My Two Cents

Displaying items by tag: 4K Ultra HD

We’re just chiming in here quickly again today with a few more pieces of industry news…

The first is physical media related: Paramount Home Entertainment has just listed Gregory Goblit’s Primal Fear (1996) as a new 4K Ultra HD Paramount Presents release on 3/26.

Paramount has also listed David S. Ward’s Major League (1989) for release in 4K Ultra HD and 4K UHD Steelbook format on 4/2 in honor of the film’s 35th anniversary.

We don’t have further details on these yet, but we except the studio to make an official announcement very soon. You can see the cover artwork at left and also below the break. [Read on here...]

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All right, we have a lot to report today so let’s get right into it. We’ll start with more new disc reviews, which include...

Dennis’ look at Rick Charnoski’s Warm Blood (2022) on Blu-ray from Factory 25 and Vinegar Syndrome.

Stuart’s take on Elia Kazan’s final film, The Last Tycoon (1976) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classic.

And Tim’s thoughts on Jonathan Lynn’s Clue (1985) in 4K Ultra HD from Shout! Factory.

Enjoy those and watch for more all this week!

In terms of announcement news this afternoon, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment and DreamWorks Animation have just officially set the CG-animated Trolls Band Together for release on Blu-ray, DVD, 4K Ultra HD, and Digital on 1/16—that’s right, next week! Extras will include a Sing-Along Version, 7 featurettes (including Fun in the Recording Booth, *NSYNC: Hi, Hi, Hi, Building the Band, Together Again, Animating Trolls, How to Draw, and How To: Hug Time Bracelets), 3 deleted scenes, and audio commentary (with producer Gina Shay, co-director Tim Heitz, head of story Colin Jack, production designer Ruben Perez Reynoso, and visual effects supervisor Marc J. Scott). The 4K disc will be a UHD-100 with Dolby Atmos audio (the Blu-ray will include Atmos as well). You can see the cover artwork below the break.

Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment has just officially announced the 3/26 Blu-ray and DVD release of Wednesday: Season One. It doesn’t appear that there will be any extras, but all eight episodes will be included. You can see the cover artwork at left and also below. [Read on here...]

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Afternoon, folks! We’re stating the new week here at The Bits with a couple of new disc reviews, including...

Tim’s take on Daniel Attias’ Silver Bullet: Collector’s Edition in 4K Ultra HD, as well as his thoughts on our old friend John Harrison’s Tales from the Darkside: The Movie – Collector’s Edition in 4K Ultra HD, both of them from Scream Factory.

Speaking of Scream, Shout Studios has also begun revealing some of their March catalog titles, which thus far are set to include Jonathan Kaplan’s Over the Edge (1979) on Blu-ray on 3/5, Mick Garris’ The Shining miniseries (1997) on Blu-ray on 3/12, Simon Wincer’s Quigley Down Under (1990) in 4K as a Shout! Select title also on 3/12, and a trio of additional 4K titles on 3/19... Lars Klevberg’s Child’s Play (2019), Kimberly Peirce’s Carrie (2013), and Kathryn Bigelow’s K-19: The Widowmaker (2002).

Meanwhile, the big news today is that Marvel and Disney have officially announced the Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD release of Nia DaCosta’s The Marvels (2023) for release on 2/13, with the Digital release expected on 1/16. Extras will include audio commentary with DaCosta and VFX supervisor Tara DeMarco, 2 featurettes (Entangled and The Production Diaries), 4 deleted scenes, and a gag reel. There will also be a 4K Steelbook edition that’s exclusive to Walmart. Audio on the 4K (a UHD-66 disc) will be Dolby Atmos, with DTS-HD Master Audio on the Blu-ray. You can see the cover artwork at left and also below.

Also, Universal and DreamWorks Animation have listed the CG-animated Trolls Band Together (2023) for Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K UHD release on 7/1 on Amazon, though that’s probably a placeholder date. Whatever the final street date ends up being, look for a Trolls 3-Movie Collection on Blu-ray and DVD that same day. [Read on here...]

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We’re finishing the week here at The Bits first with more new disc reviews, including…

Stuart’s take on Fran Rubel Kuzui’s Tokyo Pop (1988) and Michael Powell’s The Edge of the World (1937) both on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

Dennis’ thoughts on Allen Baron’s Blast of Silence (1961) on Blu-ray from Criterion, Josh Greenbaum’s Strays (2023) on Blu-ray from Universal, Bernard Girard’s Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round (1966) on Blu-ray from Imprint Films, and Val Guest’s The Quartermass Xperiment (1955) on Blu-ray from Hammer Films via Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

And Stephen’s review of The Films of Doris Wishman: The Daylight Years on Blu-ray from AGFA, Something Weird, and Vinegar Syndrome, Justice League x RWBY: Super Heroes & Huntsmen – Parts One and Two (2023) on 4K Ultra HD from Warner Bros. and DC, and Jannik Hastrup and Flemming Quist Møller’s animated classic Benny’s Bathtub (1971) on Blu-ray from Deaf Crocodile via Vinegar Syndrome.

As always, more reviews are forthcoming next week, so be sure to watch for them.

Also, we’ve posted a few interesting things on our new Patreon page, including a new film review (not a disc review) from Stephen of Takashi Yamazaki’s Godzilla Minus One (2023) as well as a blog post from yours truly about the future 4K Ultra HD plans of a major studio we tend to talk a lot about here at the site. I’ll have more to say about that subject here on The Bits in the weeks and months ahead, but the blog posts I’ve been doing on Patreon felt like the more appropriate place to vent a little bit on the subject. [Read on here...]

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Well, folks... it’s a new year and time to get right back into the thick of things in terms of physical media news. And we have a bunch to catch you up on here at The Bits today.

Before we get started though, I wanted to call your attention to Michael Coate’s latest History, Legacy & Showmanship column here at The Bits, which we posted on New Year’s Eve. It features a great retrospective and roundtable interview with film historians celebrating the 50th anniversary of George Lucas’ classic American Graffiti (1973). Its 9 pages and 17 chapters are packed with great reading, so do be sure to check it out.

I’d also like to start the new year by with another quick Patreon pitch: If you believe in the work we do here at The Bits in support of physical media, we’d like to ask you to consider becoming a supporter of the site on Patreon. I’ve been sharing exclusive blog posts there, and it’s becoming a great little community—a fun and welcoming place to share your love of Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD with fellow enthusiasts. You can join for as low as $6 a month (or as much as you’d like to contribute) and it really makes a difference in helping us to grow and continue our work here at the site. So thank you!

Now then, the big news item this afternoon is that Lionsgate has just officially set Francis Lawrence’s The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes for Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD release on 2/13, with the Digital release due on 1/30. There will also be a Walmart-exclusive 4K Steelbook release on 2/13. The 4K and Blu-ray will include the following special features: audio commentary with Lawrence and producer Nina Jacobson, the 8-part Predator or Prey: Making The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes documentary (note that both the commentary and documentary are exclusive to the physical release), Rachel Zegler’s The Hanging Tree music video, the A Letter to the Fans featurette, and the theatrical trailer. You can see the 4K cover art at left and also below.

FYI, Lionsgate is also releasing John Woo’s Silent Night (2023) on Blu-ray and DVD on 1/30. The film stars Joel Kinnaman (of For All Mankind fame). [Read on here...]

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Welcome to 2024, Bits readers!

So this exercise started out as an effort to compile Ten Favorite Discs of 2023 lists from each member of The Digital Bits team. But one thing led to another… and how do you pick just ten?

What we have instead is essentially just our individual picks for our favorite titles of the year that was in 2023. And with so many great titles to choose from—many of them all arriving at once—it’s almost certain that we’ve overlooked worthy titles.

But what follows is at least a great start for discussion. There are lists from each of us, along with any comments our team members felt like including with them.

And if you can think of great titles we’re missing here, please share them with us on social media! [Read on here...]

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American Graffiti is one of those films where a filmmaker brings his youth to the screen with such a sense of sweetness and genuine nostalgia, that his or her personal recollections somehow become universal for the audience.” – Gary Leva, director of Fog City Mavericks: The Filmmakers of San Francisco

The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this longform retrospective commemorating the golden anniversary of the release of American Graffiti, George Lucas’s popular film that nostalgically asked, “Where were you in ‘62?”

American Graffiti starred Richard Dreyfuss (Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind), Ronny Howard (The Andy Griffith Show, Happy Days), Paul Le Mat (Aloha, Bobby and Rose, Melvin and Howard), Charles Martin Smith (Never Cry Wolf, The Untouchables), Candy Clark (The Man Who Fell to Earth, Blue Thunder), Mackenzie Phillips (One Day at a Time), Cindy Williams (The Conversation, Laverne & Shirley) and Wolfman Jack (popular radio DJ), plus a small, early-career performance by Harrison Ford (Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark). The film was nominated for five Academy Awards (Picture, Director, Supporting Actress—Candy Clark, Screenplay, and Film Editing). In 1995 the Library of Congress selected American Graffiti for preservation in the National Film Registry as being “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.” Its most recent home media release, on 4K UHD, was in November of this year (but received less than high marks for A/V quality in most reviews).[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...]

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Good afternoon, everyone! We’re well into the week before Christmas now and—as seems to be true every year—the period right around the holiday tend to be packed with review work, as all of the big fourth quarter titles keep rolling in. Last week was certainly that way, and this week is proving to be no different. So with that in mind, here’s a look at...

Stephen’s review of Gareth Edwards’ terrific sci-fi tale The Creator (2023) in 4K Ultra HD from 20th Century Studios via Buena Vista Home Entertainment.

Tim’s look at Fred Dekker’s The Monster Squad (1987) in 4K Ultra HD form Kino Lorber Studio Classics, Andrzej Zulawski’s Possession: Collector’s Edition (1981) in 4K Ultra HD from Umbrella Entertainment, and ALF: The Complete Series on DVD from Shout! Factory.

Dennis’ take on Marcel Sarmiento and Gadi Harel’s Deadgirl: 15th Anniversary Edition (2008) on Blu-ray from Dark Sky Films via Unearthed Films.

And Stuart’s thoughts on Georg Fenady’s Arnold (1973) on Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome.

Of course, that’s not all. We’re still working on several more new disc reviews that we hope to share before the Christmas holiday. For my own part, I’m currently checking out Umbrella Entertainment’s new Frank Herbert’s Dune & Children of Dune: Collector’s Edition Blu-ray box set, and I expect any time now have the new Avatar and Avatar: The Way of Water – Collector’s Edition 4K Ultra HDs in hand for review. So watch for those and more in the days ahead. [Read on here...]

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All right, as you’ve probably seen here on The Digital Bits, I’ve now shared my thoughts on the 4K Digital remasters of James Cameron’s The Abyss, True Lies, and Aliens. These reviews have been shared after looking at each of the remasters as they currently appear on Vudu, Movies Anywhere, and Apple TV/iTunes, allowing for streaming quality variations in each. So if you’re interested in those, you’ll find my take on each via the title links provided in this paragraph.

Rest assured, I will also be reviewing the forthcoming 4K Ultra HD disc versions of those films, and the forthcoming Avatar and Avatar: The Way of Water collector’s editions when they arrive. And the rest of The Bits team is working on a whole slate of disc reviews for next week and beyond… allowing of course for the usual holiday season distractions of family and the like.

Based on some of the interesting… I’ll generously call them conversations (but they’re more like angry bitch-fests)… on social media over the past couple weeks about some of these 4K titles, I’m also written a essay entitled A Word About Screenshots, Reviewing, and Trusting Opinions on the Internet that you can find over on The Digital Bits’ new Patreon page.

Not only is subscribing to our Patreon page a great way to support our work here at The Digital Bits—if you believe in it and find that it brings your enjoyment of physical media some value—it’s also becoming a great place to respectfully share your thoughts and ideas about these topics with like-minded people without risking getting attacked or worrying about having snark and scorn heaped upon you… and there’s definitely some value in that too. So please consider check it out, and know that we appreciate each and every one of you, our readers, regardless. [Read on here...]

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