My Two Cents
Welcome to a new week, Bits-ers! And we’re starting with the week with some great new release news...
The big headline is that the Criterion Collection has just announced their January 2023 release slate, and it’s got something for everyone.
It starts on January 3rd with Terry Gilliam’s The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988) (Spine #1166 – 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo and Blu-ray), featuring a new 4K restoration approved by the director with Dolby Vision HDR. The set will also include the film on Blu-ray along with a third Blu-ray of special features.
Among those are many legacy extras along with a new video essay by critic/filmmaker David Cairns and Gilliam’s 1974 animated short Miracle of Flight.
Next up is John M. Stahl’s Imitation of Life (1934) on January 10th, staring Claudette Colbert and Louise Beavers (Spine #1167 – Blu-ray and DVD). You’ll get a new 4K digital restoration, along with new interviews with author Miriam J. Petty and Imogen Sara Smith, and the trailer. [Read on here...]
Today’s news update here at The Digital Bits is a quick one, with one new disc review and a couple pieces of release news to close out the week. First, that review...
Tim has turned in his in-depth thoughts on The Outer Limits: Season Two (1964-65) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics. And don’t forget that he reviewed Season One on Blu-ray just yesterday. Both are great box sets, packed with audio commentaries and rare extras, and are well worth a look.
Now then, the only major piece of announcement news we have today is that Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has just set P.J. Hogan’s romantic comedy My Best Friend’s Wedding (1997) for release on 4K Ultra HD on 12/13.
The 4K presentation has been remastered from the original camera negative and will feature Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos audio. All of the legacy Blu-ray features will be included, and—just for this release—the studio had added an alternate ending and nearly 20 minutes of deleted scenes, all never-before-seen. You can see the cover artwork above left. [Read on here...]
We’ve got a number of new disc reviews up on The Bits today for you all to enjoy, including...
Dennis’ take on Frank Capra’s Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) on Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
Stephen’s thoughts on Michael Lehmann’s Hudson Hawk (1991) and Frank Borzage’s Little Man, What Now? (1934) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.
And Tim’s look at Peter Traynor’s Death Game (1977) on Blu-ray from Grindhouse Releasing, The Outer Limits: Season One (1963-64) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, and George A. Romero’s classic Night of the Living Dead (1968) on 4K from Criterion.
Rest assured that lots more reviews are on the way as well, so be sure to keep checking back for them.
In announcement news today, Eureka! has just revealed a new 4K Ultra HD release for the UK, this one featuring Robert Wiene’s landmark horror classic Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari (1920). Look for it to street on 5 December in a limited edition of just 3000 units, complete with a hardbound slipcase and a 100-page booklet. You can see the cover artwork above left and also below the break. [Read on here...]
We start today with two more new disc reviews...
Stephen has taken a look at Adrian Lyne’s Indecent Proposal (1993), as recently released in 4K Ultra HD by Kino Lorber Studio Classics.
And Tim has given Paramount’s controversial new 4K Ultra HD release of Sean S. Cunningham’s Friday the 13th (1980) an in-depth look.
That last title has unfortunately caused some debate and division among reviewers and fans of the film for what appear to be revisionist remastering and grading choices, particularly compared to the recent Scream Factory release (which was highly rated by all).
In any case, both titles—and these reviews—are worth your time and attention if you’re a fan of these films.
Also today, we have a bit of 4K Ultra HD release news, first from HBO... [Read on here...]
All right, there’s some big catalog announcement news today, though it won’t come as a surprise to anyone who reads The Bits regularly. But first...
It features a best-yet-on-disc 1080p image presentation mastered from a recent 2K restoration of the film. And it adds a bounty of special features, including two new documentary featurettes and a terrific new audio commentary by Japanese film historian Stuart Galbraith IV.
For English-language speakers who have been waiting to see this film on Blu-ray, this disc is long overdue and highly welcome.
Now then, the big release news today is that Paramount has finally officially announced the 4K Ultra HD release of Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction (1994) on 12/6. It’s available in both Amaray packaging and Limited Edition Collector’s Steelbook packaging—both should be widely available. It appears that both Dolby Vision and HDR10 will be included, along with the previous 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio mix. [Read on here...]