-Newsletter est. 4/15/97- -Website est. 12/15/97-	page updated: 9/27/12 My Two Cents (Archived Posts 9/24/12 - 8/23/12) Back to Current Posts 9/24/12 All right, we've got some good new announcement news for you today. First though, you may have noticed that I missed a couple daily posts last week. No worries - all is well here. We've just got some good stuff going on here at The Bits. Personally, I've been helping my mother prepare for a move to a new retirement home. And behind-the-scenes here we're also working on a couple really cool things for you guys, one of which is Dr. Jahnke's Hell Plaza Oktoberfest! Look for that to kick off on 10/1. The other thing you'll learn about soon enough, so I'll come back to that in a week or so. Anyway, I appreciate your patience as we get it all completed so thank you. Now then... Liongate has announced their December Blu-ray and DVD slate, including Bob the Builder: Teamwork Time, Fred 3: Camp Fred, a Fred 3-Movie Collection, Titanic: Blood & Steel (Blu-ray and DVD) and A Vampire's Tale on 12/4, followed by Bigfoot County and Thomas & Friends: Sticky Situations on 12/11. The studio will release Step-up Revolution on Blu-ray and DVD on 11/27. Lionsgate has also set Power Rangers Samurai: Christmas Together, Friends Forever for DVD only release on 10/16. Warner Home Video will release Thunderstruck on Blu-ray/DVD Combo on 1/1/2013 (SRP $24.97). Sony Pictures has just announced the Blu-ray 3D Combo, Blu-ray Combo and DVD release of the CG-animated Arthur Christmas on 11/6. Extras will include 2 featurettes (including Un-wrapping Arthur Christmas and Elf Recruitment Video) and 5 Progression Reels (Arthur Christmas Unwrapped, Arthur's Office, Grand Santa, Invasion and Trelaw). Sony has also announced a slate of new MOD DVD-R titles for release on 11/6, including Arizona (1940), The Tall T, Assignment K and The Houston Story. Disney has set Army Wives: Season Six, Part Two for DVD only release on 12/18. 20th Century Fox has set individual season sets of Stargate Atlantis for release on Blu-ray Disc on 11/27 (SRP $39.99 each). Synapse Films has announced The Definitive Document of the Dead documentary for release on DVD and limited edition Blu-ray Disc on 11/13 (SRP $19.95 each). Just 1500 copies of the Blu-ray will be available. The Blu-ray will include the 102-minute documentary on DVD, plus a BD of the 66-minute version from 1979. Extras on both will include all-new audio commentary by writer, producer and director Roy Frumkes. PBS Distribution has announced a Masterpiece Classic: Downton Abbey - Seasons 1 & 2 box set for release on Blu-ray and DVD on 10/2 (SRP $64.99 and $59.99). The DVD is a 6-disc set while the BD set is a 5-disc set. Anchor Bay Entertainment will release The Trouble with Bliss on DVD only on 1/1/2013. Well Go USA Entertainment will release Painted Skin: The Resurrection on Blu-ray and DVD on 11/13. Shout! Factory will release Kaijudo: Rise of the Duel Masters - Creatures Unleashed on DVD only on 12/4 (SRP $14.97). CBS and Paramount have set Perry Mason: The Seventh Season - Volume Two for DVD only release on 10/23 (SRP $55.98), followed by The Streets of San Francisco: Season Five, Volume One and Volume Two on DVD on 10/30 (SRP $45.98 each) and Perry Mason: The Eighth Season - Volume One on DVD on 11/27 (SRP $55.98). Paramount has also set Hot in Cleveland: Season Three for DVD only release on 11/27. For you music fans, Eagle Rock Entertainment has set Paul McCartney: Live Kisses for DVD and Blu-ray release on 11/13. And Image Entertainment has set Suddenly, the 1954 film noir classic starring Frank Sinatra, for Blu-ray Disc release on 12/4 (SRP $19.98). In other news today, for those of you up in Canada who are having problems with Warner's Harry Potter Wizards Collection box set, we've got an e-mail you can use to report problems and see about getting them resolved. Contact Warner's Heather Borg at this address: Heather.Borg@warnerbros.com. We're working on getting a similar e-mail address for you U.K. readers too, so check back over the next couple days. Also today, Amazon is suggesting that Universal's Ted will street on Blu-ray Combo and DVD on 12/11 (SRP $34.98 and $29.98). Amazon.co.uk has also suggested a new street date for Warner's Empire of the Sun - 11/13 in the U.K. according to the site. Sources at Warner have informed us that a new official street is soon to be announced, so be sure to check back. We'll post it as soon as it's available. And while we're talking about Amazon... Amazon.co.jp has revealed the Japanese Blu-ray Disc release of Gerry Anderson's UFO on 12/5 and Thunderbirds on 2/6/2013 respectively. Looks like lots of great content. One suspects they're coming in the U.S. and the U.K. as well - likely handled by Network and A&E/New Video. Fingers crossed we'll see official announcements soon. We're working to confirm. Thanks to several Bits readers who sent this in today. We'll leave you with a look at the Blu-ray cover art for Synapse's Document of the Dead and Warner's The Postman Always Rings Twice (due 11/13) and Guys and Dolls (11/6)... Stay tuned... 9/19/12 More new announcements for you today... Warner Home Video has set Grand Hotel, Mrs. Miniver and Driving Miss Daisy for Blu-ray Disc release on 1/8/13. Daisy will come in BD Book packaging. Also newly announced for Blu-ray release by the studio is Tom and Jerry: Blast Off to Mars on 10/16 and (for New Line) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3 as BD singles on 12/18. Sony will release [REC]³: Genesis on DVD only on 11/6. CBS and Paramount set J.A.G.: The Complete Series - Collector's Edition for DVD box set release on 12/11. The 56-disc set will contain all the episodes plus extras and you'll get a 40-page booklet as well. Also coming to DVD that same day is the Mission: Impossible: The Complete Television Collection Gift Set, featuring every episode plus extras in packaging that looks like microfilm in a bomb-like container. MGM has set Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure for BD release on 11/13 (SRP $19.99). Extras will include 3 featurettes (The Original Bill & Ted: In Conversation with Chris & Ed, Air Guitar Tutorial With Bjorn Turoque & The Rockness Monster and One Sweet and Sour Chinese Adventure to Go), radio spots and the theatrical trailer. Meanwhile, Fox has set The Big Trail for BD release on 11/13 as well (SRP $19.99). In other release news, you can now pre-order Disney's Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase One - Avengers Assembled BD set on Amazon.com again (SRP $219.00 but they have it for $139.96). Street date isn't listed but a note from Amazon says the set will come in different packaging now (minus the briefcase which Disney got sued over) and ship sometime in Spring 2013. So adjust your plans accordingly. Finally today, here's something really cool for you Hobbit fans: Warner Bros has just issued the second trailer for the film and it looks pretty damn great. It's all over YouTube, and you can also view it on Apple (if you can actually see it - the site's bandwidth has been crushed all afternoon) and also here at the film's official site where you can choose to view the trailer with any of FIVE different endings. Count me in! Here's a look at the Blu-ray cover artwork for MGM's Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Criterion's The Qatsi Trilogy (due 12/11), and Warner's Driving Miss Daisy... Stay tuned... 9/18/12 All right, there's LOTS more great release news today... First though, our own Russell Hammond has once again updated the Release Dates & Art 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 through to them our links goes to help support our work here at The Bits and we really appreciate it. Now then... Criterion has just announced its AMAZING December Blu-ray and DVD release slate. There are some really great gems here. Look for Terry Gilliam's Brazil (Cat #51 - BD) and René Clément's Purple Noon (Cat #637 - BD & DVD) on 12/4, and Godfrey Reggio's The Qatsi Trilogy (Cat #639 - BD & DVD - includes Koyaanisqatsi, Powaqqatsi and Naqoyqatsi) and Christopher Nolan's Following (Cat #638 - BD & DVD) on 12/11! For those who may be wondering, Brazil will include the 142-minute Director's Cut and the 94-minutes Love Conquers All version, plus ALL the previous extras! Also today, Kino Lorber has announced their December slate as well. From their Kino Lorber label, look for Alps (DVD) and a Pablo Larrin: Director's Set (includes Tony Manero & Post Mortem - DVD) on 12/4, Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet (DVD) on 12/18, The Well Digger's Daughter (DVD & BD) on 12/24 and Putin's Kiss (DVD) on 12/31. On Kino Classics, look for The Blue Angel (BD) on 12/4, and Mario Bava's Baron Blood: Remastered Edition (DVD & BD), Mario Bava's Kidnapped: Remastered Edition (DVD & BD) and The Ultimate Buster Keaton Collection 15-disc box set (BD - includes Buster Keaton: Short Films Collection - 1920-1923, The Saphead, Our Hospitality, Sherlock Jr., Three Ages, The Navigator, Seven Chances, Go West, Battling Butler, The General, College (exclusive to this set until next year), Steamboat Bill, Jr. and Lost Keaton) on 12/11. SRP is $299.95. On the Artsploitation label, watch for Gandu (DVD) on 12/11. Finally, look for Fred and Vinnie (DVD) on 12/18 from the Horizon Movies label. In addition, Lionsgate and Miramax have officially announced a Tarantino XX: 8-Film Collection for Blu-ray only release on 11/20 (SRP $119.99). It will include Reservoir Dogs, True Romance, Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown, Kill Bill: Volume 1, Kill Bill: Volume 2, Death Proof and Inglourious Basterds, along with "two discs with five hours of all-new bonus material, highlighted by a critics' retrospective on Tarantino's groundbreaking catalog of films and 20 Years of Filmmaking that contains interviews with critics, stars and other masters of cinema." Still no word on the eventual BD release of Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair but one hopes it's coming in 2013. FYI, Lionsgate has also set A Princess for Christmas for DVD only release on 10/16. Sony has announced the Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack, Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD release of Men in Black 3 on 11/30. Extras will include the Spot the Alien game, 3 featurettes (The Evolution of Cool: MIB 1960's vs. Today, Keeping it Surreal: The FX of MIB 3 and Partners in Time: The Making of MIB 3), 4 Scene Investigations, 5 Progression Reels, a gag reel and Pitbull's Back in Time music video. The Blu-ray 3D will add 2 more featurettes (The Case of Boris the Animal: The 3D Models of MIB 3 and Converting to 3D). There will also be a Men in Black Trilogy: Limited Edition Blu-ray Giftset that includes all three films and a "worm" bobble head. Indomina will release Flying Swords of Dragon Gate on Blu-ray and DVD on 10/2. The film stars Jet Li. Dark Sky Films and MPI Media Group have set the Michael Rooker thriller Hypothermia for DVD only release on 10/2 as well. Anchor Bay has announced that they'll be distributing Rob Zombie's The Lords of Salem, which presumably means home video as well. Details will follow as they come in. Here's something to blow your mind: Timeless Media Group (a division of Shout! Factory) has just announced the DVD only release of The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams: Season One on 11/6. The 4-disc set will include 13 episodes for SRP $29.93. Big Ben, Mad Jack and old Number 7... wow, I'd actually really get a kick out of seeing this one again. Speaking of TV DVD titles, don't forget that CBS and Paramount are releasing The Fugitive: The Most Wanted Edition - Complete Series on DVD on 10/23 (SRP $226.99). The 32-disc box set will include all the episodes, a boat-load of extras (rare pilot episodes, interviews, cast TV appearances, featurettes, promos and more) and a soundtrack CD as well. And Image Entertainment has set Rescue: IMAX for Blu-ray 3D Combo and DVD release on 11/6 (SRP $24.98 and $19.98). In other news today, 20th Century Fox has just announced their own Digital HD movie download plan. From the press release, Digital HD is "a new initiative that allows consumers to download or stream their favorite Fox movies on a variety of connected devices. Customized for today's digital lifestyles, more than 600 Fox films can now be enjoyed anywhere, anytime in amazing high-definition immediately in the U.S. from Amazon, CinemaNow, Google Play, iTunes, PlayStation, VUDU, Xbox Live and YouTube." That cross device/cross platform compatibility is a BIG deal - especially with iTunes and Amazon. "Digital HD combines four key benefits into one offering with earlier access to new releases, attractive pricing, cloud storage and availability across multiple devices. Whether the plan involves watching Fox movies on connected HDTVs in your living room, or on your tablet or smartphone on the run, Digital HD offers up versatility and convenience." The first title is available today for "less than $15" - Ridley Scott's Prometheus. Speaking of Fox, there's been some confusion regarding which version of Casino Royale is being released on Blu-ray Disc both as a re-issue single by Fox and in the Bond 50 box set. Fox Connect indicates that it's an unrated version. This has fans wondering, because there IS a 13-second longer "unrated" version that was released by Sony in Europe. However we've confirmed today with Fox that the version being re-issued on Blu-ray by the studio - both as a single and in the box set - is the same PG-13 rated version released previously. The text on Fox Connect is in error and will be corrected. Just so you know. And according to multiple Bits readers (thanks for the e-mail guys!) an official promo video that leaked early on YouTube (which is now removed) apparently let slip the planned street date for Warner's Blu-ray Combo version of The Dark Knight Rises with the text "Own it on Blu-ray Combo Pack or Digital Download 12/3." Take it with the appropriate grain of salt as it's a Monday, but we have no reason to doubt it. Here's a look at the Blu-ray cover art for Lionsgate's Tarantino XX: 8-Film Collection, Sony's Men in Black 3 and Criterion's Brazil. All three titles are NOW AVAILABLE for pre-order on Amazon.com by clicking on the cover art below... Stay tuned...! 9/17/12 Morning, folks! Hope you all had a fine weekend. Today's update will be a quick one so we can get right to the good stuff this morning. Dr. Jahnke and yours truly have just completed our in-depth examination of Lucasfilm and Paramount's long-awaited Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures on Blu-ray Disc! The 5-disc set includes all 4 films in the series along with a bonus disc of extras. The good news is the films all look and sound fantastic and there are a couple of really good (and new) gems in the extras - stuff you've never seen before. The bad news is that LOTS of extras from the previous DVD sets and the 2008 Crystal Skull Blu-ray haven't carried over. Still, the set's worth your money and remains a great deal of fun. It arrives in stores tomorrow. Click here for all the long-winded details. One other quick thing for you today: As it happens, I was invited to speak at the Alpha: 2012 convention in Burbank, CA over the weekend. The event is a celebration of all things related to Space: 1999. The point of my appearance was to offer fans of the show an update on the Blu-ray Disc release of Season Two. As many of you know, Season One was released on BD (by Network in the U.K. and New Video/A&E here in the States) back in 2010, but the second season has been MIA since then. Fortunately, with the help of our friends at all three companies (a big thank you, guys!), I've finally been able to learn exactly what's going on with the release and was able to share the details at the convention. Essentially, here's deal: When Network (which does all the production and remastering on the BDs under license with ITV) went to produce the Season One set, they discovered that all of the mag tracks (that make up the audio on the first season episodes) had already been digitized, so the company didn't have to take on the cost of doing it themselves in order to create new 5.1 audio mixes for each episode (in addition to the original mono). However, those tracks haven't been converted yet for Season Two and the high cost of digitizing this material has caused the budget for the BD production to become quite expensive. Network has informed me that they're definitely committed to releasing the season on Blu-ray and they're talking with ITV and New Video about the best way to make it happen affordably while ensuring that the set is of the same high quality as Season One. As with that set, Network will transfer all the episode film elements in full HD for remastering and hopes to find additional film material in the archives as well (outtakes and the like) that they'll also scan in HD for inclusion on the set. Of course, they again plan for the audio to be available in both 5.1 and the original mono. That said, the time needed to work out these details and complete the production properly means that Season Two will likely not street on BD until late next year or early 2014. In any case, rest assured that it's coming... just not right away. Adjust your plans accordingly. That's all for now. Stay tuned... 9/14/12 All right, we've got a couple quick updates for you today... First, we've heard back from Universal regarding the delay the release of Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection. Here's their official statement: "Universal Studios Home Entertainment is postponing the Blu-ray release of Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection to October 30, 2012. Certain imperfections with the product have come to light and, as a result, we are delaying the release date to correct these points. Our goal is to always deliver the best possible product to our consumers." So there you go. Also today, a few weeks ago we first confirmed that 20th Century Fox would be finally be releasing the properly remastered version of Patton on Blu-ray Combo. Now it's official: Look for the remastered version to arrive in stores on 11/6 (SRP $24.99). As with the previous release, the Blu-ray will include an introduction and audio commentary by Francis Ford Coppola. The DVD disc included in the set will add 3 documentaries (History Through the Lens: Patton - A Rebel Revisited, Patton's Ghost Corps and The Making of Patton), a production still gallery with Jerry Goldsmith's complete score, a second still gallery with audio essay on the real Patton and the film's original theatrical trailer. And yes, it's now available for pre-order on Amazon - see the cover art below. As if that's not cool enough, the studio now has Von Ryan's Express coming on Blu-ray the same day (11/6 - SRP $24.99). You'll get Jerry Goldsmith's isolated score, 2 documentaries (Hollywood and Its War Films and Bringing Movies to Life: The Legacy of Jerry Goldsmith) and 2 additional featurettes. See the cover art below. Fox has also set Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter for Blu-ray Combo release on 9/23 (SRP $39.99). Extras will include audio commentary with writer Seth Grahame-Smith, The Making of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter featurette, Linkin Park's Powerless music video and The Great Calamity graphic novel. A Blu-ray 3D Combo version will also be available the same day (SRP $49.99). And Fox will Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li on Blu-ray COmbo on 10/16 (SRP $16.99), followed by Wrong Turn 5: Bloodlines on Blu-ray Combo on 10/23 (SRP $29.99). Here's a look at the Blu-ray cover artwork for the remastered Patton, Von Ryan's Express and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter... Have a great weekend everyone! 9/13/12 FYI... a lot of readers have been asking for images of the special marking CBS has added to their Star Trek: The Next Generation - Season One Blu-ray packaging in order for people to identify the fixed version on store shelves. So here you go. Both the outer cardboard O-ring and the cover insert have the same marking - a small delta shield symbol on the spine just below the CBS Blu-ray logo. Also, the UPC symbol on the back is YELLOW on the fixed disc packaging, whereas the original was white. And as we've already reported, the discs now have the delta shield symbol on them as well... So that's how you can spot the fixed version. Happy hunting, folks. 9/12/12 Afternoon, folks... we've got some announcement news for you today and a bit of follow-up too... First, 20th Century Fox has announced the 12/4 Blu-ray and DVD release of The Simpsons: The Fifteenth Season. Included will be audio commentary on all the episodes, 3 featurettes (All Aboard with Matt, The Unusual Ones and Living in the Moment), a pair of sketch galleries, an Animation Showcase, a special language feature, commercial spots, deleted scenes and Easter eggs. The BD version will also include a trio of exclusive featurettes (The Otto Show, Das Bus and It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Marge). Fox has also set the comedy The Watch for release on both formats on 11/13. Look for deleted scenes, a gag reel, 4 featurettes (Alien Invasions & You, Casting the Alien, Jonah Alternate Takes and Watchmakers), the theatrical trailer and a Digital Copy. And the studio has set Ruby Sparks for release on Blu-ray and DVD on 10/30 as well. Extras will include 4 featurettes (Real-Life Couples: Co-Stars & Directors, Be Careful What You Wish For, Getting to Know the Cast and Los Angeles: The Other Character) as well as the film's theatrical trailer. Meanwhile, HBO has set We Can Be Heroes for DVD release on 12/4, followed by Funny or Die Presents: The Complete Second Season and The Life & Times of Tim: The Complete Third Season on DVD on 12/18. Here's one I've been looking forward to seeing: Entertainment One has set Iron Sky for Blu-ray and DVD release on 10/2 (SRP $24.98 and $19.98). This is the sci-fi comedy about Nazis on the Moon. Extras will include audio commentary with the director and producer, a "making of" featurette, behind the scenes footage and both the film's teaser and theatrical trailers. DreamWorks Animation and Paramount have set Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted for Blu-ray and DVD release on 10/16. Shout! Factory has set Mystery Science Theater 3000: XXV for DVD only release on 12/4. The box will include the episodes Robot Holocaust, Operation Kid Brother, Kitten with a Whip and Revenge of the Creature, along with introductions by Mike Nelson and Joel Hodgson, 3 featurettes (Life After MST3K: J. Elvis Weinstein, Jack Arnold at Universal and Life After MST3K: Bill Corbett) and a set of 4 exclusive mini-posters by artist Steve Vance. Moving on, Lionsgate Home Entertainment has The Cup due on DVD on 10/16. Anchor Bay Entertainment has announced new holiday-themed titles for DVD release, including Chilly Christmas (on 11/6), Icy Escapades (on 10/30) and The Dog Who Saved the Holidays and Elf-Man (on 12/4). In other news, Amazon.com is now showing a 12/18 street date for Shout! Factory's Blu-ray release of Ridley Scott's The Duellists. Adjust your plans accordingly. Also today, after getting a number of reader e-mails, I've confirmed that there IS a minor audio issue with Paramount's Titanic Blu-ray. About 29 seconds into the film, just as the vocal music track begins, there's a sort of "popping" sound in the audio mix. It's not overly harsh but it's definitely there on the BD and it's not on the DVD version. We've contacted Paramount to see if they're aware of it and if they have a plan to address it. We'll let you know when we hear back. Likewise, we're getting a lot of e-mails from readers about possible video quality issues regarding Universal's Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection, due in stores on 9/25. An early review of check discs by a British reviewer for Sight and Sound magazine (see this link) has uncovered some digital remastering problems, typographical errors with titles and more. There are now rumors that the release has now been delayed, possibly to address some of these issues, with a new street date TBA. Again, we've contacted the studio for official word one way or the other and will let you know when we hear back. Finally, it appears that Warner may have included the wrong Blu-ray version of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in the Canadian release of the Harry Potter Wizards Collection. The disc apparently doesn't include both the theatrical cut and extended version as billed on the packaging - just the theatrical cut. A number of Canadian readers tell us they're unable to find the extended version on the disc. We'll let you know if Warner confirms this. We'll leave you today with a look at the Blu-ray cover art for Fox's The Simpsons: The Fifteenth Season, Ruby Sparks and The Watch, Entertainment One's Iron Sky, Section 23's Grave of the Fireflies (due 11/20) and Sony's 2D version of The Amazing Spider-Man (due 11/9)... Back tomorrow with more news and be sure to stay tuned for our Blu-ray review of Paramount and Lucasfilm's Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures on Monday. 9/11/12 [Editor's Note: Just wanted to let you all know that our weekly Release Dates & Artwork update has now been posted and Russell has corrected a few of the problems some of you have noticed in the section over the last week or two related to missing titles. The section should now be working normally. As always, a portion of anything you pre-order from Amazon after clicking to them through our cover art links goes to help support our work here at the site and we greatly appreciate it!] Okay... we've got a bunch of announcement news for you today... First up, Shout! Factory (via their Scream Factory label) has offered new details on their John Carpenter's They Live: Collector's Edition Blu-ray and DVD release due on 11/6 (SRP $29.93 and $19.93). Extras will include audio commentary with writer/director John Carpenter and actor Roddy Piper, 3 interview featurettes (Independent Thoughts with John Carpenter, Man vs. Aliens with actor Keith David and Woman of Mystery with actress Meg Foster), the Watch, Look, Listen: The Sights & Sounds of They Live documentary, the 2012 Cast Reunion Q&A (with Roddy Piper, Keith David and Meg Foster), the original The Making of They Live EPK, never-before-seen footage from the commercials created for the film, a still gallery, TV spots and the theatrical trailer. Shout! Factory has also announced the DVD only release of Fantasy Island: The Complete Third Season on 10/23. HBO has set Eastbound & Down: The Complete Third Season for release on Blu-ray and DVD on 12/4 (SRP $39.98 and $29.98). Extras will include outtakes, deleted scenes (including the exclusive "Dinner with the Schaeffer's" scene) and 8 audio commentaries with Danny McBride, Jody Hill, Steve Little, David Gordon Green, Katy Mison, Craig Robinson and more. HBO has also set Angry Boys for release on Blu-ray and DVD on 12/4 (SRP $39.98 and $29.98), followed by the documentary 41 - on the Presidency of George H.W. Bush - for release on DVD only (SRP $19.98) and Girls: The Complete First Season on Blu-ray and DVD (SRP $49.99 and $39.98) both on 12/11. Anchor Bay Films will release Maximum Conviction on Blu-ray/DVD combo and DVD on 11/6 (SRP $34.99 and $26.98). The film stars Steven Seagal and Steve Austin. They also have Vamps coming on Blu-ray and DVD on 11/13 (SRP $24.99 and $22.98) and the sci-fi thriller Collision Earth coming on both formats on 12/11 (SRP $24.99 and $19.98). Warner Home Video will release ThunderCats: Season 1 Book 3 on DVD only on 10/2 (SRP $19.97). Warner also has Aim High: The Complete First Season coming on DVD only on 11/6 (SRP $14.97). For you music fans, Sony will release Neil Young Journeys on Blu-ray and DVD on 10/16, directed by Jonathan Demme. Extras will include 3 featurettes (Making Journeys, Journey to Slamdance: A Conversation with Neil Young & Jonathan Demme and 92nd Street Y Talks with Neil Young & Jonathan Demme) and the film's theatrical trailer. CBS has set The Lucy Show: The Official Sixth and Final Season for DVD only release on 10/9. Speaking of TV titles, Visual Entertainment Inc. is releasing a Cagney & Lacey: The Complete Series DVD box set on 10/16 (SRP $139.99). The 32-disc set will include all 119 episodes. Meanwhile, for diehard fans of the show, they're also selling a Limited 30th Anniversary Edition Collector's Set version with an additional 29 hours worth of special features. It's only available online at cagneyandlacey.com for $169.99. You'll get the 1981 film that started it all, the 6-episode premiere season, 4 made-for-TV films (The Return, Together Again, The View Through the Glass Ceiling and True Convictions), interviews with the cast and more, plus an exclusive photo personally autographed by stars Tyne Daly and Sharon Gless. Now that last bit in particular is pretty cool if you're a fan. Also on the TV front, our friends over at TV Shows on DVD have posted details of an In Search of...: The Complete Collection DVD box set due in stores on 10/23 from VEI. Click here for more on that. Meanwhile, A&E and MLB Productions have set a Fenway Park: Home of the Boston Red Sox - 100th Anniversary Collector's Box Set for release on DVD only on 9/18 (SRP $129.95). The box set will 12 DVDs and a book. The DVDs include the Fenway Park: 100 Years As the Heart of Red Sox Nation documentary, also available separately that day (for just $19.95). Also coming on 9/18 are a New York Mets: 50th Anniversary Collector's Set Box Set (SRP $99.95 - 10 DVDs and book) and the New York Mets: 50 Greatest Players DVD (SRP $19.95). Image has D.L. Hughley: Reset! due on DVD on 10/16, as well as The Tall Man on Blu-ray and DVD on 9/25. Magnolia Entertainment has set the documentary Occupy Unmasked for DVD release on 9/25 (SRP $26.98). It looks behind-the-scenes on the recent Occupy Wall Street movement. Lionsgate will release 12 Christmas Wishes for My Dog and Christmas in Compton on DVD only on 11/27. Entertainment One and Visualeyes Productions have set the suspense-thriller The Cottage for DVD release on 10/9. New indie label Shelter Island will release the Whittle: The Jet Pioneer documentary on DVD only on 10/2. It "chronicles Sir Frank Whittle's race against time and the Nazis" to develop the first turbojet engine. In a nice touch, the street date is exactly 70 years to the day after the first jet flight. And Film Chest (via their HD Cinema Classics label) will release Suddenly (1954) on Blu-ray on 10/16 (SRP $15.98). In other news today, we're starting to get a few e-mails here and there about a possible audio problem on Paramount's Titanic Blu-ray (a popping sound during the music near the beginning of the film) and an apparent inability to access the extended version of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in the Canadian version of Warner's Wizard Collection Blu-ray set. As we hear more we'll post additional details. And a few Bits readers have gotten word via e-mail from Amazon that their pre-orders of Warner's delayed Empire of the Sun Blu-ray MAY be due to ship on a new street date of 9/25. We'll work to confirm with the studio. Here's a look at Blu-ray cover artwork for DreamWorks' Catch Me If You Can (due 12/4), Shout! Factory's They Live and Sony's Neil Young Journeys... Back later with the usual Release Dates & Artwork update. Stay tuned... 9/10/12 All right, we've got a couple cool things for you this morning... First, in just THREE WEEKS, we're going to kick off Dr. Jahnke's annual celebration of all things scary, spooky and ookie... the Hell Plaza Oktoberfest! Yes... each weekday throughout the month of October, Jahnke will review a new horror or Halloween-themed Blu-ray or DVD title for your enjoyment. And as a little bit of a appetizer, today we present his reviews of Scream (aka Shout!) Factory's new Halloween II: 2-Disc Collector's Edition and Halloween III: Season of the Witch: Collector's Edition on Blu-ray Disc! Are you not entertained? Enjoy! Also today, a LOT of you Trek fans have been e-mailing to ask how you'll be able to spot the fixed versions of CBS' Star Trek: The Next Generation - Season One Blu-ray set on store shelves. We've just heard back from CBS and have the official answer: There will be "a red delta shield symbol near the top of the O-ring spine" on the packaging of the fixed versions. In addition, the corrected discs will have the same delta shield symbol in front of the disc number on each. We expect the fixed sets to start arriving in stores over the next few weeks - certainly well before the time Season Two streets on 12/4. So there you go. We might be back with more later, so stay tuned... 9/6/12 Morning everyone! Sorry I missed yesterday's update. Sarah and I were celebrating our 22nd wedding anniversary with a little time away, so you know... priorities! First up 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 artwork and Amazon.com pre-order links. As always, a portion of anything you order from the retailer after clicking through to them from our links goes to help support our work here at The Bits and we surely do appreciate it. Now then... Sony has announced the 4-disc Blu-ray 3D Combo, 3-disc Blu-ray Combo and DVD release of The Amazing Spider-Man on 11/9 (SRP $55.99, $40.99 and $30.99 respectively). Among the extensive extras on the Blu-ray version (produced by Charles de Lauzirika) you'll find The Amazing Spider-Man Second Screen App (with interviews, previz, behind-the-scenes footage and more), audio commentary with director Marc Webb, Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach, the 7-part Rite of Passage: The Amazing Spider Man Reborn documentary (including The Drawing Board: Development and Direction, Friends and Enemies: Casting, Second Skins: Spidey Suit and the Lizard, Spidey Goes West: Production - Los Angeles, Safe Haven: Production - Sony Studios, Bright Tights, Big City: Production - New York and The Greatest Responsibility - Post Production and Release), 16 Pre-Visulization clips, 4 Image Progression clips, 8 Stunt Rehearsals clips, deleted scenes, The Oscorp Archives - Production Art Gallery and Developing the Amazing Spider-Man Video Game. To this, the Blu-ray 3D version will add a pair of 3D bonus features (3D 101 with Director Marc Webb and a 3D Image Progression Reel). The DVD will only include the commentary, deleted scenes, the Production Art Gallery and the Stunt Rehearsals clips. Note that there will also be a Limited Edition Gift Set that include the 4-disc Blu-ray 3D combo and collectible Spider-Man and The Lizard figures (SRP $95.99). Speaking of Sony, the studio has also set a 2-disc only Blu-ray version of Lawrence of Arabia for release on 11/13 (SRP $26.99). It contains the film and one extras disc - essentially Discs One and Two of the more elaborate 4-disc box set version also due that day (SRP $95.99). Note that from the box, Disc Three contains additional HD extras while Disc Four is a CD soundtrack sampler - just FYI. Sony has also announced A&E's Coma mini-series for DVD-only release on 10/30 (SRP $38.99). Next up, CBS Home Video has officially set the Blu-ray Disc release of Star Trek: The Next Generation - Season Two for 12/4 (SRP $129.99). The 5-disc set will include all 22 second season episodes remastered in HD as was the case with Season One. The highlight of the extras are "hybrid extended" and full HD extended versions of the episode The Measure of a Man recreated from original elements. You'll also get audio commentary on the extended The Measure of a Man with production team members with Dan Curry, Don Berman and Mike Okuda, an additional commentary on the episode with writer Melinda Snodgrass and director Robert Scheerer, 2 HD featurettes (Reunification: 25 Years After The Next Generation and Making It So: Continuing The Next Generation), 5 Archival Mission Log SD featurettes (Departmental Briefing Year 2: Production, Departmental Analysis Year 2: Memorable Missions, Inside Starfleet Archives: Penny Juday - Star Trek Coordinator, Mission Overview Year 2 and Selected Crew Analysis Year 2), plus episode promos and a gag reel. Meanwhile, Paramount and DreamWorks have set Steven Spielberg's Catch Me If You Can for Blu-ray release on 12/4 as well. All the DVD extras should carry over. Disney has officially delayed the Blu-ray release of Arachnophobia and The Great Mouse Detective to correct contrast problems with the HD master. The new street date for both is 9/25. And Image Entertainment has set Venus and Vegas for Blu-ray and DVD release on 12/4, followed by Miami Connection and Forced to Fight on both formats on 12/11. Here's a look at the Blu-ray 3D cover artwork for Sony's The Amazing Spider-Man and regular Blu-ray art for Sony's Lawrence of Arabia (2-disc version) and CBS' Star Trek: The Next Generation - Season Two... Stay tuned! 9/4/12 Morning, folks! Hope you've all enjoyed the long holiday weekend. Time to get back to school or the usual grind. We've got a couple things for you today... Warner Home Video has announced the Blu-ray/DVD Combo box set release of the Watchmen: Ultimate Cut and Graphic Novel Collection on 11/13 (SRP $74.98). The set will include the 215-minute Watchmen: Ultimate Cut (that weaves Tales of the Black Freighter into the existing Director's Cut) along with 2 hours of special features and Watchmen: The Complete Motion Comics on 3 BD discs. You'll also get the original theatrical cut of the film on DVD, a reproduction of the first DC hardcover edition of the Watchmen graphic novel and collectible lenticular packaging. Plus you'll get a code for UltraViolet. Meanwhile, Magnolia Home Entertainment has set Beyond the Black Rainbow for Blu-ray and DVD release on 9/11. They've also got The Magic of Belle Isle coming on both formats on 9/18 - the film stars Morgan Freeman. Indomina Releasing is releasing Chen Kaige's Sacrifice on DVD only today. IFC Films will release The Samaratin on Blu-ray and DVD on 9/25 staring Samuel L. Jackson. Virgil Films will release Drunkboat and To Whom it May Concern on DVD only on 9/25. And Sony will release The Swan Princess Christmas on DVD only on 11/6. Also today, we've learned from industry sources that 20th Century Fox (and MGM) is getting ready to release Cleopatra (in the U.S. - it's already available internationally), The Great Escape, How Green Was My Valley, Laura, Fantastic Voyage, Von Ryan's Express and Hello Dolly on Blu-ray in 2013. Our sources also say that the original Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure is coming in November. Don't forget we've also recently reported that the remastered Patton is due out from Fox before the end of the year as well. Finally this morning, we'd like to take a moment to acknowledge the sudden passing yesterday of actor Michael Clarke Duncan, best known for his role in The Green Mile. He was just 54. Stay tuned... 8/30/12 Afternoon, folks. Hope your Thursday is going well. We've got a new for you today, and it's one we know you've been waiting for: Tim Salmon's take on Universal's new Jaws Blu-ray. The restoration alone is worth the price of admission if you're a fan of this film. Don't miss it! There's little in the way of major announcement news today, but, our friends at Kino Lorber have posted a new HD restoration comparison clip on YouTube showing just how big an improvement their new Fear and Desire Blu-ray will be over the versions that have been accessible for viewing previously. It's pretty striking. As a longtime Kubrick fan, I'm really looking forward to this release. Here's the clip. Again, make sure you select 1080p for the full effect... Speaking of Kubrick, here's something for you L.A. area fans of the director: The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (The Academy) are going to be kicking off a Kubrick tribute and on-going exhibit. The Academy will host a Salute to Stanley Kubrick on 11/7, and will have an Kubrick exhibition on display from November through February 2012. There will also be a series of public events at LACMA starting in November and running through spring 2013, including screenings, Q&A events with Kubrick collaborators and more. It should be pretty extraordinary. You can find out more here. Also today, some of you Digital Copy users will be pleased to know that Warner has extended the expiration dates of many of its available titles until May 17th 2017. Good news indeed. For more, read this story at Engadget and visit the WHV Digital Copy website. Thanks to Bits reader David F. and several others who have sent in links on this. Finally, are any of you guys ready for 4K displays in the home? Well, Sony's just announced that they're going to begin shipping an 84-inch 4K display, the XBR-84X900, later this year. The resolution will be a whopping 3840 x 2160. It will be capable of upscaling 1080p content, and Sony claims that actual 4K content is on the way. A few sources are available now, usually digital files shipped on harddrives. More here at ars technica. Stay tuned... 8/29/12 Okay... sorry for the late post. I've been doing a little work on behalf of my mom these past few weeks, so family stuff kept me busy this morning. First up today, our own Russell Hammond has posted the weekly update of the Release Dates & Artwork section with all the latest Blu-ray, DVD and Video Game cover art as well as Amazon.com pre-order links. As always, ordering anything from Amazon after clicking to them through our links helps to support our work here at The Bits and we surely do appreciate it. Now then... readers are starting to report in that they're receiving CBS's fixed Star Trek: The Next Generation - Season One replacement BD discs in the mail. Several said theirs came today, including Discs 1, 3, 4 and 5. So if you've requested yours, start watching the mail. Also, a quick clarification on our Bond 50 post from yesterday: Fox and MGM's Bond 50 set is officially due on 9/25, but all the single-film Blu-rays - including the retailer exclusives - will follow a week later on 10/2. Sorry for the date confusion. While we're talking Bond, EON Productions, MGM, Sony and 20th Century Fox have announced that October 5th, 2012 will be a Global James Bond Day. From the press release: "A new feature documentary from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, Columbia Pictures, Passion Pictures and Red Box Films, Everything or Nothing: The Untold Story of 007, will be also be unveiled, country-specific details to follow. Directed by Stevan Riley (Fire in Babylon), Everything or Nothing focuses on three men with a shared dream - Bond producers Albert R. Broccoli, Harry Saltzman and author Ian Fleming. It's the thrilling and inspiring narrative behind the longest running film franchise in cinema history which began in 1962. Further worldwide events celebrating Bond's golden anniversary include a global online and live auction charity event of 50 lots to benefit twelve charitable institutions organized by Christie's in London, a global survey to discover the favorite Bond film by country, a film retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, a Music of Bond night in Los Angeles hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and an exhibition, "Designing 007: 50 Years of Bond Style," at TIFF in Toronto. Leading up to Global James Bond Day, for the first time ever fans can own all 22 films in the franchise on Blu-ray Disc in one comprehensive collection with Bond 50, releasing worldwide beginning September 24. Further updates by country will be announced in due course on 007.com and Facebook." Back to the subject of retailer exclusives, Best Buy now has one from Warner Home Video: A Terminator Anthology BD box set (SRP $49.99) that collects all four films in the series: The Terminator, Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines and Terminator: Salvation. Remaining on the subject for a moment more, Indy fans in the U.K. are in for a cool exclusive as well: A special Limited Collector's Edition BD set with exclusive packaging and swag. And here's something that's not official yet as far as we know, but readers who had pre-ordered Disney's Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase One Collector's Set on Amazon.com (original street date 9/25) have been getting messages from the retailer saying that the set has been delayed and their pre-orders have been cancelled. This appears to be a response to a lawsuit filed by luggage manufacturer Rimowa against Marvel and Disney for replicating their "Topas" luxury attache case as part of the box set's packaging without permission. More on the lawsuit can be found here at The Guardian. Meanwhile, when and if Disney issues an official comment we'll let you know. In announcement news today, Disney has officially confirmed the 10/2 release of People Like Us on Blu-ray Combo and DVD (SRP $39.99 and $29.99). Extras will include 3 audio commentaries featuring writer/director Alex Kurtzman (with actors Chris Pine and Elizabeth Banks, with actress Michelle Pfeiffer and with co-writers Roberto Orci and Jody Lambert), the Number One with a Bullet: The Story Behind People Like Us and Taco Talk: Extended Henry's Taco Scene featurettes, deleted scenes and bloopers. Disney has also confirmed the 10/2 release of its Cinderella: Diamond Edition on BD and DVD, with a Cinderella II/Cinderella III 2-Movie Collection set to follow on both formats on 11/20. Santa Paws 2: The Santa Pups also streets as a BD Combo on 11/20. And here's something cool: Disney has set a Pixar Short Films Collection: Volume 2 for BD and DVD release on 11/13 (SRP $39.99 and $29.99). It will include 12 shorts (among them Presto, Day & Night, Partly Cloudy, Dug's Special Mission, Hawaiian Vacation and La Luna. It's also likely to include BURN-E, Air Mater and Short Fry among others) as well as audio commentaries and additional short student films from Pixar directors John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Pete Docter. Meanwhile, Warner Home Video and the BBC have set Call the Midwife: Season One for BD and DVD release on 11/6. Sony has set Arthur Christmas for Blu-ray 3D Combo, Blu-ray Combo and DVD release on 11/6 (SRP $55.99, $40.99 and $30.99). They've also set Safety Not Guaranteed for Blu-ray Combo and DVD release on 10/30 (SRP $35.99 and $30.99). Lionsgate will release After Dusk They Come on DVD on 11/6, along with a Javier Bardem 3-Film Collection on DVD only that includes No Country for Old Men, Biutiful and Mondays in the Sun. That latter is no doubt timed to surf off the promotion for the upcoming Bond film Skyfall, in which Bardem plays the villain. The studio will follow that with Step Up Revolution on Blu-ray and DVD on 11/27. Paramount will release 90210: The Fourth Season on DVD on 10/2. Well Go USA has set General Education for release on Blu-ray and DVD on 10/2 as well. And finally, Image Entertainment will release Stephen Sondheim's Company on BD and DVD on 11/24 (SRP $29.98 and $24.98). They also have Chronos (IMAX) set for BD release on 9/4 (SRP $19.98). We'll leave you with a look at some new Blu-ray cover art. Here's Universal's Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (due 10/23), Disney and Pixar's Pixar Short Films Collection: Volume 2 and Sony's Arthur Christmas... Back tomorrow with a new Blu-ray review and more. Stay tuned! 8/28/12 All right, we've got some good stuff for you guys today! First, we've got a major Bond 50 Blu-ray update for you this morning. We've confirmed with our sources at 20th Century Fox that nearly all special feature content from the previous Special Edition Blu-rays and DVDs will carry over to the new BD releases. The only exceptions are the Mission Control menu-based content from the previous DVDs, many items from Charles de Lauzirika's original 2003 Die Another Day: Special Edition and 5 items from the 2008 Casino Royale: Collector's Edition BD (The Art of the Freerun, Catching a Plane: From Storyboard to Screen, Storyboard Sequence: Freerun Chase, Filmmaker Profiles and Bond Girls Are Forever). So if you have those discs and want to retain all the bonus content, definitely keep them. We've also confirmed that the 11 classic Bond titles previously released on Blu-ray will be available widely again on 10/2, the same day as the box set. [Editor's Note: Just to correct, Bond 50 streets on 9/25 but all the single-film BDs - including the exclusives - street a week later on 10/2.] We already know that Walmart will have 3 of the never-before-released titles as BD exclusives that day: Diamonds Are Forever, Octopussy and GoldenEye. We've now OFFICIALLY CONFIRMED exactly what we suspected, which is that Best Buy will have On Her Majesty's Secret Service, You Only Live Twice and The Spy Who Loved Me as BD exclusives on 10/2, and Target will have A View to a Kill, The Living Daylights and Tomorrow Never Dies as BD exclusives. So that's our Bond news for today. Again, that's official. We've got one more bit of excellent news from Fox for you this morning: We've confirmed with the studio that their long-awaited and properly-remastered HD presentation of Patton will finally be available on Blu-ray in time for the holidays this year. We don't have the exact release date for you yet, but it's definitely on the way at last. This will replace the horribly digitally over-scrubbed original BD release from 2008. More as it comes in. Now then... speaking of properly-remastered HD presentations, our friends at Kino Lorber have released a trailer for their forthcoming Blu-ray edition of Stanley Kubrick's Fear and Desire. Here it is... and be sure to choose glorious 1080p for the full effect. Can't wait! Finally this morning, a few of you have asked if you need to call CBS's replacement hotline again to get the additional disc (Disc Five) that's being fixed from the Star Trek: The Next Generation - Season One Blu-ray set as mentioned in yesterday's post. The answer is no. When your other discs arrive in the mail, it will simply come with them. There's no need to take additional action. That's all for the moment. Stay tuned! 8/27/12 All right, we've got something fun for you today. Our own Mario Boucher went behind the scenes on the making of Universal's Battleship, which streets on Blu-ray and DVD tomorrow. So while you wait for the disc to show up in your mailboxes from Amazon, please enjoy Mario's Building a Better Battleship! Now then... we've gotten word that shipments of CBS's fixed Star Trek: The Next Generation - Season One Blu-rays have been pushed into early September. The reason is that it seems one of the episodes on Disc Five was found to be missing a visual effect, so that's being fixed as well. We'll let you know when shipments start hitting the mail. Some new title announcements today... Rarovideo and Entertainment One have announced the Blu-ray and DVD release of the stylish Italian horror film Night of the Devils (1972) on 9/25. Millennium Entertainment will release Red Lights on Blu-ray and DVD on 10/2. The film stars Cillian Murphy, Sigourney Weaver and Robert De Niro. Entertainment One has set the Jolene: Director's Cut for DVD only release on 9/4, followed by Cleanskin on BD and DVD on 9/11, Katt Williams: Kattpacalypse and Winning Favor on DVD only on 9/18, and Vampire Dog and The Tempest on DVD only on 9/25. Magnet Releasing has announced that they'll be releasing Gordon Green's Nature Calls in North America on VOD on 10/4, with a limited theatrical release following on 11/9. No word yet on discs. Well Go USA Entertainment will release the Korean horror film Bedevilled on BD and DVD on 10/9. Vanguard has set Conned, Esposito, Fanny, Annie & Danny and Fatherless for DVD only release on 10/23 (SRP $19.95 each). Screen Media has set FDR: American Badass for DVD and VOD release on 9/25. The "Presidential" comedy stars Barry Bostwick. And a reminder: Scholastic Media and New Video will release The Magic School Bus: The Complete Series on DVD only on 9/4 (SRP $79.95). In other news today, Lucasfilm and 20th Century Fox have just announced that their Star Wars 3D effort will continue in 2013 with the back to back 3D theatrical release of Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith on 9/20/2013 and 10/11/2013 respectively. One suspects the prequel trilogy will then become available on Blu-ray 3D either in late 2013 or sometime in 2014. Our friends at Shout! Factory have just re-launched their ShoutFactory.com website today. The site is easier to use, has some new features and includes a digital media download store as well. Do check it out. Finally today, a couple more nods to entertainment industry folk who have passed away in recent days. Today we honor the memory of actor William Windom, whom Trek fans will recall from his role as Commodore Matt Decker in the classic Original Series episode The Doomsday Machine. He also appeared on MANY other TV series in the 60s, 70s and 80s. He was 88. We'd also like to give a big nod to the memory of actor, musician and Muppet puppeteer Jerry Nelson, who gave life (and voice) to The Count, Mr. Snuffleupagus, Sgt. Floyd Pepper and many more beloved characters. He was 78. I think Snuffy might share his sense of loss by turning to his best feathered friend with a sad, "Oh Bird..." Rest in peace, gentlemen. Stay tuned... 8/24/12 Care for more announcement news this afternoon? Well, here it comes... First up today, our friends at Kino Lorber have announced their November Blu-ray and DVD release slate, set to include Khodorkovsky (DVD - 11/6 - Kino Lorber label), Fritz Lang: The Early Years [3-DVD set - 11/6 - Kino Classics label - includes Harakiri (1919), The Wandering Shadow (1920) and Four Around a Woman (1921)], Fritz Lang's Die Nibelungen: Deluxe Remastered Edition (2-disc BD and 2-disc DVD - 11/6 - Kino Classics), D.W. Griffith's Abraham Lincoln (BD - 11/13 - Kino Classics), a Sergei Eisenstein Double Feature (2-disc BD - 11/13 - includes Battleship Potemkin and Strike), The Selznick Collection [5-disc BD and 5-disc DVD - 11/13 - includes Nothing Sacred (1937), A Farewell to Arms (1932), A Star is Born (1937), Bird of Paradise (1932) and Little Lord Fauntleroy (1936)], They're Out of the Business (DVD - 11/20 - Horizon Movies label), The Pete Walker Collection [4-disc BD - 11/20 - Redemption label - includes House of Whipcord (1974), Die Screaming Marianne (1971), The Comeback (1878) and Schizo (1976)], Pete Walker's Schizo: Remastered Edition (DVD - 11/20 - Redemption) and Visions of Ecstasy (BD - 11/27 - Redemption). Warner Home Video has announced the Blu-ray Combo release of New Line's Rock of Ages on 10/9 (SRP $35.99). Extras will include 4 featurettes (Rock of Ages: Legends of the Sunset Strip, The Stories We Sing, Any Way You Want It and Visit Florida), 7 additional Defining a Decade featurettes (The 80's Look, It's All About the Moves, Stripping Miami, The Tease, If You Build It, They Will Rock It, Connection to the Music and So It Started in a Bar) and selected song access. A "rental window" DVD will follow on 11/6 (SRP $22.97). Warner has also announced the 12/18 Blu-ray and DVD release of Showtime's Shameless: The Complete Second Season (SRP $49.99 and $39.98). From the press release, the set will include: "all 12 episodes from Season Two, plus over 90 minutes of bonus content including three featurettes, five Shameless Actor Discussions, and deleted scenes." Anchor Bay Films has announced the 11/13 Blu-ray and DVD release of Vamps, starting Alicia Silverstone, Wallace Shawn and Sigourney Weaver (SRP $24.99 and $22.98). Anchor Bay has also set the claustrophobic horror film 247°F for Blu-ray and DVD release on 10/23. Meanwhile, Shout! Factory has set Transformers Prime: Season Two for Blu-ray and DVD release on 11/27 and 11/20 respectively (SRP is $59.99 and $29.93). You'll get all 26 episodes along with video of the Optimus Prime: Up Close and Personal Comic-Con 2012 panel and new interviews with the creative team. BBC Home Entertainment America has announced the DVD only release of Absolutely Fabulous: 20th Anniversary Specials on 9/11. Magnet has announced that they've got the rights to Don Coscarelli's new sci-fi/horror film John Dies at the End. Love the title. Magnet will be releasing it this year via its Ultra VOD program, followed by a theatrical release (and presumably disc formats too) in early 2013. Cohen Media Group will release the "whimsical romantic comedy" Delicacy on Blu-ray and DVD on 9/25 (SRP $34.98 and $24.98). The film stars Audry Tautou. Microcinema International will release Tim Marlow with Gilbert & George on DVD on 9/25, along with MindCandy Volume 3: PC Demos 2003-2010 on Blu-ray and DVD. The latter includes some 40 computer-generated shorts on 2 discs. CJ Entertainment America has set Silenced for DVD only release on 9/18. Wolfe Video has the disco-drama Funkytown coming to DVD only on 10/2. FilmWorks Entertainment will release 3 Blind Saints on DVD only on 11/20. And for you music fans, Eagle Rock Entertainment will release The Who: Live in Texas '75 on Blu-ray and DVD on 10/9. That's all for now. See you again on Monday. Have a great weekend, folks! 8/23/12 All right, more release news today... Fox has officially made available for pre-order (on FoxConnect) single-disc Blu-ray editions of all 11 of the classic Bond films that have been previously released in HD. Street date is 10/2 with an SRP of $19.99 each. They include Dr. No, From Russia with Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, Live and Let Die, The Man with the Golden Gun, Moonraker, For Your Eyes Only, License to Kill, The World is Not Enough and Die Another Day. These will be the same discs as included on the Bond 50 box set and will include new cover artwork as you can see here (we'll update with Amazon links when available)... We're not big fans of the Photoshop art - the old discs with the original poster art were better. But you can bet creative types around the net will get to work on better custom art for these releases pretty quickly. [Readers have rightly pointed out that there haven't been true "poster" covers - the previous BDs were Photoshops as well. Turns out I was thinking about the old (and awesome) Zinema custom covers we hosted here! See, this is what happens in your 40s... you start forgetting stuff.] Now then... we've learned from our industry sources that the 9 other classic Bond films (previously unreleased on Blu-ray) will all be made available as BD singles as well - initially as various retail exclusives and then more widely in early 2013. We know from their own website that Walmart will have GoldenEye, Octopussy and Diamonds Are Forever. Here's the cover art for those... That leaves You Only Live Twice, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, The Spy Who Loved Me, A View to a Kill, The Living Daylights and Tomorrow Never Dies. Amazon already has an exclusive version of the Bond 50 box set that comes with a bonus hardcover book, so that leaves Best Buy and Target as likely suspects to split the remaining titles at 3 each. Fox has informed The Bits that they're NOT going to make the specific details on retailer exclusives available until street date, but we suspect they'll appear on the retailer sites anyway long before then, so do keep your eyes peeled. Meanwhile, Universal has officially announced the Blu-ray Combo and DVD release of Seeking a Friend for the End of the World on 10/23. I actually quite liked this film - I'm looking forward to seeing it a second time on disc. Extras on the Blu-ray will include audio commentary with writer/director Lorene Scafaria (along with her mother Gail Scafaria, producer Joy Gorman Wettels and actors Adam Brody and Patton Oswalt) and 2 featurettes (A Look Inside Seeking a Friend for the End of the World and Music for the End of the World: What's on Your Playlist?), along with the usual interactive bells and whistles. Also coming on 10/23 from Universal on Blu-ray Combo and DVD is Oliver Stone's Savages, which will include an unrated version of the film. Extras will include 2 commentaries (one with Stone, one with the producers and writers), deleted scenes and the 5-part Stone Cold Savages documentary, plus the usual BD-Live and BD-Java bells and whistles. Finally today, Apple Films and The Beatles.com have announced the Blu-ray and DVD release of the band's 1967 film Magical Mystery Tour! on 10/8, fully restored and remastered. A special deluxe box set will also available that day and the restored film will run in theatres for a limited time as well starting on 9/27. Extras will include director's commentary by Paul McCartney, 3 featurettes (The Making of Magical Mystery Tour, Ringo the Actor and Meet the Supporting Cast), 3 additional music performances not seen in the film (Your Mother Should Know, Blue Jay Way and The Fool on the Hill), 3 additional deleted scenes (Nat's Dream, Ivor Cutler: Going in a Field and Traffic: Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush) and footage of the band performing Hello Goodbye on the BBC's Top of the Pops in 1967. Audio will be DTS-HD MA 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1 and PCM 2.0 on Blu-ray and Dolby Digital 5.1 on DVD. SRP is $89.95 for the box set, $29.95 for Blu-ray and $21.95 for DVD. You can pre-order all three here at the official store. That's all for now. Stay tuned! More Archived Posts Back to Current Posts
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