My Two Cents
We’ve got two more new disc reviews for you to check out today, just as Comic-Con officially gets underway down in San Diego...
Stephen has taken a look at Michael Tuchner’s Fear Is the Key (1972) on Blu-ray from Arrow Video.
And Dennis has offered his thoughts on Étienne Périer’s When Eight Bells Toll (1971) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.
We’ve also got several good new title announcements to report this afternoon here at The Bits...
First, Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment has revealed that a Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga – Black & Chrome Edition will be available Digitally on 8/13. The color version is already set to debut on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD on 9/24. And you will be able to get the Black & Chrome Editions of both Furiosa and Mad Max: Fury Road in the forthcoming Mad Max 5-Film 4K Collector’s Edition, which is also due on 9/24 (pre-order here). This new Black & Chrome Edition was created by George Miller, who feels that it distills the essence of the film into something more pure and classical (per comments on social media).
Universal will release Jeff Nichols’ The Bikeriders (2024) on 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray on 8/13, with the Digital release set for 8/9. The film stars Jodie Comer, Austin Butler, Tom Hardy, Michael Shannon, Michael Faist, and Norman Reedus. The Blu-ray editions will feature Dolby Atmos audio, and the 4K will boast HDR10 high dynamic range. Extras will include feature commentary with Nichols and 3 featurettes (Johnny, Benny & Kathy, The Era of The Bikeriders, and The Filmmaker’s Eye: Jeff Nichols). You can see the cover artwork below the break. [Read on here...]
Afternoon, Bits readers! We’ve got something very special to share with you today here at the site, but first we also have some more new disc reviews...
Our very own Tim Salmons has delivered his thoughts on Roy William Neill’s Black Moon (1934) on Blu-ray from Columbia Pictures and Via Vision’s Imprint Films label. Tim has also taken a look at Jay Levey’s UHF (1989) in 4K Ultra HD from Shout! Studios in honor of the film’s 35th anniversary!
And Stuart has offered his take on another classic film, Arthur Ripley’s The Chase (1946) on Blu-ray from the good people at Kino Lorber Studio Classics. Enjoy!
Now then, some of you may remember that way back in 2010, visual effects pioneer Douglas Trumbull proposed an elaborate documentary on the making of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). Unfortunately, he was never able to get Warner Bros. to fund the project, which was known as Beyond the Infinite, and the man sadly passed away in 2022 (you can read our salute to him here).
You may also remember that back in 2016, I published an in-depth look at the various behind-the-scenes books on the making of the film, Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: The Ultimate Trip in Print, here at The Bits website.
Well... back in September I was honored to be contacted by my friends Michael and Denise Okuda (of Star Trek fame) to participate in a new documentary they were producing on 2001 with the team at OTOY. So I spent a lovely evening up in Burbank with Mike, Denise, and my old friend Roger Lay, Jr. (who created many of the excellent documentaries on Paramount’s Star Trek Blu-rays in recent years) shooting an interview about the film and its place in cinema history. Today, I am very pleased to say that the result of their work is finally available for all of you to see for yourselves! [Read on here...]
We’ve got a pair of new disc reviews for you here at The Bits today...
Dennis has turned in his thoughts on Paul Brickman’s Risky Business (1983) on Blu-ray from the Criterion Collection (a 4K UHD review is also forthcoming).
And Stuart has chimed in with his look at James Beshears’ Homework (1982) on Blu-ray from Unearthed Films.
In announcement news today, Kino Lorber Studio Classics has revealed that Umberto Lenzi’s Battle of the Commandos (1969) is coming soon to Blu-ray, a film that features Jack Palance and Curd Jürgens. Also coming soon to Blu-ray from KLSC is Terence Young’s The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders (1965).
While it’s not quite announcement news, based on new Amazon listings it appears that Paramount is going to be releasing Gore Verbinski’s The Ring (2002) in 4K Ultra HD and 4K Steelbook on 10/15. The film was previously made available on the format only in the Scream Factory’s The Ring Collection 4K set back in March. It appears To Catch of Thief is finally coming to 4K as well that same day, in the same Paramount Presents packaging that the 2020 Blu-ray edition was released in. And Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow is being reissued as a 4K Steelbook package on 10/8. You can see the cover artwork for some of them below the break. [Read on here...]
We have several more new disc reviews for all of you to enjoy today, including...
Stuart’s look at Ting Shan-hsi’s A Queen’s Ransom (1976) on Blu-ray from Eureka Entertainment, Alain Cavalier’s Fill ‘er Up with Super (1976) on Blu-ray from Radiance Films, Peter Bogdanovich’s Daily Miller (1974) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, and William Wyler’s Friendly Persuasion (1956) on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection.
Dennis’ take on Raoul Walsh’s Pursued (1947) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics and Fred Zinnemann’s Act of Violence (1949) on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection.
And Stephen’s thoughts on Paul Schrader’s Touch (1997) on Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome’s Cinématographe line.
We have a bunch more new Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD reviews cooking as well—the whole team is working on reviews over the weekend—so be sure to watch for more here at The Bits next week.
In announcement news today, our friends at Imprint Films have just unveiled their October Blu-ray and 4K slate, which will include Luca Guadagnino’s Suspiria (2018) in 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray, The Blair Witch Project Collection on Blu-ray—which includes The Blair Witch Project (1999) and Book of Shadows: Blair Witch (2000)—Alberto De Martino’s The Antichrist (1974) on Blu-ray, James W. Roberson’s Superstition (1982) on Blu-ray, Dick Richards’s Death Valley (1982) on Blu-ray, and the Directed By… Roman Polanski Blu-ray box set—which includes Bitter Moon (1992), Death and the Maiden (1994), and The Ninth Gate (1999). The street date for all is 10/30, and each is limited to 1500 copies. You can see what the titles look like below the break. [Read on here...]
All right, first things first today—this is officially Prime Day on Amazon.com, so there are a TON of deals to be had on all kinds of items from Blu-rays, DVDs, and 4Ks, to books, computer stuff and all kinds of household items.
As you know, The Digital Bits is an Amazon Affiliate, so whenever you’re planning on shopping for literally anything from Amazon—particularly on a day like today—we’d sure appreciate it if you started by clicking on one our affiliate links first (like this one, or the logo below).
It makes a huge difference for us in keeping The Bits going, so thank you in advance for your support!
Now then, we’re starting today with three more new disc reviews from our staffers here, including...
Tim’s thoughts on Peter Collinson’s The Italian Job (1969)—a big favorite of ours here at The Bits—in 4K Ultra HD from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.
Stuart’s take on Anthony Mann’s The Tin Star (1957)—a great VistaVision Western starring Henry Fonda and Anthony Perkins—on Blu-ray from Arrow Video.
And Dennis’ look at Alfred Hitchcock’s Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1941)—a classic Robert Montgomery and Carole Lombard screwball comedy—on Blu-ray from the good people of the Warner Archive Collection.
More reviews are forthcoming this week, so be sure to check back for them!
Now then, we’ve got some very good release physical media news for you today, starting with this: I’ve confirmed that the new US 4-disc Godzilla Minus One: 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray Deluxe Collector’s Edition from Toho is just the latest of multiple planned physical media releases of the film. More editions are apparently “coming soon” in the months ahead. So expect wide-release versions eventually, and probably international SKUs as well. That’s definitely good news for fans around the world, and there are definitely a lot of you out there! [Read on here...]