Displaying items by tag: Shout! Factory

All right, it’s a super slow news day today, but I wanted to take a moment to point out some interesting forthcoming titles that are newly-announced by indie distributors or that might have been overlooked.

But first, we have a pair of great new reviews from our own Dennis Seuling for you to check out, including his thoughts on Todd Haynes’ Dark Waters from Universal and Josef von Baky’s fantasy comedy Munchhausen (1943) from Kino Classics. Do give them a look.

Now then, those titles I mentioned... Kit Parker Films is releasing Laurel & Hardy: The Definitive Restorations on Blu-ray on 6/16. The 4-disc set includes 2 feature films (Sons of the Desert and Way Out West) and 17 classic shorts newly scanned from original 35mm nitrate film in 2K and 4K. Among the shorts is the legendary silent film The Battle of the Century, appearing for the first time on home video and nearly complete for the first time in 90 years. The set also includes rare special features, alternate soundtracks, vintage pictures, commentaries and more. You can see the cover artwork at left and below. [Read on here...]

Afternoon, folks! We’ve got some interesting announcement news to cover today, along with an interesting rumor, and some new cover artwork to share with you too.

First up, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has just announced that Steven Spielberg’s The Color Purple is returning to theaters on 2/23 for one day only in honor of the film’s 35th Anniversary. This could mean that a 4K Ultra HD release is planned for later in the year (the official anniversary is in December).

That would make sense given that both Paramount and Universal are planning physical 4K releases of Spielberg catalog films later this year (War of the Worlds and Jaws). We’ve added the title to our 4K Ultra HD Release List here at The Bits as a possibility. [Read on here...]

All right, we’re closing out the week with a big news update. But first, we have some new disc reviews for you...

I’ve just finished my look at Taika Waititi’s Oscar-winning satire Jojo Rabbit in 4K Ultra HD from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.

I’ve also taken a look at Mike Flanagan’s surprisingly good sequel to The Shining, Doctor Sleep, now in Ultra HD from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. (This one is a reference-quality 4K A/V experience.)

Tim has turned in his thoughts on Don Sharp’s Rasputin the Mad Monk (1966) on Blu-ray from Scream Factory.

And in case you missed it the other day, we have a review of Paramount’s new Steelbook 4K edition of The Hunt for Red October that’s being released in honor of the film’s 30th anniversary. [Read on here...]

All right, we’ve got two more new reviews for you all to enjoy today...

First up, I’ve turned in my thoughts on Ruben Fleischer’s long-awaited sequel Zombieland: Double Tap in 4K Ultra HD from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

And a quick heads-up: I’ll have a review of Mike Flanagan’s Doctor Sleep in 4K Ultra HD from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment done soon as well.

Also, Tim has just finished his in-depth look at Scream Factory’s outstanding new Universal Horror Collection: Volume 3 Blu-ray box set, which includes Rowland V. Lee’s Tower of London, George Waggner’s Man Made Monster and Horror Island, and Albert S. Rogell’s The Black Cat. [Read on here...]

All right, I certainly hope you all had a great weekend and that those of you who watched last night’s Oscar telecast enjoyed it and found all of the winners disserving.

For my money, the Academy actually got it right for a change: Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite was far and away the most original and interesting of the Best Picture-nominated films this year and it’s richly deserving of its win. If you haven’t seen the film yet, you should correct that oversight as soon as you can.

I reviewed the film on Blu-ray Disc a few weeks ago here at The Bits (you can read my thoughts here) and I’ve already contacted Universal to ask if the Best Picture win makes it more likely that the studio will finally give the film the physical media 4K release it deserves. We’ll see. [Read on here...]

All right, today’s post will be quick, because we’re working on some new reviews for you. To that effect...

I’ve just posted my in-depth thoughts on Roland Emmerich’s Midway (2019), new on 4K Ultra HD from Lionsgate.

I’ve also posted a full review of the Warner Archive Collection’s amazing new Tex Avery Screwball Classics: Volume 1 Blu-ray, which is worth every penny.

And Tim has added his thoughts on Scream Factory’s My Bloody Valentine: Collector’s Edition on Blu-ray.

All three of those title street in the next two weeks, so we hope you enjoy them. [Read on here...]

So the big news this morning is that Shout! Factory has dropped an out-of-left-field 4K Ultra HD announcement: They’re gotten the US release rights to Michael Cimino’s 1978 Best Picture winner The Deer Hunter. As some of you will know, this was a Studio Canal release last year in the UK on 4K Ultra HD, but there was no U.S. distributor.

Shout! will be releasing it on 5/26 as a Shout Select 4K/Blu-ray Collector’s Edition. SRP is $34.93, but you can pre-order it direct from the Shout website for just $28.43 with an exclusive poster. There will apparently be some new extras, which will be announced at a later date. We have no details yet on HDR or audio specs, but the Studio Canal package included Dolby Vision and HDR10, with 2.0 and 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. [Read on here...]

All right, we’ve got major new announcements from Shout! Factory and Scream for you today...

For March, the companies have added Jack Smight’s British production of Frankenstein: The True Story (1973) to their 3/24 slate. Shout! is also releasing The Transformers: The Complete Original Series DVD box set on 3/31.

In April, in addition to the Escape from L.A.: Collector’s Edition Blu-ray on 4/28, Shout! and Scream will release Swift and Knives and Skin (for IFC) on 4/7, Homeboy and Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter on 4/14, The Spider (1958) and The Curse of the Werewolf: Collector’s Edition (1961) on 4/21, and Underdog: The Complete Series Collector’s Edition (DVD), Shatter (1974), and The Lost Continent (1968) on 4/28. [Read on here...]

All right, folks... this is our last post of 2019, the year that Blade Runner finally became the present.

We do have a couple good things for you today...

First, Tim has turned in his in-depth review of Scream Factory’s new The Fly Collection box set, which includes the original The Fly (1958), Return of the Fly (1959), and Curse of the Fly (1965), along with the newer remake The Fly (1986) and The Fly II (1989) as well as a host of extras both new and legacy. It’s a great Blu-ray set, so do give it a look.

Also here at the site today, our own Michael Coate has turned in not one but two new History, Legacy & Showmanship columns to close out the year. [Read on here...]

All right, sorry there wasn’t a post yesterday—rest assured there was a good reason for it, which I’ll explain in a moment. But first, we have a new Blu-ray review for you to enjoy...

Dennis has posted his thoughts on Michael Engler’s Downton Abbey: The Motion Picture, which is now available on Blu-ray from Focus Films and Universal. If you liked the series (as we did), you’ll definitely like the movie too. It delivers everything you’ve enjoyed from the show with a bigger, grander, and more much cinematic aspect that fits the material and the period well. Not every big screen experience needs a superhero, and we look forward to more sequels should they be forthcoming. So enjoy the review!

Now then, we have few pieces of announcement news today...

As most of you will know by now, the Golden Globe nominees were announced yesterday and you can see the full list here via The New York Times. Netflix dominated in the film categories and there were a number of surprises. The Best Picture nominees include 1917, The Irishman, Joker, Marriage Story, and The Two Popes. The Best Musical or Comedy category includes Dolemite Is My Name, Jojo Rabbit, Knives Out, Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood, and Rocketman. Again, you’ll find the rest here. [Read on here...]