We’ve got one new disc review for you to enjoy here at The Bits today...
Tim has updated Barrie Maxwell’s 2011 Criterion Blu-ray review of Jean-Pierre Melville’s Le cercle rouge (1970) to reflect the company’s more recent 4K Ultra HD release. As long time Bits readers will know, Barrie was our dear friend and a classic cinema expert who wrote reviews and a Classic Coming Attractions column here at the site for many years. Barrie sadly passed away back in 2012. We can’t think of a better way to honor his memory than to ensure that his writing continues to find new audiences. So enjoy the review!
The big release news today is that our friends at the Warner Archive Collection have just announced their May catalog release slate, which includes not only great Blu-ray titles but also WAC’s next 4K Ultra HD release! That 4K title is none other than Charles Walters’ classic High Society (1956), starring Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, Frank Sinatra, and Louis Armstrong!
The film has been remastered from new 13.5K scans of the original VistaVision negative. The 4K disc will include Dolby Vision HDR on a 100GB disc, with disc authoring and compression by Fidelity in Motion. The remastered film will also be included in the package on Blu-ray, a BD-50. [Read on here...]
We have three more new disc reviews for you all to enjoy today, including...
Stuart’s look at John M. Stahl’s When Tomorrow Comes (1939) on Region-B Blu-ray from Powerhouse Films and Indicator.
Tim’s review of Jack Arnold’s The Glass Web (1953) on Blu-ray 3D from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, with an assist by our friends at the 3-D Film Archive.
And Stephen’s thoughts on Renny Harlin’s The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996) in 4K Ultra HD from the good folks at Arrow Video.
More reviews are on the way this week, so be sure to watch for them!
Now then, I’ve also posted a new Patreon blog entry asking the question: Why Aren’t More 4K Ultra HD Titles Released on 100GB Discs? And the reason might surprise you! You’ll find that here for our subscribers on The Bits’ Patreon page. Keep in mind, we have great and very affordable options for subscribing, and we have big plans for expanding our coverage of 4K, Blu-ray, and DVD there in addition to everything we do here on the website. And as I mentioned yesterday, it’s a great way to help support our work here at The Bits and we really appreciate it very much. [Read on here...]
This is a quick post to let you all know that our Release Dates & Cover Artwork section here at The Digital Bits has just been updated with all the latest Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD cover artwork and Amazon.com pre-order links. Don’t forget that you can select to see just the Blu-ray, DVD, 4K Ultra HD, or even Criterion titles seperately if you like, to help you find exactly the ones you’re looking for. Just click on RELEASE DATES & ART on the menu bar above to visit the page, and use the search options in the red bar (at the top) to sort by format and date. Once you find a title you like, just click on the cover art and you’ll be taken right to the Amazon.com pre-order page. Thank you for shopping through our links and don’t forget that anytime you order from Amazon through our links, you’re helping to support our work here at The Bits and we really appreciate it! And thanks to our own Russell Hammond for the update work!
- Bill Hunt
We’re starting this week with a trio of new disc reviews, including...
Stuart’s looks at Bob Kellett’s Are You Being Served? (1977) and Zoltán Korda’s Cry, the Beloved Country (1951) both on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.
And Stephen’s take on Howard Hawks’ Scarface (1932) in 4K Ultra HD from the Criterion Collection.
Rest assured, more new disc reviews are on the way this week, so be sure to check back for them.
I also wanted to let you all know that I just posted an hour-long My Two Cents: A Video Blog update on our Digital Bits Patreon page on Saturday, in which I talked at length about the release of Tombstone and Barry Lyndon in 4K, as well as a lot of other exciting forthcoming 4K catalog titles, not to mention the State of the Home Entertainment Industry in 2025 as compared to the so-called Golden Age of Discs in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
I think you’ll really enjoy it, and supporting The Digital Bits via Patreon is a great way to help ensure that we can keep bringing you all great industry coverage here on the site. Do keep in mind that since we’ve been covering this industry since the very beginning of the DVD format back in 1997, nobody has better connections, sources, and knowledge of this industry that we do here on The Bits. So thank you all very much for reading and for your support! [Read on here...]
We’ve got SIX more new disc reviews for you all to enjoy today, including...
Dennis’ reviews of Stanley Donen’s Arabesque (1966) in 4K Ultra HD and Dick Powell’s The Conqueror (1956) on Blu-ray, both from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, as well as Ryan Kruger’s Street Trash (2024) on Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome, and Jonathan Mostow’s Breakdown (1997) in 4K Ultra HD from Paramount Home Entertainment (the 4K reviews with an A/V assist by Tim).
And Tim’s reviews of the third title in Arrow Video’s Shawscope: Volume Two Blu-ray box set—Disciples of the 36th Chamber (1985)—and also Bob Clark’s Murder by Decree (1979) in 4K Ultra HD from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.
Speaking of Arrow Video, the company has just announced its June slate of Blu-ray and 4K titles, which includes Rowdy Herrington’s Road House (1989) on Blu-ray and 4K UHD + Blu-ray (in the UK only) on 6/2, Joseph Sargent’s The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974) on Blu-ray and 4K UHD + Blu-ray (in the UK only) on 6/9, Dominic Sena’s Swordfish (2001) on 4K UHD + Blu-ray (in the UK, US, and Canada) on 6/9, Peter Weir’s Witness (1985) on Blu-ray and 4K UHD + Blu-ray (in the UK only) on 6/16, and Alex Proyas’ Dark City (1998) on Blu-ray and 4K UHD + Blu-ray (in the UK, US, and Canada), Yoshiyuki Kuroda’s The Invisible Swordsman (1970) on Blu-ray (in the UK, US, and Canada), and Sergio Leone’s The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966) on Blu-ray and 4K UHD + Blu-ray (in the UK only) all on 6/23. [Read on here...]
We have more new disc reviews for you all to enjoy today here at The Bits, including...
Tim’s reviews of Charles Martin Smith’s Trick or Treat (1986) in 4K Ultra HD from Synapse Films and Robert Altman’s McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971) in 4K UHD from our friends at The Criterion Collection.
Stephen’s take on Kazuki Ōmori’s Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989) in 4K Ultra HD from Criterion.
Dennis’ thoughts on Fred Burnley’s Neither the Sea Nor the Sand (1972) on Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome.
And Stuart’s looks at Patrice Leconte’s Half a Chance (1998) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics and Montgomery Tully’s The Terrornauts (1967) on Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome.
In announcement news today—well, it’s not exactly an official announcement yet, but—Studio Distribution Services has just listed the James Bond 007 Sean Connery 6-Film Collection for release in 4K Ultra HD (click here) and 4K Steelbook Limited Edition (click here) on Amazon from MGM and WBDHE. There’s no street date yet listed, but we expect them to arrive on or about 6/3. The sets will include the films Dr. No (1962), From Russia with Love (1963), Goldfinger (1964), Thunderball (1965), You Only Live Twice (1967), and Diamonds Are Forever (1971). There’s no cover art yet, and we’re still awaiting an official press release. Nor is there any sign of UK listings yet, but that’s likely to change soon. Click on the links to pre-order them. [Read on here...]
We’re starting the week today here at The Bits with a few more new disc reviews from the team, including...
Stuart’s look at Christian-Jaque’s The Black Tulip (1964) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.
Tim’s take on Piers Haggard’s Venom (1981) in 4K Ultra HD from Blue Underground.
And Stephen’s thoughts on Arthur Penn’s Night Moves (1975) in 4K Ultra HD from Warner Bros. via the Criterion Collection, a film that stars the late Gene Hackman.
More reviews are on the way all this week, so be sure to check back for them.
In announcement news this afternoon, Kino Lorber Studio Classics has revealed that Kenneth Branagh’s Dead Again (1991) is coming soon to 4K UHD.
Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment and Cartoon Network have set the animated Ben 10: The Complete Collection for DVD only release on 5/13. [Read on here...]
All right, we’ve had a big week here at The Bits. As you can probably tell, I’ve spent most of the week checking in with studio and industry sources, which led to yesterday’s scoop on Tombstone coming to 4K Ultra HD next month. And trust me when I tell you that there’s a lot more great 4K catalog news to come in the months ahead. Given that we’ve been a part of—and reporting on—the home entertainment industry for more than twenty-eight years, I can confidently promise you that we have the best sources in this industry period. So when it comes to confirmed and reliable breaking news, you’re likely to hear about it first here at The Digital Bits.
Given that reality, I would highly recommend that you follow us on social media, which is where we tend to post breaking news first. As the editor-in-chief of The Bits, you’ll find me here on X, Facebook, and Bluesky. You’ll find The Digital Bits on X, Facebook, and Bluesky as well. And you can also find Tim (X, Facebook, and Bluesky) and Stephen (X, Facebook, and Bluesky) on all three social platforms too.
What’s more, if you’re not already a subscriber of our Digital Bits Patreon, please consider doing so! There are very affordable options for subscribing, it’s a great way to support our work here at the site, and we’re offering our Patreon supporters additional news posts, video blogs, the option to ask us questions regularly, and sneak peeks at upcoming titles. Whether you’ve been a Bits reader since the very beginning of the website back in 1997, or you’ve just come to learn of us with 4K Ultra HD, we work our asses off here every day to make your experience of physical media better, to encourage the studios to release great catalog titles, and help support fans of physical media and the industry at large. Regular reader or not, if you’re an avid disc fan you have definitely benefited from our efforts over the years. So if you value that, supporting us on Patreon is a great way to help make sure that we can keep doing this work on behalf of you and everyone who loves movies, TV shows, and music on disc. We’re building a great community over there and we’d love for you all to be a part of it! [Read on here...]