Displaying items by tag: The Martian

I’ve said many times now here on The Digital Bits how much I appreciate Ben Nedivi, Matt Wolpert, and Ronald D. Moore’s For All Mankind.

As the series completes its fifth and penultimate season, the Apple TV Original has quietly become one of my all-time TV favorites, equaling Moore’s own rebooted Battlestar Galactica and even Star Trek, a franchise I love dearly but that—over the decades—has proven wildly uneven, and more recently has lost its way.

When I say this out loud, I’m typically greeted with two reactions. The first is surprise, as many viewers still either haven’t heard of the show, or haven’t yet given it serious consideration. But they should.

The second reaction—which I’m pleased to say is much more common today than in 2019, when the show first aired—is a kind of quiet understanding. Because if you know about the series… you know.

For All Mankind is, of course, an alt-history, science fiction ensemble drama that asks a simple question: What if the Soviet Union had beaten America to the Moon in 1969?

More broadly, it’s a series that attempts to realistically depict humanity’s slow, difficult, but hopefully inevitable climb out of Earth’s gravity well to become a spacefaring civilization.

Now… when I grew up in the 1970s and 80s, that outcome seemed like a foregone conclusion.

The first human spaceflight, Yuri Gagarin’s Vostok 1, happened six years before my birth. NASA’s Apollo 11 astronauts walked on the Moon two years after it, which means I’m just old enough to remember watching the Apollo 17 astronauts leaving the Moon for the last time on TV in 1972—one of my earliest memories.

Soon after this, I discovered the original Star Trek, a series that fed my young imagination exactly what it craved at exactly the right time. And I watched each new NASA mission that followed with eager intensity: Skylab, Apollo-Soyuz, and the early Space Shuttle flights. [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...]

All right, we’re back finally. We were sort of back last week, but a combination of server work and various houseguests kept me from really diving back into things here at The Bits, though Tim and the crew have been active in posting reviews. I’ve also been up to something very exciting over the last few months, which I’ll talk more about in a minute.

We have a trio of recent Blu-ray reviews for you to check out today, including Tim’s look at Cutting Class from Vinegar Syndrome, Dennis’ review of Not Without My Daughter from MVD, and David’s look at Topper Takes a Trip from VCI.

And I am about to embark on an in-depth review of Damien Chazelle’s recent Neil Armstrong biopic First Man, which was one of my favorite films of 2018. I’ve gotten my hands on the 4K Ultra HD from Universal and it’s tremendous. So watch for that review later today or first thing in the morning. [Read on here...]

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Happy Leap Day! All right, we’ve just posted our first Ultra HD Blu-ray review here at The Digital Bits, and its none other than Ridley Scott’s The Martian, which is now available in 4K from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. Do check it out, as I think you’ll find it interesting (whether or not you intend to upgrade to UHD anytime soon).

I’m going to be posting a few more UHD title reviews this week here at The Bits, and then early next week I’ll post a larger column talking generally about my experiences with the format after a week’s worth of calibrating, testing, and viewing. I’ll give you my overall impressions, offer some advice on setup, and the like. [Read on here…]

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First things first today: Our own Jim Hemphill has just posted a new Blu-ray review, this time featuring a look at Alexander Singer’s 1971 western Captain Apache, now available on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber.

In announcement news today, Universal has set Cary Grant: The Vault Collection for DVD only release on 4/19. Here’s a bit about the collection from the studio’s press site: “Featuring 18 films released between 1932 and 1936, the collection showcases the actor as he perfects his comedic timing and stretches his dramatic skills in a variety of roles alongside such Hollywood legends as Marlene Dietrich, Mae West, Sylvia Sidney, Charles Laughton, Gary Cooper, Randolph Scott and Fredric March. Including his feature film debut, This is the Night, as well as several Pre-Code dramas and comedies plus 5 films never before available to own…” We’ll post the complete list of films as soon as the studio provides it.  [Read on here…]

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While I’m gathering my final thoughts on my experience of Ultra HD Blu-ray at CES 2016 last week (to wrap up our coverage of the convention), I wanted to jump in quickly today to take care of a couple important pieces of business here at The Bits.

First, our own Tim Salmons has turned in his thoughts on Arrow Video’s new Blood Rage: Special Edition Blu-ray.

I’ve also just posted my in-depth review of Ridley Scott’s The Martian, which streets tomorrow on Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray, and DVD. The film just took home the Golden Globe for Best Comedy or Musical Film of all things. Don’t miss it.  [Read on here…]

[Editor’s Note: Be sure to like TheDigitalBits.com page on Facebook for breaking news, site updates on the go, discussion with our staff and other readers, giveaways and more!]

All right, we’re kicking things off today with a new Blu-ray review from Jim Hemphill, featuring a look at the 1989 Vietnam war film The Siege of Firebase Gloria, which streeted today on disc from Kino Lorber.

Also, Tim Salmons has launched another batch of Pick-Ups Blu-ray reviews this week with his thoughts on Scream Factory’s The Brain That Wouldn’t Die. The Blu-ray streets on 12/22.  [Read on here…]

[Editor’s Note: Be sure to like TheDigitalBits.com page on Facebook for breaking news, site updates on the go, discussion with our staff and other readers, giveaways and more!]

We’ve got just a quick one update for you today, as the industry is shutting down for the rest of the week for the Thanksgiving holiday...

The big news today is that Ridley Scott’s The Martian now has a street date. 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment has set the Blu-ray 3D Combo, Blu-ray Combo, and DVD release for 1/12. You can click on the cover artwork below to pre-order. [Read on here…]

[Editor’s Note: Be sure to like TheDigitalBits.com page on Facebook for breaking news, site updates on the go, discussion with our staff and other readers, giveaways and more!]

All right, we’ve got some pretty darned good announcement news for you all today...

First up, Ridley Scott’s The Martian is now available for pre-order on Amazon on Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray, and DVD (Amazon price: $44.99, $22.99, and $14.99), set to be released by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. There’s no street date yet available, but sources suggest early-to-mid January is likely. Here’s a look at the Blu-ray cover artwork...  [Read on here…]

[Editor’s Note: Be sure to like TheDigitalBits.com page on Facebook for breaking news, site updates on the go, discussion with our staff and other readers, giveaways and more!]

It’s a terribly slow news day today in terms of Blu-ray and DVD-related announcements, but that’s okay. You should all just go out and see Ridley Scott’s The Martian anyway. I saw it last night and I’ll tell you, it’s his best film since the 2005 Kingdom of Heaven: Director’s Cut. The film honors Andy Weir’s original book, retaining much of its scientific accuracy and sense of humor, and it nails the real-life spirit and dedication that’s at the heart of what NASA does, getting all the little details of manned spaceflight correct – no small task. Best of all, it does all this while managing to be entertaining as hell. I absolutely loved The Martian, and it’s that rare film worth seeing in 3D too – the vast open spaces of the Red Planet have never looked so epic.  [Read on here…]