Displaying items by tag: Michael Coate

We’ve got a couple more new disc reviews to start the week with here at The Bits...

Stephen has given Alfred Hitchcock’s Rich and Strange (1931) a look on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

He’s also offered his thoughts today on John Duigan’s Sirens (1994) on Blu-ray from Umbrella Entertainment, recently released as part of their Sunburnt Screens label.

And we’ve got another new History, Legacy & Showmanship piece for you this afternoon from our own Michael Coate. Michael’s film retrospectives take a great deal of time and effort to produce, and as such they occasionally become bonus content. So here’s a fun “leftover” from 2021 in which Michael and film historian Gary Gerani celebrate the 50th anniversary of Steven Spielberg’s Duel. Enjoy!

Now then... the big announcement news today is that Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has officially set Lana Wachowski’s The Matrix Resurrections for release on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD on 3/8 (SRP $29.99, $24.99, and $19.99), with the Digital release available on 1/25. [Read on here...]

“Duel showed us that art could be produced on a television budget and on a television schedule.” — Gary Gerani, co-author of Fantastic Television

The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the golden anniversary of the original broadcast of Duel, the acclaimed television film adapted from Richard Matheson’s short story about a man menaced on the highway by the unseen driver of a truck.

Duel featured Dennis Weaver (Gunsmoke, Gentle Ben) and originally aired as a part of the ABC Movie of the Week in autumn 1971 before being expanded into a theatrical release.

Directed by a 24-year-old Steven Spielberg, Duel marked Spielberg’s transition into the production of feature-length motion pictures following two years of directing episodic television. [Read on here...]

We’ve got a bunch of ground to cover today, including a TON of new and recent disc reviews, lots of 4K Ultra HD catalog and new release news, and some regular Blu-ray news as well. I’ve been so distracted over the last week or so, what with all of the major announcements and the time required to track down and confirm release rumors, that I’ve neglected to mention the many disc reviews that we’ve posted here at the site during that time. So, let’s tackle those first...

Stephen has turned in his thoughts on Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch (2021) and Scott Cooper’s Antlers (2021) from 20th Century Studios, James C Wasson’s Night of the Demon (1980) from Severin Films, and Dario Argento’s Trauma (1993) from Vinegar Syndrome, all on Blu-ray Disc.

Tim has looked at Barry Sonnenfeld’s The Addams Family (1991) from Paramount, David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive (2001) from Criterion, Dennis Donnelly’s The Toolbox Murders (1978) from Blue Underground, and William Lustig’s Maniac Cop 3: Badge of Silence (1993) from Blue Underground, all in 4K Ultra HD, as well as the Nasty Habits: The Nunsploitation Collection from Severin Films, John Hancock’s Let’s Scare Jessica to Death (1971) from Imprint Films, Mike Judge’s Beavis and Butt-Head Do America (1996) from Paramount, and Brian Trenchard-Smith’s Turkey Shoot (1982) from Umbrella Entertainment, all on Blu-ray.

And Dennis has delivered his take on Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) as recently re-issued by Paramount, as well as Hal Ashby’s Harold and Maude (1971), also from Paramount and both released on regular Blu-ray.

All of these titles are worth a look and there’s certainly something for everyone in that line-up. If you’re a fan of It’s a Wonderful Life, don’t forget that our own Michael Coate recently profiled the film for its 75th anniversary in his most recent History, Legacy and Showmanship column here at The Bits—it’s definitely worth a look if you missed at Christmas time. [Read on here...]

We’re just checking in this evening in with a quick Christmas Eve post to close out the week on a high note!

First order of business: I’ve just posted my in-depth review of Denis Villeneuve’s magnificent, pure-cinema science fiction epic Dune, which is coming soon in a demo-worthy 4K Ultra HD release from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.

And our own Michael Coate has turned in a great new History, Legacy & Showmanship column in which he celebrates the 75th anniversary of Frank Capra’s beloved holiday classic, It’s a Wonderful Life, with a roundtable of historians that includes Thomas A. Christie, Steve Cox, and Joseph McBride.

You cinema fans out there should dig both of those items I think, so please do share and enjoy!

And rest assured that we’ll be back with more news and reviews next week, after the holiday.

With that, on behalf of all of us here at The Digital Bits, I’d like to wish you all a very Happy Christmas!

Peace out!

(You can follow Bill on social media at these links: Twitter and Facebook)

“It's a Wonderful Life is truly the platinum standard in Christmas movies; the benchmark by which all other entries in the genre are judged.” — Thomas A. Christie, author of The Christmas Movie Book

The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the 75th anniversary of the release of It’s a Wonderful Life, the Christmas classic directed by Frank Capra (It Happened One Night, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington) and starring James Stewart (The Philadelphia Story, Vertigo) and Donna Reed (From Here to Eternity, The Donna Reed Show).

In 1990 the Library of Congress selected It’s a Wonderful Life for preservation in the National Film Registry as being “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant” and in 1998 the American Film Institute (AFI) recognized the film as the 11th greatest movie ever made. The film has been released countless times on home media formats with its most recent release (on 4K UHD) in 2019 (and reviewed here). [Read on here...]

We’ve got more disc reviews for you today, along with another great film retrospective column, a bit more release news, and some news that... well, I’m not sure what to think of it. But you’ll understand what I mean in a minute. First, those disc reviews...

Tim has checked in over the last couple of days with no less than four new reviews, starting with his thoughts on Mei-Chun Chang’s Revenge of the Shogun Women (1982) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, a disc that includes both polarized 3D and anaglyph 3D presentations (as well 2D) thanks to our friends at The 3-D Film Archive. It’s a good disc and a rare 3D treat for those who love that format, so do give it a look.

Tim has also reviewed Arrow Video’s Giallo Essentials: Red Edition – Volume One and Yellow Edition – Volume Two, each of which includes three classics of the genre on Blu-ray.

And Tim has posted his thoughts on Brian Trenchard-Smith’s Stunt Rock (1978) on Blu-ray from Umbrella Entertainment (#8 in their Ozploitation Classics line-up) ad well. All are worth your time. [Read on here...]

“Fiddler on the Roof belongs on the list of the best and most successful musicals, which would include West Side Story, My Fair Lady, and The Sound of Music.” — Matthew Kennedy, author of Roadshow!

The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the golden anniversary of the release of Fiddler on the Roof, the popular, award-winning screen adaptation of the Broadway musical and the writings of Sholem Aleichem.

Directed by Norman Jewison (In the Heat of the Night, Moonstruck), Fiddler starred Topol (Flash Gordon, For Your Eyes Only) as Tevye, the poor Jewish milkman determined to marry off his daughters amidst turmoil in his small Ukrainian village.

Also starring Norma Crane, Leonard Frey, Molly Picon, and Paul Mann, and featuring Oscar-winning cinematography, music, and sound, Fiddler rolled out to movie theaters, initially as a roadshow, beginning fifty years ago this autumn. [Read on here...]

All right, we’ve got a little more announcement news for you today here at The Bits. But first, a new feature...

Our own Michael Coate has just posted a new History, Legacy & Showmanship column celebrating the 60th anniversary of The Dick Van Dyke Show. It features a great Q&A with television historian Herbie J. Pilato, who reflects on the series’ appeal, impact, and legacy six decades after its debut. We hope you all enjoy it!

Now then, let’s get to the announcement news...

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment has just announced Wes Anderson’s latest film, The French Dispatch, for release on Blu-ray and DVD on 12/28, with the Digital release (including 4K) set for 12/14. Audio will be DTS-HD MA. There’s no indication of special features, but you can reasonably imagine that a Criterion special edition is forthcoming next year. The film stars Benicio Del Toro, Adrien Brody, Tilda Swinton, Timothée Chalamet, Jeffrey Wright, Léa Seydoux, Frances McDormand, Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Christoph Waltz, Edward Norton, and Jason Schwartzman. You can see the cover artwork at left and also below. [Read on here...]

“The Dick Van Dyke Show is simply superior television with an appeal that remains timeless.” – TV historian Herbie J Pilato

The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the 60th anniversary of the television broadcast premiere of The Dick Van Dyke Show, the popular situation comedy starring Dick Van Dyke (Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang) and Mary Tyler Moore (The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Ordinary People) as Rob and Laura Petrie.

The award-winning series, which originally aired on CBS from 1961 through 1966, revolved around Rob and his co-workers as the writing staff of a television show and Rob’s home life with wife Laura and son Ritchie.

The series—created by Carl Reiner (2000 Years with Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks, The Jerk, All of Me) and memorably featuring Rose Marie as Sally Rogers, Morey Amsterdam as Buddy Sorrell, Larry Mathews as Ritchie, Richard Deacon as Mel Cooley, and Carl Reiner as Alan Brady—premiered 60 years ago this autumn, and for the occasion The Bits features a Q&A with television historian Herbie J Pilato who reflects on the series appeal, impact and legacy six decades after its debut. [Read on here...]

We’re starting out the new week today here at The Bits with a trio of new disc reviews...

First up, Tim and I have taken a look at Arrow Video’s terrific new Limited Edition Blu-ray of Ridley Scott’s Legend. The 2-disc set is absolutely loaded with vintage and new extras, and it includes the US Theatrical Cut newly-remastered from a 4K scan, as well as the Director’s Cut. Legend is a challenging title for a lot of reasons, but Arrow’s done a really great job with this one. If you’re a fan of the film, this is as good as it’s ever looked, and this is essentially a complete archive of all the previous special features and more.

Also today, Stephen has reviewed Chloe Zhao’s first film, Songs My Brothers Taught Me, newly-released on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber. If that name is familiar, it’s because Zhao is the filmmaker who’s just made The Eternals for Marvel Studios. It sounds like this earlier work is pretty terrific.

And finally, Dennis has given Wallace Worsley’s 1923 version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame a look on Blu-ray from Kino Classics. As many of you will already be aware, this version features the great Lon Chaney in the role of Quasimodo. It’s worth a look if you haven’t seen it yet.

While we’re on the subject of Universal Monsters, I’m currently working on a review of the Universal Classic Monsters: Icons of Horror Collection in 4K and should have that up by the end of the week. I’m giving myself the week to work on it, however, because I’m attending a studio screening of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune tomorrow afternoon. And I have a sneaking suspicion that’s going to occupy my mind for the next few days afterwards. I’ll definitely post a few non-spoiler thoughts about that film as well this week, rest assured. [Read on here...]