My Two Cents
Boy, I’ve been waiting for this today for years now—one of my favorite titles is finally official, as in the studio has just issued their press release. And there are a bunch of other great title announcements today as well.
But first as always, a few more new disc reviews…
Stuart and Dennis have turned in their thoughts on Kino Lorber Studio Classics’ Peter Sellers: Early Classics Blu-ray box set, which includes Man in a Cocked Hat (1959), I’m All Right Jack (1959), Two-Way Stretch (1960), Heavens Above! (1963), and The Wrong Arm of the Law (1963).
And Tim has reviewed Chuck Russell’s The Mask (1994) in 4K Ultra HD from Arrow Video.
More reviews are forthcoming all this week, so be sure to check back for them!
Also today, our own Russell Hammond has just posted the latest update of the Release Dates & Artwork section featuring all the latest Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD cover art and Amazon pre-order links. As The Bits is an Amazon Affiliate, whenever you order literally anything from Amazon after clicking through one of our links, you’re helping to support our work here at The Bits and we really do appreciate it.
And of course, the best way to support what we do by far is to subscribe to our Digital Bits Patreon where we talk about lots of things—including upcoming 4K titles—before we can post all the details here on the website. Monthly subscriptions start at just $6 and you can get discounts on full-year subscriptions too. So thank you, sincerely, for helping us to keep The Digital Bits going as we advocate for physical media and the issues that matter to you! [Read on here...]
Greetings, Bits readers—I hope this finds you all well!
You may have noticed that there have been very few updates here on the site this week, and also that we’ve had a lot of downtime in which the site wasn’t working or was slow to load.
There’s a reason for that, which is that we’ve been the target of relentless scaping by AI companies trying to train their LLMs. We’ve taken steps to prevent it in the past, but they don’t seem to care that when they scrape us, it causes significant disruptions for both us and you as readers. So it looks like we’re going to have to take further steps to prevent this going forward.
In the meantime, we’ve got a lot of ground to cover today, as I haven’t been able to post a news update since Monday due to these disruptions.
We’ll start with disc reviews! We’ve had a bunch for you this week, including…
My looks at Jeannot Szwarc’s Somewhere in Time (1980) in 4K from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, David Lynch’s The Straight Story (1999) in 4K from StudioCanal (a joint review with former Bits staffer Dan Kelly), Michael Crichton’s Westworld (1973) in 4K from Arrow Video, and Ted Lasso: The Richmond Way (2020-23) in 4K from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.
Tim’s review of Lam Nai-Choi’s The Cat (1991) on Blu-ray from 88 Films.
Dennis’ take on Claude Leloch’s A Man and a Woman (1966) on Blu-ray from the Criterion Collection.
Stuart’s thoughts on Jerzy Skolimowski’s The Lightship (1985) on Blu-ray from Imprint Films and Jeffrey Dell and Roy Boulting’s Man in a Cocked Hat (1959) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.
And finally, Stephen’s look at Dario Argento’s The Phantom of the Opera (1998) and Emmett Alston’s Demonwarp (1988) in 4K from Vinegar Syndrome, and Ti West’s The Innkeepers (2011) on Blu-ray from Umbrella and in 4K Ultra HD from Second Sight. Whew!
Now, let’s get to the news that’s broken since our announcement of James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash on Blu-ray and 4K on Monday… [Read on here...]
ACADEMY AWARD WINNER FOR BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Return to Pandora When Avatar: Fire and Ash Arrives on Digital March 31 and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, 3D Blu-ray, and DVD May 19
Featuring Over 3 Hours of Never-Before-Seen Extras
BURBANK, CA (March 24, 2026) – Visionary filmmaker James Cameron invites audiences to return to the breathtaking world of Pandora when 20th Century Studios’ Avatar: Fire and Ash arrives on Digital March 31, including Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home. The cinematic event continues as the film becomes available to own on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, 3D Blu-ray, and DVD May 19, featuring stunning Dolby Vision picture quality and immersive Dolby Atmos audio that bring the visually spectacular, action-packed adventure home in breathtaking fashion.
Avatar: Fire and Ash continues the franchise’s extraordinary box office momentum, earning $1.5 billion worldwide and ranking among the Motion Picture Association’s top-grossing films of all time. That global success is matched by powerful audience enthusiasm, including a 90% Verified Hot Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes, alongside major honors for Best Visual Effects from the Academy Awards, BAFTA, and the American Cinematheque, among others. Critics have hailed the film as “a movie event unlike any other” (Ross Bonaime, Collider), with some declaring it “the best Avatar yet” (Matt Hambidge, FandomWire), praising its masterful blend of natural wonder, breathtaking action, and emotional storytelling.
Fans can explore the world of Avatar: Fire and Ash on a deeper level with more than three hours of never-before-seen bonus content, offering an expansive look at the creation of Pandora. The extras dive into the development of Na’vi culture, including the language, design, costumes, and environments, while also taking viewers behind the scenes of the filmmaking process with in-depth looks at performance capture, visual effects, and groundbreaking 3D technology that bring the immersive experience to life. [Read on here...]
All right, as you can see by that headline, we’ve got some big release news for you today! But first, a few more new disc reviews…
Stephen has reviewed William Friedkin’s Jade (1995) in 4K Ultra HD from Imprint Films.
Tim has offered his thoughts on Rod Amateau’s The Garbage Pail Kids Movie (1987) in 4K Ultra HD from Vinegar Syndrome.
And Dennis has shared his perspective on a Jack Benny Comedy Classics double feature of Raoul Walsh’s Artists and Models (1937) and Mark Sandrich’s Man About Town (1939) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.
I’ve also got a couple of additional reviews coming tomorrow, so be sure to watch for those.
Now then… you know how lots of people a few weeks ago were saying that if Netflix won the bidding war for Warner Bros. that might mean the end of physical media?
Yeah, maybe not so much.
Not only has Netflix recently let Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein and the animated K-Pop Demon Hunters be licensed to Criterion for Blu-ray and 4K release, today we have even bigger news.
Arrow Video just announced on social media that they’re bringing the most popular Netflix Original series of all time—the Duffer Brothers’ Stranger Things: The Complete Series—to Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD in July (street date 7/28)! [Read on here...]
We’ve got a pretty exciting post today, if I do say so myself. At least, it’s full of things for which we here at The Bits have serious enthusiasm. And really, what’s a life without enthusiasms anyway?
To start, we’ve got two more new disc reviews for you…
Stephen has taken a look at Ben Wheatley’s Kill List (2011) in 4K Ultra HD from our friends at Severin Films.
And Tim has offered his thoughts on Martin Campbell’s No Escape: Collector’s Edition (1994) in 4K Ultra HD from Umbrella Entertainment.
Now then… and speaking of 4K Ultra HD… the good folks at Lionsgate have just dropped new titles on their Lionsgate Limited website today!
They include Roman Polanski’s The Ninth Gate (1999) in 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray Steelbook, which streets on 4/21. It’s available here for the first time in 4K with Dolby Vision, and includes a new interview with cinematographer Darius Khondji as well as a ton of legacy extras.
Also available on Blu-ray only is the next Vestron Video Collector’s Series title, James Melkonian’s The Stöned Age (1994). Look for that on 4/20 (naturally).
And more new warehouse finds are now available on the Lionsgate Limited website, including Angel Heart, Punisher, Hacksaw Ridge, Ender’s Game, Highlander, and more. [Read on here...]