Displaying items by tag: Michael Coate

Well, folks... it’s a new year and time to get right back into the thick of things in terms of physical media news. And we have a bunch to catch you up on here at The Bits today.

Before we get started though, I wanted to call your attention to Michael Coate’s latest History, Legacy & Showmanship column here at The Bits, which we posted on New Year’s Eve. It features a great retrospective and roundtable interview with film historians celebrating the 50th anniversary of George Lucas’ classic American Graffiti (1973). Its 9 pages and 17 chapters are packed with great reading, so do be sure to check it out.

I’d also like to start the new year by with another quick Patreon pitch: If you believe in the work we do here at The Bits in support of physical media, we’d like to ask you to consider becoming a supporter of the site on Patreon. I’ve been sharing exclusive blog posts there, and it’s becoming a great little community—a fun and welcoming place to share your love of Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD with fellow enthusiasts. You can join for as low as $6 a month (or as much as you’d like to contribute) and it really makes a difference in helping us to grow and continue our work here at the site. So thank you!

Now then, the big news item this afternoon is that Lionsgate has just officially set Francis Lawrence’s The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes for Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD release on 2/13, with the Digital release due on 1/30. There will also be a Walmart-exclusive 4K Steelbook release on 2/13. The 4K and Blu-ray will include the following special features: audio commentary with Lawrence and producer Nina Jacobson, the 8-part Predator or Prey: Making The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes documentary (note that both the commentary and documentary are exclusive to the physical release), Rachel Zegler’s The Hanging Tree music video, the A Letter to the Fans featurette, and the theatrical trailer. You can see the 4K cover art at left and also below.

FYI, Lionsgate is also releasing John Woo’s Silent Night (2023) on Blu-ray and DVD on 1/30. The film stars Joel Kinnaman (of For All Mankind fame). [Read on here...]

Welcome to 2024, Bits readers!

So this exercise started out as an effort to compile Ten Favorite Discs of 2023 lists from each member of The Digital Bits team. But one thing led to another… and how do you pick just ten?

What we have instead is essentially just our individual picks for our favorite titles of the year that was in 2023. And with so many great titles to choose from—many of them all arriving at once—it’s almost certain that we’ve overlooked worthy titles.

But what follows is at least a great start for discussion. There are lists from each of us, along with any comments our team members felt like including with them.

And if you can think of great titles we’re missing here, please share them with us on social media! [Read on here...]

“American Graffiti is one of those films where a filmmaker brings his youth to the screen with such a sense of sweetness and genuine nostalgia, that his or her personal recollections somehow become universal for the audience.” – Gary Leva, director of Fog City Mavericks: The Filmmakers of San Francisco

The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this longform retrospective commemorating the golden anniversary of the release of American Graffiti, George Lucas’s popular film that nostalgically asked, “Where were you in ‘62?”

American Graffiti starred Richard Dreyfuss (Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind), Ronny Howard (The Andy Griffith Show, Happy Days), Paul Le Mat (Aloha, Bobby and Rose, Melvin and Howard), Charles Martin Smith (Never Cry Wolf, The Untouchables), Candy Clark (The Man Who Fell to Earth, Blue Thunder), Mackenzie Phillips (One Day at a Time), Cindy Williams (The Conversation, Laverne & Shirley) and Wolfman Jack (popular radio DJ), plus a small, early-career performance by Harrison Ford (Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark). The film was nominated for five Academy Awards (Picture, Director, Supporting Actress—Candy Clark, Screenplay, and Film Editing). In 1995 the Library of Congress selected American Graffiti for preservation in the National Film Registry as being “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.” Its most recent home media release, on 4K UHD, was in November of this year (but received less than high marks for A/V quality in most reviews).[Read on here...]

Afternoon, folks! I certainly hope that those of you who celebrate it have had a great Christmas holiday, and that the rest of you are enjoying the holiday season.

I’ve got just a quick update here for you today and I’ll post a little more as the week goes on. This time of year there’s typically very little news-wise worth reporting, but there are some odds and ends to cover.

First though, I want to catch you up on the latest disc reviews we’ve posted here at The Bits since our last news post last week. Now available for your reading pleasure here are...

My reviews of James Cameron’s Avatar: Collector’s Edition (2009) and Avatar: The Way of Water – Collector’s Edition (2022) in 4K Ultra HD from Lightstorm and 20th Century Studios.

Tim’s thoughts on Richard Donner’s Scrooged: 35th Anniversary Edition (1988) in 4K from Sony and George Mihalka’s My Bloody Valentine: Collector’s Edition (1981) in 4K from Scream Factory.

Dennis’ takes on David Gordon Green’s The Exorcist: The Believer (2023) in both Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD from Universal, as well as Oren Rudavsky’s The Treatment (2006) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber, and Richard Attenborough’s In Love and War (1996) on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection.

Stephen’s reviews of Charles Kaufman’s Mother’s Day (1980) in 4K from Troma via Vinegar Syndrome, Emma Tammi’s Five Nights at Freddy’s in 4K from Universal, and Ti West’s Pearl (2022) in 4K from A24 via Turbine Media.

And finally Stuart’s look at Succession: The Complete Series on DVD from HBO, Alain Resnais’ La Guerre est finie (1966) on Blu-ray from The Film Desk and Vinegar Syndrome, and Paul Lynch’s The Hard Part Begins (1973) on Blu-ray from Canadian International Pictures via Vinegar Syndrome. [Read on here...]

“Like all great art, people take from The Exorcist what they bring to it. For some it is a spiritual affirmation. For others it is simply a scary movie. For a few, it remains too challenging to watch.” — Nat Segaloff, author of The Exorcist Legacy: 50 Years of Fear

The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the golden anniversary of the release of The Exorcist.

Directed by William Friedkin (The French Connection, To Live and Die in L.A.) and based upon William Peter Blatty’s 1971 novel, the classic film chronicled a mother’s attempt to save her possessed daughter through an exorcism and scared millions of moviegoers in the process.

The Exorcist starred Ellen Burstyn (Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore), Max von Sydow (The Seventh Seal), Lee J. Cobb (On the Waterfront), Kitty Winn (The Panic in Needle Park), Jack MacGowran (The Fearless Vampire Killers), Jason Miller (The Ninth Configuration/Twinkle, Twinkle, ‘Killer’ Kane), and Linda Blair (Roller Boogie).

The film was nominated for ten Academy Awards (including Best Picture) and the winner of two (Adapted Screenplay and Sound), and for a period of time was Warner Bros.’ most successful motion picture, spawning a series of films and television series and, of course, no shortage of imitations and parodies. [Read on here...]

All right, as mentioned earlier, we’ve got more release news to cover today here at The Bits. But first some new disc reviews...

Stephen has checked out Paul Verhoeven’s cult classic Showgirls (1995) on 4K Ultra HD from Vinegar Syndrome, which features the film in 4K UHD and Blu-ray, along with an additional Blu-ray full of special features. Stephen has also reviewed Peter Greenaway’s The Draughtsman’s Contract (1982) on Blu-ray from Zeitgeist Films and Kino Lorber.

Also today, Dennis has offered his thoughts on George Cukor’s Little Women (1955) and Abe Levitow’s animated Gay Purr-ee (1962), both new on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection.

And Stuart has taken a look at the Norwegian legal drama Aber Bergen: Complete Series from MHz Networks and Kino Lorber, as well as Inés Toharia Terán’s Film: The Living Record of Our Memory (2021) documentary from Kino Lorber, both of them on DVD, along with the Warner Archive Collection’s Tintin and the Mystery of the Golden Fleece (1961) and Tintin and the Blue Oranges (1964) double feature Blu-ray.

Now then, speaking of Warner, Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment and DC Studios have announced the Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD release of the Netflix original series The Sandman: The Complete First Season on 11/18, with a Digital release expected on 9/18. Note that a second season of the series is already on the way from Netflix. The set will include all 11 episodes, along with a pair of featurettes (The Sandman: Behind the Scenes Sneak Peek and The World of The Endless). You can see the cover artwork at left and also below. [Read on here...]

“The Animated Series was the first real demonstration that Star Trek had a life beyond The Original Series. It was the beginning of a huge period of Trek merchandise and fan interest that eventually paved the way for the Trek movies and subsequent TV shows, and it was an Emmy-winning program that brought some of Trek's sophistication to Saturday morning.” — Jeff Bond, co-author of Star Trek: The Motion Picture—Inside the Art & Visual Effects

The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the 50th anniversary of Star Trek: The Animated Series, the first “sequel” show to Gene Roddenberry’s legendary 1960s science-fiction series.

For the occasion, The Bits has reached out to several Treksperts and animation authorities and even an original Trek writer, each of whom reflects on the series, its virtues, and where it stands in the Trek franchise. [Read on here...]

All right, we’ve got a few things to share with you today here at The Digital Bits...

First, our own Russell Hammond has completed a major new update of our interactive Release Dates & Cover Artwork section, featuring all kinds of new Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD cover artwork, with Amazon.com pre-order links! All of the latest title announcements are included and we’re going to be adding more every week to keep the section fully up to date. The section also now features an option to sort the displayed page results by format and even by Criterion titles! And as always, whenever you pre-order literally anything from Amazon after clicking through to them from one of our links, you’re helping to support our work here at The Bits and we really appreciate it.

Also, before we get to new release news for this afternoon, today marks the 46th anniversary of the theatrical release of George Lucas’ original Star Wars (1977). It’s also the 43rd anniversary of Richard Marquand’s Return of the Jedi (1983) and the 44th anniversary of Ridley Scott’s Alien (1979). So to celebrate the occasion, we’d like to call your attention to a few of our own Michael Coate’s History, Legacy & Showmanship retrospectives on these films here at The Bits:

A Force to be Reckoned With: Remembering “Star Wars” on its 40th Anniversary

Remembering “Return of the Jedi” on its 30th Anniversary

Celebrate the Love: Remembering “Return of the Jedi” on its 35th Anniversary

Still Screaming in Space: Remembering “Alien” on its 40th Anniversary

All of these are well worth your reading time and are filled with tremendous detail about the production and original theatrical release of these iconic films. [Read on here...]

Afternoon, folks!

This is just a quick and rare weekend My Two Cents here at The Bits in celebration of the fact that today marks a major movie anniversary: 43 years ago today, The Empire Strikes Back was released into theaters!

As many of you can attest firsthand, the event was certainly life changing for all those of us who were there to experience it as teenagers.

And to celebrate the occasion, I’d like to call your attention to a trio of great History, Legacy & Showmanship columns here at The Bits written by our own Michael Coate:

Empire @ 40: Remembering the Early 70mm Cut from 12/21/20.

Betting the Ranch: Remembering "The Empire Strikes Back" on its 40th Anniversary from 5/21/20.

The Force Defeated: Remembering "The Empire Strikes Back" on its 35th Anniversary from 5/21/15.

But that’s not all! [Read on here...]

All right, it’s been a busy couple of days here at The Bits, and we’re starting as always with more new disc reviews for you to enjoy...

First up, Stephen has taken a look a pair of titles, including Matthew Bright’s Freeway (1996) in 4K Ultra HD from Vinegar Syndrome, along with Dan Wolman’s Maid in Sweden (1971) on Blu-ray from Code Red.

Also, Dennis has reviewed Richard Pearce’s No Mercy (1986) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

And Tim has offered his thoughts on Douglas Grossman’s Hell High (1989) on Blu-ray from Arrow Video, along with the first film from Arrow’s fantastic Shawscope: Volume One Blu-ray box set. He’s working his way through the set title by title, and today he covers Jeong Chang-Hwa’s King Boxer (1972, aka Five Fingers of Death).

As always, more reviews are on the way all week, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled for them. [Read on here...]