Displaying items by tag: Warner Archive

We’re closing out the week here at The Bits with more new disc reviews, and some great release news too! But as always, let’s cover those reviews first…

I’ve just shared my in-depth look at Fred M. Wilcox’s landmark science fiction classic Forbidden Planet (1956) in 4K Ultra HD from Arrow Video!

Tim has shared his take on Mario Bava’s A Bay of Blood (1971) in 4K Ultra HD from Severin Films, along with Sidney Lumet’s 12 Angry Men (1957) in 4K Ultra HD from the Criterion Collection, and Carol Reed’s The Third Man (1949) in 4K Ultra HD from Lionsgate Limited.

Todd has offered his two cents on Lo Go and Godfrey Ho’s Blu-ray double feature of Born a Ninja (1988) and Commando the Ninja (1988) from Wild Eye and Visual Vengeance.

Stuart has weighed in on Sam Wood’s Ivy (1947) on Blu-ray from Powerhouse and Indicator, as well as John Ford’s classic The Wings of Eagles (1957) on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection.

And finally, Stephen has delivered his in-depth reviews of Robert Wise’s West Side Story (1961) in 4K Ultra HD from Germany’s Capelight Pictures, as well as George P. Cosmatos’s Of Unknown Origin (1983) in 4K Ultra HD from Vinegar Syndrome.

Watch for more reviews all next week!

Now then, before we get to the news, we also want to let you know that our own Russell Hammond has just updated our Release Dates & Cover Art section with all the latest Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD cover art and Amazon pre-order links! As always, whenever you order literally anything from Amazon after clicking to them from one of our links here, you’re helping to support our work here on The Bits and we really appreciate it! [Read on here...]

We’ve got some big 4K Ultra HD release news for you today, but first we have more new disc reviews, including…

Tim’s look at the Looney Tunes Collector’s Vault: Volume 3 Blu-ray from our friends at the Warner Archive Collection.

Dennis’ thoughts on Vincent Sherman’s All Through the Night (1942) on Blu-ray, also from the Warner Archive Collection.

And Stuart’s take on Georges Franju’s first feature, La Tête contre les murs (1959, aka Head Against the Wall) on Blu-ray from the good people at Radiance.

We’ve got a couple of great 4K reviews coming tomorrow as well, so be sure to check back for them!

Now then… the big release news today is that Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures’ home entertainment team has just announced the 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray release of a pair of fan-favorite Nicolas Cage films… Simon West’s Con Air (1997) and Jon Turteltaub’s National Treasure (2004)! [Read on here...]

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...]

Good afternoon, disc fans!

After yesterday’s big release news of Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair in 4K from Lionsgate, it’s time to start catching up on news that dropped while we were grappling with our AI bot-scraping issue.

To start with today, we’ve got a number of new disc reviews to share with you, and—on that very note—we also have a nice surprise announcement as well…

Our old friend Todd Doogan is returning to The Digital Bits as a review contributor!

Longtime Bits readers will know that Doogan was a founding member of The Bits team, not only reviewing DVD and Blu-ray discs here for many years, but also writing his own Doogan’s Views and Gripe Soda columns here at the site.

Since we have so many great disc releases that need covering, Doogan has offered to revive Doogan’s Views as a new “quick” review format—these will feature the Doogan’s Views banner at the top of the review. And while the reviews won’t be as detailed as our regular review work, they’ll include enough information to highlight discs worth your attention and help you make buying decisions. These are the kinds of titles that would otherwise fall through the cracks, but that deserve some love from fans—indie and boutique deep cuts, genre oddballs, and more.

Todd’s first new Doogan’s Views reviews this afternoon include Chris Stuckmann’s Shelby Oaks (2025) on Blu-ray from Decal Releasing and Johannes Roberts’ Primate (2025) on Blu-ray from Paramount via Alliance.

We’re all thrilled here to have Todd on The Bits team again, and I’m personally very happy to have my friend calling videodisc balls and strikes once more as only he can.

So welcome back, Todd, and watch for more Doogan’s Views reviews in the days and weeks ahead!

Meanwhile today, we have a bunch of new disc reviews from the rest of The Bits review team too, including... [Read on here...]

All right, we’ve got a bit of ground to cover today, so let’s get right into it...

Zack Snyder’s newly-remastered Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is now available for pre-order on Amazon.com in 4K. Street date is 3/23 and the SRP is just $19.99. You can see that here. The cover art is a little wonky though, and the listing says the title is coming from Warner Archive rather than Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. This being an actual MOD title would be a little odd, and we think a first for 4K.

Complicating matters here is the fact that almost everyone from the Warner Archive has recently been pink-slipped by AT&T and Warner Media. So we’ll have to see what happens when the studio makes their official announcement one way or another. In the meantime, you can see the new art and pre-order the title below.

It’s worth noting that the title is not currently listed on WB Shop, nor has Warner Archive mentioned it in their social media. Warner Archive has however announced their March slate, which so far includes Damn Yankees (1958), Driving Miss Daisy (1989), What’s Up, Doc? (1972), The Great Caruso (1951), Isle of the Dead (1945), and Crossfire (1948) on Blu-ray, Wonder Woman 1984 on Blu-ray/Blu-ray 3D, and Animal Kingdom: The Complete Fourth Season on DVD. Stay tuned for more on this. [Read on here...]

We’ve got a pair of new disc reviews for you to read today...

Tim has taken a look at Steve Beck’s Ghost Ship (2002), now available on Collector’s Edition Blu-ray from Scream Factory.

Also today, Dennis has turned in his thoughts on Simon Langton’s The Whistle Blower (1986) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

Meanwhile, I posted my in-depth thoughts on Robert Zemeckis’s Back to the Future: The Ultimate Trilogy on 4K Ultra HD from Universal on Monday, so do check that out in the event you missed it.

In announcement news today, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has set Roland Emmerich’s 2012 for release on 4K Ultra HD on 1/19. [Read on here...]

All right, we’ve got some more regular Blu-ray news, and then I’m working on a review of Sony’s Black Hawk Down in 4K Ultra HD for posting in the next couple of days. Let me tell you, it’s terrific. It’s a major upgrade of the Blu-ray, both in picture and sound.

Also, our friend John Schuermann of The Screening Room AV in Colorado Springs has just issued the final results of their recent 4K UHD Projector Shootout and – if you’re a front projector fan like I am – they’re pretty fascinating. Do check them out here. Sounds like the JVCs did pretty well against more expensive Sony projectors.

Meanwhile, Epson just announced a new 4K PRO-UHD projector too... the Pro Cinema 6050UB (MSRP $3,999), with features geared toward home theater cinephiles. You can check out all the details here. [Read on here...]

(As I am writing this month’s column, word spread that the world had lost Nick Redman, a man of incomparable vision and love of classic films. He was a friend of mine and this entire website. I’ll write more next time.)

Maybe it was the mustache. Or the unscripted quips. Or the genteel Southern manner.

Or just maybe it was that laugh, a bombastic cackle delivered by one comfortable in his own skin – inviting his audience gut bust with him, as though they were all in a private joke.

That’s our Burt. And he’s, unbelievably, gone. [Read on here...]

[What follows is a feature I wrote for The Daily Oklahoman about one of the greatest movie stars and human beings ever… Burt Reynolds]

Maybe it was the mustache. Or the unscripted quips. Or the genteel Southern manner.

Or just maybe it was that laugh, a cackle delivered by one comfortable in his own skin – inviting his audience gut bust with him, as though they were all in a private joke.

That’s our Burt. And he’s, unbelievably, gone.

Fame, according to Jeanine Bissinger, is “often conferred or withheld just as is love, for reasons and on grounds other than merits.” Burt Reynolds earned his fame with raw boned talent and insight into the business of filmed diversion. [Read on here...]

We’ve got a couple things for you today. First up, more reviews...

I’ve checked in with a look at three of the five titles in Paramount’s new Jack Ryan 5-Film Collection in 4K Ultra HD, including The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games, and Clear and Present Danger.

Meanwhile, Tim has offered his thoughts on Scream Factory’s Return of the Living Dead, Part II: Collector’s Edition on Blu-ray.

Dennis Seuling has taken a look at Herschell Gordon Lewis’s The Gore Gore Girls, also on Blu-ray from Arrow Video.

And David Steigman has turned in his thoughts on Shout! Factory’s new Sid Caesar: The Works DVD box set.

All are worthy of your attention, so enjoy the reviews! [Read on here...]