Displaying items by tag: The Digital Bits

The big news today is that Walt Disney Animation Studios has just officially announced the first title in Disney’s planned 100th anniversary celebration this year. Mickey & Minnie: 10 Classic Shorts – Volume 1 will arrive on Blu-ray/DVD Combo on 2/7. Unfortunately, we don’t have the complete list of shorts yet (it wasn’t included in the press release—we have requested the details) but we do know this much:

“Included is the iconic Steamboat Willie, the first cartoon with synchronized sound, in which the character of Mickey Mouse was first introduced as a deckhand on a riverboat commanded by the tyrannical Captain Pete. Also included are Brave Little Tailor, featuring Mickey as a medieval tailor given a daunting task. In Mickey’s Delayed Date, the tardy mouse relies on his faithful pup Pluto to get him to a dance with Minnie. Hawaiian Holiday finds Mickey and his pals vacationing on a beautiful island. Then along with friends, Mickey and Minnie glide through a romantic date on a frozen river in On Ice. And catch five more delightful stories in this legacy collection.”

[Editor’s Update: Here are the other 5 shorts included in this release: Mr. Mouse Takes a Trip, Figaro and Frankie, Bath Day, Thru the Mirror, and The Little Whirlwind.]

You can see the cover artwork above-left. [Read on here...]

Morning, Bits-ers! We’re here with an early My Two Cents news post to start the new week to bring you some breaking news...

Disney and Marvel Studios have just officially set Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever for release on Blu-ray, DVD & 4K Ultra HD on 2/7, with the Digital and Disney+ streaming debut planned for 2/1.

In terms of the 4K UHD package, there will be four different versions... a wide-release Amaray, two Best Buy-exclusive Steelbook designs—one by artist Dorothea Taylor that highlights Wakanda and another by Orlando Arocena that features Talokan—and a Walmart-exclusive package with custom artwork that includes a Black Panther enamel pin.

You can see the wide 4K packaging at left and all four different version below the break. [Read on here...]

We’re checking in today with a rare weekend My Two Cents update to bring you a little bit of new Blu-ray and 4K UHD release news that broke on Friday afternoon.

First though, a reminder... if you haven’t seen our New Year’s Eve post, I spent a little bit of time reflecting back on 25 Years of The Digital Bits, a landmark we officially crossed last month. So whether you’re a longtime reader who’s been with us from the start, or a newcomer to the site who’s curious about how we got started and where we came from, I think you’ll find it a quick and enjoyable read.

And once again, let me just say that I’m very glad to have all of you as readers of The Digital Bits. We appreciate all your support and thanks for sticking with us for two and a half decades now. Here’s to more great years ahead!

Now then, our friends at Shout! and Scream Factory have officially announced their March catalog release slate, and there are some gems in there for both Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD fans alike. [Read on here...]

We’ve got another new disc review for you this morning...

Tim has taken a look at Peter Medak’s The Changeling (1980) on 4K Ultra HD from the good people of Severin Films.

And we have update on a few titles we’ve been talking about in recent days here at The Bits as well..

First, let’s talk Rocky in 4K Ultra HD... we’ve now learned that the first four films will be available in single-film 4K UHD Steelbooks at Best Buy, while other retailers will carry the 4-film Rocky: The Knockout Collection 4K Ultra HD box set on 2/28. This set will include Rocky, Rocky II, Rocky III, and Rocky IV in both the original theatrical cut and Stallone’s new Rocky vs. Drago: The Ultimate Director’s Cut. You can see the cover artwork at left. [Read on here...]

We’ve got some announcement news and a couple of reviews to share with you for our first My Two Cents update of 2023...

Starting as always with those reviews, Tim has posted his thoughts on Reacher: Season One in 4K Ultra HD from Paramount.

Meanwhile, Dennis has offered his take on Lou Adler’s Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains (1982) on Blu-ray from Paramount via Imprint Films, as well as Nathan H. Juran’s Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman (1958) on Blu-ray from our friends at the Warner Archive Collection.

More reviews are forthcoming, so be sure to stay tuned for them.

And in the event you missed it, some of you longtime readers might enjoy my New Year’s Eve look back at twenty-five years of The Digital Bits. It’s certainly been an adventure and we’re all very glad to have you along with us on the journey!

Now then, Disney appears to be re-issuing many of its Disney Animated, Pixar, and Star Wars slate of 4K Ultra HD titles throughout the coming year, exclusively at Best Buy stores, in new “Disney 100” Steelbook packaging. [Read on here...]

On this final day of 2022, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the past year and, really, on the past twenty-five years here at The Digital Bits website.

First though, our own Michael Coate has just delivered one final History, Legacy, and Showmanship retrospective for the year, a look back at Steven Spielberg’s E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial in celebration of the film’s 40th anniversary. The piece features another epic and multi-page roundtable interview with film experts and historians. Note that the piece will also be updated early in the new year with additional images and information, but the interview as it is is thorough and well worth your time, so be sure to check it out.

Now then… it’s an extraordinary thing to look back at twenty-five years of this website, a site I first started back in 1997 to cover the advent of DVD and to introduce the appreciation of cinema to a wider audience. As a film student at the Universal of Wisconsin in Madison, I had the honor of studying the subject under two of the finest film historians and theorists working today, David Boardwell and Kristin Thompson, not to mention the pleasure of discovering not just the Hollywood classics but the wider world of international cinema. And it’s been my goal—both then and now—to share that love and joy of discovery with everyone who might be interested. [Read on here...]

“E.T. is the perfect balance between epic and intimate. It is an incredible example of how cinema can transport us into a world of limitless possibilities through imagination, and it showcases filmmaking at the highest level in its use of technology, skill, and craft.” — Brian Herzlinger, director of My Date with Drew

The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the 40th anniversary of the release of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Steven Spielberg’s classic family film about the friendship between a boy and an alien visitor who is afraid, totally alone, and three million light years from home.

E.T. was the winner of four Academy Awards (visual effects, sound, sound editing, and John Williams’ original score) and starred Dee Wallace (The Howling), Henry Thomas (Cloak & Dagger), Robert MacNaughton (I Am the Cheese), Drew Barrymore (Firestarter), and Peter Coyote (Timerider). [Read on here...]

Welcome back from the holiday, Bits readers! We hope and trust that each of you were able to enjoy a great celebration with your family and friends.

Sarah and I have my mother staying here over the holidays, so we’ve been cooking up a storm, enjoying some great food, and watching lots of movies. I also just finished watching the season finale of HBO’s His Dark Materials—more on that in a moment—and I’ve started in on the new season of Jack Ryan on Amazon Prime. I still need to check out Avatar: The Way of Water at my local IMAX theater, but I’ll get to that soon enough.

We’ve got a new contribution from each member of the Bits reviewing team for you today, including...

Dennis’ look at Robert Mandel’s School Ties (1992) on Blu-ray from Imprint Films and Via Vision.

Stephen’s take on James Whale’s By Candlelight (1933) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

My thoughts on the new single-film 4K Ultra HD SKU of Wilson Yip’s Ip Man (2008) from Well Go USA.

And last, but certainly not least, Tim’s in-depth take on Peter Jackson’s The Frighteners: Ultimate Edition (1996) on 4K Ultra HD from our friends at Turbine Media in Germany! This is a pretty spectacular box set release, and Tim will tell you all about it in his review, so you definitely don’t want to miss it. [Read on here...]

Before we get to today’s brief bit of release news, we have two more new disc reviews for you...

Dennis has turned in his thoughts on Ol Parker’s Ticket to Paradise (2022), which is new on Blu-ray from Universal. The film stars Julia Roberts and George Clooney.

And Stephen has delivered a look at Ted Kotcheff’s North Dallas Forty (1979) on Blu-ray from our friends down under at Imprint and Via Vision.

Also here at The Bits today, we’ve just posted a major update of our Upcoming Cover Artwork section, featuring all the latest Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD cover art and Amazon.com pre-order links. As always, whenever you order literally anything from Amazon after clicking to them through one of our links (like this one) you’re helping to support our work here at The Bits and we appreciate it! [Read on here...]

Today’s post is going to be a quick one here at The Bits, but as always we have a few more new disc reviews, and some more good disc release news as well. First the reviews...

Dennis has posted his thoughts on Robert Benton’s Twilight (1998) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

And Stephen has offered his take on León Klimovsky’s The Werewolf Versus the Vampire Woman (1971) in 4K Ultra HD from our friends at Vinegar Syndrome.

Now to the news... Kino Lorber Studio Classics will release Orson Welles’ The Lady from Shanghai (1947) on Blu-ray on 1/31. The company has also set Alexander Hall’s Little Miss Marker (1934) and David Greenwalt’s Secret Admirer (1985) for release on Blu-ray on 3/7. Also announced as “coming soon” to Blu-ray from the company are Rouben Mamoulian’s High, Wide and Handsome (1937) and Dave Thomas’ The Experts (1989).

Cult Epics has set Martin Koolhoven’s AmnesiA (2001) for release on Blu-ray on 4/11/23.

ClassicFlix will release Victor Saville’s The Long Wait (1954) on 4K Ultra HD on 3/21/23. [Read on here...]