My Two Cents
Monday, 21 March 2016 16:14

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Batman/Superman Amazon Deals, Twilight’s April slate, Private Property restoration & more

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[Editor’s Note: Be sure to follow us on Twitter @thedigitalbits @BillHuntBits and on Facebook here and here. And you can help support The Bits by pre-ordering Blu-rays and other items from Amazon through this link.]

Afternoon folks! We’re kicking off the new week with a pair of new Twilight Time Blu-ray reviews from our own Jim Hemphill. He’s taken a look at Hal Ashby’s comedy The Last Detail (1973) and George Roy Hill’s Hawaii (1966). Both are well worth your time, so do give them a look.

Before we get to the announcement news for the day, Amazon is having Deal of the Day sales on a number of Batman and Superman Blu-ray and DVD titles today, in honor of the release this week of Zack Snyder’s Batman v Superman: The Dawn of Justice (the early reviews of which are pretty good apparently). You can click here for up to 77% off Batman DVD and BD titles (including the Classic TV Series, the Tim Burton movie collection, and the Christopher Nolan movie collection), and here for 80% off Superman DVD and BD titles (including the Man of Steel: Collector’s Edition and Smallville: The Complete Series). Act fast to take advantage.  [Read on here…]

Now then... the big news today is that Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has set Pride and Prejudice and Zombies for Blu-ray and DVD release on 5/31.

Sony has also officially announced Creative Control for Blu-ray and DVD release on 5/10, with a digital release on 4/12. Both will include deleted scenes, a Reggie Watts music video, and the Phalinex and Augmenta commercials.

Universal has announced a Ted vs. Flash Gordon: The Ultimate Collection for 3-disc Blu-ray release on 5/3. No kidding, it includes Ted, Ted 2, and Flash Gordon. Tip of the hat to Uni for a clever gimmick, I suppose.

Universal has set Jarhead 3: The Siege for Blu-ray and DVD on 6/7.

Paramount has set 45 Years for DVD and digital release on 6/14.

Back to Twilight Time for a moment, the company has just announced their April slate (due to street on 4/12 – pre-orders open on 3/30 at 4 PM Pacific – SRP $29.95 each), which is set to include Michael Winner’s Chato’s Land (1972), Ivan Passer’s Cutter’s Way (1981), Robert Parrish’s In the French Style (1963), Fred Zinnemann’s Julia (1977), Jack Higgins’ A Prayer for the Dying (1987), and Michael Cimino’s Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974).

Funimation has set Dark Matter: The Complete Series for Blu-ray release on 6/14 as well. You can see the cover artwork below.

Kino Lorber has added Joseph Losey’s Modesty Blaise (1966) and Leslie H. Martinson’s Fathom (1967) to its list of titles “coming soon” to Blu-ray and DVD in 2016.

IFC Films has set Every Thing Will Be Fine for Blu-ray and DVD release on 6/7.

Anchor Bay, BBC Wales and The Weinstein Company will release the new War & Peace miniseries for 2-disc Blu-ray and DVD release on 5/10. The series stars Paul Dano, Lily James, and James Norton.

Here’s something interesting: Random Media and Alchemy are about to release a filmed called The Last Treasure Hunt on all the various digital platforms. It’s a completely indie film, directed by Patrick Biesemans and written by Kate Murdoch and Casey Nelson. It’s described as “a funny and touching tale of siblinghood, capturing the struggle and the joy of family and painting an unforgettable picture of love, loss, and forgiveness.” We don’t generally review digital only films, but what I like about this is that it’s a good way for new filmmakers to get their films seen. And based on the trailer, it’s a interesting film. You never know: If it’s successful, they could end up finding their way to physical media as well. Here’s a link to the official website for the film for all the details (including the trailer). Do check it out.

Also, Cinelicious Pics has announced that they’re re-releasing a 4K digital restoration of the lost 1960 film noir title Private Property, starring Warren Oates. It will premiere at the 7th Annual TCM Classic Film Festival (4/28-5/1) in Hollywood and will be distributed digitally and on Blu-ray this summer.

Finally today, Bits reader Ted V. pointed out last week that when Criterion announced their June Blu-ray and DVD slate, they got the artwork wrong on Dr. Strangelove – rather than having a B-52 bomber dropping the title “bomb” they’d used a KC-135 tanker instead. Well, they’ve now fixed it. You can see the new final cover artwork below.

We’ll leave you with a look at some new Blu-ray cover artwork (with clickable Amazon.com pre-order links if available)...

Dr. Strangelove (Criterion Blu-ray Disc)    Dark Matter: The Complete Series (Blu-ray Disc)    Ted vs. Flash Gordon (Blu-ray Disc)

Stay tuned...

- Bill Hunt (@BillHuntBits)

 

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