Items filtered by date: January 2020

All right, it’s a super slow news day today, but I wanted to take a moment to point out some interesting forthcoming titles that are newly-announced by indie distributors or that might have been overlooked.

But first, we have a pair of great new reviews from our own Dennis Seuling for you to check out, including his thoughts on Todd Haynes’ Dark Waters from Universal and Josef von Baky’s fantasy comedy Munchhausen (1943) from Kino Classics. Do give them a look.

Now then, those titles I mentioned... Kit Parker Films is releasing Laurel & Hardy: The Definitive Restorations on Blu-ray on 6/16. The 4-disc set includes 2 feature films (Sons of the Desert and Way Out West) and 17 classic shorts newly scanned from original 35mm nitrate film in 2K and 4K. Among the shorts is the legendary silent film The Battle of the Century, appearing for the first time on home video and nearly complete for the first time in 90 years. The set also includes rare special features, alternate soundtracks, vintage pictures, commentaries and more. You can see the cover artwork at left and below. [Read on here...]

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All right, we’ve got a couple things for you today here at The Bits...

We begin with a pair of new Blu-ray Disc reviews, the first from Dennis, who checks out Girl on the Third Floor from Dark Sky Films.

Tim also has a new review for you: Deadly Manor, newly released on Blu-ray from Arrow Video.

And as promised today, our own Michael Coate returns with a new History, Legacy & Showmanship film retrospective. This time, he’s joined by historians Robert A. Caplen, Lisa Funnell, and John Cork in looking back at the James Bond film The World Is Not Enough. The piece is presented in honor of the film’s 20th anniversary in 2019, but was unavoidably delayed from last year. But great content is great content, and we think you’ll enjoy Michael’s work as always. You’ll find it here. [Read on here...]

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All right, today’s post is going to be a quickie and we’re delaying Michael Coate’s next History, Legacy & Showmanship column to tomorrow. However, it’s another good James Bond retrospective interview, so be sure to watch for that in the morning.

In the meantime, we also have a new Blu-ray review for you: Tim has given Arrow Video’s new Ringu Collection an in-depth look. The set includes Ring, Spiral, Ring 2, and Ring 0: Birthday, plus extras. Horror fans will definitely want to check it out.

Now them, we have a couple of bits of business to report on today... [Read on here...]

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We’re kicking off the new week with a pair of new disc reviews here at The Bits...

It starts with my thoughts on Rian Johnson’s fantastic ‘Whodunnit?’ Knives Out, which streets on 4K Ultra HD tomorrow from Lionsgate. Not only is it a great film, it’s one of the best special editions for a new-release film I’ve seen since The Last Jedi, with a terrific feature-length documentary by our old friend Cliff Stephenson. Don’t even hesitate—just buy the disc right now here and you won’t regret it.

I’ve also reviewed Kino Lorber Studio Classics’ new Blu-ray edition of Guy Hamilton’s Force 10 from Navarone, the 1978 sequel to J Lee Thompson’s original The Guns of Navarone some 18 years in the making. The film stars Harrison Ford, Robert Shaw, and Carl Weathers. The disc streets on March 17th.

There’s not a lot in the way of release news today, but we’ve got a couple things to report... [Read on here...]

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All right, we have a major new title announcement for you today, plus a significant Star Wars 4K update.

Let’s start with the announcement: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has just set Sam Mendes’ 1917 for release on Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD on 3/24, with the Digital release expected on 3/10.

The film was finished as a native 4K digital intermediate, and the 4K SKU will include HDR10, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision high dynamic range, with Dolby Atmos audio.

Extras will include feature commentary with director/co-writer Sam Mendes, a second feature commentary with director of photography Roger Deakins, and 5 featurettes (The Weight of the World: Sam Mendes, Allied Forces: Making 1917, The Music of 1917, In the Trenches, and Recreating History). [Read on here...]

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[Editor’s Note: This news post has been updated with final art for ALL of the Star Wars single-film 4K SKUs and Amazon.com pre-order links as available.]

All right, we expected it and now it’s finally here: Disney and Lucasfilm have just officially set JJ Abrams’ conclusion to the Star Wars saga, The Rise of Skywalker, for release on Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD on 3/31—just as we thought—with the Digital release due via Movies Anywhere on 3/17. Audio will be Dolby Atmos on the 4K and 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio on Blu-ray. There’s no mention of HDR, so assume HDR10 only on the UHD disc.

The extras on the Blu-ray and DVD will include over two-hours worth of bonus content, starting with a feature-length documentary, The Skywalker Legacy.

Also included on all versions of the disc will be the featurettes Pasaana Pursuit: Creating the Speeder Chase, Aliens in the Desert, D-O: Key to the Past, Warwick & Son, and Cast of Creatures. There will also be the usual wide-release Digital exclusive featurette, The Maestro’s Finale, with composer John Williams reflecting back on his work for the saga. [Read on here...]

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All right, what were we just saying about European studio and retail leaks? LOL. Here’s a big one for you…

Disney has yet to officially announce them (though we do expect the official word any day now), but the Swedish retailer CDON.se has just posted cover artwork for all of the catalog Star Wars films in 4K… not just the front cover art but the back details too…

… and they include special features details! So, let’s get right into them all, film by film and disc by disc… [Read on here...]

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Afternoon, folks! We’ve got some interesting announcement news to cover today, along with an interesting rumor, and some new cover artwork to share with you too.

First up, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has just announced that Steven Spielberg’s The Color Purple is returning to theaters on 2/23 for one day only in honor of the film’s 35th Anniversary. This could mean that a 4K Ultra HD release is planned for later in the year (the official anniversary is in December).

That would make sense given that both Paramount and Universal are planning physical 4K releases of Spielberg catalog films later this year (War of the Worlds and Jaws). We’ve added the title to our 4K Ultra HD Release List here at The Bits as a possibility. [Read on here...]

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[Editor’s Note: This week, our very own Tim Salmons is celebrating his tenth year as a member of The Digital Bits team, so we’re handing him the mic for occasion! Congrats Tim—we're proud of you!]

How the time flies! It doesn’t seem like that long ago when I first inquired with Bill Hunt about writing disc reviews for The Digital Bits website. At that time, there was a fairly steady set of folks writing for him, including Adam Jahnke, Todd Doogan, and the late Barrie Maxwell. Working me in was not easy, but it paid off. I had been an avid reader of The Bits for a number of years, even occasionally emailing them with little tidbits of information that came my way about future releases. The thought of being where I am now, one of the main contributors for the site... needless to say, it’s mind-boggling, and I never take it for granted.

Before I came to The Bits, I was just a regular guy with dreams of doing more than hopping between jobs at restaurants, factories, and places that required janitorial work. I had been obsessed with film since I was a kid, which I thank my Father for. He made home copies of movies all the time, and as such, it was the first film library that I ever had access to. Right through to my twenties, I was watching anything and everything I could get my hands on. I was also reading a lot of film books and, thanks to the Internet, researching everything about movies as much as possible. I don’t want to say I was an expert though because that would be a lie. I didn’t have a 100% understanding of the home video industry and how it functioned, only a working knowledge. Even to this day, I learn new things all the time, which is good. I’d hate to be in a position where there was nothing left to learn. How boring would that be? [Read on here...]

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All right, we’re closing out the week with a big news update. But first, we have some new disc reviews for you...

I’ve just finished my look at Taika Waititi’s Oscar-winning satire Jojo Rabbit in 4K Ultra HD from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.

I’ve also taken a look at Mike Flanagan’s surprisingly good sequel to The Shining, Doctor Sleep, now in Ultra HD from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. (This one is a reference-quality 4K A/V experience.)

Tim has turned in his thoughts on Don Sharp’s Rasputin the Mad Monk (1966) on Blu-ray from Scream Factory.

And in case you missed it the other day, we have a review of Paramount’s new Steelbook 4K edition of The Hunt for Red October that’s being released in honor of the film’s 30th anniversary. [Read on here...]

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