My Two Cents
All right, here’s today’s new disc reviews for all of you to enjoy...
Stephen has taken a look at Aleksandr Ptushko’s Ruslan and Ludmila (1972) on Blu-ray from Mosfilm via Deaf Crocodile and Vinegar Syndrome.
Dennis has reviewed William C. Reilly’s Men of Respect (1990) on Blu-ray from Columbia Pictures via Imprint Films.
And Tim has checked in with his thoughts on Nancy Walker’s Can’t Stop the Music (1980) in 4K Ultra HD from EMI via Kino Lorber Studio Classics!
Now then, we have a bunch of great announcement news for you today, so let’s get right into it...
For starters, Criterion has just announced their December release slate, which is set to include Wim Wenders’ Paris, Texas (1984) (Spine #501 – 4K + Blu-ray and Blu-ray) on 12/3, Joel and Ethan Coen’s No Country for Old Men (2007) (Spine #1243 – 4K + Blu-ray and Blu-ray) and Federico Fellini’s 8½ (1963) (Spine #140 – 4K + Blu-ray) on 12/10, and Sammo Hung’s Eastern Condors (1987) (Spine #1244 on Blu-ray) on 12/17! Paris, Texas and No Country for Old Men will both include Dolby Vision HDR. No Country for Old Men is a Miramax title currently controlled by Paramount, so this is a licensing situation (and a welcome one). More details are available here, and you can see the cover artwork for all of these below the break. [Read on here...]
We’ve got two more new disc reviews for you today, including...
Stephen’s look at Roger Donaldson’s No Way Out (1987) in 4K Ultra HD from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.
And Tim’s thoughts on Jeff Lieberman’s Squirm (1976) on Blu-ray, from KLSC’s Kino Cult line.
Also today, we’ve have word from retail sources (and customers who have pre-ordered the tiles) that Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment’s recently street-dated 4K catalog titles—Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest (1959), Mel Brooks’ Blazing Saddles (1974), and James Cameron’s The Terminator (1984)—have been pushed to 11/19 from 11/5. That probably has to do with the added time needed to replicate enough production to meet demand. Adjust your plans accordingly.
In any case, be aware that North by Northwest (1959) and Blazing Saddles (1974) will each include HDR10 and Dolby Atmos audio, while The Terminator (1984) will include both Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos audio.
In terms of special features The Terminator will also include Creating The Terminator: Visual Effects & Music, The Terminator: Close to the Real Thing, Unstoppable Force: The Legacy of the Terminator, and 7 deleted scenes. (It appears that the video-based features may be all-new.) Blazing Saddles will include Inappropriate Inspiration: The Blazing Saddles Effect, scene-specific commentary with Mel Brooks, Blaze of Glory: Mel Brooks’ Wild, Wild West, Back in the Saddle, and additional scenes. And North by Northwest will include audio commentary with screenwriter Ernest Legman, North by Northwest: Cinematography, Score, and the Art of the Edit, Destination Hitchcock: The Making of North by Northwest, The Master’s Touch: Hitchcock’s Signature Style, North by Northwest: One for the Ages, and A Guided Tour with Alfred Hitchcock. [Read on here...]
We’ve got several new disc reviews for all of you to enjoy today, including...
Tim’s thoughts on the new Bill & Ted’s Most Triumphant Trilogy in 4K Ultra HD from Shout! Studios, which includes Stephen Herek’s Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989), Peter Hewitt’s Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey (1991), and Dean Parisot’s Bill & Ted Face the Music (2020). Tim has also taken a look at Enzo G. Castellari’s High Crime (1973) in 4K UHD from Blue Underground.
Dennis’ thoughts on George McCowan’s Frogs (1972) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.
Stephen’s take on Howard Hawks’ Red Line 7000 (1965) on Blu-ray from Arrow Video.
And finally, Stuart’s look at Imprint Films’ Film Focus: Kim Novak Blu-ray box set, which includes Pal Joey (1957), Jeanne Eagles (1957), and Middle of the Night (1959).
We’ve also shared 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 pre-order links, all organized (and sortable) by date and format, and complete with our Amazon Affiliate links. As always, whenever you order literally anything from Amazon after clicking to them through one of our links, you’re helping to support our work here at The Bits and we appreciate it!
In announcement news today, we’ve confirmed that Warner’s previously-revealed 4K and 4K Steelbook editions of Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest (1959), Mel Brooks’ Blazing Saddles (1974), and James Cameron’s The Terminator (1984) will all officially street on 11/5. We also have the final cover artwork for the wide-release 4K of The Terminator, which I suspect was delayed by the need for James Cameron approval (and the fact that he has finally approved it is why we now have a street date). You can see the final cover artwork for all of these titles below the break, with Amazon.com pre-order links. [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, 4K Ultra HD, or even Criterion 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’ve got a trio of new disc reviews for you today to start the new week, including...
Tim’s review of Columbo: The Return (1989-2003) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, featuring the final 24 episodes of the series.
Stuart’s take on Patrice Leconte’s The Hairdresser’s Husband (1990) on Blu-ray from Kino Classics.
And Dennis’ thoughts on Bert I. Gordon’s The Food of the Gods (1976) on Blu-ray from American International Pictures via Kino Lorber Studio Classics’ new Kino Cult line.
More discs are on the way this week as well, so be sure to watch for them.
It’s a slow morning for release news, but we do have a couple things for you.
First, Paramount has set ZAZ: The Collection! for release on 4K Ultra HD on 11/19. That’s Zucker, Abrahams & Zucker to you! The collection will include Airplane! (1980), Top Secret! (1984), and The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988). The first two are new to the format.
Kino Lorber Studio Classics is going to be releasing Claude Miller’s Deadly Circuit (1983) on Blu-ray on 10/29. The company has also revealed that Herbert Ross’ Play It Again Sam (1972) is coming soon to Blu-ray, while Michael Anderson’s Orca (1977) is coming soon to 4K Ultra HD. [Read on here...]