My Two Cents
All right, we have a few things to report today...
But first, we’ve been working this week to balance the amount of advertising that appears when you read our various columns and reviews here at The Bits. We’ve removed the ad unit that went across the top of the site, and we’ve adjusted the left and right side advertising so that it doesn’t appear on small screen sizes. This should make it all less obtrusive. As I’ve said recently, we’re trying to find the right balance that allows us to keep the site going without becoming annoying, so hopefully we’re getting close. Advertising is a necessary evil, so to speak, especially given what’s been happening over the last year during the global pandemic.
As if to illustrate this urgency, we’re very sorry to have to report today that Cinefex, the great film and TV visual effects magazine, has just revealed that their latest issue (#172) will be their last due to the economic toll of the pandemic. [Read on here...]
All right, we hope you all had a great weekend. We’re starting the week off with several new Blu-ray reviews...
Tim has checked out Adrian Hoven’s Castle of the Creeping Flesh (1968) from Severin Films.
And Dennis has turned in a trio of reviews as well, including Frank Perry’s Doc (1971), Sidney Lanfield’s My Favorite Blonde (1942), and Richard Fleischer’s The Don is Dead (1973), all newly released or coming soon on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.
In actual announcement news today, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has just made Tim Burton’s Big Fish official for release on 4K Ultra HD on 5/4, as expected. [Read on here...]
We have just a couple things for you today here at The Bits to round out the week...
First, The Muppet Show is now officially available for streamed viewing on Disney+. I’ve already watched the John Cleese and Mark Hamill episodes and they’re a hoot. I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed this show. And it looks pretty good for SD upsampled to HD and digital remastered. If you’re familiar with Sony’s recent Fraggle Rock Blu-ray remaster, it’s right in the same ballpark. [Editor’s Note: It appears that it’s NOT the entire series, but over 100 of the series’ 120 total episodes. And there are several episodes that still have edits. This is presumably due to remaining unresolved music rights and related issues. Still, this is a lot more of the series than we’ve ever gotten before. And there is reason to hope that the unresolved portions will come online as the issues are cleared eventually. You can find more details here at EW and here in this post on Reddit.]
Also today, the first episode of the second season of For All Mankind is now available on Apple TV. And that is terrific too. So enjoy both of those.
In other news today, we have word that Disney and Pixar’s Soul is expected to street on Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD at the end of March (street date 3/23). We would expect an announcement or retail pre-orders to begin fairly soon. [Read on here...]
We’ve got a few interesting things to tell you about today here at The Bits...
First though, an update: We’re continuing to work on more Blu-ray and 4K reviews here. But poor Tim, our reviews editor, has been out of commission these last few days—he lives down in Texas in ground zero of all the not having power, water, or heat due to this big winter freeze. The good news is, he’s back online today, a few burst water pipes worse for wear. So he’ll be checking in again with reviews and on social media over the next few days.
Meanwhile, we have some release news to report this afternoon, beginning with this: Shout! Factory is releasing Ping Zhang’s animated feature film The Legend of Hei on Blu-ray and DVD on 5/11. A Digital release is expected on 4/20.
Corinth Films is releasing Little England on DVD and Digital on 3/16.
Capelight Films will release Fukushima 50 on Digital and VOD on 3/5. [Read on here...]
All right, we have two things for you today…
The first, is that I’ve just posted my in-depth review of Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing (1989), newly released on 4K Ultra HD by Universal Studios Home Entertainment. It’s a great disc, with a beautifully-remastered transfer and a great new DTS:X sound mix as well. Do check it out here.
The other thing is a recommendation for a great TV series that’s streaming right now on Apple TV+: Ron Moore’s For All Mankind.
Trust me when I say that if you’re a fan of science fiction, or human spaceflight, or alternate history, or just great character drama, this is absolutely a series that you should be watching. So let me tell you why you should be, and I promise there will be no spoilers. [Read on here...]