My Two Cents
We’ve got a couple quick updates for you over the long Labor Day weekend here at The Bits...
The big one is that Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has just set David Anspaugh’s Rudy (1993) for release on 4K Ultra HD on 11/11, complete with both the 114-minute Theatrical Cut and a new 127-minute Director’s Cut in 4K, with Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos audio. Both are fully restored from original camera negative and the process was approved by the director. The 4K disc also includes English 5.1 DTS-HD MA for both versions, plus 2.0 audio for the Theatrical Cut. You also get a new commentary with Anspaugh and screenwriter Angelo Pizzo on the Director’s Cut, 5 additional deleted scenes, and the film’s trailer.
The package will also include the previous Blu-ray that offers 5.1 audio and 3 legacy featurettes (Rudy: The Real Story, Production, and First Down with Sean Astin). It comes in Steelbook packaging. You can see the cover artwork at left and also below the break.
Also today, Mondo Macabro and CAV have set Stephen Sayadian’s Dr. Caligari (1989) for release on 4K Ultra HD on 11/14, featuring both full frame and 1.85 theatrical versions, an isolated music and effects track, audio commentary with the director, and several interview featurettes. Audio will be 2.0 DTS-HD MA. [Read on here...]
All right, we’ve got a bunch more great new 4K Ultra HD catalog news to report today, and more new disc reviews as well...
As expected, I posted my review of producer Glen A. Larson’s original Battlestar Galactica (1978) in 4K Ultra HD from Universal late last night, and it’s a pretty detailed look at the film and its history.
Also today, Tim has gone in-depth on Martin Scorsese’s Hugo (2011), which is now available in a terrific new 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray 3D package from the good people of Arrow Video.
Dennis has checked in today as well with a look at Robert Wise’s Helen of Troy (1956) on Blu-ray from the always excellent Warner Archive Collection.
And Stuart rounds things out this afternoon with his thoughts on Marcel Ophul’s fascinating documentary on the Nazi occupation of France during World War II, The Sorrow and the Pity (1969) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber.
Back to Arrow briefly: The company has just revealed on their social media feed that—in response to customer requests—they’re going to be including Michael Mann’s excellent Blackhat: Director’s Cut on Blu-ray in their forthcoming 4K UHD and Blu-ray packages! Thus the street date is going to be pushed back from 10/31 to 11/28. But the Director’s Cut—which has never been released on home video—is significantly different that the other two cuts of the film already being included on the release, so this is a terrific and welcome addition. Tip of the hat to Arrow for going the extra mile on this one. [Read on here...]
Greetings, Bits-ers! Sorry I missed posting my usual news column yesterday here at the site, but it turned out to be an incredibly busy day of working on reviews and communicating with our industry sources to chase down details and confirm some interesting forthcoming titles. As such, we’ve got a bit of ground to cover today and all of it should prove interesting. First though, let’s start with our latest new disc reviews, as always...
Longtime Bits contributor Adam Jahnke has returned for an in-depth review of Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), new on 4K Ultra HD from Disney. The UHD image is spectacular, and we’ve confirmed that the studio went back to the original camera negative for a new 4K scan, remaster, and HDR grade, all of which were approved by director Henry Selick. Most but not all of the legacy special features carry over on the accompanying Blu-ray as well, which also offers better encoding and a higher data rate that the previous BD edition. This title seems to be one more sign that Disney is starting to turn things around with their physical media. So do give it a look.
Also today, Stephen has taken a good look at Wes Craven’s Swamp Thing (1982), which is new on 4K Ultra HD from our friends at the MVD Rewind Collection.
And Dennis has posted a review of Wesley Ruggles’ classic film epic Cimarron (1931) on Blu-ray from the good people at the Warner Archive Collection.
All of these are worth your time, and more new disc reviews are already in the works. In fact, I’m going to be posting my take on Universal’s new Battlestar Galactica (1978) 4K Ultra HD—which streets today—sometime later this evening or early tomorrow. So be sure to watch for that. [Read on here...]
We’re closing out the week with a bunch of new disc reviews and a ton of significant new title announcements as well from the likes of Arrow, Imprint, Sony, Shout! Factory, and more. But first, here are those reviews...
First, Stephen has delivered his in-depth takes on James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Volume 3 (2023) on 4K Ultra HD from Marvel and Disney, Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley’s Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023) on 4K UHD from Paramount, Russell Mulcahy’s Razorback (1984) on 4K UHD from Umbrella Entertainment, Lucio Fulci’s City of the Living Dead (1980) on 4K UHD from Cauldon Films, and Dario Argento’s Tenebrae (1982) on 4K UHD from Synapse Films.
Stuart has chimed in with his thoughts on Henry Koster’s My Man Godfrey (1957) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, as well as Fred Zinnemann and John Sturges’ The Old Man and the Sea (1958) on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection.
And Dennis has taken a look at Laura Tarruso’s About My Father (2023) on Blu-ray from Lionsgate, along with Cauleen Smith’s Drylongso (1998) on Blu-ray from the Criterion Collection.
Rest assured, we have even more new disc reviews coming next week, including Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams, and several other titles.
Now then... in announcement news over the last couple of days, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has officially set Frank Oz’s The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984) for release on 4K Ultra HD on 10/24. Look for the film to be mastered in 4K from the original camera negative with Dolby Vision HDR and a new Dolby Atmos sound mix, both approved by Oz (the original English 5.1 and mono audio are also included). The 4K disc will also include a new audio commentary with Oz. This will be accompanied by a Blu-ray disc featuring the remastered film with 5.1 audio and 3 legacy special features (including an Interview with Jim Henson, Muppetisms: Miss Piggy & Kermit the Frog, and Muppetisms: Pepe and Fozzie Bear). You can see the cover artwork at left and also below. [Read on here...]
All right, we’ve got a lot of catching up to do in terms of release news today, in the wake of the recent Disney and Fox title announcements. So let’s get right to it...
Paramount has just set a pair of fan-favorite catalog films for release on 4K Ultra HD on 11/7... John Landis’s Trading Places (1983) and Richard Donner’s Scrooged (1988). We haven’t seen official announcements yet, so we don’t know for sure what the details are, but they’re now available for pre-order on Amazon.com. You can see the cover art at left and also below the break, where we’ll include the Amazon links. If the studio follows their usual release pattern however, the discs should include Dolby Vision HDR, DTS-HD MA soundtracks, and (possibly) the previously-released extras. It appears that Scrooged will not include a Blu-ray copy however—it’ll will be 4K UHD + Digital Code only.
Speaking of Paramount, their previously-announced South Park: The Complete Twenty-Sixth Season is finally available for pre-order on Amazon and you can see the cover art below.
Lionsgate has just announced a new John Wick: Chapters 1-4 Blu-ray collection for release on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital on 10/17. All of the previous special features will be included.
Also newly-announced by Lionsgate for release on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital that same day is The Twilight Saga: The Complete Collection – 15th Anniversary Edition. Included will be Twilight (2008), The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009), The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010), The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 and the Breaking Dawn: Part 1 – Extended Edition (2022), as well as The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 (2012). The package will also include “three alternative artwork cards that can be swapped into the front cover of the package” and most or all of the previous legacy extras.
And here’s the big one: Lionsgate and AMC are releasing a massive The Walking Dead: The Complete Collection Blu-ray box set on 10/17. SRP for this one is $209.97. You can see the cover artwork for all three of these Lionsgate sets below the break. [Read on here...]