Displaying items by tag: The Digital Bits

Afternoon, folks! And welcome to Friday. Is anyone else out there as ready for the weekend as we are?

This has been a busy week of just “three steps forward two steps backward” behind-the-scenes work here at The Bits. We got a lot done, but very little of it is visible to any of you. But that’s how it goes sometimes.

We’re all working on more reviews here at the site today (and we will be through the weekend—including War of the Worlds 4K and Days of Thunder 4K), but we do have some interesting release news to report today.

First up, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment and HBO have just set His Dark Materials: The Complete First Season for release on Blu-ray and DVD on 8/4 (SRP $29.98 each). [Read on here...]

Today, we’ve got just a very quick My Two Cents update for you, however not with release news.

But as promised, we’ve got a bunch of new disc reviews...

First, our own Tim Salmons has checked out Via Vision Entertainment’s new region-free Blu-ray import version of Police Squad! The Complete Series. (Note that the CBS/Paramount Blu-ray version has also been reviewed here.)

Speaking of Paramount, Dennis has turned in his thoughts on their new Alfred Hitchcock/Paramount Presents title, To Catch a Thief (1955). [Read on here...]

All right, to get things started this week, I’ve posted an in-depth review of Paramount’s new Top Gun 4K Ultra HD release. It’s a major picture and sound upgrade of this film on disc. If you go back and compare its image to the 2008 Blu-ray release, I think you’ll really be surprised at how much of a difference the new 4K remaster makes.

Also today, Dennis has turned in a look at Reed Morano’s The Rhythm Section (2020) on Blu-ray, also from Paramount.

Note that reviews of War of the Worlds and Days of Thunder 4K are coming later this week as well, along with several more regular Blu-ray reviews. So be sure to watch for them.

Now then... in announcement news, Criterion has just announced an amazing 15-disc, 39-film Blu-ray box set for release on 8/11: The Complete Films of Agnès Varda! [Read on here...]

All right, we have a very quick post here at The Bits today, but it’s got a goodie bit of 4K news for you.

First though, I believe I promised some new disc reviews from...

I’ve now posted my thoughts on the Warner Archive Collection’s new Blu-ray edition of V: The Final Battle. And since we hadn’t covered the original yet, I went back to review their V: The Original Miniseries Blu-ray from last year as well.

Also, just this morning I posted a review of Erik Nelson’s tremendous WWII documentary The Cold Blue, new on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber. The disc also includes director William Wyler’s fully restored original documentary Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress (1944). Both of them are a treat, and I guarantee you’ve never seen 8th Air Force air combat footage looking so good before. Don’t miss it. [Read on here...]

Today’s post is just a quickie because I’m working hard to finish up some long overdue Blu-ray reviews.

I should add a note here to acknowledge the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic has proven quite a challenge for all of us, and it’s no different here at The Digital Bits. Title announcements have been delayed, many of our studio and industry contacts have either been working at home or furloughed, screener product has been delayed or cancelled, etc. And of course, as is probably the case with many of you, our own lives have been turned upside down. It’s required a lot of shifting of schedules, workflow, energies, and effort. And some of the review work I usually do personally has gotten waylaid by having to deal with other issues to keep the site going.

The good news is that we seem to be rolling with it all fairly well, and Tim, Dennis and our other Bits team members have been doing yeoman’s work filling in. That said, I do very much appreciate whatever support you guys—our readers—can provide in this difficult time, either by continuing to purchase items through our Amazon links and/or making contributions by a PayPal in our Back the Bits program. And I just wanted to take a moment to say thank you all for sticking with us. We have the best readers on the Internet. Some of you have been with us all the way back to the beginning of the site back in 1997. And we appreciate each and every one of you. [Read on here...]

We’ve got a couple of new Blu-ray reviews for you today...

Dennis has turned in his thoughts on Alex Wolff’s The Cat and the Moon (2019) on Blu-ray from MDV Visual Entertainment.

He’s also offered his thoughts on Roy William Neill’s Black Angel (1946) on Blu-ray from Arrow Academy.

And more new reviews are in the offing all this week.

In announcement news today, RLJE Films has set the zombie comedy One Cut of the Dead for release on Blu-ray Steelbook and DVD on 6/2.

Well Go USA has set the western A Soldier’s Revenge for release on Blu-ray and Digital on 6/16. [Read on here...]

We’re starting today with more new Blu-ray reviews, including Dennis’ take on Roy William Neill’s Black Angel (1946) from Arrow Academy.

Tim has also posted his thoughts on Jacques Tourneur’s The Leopard Man (1943) on Blu-ray from Shout! and Scream Factory. Enjoy!

In announcement news today, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has just set The CW’s Batwoman: The Complete First Season for Blu-ray and DVD release on 8/18. The 5-disc set will include all 20 episodes, plus a “limited edition bonus disc” that features all 5 episodes of the DC Crossover Event Crisis on Infinite Earths and “6 Crossover Bonus Features.” Extras on the main set will include On the Set, The Best of DC TV’s Comic-Con Panels San Diego 2019, deleted scenes, and a gag reel. You can see the cover artwork at left. [Read on here...]

All right, we’ve got a few new reviews of for you to enjoy today...

Tim has turned in his thoughts on Takashi Miike, Renpei Tsukamoto, and Manabu Aso’s One Missed Call Trilogy, recently released on Blu-ray by Arrow Video. He’s also got a look at Roman Polanski’s The Fearless Vampire Killers, released late last year on Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.

And Dennis has got a look at Glenn Danzig’s Verotika on Blu-ray as sell, new from Cleopatra Entertainment.

Meanwhile, I’m finally recovered from my post-Star Wars review blitz, so I’ll have some new Blu-ray and 4K reviews toward the end of this week as well. [Read on here...]

All right, a reminder today: HBO’s Watchmen: Limited Series is due for release on Blu-ray and DVD on 6/2. You can see the cover art at left.

This is not new news (the title was first announced back in February), but it’s worth noting that the street date hasn’t changed due to the pandemic.

Extras on the 3-disc Blu-ray will include Hooded Justice: Origins of a Masked Vigilante, Watchmen: Unmasked, 2019 New York Comic Con, Watchmen: Masked and Dangerous, Character Trailers (for Sister Night, Blond Man, and Looking Glass), Becoming Sister Night, Notes from the Watchmen: Dave Gibbons, Rorschach, Watchmen: Alternate History, It’s Raining Squids, Squid Shelter with Tim Blake Nelson, Andrij Parekh on Directing, Sadiqua Bynum Runs, Jumps and Falls for Sister Night, Blond Man: the Colossal King (The Adrian Veidt Story), Watching the Watchmen, Anatomy of a Fight Scene, Glimpses: The Visual Effects of Watchmen, and the season’s trailer.

Unfortunately, there is still no sign of a physical 4K Ultra HD release in the States (though there is apparently one coming to Germany). [Read on here...]

All right, we’ve got just a quickie for you today, but it’s a good one.

A couple weeks ago, a number of Bits readers quietly alerted me to the fact that Paramount’s original artwork for the Top Gun 4K Steelbook featured the silhouette of an F-15 Eagle jet fighter instead of the iconic F-14 Tomcats seen in the film. So after sharing it on my social feeds, I alerted Paramount to the error.

Well, the good news is that the studio has officially corrected the artwork, as you can see to the left there. The bad news is that the Steelbook release is now delayed until 12/8 (presumably due to complications in the Steelbook manufacturing schedule).

But based on the number of readers who were displeased by the original error, those fans will be happy to wait for the correct version. And in the meantime, those of you who simply want the film in 4K can take heart; it’s still coming on regular Ultra HD on 5/19. [Read on here...]