We begin our post today with a few more new disc reviews...

Dennis has posted his thoughts on the 1945 musical revue classic Ziegfeld Follies, an MGM title now available on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection.

Dennis has also reviewed Billy Wilder’s The Emperor Waltz (1948), an old Paramount title that’s coming on Blu-ray in August from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

And Stephen has checked in with his look at the latest entry in the Saw franchise, Darren Lynn Bousman’s Spiral (2021) on 4K Ultra HD from Lionsgate.

Speaking of 4K Ultra HD, the big news today is that Kino Lorber Studio Classics has just revealed that it’s going to be releasing Jonathan Demme’s The Silence of the Lambs (1991) on 4K Ultra HD (with Blu-ray) on 10/19, featuring Dolby Vision HDR, a new audio commentary with film historian Tim Lucas, and lots of legacy extras. You can see the cover artwork at left. [Read on here...]

We’re starting this on today with more new disc reviews...

I’ve given Neil Burger’s Voyagers (2021) a look in 4K Ultra HD from Lionsgate.

Tim has turned in his thoughts on Dario Argento’s The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970) also in 4K Ultra HD, this time from Arrow Video.

Dennis has offered a look at Delbert Mann’s Fitzwilly (1967), which stars Dick Van Dyke and is coming on Blu-ray in August from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

And finally Stephen has delivered his two cents on Sam Peckinpah’s Major Dundee: Limited Edition, a 1965 film starring Charlton Heston, as recently released on Blu-ray by Arrow Video.

More reviews are on the way this week, so be sure to check back for them. [Read on here...]

• 1101      Uncut Gems
• 1102      Devi
• 1103      Once Upon a Time in China: The Complete Films
• 1104      Citizen Kane (4K)
• 1105      Menace II Society
• 1106      One Night in Miami
• 1107      The Learning Tree
• 1108      The Celebration
• 1109      Time
• 1110      The Piano
• 1111      Dick Johnson Is Dead
• 1112      Miller’s Crossing
• 1113      Boat People
• 1114      Love Affair
• 1115      Adoption
• 1116      The Flight of the Phoenix (4K)
• 1117      Love Jones
• 1118      The Last Waltz
• 1119      Miracle in Milan
• 1120      The Girl Can’t Help It
• 1121      Eyimofe (This Is My Desire)
• 1122      ‘Round Midnight
• 1123      Mr. Klein
• 1124      Chan Is Missing
• 1125      The Funeral
• 1126      Double Indemnity
• 1127      Mississippi Masala
• 1128      Farewell Amor
• 1129      Rouge
• 1130      Shaft
• 1131      Pink Flamingos (BD)
• 1132      The Worst Person in the World
• 1133      Okja
• 1134      Raging Bull
• 1135      Devil in a Blue Dress
• 1136      Drive My Car
• 1137      Frownland
• 1138      Daddy Longlegs (BD)
• 1139      Hôtel du Nord
• 1140      Buck and the Preacher
• 1141      Faya dayi
• 1142      Martin Scorsese’s World Cinema Project No. 4 (Box set)
• 1143      Sambizanga (World Cinema Project No. 4)
• 1144      Prisioneros de la tierra (World Cinema Project No. 4)
• 1145      Chess of the Wind (World Cinema Project No. 4)
• 1146      Muna moto (World Cinema Project No. 4)
• 1147      Two Girls on the Street (World Cinema Project No. 4)
• 1148      Kalpana (World Cinema Project No. 4)
• 1149      Take Out
• 1150      Exotica (BD)
• 1151      Sound of Metal
• 1152      Lost Highway (4K)
• 1153      Arsenic and Old Lace (BD)
• 1154      Eve’s Bayou
• 1155      Cure
• 1156      La Llorona
• 1157      Daisies
• 1158      The Power of the Dog
• 1159      The Infernal Affairs Trilogy (Infernal Affairs I-III)
• 1160      Malcolm X
• 1161      WALL•E (4K)
• 1162      Three Films by Mai Zetterling (Loving Couples, Night Games, The Girls)
• 1163      Michael Haneke: Trilogy (The Seventh Continent, Benny’s Video, 71 Fragments of a Chronology of Chance)
• 1164      The Velvet Underground (BD)
• 1165      Cooley High
• 1166      The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (4K)
• 1167      Imitation of Life (BD)
• 1168      Lars von Trier’s Europe Trilogy (The Element of Crime, Epidemic, Europa)
• 1169      This Is Not a Burial, It’s a Resurrection
• 1170      Bergman Island
• 1171      Romeo and Juliet (1968)
• 1172      Two Films by Marguerite Duras
• 1173      Hollywood Shuffle (BD)
• 1174      Last Hurrah for Chivalry
• 1175      Inland Empire
• 1176      Chilly Scenes of Winter
• 1177      Small Axe: Five Films by Steve McQueen
• 1178      Triangle of Sadness
• 1179      Targets
• 1180      Thelma & Louise (BD) (4K)
• 1181      Petite maman
• 1182      The Servant
• 1183      Medicine for Melancholy
• 1184      The Watermelon Woman (BD)
• 1185      After Hours
• 1186      The Ranown Westerns: Five Films Directed by Budd Boetticher
• 1187      One False Move
• 1188      Dim Sum: A Little Bit of Heart
• 1189      Bo Widerberg’s New Swedish Cinema
• 1190      Drylongso (BD)
• 1191      The Trial
• 1192      Moonage Daydream
• 1193      La Bamba
• 1194      Tod Browning’s Sideshow Shockers (Freaks, The Unknown, The Mystic) (BD)
• 1195      The Others
• 1196      Nanny
• 1197      Jackie Chan: Emergence of a Superstar (box set)
• 1198      Mean Streets
• 1199      La cérémonie
• 1200      The Red Balloon and Other Stories: Five Films by Albert Lamorisse (Bim the Little Donkey, White Mane, The Red Balloon, Stowaway in the Sky, Circus Angel)

All right, we’ll likely have at least one more review for you to check out later today, and we’re all working on more over the weekend. But in the meantime, we have a couple of quick site updates for you and some big announcement news to catch you all up on...

First, our own Michael Coate has delivered a great new History, Legacy & Showmanship column here at The Bits, featuring a look back at the theatrical release of Richard Lester’s Superman II. The retrospective includes an interview with our old friend Jim Bowers of the excellent Caped Wonder website. And we’d like to dedicate the piece to the memory of director Richard Donner, without whom the film would not be possible. So here’s Battle on Planet Houston: Remembering Superman II on its 40th Anniversary. Enjoy!

Also today, we’ve just posted a major update of our Release Dates & Artwork section, featuring lots of new Blu-ray and 4K UHD cover artwork and Amazon.com pre-order links. As always, whenever you order literally anything from the retailer after clicking through to them from one our links, you’re helping to support our work here at The Bits and we really do appreciate it.

Now then, let’s have some news... [Read on here...]

“Clark Kent’s alley transformation into Superman and Superman’s flight to the White House to return the American Flag are two of the best moments; they are just as chill-inducing and magical today as they were 40 years ago!” — Jim Bowers, CapedWonder.com

The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this multi-page retrospective commemorating the 40th anniversary of the release of Superman II, the 1980/1981/2006 follow-up to 1978’s Superman: The Movie and featuring Christopher Reeve reprising his legendary dual role of Superman and alter ego Clark Kent.

Taking over from Richard Donner midway through production, Richard Lester (The Three Musketeers, Help!) directed and re-shot much of the Saturn Award-winning sequel, which focused on the three Kyptonian outlaws (Terrence Stamp, Sarah Douglas and Jack O’Halloran) breaking free from their cosmic imprisonment and seeking revenge on the Man of Steel.

The first Superman sequel—also starring Clifton James as Sheriff and E.G. Marshall as The President—featured reprisal performances by Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor, Ned Beatty as Otis, Jackie Cooper as Perry White, Margot Kidder as Lois Lane, Valerie Perrine as Miss Teschmacher, Susannah York as Superman’s biological mother Lara, and Marc McClure as Jimmy Olsen. [Read on here...]

We’re starting today with three more new disc reviews...

Stephen has given Rod Lurie’s The Last Castle a look on Blu-ray from Paramount Pictures, along with Virginie Despentes and Coralie Trinh Thi’s Baise-moi on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

And Dennis has reviewed Cecil B. DeMille’s Four Frightened People (1934) on Blu-ray also from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

In announcement news today, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has set Jon Chu’s In the Heights for release on Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD on 8/31, with the Digital release expected on 7/30. The 4K will include HDR10 high dynamic range, while both the Blu-ray and 4K will include Dolby Atmos audio. You can see the 4K cover artwork at left. [Read on here...]

We’ve got an early My Two Cents post for you this morning here at The Bits with a bit of breaking 4K news...

Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution has just officially announced that director M. Night Shyamalan’s Unbreakable (2000) will be released on physical 4K Ultra HD and 4K Digital on September 21st.

The film stars Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, Robin Wright Penn, Spencer Treat Clark, and Charlayne Woodard.

Unbreakable joins Shyamalan’s Split (2016) and Glass (2019)—both of which have been released previously on Ultra HD by Universal—thus completing the director’s Eastrail 177 Trilogy on the format. [Read on here...]

We’ve got some great Blu-ray and 4K release news to share with you all today...

Let’s start with Paramount... as expected, Paramount Home Entertainment has officially announced the Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD release of John Krasinski’s A Quiet Place: Part II later this month on 7/27, with the Digital only release expected tomorrow (on 7/13). You’ll also be able to buy a 2-Movie Collection on Blu-ray and Digital. A Quiet Place: Part II in 4K will include Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos audio.

Extras will include 5 featurettes (Director’s Diary: Filming with John Krasinski, Pulling Back the Curtain, Regan’s Journey, Surviving the Marina, and Detectable Disturbance: Visual Effects and Sound Design). You can see the cover artwork above left and also below (complete with its Amazon pre-order link).

Speaking of Paramount, the studio has announced that it’s releasing Hardball, starring Keanu Reeves and Diane Lane, on Blu-ray for the first time on 9/21 in honor of the film’s 20th anniversary. Extras will include audio commentary by director Brian Robbins and writer John Gatins, The Making of Hardball, deleted scenes, the Hardball music video, interstitials, and the film’s theatrical trailer. You can see the cover art below. [Read on here...]

Well, it’s been a busy week of new title announcements here at The Bits. So let’s wrap things up with a few more here today. But first, more new disc reviews...

Our own Tim Salmons has just shared his thoughts on Vince Monton’s Windrider (1987), new on Blu-ray from Umbrella Entertainment’s Ozploitation line-up. And he’s also checked out Mark Hartley’s excellent 2008 documentary Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation!, also new on Blu-ray from Umbrella Entertainment’s Ozploitation line.

Meanwhile, Dennis has turned in a review of David Miller’s Back Street (1961) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

And Stephen rounds things out today with a look at Francine Parker’s F.T.A. (1972) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

So enjoy those and know that lots more disc reviews are on the way for next week, including some new 4K Ultra HD reviews from yours truly. [Read on here...]

We’ve got more new disc reviews for you today and some more new 4K Ultra HD release news as well!

Let’s start with those reviews...

Stephen has turned in his thoughts on All the Anime’s UK import 4K Ultra HD release of Makoto Shinkai’s Your Name. The package is exclusive to All the Anime’s online store and also to Zavvi. Sounds like it’s worth a look if you’re a fan, as the HDR makes a notable difference.

Also, Tim has weighed in with his take on Umbrella Entertainment’s region free Blu-ray import of James Gunn’s Slither.

Now then, a quick update on our Star Trek: The Original 4-Film Collection 4K and remastered Blu-ray news from yesterday: We’ve checked in with Paramount and have confirmed that all of the remastered films in BD & 4K will feature 7.1 Dolby TrueHD audio mixes. So plan accordingly.

Meanwhile, the 4K Ultra HD set and the remastered Blu-ray singles are all now available for pre-order on Amazon.com and you can see the cover artwork (and find the pre-order links) below. [Read on here...]