Displaying items by tag: Criterion

We’ve got several new disc reviews for you today here at The Bits, including...

Stephen’s look at David Fincher’s Zodiac (2007) in 4K Ultra HD from Paramount, along with his look at Shout! Factory’s Limited Edition Collector’s Set of Jim Henson and Frank Oz’s The Dark Crystal (1982) in 4K UHD, as well as Billy Wilder’s One, Two, Three (1961) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

Dennis’ reviews of Barnaby Thompson’s Mad About the Boy: The Noël Coward Story (2023) documentary on DVD from Kino Lorber, as well as Rebecca Snow’s The Boy in the Woods (2023) on Blu-ray also from Kino Lorber.

And Stuart’s take on Kurt Neumann’s Cattle Drive (1951) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, as well as Indicator’s Columbia Horror Blu-ray box set, which includes Region B-locked editions of John Francis Dillon’s Behind the Mask (1932), Roy William Neill’s Black Moon (1934), Albert S. Rogell’s Air Hawks (1935), Charles Barton’s Island of Doomed Men (1940), Henry Levin’s Cry of the Werewolf (1944), and Will Jason’s The Soul of a Monster (1944).

More reviews are on the way soon, as always, so be sure to keep checking back both here and on our social media feeds (on Facebook, Twitter/X, and BlueSky). [Read on here...]

We’ve got more new disc reviews today to start the short Thanksgiving week out right here at The Bits. Among them are...

Stephen’s take on Fred Zinnemann’s A Man for All Seasons (1966) in 4K Ultra HD from Sony’s new Columbia Classics 4K Ultra HD Collection: Volume 5 box set.

Tim’s review of Don Siegel’s Two Mules for Sister Sara (1970) in 4K Ultra HD from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, as well as his on-going film-by-film review of Arrow’s excellent Shawscope: Volume Two Blu-ray boxed set—today featuring his thoughts on Lau Kar-leung’s The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978).

And my review of Dean Parisot’s Galaxy Quest (1999) in 4K Ultra HD Steelbook from our friends at Paramount Home Entertainment.

We’ve all got a lot more reviews in the works here at the site as well, so be sure to check back. In fact, in the next 24 hours or so, I’ll have my reviews of Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai (1954) in 4K from the BFI (as compared to the recent Criterion 4K release, which I reviewed here last week), as well as my thoughts on Fede Álvarez’s Alien: Romulus (2024) in 4K UHD from 20th Century Studios.

Also today, I wanted to let you that I just dropped my second My Two Cents: A Video Blog episode exclusively for our supporters on The Digital Bits’ Patreon page. It runs about 26 minutes and includes comments on new and recent 4K titles, a sneak peek of 2025 4K catalog titles, and more. [Read on here...]

We’re starting as always today with new disc reviews! And we’ve got some good ones, including…

My look at Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai (1954) in 4K Ultra HD from the Criterion Collection.

Stephen’s take on Ti West’s MaXXXine (2024) in 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray from A24 and Lionsgate.

Tim’s review of Monk: Season Two (2003-2004) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

Dennis’ thoughts on James Watkins’ Speak No Evil (2024) on Blu-ray from Universal, as well as Zach Clark’s The Becomers (2023) on Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome, and Peter Markle’s Youngblood (1986) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

Sam Cohen’s look at Marco Bellocchio’s Kidnapped: The Abduction of Edgardo Mortara (2023) on Blu-ray from the Coen Media Group and Kino Lorber.

And finally, Stuart’s take on Claude Berri’s Tchao Pantin (1983) on Blu-ray from Radiance Films.

More reviews are forthcoming, including my own look on Dean Parisot’s Galaxy Quest (1999) in 4K Ultra HD from Paramount—that disc is expected to arrive here at the office today, so I’ll definitely be spinning it immediately upon its arrival! [Read on here...]

We’ve got a pair of new disc reviews for you here at The Bits today...

Dennis has turned in his thoughts on Paul Brickman’s Risky Business (1983) on Blu-ray from the Criterion Collection (a 4K UHD review is also forthcoming).

And Stuart has chimed in with his look at James Beshears’ Homework (1982) on Blu-ray from Unearthed Films.

In announcement news today, Kino Lorber Studio Classics has revealed that Umberto Lenzi’s Battle of the Commandos (1969) is coming soon to Blu-ray, a film that features Jack Palance and Curd Jürgens. Also coming soon to Blu-ray from KLSC is Terence Young’s The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders (1965).

While it’s not quite announcement news, based on new Amazon listings it appears that Paramount is going to be releasing Gore Verbinski’s The Ring (2002) in 4K Ultra HD and 4K Steelbook on 10/15. The film was previously made available on the format only in the Scream Factory’s The Ring Collection 4K set back in March. It appears To Catch of Thief is finally coming to 4K as well that same day, in the same Paramount Presents packaging that the 2020 Blu-ray edition was released in. And Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow is being reissued as a 4K Steelbook package on 10/8. You can see the cover artwork for some of them below the break. [Read on here...]

We’re back today with some release news as well as a bunch more new disc reviews, including...

My take on Alex Garland’s Civil War (2024) in 4K Ultra HD from A24 and Lionsgate, a film I didn’t even want to see but that I ended up really impressed with, that also happens to be the most demo-worthy 4K release since Dune: Part Two, Oppenheimer, and Top Gun: Maverick. It also has a terrific documentary from our old friend Charles de Lauzirika, so it’s well worth your time.

Stephen’s thoughts on Abel Ferrara’s Bad Lieutenant (1992) in 4K Ultra HD from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, as well as the Wachowskis’ Bound (1996) in 4K Ultra HD from Criterion.

Dennis’ review of Sidney J. Furie’s The Lawyer (1970) and Frank Tuttle’s The Hour Before Dawn (1944) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

And finally, Tim’s look at J. Lee Thompson’s Death Wish 4: The Crackdown (1987) and Allan A. Goldstein’s Death Wish V: The Face of Death (1994) on Blu-ray also from KL Studio Classics.

We definitely have more reviews cooking at The Bits, but with the 4th of July holiday here in the States falling on a Thursday (tomorrow) this year, we’re giving everyone the next few days off to recharge with their families. So we’ll be back on Monday with more new reviews and—we would imagine—plenty of breaking release news too.

In announcement news today, Kino Lorber Studio Classics has revealed that Ralph S. Singleton’s Graveyard Shift (1990) is coming soon to 4K Ultra HD. Also newly-revealed as coming soon to Blu-ray is Willard Juyck’s Best Defense (1984). [Read on here...]

We’ve got a big new disc review for you all today here at The Bits, and it’s a title that a lot of you have been waiting for: My look at Tony Gilroy’s Andor: The Complete First Season (2023) in 4K Ultra HD Steelbook from Lucasfilm and Disney! All the details are in the review, but suffice it to say that the release absolutely does not disappoint. The video quality is stunning.

We’ve also got a bunch of recent reviews that our staffers have shared over the last few days that I need to round up here for you guys, including...

Stephen’s reviews of Sergio Martino’s The Great Alligator (1979) in 4K Ultra HD from Severin Films, Rod Lurie’s The Last Castle (2001) in 4K Ultra HD from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, John Ford’s 3 Godfathers (1948) on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection, and Walter Hill’s The Long Riders (1980) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

Tim’s reviews of Frank Henenlotter’s Basket Case (1982) in 4K Ultra HD from Arrow Video, Michael Laughlin’s Strange Invaders (1983) on Blu-ray from Imprint, and Hanna-Barbera’s animated Scooby-Doo Meets the Boo Brothers (1987) on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection.

And finally, Dennis’ review of Nancy Savoca’s Dogfight (1991) on Blu-ray from the Criterion Collection.

Meanwhile, we have a couple or housekeeping items to report here at The Bits today... [Read on here...]

We start today with four new disc reviews, with more on the way...

Tim has reviewed Kevin Smith’s Mallrats (1995) in 4K Ultra HD from Arrow Video.

Stephen has turned in his thoughts on Terry Gilliam’s The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988) in 4K Ultra HD from Criterion, as well as Jim McBride’s The Big Easy (1986) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

And Stuart has taken a look at Susan Seidelman’s Making Mr. Right (1987) on Blu-ray, also from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

Meanwhile today, we have a bunch of announcement news to report, starting with this: Rhino/Parlophone are releasing D.A. Pennebaker’s Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1979) in a new 2CD + Blu-ray package in the UK on 8/11 in honor of the film’s 50th anniversary! The package will include the remastered soundtrack album, as well as the acclaimed concert film itself newly restored in 4K from the original negatives. Note that while this is a UK release, the Blu-ray is coded for all regions and will include both 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and the original stereo in PCM format. Both the film and soundtrack have also been restored to completion for the first time, and now include The Jean Genie/Love Me Do medley and Round and Round featuring Jeff Beck.

You can read more here, and you can see the packaging at left and also below. [Read on here...]

All right, we’ve got a lot of ground to cover today, including a bunch of new Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD release news. But first, we have more new disc reviews for you as always...

Tim has taken a look at Zack Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead (2004) remake in 4K Ultra HD from Scream Factory, as well as Chester Fox and Alex Stevens’ Massage Parlor Murders (1973) in 4K UHD from Vinegar Syndrome.

Stephen has reviewed Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s The Red Shoes (1948) in 4K Ultra HD from Criterion.

And Stuart has offered his thoughts on Charles Barton’s Double Crossbones (1951) and Richard Goldstone and John Marks, Jr.’s No Man Is an Island (1962) both on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, as well as Frank Capra’s State of the Union (1948) on Region B Blu-ray from Indicator and Powerhouse Films.

Watch for more new disc reviews tomorrow and all this week.

Now then, let’s get to that release news. We’ll start with the officially-announced titles first...

Paramount Home Entertainment has just set John Hughes’ Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) for release on 4K Ultra HD on 8/1. It will include both Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos audio. In a nice surprise, extras will include Hughes’ original director’s commentary, which hasn’t been available since the 1999 DVD release. You’ll also get 5 legacy featurettes (including Getting the Class Together: The Cast of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, The Making of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Who is Ferris Bueller?, The World According to Ben Stein, and Vintage Ferris Bueller: The Lost Tapes). You can see the cover art at left and also below. [Read on here...]

We have two more new disc reviews for you today...

Tim has taken a look at Criterion’s recent Blu-ray release of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s The Tales of Hoffman (1951).

And Dennis has checked in with a look at Delbert Mann’s Marty (1955) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

In announcement news today, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has just revealed that they’re going to be re-releasing Paul Verhoeven’s Starship Troopers as a new 4K Ultra HD Steelbook edition on 11/1, complete with a new feature: The Starship Troopers 25th Anniversary Reunion, a “virtual” reunion featuring screenwriter Ed Neumeier and actors Casper Van Dien, Denise Richards, Dina Meyer, Clancy Brown, Michael Ironside, Jake Busey, Patrick Muldoon, and Seth Gilliam.

The new edition will also include Dolby Vision HDR (the previous release included HDR10 only), along with the previous Dolby Atmos audio mix. And a Blu-ray copy in the package will carry over all of the legacy special features. You can see the cover artwork at left. [Read on here...]

We’ve got a pair of new disc reviews for you to enjoy this afternon, starting with Stephen’s look at Makoto Shinkai’s The Place Promised n Our Early Days (2004) on Blu-ray from GKids via Shout! Factory

Also, Dennis has delivered his thoughts on Sony’s standard Blu-ray release of Jon Watts’ recent Spider-Man: No Way Home.

More reviews are on the way this week, so be sure to stay tuned for them.

Speaking of which, I wanted to take a moment to address the lack of reviews from yours truly in recent weeks. The reason is two-fold. First, I’ve been very focused on the upgrade to the Bits website, which has been long overdue and much needed. There’s a little more of that to go, but what’s been done already has resulted in a significant improvement in the site’s speed and functionality. [Read on here...]