This week, the Warner Archive Collection brings a number of terrific Paramount titles back into print. None of these are new to DVD but there are some gems here, so if you missed them, now you can pick them up without breaking the bank.

More importantly, to the best of my knowledge these are the first Paramount titles to come out under the Warner Archive label. The possibility of diving deeper into the catalog and releasing some long-awaited Paramount-owned Most Wanted picks is a tantalizing one indeed. Keep your fingers crossed.

All right, we’ve got a couple things for you today here at The Bits…

First up, the good Dr. Jahnke has posted a new Burnt Offerings column featuring an update on all the latest MOD/DVD-R release news from Warner Archive and others.  He’s also reviewed another new DVD-R title from Warner Archive – The Decks Ran Red.  Do check it out.

Also today, Mario has turned in a new Inside Cinema column with a look at Disney’s newly-updated D23 website.  If you’re into Disney history – not to mention The Muppets and other Disney-related content (eventually to include Star Wars franchise material as well) – it’s worth checking out.

It’s more than a grand redesign:  Disney’s D23.com website now offers more content, archival and new, than ever before.

It’s 98% brand new, filled with countless articles and over three million images from the Disney library.  D23 is user friendly, combining unearthed treasures and new materials.  Jeffrey Epstein, Disney’s Manager of Marketing, said the idea for the change to D23 was to take what fans loved about the website and add much more to the experience.

We’ve got just a quick update today, however we do have another new Blu-ray Disc review for you…

Our own Tim Salmons has given Paramount and David Chase’s Not Fade Away a look.  As it happens, the film stars the late James Gandolfini.  It’s definitely worth checking out.

In announcement news, Warner Home Video has set Paramount’s Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life and Stalag 17 for Blu-ray release on 10/8.

We’re closing out the week with a trio of new Blu-ray reviews for you…

First up, I’ve checked out HBO’s Deadwood: The Complete Series box set – a great show in great quality that’s well worth a look.

Next up, Tim Salmons has reviewed Warner’s new Jack the Giant Slayer on Blu-ray for you.  It’s a more entertaining film than most critics gave it credit for… provided you switch off your brain before you press play.

And Jeff Kleist has given Warner’s Blu-ray 3D version of Jack the Giant Slayer a look too.  Don’t miss it!

Here at The Bits today, our own Todd Doogan has just turned in a new review of Criterion’s fine The Samurai Trilogy box on Blu-ray Disc.  They’re great films, worthy of any fan of the genre.  Criterion’s done a nice job on them as always, so don’t miss them!

In other news today, 20th Century Fox has set Danny Boyle’s Trance for release on Blu-ray and DVD on 7/23.  The Blu-ray will include deleted scenes, 7 featurettes (The Power of Suggestion: Making Trance, Kick Off, Danny’s Film Noir, Hypnotherapy, The Look, The Final Rewrite and Danny Boyle Retrospective), along with Spencer Susser’s short film Eugene, the theatrical trailer, the Trance Unraveled Easter egg and a UltraViolent digital copy.  See the cove art below.

All right, let’s get the new week started…

First of all, Jeff Kleist has turned in a review of Shout! Factory’s terrific new Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids: The Complete Series DVD box set, which arrives in stores tomorrow.  If you’re a fan of the series, it’s well worth your time and money.  Enjoy the review!

Also today, 20th Century Fox has set Francis Ford Coppola’s Twixt for release on Blu-ray and DVD on 7/23.  Extras will include Twixt: A Documentary by Gia Coppola.

All right, so I finally saw Man of Steel last night… and I actually think it’s pretty damn good.  More on that at another time.  The point is, I wouldn’t be too surprised to see Blu-ray pre-orders for the film go live on Amazon in the next couple weeks, so be sure to watch for them.

Meanwhile, BD, BD3D and DVD pre-orders for Paramount’s Iron Man 3are now live on Amazon.  There are no official details or cover artwork yet, but they’re definitely up for pre-order so click on the links provided if you’d care to do so.

Before we begin today, I want to call attention to a pair of great new History, Legacy and Showmanship columns by our own Michael Coate that went up here while I was away: 007… Fifty Years Strong (featuring interviews with noted Bond franchise historians) and Cleopatra: The Roadshow Engagements (looking back at the roadshow history of the film on the occasion of its 50th anniversary).  Both are well worth your time, so do check them out.

All right, the big catalog news from the last week is that Warner and Paramount are releasing Friday the 13th: The Complete Collection on Blu-ray on 9/13 (SRP $129.95 – it’s just $91 on Amazon).  The set will include all 10 original films plus Freddy vs. Jason and the 2009 remake (7 of which are new to Blu-ray), 11 hours of all-new extras, a Killer Bonus DVD disc with additional extras, a 40-page book with excerpts from Crystal Lake Memories, a Cam Crystal Lake counselor patch and limited tin packaging.  You can see the cover art below.  Warner has also set Paramount’s Airplane II: The Sequel for BD release on 10/8.

[Editor’s Note: Just as I was completing this post, word came in that actor James Gandolfini has apparently died of a suspected heart attack while in Italy. He was 51. News of this is just breaking on Deadline Hollywood so visit that site for details. More on it tomorrow.]

Evening, folks. I hope this post finds you all well. I’ll be back with my regular news post tomorrow morning, to catch you all up on the usual release news and whatnot from the past week or so. We’ve posted a lot of content here at The Bits over the last week, but not much in the way of news. The reason for that is that I’ve been on vacation for the past 10 days in Alaska – the land of bears, whales and (right now) 19 hours of daylight. Sarah and I went with family on a little wilderness adventure to places like Skagway, Juneau, Anchorage and Denali National Park up near Mt. McKinley.