Coming up: The Incredible Shrinking Man - The Criterion Collection
A spruced-up special edition of the sci-fi classic out Oct. 19. Order now from Amazon.
Details:
Existentialism goes pop in this benchmark of atomic-age science fiction, a superlative adaptation of a novel by the legendary Richard Matheson that has awed and unnerved generations of viewers with the question, What is humanity’s place amid the infinity of the universe?
Six months after being exposed to a mysterious radiation cloud, suburban everyman Scott Carey (Grant Williams) finds himself becoming smaller . . . and smaller . . . and smaller—until he’s left to fend for himself in a world in which ordinary cats, mousetraps, and spiders pose a mortal threat, all while grappling with a diminishing sense of himself.
Directed by the prolific creature-feature impresario Jack Arnold with ingenious optical effects and a transcendent metaphysical ending, The Incredible Shrinking Man gazes with wonder and trepidation into the unknowable vastness of the cosmic void.
BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES
• New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
• New audio commentary featuring genre-film historian Tom Weaver and horror-music expert David Schecter
• New program on the film’s special effects by effects experts Craig Barron and Ben Burtt
• New conversation between filmmaker Joe Dante and comedian and writer Dana Gould
• Auteur on the Campus: Jack Arnold at Universal (Director’s Cut) (2021)• Interview from 2016 with Richard Christian Matheson, novelist and screenwriter Richard Matheson’s son
• Interview with director Jack Arnold from 1983
• 8 mm home-cinema version from 1957
• Trailer and teaser narrated by filmmaker Orson Welles
• PLUS: An essay by critic Geoffrey O’Brien
Hot Trax '71: Carole King, James Brown, Grand Funk Railroad
New songs on the charts 50 years ago this week.
Listen to the updated Hot Trax '71 playlist on Spotify.
Pop Culture Roundup: Werewolf By Night, Downtown Abbey, Rolling Stones and more!
ITEM! NPR pays tribute to the late, great country singer and songwriter Tom T. Hall.
ITEM! The Rolling Stones U.S. tour is still on, despite the death of drummer Charlie Watts this week.
ITEM! Marvel is reportedly developing a "Werewolf By Night" Halloween special for Disney+.
Upcoming book by designer Chip Kidd examines Fantastic Four #1 panel by panel
Out Nov. 16. Available for order now from Amazon.
Details:
Timed for the 60th anniversary, the iconic and influential first issue of the Fantastic Four by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, deconstructed by award-winning designer Chip Kidd; with text by Marvel editor Tom Brevoort and historian Mark Evanier; and photographs by Geoff Spear
The first issue of Fantastic Four by legendary creators Stan Lee and Jack Kirby introduced fans to a now-iconic team of Super Heroes—Mister Fantastic, the Invisible Girl, the Human Torch, and the Thing—ushering in the modern Marvel Age of comics.
Kirby’s artistic contributions in this comic book revolutionized visual storytelling and brought a new reality to the way comics stories could be told, the ripple effects of which continue to influence comic book art to this day.
Sixty years after its publication in November 1961, this reimagining by award-winning graphic designer Chip Kidd uses an original copy of the comic book (which initially sold for ten cents and now sells for astronomical prices in good condition) to present the classic story in a whole new way that is sure to engage both lifelong fans and the latest generation of Marvel enthusiasts.
The book also includes text by Marvel editor Tom Brevoort and historian Mark Evanier (Kirby: King of Comics). Stunningly photographed by award-winning photographer Geoff Spear, Fantastic Four no. 1 is showcased as you’ve never seen it before—oversized and up-close—a panel-by-panel exploration of the entire issue that captures every single detail and nuance of Lee’s story and Kirby’s groundbreaking artwork, making it a must-have for every comic book collection.
New music out this week: Beach Boys, Marshall Crenshaw, Bill Evans, more!
Our weekly list of new releases of note. Click the links to order from Amazon.
Coming up: Rolling Stones "Tattoo You" 40th anniversary edition
A 4-CD set out Oct. 22. Order now from Amazon.
Details:
Tattoo You celebrates 40 years with the release of a brand new Super Deluxe 4CD Boxset which includes the newly remastered version of Tattoo You, Lost & Found, Still Life: Wembley Stadium 1982 plus a bonus Picture Disc pressing of Tattoo You and a 124 Page Book featuring over 200 rare photos from recording sessions & world tour + interviews with producer Chris Kimsey & photographer Hubert Kretzscmar. The package includes a special lenticular sleeve.
Coming up: "John Coltrane - A Love Supreme Live in Seattle"
Impulse! Records will release a live recording of jazz saxophonist John Coltrane's seminal work, "A Love Supreme," on Oct. 8. You can order it now from Amazon.
Details:
This newly discovered live-recording of a performance of the Love Supreme suite is a revelation. Recorded at The Penthouse in Seattle on October 2, 1965, this recording transports the listener to a prime seat for piece of musical history. While not studio-quality audio, the power of the performance shines through. This version is also of the full suite and features an expanded band that includes the same Classic Quartet and Pharoah Sanders in his first official gig as part of Coltrane’s group.
Pop Culture Roundup: The Hulk(s), Superman '78, Charlie Watts, more!
ITEM! Former Hulk Ed Norton has been cast alongside current Hulk Mark Ruffalo in an episode of Marvel's animated "What If...? series on Disney+.
ITEM! DC Comics' new "Superman '78" mini-series is a comic book sequel to the first Christopher Reeve super film.
ITEM! "The Show," a film co-scripted by comics writer Allan Moore will debut soon on various streaming services.
ITEM! Rolling Stones Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ron Wood posted tributes to the band's drummer, Charlie Watts, who died yesterday at age 80.
Coming up: Neil Young - Carnegie Hall 1970
A 2-CD set out Oct. 1. Order now from Amazon.
Details:
On December 4th 1970, Neil Young played two legendary solo acoustic shows at New York’s Carnegie Hall. The 23 songs in this set (2 LP & 2 CD) have been mixed from the original ¼ inch tapes by Young and Niko Bolas. This is the early show which has never been bootlegged or circulated, and is the first release in Neil’s new “Official Bootleg Series”.
New books collect best "Doctor Who" novels by the great Terrance Dicks
Longtime "Doctor Who" fans know that Terrance Dicks wrote some of the best books adapting stories from show. In fact, I read some of his novels when they first published in the U.S. in the early 1980s, before every having seen the show. Now some of his best novels are being collected in "The Essential Terrance Dicks Volumes 1 & 2."
You can learn more about the books and read an excerpt from them here. The books are available for order now on Amazon.
New comics collected editions out this week: Fantastic Four, Wonder Woman, Kull the Destroyer
Our weekly look at collected comics of note. Click the links to order titles from Amazon.
Only an artist as immortal as John Buscema could fill Jack “King” Kirby’s Galactus-sized shoes on Fantastic Four! “Big John” joins Stan the Man on a timeless run in this collection of FF from the early ’70s: Johnny Storm and Crystal develop their romance, while Ben Grimm learns to change into Thing at will; Reed Richards takes on Annihilus and Janus in the Negative Zone, and none other than Doctor Doom teams up with the FF to face the awesome threat of the Over-Mind! Plus: Gabriel the Air-Walker debut as Galactus’ new herald, and he’s arrived on Earth to force the Silver Surfer to submit to the Big G’s will—or the Earth dies! All this plus the return of the Monster from the Lost Lagoon!COLLECTING: Fantastic Four (1961) 105-125, Annual (1963) 8-9 covers only