldn’t be mapped out all that far in advance since screenwriter Carl Gottlieb spent most nights working on the script with Spielberg – combined with our unpredictable and ever-changing weather here in southeastern New England, “Jaws” relied on the people making it so much that it’s because of their efforts – as well as Spielberg, who marshaled them all together – that the movie overcame its physical production struggles. In fact, had the movie not endured such a tumultuous shoot, it’s likely that “Jaws” never would’ve become the classic it did.
Universal produced a number of “100th Anniversary” Blu-Rays in 2012 with remastered transfers – the results ranged from superb to mediocre, but none looked as brilliantly detailed as “Jaws.” Restored from high-res 35mm original film elements at the time, the “Jaws” Blu-Ray was one of the most satisfying catalog releases the studio produced in the format: Bill Butler’s cinematography is richly textured down to the finest detail, with warm colors and just a dazzling appearance that brought new background detail to light with a clarity unseen in prior “Jaws” home video presentations (there was also, thankfully, no attempt at “tweaking” the movie’s color scheme like we’ve seen on too many BD releases over the years). The water has more depth, the Martha’s Vineyard locations come into sharper focus, and only the faintest hint of some filtering is apparent on a transfer that lets the movie’s natural cinematography speak for itself.
The 4K UHD appears to be built upon the same restoration but offers gains across a number of areas – blacks are a little deeper, the image is a little darker and richer, colors are generally more saturated but the application of HDR10+ and Dolby Vision isn’t over the top or distracting. Some viewers anticipating a night/day enhancement over something that was already superlative will need to fine tune their expectations – at first glance the 4K transfer may appear to be just a subtle enrichment, but when you spend a few minutes, then go back and compare this disc with the Blu-Ray, you can clearly see the benefits afforded by the UHD. The Blu-Ray subsequently appears a little blander overall in terms of its colors and contrasts – it’s still perfectly good, but the 4K UHD is even better, enabling “Jaws” fans to look upon the film with fresh eyes.
The rest of the presentation is basically a reprisal of what was previously released on Blu-Ray. Viewers can select from the movie’s original mono soundtrack (in a two-channel DTS mix) as well as a Dolby Atmos track derived from the Blu-Ray’s 7.1 remix, which offered a broader sound stage with some alterations that purists objected to (i.e. the “new” gunshots at the end still sound closer to the controversial 2005 DVD 5.1 remix than they do the original mono recording, though in other instances, portions of the mono mix were carried over).
The extra features are led by JAWS @ 50 (88 mins., 2025), the new documentary from Amblin which covers the movie’s history with a harder emphasis on its cultural impact – giving it a slightly different skewing perspective than the many traditional “Making Of” documentaries that have been produced in the past (two of which are also covered below). George Lucas, Robert Zemeckis, James Cameron, Cameron Crowe, J.J. Abrams, Jordan Peele and Guillermo Del Toro are among those who pay tribute to Spielberg’s classic, with archival news footage, some newly unearthed vintage interviews, new Spielberg comments and even some of the director’s home movies tossed into the mix. Despite the understandable amount of re-told anecdotes, it’s a breezy watch from Amblin doc specialist Laurent Bouzereau, complimenting the other “Jaws” production histories instead of trying to one-up them. (The one odd contributor is Emily Blunt, included here undoubtedly because she’s starring in Spielberg’s upcoming UFO movie).
The remaining supplements are great, though we’ve seen them all before. The eight-minute “From The Set” segment includes candid footage of the production’s first few days on-location in Martha’s Vineyard. Included here is priceless footage of Carl Gottlieb falling overboard and into the icy, early May waters of the Atlantic – all for the abandoned first attempt Spielberg made at showing the discovery of Ben Gardner’s boat. It’s a wonderful segment and it’s a shame it doesn’t go on longer than it does.
Laurent Bouzereau’s dry but still-essential two-hour “Making of Jaws” documentary from the ‘90s Signature Collection laserdisc is back, and it’s been again paired with “The Shark is Still Working,” a 2007 labor of love doc from James Gelet, Jake Gove, Erik Hollander, and James-Michael Roddy that treads over ground previously traveled by numerous other “Jaws” docs, as well as profiles other aspects glossed over by them (such as an interview with Percy Rodriguez, who performed the voice over for the film’s classic theatrical trailer). The same deleted scenes reel from the laserdisc is also included while the trailer, a Digital HD copy, and a look at Universal’s 2012 restoration has been ported over from the Blu-Ray.
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