Displaying items by tag: John Boorman

We’ve got a bunch of new disc reviews to share with you today here at The Bits, including…

My tag-team review (with Tim Salmons) of John Boorman’s Arthurian epic Excalibur (1981) in a long-awaited 4K Ultra HD release from Arrow Video.

Stephen’s thoughts on Jonathan Demme’s Married to the Mob (1988), Rachel Talalay’s Tank Girl (1995), and Satoshi Kon’s Perfect Blue (1997) each in 4K Ultra HD, from Cinématographe via Vinegar Syndrome, Vinegar Syndrome, and GKIDS via Shout! Studios, respectively.

Dennis’ look at Blake Edwards’ The Pink Panther (1963) in 4K Ultra HD from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

And finally it’s back to Tim again for his thoughts on Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker’s Top Secret! (1984) in 4K UHD from Paramount.

More reviews are coming this week, so definitely be sure to check back for them.

Now then… we’ve got a bunch of great announcement news to cover here today as well!

We’ll start with official word that Lionsgate is distributing Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair widely on Digital next week, on 2/17. In fact, you can find it available for pre-order on Apple TV right now. We’re told the Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD physical release is coming later this year from Lionsgate.

A24 has just announced that Josh Safdie’s Best Picture-nominated film Marty Supreme (2025) is coming soon to Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD. [Read on here...]

We’re starting the week with a few more new disc reviews here today, including…

Stephen’s look at William Friedkin’s Rampage (1987/92) in 4K Ultra HD from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

Tim’s thoughts on Menahem Golan’s Enter the Ninja (1981) in 4K also from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, as well as Rushmore (1998) in 4K from Criterion’s The Wes Anderson Archive box set!

Dennis’ takes on William Keighley’s The Master of Ballantrae (1953) on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection as well as Jess Franco’s Death Packs a Suitcase (1972) on Blu-ray from KLSC’s Kino Cult line.

And Stuart’s look at Sam Wood’s For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943) on Blu-ray from Paramount via Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

More reviews are on the way all this week, so be sure to check back for them!

Now then, today is Cyber Monday Week online, so there are still lots of good deals to be had if you’re looking for Blu-ray and 4K titles online. So a quick reminder: Please consider shopping through one of our affiliate links when you shop via Amazon, as it helps to support the work we do here at The Bits. Appreciated! [Read on here...]

We’ve got a trio of new disc reviews for you to enjoy this afternoon, including…

Tim’s take on Russ Meyer’s Motorpsycho (1965) in 4K Ultra HD from Severin Films.

Stuart’s look at John and Roy Boulting’s Heavens Above! (1963) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

And Dennis’ thoughts on Billy Ray’s Shattered Glass (2003) on Blu-ray from Imprint Films and Via Vision Entertainment.

In release news today, Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment has begun taking pre-orders on the Blu-ray, DVD, 4K Ultra HD, and 4K Steelbook release of Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein’s Final Destination: Bloodlines (2025), which we hear is a pretty solid entry in the franchise. The street date is still TBA, but you should be able to find listings on all the major retail sites.

It appears that the Warner Archive Collection’s recently-announced 4K Ultra HD release of Charles Walters’ VistaVision classic High Society (1956) has been delayed slightly from May until June, though we expect pre-orders for the title to appear soon on Amazon and elsewhere. [Editor’s Note: I’ve just confirmed with WAC that the street date for this title has now shifted from 5/17 to 6/10 to what should be the final date of 6/24. And I’m told the 4K image is a knock-out.]

As we’ve reported previously, the film has been remastered from new 13.5K scans of the original VistaVision negative. The 4K disc will include Dolby Vision HDR on a 100GB disc, with disc authoring and compression by Fidelity in Motion. The remastered film will also be included in the package on Blu-ray, a BD-50. [Read on here...]

Our friends at the Criterion Collection have just closed out the week by announcing their August slate of Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD titles, and it’s interesting indeed. There are few, what one might call, major titles this month, but there are some interesting art house gems. The slate includes...

Kon Ichikawa’s Fires on the Plain (1959) (Spine #378 – 4K + Blu-ray and Blu-ray) and The Burmese Harp (1956) (Spine #379 – 4K + Blu-ray and Blu-ray) on 8/5, Youssef Chahine’s Cairo Station (Spine #1273 – Blu-ray and DVD) on 8/12, A Confucian Confusion / Mahjong: Two Films by Edward Yang (1994-96) (Spine #1275 – Blu-ray) and Vittorio De Sica’s Shoeshine (1946) (Spine #1272 – 4K + Blu-ray, Blu-ray, and DVD) on 8/19, and finally Maura Delpero’s Vermiglio (2024) (Janus Contemporaries – Blu-ray and DVD), Alice Wu’s Saving Face (2004) (Spine #1276 – Blu-ray), and Zeinabu irene Davis’s Compensation (1999) (Spine #1274 – Blu-ray and DVD) on 8/26.

Curiously, there aren’t a lot of 4K titles in this batch, but I strongly suspect it’s because they have many more in the works. In any case, you can read more about these titles on Criterion’s website here. And don’t forget that they’re running their Spring Sale until 5/26, offering 30% of all discs. [Read on here...]

All right, as mentioned earlier, we’ve got more release news to cover today here at The Bits. But first some new disc reviews...

Stephen has checked out Paul Verhoeven’s cult classic Showgirls (1995) on 4K Ultra HD from Vinegar Syndrome, which features the film in 4K UHD and Blu-ray, along with an additional Blu-ray full of special features. Stephen has also reviewed Peter Greenaway’s The Draughtsman’s Contract (1982) on Blu-ray from Zeitgeist Films and Kino Lorber.

Also today, Dennis has offered his thoughts on George Cukor’s Little Women (1955) and Abe Levitow’s animated Gay Purr-ee (1962), both new on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection.

And Stuart has taken a look at the Norwegian legal drama Aber Bergen: Complete Series from MHz Networks and Kino Lorber, as well as Inés Toharia Terán’s Film: The Living Record of Our Memory (2021) documentary from Kino Lorber, both of them on DVD, along with the Warner Archive Collection’s Tintin and the Mystery of the Golden Fleece (1961) and Tintin and the Blue Oranges (1964) double feature Blu-ray.

Now then, speaking of Warner, Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment and DC Studios have announced the Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD release of the Netflix original series The Sandman: The Complete First Season on 11/18, with a Digital release expected on 9/18. Note that a second season of the series is already on the way from Netflix. The set will include all 11 episodes, along with a pair of featurettes (The Sandman: Behind the Scenes Sneak Peek and The World of The Endless). You can see the cover artwork at left and also below. [Read on here...]

“The first art house action film.” —Dwayne Epstein, author of Lee Marvin: Point Blank

The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the 50th anniversary of the release of Point Blank, the neo noir crime classic starring Lee Marvin (Cat Ballou, The Dirty Dozen) and Angie Dickinson (Police Woman, Dressed to Kill).

Directed by John Boorman (Deliverance, Excalibur) and based upon the crime noir novel The Hunter, Point Blank also featured Keenan Wynn (Annie Get Your Gun, Dr. Strangelove) and Carroll O’Connor (All in the Family, In the Heat of the Night) — and striking San Francisco locations. The film recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of its release, and for the occasion The Bits features a Q&A with film historian Dwayne Epstein, who discusses the film’s virtues and influence. [Read on here...]

[Editor’s Note: Be sure to like TheDigitalBits.com page on Facebook for breaking news, site updates on the go, discussion with our staff and other readers, giveaways and more!]

The big news today is that Samsung has just announced the very first 4K UHD Blu-ray player at the IFA 2015 conference in Berlin: the UBD-K8500. It’s expected to be available in Europe early in 2016, but a U.S. version will be available as well. No pricing information has yet been given, but we think it’s reasonable to look for prices in the $500 - 1000 USD range to start.  [Read on here…]