My Two Cents
Welcome to the new week, Bits-ers! We’re starting as always today with a trio of new disc reviews for you to check out...
Stuart has offered his thoughts on Andrei Konchalovsky’s Duet for One (1986) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.
Dennis has delivered a look at Renato Polselli’s Delirium (1972) on Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome.
And Tim rounds things out with his review of George A. Romero’s Creepshow (1982) in 4K Ultra HD from Scream Factory.
We also have several more reviews currently in the works for the next few days, so be sure to keep checking back for them.
The big news this morning is that the Criterion Collection has just unveiled its December slate of titles, including one new 4K Ultra HD release. The slate includes an upgraded version of Allen Baron’s Blast of Silence (1961) (Spine #428 – Blu-ray and DVD) on 12/5, followed by The Red Balloon and Other Stories: Five Films by Albert Lamorisse (1951-1965) (Spine #1200 – Blu-ray and DVD – includes Bim, the Little Donkey, White Mane, The Red Balloon, Stowaway in the Sky, and Circus Angel) and Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (2022) (Spine #1201 – 4K UHD + Blu-ray, Blu-ray, and DVD) on 12/12.
You can see the cover art for Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio at left and all three of them below the break. [Read on here...]
All right, we’ve got just a quick batch of announcements to catch up on this morning...
First of all, just as we first reported here at The Bits many weeks ago, Paramount has officially set Christopher McQuarrie’s Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One for Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD release on 10/31, with the Digital version due on 10/10. Expect Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos audio on the 4K.
Extras on the disc will include audio commentary by McQuarrie and editor Eddie Hamilton, plus a Deleted Scenes Montage, and 7 featurettes (Rome, Venice, Freefall, Speed Flying, Train, and Editorial Featurette: The Sevastopol). Look for 2 4K SKUs... a regular Amaray version and a Steelbook version. You can see the cover artwork at left and also below.
Also today, Lionsgate has set Talk to Me for physical media release on 10/3. It appears that there will be multiple versions: 4K + Blu-ray + Digital, Blu-ray + DVD + Digital, Amazon-exclusive 4K + Blu-ray + Digital, and Walmart Blu-ray + DVD + Digital. [Read on here...]
All right, as mentioned earlier, we’ve got more release news to cover today here at The Bits. But first some new disc reviews...
Stephen has checked out Paul Verhoeven’s cult classic Showgirls (1995) on 4K Ultra HD from Vinegar Syndrome, which features the film in 4K UHD and Blu-ray, along with an additional Blu-ray full of special features. Stephen has also reviewed Peter Greenaway’s The Draughtsman’s Contract (1982) on Blu-ray from Zeitgeist Films and Kino Lorber.
Also today, Dennis has offered his thoughts on George Cukor’s Little Women (1955) and Abe Levitow’s animated Gay Purr-ee (1962), both new on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection.
And Stuart has taken a look at the Norwegian legal drama Aber Bergen: Complete Series from MHz Networks and Kino Lorber, as well as Inés Toharia Terán’s Film: The Living Record of Our Memory (2021) documentary from Kino Lorber, both of them on DVD, along with the Warner Archive Collection’s Tintin and the Mystery of the Golden Fleece (1961) and Tintin and the Blue Oranges (1964) double feature Blu-ray.
Now then, speaking of Warner, Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment and DC Studios have announced the Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD release of the Netflix original series The Sandman: The Complete First Season on 11/18, with a Digital release expected on 9/18. Note that a second season of the series is already on the way from Netflix. The set will include all 11 episodes, along with a pair of featurettes (The Sandman: Behind the Scenes Sneak Peek and The World of The Endless). You can see the cover artwork at left and also below. [Read on here...]
We’ve got a bunch of ground to cover here at The Bits, so we’re going to post a couple of news updates here today. For the first one this afternoon, we’re going to talk about a new Disney release that was announced on Sunday of all days (naturally, when I was too busy doing a bunch of work around the house to see the press release in time). So let’s get right into it...
Disney has officially revealed a new Disney Legacy Animated Film Collection, featuring 100 animated films from Disney, Walt Disney Animation Studios, and Pixar Animation Studios, which is set to street on 11/14. The box set—which will retail for the whopping price of $1,500—is only going available from Walmart.com, with pre-orders expected to start on 9/18. What’s more, this is obviously an extremely limited release, very likely with just a few thousand copies produced. So if you want it, don’t wait. It will likely sell out very quickly.
The question that must be asked, of course, is: Should you want it? And to help you answer that, we’ve got some exclusive additional details for you...
As announced, the box set will include all 100 films on Blu-ray Disc (more on that in a minute), along with Digital codes for each title, plus “a copy of the original theatrical poster art, a collectible lithograph from Disney Animation’s new musical comedy Wish, and a collectible crystal Mickey ears hat with exclusive Disney 100 engraving.” [Read on here...]
We’ve got one more quick update for you today here at The Bits. But first, we have two new disc reviews from Stephen...
He’s taken a look at Thom Eberhardt’s Night of the Comet (1984) in 4K Ultra HD from Shout and Scream Factory. And he’s also reviewed Scott Walker’s The Tank (2023) on Blu-ray from Well Go USA Entertainment.
Now then, the quick bit of news we have to report today is a follow up on something we predicted was coming here at The Bits several months back, which is that Universal Studios Home Entertainment is officially releasing the next wave of Alfred Hitchcock 4K Ultra HD titles on 10/31!
You’ll get the next box set of five films—The Alfred Hitchcock Classics Collection: Volume 3—as well as 4K single-film SKUs of each of the films in the set, including Rope (1948), The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956), Torn Curtain (1966), Topaz (1969), and Frenzy (1972). You can see the cover art for the box at left, and the singles below the break. [Read on here...]