Displaying items by tag: A24

We’re closing out the week here at The Bits with a bunch of release news and more new disc reviews as well. The reviews include...

Tim’s take on Rocky Morton & Annabel Jankel’s Super Mario Bros. (1993) in 4K Ultra HD from Umbrella Entertainment—the deluxe Trust the Fungus edition.

Stuart’s look at Hal Ashby’s Coming Home (1978) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, as well as his review of Kino Lorber’s Homicide Hills: The Complete Series on DVD.

And Dennis’ reviews of Frank Lloyd’s Blood on the Sun (1945) and Alfred L. Werker and Anthony Mann’s He Walked by Night (1948), both on Blu-ray also from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

Also, just to let you know, we’ve been sharing some additional content for our supporters over on Patreon, including essays on Godzilla Minus One’s visual effects Oscar win and the difficulty in creating or evaluating home video transfers for film, along with an exclusive tease about a trio of forthcoming 4K Ultra HD catalog titles that are in the works for later this year, my in-depth film review of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two, and a little behind-the-scenes on a visit with some friends of The Bits who just so happen to have been involved with the Star Trek franchise for over 38 years.

Supporting The Bits on Patreon is a really great way to help us keep the site going, and doing so makes it possible for us to continue our work in support of physical media and disc fans everywhere. So please consider joining us there! [Read on here...]

There’s some good title announcement news to report today, including a long-awaited music release.

But first, we wanted to let you all know that the 3/12 James Cameron 4K titles—The Abyss (1989), True Lies (1994), and Aliens (1986)—are finally available for pre-order on Amazon. And while they currently show full price, the usual 30% off discount should be applied soon. (Anyone who pre-orders now will get that discount when it is finally applied.)

Also now available for pre-order on Amazon is John Guillermin’s King Kong (1975) in 4K Ultra HD Steelbook from Paramount. This is a title that’s been available for a couple of years in the UK from StudioCanal, but it’s finally coming to the US. The film stars Jessica Lange, Jeff Bridges, Charles Grodin, and René Auberjonois (of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine fame).

Click on the title links above to find their respective pre-order pages (and as always, whenever you order literally anything from Amazon after clicking to them through our links, you’re helping to support our work here at The Bits and we appreciate it).

Now then, the big announcement news today is that A24 is finally taking pre-orders for Jonathan Demme’s remastered Stop Making Sense (1984) in A24 Shop-exclusive Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD Collector’s Editions. Both will include Dolby Atmos audio and the original stereo mix, plus extras (including a 25-minute documentary and 2 bonus tracks—Cities and Big Business/I Zimbra) as well as a 64-page booklet. The 4K will also include Dolby Vision HDR. The title is expected to ship in sometime in May. You can find the pre-order page here. We don’t yet know if there will be a wide-release version eventually, though one is certainly possible. [Read on here...]

All right, if you thought yesterday’s post was busy with news, we’ve got another banger for you here today! But first, the day’s disc reviews...

Stuart has offered his thoughts on Henri Verneuil’s I... for Icarus (1979) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

Dennis has reviewed Neil Burger’s The Marsh King’s Daughter (2023) on Blu-ray from Lionsgate.

And just one more thing... Tim has delivered his take on Kino Lorber Studio Classics’ new Columbo: The 1970s – Seasons 1-7 Blu-ray box set as well. Enjoy!

Now then, a quick note: All of the Criterion Collection April titles we shared the cover artwork for in yesterday’s post now have Amazon pre-order links, though the actual pre-orders have yet to begin. But that should happen very soon. We’ve added the links to our 4K Ultra HD Release List here at The Bits as well.

We’re starting today with exciting news for music, concert film, and Talking Heads fans: A24 is going to begin pre-orders for their forthcoming 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray Collector’s Edition release of Jonathan Demme’s Stop Making Sense (1984) on 1/27. The official street date and other details are still TBA. And per Variety, the film will return to IMAX theaters around the country that same day for month-long residence screenings. You can read more here.

Following up on yesterday’s news column, Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment and DC have just officially announced the Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD release of James Wan’s Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom on 3/12. The Digital release will be available on 1/23. Extras on all versions will include 7 featurettes (Finding the Lost Kingdom, Aquaman: Worlds Above and Below, It’s a Manta World, Necrus, the Lost Black City, Escape from the Deserter World, Brawling at Kingfish’s Lair, and Oh TOPO!). To this, the Digital version will add the exclusive Aquaman Through Fire and Water motion comic. And the Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD will also add the exclusive Atlantean Blood Is Thicker Than Water featurette. Note that the 4K Ultra HD will also feature Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos audio. You can see the cover artwork at left and also below. [Read on here...]

All right, I’d like to start today’s post out by saying a big thank you to everyone who’s signed up to support our Digital Bits Patreon, or expressed the intent to do so soon, or made a PayPal donation, or simply sent us good wishes. Thanks also to those among you who are using our Amazon affiliate links whenever you shop or pre-order new Blu-ray and 4K titles. The overall response has been very encouraging and very understanding, and we appreciate each and every one of you. So thank you!

Now then, we’re going to catch up on some news, plus we’ve got a bunch of new disc reviews for you here, and then I’m going to spend the next few days working on a few Blu-ray and 4K reviews myself. But first, here are some reviews our team has posted for you all to enjoy in the last few days...

Stuart has chimed in with reviews of Henry Hathaway’s Nevada Smith (1966), John Cassavetes’ Gloria (1980), and Ida Lupino’s Outrage (1950) all on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, François Ozon’s Everything Went Fine (2021) on Blu-ray from Cohen Media Group, and John Mackenzie’s Unman, Wittering and Zigo (1971) on Blu-ray from Arrow Video.

Dennis has offered his thoughts on Dorothy Arzner’s Christopher Strong (1933) on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection, Harley Cokeliss’ Malone (1987) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, Chalit Krileadmongkon and Pakphum Wongjinda’s Creepy Crawly (2022) on Blu-ray from Well Go USA, and Brian Paulin’s At Dawn They Sleep (2000) on Blu-ray from Saturn’s Core and Vinegar Syndrome.

Stephen has taken an in-depth look at Louis Malle’s Pretty Baby (1978) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, Godfrey Ho’s Undefeatable (1993) on 4K Ultra HD from Vinegar Syndrome, and Allen Plone’s Night Screams (1987) also in 4K Ultra HD from Vinegar Syndrome.

And Tim has reviewed Brendon Small and Tommy Blacha’s direct-to-video animated finale Metalocalypse: Army of the Doomstar (2023) on Blu-ray from Adult Swim and Warner, as well as Amy Holden Jones and Deborah Brock The Slumber Party Massacre (1982) and The Slumber Party Massacre II (1987) in 4K Ultra HD from Scream Factory. [Read on here...]

In reviews this morning, Dennis has taken a look at Raphael Sbarge’s 2022 Laemmle Theatres documentary Only in Theaters on DVD from Kino Lorber. The film chronicles the 80+ year history of the family-owned cinema chain, which is based in L.A., and looks at the family’s efforts to see it survive the current challenges facing the industry.

More reviews are coming, so be sure to watch for them.

Now then... the big news today is two-fold: First, Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment has just revealed that Babylon 5: The Complete Series is coming to Blu-ray Disc for the first time ever on 12/5! Of course, the series was originally produced and finished in SD resolution only. But its live-action footage was shot on film, so that’s been scanned in 4K and downsampled to HD, while the CGI and VFX shots have been upsampled to HD from SD. But if you’ve seen the series recently as it appears on the Max streaming app, you’ll be familiar with the quality. (Note that it’s presented in the original 1.33 broadcast aspect ratio, and will include English SDH subtitles.) All 110 episodes of the show will be included, along with the 1993 pilot film, The Gathering. It appears that this title will be available via online retailers only, so don’t expect to find it at your local brick-and mortar shop. SRP is $99.99. You can see the cover artwork at left and also below. (Oddly, it doesn’t actually include an image of the Babylon 5 space station itself, which.. ahem... seems like very strange marketing choice.)

And second, here’s some exciting news for fans of 1980s animation: The great Ralph Bakshi has announced on his Facebook page that American Pop (1981) is finally coming to Blu-ray Disc from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment on 8/22! [Read on here...]

We’re kicking things off this week with a pair of new disc reviews...

Tim has posted his thoughts on Neil Jordan’s The Company of Wolves (1984) in 4K Ultra HD from Scream Factory.

And Stephen has checked in with his take on Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s Best Picture-winning Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) in 4K Ultra HD from A24 via Lionsgate.

In announcement and release news today, we have several interesting items for you...

First, our friends at MVD Entertainment have revealed the first 4K title in their MVD Rewind Collection, and it’s none other than Wes Craven’s Swamp Thing (1982)! Look for it to arrive on 7/25, and it will include both the Unrated International Version as well as the US Theatrical Version (which is rated PG). The title is also coming to Blu-ray that same day. You can see the cover artwork above left and also below.

Both versions are restored from new 16-bit 4K scans of the original camera negative, presented in the correct 1.85 aspect ratio with Dolby Vision HDR and audio in English 2.0 mono in DTS-HD Master Audio format (as well as Spanish mono). [Read on here...]

We start today with four more new disc reviews...

Stephen has taken a look at Calin Cazan, Dan Chisovski, and Mircea Toia’s animated The Son of the Stars (1985) on Blu-ray from Deaf Crocodile and Vinegar Syndrome.

Dennis has checked in with his thoughts on Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale (2022) on Blu-ray from Lionsgate, a film that just netted star Brendan Fraser the Academy Award for Best Actor.

And Stuart has taken a look at Vincente Minelli’s The Long, Long Trailer (1954) on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection, along with Ulli Lommel’s The Devonsville Terror (1983) on Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome.

More reviews are forthcoming, so be sure to stay tuned for them.

Also today, we’ve posted our latest update of the Release Dates & Artwork section (see the Cover Art link at the top of the website), which includes all the latest Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD cover artwork and Amazon.com pre-order links. As always, a portion of anything you order after clicking to Amazon from one of our links goes to help support our work here at The Bits and we really do appreciate it. [Read on here...]

We’ve got another new disc review for you today, actually two of them in a way: Our own Tim Salmons has taken a look at Graham Annable and Anthony Stacchi’s The BoxTrolls in 4K Ultra HD from Laika via Shout! Factory—both the regular Amaray version as well as the Steelbook packaging.

In announcement news today, our friend George Feltenstein has just revealed (via Tim Millard’s excellent The Extras podcast) the Warner Archive Collection’s planned April slate of Blu-ray titles, which will officially include Safe in Hell (1931) mastered from a 4K scan and restoration of a rare and newly-discovered 35 mm print, along with One Way Passage (1932), The Strawberry Blonde (1941), and Storm Warning (1951) each mastered from new 4K scans of the original camera negatives, and A Lion in the Streets (1953) mastered from a new 4K restoration of the original three-strip Technicolor camera negatives. All of these titles are due to street toward the end of the month (dates TBA).

The Warner Archive has apparently been working with The Film Foundation on these titles. Also revealed to be coming at some point this year to Blu-ray is The Roaring Twenties (1939). Again, street date is TBA. [Read on here...]

We’re tracking a bunch of things today here at The Bits, so let me just give you a quick rundown.

First of all, Shudder and RLJE Films have set Rebekah McKendry’s Glorious for release on Blu-ray and DVD on 3/14.

For you UK readers, Eureka is releasing a new Masters of Cinema Blu-ray edition on May 22nd... Andrzej Żuławski: Three Films. Żuławski was a Polish filmmaker with a reputation as maverick. The three titles will include his debut film, The Third Part of the Night (1971), The Devil (1972), which was banned for 16 years in Poland, and the unfinished science fiction On the Silver Globe (1988), which the Polish government actually ordered destroyed, but the negatives survived and the film finally premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 1988. Having all three of these preserved and released on Blu-ray is a minor miracle, so this should be a fantastic box set.

Meanwhile, 88 Films has revealed three more Italian deep catalog 4K Ultra HD titles for release in the months ahead, including Antonio Margheriti’s The Ark of the Sun God (1984) on 3/10, followed by Andrea Bianchi’s Burial Ground (1981) on 5/29, and Marino Girolami’s Zombie Holocaust (1980) on 6/26. [Read on here...]

All right, obviously we broken some significant news over the weekend, namely that director James Cameron has confirmed to a French reporter (during the PR push for Avatar: The Way of Water) that The Abyss is finally coming to 4K Ultra HD by March of next year. (See our reporting on this yesterday here at The Bits. The director also mentioned The Abyss in an interview with Space.com last year). So rest assured we’ll post more details as soon as we have them.

In the meantime, we have some more great 4K catalog news to share with you today, as well as new disc reviews. So let’s start with the latter first, as always...

On Friday evening, I posted my in-depth review of Phil Tippett’s stunning stop-motion magnum opus Mad God on limited edition Steelbook Blu-ray from the folks at Shudder. The film is just astonishing. It’s really something—definitely not for all tastes, but boy is it something to see.

I also posted my review of the John Krasinski TV actioner Jack Ryan: Season One in 4K Ultra HD from Paramount. Both that and Season Two are being released in UHD in anticipation of the debut of Season Three on Amazon Prime on 12/21. And the picture quality is stunning.

Tim has also reviewed another Amazon Original on Blu-ray from Paramount, specifically Reacher: Season One which also has tremendous image quality. It’s also available in 4K and soon as we have our hands on that (and Jack Ryan: Season Two in 4K), we’ll post the reviews here.

In addition, Tim has reviewed a pair of new Scream Factory 4K Ultra HD titles, including Brian De Palma’s Carrie (1976) and Bob Clark’s Black Christmas (1974).

And I’m not kidding when I say that we have a lot more Blu-ray and 4K UHD reviews coming over the next week or two, so be sure to check back for them. [Read on here...]