My Two Cents
All right, ladies and gentlemen... we’re back! Thanks again for your patience while we took a little bit of time off here at The Digital Bits last week. All of us here at the site have had a lot going on this past month or so, so we definitely needed and appreciated the chance to recharge a bit. But we’re diving right back into the thick of things today, which means catching you up on all the interesting release news of the past several days.
First, though, we have a quick new disc review... Tim has taken a look at Sidney Lumet’s 12 Angry Men (1957) in 4K Ultra HD from Kino Lorber Studio Classics. This is classic black-and-white courtroom drama starring the great Henry Fonda, along with Lee Cobb, E.G. Marshall, Jack Klugman—it’s a real gem.
Now then, the big breaking news today is that The Criterion Collection has just unveiled their August slate, which is set to include an upgrade of Akira Kurosawa’s legendary Dreams (Spine #842 – 4K Ultra HD) on 8/8, Wayne Wang’s Dim Sum: A Little Bit of Heart (Spine #1188 – Blu-ray and DVD) on 8/15, Bo Widerberg’s New Swedish Cinema (Spine #1189 – includes The Baby Carriage, Raven’s End, Elvira Madigan, and Ådalen 31 – Blu-ray) on 8/22, and Cauleen Smith’s Drylongso (Spine #1190 – Blu-ray and DVD) on 8/29. [Read on here...]
Afternoon, everyone!
I just wanted to pop in here quickly to say that news updates over the next few days will likely be limited. All of us here at the site have a lot of things going on personally, which are understandably absorbing most of our attention. And it’s always important to remember when you work online that real life matters come first.
Speaking personally, my father-in-law is here this week for a visit from the East Coast, so we’re enjoying our time with him. My wife and I have also added new some animal family members to the household here in SoCal, and we’re working to get them settled in. I also have a slate of doctors’ appointments scheduled for this week—just routine check-ups and that sort of thing.
And frankly, after the last few months of title announcements, disc releases, industry turmoil and changes, website upgrades and maintenance, and what have you, all of us need a few days to recharge our batteries. [Read on here...]
Today’s update will be quick, because we’re all neck-deep in new disc reviews, myself included. I’ve just completed an in-depth look at Richard Donner’s Superman: The Movie, as newly-released in Warner’s Superman: 5-Film Collection in 4K Ultra HD. This a slightly different disc than the version released back in 2018 (and reviewed here) so be sure to check out the new review for all the relevant details.
FYI, I’m going to be working my way through every film in the set. In fact, I was up until 2 AM last night watching Richard Lester’s Superman II and also Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut in 4K Ultra HD back to back. So watch for the next reviews in the series here at The Bits tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Tim has turned in his thoughts on Nick Castle’s The Last Starfighter (1984) in 4K Ultra HD from Arrow Video, along with Norman Jewison’s original Rollerball (1975) in 4K Ultra HD from Scream Factory.
Stuart has taken a look at Frank Tuttle’s Lucky Jordan (1942) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.
And Stephen—working jointly with Tim—has offered his take on Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) again, this time has released in regular and Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD from Second Sight Films in the UK. [Read on here...]
We’ve got quite a lot of ground to cover today to being the new week here at The Bits—there’s lots of news and announcements to report!
First though, just the briefest of public service announcements: If any of you are active on Twitter and Facebook and you’re not following our The Digital Bits pages (@thedigitalbits on Twitter and @thedigitalbitscom on Facebook), please consider doing so. It really helps us to get the word out about upcoming titles and other industry happenings. I’d also appreciate it if you’d consider following me personally on Twitter (@BillHuntBits). That’s often the first place I share breaking news and insights from our industry sources, before I have time to write it up in a Bits news post here on the site. Plus, I’m working on a series of science fiction novels that I plan to launch later this year, and I’ll be sharing those details on Twitter eventually too. So thanks in advance for your consideration!
We have three new disc reviews to share with you today...
First, Stuart has taken a look at George Sherman’s Border River (1954) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.
Stuart has also offered his take on Keith Maitland’s Dear Mr. Brody (2021) on DVD from Greenwich Entertainment via Kino Lorber.
And finally, Stephen has done a deep dive into Arrow Video’s Twisting the Knife: Four Films by Claude Chabrol on Blu-ray, which features The Swindle (1997), The Color of Lies (1999), Nightcap (2000), and The Flower of Evil (2003).
More reviews are on the way, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled for them. [Read on here...]
We’ve got three new disc reviews for you to enjoy today...
I’ve taken a look at Mimi Leder’s Deep Impact (1998) in 4K Ultra HD from Paramount.
And Dennis has turned in his thoughts on Robert Thornby’s The Trap (1922) on Blu-ray from Kino Classics, as well as Billie August’s The House of the Spirits (1993) on Blu-ray from Imprint Films.
In announcement news today, Arrow Video has just revealed their July Blu-ray and 4K slate, which is set to include Lewis Teague’s Fighting Back (1982) on Blu-ray (US and Canada only) on 7/4, the previously-revealed Bruce Lee at Golden Harvest box set on Blu-ray, 4K, and 4K Limited Edition (UK only) on 7/17, Martin Scorsese’s Hugo (2011) on Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD (US and Canada only) on 7/18, and the Blood Money: Four Western Classics – Volume 2 box set on Blu-ray (UK, US, and Canada) on 7/25. [Read on here...]