Displaying items by tag: Universal

We’ve got just a few items for you this evening to round out the week of release news...

First, Arrow Video has announced their July 2024 slate of Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD titles, which is set to include...

Thomas Sainsbury’s Loop Track (2023) on Blu-ray in the UK only.

Nick Castle’s The Last Starfighter (1984) on Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD in the UK only.

Howard Hawks’ Red Line 7000 (1965) on Blu-ray in the US and Canada only.

The Nico Mastorakis Collection on Blu-ray in the UK, US, and Canada, including The Time Traveller (1984) (aka The Next One), Sky High (1985), Terminal Exposure (1987), Glitch! (1988), Ninja Academy (1989), and The Naked Truth (1992).

And Guy Ritchie’s The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015) in both Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD in the UK, US, and Canada.

All of these titles are expected to street on or around 7/30, with the exception of The Last Starfighter which is due on 7/15. [Read on here...]

All right, I hope all of you guys here in the States checked out the solar eclipse this morning! Here in Southern California, the Moon only covered about 54% of the Sun at maximum, but I took the scope out this morning anyway and got a couple good pictures that I’ll share below the break.

In the meantime, the big news today is unofficial, but it comes from enough retail sources now that I’m confident it’s accurate: Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment will release Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two (2024) on Blu-ray, DVD, 4K Ultra HD, and 4K UHD Steelbook on 5/14. And while we’ll have to wait for the official press release (expected anytime now) to be sure, based on the promo images the studio is sharing with some of the pre-order listings, it looks like the aspect ratio for the title may be full 1.78:1. This would replicate the maximum IMAX image area for home viewing. Again, that’s not certain yet. So fingers crossed, we’ll know more very soon. You can see the 4K Steelbook art at left and also below the break.

[Editor’s Note: The 5/14 date is now official per WBHE, but we’ve confirmed that the aspect ratio will be 2.39:1 only. Don’t attack the messenger please; we’re only passing on what we’ve learned.]

Also newly announced today by Lionsgate is Francis Ford Coppola’s One from the Heart: Reprise (1982), which will finally arrive here in the States in 4K Ultra HD on 5/7. The entire film has been restored from the original camera negative and six minutes of footage have been added back to the film by Coppola himself. The 4K package will include a UHD disc of the new cut plus the original 1982 Theatrical Version on Blu-ray, with all of its legacy special features. [Read on here...]

Today’s new disc reviews here at The Bits include...

Tim’s look at Richard Fleischer’s Conan the Destroyer (1984) in 4K Ultra HD from Arrow Video, as well as Rospo Pallenberg’s Cutting Class (1989) in 4K Ultra HD from the MVD Rewind Collection.

And Stephen’s thoughts on George P. Cosmatos’ Leviathan (1989) in 4K Ultra HD from MGM via Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

In announcement news today, Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment has officially set Martin Scorsese’s The Departed (2006) for 4K Ultra HD and Digital release on 4/23. The 4K disc will also be available in Steelbook packaging. Extras include the new Guilt and Betrayal: Looking into The Departed featurette, along with the legacy Stranger than Fiction: The True Story of Whitey Bulger, Southie, and The Departed and Crossing Criminal Cultures featurettes, as well as 9 deleted scene with introduction by the director. The press release doesn’t indicate it, but the packaging lists 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. Look for HDR10 high dynamic range only. [Read on here...]

We’ve got some more new announcement for you today, including a few interesting ones. And we have new disc reviews today as well. But first, I saw Dune: Part Two last night. So let me just share some very quick and non-spoiler comments. Here’s my initial reaction posted on social media afterwards...

“You see a film like DUNE: PART TWO and you think: That’s either the last great film of a dying Hollywood, or proof that there’s still a bit of life left in this industry. Either way, it’s a wonder. And absolutely perfect. Don’t look now, but Denis Villeneuve has just casually knocked out three of the greatest science fiction films of all time. See it on the BIGGEST POSSIBLE SCREEN.”

I guess “three of the greatest” depends on whether you calculate Dune as a single film or not. But Arrival, Blade Runner: 2049, and the combined Dune adaptation are all superb. I would rank them right up there with Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner and Alien, and the Wachowskis’ The Matrix. Maybe I’d add Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind in there as well. All extraordinary pieces of hard science fiction cinema.

Honestly, if you liked Dune: Part One—and particularly if you loved Frank Herbert’s original novel, which is rightly regarded as the greatest work of science fiction literature—Villeneuve has just nailed the landing. [Read on here...]

Well, yesterday was kind of a big day in terms of industry news, but as it happens, there have been quite a lot of interesting 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray announcements in the last 24 hours too!

But before we get to those, we have a few more new disc reviews for you...

I’ve just taken a look at John Sturges’ Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957) in 4K Ultra HD from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, as well as Ron Maxwell’s cult classic Little Darlings (1980) in 4K UHD from Vinegar Syndrome’s new Cinématographe Films label.

Stephen has turned in his thoughts on Nia DaCosta’s The Marvels (2023) in 4K Ultra HD from Marvel and Disney, along with Yoshimitsu Banno’s Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971) on 4K UHD (sans English subs) from Toho Studios in Japan.

Dennis has given Ted Kotcheff’s Split Image (1982) a look on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, along with Vincente Minnelli’s Madame Bovary (1949) on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection.

And Stuart has reviewed Andrew V. McLaglen’s The Devil’s Brigade (1968) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics and Steve Zaillian’s Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993) on Blu-ray from Imprint Films.

Many more reviews are forthcoming, including Footloose, Conan the Destroyer, and Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part One in 4K, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled for them.

Now then... in terns of title announcements, Paramount’s just dropped a couple of big ones starting with confirmation of a title we’ve mentioned here at The Bits recently: Alex Proyas’ The Crow (1994) officially streets on 4K Ultra HD and 4K Steelbook on 5/7. The 4K disc will include Dolby Vision and HDR10 high dynamic range. [Read on here...]

Afternoon, folks! I certainly hope that those of you who celebrate it have had a great Christmas holiday, and that the rest of you are enjoying the holiday season.

I’ve got just a quick update here for you today and I’ll post a little more as the week goes on. This time of year there’s typically very little news-wise worth reporting, but there are some odds and ends to cover.

First though, I want to catch you up on the latest disc reviews we’ve posted here at The Bits since our last news post last week. Now available for your reading pleasure here are...

My reviews of James Cameron’s Avatar: Collector’s Edition (2009) and Avatar: The Way of Water – Collector’s Edition (2022) in 4K Ultra HD from Lightstorm and 20th Century Studios.

Tim’s thoughts on Richard Donner’s Scrooged: 35th Anniversary Edition (1988) in 4K from Sony and George Mihalka’s My Bloody Valentine: Collector’s Edition (1981) in 4K from Scream Factory.

Dennis’ takes on David Gordon Green’s The Exorcist: The Believer (2023) in both Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD from Universal, as well as Oren Rudavsky’s The Treatment (2006) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber, and Richard Attenborough’s In Love and War (1996) on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection.

Stephen’s reviews of Charles Kaufman’s Mother’s Day (1980) in 4K from Troma via Vinegar Syndrome, Emma Tammi’s Five Nights at Freddy’s in 4K from Universal, and Ti West’s Pearl (2022) in 4K from A24 via Turbine Media.

And finally Stuart’s look at Succession: The Complete Series on DVD from HBO, Alain Resnais’ La Guerre est finie (1966) on Blu-ray from The Film Desk and Vinegar Syndrome, and Paul Lynch’s The Hard Part Begins (1973) on Blu-ray from Canadian International Pictures via Vinegar Syndrome. [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’ve got quite a lot of ground to cover today to being the new week here at The Bits—there’s lots of news and announcements to report!

First though, just the briefest of public service announcements: If any of you are active on Twitter and Facebook and you’re not following our The Digital Bits pages (@thedigitalbits on Twitter and @thedigitalbitscom on Facebook), please consider doing so. It really helps us to get the word out about upcoming titles and other industry happenings. I’d also appreciate it if you’d consider following me personally on Twitter (@BillHuntBits). That’s often the first place I share breaking news and insights from our industry sources, before I have time to write it up in a Bits news post here on the site. Plus, I’m working on a series of science fiction novels that I plan to launch later this year, and I’ll be sharing those details on Twitter eventually too. So thanks in advance for your consideration!

We have three new disc reviews to share with you today...

First, Stuart has taken a look at George Sherman’s Border River (1954) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

Stuart has also offered his take on Keith Maitland’s Dear Mr. Brody (2021) on DVD from Greenwich Entertainment via Kino Lorber.

And finally, Stephen has done a deep dive into Arrow Video’s Twisting the Knife: Four Films by Claude Chabrol on Blu-ray, which features The Swindle (1997), The Color of Lies (1999), Nightcap (2000), and The Flower of Evil (2003).

More reviews are on the way, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled for them. [Read on here...]

We’ve got three new disc reviews for you to enjoy today...

I’ve taken a look at Mimi Leder’s Deep Impact (1998) in 4K Ultra HD from Paramount.

And Dennis has turned in his thoughts on Robert Thornby’s The Trap (1922) on Blu-ray from Kino Classics, as well as Billie August’s The House of the Spirits (1993) on Blu-ray from Imprint Films.

In announcement news today, Arrow Video has just revealed their July Blu-ray and 4K slate, which is set to include Lewis Teague’s Fighting Back (1982) on Blu-ray (US and Canada only) on 7/4, the previously-revealed Bruce Lee at Golden Harvest box set on Blu-ray, 4K, and 4K Limited Edition (UK only) on 7/17, Martin Scorsese’s Hugo (2011) on Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD (US and Canada only) on 7/18, and the Blood Money: Four Western Classics – Volume 2 box set on Blu-ray (UK, US, and Canada) on 7/25. [Read on here...]