Displaying items by tag: William Friedkin

We have three new reviews for you to enjoy today…

Stephen’s look at Michael Mann’s Thief (1981) in 4K UHD from Arrow Video in the UK.

And Stuart’s thoughts on Valerio Zurlini’s Girl with a Suitcase (1961) on Blu-ray from Radiance Films, as well as Yasuzô Masumura’s Play It Cool (1970) on Blu-ray from Arrow Video.

More reviews are forthcoming in the days ahead, so be sure to keep checking back for them.

All right, in announcements today, the big news is something we broke on Saturday: Disney has officially set Steven Lisberger’s TRON (1980) and Joseph Kosinski’s TRON: Legacy (2010) for 4K Ultra HD Steelbook release on 9/16. Both gave been carefully remastered under the filmmakers’ supervision by The Walt Disney Film Restoration team to include Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos audio. Our sources are telling us that some of the early “de-aging” VFX in the latter film have been redone to modern standards. [Read on here...]

All right, folks! We’ve got a bunch of news to catch up on today!

But first as always, we have more new disc reviews for you, including…

Tim’s thoughts on Jess Franco’s The Blood of Fu Manchu (1968) in 4K Ultra HD from Blue Underground and James Whale’s The Old Dark House (1932) in 4K Ultra HD from Eureka! Entertainment in the UK.

Stuart’s take on Léa Domenach’s The President’s Wife (2023) on Blu-ray from the Cohen Media Group via Kino Lorber.

Dennis’ look at John Cromwell’s The Enchanted Cottage (1945) on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection.

And Stephen’s two cents on Bill Plympton’s Mutant Aliens (2001) on Blu-ray from Deaf Crocodile Films and Lamberto Bava’s Monster Shark (1984, aka Devil Fish) on Blu-ray from Severin Films.

Watch for more reviews tomorrow here at the site.

Now then, the big announcement news today is that Walt Disney Home Entertainment, 20th Century Studios, and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment have announced the long-awaited 4K Ultra HD release of Jim Sharman’s The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) on October 7th! The film is of course based on the musical by Richard O’Brian, and the release is happening in honor of the film’s 50th anniversary. [Read on here...]

We’re starting the week here at The Bits with more new disc reviews and some great announcement news as well!

But first, I just wanted to let you all know that we’ve stabilized the website to address some software and loading issues that we’ve been experiencing recently. We’re not 100% back to normal, but the site should at least be loading faster now than it was before. We’ll be doing some additional upgrades in the week ahead, so more on that topic soon.

In the meantime, we’ve shared a bunch of great new disc reviews here on the site today and over the weekend. Among them are…

My review (with longtime Bits contributor Adam Jahnke) of William Friedkin’s Sorcerer (1977) in 4K Ultra HD from the Criterion Collection! The disc streets on 6/24, and the A/V quality is superb.

I’ve also reviewed the new UFO: The Complete SHADO Files Blu-ray box set from our friends at Imprint Television, which contains the best HD quality of any Blu-ray release of Gerry Anderson’s UFO (1970-71) to date, along with the most complete collection of special features.

Also new today is Dennis’ look at Jaume Collet-Serra’s The Woman in the Yard (2025) on Blu-ray from Blumhouse and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.

And Stephen has taken an in-depth look at Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett’s Abigail (2024) in 4K Ultra HD from Universal via Scream Factory.

More new disc reviews are definitely on the way all this week, so be sure to watch out for them! [Read on here...]

We have three more new disc reviews for you today, including…

Stephen’s look at both the regular 4K Ultra HD and 4K Steelbook versions of Clint Eastwood’s Pale Rider (1985) in 4K Ultra HD from Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment.

And Dennis’ take on Kirk Douglas’ Posse (1975) on Blu-ray from Paramount via Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

In release news today, Vinegar Syndrome has announced a trio of new 4K Ultra HD titles as part of their Halfway to Black Friday event, including Bob Saget’s Dirty Work (1998), Michael Ritchie’s The Golden Child (1986), and William Friedkin’s Jade (1995)! All three will include Dolby Vision HDR and substantial extras.

What’s more, our friends at Kino Lorber Studio Classics have just set George Stevens’ Shane (1953) for 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray release on 7/15! That’s a Paramount title, and it’ll include Dolby Vision HDR. [Read on here...]

All right, we’ve had a big week here at The Bits. As you can probably tell, I’ve spent most of the week checking in with studio and industry sources, which led to yesterday’s scoop on Tombstone coming to 4K Ultra HD next month. And trust me when I tell you that there’s a lot more great 4K catalog news to come in the months ahead. Given that we’ve been a part of—and reporting on—the home entertainment industry for more than twenty-eight years, I can confidently promise you that we have the best sources in this industry period. So when it comes to confirmed and reliable breaking news, you’re likely to hear about it first here at The Digital Bits.

Given that reality, I would highly recommend that you follow us on social media, which is where we tend to post breaking news first. As the editor-in-chief of The Bits, you’ll find me here on X, Facebook, and Bluesky. You’ll find The Digital Bits on X, Facebook, and Bluesky as well. And you can also find Tim (X, Facebook, and Bluesky) and Stephen (X, Facebook, and Bluesky) on all three social platforms too.

What’s more, if you’re not already a subscriber of our Digital Bits Patreon, please consider doing so! There are very affordable options for subscribing, it’s a great way to support our work here at the site, and we’re offering our Patreon supporters additional news posts, video blogs, the option to ask us questions regularly, and sneak peeks at upcoming titles. Whether you’ve been a Bits reader since the very beginning of the website back in 1997, or you’ve just come to learn of us with 4K Ultra HD, we work our asses off here every day to make your experience of physical media better, to encourage the studios to release great catalog titles, and help support fans of physical media and the industry at large. Regular reader or not, if you’re an avid disc fan you have definitely benefited from our efforts over the years. So if you value that, supporting us on Patreon is a great way to help make sure that we can keep doing this work on behalf of you and everyone who loves movies, TV shows, and music on disc. We’re building a great community over there and we’d love for you all to be a part of it! [Read on here...]

We’ve got one more new disc review to round out the week here at The Bits this afternoon...

Dennis has taken a look at Robert Day’s Two-Way Stretch (1960) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, a classic heist caper starring Peter Sellers.

The big release news today is that our friends at The Criterion Collection have just announced their June slate, which is absolutely fantastic! Look for 4K Ultra HD upgrades of Terry Gilliam’s Brazil (1985) (Spine #51) and Paul Schrader’s Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985) (Spine #432) on 6/3, followed by Sidney Lumet’s The Wiz (1978) (Spine #1264) in 4K UHD and Blu-ray on 6/10, Charlotte Zwerin’s Thelonious Monk Straight, No Chaser (1988) (Spine #1265) and Mitchell Leisen’s Midnight (1939) (Spine #1266) both on Blu-ray on 6/17, and François Girard’s Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould (1993) (Spine #1268) and William Friedkin’s Sorcerer (1977) (Spine #1267) in 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray on 6/24. Of these, Brazil, The Wiz, and Sorcerer will have Dolby Vision HDR. You can read more here and you can see the cover art for these above left and also below the break. [Read on here...]

We’ve got a new disc review for you all to enjoy today, as well as a much of good announcement news. First the review...

Stephen has taken a look at William Friedkin’s Cruising (1980) in 4K Ultra HD from Arrow Video.

And we’ve posted our weekly update of the Release Dates & Artwork section here at The Bits with all the latest Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD cover artwork and Amazon pre-order links. As always, whenever you order literally anything from Amazon after clicking to them through one of our links (like this one), you’re helping to support our work here at the site and we really appreciate it!

Now then, the big news today is that Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment has officially set the Clint Eastwood films Dirty Harry (1971), The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976), and Pale Rider (1985) for 4K Ultra HD, 4K Steelbook, and Digital release on 4/29 (a slight change from the 4/15 date listed previously on retail sites). Not as if everyone didn’t already know, but the studio’s press release has just confirmed it. As expected, all three will feature Dolby Atmos audio mixes and HDR10 high dynamic range.

In terms of special features, Dirty Harry (1971) will include two new featurettes (Generations and Dirty Harry and Lensing Justice: The Cinematography of Dirty Harry) as well as the following legacy features: Audio Commentary by Richard Schickel, five featurettes (American Masters Career Retrospective: Clint Eastwood: Out of the Shadows, Clint Eastwood: The Man from Malpaso, Clint Eastwood: A Cinematic Legacy – Fighting for Justice, Dirty Harry’s Way, and Dirty Harry: The Original), and an Interview Gallery (featuring Patricia Clarkson, Joel Cox, Clint Eastwood, Hal Holbrook, Evan Kim, John Milius, Ted Post, Andy Robinson, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Robert Urich).

The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) will include two new featurettes as well (An Outlaw and an Antihero and The Cinematography of an Outlaw: Crafting Josie Wales) plus the following legacy features: Audio Commentary by Richard Schickel and four featurettes (Clint Eastwood’s West, Eastwood in Action, Hell Hath No Fury: The Making of The Outlaw Josie Wales, and Clint Eastwood: A Cinematic Legacy – Reinventing the West).

And finally, Pale Rider (1985) will include two new featurettes (The Diary of Sydney Penny: Lessons from the Set and Painting the Preacher: Bruce Surtees and Pale Rider) plus three legacy ones (Clint Eastwood: A Cinematic Legacy – Reinventing Westerns, Eastwood Directs: The Untold Story, and The Eastwood Factor). You can see the cover artwork above left and also below the break. [Read on here...]

Afternoon, everyone! We’re starting the short Christmas week here at The Bits with more new disc reviews as always. Today, we’ve got...

Tim’s review of Shawn Levy’s Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) in 4K Ultra HD from 20th Century Studios and Marvel, via Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

Stephen’s review of Roman Polanski’s The Tenant (1976) in 4K Ultra HD from Paramount via Vinegar Syndrome.

And Dennis’ take on Vincent Sherman’s The Return of Doctor X (1939) on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection.

We also have a few more new disc reviews for you from late last week, in case you missed them, including...

Tim’s review of Monk: Season Six (2007-2008) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

Stuart’s review of Richard Thorpe’s Three Little Words (1950) on Blu-ray from Warner Archive.

Dennis’ look at Umberto Lenzi’s Battle of the Commandos (1969) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

Stephen’s review of William Friedkin’s The Hunted (2003) on 4K Ultra HD from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

Stuart’s look at Claude Autant-Lara’s Enough Rope (1963) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

And finally, my review of Robert Meyer Burnett and Max Allan Collins’ True Noir: The Assassination of Anton Cermak 10-part audio drama from Imagination Connoisseurs Unlimited.

Also, just so you know, we’re not done yet: Look for at least one more new disc review tomorrow before the Christmas holiday, and lots more after we get back from the break next week. [Read on here...]

All right, we’ve got a bunch of news to run down for you all today...

But before we get to that, we wanted to let you know that we’ve just completed major updates of our Release Dates & Cover Artwork section here at The Bits, as well as our 4K Ultra HD Release List, both of which include all the latest Amazon pre-order links. What’s more, we’ve posted some very cool content over the last couple of weeks on our Digital Bits Patreon. And those of you interested in titles that might be coming to 4K UHD in 2025 will definitely want to check those posts out. Becoming a Patreon subscriber is a great way to support the work we do here at The Bits—it’s affordable and we try to make it worth your while. So please consider joining us over there, and we appreciate it! Now then...

The big news today is that Marvel and Disney have just officially set Shawn Levy’s Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) for release on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD on 10/22, with the Digital release expected on 10/1. The 4K disc will include Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos audio on a 66GB disc. There will be a wide-release 4K version in Amaray packaging, along with dual limited-edition Steelbooks one of which features Deadpool on the cover with a red interior, and the other featuring Wolverine on the cover with a yellow interior. A Walmart-exclusive Amaray version will also include “pop-up” packaging featuring the Deadpool corp. Regardless of which version you buy, the disc will contain audio commentary with Shawn Levy and actor Ryan Reynolds, a gag reel, 4 featurettes (Finding Madonna: Making the Oner, Practical Approach: Celebrating the Art of Ray Chan, Loose Ends: The Legacy of Heroes, and Wolverine), 3 deleted scenes (Elevator Ride, Do Nothing, and Daddy’s in Love), and “Fun Sack” (Dr. Deadpool, Product Review, and Wade is Back). You can see the cover artwork at left and also below. [Read on here...]

All right, here are today’s new disc reviews...

Dennis has taken a look at Joel Schumacher’s 8MM (1999) on Blu-ray from Imprint Films.

Stuart has offered his take on Roberto Gavaldón’s Untouched (1954) on Blu-ray on Powerhouse Films’ Indicator label.

Tim has taken a look at Marcus Nispel’s remake of Friday the 13th (2009) in 4K Ultra HD from Arrow Video. He’s also turned in a review of Lucio Fulci’s Lizard in a Woman’s Skin (1971) on Blu-ray from Umbrella Entertainment.

And last, but certainly not least, Stephen has taken a deep dive into Toho’s Godzilla store-exclusive version of Takashi Yamazaki’s Godzilla Minus One (2023) in 4K Ultra HD!

Also here at The Bits today, we have a brand new update of our Release Dates & Artwork section, which is a convenient way to see all of the new Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD titles that street each week. You can see the cover art, and sort by date and format. And you can click on each of the titles to pre-order them on Amazon.

On that note, I wanted to take a moment to share a challenge we’ve been having of late, which is that our Amazon Affiliate revenue has been declining. For a long time now—for over a decade—our Affiliate revenue has been a big part of helping us to keep The Digital Bits going—to help us cover our server and operating costs. It’s how we’ve been able to keep The Bits free for everyone to read for over 27 years now. In recent months, however, that revenue has begun to decline. We understand that Amazon may not always be the cheapest option these days. So for those of you who still support The Bits by shopping with them through links (in the daily news column, in our disc reviews, in the 4K Ultra HD Release List, and in the Release Dates & Artwork section), we really appreciate it very much! [Read on here...]