Displaying items by tag: William Friedkin

Afternoon, everyone! We’re starting the short Christmas week here at The Bits with more new disc reviews as always. Today, we’ve got...

Tim’s review of Shawn Levy’s Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) in 4K Ultra HD from 20th Century Studios and Marvel, via Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

Stephen’s review of Roman Polanski’s The Tenant (1976) in 4K Ultra HD from Paramount via Vinegar Syndrome.

And Dennis’ take on Vincent Sherman’s The Return of Doctor X (1939) on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection.

We also have a few more new disc reviews for you from late last week, in case you missed them, including...

Tim’s review of Monk: Season Six (2007-2008) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

Stuart’s review of Richard Thorpe’s Three Little Words (1950) on Blu-ray from Warner Archive.

Dennis’ look at Umberto Lenzi’s Battle of the Commandos (1969) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

Stephen’s review of William Friedkin’s The Hunted (2003) on 4K Ultra HD from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

Stuart’s look at Claude Autant-Lara’s Enough Rope (1963) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

And finally, my review of Robert Meyer Burnett and Max Allan Collins’ True Noir: The Assassination of Anton Cermak 10-part audio drama from Imagination Connoisseurs Unlimited.

Also, just so you know, we’re not done yet: Look for at least one more new disc review tomorrow before the Christmas holiday, and lots more after we get back from the break next week. [Read on here...]

All right, we’ve got a bunch of news to run down for you all today...

But before we get to that, we wanted to let you know that we’ve just completed major updates of our Release Dates & Cover Artwork section here at The Bits, as well as our 4K Ultra HD Release List, both of which include all the latest Amazon pre-order links. What’s more, we’ve posted some very cool content over the last couple of weeks on our Digital Bits Patreon. And those of you interested in titles that might be coming to 4K UHD in 2025 will definitely want to check those posts out. Becoming a Patreon subscriber is a great way to support the work we do here at The Bits—it’s affordable and we try to make it worth your while. So please consider joining us over there, and we appreciate it! Now then...

The big news today is that Marvel and Disney have just officially set Shawn Levy’s Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) for release on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD on 10/22, with the Digital release expected on 10/1. The 4K disc will include Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos audio on a 66GB disc. There will be a wide-release 4K version in Amaray packaging, along with dual limited-edition Steelbooks one of which features Deadpool on the cover with a red interior, and the other featuring Wolverine on the cover with a yellow interior. A Walmart-exclusive Amaray version will also include “pop-up” packaging featuring the Deadpool corp. Regardless of which version you buy, the disc will contain audio commentary with Shawn Levy and actor Ryan Reynolds, a gag reel, 4 featurettes (Finding Madonna: Making the Oner, Practical Approach: Celebrating the Art of Ray Chan, Loose Ends: The Legacy of Heroes, and Wolverine), 3 deleted scenes (Elevator Ride, Do Nothing, and Daddy’s in Love), and “Fun Sack” (Dr. Deadpool, Product Review, and Wade is Back). You can see the cover artwork at left and also below. [Read on here...]

All right, here are today’s new disc reviews...

Dennis has taken a look at Joel Schumacher’s 8MM (1999) on Blu-ray from Imprint Films.

Stuart has offered his take on Roberto Gavaldón’s Untouched (1954) on Blu-ray on Powerhouse Films’ Indicator label.

Tim has taken a look at Marcus Nispel’s remake of Friday the 13th (2009) in 4K Ultra HD from Arrow Video. He’s also turned in a review of Lucio Fulci’s Lizard in a Woman’s Skin (1971) on Blu-ray from Umbrella Entertainment.

And last, but certainly not least, Stephen has taken a deep dive into Toho’s Godzilla store-exclusive version of Takashi Yamazaki’s Godzilla Minus One (2023) in 4K Ultra HD!

Also here at The Bits today, we have a brand new update of our Release Dates & Artwork section, which is a convenient way to see all of the new Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD titles that street each week. You can see the cover art, and sort by date and format. And you can click on each of the titles to pre-order them on Amazon.

On that note, I wanted to take a moment to share a challenge we’ve been having of late, which is that our Amazon Affiliate revenue has been declining. For a long time now—for over a decade—our Affiliate revenue has been a big part of helping us to keep The Digital Bits going—to help us cover our server and operating costs. It’s how we’ve been able to keep The Bits free for everyone to read for over 27 years now. In recent months, however, that revenue has begun to decline. We understand that Amazon may not always be the cheapest option these days. So for those of you who still support The Bits by shopping with them through links (in the daily news column, in our disc reviews, in the 4K Ultra HD Release List, and in the Release Dates & Artwork section), we really appreciate it very much! [Read on here...]

Sorry for the lack of a news update yesterday, but I spent the entire day on the phone with studio and industry sources digging into upcoming 4K catalog titles. Rest assured, I’ll share more on all of that in the days and weeks to come.

In the meantime, we have some great release news for you—which we’ll share in a couple of news posts today—as well as more new disc reviews. Those include...

Stuart’s look at Jerry Hopper’s Alaska Seas (1954) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, as well as Carlotta Films’ Region B Blu-ray release of Roger Corman’s The Intruder (1962), which is one of his best films and also features one of William Shatner’s early film roles.

Dennis’ thoughts on John Farrow’s Submarine Command (1951) and Charles Vidor’s Thunder in the East (1952) both on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

Tim’s look at the complete Hanna-Barbera’s Superstars 10 (1987-1988) Blu-ray box set from the Warner Archive Collection.

And finally Stephen’s take on Wellson Chin’s The Inspector Wears Skirts 2 (1989) on Blu-ray from 88 Films, as well as Michael Benveniste and Howard Ziehm’s Flesh Gordon: 50th Anniversary Edition (1974) on region-free Blu-ray from Turbine Medien.

Now then... let’s get to the announcement news, because we’ve got a bunch of it. [Read on here...]

“Like all great art, people take from The Exorcist what they bring to it. For some it is a spiritual affirmation. For others it is simply a scary movie. For a few, it remains too challenging to watch.” — Nat Segaloff, author of The Exorcist Legacy: 50 Years of Fear

The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the golden anniversary of the release of The Exorcist.

Directed by William Friedkin (The French Connection, To Live and Die in L.A.) and based upon William Peter Blatty’s 1971 novel, the classic film chronicled a mother’s attempt to save her possessed daughter through an exorcism and scared millions of moviegoers in the process.

The Exorcist starred Ellen Burstyn (Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore), Max von Sydow (The Seventh Seal), Lee J. Cobb (On the Waterfront), Kitty Winn (The Panic in Needle Park), Jack MacGowran (The Fearless Vampire Killers), Jason Miller (The Ninth Configuration/Twinkle, Twinkle, ‘Killer’ Kane), and Linda Blair (Roller Boogie).

The film was nominated for ten Academy Awards (including Best Picture) and the winner of two (Adapted Screenplay and Sound), and for a period of time was Warner Bros.’ most successful motion picture, spawning a series of films and television series and, of course, no shortage of imitations and parodies. [Read on here...]

I’m happy to say that we have a little bit of late-breaking announcement news today, and it’s one we’ve all been waiting for. Here’s the full text of Warner’s press release...

THE EXORCIST COMES TO 4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY AND DIGITAL

TO CELEBRATE THE ICONIC SUPERNATURAL FILM’S 50TH ANNIVERSARY, THE EXORCIST WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 4K RESOLUTION WITH HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE (HDR)

Purchase the film on 4K Ultra HD Disc and Digital on September 19

Burbank, Calif., August 1, 2023 – As part of the year-long centennial celebration for the 100th anniversary of Warner Bros. Studio, the iconic supernatural film The Exorcist from Academy Award-winning director William Friedkin (The French Connection) will be available for purchase on 4K Ultra HD Disc and Digital for the first time this September.

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of its 1973 release, on September 19 The Exorcist will be available to purchase on Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc from online and in-store at major retailers and available for purchase Digitally from Amazon Prime Video, AppleTV, Google Play, Vudu and more.

The Ultra HD Blu-ray Discs include both the 1973 theatrical version of the film and the 2000 Extended Director’s Cut of the film which features eleven additional minutes of footage not seen in theaters. [Read on here...]

We’ve got just a few quick news items to report today to close out the week...

First, Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment has set the animated Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match for Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD release on 10/17.

Also, it looks like Warner is tentatively planning to drop the newly-released Barbie movie on at least Blu-ray and DVD on 10/3, based on the date Target briefly showed on their listing for the Blu-ray this morning.

Meanwhile, Universal has officially set the animated Shrek the Third for 4K UHD release on 9/12.

And for your Trek fans, we’ve now officially confirmed that CBS Studios will release Star Trek: Prodigy: Season 1, Episodes 11-20 on Blu-ray and DVD on 9/26. And we have a look at the final cover artwork at left and also below the break. [Read on here...]

Today’s post is a quick one, but we do have some great release news for you...

First, Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment and DC Studios have kicked off pre-orders for their long-awaited 4K Ultra HD release of Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski’s animated Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993). As we’ve been expecting, the street date will be 9/12. Look for HDR10 high dynamic range and 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. The only extra will be the existing Kevin Conroy: I Am the Knight featurette. But you can see the final cover artwork at left and also below.

By the way, we’ve also confirmed with WB that their forthcoming Babylon 5: The Complete Series Blu-ray set will include its episodes in the original 1.33 broadcast aspect ratio with 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio sound mixes. You can pre-order this title now on Amazon.com by clicking here (or on the cover art below the break).

In terms of official announcements today, our friends over at Powerhouse Films in the UK have just revealed their next pair of Indicator 4K and Blu-ray titles, which are coming on 10/24 in both the US and UK. Look for Jean Rollin’s Lips of Blood (1975) and Fascination (1979). Each will feature new 4K restorations from the original camera negative, with Dolby Vision HDR on the UHD SKUs. Each will also include a plethora of new and archival special features. Note that they’re also region free. [Read on here...]

We hope those of you here in the States are all enjoying the long Memorial Day weekend. As it is a work holiday here today, there’s not a lot of official news to report. But we do have some significant 4K news from retail and other sources.

And we have some new disc reviews for you today as well, including...

Stephen’s look at Robert Rossen’s WWII classic They Came to Cordura (1959) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

Stuart’s take on the first season of a French TV title called Paris Police 1900 (2021) on DVD from Kino Lorber.

And Dennis’ review of Alexander Hall’s Little Miss Marker (1934) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

More reviews are forthcoming this all week, so be sure to stay tuned for them. [Read on here...]

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...]