Displaying items by tag: My Two Cents

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Let’s kick off the new week with a quick round-up of new Blu-ray release announcements...

Our friends at the Warner Archive will release 42nd Street (1933) on Blu-ray on 4/21. The Blu-ray is mastered from the new 2015 restoration, with DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono audio. Extras will include the From Book to Screen to Stage 2006 retrospective documentary, 3 vintage WB short subjects (Hollywood Newsreel, A Trip Thru a Hollywood Studio, and Harry Warren: America’s Foremost Composer), the vintage promotional newsreel The 42nd Street Special, 2 vintage 1933 WB cartoons (Young and Healthy and Shuffle Off to Buffalo), and the original theatrical trailer.  [Read on here…]

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Just a quick update today as we close out the week…

The major bit of release news today is sure to please you Studio Ghibli fans. Disney has announced the Blu-ray release of Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away (2001) and Hiroyuki Morita’s The Cat Returns (2002) on Blu-ray DVD Combo on 6/16. Spirited Away will include an Introduction by John Lasseter, 3 featurettes (The Art of Spirited Away and Behind the Microphone), original Japanese storyboards, the Nippon Television Special, and original Japanese trailers and TV spots. The Cat Returns will include 2 featurettes (The Making of The Cat Returns and Behind the Microphone), original Japanese storyboards, and original Japanese trailers and TV spots. We’re hoping that Disney will include proper English translation subs this time rather than a dub transcript (we’re trying to find out).  [Read on here…]

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We’re got three more new reviews for you today from Tim Salmons: A look at Kino Lorber’s White Lightning (1973) and its sequel Gator (1976) on Blu-ray, as well as thoughts on Shout! Factory’s new Mystery Science Theater 3000: Volume XXXII DVD box set. Do check them out.

A quick review note: I’m currently working my way though Fox’s new Exodus: Gods and Kings – Deluxe Edition on Blu-ray and should have the review ready to post by Monday. I’ve got a few other reviews in the hopper too, so be sure to check back.  [Read on here…]

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The big release news today is that Sony Picture Home Entertainment has just set Peter H. Hunt’s classic musical 1776 for release on Blu-ray on 6/2. The film will be the 166-minute Directors’ Cut, recently restored in 4K by Grover Crisp and his team at Sony Pictures Colorworks from the original camera negative and with Hunt’s guidance. According to Hunt: “I’m ecstatic. 1776 is back to where it should be. The work done by Grover and his team is miraculous. It looks better than when it premiered. It’s gorgeous!” In addition to the film, you’ll get all-new audio commentary with Hunt, William Daniels and Ken Howard, a second commentary with Hunt and Peter Stone, deleted and alternate scenes with commentary, 4 never-before-seen screen tests, archival screen tests, and the film’s original teaser and theatrical trailers.  [Read on here…]

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We’ve got two more Blu-ray reviews for you today: Tim’s thoughts on Criterion’s new The Beatles: A Hard Day’s Night as well as Magnolia’s Richard Pryor: Omit the Logic. Both are worth your time.

Also here at the site today, our own Russell Hammond has updated the Release Dates & Artwork section with all the latest Blu-ray and DVD cover artwork and Amazon.com pre-order links. It really helps us tremendously to keep The Bits going when you guys support us by shopping through our links. A small portion of the purchase price of literally anything you buy from Amazon in the same shopping session after you click through any of our links comes back to us as an affiliate fee and, in this era when studio advertising and physical media sales are down, and server costs are higher than ever, your support makes all the difference between us keeping the site going or not. So thank you for shopping through our links… and please continue to do so! [Read on here…]

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All right, we’ve got a pair of new Blu-ray reviews for you this afternoon. Tim has taken a look at Richard Fleischer’s Violent Saturday, a 1955 pulpy crime drama now available on Blu-ray from the fine folks at Twilight Time. Tim has also taken a look at Terry Gilliam’s 1981 classic Time Bandits, just released on Blu-ray in a fine new edition by our friends at the Criterion Collection. Don’t miss them!  [Read on here…]

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We’re closing out the week today (on this first day of Spring) with a new History, Legacy & Showmanship column from our own Michael Coate, looking back at Steven Spielberg’s 1941. The film turned 35 last year. Speaking of which, if you happen to live in the L.A. area, be sure to check out the American Cinematheque screening of 1941 at the Egyptian this Sunday, hosted by Mike Matessino of La-La Land Records. Members of the cast and crew are expected to attend. It should be a lot of fun.  [Read on here…]

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Today’s news post is a quick one, as I’m still working on more Blu-ray Disc reviews.

However... I do have a pair of new BD reviews for you today, including a look at Warner’s Gravity: Diamond Luxe Edition and also their theatrical edition of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. The new Gravity BD streets on 3/31, while The Hobbit hits stores next Tuesday.  [Read on here…]

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All right, sorry for the lack of a news post yesterday, but I’ve been wrapped up in Blu-ray review work. Some big titles are coming out over the next few weeks and a number of them are well worth diving into.

Speaking of which, though it took all day yesterday to go through everything, I’ve posted my in-depth review of Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar on Blu-ray from Paramount. The disc streets on 3/31. For those of you who experienced problems (in theaters) with the sound mix making lots of the dialogue unintelligible amid the sound effects and music, I can report that’s much less of a problem here. The mix is still pushed toward the low end, and there are still one or two lines where you have to listen more closely than normal, but this does seem to be a deliberate artistic choice. Still, I can attest that this is a much better audio experience than the one I had at the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood. And the extras are pretty terrific. Do check it out.  [Read on here…]

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We have a pair of new Blu-ray Disc reviews for you today. Doogan has checked out a bit of an Japanese live-action oddball from Drafthouse Films called R100 (2013). And Tim has given Scream Factory’s Phantom of the Opera: The Motion Picture (1989) a look too. Both reviews are well worth your time.

Speaking of reviews, Warner’s The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies and Paramount’s Interstellar are both now in hand, so watch for my own reviews of them in the next few days.  [Read on here…]