Displaying items by tag: My Two Cents

As promised, we’re checking back in today with another trio of new disc reviews…

First, I’ve just posted my thoughts on Clint Eastwood’s rough yet riveting western High Plains Drifter (1973) in 4K Ultra HD from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

Tim has taken a look at Ardman Animations’ A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon (2019), new on Blu-ray from Shout! Factory.

And Dennis has delivered his take on George Marshall’s Fancy Pants (1950) on Blu-ray, also from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

More reviews are on the way tomorrow, so be sure to watch for them. [Read on here...]

All right, it’s been a week since we’ve had a news update here at the site, and the reason is two-fold: First, there just hasn’t been a lot of news to report. And second, given that fact, we’ve all been working hard on a TON of new disc reviews here at The Bits. In fact, I’ve personally pledged to post a new 4K Ultra HD review each day all this week here at The Bits. So we’ll start today with the ones I’ve completed so far...

Now available for your reading enjoyment are my reviews of Paramount’s Halo: Season One – Limited Edition Steelbook, Kino Lorber Studio Classics’ Mystery Men, and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment’s Elf and A Christmas Story, all in 4K Ultra HD. But the guys have been busy too...

To this, Tim has added his thoughts on Douglas Trumbull’s Silent Running (4K UHD) and The Count Yorga Collection (Blu-ray) from Arrow Video, the Species: Collector’s Edition (4K UHD) from Scream Factory, and Quiet Days in Clichy (4K UHD) from Blue Underground.

Stephen has contributed his takes on Married to the Mob (Blu-ray), Vortex (Blu-ray), and The Iceman Cometh (Blu-ray) from Vinegar Syndrome, Batman and Superman: Battle of the Super Sons (4K UHD) from Warner, Golden Boy (Blu-ray) from Imprint, X (4K UHD) from Capelight Pictures, and The Sporting Club (Blu-ray) from Kino Lorber.

And Dennis has offered his take on the Barfly: Limited Collector’s Edition (Blu-ray) and Storm Center (Blu-ray) both from Imprint.

As I said a moment ago, still more reviews are on the way all this week, so be sure to keep checking back for them. [Read on here...]

We’ve got three more new disc reviews for you today...

Stephen has taken a look at Ben Stiller’s uneven Vietnam war comedy Tropic Thunder (2008) in 4K Ultra HD from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

Dennis has offered his thoughts on Alexander Hall’s I Am the Law (1938) on Blu-ray from Imprint films.

And I’ve taken a look at Universal’s new 4K Ultra HD release of Robert Mulligan’s To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), with an assist by our old friend Dr. Adam Jahnke via his thoughts on the film itself.

We’ve got more new disc reviews coming all week, so be sure to watch for them. And tomorrow, we expect to have a brand new History, Legacy & Showmanship column from our own Michael Coate for you to enjoy—a nice longform read for cinephiles to distract from all the Election Day lunacy here in the States. So be sure to watch for that.

In announcement news today, 20th Century Studios and New Regency have set David O. Russell’s Amsterdam for release on Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD on 12/6, with the Digital release expected on 11/11. Look for the 4K to include HDR10 high dynamic range, Dolby Atmos audio, and one extra: Welcome to Amsterdam. [Read on here...]

I hope all of you are having a good and relaxing Saturday afternoon, or are at least enjoying the weekend in your own unique manner.

We’ve got just two quick news items to report for you this afternoon, a quick site update, and another new disc review to share with you. As always, the review comes first...

I’ve just posted our very in-depth review of Michael Curtiz’s classic cinema masterpiece Casablanca (1942) as newly remastered in 4K Ultra HD by Warner Bros. Motion Picture Imaging and released on physical disc by our friends at Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.

There are precious few films that—no matter how often you see them—you finish watching and just immediately think, “Well, that’s a masterpiece.” Casablanca is one of them. The film never gets old. It’s one of the all-time classics. There’s a real argument to be made that it’s the single best film produced in the Golden Age of the Hollywood studio system.

Longtime Bits readers will probably remember that our dear friend and Classic Coming Attractions columnist Barrie Maxwell—who passed away in 2012—wrote a terrific review of this film here at The Bits when it first appeared on HD disc in 2007. Barrie’s enthusiasm for the film shines through in every word, so I’ve taken his thoughts on the film and updated them to include my own commentary on the A/V quality and extras on Warner’s new 4K release.

Whether you’ve seen this film a hundred times or never before, it’s an experience that’s not to be missed, and the new 4K disc is certainly the best way to do so. So I hope you enjoy both the review (linked here) and the disc when you get your hands on it this coming week. [Read on here...]

Yes, it’s true!

This is information I first heard from industry insiders about six months ago, but was asked to keep quiet about to allow the work to be completed. But retailers are just now starting to catch wind of it, so I can unofficially confirm it here:

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment is planning to release Superman II, Superman III, and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace in 4K Ultra HD in early 2023!

Superman II will include both the original theatrical version and the Richard Donner Cut.

Our sources suggest that—like Superman: The Movie in 4K—all three of these will feature Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos audio, but we’ll have to wait and see.

Street date is still TBA on these officially, however we’ve been hearing Q2 2023, and Amazon UK has just leaked a 3 April street date for Superman III on their website (click here for that).

Do keep in mind that none of this should be considered 100% kosher and official until the studio makes their actual announcements in the weeks and months ahead. But Superman fans should be very happy around April of next year. [Read on here...]

All right, Halloween is here at long last, so we’ve got the remainder of our new Halloween Bag-o-Tricks disc reviews for you all to enjoy today! Since we last posted here on Friday, we’ve added:

Stephen’s thoughts on Le Binh Giang’s KFC (2016) on Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome, the Italian-import version of Joe Dante’s The Hole (2009) on Blu-ray from Medusa, Dario Argento’s Dracula 3D on Blu-ray 3D from IFC Midnight, and Simon Nuchtern’s Silent Madness (1984) on Blu-ray 3D from Vinegar Syndrome.

Tim’s take on Francis Ford Coppola’s Dementia 13: Director’s Cut (1963) on Blu-ray from the Vestron Video Collector’s Series, Amando de Ossorio’s Tombs of the Blind Dead (1972) on Blu-ray from Synapse Films, Chris LaMartina’s WNUF Halloween Special (2013) on Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome, the Universal Horror Collection: Volume 6 on Blu-ray from Scream Factory, The Halloween 4K Collection: 1995-2002 in 4K Ultra HD from Scream Factory, and Dan O’Bannon’s The Return of the Living Dead (1985) in 4K Ultra HD from Scream Factory.

Dennis’ look at Sean Donohue’s Blood, Guts and Sunshine: The History of Horror Made in Florida Blu-ray box set from Vinegar Syndrome and Tim Kincaid’s Mutant Hunt (1987) on Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome.

My own review of Jordan Peele’s Nope (2002) in 4K Ultra HD from Universal. [Read on here...]

The final week of October has arrived at last and so we’re celebrating the occasion here at The Digital Bits by kicking off our Halloween Bag-o-Tricks!

Each day all week and through the weekend, leading up to Halloween itself next Monday, we’ll be posting new suspense, horror, thriller, and chiller title reviews—great Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD titles that are perfect for sharing the mood of the season!

The whole Bits review team is pitching in with a mix of titles that includes more recent films, genuinely offbeat selections, and all-time classics as well.

As we progress through the week, we’ll list the available titles here on this page (below the break), and we’ll add new review links every day. So be sure to keep checking back. You can always click on our Halloween Bag-o-Tricks banner on the home page to access all the new entries. [Read on here...]

Today’s news update is a quick one here at The Bits today, but also a very good one for fans of a certain WB catalog film. More on that in a moment. First, we’ve got a bunch of new Halloween Bag-o-Tricks reviews for you to enjoy...

Tim has reviewed Tom Holland’s Fright Night (1985) in 4K Ultra HD from Sony, as well as the Universal Horror Collection: Volume 5 on Blu-ray from Scream Factory, Rouben Mamoulian’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931) on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection, the Suspiria: 45th Anniversary Soundtrack – Prog Rock Version on CD from Rustblade Records, and the Gothic Fantastico: Four Italian Tales of Terror box set on Blu-ray from Arrow Video.

And Stephen has chimed in with his thoughts on Shin’ichiro Ueda’s One Cut of the Dead: Hollywood Edition (2017) on Blu-ray from Third Window Films and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett’s Ready or Not (2019) on Blu-ray from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.

We’ll have more Bag-o-Tricks reviews tomorrow, Sunday, and of course Halloween Monday, so be sure to check back for them. [Read on here...]

Today’s round of Halloween Bag-o-Tricks title reviews kicks off My Two Cents here at The Bits today, including...

Stephen’s look at Shin’ichiro Ueda’s One Cut of the Dead on Blu-ray from RLJE Entertainment.

His review of David Schmoeller’s Tourist Trap: VHS Retro Big Box Collection on Blu-ray from Full Moon Features.

And Tim’s take on the 1980 British TV entry Hammer House of Horror: The Complete Series on Blu-ray from Imprint Films. Enjoy!

Meanwhile, the big news this morning—though it’s not yet official in the form of an actual press release/announcement—is that HBO will definitely be releasing its excellent House of the Dragon: The Complete First Season on Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD on 12/20.

Extras on the set will feature “over one hour of bonus content” including two exclusive featurettes: Return to the Seven Kingdoms and Welcome to Westeros (with Ryan Condal, Miguel Sapochnik, and George R.R. Martin).

The 4K/Blu-ray combo set will be available in two different wide-release product SKUs, one in regular packaging and the other in Steelbook packaging. You can see the wide release version at left and both below. Both will feature Dolby Vision HDR and HDR10, as well as Dolby Atmos audio. [Read on here...]

We begin today with our latest Halloween Bag-o-Tricks reviews for Tuesday, 10/25...

Stephen has turned in his thoughts on William Eubank’s Underwater (2020) on Blu-ray from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment—one of the last films the studio greenlit before the Disney takeover.

Dennis offers his take on Gerard Kikoine’s Buried Alive, aka Edgar Allan Poe’s Buried Alive (1990) on Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome.

And Tim has posted his review of Mario Bava’s Spanish-Italian science fiction/horror class, Planet of the Vampires (1965) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

So enjoy the reviews and be sure to check back for more of them here at The Bits tomorrow! [Read on here...]