Displaying items by tag: HBO

All right, we’ve got just a quick update for you here at The Bits today, but it’s a good one.

Our friends at the Criterion Collection have just unveiled their final titles of 2026, and the December slate is a dandy!

On December 1, look for Robert Altman’s Nashville (1975) (Spine #683 – 4K + BD and BD) and Pietro Germi’s Divorce Italian Style (1961) (Spine #286 – 4K + BD and BD).

Following on December 8 are Werner Herzog’s Grizzly Man (2005) (Spine #1339 – BD) and Anthony Minghella’s Best Picture-winning The English Patient (1996) (Spine #1338 – 4K and BD)!

And on December 15, look for Eclipse Series 50: Sara Gómez’s Revolutionary Cuba on Blu-ray—which includes 15 films (One Way or Another, I’ll Go to Santiago, Excursion to Vueltabajo, Guanabacoa: Chronicle of My Family, And… We’ve Got Sabor, On the Other Island, An Island for Miguel, Treasure Island, Local Power, Popular Power, A Documentary About Transit, On Sugar Workers’ Quarters, My Contribution, Year One, Prenatal Care, and About Extra Hours and Volunteer Work)—as well as Ernst Lubitsch’s The Shop Around the Corner (1940) (Spine #1340 – 4K + BD and BD).

Not half bad!

It seems to me that The English Patient is one of the few modern Best Picture-winners not yet available on 4K disc, so it’s great to see it finally (licensed from Miramax via Paramount). It’s also a personal favorite of mine. [Read on here...]

We’ve got lots of new disc reviews for you to enjoy here at The Bits today, including…

Tim’s look at John Guillerman’s King Kong (1976) in 4K UHD from Paramount, Charles Lamont’s Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy (1955) in 4K UHD from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, Mikael Håfström’s 1408 (2007) in 4K UHD from Via Vision, and Norman Jewison’s In the Heat of the Night (1967) in 4K UHD from Criterion.

Stuart’s thoughts on John Ford’s Sergeant Rutledge (1960) on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection and the Tales of the Wild West: Collection Two Blu-ray box set from Imprint.

Dennis’ take on William Keighley’s Torrid Zone (1940) on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection, Mario Caiano’s Weapons of Death (1977) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, and Bret Wood’s Hell’s Highway: The True Story of Highway Safety Films (2003) on Blu-ray from Kino Cult.

And finally, Todd’s review of Tulsi and Shyam Ramsay’s Veerana: Vengeance of the Vampire (1988) on Blu-ray from Mondo Macabro.

Stephen has been on vacation for the last week, but he’ll be back to reviewing in a few more days, and of course we have lots more reviews forthcoming from the rest of the team.

Also today here, our own Russell Hammond has posted the latest update of our Release Dates & Cover Art section with all the latest Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K UHD cover art and Amazon.com pre-order links. As always, whenever 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 greatly appreciate it! [Read on here...]

We’re starting the new week, after the long holiday weekend here in the States, with more new disc reviews from The Bits’ team, including…

Tim’s thoughts on Gary Goddard’s Masters of the Universe (1987) in 4K Ultra HD from Arrow’s new Toy Robot Video sub label, as his thoughts on Kevin Reynolds’ Robin Hood: Price of Thieves (1991) in 4K UHD from Arrow Video proper.

Dennis’ look at Martin Scorsese’s Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974) in 4K Ultra HD from the Criterion Collection (with an assist by Tim), his take on Kino Lorber Studio Classics’ Death Ship/Terror Train Double Feature DVD (1980) (again, with an assist by Tim), and Burt Kennedy’s The War Wagon (1967) on Blu-ray also from KLSC.

And Todd’s take on Paul Wendkos’ Cannon for Cordoba (1970) on Blu-ray from Imprint, Nicanor Loreti, Fabián Forte, and Luca Castello’s Portraits of the Apocalypse (2024) on DVD from Cleopatra Entertainment, and John Williams’ Watch Me Sleep (2023) on DVD from Wild Eye Releasing.

Watch for more reviews all this week!

Now then… we’ve got a couple of things to talk about today…

First, Amazon MGM Studios and Alliance Home Entertainment have officially set The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power – Seasons One and Two for Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD release on 11/3. There will also be an Amazon-exclusive Limited Edition 4K Steelbook release on 12/1. [Read on here...]

We’re starting the week off with more new disc reviews today, including...

Tim’s look at Sam Raimi’s The Evil Dead (1981): 45th Anniversary Steelbook in 4K UHD from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and Richard Moore’s Circle of Iron (1978): Limited Edition in 4K UHD from Blue Underground.

Todd’s take on Steven Soderbergh’s The Christophers (2026) on Blu-ray from Neon and Decal, Gia Coppola’s The Last Showgirl (2024) on Blu-ray from Lionsgate, and Jeff Leroy’s The Screaming (2000) on Blu-ray from Visual Vengeance and Wild Eye.

And Stuart’s thoughts on José Giovanni’s La Scoumoune (1974) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, as well as Dorna X. van Rouveroy’s Intensive Care (1991) on Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome.

In terms of release news, online retailers are now taking pre-orders on the eventual Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD release of David Robert Mitchell’s The End of Oak Street (2026) from Warner Bros. The street date is still TBA.

Pre-orders have begun for Jean-Francois Richet’s Mutiny (2026) on Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD on Lionsgate as well. The street date is also TBA.

Speaking of Warner Bros, the studio has officially set Frank Oz’s Little Shop of Horrors (1986) for release on 4K Ultra HD on 10/6. They’ve also set Neil Jordan’s Interview with the Vampire (1994) for 9/22.

And the studio has set HBO’s House of the Dragon: The Complete Third Season for release on Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD Steelbook on 12/1. [Read on here...]

We’ve got a big post for you here at The Bits today, and per usual we start with new disc reviews. Today, we offer…

Tim’s look at Charles Lamont’s Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man (1951) in 4K Ultra HD from Kino Lorber Studio Classics and Tinto Brass’ The Key (1983) in 4K Ultra HD from Cult Epics.

Stephen’s thoughts on Vincent Ward’s What Dreams May Come (1998) and Gordon Douglas’ Them! (1954) both in 4K Ultra HD from Shout! Studios.

Todd’s take on Stefan Ruzowitzky’s Icefall (2025) on Blu-ray from Decal, Brewce Longo’s Coven of the Black Cube (2024) on Blu-ray from Blood Sick, and Michel Franco’s Dreams (2025) on Blu-ray from Greenwich and Kino Lorber.

Stuart’s look at Irving Reis’ All My Sons (1948) and John Gilling’s The Man Inside (1958) both on Blu-ray from Indicator.

And finally, Dennis’ take on Leon Prudovsky’s My Neighbor Adolf (2022) on Blu-ray from Cohen Media and Kino Lorber.

More reviews for forthcoming, as always, so be sure to keep checking back.

Now then… let’s have some recent announcement news…

First, Warner Bros. officially announced the 8/11 4K Ultra HD release of Tim Burton’s Mars Attacks! (1996) in honor of the film’s 30th anniversary. The 4K disc will include a pair of new features: Looking Back on Mars Attacks! and Ack! Ack! Aesthetic. As is already well known, because pre-orders have been open for a while now, there will be wide release and Steelbook versions [Read on here...]

We’ve got more new disc reviews for you to close out the week here at The Bits, including…

Stephen’s reviews of Rango Lam’s City on Fire (1987) and John Woo’s The Killer (1989) in 4K Ultra HD from Imprint.

Stuart’s thoughts on John Guillermin’s House of Cards (1968) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, the Spencer Tracy Collection on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection—which includes Bad Day on Black Rock (1955), Fury (1936), Libeled Lady (1936), and Northwest Passage (1941)—and the Directed by David Lean: Volume II box set on Blu-ray from Imprint—which includes The Passionate Friends (1949), Madeleine (1950), The Sound Barrier (1952), Hobson’s Choice (1954), and Summertime (1955).

Tim’s look at Tobe Hooper’s Salem’s Lot (1979) in 4K Ultra HD from our friends at Arrow Video.

And Dennis’ take on Brian Levant’s Beethoven (1992) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

More reviews are in the works for release here all next week, so be sure to keep checking back for them.

Now then… the first thing to be said today is that Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s Project Hail Mary (2026) is now available for pre-order on Amazon.com in Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD (click here for the link). This is an Amazon MGM Studios release. The street date isn’t yet official, but we believe it will be on or about 8/11. Look for the disc to include audio commentary with the directors, deleted scenes, and the Earth’s Favorite Eridian featurette. You can see the cover artwork above left. [Read on here...]

Greetings, Bits readers—I hope this finds you all well!

You may have noticed that there have been very few updates here on the site this week, and also that we’ve had a lot of downtime in which the site wasn’t working or was slow to load.

There’s a reason for that, which is that we’ve been the target of relentless scaping by AI companies trying to train their LLMs. We’ve taken steps to prevent it in the past, but they don’t seem to care that when they scrape us, it causes significant disruptions for both us and you as readers. So it looks like we’re going to have to take further steps to prevent this going forward.

In the meantime, we’ve got a lot of ground to cover today, as I haven’t been able to post a news update since Monday due to these disruptions.

We’ll start with disc reviews! We’ve had a bunch for you this week, including…

My looks at Jeannot Szwarc’s Somewhere in Time (1980) in 4K from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, David Lynch’s The Straight Story (1999) in 4K from StudioCanal (a joint review with former Bits staffer Dan Kelly), Michael Crichton’s Westworld (1973) in 4K from Arrow Video, and Ted Lasso: The Richmond Way (2020-23) in 4K from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.

Tim’s review of Lam Nai-Choi’s The Cat (1991) on Blu-ray from 88 Films.

Dennis’ take on Claude Leloch’s A Man and a Woman (1966) on Blu-ray from the Criterion Collection.

Stuart’s thoughts on Jerzy Skolimowski’s The Lightship (1985) on Blu-ray from Imprint Films and Jeffrey Dell and Roy Boulting’s Man in a Cocked Hat (1959) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

And finally, Stephen’s look at Dario Argento’s The Phantom of the Opera (1998) and Emmett Alston’s Demonwarp (1988) in 4K from Vinegar Syndrome, and Ti West’s The Innkeepers (2011) on Blu-ray from Umbrella and in 4K Ultra HD from Second Sight. Whew!

Now, let’s get to the news that’s broken since our announcement of James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash on Blu-ray and 4K on Monday… [Read on here...]

We have several new disc reviews for you to enjoy today, including…

Tim’s look at multiple versions of Kevin Smith’s Dogma (1999) on 4K Ultra HD from Lionsgate Limited, Lionsgate (the wide release SKU), and Umbrella Entertainment.

Dennis’ reviews of Curtis Bernhardt’s Interrupted Melody (1955) and Archie Mayo’s It’s Love I’m After (1937) on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection.

Stephen’s thoughts on Andres Veiel’s Riefenstahl (2024) documentary on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber and Dario Argento’s The Stendhal Syndrome (1996) in 4K Ultra HD from Vinegar Syndrome.

And finally, Stuart’s look at Romolo Guerrieri’s Young, Violent, Dangerous (1976) on Blu-ray from Raro Video via Kino Lorber.

More reviews are on the way, so be sure to keep checking back!

Now then… in announcement news today, our friends at Lionsgate Limited have just set Oliver Stone’s The Doors (1991) for 4K Ultra HD Steelbook release on 2/24. They’ve also got Eli Roth’s Cabin Fever (2002) available in 4K Ultra HD and VHS format—no kidding! Those are now available, as is the latest Vestron Video Collector’s Series Blu-ray, which is none other than Derrick Comedy and director Dan Eckman’s Mystery Team (2009). [Read on here...]

We’ve got three new disc reviews for you today, including…

Stephen’s look at Tonino Ricci’s Night of the Sharks (1988) on Blu-ray from Severin Films.

Stuart’s take on Kinji Fukasaku’s Jakoman and Tetsu (1964) on Blu-ray from 88 Films.

And Tim’s review of Chang Cheh’s Magnificent Ruffians (1979) on Blu-ray from Arrow’s excellent Shawscope: Volume Two box set.

Tim has also posted a review of Paul Spurrier’s Dream! (2025) in a rare installment of his Dailies column, so do give it a look!

In announcement news today, MVD Entertainment has revealed that they’re releasing Tenacious D: The Complete Masterworks – Volume 3 on Blu-ray and DVD on 10/3. It will feature their a complete 16-track concert from their 2023 Spicy Meatball Tour recorded in London’s O2 Arena, along with the band’s animated film Post Apocalypto and music videos for ...Baby One More Time, Wicked Game, Video Games, Fiber d’Lish, Tenacious D’s The Who Medley, You Never Give Me Your Money/The End, and Time Warp. [Read on here...]

Afternoon, folks! I wanted to check in here today with some news, and few more reviews, and an update.

Some of you have probably noticed that The Bits website has been slow this week. We’ve been having some software issues and our tech support team is on it. The good news is, they’ve identified the cause. We’re working on a solution which is going to involve a bunch of software upgrades, but it’s likely to going to take a week or two to sort out. So I just wanted to apologize for the inconvenience and ask for your patience in the meantime. Rest assured, Scotty and the crew down in Engineering are on the case and we should be back to normal soon!

In the meantime, we have some new disc reviews for you...

Stephen has taken a look at Bill Plympton’s I Married a Strange Person! (1997) on Blu-ray from Deaf Crocodile Films, as well as David Allen’s The Primevals (2023) on Blu-ray from Full Moon Features.

Dennis has offered his take on Steven Soderbergh’s The Good German (2006) in 4K Ultra HD from Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment (with an assist on the 4K side from Tim Salmons), as well as Dougal Wilson’s Paddington in Peru (2024) on Blu-ray from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, and Charles Walters’ Lili (1953) on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection.

And Tim has reviewed Gordon Flemying’s Daleks’ Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. (1996) on Blu-ray from Severin Films.

Lots more disc reviews are definitely on the way, so be sure to watch for them. And I also wanted to let you know in advance that if news updates or social media posts are a little light over the next few days, it’s because I just got my hands on Warner and MGM’s new 007: James Bond – Sean Connery 6-Film Collection in 4K Ultra HD. So I’m going to crack that open and start working on detailed reviews of the films therein, but it’s probably going to take me through the weekend to get them all covered.

But if a cursory examination of Dr. No and From Russian with Love is any indication, these new 4K remasters are pretty terrific. They’re on 100GB discs, they feature very high data rates, and the color, detail, and grain are all very nice indeed. Fingers crossed, I think the Warner remastering team has nailed it. These are definitely a big improvement over the old Lowry Digital 4K masters. So watch for more on that in my reviews soon! [Read on here...]