Good afternoon, Bits readers!
We’ve got some great release news for you today, but first we’re starting out with more new disc reviews…
Tim has turned in his thoughts on Hanna-Barbera’s animated Magilla Gorilla: The Complete Series (1964-66) on Blu-ray from our friends at the Warner Archive Collection!
And Dennis has offered a look at Wong Kar-wai’s Chunking Express (1994) on Blu-ray from the Criterion Collection.
Also, I wanted to let you know that we’ve been posting regular updates over on The Digital Bits’ Patreon page, including weekly video posts and early word on many upcoming 4K catalog releases. So if you really want the scoop on future 4K UHDs, there’s absolutely no better place to find it. Subscribing to our Patreon is very affordable and a great way to support The Bits in the process. [Read on here...]
We have no less than SIX new disc reviews for you all to enjoy here at The Bits today, including...
Stephen’s thoughts on Abel Ferrara’s King of New York (1990) and Paul Verhoeven’s Basic Instinct (1992) in 4K Ultra HD Steelbook from Lionsgate Limited.
Dennis’ review of Graeme Clifford’s Frances (1982) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.
Tim’s take on Hanna-Barbera’s animated Wait Till Your Father Gets Home: The Complete Series (1972-74) on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection, as well as Via Vision Entertainment’s Firestarter Collection on Blu-ray, which includes both the 1984 original film and the 2002 Sci-Fi Channel miniseries.
And finally, Stuart’s look at Gilles Grangier’s Hi-Jack Highway (1955) (aka Gas-Oil) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.
More reviews are forthcoming this week, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled for them!
Also here at the site today, we’ve posted the latest update of our Release Dates & Artwork section featuring all the latest Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD cover artwork and Amazon.com pre-order links. As always, anytime you order literally anything from Amazon after clicking to them through one of our links, you’re helping to support our work here at The Bits and we really do appreciate it.
In announcement news today, the big development is that the Criterion Collection has just revealed their full July slate of titles, and it includes a 4K disc we first told you was coming a few weeks ago: Stanley Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon (1975)! [Read on here...]
This is a quick post to let you all know that our Release Dates & Cover Artwork section here at The Digital Bits has just been updated with all the latest Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD cover artwork and Amazon.com pre-order links. Don’t forget that you can select to see just the Blu-ray, DVD, 4K Ultra HD, or even Criterion titles seperately if you like, to help you find exactly the ones you’re looking for. Just click on RELEASE DATES & ART on the menu bar above to visit the page, and use the search options in the red bar (at the top) to sort by format and date. Once you find a title you like, just click on the cover art and you’ll be taken right to the Amazon.com pre-order page. Thank you for shopping through our links and don’t forget that anytime you order from Amazon through our links, you’re helping to support our work here at The Bits and we really appreciate it! And thanks to our own Russell Hammond for the update work!
- Bill Hunt
We have two more new disc reviews for you to enjoy today, including...
Stephen’s take on Peter Hyams’ Timecop (1994) in 4K Ultra HD from Shout! Factory.
And Dennis’ look at Leigh Whannell’s Wolf Man (2025) on Blu-ray from Blumhouse via Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.
In announcement news this afternoon, our friends at Kino Lorber Studio Classics have revealed a pair of new 4K Ultra HD catalog titles for release on 6/17, including Billy Wilder’s Sabrina (1954)—a Paramount title—and Sean S. Cunningham’s DeepStar Six (1989)—a Carolco Pictures/Tri-Star Pictures film. Both will include Dolby Vision HDR.
Also today, Imprint Films has announced their fiftieth wave of catalog titles for Blu-ray release in June, including Martin Scorsese’s Raging Bull (1980) and New York, New York (1977), John Huston’s The Man Who Would Be King (1975), John Milius’ The Wind and the Lion (1975), Gordon Parks’ Leadbelly (1976), Cliff Robertson’s J.W. Coop (1971), and Harold Becker’s The Onion Field (1979). The street date is 6/25, and each is limited to 1500 copies. [Read on here...]
Hot on the heels of Disney’s Tombstone 4K Ultra HD announcement (news of which we first broke here last month), there’s another great 4K catalog title from Disney that I couldn’t be more excited to reveal this morning!
As some of you longtime Bits readers may recall, way back in January of 2024—not long before we first broke the exclusive news of the new Sony/Disney distribution deal on here on the site—I was invited by Disney reps to submit a list of films that I thought the studio should consider for release on physical 4K Ultra HD.
I compiled a list of fifty titles—an A-list of twenty-five, and a B-list of twenty-five more—that I subsequently shared here on the site (back in March of last year).
Tombstone was at the very top of that A-list.
And the third title on that list... is one that I’m incredibly thrilled to reveal here for the very first time is officially coming to 4K disc in May—just over a month from now!
KINGDOM OF HEAVEN COMES TO 4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY DISC FOR ITS 20 ANNIVERSARY ON MAY 27!
Grab the Director’s Cut Edition When It Arrives on May 27
BURBANK, CA (April 10, 2025) – The grit and drama of Ridley Scott’s epic Kingdom of Heaven Director’s Cut makes history come alive again when it plays out on digital retailers (Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV and Fandango at Home) and on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc as of May 27. [Editor’s Note: The 4K Steelbook is now available for pre-order on Amazon by clicking on this link.]
This stunningly restored and remastered Director’s Cut adds more gravitas and organic characterization to the historical masterpiece, a cinematic experience that is further plussed when seen in Dolby Vision and heard with Atmos. Visionary director Ridley Scott crafted a passionate and perilous tale of the Crusades that has made its mark on audiences for decades, but never before has it been shown in such high-definition sight and sound, deepening the experience for longtime fans and a new generation alike. [Read on here...]
We’ve got three new disc reviews to share with you today here at The Bits, including...
My in-depth look at George P. Cosmatos, Kurt Russell, and Kevin Jarre’s legendary Western Tombstone (1993) in 4K Ultra HD from Disney via Sony Pictures Home Entertainment! And praised be, they nailed the remastering—it was worth the wait!
Also, we have Stephen’s thoughts on Anthony Mann’s Winchester ‘73 (1953), another fine Western in 4K Ultra HD from Universal via the Criterion Collection.
And finally, Stuart’s take on Larry David’s Curb Your Enthusiasm (1999-2024) on DVD from HBO via Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment.
More reviews are forthcoming, so be sure to check back for them. We’ve also just updated our Release Dates & Artwork section here at The Bits with all the latest Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD cover artwork and Amazon.com pre-order links. As always, a portion of anything you order from Amazon after clicking to them through one of our links goes to help support our work here at The Bits and we really appreciate it!
Now then... in announcement news today, Marvel and Disney have just officially set Julius Onah’s Captain America: Brave New World (2024) for release on Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD on 5/13, with the Digital release expected next week on 4/15. The 4K disc will include Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos audio. Extras will include audio commentary with Julius Onah and director of photography Kramer Morgenthau, 3 deleted scenes (A Heartfelt Thanks, The Mission, and Stick Around), a gag reel, and 2 featurettes (Assuming the Man and Old Scores, New Scars). [Read on here...]
We start today with three new disc reviews, including...
Stephen’s look at Lucio Fulci’s Don’t Torture a Duckling (1972) in 4K Ultra HD from Arrow Video.
Stuart’s take on Stephen Soucy’s Merchant Ivory: The Documentary (2023) on Blu-ray from the Cohen Media Group via Kino Lorber.
And Tim’s thoughts on Shane Black’s The Nice Guys (2016) in 4K Ultra HD from Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment.
We’re all working on more new disc reviews here this week as well, including yours truly. So watch for those over the coming week.
Over on The Digital Bits’ Patreon on Sunday afternoon, I shared another new 30-minute My Two Cents: A Video Blog update with our subscribers, talking more about Tombstone and Dogma, as well as other recent industry developments. And we’re now taking questions for an Ask Me Anything session we’re planning next weekend. Supporting The Digital Bits via Patreon is a great way to help ensure that we can keep bringing you all great industry coverage here on the site. Do keep in mind that since we’ve been covering this industry since the very beginning of the DVD format back in 1997, nobody has better connections, sources, and knowledge of this industry that we do here on The Bits. So thank you all very much for reading and for your support!
Now then... in release news today, we’ve got exclusive details on the next pair of Lionsgate Limited 4K Ultra HD Steelbook titles, due to become available in May! Look for the studio to release Breck Eisner’s The Crazies (2010) and Matthew Vaughn’s Kick-Ass (2010) on 5/13! Both will include Dolby Vision HDR and new Dolby Atmos mixes, and they’ll both be released on 100GB discs. Each will also include new and legacy special features! [Read on here...]
We’ve got one new disc review for you to enjoy here at The Bits today...
Tim has updated Barrie Maxwell’s 2011 Criterion Blu-ray review of Jean-Pierre Melville’s Le cercle rouge (1970) to reflect the company’s more recent 4K Ultra HD release. As long time Bits readers will know, Barrie was our dear friend and a classic cinema expert who wrote reviews and a Classic Coming Attractions column here at the site for many years. Barrie sadly passed away back in 2012. We can’t think of a better way to honor his memory than to ensure that his writing continues to find new audiences. So enjoy the review!
The big release news today is that our friends at the Warner Archive Collection have just announced their May catalog release slate, which includes not only great Blu-ray titles but also WAC’s next 4K Ultra HD release! That 4K title is none other than Charles Walters’ classic High Society (1956), starring Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, Frank Sinatra, and Louis Armstrong!
The film has been remastered from new 13.5K scans of the original VistaVision negative. The 4K disc will include Dolby Vision HDR on a 100GB disc, with disc authoring and compression by Fidelity in Motion. The remastered film will also be included in the package on Blu-ray, a BD-50. [Read on here...]