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All right, Bits readers, today is a tough one news-wise, and it has little to do with specific title release news or announcements.

We’ve learned from multiple sources now that the 15% US workforce cuts at Paramount Global—a restructuring that’s happening in advance of the company’s merger with Skydance Media to reduce annual costs by some $500 million—have landed very heavily on the Melrose lot. As reported widely last week, the layoffs amount to about 2,000 people, with most expected to be gone by the end of next month and the rest by year’s end.

Current co-CEOs George Cheeks, Brian Robbins, and Chris McCarthy have described the layoffs thusly in a memo to the workforce: “As we continue to advance our plan, we announced on our earnings call last week that we will be reducing our US-based workforce by approximately 15%, focusing on redundant functions and streamlining corporate teams.”

The expectation was that every division would be impacted. As reported last week, Paramount Television Studios has been shuttered completely. What’s not been reported widely yet is the impact on overall studio operations.

The Digital Bits sources indicate that nearly every department has been affected—in a few cases severely—from marketing, legal, and accounting, to production, post-production, finance, mastering, vault and library services, and unfortunately also Paramount Home Entertainment. The cuts are reportedly not so deep as to result in a complete loss of institutional knowledge, but they’re more than deep enough to result in major workflow disruptions. [Read on here...]

We’ve got a good bit of ground to cover here at The Bits today, so let’s start as always with new disc reviews...

Now available here are Stephen’s take on Francis Ford Coppola’s The Conversation (1974) in 4K Ultra HD from StudioCanal, David Allen’s The Primevals (2023) as released on Blu-ray by Umbrella Entertainment, and the Blu-ray Audio version of Jonathan Demme and Talking Heads’ Stop Making Sense (1984) live album, which includes Dolby Atmos.

Stuart’s look at the Philo Vance Collection on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics—which includes The Canary Murder Case (1929), The Greene Murder Case (1929), and The Benson Murder Case (1930)—as well as George King’s The Shop at Sly Corner (1947) and the Columbia Film Noir #6: The Whistler box set—which includes The Whistler (1944), The Mark of the Whistler (1944), The Power of the Whistler (1945), Voice of the Whistler (1945), Mysterious Intruder (1946), The Secret of the Whistler (1946), The Thirteenth Hour (1947), and The Return of the Whistler (1948)—both on Blu-ray from Indicator.

Dennis’ thoughts on Basil Dearden’s The Man Who Haunted Himself (1970) on Blu-ray from Imprint and Welcome Back, Kotter: The Complete Series (1975-1979) on DVD from Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment.

And finally, Tim has taken a look at Arch Oboler’s Bwana Devil (1952) on Blu-ray 3D from Kino Lorber Studio Classics with the help of the 3-D Film Archive.

More reviews are forthcoming, so stay tuned!

Now then, before we get to the big release news today, I wanted to alert you all to the fact that we’ve just posted a big update to our Cover Art section here at The Bits, aka the Release Dates & Artwork section (thanks to our own Russell Hammond)! It now features TONS of new Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD cover art, all with Amazon.com pre-order links. You can browse and sort the titles by street date and format, and of course The Bits is an Amazon Affiliate, so anytime you click through one of our Amazon links and order literally anything from them, you’re helping to support our work and we really do appreciate it. It makes a real difference for us. [Read on here...]

We’ve got three new disc reviews to start the week, as well as some significant release news. So more on the latter in a minute...

Stuart has weighed in with a look at Edward Dmytryk’s Obsession (1949) on Blu-ray from Indicator here at The Bits today.

And Dennis has turned in his thoughts on Quarxx’s Pandemonium (2023) on Blu-ray from Arrow Video, as well as Basil Dearden’s The Man Who Haunted Himself (1970) on Blu-ray from Imprint.

Now then... the big news this afternoon is that Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has announced that the Digital release of Lee Isaac Chung’s Twisters (2024) will drop tomorrow on 8/13. It’ll come with deleted scenes and a gag reel. We don’t have an official street date yet for the physical media release, but that should follow in the weeks ahead as all physical SKUs are now available for pre-order. [Read on here...]

We’ve got just a handful of announcement news items to share with you today...

The first is that Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has just set Chris Smith’s American Movie (1999) for release on 4K Ultra HD on 10/15 in honor of the film’s 25th anniversary.

This will be a Sony Pictures Classics release. The 4K disc will include Dolby Vision HDR and the original English mono audio in lossless DTS-HD MA format.

Extras will include audio commentary with the director and cast, deleted scenes, the Coven short film by Mark Borchardt, and the film’s theatrical trailer. You can see the cover artwork at left.

Elsewhere around the Interwebs, various online retailers have begun taking pre-orders for the Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD release of Eli Roth’s Borderlands (2024) and Nikhil Nagesh Bhat’s Kill (2023) from Lionsgate, M. Night’s Shyamalan’s Trap (2024) from Warner Bros, Ti West’s MaXXXine (2024) from A24, and Osgood Perkins’ Longlegs (2024) from Neon/Decal. The street date for all of these is TBA. [Read on here...]

The big news today is that Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment has just announced the Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD release of Disney and Pixar’s Inside Out 2 (2024) on 9/10. The Digital release is expected on 8/20.

Extras will include a pair of behind-the-scenes featurettes (including New Emotions and Unlocking the Vault) along with 5 deleted scenes (among them Cold Open, Broken Joy, Pool Party, Puberty Prank, and Shame Spiral).

The 4K will be released as a Limited Edition 4K + Blu-ray Steelbook. There will also be Blu-ray + DVD package, and a standalone DVD. An Inside Out 2-Movie Collection will also be available on Digital.

Audio on the 4K disc will be Dolby Atmos, with 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio included on the Blu-ray. We presume the HDR will be HDR10 only. The 4K disc is confirmed to be limited to 66 GB. You can see the cover artwork at left and also below the break. [Read on here...]

We have two more new disc reviews to share with you today here on The Bits, with more on the way...

Tim has reviewed Walter Colmes’ Woman Who Came Back (1945) on Blu-ray from Imprint Films.

And Stephen has offered his thoughts on Tai Katô’s Eighteen Years in Prison (1967) on Blu-ray from Toei via Radiance Films.

Now then, the big news today is that Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment has apparently conducted another of its “A-List” Community surveys asking which of its many catalog titles fans would like to see the studio release in 4K Ultra HD. And of course, as happens every time, the details of that list got leaked immediately online and so it becomes something we have an obligation to report on here at The Bits. In any case, dozens of people have shared the information either privately or widely online. Because of course they’re going to—they’re enthusiasts.

Having said that, it’s probably unreasonable to assume that the studio will get around to every one of these titles any time soon, but if more of them start being released in 4K UHD, that would certainly represent a big improvement in the studio’s 4K catalog release strategy to date. So which titles were on this list? [Read on here...]

Afternoon, folks! Let’s knock out today’s latest disc reviews here at The Bits before we get to the breaking release news...

Dennis has turned in a pair of new Blu-ray reviews, including his thoughts on Patricia Rozema’s White Room (1990) and also George Seaton’s The Country Girl (1954) from Kino Lorber and Kino Lorber Studio Classics respectively.

Now let’s get to the big breaking news...

Warner Bros Discovery Home Entertainment has just set Wes Craven’s A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) for release on 4K Ultra HD + Digital here in the States (and also 4K UHD + Blu-ray in the UK)! The US street date is 10/1 (UK is 9/30).

As we mentioned yesterday: The 4K disc will include both the Theatrical and Uncut versions, HDR10 high dynamic range, and Dolby Atmos audio, along with legacy extras that include Ready Freddy Focus Points, 2 audio commentaries with Craven joined by members of the cast and crew, alternate endings, and a trio of featurettes.

The 4K will also be available in Amaray or Steelbook packaging. You can see the cover artwork at left and also below the break. [Read on here...]

Welcome to a new week, folks! Boy, have we got some great new 4K and Blu-ray announcement news to share with you today! Naturally, we also have more new disc reviews here at The Bits as well. So as always, let’s start with the latter first...

Stephen has taken a look at Paul Schrader’s American Gigolo (1980) which is now available in a new 4K UHD release from Arrow Video.

Tim has offered his thoughts on Lamberto Bava’s Demons (1985) and Demons 2 (1986) in 4K Ultra HD from the good folks at Synapse Films. Both of those street next week.

Dennis has checked in with a look at Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett’s Abigail (2024) on Blu-ray from Universal.

And Stuart has weighed in with his review of Imprint’s recent Directed by John Farrow Blu-ray box set, which includes Commandos Strike at Dawn (1942), The Hitler Gang (1944), Night Has a Thousand Eyes (1948), Submarine Command (1951), and Botany Bay (1953), and the John Farrow: Hollywood’s Man in the Shadows (2021) documentary.

More reviews are forthcoming all this week, so be sure to watch for them!

Now then, we’re awaiting official press releases, but Paramount has just listed David Fincher’s Zodiac (2007) for release on 4K Ultra HD on 10/29, along with Barry Sonnenfeld’s Addams Family Values (1993) in long-awaited 4K UHD! Both titles we first revealed here at The Bits back in June (click here and here). The good news is that each will include Dolby Vision HDR. You can see the cover artwork at left and also below! [Read on here...]

We start as always today with more new disc reviews, including…

Stephen’s look at Jonathan Demme’s Last Embrace (1979) in 4K Ultra HD from Vinegar Syndrome’s excellent Cinématographe line, as well as John Waters’ Cry-Baby (1990) in 4K Ultra HD from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

Stuart’s reviews of Andrzej Żuławski’s L’important c’est d’Aimer... (1975) on Blu-ray from Film Movement via Vinegar Syndrome, along with John Guillermin’s The Whole Truth (1958) on Blu-ray from Powerhouse Films’ Indicator label.

And Dennis’ take on Boaz Yakin’s Fresh (1994) on Blu-ray from Via Vision’s Imprint Films.

Now then, there’s some exciting release news for us to share with you today, but first we want to take a moment to clear up some confusion: The Warner Archive Collection is still the Warner Archive Collection!

Many of you have probably seen that their Facebook page was suddenly rebranded as Warner Classics (click here for the link). But rest assured, the Warner Archive Collection remains! Warner is simply trying to unite all of its “classic film” marketing activity in one social media space. So while the Warner Archive Collection remains the core of this page, you’ll also learn here about forthcoming classic film releases on Blu-ray and 4K UHD from the studio proper, as well as theatrical screening activity, and the like. So everyone can relax—Warner Archive has not disappeared!

In fact, Warner Archive has just shared some excellent release news: The Looney Tunes Collector’s Choice: Volume 4 Blu-ray is officially coming on 11/26! You can see their official Facebook post here. Details of the actual shorts the set will include are yet to be announced, but the release is definitely now in production. Great news indeed! [Read on here...]

We’re starting the new week as always with more new disc reviews…

First, our own Tim Salmons has turned in his thoughts on Imprint Films’ new double feature of The Uninvited (1944) and The Unseen (1945) on region-free Blu-ray, a pair of film noir titles both directed by Lewis Allen.

And Stephen has weighed in with a look at a hefty title of his own: Full Moon Features’ new The Primevals: Ultimate Collector’s Edition Blu-ray box set, featuring the restored 2023 David Allen film, which was originally greenlit in 1978 but wasn’t filmed until 1994. Sadly, Allen passed away in 1999 before the film was completed. But thanks to an Indiegogo campaign, it’s finally completed as much as is possible and available on disc. And what a nice package it is too.

More reviews are on the way of course, but today we’ve got a TON of Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD release news to catch up all up on. It starts with Arrow’s Friday morning announcement of their October slate, which includes John Boorman’s Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977) on Blu-ray (in the UK only) on 10/7, William Peter Blatty’s The Exorcist III (1990) on 4K (in the UK only) on 10/7, the Hellraiser: Quartet of Torment box set—which includes Clive Barker’s Hellraiser (1987), Tony Randel’s Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988), Anthony Hickox’s Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth (1992), and Kevin Yagher’s Hellraiser: Bloodline (1996)—on Blu-ray and 4K (in the US and Canada only, it was already released in the UK) on 10/22, Michael Dougherty’s Trick ‘r Treat (2007) on 4K (in the UK, US, and Canada) on 10/28, and the J-Horror Rising: Limited Edition Blu-ray box set—which includes Shunichi Nagasaki’s Shikoku (1999), Toshiyuki Mizutani’s Isola: Multiple Personality Girl (2000), Masato Harada’s Inugami (2001), Ten Shimoyama’s St. John’s Wort (2001), Kōji Shiraishi’s Carved: The Slit-Mouthed Woman (2007), Takashi Komatsu’s Persona (2000), and Koji Shiraishi’s Noroi: The Curse (2005)—on Blu-ray (in the UK, US, and Canada) also on 10/28. [Read on here...]