-Newsletter est. 4/15/97- -Website est. 12/15/97-	page updated: 7/3/12 My Two Cents (Archived Posts 6/25/12 - 5/21/12) Back to Previous Archives Back to Current Posts 6/25/12 [Editor's Note: If any of you are interested in purchasing one of our Digital Bits Comic-Con 2012 T-Shirts (SRP $14.99 each), the deadline to get your order in is Midnight tomorrow night due to the need to get the shirts printed in time for the convention.] Afternoon, folks. Some interesting announcements to report today... First up, Warner Home Video has announced that The Lord of the Rings: Extended Editions will finally be available on 8/28 as Blu-ray singles (SRP $34.99 each). The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King will each be released as 5-disc sets that include the extended film split over 2 BD discs, along with 3 DVDs containing the Appendices discs and the Costa Botes documentaries. Note that these sets do not appear to include Digital Copy versions. Warner has also set Mike & Molly: The Complete Second Season for DVD only release on 8/21 (SRP $44.98). Anchor Bay entertainment has announced the Blu-ray Disc release of Halloween 4 and Halloween 5 on 8/28 (SRP $28.98 each). Halloween 4 will include deleted & alternate scenes (30 minutes of NEW scenes!), a NEW audio commentary with director Dwight H. Little and author Justin Beahm, a second audio commentary with actors Ellie Cornell and Danielle Harris, a third audio commentary with writer Alan B. McElroy, video of the Halloween 4/5 Discussion Panel and the film's theatrical trailer. Halloween 5 will include audio commentary with director Dominique Othenin-Girard and actors Danielle Harris and Jeffrey Landman, a new audio commentary with actor Don Shanks and author Justin Beahm, an original Halloween 5 promo and 17 minutes of Halloween 5: On Set Footage (both of those last two features represent NEW content). Anchor Bay has also set the Starz Original series Magic City: The Complete First Season for Blu-ray and DVD release on 10/2 (SRP $54.99 and $44.98). Lionsgate has also set a Starz drama for Blu-ray and DVD release: Boss: Season One is due on 7/24 (SRP $39.97 and $39.98). Meanwhile, Sony has set A Separation for release on Blu-ray and DVD on 8/21 (SRP $35.99 and $30.99), along with Community: Season 3 on DVD only on 8/14 (SRP $45.99). Community will include tons of extras including outtakes, audio commentary on all the episodes and 2 featurettes (A Glee-ful Community Christmas and This is War: Pillows vs. Blankets). Sony has also announced a slate of new MOD DVD-R titles for release on 9/4, including The Golden Decade of Baseball: Parts 1 and 2, Waterdance, Inner Circle (1991), North (1994), Sudden Terror: Hijacking of School Bus #17, Zotz, Final Descent, Among the Missing (1934), And Baby Makes Three (1949), The Old Dark House, Safari (1956) and Fantasy Island: The Complete Second Season. CBS has set the rebooted Hawaii Five-O: The Second Season for Blu-ray and DVD release on 9/18. Comedy Central has Key & Peele: Season One coming to Blu-ray and DVD on 9/25. And RaroVideo and Entertainment One have set Italian director Ruggero Deodato's Waves of Lust for DVD only release on 7/31 (SRP $19.98). Also today, a quick heads-up: Warner's Friends: The Complete Series and Strangers on a Train, Universal's Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection and Criterion's The Game Blu-rays are all now available for pre-order on Amazon at the links provided. All cover art links have been updated as well. Here's a look at the Blu-ray Disc cover art for Disney's Chimpanzee (due 8/21) and Pete's Dragon: 35th Anniversary Edition (10/2), as well as Portlandia: Season Two (9/25) and the final packaging art for Warner's Blade Runner: 30th Anniversary Collector's Edition (due 10/2)... Stay tuned... 6/22/12 All right, as always on Friday we've got Barrie's latest installment of Classic Hollywood MOD featuring updates on all the latest classic film release news on DVD-R. Enjoy! Also today, we've got more great release news for you Hitchcock fans! Warner Home Video has just officially set Dial M for Murder for release on Blu-ray 3D format on 10/9! That same day, you'll get Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train on Blu-ray as well. As many of you know, Dial M for Murder was originally releases in theatres in 3D via a dual projection process and polarized glasses. Now MPI has restored the original camera negative in 4K for both "eyes" and has fixed convergence issues as well. The result is fully compatible with today's current Blu-ray 3D format. This from WHV's Executive Vice President and General Manager of Theatrical Catalog, Jeff Baker, "Given the current trend toward 3D, we're delighted to be releasing this authentic classic 3D. This is not a conversion from 2D to 3D, but an original work, with a big tip of the cap to MPI, that illustrates just how good 3D can be. The Warner library has the largest number of classic 3D titles (15) of any studio and over the years we've been looking to release them, but not until now has the technology been perfected to the point we can do that. We're hoping Dial M for Murder is the first of several classic 3D films to be released, with the long-awaited, much requested House of Wax expected next." Dial M for Murder on Blu-ray (SRP $35.99) will include 2 featurettes (Hitchcock and Dial M and 3D: A Brief History) and the original theatrical trailer. [Editor's Note: Dial M for Murder will include both Blu-ray 3D and standard 2D Blu-ray versions in the same package.] Meanwhile, Strangers on a Train (SRP $19.98) will include audio commentary (by Peter Bogdanovich, Joseph Stefano, Andrew Wilson, Joe Alves, Peter Benchley, Tere Caruba, Whitfield Cook, Katie Fiala, Richard Franklin, Alfred Hitchcock, Patricia Hitchcock O'Connell, Kasey Rogers, Richard Schickel and Mary Stone), 5 featurettes (Strangers on a Train: A Hitchcock Classic, Strangers on a Train: The Victim's P.O.V., Strangers on a Train: An Appreciation by M. Night Shyamalan, The Hitchcocks on Hitch and Alfred Hitchcock's Historical Meeting), the so-called Preview Version and the film's theatrical trailer. Here's a look at the cover artwork for both... As you can see, we've also included final artwork for Universal's Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection (due 9/25) as well as a beauty shot of the contents. None of them are available for pre-order yet on Amazon, but we expect they will be soon so do check back for links. In other release news, Kino Lorber has announced their September Blu-ray and DVD release slate, which is set to include Buster Keaton's The Navigator: Ultimate Edition (Blu-ray and DVD) and A Thousand Cuts (Blu-ray and DVD)on 9/4, Elles (Blu-ray and DVD) and Classic Educational Shorts Vol. 5: Rules for School and Classic Educational Shorts Vol. 6: Troubled Teens (both on DVD only) on 9/11, and Gerhard Richter Painting (Blu-ray and DVD), the Wong Kar Wai Double Feature: Fallen Angels + Happy Together (Blu-ray) and the Jezebel title Au Par Girls (Blu-ray) on 9/25. And for you Redemption Films fans, Kino Lorber has set Mario Bava's Hatchet for the Honeymoon: Remastered Edition (Blu-ray and DVD), Black Sunday: Remastered Edition (Blu-ray and DVD) and Lisa and the Devil/The House of Exorcism: Remastered Edition (double feature - Blu-ray and DVD) all on 9/18. Also today, Anchor Bay Films has set The Victim for release on Blu-ray and DVD on 9/18 (SRP $24.99 and $22.98). Disney has announced Disneynature: Chimpanzee for Blu-ray/DVD Combo release on 8/21 (SRP $39.99). Disney has also set a Pete's Dragon: 35th Anniversary Edition for release on Blu-ray/DVD Combo on 10/2 (SRP $29.99). Pete's Dragon will feature an all-new digital restoration of the film. Lionsgate will release Casa De Mi Padre on Blu-ray and DVD on 7/17. Millennium Entertainment has set Laddaland for BD and DVD release on 8/7. That's all she wrote for this week. Now get out there and enjoy your weekend, folks! Maybe go check out Timur Bekmambetov's Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter or some such. See you Monday! 6/21/12 All right, here's some great news today: Universal is OFFICIALLY releasing the Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection 15-film box set on Blu-ray Disc on 9/25 for a limited time only. As far as I'm concerned, this COULD be the single biggest and best catalog BD release Universal is making this year. The SRP has yet to be revealed and the set isn't yet available for pre-order on Amazon.com. But it will include 15 films "digitally restored from high-quality film elements" including 13 never before available on Blu-ray. There are: Saboteur (1942), Shadow of a Doubt (1943), Rope (1948), Rear Window (1954), The Trouble with Harry (1955), The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956), Vertigo (1958), North by Northwest (1959), Psycho (1960), The Birds (1963), Marnie (1964), Torn Curtain (1966), Topaz (1969), Frenzy (1972) and Family Plot (1976). One would very badly hope that they've been remastered with the appropriate respect for the original "film look" of the source material. It appears that all of the extras that were included on the previous DVD versions of these films have been carried over. The box set will also include "a collectible 50-page book featuring storyboards, costume sketches, correspondence, photographs, and much more." Exclusive to Blu-ray is an all-new documentary on The Birds, titled The Birds: Hitchcock's Monster Movie. Here's a look at Universal's temp packaging for the set. We expect the final art to look much like this, with more subtle branding accents... As you can see, we've also included cover art for Warner Home Video's The Lucky One on Blu-ray/DVD Combo, just announced for release on 8/28 (SRP $35.99). Extras will include a series of behind-the-scenes featurettes. Meanwhile, Lionsgate has just announced the Rankin/Bass classic Mad Monster Party for release on Blu-ray/DVD Combo on 9/4 (SRP $14.99). Extras will include 3 featurettes (Mad Monster Party: Making of a Cult Classic, Groovy Ghouls: The Music of Mad Monster Party and It's Sheer Animagic! Secrets of Stop-Motion Animation), a pair of bonus sing-along songs and the trailer. Also coming on 9/4 on DVD from Lionsgate are For the Love of Money, The Adventures of the Wilderness Family, The Adventures of the Wilderness Family 2 and The Adventures of the Wilderness Family 3. As you can see by the additional cover art posted above, Shout! Factory has set the Korean 3D scifi thriller Sector 7 for release on Blu-ray 3D Combo (includes 2D and 3D versions) and DVD on 6/26. Also today, Paramount has set A Thousand Words for Blu-ray and DVD release on 6/26. And MTI Home Video has Dark Nemesis coming on Blu-ray and DVD on 7/10. Stay tuned... 6/20/12 Afternoon again. We've got another new review from Barrie for you all to enjoy today: Warner Archive's The Journey (1959) on MOD DVD-R. Do check it out. In release news today, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has officially set The Pirates! Band of Misfits for release on Blu-ray 3D Combo, Blu-ray Combo and DVD on 8/28 (SRP $45.99, $40.99 and $30.99). All SKUs will include UltraViolet. Extras on the DVD will include filmmakers' audio commentary, the new CG-animated short So You Want to Be a Pirate! and (exclusive to DVD only) the Mr. Bobo's Flash Card Challenge game. The Blu-ray versions will add 2 featurettes (From Stop to Motion and Creating the Bath Chase Sequence), 2 Peter Lord short films with optional commentary intro (Wats Pig and War Story) and the interactive Pirate Disguise Dress-Up game. The Blu-ray 3D version will obviously include a 3D version of the film. Also today, HBO has set the re-release of its "digitally altered" Game of Thrones: The Complete First Season Blu-ray and DVD for 7/9 (SRP $79.98 and $59.99). As some of you may know, all existing Blu-ray and DVD versions have been pulled from shelves over a bit of a brouhaha regarding this. Yeah. So anyway, the original discs are now "collectable" and the new versions are on the way. Make of that what you will. The BBC, meanwhile, has set Misfits: Season 1 for DVD release on 7/31 (SRP $24.98). And Universal has set The Office: Season Eight for Blu-ray and DVD on 9/4. Also coming that day to DVD only is Parks and Recreation: Season Four. By the way, are any of you fans of The Sarah Silverman Program? Well, if you live in the L.A.-area, Shout! Factory is hosting a special cast signing of their new Complete Series DVD set on 7/27 at Amoeba Records with the cast of the show. The fun starts at 6 PM on Wednesday (7/27) and on hand will be stars Sarah Silverman, Laura Silverman, Brian Posehn and Steve Agee. Amoeba is located at 6400 Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, just a half-block west of the ArcLight Cinemas/Cinerama Dome. You'll find all the details here on the Amoeba website. Pretty cool! Here's a look at the Blu-ray Disc cover art for Sony's The Pirates! Band of Misfits (BD3D), Warner's Dead Ringer (due 10/9) and Disney's High Fidelity (8/7), as well as another new beauty shot of MGM's Bond 50 Blu-ray set (due 9/25 - note that Amazon has an exclusive version of the box set that comes with a hardcover book - James Bond: 50 Years of Movie Posters)... Stay tuned! 6/19/12 Afternoon, folks! Today we're pleased to bring you another new disc review from Barrie: A look at Kino Lorber's Little Lord Fauntleroy (1936) on Blu-ray. Enjoy! Here at the site today, Russell Hammond has also turned in his weekly update of the Release Dates & Artwork section with all the latest Blu-ray, DVD and Video Game cover artwork and Amazon.com pre-order links. As always, a portion of anything you order from Amazon after clicking to them through our links goes to help support our work here at The Bits and we really appreciate it. Now them... the big announcement news today is that Warner Home Video has officially announced the 11/13 Blu-ray Disc release of Friends: The Complete Series! There have been rumors that the show was coming to BD for a couple years now, and in fact the studio came close to announcing a Season One set a while back, but it looks like it was decided to sell the show (at least initially) in one complete shot instead. The 21-disc set will include all 236 episodes remastered in HD (SRP $279.98) and will include over 3 hours of all-new bonus content, in addition to the over 17 hours worth of extras that were included on the previous DVD releases. The packaging is a hardcover book that holds the disc, includes a lenticular cover and also features a 32-page episode guide. The new extras include 3 True Friends retrospective documentaries (Friends from the Start, When Friends Became Family and Legacy of Friends), The Original Producer's Cut for The One Where Rachel Tells Ross (with introduction), the original script for The One Where Rachel Tells Ross, 2 featurettes (Friends on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Friends Visit The Ellen DeGeneres Show), The One with the Never-Before-Seen Gags gag reel and The Ones with More Friends (which means the episodes included in this set will be the extended broadcast versions) and The Rembrandts' I'll Be There For You music video. Again, this is all in addition to the previous DVD extras that will carry over to BD. In other news, FUNimation Entertainment has set SyFy Channel's Lost Girl: Season One for Blu-ray and DVD release on 10/23, followed by Lost Girl: Season Two on 11/13. Shout! factory has set Transformers Prime: One Shall Stand for DVD only release on 7/31. And Lionsgate will release director Zhang Yimou's The Flowers of War on Blu-ray and DVD on 7/10. The film stars Christian Bale. We'll leave you with a look at the Blu-ray cover art for Universal's Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein and Airport, and Lionsgate's The Flowers of War, as well as a "beauty shot" of the packaging for Warner's Friends: The Complete Series box set... Stay tuned... 6/18/12 Afternoon, Bits-ers! Hope you all enjoyed the weekend... took your dads out to see some good movies and whatnot. The Hunts and the Rowes took in a screening of Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom on Sunday. (Here's the trailer in HD.) Matt and me both really liked it a lot. It's a charming and quirky little romance, very much in keeping Anderson's recent "children's book illustration"-like visual style (think Fantastic Mr. Fox, Darjeeling Limited and Life Aquatic). I suspect that, like those other films, your appreciation of it will only grow with multiple viewings. I'm certainly looking forward to the eventual Criterion Blu-ray. But along those lines in a moment... Here at The Bits today, we're kicking off a pair of new Giveaways offering each of you the chance to take home copies of La-La Land Records' new 3-disc Star Trek: The Motion Picture - Limited Edition CD set (currently backordered in their online store) and also the excellent Zatoichi: The Best Cuts (1968-1973) - Limited Edition CD. We have 4 of each title to give away to our readers. Also, as many of you know our friends at Image Entertainment have recently released The Twilight Zone: The Complete Series on Blu-ray - all 5 previously released seasons contained in a new cardboard slipcase. For those of you who have already purchased the individual season Blu-rays, Image has provided 10 copies of The Complete Series BD slipcase for us to give away - kind of a nice touch for you diehard fans that would like to finish off your sets with the slipcover. These Giveaways will run for one week, until Noon (Pacific) on Sunday 6/24. Click here for instructions on getting your entries in and good luck! Now then... the big release news today is that Criterion has officially unveiled their September BD and DVD slate over the weekend and there are some long awaited gems in the line-up. Starting on 9/4, you'll get the high-def upgrade of Vittorio De Sica's Umberto D. (#201 - BD). Following on 9/18, look for Marcel Carné's upgraded Children of Paradise (#141 - BD and 2-disc DVD) and Les visiteurs du soir (#626 - BD and DVD). Then on 9/25, you'll get Paul Bartel's Eating Raoul (#625 - BD and DVD) and the oft-rumored Criterion edition of David Fincher's The Game (#627 - BD and 2-disc DVD). You can find all the relevant details here at the Criterion website, but for the record The Game will include: A new, restored digital transfer, supervised by director David Fincher and director of photography Harris Savides with original theatrical 5.1 surround theatrical soundtrack (in DTS-HD Master Audio on the Blu-ray edition); an alternate 5.1 surround mix optimized for home theater viewing supervised by sound designer Ren Klyce and Fincher (in DTS-HD Master Audio on the Blu-ray edition); audio commentary (by Fincher, Savides, actor Michael Douglas, screenwriters John Brancato and Michael Ferris, digital animation supervisor Richard "Dr." Baily, production designer Jeffrey Beecroft, visual effects supervisor Kevin Haug, and visual effects producer Robyn D'Arcy); an hour's worth of exclusive behind-the-scenes footage and film-to-storyboard comparisons for four of the film's major set pieces (with commentary); an alternate ending; the trailer and teaser trailer (with commentary); and a booklet featuring an essay by film critic David Sterritt. Nice. In other release news today, Sony is about to announce the animated The Pirates! Band of Misfits on Blu-ray 3D Combo, Blu-ray Combo and DVD Combo (all with UltraViolet) on 8/28 - details and artwork to follow. Sony will release Think Like a Man on Blu-ray and DVD on 8/28 as well. And on MOD/DVD-R front, Sony will release Band of the Hand, The Competition, Hamlet (1969), Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First One Hundred Years, I Capture the Castle, Escape in the Fog, Let Us Live, The Mad Magician, The Diamond Trap, Sheena: The Complete Second Season and White Sister on 7/3. Also today, Image has set Drafthouse Films' Klown for Blu-ray and DVD release on 9/25 (VOD release is 7/27). Here's a look at the BD cover art for Criterion's Les visiteurs du soir, Eating Raoul and The Game... Stay tuned... 6/15/12 We're pleased today to bring you Barrie's latest installment of Classic Hollywood MOD, along with reviews of a pair of Red Skelton films just released on MOD DVD-R by the Warner Archive - Half a Hero and The Great Diamond Robbery. Enjoy! Also here at The Bits today, those of you who may be interested in our "End of Line" Comic-Con 2012 T-shirts need to get your orders in soon, as we've got to get the shirts off to the screen printers ASAP. They're not going to be available after the Con, so order 'em quick if you want them. Remember, they start at just $14.95 each. In announcement news this afternoon, Warner Home Video has set Alcatraz: The Complete First Season for Blu-ray and DVD release on 10/16. A&E has announced Storage Wars: Volume Three on DVD on 7/17, along with IRT: Deadliest Roads: Season Two - The Andes on DVD that same day. Following on 7/31 are Surviving High School and The Jodi Picoult Collection (Salem Falls, The Pact and Plain Truth) both on DVD only for Lifetime. And MPI will release Fightville on Blu-ray and DVD on 7/10. We'll leave you today with a look at the Blu-ray cover art for Warner's Alcatraz: The Complete First Season as well as Fox and MGM's Marilyn Monroe singles (due 7/31), River of No Return, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, The Seven Year Itch, There's No Business Like Show Business and How to Marry a Millionaire... Have a great weekend and don't forget Father's Day is this Sunday! 6/14/12 All right, today's post is going to be a quick one. My mother has been visiting this past week and it's been wonderful, but exhausting - quite a whirlwind! Anyway, the big news today is that Paramount has officially moved the street for their James Cameron's Titanic Blu-rays to 9/10 from the previously announced 9/14. Adjust your plans accordingly. In other release news, Wrekin Hill Entertainment has set Morgan Spurlock's documentary Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope for DVD release on 7/10. Two "collector's editions" will be available packed with action figures of either Stan Lee and Harry Knowles or Joss Whedon and Spurlock. The Whedon/Spurlock editions will be sold exclusively at Toys "R" Us stores. The Lee/Knowles editions will be available at select stores and at online retailers. One more version packed with all four figures will be available at game stores nationwide. All versions will include a behind-the-scenes featurette, deleted scenes, talent interviews and the trailer. Blue Underground will release Lucio Fulci's Zombie and the Maniac single disc version on Blu-ray Disc on 9/25. Breaking Glass Pictures has Scalene coming to Blu-ray and DVD on 7/31. Warner has set The Big Bang Theory: The Complete Fifth Season for BD and DVD release on 9/11, followed by Supernatural: The Complete Seventh Season on Blu-ray and DVD on 9/18, and Gossip Girl: The Complete Fifth Season on DVD only on 9/25. Shout! Factory has Get a Life: The Complete Series set for DVD release on 9/18. Sonar Entertainment and Vivendi Entertainment have set Treasure Island for release on Blu-ray and DVD on 7/24. This is the recent Syfy miniseries version. Troma has set Chillers for DVD only release on 9/11. Scholastic Media and New Video have set The Magic School Bus: The Complete Series (SRP $79.95) for DVD release on 9/7. That's all for now. Stay tuned... 6/13/12 [Head's-up to all Bits readers: Amazon.com has a bunch of "Spotlight" Blu-ray deals going on today presumably in advance of Father's Day. LOTS and LOTS of great BD titles and box sets are discounted right now up to 50% off the SRP, including tons of great Criterion titles. Be sure to take advantage of these great prices if there are titles you've been looking for!] To kick things off today, our own Russell Hammond has updated the Release Dates & Artwork section with all the latest Blu-ray, DVD and Video Game cover artwork and Amazon.com pre-order links. As always, a portion of anything you order from Amazon after clicking to them through our links goes to help support our work here at The Bits and we really appreciate it. Now then... more release news... Sony has set Jean-Claude Van Damme's 6 Bullets for release on DVD only on 8/21. Warner Home Video has announced Two and a Half Men: The Complete Ninth Season for release on DVD only on 8/28. They also have Person of Interest: The Complete First Season due on DVD on 9/4, followed by Suburgatory: The Complete First Season on DVD on 9/18 and Alcatraz: The Complete First Season on DVD and Blu-ray on 10/16. On the Blu-ray front, Warner has also set the cold war classic Ice Station Zebra for BD release on 10/9. HBO will release Bored to Death: The Complete Third Season, How to Make It in America: The Complete Second Season and Hung: The Complete Third Season on Blu-ray and DVD on 9/4. Magnolia Home Entertainment will release Jiro Dreams of Sushi on Blu-ray and DVD on 7/17. Music Box Films has set Terence Davies' The Deep Blue Sea for Blu-ray and DVD release on 7/24. Anchor Bay will release One in the Chamber on Blu-ray and DVD on 8/21. They also have Jersey Shore Shark Attack coming on Blu-ray and DVD on 8/28 and the 80s cult classic Mother's Day coming on both formats (the film's first time on BD) on 9/4. Shout! Factory has set The Angry Beavers: Season 3, Part Two for DVD release on 8/14, followed by R.L. Stine's The Haunting Hour: Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 on DVD on 9/4. IFC Films has announced The Decoy Bride for release on BD and DVD on 6/26. Well Go USA Entertainment will release the 1980s exploitation homage Cherry Bomb on BD and DVD on 7/10. Wolfe Video will release Joe + Belle on DVD only on 7/3. And TLA Releasing has set Marie Mary for DVD only release on 8/7. Also, the street date for Autonomy Pictures' The Bunny Game on BD and DVD has been changed to 7/31. And in an update from a bit of release news from yesterday's post, Warner has provided additional details about the color ending set to be included on the new Blu-ray edition of Little Shop of Horrors (due 10/9). Here the just-revised text from their press release: "The footage of the original ending was previously available only in black & white in the extra content of a limited number of copies of a DVD edition released in 1998. Now, with the help of production notes from Frank Oz and others on the film’s creative team, WHV has meticulously restored and digitally remastered the ending, in full color, with the elaborate special effects in tact. Sound has also been rebuilt and mixed in Dolby 5.1. The theatrical version has also been re-mastered." And if that isn't clear enough for you, we've confirmed with the studio this morning that this isn't some sort of digital colorization of the B&W footage, but was mastered from the original color negative. In other news today, here's something cool: Paramount and Vanity Fair have just released a special photo that commemorates the studio's 100th anniversary, featuring 116 of the greatest living actors, directors and producers that have contributed to the studio's history. It's pretty darn cool - quite a shot of heavy hitters. You'll find it published in the July issue of the magazine. And finally, this is good for a laugh: Red Letter Media has just reviewed Prometheus. To quote our very own Todd Doogan... "Yes." (Spoiler Warnings apply!) We'll leave you with a look at the BD cover art for Warner's Little Shop of Horrors: The Director's Cut, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?: 50th Anniversary Edition (due 10/9) and Ice Station Zebra... Stay tuned! 6/12/12 All right... first up today, I'd like to send out a quick Happy Birthday to my wife, Sarah! Love you sweetie! Now then... let's get down to business. Warner Home Video has just made a couple big catalog announcements... First, they've just set Little Shop of Horrors: The Director's Cut for Blu-ray release on 10/9 (SRP $34.99). The BD Book edition will include both the theatrical cut and the restored Director's Cut featuring the 20-minute alternate ending (now in full color)! The theatrical cut will include audio commentary by director Frank Oz. You'll also get the Frank Oz and Little Shop of Horrors: The Director's Cut introduction by Oz (with Richard Conway), the A Story of Little Shop of Horrors documentary, outtakes and deleted scenes with optional commentary and a pair of theatrical trailers. Warner has announced the What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?: 50th Anniversary Edition for release on 10/9 as well (SRP $34.99). Extras will include audio commentary by Charles Busch and John Epperson, 2 featurettes (Bette and Joan: Blind Ambition and Behind the Scenes With Baby Jane), the All About Bette 1994 TNT documentary, the Film Profile: Joan Crawford 1967 BBC documentary, an excerpt from the 12/20/1962 episode of The Andy Williams Show, a Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? Dan-O-Rama Movie Mix trailer and the film's theatrical trailer. Note that the studio's follow-up film, Dead Ringer, arrives on BD on 10/9 from Warner as well (SRP $19.98). Please note that Warner has additionally delayed its forthcoming Empire of the Sun Blu-ray from the originally-announced 6/19 street date until later in 2012. We'll update you as soon as the new street date is official. Meanwhile, Universal has announced four more 100th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray/DVD Combo editions for release on 9/4, including Airport, Harvey, Sixteen Candles and the recently revealed Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. We'll post additional details as they become available. Universal has also set Life Happens for Blu-ray and DVD release on 8/28. Sony has Community: The Complete Third Season coming on DVD on 8/14. And for you Tom Selleck fans, Jesse Stone: Benefit of the Doubt will arrive on DVD on 8/7. CBS and Paramount have set Blue Bloods: The Second Season for DVD only release on 9/11. Comedy Central and Paramount have Lewis Black: In God We Rust coming on Blu-ray and DVD the same day. Also this afternoon, here's some very exciting news for you Disney animation fans: The studio has set The Aristocats, the Pocahontas: 2-Movie Collection (includes Pocahontas and Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World) and The Rescuers: 35th Anniversary 2-Movie Collection (includes The Rescuers and The Rescuers Down Under) for Blu-ray release on 8/21 (SRP $39.99 each). Each will include legacy and new special features TBA. And in other news today, Prometheus director Ridley Scott has revealed (in this interview with Collider) that a good 20-30 minutes of footage was cut from the film for its theatrical release and that he intends to restore it for a longer DVD and Blu-ray cut - something he's done for many of his Fox films in recent years. Without spoiling anything for those who have yet to see Prometheus, I must say that I have very mixed feelings about the film. But I'm certainly hopeful that I'll be happier with the longer cut on Blu-ray. This is exactly what happened for me with Scott's Kingdom of Heaven. I disliked the theatrical version but the added footage in the extended cut of that film really made all the difference. So fingers crossed. The film's production design is certainly spectacular and the 3D experience is actually worth seeing. Here's a look at the Blu-ray cover art for Paramount's Titanic (due 9/14 - this is the official final 2D BD art - 3D art is coming soon) and Universal's Harvey and 4.3.2.1 (7/31), along with all three of the aforementioned Disney BD titles. All are now available for pre-order on Amazon.com by clicking on the covers below... Stay tuned! 6/11/12 Morning, folks! Hope your weekend was a good one. Here at The Bits today, we're pleased to offer you Barrie Maxwell's latest installment of High-Definition Matters, featuring 14 new and classic Blu-ray Disc reviews! The new films include Paramount's Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol and The Adventures of Tintin; Lionsgate's Albert Nobbs; Fox's The Descendants; Atlantic-Alliance/Lionsgate's Haywire; Sony's Anonymous and Warner Bros.' J. Edgar, The Bodyguard and Joyful Noise. And on the classic front, Barrie spins Twilight Time's Demetrius and the Gladiators and Bite the Bullet; Warner Bros.' Jeremiah Johnson; Film Chest's The Red House and Kino's Scarlet Street. Enjoy! In release news today, Twentieth Century Fox and MGM have revealed that River of No Return, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, The Seven Year Itch, There's No Business Like Show Business and How to Marry a Millionaire will all be released on Blu-ray Disc as singles on 7/31 (SRP $24.99 each), the same day as The Forever Marilyn Collection. Note that the set's two other titles, The Misfits and Some Like It Hot, are already available individually on BD. Also today, I know that lots of you are eagerly awaiting news of the Universal Classic Monsters titles on Blu-ray. We certainly expect that soon. But while you wait, Bits reader David H. was kind enough to send over word that Universal's Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein Blu-ray is now available for pre-order on Amazon.com with a street date of 9/4 (SRP $26.98, but Amazon has it for $18.89). Finally this morning, Bits reader Robert H. also sent in word that Gerry & Sylvia Anderson's 1970 sci-fi series UFO is coming to Blu-ray in Germany this week from a company called Crest Movies. Let's hope this means that A&E and Network might have their own Region 1 Blu-ray in the works. Stay tuned... 6/8/12 All right, here at The Bits today, we're pleased to being you Barrie's next installment of Classic Hollywood MOD, featuring the latest news on upcoming DVD-R/Manufactured on Demand titles. Don't miss it! In release news today Twentieth Century Fox and MGM have finally announced a title I'm glad to see hit Blu-ray: The original 1983 WarGames. It's due to arrive in stores on 8/21 (SRP $19.99). Extras will include audio commentary from director John Badham and writers Lawrence Lasker and Walter Parkes, 4 featurettes (Loading WarGames, Attack of the Hackers, Inside NORAD: Cold War Fortress and Tic Tac Toe: A True Story) along with the film's theatrical trailer. You can pre-order the title now on Amazon.com. Here's a look at the cover art... As you can see, we've also included Blu-ray 3D artwork for Universal's Dr. Seuss' The Lorax 3D (due 8/7) and Disney and Pixar's Up 3D (12/4). Also, Shout! Factory's Halloween II and Halloween III: Season of the Witch - 30th Anniversary Edition (due 9/18) are also now available for pre-order on Amazon.com. As it happens, Shout! has just revealed on their Facebook page that both the Blu-ray and DVD of Halloween II will include a 2nd DVD disc featuring the rare "television" cut of the film. Here's the artwork for those again as well... And as you can see we've finally got official cover art for Eagle Rock's Blu-ray edition of Peter Gabriel's Secret World Live (SRP $19.98), due on 7/24 here in the States (7/16 internationally). The original 16mm film negative was scanned at 2K resolution, then digitally remastered and restored. Additional details can be found here at PeterGabriel.com and the title is also available for pre-order on Amazon by clicking on the cover. Should be pretty terrific. Note that a lossless digital audio version will also be available. And that's about all she wrote for this week. Don't forget that Ridley Scott's Prometheus opens this weekend, and I believe Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom goes into wider release as well. Enjoy the weekend and see you Monday! 6/7/12 Morning, folks... We've got two more disc reviews for you today. Barrie gives Paramount's new Hondo Blu-ray a spin for you (the title streets today) and Joe gives Docurama's Woody Allen: A Documentary a look on DVD as well. Enjoy! Not a lot of announcement news today, but Warner Home Video has announced a whole bunch of new TV titles for release in the coming months. Starting on 8/21, you'll get Mike & Molly: The Complete Second Season (DVD only - SRP $44.98) and The Closer: The Complete Seventh Season (DVD only - SRP $59.98). On 8/28, look for The Vampire Diaries: The Complete Third Season (BD and DVD - SRP $69.97 and $59.98) and Two and a Half Men: The Complete Ninth Season (DVD only - SRP $44.98). On 9/4, look for Fringe: The Complete Fourth Season (BD and DVD - SRP $69.97 and $59.98). On 9/11, you'll get The Big Bang Theory: The Complete Fifth Season (BD and DVD - SRP $54.97 and $44.98). Following on 9/18, you'll get Supernatural: The Complete Seventh Season (BD and DVD - SRP $69.97 and $59.98) and The Mentalist: The Complete Fourth Season (DVD only - SRP $59.98). Finally on 10/2, look for Thundercats: Season 1, Book 3 (DVD only - SRP $19.97). Warner has also announced one more new catalog film Blu-ray: The Masters of the Universe: 25th Anniversary Edition is due on BD on 10/2 (SRP $19.98). And HBO has announced a number of new TV titles as well, including Boardwalk Empire: The Complete Second Season (BD and DVD) on 8/28, and How to Make It in America: The Complete Second Season, Hung: The Complete Third Season and Bored to Death: The Complete Third Season (all on BD and DVD) on 9/4. Finally, Disney and Pixar will release the CG-animated Up on 5-disc Blu-ray 3D Combo on 12/4 (SRP $49.99) In other news, here's something cool: There's a new Kickstarter project by FarSight Studios meant to digitize classic pinball tables and the latest one is Star Trek: The Next Generation. Pretty neat. They're also doing The Twilight Zone. Both are legendary pinball machines. The goal is to create modern videogame versions (console systems, iPad, etc) of all the classic pinball tables that accurately emulate the playing experience. Here's a look at the Blu-ray cover art for Warner's Fringe: The Complete Fourth Season and Masters of the Universe: 25th Anniversary Edition, as well as HBO's Boardwalk Empire: The Complete Second Season... Stay tuned... 6/6/12 All right, we've got a couple more reviews for you today... this time of MOD DVD-R titles. Barrie has turned in a look at Warner Archive's The Maisie Collection: Volume 1 and Joe Marchese has turned in his thoughts on Sony's MOD release of the 1973 version of Lost Horizon. Enjoy! In terms of release news today... Twentieth Century Fox and MGM have announced the release of the Spaceballs: 25th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray on 8/7. Extras will include the all-new Farce Yourself! Spaceballs and the Skroobing of Sci-Fi featurette, along with all the previous DVD special features including commentary by director Mel Brooks, additional commentaries in Mawgese and Dinkese, 4 featurettes (Spaceballs: The Documentary, In Conversation: Mel Brooks & Thomas Meehan, Watch the Movie in Ludicrous Speed and John Candy: Comic Spirit), 3 still galleries, the theatrical and exhibitor trailers and 6 bloopers. Meanwhile, Warner Home Video will release Dr. Seuss's The Cat in the Hat on Blu-ray and DVD on 8/7 (SRP $24.98 and $19.97). Also included will be the classic Seuss shorts Daisy-Head Mayzie and The Hoober-Bloob Highway. Shout! Factory and Time Life would like to remind you that the Power Rangers: Seasons One–Seven box set will be available on PowerRangersDVD.com for shipping starting on 7/30 (SRP $219.95 - includes 40-disc set plus a Red Ranger figure). Pre-orders are now open. Meanwhile, the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Season One, Volume One will arrive on DVD in stores on 8/21. Eagle Rock Entertainment has set Stone Temple Pilots: Alive in the Windy City for DVD and Blu-ray release on 6/26 (SRP $19.98 and $14.98). Magnolia Home Entertainment has set God Bless America for DVD only release on 7/3. And Synapse Films will release Mladen Djordjevic's controversial The Life and Death of a Porno Gang on Blu-ray and DVD on 8/14. Also, Bits reader Stephen B. has let us know that Intergroove is releasing a pair of classic westerns on a double-feature Blu-ray on 8/21 - The Shooting and Ride in the Whirlwind. SRP is $23.95. In completely unrelated news, those of you interested in astronomy were probably keyed into yesterday's rare Venus transit of the sun. NASA has released gorgeous HD video footage of the event taken by the Solar Dynamic Observatory probe that's well worth a quick look. You'll find it here. And finally today, a sad note. We'd like to take a moment to acknowledge to the passing of the last of the great "ABCs of Science Fiction" (along with the late Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke - if you wanted to continue to 'D' you could deservingly add Philip K. Dick to that distinguished list). Author Ray Bradbury, best known for his legendary books The Martian Chronicles and Fahrenheit 451, has died at the age of 91. More here at Ars Technica. He'll be missed but his work will certainly continue to influence generations of writers and filmmakers. Stay tuned... 6/5/12 All right, today we're pleased to present a pair of disc reviews for your reading enjoyment. Barrie's checked in with a look at Twilight Time's Pal Joey on Blu-ray. And our own Tim Salmons has checked in with a look at Criterion's new Blu-ray edition of Wes Anderson's The Darjeeling Limited. Note that we'll have more reviews tomorrow as well. Enjoy! Also here at the site today, Russell Hammond has updated the Release Dates & Artwork section with all the latest Blu-ray, DVD and Video Game cover artwork and Amazon.com pre-order links. As always, a portion of anything you order from Amazon after clicking to them through our links goes to help support our work here at The Bits and we really appreciate it. One more thing to mention today... any of you guys recall Paul's Brain Trust? A bunch of us put the trust together a few years ago to help our dear friend (and special edition producer) Paul Prischman, who sadly lost his two-year battle with brain cancer in 2009. Well, we're dusting off the Trust again this week to help generate financial support for his wife Cristin and two young daughters. As you'll see here on the updated Brain Trust website, there's a new message of thanks from Cristin and also links to a NEW eBay auction featuring a TON of cool film props and signed items (posters, scripts, DVDs, artwork, etc) donated by directors Ridley Scott and Guillermo del Toro, visual effects wizard Greg Nicotero, screenwriter Hampton Fancher and others. If you're a fan of Blade Runner, Alien and Hellboy, you definitely don't want to miss it. The auction is now live and runs until Sunday 6/10. Remember - all of the proceeds generated by these auctions go to help support Paul's family. So check out the site and the auctions and please bid generously! In announcement news today, Universal has set Dr. Seuss' The Lorax for Blu-ray 3D Combo and Blu-ray Combo release on 8/7. Both will include DVD, Digital Copy and UltraViolet versions, along with a trio of new Seuss animated "mini-movies" - Serenade, Wagon-Ho and Forces of Nature. Meanwhile, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment and Icon Productions will release Get the Gringo on Blu-ray and DVD on 7/17. Extras will include 4 behind-the-scenes featurettes and a music video. Inception Media Group will release Deserter on DVD only on 7/17. Anchor Bay Entertainment and Starz have set Spartacus: Vengeance - The Complete Second Season for Blu-ray and DVD release on 9/11 (SRP $59.99 and $49.99). All 10 episodes will be included along with 6 featurettes (Starz Studios: Spartacus: Vengeance, The Making of Spartacus: Vengeance, Behind the Camera: Directing the Rebellion, On Set with Liam McIntyre, The Legend of Spartacus and Famous Last Words) plus bloopers. The Blu-ray will also exclusively add extended versions of 9 of the episodes and audio commentaries. And Sony has confirmed the 7/17 release of the sci-fi actioner Lockout on Unrated Blu-ray and DVD. Extras will include 2 featurettes (Breaking Into Lockout and A Vision of the Future). Here's a look at the Blu-ray cover artwork for Shout! Factory's Halloween II and Halloween III: Season of the Witch - 30th Anniversary Edition (both due 9/18), Sony's Lockout, Lionsgate's Good Will Hunting: 15th Anniversary Edition (8/21), Fox's Get the Gringo and Anchor Bay/Starz's Spartacus: Vengeance - The Complete Second Season... Stay tuned! 6/4/12 Today we're very pleased to announce that The Digital Bits will be returning to Comic-Con 2012 to hold our annual Blu-ray Producers Panel. Specific panelists are still TBA, but we can tell you that the panel will be held on Thursday, July 12th from 5-6 PM in Room 5AB. We sure hope to see you all there! Speaking of Comic-Con, we're printing up new Bits T-shirts to commemorate this year's Con as well. Anyone who has ever stood in line on the convention floor to buy something, see a panel, get an autograph or pick up exclusive swag will recognize the design this year. It replicates the sign the Comic-Con people make you hold when you're the end of the line! Here's what it looks like... Pre-orders are now open here in our Bits T-Shirt Store. Note that these are really high quality Hanes Beefy T's - 100% cotton. Trust us... the more you wear the shirt, the more soft and comfortable it gets. Prices start at $14.95 per shirt for sizes M, L and XL. Size 2XL-5XL shirts are also available at additional cost. All right then... let's get to the announcement news... Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment has announced the Blu-ray release of The Forever Marilyn Collection, due in the States on 7/31 (and internationally on 7/20). The set will include the classic Marilyn Monroe titles The Misfits, Some Like It Hot (both already available on BD), How to Marry a Millionaire, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Seven Year Itch, There's No Business Like Show Business and River of No Return (all new to BD). Fox has also announced the Blu-ray and DVD release of The Farrelly Brothers' The Three Stooges on 7/17. Extras on The Three Stooges: Just Say Moe Edition Blu-ray will include deleted and extended scenes, 4 featurettes (What's the Big Idea? A History of The Three Stooges, Knuckleheads: Behind the Scenes of The Three Stooges, Did You Hear that? The Three Stooges Sound Effects and Poifect: Casting The Three Stooges), plus The Three Stooges Mash-up and original screen tests. Sony has announced the 7/31 Blu-ray and DVD release of Detention. They also have Salmon Fishing in the Yemen due on Blu-ray and DVD on 7/17. Sony also has the sci-fi actioner Lockout due on Blu-ray and DVD on 7/17 (SRP $35.99 and $30.99). Extras are TBA. Shout! Factory has announced the launch of a new line of Blu-ray and/or DVD titles under the Scream Factory label. Starting in September they'll begin releasing a great slate of horror and sci-fi cult titles, including Halloween II (due 9/18), Terror Train, the Halloween III: Season of the Witch - 30th Anniversary Edition (also due 9/18), They Live, The Island, The Funhouse, Deadly Blessing and Death Valley. Shout! Factory is also releasing The Sarah Silverman Program: The Complete Series on DVD only on 6/19. Lionsgate has set Changing the Game and The Newest Pledge for DVD only release on 8/28. More importantly, they also have the Good Will Hunting: 15th Anniversary Edition set for Blu-ray release on 8/21 (SRP just $14.99). Extras will include a pair of NEW features: the 4-part Reflecting on a Journey: Good Will Hunting 15 Years Later documentary (featuring new interviews with Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Robin Williams, Gus Van Sant, Chris Moore and Kevin Smith) and the Matt Damon Remembers Good Will Hunting featurette. You'll also get all the previous DVD content, including audio commentary with director Gus Van Sant and actors/writers Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, deleted scenes with optional commentary, 6 segments/featurettes (Production, Behind-the-Scenes, The Era of Good Will Hunting, Cast and Crew Spotlight, Academy Awards: A Winning Season and Life Goes On), a Best Picture montage, the Miss Misery music video and the trailer. Here's something cool for you classic TV fans: Time Life is getting ready to release The Carol Burnett Show: The Ultimate Collection on DVD. Pre-orders are now open only on CarolonDVD.com. The 22-disc set (SRP $199.95) will include 50 of the show's best episodes hand-picked by Burnett herself, along with a 24-page book and LOTS of extras. Click on the link for all the details and to get your pre-orders in. In other release news, Anchor Bay Entertainment will release Hiding on Blu-ray and DVD on 6/26. Millennium Entertainment has set A Little Bit of Heaven for Blu-ray and DVD release on 6/12. Cartoon Network, Warner Home Video and Adult Swim will release Adventure Time: The Complete First Season on DVD on 7/10. Image will release Ghost Hunters: Season 7: Part 1 on DVD only on 8/7. They also have Freak Dance set for DVD on 7/10. Music Box Films has set Quill: The Life of a Guide Dog for DVD only release on 7/10. CJ Entertainment America has set the Korean films Hindsight and No Mercy for DVD only release on 7/31. And a reminder: Disney is releasing Sister Act/Sister Act 2, the Newsies: 20th Anniversary Edition and Evita on Blu-ray on 6/19. Here's a look at the Blu-ray cover artwork for Fox's The Forever Marilyn Collection and The Three Stooges, as well as Warner's Singin' in the Rain: 60th Anniversary Edition (due 7/17 - the discs only/sans UCE box and swag version)... Back tomorrow with the usual art update and more new disc reviews. Stay tuned... 6/1/12 All right, we're closing out the week with a new column from our very own Barrie Maxwell. With Fox just about to launch their own Fox Cinema Classics line of Manufactured on Demand (MOD) DVD-R titles... and so many other studios already delivering great deep catalog film and TV titles on DVD-R... Barrie was thinking that now would be a good time to start a new weekly column focusing specifically on the subject. So today we're pleased to present the first ever installment of his brand new Classic Hollywood MOD column here at The Digital Bits. We'll post new Classic Hollywood MOD columns each Friday, so do check back regularly for them. We hope you enjoy it! In release news today... here's something that's probably going to blow your mind. I know I was sure surprised. Amazon.com is ALREADY taking pre-orders for 20th Century Fox's Prometheus on Blu-ray 3D Combo, Blu-ray Combo and DVD (SRP $49.99, $39.99 and $29.99). There's no street date or details yet, but if you're one of the first 5,000 people to pre-order the title on disc, you actually get a ticket to see the film in theaters starting next Friday, June 8th. The Blu-ray 3D set will include the film on Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray, DVD and Digital Copy (presumably 4 discs), while the Blu-ray set will include Blu-ray, DVD and Digital Copy (presumably 3 discs). Here's what the cover art looks like... Meanwhile, when The Avengers arrives on Blu-ray 3D Combo and Blu-ray/DVD Combo in a few months (SRP $49.99 and $39.99 - the latter available in both BD and DVD-size packaging), you'll also be able to get a whopping, super-deluxe Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase One - Avengers Assembled 10-disc Limited Edition Blu-ray Collector's Set (SRP $219.00) that will include Marvel's The Avengers, Captain America: The First Avenger and Thor (each on Blu-ray 3D and Blu-ray), and Iron Man, Iron Man 2 and The Incredible Hulk (each on Blu-ray). You'll also get an exclusive The Phase One Archives Blu-ray with bonus content. And the whole thing comes packaged a replica S.H.I.E.L.D. briefcase (probably a replica of the one that housed the Tesseract in the film) packed "with exclusive memorabilia from the Marvel Cinematic Universe". All of these are now available for pre-order on Amazon as well. Here's the cover art... And we've got one MORE big title to talk about today: Disney has just Pixar's Finding Nemo for Blu-ray release on 12/4! There will be a 5-Disc Blu-ray 3D Ultimate Collector's Edition (SRP $49.99 - includes 2 BDs, 1 BD3D, 1 DVD and a Digital Copy), a 3-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack ($39.99 - includes 2 BDs and a DVD and will be available in both Blu-ray and DVD packaging) and digital download options including 3D ($25) and high-definition ($19.50). We don't have complete details on the extras on the Blu-ray versions, but Disney says to expect "3D Virtual Aquariums, 2D Virtual Aquariums, CineExplorer, a Filmmaker Roundtable and more." Here's the cover art for both Blu-ray editions... Whew! Not a bad way to wind down the week, is it? One other quick note today: Amazon has lowered their price on CBS' Star Trek: The Next Generation - Season One Blu-ray to just $78.86. Now THAT'S much more like it - more in line with the TOS Blu-rays. See you back here on Monday! 5/31/12 All right, so today there's a bit of big news... Paramount has just set James Cameron's Titanic for release on 4-disc Blu-ray 3D Combo, 4-disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo and 2-disc DVD on 9/14 (SRP $44.99, $39.99 and $29.99). Interestingly, the BD3D Combo will include the film in Blu-ray 3D split over two discs. A third disc will include the film in 2D in its entirety, including 3 commentary tracks (one with James Cameron, one with the cast and crew and one with historians Don Lynch and Ken Marschall). The fourth disc in the BD3D set will include a pair of all new documentaries (Reflections on Titanic and Titanic: The Final Word with James Cameron), deleted scenes with commentary by Cameron, behind-the-scenes featurettes, a construction timelapse, a Deep Dive Presentation narrated by Cameron, $200,000,001: A Ship's Odyssey, videomatics, visual effects footage, the My Heart Will Go On music video, trailers, TV spots and 8 still galleries (including the scriptment, storyboards and much more). You'll also get a trio of parodies (MTV's 1998 Movie Awards skit, Saturday Night Live skit and Titanic in 30 Seconds). The only difference between the Blu-ray 3D combo and Blu-ray combo is that instead of the two 3D discs, the 2D combo will include the film split over two DVD discs. And of course the DVD is just the two DVDs. Here's what the early leaked cover artwork for both Blu-ray editions looked like... we'll post the final revised artwork as soon as it comes in. The Blu-rays ARE now available for pre-order on Amazon.com by clicking on the covers. In other news today, Warner Home Video has officially set another pair of catalog Blu-rays for release on 9/15 - Dave and The American President (SRP $19.98 each). And Sony has set the History Channel miniseries Hatfields & McCoys for release on Blu-ray and DVD on 7/31 (SRP $55.99 and $45.99). Extras will include The Making of Hatfields & McCoys featurette and the I Know These Hills music video. Sony's set Jesse Stone: Benefit of the Doubt for DVD only release on 8/7 too. Finally on the MOD (Manufacturing on Demand) front, Sony will release Charlie's Angels (2011): The Complete Series, Dean Koontz's Intensity, Never Say Never: The Deidre Hall Story, Last Days of Pompeii (1984 mini-series), Sheena: The Complete First Season, Jumanji: The Animated Series - The Complete First Season and Jackie Chan Adventures: The Complete Second Season all on 6/5. Here's a look at the Blu-ray cover art for Warner's Dave and The American President, as well as Universal's Grimm: Season One (due 8/7)... Stay tuned... 5/30/12 The big news today is that Universal Studios Home Entertainment has officially set Steven Spielberg's E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial for 30th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray/DVD Combo release in October 2012. Note that the specific street date in October is soon TBA. This is the restored original 1982 theatrical version - no lame walkie talkies here. The disc will include all-new 7.1 DTS-HD MA audio mix. As far as new extras, you'll get The E.T. Journals featuring behind the scenes footage from the set and the new Steven Spielberg & E.T. interview featurette. Also available will be legacy material including 2 deleted scenes (from the 2002 version of the film), 5 featurettes (A Look Back, The E.T. Reunion, The Evolution and Creation of E.T., The Music of E.T.: A Discussion with John Williams and footage from The 20th Anniversary Premiere), as well as the original theatrical trailer, the Special Olympics TV spot and a huge gallery of Designs, Photographs and Marketing materials. The set will also include a Digital Copy, UltraViolet and all the usual BD-Java and BD-Live bells and whistles. Here's a look at the Blu-ray cover art... As you can see, we've also included cover art for Fox's The Alien Anthology Blu-ray. That's because today only (while supplies last) you can get it on Amazon.com for just $29.99. Act fast if you want it and get yourself ready to see Prometheus. And we've included BD cover art for Millennium Entertainment's Intruders, which streets on BD and DVD on 7/17. In other release news Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has set Blade Anime and Wolverine Anime for DVD only release on 7/31. They also have Meeting Evil coming to DVD only on 7/24. Finally today, MGM, 20th Century Fox and the city of Milan, Indiana are going to be holding a special day-long 25th anniversary celebration of the film Hoosiers on 6/2 (12-5 PM Central). It'll be at the Milan High School Gymnasium (609 Warpath Drive in Milan). There will be basketball practice for the kids, a screening of the film, an panel and Q&A with the original 1954 Milan High School basketball players (whose story is depicted in the film) and an opportunity to get autographs and have your picture taken with the players. Frankly, that sounds pretty awesome. If you're in the area and are a fan of this film, don't miss out this once in a life time chance to see where the real story happened. Here's a link to the event details on the 1954 Milan State Championship online museum website. Stay tuned... 5/29/12 Welcome back from the long holiday weekend, folks! As promised today, we've got some new disc reviews for you. First, our own Barrie Maxwell has chimed in again today with a look at Warner's 45th Anniversary Blu-ray upgrade of Camelot. I'm sure you'll agree with me that it's sure nice to see that Barrie's doing well. Also, we're pleased today to introduce a new regular reviewer here at The Bits: Joe Marchese. Joe comes highly recommended by our friend Matt Rowe, and when you check out his review of Paramount's To Catch a Thief on Blu-ray you'll see why. Enjoy! Also today, our own Russell Hammond has once again updated the Release Dates & Artwork section with all the latest Blu-ray, DVD and Video Game cover art and Amazon.com pre-order links. As always, a portion of anything you order from Amazon after clicking through to them from our links goes to help support our work here at The Bits and it's greatly appreciated. Now then, on to some release news... Universal has just posted a new trailer for the forthcoming Blu-ray Combo release of E.T. The ExtraTerrestrial, due "Fall 2012". You can see that here on YouTube. Thanks to Bits reader Kenny K. for the heads-up. Universal has also set NBC's Grimm: Season One for Blu-ray and DVD release on 8/7. All 22 episodes will be included, along with deleted scenes, a gag reel, 2 featurettes (The World of Grimm and Making Monsters) and an interactive Grimm Guide. Other newly-announced TV titles from the studio include Parenthood: Season 3 on 8/7 (DVD only), House: Season Eight on 8/21 (BD and DVD) and In Plain Sight: Season Five on 8/28 (DVD only). Sony has announced the 7/24 Blu-ray and DVD release of Academy Award nominee (for Best Foreign Language film) Footnote. Extras will include a Q&A with director Joseph Cedar and a behind-the-scenes featurette. Industry sources have confirmed with us today that Sony is definitely planning to release the long-awaited Blu-ray Disc of Lawrence of Arabia by the end of 2012. You may be curious to know that the new 50th Anniversary restoration of the film was recently screened at the Cannes film festival in 4K. Thanks to our own Robert Harris, who as you know has helped to guide the restoration of the film over the years, I had the opportunity to see an actual 70mm screening of the film a few years ago (with Dr. Jahnke). Truly a marvel. The Blu-ray should be spectacular. Endgame Entertainment has set Seeking Justice for Blu-ray/DVD Combo and DVD release on 6/19. Any music fans out there? Eagle Rock Entertainment has just officially announced the 7/10 Blu-ray, DVD and CD release of Duran Duran: A Diamond in the Mind, which is a record of a recent live concert performance from their 2011 tour (SRP $19.98, $14.98 and $13.98). Finally today, some of you may have seen this recently on Warner's Blade Runner teaser page on Facebook... Yes, Warner Home Video is indeed preparing a new Blade Runner: 30th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray and DVD for release on 10/2. In fact, it's already up for pre-order on Amazon for $59. Details are still a bit sketchy as the title is not yet officially announced, but word is it will be a 4-disc BD/DVD/UltraViolet Combo in 72-page BD book packaging. A lot of you have been asking if there's anything new on this set. According to the Amazon listing, it's going to include "All new bonus content disc featuring the existing EC from the UCE plus Photo Gallery with 1,000+ images", the Dangerous Days documentary and more. That's kind of confusing, but the one thing we CAN TELL YOU FOR SURE TODAY is that this "Photo Gallery with 1000+ images" is something that was created for the previous Ultimate Edition briefcase set but couldn't be included for lack of disc space. So that is definitely all new, previously-unreleased material. Personally, I'm REALLY hoping that the Dangerous Days documentary is finally included in full high-definition because that's how it was originally produced (it was only in the previous BD set as a DVD disc). That would be a very nice upgrade indeed. There was at least one other extra feature produced for the briefcase - a featurette on the Spinner - that went unused back in 2007 for space reasons, and while it's a long shot we're hoping it's in this new set as well. Rest assured, I'm already working to find out and will let you know more as soon as I'm able. For the record, the set will apparently offer new swag, including an "all new concept Spinner car" replica and another "action Lenticular" hologram. More as we get it. [Editor's Note: We've been communicating back and forth with WHV over the last couple hours. Here's the official update: The new gallery will be included on the set in full HD. It appears that Dangerous Days will still be SD only. It goes without saying that I'm STRONGLY encouraging WHV to reconsider. The new gallery and swag is just not reason enough for fans to buy this film again. However, adding the unseen Spinner featurette and upgrading Dangerous Days to full HD would be a different story. Again, further details as they come in. If you'd care to POLITELY weigh in with the studio on this issue, please do so on their Blade Runner Facebook page while there's still time to convince them.] Here's a look at the Blu-ray promotional art for Warner's Blade Runner: 30th ACE (subject to change), along with Sony's Footnote and Criterion's Lonesome (due 8/28)... Stay tuned... 5/25/12 Well... today is a notable day in movie history for Star Wars fans. It was 35 years ago today that the original Star Wars first arrived in movie theatres. Our old friend Michael Coate put together a good retrospective piece on the film at From Script to DVD.com a while back and has compiled new one at Cinema Treasures as well. Do give them a look. In announcement news today, the big one is that Anchor Bay has officially set The Walking Dead: The Complete Second Season for release on Blu-ray and DVD on 8/28 (SRP $69.99 and $59.98). There will also be a very limited edition packed in a "zombie head case" created by McFarlane Toys (SRP $99.99). All 13 episodes of the second season and will be included in the set along with behind-the-scenes footage, featurettes and audio commentaries (TBA). Here's a look at the cover art for the two regular versions... As you can see we've also included art for Lionsgate's The Hunger Games Blu-ray again, as it's now available for pre-order on Amazon.com. In other news, MPI has set A Bag of Hammers for Blu-ray and DVD release on 6/16. Autonomy Pictures will release the horror film The Bunny Game on Blu-ray and DVD on 7/17. Film Chest (via their American Pop Classics label) will release the Roy Rogers classic Springtime in the Sierras on DVD on 6/26. Finally today, we wanted to offer a big tip of the cap to the folks up at SpaceX in L.A., who early this morning successfully became the first private company to dock a spacecraft with the International Space Station. Their Dragon capsule is pressurized but unmanned and is delivering some non-critical supplies during this first test flight. But the Dragon was designed from the start to carry up to seven astronauts and within three years SpaceX hopes to start flying humans into orbit and up to the station - pretty damn cool. And they aren't the only ones: 6 or 7 other companies are working hard to follow suit. This marks the start of a very exciting new era in spaceflight and the future looks bright. Congrats to Elon Musk and everyone at SpaceX and NASA for their impressive achievements today! You can read more here and here, watch the actual docking here and follow the mission in real time here. All right... this begins the long Memorial Day weekend here in the States, so we'll be back with more on Tuesday. See you then and enjoy the weekend everyone! 5/24/12 All right, we've got a couple of quick things for you today... In announcement news, Warner Home Video has revealed a pair of new animated Blu-ray releases for 6/19 (SRP $14.98 each) including Scooby-Doo: Aloha Scooby-Doo! and Tom and Jerry: The Fast and the Furry. On 7/24, look for Michael Wood's Story of England on DVD (for the BBC - SRP $34.98). Following on DVD on 8/14 (also for the BBC - SRP $29.98 each) are Dalziel & Pascoe: Season 6 and Judge John Deed: Season Six. Then on 9/18, Warner will deliver The Devil's Advocate: The Unrated Director's Cut and Queen of the Damned on Blu-ray (SRP $19.98 each) along with End of the Road on DVD only (SRP $19.97). Here's a look at the cover art for Warner's The Devil's Advocate Blu-ray, Kino's They Made Me a Fugitive Blu-ray (street date 7/24) and the BBC's Michael Wood's Story of England DVD... In other items of interest today, BBC News has just posted a good story on their website on the extensive effort of the British Film Institute to restore and save nine of director Alfred Hitchcock's early silent films made between 1925 and 1929. Of these, The Pleasure Garden (1925), The Lodger (1927) and Blackmail (1929) will be shown this this summer as part of London 2012 Festival Olympic celebration. It's an fascinating piece and includes a 4-minute video segment as well so do give it a look. Also, there's been a lot of talk in recent weeks about 48fps cinema, given that some footage from Peter Jackson's forthcoming The Hobbit was recently previewed at the Cinema Con theatre industry convention. It seems likely that frame rates of 48fps or higher will likely be the future of theatrical cinema exhibition, but it's probably going to take a little getting used to for many because it really doesn't look like the good old 24fps footage we're all used to - shot photochemically on physical film. I do think that some of the controversy is probably overblown - though I readily admit I haven't seen 48fps for myself yet. Change is never easy, right? For my money, as long as films that were actually shot 24fps on physical film still look that way on home video formats like Blu-ray - and they're not altered to make them look like modern footage shot on HD - I have no problem with new films of the future having their own unique stylistic appearance. You know... respect what's been done in the past and continue to innovate going forward. The whole idea of going to a theatre has always been about creating a different, better movie viewing experience than you can get at home. Now that home theatre technology has caught up, it's high time that the theatre experience took another leap forward again. I'm certainly curious to have my first experiences with 48fps to see what it's all about. Anyway, I bring all this up because there's an interesting video that was posted on YouTube late last year in which filmmaker (and visual effects pioneer) Douglas Trumbull explains and demonstrates his Showscan Digital process, in which the classic look of film at 24fps can be preserved who providing all the technical benefits of shooting at higher frame rates. It's pretty fascinating viewing so do give it a look. Trumbull, man... that's cat's pretty impressive. Stay tuned! 5/23/12 Morning, folks! We're really pleased today to offer you a brand new Classic Coming Attractions column from our own Barrie Maxwell. Barrie's current treatment program to deal with a brain tumor is going well, and Barrie was eager to get back to business reviewing discs for you guys. In this column Barrie looks at 10 classic titles in all, including the TCM Vault Collection's Columbia Pictures Film Noir Classics III, Warner Archive's Westward the Women and Warner's The Prince and the Showgirl on DVD, as well as Twilight Time's Swamp Water, The Big Heat and Journey to the Centre of the Earth, Flicker Alley's A Trip to the Moon, Paramount's To Catch a Thief and Chinatown, and Criterion's David Lean Directs Noel Coward. Enjoy! All right, the BIG release news today is that Lionsgate has officially set The Hunger Games for Blu-ray and DVD release on 8/18 at 12:01 AM (yes, that's a Saturday)... pretty much as we reported (after correction) the other day. SRP will be $39.99 and $30.98 respectively. Extras on both versions will include the 8-part The World is Watching: Making of The Hunger Games documentary covering the film from development to release, 4 featurettes (Game Maker: Suzanne Collins and The Hunger Games Phenomenon, Letters from the Rose Garden, Controlling the Games and A Conversation with Gary Ross and Elvis Mitchell), the Propaganda Film ( in its entirety) and a Marketing Archive with trailers, TV spots and the like. To this the Blu-ray will also exclusively add an additional featurette - Preparing for The Games: A Director's Process. Both versions will also include a digital copy. Expect big Midnight release day events around the county and retailer exclusives TBA. Here's a look at the cover artwork for both editions... As you can see, we also includes Blu-ray cover art for Sony's Breaking Bad: The Complete Fourth Season (due on 6/5). We'll update the Hunger Games art with Amazon links as soon as pre-orders open on Friday. Okay, so we have one more quick update for you today from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment regarding the Bond 50 box set extras. The contents of the set are still being worked on and aren't totally locked yet so it's too early to provide a complete exhaustive list of extras on each disc. However, I'm told by the studio that you can expect that "most everything from the previous Bond Ultimate Edition DVDs and Blu-ray releases will be included." We could caution you that this doesn't mean EVERYTHING will carry over for sure - you may lose some text or image gallery material. You may also recall that the current Die Another Day Blu-ray was missing content from the original 2002 2-disc Special Edition DVD. So there are likely to be a few exceptions. But in general, the goal is to carry everything over. Adjust your plans accordingly. Stay tuned... 5/22/12 All right, as promised we're hard at work getting Barrie Maxwell's new Classic Coming Attractions column ready for posting so we should have that up first thing tomorrow morning. Be sure to check back for it. Here at the site today, our own Russell Hammond has turned in the weekly update of the Release Dates & Cover Artwork section with all the latest Blu-ray, DVD and Video Game cover art and Amazon.com pre-order links. As always, a portion of anything you order from Amazon after you click through to them from our links goes to help support our work here at The Bits and we really do appreciate it. In release news today, Lionsgate has set a Stallone 3-Film Collector's Set for release on Blu-ray and DVD on 8/14, due to include Cop Land, Rambo: First Blood and Lock Up (SRP $24.99 and $19.98). The studio has also set The Sword Identity for release on DVD only that same day. Shout! Factory has set The Adventures of Tintin: Season Three for DVD release on 8/21. This final season of the series will include 13 episodes on 2 discs. Warner Home Video has set a Christopher Nolan Director's Collection for Blu-ray release on 6/26 (SRP $49.99), due to include Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, Insomnia, Inception and Memento. Warner also has LEGO Ninjago Masters of Spinjitzu: Season One due on DVD only on 6/26. Mona Achache will release The Hedgehog on Blu-ray and DVD on 6/12. Also MGM has finally officially acknowledged the Blu-ray release of Chuck Norris' Delta Force, Missing in Action and Missing in Action II exclusively at Walmart. The discs will be in stores starting on 6/5. But there's more - following on 7/17 will be Lone Wolf McQuade and Code of Silence. Then on 8/14, you'll get the Charles Bronson classics Death Wish II, Death Wish III and Death Wish IV. We're trying to clarify whether they're all Walmart exclusives initially or just the 6/5 batch. We'll let you know. And in other news, there's been a lot of talk around the Internet about the list of extras revealed yesterday by Fox and MGM for the upcoming Bond 50 box set. Specifically, it appeared (based on the press release) that many things have been left off from the previous DVD and Blu-ray Ultimate Editions of the Bond films. Upon reading the list however, I wasn't convinced that it was 100% comprehensive and included absolutely everything on the discs. So I asked the studio to clarify. Sure enough, I've just heard back from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. As expected, the list posted yesterday - and included in the official press release - was simply a "marketing highlights" summary. The complete list of extras on the Bond 50 discs is significantly longer. We've asked for additional details and specifics and we'll post them here as the studio makes them available. Here's a look a the cover art for Kino Lorber's Redemption: Burke & Hare and Redemption: The Blood Beast Terror (both due 7/17), as well as CBS's Star Trek: The Next Generation - Season One (due 7/24) which is now available for pre-order on Amazon.com... Finally, just a last quick note: Our own Tim Salmons wanted to let you all know that he's been busy moving across the country and settling into new digs but he expect to get back to business with new reviews soon. Stay tuned! 5/21/12 Morning, everyone! Okay... there's some big release news to report today, so it's bumping everything we'd planned for today until tomorrow. First up... according to retail and other industry sources (and as reported around the Net over the weekend), Disney is believed to be preparing to release The Avengers on 4-disc Blu-ray 3D Combo, 2-disc Blu-ray Combo and 2-disc DVD on 9/25. Extras on the Blu-ray editions will include commentary by director Joss Whedon, a Disney's Second Screen feature, 2 behind-the-scenes featurette (Assembling the Ultimate Team and A Visual Journey), a gag reel, a new Marvel One-Shot short film called Item 47, 9 deleted/extended scenes [including Maria Hill Interrogation (alternate opening), Loki & Barton Strategize (extended scene), Steve Rogers: Man Out of Time, Nick Fury & World Security Council, Extended Viaduct Fight (raw footage), Fury & Hill Discuss the World Security Council, Banner and Security Guard (extended scene) and Maria Hill Interrogation (alternate ending)] and Soundgarden's Live to Rise music video. You'll find Blu-ray cover artwork below. Now... here's something new: Retail sources are telling us to expect Lionsgate to release The Hunger Games on Blu-ray and DVD in the U.S. on 8/18. Expect an official announcement soon. There will be multiple SKUs and editions, including discs only, discs plus bonus swag and Target and Walmart retail exclusive versions as well. Expect several retailers to hold "Twilight like midnight release party" events around the country. Sounds like they're going to make a pretty big deal out of this one. [Editor's Note: Just got the "unofficial" skinny. It's 8/18 - not the 6/18 we reported earlier. Adjust your plans accordingly and sorry for the mix-up!] Of course, a word of reminder: All of the above is Rumor Mill-worthy and should be taken with a grain of salt until the studios make official announcements. Now then... here's something you've been waiting for that IS official: MGM and 20th Century Fox have just announced the list of extras that will be found on the Bond 50 Blu-ray box set of all 22 films that's due in stores on 9/25. From the official press release the set "marks the debut of nine James Bond films previously unavailable in high definition Blu-ray and comes with a dossier of more than 122 hours of bonus features." The brand new bonus content will be contained on an exclusive Blu-ray bonus disc (Disc 23 of the set) that contains 2 documentary featurettes (The World of Bond and Being Bond) along with the official Skyfall Videoblogs which offer a sneak peek at the making of the new film. [The first official teaser trailer for which is available here in HD!] As for the individual movie discs, the extras content is as follows: Disc 1 - Dr. No (over 3 hours of content) - commentary (with director Terence Young plus cast and crew), 6 featurettes, the original theatrical trailer, TV and radio spots, and photo galleries Disc 2 - From Russia With Love (over 3 hours of content) - commentary (with director Terence Young plus cast and crew), 2 featurettes, an animated storyboard sequence, the original theatrical trailer, TV and radio spots, and photo galleries Disc 3 - Goldfinger (over 5 hours of content) - commentary with director Guy Hamilton, commentary with the cast and crew, 3 featurettes, original screen tests with Theodore Bikel and Tito Vandis, the original theatrical trailer, TV and radio spots, an original Publicity featurette, original radio interviews with Sean Connery and photo galleries Disc 4 - Thunderball (over 6 hours of content) - commentary with director Terence Young, commentary with editor Peter Hunt and screenwriter John Hopkins, 4 featurettes, the original theatrical trailer, TV and radio spots and photo galleries Disc 5 - You Only Live Twice - NEW TO BLU-RAY (over 4 hours of content) - commentary with director Lewis Gilbert plus cast and crew, 4 featurettes, an animated storyboard sequence, the original theatrical trailer, TV and radio spots and photo galleries Disc 6 - On Her Majesty's Secret Service - NEW TO BLU-RAY (over 4 hours of content) - commentary with director Peter Hunt plus cast and crew, 4 featurettes, an animated storyboard sequence, the original theatrical trailer, TV and radio spots and photo galleries Disc 7 - Diamonds Are Forever - NEW TO BLU-RAY (over 4 hours of content) - commentary with director Guy Hamilton plus cast and crew, 3 featurettes, deleted scenes, the original theatrical trailer and TV and radio spots Disc 8 - Live and Let Die (over 7 hours of content) - commentaries with director Guy Hamilton, Roger Moore and Tom Mankiewicz, 3 featurettes, the original theatrical trailer, TV and radio spots and photo galleries Disc 9 - The Man with the Golden Gun (over 5 hours of content) - commentary with director Guy Hamilton plus the cast and crew, commentary with Roger Moore, 2 featurettes, the original theatrical trailer, TV and radio spots and photo galleries Disc 10 - The Spy Who Loved Me - NEW TO BLU-RAY (over 5 hours of content) - commentary with director Lewis Gilbert plus the cast and crew, commentary with Roger Moore, 3 featurettes, the original theatrical trailer and TV and radio spots Disc 11 - Moonraker (over 5 hours of content) - commentary with director Lewis Gilbert plus cast and crew, commentary with Roger Moore, 4 featurettes, the original theatrical trailer and a photo gallery Disc 12 - For Your Eyes Only (over 7 hours of content) - commentary with director John Glen plus the cast and crew, commentary with Roger Moore, commentary with producer Michael G. Wilson and crew, 4 featurettes, animated storyboard sequences for Snowmobile Chase & Underwater, Sheena Easton music video, deleted scenes and expanded angles, the original theatrical trailer, TV and radio spots and photo galleries Disc 13 - Octopussy - NEW TO BLU-RAY (over 6 hours of content) - commentary with director John Glen, commentary with Roger Moore, 4 featurettes, original screen tests with James Brolin, the All Time High music video and original theatrical trailers Disc 14 - A View to a Kill - NEW TO BLU-RAY (over 6 hours of content) - commentary with director John Glen plus the cast and crew, commentary with Roger Moore, 4 featurettes, the A View to a Kill music video by Duran Duran and original theatrical trailers and TV spots Disc 15 - The Living Daylights - NEW TO BLU-RAY (over 5 hours of content) - commentary with director John Glen plus cast and crew, 3 featurettes, deleted scenes with introductions from director John Glen, The Living Daylights music video performed by A-Ha and original theatrical trailers Disc 16 - Licence to Kill (over 6 hours of content) - commentary with director John Glen and cast, commentary with producer Michael G. Wilson and crew, 3 featurettes, the Licence to Kill music video by Gladys Knight, the If You Asked Me To music video by Patti LaBelle, an opening titles sequence, original theatrical trailers and photo galleries Disc 17 - GoldenEye - NEW TO BLU-RAY (over 5 hours of content) - commentary with director Martin Campbell and producer Michael G. Wilson, 8 featurettes, deleted scenes, the GoldenEye music video performed by Tina Turner Disc 18 - Tomorrow Never Dies - NEW TO BLU-RAY (over 9 hours of content) - commentary with director Roger Spottiswoode and Dan Petrie, Jr., commentary with Vic Armstrong and producer Michael G. Wilson, 2 featurettes, interview with composer David Arnold, deleted and extended scenes with introduction from director Roger Spottiswoode, the Tomorrow Never Dies music video by Sheryl Crow, and The James Bond Theme (Moby's Re-Version)music video Disc 19 - The World Is Not Enough (over 6 hours of content) - commentary with director Michael Apted, commentary with Peter Lamont, David Arnold and Vic Armstrong, 4 featurettes, an opening titles sequence, The World Is Not Enough music video performed by Garbage, deleted, extended and alternate scenes, the original theatrical trailer and photo galleries. Disc 20 - Die Another Day (over 8 hours of content) - commentary with director Lee Tamahori and producer Michael G. Wilson, commentary with Pierce Brosnan and Rosamund Pike, 5 featurettes, MI6 Datastream trivia track with branching Video, an opening titles sequence and photo galleries Disc 21 - Casino Royale (over 1 hour of content) - Becoming Bond and James Bond: For Real featurettes, plus Chris Cornell music video Disc 22 - Quantum of Solace (over 1 hour of content) - 2 featurettes, the Another Way to Die music Video, original theatrical trailers We haven't yet gone through the list with a microscope to compare it with the extras on the previously released Blu-ray and DVD editions, but right away it appears that both Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace do NOT contain all the extras found on the most recent Blu-ray editions. It's possible that this list isn't entirely comprehensive, but it's equally possible that some things have simply been left off the discs. Naturally, the set is also missing Never Say Never Again, which isn't part of the officially recognized Bond canon. The upshot of all this is that fans would be WELL advised not to start selling their existing discs just yet if they wish to retain all the existing bonus content. Of course, we'll post more details as they come in. Meanwhile, here's a sneak peek at the planned cover art for Disney's two Avengers Blu-rays (subject to change), plus Paramount's Clue (due 8/7) and the Bond 50 box again... Back tomorrow. Stay tuned... More Archived Posts Back to Current Posts
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