Items filtered by date: August 2016

Warner Bros Home Entertainment has just set a new Mad Max High Octane Collection for Blu-ray and DVD release on 12/6 (SRP $79.99 and $54.97). Both will include Mad Max (1979), Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981), Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985), and Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), plus 5 hours of bonus content and the Mad Max: Fury Road “Black & Chrome” Edition. The Blu-ray set will also include a 4K Ultra HD and UV Digital Copy versions of Mad Max: Fury Road. You’ll also get a new George Miller Introduction to the Mad Max Fury Road: Black and Chrome Edition, the new Road War featurette (with George Miller, Terry Hayes and Mel Gibson), and the previous Madness of Max (1979) documentary.

Mad Max: Fury Road and the Mad Max: Fury Road “Black & Chrome” Edition will also be released as a Blu-ray 2-pack on 12/6 (SRP $29.98) with the previous extras as well as the new George Miller introduction.  [Read on here…] 

Just a quick update for you today, as we’re working on new Blu-ray and 4K UHD reviews for you...

First up, Scream Factory has just announced the list of extras you’ll find on their 2-disc The Exorcist III: Collector’s Edition Blu-ray, which streets on 10/25. Disc One will include The Exorcist III: Theatrical Cut via new 2K IP scan, with a vintage featurette, vintage interviews, a delete scene, alternate takes, bloopers, a deleted prologue, theatrical trailers, TV spots, and photo galleries. Disc Two will include Legion (the Original Director’s Cut) with all-new extras including an audio interview with writer/director William Peter Blatty and 5 featurettes (A “Wonderfull” Time, Signs of the Gemini, The Devil in the Details, Music for a Padded Cell, and All This Bleeding). You can see the cover artwork at right and below.  [Read on here…]

Here is a list of known 4K Ultra HD titles released, announced, or in the works for the International market before the end of 2017 (and into early 2018), compiled from our sources’ best-available information.

Let us know if we’ve missed one.

Please keep in mind that TBA titles and dates are ESTIMATES based on best-available information from sources and are NOT to be considered official until the studios in question make their respective announcements.

** = Reference title, * = Standout title, N4K = Native 4K, DV = Dolby Vision HDR
(Note: All titles not listed as DV = HDR10 by default)
(FR/DE) = Amazon purchase links, DA = Dolby Atmos audio, X = DTS:X audio
(Information included where known)

4K Content Hub

• Best of UHD: The Original – 9/23/16 (Germany)

Arthaus

• Puccini’s Tosca – 10/6/17

Busch Media Group/Alive/KSM GmbH

• Best of 4K: Ultimate Edition – 5/6/16 (Germany)
• Timescapes 4K – 5/6/16 (Germany)
• USA: A West Coast Journey – 5/6/16 (Germany)
• Kaminfeuer 4K – 5/12/16 (Germany)
• Europa 4K – 5/23/16 (Germany)
• Moon Shots 4K – 5/23/16 (Germany)
• India 4K – 8/1/16 (Germany)
• Aquarium 4K – 11/11/16 (Germany)
• Red Sea 4K – 12/12/16 (Germany)
• Namibia: The Spirit of Wilderness – 12/19/16 (Germany)
• Die Verfluchten Der Pampas (Savage Pampas – 1966) – 12/19/16 (Germany) – DV
• Best of 4K: Ultimate Edition 2 – 4/21/17 (Germany)
• 187 – 5/28/17 (Germany)
• Iceland 4K – 7/14/17 (Germany)
• Regenwald 4K (Rainforest) – 7/14/17 (Germany)
• Grand Canyon 4K – 7/14/17 (Germany)
• Borneo 4K – 7/17/17 (Germany)
• Khatia Buniatishvili: Beethoven/Liszt – 7/21/17 (Germany)
• Flying Clipper – 7/28/17 (Germany)

Concorde Video

• Iron Man – 4/6/17 (Germany)
• Iron Man 2 – 4/6/17 (Germany)
• Iron Man 3 – 4/6/17 (Germany)
• Iron Man Trilogy – 4/6/17 (Germany)

Constantin Film

• Das Parfum: Die Geschichte eines Mörders – 12/1/16 (Germany)

Cargo Records GmbH

• Wildes Venedig – 5/20/16 (Germany)
• No Limits – 7/29/16 (Germany)
• Der Lauf Seines Lebens (The Flying Sikh) – 11/11/16 (Germany)

Euroarts

• Mozart: Die Hochzeit des Figaro – 11/25/16 (Germany)

EuroVideo Medien GmbH

• America: The Beautiful Country – 10/27/16 (Germany)
• Serengeti: Nature’s Greatest Journey – 10/27/16 (Germany)
• Hawaii: The Magical Volcano Islands – 11/10/16 (Germany)
• Adventure Yellowstone – 11/10/16 (Germany)

Koch Media

• Dario Argento’s Zombi: Dawn of the Dead – 11/24/16 (Italy)
• The Neon Demon – 11/10/16 (Germany)

LCJ Editions

• Le vieux fusil (The Old Gun – 1975) – 9/27/17 (France)

Lighthouse Home Entertainment

• Passenger – 5/20/16 (German)
• Der Wilde Pazifik: Die Schönheit des Lebens – 5/20/16 (Germany)
• Island 4K: Die Magische Insel – 11/18/16 (Germany)
• Zurück zum Urwald: Der Nationalpark Kalkalpen 4K – 12/9/16 (Germany)
• Die Kanarischen Inslen 4K – 3/17/17 (Germany)
• Shorebreak: Die perfekte Welle – 12/8/17 (Germany)

In-Akustik

• Michael Schenker’s Temple of Rock: On a Mission – Live in Madrid – 7/29/16 (Germany) – DV

Soulfood Music Distribution

• Jane’s Addiction: Alive at Twenty-Five – 8/25/17 (Germany)

Studio Hamburg Enterprises

• The Fourth Phase – 11/25/16 (Germany)

TFI Studio

• Alibi.com – 6/20/17 (France)

Toho

• Shin Godzilla – 3/22/17 (Japan)

Turbine Medien

• The Texas Chainsaw Massacre – 6/17/16 (Germany)

Universal Music

• Wagner: Lohengrin – 7/7/17 (Germany)

Note that many U.S. titles have and are being released internationally, but are not included here. You’ll find them in the U.S. list instead.

The big news today is that Sony is bringing Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver back to theaters (on 10/16 and 10/19) for its 40th Anniversary, and will re-issue the film on Blu-ray in a new Taxi Driver: 40th Anniversary Edition that’s mastered from the film’s 4K restoration (which was supervised by Scorsese and cinematographer Michael Chapman). The 2-disc set, which streets on 11/8, will include much legacy bonus material along with a new 40-minute Q&A with Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster and more, recorded live at the Beacon Theatre in New York City at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival.

The specific list of extras includes: Disc One – Taxi Driver Q&A, Interactive Script to Screen, original 1986 commentary with Scorsese and writer Paul Schrader (recorded by The Criterion Collection), additional commentaries by Schrader and by Professor Robert Kolker, 6 featurettes (Martin Scorsese on Taxi Driver, Producing Taxi Driver, God’s Lonely Man, Taxi Driver Stories, Travis’ New York, and Travis’ New York Locations), and the film’s theatrical trailer; Disc Two – The Making of Taxi Driver documentary, Storyboard to Film Comparisons (with Scorsese introduction), and Animated Photo Galleries. You can see the cover artwork above left and below.  [Read on here…] 

All right, first up today: Be sure to check out Michael Coate’s Still Boldly Going: Celebrating “Star Trek“ on its 50th Anniversary column in the event you missed it yesterday. It’s a fun and fascinating roundtable discussion featuring some of the very best Treksperts in the business. Don’t miss it.

Now then... we have some new announcements today...

Disney and Pixar have just set Finding Dory for Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray, DVD and On-Demand release on 11/15, preceded by the Digital HD and Disney Movies Anywhere release on 10/25.  [Read on here…]

All right, we’ve got a couple things for you today...

First, as promised, we’re very proud today to present Michael Coate’s latest History, Legacy & Showmanship column here at The Digital Bits, entitled Still Boldly Going: Celebrating “Star Trek” on its 50th Anniversary! In this lengthy piece, Michael moderates a great roundtable discussion on the history of the beloved franchise with Trek luminaries Mark A. Altman, Jeff Bond, Robert Meyer Burnett, Marc Cushman, Daren R. Dochterman, Dorothy Fontana, Gary Gerani, David Gerrold, Edward Gross, Bill Kraft, Herbie J. Pilato, and Melinda Snodgrass. It’s a terrific discussion and a rare opportunity to hear from so many leading Treksperts all in one place. We hope you enjoy it and, as always… “Live Long and Prosper!”  [Read on here…]

“Star Trek has left a legacy of hope and optimism that humankind has a future. If we cultivate the potential of Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations so that we embrace a universe brimming with the riches of life in all of its forms, then humankind can evolve into something finer and nobler. I think that is what Gene Roddenberry meant when he said that the human adventure is just beginning.” — Bill Kraft, author of Maybe We Need a Letter from God: The Star Trek Stamp

The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective article commemorating the golden anniversary of Star Trek, Gene Roddenberry’s legendary science-fiction television series depicting the voyages of Captain James T. Kirk and his crew of the starship Enterprise.

The memorable television series premiered 50 years ago this week (September 6th, 1966, on CTV in Canada, and September 8th, 1966, on NBC in the United States), and similar to our other Star Trek roundtables (here and here) and classic television retrospectives (here, here, here, and here), The Bits for the occasion has assembled a Q&A with an esteemed group of Treksperts, historians and Star Trek writers who examine the best episodes and offer commentary on the show’s enduring appeal, influence and legacy.  [Read on here...]

All right, as many of you know, Thursday marks the official 50th Anniversary of the Star Trek franchise. Star Trek: The Original Series debuted on NBC TV way back on September 8, 1966.

As is probably true for many of you, Star Trek’s played an enormous role in my life. It was my first favorite TV show as a very young child, certainly my first exposure to science fiction of any kind, and it’s not an exaggeration to say that my moral compass – the very principles I believe in (a more optimistic future, the idea that we’re stronger working together, that exploration is one of the most noble things Humanity can do, that it’s our differences that make us greater, etc) – all come from classic Star Trek. The series certainly fostered my curious nature and lifelong interests in science, astronomy, writing, and spaceflight technology. Over the past decade, my love of the franchise led to the discovery of Patrick O’Brian’s “Aubrey-Maturin” series of historical novels, which begin with Master and Commander (upon which the 2003 Russell Crowe film was based) – they’re essentially Star Trek stories set in the 19th Century.  [Read on here…]

We’re closing out the week here at The Bits with another quick column, but we have some great stuff for you to check out...

First, I’ve turned in an in-depth review of Warner’s The Iron Giant: Signature Edition on Blu-ray. Trust me, the disc is not to be missed. It includes both the theatrical and Signature versions of the film, plus new extras, and nearly all of the legacy DVD special features too. The disc streets next Tuesday (9/6). Check out my review here.

Also today, our old friend Jack Jameson weighs in this afternoon on Arrow Video’s new Female Prisoner Scorpion: The Complete Collection Blu-ray box set, which includes the films Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion, Female Prisoner Scorpion: Jailhouse 41, Female Prisoner Scorpion: Beast Stable, and Female Prisoner Scorpion: #701’s Grudge Song, plus extras. The series stars Meiko Kaji of Lady Snowblood fame, who was the inspiration for Uma Thurman’s character in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill films.  [Read on here…]

Welcome to a new edition of Pick-Ups!

Back this week with more reviews. Not a lot happening movie-wise, although I am pleased that the new horror movie Don’t Breathe is doing well at the box office. Perhaps I’ll be able to catch it at some point. We’re also starting to break out the Halloween decorations, and if anybody knows us, we go all out. Hopefully I can share a couple of pictures with you when we get it all up. If nothing else, they’ll definitely pop up on social media at some point.

Anyways, let’s move on to some reviews. [Read on here…]