I thought this week’s column was going to be short and sweet, thanks to the Memorial Day holiday. That is, until I learned that Universal had reactivated their stealth MOD program and released no less than 20 new titles. Plus, we’ve got new stuff from Warner and 20th Century Fox, so get comfy. And if something catches your eye, don’t forget to click on the banners below, buy nifty discs and help support The Bits, all of which we appreciate very much. So thanks in advance! [Read on here...]

“This picture is not called The Temple of Roses; it is called The Temple of Doom. The warning is clearly marked on the box.” — Steven Spielberg

The Digital Bits is pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the 30th anniversary of the release of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, the follow-up to the incredibly popular Raiders of the Lost Ark.

The Bits celebrates the occasion with this retrospective column. It features some quotes from movie critics, some trivia on the film, an interview segment (featuring film historians Scott Higgins and Eric Lichtenfeld), a list of the movie’s premium-format (70mm) presentations, and a compilation of box-office data that places the movie’s performance in context. [Read on here…]

This being the start of the long Memorial Day weekend here in the States, today is about as slow (release news-wise) as they get. BUT…

…we do have couple of cool things for you this afternoon!

First, today marks the 30th anniversary of the release of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom into theaters, so our very own Michael Coate has chosen to mark the occasion with a new History, Legacy & Showmanship column on the subject. Don’t miss it! [Read on here…]

We’ve got some announcement news odds and ends to report for you today, but first our own Tim Salmons has turned in a review of Scream Factory’s new Nosferatu the Vampyre Blu-ray – the 1979 remake by Werner Herzog. The film and disc are definitely worthy of your time, so be sure to check it out. [Read on here...]

Today’s update is a quickie, but we’ll be back with more announcement news tomorrow.

Meanwhile, we have a pair of new Blu-ray reviews: Tim’s given Scream Factory’s Final Exam a look for you… and Dr. Jahnke’s done the distance with William Friedkin’s Sorcerer from Warner Home Video. Enjoy!

Stay tuned…

- Bill Hunt

All right, lots of stuff to share with you today…

First though, here at The Bits our own Todd Doogan has turned in a new Doogan’s Queue/Gripe Soda column running down this week’s latest releases on Blu-ray and DVD. Doogan has also reviewed a new DVD only movie release from MPI – Raze. Do give it a look.

Also today, Dr. Jahnke has posted his latest Burnt Offerings: MOD DVD column covering new deep catalog titles available from the Warner Archive, so be sure to check that out. [Read on here…]

I’m feeling much better now, thank you for asking. Don’t mess with food allergies is my advice to each and every one of you. And they just get worse as you cross into your 40s. Uhg.

Anyway, this is a good week for disc media. Looky here: [Read on here…]

Seven, count ‘em, seven titles make their DVD debut courtesy of our pals at Warner Archive this week. If they aren’t familiar to you yet, they’re about to be with our weekly rundown of the wild ‘n’ wacky world of MOD. As for those spiffy banners down there, they’ll take you directly to such wonder emporiums as Warner Archive and Amazon, where you can buy and help support the work of Team Bits! Face it, Tiger, you just hit the jackpot! [Read on here...]

Over the weekend, I’ve had a mighty interesting experience. Thanks to a friend in the industry, I’ve had the opportunity to revisit Star Wars on Blu-ray as I first experienced it many years ago – unaltered, in 720p high-definition, and with the original audio mixes. As some of you may know, I’m speaking of Harmy’s infamous “despecialized” edition of Star Wars – the most recent 2.5 version (early 1.0 versions of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi are available online too – this thread at Original Trilogy.com is a good place to start).  [Read on here…]

We’ve got a bunch of stuff to go over today to finish off the week...

First up, though, go see Godzilla this weekend if you get the chance. It’s a pretty good film. It’s not perfect, but director Gareth Edwards definitely gets the Godzilla mystique and he’s crafted an interesting and entertaining film. By the way, when you go, you might also get a look at the new trailer for Christopher Nolan’s forthcoming Interstellar, which I’m cautiously getting excited about.

All right, here at The Bits today, our very own Dr. Adam Jahnke has turned in a fine new JET installment featuring his latest An Honor to Be Nominated, this time looking back at director Robert Altman’s Nashville (1975). Don’t miss it. [Read on here...]