Displaying items by tag: Paramount Home Entertainment

All right, first things first today: I’m pleased to report that we did not have to evacuate from these wildfires here in SoCal after all. But it was a long night while we waited to find that out. Thankfully, when I stepped out this morning, it appeared that the fires had moved farther away from us, not closer. And this afternoon the evacuation orders all around us were lifted. So... whew!

It’s going to take a couple days to get back to normal around here, but I count that as a good problem to have, considering the alternative.

Now then... the big news today is that our industry and retail sources are telling us that Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is quietly preparing to release Neill Blomkamp’s Elysium, Rian Johnson’s Looper, and Andrew Niccol’s GATTACA in 4K Ultra HD early in 2021. Elysium and Looper are already available digitally in 4K, and a few European retailers have listed GATTACA for physical 4K release in March. [Read on here...]

All right, today’s news update is going to be a quick one. The reason is that I’m working to confirm a number of interesting rumors that I’ve heard in the last 24 hours, both on the interwebs and also from my own industry sources. I’m talking not one, but multiple interesting topics, including word of forthcoming releases and also more general stuff that’s going on in the home video industry right now. I’d actually hoped to be able to confirm one of them in time for this post, but I’m waiting on sources to get back to me. So I’ve decided to post a quick update now and come back with more as I hear it.

Before I continue with what news we have this afternoon, we do have a new disc review for you here at The Digital Bits today. Dennis has turned in his thoughts on Noel Black’s A Man, a Woman, and a Bank (1979) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics. You can read that here.

Now then... Arrow Video has pushed back the street date for Pitch Black on 4K Ultra HD to 9/1 (from 8/18). Adjust your plans accordingly. [Read on here...]

We’ve got some great announcement news for you catalog fans today, but first we also have another new Blu-ray review for you to check out...

Our own Tim Salmons has just turned in his thoughts on the 4-disc Laurel & Hardy: The Definitive Restorations BD set from Kit Parker Films and MVD Visual, which includes 21 shorts, 2 feature films, and a bevy of extras. Sounds like it’s a pretty nice set, so if you’re a fan of the comedy duo, you should definitely check it out.

Now then, the big news today is that Paramount Home Entertainment has just revealed that its next Paramount Presents Blu-ray title is none other than William Wyler’s Roman Holiday (1953), starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck. Look for it to street on 9/15 (SRP $29.98). You can see the cover artwork at left and also below.

The film was digitally restored in 2015 in a process took roughly six months, following an exhaustive worldwide search for the best available elements. [Read on here...]

All right, we’re kicking off the new week with more Blu-ray reviews and some GREAT release news too...

First, Tim has offered his thoughts on a pair of new Blu-ray releases, including Bert I. Gordon’s The Spider (1958 – aka Earth vs. the Spider) as well as Freddie Francis’ 1964 Hammer Films classic The Evil of Frankenstein, both available from our friends at Scream Factory.

Speaking of Scream Factory, they’re starting us off with the release news today as well...

Scream has just officially announced that they’re going to be releasing a definitive 16-disc Blu-ray collection of the Friday the 13th series. The Friday the 13th Collection: Deluxe Edition box set will arrive on October 13 and will include all 12 original films from Paramount and New Line Cinema. [Read on here...]

Today, we’ve got just a very quick My Two Cents update for you, however not with release news.

But as promised, we’ve got a bunch of new disc reviews...

First, our own Tim Salmons has checked out Via Vision Entertainment’s new region-free Blu-ray import version of Police Squad! The Complete Series. (Note that the CBS/Paramount Blu-ray version has also been reviewed here.)

Speaking of Paramount, Dennis has turned in his thoughts on their new Alfred Hitchcock/Paramount Presents title, To Catch a Thief (1955). [Read on here...]

All right, we’ve got a few new reviews of for you to enjoy today...

Tim has turned in his thoughts on Takashi Miike, Renpei Tsukamoto, and Manabu Aso’s One Missed Call Trilogy, recently released on Blu-ray by Arrow Video. He’s also got a look at Roman Polanski’s The Fearless Vampire Killers, released late last year on Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.

And Dennis has got a look at Glenn Danzig’s Verotika on Blu-ray as sell, new from Cleopatra Entertainment.

Meanwhile, I’m finally recovered from my post-Star Wars review blitz, so I’ll have some new Blu-ray and 4K reviews toward the end of this week as well. [Read on here...]

All right, we’ve got just a quickie for you today, but it’s a good one.

A couple weeks ago, a number of Bits readers quietly alerted me to the fact that Paramount’s original artwork for the Top Gun 4K Steelbook featured the silhouette of an F-15 Eagle jet fighter instead of the iconic F-14 Tomcats seen in the film. So after sharing it on my social feeds, I alerted Paramount to the error.

Well, the good news is that the studio has officially corrected the artwork, as you can see to the left there. The bad news is that the Steelbook release is now delayed until 12/8 (presumably due to complications in the Steelbook manufacturing schedule).

But based on the number of readers who were displeased by the original error, those fans will be happy to wait for the correct version. And in the meantime, those of you who simply want the film in 4K can take heart; it’s still coming on regular Ultra HD on 5/19. [Read on here...]

All right, we’ve got a couple of things to note today...

First up, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has set Shameless: The Complete Tenth Season for DVD only release on 5/12. You’ll get all 12 episodes plus deleted scenes for just $22.99.

While we’re talking Warner Bros, our friends at the Warner Archive have just announced their May Blu-ray slate, which is set to include Michael Curtiz’s Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933), Robert Mulligan’s Inside Daisy Clover (1966), and Lucifer: The Complete Fourth Season on 5/12, followed by Gregory Nava’s Selena (1997) and Peter Tewksbury’s Sunday in New York (1964) on 5/19, and Vincente Minnelli’s The Reluctant Debutante (1958) on 5/26. [Read on here...]

All right, we’ve got a couple things to report today...

First up, NBCUniversal’s Fandango service is going to purchase Vudu from Walmart, according to reports in the trades today (see this link at Variety). This is interesting and it doesn’t surprise me. I expect there will be lots of consolidation in the Digital space in the months and years ahead, and I also expect every major studio to try and grow their own footprint in the digital space or to team up with others who have. And of course the Digital category includes not just streaming/subscription services but transactional purchases too. So it makes a lot of sense.

Also today, I’ve been invited—and have just begun—to check out the high-end digital movie service Kaleidescape. I’ll have more on that experience here at The Digital Bits in a few weeks, after I’ve really given it a thorough test and tryout. [Read on here...]

All right, many of you have asked about (or otherwise understandably bemoaned) the lack of big or significant announcements relating to catalog films on 4K Ultra HD lately. So today’s update here at The Digital Bits is about addressing that concern.

And while we still have little in the way of official announcements at the moment, I can confidently report that at least some of titles you’re waiting for are on the way in 2020.

The information in today’s post should be considered unofficial until the studios in question make their actual announcements. But we believe it to be a reliable gauge of titles currently in the production pipeline or planning stages.

First, we know for sure that Disney is going to be releasing Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga on 4K coinciding with the Blu-ray and 4K release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, likely in March. [Read on here...]