My Two Cents
We start today with four more new disc reviews...
Stephen has taken a look at Calin Cazan, Dan Chisovski, and Mircea Toia’s animated The Son of the Stars (1985) on Blu-ray from Deaf Crocodile and Vinegar Syndrome.
Dennis has checked in with his thoughts on Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale (2022) on Blu-ray from Lionsgate, a film that just netted star Brendan Fraser the Academy Award for Best Actor.
And Stuart has taken a look at Vincente Minelli’s The Long, Long Trailer (1954) on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection, along with Ulli Lommel’s The Devonsville Terror (1983) on Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome.
More reviews are forthcoming, so be sure to stay tuned for them.
Also today, we’ve posted our latest update of the Release Dates & Artwork section (see the Cover Art link at the top of the website), which includes all the latest Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD cover artwork and Amazon.com pre-order links. As always, a portion of anything you order after clicking to Amazon from one of our links goes to help support our work here at The Bits and we really do appreciate it. [Read on here...]
We know there are a lot of classic TV fans who read The Digital Bits, so this next bit of breaking news should be very welcome indeed!
CBS and Paramount have just announced the DVD release of Bonanza: The Official Complete Series on 5/23 (SRP $244.99)! The massive set includes all 14 seasons—431 episodes—on 112 discs, and the series has been completely remastered from the original 35 mm camera negatives.
Also coming to DVD that same day are Bonanza: The Complete Second Season (now in a single volume this time and also remastered—the previous release came in two volumes and was mastered from older, analog source material), as well as Bonanza: The Complete Twelfth Season, Bonanza: The Complete Thirteenth Season, and Bonanza: The Complete Fourteenth Season (SRP $50.99 each).
These will be welcome SKUs for those of you who have been purchasing these episodes on DVD all along.
Note that The Official Complete Series will come with an exclusive bonus disc containing nearly two and a half hours of rare special features. You’ll find all the details and cover art below the break. [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, or 4K Ultra HD 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 rounding out the week here at The Bits with a little bit more announcement news today, but first a couple more reviews...
Tim offered his thoughts on Travis Knight’s Kubo and the Two Strings in 4K Ultra HD from Laika via Shout! Factory—both the regular Amaray version as well as the Steelbook packaging.
Pressing on to this afternoon’s release news, Kino Lorber Studio Classics has just revealed that they’re bringing Charles Laughton’s classic noir thriller The Night of the Hunter (1955) to 4K Ultra HD on 5/30, complete with a new scan and Dolby Vision HDR grade.
Also newly revealed as coming to Blu-ray from KLSC are Dave Thomas’ The Experts (1989) on 5/9 and Robert Aldrich’s Hustle (1975) on 5/16.
In addition, they’re working on “coming soon” Blu-ray releases of René Clément’s The Day and the Hour (1963)—this one mastered from a new 4K restoration by Gaumont—as well as Stephen Norrington’s Death Machine (1994). [Read on here...]
We’ve got another new disc review for you today, actually two of them in a way: Our own Tim Salmons has taken a look at Graham Annable and Anthony Stacchi’s The BoxTrolls in 4K Ultra HD from Laika via Shout! Factory—both the regular Amaray version as well as the Steelbook packaging.
In announcement news today, our friend George Feltenstein has just revealed (via Tim Millard’s excellent The Extras podcast) the Warner Archive Collection’s planned April slate of Blu-ray titles, which will officially include Safe in Hell (1931) mastered from a 4K scan and restoration of a rare and newly-discovered 35 mm print, along with One Way Passage (1932), The Strawberry Blonde (1941), and Storm Warning (1951) each mastered from new 4K scans of the original camera negatives, and A Lion in the Streets (1953) mastered from a new 4K restoration of the original three-strip Technicolor camera negatives. All of these titles are due to street toward the end of the month (dates TBA).
The Warner Archive has apparently been working with The Film Foundation on these titles. Also revealed to be coming at some point this year to Blu-ray is The Roaring Twenties (1939). Again, street date is TBA. [Read on here...]
