My Two Cents
We have a quick news column for you here at The Bits today. But first, a couple more disc reviews...
Now then... our friends at Severin Films have announced four new Blu-ray titles due to street in August (on 8/24), including Cannibal Man (1972), No One Heard the Scream (1973), Eloy de la Iglesia’s Quinqui Collection (1980-84 – which includes Navajeros, El Pico, and El Pico 2), and—surprise!—Overboard (1987), the MGM film starring Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell. You can visit their website here for additional details. [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 begin today’s My Two Cents column with another big new 4K Ultra HD review...
Our own Tim Salmons has taken a look at Richard Kelly’s Donnie Darko (2001), as recently released in a 4K Ultra HD Limited Edition box set by our friends at Arrow Video. It sounds like an excellent set from start to finish, so do give that a look here.
On the same note, we know that some of you have been experiencing a video frame rate/studdering issue on some models of 4K player on this title that Arrow has been quietly investigating for a couple of weeks now. Well, the good news is that they’ve just announced an official disc replacement program for those of you who are having an issue, and you can now find out how to apply for a fixed copy via this page on their website.
Also today, Dennis has posted a review of A. Edward Sutherland’s Every Day’s a Holiday (1937), a classic Mae West film now available on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classic. Enjoy! [Read on here...]
All right, we’re starting things off today with some more new 4K Ultra HD reviews...
First, I’ve given DreamWorks and Universal’s new Shrek: 10th Anniversary Edition a look on the format. It’s a very modest upgrade, but it might be worth a look for fans. The disc is available now.
Also on the CG-animated front, I’ve checked out Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon, which just arrived in stores on Tuesday.
And finally, I’ve posted my thoughts this morning on director J.J. Abrams’ 2011 early-period Spielberg homage, Super 8, which is coming to 4K Ultra HD from Paramount on 5/25.
More Blu-ray and 4K reviews are in the works, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled for them. [Read on here...]
All right, we’ve got a bit of ground to cover today. First, we’ve got a few new disc reviews for you to enjoy...
I’ve posted my thoughts Doug Liman’s Chaos Walking in 4K from Lionsgate. It’s not a great science fiction film, but it looks fantastic in 4K (it was shot with the Alexa 65 camera) and it features some very nice special features too created by our old friend Cliff Stephenson. So it’s well worth a look.
I’ve also posted my review of George Cukor’s My Fair Lady (1964) on 4K Ultra HD from Paramount, and that is absolutely a reference-grade title. As some of you may know, it was shot using the Super Panavision-70 camera and was restored by our old friend Robert A. Harris back in 2015 in 4K using an 8K scan of the original camera negative. The film just looks absolutely fantastic and it’s a classic Hollywood musical too. Don’t miss it.
Also seriously worth a look is Arrow Video’s new Battle Royale: Limited Edition in 4K Ultra HD, a UK import boxset that I’ve reviewed in-depth here at the site as well. It features both versions of Kinji Fukasaku’s original film in beautifully-remastered 4K, along with both versions of the sequel on Blu-ray, plus an amazing collection of special features and swag. And even though it’s a UK import, the 4K discs will play fine worldwide. The two Blu-rays in the box are Region B locked, but one of them will still play on any US player anyway (details in my review). If you’re a fan of the film, this is a must-have box. [Read on here...]