Okay, we've got a couple of quick updates for you this morning and some cool new cover art to show you as well.

First, Disney has just announced a slate of new catalog Blu-rays for release on 12/11 and you’ll be happy to learn that the long-awaited Dick Tracy is among them.

SRP is $26.50 for Dick Tracy and it will feature an all new digital restoration. No word on extras. Other titles coming on 12/11 are Babes in Toyland, Heavyweights and The Joy Luck Club.

Also, Universal has set Smash: Season One for DVD only release on 1/8/13. The 4-disc set will include deleted scenes, a gag reel and 2 featurettes (A Dream Come True and Song & Dance).

Here at the site this morning, Dr. Jahnke's Hell Plaza Oktoberfest review for the day is none other than Lionsgate's new Mad Monster Party on Blu-ray - an oft-overlooked Rankin/Bass classic. Don't miss it!

And in other news, a number of you have reported that neither Target or Best Buy seems to have their exclusive Bond BD singles in stock yet, and Walmart’s stock is thus far limited. With any luck more will appear in the coming weeks. It could be that shipments were initially held low so as to favor sales of the complete Bond 50 box set. If you start finding them in stores, drop us an e-mail to let us know.

Speaking of e-mail, we’re getting a TON of messages from readers with reaction to the new site design, overwhelmingly positive I’m pleased (and relieved!) to say. Some of you have offered good suggestions on subtle ways to adjust things for easier reading and we’re looking into them. In any case, if you’ve e-mailed us we surely do appreciate it. But given the volume of messages we’re getting please be patient – we’re trying to respond to all of them but it’s going to take time.

Finally today, I wanted to make note of the passing of actor Michael O’Hare last week, who some of you may recall as Commander Sinclair from the first season of Babylon 5. He was 60.

All right, I promised you some cool cover artwork. Here’s a look at both versions of Fox’s Prometheus (due on this coming Tuesday, 10/9), along with Disney’s Dick Tracy and some hot new art from our friends at Kino Lorber including Die Nibelungen (due 11/6), D.W. Griffith’s Abraham Lincoln (11/13) and The David O. Selznick Collection (also 11/13)...

Stay tuned...

- Bill Hunt

All right, we're getting settled into the new site nicely. The old site has been archived for your browsing pleasure - just look in the menu under FEATURES for THE ORIGINAL BITS. Also, those of you who enjoy Russell Hammond's weekly Release Dates & Artwork update can now find it in its new location here at the site - just click the RELEASE DATES option in the menu above. More updates are coming so keep checking back.

Here at the site today, we're pleased as punch to offer you the next in Jahnke's Hell Plaza Oktoberfest 666 line-up of reviews: a look at Lionsgate's Cabin in the Woods on Blu-ray. Enjoy!

In release news this morning, we've got a few more details for you on Warner Home Video's 3-disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo release of The Dark Knight Rises due on 12/4 (SRP $35.99). Extras will include the Batmobile documentary, the feature-length multi-part Ending the Knight documentary (includes The Prologue: High Altitude Hijacking, Beneath Gotham, Return to the Batcave, Batman vs. Bane, The Bat, Armory Accepted, Gameday Destruction, Demolishing a City Street, The Pit, The Chant, The War on Wall Street, Race to the Reactor, The Journey of Bruce Wayne and Gotham's Reckoning), 2 character featurettes (A Girl's Gotta Eat and Shadows & Light in Large Format), The End of a Legend, trailers and a gallery of artwork.

There will also be a 5-disc The Dark Knight Trilogy Limited Edition Blu-ray Giftset (SRP $52.99) and a 3-disc The Dark Knight Trilogy Limited Edition DVD Giftset (SRP $38.99). Each will include Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises. The DVD only version of The Dark Knight streets on 1/1/13 (SRP $22.97). There's also The Dark Knight Rises: Limited Edition on Amazon that comes with a replica of Batman's cowl, and there are likely to be retailer-exclusives too so be sure to watch for them.

Warner Home Video has also officially set The Notebook: Ultimate Collector's Edition Gift Set to arrive on Blu-ray/DVD Combo on 1/15 (SRP $49.99). In addition to Blu-ray, DVD and UltraViolet digital versions of the film, you'll also get exclusive swag including a collectible golden locket, a set of postcards with scenes from the film and a "vintage leather-style blank journal with gold edging and ribbon marker; pages designed with watermarked letters and images from the film". So there you go.

Not to be outdone, Disney has revealed that the Peter Pan: Diamond Edition will soon be released on Blu-ray/DVD Combo and DVD. No street date is yet available, but retailer materials reveal a Spring 2013 release and sources are telling us to expect the street date to be sometime in February.

Meanwhile, Sony has set the 1998 Les Miserables for Blu-ray Disc release on 12/11 (SRP $19.99). Extras will include the A First Look at Les Miserables featurette.

Sony has also announced more new MOD DVD titles for release on 11/6, including Caught, The Vertical Ray of the Sun, The Endurance, Camp on Blood Island, Don't Panic Chaps, All Ashore, The Boogieman Will Get You, Men Without Law, Hannah's Law and Breaking In: The Complete Series.

Anchor Bay and The Weinstein Company have Lawless coming on Blu-ray and DVD on 11/27 (SRP $39.99 and $29.98). Extras will include audio commentary with director John Hillcoat and author Matt Bondurant, 2 featurettes (The True Story of the Wettest County in the World and Franklin County, VA: Then and Now), Willie Nelson's Midnight Run music video and deleted scenes.

And WWE Studios and Anchor Bay will release the horror film The Day on Blu-ray/DVD Combo and DVD on 11/17 (SRP $29.99 and $26.98). Extras will include audio commentary with executive producer/director Doug Aarniokoski, producer Guy A. Danella and writer Luke Passmore.

Also today, a lot of fans have asked us about the differences between Fox's 2-disc Prometheus Blu-ray/DVD Combo ($39.99 - Blu-ray, DVD and Digital Copy) and the Prometheus 4 Disc Collector's Edition (SRP $49.99 - Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray, DVD and Digital Copy). The 4-disc edition includes the movie in Blu-ray 3D, the movie in 2D (with commentary by director/producer Ridley Scott and a second commentary by writer Jon Spaihts and writer/executive producer Damon Lindelof, The Peter Weyland Files, deleted and alternate scenes and the Weyland Corp Archive Second Screen with app functionality), a third Blu-ray of extras (including the The Furious Gods: Making Prometheus documentary, scores of Enhancement Pods, more Weyland Corp Archive, Pre-Viz material and screen tests) and finally the DVD/Digital Copy disc. Here's the key - the 2-disc set includes only the 2D movie disc and the DVD/Digital Copy disc. You don't get the bonus disc of supplements. So if you want absolutely everything, you have to get the 4-disc set. Both versions street next week on 10/9. Just so you know.

In other news today, we highly recommend that you Trekkers check out this radio story from KPCC's Off Ramp program - it's a feature on CBS' Star Trek: The Next Generation Blu-ray remastering effort. And you'll definitely want to stick with it right to the end, because for the first time in public (to our knowledge) there's the suggestion made that - provided demand is there and the TNG Blu-rays all sell well - CBS may continue their BD remastering/upgrade effort on to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine! Cool news indeed. This jives with what we've been hearing from our own industry sources. Keep your fingers crossed.

Also today, any fans of the raunchy 80's comedy Porky's? Bits reader Doc D. tells us that Walmart currently has an exclusive BD version in stores.

Finally, we'd like to take a moment to acknowledge the passing of actor Herbert Lom, who died last week at the age of 95. You'll best know him as Inspector Dreyfus from the Pink Panther series.

Here's a look at the Blu-ray artwork for Warner's The Dark Knight Rises and The Dark Knight Trilogy Limited Edition Blu-ray Giftset, as well as Disney's art for the Peter Pan: Diamond Edition (TBA)...

Stay tuned!

- Bill Hunt

No… your eyes aren't playing tricks on you. At long last, we’ve finally gone and done it. You are now looking at the all-new, fully-modernized Digital Bits. We’ve entered the 21st Century at last! That’s right, The Bits no longer looks like it was designed in the late 1990s. And this is just the beginning.

So what took so long? Well… a funny thing happened over the decade and a half since we first launched The Bits. The site grew so big so fast that it just because a monstrous chore to try and update it! I mean, seriously daunting. It didn’t help that I was always too busy talking to industry sources, taking calls, tracking down release news, reviewing discs and dealing with not one but two format wars. Add to that hundreds of daily reader e-mails in need of answering, and more than a few readers who needed help with defective discs or hardware… you get the idea. The idea of completely redesigning The Bits became completely overwhelming.

But about a year ago, I finally got the bug to get it done. I started playing with various new looks and new layouts, designing new graphics… an all-new Bits logo. The rest of The Bits staff got cautiously excited about it, though to be fair I’m not sure most of them believed it was ever really going to happen. And given all of the personal difficulties I’ve experienced in the last year – the death of my grandmother and father, the death of Sarah’s mom, the loss of a beloved cat and most recently the passing of our dear friend and colleague Barrie Maxwell – well, frankly even I’m not quite sure how I managed to get this done. But here it is and we’re pretty pleased with it. We hope you are too.

Today, we’re essentially ‘soft launching’ the new Bits. I really wanted to get it up and running in time for Adam’s Hell Plaza Oktoberfest to kick off today… and up and running we are. But you’ll notice that there are several features that aren’t fully working or updated yet. Only a few of the most recent column entries are here on the new site. We have a few brand new columns that we’ve yet to launch. Reader comments aren’t yet enabled. And less than a hundred of our many disc reviews – mostly Blu-rays – are in the database at the moment. It’s going to take time to add our entire current review catalog – thousands of titles in all – into the new database. Our immediate goal is to work out the various bugs in the new design (and there are sure to be a few, so your patience is appreciated) and to update and add all the usual features over the coming month or so. We’ll gradually add older Bits content to the new design in the weeks and months ahead. Meanwhile, the original Bits site has been permanently archived here, so you can go back and look through it any time you like. (You can always find it in the main menu bar under Features for future reference)

If you’d like to e-mail me or any of The Bits’ staff, all you have to do is go to Meet the Staff under the About section and you’ll find bio pages for each of us. On each bio page is a Contact e-mail form for that person. Don’t hesitate to use these forms to let us know what you think.

So there you go! It’s a whole new Bits! Updated. Shinny. Easier to use. Links up nice with Facebook and other social media sites so you can share content. It should look good on mobile devices. You can finally search for stuff. We have RSS feeds! And best of all, it’s 100% less unattractive. We hope you like it.

Back tomorrow with the usual. Stay tuned…

- Bill Hunt

Inside Moves
1980 (2009) - Lionsgate Home Entertainment

When you think of the films of Richard Donner, you likely think of big-budget action-adventures like The Goonies or the Lethal Weapon series. But back in 1980, Donner followed up Superman with Inside Moves, a quiet, low-key drama more in keeping with the films of Hal Ashby than Dick Donner. Despite a cult following and winning an Academy Award nomination for supporting actress Diana Scarwid, it's never been released on DVD. That is, until now.

Six years ago, I was standing at a crossroads with my trusty blues guitar when a stranger came up to me. “Nice guitar,” said the stranger in a seductive purr. “You play?”

“Not a lick,” said I. “But I heard tell that a fella needs himself a guitar in these parts.”

“True enough,” replied the stranger. “True enough. But it ain’t doin’ you much good strung across your back like that. Instrument like that ought be played.”

“Reckon you’re right but who’s gonna teach me? You?”

Our regular posts here at The Digital Bits will resume tomorrow, but in the meantime, we hope you'll join us as we take the day to honor our dear friend and fellow Bits contributing editor, Barrie Maxwell, who passed away on July 10th after a valiant fight with brain cancer.

Over the past 70 years, Batman's adventures on the screen have fascinated people of all ages. From Lewis Wilson to Christian Bale, seven men have worn the cape and cowl of the famous detective as created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger in the 1930's. Many writers and directors have put their stamp on the world of Gotham City on the big screen and on television. 

John Williams's pulsing dum, dum, dum, dum, dum... the unmistakable sound of a shark swimming towards a tasty lunch in Amity.

Out August 14 by Universal and on Blu-ray for the first time, Jaws remains one of the best thrillers ever made. This, despite the fact the production was filled with troubles. Or, perhaps, because of the malfunction of the mechanical shark and the complexity of filming on the ocean, the movie benefited from the problems. Thirty-seven years after its initial theatrical release, Jaws has been beautifully restored on Blu-ray looking even better than what audiences saw in 1975. 

Earlier this year, when Shout! Factory announced the launch of a new line of horror Blu-rays and DVDs called (what else?) Scream Factory, that loud thud you heard was horror fans everywhere collectively dropping to their knees to give thanks. Shout! Factory has deservedly earned a reputation for high quality catalog titles with their impressive Roger Corman’s Cult Classics line, music releases, and television series. So even though this year’s Hell Plaza Oktoberfest is still a few weeks away, I thought we should get a jump on the season by taking a look at Scream Factory’s highly anticipated inaugural releases. Rest assured, horror fans were fully justified in their excitement. If you love the genre, don’t hesitate in adding these discs to your collection.

Here are my reviews...

• Halloween II: 2-Disc Collector’s Edition
• Halloween III: Season of the Witch - Collector’s Edition

- Dr. Adam Jahnke

Battleship features a big leap in computer water effects. Out August 28 by Universal, the movie is entertaining, over-the-top and filled with action sequences.

In an exclusive for The Digital Bits, I visited Industrial Light & magic (ILM) in San Francisco to get a glimpse at the talented wizards who up the ante in special effects for Battleship.