We’re rounding out the week with two more new Blu-ray reviews, and we’ve got more coming on Monday.

But for now, we have Tim’s thoughts on Scream Factory’s new Invasion of the Body Snatchers: Collector’s Edition and Jim’s take on Twilight Time’s Support Your Local Sheriff / Support Your Local Gunfighter double feature. Enjoy!  [Read on here…]

We’re starting today with a pair of new Blu-ray Disc reviews, and the films couldn’t be more different.

The first is my take on Warner’s animated adaptation of Batman: The Killing Joke, the iconic 1988 graphic novel by Alan Moore. The film version is... interesting. You should check out the review. Also today, I’ve taken a look at a film that’s one of my absolute favorite indie discoveries of 2016: John Carney’s Sing Street. If this film had come out in the 1980s, we’d all consider it a classic today. It’s an absolutely wonderful celebration of music and coming of age, and I can’t recommend it to you all more highly. So again, do check out the review.  [Read on here…]

All right, we’ve got some big Star Wars Blu-ray news for you today...

Disney and Lucasfilm have just announced (via The Star Wars Show) that they’re officially releasing Star Wars: The Force Awakens 3D – Collector’s Edition on Blu-ray Disc here in the States on 11/15. Here are the latest international release dates for the title: Holland, France, Sweden & U.K. (10/31), Spain & Italy (11/2), Australia (11/9), U.S. & Canada (11/15), Brazil (11/16), Germany (11/24). Adjust your plans accordingly.

You can see what the packaging looks like at the left and also below. This will be a 4-disc set.  [Read on here…]

Okay, there isn’t a ton of release news to report early this week, so we’re going to be focusing mostly on review work...

As such, I’ve just posted my thoughts on Warner’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice – Ultimate Edition on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray format. It’s a complicated film to discuss, and one that’s neither as bad nor as good as the most ardent critics would have you believe. But at least it’s a better experience than the theatrical cut. Do check it out. I’ve taken a look at Shout! Factory’s new Humpback Whales on 4K as well. And yesterday, in case you missed them, we posted regular Blu-ray reviews of Bite from Shout! Factory via our own Tim Salmons, as well as Diary of a Lost Girl (1929) from Kino Lorber Studio Classics via Jim Hemphill. Enjoy.  [Read on here…]

Welcome to a new edition of Pick-Ups!

Well, like many of you, I checked out Suicide Squad this past weekend, and also like many of you, I just didn’t care for it all that much. I won’t go into any major details about it because it’s still pretty fresh and I don’t want to spoil anything for those who still want to see it, but I’m sure many of you already know many of the ins and outs of why certain folks didn’t like it. On the flipside, I also managed to see Star Trek Beyond as well, and I was a bit floored on that one. It’s easily the best of the new Treks, as well as the most solid film in that new franchise. It felt like they were done making the references and trying to copy what had come before and decided to tell a new story with the new cast for a change, which is what the major misstep of Into Darkness was, in my opinion. It’s not a flawless movie, but it was damned entertaining and very well made. Try to see that one in the theaters if you can before it’s gone. It’s worth the cash. [Read on here…]

I think it’s time we caught up. Walking outside during this Oklahoma summer is like tasting something after it’s been in the microwave about eight minutes. The heat and stupidity started even before Memorial Day and has not abated. It’s like we’re living on Mars – I’ve been pricing those spacesuits which protected Matt Damon.

But thank goodness for the movies. Especially the kind one watches in the comfort of one’s own home. Let’s discuss.

Here’s a serious complaint – as I learned over the years, watching a great film is a multi-sensory experience – you see, you listen, you emote. And for me, always a major component of that experience is the music score. For those who pay attention, music is usually the heart of the movie – name a classic up through about 1990 or so for which you can’t hum a main theme. Or name a dud or two with a score that is better than the picture. [Read on here...]

We’re kicking things off today with a great new View from the Cheap Seats column from our own Bud Elder in which he muses over classic film scores, catches up on some of the recent deep catalog releases coming out on Blu-ray from the indie distributors, and has a few things to say about a fella named George Hamilton too. Do check it out!

Also available today is a new Blu-ray review from Jim Hemphill, none other than Fernando Leon de Aranoa’s A Perfect Day (2015), now available on disc from IFC Films and MPI Media Group.

Now then, in announcement news this afternoon… [Read on here…]

First up today, our own Russell Hammond has updated the Release Dates & Artwork section with all the latest Blu-ray and DVD, and 4K Ultra HD cover artwork and Amazon.com pre-order links. As always, whenever you order items from Amazon after clicking through one of our links you’re helping to support our work here at The Bits and we truly appreciate it.

Now then… a quick Lord of the Rings update: We’ve learned from sources that it’s unlikely Warner has created much in the way of new disc-based content for these new Middle Earth Blu-ray box sets that have appeared on Amazon. We’re going to have to wait for official announcements, but more likely these are just repackages of existing discs in new packaging, probably with all-new swag items – a typical Warner move on Ultimate Collector’s Edition catalog releases in recent years. But we’ll see soon enough.  [Read on here…]

All right, we’re starting the week with a new Blu-ray review from Tim Salmons, who has checked out Criterion’s The Kid for you today. Do give it a look.

I’m currently working on my reviews of Batman v Superman, Watchmen, and Man of Steel in 4K, but it might take a few days to get them finished. Sarah and I have had a never-ending stream of family visitors here in SoCal this summer, so it’s been tricky to get a lot of work done. The last of these visitors arrives tonight for a few days, so I appreciate your patience.  [Read on here…]

We’re starting the day off with a pair of new Blu-ray reviews from our own Jim Hemphill, who takes a look at Ivan Passer’s Cutter’s Way (1981) and Fred Zinnemann’s The Member of the Wedding (1952), both now available on BD from Twilight Time. Enjoy!

The big announcement news today is that Universal Studios Home Entertainment has just officially set the Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of Warcraft for 9/27, with the Digital HD release expected on 9/13.  [Read on here…]