Displaying items by tag: Cult Epics

We’ve got a few more new disc reviews to share with you today here at The Bits…

Stephen has turned in his in-depth look at Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in America (1984) in 4K Ultra HD from Eagle Pictures’ 4Kult label in Italy.

Dennis has offered his thoughts on Raoul Walsh’s Silver River (1948) and Tay Garnett’s The Valley of Decision (1945) both on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection.

And Tim has delivered his take on Tim Burton’s Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure (1985) in 4K Ultra HD from the Criterion Collection, as well as Alex Winter and Tom Stern’s Freaked (1993) in 4K UHD from Umbrella Entertainment!

More disc reviews are forthcoming all this week, so be sure to keep checking back.

In announcement news today, it appears that Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment is releasing Barry Levinson’s Sleepers (1996) in 4K Ultra HD and 4K Steelbook in the coming months. The film stars Kevin Bacon, Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman, Bruno Kirby, Jason Patric, Brad Pitt, Brad Renfro, and Minnie Driver.

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment will release James Vanderbilt’s Nuremberg (2025) on Blu-ray and DVD on 2/10. No 4K is currently planned. Sony has also set Hikari’s Rental Family (2025) for Blu-ray and DVD release on 2/17. And don’t forget that they’ve listed Richard Linklater’s Blue Moon (2025) for Blu-ray and DVD on 1/23. [Read on here...]

Happy Holidays, Bits readers!

It’s a slow week in the home entertainment industry, what with Christmas fast approaching, Hanukkah having just concluded and other holidays well underway—hey, folks even gathered at Stonehenge in the UK to celebrate yesterday’s Winter Solstice, aka the shortest day of the year. So it’s all sun and games from here on out, and New Year’s is right around the corner!

We’ve got a couple of recent disc reviews to share with you today, though most of The Bits review team is throttling down a bit just to relax and enjoy some well earned holiday time family friends. Nevertheless, today we have...

Stephen’s reviews of Dezső Ákos Hamza’s Sirius (1942) on Blu-ray from Deaf Crocodile Films, as well as Richard Stanley’s Dust Devil (1992) in 4K Ultra HD from our friends at Umbrella Entertainment.

And Dennis’ take on Paul Auster’s Lulu on the Bridge (1998) on Blu-ray from Imprint Films.

We may have another review of two this week, but if not we’ll definitely have more for you next week after Christmas.

In the meantime, we do have some good new and recent disc announcements to cover here this afternoon...

First, the good folks at the Warner Archive Collection have the 2-disc Looney Tunes Collector’s Vault: Volume 2 for release on 3/24, including “over fifty classic cartoons each marking their first time as part of a remastered Blu-ray WB cartoon collection, with some unseen in decades.” Select shorts will also include audio commentaries. [Read on here...]

We have sort of a big day on the release news front, both good and bad, so I’ll get into that in just a minute.

But first as always, we have a couple more new disc reviews, including…

Stuart’s look at William Conrad’s Brainstorm (1965) on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection.

And Stephen’s thoughts on Wim Verstappen’s Dakota (1974) on Blu-ray from Cult Epics.

Now then, the first piece of big news today is that Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has officially announced the 4K Ultra HD release of the Apple TV+ original series Ted Lasso on 11/11! This is indeed the complete series, which is officially titled Ted Lasso: The Richmond Way. All 34 episodes will be includes with Dolby Vision HDR.

Meanwhile, Marvel Studios and Disney have officially set Matt Shakman’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025) for Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD release on 10/14, with the Digital release due on 9/23. Note that the 4K Ultra HD release will include Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos audio. [Read on here...]

As we close out the week, let’s start today as always with more new disc reviews...

Stephen has turned in his thoughts on John Mackenzie’s The Long Good Friday (1980) in 4K Ultra HD from the Criterion Collection.

Stuart has offered his take on a trio of new and recent Blu-ray titles, including Daniel Mann’s Come Back, Little Sheba (1952) from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, and the 1965 French anthology film Six in Paris (1965) and Larry Kent’s The Bitter Ash (1963) from Vinegar Syndrome.

Tim has taken a look at Tinto Brass’ Frivolous Lola (1998) in 4K Ultra HD from Cult Epics.

And finally, Dennis has delivered a review of Penny Lane’s documentary Nuts! (2016) on Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome.

In announcement news today, Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment has finally made Aaron Sorkin’s The West Wing official for Blu-ray on 10/1, in honor of the NBC series’ 25th anniversary. [Read on here...]

The big news today is that Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment has just announced the Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD release of Disney and Pixar’s Inside Out 2 (2024) on 9/10. The Digital release is expected on 8/20.

Extras will include a pair of behind-the-scenes featurettes (including New Emotions and Unlocking the Vault) along with 5 deleted scenes (among them Cold Open, Broken Joy, Pool Party, Puberty Prank, and Shame Spiral).

The 4K will be released as a Limited Edition 4K + Blu-ray Steelbook. There will also be Blu-ray + DVD package, and a standalone DVD. An Inside Out 2-Movie Collection will also be available on Digital.

Audio on the 4K disc will be Dolby Atmos, with 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio included on the Blu-ray. We presume the HDR will be HDR10 only. The 4K disc is confirmed to be limited to 66 GB. You can see the cover artwork at left and also below the break. [Read on here...]

Just another quick update today, but new disc reviews here at The Bits this afternoon include...

Stuart’s take on Kōhei Oguri’s The Sting of Death (1990) (aka Shi no toge) on Blu-ray from Shochiku via Radiance Films.

Tim’s look at Tinto Brass’ All Ladies Do It (1992) in 4K Ultra HD from Cult Epics.

And Dennis’ thoughts on Anthony Mann’s Devil’s Doorway (1950) on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection.

In announcement news today, Lionsgate has officially set Guy Ritchie’s The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (2024) for release on Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD on 6/25, with the Digital release expected on 6/18.

The film, which stars Henry Cavill, Eiza González, and Alan Ritchson, is based on a true story and has been well reviewed, with many critics calling it Ritchie’s best work in years. [Read on here...]

This is the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday here in the States, so there’s not a lot of release news happening at the moment. But we do have a few things to report for you today, plus some new disc reviews including...

Stuart’s thoughts on Kino Classics’ Soundies: The Ultimate Collection Blu-ray set, featuring short films of the 1940s, and E.A. Dupont’s Picadilly (1929) Blu-ray from Milestone Films and Kino Lorber.

Dennis’ take on Miloš Forman’s Valmont (1989) and Robert Wise’s Odds Against Tomorrow (1959) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, as well as W.S. Van Dyke’s Tarzan the Ape Man (1932) on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection.

And Stephen’s look at Michael Mann’s Blackhat (2015) on 4K Ultra HD from Arrow Video, as well as Joel M. Reed’s Bloodsucking Freaks (1976) and Michael Armstrong’s Mark of the Devil (1970) in 4K Ultra HD from Vinegar Syndrome.

More reviews are forthcoming all this week, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled for them!

In announcement news today, Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment has officially set Blitz Bazawule’s The Color Purple (2023) for release on Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD on 3/12, with the Digital release expected tomorrow on 1/16. Extras will include 4 behind-the-scenes featurettes (including Creating The Color Purple: A Bold New Take on the Beloved Classic, Hell Yes! The Iconic Characters of The Color Purple, In the Flow: Creating The Color Purple’s Biggest Musical Moments, and A Story For Me: The Legacy of The Color Purple). You can see the cover art below. [Read on here...]

Morning, everyone! We start today with no less than three new disc reviews, including...

Stephen’s in-depth look at Stuart Rosenberg’s Cool Hand Luke (1967) in 4K Ultra HD from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, as well as his thoughts on John Frankenheimer’s Black Sunday (1977) on Blu-ray from Arrow Video.

We’ve also got my take on Paramount’s new Star Trek: The Next Generation 4-Movie Collection box set in 4K Ultra HD—just an overall summary to go along with my detailed reviews of each of the individual films in 4K.

Now then, we’ve got a bunch of great announcement news today, and some updates on titles we’ve mentioned previously here at The Bits, starting with news from the Warner Archive Collection!

On the latest installment of Tim Millard’s excellent The Extras podcast, our friend George Feltenstein has revealed more of Warner Archive’s May Blu-ray titles, which will include Rouben Mamoulian’s Queen Christina (1933), Joseph Losey’s The Boy with Green Hair (1948), Compton Bennett and Andrew Marton’s King Solomon’s Mines (1950), Vincente Minnelli’s The Courtship of Eddie’s Father (1963), and Joseph Barbera and William Hanna’s Hey There, It’s Yogi Bear! (1964). All of these are new negative scans (The Boy with Green Hair and King Solomon’s Mines from the original Technicolor negatives).

Also coming later this year are Howard Hawks’ Land of the Pharaohs (1955) and Robert Wise’s Helen of Troy (1956). [Read on here...]

We’ve got two more new disc reviews for you to enjoy this afternoon...

Tim has turned in his thoughts on Norman Jewison’s In the Heat of the Night (1967) in 4K Ultra HD from our friends at Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

Tim has also taken a look at Robert Fuest’s The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971) and Dr. Phibes Rises Again (1972), which are available in a new Blu-ray double feature also from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

In announcement news today, Universal has officially set Downton Abbey: A New Era for release on Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD on 7/5. The 4K will include Dolby Atmos audio and Dolby Vision HDR. Extras will include audio commentary with director Simon Curtis, plus 6 featurettes (Good to Be Back, Return to Downton Abbey: The Making of a New Era, A Legendary Character, Creating the Film Within the Film, Spill the Tea (Time), and Her Majesty’s Yacht Britannia). [Read on here...]

Let’s have a quick round-up of Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD release news, and then I must dive back into my own review work over the next several days...

First up, it does indeed appear that Disney is preparing a 4K Ultra HD release of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. I’ve now got multiple retail and industry sources confirming this. However, don’t expect the sequels to be announced anytime soon. It’s possible that the studio is planning to release more films in the series next year if this first one sells well (and possibly promoted by the success of the films in streaming on Disney+) but for now Curse of the Black Pearl seems to be the only film immediately in the offing.

Also, while we’re on the topic of Disney, it seems that the Heat 4K release continues to be in limbo, but is still expected to arrive on the format sometime next year.

Meanwhile, Denis Villeneuve’s Dune is definitely shaping up for release on Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD in early January sometime. Info some retailers suggests that the studio is targeting 1/11/22 as the street date. And for those of you who have been waiting, not only does it finally arrive in theaters tomorrow (with sneak peek preview screenings tonight in many US cities), the film premieres IN JUST TWO HOURS in 4K with HDR and Dolby Atmos on HBO Max. So get ready to enjoy a helluva good cinematic experience. [Read on here...]