Displaying items by tag: Arrow Video

We’ve got some more new announcement for you today, including a few interesting ones. And we have new disc reviews today as well. But first, I saw Dune: Part Two last night. So let me just share some very quick and non-spoiler comments. Here’s my initial reaction posted on social media afterwards...

“You see a film like DUNE: PART TWO and you think: That’s either the last great film of a dying Hollywood, or proof that there’s still a bit of life left in this industry. Either way, it’s a wonder. And absolutely perfect. Don’t look now, but Denis Villeneuve has just casually knocked out three of the greatest science fiction films of all time. See it on the BIGGEST POSSIBLE SCREEN.”

I guess “three of the greatest” depends on whether you calculate Dune as a single film or not. But Arrival, Blade Runner: 2049, and the combined Dune adaptation are all superb. I would rank them right up there with Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner and Alien, and the Wachowskis’ The Matrix. Maybe I’d add Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind in there as well. All extraordinary pieces of hard science fiction cinema.

Honestly, if you liked Dune: Part One—and particularly if you loved Frank Herbert’s original novel, which is rightly regarded as the greatest work of science fiction literature—Villeneuve has just nailed the landing. [Read on here...]

More new disc reviews and more release news—that’s the order of business for today here at The Bits!

We start with Tim’s look at S.S. Wilson’s Tremors 2: Aftershocks (1996) in 4K Ultra HD from our good friends over at Arrow Video. Looks like they’ve done a nice job on this title, so do check it out.

Speaking of which, we’ve gotten a look at Arrow’s new Conan the Barbarian (1982) and Conan the Destroyer (1984) 4K Ultra HDs, and—by Crom—they’re fantastic! Watch for our in-depth reviews over the next few days here at the site.

Also today, we have another Toho Japanese kaiju 4K review from Stephen, who takes a look at Ishirō Honda’s Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964) on Ultra HD. Keep in mind, these titles do not include English subtitles, but there’s a workaround for that with certain models of UHD player. Stephen explains it all in the review.

In announcement news this morning, Neon has finally officially set the Blu-ray and DVD release of Michael Mann’s Ferrari (2023) for 3/12, with the 4K Digital release expected to drop tomorrow. Extras will include 5 behind-the-scenes featurettes, among them Michael Mann: Building the World, Building Perfection, The Mille Miglia, Adam Driver on Enzo Ferrari, and Penélope Cruz on Laura Ferrari. The Blu-ray will include Dolby Atmos audio. You can see the cover artwork at left and also below. [Read on here...]

All right, if you thought yesterday’s post was busy with news, we’ve got another banger for you here today! But first, the day’s disc reviews...

Stuart has offered his thoughts on Henri Verneuil’s I... for Icarus (1979) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

Dennis has reviewed Neil Burger’s The Marsh King’s Daughter (2023) on Blu-ray from Lionsgate.

And just one more thing... Tim has delivered his take on Kino Lorber Studio Classics’ new Columbo: The 1970s – Seasons 1-7 Blu-ray box set as well. Enjoy!

Now then, a quick note: All of the Criterion Collection April titles we shared the cover artwork for in yesterday’s post now have Amazon pre-order links, though the actual pre-orders have yet to begin. But that should happen very soon. We’ve added the links to our 4K Ultra HD Release List here at The Bits as well.

We’re starting today with exciting news for music, concert film, and Talking Heads fans: A24 is going to begin pre-orders for their forthcoming 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray Collector’s Edition release of Jonathan Demme’s Stop Making Sense (1984) on 1/27. The official street date and other details are still TBA. And per Variety, the film will return to IMAX theaters around the country that same day for month-long residence screenings. You can read more here.

Following up on yesterday’s news column, Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment and DC have just officially announced the Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD release of James Wan’s Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom on 3/12. The Digital release will be available on 1/23. Extras on all versions will include 7 featurettes (Finding the Lost Kingdom, Aquaman: Worlds Above and Below, It’s a Manta World, Necrus, the Lost Black City, Escape from the Deserter World, Brawling at Kingfish’s Lair, and Oh TOPO!). To this, the Digital version will add the exclusive Aquaman Through Fire and Water motion comic. And the Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD will also add the exclusive Atlantean Blood Is Thicker Than Water featurette. Note that the 4K Ultra HD will also feature Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos audio. You can see the cover artwork at left and also below. [Read on here...]

All right, we’ve got quite a bit of ground to cover today here at The Digital Bits. But as always, we’re starting first with some more new disc reviews. And they’re good ones...

Stephen has taken a look at a pair of 4K Ultra HD releases, including Walter Hill’s The Warriors (1979) in 4K from Arrow Video—an absolutely fantastic release—as well as Ishirō Honda’s original Godzilla (1954) in 4K from Toho, a Japanese import disc that has no English subtitles. But read on, because Stephen’s thoughts on it are well worth your time.

Now then, the first big piece of news we have today is that our friends at The Criterion Collection have just announced their April Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K UHD slate, which is set to include an update of Mathieu Kassovitz’s La haine (1995) (Spine #381 – 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray) on 4/2, an update or Peter Weir’s Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975) (Spine #29 – 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray) on 4/9, Béla Tarr and Ágnes Hranitzky’s Werckmeister Harmonies (2000) (Spine #1215 – 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray, Blu-ray, and DVD) on 4/16, Mikhail Kalatozov’s I Am Cuba (1964) (Spine #1214 – 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray, Blu-ray) on 4/23, and Nancy Savoca’s Dogfight (1991) (Spine #1216 – Blu-ray) on 4/30. Of the 4K titles, La Haine will include Dolby Vision HDR. [Read on here...]

This is the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday here in the States, so there’s not a lot of release news happening at the moment. But we do have a few things to report for you today, plus some new disc reviews including...

Stuart’s thoughts on Kino Classics’ Soundies: The Ultimate Collection Blu-ray set, featuring short films of the 1940s, and E.A. Dupont’s Picadilly (1929) Blu-ray from Milestone Films and Kino Lorber.

Dennis’ take on Miloš Forman’s Valmont (1989) and Robert Wise’s Odds Against Tomorrow (1959) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, as well as W.S. Van Dyke’s Tarzan the Ape Man (1932) on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection.

And Stephen’s look at Michael Mann’s Blackhat (2015) on 4K Ultra HD from Arrow Video, as well as Joel M. Reed’s Bloodsucking Freaks (1976) and Michael Armstrong’s Mark of the Devil (1970) in 4K Ultra HD from Vinegar Syndrome.

More reviews are forthcoming all this week, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled for them!

In announcement news today, Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment has officially set Blitz Bazawule’s The Color Purple (2023) for release on Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD on 3/12, with the Digital release expected tomorrow on 1/16. Extras will include 4 behind-the-scenes featurettes (including Creating The Color Purple: A Bold New Take on the Beloved Classic, Hell Yes! The Iconic Characters of The Color Purple, In the Flow: Creating The Color Purple’s Biggest Musical Moments, and A Story For Me: The Legacy of The Color Purple). You can see the cover art below. [Read on here...]

Good afternoon, everyone! We’re well into the week before Christmas now and—as seems to be true every year—the period right around the holiday tend to be packed with review work, as all of the big fourth quarter titles keep rolling in. Last week was certainly that way, and this week is proving to be no different. So with that in mind, here’s a look at...

Stephen’s review of Gareth Edwards’ terrific sci-fi tale The Creator (2023) in 4K Ultra HD from 20th Century Studios via Buena Vista Home Entertainment.

Tim’s look at Fred Dekker’s The Monster Squad (1987) in 4K Ultra HD form Kino Lorber Studio Classics, Andrzej Zulawski’s Possession: Collector’s Edition (1981) in 4K Ultra HD from Umbrella Entertainment, and ALF: The Complete Series on DVD from Shout! Factory.

Dennis’ take on Marcel Sarmiento and Gadi Harel’s Deadgirl: 15th Anniversary Edition (2008) on Blu-ray from Dark Sky Films via Unearthed Films.

And Stuart’s thoughts on Georg Fenady’s Arnold (1973) on Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome.

Of course, that’s not all. We’re still working on several more new disc reviews that we hope to share before the Christmas holiday. For my own part, I’m currently checking out Umbrella Entertainment’s new Frank Herbert’s Dune & Children of Dune: Collector’s Edition Blu-ray box set, and I expect any time now have the new Avatar and Avatar: The Way of Water – Collector’s Edition 4K Ultra HDs in hand for review. So watch for those and more in the days ahead. [Read on here...]

Afternoon folks! I just wanted to chime in here quickly this afternoon with a couple of quick updates.

I’m currently working on my 4K Ultra HD reviews of James Cameron’s Titanic and James Mangold’s Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, so I’ll be busy for the rest of the day on those.

In the meantime, we have three more new disc reviews for you all to enjoy this afternoon...

Tim has reviewed Roger Vadim’s Barbarella (1968) in 4K Ultra HD from the good people of Arrow Video.

Stephen has offered his thoughts on Stelvio Massi’s giallo Five Women for the Killer (1974) on Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome.

And Dennis has turned in his take on Larry Yang’s Ride On (2023), a Jackie Chan actioner on Blu-ray from Well Go USA Entertainment. [Read on here...]

All right, today’s news update here is going to be a quick one, as I’ve got a couple disc reviews to start working on this afternoon. But first, we’ve got a couple more reviews to share with you this afternoon...

Tim has delivered an in-depth look at Brian De Palma’s Carlito’s Way (1993), which is now available in 4K Ultra HD from our friends at Arrow Video.

Tim’s also just posted his thoughts on Menahem Golan’s Enter the Ninja (1981), a Cannon Films actioner new on Blu-ray from the good people over at Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

And I’m about to start work on reviews of Sony’s For All Mankind: Season One on U.S. Blu-ray, as well as their new 4K Ultra HD Steelbook release of David Anspaugh’s Rudy (1993), both titles I have a great deal of affection for. So watch enjoy today’s reviews, and watch for more here on Monday.

In terms of release news on this lovely Friday afternoon, Kino Lorber Studio Classics has just signaled that their long-awaited 4K Ultra HD release of Ivan Reitman’s Kindergarten Cop (1990) is going to street on 1/23/24. It looks like they’re just awaiting the final cover artwork to share the news on their social media, but we expect that to happen anytime now. And thanks to Bits reader Brian B. for the heads-up. [Read on here...]

We’ve got some interesting release news for you today, as well as updates on forthcoming 4K catalog titles we’ve been tracking for a while, and of course more new disc reviews. So let’s get to the latter first...

Our own Stephen Bjork has posted his in-depth review of Loki: The Complete First Season in 4K Ultra HD Steelbook from Marvel Studios and Disney. The short version is that the studio really does seem to have done this title right, in terms of AV quality, which bodes well for forthcoming Disney+ streaming series in 4K UHD.

Stephen has also turned in a look at Barry Levinson’s Rain Man (1988) in 4K Ultra HD from the MVD Marquee Collection.

And Stuart has delivered his take on Kino Lorber Studio Classic’s Audie Murphy Collection II on Blu-ray, which features Sierra (1950), Kansas Raiders (1950), and Destry (1954).

In terms of new release news, we’re hearing from retail sources that Universal’s forthcoming Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD release of David Gordon Green’s The Exorcist: Believer (2023) will arrive in stores on 12/19.

Lionsgate has also delayed their 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray release of Jean-Luc Godard’s Contempt (1963) from 9/26 to 10/24. Adjust your plans accordingly. [Read on here...]

Boy, we’ve got a lot of ground to cover here at The Bits over the next few days! It’s been very busy here around the office these past several days. For one thing, my wife and I have had family staying with us for the weekend. I’ve also finally replaced my defunct Epson 5040UB home theater projector here at The Bits with a brand new JVC DLA-RS1100/NP5, and have spent time installing and calibrating it. (I’ll definitely have more to say about that later this week, though I’ll just note for now that I’m very pleased with the choice.)

But I would like to take this opportunity to thank my good friends John Schuermann (of The Screening Room AV, the fantastic home theater design and equipment retailer well known for their annual Projector Shootouts) and Kris Deering (the outstanding ISF calibrator, formerly of Sound and Vision magazine as well as his own Deep Dive AV) for their help and advice in selecting the RS1100 and getting it up and running. (Your counsel is very much appreciated, my friends!) If you’re ever in the market for home theater hardware or calibration, there’s no better place to start.

Needless to say, while I’ve been occupied with all that, our dedicated team here at The Bits has posted a number of great new disc reviews. So let’s quickly run them all down...

First of all, Stuart has offered his thoughts on Anthony Mann’s A Dandy in Sapic (1968) and Abraham Polonsky’s Force of Evil (1948) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, as well as Suzanna Raes’ documentary Close to Vermeer (2023) on DVD from Kino Lorber.

Dennis has shared his thoughts on Peter Hall’s Three Into Two Won’t Go (1969) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, as well as Luis Valdez’s La Bamba (1987) on Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.

Stephen has delivered his reviews of Jean Renoir’s legendary classic The Rules of the Game (1939) in 4K Ultra HD from Criterion, along with Jiří Barta’s The Pied Piper (1986) on Blu-ray from Deaf Crocodile (via Vinegar Syndrome), and Ulli Lommel’s The Boogey Man (1980) in 4K UHD from Vinegar Syndrome.

And finally, our hard-working reviews editor Tim Salmons has posted his own take on David Lynch’s Lost Highway (1997) in 4K Ultra HD, also from Criterion.

As always, more new disc reviews are forthcoming all week, so be sure to check back for them.

All right… now let’s move on to the latest release news. And there’s quite a lot of it today. In fact, it’s fair to say that it’s going to be a very expensive Q4 for fans of Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD! [Read on here...]