All right, just before midnight last night I finished posting in-depth reviews of three more of the Star Wars films in 4K, as I work my way through Disney’s new Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga box set.
So now available for your reading enjoyment are (just click on the titles): The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, Revenge of the Sith, A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi.
Today, I’m going to tackle The Force Awakens, the re-issue of The Last Jedi (and it’s not just rebranded packaging—this is a newly-authored 4K disc, with a newly-authored movie Blu-ray, and a new Bonus Blu-ray too), and finally Rogue One: A Star Wars Story all in 4K. [Read on here...]
This is a quick post to let you all know that Russell Hammond has just posted the weekly update of our Release Dates & Cover Artwork section here at The Digital Bits with all the latest Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD cover artwork and Amazon.com pre-order links. As a NEW feature, the section now lets you search for upcoming Blu-ray titles, DVD titles, AND 4K Ultra HD titles seperately 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!
- Bill Hunt
Morning everyone!
So I’ve been diving into this new Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga 4K box set with a plan to review all 9 films in the set, one by one. And I’m going to eventually get to Rogue One in 4K as well.
I started yesterday by reviewing the complete Original Trilogy in 4K, including A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi, all of which are now up here at The Bits.
I’m going to dive into the Prequel Trilogy in 4K today, beginning with The Phantom Menace, which will be up this afternoon. Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith will soon follow. [Read on here...]
All right, we’re starting a new week here at The Bits and it’s going to be an interesting one. And we do have a little bit of release news to report.
Before we get to that though, we have three new Blu-ray reviews for you to enjoy today...
Dennis has also turned in his own thoughts on Sam Mendes’ 1917 on Blu-ray from Universal (I reviewed the 4K Ultra HD disc here at The Bits last week).
And Tim has checked in with a look at John Waters’ Polyester (1981), which was released on Blu-ray by Criterion late last year. So enjoy all three! [Read on here...]
All right, we’ll be back in just a little bit with a link to Michael Coate’s new History, Legacy & Showmanship film retrospective in a little bit.
[Editor’s Note: Here’s the link to Michael’s new retrospective of the James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun, in honor of the film’s 45th anniversary. Note that this piece was unavoidably delayed from late last year, but we think you’ll find the wait was worth it. Michael is joined by historians Jon Burlingame, John Cork, and Lee Pfeiffer for a great roundtable discussion. Enjoy!]
In the meantime, Tim has posted a new Blu-ray review today, this one of Fred Walton’s 1986 April Fool’s Day: Collector’s Edition from Scream Factory. The disc streets on 3/24.
And we do have some new announcement news for you... [Read on here...]
All right, with all of these coronavirus lockdowns happening, it seems as if Hollywood is slowing its roll on home video announcements. Most of our studio contacts are now working from home, like the rest of us. So we don’t have a lot of news to talk about today, but we’re adjusting by working on more new disc reviews for you to enjoy.
And we’re starting today with a BIG one: I’ve just posted my in-depth look at JJ Abrams’ new Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker on 4K Ultra HD from Disney and Lucasfilm. The disc offers tremendous A/V quality and limited—but really good—extras, including a terrific feature length documentary on the making of the film. The disc streets on 3/31, and the film is actually available now (a week early) on all the usual digital services. Though I should caution you, if you really care about maximum A/V quality, this disc blows the streams away. Of course, your individual needs and requirements will vary. [Read on here...]
All right, we’re here at The Bits today closing out what I must say is one of the more interesting weeks I’ve experienced in my 52 years on this planet.
But we’ve got a new review to keep you amused this afternoon: I’ve just turned in my thoughts on Sam Mendes’ Best Picture-nominated 1917 in 4K Ultra HD. It’s an impressive A/V experience with a native 4K digital intermediate, Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HDR10+ high dynamic range, a fine Dolby Atmos sound mix, and dazzling Oscar-winning cinematography by Roger Deakins. There are even a couple of fine audio commentaries on the disc too. Don’t miss it.
Also today, our friends at The Warner Archive Collection have just officially announced no less than SEVEN great new catalog Blu-ray titles that are coming in April. [Read on here...]
All right, I’m currently working on a review of Universal’s 1917 in 4K Ultra HD, which I hope to have up here on the site later today.
In the meantime, I’ve officially confirmed with the studio that Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite is indeed coming to the 4K Ultra HD format here in the States on 6/2.
However, some of the cover artwork that you may have seen floating around the Internet is incorrect. The official final cover artwork for the title is visible on the left there.
Audio should be the usual DTS:X, and the extras will be the same as those found on the previously released Blu-ray version (reviewed here on The Bits). More details should follow soon. [Read on here...]
