Displaying items by tag: The Digital Bits

All right, it’s been a few days since my last news update and there are a variety of reasons for that which I’ll get into in tomorrow’s post. In the meantime, let’s get caught up...

First, we’ve got some new reviews for you all to enjoy. Tim has posted no less than four Blu-ray reviews since last week, including his thoughts on Terence Fisher’s 1961 Hammer Films classic The Curse of the Werewolf from Scream Factory, Fritz Bottger’s Horrors of Spider Island (1960) from Severin Films, James Signorelli’s Elvira: Mistress of the Dark (1988) from Arrow Video, finally Sean Cunningham’s Friday the 13th (1980) in a new 40th Anniversary Steelbook Edition from Paramount. Enjoy!

Now then, there’s not a lot of major announcement news to report at the moment, but we do have some interesting odds and ends...

Let’s start on the 4K front: Arrow Video has announced the release of Giuseppe Tornatore’s beloved Cinema Paradiso (1988) on both 4K Ultra HD and regular Blu-ray on 9/28. [Read on here...]

“Psycho should be remembered as the gold standard of psychological horror thrillers because it respects the audience by paying as much attention to delivering memorable, relatable characters, smart dialogue, a gripping plot, and emotional punch as well as jump scares.” — Stephen Rebello, author of Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho

The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the 60th anniversary of the release of Psycho, Alfred Hitchcock’s popular psychological horror film starring Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates, owner-manager of the Bates Motel.

Psycho, which also starred Vera Miles, John Gavin, Martin Balsam, John McIntire, and Janet Leigh as Marion Crane, was released sixty years ago this month. For the occasion The Bits features a package of statistics and box-office data that places the movie’s performance in context, along with passages from vintage film reviews, a reference/historical listing of the movie’s major-market first-run presentations, and, finally, an interview segment with a film historian who reflects on the film six decades after its debut. [Read on here...]

Welcome to the new week!

We’re starting things off today with a new Blu-ray review from our own Dennis Seuling. He’s given Ryan Nicholson’s Gutterballs (2008) a look on disc for you from the folks at Unearthed Films.

This is just a quick update to bring you word that The Criterion Collection has just dropped news of their September Blu-ray and DVD title slate.

And as usual, it’s a good one, including the likes of David Lynch, Claire Denis, Francesco Rosi, Jules Dassin, and more of Martin Scorsese’s World Cinema Project.

The full list includes the following... [Read on here...]

Okay, just a few quick things for you guys this afternoon, as I’ve got a stack of discs that need reviewing and there aren’t enough hours in the day (so I’d better get started)...

First, we have two new Blu-ray reviews for you to enjoy. Dennis has checked out Mary Rydell’s Even Money (2006) on disc from MVD and he’s also offered up his thoughts on William Castle’s Let’s Kill Uncle (1966) from Kino Lorber Studio Classics. Enjoy!

Now then, here’s the big news today (and it’s pretty good): Our friend Simon Brew (of the excellent Film Stories website in the UK) is reporting that Studio Canal plans to release a new 4K Ultra HD restoration of the original Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure later this year (likely in August). And indeed, the official Studio Canal UK Twitter feed has confirmed it (here).

This is no doubt tied to the theatrical release of the long-awaited sequel, Bill & Ted Face the Music, the first trailer for which can be seen below. [Read on here...]

All right, a quick update today with a bit more release news...

First up though, we have two more new disc reviews for you today. Tim has checked out Richard Jefferies’ Blood Tide (1982) on Blu-ray from Arrow Video. And Dennis has turned in his thoughts on Paul Wegener and Carl Boese’s classic German expressionist tale The Golem (1920) on Blu-ray from Kino Classics. Do give them a look.

Also, we’ve just posted a new update of the Release Dates & Artwork section here at The Bits thanks to our own Russell Hammond, and it’s full of all the recently-announced Blu-ray and 4K titles. As always, whenever you order anything from Amazon through our links, you’re helping to support The Bits and we really do appreciate it.

In other news today, here’s a nice surprise: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment is releasing Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice in 4K Ultra HD on 9/1! It looks like two versions will be available: A wide release standard edition and an Amazon exclusive deluxe giftset. You can see the cover art at left and also below. [Read on here...]

Today’s update is a quick one, but we do have some good catalog news to share with all of you...

First up, Scream Factory has just officially revealed that they’re releasing Paul W. S. Anderson’s sci-fi/horror film Event Horizon (1997) as a Collector’s Edition Blu-ray on 9/29 (that street date is tentative, as the pandemic is causing a little turmoil with their release schedule). The good news is, it will be mastered from a new 4K scan of the film and there will be new extras.

Also newly revealed: Scream will be releasing a Ghost Ship: Collector’s Edition on 9/22, and will be reissuing the original The Vincent Price Collection Blu-ray package on 9/22. This will include the same films, but due to rights issues the original vintage introductions have to be removed. However, Scream is apparently creating some new content to ease the loss.

With GKids, Shout! Factory is also releasing a pair of Japanese anime titles on Blu-ray in September, including Makoto Shinkai’s Weathering With You (on 9/15—note that Shinkai is also the director of the popular Your Name) and Hayao Miyazaki’s The Wind Rises (on 9/22). [Read on here...]

We’re kicking off a new week with a pair of 4K Ultra HD reviews from Sony’s terrific new Columbia Classics 4K Collection: Volume 1 box set, which streets on June 16th. Now available for your reading pleasure are my thoughts on Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove (1964) and David Lean’s Lawrence of Arabia (1962). Both look and sound better than ever. Before you ask, these films are ONLY available in this box set for now, and it does not appear that Sony has any plans to release them individually this year (though it’s certainly possible that could change later in 2020 or 2021).

Also up here at The Bits today is a review of Dorothy Arzner’s Dance, Girl, Dance (1940) on Blu-ray from Criterion by Dennis, and my own look at Kino Lorber’s animated The Inspector (1965-69) on Blu-ray—part of a larger series of reviews on the DePatie-Freleng Collection I hope to post over the coming weeks.

In other news today, Arrow Films has announced a UK only release of David Fincher’s The Game for Blu-ray on July 24th (SRP £44.99). It’s limited to 3K units and will include a 200-page hardback book. On this side of the Pond, Universal controls the title, so we’ll have to wait and see if Arrow Video has licensed it for release here in the States at some point. [Read on here...]

We’re kicking things off today with a new Blu-ray review from Dennis...

He’s taken a look at Jon Avnet’s Three Christs (2017) now on disc from IFC Films and Shout! Factory. The film stars Richard Gere, Peter Dinklage, Bradley Whitford, and Walton Goggins. Do give it a look.

Meanwhile today, Arrow Video US has announced its June 2020 Blu-ray slate, which is set to include François Reichenbach’s American as Seen by a Frenchman on 6/2, Harley Cokeliss’ Dream Demon and Tomu Uchida’s The Mad Fox on 6/23, and a new Limited Edition of Sergio Corbucci’s Django on 6/30.

From Arrow’s announcement: “The film is presented here in an exclusive new restoration with a wealth of extras including the newly restored bonus feature Texas Adios, which also stars Franco Nero, and was released as Django 2 in several territories.” [Read on here...]

Well... what a fu@%ing year the last week has been here in the States. Here’s hoping the new week fares a little better.

We begin it with a little bit of 4K Ultra HD release news, and some new reviews too.

Let’s get to the reviews first...

Our very own Tim Salmons has checked out Michael Curtiz’s King Creole (1958), a classic Elvis title now on Blu-ray from Paramount. Sounds like this one is a little better than To Catch a Thief was, but it does seem that the Paramount Presents line is off to a bit of a rough start. Here’s hoping the studio gets it together on these.

Tim has also posted reviews of John Hughes’ Sixteen Candles (1984) on Blu-ray from Arrow Video and Norman Z. McLeod’s Alice in Wonderland (1933) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics. Do give them a look. [Read on here...]

All right, we’ve got a little surprise for you all today...

Arrow Video has just joined Team 4K! They’ve apparently licensed the North American rights from Studio Canal to Flash Gordon (1980) in the US and Canada and are delivering the film on both Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD in August. Each will be available in both regular and Limited Editions.

They’ve also licensed the rights (from Universal) to David Twohy’s Pitch Black (2000) on Blu-ray and 4K in North America and the UK and are bringing that title out in August as well!

Additional Blu-ray only titles coming in August from Arrow Video are a double feature of Yasuzo Masumura’s Black Test Car (1962) and The Black Report (1963) and Richard Driscoll’s The Comic (1985). The Comic will also be available in regular and Limited Editions. [Read on here...]