Displaying items by tag: DVD

First things first today... some of you may have seen my reviews of Mel Gibson’s Braveheart and Ridley Scott’s Gladiator on 4K Ultra HD when I posted them late on Friday night, but if not... there you go. Both are coming out on 5/15 from Paramount in reference quality (or very close to it) and they’re certainly the best way to see these films yet bar none.

Also today, Tim has just posted reviews of Kino Lorber Studio Classics’ outstanding new The Outer Limits: Season One box set, along with Adult Swim’s Rick and Morty: Season 1 and Season 2, all on Blu-ray. Each of these titles are well worth a look.

In 4K Ultra HD catalog news, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has just set The Quick and the Dead for release on the format on 7/17. The 4K disc will feature Dolby Atmos audio and HDR10. It will also include the previous Blu-ray extras and will add 7 never-before-seen deleted scenes for this release. We’ve updated the 4K Ultra HD Release List here at The Bits accordingly. [Read on here...]

All right, this is just a quick post today, but it’s an important one...

First up, I’ve just completed my in-depth review of Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther in 4K Ultra HD from Marvel and Disney. As you probably already know, it’s a great installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and an interesting 4K release for a couple of reasons. Do check it out.

I’m currently working on a review of Universal’s The Incredible Hulk in 4K Ultra HD too (speaking of the MCU). What’s more, I expect to have my hands on Paramount’s Braveheart and Gladiator in 4K Ultra HD sometime today. So those reviews will be posted as soon as possible too. Be sure to check back for them. [Read on here...]

Okay… the first of our big 4K Ultra HD catalog reviews this week is in the works and we hope to have it for you bright and early tomorrow morning. First though, we need to take care of an important bit of site business. Please read on (and bear with us a moment)...

For over twenty years now, from the dawn of DVD to the rise of 4K Ultra HD, The Digital Bits has been a powerful advocate for home media enthusiasts online. From our unique position within the industry, we’ve shared our love and knowledge of film, advised our readers honestly and well through two format wars, helped to make the adoption of the latest home theater technology easier, and served as a bridge between enthusiasts and the Hollywood professionals that produce our favorite content.

But in recent years, our costs to operate The Bits have unfortunately increased, from contributors and equipment, to servers, bandwidth, even cybersecurity, even as advertising revenue has dropped all across the Internet (outside of social media), leading to the disappearance of all too many popular websites. When even an enthusiast-favorite company like Oppo can’t keep going in this climate, you know things are tough. Yet we think it’s incredibly important for us to keep fighting for the continued survival of physical media on behalf of all of you out there who love it. [Read on here...]

A little preface – I started writing my little nickel and dime pieces for the holidays not before December 25 but after. And I’ll tell you why. How many of us receive as presents gift cards – they’re easily purchased and delivered. However, many have time limits and they’re incredibly easy to lose. Come on, you’ve lost a few, haven’t you?

So, I write up these fabulous video gifts because you have gift money to spend. And please do so.

When I was in the throes of graduation from Purcell Oklahoma High School about 40 years ago, we Seniors observed a tradition that I’m sure in some form or fashion was copied throughout the country – we had to complete a form that listed our personal “likes.” You know, favorite song, favorite type food, favorite movie, etc. [Read on here...]

As many of us already know, when you’re searching for a film that has been elusive as far as DVD and Blu-ray are concerned, looking elsewhere in the world might just yield you a copy of what you seek. To that end, on the other side of the globe (Australia to be exact), Umbrella Entertainment is releasing a number of hard to find titles, as well as upgrades of already existing ones. From the obscure to the mainstream, there’s always something in their library worthy of your attention.

For example, their recent Blu-ray release of Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films and Machete Maidens Unleashed!. It’s an exclusive title piled high with extras, almost none of which you’ll find on the DVD-only state-side releases. Be sure to check out our review of it as well. And while their DVDs are Region 4 encoded, ALL of Umbrella Entertainment’s Blu-ray releases are Region Free, regardless of what the online description or final packaging states. So no matter what your setup is, you can watch their Blu-rays. Speaking of which, here are several recent titles worthy of your attention. [Read on here...]

After a bit of an absence from the site, my annual Scream for a Week column makes its return with a batch of new great titles!

It’s been a few months since I’ve been able to do one of these, due mostly to some site work preventing me from doing so. Instead of mixing it up with both old and new content like before, I’ll be covering several recent releases instead.

Scream Factory has been putting out so much great content lately that it’s been a bit difficult to keep up with. Regardless, here’s a grouping of their more recent titles that we haven’t covered here at The Bits previously, with more to come in the future. [Read on here…]

When it comes to the depths of obscurity, few companies manage to put out consistently under the radar material like Severin Films, as well as Intervision Pictures. While the former deals primarily in everything from cult horror oddities to lost exploitation classics, the latter tackles many shot-on-video features from the late 1980s and early 1990s. Although both companies also occasionally do contemporary titles, little known and underappreciated cinema is their bread and butter. Some of each company’s most notable releases include Bloody Moon, Hardware, BMX Bandits, Santa Sangre, The Other Hell, Cathy’s Curse, Things, Murderlust, Phobe, and Sledgehammer, just to name a few.

Today, I’m going to cover some of their more recent releases, but I’ll start off with one we haven’t managed to include on The Bits before. [Read on here...]

Since the earliest days of American television, some programs thereon have become phenoms by lancing through public consciousness at the right time and place in popular culture.

You know the list – The Texaco Star Theater, starring Milton Berle, was the first show to become “must see.” The same moniker could also be used for I Love Lucy or The Honeymooners or The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson or even Saturday Night Live.

While these programs and a few shows like them, say All in the Family, breathed rarefied air, none caused a change in the public stratosphere like a comedy sketch show which started airing on NBC Monday nights in 1967, opposite The Lucy Show and Gunsmoke, Rowan and Martin’s Laugh In.

Now, to celebrate Laugh-In’s 50th Anniversary, Time Life Home Video has released Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In: The Complete Series – including every episode from all six seasons along with exclusive new bonus features and a free DVD. That’s 140 episodes on 38 DVDs. [Read on here...]

[Editor’s Note: This feature was first published on the original Bits website back on November 01, 2001. We republish it here for the enjoyment of those who many not have seen it before. We’d like to dedicate it to the memory of our friend George A. Romero.]

You know how they say it never rains in California? Well, they lie. What they mean to say is that it never rains in California... unless you really need to be somewhere. But they also say something about April showers, right? So on this appropriately gloomy morning in April, I’m racing up the 405 freeway in a heavy downpour, running late for an appointment. But not just any appointment. I’ve been invited to sit in on the audio commentary recording session for Paramount’s new Tales from the Darkside: The Movie DVD, with its director, John Harrison, and screenwriter, the legendary George Romero. Who could pass a chance like that up? Certainly not me. [Read on here...]

Welcome to a new edition of Pick-Ups!

I have returned at last to resume Pick-Ups after a notable absence, mostly due to site-related issues here at The Digital Bits. We’ve been doing some server updating and site modifications around here, all very technical and complicated I can assure you.

But now that we’re back up and running, however, I can finally get back to bringing you new reviews of some titles that we’ve neglected to cover previously.

This week is going to be a mixed bag for the column, so be sure to check back each day for new reviews. [Read on here...]