Items filtered by date: January 2015

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We’ve got a few more reviews for you today, as promised.

Before we get to those though, I’ve got a quick note: This is going to be my last post on The Bits for a couple weeks. There are a couple reasons for this. First, I need a break. For the last several months now I’ve been working myself ragged without much of a let up. One of the problems – good to have, but problems no less – of running your own business is that there’s no end to the amount of hours you can work. So, I am sorely in need of a good staycation to recharge the batteries. The other reason, though, is that my wife and I are celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary this year. Our actual anniversary is in the Fall, but we’re going to be busy then with other things, so we’ve decided to celebrate early this year. Anyway, I hope you all understand and I appreciate your patience. I’ll be back on March 4th to resume business as usual. Meanwhile, back to those reviews… [Read on here…]

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All right, we’ve got a lot of content for you this evening here at The Bits.

First up, our own Michael Coate has just completed an exhaustive roundtable interview of Treksperts – some of whom are old friends of ours here – in honor of the 35th anniversary of Robert Wise’s Star Trek: The Motion Picture and he presents that now in his History, Legacy & Showmanship column for all of you to enjoy. So click the link for that and we hope you find it a great read!  [Read on here…]

“Star Trek: The Motion Picture provided a unique experience, leaving some audience members, myself included, elated at the prospect, “The Human Adventure Is Just Beginning.” — Robert Meyer Burnett

“I do feel very lucky to have been a kid while this amazing renaissance of fantasy filmmaking was going on.… Star Wars, then Close Encounters, then Superman, then Alien, then Star Trek: The Motion Picture… at least in terms of going to the movies, those are two-and-a-half years I wish I could experience again. It was a truly magical time.” — Mike Matessino  [Read more here...]

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All right, it’s President’s Day here in the States, so there’s not much in the way of release news. But there’s plenty going on around here at The Bits today…

First up, we have no less than four new disc reviews for you today, all connected to the fine animation of Studio Ghibli. Tim Salmons has taken a look at Ghibli’s Pom Poko and Porco Rosso, both newly available on Blu-ray from Disney. And I’ve reviewed Ghibli and Isao Takahata’s The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, which streets on Blu-ray from Universal tomorrow. Finally, I’ve also reviewed a new documentary DVD release about Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki – The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness from Cinedigm. All are well worth your time, so do give them a look. [Read on here…]

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We’ve got a little more announcement news for you today...

Warner has set The John Wayne Western Collection for Blu-ray release on 6/2, including Rio Bravo, The Train Robbers, Fort Apache, and Cahill: U.S. Marshall. Of these, we believe that The Train Robbers and Cahill are new to the format.

Speaking of Warner, The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies is now officially up for pre-order on Amazon with a street date of 3/24 on Blu-ray 3D Combo, Blu-ray Combo and DVD. We expect the official announcement any time now.  [Read on here…]

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First up this morning, our own Shane Buettner has posted a review of Chad Stehelski and David Leitch’s John Wick, which, as it turns out, is pretty damn great and highly entertaining to boot. The film stars Keanu Reeves. Do give our review – and then the film itself – a look. We think you’ll enjoy it.  [Read on here…]

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Today’s big announcement news is that Universal will release Angelina Jolie’s Unbroken on Blu-ray and DVD on 3/24. The Blu-ray will include deleted scenes, 4 featurettes (Inside Unbroken, Prison Camp Theater: Cinderella, Louis’ Path to Forgiveness, and The Real Louis Zamperini), and video of a cast and crew concert featuring Miyavi. The digital version will be available on 3/10. You can see the cover artwork to the left and also below.  [Read on here…]

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We’re kicking things off today with a new Blu-ray review, featuring yours truly with some thoughts on David Fincher’s Gone Girl, now available on Blu-ray from 20th Century Fox. It’s an interesting film, a bit of an odd duck for the director but still worth your time. Do give it a look.  [Read on here…]

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We’ve got a little bit more Blu-ray and DVD announcement news for you to close out the week...

Starz and Anchor Bay will release The Missing: The Complete First Season on Blu-ray and DVD on 4/14.

Lionsgate is releasing an animated Ultimate Avengers 3 Movie Collection on Blu-ray on 4/14.

Lionsgate also has Wild Card coming on Blu-ray and DVD on 3/31, starring Jason Statham. [Read on here…]

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The big news today is all Shout! Factory. They’re launching a new digital entertainment streaming service called Shout! Factory TV. This will include a website – ShoutFactoryTV.com – and also a downloadable app for your Roku device. More than 2,500 hours of movies and full-length TV episodes are available now for free viewing, and more will be added with time. According to Shout!, the service will offer the highest quality video available for all titles, free-to-consumer ad-supported video viewing, original videos and special bonus behind-the-scenes featurettes, and even live programming stunts, such as the Mystery Science Theater 3000 Turkey Day Marathon. Cool news indeed!  [Read on here…]