Warner sets Pennyworth & The Flash for Blu-ray, plus watch Apollo 13 online with NASA astronaut Scott Kelly
by Bill HuntAll right, we’ve got more disc reviews for you today...
First up, Tim has turned in his thoughts on Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel now on Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection. Tim has also looked at the new Top Secret!: Special Edition Blu-ray from Via Vision Entertainment. It’s a REGION FREE import from Australia.
Meanwhile, Dennis has taken a look at a pair of new titles from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, including Stanley Kramer’s The Runner Stumbles (1979) and Leslie Norman’s The Long and the Short and the Tall (1961). Both are worth a look.
And finally, I’ve finished my review of Tony Scott’s Days of Thunder in 4K Ultra HD from Paramount. Whatever you may think of the film, the new 4K presentation is pretty good and a nice upgrade for fans.
More reviews are in the offing, so be sure to check back tomorrow. [Read on here...]
We’re giving away 3 new Paramount 4K UHDs—Top Gun, War of the Worlds, and Days of Thunder!
by Bill HuntAll right, we’re working on more reviews here today and there’s not a lot of release news to report, but we do want to let you all know that we’re going to be giving away SIX copies of new Paramount’s new Tom Cruise 4K Ultra HD titles on our Digital Bits social media channels this week—2x Top Gun, 2x War of the Worlds, and 2x Days of Thunder!
And our first giveaway starts NOW on Twitter...
Follow @BillHuntBits on Twitter and respond to THIS TWEET by telling us which of these three films (Top Gun, War of the Worlds, or Days of Thunder) is your favorite and why. Please respond just once, and note that this giveaway is only open to US readers (due to shipping restrictions, which are especially difficult during this pandemic). Every person who follows and responds will be entered in a giveaway for a chance to win a copy of that favorite 4K Ultra HD title. Three total discs will be given away on Twitter, one per winner. Entries will be accepted until 11 AM Pacific tomorrow (Tuesday 5/19) and the winners will be announced tomorrow afternoon (and also here on the site). Then we’ll message you to confirm your shipping address (which is why you need to follow). Good luck!
We’ll be running a similar contest on our Digital Bits Facebook page too later this week, so be sure to watch for the details. [Read on here...]
His Dark Materials, Criterion’s full August slate, a “new” Mad Max: Fury Road doc, SAE/Twilight Time news & more
by Bill HuntAfternoon, folks! And welcome to Friday. Is anyone else out there as ready for the weekend as we are?
This has been a busy week of just “three steps forward two steps backward” behind-the-scenes work here at The Bits. We got a lot done, but very little of it is visible to any of you. But that’s how it goes sometimes.
We’re all working on more reviews here at the site today (and we will be through the weekend—including War of the Worlds 4K and Days of Thunder 4K), but we do have some interesting release news to report today.
First up, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment and HBO have just set His Dark Materials: The Complete First Season for release on Blu-ray and DVD on 8/4 (SRP $29.98 each). [Read on here...]
It’s a Bits Review Day: Police Squad!, To Catch a Thief, Rise of Skywalker 3D, 3D Rarities II & D-Day 4K
by Bill HuntToday, we’ve got just a very quick My Two Cents update for you, however not with release news.
But as promised, we’ve got a bunch of new disc reviews...
First, our own Tim Salmons has checked out Via Vision Entertainment’s new region-free Blu-ray import version of Police Squad! The Complete Series. (Note that the CBS/Paramount Blu-ray version has also been reviewed here.)
Speaking of Paramount, Dennis has turned in his thoughts on their new Alfred Hitchcock/Paramount Presents title, To Catch a Thief (1955). [Read on here...]
Criterion reveals The Complete Agnès Varda, plus Top Gun 4K reviewed, and farewell Twilight Time
by Bill HuntAll right, to get things started this week, I’ve posted an in-depth review of Paramount’s new Top Gun 4K Ultra HD release. It’s a major picture and sound upgrade of this film on disc. If you go back and compare its image to the 2008 Blu-ray release, I think you’ll really be surprised at how much of a difference the new 4K remaster makes.
Also today, Dennis has turned in a look at Reed Morano’s The Rhythm Section (2020) on Blu-ray, also from Paramount.
Note that reviews of War of the Worlds and Days of Thunder 4K are coming later this week as well, along with several more regular Blu-ray reviews. So be sure to watch for them.
Now then... in announcement news, Criterion has just announced an amazing 15-disc, 39-film Blu-ray box set for release on 8/11: The Complete Films of Agnès Varda! [Read on here...]
Reviews of V, V: The Final Battle, and The Cold Blue on Blu-ray, plus Full Metal Jacket and Flash Gordon in 4K Ultra HD!
by Bill HuntAll right, we have a very quick post here at The Bits today, but it’s got a goodie bit of 4K news for you.
First though, I believe I promised some new disc reviews from...
I’ve now posted my thoughts on the Warner Archive Collection’s new Blu-ray edition of V: The Final Battle. And since we hadn’t covered the original yet, I went back to review their V: The Original Miniseries Blu-ray from last year as well.
Also, just this morning I posted a review of Erik Nelson’s tremendous WWII documentary The Cold Blue, new on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber. The disc also includes director William Wyler’s fully restored original documentary Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress (1944). Both of them are a treat, and I guarantee you’ve never seen 8th Air Force air combat footage looking so good before. Don’t miss it. [Read on here...]
Hair from Olive Films, plus TV’s Wonder Woman, Kino’s June slate, and a great new podcast by Roger Deakins!
by Bill HuntToday’s post is just a quickie because I’m working hard to finish up some long overdue Blu-ray reviews.
I should add a note here to acknowledge the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic has proven quite a challenge for all of us, and it’s no different here at The Digital Bits. Title announcements have been delayed, many of our studio and industry contacts have either been working at home or furloughed, screener product has been delayed or cancelled, etc. And of course, as is probably the case with many of you, our own lives have been turned upside down. It’s required a lot of shifting of schedules, workflow, energies, and effort. And some of the review work I usually do personally has gotten waylaid by having to deal with other issues to keep the site going.
The good news is that we seem to be rolling with it all fairly well, and Tim, Dennis and our other Bits team members have been doing yeoman’s work filling in. That said, I do very much appreciate whatever support you guys—our readers—can provide in this difficult time, either by continuing to purchase items through our Amazon links and/or making contributions by a PayPal in our Back the Bits program. And I just wanted to take a moment to say thank you all for sticking with us. We have the best readers on the Internet. Some of you have been with us all the way back to the beginning of the site back in 1997. And we appreciate each and every one of you. [Read on here...]
Scream Factory announces more new horror Blu-ray releases, plus Star Wars on Disney+, FUNimationCon & more
by Bill HuntWe’ve got a couple of new Blu-ray reviews for you today...
He’s also offered his thoughts on Roy William Neill’s Black Angel (1946) on Blu-ray from Arrow Academy.
And more new reviews are in the offing all this week.
In announcement news today, RLJE Films has set the zombie comedy One Cut of the Dead for release on Blu-ray Steelbook and DVD on 6/2.
Well Go USA has set the western A Soldier’s Revenge for release on Blu-ray and Digital on 6/16. [Read on here...]
Batwoman: S1 announced, plus new Kino Lorber Studio Classics titles, free concerts by Peter Gabriel & more
by Bill HuntWe’re starting today with more new Blu-ray reviews, including Dennis’ take on Roy William Neill’s Black Angel (1946) from Arrow Academy.
In announcement news today, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has just set The CW’s Batwoman: The Complete First Season for Blu-ray and DVD release on 8/18. The 5-disc set will include all 20 episodes, plus a “limited edition bonus disc” that features all 5 episodes of the DC Crossover Event Crisis on Infinite Earths and “6 Crossover Bonus Features.” Extras on the main set will include On the Set, The Best of DC TV’s Comic-Con Panels San Diego 2019, deleted scenes, and a gag reel. You can see the cover artwork at left. [Read on here...]
The Hills Run Red runneth over from Scream, plus Top Gun, Days of Thunder & War of the Worlds now official for 4K UHD
by Bill HuntAll right, we’ve got a few new reviews of for you to enjoy today...
Tim has turned in his thoughts on Takashi Miike, Renpei Tsukamoto, and Manabu Aso’s One Missed Call Trilogy, recently released on Blu-ray by Arrow Video. He’s also got a look at Roman Polanski’s The Fearless Vampire Killers, released late last year on Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
Meanwhile, I’m finally recovered from my post-Star Wars review blitz, so I’ll have some new Blu-ray and 4K reviews toward the end of this week as well. [Read on here...]