Items filtered by date: August 2013

We’re kicking things off today with a review of the Blu-ray 3D experience of Star Trek Into Darkness from our own Jeff Kleist, for those of you who have 3D-capable home theater systems.

In announcement news today, Shout! and Scream Factory have set Night of the Comet for release on Blu-ray Combo on 11/19.  Check out this list of extras they’ve compiled: audio commentary with writer/director Thom Eberhardt, audio commentary with stars Kelli Maroney and Catherine Mary Stewart, audio commentary with production designer John Muto, 3 featurettes (Valley Girls at the End of the World, The Last Man on Earth? and Curse of the Comet), a stills gallery and the film’s theatrical trailer.  Not bad!  [Read on here...]

Afternoon, all.  We’ve got a couple things for you today…

First, the good Dr. Jahnke has turned in a couple newly-upgraded classic Blu-ray reviews from The Original Bits for you to read today.  In this case, it’s a pair of excellent Shout! Factory titles from the Roger Corman catalog – Piranha and Starcrash.  Enjoy!

Also today, our own Russell Hammond has just posted this week’s Release Dates & Artwork update with all the latest Blu-ray, DVD and Video Game cover artwork and Amazon.com pre-order links.  As always, a portion of anything you order from Amazon after clicking through to them from our links goes to help support our work here at The Bits and we surely do appreciate it.

Now then… we’ve got some announcement news for you today…  [Read on here…]

Morning, folks!  Well… I’m off to the dentist today, so this post is going to be a quick one.  However… we do have a couple fun things for you here at The Bits this morning.

First, our own Tim Salmons has turned in another Criterion Blu-ray Disc review, and this one’s a classic: 1923’s Safety Last! starring Harold Lloyd.  Enjoy!   [Read on here…]

“The Modern Miracle You See Without Glasses!”

The Digital Bits is pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the 60th anniversary of the release of The Robe, the first motion picture produced in CinemaScope.

In addition to a detailed history of the film’s original theatrical release, the article features a roundtable interview with three authorities on widescreen history.

THE ORIGINAL ENGAGEMENTS OF “THE ROBE”

Presented here is a chronological listing of the original first-run theatrical engagements of The Robe for the major and selected secondary markets in the United States and Canada.  The number of weeks the film played has been provided for some of the entries.  [Read on here...]

We’ve got a quick bit of announcement news for you today...

Sony has set Grown Ups 2 for release on Blu-ray Disc and DVD on 11/5 (SRP $40.99 and $30.99).  Extras will include deleted scenes and 4 featurettes (Look Who Stopped By, Set Construction, Mr. Spade’s Wild Ride and Shaq and Dante: Police Force).

Time Life and StarVista have announced a 6-disc The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast: Collector’s Edition for DVD release on 10/8 (SRP $59.95).  From the press release the set “includes 12 complete and unedited Celebrity Roasts, featuring Bob Hope, Johnny Carson, Jimmy Stewart, Sammy Davis Jr., Jack Benny, Lucille Ball, Dean Martin, Kirk Douglas, Michael Landon, Jackie Gleason, Don Rickles and Joan Collins.  Appearing as roasters, throwing zingers at the men and women of the hour are: John Wayne, Dom DeLuise, Rich Little, Muhammad Ali, George Burns, Phyllis Diller, Art Carney, Bette Davis, Florence Henderson, Bob Newhart, Don Rickles, Milton Berle, Jonathan Winters and many others.  Adding to the mirth and merriment of this set are over two hours of specially-produced bonus features, featurettes and interviews, as well as rare Dean Martin TV specials and home movies!”  [Read on here...]

Afternoon, folks!  We’ve got a trio of new Blu-ray Disc reviews for you today...

The good Dr. Jahnke has checked out Warner Archive’s new Gypsy Blu-ray and found it to be pretty darned swell.  Do give it a look.

Also, Tim Salmons has given a pair of great recent Criterion Blu-rays a spin and they’re awfully nice too – David Fincher’s The Game and Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp.  Enjoy!

In announcement news today...  [Read on here...]

All right, we’ve got a quick update for you today, but we do have some release news and whatnot…

First, Russell Hammond has posted the Release Dates and Artwork update with all the latest Blu-ray, DVD and Video Game cover artwork and Amazon.com pre-order links.  As always a portion of anything you order through our links goes to help support our work here at The Bits and we greatly appreciate it!

Now then… I’ve updated my Star Trek Into Darkness Blu-ray review with a fully complete listing of all the exclusive content available via Target, Best Buy/Cinema Now and iTunes.  So do check it out.  One hopes the studio will eventually revisit the title on BD as a truly complete special edition, perhaps when all the retail exclusive content deals expire.  In the meantime, now you can at least see what’s available.  And at the very least, anyone who buys the BD and redeems the digital copy code through iTunes can get access to the enhanced commentary, so that’s something.  [Read on here…]

All right, first up here at The Bits today, we’ve got more Blu-ray Disc reviews for you.  We’ve updated Adam Jahnke’s reviews of a pair of classic Roger Corman titles from Shout! Factory, including Death Race 2000 and Galaxy of Terror.  Also today, our own Joe Marchese has turned in his thoughts on Twilight Time’s more recent Leave Her to Heaven, a 1945 classic from Fox.

You may also have noticed that we’ve modified the Latest Review sidebar (over on the right hand side of the home page) to include our NINE latest reviews (not just six) and also to show the vintage reviews we’re upgrading into the new database as well as the new release title reviews.  We figured that for some of you, those older reviews from the original Bits website will be new – you’ll not have seen them before.  So we wanted to make sure to highlight them as they go into the new database to make them easier for you to find and read.  We hope you enjoy them!

Also today, the good Dr. Jahnke has a new Burnt Offerings column for you.  Here’s a surprise some of you may not have been aware of: Universal has released the 1984 film The Wild Life on DVD-R as part of their Vault Series!  You’ll find more on that, plus news of new DVD-R/MOD titles from Warner Archive and Paramount, in today’s column.

Now then... I’ve got a bit of an update of you all on Paramount’s Star Trek Into Darkness Blu-ray.  Specifically, I’ve now seen the Target-exclusive bonus features...  [Read on here...]

Remember the Universal Vault Series, Universal’s intermittent foray into the world of MOD?  Well, apparently Universal just remembered about it, too.  On August 30, they released several new entries, quietly and with zero fanfare, presumably out of respect for those of us who were reverently observing the Feast of Alexander of Constantinople that day.

Of the various MOD programs, Universal and 20th Century Fox seem to be having the most trouble (I’ll be talking about Fox next week).  Sony and MGM went through similar growing pains before partnering with Warner Archive for promotion and distribution.  I’m not saying that all MOD needs to go through Warner Bros.  But all MOD programs should be able to learn from Warner’s model.  At least people know what’s available and when from them.

Anyway, here’s a look at what’s new from the Universal Vault Series.  And if you’re interested in a complete list of available Universal Vault titles, I’ve posted one on the Jahnke’s Electric Theater Facebook page.  All Universal Vault titles are available for purchase on Amazon here at this link.  [Read on here...]

Afternoon, everyone!  Hope you all had a fine weekend.

Here at The Bits today, we’ve posted a trio of Dr. Jahnke’s Blu-ray reviews from The Original Bits site to the new review database here, including Warner’s AC/DC: Let There Be Rock – Limited Collector’s Edition, Sony’s Tommy and also Shout! Factory’s Rock ‘n’ Roll High School – one of their Roger Corman’s Cult Classics titles.  As you can tell, there’s a bit of a music theme there.  Enjoy.

Speaking of Dr. Jahnke, as many of you know we have a Digital Bits Facebook page where you’re all very welcome to join us.  But there’s a very fine Jahnke’s Electric Theater Facebook page too.  Be sure to drop on by, give it a “like” and chime in with Adam as he gear up for this year’s Hell Plaza Oktoberfest.

In announcement news today... [Read on here...]