Items filtered by date: June 2017

All right, there’s a lot going on here today, so today’s update will be relatively quick...

First up, Tim has posted a new Blu-ray review, shared today in honor of the passing of George A. Romero. It’s Knightriders, available on BD via our friends at Shout! Factory. We hope you enjoy, and more on George in a moment.

Also, Michael Coate has posted a new History, Legacy & Showmanship column in which he celebrates the 30th anniversary of director Paul Verhoeven’s original RoboCop. The piece features another great retrospective look at the film’s original theatrical release and also an interview with author Calum Waddell. Don’t miss it. [Read on here…]

“In many ways, RoboCop was ahead of its time, foreshadowing a future that is with us now. The Reagan-era gap between rich and poor has grown ever wider, with the 1% using an increasingly militarized police force to protect gentrified communities while other parts of cities have become postindustrial wastelands, abandoned to crime and drugs. RoboCop himself, a man made over into a machine by an unfeeling corporation, can be seen as a literal example of American workers being replaced by robots.” — Film scholar and Paul Verhoeven author Douglas Keesey

The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the 30th anniversary of the release of RoboCop, Paul Verhoeven’s (Soldier of Orange, Basic Instinct) franchise-inspiring and Saturn- and Oscar-winning satirical action film starring Peter Weller (The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai, Leviathan) and Nancy Allen (Dressed to Kill, Blow Out). [Read on here...]

All right, no official update yet from Disney on the HDR on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 4K. There are reports that Dolby is claiming Dolby Vision will only be on the 4K streaming version, but we haven’t been able to confirm that yet. So stay tuned.

Disney has however, officially just announced (at D23) that they’re releasing Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales on Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD on 10/3, with the Digital release due on 9/19. We know that it will have HDR (so HDR-10, no word specifically of Dolby Vision) and that it will include Dolby Atmos audio. “Bonus material includes a collection of behind-the-scenes, making-of stories, including a conversation with directors Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg; a sit-down with the two young newcomers who play Henry and Carina; the secrets behind the menacing new villain, Salazar, and his ferocious ghost sharks; an on-set visit with Jack’s first mate from all five films; a chat with Sir Paul McCartney who appears as Uncle Jack; and a discussion about the franchise’s legacy; along with hilarious bloopers, deleted scenes and memories from producer Jerry Bruckheimer’s photo diary.” No other details are yet available. You can see the cover art at left.

Meanwhile, we have two new Blu-ray reviews for you today: Tim has checked out Vinegar Syndrome’s Psycho Cop Returns and Psychic Killer, both worth your time if you’re a fan of the genre. Do check them out. [Read on here…]

All right, we’ve got a couple of things for you today, including a little bit of follow-up on this Disney/Guardians Vol 2 4K Dolby Vision thing. More on that in a moment...

First, Michael Coate has a great new History, Legacy & Showmanship column for you today that celebrates Sir Roger Moore and the 40th Anniversary of the classic Bond installment The Spy Who Loved Me. Michael is joined by another fine roundtable of Bond experts to discuss the film and I think you’ll really enjoy reading what they have to say. So you’ll find that here.

Now then... some announcement news: Universal has officially set The Mummy (2017) for Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD release on 9/12, with the Digital HD release expected on 8/22. [Read on here…]

“The Spy Who Loved Me was a celebration the moment it premiered. It’s not so much a movie or a story as it is a wondrous tour through the exotic, sexy, dangerous, and beautiful world of Roger Moore’s 007.” — 007 historian John Cork

The Digital Bits is pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the 40th anniversary of the release of The Spy Who Loved Me, the tenth (official) cinematic James Bond adventure and, arguably, the fan favorite of the Roger Moore era.

As with our previous 007 articles (see You Only Live Twice, Diamonds Are Forever, Casino Royale, For Your Eyes Only, Thunderball, GoldenEye, A View to a Kill, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Goldfinger, and 007… Fifty Years Strong), The Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship continue the series with this retrospective featuring a Q&A with an esteemed group of James Bond scholars, documentarians and historians who discuss the virtues, shortcomings and legacy of The Spy Who Loved Me. [Read on here...]

All right, let’s get this out of the way right off the top: Yesterday, when Disney finally made the official announcement that James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 will arrive on 4K Ultra HD (as well as Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D, and DVD) on 8/22, we made a point to contact the studio to confirm that the 4K Ultra HD disc would include Dolby Vision HDR. And we were assured that it would. So we added that update to our report.

Some context here: Our sources within the studio and around the industry have long told us that one of the reasons Disney has taken their time embracing the 4K format was that they’re bullish about Dolby Vision, and wanted to wait until more hardware manufacturers and consumers had embraced it. They wanted more Dolby Vision-capable displays and players out there in the hands of consumers. [Read on here…]

All right, we knew it was coming but now Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment has just made it official: James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is officially coming to Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD on 8/22, while the Digital HD release will happen on 8/8. Extras on the Blu-ray editions will include the 4-part The Making of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 documentary, audio commentary with director James Gunn, 4 deleted scenes, the Visionary Intro featurette, a Guardians Inferno music video with David Hasselhoff, and a Gag Reel. There will also be digital exclusive features, including 3 Scene Breakdowns and a Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout! Disneyland ride preview. The 4K Ultra HD version will feature English Dolby Atmos. We are working to confirm that it will also feature Dolby Vision HDR. [Editor’s Note: Disney has confirmed to us that the 4K Ultra HD release will feature Dolby Vision HDR.] The Blu-ray versions will include English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. [Read on here…]

Afternoon, folks! All right, a couple things today...

First, today is Prime Day on Amazon. If you’re a Prime member, there are supposed to be some good deals on various things over there, reportedly including 4K Ultra HD displays. Now, I haven’t had time to go over there and check myself, so that may or may not be, but if you do purchase anything, here’s our Amazon link to take you there (we appreciate the support!): Bits Amazon Link.

Now then... Tim has turned in a pair of new Blu-ray reviews, featuring Scream Factory’s terrific new Species: Collector’s Edition Blu-ray and also a recent release from Australian distributor Umbrella Entertainment. The title in question is The Punisher (1989), and it’s an all region release for those who may be interested. Enjoy! [Read on here…]

“Tron should be remembered as a very daring, risky adventure on the part of a few young visionaries and artists. They believed that by using computers for animation and visual effects, they could change moviemaking.” — The Making of Tron author William Kallay

The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the 35th anniversary of the release of Tron, the Walt Disney Company’s groundbreaking science-fiction computer adventure starring Jeff Bridges and David Warner. [Read on here...]

We’ve got just a little bit more good announcement news for you guys to close out the shortened holiday week today...

First, Kino Lorber has announced that it plans to release Gary Marshall’s Young Doctors in Love (1982) on Blu-ray and DVD on 10/10. The company has also revealed that Sidney J. Furie’s The Taking of Beverly Hills (1991) and James Glickenhaus’ The Soldier (1982) are coming soon to both formats.

A reminder: Pre-orders for Twilight Time’s July titles are now live on Twilight Time Movies and Screen Archives Entertainment, including Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask), The Crimson Kimono, State Fair, and Tom Sawyer/Huckleberry Finn. They’re expected to ship on 7/18. [Read on here…]