Displaying items by tag: Shout! Factory

Well, it’s been a busy week of new title announcements here at The Bits. So let’s wrap things up with a few more here today. But first, more new disc reviews...

Our own Tim Salmons has just shared his thoughts on Vince Monton’s Windrider (1987), new on Blu-ray from Umbrella Entertainment’s Ozploitation line-up. And he’s also checked out Mark Hartley’s excellent 2008 documentary Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation!, also new on Blu-ray from Umbrella Entertainment’s Ozploitation line.

Meanwhile, Dennis has turned in a review of David Miller’s Back Street (1961) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

And Stephen rounds things out today with a look at Francine Parker’s F.T.A. (1972) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

So enjoy those and know that lots more disc reviews are on the way for next week, including some new 4K Ultra HD reviews from yours truly. [Read on here...]

We’ve got more new disc reviews for you today and some more new 4K Ultra HD release news as well!

Let’s start with those reviews...

Stephen has turned in his thoughts on All the Anime’s UK import 4K Ultra HD release of Makoto Shinkai’s Your Name. The package is exclusive to All the Anime’s online store and also to Zavvi. Sounds like it’s worth a look if you’re a fan, as the HDR makes a notable difference.

Also, Tim has weighed in with his take on Umbrella Entertainment’s region free Blu-ray import of James Gunn’s Slither.

Now then, a quick update on our Star Trek: The Original 4-Film Collection 4K and remastered Blu-ray news from yesterday: We’ve checked in with Paramount and have confirmed that all of the remastered films in BD & 4K will feature 7.1 Dolby TrueHD audio mixes. So plan accordingly.

Meanwhile, the 4K Ultra HD set and the remastered Blu-ray singles are all now available for pre-order on Amazon.com and you can see the cover artwork (and find the pre-order links) below. [Read on here...]

All right, it’s been a busy last several days here at The Bits. For one thing, just personally, I had my mother visiting from North Dakota all last week for the first time in over two years given the pandemic. And that was great, but of course it set me back on 4K review work (which I intend to catch up on this week).

I’ve also just spent most of today on the phone with industry sources, gathering information for our big preview of 4K Ultra HD catalog releases that are coming in the second half of 2021. And that’s the crux of today’s post here at The Bits, but more on that in a minute.

First, we have a couple more new disc reviews to share with you...

Dennis has posted his thoughts on Andrew V. McLaglen’s 1965 Civil War drama Shenandoah, which stars Jimmy Stewart. The film arrives on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics on 7/27.

And Stephen has offered a look at John Sturges’ acclaimed 1959 western Last Train from Gun Hill, a VistaVision classic newly released on Blu-ray as part of the Paramount Presents line-up. [Read on here...]

We’re starting today’s post as always with more new disc reviews...

In anticipation of Zack Snyder’s Justice League (I should have that 4K disc in hand for review sometime in the next few days), I’ve gone back to take a look at the director’s recently-remastered new 4K edition of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice – Ultimate Edition which was released in March by the Warner Archive Collection. The disc includes a revised HDR grade and a new variable aspect ratio presentation that includes 1.43 IMAX framing for select scenes. There’s a new commentary with the director as well, so it’s definitely worth a look if you’re a fan of the film.

Also today, I’ve given Gunpowder & Sky’s new US 4K release of the indie sci-fi film Prospect a look (an Ultra HD release that’s being distributed by Vinegar Syndrome). It offers a higher video bitrate than the German 4K release I’ve reviewed previously here, along with newly-produced extras and a nifty little in-universe booklet in the packaging. It’s highly recommended for fans of the film.

And because we’ve been getting a lot of questions about it: Yes, I will be reviewing Paramount and Lucasfilm’s Indiana Jones: 4-Film Collection in 4K Ultra HD. The disc streets next Tuesday, we should have our review copy in hand sometime over the next several days. Rest assured, as soon as we have it, I’ll get that title reviewed here on The Bits post-haste. [Read on here...]

All right, I trust you all had a fine and long Memorial Day weekend—those of you here in the States at least. We’ve got some good Blu-ray and 4K news to report today, but first more new disc reviews...

Tim has posted his thoughts on John Guillerman’s King Kong (1976), now available as a Collector’s Edition Blu-ray from Scream Factory.

He’s also weighed in on Vincent Robert’s The Fear (1995) on Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome.

Meanwhile, Dennis has turned in a look at George Abbott and Stanley Donen’s Damn Yankees (1958) on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection.

And Stephen has weighed in as well with a look Michael Ritchie’s Smile (1975) on Blu-ray from Fun City Editions. [Read on here...]

We’re starting off the new week with a brand new review... and a brand new reviewer!

We’re very pleased to welcome Stephen Bjork to The Digital Bits team. Like many of us, Stephen is a lifelong student of film, who worked for many years as a district manager for the Video Update brick-and-mortar movie rental chain, back in the VHS, Beta, Laserdisc and early DVD days, before moving into sales. In that capacity, he attended many industry events—I probably bumped into him without realizing it at the old Video Software Dealers Association (VSDA) trade shows. Stephen knows film, and he’s more than fluent with the state-of-the-art in home video technology, up to and including Digital and 4K Ultra HD. He’s also been a Digital Bits reader for many years, and a friend on social media into the bargain. So we’re confident he’s going to fit right in around here.

Stephen will be reviewing both Blu-ray and 4K titles for us, and he’s kicking that work off with his thoughts on an import 4K title that might be new to some of you: Robert D. Krzykowski’s The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then the Bigfoot (2018). It’s a surprisingly great little drama starring Sam Elliott that a lot of you might have overlooked a I did. There was a US release of the film on Blu-ray and DVD from RLJE back in 2019, but our friends at Capelight Pictures in Germany actually did a proper physical Ultra HD release. And it turns out, it’s pretty damn good. You can import it from Amazon Germany and a few copies are available on US Amazon as well. The 4K works on all players, but note that the Blu-ray and DVD disc in the package are region locked. In any case, we hope you enjoy the review! And you can look forward to more from Stephen in the weeks and months ahead.

Welcome aboard, Stephen! [Read on here...]

We’re starting today’s news update here at The Bits with another new disc review. This one features Tim’s thoughts on Alex de la Iglesia’s Perdita Durango (1997), as newly released on 4K Ultra HD from the good people at Severin Films. Sounds like the transfer is pretty terrific, so do give it a look here.

In announcement news today, here’s something welcome: Screen Media will be releasing the forthcoming Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street documentary on Blu-ray and DVD on 7/6. We’ve got what looks like temp art for the title at left and you can pre-order the Blu-ray below.

Lionsgate will release Dominic Cooke’s historical espionage drama The Courier (2020) on 6/1. The film stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Merab Ninidze, and Rachel Brosnahan. Extras will include the On the Brink: Making The Courier featurette. [Read on here...]

Afternoon, folks! We hope you all had a lovely weekend.

We’ve got just a very quick update today here at The Bits, as there’s not a ton of news to report on this afternoon.

First though, Tim has turned in a review of a new Blu-ray 3D release from Classic Flix and our friends at the 3-D Film Archive: The Africa Screams: Special Limited Edition, the 1949 Universal comedy featuring Bud Abbott and Lou Costello

It’s a great disc, so do check out Tim’s thoughts on it here. [Read on here...]

Welcome to a new week, folks. We’ve got some ground to cover here at The Bits today, so let’s get right to it...

First, we start with a new Blu-ray review from our own Tim Salmons, a look at Paul W.S. Anderson’s Event Horizon (1997) as newly released on disc by our friends at Scream Factory. Do give it a look.

While we’re talking Scream (and Shout! Factory), that’s a perfect place to start with today’s release news. The company has just announced a slate of great Blu-ray and DVD titles for July, including The Pianist: Shout Select (BD), No Man’s Land (BD and DVD), The Night (BD and DVD), House of Wax: Collector’s Edition (BD), and Ernest & Celestine (BD and DVD) on 7/13, followed by A Stranger is Watching (BD), Little Big League: Shout Select (BD), Fire (BD and DVD), and Eight Legged Freaks (BD) on 7/20, and State and Main: Shout Select (BD), The Dead Zone: Collector’s Edition (BD), Chamber of Horrors (BD), and Brotherhood of the Wolf: Collector’s Edition (BD) on 7/27. Extras on all of these are still TBA. You can see the cover art for The Dead Zone at left, with more covers visible below the break. [Read on here...]

Okay, we’ve got some serious ground to cover in today’s My Two Cents update, so let’s get right to it...

First, we’ve just posted Michael Coate’s brand new History, Legacy & Showmanship column here at The Bits, featuring a terrific new retrospective of George Lucas’ THX 1138 in honor of the film’s 50th anniversary (which was last week on 3/11 – the piece was delayed due to a technical issue). The column takes an in-depth look back at the original theatrical release and also features a great roundtable discussion with film historian Chris Barsanti, documentary filmmaker Gary Leva, and original Director of Fan Relations at Lucasfilm Craig Miller. I think you’ll really enjoy it. So you’ll find that here.

Next up, as some of you may have noticed over the weekend, we posted word on Saturday (see here) that video distributors had begun listing a 4-film Indiana Jones Collection for release on 4K Ultra HD on 6/8. This is still not to be considered official until Paramount and Lucasfilm make their actual announcement, however be aware that I’ve now confirmed it with multiple film industry sources in addition to retail and distribution sources. And it’s really not all that surprising given that 6/12 is marks the 40th anniversary of the original film’s theatrical release. We expect the set to include all four existing films in 4K with HDR10 high dynamic range and the previous DTS-HD Master Audio lossless sound mixes (but that’s still subject to change). [Editor’s Note: We’ve just confirmed that the set WILL include Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos audio. Details to follow shortly.] The 5-disc set will also include a disc of bonus features that are TBA. Of course, we’ll post more information on this as it comes in.

The other big news today is that our friends at The Criterion Collection have just unveiled their June slate of titles. [Read on here...]