We’ve got a couple of announcements to report today...

First, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has just officially set its Columbia Classics 4K Ultra HD Collection: Volume 3 for release on 10/25. And just as we first reported here at The Bits a few weeks ago, the package will include Frank Capra’s It Happened One Night (1934), Fred Zinnemann’s From Here to Eternity (1953), James Clavell’s To Sir, with Love (1967), Peter Bogdanovich’s The Last Picture Show (1971), John Huston’s Annie (1982), and James L. Brooks’ As Good As it Gets (1997).

Each film will include Dolby Vision HDR and all-new Dolby Atmos mixes. All of them will carry over the legacy Blu-ray special features, as well as bonus content that’s new to release.

The new content will include... [Read on here...]

We’ve got a great new disc review for you this afternoon, and we’ve got some significant release news to report as well. First up, that review...

Tim has just turned in his in-depth look at Rod Serling’s Night Gallery: Season Two (1971-1972) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics as expected. Sounds like it’s another great release that’s loaded with special features, including audio commentary on many episodes. Don’t miss it.

Now then... file this in the “better late than never” category, but Universal has finally made their Blu-ray, DVD, 4K Ultra HD, and Digital release of Colin Treverrow’s Jurassic World: Dominion official, and it is indeed expected to street next Tuesday (8/16). Extras on the Blu-ray SKUs will include the Battle at Big Rock short film, the A New Breed of VFX featurette, and the multi-part Dinosaurs Among Us: Inside Jurassic World Dominion 45-minute documentary. You’ll also get both the Theatrical Version and a new 14-minute longer Extended Edition, which includes an alternate opening and more.

Both Blu-ray SKUs will include DTS-X object-based surround sound, and the 4K Ultra HD release will feature both HDR10 and Dolby Vision high dynamic range. You can see the cover artwork at left and also below. [Read on here...]

Today’s update at The Digital Bits is a relatively brief one, as I have family visiting here from North Dakota this week. But we do have some new disc reviews, as always, as well as some interesting release announcements and rumors.

First up, those reviews...

Dennis has offered his take on Robert Siodmak’s Time Out of Mind (1947) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

Stephen has reviewed Rene Daalder’s Massacre at Central High (1976) on Blu-ray and Steelbook Blu-ray from Synapse Films.

And Tim has taken a look at Rod Serling’s Night Gallery: Season One (1969-1971) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

FYI, Tim is working on a review of Season Two of the series as well, so watch for that to be posted very soon. [Read on here...]

This is a quick post to let you all know that our Release Dates & Cover Artwork section here at The Digital Bits has just been updated with all the latest Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD cover artwork and Amazon.com pre-order links. Don’t forget that you can select to see just the Blu-ray, DVD, or 4K Ultra HD titles seperately if you like, to help you find exactly the ones you’re looking for. Just click on RELEASE DATES & ART on the menu bar above to visit the page, and use the search options in the red bar (at the top) to sort by format and date. Once you find a title you like, just click on the cover art and you’ll be taken right to the Amazon.com pre-order page. Thank you for shopping through our links and don’t forget that anytime you order from Amazon through our links, you’re helping to support our work here at The Bits and we really appreciate it! And thanks to our own Russell Hammond for the update work!

- Bill Hunt

We’re finishing the week here at The Bits with a spate of new disc reviews for you to check out and enjoy...

First, I’ve taken a look at Michael Mann’s Heat (1995) which is finally available in a long-awaited new 4K Ultra HD release from 20th Century Studios. The new 4K master is impressive, though not reference-quality.

It’s important to note, however, that Mann made creative changes to the film’s color grading in 2017, as he was preparing his new Director’s Definitive Edition (see his own comments on this at the time here). This means the film is somewhat darker looking, with slightly-desaturated color, than it was before—even with the new HDR grade. This in turn has caused a host of “fan” reviewers to claim that the disc is defective, when the truth is that they simply don’t like the new color grade. Meanwhile, professional reviewers have almost all praised the disc’s image improvements, while acknowledging the darker grading. Those of you with genuinely bright 4K displays (with effective tone-mapping) will appreciate the new color grade the most. The point is, you’re going to see a lot of diverse opinions about this title out there on the Interwebs and social media. It’s only by understanding that these changes were initiated by the director himself that you can sort the reality from opinion. Anyway, I break it down in the review.

Also today, Stephen has turned in his thoughts on Sam Raimi’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness in 4K Ultra HD from Marvel and Disney. [Read on here...]

All right, we’ve got some great catalog 4K Ultra HD news to report today, but first we have one more new review...

I spent some time this weekend looking at Stanley Kubrick’s landmark war film Paths of Glory (1957) thanks to a fine new 4K Ultra HD release from our friends at Kino Lorber Studio Classics. For the first time, the image has been scanned from the original camera negative in native 4K—Criterion’s 2010 Blu-ray release was only a 2K scan of a fine-grain master positive—so this is unquestionably the best the film has ever looked at home. It’s a beautiful presentation and not to be missed by Kubrick fans and cinephiles.

All right, now for that catalog news... VCI Entertainment has set Bob Clark’s Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things (1972) for release on 4K Ultra HD on 10/11 as a new 50th Anniversary Edition. The release will include a new video introduction and Q&A with actor Alan Ormsby, along with a new 90-minute documentary on Clark’s horror films called Dreaming of Death. You’ll get lots of legacy special features as well. And you can see the cover artwork below the break. [Read on here...]

We have two more new disc reviews for you today...

Tim has taken a look at Criterion’s recent Blu-ray release of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s The Tales of Hoffman (1951).

And Dennis has checked in with a look at Delbert Mann’s Marty (1955) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

In announcement news today, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has just revealed that they’re going to be re-releasing Paul Verhoeven’s Starship Troopers as a new 4K Ultra HD Steelbook edition on 11/1, complete with a new feature: The Starship Troopers 25th Anniversary Reunion, a “virtual” reunion featuring screenwriter Ed Neumeier and actors Casper Van Dien, Denise Richards, Dina Meyer, Clancy Brown, Michael Ironside, Jake Busey, Patrick Muldoon, and Seth Gilliam.

The new edition will also include Dolby Vision HDR (the previous release included HDR10 only), along with the previous Dolby Atmos audio mix. And a Blu-ray copy in the package will carry over all of the legacy special features. You can see the cover artwork at left. [Read on here...]

All right, sorry for the lack of an update yesterday, but I had a bunch of personal life stuff to take care of, as happens now and again. We’ve got some more disc reviews for you today, along with a bunch of good catalog 4K Ultra HD news. So let’s get to those reviews first, as always...

Stephen has turned in his thoughts on Moustapha Akkad’s The Message (1976) on 4K Ultra HD from Shout! Factory.

Dennis has offered his thoughts on Robert Z. Leonard’s Ziegfeld Girl (1941) on regular Blu-ray Disc from our friends at the Warner Archive Collection.

And Tim has checked in with a look at Nathan H. Juran’s The Brain from Planet Arous (1957) newly restored on Blu-ray from the good folks at The Film Detective.

All three titles are worth a look and more disc reviews are on the way.

Now then, we’ve got some 4K UHD announcement news for you today... [Read on here...]