Displaying items by tag: MVD Visual

All right, we’re starting a new week with a ton of new disc reviews, including…

Tim’s look at Adam Carter Rehmeier’s Carolina Caroline (2026) on Blu-ray from Magnolia, and Imprint Asia’s Shaw-Shock: Shaw Brothers Horror Collection – Volume 1 (1976-1984) Blu-ray boxed set, featuring The Oily Maniac (1976), Seeding of a Ghost (1983), and Sex Beyond the Grave (1984).

Dennis’ take on Barry Levinson’s Wag the Dog (1997) and Ray Enright and Raoul Walsh’s Montana (1950) on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection.

Stuart’s thoughts on Jorge Fons’ Jory (1973) and Alberto De Martino’s Blazing Magnum (1976) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, David Gleeson’s Once Upon a Time in Cinema (2026) on DVD from Kino Lorber, and Terence Young’s Red Sun (1971) in 4K Ultra HD from Arrow Video (a tag-team review with Tim).

And finally, Todd’s reviews of Francesco Lucente’s Starbright (2026), Paradise Bungalows (1987), and Badland (2007) all on Blu-ray from MVD Visual, and Imprint’s Film Focus: Philip Seymour Hoffman (1999-2007) Blu-ray box set, which includes Flawless (1999), Owning Mahowny (2003), and Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead (2007) on Blu-ray.

Watch for more new disc reviews tomorrow and all this week!

Now then, the big news today is that Paramount has finally reached a deal with a group of states (led by California) seeing to block its merger with Warner Bros. Discovery, which clears the way for the merger to happen. This will prevent Paramount from leaving the state. In exchange, Paramount has agreed to establish a board of journalists to ensure the independence of CNN and CBS News, they’ve agreed to distribute 30 films per year in theaters, and they’ve agreed to spend an additional $1.5 billion on film production and increase the percentage of those films made in the US. Unfortunately, the FCC has also allowed Paramount to sell a 49.5% equity stake in the company to the sovereign wealth funds of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar. But at this point, it is what it is. (You can read more today on Variety, the NY Times, and Ars Technica, among many other places.) [Read on here...]

We’ve got a few great new disc reviews for you to enjoy here at the site today as we continue our efforts to get things back to normal here. And a couple of them are significant titles…

First, Stephen has turned in his thoughts on David Fincher’s newly remastered Fight Club (1999) in 4K Ultra HD from 20th Century Studios via Disney and Sony. Stephen has also taken a look at Luis Llosa’s Anaconda (1997) in 4K Ultra HD from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

Next, Tim has offered his take on Ralph Bakshi’s animated Fire and Ice (1983) in 4K Ultra HD from Blue Underground.

And Dennis has shared his look at Jack Conway’s Honky Tonk (1941) on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection.

More reviews are forthcoming, and again there should be a lot more over the next week or so as we return to something like normal operations here at The Bits after our efforts to stabilize the first from intensive AI bot scraping and higher-than-ever site traffic.

Also, we’ve got a new update of the Release Dates and Artwork section for you all to enjoy as well.

So we really appreciate your patience as we’ve dealt with that over the last 6-8 weeks or so.

In terms of announcement news this week, our friends at the Criterion Collection have revealed their August slate, which includes Todd Haynes’ Safe (1995) (Spine #739 – 4K UHD + Blu-ray) on 8/4, Bertrand Tavernier’s Coup de torchon (1981) (Spine #106 – Blu-ray) on 8/11, and Barbara Koppe’s Harlan County USA (1976) (Spine #334 – 4K UHD + Blu-ray) and American Dream (1990) (Spine #1324 – Blu-ray), and James Gray’s Little Odessa (1994) (Spine #1323 – 4K UHD + Blu-ray) on 8/25. Also coming on 8/25 is Eclipse Series 49: Five Radical Documentaries by Kazuo Hara and Sachiko Kobayashi (1972-2016) on Blu-ray. [Read on here...]

We’re starting off the new week here at The Bits as we often do, with more new disc reviews...

Stephen has taken a look at Kenneth Branagh’s Death on the Nile (2022) in 4K Ultra HD from 20th Century Studios and Disney. The film was shot in large format on both 65 mm film and 8K digital, so the disc’s image quality is uniquely impressive.

But that’s not all: Stephen has also posted his thoughts on Henry Levin and George Pal’s The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm, which has been newly-restored for release on Blu-ray by our friends at The Warner Archive Collection in both 2.85:1 widescreen and also Smilebox format, replicating the look of the film on a 146-degree curved Cinerama screen.

More disc reviews are on the way tomorrow and all this week, so be sure to check back.

In release news today, Showtime Entertainment has announced the Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD release of Ray Donovan: The Movie on 5/25. [Read on here...]

We’ve got some great announcement news for you catalog fans today, but first we also have another new Blu-ray review for you to check out...

Our own Tim Salmons has just turned in his thoughts on the 4-disc Laurel & Hardy: The Definitive Restorations BD set from Kit Parker Films and MVD Visual, which includes 21 shorts, 2 feature films, and a bevy of extras. Sounds like it’s a pretty nice set, so if you’re a fan of the comedy duo, you should definitely check it out.

Now then, the big news today is that Paramount Home Entertainment has just revealed that its next Paramount Presents Blu-ray title is none other than William Wyler’s Roman Holiday (1953), starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck. Look for it to street on 9/15 (SRP $29.98). You can see the cover artwork at left and also below.

The film was digitally restored in 2015 in a process took roughly six months, following an exhaustive worldwide search for the best available elements. [Read on here...]