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06 Feb ' 19:38
2/6 2/7 Streetcar Named Desire, Carnage, Three Musketeers (2011) & more 12:01 AM PST 2/6 
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MY TWO CENTS - 2/7/12 - by Digital Bits editor Bill Hunt Morning, everyone. Just wanted to jump in here for a quick news update. As you may have noticed, updates here at have been sporadic the last couple of days. Sarah and I have been visiting her parents in Puerto Rico for the past week. Sarah's mom has recently been undergoing cancer treatment, so her parents rented a place here on the island to allow her to recover in a warm climate. They were scheduled to be here another month, but in just the week we've been here, her mom's health has declined so sharply that she's in a local hospital and is unable to fly home to Philadelphia. So we're extending our trip to be with her, and to see if we can help arrange some way of getting her medevaced home. As such, if I go a couple days without posting an update here, you'll know why and I appreciate your patience. Been a REALLY tough week here, as you can probably imagine. Meanwhile, I do have a little bit of news to update you with this morning... First up, we have confirmed that the U.K. release of from Fox is a region A/B/C release, so if you just can't wait for a U.S. release this one should work on most players. The 251-minute film is split over two discs, with DTS-HD MA audio. It's apparently the "roadshow" presentation of the film, complete with Overture. Thanks to reader Roger M. (and many others) for the confirmation. Speaking of U.K. Blu-rays, for those of you who may (like me) have recently discovered the BBC's outstanding updating of Sherlock, you'll be pleased to learn that Season Two (which just aired on the BBC last month) is now available on Blu-ray Disc in the U.K. and it's reportedly all region. So if you can't wait until PBS Masterpiece Mystery airs the season's three episodes in May, you don't have to. Let me tell you, the season's debut episode (A Scandal in Belgravia) is one of the best pieces of TV I've seen in a long time. It's just a brilliant show that I can't recommend more highly. In release news today, Warner Home Video has confirmed that A Streetcar Named Desire will arrive as a Blu-ray Book edition on 4/10 (SRP $34.99). It's now available for pre-order on Amazon.com. All the DVD extras should carry over. Sony has set Carnage for release on Blu-ray and DVD on 3/20 (SRP $35.99 and $30.99). Extras will include a trio of featurettes (Actors' NotesAn Evening with John C. Reilly & Christoph WaltzOn the Red Carpet). Summit Entertainment has set The Three Musketeers (2011) for release on Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray and DVD on 3/13. Extras on all three formats will include deleted and extended scenes, 2 featurettes (Cast & Crew Stories17th Century Action) and audio commentary with director Paul W.S. Anderson. Paramount has officially confirmed the release of Clueless on 5/1. Image Entertainment will release Robotropolis on DVD on 4/17. The company also has the catalog titles The Odessa FileThe Order on Blu-ray on 5/15. And they'll release the Something Weird Video double feature Wizard of GoreThe Gore, Gore Girls on Blu-ray on 5/1. CBS (via Paramount) has set Vegas: The Third Season, Volume 1 for DVD only release on 5/8. Here's something awesome: Acorn Media is releasing the classic, 1979 BBC miniseries version of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy on Blu-ray - starring Alec Guinness - on 4/24 (SRP $59.99). Kino Lorber has set GriefwalkerNobody's Perfect for DVD release on 4/3, followed by LittlerockCharlotte Rampling: The Look on both Blu-ray and DVD on 4/10, The Getting of Wisdom on DVD and The Asphyx on Blu-ray and DVD on 4/17, and Marquis de Sade's JustineGirl on a Motorcycle and the Jezebel double feature of Primitive London and London in the Raw on both formats on 4/24. Here's something our own Todd Doogan is going to be happy about: Shout! Factory has announced the 4/17 DVD release of Ernie Kovacs: The ABC Specials. This is a single disc of their previous Ernie Kovacs Collection DVD box set. Also, retail sources tell us that Disney is soon to announce a Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray Combo of James Cameron's Ghosts of the Abyss documentary. Street date is TBA. And Koch Entertainment has set Rookie Blue: The Complete Second Season for release on Blu-ray on 5/8, followed by Hell on Wheels: The Complete First Season on Blu-ray on 5/22. That's about all I have time to post for now. I'll try to check in again tomorrow. 2/2/2012 and Stay tuned... and and and BitsThe Bits
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02 Feb ' 19:02
2/2 Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy due 3/20, plus Japanese Cleopatra BD & more 5 AM PST DAILY COLUMN:
MY TWO CENTS - 2/2/12 - by Digital Bits editor Bill Hunt First up today, HBO and Warner Home Video have set Cinema Verite for release on Blu-ray and DVD on 4/24. They've also set Treme: The Complete Second Season for Blu-ray and DVD release on 4/17. Meanwhile, Warner and the BBC have set The BBC High Definition Natural History Collection: Special Edition Blu-ray and The BBC Natural History Collection: Special Edition DVD box sets for release on 3/27, including the documentary series Planet EarthWild ChinaGalapagosGanges. And Universal has set the 2011 version of Tinker Tailor Solider Spy for release on both formats on March 20th. Nominated for 3 Academy Awards, including Best Actor for Gary Oldman, the Blu-ray will sport the usual Ultraviolet Digital Copy, 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio, BD-Live and pocket Blu support. Traditional supplements will include an audio commentary with director Tomas Alfredson and Gary Oldman, as well as a behind the scenes featurette, cast interviews, an interview with author John Le Carré and a selection of deleted scenes. SRP is $34.98 for Blu-ray and $29.98 for DVD and both versions are now available for pre-order on Amazon at the links provided (for a 30% discount). By the way, RE: , our own Jeff Kleist notes that Fox released Tora Tora Tora long before it came out here so it's quite possible that the studio will wait to release it here in the States until next year - the actual 50th anniversary of the film. Meanwhile, we're getting reports from readers in the U.K. that the Blu-ray released there is all-region. There's also a more elaborate box set version available in Japan (for around $80) that includes a book and more. (Thanks to reader Graham S. for the link.) In other news today, Vizio has finally applied a date to their 21:9 (2.39:1 native) HDTV display that allows you (without an expensive anamorphic lens and processing system) to watch CinemaScope ratio movies without the black bars. Unfortunately, unlike its projection brethren, no allowance is able to be made for 16:9 or 4:3 ratios to similarly avoid the darkness, so the appeal of such $3499 (as this first one retails for) sets will likely be limited. Also as a follow-up our story yesterday, NASA has released video of the far side of the moon, which is impossible to see from Earth. A quick tour from the North to South Pole, the material will be part of the educational outreach program of the GRAIL lunar mapping mission. Students will be able to designate targets for higher resolution photography later in the program. Pretty cool. Stay tuned... 2/1/12CleopatraBits that they may have found the crash site of the lost Lunar Orbiter 2 probe on... you guessed it, the far side of the moon. Originally tasked with finding landing sites for the Apollo missions, the probe lost contact with Earth back in 1967. Now, thanks to the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter's high resolution mapping mission, they think they may have located its final resting place. Either that, or Michael Bay was way ahead of the science curve and slumbering giant robots await. You decide. -
01 Feb ' 14:48
1/31 2/1 Chuck: Season 5, Truth or Dare, Cleopatra: 50th in the UK & more 1 PM PST 1/31 DAILY COLUMN:
MY TWO CENTS - 2/1/12 - by Digital Bits editor Bill Hunt It's a bit of a slow news day, so we're going to keep it short. Warner Home Video has just announced the Blu-ray and DVD release of Chuck: The Complete Fifth and Final Season on 5/8 (SRP $49.99 and $39.98). All 13 episodes will be included, along with 2 audio commentaries, 6 featurettes (Chuck: The Final EpisodeSandwiches and Superfans: The Saving of a ShowSpy Tunes: Scoring the World of ChuckChuck: The BeginningsChuck: Through the YearsChuck: The Future), deleted scenes, a gag reel, full versions of the Buy More commercials and an extended version of the series finale. Our friends at Trek Movie have posted an update on the expected Blu-ray release schedule for the remastered Star Trek: The Next Generation TV series. Season One is tentatively due in late summer or early fall of this year. The idea after that is to release about two seasons per year, with a goal of having the complete series out by 2015. Once the project is done, there's also likely to be at least consideration given to applying the same process to Deep Space NineVoyager, presumably if interest (and disc sales) allows. Meanwhile, Lionsgate has announced Madonna: Truth or Dare for release on Blu-ray on 4/3. Shout! Factory has set the animated Astonishing X-Men: Dangerous for release on DVD only on 4/10. The company has also announced the MOD DVD-R release of Mystery Science Theater 3000: Girl in Gold Boots and Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Wild World of Batwoman on 3/20, available directly from the Shout! website. FilmWorks Entertainment has set Blind Turn for release on DVD on 4/24. Also, it appears that the 1963 version of Cleopatra (staring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton) has just been released on Blu-ray in the U.K. as a 2-disc set for its 50th anniversary, which means you may expect 20th Century Fox to release the film on disc here in the States as well later this year. Interestingly, 2012 is actually the film's 49th anniversary. Still, if Fox has U.S. release plans one would expect an official announcement in the coming weeks. Thanks to several Bits readers who sent over the link. There's also hints at Hit Fix (thanks to Bits reader Albert G. for the link) that Peter Bogdanovich's At Long Last Love may be coming to Blu-ray and DVD. And in other news, while Netflix agreed to delay stocking new Warner Home Video releases on disc for 56 days as requested by the studio, Home Media reports that Redbox has refused and will be offering the movies on the day of release. They'll obtain product through "alternate means", which in the past has meant running over to Best Buy and coming out with an armful of discs to stock their kiosks. How long the rebellion will last is anyone's guess, but the truce between bargain rentailers and the studios (who wish to exploit the first 90 days of home video release to the fullest) may be coming to an end. Also, to coincide with yesterday's release of Transformers: Dark of the Moon 3D, NASA has announced that they may have found the crash site of the lost Lunar Orbiter 2 probe on... you guessed it, the dark side of the moon. Originally tasked with finding landing sites for the Apollo missions, the probe lost contact with Earth back in 1967. Now, thanks to the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter's high resolution mapping mission, they think they may have located its final resting place. Either that, or Michael Bay was way ahead of the science curve and slumbering giant robots await. You decide. 1/31/12 Stay tuned! , , , and -
31 Jan ' 08:46
1/31 1/31 More classics coming to Blu in the U.S. and U.K., plus more Disney MOD 12:01 AM PST 1/31 1/31 Barrie takes to the skies with Paramount's classic on Blu-ray! MY TWO CENTS - 1/31/12 - by Digital Bits editor Bill Hunt Morning, everyone. We've got a new Blu-ray Disc review for you this morning. But first... Our own Russell Hammond has once again updated the Release Dates & Artwork section with all the week's latest Blu-ray, DVD and Video Game cover art and Amazon.com pre-order links. As always, any orders you make from Amazon after clicking to them through our links helps to support our work here at The Bits and we greatly appreciate it. Now then... our resident classic films expert and esteemed colleague Barrie Maxwell has checked in today with a review of Paramount's new Blu-ray - the kick-off BD title for the studio's 100th anniversary celebration! Having seen both the disc and a recent screening of the film at the Academy, I can tell you personally that it's well worth your time and money. So do check it out and enjoy! And in release news today, our friend Jason Schlierman over at Open Vault Disney has let us know that Disney is releasing their live action Trenchcoat (1983) on MOD DVD-R, as well as the Disney Generations Collection live action titles Beyond Witch Mountain (1982), Endurance (1999), The Richest Cat in the World (1986), Justin Morgan Had a Horse (1972), The Leftovers (1986) and Back to Hannibal: The Return of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn (1990). All should be available as of today via Amazon.com. Also, a quick search of Amazon.co.uk reveals that Eureka Entertainment is releasing a trio of classic films on Blu-ray in the coming months as part of their Masters of Cinema collection, including Alfred Hitchcock's Lifeboat (1944 - due 4/23) and Billy Wilder's Double Indemnity (1944 - 6/25) and The Lost Weekend (1945 - also 6/25). One would hope (and suspect) that corresponding U.S. releases are in the offing as well. Here in the States, the 1953 Clifton Webb version of is due on Blu-ray on 4/3 from 20th Century Fox. And Film Chest has also set The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946) for BD release on 5/29. Here's a look at the Blu-ray cover art for Magnolia's Melancholia (due 3/13), Universal's The Deer Hunter (3/6) and Sony's U.K. art for David Fincher's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (due 4/23 - TBA here in the States)... 
Stay tuned!
1/30/12 -
31 Jan ' 00:28
[Editor's Note: A few of you have correctly pointed out this evening that Paramount released Thor, Transformers: Dark of the Moon and Captain American in BD3D. Still, it's nice to see them embracing the format and we do think it bodes well for Titanic eventually.] -
30 Jan ' 16:04
1/30 1/30 Paramount bows Scorsese's Hugo on BD3D, BD & DVD on 2/28, plus more! 1 PM PST 1/30 DAILY COLUMN:
MY TWO CENTS - 1/30/12 - by Digital Bits editor Bill Hunt Afternoon, folks. Let's get to the announcement news, because there's a major announcement to report today... Paramount has officially set Martin Scorsese's for release on Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack, Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack and DVD on 2/28 (SRP $44.99, $39.99 and $29.99). An hour of bonus features will be available on the Blu-rays, including 5 featurettes (Shoot the Moon: The Making of HugoThe Cinemagician, Georges MélièsThe Mechanical Man at the Heart of HugoBig Effects, Small ScaleSacha Baron Cohen: Role of a Lifetime). Audio on the BDs will be 7.1 DTS-HD MA. I'm trying to recall... is this the first time Paramount has released a title on Blu-ray 3D format? That would seem to bode well for a Blu-ray 3D (and regular BD) release of Titanic later this year. Meanwhile, Warner Home Video will release One Tree Hill: The Complete Ninth and Final Season on DVD on 4/10 (SRP $39.98). The 3-disc set will include all 13 episodes plus 5 featurettes, an audio commentary, deleted scenes and a gag reel. RaroVideo has set a number of Italian catalog titles for release on DVD in February and March, including Alfredo Giannetti's The Automobile (1971) on 2/28, and Luchino Viscontis Conversation Piece (1974), Antonio Pietrangeli's The Visitor (1963) and Fernando di Leo's Young Violent Dangerous (1976) on 3/13. Well Go USA has set the creature feature Splintered for release on Blu-ray/DVD Combo and DVD on 3/20 (SRP $26.98 and $19.98). Extras will include behind-the-scenes footage, deleted scenes and trailers. And Outsider Pictures has acquired the U.S. video release rights to "the first Cuban zombie comedy Juan of the Dead" and will be releasing it on disc and download later this year. Sound interesting. In other news, it appears that some are having audio sync issues with MGM's new Annie Hall Blu-ray. We've heard from several readers that this the case. No word yet from the studio. Here's a look at the BD and DVD cover art for Paramount's Hugo 
Back tomorrow with a review of Paramount's Wings Blu-ray from Barrie. Stay tuned...
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27 Jan ' 12:03
1/26 
Magnificent Ambersons DVD, plus more Sony MOD & Gremlins 2 & more 5 PM PST DAILY COLUMN:
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25 Jan ' 19:09
1/25 The SitterAwesomest MaximusTransformers Prime: S1 & more! 4:30 PM PST DAILY COLUMN:
MY TWO CENTS - 1/25/12 - by Digital Bits editor Bill Hunt Quick update today, but some good announcement news nonetheless... 20th Century Fox has set the Jonah Hill comedy The Sitter for Blu-ray/DVD Combo and DVD release on 3/20. Extras on the Blu-ray will include an unrated Totally Irresponsible cut of the film, 10 deleted and extended scenes, a gag reel, outtakes and 3 featurettes (For Your ConsiderationThe Making of The SitterJonah the Producer Image Entertainment has set National Lampoon's The Legend of Awesomest Maximus for release on Blu-ray and DVD on 3/20 (SRP $29.97 and $27.97). Shout! Factory has announced Transformers Prime: The Complete First Season for release on Blu-ray and DVD on 3/6. The Blu-ray will be a 4-disc Limited Edition that includes the 96-page IDW graphic novel (SRP $64.99). The DVD is a 4-disc Deluxe Edition (SRP $29.93 ). All 26 episodes will be included, along with an original "making of" special, 15 audio commentaries with the cast and crew, a featurette on the toys and the Season Two teaser trailer shown at New York Comic-Con last year. You can pre-order now on Amazon (via the links provided) and at the Shout! website. Well Go USA Entertainment has set Blade of Kings (starring Donnie Yen and Jackie Chan) for Blu-ray and DVD release on 3/6 (SRP $29.98 and $24.98). Extras will include a featurette, a music video and an English-dubbed audio option. Jackie Chan also appears on Mandrill, coming from Magnolia Home Entertainment and Magnet on Blu-ray and DVD on 2/28. Scholastic has set the animated Stellaluna for DVD only release on 2/14. And Lionsgate has set the drama Answers to Nothing for DVD only release on 2/28. Also today, retail sources have informed us that David Fincher's American remake of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is tentatively set for Blu-ray and DVD release by Sony in late March. (Note that Amazon.co.uk has the street date there set for 4/23.) One would expect an official announcement soon. Here's a look at the Blu-ray cover art for Fox's The Sitter, Image's National Lampoon's The Legend of Awesomest Maximus and preliminary art (from retail sources) for Disney's yet-to-be-announced ... 
Stay tuned...
1/24/12War Horse).
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24 Jan ' 19:33
1/24 1/24 1/24 Academy Award noms, plus Bounce, Kate & Leopold: DC BDs & more 3:30 PM PST 1/24 1/24 DAILY COLUMN:
MY TWO CENTS - 1/24/12 - by Digital Bits editor Bill Hunt All right, first up today, our own Russell Hammond has posted the weekly Release Dates & Art update here at The Bits, featuring all the latest Blu-ray, DVD and Video Game cover scans and Amazon.com pre-order links. Ordering stuff through our links helps to support our work here at the site, and we surely do appreciate it! Now then, the big entertainment news today is obviously the announcement of the Academy Award nominations. You'll find them all here, but the 9 films up for Best Picture include The ArtistThe DescendantsExtremely Loud & Incredibly CloseThe HelpHugoMidnight in ParisMoneyballThe Tree of LifeWar Horse. The winners will be announced on the official ABC broadcast on 2/26. Some more title announcement news today... Lionsgate (for Miramax) has set Bounce and a Kate and Leopold: Director's Cut for release on Blu-ray on 4/10. Also coming from them on 4/3 on DVD are the Angelina Ballerina: Ultimate Dance CollectionFireman Sam: Rescue on the WaterEnter Nowhere, the Gwyneth Paltrow: 4-Film Collection (Shakespeare in LoveEmmaBounceView from the Top), the Nicole Kidman: 4-Film Collection (Cold MountainRabbit Hole, The OthersDogville) and Renee Zellweger: 4-Film Collection (Bridget Jones's Diary, Chicago, Cold MountainNew in Town). Warner Home Video has set the IMAX title Born to Be Wild for release on Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack and Blu-ray Combo Pack on 4/17, with a DVD release to follow on 5/2. Magnolia Home Entertainment has set I Melt With You for release on Blu-ray and DVD on 2/28. Paramount and Comedy Central have set Patton Oswalt: Finest Hour for DVD only release on 4/24. Cartoon Network has announced Redakai: Conquer the Kairu - The Journey Begins for DVD only release on 2/28 as well. For classic TV fans, Film Chest has set That Show with Joan Rivers: Volumes 1-3Lawrence Welk Classic Episodes: Volumes 1-4 for DVD only release on 2/21. And Image has the family values title Trinity Goodheart on the way to DVD only on 3/27. Here's a look at the cover art for Lionsgate's BounceKate and Leopold: Director's Cut, as well as Warner's new Blu-ray book version of Citizen Kane (now available) on Blu-ray... 
1/23/12, and and , , , , , , and , , , , , and and
Stay tuned!
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23 Jan ' 16:22
1/23 1/23 1/23 Sony's Monty Python & the Holy Grail BD finally (!) official, plus BBC 2:30 PM PST 1/23 1/23 BARRIE MAXWELL: A new High-Def Matters with 9 BD reviews and mini-reviews too! MY TWO CENTS - 1/23/12 - by Digital Bits editor Bill Hunt All right, I hope you all had a fine weekend, that your football team of choice won (sorry to those whose team didn't!) and that this post finds you all well. It's a wet one here in SoCal, so the coffee's brewing and it's a perfect day for a BD/DVD release news update. First up today, our own Barrie Maxwell has checked in with a brand new installment of his High-Definition Matters column, featuring 9 new BD reviews and 8 "mini" reviews of Alliance Canada BDs. The main reviews include a look at Warner's Contagion, Lionsgate's Margin Call, Alliance Canada's The DebtThe GuardThe American/Burn After Reading, Paramount's Little Big Man, Disney's African Cats and eOne's Killer EliteThe Tree of Life. Some of those Alliance and eOne titles are obviously released by different studios here in the States. The mini reviews include Alliance's The CrowThe Devil's DoubleHannaJackie BrownLimitlessOne DayPulp FictionSomewhere (again many are released by other studios here in the States). Enjoy! In news today, remember how details leaked out of Sony a couple weeks ago that they were about to release Monty Python and the Holy Grail on Blu-ray Disc, but then they said that some of the details were wrong, and to watch for an official announce soon? Well, soon is today! The studio has just officially set the title for release on Blu-ray/UltraViolet on 3/6 (SRP $19.99). The only difference from what we reported back then is that this is not a 35th anniversary edition. It looks like the extras we posted back on 1/6 were exactly right, as the list includes audio commentaries by Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones (plus "General Complaints and Back-Biting by John Cleese, Eric Idle and Michael Palin"), The Quest for the Holy Grail Locations documentary (featuring Palin and Jones), the Japanese version, the LEGO version, a cast directory photo gallery, 3 "Mindless Sing-Alongs", the How to Use Your Coconuts (An Educational Film) short, 8 featurettes (BBC Film NightMeanwhile, King Arthur & Sir Bedevere...Elephant & Castle, Run Away!, The Tale of Sir Robin, The Tale of Sir LancelotHenry 4th) and Blu-ray credits. But that's not all: According to Sony's official press release, exclusive to the Blu-ray will be the The Holy Book of Days Second Screen Experience, Lost Animations with introduction by Terry Gilliam and Outtakes & Extended Scenes with introduction by Terry Jones. The film will also be remastered for high-definition in quality never before available. The Holy Book of Days is accessed via an iPad app that costs $4.99 in the Apple store, but for a limited time Sony will offer a $5 rebate for those who purchase the BD and the app together. Android users are apparently out of luck. Also today, the BBC (via Warner) has updated their February Blu-ray and DVD release plans as follows: Look for The Hour (BD and DVD), The Song of Lunch (DVD) and Steve Coogan Live (DVD) on 2/7, followed by Doctor Who: The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe (BD and DVD), Doctor Who: The Sensorites (DVD) and Doctor Who: The Caves of Androzani - Special Edition (DVD) on 2/14, The Fades: Season One (BD and DVD), Last of the Summer Wine: Vintage 1991 (DVD) and The Story of Ireland (DVD) on 2/21, and Top Gear 17 (BD and DVD) on 2/28. And Paramount has set Jason Reitman's Young Adult for release on Blu-ray and DVD on 4/24. Here's a look at the cover art for Sony's Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Jack and Jill (due 3/6) on Blu-ray, as well as their Steven King's Bag of Bones on DVD (3/13)... 
1/20/12 and
1/25/12.
Stay tuned...
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