Displaying items by tag: Criterion

Well folks, we’re starting our last SIX days of this year’s Hell Plaza Oktoberfest!  But rest assured, we’ve still got some great reviews and Giveaways left for you.

Let’s start with today’s Giveaway first: Over on the Jahnke’s Electric Theater Facebook page, we’re giving you guys a chance to take home a copy of Scream Factory’s Psycho III on Blu-ray!  The Giveaway starts at Noon (Pacific) so head on over there for your chance to win.  And don’t forget – we've got TWO more great Factory Entertainment prop replicas that we’re going to be giving away next week.  [Read on here...]

All right, today’s Oktoberfest Giveaway happens over on The Digital Bits Facebook page starting at Noon (Pacific), and features a copy of Scream Factory’s X-Ray/Schizoid on Blu-ray!  The drawing will happen at 3 PM (Pacific) so be sure to head on over there if you’re interested.  And if you’ve not already “liked” The Bits Facebook and Jahnke’s Electric Theater Facebook pages, you might want to do so soon, as we’re going to be giving away another amazing Universal Classic Monsters prop replica from Factory Entertainment next week – it’s the amazing Frankenstein VFX Bust!  And in the next couple weeks we’re going to be giving away their Dracula Medallion and Dracula Ring as well!  So be sure to head on over to Facebook and give the pages a “like” so you can be eligible to participate.

Speaking of the Hell Plaza Oktoberfest, Dr. Jahnke’s review today is a great one: The Vincent Price Collection on Blu-ray from Scream Factory, featuring The Pit and the Pendulum, The Masque of the Red Death, The Haunted Palace, The Fall of the House of Usher, The Abominable Dr. Phibes and Witchfinder General!  [Read on here…]

All right, today’s Oktoberfest Giveaway kicks off at Noon (Pacific) over on the Jahnke’s Electric Theater Facebook page, and features Scream Factory’s Terror Train on Blu-ray.  So head on over there for your chance to win.

Here at the site today, Adam’s Hell Plaza Oktoberfest review for the day is Universal’s The Purge, which just arrived in stores on Blu-ray on last week.  Also, Tim has checked in this morning with a review of René Clair’s I Married a Witch, now available on Blu-ray from Criterion.

Speaking of which, be sure to check out last night’s announcement news on Criterion’s January Blu-ray and DVD release slate, which includes a number of great titles.  [Read on here...]

Here’s some exciting breaking news: Our friends at The Criterion Collection have just announced their January Blu-ray and DVD release slate, and WOW – some terrific titles!

The fun starts with a BD upgrade of Akira Kurosawa’s Throne of Blood (Cat #190 – Blu-ray/DVD – due 1/7/14) and the fortieth Eclipse set  Late Ray (DVD – due 1/7/14 – features Satyajit Ray’s The Home and the World, An Enemy of the People and The Stranger), and continues with a BD upgrade of Jules Dassin’s Rififi (Cat #114 – Blu-ray/DVD – due 1/14/14) and the all-new Michael Mann’s Thief (Cat #691 – Blu-ray/DVD – due 1/14/14), Aki Kaurismäki’s La vie de bohème (Cat #693 – Blu-ray/DVD – due 1/21/14), Stanley Kramer’s It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (Cat #692 – Blu-ray/DVD – due 1/21/14) and Terence Davies’s The Long Day Closes (Cat #694 – Blu-ray/DVD – due 1/28/14).  By the way, It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World includes a “restored 4K digital film transfer of the general release version of the film, with 5.1 surround Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray” plus a “new high-definition digital transfer of a 197-minute extended version of the film, reconstructed and restored by Robert A. Harris using visual and audio material from the longer original road-show version – including some scenes that have been returned to the film here for the first time – with 5.1 surround Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray.”  What a great slate!  You’ll find cover artwork for all the Blu-rays below.  [Read on here...]

All right, first up today, our own Joe Marchese has posted a review of Criterion’s The Blob on Blu-ray!  Nothing like a B-movie classic given A-list special edition treatment.  Read on and enjoy!

Also, our own Russell Hammond has just updated the Release Dates & Artwork section with all the latest Blu-ray, DVD and Video Game cover artwork and Amazon.com pre-order links.  As always, a portion of anything you order from Amazon after clicking through our links goes to help support our work here at The Bits and we greatly appreciate it.

In announcement news today, Well Go USA Entertainment has just set IP Man: The Final Fight for release on Blu-ray and DVD on 11/12 (SRP $29.98 and $24.98).  Extras will include a making of featurette, 11 cast and crew interviews and both the U.S. and international trailers.  [Read on here...]

Afternoon, all.  We’ve got a couple things for you today…

First, the good Dr. Jahnke has turned in a couple newly-upgraded classic Blu-ray reviews from The Original Bits for you to read today.  In this case, it’s a pair of excellent Shout! Factory titles from the Roger Corman catalog – Piranha and Starcrash.  Enjoy!

Also today, our own Russell Hammond has just posted this week’s Release Dates & Artwork update with all the latest Blu-ray, DVD and Video Game cover artwork and Amazon.com pre-order links.  As always, a portion of anything you order from Amazon after clicking through to them from our links goes to help support our work here at The Bits and we surely do appreciate it.

Now then… we’ve got some announcement news for you today…  [Read on here…]

Afternoon, folks!  We’ve got a trio of new Blu-ray Disc reviews for you today...

The good Dr. Jahnke has checked out Warner Archive’s new Gypsy Blu-ray and found it to be pretty darned swell.  Do give it a look.

Also, Tim Salmons has given a pair of great recent Criterion Blu-rays a spin and they’re awfully nice too – David Fincher’s The Game and Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp.  Enjoy!

In announcement news today...  [Read on here...]

Today is Blu-ray review day here at The Bits...

First up, we have a couple of brand new reviews for you.  From our own Todd Doogan comes a look at Criterion’s excellent special edition of Brazil, lovingly upgraded for high-definition and so better than ever.  Don’t miss it!

Also, Tim has turned in his thoughts on Sony’s The Amazing Spider-Man, which is a darned fine special edition release produced by our old friend Charles de Lauzirika.  And the movie’s not half bad too!

Plus, we’ve also upgraded a whopping ten previous Blu-ray reviews from The Original Bits into our new review database.  This includes Sony’s Ghostbusters, Dr. Strangelove: 45th Anniversary Special Edition and the Close Encounters of the Third Kind: 30th Anniversary Ultimate Edition, Warner’s Barry Lyndon, Heat, Contact and 2010: The Year We Make Contact, Universal’s Dune, DreamWorks’ Galaxy Quest and A&E’s Space: 1999 – Season 1.  Good stuff all.  We have many more classic Blu-ray reviews that we’re gradually upgrading into our review database, so be sure to check them all out and watch for lots more.  [Read on here…]

Holey Moley! This is just about the greatest piece of announcement news we’ve EVER heard here at The Digital Bits. It should go without saying, to those of you who have been reading this site for any length of time, that we’re huge fans of the Japanese Zatoichi films.  In fact, we published one of the first guides to this classic samurai series on DVD here on The Bits back in 2003. Well, now Criterion has just announced a massive 27-disc/25-film Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman dual format Blu-ray/DVD box set for release on 11/26 (SRP $224.95)!  [...]

Okay, news is definitely slowing down today in advance of the Christmas holiday. But we do have a couple quick things to report today.

First, Warner Home Video and the BBC have set Being Human: Season 4 for release on Blu-ray and DVD on 1/15. However, Bits reader Brian B. reports (thanks, Brian!) that it’s already available at Walmart as a retail exclusive. Adjust your plans accordingly.

Warner and Viz Media have also set Inuyasha: The Movie - The Complete Collection for release on Blu-ray on 3/26 (SRP $29.99).

20th Century Fox has announced A Late Quartet for Blu-ray and DVD release on 2/5, followed by Atlas Shrugged: Part II on both formats on 2/19.

PBS has set Downton Abbey: Season 3 for release on Blu-ray and DVD on 1/29 (SRP $54.99 and $49.99). This is the U.K. edition with more than 2 hours of bonus content.

Lionsgate has set Abducted: The Carlina White Story, The Bay, Thomas & Friends: Go Go Thomas and Tyler Perry’s House of Payne: Volume Ten all for DVD release on 3/5.

And Gaiam Vivendi Entertainment and Nasser Entertainment will release The Bouquet on DVD only on 2/5.

Finally, all of those newly-announced Criterion March Blu-rays are now available for pre-order on Amazon, including Terrence Malick’s Badlands, Charlie Chaplin’s Monsieur Verdoux, Robert Bresson’s A Man Escaped, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, Fritz Lang’s Ministry of Fear and Irvin S. Yeaworth Jr’s cult classic The Blob.

And that's all for now. Stay tuned...

- Bill Hunt