A Knight Rider 4K update, Spider-Man 2.1 in 4K (at least in theaters), new HK Cinema & Kurosawa 4K screenings & Denis Villeneuve will direct the next Bond!
by Bill HuntWe’ve got a few more new disc reviews for you all to enjoy today, including...
Tim’s look at Stephen Surjik’s Wayne’s World (1993) in 4K UHD from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, his look at Russ Meyer’s Up! (1976) in 4K Ultra HD from Severin Films, and his review of Chang Cheh’s The Kid with the Holden Arm (1979) on Blu-ray from Arrow Video’s Shawscope: Volume Two box set.
Stephen’s review of Hideki Takayama’s animated Urotsukidoji: Legend of the Overfiend (1989) on Blu-ray from Discotek Media.
Dennis’ review (with an A/V assist by Tim) of Bruce Robinson’s Withnail and I (1987) in 4K Ultra HD from the Criterion Collection.
And Stuart’s review of Mitchell Leisen’s Bride of Vengeance (1949) on Blu-ray from Imprint Films.
In release news today, we have an update for you on Universal’s newly-announced 4K Ultra HD release of Knight Rider: The Complete Series (1982-86), which streets on 7/22. We’ve haven’t got confirmation yet on whether all the original broadcast music will be properly sorted (though Turbine’s 2023 Blu-ray review did have it sorted, so it’s reasonable to assume that it will be—you can review our review of that set here). But we have confirmed that the set will include HDR10 high dynamic range, and that in addition to the legacy special features, the set will include two newly-produced extras as well. [Read on here...]
KLSC reveals The Lords of Discipline in 4K, plus Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill, Harvey, Jim Henson’s The Storyteller on Blu-ray & more!
by Bill HuntWe’ve got three new disc reviews for you to enjoy today, including...
Stephen’s look at Sergio Leone’s A Fistful of Dollars (1964) in 4K Ultra HD from Arrow Video in the UK.
Dennis’ review of Irving Rapper’s Rhapsody in Blue (1945) on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection.
And Stuart’s take on Andre de Toth’s Springfield Rifle (1952) also on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive.
More reviews are forthcoming all this week, so be sure to keep checking back for them.
Also here at The Bits today, we’ve just posted the latest update of our Release Dates & Artwork section featuring all the latest Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD cover artwork and Amazon.com pre-order links. As we’re an Amazon affiliate, anytime you order literally anything from them after using one of our links, you’re helping to support our work here at the site and we really do appreciate it. [Read on here...]
Knight Rider 4K is official from Universal, plus The Two Jakes, Undisputed, In a Violent Nature & more new Blu-ray & UHD titles
by Bill HuntWe start the new week today with three more new disc reviews, including…
Tim’s look at Robert S. Baker and Monty Berman’s Jack the Ripper (1959) in 4K Ultra HD from Severin Films.
Stuart’s thoughts on the Audie Murphy Collection IV Blu-ray box set from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, which includes the films Kurt Neumann’s The Kid from Texas (1950), Budd Boetticher’s The Cimarron Kid (1952), and Nathan Juran’s Drums Across the River (1954).
And Dennis’ take on William Friedkin’s Sorcerer (1977) on Blu-ray from the Criterion Collection. (Note that we reviewed the 4K Ultra HD edition here at the site last week.)
In announcement news today, we finally have the official word that Universal Studios Home Entertainment is releasing NBC’s Knight Rider: The Complete Series (1982-86) on 4K Ultra HD on 7/22. The 21-disc set will include all 90 episodes in their original 1.33:1 TV aspect ratio, plus previously released special features including the Knight Rider (2000) TV movie, and apparently some new features too. [Read on here...]
Jaws celebrates its 50th anniversary, plus Disney & Marvel set Thunderbolts* for disc in July & more!
by Bill HuntMorning, everyone!
Before we get started today, we’ve got a few more new disc reviews to share with you…
I’ve turned in my thoughts on Lewis Gilbert’s You Only Live Twice (1976) in 4K from the MGM’s new Connery Bond 4K set, as well as Akira Kurosawa’s Yojimbo & Sanjuro (1961-62) in 4K from the BFI (a review co-written with Todd Doogan), and also Matt Schrader’s Score: A Film Music Documentary (2016) on Blu-ray from Gravitas Ventures.
Tim has reviewed Bob Clark’s Murder by Decree (1979) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.
Dennis has checked in with a look at John Sturges’s Mystery Street (1950) on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection, as well as Bruce Robinson’s Withnail and I (1987) on Blu-ray from Criterion.
And finally, Stephen has offered his take on Shaka King’s Judas and the Black Messiah (2021) in 4K Ultra HD from Warner Bros., as well as Andrei Tarkovsky’s final film The Sacrifice (1986) in 4K from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.
And we’ve got lots more great new reviews planned for posting all next week here at The Bits, so be sure to check back then. [Read on here...]
Universal sets 40-Year-Old Virgin, Casper & Meet the Parents for 4K, plus Severin’s Quatermass Xperiment, Daybreakers & Jacob’s Ladder from Lionsgate & more!
by Bill HuntWe have more announcement news for you today, and more new disc reviews as well…
First, Tim has turned in his thoughts on Jim Isaac’s Jason X (2001) in 4K Ultra HD from New Line via Arrow Video, as well as the Warner Archive Collection’s excellent new Looney Tunes: Collector’s Vault – Volume 1 on Blu-ray!
And Stephen has delivered his thoughts on Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett’s Abigail (2024) in 4K Ultra HD once again, but this time as released by Turbine Media in Germany.
Also here at the site today, we’ve posted another update of our Release Dates & Artwork section here at The Bits, featuring all the latest Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD cover artwork and Amazon.com pre-order links. Don’t forget: The Bits is an Amazon affiliate, so anytime you order literally anything from them after clicking to them through one of our links (like this one), you’re helping to support our work here and we appreciate it! [Read on here...]
Criterion’s September slate includes High and Low, This Is Spinal Tap & Flow in 4K, plus Lois & Clark on Blu-ray & more!
by Bill HuntWe’re starting the week here at The Bits with more new disc reviews and some great announcement news as well!
But first, I just wanted to let you all know that we’ve stabilized the website to address some software and loading issues that we’ve been experiencing recently. We’re not 100% back to normal, but the site should at least be loading faster now than it was before. We’ll be doing some additional upgrades in the week ahead, so more on that topic soon.
In the meantime, we’ve shared a bunch of great new disc reviews here on the site today and over the weekend. Among them are…
My review (with longtime Bits contributor Adam Jahnke) of William Friedkin’s Sorcerer (1977) in 4K Ultra HD from the Criterion Collection! The disc streets on 6/24, and the A/V quality is superb.
I’ve also reviewed the new UFO: The Complete SHADO Files Blu-ray box set from our friends at Imprint Television, which contains the best HD quality of any Blu-ray release of Gerry Anderson’s UFO (1970-71) to date, along with the most complete collection of special features.
Also new today is Dennis’ look at Jaume Collet-Serra’s The Woman in the Yard (2025) on Blu-ray from Blumhouse and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.
And Stephen has taken an in-depth look at Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett’s Abigail (2024) in 4K Ultra HD from Universal via Scream Factory.
More new disc reviews are definitely on the way all this week, so be sure to watch out for them! [Read on here...]
Sony sets Krull for 4K Steelbook, Kino Cult’s Xanadu Ultra HD, plus TONS of new Warner Archive, Indicator Films, and Imprint Films titles!
by Bill HuntAll right, it’s been a busy week here at The Bits. And we’ve got a bunch of ground to cover today, so let’s get right to it.
First, some a couple of disc reviews…
Tim has completed his exhaustive coverage of Severin Films new Doctor Who releases with a look at both the Blu-ray and 4K versions of their Total Extermination: The Peter Cushing Doctor Who Collection, which includes Dr. Who and the Daleks (1965) and Daleks’ Invasion Earth 2150 AD (1966).
And we have a lot more new disc reviews on the way. For my part, I’m currently working on a review of a major upcoming Criterion 4K title, and of course I’ll be finishing up our Bond 4K reviews as well early next week.
In terms of announcement news today, we have a bunch of stuff to report, starting with the fact that Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has just officially announced that they’re releasing Peter Yates’ Krull (1983) in 4K Ultra HD Steelbook on 9/16! [Read on here...]
Frailty 4K is official, plus Final Destination Bloodlines, new disc reviews & yes, we’re aware—we’re having website issues here at The Bits
by Bill HuntAll right, as you may have noticed, we’ve been having some functionality issue here at The Bits website in the last week or two. I’m gonna talk about that a little more in a second, so hold that thought.
But first, I wanted to call your attention to a bunch of new disc reviews we’ve completed here at the site lately…
Over the last three or four days, I’ve completed detailed reviews of four of the films in MGM’s new 007: James Bond – Sean Connery 6-Films Collection in 4K Ultra HD, including Terence Young’s Dr. No (1962), From Russia with Love (1963), and Thunderball (1965), as well as Guy Hamilton’s Goldfinger (1964).
Now, I was in the middle of reviewing You Only Live Twice (1967) when I discovered that the copy of the film on 4K disc in my set was defective (I’m having a layer switch issue late in the film—just a bad disc I think, not a widespread issue). So I’m awaiting a replacement copy from WBDHE and I’ll resume my review work on the set as soon as it arrives. in the meantime, I may knock out another 4K review or two, so be sure to stay tuned.
Also today, Tim has posted reviews of Wyott Ordrung’s Monster from the Ocean Floor (1954) on Blu-ray from Film Masters, as well as Gordon Flemying’s Dr. Who and the Daleks (1965) and Daleks’ Invasion Earth 2150 AD (1966) in 4K Ultra HD from the good people at Severin Films.
Dennis has turned in his thoughts on Glenn Gordon Caron’s Clean and Sober (1988) on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection.
And Stephen has offered a genuinely in-depth look at our old friend Vincent Pereira’s A Better Place (1997), which has been newly remastered on Blu-ray from View Askew and the MVD Rewind Collection!
All are well worth your time, so please give them a look. [Read on here...]
Sony sets Monty Python and the Holy Grail for 4K, plus The Amateur, new BFI, Vinegar Syndrome & Indicator titles and more!
by Bill HuntAfternoon, folks! I wanted to check in here today with some news, and few more reviews, and an update.
Some of you have probably noticed that The Bits website has been slow this week. We’ve been having some software issues and our tech support team is on it. The good news is, they’ve identified the cause. We’re working on a solution which is going to involve a bunch of software upgrades, but it’s likely to going to take a week or two to sort out. So I just wanted to apologize for the inconvenience and ask for your patience in the meantime. Rest assured, Scotty and the crew down in Engineering are on the case and we should be back to normal soon!
In the meantime, we have some new disc reviews for you...
Stephen has taken a look at Bill Plympton’s I Married a Strange Person! (1997) on Blu-ray from Deaf Crocodile Films, as well as David Allen’s The Primevals (2023) on Blu-ray from Full Moon Features.
Dennis has offered his take on Steven Soderbergh’s The Good German (2006) in 4K Ultra HD from Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment (with an assist on the 4K side from Tim Salmons), as well as Dougal Wilson’s Paddington in Peru (2024) on Blu-ray from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, and Charles Walters’ Lili (1953) on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection.
And Tim has reviewed Gordon Flemying’s Daleks’ Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. (1996) on Blu-ray from Severin Films.
Lots more disc reviews are definitely on the way, so be sure to watch for them. And I also wanted to let you know in advance that if news updates or social media posts are a little light over the next few days, it’s because I just got my hands on Warner and MGM’s new 007: James Bond – Sean Connery 6-Film Collection in 4K Ultra HD. So I’m going to crack that open and start working on detailed reviews of the films therein, but it’s probably going to take me through the weekend to get them all covered.
But if a cursory examination of Dr. No and From Russian with Love is any indication, these new 4K remasters are pretty terrific. They’re on 100GB discs, they feature very high data rates, and the color, detail, and grain are all very nice indeed. Fingers crossed, I think the Warner remastering team has nailed it. These are definitely a big improvement over the old Lowry Digital 4K masters. So watch for more on that in my reviews soon! [Read on here...]
A Digital Bits Exclusive: Peter Weir’s MASTER AND COMMANDER is coming soon to 4K disc from 20th Century via Sony!
by Bill HuntNow here’s a title I’ve known about for a while, and that I’m very excited to finally share with all of you!
Longtime Bits readers will know that this film is another huge favorite of mine. And back in January of last year… not long before we first broke the exclusive news of the new Sony/Disney distribution deal here at The Digital Bits… I was invited by Disney reps to submit a list of films that I thought the studio should consider for release on physical 4K UHD.
I compiled a list of fifty titles, an A-list of twenty-five, and a B-list of twenty-five more.
Kevin Jarre, Kurt Russell, and George P. Cosmatos’ Tombstone (1993) was at the very top of that A-list.
The third film on that A-list was Ridley Scott’s Kingdom of Heaven: Director’s Cut (2005).
Both titles have now obviously been released on physical 4K Ultra HD from Disney/Touchstone and 20th Century Studios via Sony Pictures Home Entertainment—Tombstone on 4/22, and Kingdom of Heaven on 5/27. (Initial supplies of both titles are hard to come by, but I’m told that Sony is working hard to replicate more copies.)
Well… now I can confirm that the second title on the list I submitted is finally coming to 4K Ultra HD as well, and I couldn’t possibly be more excited. That title is none other than… [Read on here...]