Displaying items by tag: Bluray Disc

All right, this is just a quick post this afternoon.  I journeyed out to Joshua Tree National Park last night to see the peak of the Perseid meteor shower.  I have to say, it was pretty spectacular – in four hours of viewing I managed to take in some 363 meteors, including some really big bright ones.  Lovely show.  If you’ve got clear skies this evening, do yourself a favor and take a peek out at the sky tonight – the shower’s still going for the next couple nights.

Meanwhile today, I’ve got a Blu-ray review double-feature for you Star Trek fans, featuring my take on CBS’ recent Star Trek: The Next Generation – Season Four and also the new Star Trek: Enterprise – Season Two, which streets next Tuesday (8/20).  Both are good, but I have to say you Enterprise fans are going to be really blown away by the extras on Season Two.  Check out the reviews for all the details.  I’ll tell you, it’s sure a good time to be a fan of TV Trek.  […]

We’ve got a quick Sunday post for you with a bit of breaking release news...

As expected FUNimation officially announced at the Otakon convention yesterday that they’re going to release Shinichiro Watanabe’s landmark sci-fi anime series Cowboy Bebop on Blu-ray and digital (via Daisuki) in 2014.  There’s no other details available yet other than “coming in 2014” but no matter – we can’t wait to see it.  Meanwhile, here’s the official trailer (below).  Be sure to watch in 720p.  Sure looks good in HD!  3... 2... 1... Let’s jam!  [...]

All right, in case you missed it when we posted it late yesterday, please check out our Virtual Tour of Bob’s Basement!  Our dear friends Bob and Kathy Burns are the “keepers of Hollywood’s attic” and they’ve cared for and preserved a treasure trove of film props and movie artifacts over the years, including the original 1933 King Kong stop-motion armature, the classic Time Machine and so many more cool items it’s impossible to list them all here.  But we photographed a bunch of these amazing treasures and with Bob and Kathy’s permission we’ve created a gallery of 150 of the best photos so that you can all share in the experience of a typical visit to Bob’s Basement.  Bob e-mailed this morning to say he’s thrilled with how it came out: “This is wonderful as now so many folks can see the collection.”  So we really hope you all take the time to check it out and enjoy it.

Also here at The Bits today, we’ve got another Blu-ray review for you – my own thoughts on Fox’s recent Von Ryan’s Express, an old favorite WWII film from 1965.  It’s a fine film but… well, best to read the review.  Do check it out.

Now for some announcement news…  […]

What began as an idea in the Middle East transformed into a visual story on the big screen.  Oblivion took shape inside the mind of director Joe Kosinski, leaped onto the pages of a graphic novel and ended up as a science-fiction movie with Tom Cruise.

THE BIRTH OF OBLIVION

“It came at a time where I was having trouble getting my foot in the door in the commercial music video business,” said Kosinski.  Out of frustration, he wrote the story of a man digging into the past, our present, to find his humanity.  “I had this idea of what would it be like to be the last man on Earth, to be kind of the one looking back at the world we know,” he said. […]

We’ve got a couple of new Blu-ray Disc reviews for you this afternoon.  Our own Tim Salmons has given RLJ’s Barrymore a good looking over for you and found it worth your attention, while Doogan’s saved you all the trouble of watching Anchor Bay’s The Amazing Adventures of the Living Corpse Blu-ray by taking the hit to his intelligence of your behalf.  So there you go.

Also today, Michael Coate has turned in a new installment of his History, Legacy and Showmanship column featuring a look back at George Lucas’ American Graffiti on the occasion of its 40th anniversary today.  Enjoy!  […]

We’re closing out the week with a trio of new Blu-ray reviews for you…

First up, I’ve checked out HBO’s Deadwood: The Complete Series box set – a great show in great quality that’s well worth a look.

Next up, Tim Salmons has reviewed Warner’s new Jack the Giant Slayer on Blu-ray for you.  It’s a more entertaining film than most critics gave it credit for… provided you switch off your brain before you press play.

And Jeff Kleist has given Warner’s Blu-ray 3D version of Jack the Giant Slayer a look too.  Don’t miss it!

Here at The Bits today, our own Todd Doogan has just turned in a new review of Criterion’s fine The Samurai Trilogy box on Blu-ray Disc.  They’re great films, worthy of any fan of the genre.  Criterion’s done a nice job on them as always, so don’t miss them!

In other news today, 20th Century Fox has set Danny Boyle’s Trance for release on Blu-ray and DVD on 7/23.  The Blu-ray will include deleted scenes, 7 featurettes (The Power of Suggestion: Making Trance, Kick Off, Danny’s Film Noir, Hypnotherapy, The Look, The Final Rewrite and Danny Boyle Retrospective), along with Spencer Susser’s short film Eugene, the theatrical trailer, the Trance Unraveled Easter egg and a UltraViolent digital copy.  See the cove art below.

All right, let’s get the new week started…

First of all, Jeff Kleist has turned in a review of Shout! Factory’s terrific new Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids: The Complete Series DVD box set, which arrives in stores tomorrow.  If you’re a fan of the series, it’s well worth your time and money.  Enjoy the review!

Also today, 20th Century Fox has set Francis Ford Coppola’s Twixt for release on Blu-ray and DVD on 7/23.  Extras will include Twixt: A Documentary by Gia Coppola.

All right, so I finally saw Man of Steel last night… and I actually think it’s pretty damn good.  More on that at another time.  The point is, I wouldn’t be too surprised to see Blu-ray pre-orders for the film go live on Amazon in the next couple weeks, so be sure to watch for them.

Meanwhile, BD, BD3D and DVD pre-orders for Paramount’s Iron Man 3are now live on Amazon.  There are no official details or cover artwork yet, but they’re definitely up for pre-order so click on the links provided if you’d care to do so.

Before we begin today, I want to call attention to a pair of great new History, Legacy and Showmanship columns by our own Michael Coate that went up here while I was away: 007… Fifty Years Strong (featuring interviews with noted Bond franchise historians) and Cleopatra: The Roadshow Engagements (looking back at the roadshow history of the film on the occasion of its 50th anniversary).  Both are well worth your time, so do check them out.

All right, the big catalog news from the last week is that Warner and Paramount are releasing Friday the 13th: The Complete Collection on Blu-ray on 9/13 (SRP $129.95 – it’s just $91 on Amazon).  The set will include all 10 original films plus Freddy vs. Jason and the 2009 remake (7 of which are new to Blu-ray), 11 hours of all-new extras, a Killer Bonus DVD disc with additional extras, a 40-page book with excerpts from Crystal Lake Memories, a Cam Crystal Lake counselor patch and limited tin packaging.  You can see the cover art below.  Warner has also set Paramount’s Airplane II: The Sequel for BD release on 10/8.