Description: Michael Gough turns in a memorable performance as a demented professor in this cult favourite B-movie that takes a skewed look at the King Kong story, transposing the action from New York to London. Also starring teen heartthrob Jess Conrad, Konga is featured here as a High Definition remaster from original film elements in its original theatrical aspect ratio. For for US fans of Space: 1999, none of these Blu-ray releases has been ideal. For one thing, the UK sets are Region B only. Yet they included significant bonus material not found in the Shout! Factory set. Meanwhile, that US set is Region A and it includes some new extras, but Shout! unfortunately created their own 5.1 mixes for all the episodes—rather than simply utilizing the 5.1 mixes from the UK sets—and they’re not particularly good. (Specifically, the audio in the surround channels is very low. And for some reason the Shout! BDs don’t let you switch from 5.1 to mono with your remote.) So what’s a self-respecting US Space: 1999 fan to do? Well, I’m very pleased to say that I’ve finally got a good answer to that question… The best Blu-ray players with Wi-Fi support include the Sony UBP-X700, Sony BDP-S6700, Panasonic DP-UB9000, Sony UBP-X1100ES, and the Sony UBP-X800M2. Behind the Story (SD, 85 min) — This six-part anniversary retrospect is easily the centerpiece of the entire collection, covering all the major aspects of the film. The documentary commences with interviews of producer Howard Gottfried and director Sidney Lumet about Paddy Chayefsky's script, influences and origins, and how Lumet became involved ("The World and Words of Paddy Chayefsky"). This is followed by a look at casting and the characters, where Faye Dunaway, Ned Beatty, Kathy Cronkite and Lance Henriksen do most of the talking ("The Cast, The Characters"). You’d be hard pushed to tell this was an up-scale, with staples like skin texture and clothing weaves being very prevalent. Paperwork, computer consoles and screen text, notepad drawings, litigation papers: all are clean, clear, and precise.

Whilst it’s likely the best that this film has ever looked, the frequently softer-than-you’d-like source material will never be demo worthy. Network' comes to Blu-ray with a terrific 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 encode (1.85:1) that retains Owen Roizman's intentional look and feel. The photography commences rough and bleak, but as the story progresses, it seems to mature and appear more elegant. The high-def transfer displays this subtle development beautifully. The film opens with an average picture that would be acceptable for its age and period. Slowly, the fine details of hairs, clothes, and the random items which clutter network offices are sharply defined and distinct. Facial complexions are naturally textured and reveal every wrinkle in the actors' faces. A thin veil of grain washes over the image for an appreciable cinematic quality, and dimensionality improves along with the story. Indeed I bought the DVD of Fireball and never got to the end of it and it's a lot better than Supercar. I have a couple of episodes of Supercar on a compilation disc so I have seen it recently. Those few episodes will do me. On a similar note I think the Roberta Leigh series Space Patrol was better than Fireball and I didn't get to the end of my Blu Ray of that either. Though I got a lot through more of them than I did with Fireball. There are a few sequences where the political statements feel a bit dated now, but the dialog is sharp and very witty. The technical jargon also does not alienate, it gives one a real sense of the language and rhythm of work TV professionals are used to.

The Social Network Video

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Sidney Lumet's Network arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video. Sidney Lumet's Network is unquestionably one of the most prophetic American films from the last thirty years. It accurately predicted that the world of television was bound for a massive makeover and that eventually the news networks will begin creating their own news while comfortably manipulating the public. Description: Original Goon Michael Bentine co-writes and gives a memorable performance as an amiable 'Sandwich Man' in this gentle, whimsical comedy that features a Who's Who? of British talent, including Norman Wisdom, Diana Dors, Harry H. Corbett, Dora Bryan, Bernard Cribbins and Terry-Thomas. The Sandwich Man is featured here as a brand-new High Definition remaster from original film elements in its original theatrical aspect ratio.

The disc presents an up-scaled 3840 x 2160p resolution image with widescreen 2.39:1 aspect ratio, and uses 10-bit video depth, High Dynamic Range, a Wide Colour Gamut (WCG) and is encoded using the HEVC (H.265) codec for Dolby Vision and HRD10.Horace Quilby treads a perpetual odyssey through the London streets on behalf of Finklebaum and O'Casey – dealers in 'misfit clothing'. Resplendent in top hat, tails and sandwich board his is a unique angle from which to observe life. Today, however, he is preoccupied – Esmerelda, his racing pigeon, is taking part in the race of her life! by recognizing our uncanny strangeness we shall neither suffer from it nor enjoy it from the outside. The foreigner is within me, hence we are all foreigners. If I am a foreigner, there are no foreigners” Despite these aspects, which ultimately highlight the production context, The Owl Service is impressively rich in its themes and visual composition. As mentioned, there are clashes of class and culture, as well as generations and gender. Though often referenced, Alison’s mother Margaret never appears on screen, her significant absence is felt through artefacts that she leaves indicating her influence and everyone’s concern about her getting upset. Gwyn at one point corners Alison in a summer house in a frankly creepy and unsettling sequence. Roger and Gwyn are both seen weeping but in different situations – Roger alone in a corner but surrounded by images of his father; Gwyn on the stairs of the house which prompts Roger’s contempt. Even flower power gets a reference, indicating the cultural upheavals that might seem distant but are nonetheless felt. To speak Chayefsky's Oscar-winning dialogue, Lumet enlisted a powerhouse cast list, including Faye Dunaway, William Holden, Peter Finch (as 'the mad prophet of the airwaves' Howard Beale), Robert Duvall, Ned Beatty and Beatrice Straight. Five of them would be nominated for Academy Awards, three would win. Keep meaning to get hold of Space Patrol, I got though Fireball by going to bed extra early and getting an episode done a night on a 19 inch portable just the right way to watch them.