Displaying items by tag: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

In reviews this morning, Dennis has taken a look at Raphael Sbarge’s 2022 Laemmle Theatres documentary Only in Theaters on DVD from Kino Lorber. The film chronicles the 80+ year history of the family-owned cinema chain, which is based in L.A., and looks at the family’s efforts to see it survive the current challenges facing the industry.

More reviews are coming, so be sure to watch for them.

Now then... the big news today is two-fold: First, Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment has just revealed that Babylon 5: The Complete Series is coming to Blu-ray Disc for the first time ever on 12/5! Of course, the series was originally produced and finished in SD resolution only. But its live-action footage was shot on film, so that’s been scanned in 4K and downsampled to HD, while the CGI and VFX shots have been upsampled to HD from SD. But if you’ve seen the series recently as it appears on the Max streaming app, you’ll be familiar with the quality. (Note that it’s presented in the original 1.33 broadcast aspect ratio, and will include English SDH subtitles.) All 110 episodes of the show will be included, along with the 1993 pilot film, The Gathering. It appears that this title will be available via online retailers only, so don’t expect to find it at your local brick-and mortar shop. SRP is $99.99. You can see the cover artwork at left and also below. (Oddly, it doesn’t actually include an image of the Babylon 5 space station itself, which.. ahem... seems like very strange marketing choice.)

And second, here’s some exciting news for fans of 1980s animation: The great Ralph Bakshi has announced on his Facebook page that American Pop (1981) is finally coming to Blu-ray Disc from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment on 8/22! [Read on here...]

We’re kicking off the new week today with three more disc reviews from The Bits review team, including...

Tim’s thoughts on Martin Brest’s Midnight Run (1988) in 4K Ultra HD from Shout! Factory via their Shout Select line.

Stephen’s take on Mizuho Nishikubo’s animated Giovanni’s Island (2014) on Blu-ray from GKids.

And Dennis’ look at John Cromwell’s Caged (1950) on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection.

More reviews are forthcoming all this week, so be sure to check back every day for them.

Now then, the big release news today is that the Criterion Collection has just announced its October Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD slate, which includes five great new titles. [Read on here...]

We’re closing out the week this afternoon with some newsy odds and ends, a few more tidbits about forthcoming titles from our industry sources, and of course more new disc reviews. Today’s reviews include...

Tim’s take on Wes Craven’s The People Under the Stairs (1991) in 4K Ultra HD from our friends at Scream Factory.

His look at Craig R. Baxley’s Stone Cold (1991) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

And Stuart’s thoughts on Richard Thorpe’s The Truth About Spring (1965) on Blu-ray, also from the good folks over at Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

In 4K Ultra HD release news, you might recall that yesterday we mentioned that Sony was bringing Martin Campbell’s The Legend of Zorro (2005) to the format on 8/22. Likewise, Universal was working on a 4K release of Emerald Fennell’s Promising Young Woman (2020) for that same day. [Read on here...]

We have three more new disc reviews of you today, including...

Stephen’s take on Ridley Scott’s Thelma & Louise (1991) on 4K Ultra HD from the Criterion Collection.

Tim’s look at Peyton’s Reed’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023) on 4K Ultra HD from Marvel Studios and Disney.

And Stuart’s take on Imprint’s Tales of Adventure: Collection 1 on Blu-ray, which includes John Rawlins’ Arabian Nights (1942), Alfred E. Green’s A Thousand and One Nights (1945), Fred de Cordova’s The Desert Hawk (1950), Terence Young’s Zarak (1956), and William Dieterle’s Omar Khayyam (1957).

All three titles are well worth your time, so do give the reviews a look and enjoy!

Now then, the main piece of announcement news today is that Disney has officially set their live-action The Little Mermaid (2023) for release on Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD on 9/19, with the Digital release dropping on 7/25. Here’s the catch though: The physical 4K release will only be available in retail-exclusive SKUs, including one at Best Buy (in Steelbook packaging), one at Walmart (packed with a collectible pin), and the other at the Disney Movie Club (with a lithograph). The 4K UHD release will include Dolby Atmos audio, while the Blu-ray will have 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. [Read on here...]

We have a few major title announcements to report today...

First up, the big one: Disney and Marvel have officially set James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3 for release on Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD on 8/1, with the Digital release expected on 7/7. You can expect Dolby Atmos audio and HDR10 high dynamic range on the 4K SKU. The Blu-ray Disc will include 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. But here’s the most interesting thing: For the first time, a Disney/Marvel title has included a variable aspect ratio that switches from 2.35 to 1.85! [Editor’s Note: Per studio reps, this replicates not the IMAX presentation but rather the wide-release presentation of the film as seen in some regular, non-IMAX theaters. Just FYI.]

Extras on all SKUs will include 2 featurettes (The Imperfect, Perfect Family and Creating Rocket Raccoon), a gag reel, 8 deleted scenes (A Bit Much, A Lending Hand, Drax’s Analogies and Metaphors, The Perfect Society, The Search for 89P13, Annoyed Peter, A Burning Escape, and Knowhere After the Battle), and audio commentary with James Gunn. You can see the cover artwork at left and also below. [Read on here...]

We’ve got a bunch of news, rumors, and official announcements to cover for you today here at The Bits, so let’s get right to it...

First up, Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment has just made Enter the Dragon official for 4K Ultra HD and Digital release on 8/8. Extras will include the previous introduction by Linda Lee Cadwell and the audio commentary by Paul Heller and Michael Allin. This release is happening in honor of the film’s 50th anniversary. The 4K disc will include both the theatrical cut and the 3-minute-longer special editon with HDR10 high dynamic range.

Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment and Adult Swim have just set the all-new animated movie Metalocalypse: Army of the Doomstar for release on Digital and Blu-ray on 8/22 (SRP $19.99 and $29.98). This will be accompanied by two full-length album release by Dethklok: Dethalbum IV and the soundtrack for Army of the Doomstar on 8/25. These will be released widely via WaterTower Music and you’ll be able to get them on actual vinyl from Mondo.

WBDHE and HBO have also just announced Succession: The Complete Series for DVD only release on 9/12, including all 39 episodes with the previously released special features. Also coming that day on DVD will be Succession: The Complete Fourth & Final Season. [Read on here...]

Welcome to a new week, Bits readers! And the theme of this week is all about disc reviews. We’ve posted no less than SEVEN of them over the weekend, and we have lots more coming in the next few days, including some MAJOR and long-awaited 4K titles. But more on that in a minute.

To start today, we’ve got new reviews of the following titles...

My take on Scott Beck and Bryan Woods’ 65 (2023) in 4K Ultra HD from Sony, along with William Hanna and Joseph Barbera’s feature-length animated classic Hey There, It’s Yogi Bear! (1964) on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection), as well as John Frankenheimer’s classic actioner Ronin (1998) in 4K Ultra HD from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

All three titles are worth a look, and Ronin looks absolutely spectacular—it’s mastered from a recent 4K scan, and both the Blu-ray and the 4K disc in the package are a major improvement over the previous Arrow Blu-ray release, which was certainly good for its day. You definitely don’t want to miss that one.

Also today, we have Stephen’s review of Patrice Leconte’s Man on the Train (2002) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber.

We have Dennis’ thoughts on Raymond Griffith: The Silk Hat Comedian on Blu-ray from Undercrank Productions, which includes Paths to Paradise (1925) and You’d Be Surprised (1926).

And we close things out with Tim’s look at James Wan’s Dead Silence (2007) in 4K Ultra HD from Scream Factory, as well as Kevin Reynolds’ Waterworld (1995) in 4K Ultra HD from Arrow Video! [Read on here...]

We start today with four new disc reviews, with more on the way...

Tim has reviewed Kevin Smith’s Mallrats (1995) in 4K Ultra HD from Arrow Video.

Stephen has turned in his thoughts on Terry Gilliam’s The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988) in 4K Ultra HD from Criterion, as well as Jim McBride’s The Big Easy (1986) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

And Stuart has taken a look at Susan Seidelman’s Making Mr. Right (1987) on Blu-ray, also from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

Meanwhile today, we have a bunch of announcement news to report, starting with this: Rhino/Parlophone are releasing D.A. Pennebaker’s Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1979) in a new 2CD + Blu-ray package in the UK on 8/11 in honor of the film’s 50th anniversary! The package will include the remastered soundtrack album, as well as the acclaimed concert film itself newly restored in 4K from the original negatives. Note that while this is a UK release, the Blu-ray is coded for all regions and will include both 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and the original stereo in PCM format. Both the film and soundtrack have also been restored to completion for the first time, and now include The Jean Genie/Love Me Do medley and Round and Round featuring Jeff Beck.

You can read more here, and you can see the packaging at left and also below. [Read on here...]

All right, we’ve got a lot of ground to cover today, including a bunch of new Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD release news. But first, we have more new disc reviews for you as always...

Tim has taken a look at Zack Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead (2004) remake in 4K Ultra HD from Scream Factory, as well as Chester Fox and Alex Stevens’ Massage Parlor Murders (1973) in 4K UHD from Vinegar Syndrome.

Stephen has reviewed Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s The Red Shoes (1948) in 4K Ultra HD from Criterion.

And Stuart has offered his thoughts on Charles Barton’s Double Crossbones (1951) and Richard Goldstone and John Marks, Jr.’s No Man Is an Island (1962) both on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, as well as Frank Capra’s State of the Union (1948) on Region B Blu-ray from Indicator and Powerhouse Films.

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

Now then, let’s get to that release news. We’ll start with the officially-announced titles first...

Paramount Home Entertainment has just set John Hughes’ Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) for release on 4K Ultra HD on 8/1. It will include both Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos audio. In a nice surprise, extras will include Hughes’ original director’s commentary, which hasn’t been available since the 1999 DVD release. You’ll also get 5 legacy featurettes (including Getting the Class Together: The Cast of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, The Making of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Who is Ferris Bueller?, The World According to Ben Stein, and Vintage Ferris Bueller: The Lost Tapes). You can see the cover art at left and also below. [Read on here...]

We have two more new disc reviews for you to enjoy today...

Tim has taken a good look at Stanley Tong’s Super Cop (1992, aka Police Story 3) in 4K Ultra HD, which is finally available from 88 Films. As many of you will already know, the film stars Jackie Chan and Michelle Yeoh.

And Stephen has turned in his thoughts on The Spierig Brothers’ Undead (2003) on Blu-ray from Umbrella Entertainment and Vinegar Syndrome.

We’ve also got a bunch of new title announcements...

First, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has now officially set Elia Kazan’s East of Eden (1955) and Howard Hawks’ Rio Bravo (1959) for release on 4K Ultra HD and 4K Digital on 7/18, as expected. Per the studio’s press release, both titles have been restored in partnership with Martin Scorsese’s The Film Foundation. Each will feature HDR10 high dynamic range and DTS-HD Master Audio. East of Eden will include the previous audio commentary by film historian Richard Schickel. Rio Bravo will include the previous commentary with filmmaker John Carpenter and Schickel. You can see the cover art at left and also below. Note that both titles are now available for pre-order on Amazon (SRP $33.99 each) by clicking on the cover art below. [Read on here...]