My Two Cents
All right, as you can see by that headline, we’ve got some big release news for you today! But first, a few more new disc reviews…
Stephen has reviewed William Friedkin’s Jade (1995) in 4K Ultra HD from Imprint Films.
Tim has offered his thoughts on Rod Amateau’s The Garbage Pail Kids Movie (1987) in 4K Ultra HD from Vinegar Syndrome.
And Dennis has shared his perspective on a Jack Benny Comedy Classics double feature of Raoul Walsh’s Artists and Models (1937) and Mark Sandrich’s Man About Town (1939) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.
I’ve also got a couple of additional reviews coming tomorrow, so be sure to watch for those.
Now then… you know how lots of people a few weeks ago were saying that if Netflix won the bidding war for Warner Bros. that might mean the end of physical media?
Yeah, maybe not so much.
Not only has Netflix recently let Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein and the animated K-Pop Demon Hunters be licensed to Criterion for Blu-ray and 4K release, today we have even bigger news.
Arrow Video just announced on social media that they’re bringing the most popular Netflix Original series of all time—the Duffer Brothers’ Stranger Things: The Complete Series—to Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD in July (street date 7/28)! [Read on here...]
We’ve got a pretty exciting post today, if I do say so myself. At least, it’s full of things for which we here at The Bits have serious enthusiasm. And really, what’s a life without enthusiasms anyway?
To start, we’ve got two more new disc reviews for you…
Stephen has taken a look at Ben Wheatley’s Kill List (2011) in 4K Ultra HD from our friends at Severin Films.
And Tim has offered his thoughts on Martin Campbell’s No Escape: Collector’s Edition (1994) in 4K Ultra HD from Umbrella Entertainment.
Now then… and speaking of 4K Ultra HD… the good folks at Lionsgate have just dropped new titles on their Lionsgate Limited website today!
They include Roman Polanski’s The Ninth Gate (1999) in 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray Steelbook, which streets on 4/21. It’s available here for the first time in 4K with Dolby Vision, and includes a new interview with cinematographer Darius Khondji as well as a ton of legacy extras.
Also available on Blu-ray only is the next Vestron Video Collector’s Series title, James Melkonian’s The Stöned Age (1994). Look for that on 4/20 (naturally).
And more new warehouse finds are now available on the Lionsgate Limited website, including Angel Heart, Punisher, Hacksaw Ridge, Ender’s Game, Highlander, and more. [Read on here...]
As we so often do, we’re starting the new week here at The Bits with more new disc reviews, including…
Tim’s look at Riccardo Freda’s The Ghost (1963) in 4K Ultra HD from Severin Films, as well as Louis Malle’s The Fire Within (1963) on Blu-ray from Umbrella Entertainment.
Stephen’s thoughts on Can Evrenol’s Baskin (2015) in 4K Ultra HD, also from Severin.
Dennis’ take on Kenneth Branagh’s Dead Again (1991) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, Bruce Robinson’s Withnail and I (1987) on Blu-ray from Imprint Films, and Olaf Ittenbach’s Garden of Love (2003) on Blu-ray from Unearthed Films.
And finally, Stuart’s reviews of George Marshall’s Hold That Blonde! (1945) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, as well as Warner Archive’s Robert Taylor Collection on Blu-ray, which includes Devil’s Doorway (1950), Westward the Women (1951), Ivanhoe (1952), and The Last Hunt (1956).
Watch for more new disc reviews here all this week!
Now then, last night was the Academy Awards, and I think it’s safe to say that there weren’t too many surprises in terms of winners and losers. I was certainly glad to see Autumn Durald Arkapaw become the first woman to win Best Cinematography for Sinners, and to see Michael B. Jordan to win Best Actor for the same film.
While I’m talking Michael B. Jordan, this is a good time to mention that he was great in the very first thing I ever saw him in as well, which was NBC’s Friday Night Lights (2009-2011) TV series. The show is fantastic, and it doesn’t get nearly the love it deserves. If you haven’t seen it yet, I highly recommend it. The series brilliantly chronicles small town life in America, and it’s about a lot more than just high school football (though that part is great too). Do give it a look—I think you’ll really enjoy it. [Read on here...]
We start today with two new disc reviews for you to enjoy, including…
Stephen’s look at Richard Rush’s The Stunt Man (1980) in a great limited edition 4K Ultra HD release from Radiance Films.
More reviews are on the way, so be sure to keep checking back for them!
Also today, we’ve just uploaded our own Russell Hammond’s latest update of the Release Dates & Cover Artwork section here at The Bits, featuring new Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD cover artwork and Amazon.com pre-order links.
As always, whenever you order literally anything from Amazon after clicking to them through one of our affiliate links (like this one), you’re helping to support our work here at The Bits and we really do appreciate it.
Now then… our friends at the Warner Archive Collection have just revealed their terrific April slate of Blu-ray catalog titles, and it includes a great new 4K title as well! [Read on here...]
I’ve been fortunate to attend a number of great film industry events over the last thirty years, but I can tell you... none of them is more fun than the Saturn Awards.
While the Oscars, Golden Globes, and SAG awards tend to get all the mainstream media coverage, the Saturns are the sort of nerdy-fun party that Hollywood filmmakers actually like to attend.
Founded in 1972 by the late Dr. Donald A. Reed, a film historian, educator, and longtime scholar of genre entertainment, the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror is a non-profit organization that has a single goal: to support and encourage filmed genre entertainment.
What makes the Saturns so great is that there’s no ego—people attend because they love the work they do, and they love each other’s work even more. Things tend to be very relaxed, everyone mixes together before and after the awards—even during dinner—and you can easily find yourself unexpectedly chatting with people you’ve admired for years.
This year’s event was a whopper; in attendance to either present or accept awards were Tom Cruise, George Lucas, James Cameron, William Shatner, Mark Hamill, Christopher McQuarrie, Kathleen Kennedy, Guillermo del Toro, Bryan Fuller, Laurence Fishburne, Terry Matalas, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, and many more. The Star Trek franchise was recognized for its 60th anniversary, as was Aliens for its 40th, and the TV series The Boys was given a Spotlight Award. It was definitely a fun evening. [Read on here...]