Displaying items by tag: Universal

Today’s new disc reviews here at The Bits include...

Tim’s look at Richard Fleischer’s Conan the Destroyer (1984) in 4K Ultra HD from Arrow Video, as well as Rospo Pallenberg’s Cutting Class (1989) in 4K Ultra HD from the MVD Rewind Collection.

And Stephen’s thoughts on George P. Cosmatos’ Leviathan (1989) in 4K Ultra HD from MGM via Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

In announcement news today, Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment has officially set Martin Scorsese’s The Departed (2006) for 4K Ultra HD and Digital release on 4/23. The 4K disc will also be available in Steelbook packaging. Extras include the new Guilt and Betrayal: Looking into The Departed featurette, along with the legacy Stranger than Fiction: The True Story of Whitey Bulger, Southie, and The Departed and Crossing Criminal Cultures featurettes, as well as 9 deleted scene with introduction by the director. The press release doesn’t indicate it, but the packaging lists 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. Look for HDR10 high dynamic range only. [Read on here...]

We’ve got some more new announcement for you today, including a few interesting ones. And we have new disc reviews today as well. But first, I saw Dune: Part Two last night. So let me just share some very quick and non-spoiler comments. Here’s my initial reaction posted on social media afterwards...

“You see a film like DUNE: PART TWO and you think: That’s either the last great film of a dying Hollywood, or proof that there’s still a bit of life left in this industry. Either way, it’s a wonder. And absolutely perfect. Don’t look now, but Denis Villeneuve has just casually knocked out three of the greatest science fiction films of all time. See it on the BIGGEST POSSIBLE SCREEN.”

I guess “three of the greatest” depends on whether you calculate Dune as a single film or not. But Arrival, Blade Runner: 2049, and the combined Dune adaptation are all superb. I would rank them right up there with Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner and Alien, and the Wachowskis’ The Matrix. Maybe I’d add Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind in there as well. All extraordinary pieces of hard science fiction cinema.

Honestly, if you liked Dune: Part One—and particularly if you loved Frank Herbert’s original novel, which is rightly regarded as the greatest work of science fiction literature—Villeneuve has just nailed the landing. [Read on here...]

Well, yesterday was kind of a big day in terms of industry news, but as it happens, there have been quite a lot of interesting 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray announcements in the last 24 hours too!

But before we get to those, we have a few more new disc reviews for you...

I’ve just taken a look at John Sturges’ Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957) in 4K Ultra HD from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, as well as Ron Maxwell’s cult classic Little Darlings (1980) in 4K UHD from Vinegar Syndrome’s new Cinématographe Films label.

Stephen has turned in his thoughts on Nia DaCosta’s The Marvels (2023) in 4K Ultra HD from Marvel and Disney, along with Yoshimitsu Banno’s Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971) on 4K UHD (sans English subs) from Toho Studios in Japan.

Dennis has given Ted Kotcheff’s Split Image (1982) a look on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, along with Vincente Minnelli’s Madame Bovary (1949) on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection.

And Stuart has reviewed Andrew V. McLaglen’s The Devil’s Brigade (1968) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics and Steve Zaillian’s Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993) on Blu-ray from Imprint Films.

Many more reviews are forthcoming, including Footloose, Conan the Destroyer, and Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part One in 4K, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled for them.

Now then... in terns of title announcements, Paramount’s just dropped a couple of big ones starting with confirmation of a title we’ve mentioned here at The Bits recently: Alex Proyas’ The Crow (1994) officially streets on 4K Ultra HD and 4K Steelbook on 5/7. The 4K disc will include Dolby Vision and HDR10 high dynamic range. [Read on here...]

Afternoon, folks! I certainly hope that those of you who celebrate it have had a great Christmas holiday, and that the rest of you are enjoying the holiday season.

I’ve got just a quick update here for you today and I’ll post a little more as the week goes on. This time of year there’s typically very little news-wise worth reporting, but there are some odds and ends to cover.

First though, I want to catch you up on the latest disc reviews we’ve posted here at The Bits since our last news post last week. Now available for your reading pleasure here are...

My reviews of James Cameron’s Avatar: Collector’s Edition (2009) and Avatar: The Way of Water – Collector’s Edition (2022) in 4K Ultra HD from Lightstorm and 20th Century Studios.

Tim’s thoughts on Richard Donner’s Scrooged: 35th Anniversary Edition (1988) in 4K from Sony and George Mihalka’s My Bloody Valentine: Collector’s Edition (1981) in 4K from Scream Factory.

Dennis’ takes on David Gordon Green’s The Exorcist: The Believer (2023) in both Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD from Universal, as well as Oren Rudavsky’s The Treatment (2006) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber, and Richard Attenborough’s In Love and War (1996) on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection.

Stephen’s reviews of Charles Kaufman’s Mother’s Day (1980) in 4K from Troma via Vinegar Syndrome, Emma Tammi’s Five Nights at Freddy’s in 4K from Universal, and Ti West’s Pearl (2022) in 4K from A24 via Turbine Media.

And finally Stuart’s look at Succession: The Complete Series on DVD from HBO, Alain Resnais’ La Guerre est finie (1966) on Blu-ray from The Film Desk and Vinegar Syndrome, and Paul Lynch’s The Hard Part Begins (1973) on Blu-ray from Canadian International Pictures via Vinegar Syndrome. [Read on here...]

We’re closing out the week this afternoon with some newsy odds and ends, a few more tidbits about forthcoming titles from our industry sources, and of course more new disc reviews. Today’s reviews include...

Tim’s take on Wes Craven’s The People Under the Stairs (1991) in 4K Ultra HD from our friends at Scream Factory.

His look at Craig R. Baxley’s Stone Cold (1991) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

And Stuart’s thoughts on Richard Thorpe’s The Truth About Spring (1965) on Blu-ray, also from the good folks over at Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

In 4K Ultra HD release news, you might recall that yesterday we mentioned that Sony was bringing Martin Campbell’s The Legend of Zorro (2005) to the format on 8/22. Likewise, Universal was working on a 4K release of Emerald Fennell’s Promising Young Woman (2020) for that same day. [Read on here...]

We have three more new disc reviews of you today, including...

Stephen’s take on Ridley Scott’s Thelma & Louise (1991) on 4K Ultra HD from the Criterion Collection.

Tim’s look at Peyton’s Reed’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023) on 4K Ultra HD from Marvel Studios and Disney.

And Stuart’s take on Imprint’s Tales of Adventure: Collection 1 on Blu-ray, which includes John Rawlins’ Arabian Nights (1942), Alfred E. Green’s A Thousand and One Nights (1945), Fred de Cordova’s The Desert Hawk (1950), Terence Young’s Zarak (1956), and William Dieterle’s Omar Khayyam (1957).

All three titles are well worth your time, so do give the reviews a look and enjoy!

Now then, the main piece of announcement news today is that Disney has officially set their live-action The Little Mermaid (2023) for release on Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD on 9/19, with the Digital release dropping on 7/25. Here’s the catch though: The physical 4K release will only be available in retail-exclusive SKUs, including one at Best Buy (in Steelbook packaging), one at Walmart (packed with a collectible pin), and the other at the Disney Movie Club (with a lithograph). The 4K UHD release will include Dolby Atmos audio, while the Blu-ray will have 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. [Read on here...]

We’ve got quite a lot of ground to cover today to being the new week here at The Bits—there’s lots of news and announcements to report!

First though, just the briefest of public service announcements: If any of you are active on Twitter and Facebook and you’re not following our The Digital Bits pages (@thedigitalbits on Twitter and @thedigitalbitscom on Facebook), please consider doing so. It really helps us to get the word out about upcoming titles and other industry happenings. I’d also appreciate it if you’d consider following me personally on Twitter (@BillHuntBits). That’s often the first place I share breaking news and insights from our industry sources, before I have time to write it up in a Bits news post here on the site. Plus, I’m working on a series of science fiction novels that I plan to launch later this year, and I’ll be sharing those details on Twitter eventually too. So thanks in advance for your consideration!

We have three new disc reviews to share with you today...

First, Stuart has taken a look at George Sherman’s Border River (1954) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

Stuart has also offered his take on Keith Maitland’s Dear Mr. Brody (2021) on DVD from Greenwich Entertainment via Kino Lorber.

And finally, Stephen has done a deep dive into Arrow Video’s Twisting the Knife: Four Films by Claude Chabrol on Blu-ray, which features The Swindle (1997), The Color of Lies (1999), Nightcap (2000), and The Flower of Evil (2003).

More reviews are on the way, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled for them. [Read on here...]

We’ve got three new disc reviews for you to enjoy today...

I’ve taken a look at Mimi Leder’s Deep Impact (1998) in 4K Ultra HD from Paramount.

And Dennis has turned in his thoughts on Robert Thornby’s The Trap (1922) on Blu-ray from Kino Classics, as well as Billie August’s The House of the Spirits (1993) on Blu-ray from Imprint Films.

In announcement news today, Arrow Video has just revealed their July Blu-ray and 4K slate, which is set to include Lewis Teague’s Fighting Back (1982) on Blu-ray (US and Canada only) on 7/4, the previously-revealed Bruce Lee at Golden Harvest box set on Blu-ray, 4K, and 4K Limited Edition (UK only) on 7/17, Martin Scorsese’s Hugo (2011) on Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD (US and Canada only) on 7/18, and the Blood Money: Four Western Classics – Volume 2 box set on Blu-ray (UK, US, and Canada) on 7/25. [Read on here...]

We have just a quick update for you today here at The Bits with some interesting release news, plus a few odds and ends related to titles we’ve learned from our industry sources are likely forthcoming in the months ahead.

First of all, the big news: Paramount has officially set Peter Weir’s The Truman Show (1998) for 4K Ultra HD release on 7/4 in honor of the film’s 25th anniversary. The disc is mastered from a new 4K scan of the original camera negative approved by the director and it will feature Dolby Vision HDR, as well as a new Dolby Atmos sound mix.

Extras will include the previous legacy features, among them the 2-part How’s It Going to End? The Making of The Truman Show documentary, the Faux Finishing: The Visual Effects of The Truman Show featurette, deleted scenes, a photo gallery, theatrical trailers, and TV spots. You can see the cover artwork at left and also below. [Read on here...]

Afternoon, Bits readers! Thanks for your patience with the lack of a news update yesterday. Sarah and I took the opportunity this past weekend to drive up the Central Coast of California to visit some friends there. And we packed so much in over a couple days that we needed most of Monday to recoup. But we saw elephant seals, otters, and Hearst Castle, so the trip was worth it.

Now then, we’ve got a pair of new disc reviews for you today...

Stephen has turned in his thoughts on Matthew Bright’s Freeway II: Confessions of a Trickbaby (1999) on 4K Ultra HD from Vinegar Syndrome.

And Dennis has offered his take on George Archainbaud’s Thanks for the Memory (1938) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics. The film stars Bob Hope and Shirley Ross.

In announcement news today, Paramount has officially announced Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin’s Scream VI for release on Blu-ray, DVD, 4K Ultra HD, and 4K UHD Steelbook release on 7/11, with the Digital release available today (4/25). Extras will include audio commentary with the filmmakers and 6 behind-the-scenes featurettes (Death Comes to the City, The Faces of Death, More Meta than Meta, Bloodbath at a Bodega, An Apartment to Die For, The Night Train to Terror, and Theater of Blood). A Gag Reel is also included as a Digital exclusive. [Read on here...]