Displaying items by tag: The Criterion Collection

Well, there’s never a dull moment in this business and today is certainly a perfect example that. We’ve got some good Star Trek 4K news for you this afternoon, and a little bit of James Cameron 4K news too. Plus some other good announcements and links on top of all that! But first, more new disc reviews...

We start with Stephen, who’s turned in a look at Ivan Passer’s Cutter’s Way (1981), new on Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome.

Next up, Dennis has delivered his take on Don Owen’s Nobody Waved Goodbye (1964) on Blu-ray, also from Vinegar Syndrome.

Last but not least: Tim has taken a deep dive into Sammo Hung, Jackie Chan, and Corey Yuen’s Dragons Forever (1988) which is new on 4K Ultra HD from the good people of 88 Films.

Keeping on the 4K theme today, retail sources are finally starting to confirm word we first broke here at The Bits back on December 19th (see here), specifically that the Star Trek: The Next Generation feature films are going to be arriving from Paramount on 4/4, just in time for “First Contact Day” and also the final episodes of Terry Matalas’ Star Trek: Picard – Season Three! [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...]

Today being a federal holiday here in the States, there’s not a ton of announcement news to report on this afternoon, but we do have a few interesting odds and ends.

First though, a couple more new disc reviews...

Dennis has posted his thoughts on John M. Stahl’s Imitation of Life (1934), which is new on Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.

And Stephen has taken a look at Louis Malle’s Pretty Baby (1978) on Blu-ray from Paramount via Imprint Films.

Now then... in announcement news today, Neon has confirmed that four of their recent titles—Ruben Östlund’s Triangle of Sadness (2022), Brett Morgen’s terrific David Bowie documentary Moonage Daydream (2022), Laura Poitras’ All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (2022), and Céline Sciamma’s Petite Maman (2021)—are all going to be coming from the Criterion Collection, presumably to Blu-ray and/or 4K Ultra HD. [Read on here...]

Welcome to the first full week of December, Bits readers!

We’ve got a couple interesting items to report here today, but first a pair of new disc reviews:

I’ve turned in my thoughts on Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction (1994) in 4K Ultra HD from Miramax, via Paramount. The good news is, whether you buy the Steelbook or the regular Amaray version, the 4K remastering is fantastic. Fans should be very pleased.

I’ve also reviewed Andrew Stanton’s CG-animated classic WALL•E (2008) in 4K UHD from Pixar via the Criterion Collection. The highlight here is that it’s a terrific package and the film looks and sounds great, but the new 4K presentation isn’t really dramatically different than the previous Disney 4K edition—it simply now adds HDR10+ and Dolby Vision metadata. But some of the new special features are wonderful.

More new Blu-ray and 4K UHD reviews are coming soon, as always, so please keep checking back for them! [Read on here...]

Well, go figure. I’d planned on working on disc reviews today, but it turns out that Paramount’s War of the Worlds (1953) 4K color grading issue isn’t the only problem with that release.

First though, the rest of The Bits team has turned in a couple reviews of their own...

Stephen has taken a look at Pierre Chenal’s Native Son (1951) on Blu-ray from Kino Classics.

And Dennis has reviewed Lewis Milestone and Byron Haskin’s The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946) on Blu-ray as well, from Kino Lorber Studio Classics proper.

Both titles are worth a look, and I promise that more reviews are on tap for next week, including 4K titles.

Now then (speaking of Byron Haskin), I mentioned yesterday that there’s a color grading problem with Paramount’s new War of the Worlds: Paramount Presents 4K Ultra HD release. [Read on here...]

Our friends at the Criterion Collection have just unveiled their December Blu-ray slate this afternoon, which is set to include four more interesting titles...

It starts with the Michael Haneke: Trilogy (Spine #1161 – Blu-ray only – includes The Seventh Continent, Benny’s Video, and 71 Fragments of a Chronology of Chance) on 12/6. And following on 12/12 are Todd Haynes’ The Velvet Underground (Spine 1164 – Blu-ray and DVD), Three Films by Mai Zetterling (Spine #1162 – Blu-ray only – includes Loving Couples, Night Games, and The Girls), and finally Michael Schultz’s Cooley High (Spine #1165 – Blu-ray only).

It’s worth noting that The Velvet Underground documentary will include a new Dolby Atmos soundtrack. Click here for more details on all of these titles.

In 4K Ultra HD news today, retail sources are indicating that Universal will release David Gordon Green’s Halloween Ends on 12/27, though do keep in mind that this date is tentative and subject to change, as the film doesn’t actually hit theaters until 10/14. [Read on here...]

We’ve got news, news, and only news here at The Bits today, and we’re starting with the big announcement: Criterion has just unveiled their November Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD release slate...

It kicks off with Věra Chytilová’s 1966 Czech New Wave classic Daisies (Spine #1157 – Blu-ray only) and a 4K update of Wong Kar Wai’s evocative 2000 gem In the Mood for Love (Spine #147 – 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD) on 11/1. Following on 11/8 is Jane Campion’s cold but captivating The Power of the Dog (Spine #1158 – 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD). On 11/15, look for Andrew Lau Tak-wah and Alan Mak’s The Infernal Affairs Trilogy (Spine #1159 – Blu-ray only – includes Infernal Affairs, Infernal Affairs II, and Infernal Affairs III). Finally, Spike Lee’s Malcolm X round out the month’s slate on 11/22 (Spine #1160 – 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray).

Note that Malcolm X and The Power of the Dog will include Dolby Vision HDR (In the Mood for Love appears to be HDR10 only), while The Power of the Dog will also feature Dolby Atmos audio.

You can see the cover artwork for all of these titles at left and also below. We’ve also updated our Criterion Spines Project and 4K Ultra HD Release List pages here at the site accordingly. And more detail about the special features included on these titles is available here at the Criterion website. [Read on here...]

We’re starting off the new week here at The Bits as we often do, with more new disc reviews...

Stephen has taken a look at Kenneth Branagh’s Death on the Nile (2022) in 4K Ultra HD from 20th Century Studios and Disney. The film was shot in large format on both 65 mm film and 8K digital, so the disc’s image quality is uniquely impressive.

But that’s not all: Stephen has also posted his thoughts on Henry Levin and George Pal’s The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm, which has been newly-restored for release on Blu-ray by our friends at The Warner Archive Collection in both 2.85:1 widescreen and also Smilebox format, replicating the look of the film on a 146-degree curved Cinerama screen.

More disc reviews are on the way tomorrow and all this week, so be sure to check back.

In release news today, Showtime Entertainment has announced the Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD release of Ray Donovan: The Movie on 5/25. [Read on here...]

We’re starting the new week off today with no less than SEVEN new disc reviews that have been posted since Friday, including...

My takes on Al Reinert’s For All Mankind in 4K Ultra HD from the Criterion Collection, Byron Haskin’s Conquest of Space (1955) on Blu-ray from Imprint Films, and Tomas Alfredson’s Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011) in 4K Ultra HD from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, as well as The Little Rascals: The ClassicFlix Restorations – Volume 5 on Blu-ray from ClassicFlix, and Spider-Man: No Way Home in 4K Ultra HD from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and Marvel Studios.

Also, Dennis has turned in his thoughts on Craig Singer’s 6:45 on Blu-ray from Well Go USA and Stuart Heisler’s Blue Skies (1946) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

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

Now then... in announcement news today, the big revelation is that Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has officially set Matt Reeves’s The Batman for release on Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD on 5/24, with the Digital and HBO Max release slated for 4/18. [Read on here...]

We’re starting things off today with Tim’s review of Lewis Teague’s Alligator (1980) in 4K Ultra HD from Scream Factory. It sounds like this is not only the best the film has ever looked and sounded, but it’s also one of Shout! and Scream’s best 4K releases to date. So do give it a look if you might be interested.

We’ve also just updated our Release Dates and Artwork section with all the latest Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD cover artwork and Amazon.com pre-order links. Remember, any time you order literally anything from Amazon after clicking to them from one of our links, you’re helping to support our work here at The Bits and we really do appreciate it.

I also wanted to address one other thing here on the site today: Some of you may have noticed that there were “roadblock” ads appearing on The Bits over the last few months. Ads that appeared when you clicked from the home page to other content—ads that you had to click away to continue reading. Rest assured, we’ve killed those and they will not be returning. [Read on here...]