A little preface – I started writing my little nickel and dime pieces for the holidays not before December 25 but after. And I’ll tell you why. How many of us receive as presents gift cards – they’re easily purchased and delivered. However, many have time limits and they’re incredibly easy to lose. Come on, you’ve lost a few, haven’t you?

So, I write up these fabulous video gifts because you have gift money to spend. And please do so.

When I was in the throes of graduation from Purcell Oklahoma High School about 40 years ago, we Seniors observed a tradition that I’m sure in some form or fashion was copied throughout the country – we had to complete a form that listed our personal “likes.” You know, favorite song, favorite type food, favorite movie, etc. [Read on here...]

As many of us already know, when you’re searching for a film that has been elusive as far as DVD and Blu-ray are concerned, looking elsewhere in the world might just yield you a copy of what you seek. To that end, on the other side of the globe (Australia to be exact), Umbrella Entertainment is releasing a number of hard to find titles, as well as upgrades of already existing ones. From the obscure to the mainstream, there’s always something in their library worthy of your attention.

For example, their recent Blu-ray release of Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films and Machete Maidens Unleashed!. It’s an exclusive title piled high with extras, almost none of which you’ll find on the DVD-only state-side releases. Be sure to check out our review of it as well. And while their DVDs are Region 4 encoded, ALL of Umbrella Entertainment’s Blu-ray releases are Region Free, regardless of what the online description or final packaging states. So no matter what your setup is, you can watch their Blu-rays. Speaking of which, here are several recent titles worthy of your attention. [Read on here...]

After a bit of an absence from the site, my annual Scream for a Week column makes its return with a batch of new great titles!

It’s been a few months since I’ve been able to do one of these, due mostly to some site work preventing me from doing so. Instead of mixing it up with both old and new content like before, I’ll be covering several recent releases instead.

Scream Factory has been putting out so much great content lately that it’s been a bit difficult to keep up with. Regardless, here’s a grouping of their more recent titles that we haven’t covered here at The Bits previously, with more to come in the future. [Read on here…]

All right, there’s not a lot of release news to report here today, but we do have a couple more reviews for you...

Tim has checked in with his take on Shout! Factory’s Death Wish II: Special Edition as well as Umbrella Entertainment’s all-region Double Feature of Death Wish II and Death Wish 3.

Meanwhile, I’m working on a couple more 4K Ultra HD reviews, as well as reviews of GKids’ new first wave of Studio Ghibli BD releases. So watch for those to start appearing in over the next few days. [Read on here…]

All right, kind of a bummer day given today’s news, but we’ve got a few things for you to try and cheer you up...

First of all, we’ve posted a whole bunch of new reviews over the weekend, including my looks at Disney and Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: Rebels – Season Three on BD and Universal’s The Mummy (2017), Paramount’s Ghost in the Shell (2017), and Sony’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula and The Bridge on the River Kwai: 60th Anniversary Edition in 4K Ultra HD. Meanwhile, Tim has checked in with his thoughts on the Warner Archive’s Innocent Blood, Shout! Factory’s TAMI Show & The Big TNT Show, and Criterion’s Blow-Up on Blu-ray, as well as 20th Century Fox’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Complete Series DVD box set. [Read on here…]

We’ve got lots more announcement news for you today…

Lionsgate has just set The Hitman’s Bodyguard for release on Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD on 11/21. We’ve updated our 4K Ultra HD Release List accordingly. The studio has also set Marc Webb’s The Only Living Boy in New York for Digital HD release on 10/20. There’s no word yet of a physical release. Lionsgate will also release The Glass Castle on Blu-ray and DVD on 11/7, with the Digital HD release set for 10/24.

Warner Bros Home Entertainment is releasing Justice League Action: Season 1, Part 1 and Once Upon a Sesame Street Christmas on DVD on 10/10. [Read on here…]

A quick note before we start today’s post: A bunch of you have e-mailed over the past week or so and I’ve got a bit of a backlog in getting back to everyone. So if you haven’t heard from me yet, I’ll do my best to respond to all of you over the next few days. Thanks for your patience!

Now then... let’s have an overdue announcement news round-up, shall we?

First up today, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment is going to be releasing Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire on 4K Ultra HD on 11/7 (SRP $31.99 each), along with the previously revealed Harry Potter 8-Film Collection in 4K UHD (SRP around $215.99). We’re awaiting the studio’s official press release, but Walmart already has the discs listed. Pre-orders are not up yet on Amazon, but we’ll add the links as soon as they are. Audio will be English DTS:X, with HDR10 high dynamic range. You can see the over artwork to the left and also below. [Read on here…]

Afternoon, folks! Hope all is well with you. Today’s is just a quick post to catch up on a bunch of new disc reviews we’ve posted here at The Bits over the past several days, which is one of the reasons we haven’t had a news post lately.

As such, you can now read my thoughts on Sony’s Starship Troopers: 20th Anniversary Edition and Warner’s Wonder Woman in 4K Ultra HD, as well as Mill Creek’s Friday Night Lights: The Complete Series box set on Blu-ray.

Meanwhile, Tim has turned in his reviews of Arrow Video’s Erik the Conqueror: Special Edition, Arrow Academy’s The Big Knife: Special Edition, and also Tempe Digital’s The Dead Next Door: Collector’s Edition. [Read on here…]

Let’s start today with Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, which has just officially set The Dark Tower for release on Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD on 10/31, with the Digital HD release due on 10/17. Extras on the Blu-ray versions will include deleted scenes, a blooper reel, A Look Through the Keyhole, and 5 behind-the-scenes featurettes (including Last Time Around, The World Has Moved On…, The Man in Black, The Gunslinger in Action, and Stephen King Inspirations). We’ve updated our new 4K Ultra HD Release List here at The Bits accordingly.

Note that Sony will also release Preacher: Season Two on Blu-ray and DVD on 11/14. [Read on here…]

Welcome to a new week! We’ve got a couple things for you today, but first, an important announcement...

In response to reader demand, we’ve launched a new section here at The Bits. It’s our 4K Ultra HD Release List! You can read the section introduction here, and you can find the actual list here. (In the navigation bar at the top of the website, you’ll find it listed under Columns >> Bill Hunt >> The 4K Ultra HD Release List.) You can see all of the U.S. and U.K. titles currently available and also yet to be released – both announced and rumored to be in the works based on our industry sources. (Note that an International list will be added soon for Germany, Italy, France, Japan, etc.) You can also order or pre-order each title via Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk if links are available. We’ve also tried to include codes to indicate which releases are full native 4K, which have object-based audio options, and which have Dolby Vision. And if a title is a standout or reference quality, we’ve tried to indicate that as well. We’re going through and checking all of those codes to make sure they’re accurate (if you spot errors please let us know), and of course we’ll be regularly updating the list going forward. [Read on here…]