Displaying items by tag: Tom Cruise

Good afternoon (or evening as the case may be), Bits readers! My wife and I had a houseguest here visiting yesterday, so today’s post is a little later than usual. But we’re starting as always with some new disc reviews...

First of all, on Monday I posted my thoughts on Christopher McQuarrie’s Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023) on 4K Ultra HD from Paramount, and just today I added a couple of additional Editor’s Notes discussing one of the film’s key story points as well as the 4K video quality (which I’ve revised downward just a tad from A to A-, the reason for which is explained in my review).

Also, Stephen has turned in his thoughts on Hideaki Anno’s (et al) Evangelion: 3.0+1.11 Thrice Upon a Time (2021) in 4K from GKids and Shout! Factory, and for those of you who aren’t familiar, he also gives you a good little primer on the topic.

Meanwhile, Stuart has weighed in with looks at William Dieterle’s The Life of Emile Zola (1937) and Richard Brooks’ The Last Time I Saw Paris (1954) on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection, as well as Lise Akoka and Romane Gueret’s The Worst Ones (2022) on DVD from Kino Lorber.

Dennis has offered his take on Julian Schnabel’s Before Night Falls (2000) on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive as well as Mark Pellington’s The Severing (2022) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber.

And finally, Tim has delivered an in-depth review of Kevin Connor’s Motel Hell (1980) in 4K Ultra HD from Scream Factory. [Read on here...]

All right, we’ve got just a quick batch of announcements to catch up on this morning...

First of all, just as we first reported here at The Bits many weeks ago, Paramount has officially set Christopher McQuarrie’s Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One for Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD release on 10/31, with the Digital version due on 10/10. Expect Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos audio on the 4K.

Extras on the disc will include audio commentary by McQuarrie and editor Eddie Hamilton, plus a Deleted Scenes Montage, and 7 featurettes (Rome, Venice, Freefall, Speed Flying, Train, and Editorial Featurette: The Sevastopol). Look for 2 4K SKUs... a regular Amaray version and a Steelbook version. You can see the cover artwork at left and also below.

Also today, Lionsgate has set Talk to Me for physical media release on 10/3. It appears that there will be multiple versions: 4K + Blu-ray + Digital, Blu-ray + DVD + Digital, Amazon-exclusive 4K + Blu-ray + Digital, and Walmart Blu-ray + DVD + Digital. [Read on here...]

We’re kicking things off this week with a pair of new disc reviews...

Tim has posted his thoughts on Neil Jordan’s The Company of Wolves (1984) in 4K Ultra HD from Scream Factory.

And Stephen has checked in with his take on Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s Best Picture-winning Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) in 4K Ultra HD from A24 via Lionsgate.

In announcement and release news today, we have several interesting items for you...

First, our friends at MVD Entertainment have revealed the first 4K title in their MVD Rewind Collection, and it’s none other than Wes Craven’s Swamp Thing (1982)! Look for it to arrive on 7/25, and it will include both the Unrated International Version as well as the US Theatrical Version (which is rated PG). The title is also coming to Blu-ray that same day. You can see the cover artwork above left and also below.

Both versions are restored from new 16-bit 4K scans of the original camera negative, presented in the correct 1.85 aspect ratio with Dolby Vision HDR and audio in English 2.0 mono in DTS-HD Master Audio format (as well as Spanish mono). [Read on here...]

We’ve got a bunch more great announcement news for you this afternoon, along with new disc reviews as always. So let’s start with the latter first...

Stuart has posted his take on Paolo Heusch and Brunello Rondi’s A Violent Life (1962) on Blu-ray from Raro Video.

Stephen has offered his thoughts on Stuart Gordon’s From Beyond (1986) in 4K Ultra HD from Vinegar Syndrome.

And Tim has gone way down the rabbit hole with Turbine Media’s fantastic new Knight Rider: The Complete Series – 40th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray box set, a whopping 23-disc release that includes all four seasons of the original Knight Rider with (for the first time ever on home video) all of the original music re-instated. You also get Knight Rider 2000, Knight Rider 2010, and Team Knight Rider: The Complete Series, as well as a bonus disc with legacy extras and new material. This is truly the ultimate collection for fans of the film, and the best part is that it’s an ALL-REGION release. But it’s only available directly from Turbine’s online shop, so act fast if you want it. And don’t miss Tim’s review!

Now then, the big announcement news today is something I’ve personally been lobbying the studio for behind the scenes for well over a decade. And I am absolutely thrilled to see that it’s finally happened: Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment has officially set Max Fleischer’s Superman 1941-1943 for Blu-ray and Digital HD release on 5/16! [Read on here...]

All right, we have big release news to report today, but first we’ve got three more new disc reviews for you all to enjoy…

Stephen has given an in-depth look at Dario Argento’s Tenebrae in 4K Ultra HD, as newly released in a terrific and loaded special edition package from our friends at Synapse Films. If you’re a fan of Argento, the gaillo genre, or this film in particular, this is a great package that you’re not going to want to miss.

Stephen has also taken a look at an under-appreciated Soviet classic by director Alexandr Ptushko, a filmmaker considered by many to be the Russian George Pal… Sampo (1959) new on Blu-ray from Deaf Crocodile and Vinegar Syndrome. This is an interesting piece of cinema that also deserves a look.

Last but not least, Dennis has offered his thoughts on Graham Mason’s Inspector Ike (2020), which presents itself as a “lost 70s telefilm” and detective story spoof, a-la The Naked Gun. That’s available on Blu-ray from Factory 25 via Vinegar Syndrome, so be sure to check it out.

Now then, the biggest box office hit of the year… and what is likely to be the biggest home media title of the year as well… has finally been made official: Paramount Home Entertainment will release Joseph Kosinski’s Top Gun: Maverick on Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD on 11/1 (a date that our sources have been suggesting for a few weeks now). But here’s the real surprise: The Digital release will drop next Tuesday on 8/23! [Read on here...]

We’ve got a bit of exclusive breaking news for you this morning here at The Bits, and as promised it’s a 4K Ultra HD announcement…

Sony Picture Home Entertainment is releasing Rob Reiner’s A Few Good Men on the 4K Ultra HD format on 11/7, only at Best Buy stores as a retail exclusive.

Nominated for 4 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, the film stars Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, Demi Moore, Kevin Bacon, Kiefer Sutherland, and Kevin Pollack. [Read on here…]

“[The failure of Far and Away] taught Ron Howard that even in a star-driven vehicle, the story must be strong, and that action and character elements must be well integrated in order to achieve a successful outcome.” — Ron Howard: From Mayberry to the Moon… and Beyond author Beverly Gray

The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective article commemorating the silver anniversary of the release of Far and Away, Ron Howard’s 70mm Irish immigrant epic starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. [Read on here...]

“Up there with the best of the best.”

The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective article commemorating the 30th anniversary of the release of Top Gun, the popular military action-drama starring Tom Cruise, Kelly McGillis, Val Kilmer, and Anthony Edwards.

Top Gun, directed by Tony Scott (The Hunger, Crimson Tide) and produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer (Flashdance, Beverly Hills Cop), opened 30 years ago this week.

To mark the occasion, The Bits features a compilation of box-office data that places the movie’s performance in context, passages from vintage film reviews, a list of the 70-millimeter “showcase” presentations, and, finally, an interview segment with documentarian and Tony Scott associate, Charles de Lauzirika.  [Read on here...]

What began as an idea in the Middle East transformed into a visual story on the big screen.  Oblivion took shape inside the mind of director Joe Kosinski, leaped onto the pages of a graphic novel and ended up as a science-fiction movie with Tom Cruise.

THE BIRTH OF OBLIVION

“It came at a time where I was having trouble getting my foot in the door in the commercial music video business,” said Kosinski.  Out of frustration, he wrote the story of a man digging into the past, our present, to find his humanity.  “I had this idea of what would it be like to be the last man on Earth, to be kind of the one looking back at the world we know,” he said. […]

Afternoon, folks!  We’ve got a couple good things in store for you today…

First up here at the site this afternoon, our very own Dr. Jahnke has kicked off his new weekly Burnt Offerings column here at The Bits in which he plans to run down the latest MOD/DVD-R release and announcement news, specifically including the list of titles newly added to the Warner Archive each week.  Going forward, Jahnke also plans to cover news about all the other different major studio MOD programs as well.  He’ll also review a new MOD title each week – this week’s column features a review of Warner Archive’s Sincerely Yours on DVD-R.  And as always, you can always contact Adam with comments, thoughts, encouragement and input here.  We hope you enjoy it!