Displaying items by tag: Universal

All right, folks. This will be our last post until Wednesday next week, as it’s not only the long Labor Day weekend here in the States but by wife and I are also celebrating our thirty-second wedding anniversary. So we’re going to take a little time to relax here in sweltering-in-a-heatwave Southern California.

But, we’ve got a TON of release news to talk about, as well as a pair of new disc reviews to start things off today...

Stephen has turned in his thoughts on Gaspar Noe’s intriguing and doubly-experimental Lux Aeterna (2019) on Blu-ray from Yellow Veil Pictures via Vinegar Syndrome.

And Tim has posted his thoughts on Jeffrey Obrow and Stephen Carpenter’s The Kindred (1987), now available in a new Special Edition Blu-ray release from Synapse Films.

And we’ve got lots more disc reviews coming over the weekend and early next week, so be sure to check back for them.

Meanwhile, our friends at Via Vision Entertainment down under are releasing a Saw: The Ultimate Collection 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray set on 11/9 that’s not only comes in an exclusive “reverse bear trap” replica, but is limited to just 1500 copies. The 13-disc set includes Saw, Saw II, Saw III, Saw IV, Saw V, Saw VI, Saw 3D: The Final Chapter, Jigsaw, Spiral: From the Book of Saw, plus a Bonus Disc packed with extras. You can see the packaging at left. Be sure to visit their website here for all the details and to pre-order. [Read on here...]

We’re back as promised this evening with more upcoming catalog 4K Ultra HD news and rumors from our studio, industry, and retail sources. Keep in mind, some of these titles are not yet officially announced, so the dates and details are subject to change.

First of all, this is a title we’ve known is coming for a few months now and while it’s not yet been officially announced by the studio, we do have the final cover artwork from retailers: Universal Studios Home Entertainment is expected to release their Universal Classic Monsters: Icons of Horror Collection – Volume 2 box set in 4K Ultra HD on 10/11.

The set will include The Mummy (1932), The Bride of Frankenstein (1935), Phantom of the Opera (1943), and Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954). You can see the cover artwork at left and also below.

It’s also believed that the titles in the studio’s Volume 1 set—Dracula (1931), Frankenstein (1931), The Wolf Man (1941), and The Invisible Man (1932)—will finally be released as single-film SKUs, for sure in the UK and possibly in the US as well. We’ll post more as soon as the studio makes any of this official. [Read on here...]

All right, sorry for the lack of an update over the last couple of days. We’ve been very busy here at the site, working on reviews, preparing for some big upcoming reviews, and finishing a few more site upgrades. But the major reason is that there’s a ton of breaking and evolving release news to cover, and getting to the bottom of it all—collating all the details, checking in with sources, confirming key pieces of release information—takes a huge amount of time. But I’m always up for a challenge.

Before we get to that, however, let’s share those disc reviews we’ve been working on over the past few days...

First up, I’ve posted my thoughts on John Milius’ Red Dawn (1984) from Shout! Factory and also Colin Trevorrow’s Jurassic World: Dominion (2022) from Universal, both in 4K Ultra HD.

Tim has delivered a look at Joel Schumacher’s Flatliners (1990) in 4K UHD from Arrow Video, as well as John Carpenter’s Escape from New York (1981) in 4K from Scream Factory.

Dennis has reviewed a number of regular Blu-ray titles in the last few days, including Lon Chaney: Before the Thousand Faces – Volume 2 from Undercrank Productions, Josh and Benny Safdie’s Daddy Longlegs (2009) from Criterion, and Jack Gold’s The Tenth Man (1988) and Ken Hughes’s The Trials of Oscar Wilde (1960) from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

And finally, Stephen has delivered in-depth looks at Paul W.S. Anderson’s Event Horizon (1997)—a Steelbook release that’s getting hard to find here in the States—and Jeff Fowler’s Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022) both in 4K Ultra HD from Paramount, along with Michael Findlay’s Shriek of the Mutilated (1974) on Blu-ray from American Films via Vinegar Syndrome.

As always more disc reviews are on the way in the coming days. [Read on here...]

We’ve got three new disc reviews for you to enjoy today, all of them 4K Ultra HD titles…

Tim has offered his thoughts on Larry Cohen’s God Told Me To (1976), new from our friends at Blue Underground.

Stephen has taken a look at Bo Arne Vibenius’ Thriller: A Cruel Picture (1973) from the good folks at Vinegar Syndrome.

And Stephen’s also reviewed Shout! Factory’s new 4K UHD of Moustapha Akkad’s Lion of the Desert (1981), which streets next week.

More reviews are on the way in the coming days, so be sure to watch for them!

Now then, we have a little bit of release news from industry and retail sources, as well as an actual 4K UHD catalog announcement. Let’s get to that last one first… [Read on here...]

We’ve got some ground to cover this afternoon to start the week off right, including some major release news. First though, as always, some new disc reviews…

Stephen has given Ena Sendijarevic’s Take Me Somewhere Nice (2019) a look on Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome.

And Dennis has turned in his thoughts on George Seaton’s The Counterfeit Traitor (1962) on Blu-ray from Imprint Films.

Now then, the big news today is that Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has officially announced the Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD release of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore for release on 6/28 (SRP $39.98, $34.98, and $49.98 respectively), with the Digital release and HBO Max streaming debut expected on 5/30. [Read on here...]

Before we kick off the day’s release news here at the site today, be sure to check out Stephen’s latest Blu-ray review, which features the Miklos Jancso Collection on from Kino Classics. It includes 7 films made by Jancso from 1966 to 1974.

Now then, Paramount has officially set Tarik Saleh’s The Contractor for Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD release on 6/7. The Digital version is widely available now. The film stars Chris Pine and Ben Foster. AV specs on the 4K are TBA.

Universal has made Michael Bay’s Ambulance official for release on Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD on 6/14, with the Digital release expected next week on 5/23. Both the Blu-ray and 4K will feature Dolby Atmos audio. The latter will include Dolby Vision HDR as well. And look for extras to include 6 behind-the-scenes featurettes (Bayhem, Aerial Assault, Chase Capitol of the World, Pedal to the Metal, Finding Ambulance, and A Tribute to First Responders). [Read on here...]

We’ve got a quick update for you this morning with word from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment that the long-delayed Blu-ray release of Peter Jackson’s The Beatles: Get Back documentary has finally been rescheduled for 7/12, as we first reported a couple of days ago.

The title had originally been set to street on 2/8, but was pulled at the last minute due to an unspecified problem with the audio mix (after review discs had already been dispatched to members of the press, and after some discs had briefly made it to retail shelves as well).

The error required the discs to be corrected, but the packed replication schedule these days—not to mention the sheer number of discs that needed to be produced—meant a long delay. [Read on here...]

Today’s update is a quick one, with two more new disc reviews, two rather significant pieces of release news, and some additional release news as well. First, the reviews...

Dennis has turned in a look at Ronald Neame’s Gambit (1966) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, which stars Michael Caine and Shriley MacLaine.

And Stephen has reviewed Nadia Tass’ The Big Steal (1990) on Blu-ray from Columbia Pictures via Umbrella Entertainment’s Sunburnt Screens line.

A quick note: I’ve taken a bit of a break from reviewing discs myself as I’ve been focused on planning The Bits site upgrade that we’re going to be doing in the coming months. But I expect to get back to reviewing more in the next couple of weeks, and I’ll definitely catch up on specific titles then. So thanks for your patience in the meantime.

Now then... Disney has informed us today that their 2/8 Blu-ray and DVD release of the Peter Jackson documentary The Beatles: Get Back is being delayed. Apparently, the studio caught an audio glitch in the release at the last minute and needs to correct it. So just be aware of the delay, and we’ll post updates here direct from the studio when they reschedule the title with a new street date. [Read on here...]

We’re closing out the week today here at The Bits with a bit of announcement news, word of a few 4K title delays, and more new disc reviews.

First up, Tim has turned in reviews of Stephen King’s Children of the Corn (1984), directed by Fritz Kiersch and newly released on 4K Ultra HD by Arrow Video, as well as Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds which is new on 4K Ultra HD from Universal.

Also, Stephen has reviewed Nick Murphy’s The Awakening (2011) on Blu-ray from the Cohen Media Group, along with Nadia Tass’ Malcolm (1986) on Blu-ray from Umbrella Entertainment.

More reviews are on the way, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled for them.

Now then, the big announcement news today is that Criterion has just revealed their January 2022 release slate, which is set to include Thomas Vinterberg’s The Celebration (Spine #1108 – Blu-ray) on 1/11, Garrett Bradley’s Time (Spine #1109 – Blu-ray and DVD) and Richard Lester’s A Hard Day’s Night (Spine #711 – Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K) on 1/18, and Kirsten Johnson’s Dick Johnson Is Dead (Spine #111 – Blu-ray and DVD) and Jane Campion’s The Piano (Spine #1110 – Blu-ray and 4K) on 1/25. We’ve updated our 4K Ultra HD Release List and Criterion Spines Project pages accordingly. [Read on here...]

We’ve a little bit of release news to start the new week today.

First up, Shout! Factory has announced its December slate of titles, which is set to include...

Shirobako: The Movie (Blu-ray), Neon Genesis Evangelion (wide-release Blu-ray), and Krampus: The Naughty Cut (4K Ultra HD) on 12/7.

David Steinberg’s Going Berserk: Shout Select (1983 – Blu-ray) and Cartoon Saloon’s Irish Folklore Trilogy (Blu-ray – includes The Secret of Kells, Song of the Sea, and Wolfwalkers) on 12/14.

And The Vampire Lovers: Collector’s Edition (1970 – Blu-ray), Trog (1970 – Blu-ray), No Way to Treat a Lady (1968 – Blu-ray), and Lady in a Cage (1964 – Blu-ray) on 12/21.

Meanwhile, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has set Superman & Lois: The Complete First Season for Blu-ray and DVD release on 10/19. [Read on here...]