Displaying items by tag: James Cameron

We’re rounding out the week here at The Bits with a few more new disc reviews, and some release news as well, including word of new 4K catalog titles, and updates on a title or two that we’ve talked about here previously in recent weeks. But first those reviews...

I’ve posted my thoughts on Wim Wenders’ stunning Wings of Desire (1987) which is now available in 4K Ultra HD from Curzon Film in the UK. The 4K remaster, which was done by the Wim Wenders Foundation, is absolutely stunning. Fans of the film may not realize this, but by the time the film was completed and being shown in theaters back in ‘87, the version we all experienced then was fully six generations away from original camera negative. But now, every inch of this film—save for the little bit of historical and newsreel footage that appears within it—is first-generation right off the negative. And it makes a huge difference, even over the previous Criterion Blu-ray. So if you’re a fan, this 4K release is definitely worth a look.

I’ve also reviewed Jack Ryan: Season Two on 4K Ultra HD, which was released last month on the format by Paramount (along with Season One which we’ve reviewed here). Season Three of the series recently dropped on Amazon Prime and we have word that it’s coming to both Blu-ray and 4K as well later this year.

Also today, Stephen has turned in his thoughts on Adam Rifkin’s The Invisible Maniac on 4K Ultra HD from Vinegar Syndrome.

And we have more reviews on the way as well. I’m personally working on Shout! Factory’s recent WarGames and HBO’s House of the Dragon: Season One, both in 4K Ultra HD. I hope to post those reviews over the weekend or early next week. And the rest of the review team is working on new titles as well, so be sure to watch for them. [Read on here...]

Welcome back from the holiday, Bits readers! We hope and trust that each of you were able to enjoy a great celebration with your family and friends.

Sarah and I have my mother staying here over the holidays, so we’ve been cooking up a storm, enjoying some great food, and watching lots of movies. I also just finished watching the season finale of HBO’s His Dark Materials—more on that in a moment—and I’ve started in on the new season of Jack Ryan on Amazon Prime. I still need to check out Avatar: The Way of Water at my local IMAX theater, but I’ll get to that soon enough.

We’ve got a new contribution from each member of the Bits reviewing team for you today, including...

Dennis’ look at Robert Mandel’s School Ties (1992) on Blu-ray from Imprint Films and Via Vision.

Stephen’s take on James Whale’s By Candlelight (1933) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

My thoughts on the new single-film 4K Ultra HD SKU of Wilson Yip’s Ip Man (2008) from Well Go USA.

And last, but certainly not least, Tim’s in-depth take on Peter Jackson’s The Frighteners: Ultimate Edition (1996) on 4K Ultra HD from our friends at Turbine Media in Germany! This is a pretty spectacular box set release, and Tim will tell you all about it in his review, so you definitely don’t want to miss it. [Read on here...]

We’ve got a couple more new disc reviews, some release news, and more big 4K Ultra HD catalog updates for you all this afternoon to start Christmas week off right. First up, the reviews...

I’ve taken a look at Blue Underground’s new wide-release 4K Ultra HD edition of Don Taylor’s The Final Countdown (1980), with a bit of help from our own Tim Salmons.

Dennis has turned in his thoughts on George Seaton’s The Counterfeit Traitor (1962) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics and also Daniel Mann’s The Rose Tattoo (1955) on Blu-ray from Imprint Films and Via Vision Entertainment.

And Stephen has delivered a look at Neil Marshall’s Dog Soldiers (2002) in 4K Ultra HD from Scream Factory.

We’ve got a few more new disc reviews on the way this week before the holiday, so be sure to watch for them. [Read on here...]

All right, obviously we broken some significant news over the weekend, namely that director James Cameron has confirmed to a French reporter (during the PR push for Avatar: The Way of Water) that The Abyss is finally coming to 4K Ultra HD by March of next year. (See our reporting on this yesterday here at The Bits. The director also mentioned The Abyss in an interview with Space.com last year). So rest assured we’ll post more details as soon as we have them.

In the meantime, we have some more great 4K catalog news to share with you today, as well as new disc reviews. So let’s start with the latter first, as always...

On Friday evening, I posted my in-depth review of Phil Tippett’s stunning stop-motion magnum opus Mad God on limited edition Steelbook Blu-ray from the folks at Shudder. The film is just astonishing. It’s really something—definitely not for all tastes, but boy is it something to see.

I also posted my review of the John Krasinski TV actioner Jack Ryan: Season One in 4K Ultra HD from Paramount. Both that and Season Two are being released in UHD in anticipation of the debut of Season Three on Amazon Prime on 12/21. And the picture quality is stunning.

Tim has also reviewed another Amazon Original on Blu-ray from Paramount, specifically Reacher: Season One which also has tremendous image quality. It’s also available in 4K and soon as we have our hands on that (and Jack Ryan: Season Two in 4K), we’ll post the reviews here.

In addition, Tim has reviewed a pair of new Scream Factory 4K Ultra HD titles, including Brian De Palma’s Carrie (1976) and Bob Clark’s Black Christmas (1974).

And I’m not kidding when I say that we have a lot more Blu-ray and 4K UHD reviews coming over the next week or two, so be sure to check back for them. [Read on here...]

All right, I’m very pleased to break in with a rare weekend My Two Cents post here on The Bits this evening to report some very good news: Director James Cameron has now confirmed the impending 4K Ultra HD release of The Abyss!

The news comes from French journalist Arthur Cios of Konbini, who had the chance to interview the director briefly this weekend about the upcoming theatrical release of Avatar: The Way of Water.

After the formal interview was completed, Cios asked Cameron about The Abyss, who confirmed that he “had a new master and it would be out by March 2023 max.”

You can read Cios’ own comments directly here on Twitter. (And special thanks to Bits reader Stéphane L. for the heads up!) [Read on here...]

We’ve got two new disc reviews for you today, as well as more interesting 4K Ultra HD news and a few other things as well. First up, those reviews...

Tim has turned in his thoughts on Kenneth G. Crane’s Monster from Green Hell (1957) on Blu-ray from The Film Detective.

And Dennis has offered his take on Michael Curtiz’s The Scarlet Hour (1956) on region-free Blu-ray from Imprint Films in Australia.

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

The big 4K news today is that Paramount has officially set Walter Hill’s 48 Hrs. (1982) and Another 48 Hrs. (1990) for release on 4K Ultra HD on 12/6, just as we’ve been anticipating. [Read on here...]

We’re back as promised this evening with more upcoming catalog 4K Ultra HD news and rumors from our studio, industry, and retail sources. Keep in mind, some of these titles are not yet officially announced, so the dates and details are subject to change.

First of all, this is a title we’ve known is coming for a few months now and while it’s not yet been officially announced by the studio, we do have the final cover artwork from retailers: Universal Studios Home Entertainment is expected to release their Universal Classic Monsters: Icons of Horror Collection – Volume 2 box set in 4K Ultra HD on 10/11.

The set will include The Mummy (1932), The Bride of Frankenstein (1935), Phantom of the Opera (1943), and Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954). You can see the cover artwork at left and also below.

It’s also believed that the titles in the studio’s Volume 1 set—Dracula (1931), Frankenstein (1931), The Wolf Man (1941), and The Invisible Man (1932)—will finally be released as single-film SKUs, for sure in the UK and possibly in the US as well. We’ll post more as soon as the studio makes any of this official. [Read on here...]

I’m about to dive back into disc reviewing here this afternoon, but before I do we have two new reviews for you this morning and a major piece of release news as well. First those reviews...

Stephen has checked in with his thoughts on a fascinating Russian fantasy film from 1956, Aleksandr Ptushko’s Ilya Muromets, which also happens to be the first Russian film in both anamorphic widescreen and color. Russian cinema is fascinating, and this film is no exception, so it’s definitely worth a look on Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome.

Stephen has also given Cy Endfield, Roger Corman, and Gordon Hessler’s De Sade (1969) a look on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber, also a fascinating film from American International Pictures.

Now for that news... Marvel and Disney have just officially set Sam Raimi’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness for release on Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD release on 7/26, with the Digital release anticipated for 6/22. [Read on here...]

There’s some interesting theatrical and home video release news to report today, so let’s get right to it. First though, we need to call your attention to a couple new disc reviews that we’ve posted here at The Bits...

Dennis has posted his thoughts on Rich Ragsdale’s The Long Night (2022) on Blu-ray from Well Go USA Entertainment.

And Stephen has turned in a look at Henri Verneuli’s The Body of My Enemy (1976) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

More reviews are on the way as well, so be sure to stay tuned for them.

By the way, I know that a number of you have been trying to reach me via email and social media, but I’m currently neck deep in the middle of our big site update here at The Bits. [Read on here...]

First things first today: The Criterion Collection has just announced their April Blu-ray and 4K release slate and—as always—it’s another great list of titles.

Look for Alex Cox’s Walker (Spine #423 – Blu-ray and DVD) on 4/12, Vittorio De Sica’s Miracle in Milan (Spine #1119 – Blu-ray and DVD) and Frank Tashlin’s The Girl Can’t Help It (Spine #1120 – Blu-ray only) on 4/19, and Arie and Chuko Esiri’s Eyimofe (This Is My Desire) (Spine #1121 – Blu-ray and DVD), Bertrand Tavernier’s ‘Round Midnight (Spine #1122 – Blu-ray and DVD), and Al Reinert’s For All Mankind (Spine #54 – 4K Ultra HD – Blu-ray and DVD already available) on 4/26. You can see the 4K art for For All Mankind on the left, and we’ll post the rest of the cover artwork over the next few days as the titles become available for pre-order on Amazon.

Here’s some more great breaking news: Our friends at Powerhouse Films have just informed us that their outstanding Indicator label—which already delivers fantastic special edition Blu-ray titles to the UK and European market—is officially coming to the US!

The company has partnered with Distribution Solutions, a division of Alliance Entertainment, to ensure that retailers throughout North America will be able to carry Indicator releases. These will include Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Sunrise, Critics Choice, and DiabolikDVD. The first Indicator titles should start becoming available here in the US starting this week. [Read on here...]