My Two Cents
We’re closing out the week with a bunch of new disc reviews and a ton of significant new title announcements as well from the likes of Arrow, Imprint, Sony, Shout! Factory, and more. But first, here are those reviews...
First, Stephen has delivered his in-depth takes on James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Volume 3 (2023) on 4K Ultra HD from Marvel and Disney, Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley’s Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023) on 4K UHD from Paramount, Russell Mulcahy’s Razorback (1984) on 4K UHD from Umbrella Entertainment, Lucio Fulci’s City of the Living Dead (1980) on 4K UHD from Cauldon Films, and Dario Argento’s Tenebrae (1982) on 4K UHD from Synapse Films.
Stuart has chimed in with his thoughts on Henry Koster’s My Man Godfrey (1957) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, as well as Fred Zinnemann and John Sturges’ The Old Man and the Sea (1958) on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection.
And Dennis has taken a look at Laura Tarruso’s About My Father (2023) on Blu-ray from Lionsgate, along with Cauleen Smith’s Drylongso (1998) on Blu-ray from the Criterion Collection.
Rest assured, we have even more new disc reviews coming next week, including Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams, and several other titles.
Now then... in announcement news over the last couple of days, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has officially set Frank Oz’s The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984) for release on 4K Ultra HD on 10/24. Look for the film to be mastered in 4K from the original camera negative with Dolby Vision HDR and a new Dolby Atmos sound mix, both approved by Oz (the original English 5.1 and mono audio are also included). The 4K disc will also include a new audio commentary with Oz. This will be accompanied by a Blu-ray disc featuring the remastered film with 5.1 audio and 3 legacy special features (including an Interview with Jim Henson, Muppetisms: Miss Piggy & Kermit the Frog, and Muppetisms: Pepe and Fozzie Bear). You can see the cover artwork at left and also below. [Read on here...]
All right, we’ve got a lot of catching up to do in terms of release news today, in the wake of the recent Disney and Fox title announcements. So let’s get right to it...
Paramount has just set a pair of fan-favorite catalog films for release on 4K Ultra HD on 11/7... John Landis’s Trading Places (1983) and Richard Donner’s Scrooged (1988). We haven’t seen official announcements yet, so we don’t know for sure what the details are, but they’re now available for pre-order on Amazon.com. You can see the cover art at left and also below the break, where we’ll include the Amazon links. If the studio follows their usual release pattern however, the discs should include Dolby Vision HDR, DTS-HD MA soundtracks, and (possibly) the previously-released extras. It appears that Scrooged will not include a Blu-ray copy however—it’ll will be 4K UHD + Digital Code only.
Speaking of Paramount, their previously-announced South Park: The Complete Twenty-Sixth Season is finally available for pre-order on Amazon and you can see the cover art below.
Lionsgate has just announced a new John Wick: Chapters 1-4 Blu-ray collection for release on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital on 10/17. All of the previous special features will be included.
Also newly-announced by Lionsgate for release on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital that same day is The Twilight Saga: The Complete Collection – 15th Anniversary Edition. Included will be Twilight (2008), The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009), The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010), The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 and the Breaking Dawn: Part 1 – Extended Edition (2022), as well as The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 (2012). The package will also include “three alternative artwork cards that can be swapped into the front cover of the package” and most or all of the previous legacy extras.
And here’s the big one: Lionsgate and AMC are releasing a massive The Walking Dead: The Complete Collection Blu-ray box set on 10/17. SRP for this one is $209.97. You can see the cover artwork for all three of these Lionsgate sets below the break. [Read on here...]
BREAKING: Disney sets LOKI, WANDAVISION & THE MANDALORIAN: SEASONS 1 & 2 for Blu-ray & 4K Ultra HD!!
This is no joke, folks! We’ve got more great Disney 4K Ultra HD news to report for you today.
And no, it’s not the long-awaited James Cameron titles, but have faith—those are definitely still coming (and should be announced in the next few months). But in its way, this news is just as good.
Remember how we said that Disney might be turning a corner with their physical 4K UHD releases? Well, today we bring you breaking news of the company’s first Disney+ original series coming to Blu-ray and 4K! And these are some major titles!
Here’s the studio’s official press release (be sure to read to the very end for some additional comments of our own)...
FOR THE FIRST TIME ON 4K UHD AND BLU-RAY!
LOKI SEASON 1, WANDAVISION, AND THE MANDALORIAN SEASONS 1 AND 2
NEW COLLECTOR’S EDITIONS FROM MARVEL STUDIOS AND LUCASFILM WITH STEELBOOK PACKAGING, EXCLUSIVE ART AND NEW BONUS FEATURES
BURBANK, CA (August 21, 2023) – The Walt Disney Company today announced a number of popular series from Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm will be available on Collector’s Edition 4K UHD and Blu-ray for fans to add to their movie collections, featuring Steelbook packaging, concept art cards and some never-before-seen bonus features.
The titles and dates announced are:
- Marvel Studios’ Loki: The Complete First Season – September 26, 2023
- Marvel Studios’ WandaVision: The Complete Series – November 28, 2023
- Star Wars The Mandalorian: The Complete First Season – December 12, 2023
- Star Wars The Mandalorian: The Complete Second Season – December 12, 2023
All four titles will be available to pre-order from August 28.
Each title will be available nationally on Blu-ray Steelbook with cohesive and collectible brand-new box art designed by popular artist Attila Szarka and collectible concept art cards. [Read on here...]
We’ve got some great news to report for you today folks: As we first reported here at The Bits last month, 20th Century Studios is officially announcing the Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD release of Dan Trachtenberg’s Hulu original film Prey (2022) today! And here’s the official word, straight from the studio...
FOR THE FIRST TIME ON 4K UHD, BLU-RAY AND DVD, ADD THE 6-TIME EMMY NOMINATED PREY TO YOUR MOVIE COLLECTION
The Newest Entry in the Popular Predator Franchise, Prey Arrives on October 3 With Over 2 Hours of Bonus Content
BURBANK, CA (August 14, 2023) – The chilling prequel to the critically-acclaimed Predator films, 20th Century Studios’ Prey, arrives on 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD on October 3. As part of a special artist line, a collector’s edition 4K SteelBook, designed by popular digital artist Attila Szarka, will also be available exclusively at Best Buy.
Nominated for six Emmys, including Outstanding Television Movie, the science-fiction film welcomes new viewers into the Predator story while entertaining long-time fans of the celebrated franchise. All formats include a full-length Comanche audio track and never-before-seen bonus content.
Film Synopsis
The epic Predator legacy continues with this action-thriller set in 1719 on the Great Plains with a band of Comanches. When Naru, a fierce and highly skilled young warrior, sets out to protect her people, the prey she stalks turns out to be a highly evolved alien predator—leading to a vicious and terrifying showdown. [Read on here...]
We’re starting today with a couple more new disc reviews including...
Stephen’s take on Disney’s new wide-release 4K Ultra HD version of their animated classic Cinderalla (1950), which looks fantastic and bodes well for future Disney 4K titles.
And Dennis’ review of Harry Beaumont’s The Broadway Melody (1929) on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection.
Now then, the big announcement news today is that Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has finally (and officially) set Sydney Pollack’s The Way We Were (1973) for 4K Ultra HD release on 10/17 in a new 50th Anniversary Edition. [Read on here...]