Today’s update on The Bits is going to be quick because, with a little luck, I should be working on our review of Universal’s Back to the Future Trilogy in 4K by the end of the day.

In the meantime, Tim has posted a review of Kevin Smith’s Mallrats, as recently released on Blu-ray by Arrow Video. Sounds like it’s a pretty good disc, so do give it a look.

Speaking of reviews, we’d like to call your attention once more to Tim’s review of the Friday the 13th Collection: Deluxe Edition Blu-ray box set. Fans (and Shout!/Scream Factory) have discovered three errors in the set, which has led Shout! to establish a disc exchange program. Specifically, there are errors in the Blu-ray discs of Friday the 13th: Part III, Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday, and Jason X. We’ve posted the exact details and exchange program instructions at the end of the second part of Tim’s review (click here for that). And if you’re having any problems, are missing discs, or what-have-you, here’s a direct link to the official page where you can report them to Shout!. [Read on here...]

We’ve got some more announcement news to report today, but first more reviews...

I’ve just taken a look at Warner’s The Flintstones: The Complete Series on Blu-ray. It’s a mostly solid release, though the remastering quality is a bit uneven and the extras are somewhat lacking. Yet there’s no doubt the episodes look better than ever.

Also Tim has reviewed Koji Shima’s Warning from Space (1956) on Blu-ray from Arrow Video, not to mention Edward Dein’s Curse of the Undead (1959) from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

And Dennis has given Graham Swon’s The World Is Full of Secrets (2018) a look on Blu-ray as well, from Kino Lorber proper.

Also today, we’ve once again updated our Release Dates & Artwork section with all the latest Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD cover art and Amazon.com pre-order links (click here for that). And the section is finally working just fine, totally bug free. So if you’d like to help support our efforts here at the site by shopping through our links throughout the section, we’d surely appreciate it! [Read on here...]

All right, we have some great release news to report for you all today...

But first, we also have another new Blu-ray review: Tim has taken a look Bruno Mattei’s Cruel Jaws (1995) on Blu-ray from Severin Films. You’ll find that here.

Now then, that news we mentioned...

Our friends at Shout! and Scream Factory have just announced the 4K Ultra HD release of John Carpenter’s Prince of Darkness: Collector’s Edition on 1/19. The 4K/Blu-ray package will carry an SRP of $34.98. The 4K disc itself will include Dolby Vision and HDR10 high dynamic range, along with a new Dolby Atmos audio mix. All of the existing extras from Scream’s excellent Blu-ray release will carry over. You can see the cover artwork at left and also below. [Read on here...]

We’re closing out the week today with a little bit more release news and some new disc reviews. Let’s get to the reviews first...

Tim and Dennis have been busy these last couple days; Tim has posted a new review of David Cronenberg’s Shivers (1975), newly-released on Blu-ray as part of Lionsgate’s Vestron Video Collector’s Series.

Also, Dennis has turned in his thoughts on John Badam’s The Hard Way (1991) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, along with David Roby’s Most Wanted (2020) from Paramount, and Pierre Jourdan’s I Am a Dancer on Blu-ray from Film Movement and StudioCanal.

I’ve also begun working on a pair of new 4K Ultra HD releases, which I expect to have up over the next few days, so be sure to watch for these. [Read on here...]

All right, today’s update on The Bits is going to be a quick one, as yesterday’s post obviously made a big splash on the Interwebs. Yesterday was also my birthday, and I ended up spending most of the day working, so I’m going to take a little bit of a break this afternoon.

BUT... we do have a few things for you...

First, on Tuesday night we posted Tim’s mammoth 2-part and in-depth review of Scream Factory’s outstanding new 12-film/16-disc Friday the 13th Collection: Deluxe Edition Blu-ray box set, which streets next Tuesday (10/13). And it is every bit as awesome as you’re hoping it is. Our hats off to everyone at Scream and elsewhere who were involved in this set. That includes our old friend Peter Bracke, as well as our very own Tim Salmons, who is thanked in the set’s liner notes booklet for contributing rare trailers and TV spots. He’s too modest to mention it, but there you go. The set is amazing, the review is here, and we hope you enjoy both!

Also today, we’ve posted the latest update of our Release Dates & Artwork section here at The Bits, featuring all the latest Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K cover artwork and Amazon.com pre-order links. And just to let you know, the whole section—which had been rather buggy lately—should now be working fully. As always, any time you order literally anything from Amazon by clicking on our links, you’re helping to support our work here at The Bits and we really do appreciate it. [Read on here...]

All right Tolkien fans, this is it!

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has just provided us with the official confirmation: Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and The Hobbit Trilogy will officially arrive on 4K Ultra HD on 12/1.

The Hobbit Trilogy will include The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, and The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, in both the theatrical and extended versions.

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy will include The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, again each in both the theatrical and extended versions. [Read on here...]

We’ve got some interesting news to report today...

First though, our own Michael Coate has posted a new History, Legacy & Showmanship column here at The Bits, featuring a look back at CBS’s The Mary Tyler Moore Show in honor of its 50th anniversary. Michael interviews historians Herbie J. Pilato and Vince Waldron on the popular TV series and its legacy. Enjoy!

Also today, we’ve posted the latest update of our Release Dates & Artwork section with all the latest Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD cover artwork and Amazon.com pre-order links.

Before we get to announcements today, we’ve learned from our sources that Warner should be officially announcing the 4K Ultra HD release of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings sometime in the next two weeks, if all goes well with delivery of the 4K masters. [Read on here...]

“The Mary Tyler Moore Show opened the floodgates for the kind of grown-up TV comedies that would thrive in the 1970s, and beyond. Although Mary’s show had little in common with M*A*S*H, All in the Family, or Barney Miller, it’s hard to imagine any of those breakthrough sitcoms getting a green light had The Mary Tyler Moore not proven to the TV networks that it was possible to attract a sizable audience to intelligent, risk-taking television shows — that good TV was, in fact, a viable business model.” — Vince Waldron, author of The Official Dick Van Dyke Show Book

The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the golden anniversary of the broadcast premiere of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, the Emmy-winning and multi-spinoff-inspiring television series starring Mary Tyler Moore (The Dick Van Dyke Show, Ordinary People) as Mary Richards that ran on CBS from 1970 to 1977.

The series — created by James L. Brooks (Terms of Endearment, Broadcast News) and Allan Burns (A Little Romance, Just Between Friends) and featuring the memorable supporting cast of Edward Asner as Lou Grant, Valerie Harper as Rhoda Morgenstern, Gavin MacLeod as Murray Slaughter, Ted Knight as Ted Baxter, Cloris Leachman as Phyllis Lindstrom, Georgia Engel as Georgette Franklin Baxter, and Betty White as Sue Ann Nivens — premiered 50 years ago, and for the occasion The Bits features a Q&A with a pair of classic television historians who reflect on the series’ appeal, impact and legacy five decades after its debut. [Read on here...]

We’ve a couple good things to report again today here at The Bits...

First, though, I posted my review of Zack Snyder’s 300 in 4K Ultra HD from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment last night here at the site. It’s a 2K DI upsample, but let me just say that HDR and especially the new Dolby Atmos mix make a significant difference. If you’re a fan, the disc is well worth a look.

Now then, Paramount has officially announced the 12/8 Blu-ray and Digital release of Mario Puzo’s The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone. The package will include a new introduction by director Francis Ford Coppola, and a Digital Copy.

You can see the cover artwork above right and also below. [Read on here...]

All right, we’ve got some very interesting ground to cover today...

First, we’ve posted a review of Richard Donner’s Timeline (2003), which has just been released on Blu-ray for the first time ever by Paramount. Our own Dr. Adam Jahnke reviewed the DVD way back in 2004, so I’ve revived his film review and added my own comments on the Blu-ray’s A/V quality. Timeline is cheesy and paper-thin to be sure (I would never call it a great film, or really even a very good one), but I still kind of enjoy it. So it’s nice to finally have it on Blu-ray, especially for just $9.99 SRP.

Also, later today or tomorrow morning I expect to finish my review of Zack Snyder’s 300 in 4K Ultra HD from Warner Bros. So watch for that to be posted very soon.

Now then, in release news today, we’ve got a few things for you. None of this is yet official—as in no press releases have been issued, but we expect them to be shortly—but we’ve got updates today on a few new 4K catalog titles that we know many of you have been eagerly awaiting. [Read on here...]