Just a very quick update for you today...

The big news is that Criterion has just announced their May Blu-ray and DVD slate, set to include Jean-Luc Godard’s Band of Outsiders (Cat #174 - BD - due 5/7), Delmer Daves’ 3:10 to Yuma (Cat #657 - BD and DVD - due 5/14) and Jubal (Cat #656 - BD and DVD - also due 5/14), Haskell Wexler’s Medium Cool (cat #658 - BD and DVD - due 5/21) and Mike Leigh’s Life is Sweet (Cat #659 - BD and DVD - due 5/28).  Nice to see some classic westerns get the spiff treatment from Criterion!

Also today, Shout! Factory has just set K9: The Complete Series for DVD releas on 5/7.  The series is based on the popular character from the BBC’s Doctor Who.

Shout! is also releasing a Dirty Mary Crazy Larry/Race with the Devil Blu-ray Double Feature on 5/28.

And Disney has just set Hayao Miyazaki’s animated Howl’s Moving Castle for release as a Blu-ray DVD Combo on 5/21.

Here’s BD cover artwork for a couple of the titles mentioned above (note that the Criterion titles aren’t available for pre-order yet but Howl is)...

And that’s it! Hope you all have a great weekend.

- Bill Hunt

More new announcements today… DreamWorks Animation has officially announced Rise of the Guardians for Blu-ray Combo and DVD release on 3/12.

Warner Home Video has set The Great Gatsby (1974) for Blu-ray release on 4/23 (SRP $19.98).

Sony will release A Dark Truth on DVD only on 3/5.

Shout! Factory has set Cold Prey II for DVD release on 4/23.  The film is the sequel to the Norwegian thriller Cold Prey.  Bet you couldn’t have guessed that, right?  Anyway, SRP is $19.97.  Shout! Factory has also set Route 66: The Complete Fourth Season for 5-disc DVD release on 4/2 – it’s available on ShoutFactory.com or Amazon.

Image and RLJ Entertainment will release Magic Journey to Africa on Blu-ray and DVD on 4/23.

Han’s Tooth Video is releasing Another Country on DVD on 5/7.  The film stars Rupert Everett and Colin Firth.

CJ Entertainment America has set Black Eagle for DVD release on 3/12.

Don’t forget that Anchor Bay and the Weinstein Company will release the Oscar-winning documentary Undefeated on Blu-ray and DVD next Tuesday, 2/19.

Also today, Criterion has made all of their titles available for free streaming on Hulu Plus today through Monday 2/18 – over 800 titles including hundreds that have never been released on Blu-ray and DVD in the States.  Do check them out.  (Though Criterion, we do still wish you’d re-issue the first two Zatoichi films on DVD in anamorphic widescreen like the others, thank you very much.  I’m almost to the point where I’m just going to purchase the Japanese DVDs – which are NTSC and anamorphic – and re-engineer them with English subtitles for my own viewing pleasure.  I have little hope of Blu-ray, sadly.)

And finally, Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln is now available for pre-order on 4-disc Blu-ray Combo, 2-disc Blu-ray Combo and DVD on Amazon.com (see the cover art links below), though no street date is yet announced.  That said, industry sources are suggesting a street date of 3/26.  Watch for official announcements soon.

Here’s the cover artwork for both versions of Disney’s Lincoln (though it may yet be subject to change), along with Warner’s The Great Gatsby…

Stay tuned (and Happy Valentine’s Day!)…

- Bill Hunt

All right, we’ve got lots of odd and ends to report announcement-wise today…

First, Paramount Home Entertainment has set The Guilt Trip for Blu-ray Combo and DVD release on 4/30.  Extras will include an interview with Barbra Streisand and Seth Rogan, a gag reel, deleted and alternate scenes and 4 featurettes (Barbra’s World, Guilt Trip: Real Mother of a Road Trip, In The Driver’s Seat and Not Really a Road Trip Movie).

Warner Home Video has set Maverick: The Complete Second Season for DVD only release on 4/23 (SRP $39.98).  The 6-disc set will include all 26 episodes.  Warner will also release LEGO Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu – Season Two on DVD on 3/5.

Lionsgate has set Abducted: The Carlina White Story for DVD release on 3/5.  Counting Cars: Season 1 will follow on DVD only on 4/16, along with The Haunting in Connecticut 2: Ghosts of Georgia on Blu-ray and DVD.  Finally, Assassins Run will arrive on DVD from Lionsgate on 4/23.

Well Go USA Entertainment has set director Jean-Marc Mineo’s Bangkok Revenge for Blu-ray and DVD release on 3/27.

Sony has set Lake Placid: The Final Chapter on DVD on 2/19.

Green Apple Entertainment has announced Sins for DVD release on 2/26.

Virgil Films will release Gun Hill Road on DVD on 3/5.

PBS is releasing American Masters: Philip Roth Unmasked on DVD on 4/2.  PBS has also set Masterpiece: Mr. Selfridge for release on Blu-ray and DVD on 4/23.

Image Entertainment will release State of Emergency on DVD on 4/16, followed by The Wicked on DVD on 4/30.

TLA Releasing has Sagat and Molly’s Girl coming on DVD only on 3/12.

Artsploitation Films has announced the acquisition of Horror Stories, Memory of the Dead and Wither for theatrical and DVD release in 2013.  Street dates are TBA.

Shout! Factory has announced the Scandinavian noir-thriller ID:A for release on DVD only on 5/7.  Shout! has also set the animated Kaijudo: Rise of the Dual Masters – Dragonstrike for DVD release on 4/30.  And the company also has Quincy M.E.: Season 5 coming on DVD on 3/19 as well.

Finally, Danger After Dark will release Death Penalty.com/Death Penalty.com: A New Beginning on DVD on 3/12.

Also today, given all of the TV promotional shorts and spots that Disney is currently running for Lincoln, one would expect it to be announced shortly after the Oscar broadcast on 2/24, probably for release in April.  Note that it’s set to be a Disney (Touchstone) release here in the States and a Fox release overseas.

Here’s a look at the Blu-ray cover artwork for Paramount’s The Guilt Trip, Warner Archive’s The Hudsucker Proxy (due to ship on 2/16) and Universal’s Hyde Park on Hudson (due 4/9)…

Stay tuned...

- Bill Hunt

We’ve got some good stuff for you today!

First up, our own Joe Marchese has just posted a new Blu-ray Disc review featuring Suddenly (1954) in high-def from Image Entertainment.  The film stars Frank Sinatra and the disc is now available, so enjoy!

Also today, Russell Hammond has completed the Release Dates & Artwork update for this week, featuring all the latest Blu-ray, DVD and Video Game cover artwork and Amazon.com pre-order links.  As always, you can help support our work here at The Bits by ordering stuff (pretty much anything) from Amazon after clicking through to them from our links and we really do appreciate it!

In announcement news today, Universal Studios Home Entertainment has officially set Les Misérables (2012) for Blu-ray Combo and DVD release on 3/22 (SRP $34.98 and $29.98).  Both versions will include audio commentary with director Tom Hooper, 3 featurettes (The Stars of Les Misérables, Creating the Perfect Paris and The Original Masterwork: Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables) and the usual Digital Copy, UltraViolet and interactive options.  To this, the Blu-ray will exclusively add 4 additional featurettes (Les Misérables Singing Live, Battle at the Barricade, The West End Connection and Les Misérables on Location).  You’ll find the cover artwork below.

Also we’ve got another big title announcement for you today:  Sony has just set Zero Dark Thirty for release on Blu-ray Combo and DVD on 3/19 (SRP $40.99 and $30.99).  Extras will include 4 documentary featurettes (No Small Feat, The Compound, Geared Up and Targeting Jessica Chastain) and that’s it.  Again, see the cover artwork below.

Meanwhile, Warner Home Video has set New Line’s Driven (the Stallone film) and Running Scared for Blu-ray release on 6/11 (SRP $19.98).

And Lionsgate has set Gamer for re-issue as a Blu-ray 3D release on 5/7.

Here’s a look at the BD cover art for Universal’s Les Misérables, Sony’s Zero Dark Thirty and Lionsgate’s Gamer 3D…

Don’t forget that Skyfall officially hits stores on Blu-ray and DVD today.  Stay tuned!

- Bill Hunt

All right, first things first today… our own Jeff Kleist has turned in a review of Echo Bridge and Miramax’s Fortress on Blu-ray.  The disc is currently available only as a Best Buy exclusive but will become widely available on 5/7.  Enjoy!

Now then… Warner Archive is starting to take pre-orders on select limited “manufactured in small batches” Blu-ray titles and the first up is the Coen Brothers’ The Hudsucker Proxy!  SRP is $19.95 and the disc is expected to start shipping on 2/26.  There’s no word on extras if any (perhaps a trailer) but audio will be in DTS-HD 2.0.  We expect more titles to be available soon. [Editor’s Update: Hudsucker is actually the third such title after Gypsy and Deathtrap - just FYI.]

Meanwhile, Warner Home Video has officially set their Clint Eastwood: 40 Film Collection DVD box set and Clint Eastwood: 20 Film Collection Blu-ray box set for release on 6/4 (SRP $178.98 and $129.95).  You may remember that we first revealed these titles way back in October at Warner’s 40th Anniversary press event.   Each set will include the exclusive new Eastwood Directs: The Untold Story documentary in addition to all the bonus content on the individual film discs.  Click here for the complete list of titles.

Warner is also releasing A&E’s Longmire: The Complete First Season on DVD only on 5/28.  The 2-disc set will include all 10 episodes along with The Slow Burn: Shooting Longmire featurette, a still gallery and deleted scenes.  Presumably that means the second season will start airing on A&E in June.

Speaking of the Coen Brothers, Shout! Factory is getting ready to release Sam Raimi’s Crimewave on Blu-ray/DVD Combo on 5/14 (SRP $26.99).  The film was written by the Coens.  Bonus content is still TBA.

Shout! has also officially announced the DVD release of the animated Beetlejuice: The Complete Series on 5/28.  The 12-disc set will include all 94 episodes.  Note that this set will only be available at Amazon.com.  See the cover artwork below.

In other news, Sony has set Rust and Bone for Blu-ray and DVD on 3/19.  Extras audio commentary with director/writer Jacques Audiard and co-writer Thomas Bidegain, 6 deleted scenes with commentary and 3 featurettes (Making Rust and Bone: A Film by Antonin Peretjatko, VFX Breakdown by Mikros and On the Red Carpet: Toronto International Film Festival).

Sony has also set Pegasus vs. Chimera for DVD only release on 4/23.

Anchor Bay Films has set Girls Against Boys for Blu-ray and DVD release on 2/26.  The film was an official selection at the 2012 SXSW Film Festival.  Extras will include audio commentary.

Anchor Bay has also set Pawn for Blu-ray Combo and DVD release on 4/23 (SRP $29.99 and $24.98).  Both will include a behind-the-scenes featurette.

Lionsgate and Miramax are releasing Robert Rodriguez’s Curandero: Dawn of the Demon on DVD only on 3/12.

Here’s a look at the cover art for Sony’s Rust and Bone Blu-ray, Warner’s Fringe: The Complete Series (due 5/7) and Shout! Factory’s Beetlejuice: The Complete Series DVD…

Stay tuned...

- Bill Hunt

All right, we’re rounding out the week with a bit more announcement news…

First up, Lionsgate has officially announced the DVD only release of Night of the Living Dead: Resurrection on 4/30 (SRP $26.98), as well as the Blu-ray release of Strictly Ballroom the same day (SRP $14.99 – we posted the cover art for this one a couple days ago).  Night of the Living Dead: Resurrection will include audio commentary with director/co-writer James Plumb, director of photography/co-editor James Morrissey, 1st assistant director Victoria Rodway, sound recordist Paul Brookes and actress Mel Stevens.  Strictly Ballroom will include 2 featurettes (Strictly Ballroom: From Stage to Screen, Samba to Slow Fox Dance), a deleted scene, a design gallery and audio commentary with director Baz Luhrmann, production designer Catherine Martin and choreographer John “Cha Cha” O’Connell.

For you music fans, Eagle Rock Entertainment has set Pat Metheny Group: We Live Here – Live in Japan for DVD only release on 3/12 (SRP $14.98).

Disney will release Private Practice: The Complete Sixth Season on DVD on 5/7 (SRP $39.99).  Extras will include outtakes, deleted scenes and the Saying Our Goodbyes featurette.

Blue Underground has announced a 4-film Spaghetti Westerns Unchained DVD box set for release on 5/21 (SRP $29.98), set to include Django, Django Kill... If You Live, Shoot!, Keoma and Texas, Adios.  The set will include interview featurettes, commentary, trailers and still galleries.  Also coming on that day from Blue is director Giancarlo Santi’s Grand Duel on DVD, staring Lee Van Cleef (SRP $14.98).  It’s mastered from a new HD transfer of the original negative, and will include commentary, a trailer and a Spaghetti Westerns trailer reel.

Warner Home Video has announced a 5-film Hats Off to Dr. Seuss: Collector’s Edition for release on both Blu-ray and DVD on 2/19 (SRP $59.99 and $44.98).  The set will include The Lorax, Green Eggs and Ham and Other Stories, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, The Cat in the Hat and Horton Hears a Who!, along with new original bonus content and a booklet of rare Dr. Seuss artwork.

And Warner has also announced official release details for their forthcoming Tom and Jerry: The Golden Collection – Volume 2, which is due on Blu-ray and DVD on 6/11 (SRP $34.99 and $26.99 – we posted the BD cover art yesterday).  The 2-disc set will officially include 42 remastered shorts plus bonus content.  The shorts included are Polka-Dot Puss, Nit-Witty Kitty, The Little Orphan, Cat Napping, Hatch Up Your Troubles, The Flying Cat, Heavenly Puss, The Duck Doctor, The Cat and the Mermouse, The Two Mouseketeers, Love that Pup, Smitten Kitten, Jerry’s Diary, Triplet Trouble, Tennis Chumps, Little Runaway, Little Quacker, Fit to be Tied, Saturday Evening Puss, Push-Button Kitty, Texas Tom, Cruise Cat, Jerry and the Lion, The Dog House, Safety Second, The Missing Mouse, Tom and Jerry in the Hollywood Bowl, Jerry and Jumbo, The Framed Cat, Johann Mouse, Cue Ball Cat, That’s My Pup!, Jerry and the Goldfish, Just Ducky, Jerry’s Cousin, Two Little Indians, Sleepy-Time Tom, Life with Tom, His Mouse Friday, Puppy Tale, Slicked-Up Pup and Posse Cat.

Finally, we’d like to take a moment to acknowledge the passing of legendary film make-up artist Stuart Freeborn, who passed away in London on Tuesday at the age of 98.  Freeborn is of course best known as the co-creator of Yoda of Star Wars fame, though he also crafted the look of key characters in Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove , Fagin from David Lean’s version of Oliver Twist and the infamous “Dawn of Man” ape sequence from 2001: A Space Odyssey.  He will surely be missed.  More here at The New York Times.

Stay tuned...

- Bill Hunt

All right, we’re working on more BD reviews which we hope to have up over the next couple days.

Meanwhile, in announcement news today... Warner Home Video has officially set National Lampoon’s Vacation: 30th Anniversary Edition and National Lampoon’s Vegas Vacation for Blu-ray Disc release on 5/21 (SRP $19.98 each).  We’ve mentioned extras details previously.

HBO has just set Aaron Sorkin’s The Newsroom: The Complete First Season for Blu-ray and DVD release on 6/11 (SRP $79.98 and $59.99).  Extras on the Blu-ray will include episodic previews and recaps, deleted scenes, 2 featurettes  (The Rundown and Mission Control) and 5 audio commentaries with the cast and crew including Aaron Sorkin, Alan Poul, Jeff Daniels, Sam Waterston, Emily Mortimer and more.

HBO has also set the photojournalism documentary series Witness (produced by Michael Mann and directed by David Frankham) for DVD only release on 5/7 (SRP $19.98).

Shout! Factory has set Crimewave (1985) for Blu-ray Combo release on 5/14, followed by Captain America (1990) and The Burning (1981) on Blu-ray Combo on 5/21.

And Sony has set director Jonas Akerlund’s Small Apartments for Blu-ray and DVD release on 4/16.

Also today, CBS has just posted trailers for the Blu-ray release of Star Trek: The Next Generation – The Best of Both Worlds (due 4/30) and Star Trek: Enterprise – Season One (due 3/26) on YouTube.  Here’s a look (be sure to select 1080p for the best quality)…

Here’s a look at the Blu-ray cover art for both of Warner’s Vacation titles plus their Tom & Jerry: Golden Collection – Volume Two (due 6/11), HBO’s The Newsroom , Shout!’s Captain America and Paramount’s Star Trek: The Next Generation – The Best of Both Worlds (which is now available for pre-order on Amazon.com by clicking on the links)…

Stay tuned!

- Bill Hunt

All right, our own Russell Hammond has once again posted the weekly update of the Release Dates and Artwork section chock full of all the latest Blu-ray, DVD and Video Game cover artwork and Amazon.com pre-order links.  Don’t forget, anything at all (movies, books, electronics, whatever) that you order from Amazon after clicking through to them through our links helps to support our work here at The Bits and we really do appreciate it.

Here at the site this afternoon, we’ve got a new disc review for you.  Tim Salmons has checked out Universal’s recent End of Watch on Blu-ray Combo, and has found it to be well worth your time.  It’s now available in stores, so do check it out.  And check back tomorrow for another BD review as well.

In announcement news today, some of you TV fans are going to go nuts over this news:  Time Life has revealed that they’re exclusively releasing China Beach: The Complete Series online as a 21-disc DVD collector’s set (SRP $199.95).  Pre-orders are now open only on the ChinaBeachonDVD.com website.  All 62 episodes will be included along with 10 hours worth of extras including cast reunion videos, interviews with the cast and crew, audio commentary tracks, featurettes and a 36-page book called Tales from the Five & Dime.  A special 25th Anniversary Collector’s Edition of the series will also be available (SRP $274.95) that adds 3 complete scripts signed by the entire cast, 4 8x10 cast photos and special packaging.  Here’s a look (click the image to visit the official site)...

Meanwhile, Universal has set Hyde Park on Hudson for Blu-ray Combo and DVD release on 4/9.  The film stars Bill Murray (as President Franklin D. Roosevelt) and Laura Linney.

Universal has also set the documentary Planet Ocean for Blu-ray and DVD release on 4/9.  The discs will include a trio of bonus featurettes.

Here’s something exciting:  Magnet Releasing has officially obtained the rights to the recent science fiction/horror film Europa Report.  Looks like they’re planning a limited theatrical release followed by digital distribution, Blu-ray and DVD.  We’ll let you know when we hear more.

Warner Home Video has set Steven Spielberg Presents Tiny Toon Adventures: Volume 4 for DVD only release on 5/28 (SRP $19.97).  It will include 16 more episodes of the series on 2 discs, including Flea for Your Life, The Return of Batduck, Toons Take Over, Toons from the Crypt, Two-Tone Town, Buster’s Directorial Debut, Washingtoon, Toon TV, Grandma’s Dead, Music Day, The Horror of Slumber Party Mountain, Sports Shorts, Weekday Afternoon Live, A Cat’s Eye View, Best of Buster Day and It’s a Wonderful Tiny Toon Christmas Special.

20th Century Fox Home Entertainment has set the Jack Palance classic Panic in the Streets for Blu-ray release on 3/26.

Paramount will release Cirque Du Soleil: Worlds Away on Blu-ray 3D Combo, Blu-ray Combo and DVD on 3/12.

We’ve teased it before, but Shout! Factory has now officially set Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swan for Blu-ray release on 3/19.  Extras will audio commentary with director William Dear, interviews with producer Michael Nesmith and Dear, and a storyboard gallery.

Shout! has also set the documentary film Jackie Robinson: My Story for release on DVD only on 4/2.

Our friends at Hen’s Tooth Video have informed us that their upcoming DVD re-issue of The Navigator (1988) is finally presented in anamorphic widescreen (at the proper 1.85:1 ratio) and the film elements were sourced directly from the New Zealand Film Commission.  So the disc should finally present the film in the quality it deserves.  SRP is $19.95 and we’ll let you know the official street date as soon as we have it.  [Editor’s Note: The street date is officially 4/30.]

BBC Home Entertainment is releasing Africa: Eye to Eye with the Unknown on Blu-ray and DVD on 2/26.  It’s part of their BBC Earth line-up of documentary programs.

And Lionsgate has set A Haunting in Connecticut 2: Ghosts of Georgia for Blu-ray release on 4/16, followed by Baz Luhrmann’s Strictly Ballroom on Blu-ray on 4/30.

Also today, if you happen to pick up a copy of Disney’s Peter Pan on Blu-ray (which hit stores on Tuesday), you’ll find a paper insert inside that teases the Spring 2014 release of The Jungle Book: Diamond Edition.  We’ve been waiting for that one for a while now.

Here’s a look at the cover artwork for Lionsgate’s The Impossible (due 4/2), Shout! Factory’s Timerider and Lionsgate’s Strictly Ballroom…

By the way, it looks as if listings for all three versions of The Hobbit are now up on Amazon.com (see yesterday’s post – the linked cover art) but BD pre-orders aren’t quite running yet.  We’ll let you know.

Stay tuned…

- Bill Hunt

Warner Home Video has just officially announced the Blu-ray 3D Combo, Blu-ray Combo and DVD release of Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey on 3/19 (SRP $44.95, $35.99 and $22.97).  Extras on all three versions will include the New Zealand: Home of Middle Earth documentary, 10 behind-the-scenes video blogs (Start of Production, Location Scouting, Shooting Block One, Filming in 3D, Locations: Part 1, Locations: Part 2, Stone St. Studios Tour, Wrap of Principal Photography, Post-production Overview and Wellington World Premiere), 5 theatrical trailers (Dwarves, Letter Opener, Bilbo Contract, Gandalf Wagers and Gollum Paths) and 3 videogame trailers (for The Hobbit: Kingdoms of Middle-Earth, Guardians of Middle-Earth and Lego The Lord of the Rings).  All three versions will also include UltraViolet.  Here’s a look at the official final cover artwork.  Amazon.com pre-orders are expected to start at any moment (we’ll update the cover links as soon as they go live)…

In addition, the film be available via digital streaming as early as 3/12.  Other important details: Warner Home Video has now officially confirmed that an Extended Edition will be available on Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray and DVD “in time for the holidays.”  Also, director Peter Jackson will offer fans the first sneak peek at the second film in the trilogy, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, in a live streaming event on Sunday, March 24th (at 3:00 PM Eastern/Noon Pacific) on the official website.  The film is due in theatres around the world on 12/13/2013.

Stay tuned!

- Bill Hunt

All right, just a very quick early update this morning to follow up on that Star Trek movie Blu-ray post from yesterday.  We’ve checked in with our sources – both officially and unofficially – and have confirmed that the classic Star Trek feature film Blu-rays that Paramount is reissuing on 4/30 are in fact the very same discs they’ve released previously.  These are just single-film editions of the same discs that were released in the 2009 box set.  None are new transfers and all are just the theatrical cuts only.  We know – Bones is grumpy about it too.  We had a feeling the press site was incorrect and that its indications that The Motion Picture was the Director’s Cut were too good to be true.  We’d hoped that the studio might take the opportunity afforded by the May theatrical release of Star Trek Into Darkness to re-issue the classic Trek films on Blu-ray with better HD transfers and maybe include the existing director’s cuts at some point, but that’s clearly not happening yet.  We’ll let you know if anything changes.

In the meantime, Star Trek: The Next Generation – Season Three and Star Trek: The Next Generation – The Best of Both Worlds are definitely coming to Blu-ray on 4/30 (the latter isn’t available for pre-order yet from Amazon in the U.S. but we’ll let you know when it is).  And obviously, Star Trek: Enterprise – Season One is officially announced for Blu-ray release on 3/26.  Here’s a look at the cover art for each of those confirmed releases…

One other quick bit of release news today: Holy Motors is set for Blu-ray and DVD release on 2/26 from Indomina Releasing.

More as it comes in.  Stay tuned…

- Bill Hunt