Displaying items by tag: Shout! Factory

We’ve got a pair of new 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray reviews for all of you to enjoy here at The Bits today. I’ve given Warner’s The Accountant and Sony’s Inferno a spin on the format, both of which are recent releases, and have a few things to say about each. Do give them a look.

Also today, it’s become fairly clear that Amazon and Disney are having another one of their strange business tiffs that involves Amazon pulling all of Disney’s forthcoming Blu-ray titles off of pre-order. Case in point, Moana, Doctor Strange, etc. This may also be why Disney and Lucasfilm have not yet announced the Blu-ray release of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, even though it’s already available for pre-order on other retail sites. While they no doubt have their reasons, these actions are a major inconvenience to both Amazon’s customers and Disney’s Blu-ray consumers, so these two companies should get their act together. [Read on here…]

All right, folks... this is one of those posts it’s fun to write. None of this news has been officially announced, it comes from retail sources. But we know from our other industry sources that this information is legit. The street dates may change, but the titles should all be forthcoming.

The Swedish video retailer CDON.com has just listed for pre-order a number of catalog titles that we’ve known were either in production or planning for a while now, but the news is starting to break. They include (listed by studio and European street date):

Universal – The Mummy (1999 – 5/22), The Mummy Returns (5/22), The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (5/22), Despicable Me (6/12), Despicable Me 2 (6/12), Gladiator (6/12)

Sony – The Bridge on the River Kwai (6/19), Spider-Man (6/26), Spider-Man 2 (6/26), Spider-Man 3 (6/26), The Amazing Spider-Man (6/26) [Read on here…]

The big release news today is that Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment has just set Assassin’s Creed for Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release on 3/21, with the Digital HD release expected on 3/10. We’re awaiting official details on the extras from the studio and will post them as soon as they’re available.

Also today, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has announced the 3/21 Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD release of Pedro Almodóvar’s Julieta. Disc-based extras will include a pair of featurettes (Portrait of Julieta and Celebrating Director Pedro Almodóvar).

Lionsgate will release Isolation on DVD on 4/18 as a Walmart exclusive. The film will also be widely available on Digital HD that same day. [Read on here…]

We’re kicking off today’s update here at The Bits with a trio of new disc reviews...

First up, I spent the whole day yesterday going through Sony’s new 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray edition of Ang Lee’s Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk. The package includes 4K, Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray, and Digital HD. Whatever you may think of the film itself, this A/V presentation is a must have for 4K enthusiasts. Full native 4K in 60 frames per second with High Dynamic Range and Dolby Atmos audio is a helluva thing.

Also, Tim has checked out a pair of regular Blu-rays for you, including Sony’s Don’t Breathe and Kino Lorber Studio Classics’ Haunted Honeymoon. Both are worth your time. [Read on here…]

Afternoon, folks! Okay, we’re still working on website and server stuff off and on here, but I’m going to try and sneak updates in regularly.

Before we get started, our own Russell Hammond has just posted the Release Dates & Artwork section update, complete with all the latest Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray cover artwork and Amazon.com pre-order links. A portion of any order you may through our links goes to help support our work here at the site and we do appreciate it.

First up today, Warner’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them finally has official cover artwork and is due to street on 3/28. There will be a Blu-ray ($24.99), a Blu-ray 3D ($29.99), a DVD ($17.99), and 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray ($29.96) versions. According to the Blu-ray packaging, the set will include “Over an hour of expansive, multipart featurettes” listed as Before Harry Potter: A New Era Begins, plus deleted scenes. Not that it appears there will be an Amazon-exclusive version of the Blu-ray packed with a statuette of the character “Nifflers” from the film. You can see the 4K art to the left, and all of the BD art below, with Amazon.com pre-order links. [Read on here…]

Welcome to our newest column addition Scream for a Week!

Congratulations! You made it to 2017! Starting the column off for the New Year is Lifeforce (reviewed by good ole Dr. Jahnke), the amazing Tobe Hooper/Cannon Films, naked lady vampire masterpiece from the 80's. Following that up are a trio of new reviews, including one for the recently released Dreamscape, which has been given a spiffy new transfer and some nice extras. Next is Hellhole, the mostly-forgotten women in prison movie from the 80's, chock full of sleaze and oddball characters. The last of the new reviews is a relatively recent movie #Horror, which plumbs the depths of cyberbullying. And, last but not least, is an oldy but a goody: Nightmares, the anthology movie that was difficult to obtain for many years. [Read on here...]

Welcome to our newest column addition Scream for a Week!

Starting things off is the great ‘Dolph Lundgren hunting a killer alien’ movie Dark Angel (a.k.a. I Come in Peace). New here is a terrific double feature of Ghoulies and Ghoulies II, a fun pair of Gremlins knock-offs that popped up during the Empire Pictures’ reign. Following that is another new review, this one of a neat but oddball monster movie called The Beast Within, written by Tom Holland and directed by Philipe Mora. Next we have Astron 6’s The Editor, a fun homage to the Italian Giallos of the 60s and 70s. Finally, New Year’s Evil is a Cannon Films slasher that seems an appropriate title to go out on for the year.  [Read on here...]

Welcome to our newest column addition Scream for a Week!

We here at The Digital Bits are big fans of Shout!’s Scream Factory division and, not unlike Todd Doogan’s Criterion Spines Project, we wanted to cover Scream Factory’s releases by catching up on a bunch that we’ve missed while acknowledging the previous ones. We’ll also be covering new ones here as well. This column will go up on a bi-weekly basis, so be sure to check back in another two weeks for another pile of Scream Factory goodness.

First up is a double feature of Tales from the Crypt and Vault of Horror, both terrific horror anthologies. Tales from the Crypt in particular contains one of the creepiest and more effective Christmas horror stories. Speaking of Christmas, new on the slate is a Collector’s Edition of Black Christmas, a title long sought after by Scream Factory fans and one that I believe many will feel was worth the wait. Also new on the chopping block is Jack’s Back, a great little thriller mostly forgotten by genre fans. Next is George A. Romero’s Monkey Shines, one of his most enjoyable non-Dead movies. And last but not least is a double feature of TerrorVision and The Video Dead, one of Scream Factory’s earliest releases and still one of their most fun. [Read on here…]

All right, we’re starting today with some new disc reviews: I’ve just posted my thoughts on Fox’s Independence Day: Resurgence in 4K Ultra HD format, as well as Paul Greengrass’ Jason Bourne in 4K Ultra HD format from Universal. Meanwhile, Tim has posted a review of Arrow Video USA’s The Hills Have Eyes (1977) on Blu-ray Disc. All three of these titles are worth a look.

Also here at The Bits today (in case you missed it when we posted it here at the site yesterday), our dear friend Bud Elder has turned in a new View from the Cheap Seats column called Movie Begats and More. In it, Bud runs down new deep catalog releases from all the usual indie distributors and remembers the late Leon Russell. Don’t miss it!  [Read on here…]

Welcome to our newest column additionScream for a Week!

We here at The Digital Bits are big fans of Shout!’s Scream Factory division and, not unlike Todd Doogan’s Criterion Spines Project, we wanted to cover Scream Factory’s releases by catching up on a bunch that we’ve missed while acknowledging the previous ones. We’ll also be covering new ones here as well. This column will go up on a bi-weekly basis, so be sure to check back in another two weeks for another pile of Scream Factory goodness.

First up is Beneath, a Larry Fessenden giant fish movie that I’m actually a little less hard on than I was when I originally wrote the review. Today, I’d probably give it more of a B or a B- as it’s grown on me since then. New to Blu-ray this week are both Rabid and Dead Ringers, a pair of David Cronenberg movies that are stacked with some great extras worth digging into. Also new, at least as far as catching up with older Scream Factory titles is concerned, is The Monkey’s Paw, a Chiller movie that actually has some merit. And last but not least, Paul Schrader’s terrific remake of Cat People. [Read on here…]