Displaying items by tag: GKids

Boy, we’ve got a lot of ground to cover here at The Bits over the next few days! It’s been very busy here around the office these past several days. For one thing, my wife and I have had family staying with us for the weekend. I’ve also finally replaced my defunct Epson 5040UB home theater projector here at The Bits with a brand new JVC DLA-RS1100/NP5, and have spent time installing and calibrating it. (I’ll definitely have more to say about that later this week, though I’ll just note for now that I’m very pleased with the choice.)

But I would like to take this opportunity to thank my good friends John Schuermann (of The Screening Room AV, the fantastic home theater design and equipment retailer well known for their annual Projector Shootouts) and Kris Deering (the outstanding ISF calibrator, formerly of Sound and Vision magazine as well as his own Deep Dive AV) for their help and advice in selecting the RS1100 and getting it up and running. (Your counsel is very much appreciated, my friends!) If you’re ever in the market for home theater hardware or calibration, there’s no better place to start.

Needless to say, while I’ve been occupied with all that, our dedicated team here at The Bits has posted a number of great new disc reviews. So let’s quickly run them all down...

First of all, Stuart has offered his thoughts on Anthony Mann’s A Dandy in Sapic (1968) and Abraham Polonsky’s Force of Evil (1948) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, as well as Suzanna Raes’ documentary Close to Vermeer (2023) on DVD from Kino Lorber.

Dennis has shared his thoughts on Peter Hall’s Three Into Two Won’t Go (1969) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, as well as Luis Valdez’s La Bamba (1987) on Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.

Stephen has delivered his reviews of Jean Renoir’s legendary classic The Rules of the Game (1939) in 4K Ultra HD from Criterion, along with Jiří Barta’s The Pied Piper (1986) on Blu-ray from Deaf Crocodile (via Vinegar Syndrome), and Ulli Lommel’s The Boogey Man (1980) in 4K UHD from Vinegar Syndrome.

And finally, our hard-working reviews editor Tim Salmons has posted his own take on David Lynch’s Lost Highway (1997) in 4K Ultra HD, also from Criterion.

As always, more new disc reviews are forthcoming all week, so be sure to check back for them.

All right… now let’s move on to the latest release news. And there’s quite a lot of it today. In fact, it’s fair to say that it’s going to be a very expensive Q4 for fans of Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD! [Read on here...]

All right, as mentioned earlier, we’ve got more release news to cover today here at The Bits. But first some new disc reviews...

Stephen has checked out Paul Verhoeven’s cult classic Showgirls (1995) on 4K Ultra HD from Vinegar Syndrome, which features the film in 4K UHD and Blu-ray, along with an additional Blu-ray full of special features. Stephen has also reviewed Peter Greenaway’s The Draughtsman’s Contract (1982) on Blu-ray from Zeitgeist Films and Kino Lorber.

Also today, Dennis has offered his thoughts on George Cukor’s Little Women (1955) and Abe Levitow’s animated Gay Purr-ee (1962), both new on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection.

And Stuart has taken a look at the Norwegian legal drama Aber Bergen: Complete Series from MHz Networks and Kino Lorber, as well as Inés Toharia Terán’s Film: The Living Record of Our Memory (2021) documentary from Kino Lorber, both of them on DVD, along with the Warner Archive Collection’s Tintin and the Mystery of the Golden Fleece (1961) and Tintin and the Blue Oranges (1964) double feature Blu-ray.

Now then, speaking of Warner, Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment and DC Studios have announced the Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD release of the Netflix original series The Sandman: The Complete First Season on 11/18, with a Digital release expected on 9/18. Note that a second season of the series is already on the way from Netflix. The set will include all 11 episodes, along with a pair of featurettes (The Sandman: Behind the Scenes Sneak Peek and The World of The Endless). You can see the cover artwork at left and also below. [Read on here...]

We’ve got one more quick update for you today here at The Bits. But first, we have two new disc reviews from Stephen...

He’s taken a look at Thom Eberhardt’s Night of the Comet (1984) in 4K Ultra HD from Shout and Scream Factory. And he’s also reviewed Scott Walker’s The Tank (2023) on Blu-ray from Well Go USA Entertainment.

Now then, the quick bit of news we have to report today is a follow up on something we predicted was coming here at The Bits several months back, which is that Universal Studios Home Entertainment is officially releasing the next wave of Alfred Hitchcock 4K Ultra HD titles on 10/31!

You’ll get the next box set of five films—The Alfred Hitchcock Classics Collection: Volume 3—as well as 4K single-film SKUs of each of the films in the set, including Rope (1948), The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956), Torn Curtain (1966), Topaz (1969), and Frenzy (1972). You can see the cover art for the box at left, and the singles below the break. [Read on here...]

We’re kicking off the new week today with three more disc reviews from The Bits review team, including...

Tim’s thoughts on Martin Brest’s Midnight Run (1988) in 4K Ultra HD from Shout! Factory via their Shout Select line.

Stephen’s take on Mizuho Nishikubo’s animated Giovanni’s Island (2014) on Blu-ray from GKids.

And Dennis’ look at John Cromwell’s Caged (1950) on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection.

More reviews are forthcoming all this week, so be sure to check back every day for them.

Now then, the big release news today is that the Criterion Collection has just announced its October Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD slate, which includes five great new titles. [Read on here...]

Today’s new disc reviews here on The Bits include...

Tim’s review of Phil Tucker’s Robot Monster (1953) on Blu-ray 3D from Bayview Entertainment.

Stuart’s in-depth take on the Essential Film Noir: Collection 4 Blu-ray box set from Imprint Films and Via Vision Entertainment, which features The Enforcer (1951), Beware, My Lovely (1952), Jennifer (1953), Rope of Sand (1949), and Appointment with Danger (1950).

And Dennis’ look at Elliott Nugent’s The Great Gatsby (1949) on Blu-ray also from Imprint and Via Vision.

In announcement news today, Lionsgate has set Jalmari Helander’s Sisu for release on Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD on 7/11, with the Digital release available today. The 4K will be available in a wide-release Amaray SKU and also a Best Buy-exclusive Steelbook. Extras will include a pair of featurettes (Indestructible: Making Sisu and Pushing the Boundaries of Reality: The Visual Effects of Sisu). Audio on both the 4K and Blu-ray will be included in 5.1 Dolby TrueHD format. High dynamic range is likely HDR10 only on the 4K SKUs. [Read on here...]

We have a bunch of new title announcements to start the week off right today...

First up, Paramount has just officially set Damien Chazelle’s Babylon for release on Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD on 3/21, with the Digital release expected tomorrow on 1/31. The Blu-ray and 4K disc will include a trio of behind-the-scenes featurettes (A Panoramic Canvas Called Babylon, The Costumes of Babylon, and Scoring Babylon) along with deleted and extended scenes. Note that a Steelbook 4K SKU will also be widely available the same day. You can see the Amaray art at left and both versions below.

Paramount has now made Adrian Lyne’s Flashdance (1983) official for release in 4K Ultra HD on 4/11 as a new 40th Anniversary Edition. You can see that below as well.

They’ve also set Jon Chu’s G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013) for 4K Ultra HD re-release as well as a 4K Steelbook 10th Anniversary Edition on 3/28 with Dolby Vision HDR.

And on the TV front, Paramount and Comedy Central have announced South Park: The Complete Twenty-Fifth Season for Blu-ray and DVD release on 4/4. [Read on here...]

All right, we have three more new disc reviews for you all to enjoy today, as well as lots more new announcement news including major 4K catalog titles. So let’s get right to it. First those reviews...

Stephen has turned in his thoughts on Atsuko Ishizuka’s animated Goodbye, Don Glees! (2022, aka Gubbai, Don Gurîzu!), which is newly-available on Blu-ray from GKids and Shout! Factory.

And Tim has posted his thoughts on Laika and Shout! Factory’s new 4K Ultra HD editions of Henry Selick’s stop-motion animated Coraline (2009) in 4K Ultra HD—both the wide-release Amaray version and the Steelbook version.

More reviews are forthcoming this week, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled for them.

Now then, Paramount has just officially announced the Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD release of JD Dillard’s Devotion on 2/28. Extras will include two featurettes (The Aviation of a Forgotten War and The Legacy of Jesse Brown). You can see the cover artwork above left and also below. [Read on here...]

Well, the big news this week is so big that we’re going to address it right off the top: In a sudden and unexpected move, Disney’s board of directors has ousted CEO Bob Chapek and re-hired Bob Iger. The news came out of the blue on Sunday night and seems to have taken everyone by surprise. Bob Iger of course was the company’s previous CEO, who took over for Michael Eisner—the man who’d served in that role for over two decades at that point—back in 2005. It was under Iger’s watch that Disney acquired Pixar, Marvel Entertainment, Lucasfilm, and the film division of 20th Century Fox. He also laid the groundwork for the launch of Disney+ in 2019.

Chapek was no stranger to Disney, having joined the company in 1993 as the director of marketing for Buena Vista Home Entertainment. In this capacity he helped steer Disney through the “Golden Age” of DVD and eventually the launch of Blu-ray, which is how I came to know him. He was so successful in that capacity that he was promoted to president of Home Entertainment in 2006, and eventually took over at Disney Consumer Products (in 2011) and Parks and Resorts (in 2015), which seemed to make him a natural fit to become CEO of Disney himself when Iger eventually stepped down.

But apparently, Iger and Chapek did not often see eye to eye. Iger, who could (and probably should) have worked more aggressively to groom a clear successor to lead the company in his own image, failed to do so, resulting in Chapek’s elevation to CEO in 2020. But Chapek’s reign was troubled from the very start, stricken first by the COVID-19 pandemic and next by a series of public “self-owns” and media missteps. [Read on here...]

We’ve got a big title announcement to report on today, but first another new disc review...

Stephen has turned in his thoughts on Mamoru Hosoda’s Belle: Collector’s Edition in 4K Ultra HD from GKids via Shout! Factory. It sounds like a pretty incredible collection of content, both disc and swag-based, so it’s well worth a look for fans of anime and this particular film.

Speaking of animation, Criterion has just dropped something of a surprise: They’ve licensed Pixar’s WALL•E from Disney and will be releasing it as a 4K UHD + Blu-ray combo title on 11/22, with both Dolby Vision HDR (which was not available on the previous Disney 4K release) and HDR10, as well as Dolby Atmos audio.

The package will include both existing and new special features. You can see the cover artwork at left and also below. [Read on here...]

Good morning, everyone. We’ve got two new disc reviews for you to check out this morning...

Stephen has taken an in-depth look at Tony Scott’s True Romance (1993) in 4K Ultra HD, as finally released here in the States by our friends at Arrow Video.

As it happens, Stephen has also checked out the US Blu-ray-only version of True Romance from Arrow, so pick your format and do give the title a look.

Today being a holiday here in the States, there’s not a ton of release news to report. But we do have a couple of quick items for you...

First, Kino Lorber Studio Classics revealed over the weekend that they’re working on a new 4K Ultra HD release of Adrian Lyne’s Indecent Proposal (1993). That’s currently set to street on 9/27, complete with a new Dolby Vision HDR grade supervised by the director. [Read on here...]