Criterion’s October slate includes a Produced by Val Lewton Double Feature, plus Horizon: An American Saga hits disc on 9/10 & reviewer Sam Cohen joins The Bits!

Monday, 15 July 2024 14:15

Criterion’s October slate includes a Produced by Val Lewton Double Feature, plus Horizon: An American Saga hits disc on 9/10 & reviewer Sam Cohen joins The Bits!

by Bill Hunt

Good afternoon, Bits readers! We’re starting the new week today with a pair of new disc reviews from a new staff reviewer... Sam Cohen!

We’ll let Sam introduce himself to all of you...

“Hello, Digital Bits readers! I’m Sam Cohen and I cannot be more excited to join the incredible team here, as well as engage with our readers about everything going on in the physical media world. My journey with film started when I was a wee tot growing up on Cape Cod and not caring much about the beach, then it developed into a full-blown addiction when my Dad exposed me to so many classics at such a young age. Naturally, that love for film didn’t let up and only blossomed as I got older, and my studies as a communication professional helped me prepare for the wild world of film criticism. My writing has been featured at Sumo Skinny, Under the Gun Review, EDGE Media Network, High-Def Digest and now, here!

“While my day job is dedicated to Search Engine Optimization (SEO), I’m deeply passionate about all the boutique and studio releases that keep flying our way at a breakneck pace, and even have a nice movie theater that I built into my basement with an LG OLED display plus a 7.1.2 Dolby Atmos surround sound system from Klipsch. My favorite directors include Claire Denis, George Miller, Michael Mann, Frank Tashlin and Jacques Rivette, among many, many others.

“I’m elated to be here amongst other physical media experts and look forward to covering, discussing and living with all of these wonderful films on disc that continue to keep our passion for film fresh and unrelenting. Oh, and if you’re asking who is my favorite boutique label? It’s Mondo Macabro, with those sickos at Vinegar Syndrome and film lovers at Arrow Video tied for second. Check out Mondo Macabro for some of the weirdest and grotesque genre oddities from across the world.” [Read on here...]

We’re very glad to welcome Sam to the Digital Bits team! And we know that he’ll bring lots of great experience and perspective to his reviews for our readers. To that end, we’re pleased today to bring you...

Sam’s review of Adam McKay’s Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) in 4K Ultra HD from Paramount, and also Steven Soderbergh’s Magic Mike (2012) in 4K Ultra HD from Warner Bros.

And definitely watch for more new disc reviews this week.

Now then... the big news today is that The Criterion Collection has just officially announced their October release slate, which includes I Walked with a Zombie/The Seventh Victim: Produced by Val Lewton (1943) (Spine #1236 – 4K + Blu-ray, Blu-ray, and DVD) on 10/8, Masahiro Shinoda’s Demon Pond (1979) (Spine #1237 – 4K + Blu-ray, Blu-ray, and DVD) and G.W. Pabst’s Pandora’s Box (1920) (Spine #358 – Blu-ray and DVD) on 10/15, and Harmony Korine’s Gummo (1997) (Spine #1238 – 4K + Blu-ray and Blu-ray) on 10/22. You can read more here at Criterion, and we’ve updated our Criterion Spines Project and 4K Ultra HD Release List here at The Bits accordingly. You can see the cover artwork for these titles below.

Also today, Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment has officially set Kevin Costner’s Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 (2024) for release on Blu-ray, DVD, 4K Ultra HD, and 4K Steelbook on 9/10. The film becomes available for Digital purchase tomorrow on 7/16. The studio has also delayed the planned August release of Chapter 2 of the film series in order to let the film find more of an audience on disc and Digital.

And Kino Lorber Studio Classics has revealed that John Binder’s UFOria (1984) is “coming soon” to 4K UHD and Blu-ray, and that Mel Smith’s Radioland Murders (1994) is coming soon to Blu-ray. Also, look for Rod Holcomb’s Chains of Gold (1991) on Blu-ray only on 9/3, followed by David Greene’s Fatal Vision (1984) TV miniseries on Blu-ray on 9/10. And KLSC is re-releasing BD-50 upgrades of Sam Firstenberg’s Avenging Force (1986) and Steven Hilliard Stern’s Rolling Vengeance (1987) on Blu-ray on 9/10 as well.

We’ll leave you with a look at the cover artwork for all of the new Criterion titles, as well as the wide-release Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD covers for Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1. Amazon.com pre-order links will be added for each of them as soon as they’re available...

Val Lewton Double Feature (4K Ultra HD) Demon Pond (4K Ultra HD)

Gummo (4K Ultra HD) Pandora's Box (Blu-ray Disc)

Stay tuned...

(You can follow Bill on social media at these links: Twitter and Facebook)

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Criterion’s October slate includes a Produced by Val Lewton Double Feature, plus Horizon: An American Saga hits disc on 9/10 & reviewer Sam Cohen joins The Bits!

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