Displaying items by tag: My Two Cents

We’ve got a bunch of great title announcement news and “revels” to report today, so let’s get right to it...

First up, our friends at Kino Lorber Studio Classics have just revealed on their social media that they’re working on a new 4K Ultra HD release of Fred Dekker’s The Monster Squad (1987)! And we have street date: Look for it to arrive on 11/28, complete with a new 4K scan of the original camera negative with Dolby Vision HDR on a UHD-100 disc. The 3-disc set will also include the film remastered in 1080p HD on Blu-ray (which will also be available separately) and you’ll get a bonus disc with the Wolfman’s Got Nards (2018) documentary. Plus the set will include a ton of legacy special features. You can see the 4K cover artwork at left.

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has also just revealed the Region A/US Blu-ray release of Ron Moore and Apple TV+’s fantastic alternate/near future science fiction series For All Mankind: Season One. Look for that to street on 11/14. Unfortunately, no 4K Ultra HD release is currently planned. Also, the cover artwork leaves a lot to be desired; it’s identical to the key art used on Dazzler’s UK release (which we reviewed here) but it shares nothing in common with the show’s actual logo or promotional artwork, causing a number of fans we’ve heard from to say it looks like a bootleg. In any case, it’s a great series—one of my favorites actually, along with Apple TV’s Foundation—and it’s great to finally have a legit US Blu-ray option. You can see the cover (with the Amazon pre-order link) below the break.

Sony has also just set FX’s Justified: City Primeval – Season One for release on Blu-ray and DVD on 11/14. And we’ve got that cover artwork for you below as well. [Read on here...]

Welcome to the new week, Bits-ers! We’re starting as always today with a trio of new disc reviews for you to check out...

Stuart has offered his thoughts on Andrei Konchalovsky’s Duet for One (1986) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

Dennis has delivered a look at Renato Polselli’s Delirium (1972) on Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome.

And Tim rounds things out with his review of George A. Romero’s Creepshow (1982) in 4K Ultra HD from Scream Factory.

We also have several more reviews currently in the works for the next few days, so be sure to keep checking back for them.

The big news this morning is that the Criterion Collection has just unveiled its December slate of titles, including one new 4K Ultra HD release. The slate includes an upgraded version of Allen Baron’s Blast of Silence (1961) (Spine #428 – Blu-ray and DVD) on 12/5, followed by The Red Balloon and Other Stories: Five Films by Albert Lamorisse (1951-1965) (Spine #1200 – Blu-ray and DVD – includes Bim, the Little Donkey, White Mane, The Red Balloon, Stowaway in the Sky, and Circus Angel) and Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (2022) (Spine #1201 – 4K UHD + Blu-ray, Blu-ray, and DVD) on 12/12.

You can see the cover art for Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio at left and all three of them below the break. [Read on here...]

All right, we’ve got just a quick batch of announcements to catch up on this morning...

First of all, just as we first reported here at The Bits many weeks ago, Paramount has officially set Christopher McQuarrie’s Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One for Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD release on 10/31, with the Digital version due on 10/10. Expect Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos audio on the 4K.

Extras on the disc will include audio commentary by McQuarrie and editor Eddie Hamilton, plus a Deleted Scenes Montage, and 7 featurettes (Rome, Venice, Freefall, Speed Flying, Train, and Editorial Featurette: The Sevastopol). Look for 2 4K SKUs... a regular Amaray version and a Steelbook version. You can see the cover artwork at left and also below.

Also today, Lionsgate has set Talk to Me for physical media release on 10/3. It appears that there will be multiple versions: 4K + Blu-ray + Digital, Blu-ray + DVD + Digital, Amazon-exclusive 4K + Blu-ray + Digital, and Walmart Blu-ray + DVD + Digital. [Read on here...]

All right, as mentioned earlier, we’ve got more release news to cover today here at The Bits. But first some new disc reviews...

Stephen has checked out Paul Verhoeven’s cult classic Showgirls (1995) on 4K Ultra HD from Vinegar Syndrome, which features the film in 4K UHD and Blu-ray, along with an additional Blu-ray full of special features. Stephen has also reviewed Peter Greenaway’s The Draughtsman’s Contract (1982) on Blu-ray from Zeitgeist Films and Kino Lorber.

Also today, Dennis has offered his thoughts on George Cukor’s Little Women (1955) and Abe Levitow’s animated Gay Purr-ee (1962), both new on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection.

And Stuart has taken a look at the Norwegian legal drama Aber Bergen: Complete Series from MHz Networks and Kino Lorber, as well as Inés Toharia Terán’s Film: The Living Record of Our Memory (2021) documentary from Kino Lorber, both of them on DVD, along with the Warner Archive Collection’s Tintin and the Mystery of the Golden Fleece (1961) and Tintin and the Blue Oranges (1964) double feature Blu-ray.

Now then, speaking of Warner, Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment and DC Studios have announced the Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD release of the Netflix original series The Sandman: The Complete First Season on 11/18, with a Digital release expected on 9/18. Note that a second season of the series is already on the way from Netflix. The set will include all 11 episodes, along with a pair of featurettes (The Sandman: Behind the Scenes Sneak Peek and The World of The Endless). You can see the cover artwork at left and also below. [Read on here...]

We’ve got a bunch of ground to cover here at The Bits, so we’re going to post a couple of news updates here today. For the first one this afternoon, we’re going to talk about a new Disney release that was announced on Sunday of all days (naturally, when I was too busy doing a bunch of work around the house to see the press release in time). So let’s get right into it...

Disney has officially revealed a new Disney Legacy Animated Film Collection, featuring 100 animated films from Disney, Walt Disney Animation Studios, and Pixar Animation Studios, which is set to street on 11/14. The box set—which will retail for the whopping price of $1,500—is only going available from Walmart.com, with pre-orders expected to start on 9/18. What’s more, this is obviously an extremely limited release, very likely with just a few thousand copies produced. So if you want it, don’t wait. It will likely sell out very quickly.

The question that must be asked, of course, is: Should you want it? And to help you answer that, we’ve got some exclusive additional details for you...

As announced, the box set will include all 100 films on Blu-ray Disc (more on that in a minute), along with Digital codes for each title, plus “a copy of the original theatrical poster art, a collectible lithograph from Disney Animation’s new musical comedy Wish, and a collectible crystal Mickey ears hat with exclusive Disney 100 engraving.” [Read on here...]

We’ve got one more quick update for you today here at The Bits. But first, we have two new disc reviews from Stephen...

He’s taken a look at Thom Eberhardt’s Night of the Comet (1984) in 4K Ultra HD from Shout and Scream Factory. And he’s also reviewed Scott Walker’s The Tank (2023) on Blu-ray from Well Go USA Entertainment.

Now then, the quick bit of news we have to report today is a follow up on something we predicted was coming here at The Bits several months back, which is that Universal Studios Home Entertainment is officially releasing the next wave of Alfred Hitchcock 4K Ultra HD titles on 10/31!

You’ll get the next box set of five films—The Alfred Hitchcock Classics Collection: Volume 3—as well as 4K single-film SKUs of each of the films in the set, including Rope (1948), The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956), Torn Curtain (1966), Topaz (1969), and Frenzy (1972). You can see the cover art for the box at left, and the singles below the break. [Read on here...]

We’re back as promised this morning with another big announcement news round-up (and definitely be sure to check out our packed news update from yesterday evening as well, if you missed it)...

We’ll start with Barbie news (and there’s a phrase I officially never imagined I’d say): Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment has just set Greta Gerwig’s pink-hued box office bonanza for “Premium Digital” release on 9/12 (SRP $29.99). Extras will include 6 behind-the-scenes featurettes (Welcome to Barbie Land, Becoming Barbie, Playing Dress-Up, Musical Make Believe, All-Star Barbie Part, and It’s a Weird World). The physical media release on Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD will be announced at a later date (but our sources are still telling us to expect it on 10/3).

Also today, Kino Lorber Studio Classics has officially announced that Billy Wilder’s Stalag 17 (1953) is coming on Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD on 11/21! Also coming that day on Blu-ray only is Clive Donner’s Babes in Toyland (1986), featuring both 1.33:1 and 1.78:1 aspect ratio versions. And coming on 11/14 on Blu-ray only will be Monte Markham’s Neon City (1991).

Stalag 17 will include a new 4K scan of the original camera negative with Dolby Vision HDR. The Blu-ray will also be mastered from the new 4K scan. Each disc will include new audio commentary with film historians Steve Mitchell and Steven Jay Rubin, as well as a second commentary with film historian Joseph McBride. You’ll also get the legacy commentary with Richard Erdman, Gil Stratton, and Donald Bevan, as well as 2 featurettes (Stalag 17: From Reality to the Screen and The Real Heroes of Stalag XVII B).

In terms of titles that are coming soon from KLSC, a 4K Ultra HD release of Clint Eastwood’s Play Misty for Me (1971) is in the offing. And the company has revealed that Kino Cult and Something Weird are working together on a Two Cult Classics by Betty Page Blu-ray double feature of Varietease (1954) and Teaserama (1955). Look for that to street sometime in 2024. [Read on here...]

We’ve got a lot of announcement news to cover today, so we’re going to share some of it here now, and then we’ll come back early tomorrow morning with the rest of it. But first, as always, here are some new disc reviews that we’ve posted recently...

Tim has taken a look at Albert Band’s Ghoulies II (1987) on Blu-ray from the MVD Rewind Collection.

Stephen has reviewed Carl Theodor Dreyer’s Michael (1924) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber via their Kino Classics label.

And Stuart has offered his thoughts on Max Ophüls’ There’s No Tomorrow (1939) on Blu-ray also from Kino Classics, as well as Otto Preminger’s Angel Face (1953) and Anthony Mann’s Border Incident (1949) both on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection.

Now then! Let’s get to that release news...

First up, just as we predicted the other day, Paramount has set David Zucker’s The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988) for release in 4K Ultra HD Steelbook format on 11/28. You can see the cover artwork at left and also below. It’s not up for pre-order yet, but the Amazon listing is there, so we’ll include the link below. The 2-disc set will include the film in 4K UHD and also Blu-ray. We don’t yet know if the Blu-ray is remastered as well, and if there will be any new extras, but you can certainly expect many of the legacy extras to carry over. The release is timed to honor of the film’s 35th anniversary, which takes place on 12/2. [Read on here...]

[Editor’s Note: Since the original publication of this column back in 2016, a new book on 2001 has been published that deserves to be mentioned here—Michael Benson’s Space Odyssey. I’ve added a new section at the end to address it. There is also an excellent 2018 Michael Coate retrospective on the film here at The Bits that we’ve included as well.]

–Originally published on The Digital Bits on 9/28/2016–

I decided that I wanted to do something a little different with today’s My Two Cents column on The Digital Bits, so I thought I’d review a few new and/or recent books that may be of interest to cinephiles, especially those of you who are fans of Stanley Kubrick’s legendary 2001: A Space Odyssey.

As many of you would agree, I’m sure, 2001 is a landmark of filmed science fiction. Based loosely on a short story by visionary author Arthur C. Clarke, it depicts an AI-guided but manned journey through deep space, first to Earth orbit, then the Moon, and eventually out to the distant gas giant Jupiter and beyond, in response to the discovery of an alien artifact on the Moon’s surface, apparently having been buried there millions of years ago.

Not only was Kubrick’s film notable for its realistic depiction of the Moon’s surface fully a year before NASA’s Apollo astronauts actually landed there, it’s been lauded ever since for its realistic approach to depicting future spaceflight technology. Indeed, some of those who contributed designs to the project were actually involved in the space program. [Read on here…]

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...]