All right, hope you all had a great weekend…

We’ve added 14 more classic Blu-ray reviews from the original Bits website into the new review database here, including Adam Jahnke’s thoughts on Gamer, The Thing (1982), The Nightmare Before Christmas, Land of the Dead, Scream 4, Mimic, The Final Destination 3D, The Last Circus, Whip It, Halloween II: 30th Anniversary Edition, The New York Ripper, The Prowler, Splice and Frozen (2010).  Lots more are coming, so we’ll keep at it until all of the old BD reviews are updated.  [Read on here…]

Morning, folks!  Hope you guys are all enjoying your holiday break.  We’ve actually got some Blu-ray announcement news for you today...

First up, Twilight Time has announced the limited Blu-ray release of Zulu (1964), Khartoum (1966), Titus (1999) and Man in the Dark 3D (1953) – 3,000 copies each will be available.  They’ve also revealed that less than 600 copies each remain of Enemy Mine (1985) and Stagecoach (1966).  SRP for these BDs is $29.95 each.  Head to Screen Archives Entertainment to get your copies.  [Read on here…]

Back as promised today and we’ve got a great new holiday-themed View from the Cheap Seats column from our own Bud Elder!  This time around, Bud looks back on his favorite non-Christmas Christmas films, and also runs down some great new indie Blu-ray and DVD offerings.  We hope you enjoy it!

We’ll be off the next couple of days, but we’ll be back on Thursday with more new reviews and a round-up of any release news worth reporting.

So with that, we bid you all a very Merry Christmas!  We wish you and yours a great and safe holiday.

Stay tuned!

- Bill Hunt

Most film columnists start writing their Christmas pieces around August, churning out their memories of It’s a Wonderful Life (which is a story in itself – this generation has no idea that the film was considered an oddity and a flop until Jimmy Stewart mentioned it on The Tonight Show and, as it was in the public domain and available for cheap airings, it has since been considered a “classic”) and other routine movies that just happen to tell a Christmas like story.  Movies like Miracle on 34th Street and Christmas in Connecticut still hold up and there are others I’m sure that do as well, but few movies that are singularly about Christmas float my boat.  I’ve seen them a million times and most are creaky.  Here are my favorite Christmas movies, a list my successful and thoughtful brother calls Christmas Movies for People Who Aren’t Enamored with Christmas Movies.  [Read on here…]

All right, I know we don’t get The Rumor Mill updated nearly as often as we should.  So how’s about a little holiday Rumor Mill cheer?  We’ll make that one of our New Year’s resolutions – to get more Rumor Mill updates going for you guys in 2014.

So here’s today’s installment…  [Read on here….]

Evening, folks!  This is just a quick update for you with a few items of interest for you...

First, our own Mario Boucher has turned in a review of Universal’s new Fast & Furious 6: Extended Edition on Blu-ray Disc, so be sure to check it out.

Also, we’ve added four more retro Blu-ray reviews to the new site from the old Bits database: Barrie Maxwell’s review of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, my thoughts on THX 1138: The George Lucas Director’s Cut and Dr. Jahnke’s take on Stake Land and Alejandro Jodorowsky’s Santa Sangre.  [Read on here…]

Well, folks... today is the Friday before Christmas, so you know what that means.  Hollywood is shutting down for the holidays and lots of you are starting your Christmas vacations!

Things are going to be pretty slow over the next week or two, so we may not check in every day, but we’ll try to drop by if there anything worth reporting for you guys.  You never know.  And we’ll have some reviews for you too.

Speaking of which, we’ve just added no less than 12 Blu-ray Disc reviews into the new site’s database, including a pair of music titles in Sting: Bring on the Night and The Police: Certifiable, a couple of fine catalog titles in the form of Forrest Gump, Rocky Balboa and Outbreak, a mess of Dr. Jahnke’s horror reviews including Audition, Children of the Corn, Child’s Play, Book of Blood and The Blood Trilogy, and finally a pair of great holiday titles including White Christmas and – or course – It’s a Wonderful Life.  What would the Christmas season be without those last two?  [Read on here...]

All right, we’ve got some reviews for you today and also a few more new title announcements...

First up, Joe Marchese has turned in his thoughts on Kino’s Night Tide on Blu-ray Disc.  In addition, Dr. Jahnke chimes in today with reviews of Warner’s The Bad Seed and Universal’s Eastern Promises, from director David Cronenberg.  Enjoy!  [Read on here…]

All right, we’ve got a bunch of good news for you here at The Bits today.

First though, our own Russell Hammond has updated the Release Dates & Artwork section will all the latest Blu-ray, DVD and Video Game cover artwork and Amazon.com pre-order links.  As always, a portion of anything you order from Amazon in the same session after clicking to them through our links goes to help support our work here at The Bits and we really appreciate it!

Now then... any Hill Street Blues fans out there?  Shout! Factory has just announced the release of Hill Street Blues: The Complete Series on DVD on 4/29 (SRP $199.99)!  The 34-disc box set will include all 144 episodes of the series, along with new interviews with the creators and cast, including Steven Bochco, Dennis Franz, James B. Sikking, Bruce Weitz, Alan Rachins, Gregory Hoblit, Dennis Dugan, Jeffrey Lewis and more.  You’ll also get a commemorative 24-page book with photos, liner notes and an essay by TV critic Tom Shales.  You’ll find cover art below and the title is now available for pre-order on Amazon.  [Read on here...]

• 701      Persona
• 702      The Great Beauty
• 703      The Freshman
• 704      Riot in Cell Block 11
• 705      Breaking the Waves
• 706      Master of the House (BD)
• 707      Il Sorpasso
• 708      Like Someone in Love
• 709      Red River (BD)
• 710      Judex (BD)
• 711      A Hard Day’s Night (BD) (4K)
• 712      Scanners (BD)
• 713      The Essential Jacques Demy
• 714      Lola (Jacques Demy box)
• 715      Bay of Angels (Jacques Demy box)
• 716      The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (Jacques Demy box)
• 717      The Young Girls of Rochefort (Jacques Demy box)
• 718      Donkey Skin (Jacques Demy box)
• 719      Une chambre en ville (Jacques Demy box)
• 720      The Big Chill
• 721      Love Streams
• 722      Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!
• 723      Y tu mamá también
• 724      All That Jazz
• 725      Eraserhead (BD)
• 726      Macbeth (BD)
• 727      The Innocents (BD)
• 728      Sundays and Cybèle
• 729      The Complete Jacques Tati
• 730      Jour de fête (Jacques Tati box)
• 731      Parade (Jacques Tati box)
• 732      My Darling Clementine (BD)
  
• 733      La dolce vita
• 734      The Shooting (Monte Hellman set)
• 735      Ride in the Whirlwind (Monte Hellman set)
• 736      It Happened One Night
• 737      Les Blank: Always for Pleasure
• 738      Tootsie
• 739      Safe
• 740      The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant
• 741      My Winnipeg
• 742      The Palm Beach Story
• 743      La ciénaga
• 744      Every Man for Himself
• 745      Don't Look Now
• 746      A Day in the Country
• 747      Fellini Satyricon
• 748      Watership Down (BD)
• 749      The Soft Skin
• 750      Ride the Pink Horse
• 751      Gates of Heaven (Errol Morris double feature)
• 752      Vernon, Florida (Errol Morris double feature)
• 753      The Thin Blue Line
• 754      Odd Man Out
• 755      Le silence de la mer
• 756      Limelight (BD)
• 757      The Rose
• 758      The Merchant of Four Seasons
• 759      The Confession
• 760      State of Siege
• 761      Valerie and Her Week of Wonders (BD)
• 762      A Master Builder
• 763      The Bridge
• 764      The Fisher King (BD)
• 765      The Black Stallion
• 766      Here Is Your Life
• 767      My Beautiful Laundrette
• 768      The French Lieutenant's Woman
• 769      Day for Night (BD)
• 770      Dressed to Kill
• 771      Two Days, One Night
• 772      Blind Chance
• 773      Breaker Morant
• 774      Mister Johnson
• 775      A Room with a View
• 776      Moonrise Kingdom
• 777      The Brood (BD)
• 778      A Special Day
• 779      Mulholland Dr. (BD) (4K)
• 780      Code Unknown
• 781      In Cold Blood
• 782      The Apu Trilogy
• 783      Pater Panchali (Apu Trilogy)
• 784      Aparajito (Apu Trilogy)
• 785      Apur Sansar (Apu Trilogy)
• 786      Don't Look Back
• 787      Jellyfish Eyes
• 788      Speedy
• 789      Burroughs: The Movie
• 790      Lady Snowblood
• 791      Lady Snowblood: Love Song of Vengeance
• 792      Bitter Rice
• 793      The American Friend
• 794      Inside Llewyn Davis (BD)
• 795      Gilda
• 796      The Emigrants (Jan Troell double feature)
• 797      The New Land (Jan Troell double feature)
• 798      Death by Hanging
• 799      The Kid (BD)
• 800      The Graduate