Displaying items by tag: Criterion

This has been a very busy week here at The Bits, tracking upcoming titles, talking with industry sources, and the like, thus the lack of posts.

But we’ve definitely got both new disc reviews for you today as well as some release news worth sharing. Let’s start with the latter first.

Today we’ve got…

Tim’s reviews of Chor Yuen’s The Sentimental Swordsman (1977) on Blu-ray from Arrow’s Shawscope: Volume Three box set, Severin Films’ Saga Erotica: The Emmanuelle Collection in 4K Ultra HD, and Michael Curtiz’s Captain Blood (1935) in 4K Ultra HD from Criterion.

Stephen’s reviews of Jean-Jacques Annaud’s Quest for Fire (1981) on Blu-ray from Umbrella Entertainment, Dario Argento’s Sleepless (2001) in 4K UHD from Vinegar Syndrome, Michael Cacoyannis’ Iphigenia (1977) on Blu-ray from Radiance Films, Corey Yuen’s She Shoots Straight (1990) on Blu-ray from 88 Films, and John Woo’s Once a Thief (1991) in 4K from Shout’s HK Cinema Classics line.

And Dennis’ take on Raoul Walsh’s Manpower (1941) and David Butler’s By the Light of the Silvery Moon (1953) both on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection.

Now then… before we get started on news today, I’m going to be joining my friend Tim Millard on his next The Extras podcast to talk about the latest developments in the ongoing Paramount/Skydance, Warner Bros., Netflix saga. Looks like we’re going to be recording the episode this weekend, so be sure to check Tim’s social media for news on the episode drop, and I’ll share the details on my own as well when I have them. [Read on here...]

All right, as you might expect based on the title of this column, I have a few things to say today here at The Digital Bits. But we’ve got a little bit of regular site business to take care of this morning before we get to that.

First, we have a number of new and recent disc reviews for you all to enjoy, including…

Stephen’s take on Greg McLean’s Wolf Creek (2005) in 4K Ultra HD from Imprint, Richard Stanley’s Dust Devil (1992) in 4K UHD from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, Emma Tammi’s Five Nights at Freddy’s (2023) in a limited edition 4K box set from Blumhouse and Universal, and Howard Hawks’ His Girl Friday (1940) in 4K UHD from Criterion.

Tim’s look at The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004) in 4K Ultra HD from Criterion’s The Wes Anderson Archive.

Dennis’ thoughts on Ruggero Deodato’s The Barbarians (1987) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, as well as Mike Nichols’ Carnal Knowledge (1971) in 4K UHD from Criterion, and W.S. Van Dyke’s Manhattan Melodrama (1934) on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection.

And finally, Stuart has a few words to about the Warner Archive Collection’s new Joan Crawford Collection on Blu-ray, which includes Grand Hotel (1932), The Women (1939), Possessed (1939), and The Damned Don’t Cry (1950).

Also today, our own Russell Hammond has just shared our newest update of the Release Dates & Cover Art section here at The Bits with all the latest Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K UHD cover artwork and Amazon.com pre-order links. As always, whenever you order literally anything from Amazon after clicking to them through one of our links first (like this one), you’re helping to support our work here at the site and we greatly appreciate it. [Read on here...]

All right, this is going to be a quick post, because there’s a LOT going on in Hollywood this week—as you may have seen, and which we’ll get to in a moment—and I’m spending a lot of time today (and especially over the next few days) talking with studio and industry friends, colleagues, and sources for insight and context on all of it.

First though, we have some great new disc reviews here at The Bits for you to enjoy today, including…

Stephen’s reviews of Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut (1999) in 4K Ultra HD from the Criterion Collection, as well as John Woo’s The Killer (1989) in 4K Ultra HD from Shout! Factory via their HK Cinema line.

Tim’s look at Brian De Palma’s Carrie (1976) in 4K Ultra HD from Imprint Films and Via Vision Entertainment.

And Stuart’s thoughts on Kayo Hatta’s Picture Bride (1995) on Blu-ray, also from Imprint (via their Imprint Asia line) and Via Vision Entertainment.

We’ll have more new disc reviews next week, so be sure to check back for them!

Now then, the first big piece of news we want to address here today broke early last night: Netflix appears to have won a three-way bidding war (against Comcast and Paramount Skydance) to purchase Warner Bros., in a “megadeal” that’s reportedly worth nearly $83 billion. [Read on here...]

We’ve got six more new disc reviews for you to enjoy today here at The Bits, including…

Tim’s thoughts on The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) in 4K Ultra HD from Criterion’s Wes Anderson Archive box set, as well as Sam Firstenbeg’s Revenge of the Ninja (1983) and Menahem Golan’s Ninja III: The Domination (1984) both in 4K from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

Stuart’s review of Alfred E. Green’s The Gracie Allen Murder Case (1939) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics and Sam Wood’s The Quiet American (2002) on Blu-ray from Imprint Films.

And Dennis’ take on Mervyn LeRoy’s Lovely to Look At (1952) on Blu-ray from MGM via the Warner Archive Collection.

Now then, I’m making an effort to catch up on a bunch of announcement news that’s happened over the last couple of weeks. As many of you know, I’ve had a couple of challenges here at The Bits lately, including recovering from prostate surgery and also my PC died on the Friday before Thanksgiving, which has necessitated buying a replacement, getting it set up, installing all my old software, reorganizing my files, etc., all in an effort to get back up to speed. And I’m getting there—right now, even the simplest tasks are just a little bit different, and taking just a little bit more time and effort than usual to accomplish, as I settle into the new machine. But within a couple weeks, things should be back to normal. So thanks for your patience in the meantime! [Read on here...]

We’re starting the week with a few more new disc reviews here today, including…

Stephen’s look at William Friedkin’s Rampage (1987/92) in 4K Ultra HD from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

Tim’s thoughts on Menahem Golan’s Enter the Ninja (1981) in 4K also from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, as well as Rushmore (1998) in 4K from Criterion’s The Wes Anderson Archive box set!

Dennis’ takes on William Keighley’s The Master of Ballantrae (1953) on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection as well as Jess Franco’s Death Packs a Suitcase (1972) on Blu-ray from KLSC’s Kino Cult line.

And Stuart’s look at Sam Wood’s For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943) on Blu-ray from Paramount via Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

More reviews are on the way all this week, so be sure to check back for them!

Now then, today is Cyber Monday Week online, so there are still lots of good deals to be had if you’re looking for Blu-ray and 4K titles online. So a quick reminder: Please consider shopping through one of our affiliate links when you shop via Amazon, as it helps to support the work we do here at The Bits. Appreciated! [Read on here...]

Happy Monday, everyone!

I just wanted to quickly chime in here in the My Two Cents column this afternoon with a quick update.

I had actually planned a full news update today, but I burned the hell out of one of my fingers while making lunch earlier this afternoon, and unfortunately typing has been very much out of the question since then.

In any case, I’ll be back tomorrow with the usual release news—well medicated, I presume—and I’ll catch you up on all the latest with regard to Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD.

In the meantime, we’ve been knocking out tons of new disc reviews here at the site over the last several days, including…

My thoughts on Stanley Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon (1975) in 4K Ultra HD from Criterion and Peter Weir’s Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2002) in 4K UHD Steelbook from 20th Century Studios via Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. [Read on here...]

We’ve got more new disc reviews for you to enjoy this afternoon, including…

Tim’s review of Steve Miner’s Friday the 13th: Part III (1982) on Blu-ray 3D from Paramount via Turbine Medien in Germany.

Dennis’ review of Mike Nichols’ Carnal Knowledge (1971) on Blu-ray from the Criterion Collection.

And Stephen’s thoughts on Ruggero Deodato’s House on the Edge of the Park (1980) in 4K Ultra HD from Severin Films, as well as Ryan Coogler’s Sinners (2025) in 4K Ultra HD from Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment.

We’ll have more reviews tomorrow and all this week, so be sure to check back for them.

Now then… we’ve got more new and recent title announcements for you today, starting with word that Lionsgate has just set Len Wiseman’s From the World of John Wick: Ballerina (2025) for release on Blu-ray, 4K Ultra HD, and 4K Steelbook format on 9/9. There will be a wide-release 4K edition, plus Walmart and Amazon-exclusive 4K Steelbooks. Extras will include The Making of Ballerina, Building a Frozen Underworld, The Art of Action, and Deleted & Extended Scenes. Look for the 4Ks to include Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos audio. You can see the cover artwork above left. [Read on here...]

We have two more new disc reviews for you today here at The Bits...

Stuart’s look at A Man Called Shenandoah: The Complete Series (1965-66) on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection.

And Dennis and Tim have taken a look at Guillermo del Toro’s Cronos (1992) in 4K Ultra HD from Criterion.

The big news today is that Arrow Video has just unveiled their full Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD release slate for May, which is set to include D.W. Medoff’s I Will Never Leave You Alone (2023) on Blu-ray (in the UK only) on 5/5, Robert Wise’s The Andromeda Strain (1971) in 4K Ultra HD (in the US, UK, and Canada) on 5/13, Jim Isaac’s Jason X (2001) and Adam Marcus’ Jason Goes to Hell (1993) both in 4K Ultra HD (in the US, UK, and Canada) on 5/20, Sergio Leone’s For a Few Dollars More (1965) on Blu-ray and 4K UHD (in the UK only) on 5/26, and Adilkhan Yerzhanov’s Steppenwolf (2024) on Blu-ray (in the US, UK, and Canada) on 5/27. [Read on here...]

Afternoon, everyone! We’ve got some great breaking news to report here at The Bits today, but first we’ve got more new disc reviews to share with you as always...

Dennis has taken a look at Stephen Frears’ The Grifters (1990) on Blu-ray from the Criterion Collection, as well as Bob Rafelson’s Mountains on the Moon (1990) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

Stuart has offered his thoughts on Terence Young’s Bloodline (1979) on Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome, as well as Jean Aurel’s Les Femmes (1969) on Blu-ray from Kino Classics and StudioCanal.

Tim has reviewed Russ Meyer’s Supervixens (1975) in 4K Ultra HD from Severin Films.

And Stephen has given the complete In the Line of Duty I-IV Blu-ray box set a look from 88 Films.

I’ve also gotten my hands on Lionsgate’s new Quentin Tarantino Lionsgate Limited 4K Steelbooks, and I’ll have a review of each of them very soon, starting with Jackie Brown (1997) later today. To give you a tease, the new 4K presentations are terrific, particularly Jackie Brown which is a full 4K scan of original camera negative. But more on those soon.

Now then, as I noted a moment ago, we’ve got great breaking news to report today, starting with the fact that Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment has just made Miloš Forman’s Amadeus official for release in 4K Ultra HD on 2/25. [Read on here...]

All right, we have another Lionsgate/Tarantino 4K update for you today, but first we also have more new disc reviews to share with you...

Stephen has turned in his thoughts on Robert Wynne-Simmons’ The Outcasts (1982) in a new Deluxe Limited Edition Blu-ray from Deaf Crocodile Films, as well as Disney and Marvel’s Loki: The Complete Second Season in 4K UHD Steelbook.

I’ve offered my thoughts on Lee Isaac Chung’s recent sequel Twisters (2024) in 4K Ultra HD from Universal.

And Dennis has offered a look at Christopher Guest’s For Your Consideration (2006) on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection, as well as the Coen Brothers’ No Country for Old Men (2007) on Blu-ray from the Criterion Collection.

More reviews will follow tomorrow and throughout the rest of the week.

Now then, Lionsgate has indeed officially announced Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown, Kill Bill: Volume 1, and Kill Bill: Volume 2 today for 4K Ultra HD release on 1/21. There will be Lionsgate Limited-exclusive Steelbook editions (SRP around $40) on that day, along with wide-release Amaray versions as well. [Read on here...]