Displaying items by tag: Paramount Home Entertainment

All right, as you’ve probably seen here on The Digital Bits, I’ve now shared my thoughts on the 4K Digital remasters of James Cameron’s The Abyss, True Lies, and Aliens. These reviews have been shared after looking at each of the remasters as they currently appear on Vudu, Movies Anywhere, and Apple TV/iTunes, allowing for streaming quality variations in each. So if you’re interested in those, you’ll find my take on each via the title links provided in this paragraph.

Rest assured, I will also be reviewing the forthcoming 4K Ultra HD disc versions of those films, and the forthcoming Avatar and Avatar: The Way of Water collector’s editions when they arrive. And the rest of The Bits team is working on a whole slate of disc reviews for next week and beyond… allowing of course for the usual holiday season distractions of family and the like.

Based on some of the interesting… I’ll generously call them conversations (but they’re more like angry bitch-fests)… on social media over the past couple weeks about some of these 4K titles, I’m also written a essay entitled A Word About Screenshots, Reviewing, and Trusting Opinions on the Internet that you can find over on The Digital Bits’ new Patreon page.

Not only is subscribing to our Patreon page a great way to support our work here at The Digital Bits—if you believe in it and find that it brings your enjoyment of physical media some value—it’s also becoming a great place to respectfully share your thoughts and ideas about these topics with like-minded people without risking getting attacked or worrying about having snark and scorn heaped upon you… and there’s definitely some value in that too. So please consider check it out, and know that we appreciate each and every one of you, our readers, regardless. [Read on here...]

All right, we’ve got a big week ahead of us here at The Digital Bits. As all of you know, the new James Cameron catalog 4K titles—The Abyss, True Lies, and Aliens—all drop via 4K Digital tomorrow. And we’ve got some big announcement news to share with all of you today as well. But first, we’ve got a new disc review for you...

Stephen has just turned in his thoughts on Kathryn Bigelow’s Point Break (1991) in 4K Ultra HD from Shout! Factory. Enjoy!

Now then... there’s big news today, more big news, and yet another piece of big news. So let’s start with that first one...

Paramount Home Entertainment has just officially set Herbert Ross’ original Footloose (1984) for release on 4K Ultra HD on 2/13/24. We’re awaiting confirmation of the A/V specs on this one, but the title will come in both Amaray and Steelbook packaging, and will have a Blu-ray and Digital copy code. All of the legacy extras from the Blu-ray will carry over. You can see the cover artwork at left and also below. [Read on here...]

Evening, folks!

Next week is going to be another big one here at The Digital Bits, as all three of the new James Cameron catalog titles—Aliens, The Abyss, And True Lies—drop in 4K Digital on Tuesday. And it’s very possible that they could start appearing on Digital services sooner, especially if you already own HD Digital copies (iTunes/AppleTV sometimes upgrades the files to 4K a little early). So I’ll be back on Tuesday to review them from an A/V standpoint, in anticipation of the disc releases arriving in March. And I’ll have more restoration details from Lightstorm as well, so be sure to check back next week.

In the meantime, we have a little big more announcement news today...

Imprint has just unveiled their February 2024 Blu-ray slate. They include Ingmar Bergman’s Face to Face (1976), Peter Yates’ The Dresser (1983), Bob Rafelson’s Mountains of the Moon (1990), Diane Kurys’ A Man in Love (1987), Gabriele Salvatores’ I’m Not Scared (2003), and Majid Majidi’s Children of Heaven (1997). Face to Face, Mountains of the Moon, and I’m Not Scared are all arriving on Blu-ray for the first time. All of these titles are limited to 1500 copies. Street date is 2/28/24 and you can pre-order them here on the Imprint webstore.

Kino Lorber Studio Classics has set Pat Rocco’s Drifter (1974) for Blu-ray release on 2/20/24 as the next title (#6) in its new Kino Cult label.

It looks very much like Paramount Home Entertainment will be releasing John Landis’ Beverly Hills Cop III (1994) and a new Beverly Hills Cop 3-Movie Collection in 4K Ultra HD on 2/20 as well. [Read on here...]

We’ve got more new disc reviews from The Bits’ team for you this evening...

They start with Stephen’s look at Richard Lester’s Juggernaut (1974) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

Dennis has offered his thoughts on Tod Browning’s The Devil Doll (1936) on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection, along with Jagoda Szelc’s Tower. A Bright Day. and Monument (2018) on Blu-ray from Yellow Veil Pictures via Vinegar Syndrome.

And Stuart has checked in with a look at Dušan Vukotić’s Visitors from the Arkana Galaxy (1981) on Blu-ray from Deaf Crocodile via Vinegar Syndrome, as well as Imprint’s excellent Directed by Sidney J. Furie Blu-ray box set, which includes The Lawyer, Little Fauss and Big Halsy (both 1970), Hit! (1973), Sheila Levine Is Dead and Living in New York (1975), and The Boys in Company C (1978).

As always, more reviews are forthcoming, so be sure to stay tuned for them.

Speaking of reviews... I had the chance this week to talk directly with Lightstorm about the remastering work done for James Cameron’s Titanic on 4K Ultra HD, a disc which should now be in all your of hands. If that’s the case, you’ll know for yourselves that the film looks and sounds fantastic. When I reviewed the title here at The Bits last week, I promised that I would soon be updating that review with details on exactly how the film was remastered for UHD release. And indeed, I’ll be doing exactly that here at the site tomorrow afternoon. But if you subscribe to The Digital Bits’ new Patreon, you can read those details right now. And hey—it’s a great way to help us in our work here at the website if you believe, as we do, in supporting cause of physical media. [Read on here...]

Afternoon, Bits readers! It’s been a few days since we’ve done a major news update here on the site, and the reason is that we’ve been very focused on completing new disc reviews for you guys. This is the time of year when all of the big fourth quarter titles start arriving for review, and we’re right in the thick of it now. So today we’re pleased to offer you...

My reviews of James Mangold’s Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023), along with The Mandalorian: The Complete First Season (2019) and The Mandalorian: The Complete Second Season (2020), all in 4K Ultra HD from Lucasfilm via Disney, as well as my review of James Cameron’s Titanic: 25th Anniversary Limited Edition in 4K Ultra HD from Paramount.

We also have Stephen’s reviews of WandaVision: The Complete Series (2021) in 4K Ultra HD from Marvel via Disney, as well as Tommy Wirkola’s Violent Night (2022) in 4K UHD via Universal, and Michael Crichton’s The Great Train Robbery (1978) on Blu-ray from MGM via Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

And Stuart has weighed in on Henry Decoin’s Strangers in the House (1942) on Blu-ray from Gaumont via Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

Rest assured, we have many more new disc reviews on the way as well, so be sure to watch for them. [Read on here...]

This is going to be a big week in terms of new disc reviews! Just today we’ve got...

My take on Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer (2023) in 4K Ultra HD from Universal, which in my opinion is the A/V demo disc of the year, not to mention a terrific special edition release. Unfortunately, it’s selling out everywhere, but we strongly suspect that Universal is already replicating more copies (and we’ve asked for official confirmation of that, which we’ll share here as soon as we hear back).

Tim’s reviews of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie (2023) in 4K Ultra HD from Warner Bros and Jeannot Szwarc’s Santa Claus: The Movie (1985) in 4K UHD from StudioCanal in the UK.

Stuart’s look at the Audie Murphy Collection III box set from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, which includes Hell Bent for Leather (1960), Posse from Hell (1961), and Showdown (1963) on Blu-ray.

And Dennis’ thoughts on Brad Watson’s The Siege (2023) on Blu-ray from Well Go USA Entertainment, as well as Harry Beaumont’s Dance, Fools, Dance (1931) on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection.

I’m also hard at work on my 4K review of James Cameron’s Titanic (1997) from Paramount and we have several more Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD reviews cooking at the moment. I would expect James Mangold’s Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny to show up at any time for review in 4K as well. So be sure to keep your eyes peeled for them. [Read on here...]

Whew! Yesterday was a big day, was it not? I was up all night prior to the announcement, formatting the post for 7 AM Pacific release, and man was it ever good to finally share that! I’ve been sitting on some of that information for months, so I’m very glad to finally be able to speak about it openly. And after thirteen years, it’s damn good to finally confirm that those James Cameron titles are indeed coming to 4K and Blu-ray at long last.

We have more new disc reviews to share today here at The Bits, and there’s more release news today as well. But first, I wanted to let you all know that I’ve just done a new blog post over on Patreon: My Two Cents on the New Abyss Trailer, and the Subject of DNR and Film Grain. It’s based on an impromptu Q&A thread I was involved in over on Twitter/X this morning, but with some added detail that will definitely be of interest to fans of these James Cameron films in remastered 4K. So if you’re a backer of The Bits’ new Patreon—and if you’re not, you should be, as we really need and appreciate the support!—I think you’ll certainly enjoy that. But for the rest of you, rest assured: Much of the substance of that post will be shared here on The Bits website when we review The Abyss, True Lies, Aliens, and Titanic in 4K, first on Digital in a few weeks and then in a few months on actual 4K UHD disc.

Now then, speaking of reviews... Stephen has posted his thoughts on Roger Spottiswoode’s The Best of Times (1986) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

Dennis has reviewed Éric Gravel’s Full Time (2021) on Blu-ray from Music Box Films and Vinegar Syndrome, as well as Jared Moshe’s Aporia (2023) on Blu-ray from Well Go USA.

Stuart has weighed in with his take on Roy Del Ruth’s Du Barry Was a Lady (1943) on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection, along with Jules Dassin’s Uptight (1968) on Blu-ray from Imprint Films.

And for you Peckinpah fans, Tim has shared his in-depth look at Sam Peckinpah’s Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974), also on Blu-ray from Imprint Films.

As always, more new disc reviews are on the way for tomorrow and all next week, so be sure to watch for them. [Read on here...]

All right, Digital Bits readers...

Having reported on the long and twisted saga of The Abyss and True Lies on Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD for over thirteen years now—and having first broken news of this release all the way back in March—it gives me enormous pleasure to be able to share this with all of you: The day has come at last!

Not only are The Abyss and True Lies finally coming to 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray, so too are Aliens, the recently-announced Titanic, and new versions of both Avatar (with all three versions of the film) and Avatar: The Way of Water!

Here’s the full text of Disney and Lightstorm’s official press release today…

SIX ICONIC JAMES CAMERON FILMS INCLUDING FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER ON 4K UHD™ ALIENS, THE ABYSS AND TRUE LIES!

IN ADDITION, SPECIAL COLLECTOR EDITIONS FOR TITANIC, AVATAR AND AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER WITH:

BURBANK, CA. (November 15, 2023) – A piece of cinema history comes home this year when six box-office juggernauts from Oscar®-winning director James Cameron are released. The six titles—The Abyss, True Lies, Aliens, Titanic, Avatar and Avatar: The Way of Water—will be made available in 4K Digital and 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray.

Cameron, who has helmed three of the five highest grossing movies of all time, says “There’s a world of emotions in revisiting these films and I hope we’ve captured some of that in the new bonus materials we created for our fans.”

Oscar®-winning producer Jon Landau added, “We really wanted to deliver the best possible experience at home so viewers could immerse themselves both in the films and the journeys we went through to make them.”

The 4K transfer for each release will be presented in superb Dolby Vision HDR and with an immersive Atmos audio mix. Additionally, most of the releases will arrive with several hours of captivating all-new bonus features. From the eight hours of Avatar: The Way of Water bonus including all-new deleted scenes to the five hours of new and legacy Titanic extras, fans will delight in the numerous hours of never-before-seen materials. [Read on here...]

Good afternoon, Bits readers and welcome to a new week! If all goes well, it’s shaping up to be a pretty exciting one—but more on that soon.

First up today, we’ve got an exclusive early 4K Ultra HD review for you: I’ve just taken an in-depth look at Christopher Cain’s fan-favorite western Young Guns (1988) in a long-awaited new Ultra HD release from our friends over at Lionsgate! The A/V quality is excellent, the disc includes original theatrical stereo and a great new Atmos mix, legacy extras carry over (including the commentary, a historical featurette, and trailers), and there’s a terrific new doc as well called How the West Was Wild: Making Young Guns. It’s a fine release that fans of the film should really love.

Now then, our friends at Kino Lorber Studio Classics have announced that Rod Lurie’s The Last Castle (2001) is “coming soon” to 4K Ultra HD.

Also newly revealed for Blu-ray from KLSC are Ted Kotcheff’s Split Image (1962), Joseph Sargent’s To Hell with Heroes (1968), Norman Panama’s The Road to Hong Kong (1962), and Douglas Sirk’s Has Anybody Seen My Gal (1952) on 1/9, followed by Andrew V. McLaglen’s The Devil’s Brigade (1968) on 1/16. And coming soon is Mitchell Leisen’s No Man of Her Own (1950). [Read on here...]

We’ve got a trio of new disc reviews to round out the week today, including...

My thoughts on David Anspaugh’s Rudy (1993) which streets in 4K Ultra HD from Sony next Tuesday (11/14), featuring not only the original Theatrical Version but also a new Director’s Cut that’s 13 minutes longer.

Stephen’s take on Chuck Russell’s 1988 remake of The Blob in 4K UHD from Shout! and Scream Factory.

And Dennis’ take on Ron Winston’s The Gamblers (1970) on Blu-ray from VCI Entertainment.

More reviews are on the way, including my own look at Billy Wilder’s Stalag 17 (1953) in 4K from Kino Lorber Studio Classics. So be sure to watch for those soon.

Also today, over on our Patreon we’ve kicked off an in-depth poll asking our supporters what video, audio, special features, and packaging options 4K Ultra HD fans value most on their catalog titles on the format. The poll will remain open until next Friday (11/17) at Noon Pacific, so if you sign up as a supporter between now and then, you can weigh in with your picks. And we’ll share the results here on the website.

We’re going to run these kind of polls regularly on Patreon, both for our own edification and also to provide that information to studio sources who might ask for it, so this is a great chance to make your opinions heard. [Read on here...]