Displaying items by tag: The Digital Bits

So it turns out The Desolation of Smaug is pretty good.  I mustered up the energy to catch a double-feature screening last night with a friend, and it was a fine evening’s entertainment.  If you enjoyed the first Hobbit film, I think you’ll like this one a great deal more.  The pacing is much more engaging.  Fans of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy will definitely feel more at home here, as in this film the prequel trilogy really begins to reveal its connections to the previous films more strongly… and not just in the fact that Legolas (Orlando Bloom) features prominently.  As one would hope, Smaug himself is wonderfully realized.

Smaug aside, with any luck you have a good art house theater in your neck of the woods, because there are a number of fine indie films worth seeing this holiday season: American Hustle, the Coen’s Inside Llewyn Davis, All Is Lost, Nebraska, Her, 12 Years a Slave and many more.  This is the time of year when all the great dramas get dumped into limited theatrical distribution so they quality for Oscar nominations, so be sure to head out to your local theater over the next 2 or 3 weeks.  [Read on here…]

Well… tonight’s the big night for your Tolkien fans.  The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug opens tonight at Midnight at theaters around the world, so I’m guessing there will be at least a few people standing in lines over the coming hours.

In announcement news today, Universal will release Closed Circuit on Blu-ray Combo and DVD on 1/7.

Kino Lorber has set Andrei Tarkovsky’s Nostalghia for release on Blu-ray and DVD on 1/21.

Music Box Films has The Returned: The Complete First Season coming on Blu-ray and DVD on 1/21 as well.  [Read on here…]

Couple more things for you today...

First, our own Tim Salmons has returned with a review of Sony’s Olympus Has Fallen on Blu-ray Disc.  Sounds like a decent rental at least.

Also today, MPI and IFC Midnight have set Argento’s Dracula 3-D, directed by Dario Argento and starring Rutger Hauer, for Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray release on 1/28.

Scream Factory has set The Slumber Party Massacre for Blu-ray release on 3/18.  [Read on here…]

Well, folks... I continue to battle this damn flu, but I think I’ve got the better of it today at least.  At any rate, we’ve got some good stuff here at the site today.

First, we’ve got a new review for you.  Actually, it’s a rare hardware review here at The Bits.  You see, we’ve found a piece of hardware so awesome, so useful and cool, that we just couldn’t help ourselves but have a little fun with it: Factory Entertainment’s Jaws: Collectible Bottle Opener.  So here’s our very own Todd Doogan to put old Bruce through his paces.  It’s definitely gets the Bits recommendation for great holiday stocking stuffer ideas.

Also today, Russell Hammond has posted the weekly Release Dates & Artwork section update featuring all the latest Blu-ray, DVD and Video Game (now including Xbox One and PS4) cover art and Amazon.com pre-order links.  And as always, a portion of anything you order from Amazon after clicking to them through our links goes to help support our work here at The Bits and we really do appreciate it.

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

I’m back after an unexpected day’s absence there.  I’ve been fighting a flu for the last few days and you know how that goes.  It just caught up with me yesterday.  Luckily, a day’s worth of sleep worked wonders.

To start off today, we’ve got a couple new Blu-ray reviews from Tim Salmons: Criterion’s Eyes Without a Face and La Cage aux Folles.  Methinks, somebody took advantage of Barnes & Noble’s 50% off sale.  LOL!  [Read on here…]

Just a quick one today as there’s not an abundance of release news to report.

Anchor Bay Films has set Battle of the Damned coming to BD and DVD on 2/18.  The action films stars Dolph Lundgren and features zombies, robots and what have you.

Lionsgate has Thanks for Sharing set for Blu-ray and DVD on 1/7, starring Gwyneth Paltrow.  Lionsgate also has Duck Dynasty: Season 4 coming on Blu-ray and DVD on 2/18.  [Read on here…]

Okay, we’ve got a couple things that should be of interest to some of you today…

First, we’ve confirmed with Fox that the new Robocop Blu-ray Disc due on 1/21 is remastered from a 4K transfer and it’s definitely the director’s cut version of the film.  Extras will include audio commentary with director Paul Verhoeven, writer Ed Neumeier and executive producer Jon Davison, deleted scenes, a new Q&A with the Filmmakers, the Flesh and Steel: The Making of Robocop documentary, 5 legacy featurettes (Shooting Robocop, Making Robocop, Villains of Old Detroit, Special Effects: Then and Now and Robocop: Creating a Legend), The Boardroom: Storyboard with commentary by animator Phil Tippett, an Easter egg, the theatrical trailer and a TV spot.  [Read on here…]

Afternoon, folks!  Hope you all had a nice holiday weekend with family and friends.  Sarah and I spent our Thanksgiving in New Orleans with family and it was pretty swell.  I ate way too much good food (NoLA is like that).  If I lived there, I’d have to run about 12 miles a day just to work off the calories from everything I wanted to eat: Crawfish étouffée, jambalaya, gumbo, po-boys, tartine, beignets and cafe au lait… MMmmmmmm.  They do know how to cook down there.

So we’ve got a couple things for you this afternoon.  First, our own Tim Salmons has checked in with reviews of two more classics on Blu-ray Disc from Criterion, including Richard III and The Earrings of Madame de….  Enjoy!  [Read on here…]

Happy Thanksgiving, folks!  A day early we know, but this is going to be our last post here at The Bits until Monday, as we all go off to celebrate the holiday with family.  Couple things for you today… 

First, we’re pleased to bring you a trio of additional Blu-ray Disc reviews today.  Tim has checked in with his thoughts on Criterion’s Lonesome and The Uninvited in HD, as well as Scream Factory’s The Horror Show.  All are now available.  [Read on here…]

Afternoon, folks!  Hope you’re all having  a great start to your Thanksgiving holiday.  I know from e-mails that a lot of you are headed out to the movies in between shopping and Thanksgiving preparations.  Thor: The Dark World and Hunger Games: Catching Fire seem to be big draws.  I’ve seen the latter and it’s pretty decent.  If you like the first one, you’ll enjoy this one too.

For those of you in the L.A. area tonight, don’t forget that that screening of Ladyhawke at the Arclight is tonight at 7:30 PM, with Q&A to follow with director Richard Donner and producer Lauren Shuler Donner, moderated by our good friend Cliff Stephenson.  Tickets are still available here, but remember to plan a little extra travel time to get there – the President’s in town apparently, so there may be unexpected traffic delays.  [Read on here…]