Displaying items by tag: Kino Lorber Studio Classics

All right, we have several more new disc reviews for you to close out the week today, and a bit more release news as well...

To start, Tim has turned in his thoughts on Paul Schrader’s Cat People (1982) in 4K Ultra HD from Scream Factory.

He’s also reviewed Sam Raimi’s Army of Darkness (1990) in 4K Ultra HD in both wide-release Amaray and Steelbook packaging, also from Scream Factory.

Stephen has taken a look at Yugo Sakamoto’s Baby Assassins (2021) on Blu-ray from Well Go USA Entertainment, as well as Jack Cardiff’s The Girl on a Motorcycle (1968) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, and also Sergio Bergonzelli’s Blood Delirium (1988) on Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome.

And Dennis has offered his thoughts on Rick Rosenthal’s Distant Thunder (1988) on Blu-ray from Paramount via Imprint Films.

All of these tiles are worth a look, and as always more reviews are forthcoming in the days ahead. [Read on here...]

Today being a federal holiday here in the States, there’s not a ton of announcement news to report on this afternoon, but we do have a few interesting odds and ends.

First though, a couple more new disc reviews...

Dennis has posted his thoughts on John M. Stahl’s Imitation of Life (1934), which is new on Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.

And Stephen has taken a look at Louis Malle’s Pretty Baby (1978) on Blu-ray from Paramount via Imprint Films.

Now then... in announcement news today, Neon has confirmed that four of their recent titles—Ruben Östlund’s Triangle of Sadness (2022), Brett Morgen’s terrific David Bowie documentary Moonage Daydream (2022), Laura Poitras’ All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (2022), and Céline Sciamma’s Petite Maman (2021)—are all going to be coming from the Criterion Collection, presumably to Blu-ray and/or 4K Ultra HD. [Read on here...]

We’re rounding out the week here at The Bits with a few more new disc reviews, and some release news as well, including word of new 4K catalog titles, and updates on a title or two that we’ve talked about here previously in recent weeks. But first those reviews...

I’ve posted my thoughts on Wim Wenders’ stunning Wings of Desire (1987) which is now available in 4K Ultra HD from Curzon Film in the UK. The 4K remaster, which was done by the Wim Wenders Foundation, is absolutely stunning. Fans of the film may not realize this, but by the time the film was completed and being shown in theaters back in ‘87, the version we all experienced then was fully six generations away from original camera negative. But now, every inch of this film—save for the little bit of historical and newsreel footage that appears within it—is first-generation right off the negative. And it makes a huge difference, even over the previous Criterion Blu-ray. So if you’re a fan, this 4K release is definitely worth a look.

I’ve also reviewed Jack Ryan: Season Two on 4K Ultra HD, which was released last month on the format by Paramount (along with Season One which we’ve reviewed here). Season Three of the series recently dropped on Amazon Prime and we have word that it’s coming to both Blu-ray and 4K as well later this year.

Also today, Stephen has turned in his thoughts on Adam Rifkin’s The Invisible Maniac on 4K Ultra HD from Vinegar Syndrome.

And we have more reviews on the way as well. I’m personally working on Shout! Factory’s recent WarGames and HBO’s House of the Dragon: Season One, both in 4K Ultra HD. I hope to post those reviews over the weekend or early next week. And the rest of the review team is working on new titles as well, so be sure to watch for them. [Read on here...]

The big news today is that Walt Disney Animation Studios has just officially announced the first title in Disney’s planned 100th anniversary celebration this year. Mickey & Minnie: 10 Classic Shorts – Volume 1 will arrive on Blu-ray/DVD Combo on 2/7. Unfortunately, we don’t have the complete list of shorts yet (it wasn’t included in the press release—we have requested the details) but we do know this much:

“Included is the iconic Steamboat Willie, the first cartoon with synchronized sound, in which the character of Mickey Mouse was first introduced as a deckhand on a riverboat commanded by the tyrannical Captain Pete. Also included are Brave Little Tailor, featuring Mickey as a medieval tailor given a daunting task. In Mickey’s Delayed Date, the tardy mouse relies on his faithful pup Pluto to get him to a dance with Minnie. Hawaiian Holiday finds Mickey and his pals vacationing on a beautiful island. Then along with friends, Mickey and Minnie glide through a romantic date on a frozen river in On Ice. And catch five more delightful stories in this legacy collection.”

[Editor’s Update: Here are the other 5 shorts included in this release: Mr. Mouse Takes a Trip, Figaro and Frankie, Bath Day, Thru the Mirror, and The Little Whirlwind.]

You can see the cover artwork above-left. [Read on here...]

We’ve got another new disc review for you this morning...

Tim has taken a look at Peter Medak’s The Changeling (1980) on 4K Ultra HD from the good people of Severin Films.

And we have update on a few titles we’ve been talking about in recent days here at The Bits as well..

First, let’s talk Rocky in 4K Ultra HD... we’ve now learned that the first four films will be available in single-film 4K UHD Steelbooks at Best Buy, while other retailers will carry the 4-film Rocky: The Knockout Collection 4K Ultra HD box set on 2/28. This set will include Rocky, Rocky II, Rocky III, and Rocky IV in both the original theatrical cut and Stallone’s new Rocky vs. Drago: The Ultimate Director’s Cut. You can see the cover artwork at left. [Read on here...]

Welcome back from the holiday, Bits readers! We hope and trust that each of you were able to enjoy a great celebration with your family and friends.

Sarah and I have my mother staying here over the holidays, so we’ve been cooking up a storm, enjoying some great food, and watching lots of movies. I also just finished watching the season finale of HBO’s His Dark Materials—more on that in a moment—and I’ve started in on the new season of Jack Ryan on Amazon Prime. I still need to check out Avatar: The Way of Water at my local IMAX theater, but I’ll get to that soon enough.

We’ve got a new contribution from each member of the Bits reviewing team for you today, including...

Dennis’ look at Robert Mandel’s School Ties (1992) on Blu-ray from Imprint Films and Via Vision.

Stephen’s take on James Whale’s By Candlelight (1933) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

My thoughts on the new single-film 4K Ultra HD SKU of Wilson Yip’s Ip Man (2008) from Well Go USA.

And last, but certainly not least, Tim’s in-depth take on Peter Jackson’s The Frighteners: Ultimate Edition (1996) on 4K Ultra HD from our friends at Turbine Media in Germany! This is a pretty spectacular box set release, and Tim will tell you all about it in his review, so you definitely don’t want to miss it. [Read on here...]

Today’s post is going to be a quick one here at The Bits, but as always we have a few more new disc reviews, and some more good disc release news as well. First the reviews...

Dennis has posted his thoughts on Robert Benton’s Twilight (1998) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

And Stephen has offered his take on León Klimovsky’s The Werewolf Versus the Vampire Woman (1971) in 4K Ultra HD from our friends at Vinegar Syndrome.

Now to the news... Kino Lorber Studio Classics will release Orson Welles’ The Lady from Shanghai (1947) on Blu-ray on 1/31. The company has also set Alexander Hall’s Little Miss Marker (1934) and David Greenwalt’s Secret Admirer (1985) for release on Blu-ray on 3/7. Also announced as “coming soon” to Blu-ray from the company are Rouben Mamoulian’s High, Wide and Handsome (1937) and Dave Thomas’ The Experts (1989).

Cult Epics has set Martin Koolhoven’s AmnesiA (2001) for release on Blu-ray on 4/11/23.

ClassicFlix will release Victor Saville’s The Long Wait (1954) on 4K Ultra HD on 3/21/23. [Read on here...]

We’ve got some breaking release news to cover today here at The Bits, so let’s get right to it...

Criterion has just announced their new March 2023 titles, and fans of David Lynch should be very pleased. The slate includes a 4K upgrade of Michael Curtiz’s classic noir Mildred Pierce (Spine #860 – 4K + Blu-ray Combo) on 3/7, John Woo’s Last Hurrah for Chivalry (Spine #1174 – Blu-ray only) on 3/14, David Lynch’s long awaited remaster of Inland Empire (Spine #1175 – Blu-ray only) on 3/21, and Joan Micklin Silver’s Chilly Scenes of Winter (Spine #1176 – Blu-ray only) on 3/28.

We’ve been hoping for an actual 4K UHD release of Lynch’s Inland Empire, but like so many of the other Criterion titles that have been remastered in 4K yet released on Blu-ray first (only to be upgraded later), we suspect that an Ultra HD edition will come in time.

Also coming to 4K Ultra HD from Dark Sky Films on 2/28 is Tobe Hooper’s Texas Chain Saw Massacre, with Dolby Vision HDR, Dolby Atmos audio, and a new documentary called The Legacy of the Texas Chain Saw Massacre. [Read on here...]

We start with two more new disc reviews today (and there might be one more from me later this evening, but it should certainly be up by tomorrow morning)...

Tim has reviewed Crane Wilbur’s The Bat (1959), which is available in a fine new Blu-ray edition from our friends at The Film Detective.

And Dennis has offered his thoughts on Lynne Littman’s Testament (1983), a post-apocalyptic drama from PBS’ American Playhouse and Paramount Pictures that includes William Devane, Jane Alexander, Kevin Costner, Rebecca De Mornay, and Lukas Haas. That’s new on Blu-ray from the good folks at Imprint Films.

Now then, the big announcement news today is that Disney has just officially set Don Hall and Qui Nguyen’s animated Strange World for release on Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD on 2/14. Look for the Digital and Disney+ streaming release to happen on 12/23. Audio will be Dolby Atmos on the 4K and DTS-HD MA on Blu-ray, as always. Extras will include 4 featurettes (Anatomy of a Scene: Creating A Strange World, Strange Science, Creature Feature, and The Hidden Secrets of Strange World), outtakes, and 4 deleted scenes (The Ballad of Jaeger Clade, Lightning Lynx, Funerals and Promises, and Ethan and Searcher). You can see the cover artwork at left and also below. [Read on here...]

Today’s My Two Cents update begins as always with more new disc reviews...

Tim and I have taken a look at Kino Lorber Studio Classics’ new 4K Ultra HD upgrade of the classic Joseph Sargent heist thriller The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974), which stars Robert Shaw and Walter Matthau. Among other things, it’s a great New York City movie and if you’ve ever wondered where director Quentin Tarantino got the idea for his character names in Reservoir Dogs, look no further.

Also today, we’ve gone in-depth on Via Vision’s new Dirty Dancing: Limited Edition Steelbook 4K Ultra HD release, which takes Lionsgate’s already fine remastering work on the title and adds a few more extras via their own exclusive bonus Blu-ray Disc.

And Tim has also reviewed Bob Clark’s Children Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things: 50th Anniversary Edition in 4K Ultra HD from VCI Entertainment, which includes a new 4K scan and remaster but only Standard Dynamic Range, as well as Nico Mastorakis’s Nightmare at Noon (1988) on Blu-ray from our friends at Arrow Video.

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