What We Left Behind officially set for BD in August, plus Brightburn pre-orders & more
We’ve got a couple interesting things for you this afternoon before we get to today’s release news...
First up, reviews... I’ve posted my in-depth thoughts on Tim Burton’s Batman (1989) in 4K Ultra HD here at The Bits and will have reviews of Batman Returns, Batman Forever, and Batman & Robin in 4K over the next few days. The upshot of this first Batman film in 4K is that Warner’s new transfer and Atmos mix are terrific, but the HDR may take a little getting used to and a few of the sound effects have been changed for reasons explained in the review. You can read that here.
Also, Tim has posted a review of Archer: Danger Island – The Complete Season Nine on DVD from Fox and Dennis has looked at Isn’t It Romantic on Blu-ray from Warner.
And some of you may know that this past weekend was the 40th anniversary of Ridley Scott’s original Alien (1979). So our own Michael Coate has posted a new History, Legacy, and Showmanship retrospective column looking back at the film’s theatrical release. It includes a great new roundtable of experts to discuss the film, including authors Chris Barsanti, Paul M. Sammon, and J.W. Rinzler (whose new book The Making of Alien is coming in July). You can read the piece here and if you’re a fan of the film, I think you’ll really enjoy it. [Read on here...]
- Bill Hunt
- The Digital Bits
- My Two Cents
- The 4K Ultra HD Release List
- Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
- What We Left Behind documentary
- Batman (1989) 4K review
- Batman Forever 4K
- Batman Returns 4K
- Isn't It Romantic BD review
- Archer: Danger Island DVD review
- Dennis Seuling
- Tim Salmons
- Michael Coate
- History Legacy & Showmanship
- The Making of Alien
- Chris Barsanti
- Paul M Sammon
- JW Rinzler
- Still Screaming in Space: Remembering Alien on its 40th Anniversary
- Ridley Scott
- Alien (1979)
- Shout! Factory
- Turbo! A Power Rangers Movie
- Heroes Shed No Tears
- John Woo
- Twilight Time
- Hello Frisco Hello
- Hussy
- Mother Wore Tights
- Pin Up Girl
- The Poison Rose
- Brightburn 4K
- John Wick: Chapter 3 Parabellum 4K
- Stand by Me 4K
Stand by Me, The Doors & Thor in 4K, plus Apocalypse Now pre-orders & more Blu-ray announcements
We’re going to have a new Michael Coate retrospective today in his History, Legacy & Showmanship column here at The Bits, looking back at Star Wars: The Phantom Menace in honor of yesterday’s 20th anniversary for the film. That will be up later this afternoon, so be sure to watch for it.
In the meantime, we have a bit of 4K and standard Blu-ray news to report...
First up, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has set Rob Reiner’s Stand by Me for release on 4K Ultra HD on 8/27. Scanned from the original camera negative, the film will be presented with a new Dolby Atmos mix, along with the original theatrical mono audio and the previous 5.1 remix. Extras on the 4K disc will include never-before-seen deleted and alternate scenes. The package will also include the previous Blu-ray with picture-in-picture video commentary with Reiner and the cast, the Walking the Tracks: The Summer of Stand by Me documentary, and audio commentary with Reiner. You can see the cover artwork at left. [Read on here...]
- My Two Cents
- The Digital Bits
- Bill Hunt
- Stand by Me 4K
- The Doors 4K
- StudioCanal
- Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
- Rob Reiner
- Oliver Stone
- Apocalypse Now: Final Cut 4K
- History Legacy & Showmanship
- Michael Coate
- Star Wars: The Phantom Menace 20th anniversary
- When You're Strange
- Iron Man 4K
- Iron Man 2 4K
- Iron Man 3 4K
- Thor 4K
- Thor: The Dark World 4K
- The 4K Ultra HD Release List
- Marvel
- Disney
- The Professor
- Twilight Time
A bit of 4K news, plus more new Blu-ray announcements from Warner Archive, Scream, Twilight & more
All right, we’ve got some more regular Blu-ray news, and then I’m working on a review of Sony’s Black Hawk Down in 4K Ultra HD for posting in the next couple of days. Let me tell you, it’s terrific. It’s a major upgrade of the Blu-ray, both in picture and sound.
Also, our friend John Schuermann of The Screening Room AV in Colorado Springs has just issued the final results of their recent 4K UHD Projector Shootout and – if you’re a front projector fan like I am – they’re pretty fascinating. Do check them out here. Sounds like the JVCs did pretty well against more expensive Sony projectors.
Meanwhile, Epson just announced a new 4K PRO-UHD projector too... the Pro Cinema 6050UB (MSRP $3,999), with features geared toward home theater cinephiles. You can check out all the details here. [Read on here...]
- Kino Lorber Studio Classics
- Kino Lorber
- Scream Factory
- Shout! Factory
- Lionsgate
- The 4K Ultra HD Release List
- Bill Hunt
- The Digital Bits
- My Two Cents
- Black Hawk Down 4K
- The Screening Room AV
- 4K UHD Projector Shootout 2019
- Epson 4K Pro Cinema 6040UB
- Toy Story 4K
- Us 4K
- Universal Horror Collection: Volume 1
- Warner Archive
- Twilight Time
- Eureka!
- The Cinema Guild
- RLJ Entertainment
- Acorn Media
- Shaft Triple Feature BD
Captain America: Civil War/Winter Soldier 4K, 13 Hours 4K, Twilight, Arrow, Chasing the Moon & more
All right, we’ve got more reviews for you to enjoy today, including...
My take on James Wan’s Aquaman in 4K Ultra HD from Warner.
Dennis’ review of Dan Bush’s The Vault on Blu-ray from FilmRise.
And Chase’s look at Robert Zemeckis’ I Wanna Hold Your Hand on Blu-ray from Criterion.
More reviews are in the works for tomorrow and Friday, so be sure to check back for them.
Meanwhile, we have some new title news and announcements to report today as well...
We’ve now confirmed the 4/23 release of Captain America: Civil War and Captain America: The Winter Soldier on 4K Ultra HD from Disney. [Read on here...]
- War and Peace (1966) BD
- La vie de Jésus
- Bruno Dumont
- A Film Trilogy by Ingmar Bergman
- John Cameron Mitchell
- L’humanité
- Swing Time
- Hedwig and the Angry Inch
- Sergei Bondarchuck's War and Peace restoration
- Disney
- 4K Ultra HD
- My Two Cents
- The Digital Bits
- Bill Hunt
- The Criterion Collection
- Captain America: Civil War 4K
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier 4K
- 13 Soldiers 4K
- Twilight Time
- Arrow Video
- Chasing the Moon BD
RIP Burt Reynolds, plus Recent Releases on Blu-ray & DVD
(As I am writing this month’s column, word spread that the world had lost Nick Redman, a man of incomparable vision and love of classic films. He was a friend of mine and this entire website. I’ll write more next time.)
Maybe it was the mustache. Or the unscripted quips. Or the genteel Southern manner.
Or just maybe it was that laugh, a bombastic cackle delivered by one comfortable in his own skin – inviting his audience gut bust with him, as though they were all in a private joke.
That’s our Burt. And he’s, unbelievably, gone. [Read on here...]
Rest in Peace Nick Redman, filmmaker, music producer, and co-founder of Twilight Time
We had some content that we’d planned to post today here at The Bits, but we’ve decided to push it until Monday as a result of a bit of terrible news that’s come our way this afternoon.
We’re very sad to report that Nick Redman passed away yesterday. Nick was the co-founder (with Brian Jamieson) of the great Twilight Time indie Blu-ray label and a longtime documentary filmmaker, soundtrack producer, and film historian.
Redman produced and directed A Turning of the Earth: John Ford, John Wayne, and The Searchers (1998 – which you can find on Warner’s The Searchers: 50th Anniversary Special Edition DVD and on Blu-ray) and the feature-length Becoming John Ford documentary (2007 – available in the terrific Ford at Fox DVD collection or by itself on DVD), among other shorts and features.
He co-founded Twilight Time in 2011, which has since released hundreds of great classic cinema titles on Blu-ray, many with new commentaries featuring the likes of Redman, writer and film historian Julie Kirgo (who became Nick’s wife last July) and others. [Read on here...]
Bud on Burt, plus New on Blu-ray
[What follows is a feature I wrote for The Daily Oklahoman about one of the greatest movie stars and human beings ever… Burt Reynolds]
Maybe it was the mustache. Or the unscripted quips. Or the genteel Southern manner.
Or just maybe it was that laugh, a cackle delivered by one comfortable in his own skin – inviting his audience gut bust with him, as though they were all in a private joke.
That’s our Burt. And he’s, unbelievably, gone.
Fame, according to Jeanine Bissinger, is “often conferred or withheld just as is love, for reasons and on grounds other than merits.” Burt Reynolds earned his fame with raw boned talent and insight into the business of filmed diversion. [Read on here...]
Spike Lee’s School Daze on BD, M:I – Fallout/Philadelphia 4K dates, more BD release news & RIP Gary Kurtz
First up today, we’ve got three new disc reviews for you to check out if you’re interested...
Dennis has checked out Gotti from Lionsgate.
David looks at Autumn in New York from the MVD Marquee Classics line.
And Tim has given Arrow Video’s What Have They Done to Your Daughters? a spin. All three are on Blu-ray.
Also, Michael Coate looks back today at Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused on the film’s 25th anniversary with author and historian Thomas A. Christie. You’ll find that in his latest installment of History, Legacy & Showmanship. [Read on here...]
- Bill Hunt
- The Digital Bits
- My Two Cents
- Dennis Seuling
- David Steigman
- Tim Salmons
- Autumn in New York BD review
- Gotti BD review
- Michael Coate
- History Legacy & Showmanship
- Dazed and Confused 25th anniversary
- Thomas A Christie
- What Have They Done to Your Daughters? BD review
- Gary Kurtz RIP
- Spike Lee
- School Daze: 30th Anniversary Edition BD
- Juliet Naked
- Little Italy
- Twilight Time
- Mission: Impossible Fallout 4K
- Philadelphia 4K
- Epic Pictures Dread Central
- Kidnapped
- Mad Dog and Glory
- Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Air Force One, Panic Room & Evil Dead on 4K, plus Live and Let Die’s 45th, new BD reviews & Robservations
Today’s update is a quickie, but we’ve got some good stuff for you.
Let’s get the usual site business out of the way first...
We’ve got three new reviews for you today, including Tim’s take on The Addiction: Special Edition Blu-ray from Arrow, David’s thoughts on Let’s Make Love on Blu-ray from Twilight Time, and Dennis’ look back at Laugh-In: The Complete Fifth Season on DVD from Time Life. All are worth checking out.
Also today, we’ve posted a brand new History, Legacy & Showmanship column from our own Michael Coate, in which he takes a look back at Live and Let Die with a roundtable of Bond experts in celebration of the film’s 45th anniversary. It’s a great retrospective and another fine addition to Michael’s Bond series, so definitely give it a read. We think you’ll really enjoy it. [Read on here...]
- Dennis Seuling
- David Steigman
- Tim Salmons
- Twilight Time
- Bill Hunt
- The Digital Bits
- My Two Cents
- Air Force One 4K
- Hook 4K
- Philadelphia 4K
- Panic Room 4K
- Evil Dead 4K
- Evil Dead II 4K
- XMen Trilogy 4K
- Robservations
- Burnettwork
- Robert Meyer Burnett
- Michael Coate
- History Legacy & Showmanship
- Live and Let Die 45th anniversary
- Let's Make Love BD review
- The Addiction: Special Edition BD review
- Laugh In: The Complete Fifth Season DVD review
- Release Dates & Artwork with 4K search
- Constantine: City of Demons 4K
- Christine 4K
- Free Enterprise
- Starship Smackdown
Mission: Impossible – Fallout date, Zatoichi, Twilight’s October, Candyman, Critters Collection & more
First things first today... we have no less than four new Blu-ray reviews for you to check out.
Tim has given John Carpenter’s Memoirs of an Invisible Man a look on disc from Scream Factory. David Steigman has checked in with his thoughts on Take a Girl Like You (1970) from Twilight Time. And Dennis Sueling has turned in his thoughts on Kino’s The Maids (1975) and Olive Film’s Streets of Vengeance.
Also today, we’ve just learned from our retail sources that Mission: Impossible – Fallout is expected to street on Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD on 12/4. Best Buy will have an exclusive Steelbook version. Adjust your plans accordingly. We’ve updated the 4K Ultra HD Release List here at The Bits accordingly.
By the way, before y’all start freaking out: This is very likely TEMP cover artwork (at left and also below) for use by retailers for pre-orders. Don’t assume it’s final until Paramount finally announces the title. [Read on here...]
- Mission: Impossible Fallout 4K
- My Two Cents
- The Digital Bits
- Bill Hunt
- Batman: The Animated Series on Bluray
- Kino Lorber Studio Classics
- Zatoichi 1989 BD
- Candyman BD
- The Critters Collection BD
- Scream Factory
- Twilight Time
- Memoirs of an Invisible Man BD review
- Tim Salmons
- David Steigman
- Dennis Seuling
- The Maid BD review
- Streets of Vengeance BD review
- Take a Girl Like You BD review
- The Avengers 4K
- Avengers: Age of Ultron 4K
- Sword of Sherwood Forest BD
- The Adventures of Hajji Baba BD
- Black Widow BD
- Short Night of Glass Dolls BD
- Superfly
- Lake Placid: Legacy
- The Venture Bros
- Go Team Venture! The Art and Making of The Venture Bros book
- Dark Horse
- A Christmas Story Live!