Displaying items by tag: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

We’re rounding out the week here with three more new disc reviews, including...

Dennis’ take on Costa-Gravas’ Mad City (1997) on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection.

And Stuart’s thoughts on Frederic C. Hobbs’s Godmonster of Indian Flats (1973) on Blu-ray from AGFA, Something Weird, and Vinegar Syndrome, and the Villages of the Damned: Three Horrors from Spain Blu-ray release also from Vinegar Syndrome, which includes Pedro Olea’s The Forest of the Beast (1970), Silvio Narizzano’s The Sky Is Falling (1975), and Gonzalo Suárez’s Beatriz (1976).

Meanwhile, the rest of us are already working on a bunch more new Blu-ray and 4K UHD reviews for next week. And I do mean a bunch. So be sure to watch for them.

We also have a couple significant pieces of catalog news for you this afternoon before we go...

The first is that Kino Lorber Studio Classics has just officially set Ivan Reitman’s Kindergarten Cop (1990) for release on 4K Ultra HD on 1/23, featuring two new audio commentaries (by film historians Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Josh Nelson, and a second by film historian Samm Deighan). [Read on here...]

Whew! Yesterday was a big day, was it not? I was up all night prior to the announcement, formatting the post for 7 AM Pacific release, and man was it ever good to finally share that! I’ve been sitting on some of that information for months, so I’m very glad to finally be able to speak about it openly. And after thirteen years, it’s damn good to finally confirm that those James Cameron titles are indeed coming to 4K and Blu-ray at long last.

We have more new disc reviews to share today here at The Bits, and there’s more release news today as well. But first, I wanted to let you all know that I’ve just done a new blog post over on Patreon: My Two Cents on the New Abyss Trailer, and the Subject of DNR and Film Grain. It’s based on an impromptu Q&A thread I was involved in over on Twitter/X this morning, but with some added detail that will definitely be of interest to fans of these James Cameron films in remastered 4K. So if you’re a backer of The Bits’ new Patreon—and if you’re not, you should be, as we really need and appreciate the support!—I think you’ll certainly enjoy that. But for the rest of you, rest assured: Much of the substance of that post will be shared here on The Bits website when we review The Abyss, True Lies, Aliens, and Titanic in 4K, first on Digital in a few weeks and then in a few months on actual 4K UHD disc.

Now then, speaking of reviews... Stephen has posted his thoughts on Roger Spottiswoode’s The Best of Times (1986) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

Dennis has reviewed Éric Gravel’s Full Time (2021) on Blu-ray from Music Box Films and Vinegar Syndrome, as well as Jared Moshe’s Aporia (2023) on Blu-ray from Well Go USA.

Stuart has weighed in with his take on Roy Del Ruth’s Du Barry Was a Lady (1943) on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection, along with Jules Dassin’s Uptight (1968) on Blu-ray from Imprint Films.

And for you Peckinpah fans, Tim has shared his in-depth look at Sam Peckinpah’s Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974), also on Blu-ray from Imprint Films.

As always, more new disc reviews are on the way for tomorrow and all next week, so be sure to watch for them. [Read on here...]

We’ve got a trio of new disc reviews to round out the week today, including...

My thoughts on David Anspaugh’s Rudy (1993) which streets in 4K Ultra HD from Sony next Tuesday (11/14), featuring not only the original Theatrical Version but also a new Director’s Cut that’s 13 minutes longer.

Stephen’s take on Chuck Russell’s 1988 remake of The Blob in 4K UHD from Shout! and Scream Factory.

And Dennis’ take on Ron Winston’s The Gamblers (1970) on Blu-ray from VCI Entertainment.

More reviews are on the way, including my own look at Billy Wilder’s Stalag 17 (1953) in 4K from Kino Lorber Studio Classics. So be sure to watch for those soon.

Also today, over on our Patreon we’ve kicked off an in-depth poll asking our supporters what video, audio, special features, and packaging options 4K Ultra HD fans value most on their catalog titles on the format. The poll will remain open until next Friday (11/17) at Noon Pacific, so if you sign up as a supporter between now and then, you can weigh in with your picks. And we’ll share the results here on the website.

We’re going to run these kind of polls regularly on Patreon, both for our own edification and also to provide that information to studio sources who might ask for it, so this is a great chance to make your opinions heard. [Read on here...]

All right, I certainly hope you all had a lovely weekend. We’ve got some great new disc reviews for you to enjoy today, as well as some terrific release news.

Before we get to that, however, I wanted to make another pitch for those of you who’ve long read and enjoyed our work here at The Digital Bits to consider supporting the site via our new Patreon (or PayPal, if you prefer). We’re up to 127 subscribers now (with nearly 50 more followers), and we appreciate each and every one. (Next stop… 200!) So if you value what we do here—if you find that our work regularly brings a little bit of joy into your life as a fan of physical media—please consider subscribing to help us keep The Bits going indefinitely. I’m making regular—really almost daily—blog posts on Patreon, most of which are exclusive to our backers, and I’m trying to ensure that those complement what we do here on the website. So please consider joining us, and we thank you for the support!

Now then, let’s get to those reviews...

First, I’ve posted my thoughts on Apple TV’s For All Mankind: Season One, which is new on Blu-ray from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, as well as For All Mankind: Season Two, which was released on Region B Blu-ray by Dazzler a few months ago. This is shaping up to be one of the great science fiction series, one that’s worthy of the legacy and spirit of optimism about the future that we all loved about classic Star Trek. It’s well worth your time.

Also, Dennis has turned in his thoughts on Tod Browning’s Sideshow Shockers on Blu-ray from the Criterion Collection, a disc that includes Browning’s Freaks (1932), The Unknown (1927), and The Mystic (1925).

And Stuart has delivered his take on Dan M. Kinem and Levi Peretic’s Adjust Your Tracking: The Untold Story of the VHS Collector (2013) on Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome.

Note that I’m also working on a review of Sony’s new Rudy 4K Ultra HD Steelbook release, which is pretty great. More on that here soon. [Read on here...]

All right, today’s news update here is going to be a quick one, as I’ve got a couple disc reviews to start working on this afternoon. But first, we’ve got a couple more reviews to share with you this afternoon...

Tim has delivered an in-depth look at Brian De Palma’s Carlito’s Way (1993), which is now available in 4K Ultra HD from our friends at Arrow Video.

Tim’s also just posted his thoughts on Menahem Golan’s Enter the Ninja (1981), a Cannon Films actioner new on Blu-ray from the good people over at Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

And I’m about to start work on reviews of Sony’s For All Mankind: Season One on U.S. Blu-ray, as well as their new 4K Ultra HD Steelbook release of David Anspaugh’s Rudy (1993), both titles I have a great deal of affection for. So watch enjoy today’s reviews, and watch for more here on Monday.

In terms of release news on this lovely Friday afternoon, Kino Lorber Studio Classics has just signaled that their long-awaited 4K Ultra HD release of Ivan Reitman’s Kindergarten Cop (1990) is going to street on 1/23/24. It looks like they’re just awaiting the final cover artwork to share the news on their social media, but we expect that to happen anytime now. And thanks to Bits reader Brian B. for the heads-up. [Read on here...]

I’ve been thinking a lot, in recent days, about the future of physical media.

Frankly, I can’t recall a time in this industry that’s offered greater cognitive dissonance than this past week, which began with the news that Best Buy is exiting the disc business—and saw a Digital Bits headline on the subject appear in Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show monologue—but ended not only with the release of Barbie and The Exorcist in 4K, but also with the Ultra HD announcement of Titanic, The Color Purple, and Oppenheimer, to say nothing of the revelation (by Kino Lorber Studio Classics) that Stanley Kubrick’s earliest films are coming to the format!

What’s the opening line of A Tale of Two Cities again? “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity.” Charlies Dickens was nothing if not a visionary.

This coming December, I’ll mark my twenty-sixth year as editor of The Digital Bits, and my thirty-fifth as a working professional in the business of media more generally. For most of that time, I’ve had a front row seat from which to view the ebbs and flows of the disc business—both its public-facing portion, as well a singularly-unique insider’s perspective. I launched The Bits website in 1997, at the height of LaserDisc and the dawn of DVD, to create a nexus between fans of these formats and the industry professionals who create them.

Soon afterwards, I gave the world its first look at Circuit City’s pay-per-view DIVX format, then led the crusade against it. I co-led a campaign that convinced George Lucas to begin releasing his beloved Star Wars films on DVD. I reported from the trenches on—and correctly predicted the outcome of—the high-definition format war between Blu-ray and HD-DVD. And I’ve covered every minute of the Golden Age of Physical Media, the rise and stumbles of Digital and streaming, and the continuing adventures of our favorite little format that could… 4K Ultra HD. [Read on here...]

We’re starting our first big news update of the week here at The Bits with some new disc reviews, as always. So now available for your reading enjoyment are...

Stephen’s in-depth reviews of both the wide release 4K Ultra HD and the Disney Movie Club-exclusive “quad” 4K Ultra HD release of Walt Disney’s classic animated Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). The good news is that Disney’s positive change in direction with 4K catalog releases is officially no fluke—the disc features absolutely beautiful 35mm film remastering with lovely grain structure and wonderfully vibrant colors.

Stephen has also turned in a review of Michael Cimino’s Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974) in 4K Ultra HD from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, which also features terrific new remastering.

And Stuart has delivered a look at Norman Taurog’s Spinout (1966) on Blu-ray from our friends at the Warner Archive Collection.

As always, more new reviews are on the way later this week, so be sure to watch for them.

Now then... in announcement news today, the Criterion Collection has officially revealed their January 2024 release slate. [Read on here...]

We’ve got another big title announcement for you here at The Bits today, as well as more new disc reviews. So let’s get to the latter first...

Tim has posted his thoughts on Kevin Reynolds’ The Beast (1988) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, as well as Brian Tenchard-Smith’s Day of the Panther (1988)/Strike of the Panther (1989) double feature from Umbrella Entertainment (via Vinegar Syndrome).

Dennis has shared his take on Jack Conway’s Saratoga (1937) on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection.

And Stuart has offered his reviews of Russell Rouse’s The Fastest Gun Alive (1956) and Joseph Losey’s The Boy with Green Hair (1948) on Blu-ray from Warner Archive, along with Kino Lorber Studio Classic’s excellent Anna May Wong Collection, a Blu-ray box set that includes the films Dangerous to Know (1938), Island of Lost Men (1939), and King of Chinatown (1939). Enjoy!

Now then, the big piece of announcement news this afternoon is that Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment has just officially set Andrew Davis’ The Fugitive (1993) for 4K Ultra HD and Digital release on 11/21. The 4K disc will include HDR10 high dynamic range, as well as a new Dolby Atmos sound mix. [Read on here...]

Boy, we’ve got a lot of ground to cover here at The Bits over the next few days! It’s been very busy here around the office these past several days. For one thing, my wife and I have had family staying with us for the weekend. I’ve also finally replaced my defunct Epson 5040UB home theater projector here at The Bits with a brand new JVC DLA-RS1100/NP5, and have spent time installing and calibrating it. (I’ll definitely have more to say about that later this week, though I’ll just note for now that I’m very pleased with the choice.)

But I would like to take this opportunity to thank my good friends John Schuermann (of The Screening Room AV, the fantastic home theater design and equipment retailer well known for their annual Projector Shootouts) and Kris Deering (the outstanding ISF calibrator, formerly of Sound and Vision magazine as well as his own Deep Dive AV) for their help and advice in selecting the RS1100 and getting it up and running. (Your counsel is very much appreciated, my friends!) If you’re ever in the market for home theater hardware or calibration, there’s no better place to start.

Needless to say, while I’ve been occupied with all that, our dedicated team here at The Bits has posted a number of great new disc reviews. So let’s quickly run them all down...

First of all, Stuart has offered his thoughts on Anthony Mann’s A Dandy in Sapic (1968) and Abraham Polonsky’s Force of Evil (1948) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, as well as Suzanna Raes’ documentary Close to Vermeer (2023) on DVD from Kino Lorber.

Dennis has shared his thoughts on Peter Hall’s Three Into Two Won’t Go (1969) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, as well as Luis Valdez’s La Bamba (1987) on Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.

Stephen has delivered his reviews of Jean Renoir’s legendary classic The Rules of the Game (1939) in 4K Ultra HD from Criterion, along with Jiří Barta’s The Pied Piper (1986) on Blu-ray from Deaf Crocodile (via Vinegar Syndrome), and Ulli Lommel’s The Boogey Man (1980) in 4K UHD from Vinegar Syndrome.

And finally, our hard-working reviews editor Tim Salmons has posted his own take on David Lynch’s Lost Highway (1997) in 4K Ultra HD, also from Criterion.

As always, more new disc reviews are forthcoming all week, so be sure to check back for them.

All right… now let’s move on to the latest release news. And there’s quite a lot of it today. In fact, it’s fair to say that it’s going to be a very expensive Q4 for fans of Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD! [Read on here...]

We’re starting the new week with a trio of disc reviews...

First up, I’ve posted my look at Dan Trachtenberg’s Prey (2022), which streets in long-awaited 4K Ultra HD on 10/3 from 20th Century Studios and Buena Vista Home Entertainment. And I’m pleased to say that the disc does not disappoint in terms of A/V quality.

Also today, Stuart has offered his thoughts on Compton Bennett and Andrew Marton’s King Solomon’s Mines (1950), as recently released on Blu-ray by The Warner Archive Collection.

And Tim has turned in his take on Ryan Meade’s Tom Sullivan documentary Invaluable: The True Story of an Epic Artist (2014) on Blu-ray from Synapse Films.

In terms of announcement news today, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has just announced a new Resident Evil: 6-Movie Collection 4K Ultra HD in Steelbook packaging. That’s due on 11/21. The set includes all 6 films in both Blu-ray and 4K, and all of the 4Ks will feature Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos audio, plus the previous 5.1 mixes. You can see the cover artwork at left. [Read on here...]