Displaying items by tag: Kino Lorber Studio Classics

We have a trio of new disc reviews for you all to enjoy today...

Stephen has taken a look at Dario Argento’s Phenomena (1985) on 4K Ultra HD from our friends at Synapse Films. It features an early performance by Jennifer Connelly, and the 4K is apparently pretty lovely.

Stephen has also reviewed Howard Hawks’ Man’s Favorite Sport? (1964) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics. The film stars Rock Hudson and Paula Prentiss.

And Dennis has turned in his thoughts on Luis Valdez’s Zoot Suit (1982) on Blu-ray, also from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, featuring the great Edward James Olmos in an early role.

Also today, this is the final couple of days to vote in the 2022 Home Entertainment Media Play Awards, so be sure to head on over to their website to get your picks in quick. Voting ends on 4/1. [Read on here...]

All right, we’ve got some great new disc reviews for you today, along with some terrific announcement news as well. But first, as always, those reviews...

I’ve just posted my in-depth look at Francis Ford Coppola’s legendary The Godfather Trilogy in 4K Ultra HD from Paramount. And let me tell you, the image restoration is breathtaking—as good as the 2008 Blu-rays were, this is almost a night and day difference. It’s really something. Best of all, the set includes all three films, including Coda (and two alternate versions of Part III as well), not to mention a wealth of new and legacy special features. There’s even restored mono audio on The Godfather and The Godfather Part II. This may very well be the 4K release of the year, so don’t miss it.

Also today, I’ve taken a look at Volume 3 and Volume 4 of ClassicFix’s 2K restorations of The Little Rascals shorts on Blu-ray. It appears that there will be 7 volumes total to release all 80 of the classic Hal Roach sound shorts, and Volume 5 is already slated for release on 4/5.

We’ve got more new disc reviews coming tomorrow and all this week, including Madman and The Sword and the Sorcerer in 4K and much more, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled for those. [Read on here...]

We’re working on new disc reviews here at The Bits at the moment, and we have a few recently-posted ones to catch you all up on today...

I’ve posted my thoughts on Lana Wachowski’s The Matrix Resurrections in 4K Ultra HD from Warner Bros.

Stephen has turned in his review of a Region B Blu-ray double-feature title from All the Anime: Makoto Shinkai’s The Place Promised in Our Early Days and Voices of a Distant Star. Hold that thought for a moment.

Tim has checked in with a look at Christophe Gans’ Silent Hill and Brian Trenchard-Smith’s The Man from Hong Kong on region-free Blu-ray from our friends at Umbrella Entertainment.

And Dennis has offered his take on David Butler’s Lullaby of Broadway (1951) on Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.

I’m also working on a review of Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story on 4K Ultra HD from 20th Century Studios, and I’ve just gotten my hands on Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather Trilogy in 4K from Paramount. So be sure to watch for those reviews to get posted over the weekend and early next week. Rest assured, the rest of the team has more new reviews on tap for the coming week as well. [Read on here...]

We’ve got some great release news for you all today and of course more new disc reviews as well. As always, we’ll start with the reviews...

I’ve just posted my thoughts on Rian Johnson’s science fiction time-twister Looper (2012), which is finally available in 4K Ultra HD here in the States from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. What’s more—and unlike last year’s UK 4K release from eOne—this edition features fresh remastering by cinematographer Steve Yedlin, with a new Dolby Vision and HDR10 high dynamic range grade and a new Dolby Atmos mix too. Not only is it a big improvement on the original Blu-ray, it improves on the eOne 4K release too, so it’s definitely worth a look for fans.

Also today, Tim has posted a look at Bruce Beresford’s The Adventures of Barry McKenzie on Blu-ray from Umbrella Entertainment.

Stephen has offered his thoughts on Mervyn LeRoy and Busby Berkeley’s long-awaited Gold Diggers of 1933 new on Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.

And Dennis has turned in his takes on Kino Classics’ Princess Tam Tam (1935) and Zou Zou (1934) double-feature and Philip Kaufman’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, both on Blu-ray. [Read on here...]

We’ve got a brand new History, Legacy & Showmanship column from our own Michael Coate for you to enjoy today, and it’s another bonus column originally meant to be posted late last year, but that took longer to complete than expected. In this installment, Michael looks back at Don Seigel’s Dirty Harry (1971) in honor of the film’s 50th anniversary. He’s joined by documentary filmmaker Gary Leva and authors Patrick McGilligan and Lee Pfeiffer, historians all. The piece is well worth your time if you’re a fan of the film.

Also today here at The Bits we have a trio of new Blu-ray reviews from Tim, including his take on the animated The Addams Family (2019) and The Addams Family 2 (2021) from Universal, and also Tom Gries’ Breakheart Pass (1976) from Kino Lorber Studio Classics. Enjoy!

The big piece of announcement news today is that Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment has just officially set Guillermo del Toro’s Nightmare Alley for release on Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD on 3/22, with the Digital release expected on 3/8. The Blu-ray and 4K will include three featurettes (Del Toro’s Neo Noir, Beneath the Tarp, and What Exists in the Fringe). Audio will be Dolby Atmos on the 4K and DTS-HD MA on the Blu-ray SKU. The 4K will also include HDR10 high dynamic range. You can see the cover artwork above left and also below. [Read on here...]

We’ve got some interesting odds and ends to share news-wise here at The Bits today, as well as another big disc review, and some sad news unfortunately. But first, the review...

Tim has just delivered his in-depth look at Sony’s new Ghostbusters Ultimate Collection 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray box set, which includes new 4K editions of Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II—now with Dolby Vision HDR—as well as Ghostbusters: Afterlife on disc, and Ghostbusters: Answer the Call on Digital only (though the code redeems for both versions of that film in 4K). Plus the set include no less than two Blu-ray bonus discs with a ton of legacy extras, as well as new material exclusive to this set. And you get a mini replica of Don Shay’s Making Ghostbusters book from 1985.

Unfortunately, the set is a limited edition release from Sony and it’s sold out almost everywhere. (At last check, you could still get it from a few international retailers, but that version may have region issues and will not come with Digital codes.) We have asked the studio whether it might be released in a second printing, or perhaps in a discs-only configuration at some point in the future, and have been told that while it’s possible there’s no news to report at this time. Should that change, we will of course post an update here on The Bits.

In the meantime, we’ve gotten reports from a number of readers that their sets were damaged in shipment, or that the box they received had the wrong discs resulting from a packaging error (for example, they may have gave gotten two copies of Ghostbusters in BD and 4K, but no copies of Ghostbusters II). If that applies to you, Sony has provided us with a customer service email address for you to use to get things sorted. [Read on here...]

Today’s update is a quick one, with two more new disc reviews, two rather significant pieces of release news, and some additional release news as well. First, the reviews...

Dennis has turned in a look at Ronald Neame’s Gambit (1966) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, which stars Michael Caine and Shriley MacLaine.

And Stephen has reviewed Nadia Tass’ The Big Steal (1990) on Blu-ray from Columbia Pictures via Umbrella Entertainment’s Sunburnt Screens line.

A quick note: I’ve taken a bit of a break from reviewing discs myself as I’ve been focused on planning The Bits site upgrade that we’re going to be doing in the coming months. But I expect to get back to reviewing more in the next couple of weeks, and I’ll definitely catch up on specific titles then. So thanks for your patience in the meantime.

Now then... Disney has informed us today that their 2/8 Blu-ray and DVD release of the Peter Jackson documentary The Beatles: Get Back is being delayed. Apparently, the studio caught an audio glitch in the release at the last minute and needs to correct it. So just be aware of the delay, and we’ll post updates here direct from the studio when they reschedule the title with a new street date. [Read on here...]

We begin the day with a pair of new Blu-ray reviews from Stephen... Bill Forsyth’s Breaking In (1989) from Kino Lorber Studio Classics and Harry Watt’s The Overlanders (1946) from Umbrella Entertainment.

Also here at The Bits today, we’ve got another “bonus” History, Legacy & Showmanship column for you that’s leftover from 2021, in which Michael and film historian/author Raymond Benson celebrate the 50th anniversary of Peter Bogdanovich’s The Last Picture Show (1971). Enjoy!

In title announcements today, the big news is that Scream Factory has officially set Happy Death Day and Happy Death Day 2U for release on 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo on 4/26, just as we’ve been expecting for the last week or so.

Expect at least HDR10 high dynamic range and we’ll post the other AV details when we have them. [Read on here...]

We’ve got just one quick final news post for you here at The Bits this week to report that Arrow Video has officially announced their April Blu-ray and 4K slate, and there are some real gems in the mix as well as a pair of great new Ultra HD releases.

On Blu-ray in the US and Canada only, look for The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter (1984) in two different cover art SKUs (original theatrical art and new artwork) on 4/5.

In the UK only, look for Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986) on both Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD on 4/18.

And in all three regions, look for Terry Gilliam’s 12 Monkeys (1995) on 4K Ultra HD on 4/26, as well as Twisting the Knife: Four Films by Claude Chabrol—which will include The Swindle (1997), The Color of Lies (1999), Nightcap (2002), and The Flower of Evil (2003)—also on 4/26 on Blu-ray only, and Rogue Cops and Racketeers: Two Crime Thrillers by Enzo G. Castellari on Blu-ray only—which includes the films The Big Racket (1976) and The Heroin Busters (1977)—on 4/19. [Read on here...]

We have another pair of new disc reviews for you to check out today...

First up, Tim and Stephen have jointly reviewed David Gordon Green’s Halloween Kills (2021) in 4K Ultra HD from Universal. And well... suffice it to say they didn’t care for it much. It is, however, an impressive 4K disc. You can read all about it here.

Tim has also taken a look at Richard Fleischer’s Mr. Majestyk (1974), which is now available on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

Speaking of KLSC, the company has been working overtime lately to announce more of their upcoming Blu-ray and 4K catalog titles, so now is a good time to provide a quick round-up of the titles they’ve revealed in recent weeks for release in March and April...

3/8 – Billy Wilder’s The Apartment (1960 – 4K & BD), Howard Hawks’ Man’s Favorite Sport? (1964), Melvin Frank’s Strange Bedfellows (1965), Jerry Jameson’s Starflight One (1983 – for Code Red) [Read on here...]