My Two Cents
Welcome to a new week, Bits readers! And the theme of this week is all about disc reviews. We’ve posted no less than SEVEN of them over the weekend, and we have lots more coming in the next few days, including some MAJOR and long-awaited 4K titles. But more on that in a minute.
To start today, we’ve got new reviews of the following titles...
My take on Scott Beck and Bryan Woods’ 65 (2023) in 4K Ultra HD from Sony, along with William Hanna and Joseph Barbera’s feature-length animated classic Hey There, It’s Yogi Bear! (1964) on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection), as well as John Frankenheimer’s classic actioner Ronin (1998) in 4K Ultra HD from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.
All three titles are worth a look, and Ronin looks absolutely spectacular—it’s mastered from a recent 4K scan, and both the Blu-ray and the 4K disc in the package are a major improvement over the previous Arrow Blu-ray release, which was certainly good for its day. You definitely don’t want to miss that one.
Also today, we have Stephen’s review of Patrice Leconte’s Man on the Train (2002) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber.
We have Dennis’ thoughts on Raymond Griffith: The Silk Hat Comedian on Blu-ray from Undercrank Productions, which includes Paths to Paradise (1925) and You’d Be Surprised (1926).
And we close things out with Tim’s look at James Wan’s Dead Silence (2007) in 4K Ultra HD from Scream Factory, as well as Kevin Reynolds’ Waterworld (1995) in 4K Ultra HD from Arrow Video! [Read on here...]
We start today with four new disc reviews, with more on the way...
Tim has reviewed Kevin Smith’s Mallrats (1995) in 4K Ultra HD from Arrow Video.
Stephen has turned in his thoughts on Terry Gilliam’s The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988) in 4K Ultra HD from Criterion, as well as Jim McBride’s The Big Easy (1986) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.
And Stuart has taken a look at Susan Seidelman’s Making Mr. Right (1987) on Blu-ray, also from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.
Meanwhile today, we have a bunch of announcement news to report, starting with this: Rhino/Parlophone are releasing D.A. Pennebaker’s Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1979) in a new 2CD + Blu-ray package in the UK on 8/11 in honor of the film’s 50th anniversary! The package will include the remastered soundtrack album, as well as the acclaimed concert film itself newly restored in 4K from the original negatives. Note that while this is a UK release, the Blu-ray is coded for all regions and will include both 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and the original stereo in PCM format. Both the film and soundtrack have also been restored to completion for the first time, and now include The Jean Genie/Love Me Do medley and Round and Round featuring Jeff Beck.
You can read more here, and you can see the packaging at left and also below. [Read on here...]
All right, we’ve got a lot of ground to cover today, including a bunch of new Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD release news. But first, we have more new disc reviews for you as always...
Tim has taken a look at Zack Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead (2004) remake in 4K Ultra HD from Scream Factory, as well as Chester Fox and Alex Stevens’ Massage Parlor Murders (1973) in 4K UHD from Vinegar Syndrome.
Stephen has reviewed Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s The Red Shoes (1948) in 4K Ultra HD from Criterion.
And Stuart has offered his thoughts on Charles Barton’s Double Crossbones (1951) and Richard Goldstone and John Marks, Jr.’s No Man Is an Island (1962) both on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, as well as Frank Capra’s State of the Union (1948) on Region B Blu-ray from Indicator and Powerhouse Films.
Watch for more new disc reviews tomorrow and all this week.
Now then, let’s get to that release news. We’ll start with the officially-announced titles first...
Paramount Home Entertainment has just set John Hughes’ Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) for release on 4K Ultra HD on 8/1. It will include both Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos audio. In a nice surprise, extras will include Hughes’ original director’s commentary, which hasn’t been available since the 1999 DVD release. You’ll also get 5 legacy featurettes (including Getting the Class Together: The Cast of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, The Making of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Who is Ferris Bueller?, The World According to Ben Stein, and Vintage Ferris Bueller: The Lost Tapes). You can see the cover art at left and also below. [Read on here...]
We have two more new disc reviews for you to enjoy today...
Tim has taken a good look at Stanley Tong’s Super Cop (1992, aka Police Story 3) in 4K Ultra HD, which is finally available from 88 Films. As many of you will already know, the film stars Jackie Chan and Michelle Yeoh.
And Stephen has turned in his thoughts on The Spierig Brothers’ Undead (2003) on Blu-ray from Umbrella Entertainment and Vinegar Syndrome.
We’ve also got a bunch of new title announcements...
First, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has now officially set Elia Kazan’s East of Eden (1955) and Howard Hawks’ Rio Bravo (1959) for release on 4K Ultra HD and 4K Digital on 7/18, as expected. Per the studio’s press release, both titles have been restored in partnership with Martin Scorsese’s The Film Foundation. Each will feature HDR10 high dynamic range and DTS-HD Master Audio. East of Eden will include the previous audio commentary by film historian Richard Schickel. Rio Bravo will include the previous commentary with filmmaker John Carpenter and Schickel. You can see the cover art at left and also below. Note that both titles are now available for pre-order on Amazon (SRP $33.99 each) by clicking on the cover art below. [Read on here...]
We hope those of you here in the States are all enjoying the long Memorial Day weekend. As it is a work holiday here today, there’s not a lot of official news to report. But we do have some significant 4K news from retail and other sources.
And we have some new disc reviews for you today as well, including...
Stephen’s look at Robert Rossen’s WWII classic They Came to Cordura (1959) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.
Stuart’s take on the first season of a French TV title called Paris Police 1900 (2021) on DVD from Kino Lorber.
And Dennis’ review of Alexander Hall’s Little Miss Marker (1934) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.
More reviews are forthcoming this all week, so be sure to stay tuned for them. [Read on here...]