Items filtered by date: November 2009
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment announces Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey for 4K on 10/30
It’s official. Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has just set Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey for release on 4K Ultra HD on 10/30 (SRP $41.99).
The new 4K UHD presentation will feature high dynamic range in both HDR10 and Dolby Vision, with an image newly mastered from the original 65mm camera negative.
The 4K disc will also include both a remixed and restored 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack, as well as the original 1968 6-track 70mm theatrical audio mix (also in 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio format).
This will be a 3-disc set, with the film in 4K UHD, a movie Blu-ray Disc of the film (also remastered from the new 4K presentation), a special features Blu-ray Disc, and a Digital Copy. The packaging will include a collectible booklet and art cards featuring iconic images from the film. [Read on here...]
The Deer Hunter 4K (in the UK), plus GITS: SAC (also in the UK), new Shout!/Scream extras & a new Talking Blu
Today’s is a quick update here at The Bits as I have my mother visiting from North Dakota until tomorrow afternoon. Thanks for your patience!
Note, however, that I’m going to start posting my reviews of Paramount’s Mission: Impossible films in 4K Ultra HD tomorrow night and I should have them all up by the end of the week. We’ll have more new Blu-ray reviews from Tim as well.
Okay, with that out of the way…
In announcement news today, Studio Canal has just announced the UK release of a new 4K restoration of Michael Cimino’s The Deer Hunter that’s set for Blu-ray and Digital release on 8/20 and 4K Ultra HD on 10/15, both in the UK. It will also be released in theaters in the UK on 7/4. [Read on here...]
Criterion September, Predator & more 4K news, Uni Monsters, Warner TV, a new So-Cal Jaws exhibit & more
All right, we’ve got a few interesting things for you today...
First up, be sure you check out the reviews we’ve posted over the last couple days. To recap, my take on Sony’s Fury and Universal’s Pacific Rim: Uprising in 4K, plus Tim’s look at A Pistol for Ringo/The Return of Ringo from Arrow and Zombie 4: After Death from Severin. Enjoy!
Also here today, we’ve updated the Release Dates & Artwork section with all kinds of new Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD cover artwork and Amazon.com links. Shopping through our links helps us keep going here at The Bits, so please do (and we appreciate it)!
And we have a couple of 4K Ultra HD title updates for you. First, it looks like 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment is releasing the original Predator in 4K on 8/7. Zavvi currently has it available for pre-order in the UK on 8/6, and Amazon US has a new Predator Trilogy Blu-ray box set listed for 8/7, so it’s likely that the 4K disc will be available then as well. Zavvi is also listing a Predator 3-Movie Collection 4K set that would include Predator, Predator 2, and Predators for release that same day. We’ll have to wait and see if Fox announces this officially. [Read on here...]
Check out our reviews of Pacific Rim: Uprising in 4K, A Pistol for Ringo on Blu-ray & more
We’re working on a bunch of new reviews here at The Bits, so today’s update is going to be a quick one. But this morning we do have two reviews to start with for you...
First up, we have my thoughts on Steven DeKnight’s Pacific Rim: Uprising in 4K Ultra HD, which streets on 6/19 from Universal.
We’ve also got Tim’s take on Duccio Tessari’s 1965 spaghetti westerns A Pistol for Ringo and The Return of Ringo, both of which are now available together in a new double-feature Blu-ray from our friends at Arrow Video.
And if you check back early tomorrow morning, we’ll have my thoughts on David Ayer’s Fury in 4K Ultra HD from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, as well as Tim’s review of Claudio Fragasso’s Zombie 4: After Death on Blu-ray from Severin Films. Both of those titles are now available in stores.
Rest assured, we’ll catch up on new announcements tomorrow afternoon or Friday morning.
Stay tuned…
- Bill Hunt
(You can follow Bill on social media at these links: Twitter and Facebook)
Jack Reacher, Christine & Van Wilder in 4K, plus Young Sheldon, the final Universal Monster BD sets & much more
All right, we’ve got a LOT of ground to cover here on The Bits today. There’s lots of news to catch up on.
First though, I posted my reviews of Warner’s Tomb Raider (2018) and Disney’s A Wrinkle in Time in 4K Ultra HD here on The Bits on Friday.
Also, Tim has posted a review of Scream Factory’s new Ninja III: The Domination – Collector’s Edition on Blu-ray.
And in case you missed it when we posted it on Thursday, Michael Coate has turned in a new retrospective History, Legacy & Showmanship column looking back at the 007 film Octopussy in honor of its 35th anniversary.
So do give all of those a look. [Read on here...]
James Bond’s All Time High: Remembering “Octopussy” on its 35th Anniversary
“While Octopussy may always be fated to be best remembered as the Bond film that went head-to-head with Never Say Never Again, its real legacy was to reaffirm the relevance of the series to an increasingly sophisticated international audience that was being presented by a resurgent action movie genre which was offering whole new levels of cinematic spectacle and excess.” — 007 historian Thomas A. Christie
The Digital Bits is pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the 35th anniversary of the release of Octopussy, the thirteenth (official) cinematic James Bond adventure and the sixth (of seven) to star Sir Roger Moore as Agent 007.
Our previous celebratory 007 articles include Casino Royale (1967), Tomorrow Never Dies, Die Another Day, Dr. No, The Living Daylights, The Spy Who Loved Me, You Only Live Twice, Diamonds Are Forever, Casino Royale, For Your Eyes Only, Thunderball, GoldenEye, A View to a Kill, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Goldfinger, and 007… Fifty Years Strong.
The Bits continues the series with this retrospective featuring a Q&A with an esteemed group of James Bond historians who discuss the virtues, shortcomings and legacy of Casino Royale (1967). [Read on here...]
New Kino Lorber catalog announcements, plus Tideland, Phantasm, our Game of Thrones contest winner & more
We’ve got another new Blu-ray review for you today... Tim has taken a look at Severin Film’s Zombie 3 on Blu-ray Disc. Do give it a look.
Also today, I’m working on a bunch more reviews. On deck are A Wrinkle in Time, Tomb Raider (2018), Pacific Rim Uprising, Fury, and Escape Plan. Then I’m got a nice little batch of great Blu-ray 3D titles I want to take a look for you from the 3-D Film Archive.
And yes, I’ve heard you. After my post yesterday, I got about 100 emails and messages from Bits readers asking me NOT to skip reviewing Disney and Pixar’s The Incredibles in 4K Ultra HD. So for you guys, I’ll make an exception and try to get it posted as soon as I can.
If news posts this week get a little slim, that’s why. I’m really going to try and crank some of these reviews out as quickly as I can. And I want to spend some time with these 3-D titles. So keep checking back. [Read on here...]
Game of Thrones 4K review (and giveaway!), plus Isle of Dogs, Valley Girl, a new Dailies column & more
All right, I posted my in-depth review of HBO’s new Game of Thrones: The Complete First Season in 4K Ultra HD last night here at The Bits. I’m really surprised at how good it looks. Way better than I expected given the production resolution. It’s a genuine upgrade over the previous Blu-ray release in terms of A/V quality, so I recommend that fans give it a look.
We’ve got more 4K reviews coming soon and we’re also going to be taking a look at some interesting recent Blu-ray 3D titles thanks to our friends at the 3-D Film Archive. So be sure to watch for those.
One note however: We will probably not be reviewing Disney and Pixar’s The Incredibles in 4K Ultra HD. I picked up a copy of the disc this morning, and have found it to offer a modest (but definite) image and sound improvement over the previous Blu-ray release – probably enough for fans to want to make the upgrade. Note that it has Dolby Vision, HDR10, and Dolby Atmos audio. But Disney chose not to send this title for out review and we have a good number of titles to cover here that the studios (Disney included) have sent out for our consideration. With limited time at our disposal, we feel that we should focus our attenion on those. Just FYI. But if you’re a fan of the film, you might want to check the 4K edition out and Best Buy does have mighty nice exclusive Steelbook packaging. So there you go. [Read on here...]
Win a Copy of HBO’s Game of Thrones: The Complete First Season in 4K Ultra HD!
Thanks to our friends at HBO, we’re giving away ONE copy of Game of Thrones: The Complete First Season in 4K Ultra HD on The Bits’ Facebook page today!
All you have to do is follow the page (linked here), and respond in the comments section of this post (linked here) with your favorite quote from the show. (US residents only, please – sorry!)
The giveaway is open until 11:59 PM Pacific tonight. We’ll draw at random from all the entries up to that time and announce the winner here and on Facebook tomorrow morning.
Good luck!
- Bill Hunt
(You can follow Bill on social media at these links: Twitter and Facebook)
Dailies – Severin Films
When it comes to the depths of obscurity, few companies manage to put out consistently under the radar material like Severin Films.
Digging up everything from cult horror oddities to lost exploitation classics, it’s clear that little known and underappreciated cinema is their bread and butter.
Some of the company’s most notable releases include Bloody Moon, Hardware, BMX Bandits, Santa Sangre, The Other Hell, Cathy’s Curse, and The Devil’s Honey.
Today, we’re going to be taking a look at a few of their more recent releases, including many we haven’t reviewed here at The Digital Bits before. [Read on here...]