Items filtered by date: May 2026

We’ve got more new disc reviews for you to close out the week here at The Bits, including…

Stephen’s reviews of Rango Lam’s City on Fire (1987) and John Woo’s The Killer (1989) in 4K Ultra HD from Imprint.

Stuart’s thoughts on John Guillermin’s House of Cards (1968) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, the Spencer Tracy Collection on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection—which includes Bad Day on Black Rock (1955), Fury (1936), Libeled Lady (1936), and Northwest Passage (1941)—and the Directed by David Lean: Volume II box set on Blu-ray from Imprint—which includes The Passionate Friends (1949), Madeleine (1950), The Sound Barrier (1952), Hobson’s Choice (1954), and Summertime (1955).

Tim’s look at Tobe Hooper’s Salem’s Lot (1979) in 4K Ultra HD from our friends at Arrow Video.

And Dennis’ take on Brian Levant’s Beethoven (1992) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

More reviews are in the works for release here all next week, so be sure to keep checking back for them.

Now then… the first thing to be said today is that Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s Project Hail Mary (2026) is now available for pre-order on Amazon.com in Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD (click here for the link). This is an Amazon MGM Studios release. The street date isn’t yet official, but we believe it will be on or about 8/11. Look for the disc to include audio commentary with the directors, deleted scenes, and the Earth’s Favorite Eridian featurette. You can see the cover artwork above left. [Read on here...]

Morning, folks!

I’ve got some good Lionsgate news for you today. But first as always, we have more new disc reviews for you to enjoy, including…

Stephen’s look at Albert Pyun’s The Sword and the Sorcerer (1982) and John Woo’s Hard Boiled (1992) in 4K Ultra HD from Imprint, and Damiano Damiani’s Confessions of a Police Captain (1971) on Blu-ray from Radiance.

Tim’s review of James Melkonian’s The Stoned Age (1994) on Blu-ray from the Vestron Video Collector’s Series via Lionsgate Limited, Cesare Canevari’s A Hyena in the Safe (1968) on Blu-ray from Celluloid Dreams, and Norman Jewison’s In the Heat of the Night (1967) in 4K from Imprint.

Todd’s thoughts on Alex Russell’s Lurker (2025) on Blu-ray from Mubi, Urška Djukić’s Little Trouble Girls (2025) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber, and Zak Hilditch’s We Bury the Dead (2024) on Blu-ray from Vertical Entertainment, Kansas Bowling’s Cuddly Toys (2022) on Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome, and Vinegar Syndrome Film Archive Presents: Reviver 2 on Blu-ray.

And finally, Stuart’s look at Ralph Thomas’ Some Girls Do (1969) on Blu-ray from Imprint and Louis Soulanes, Léonard Keigel, Robert Enrico, and Serge Moati’s Ténèbres Françaises (1970-77) on Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome.

More reviews are on the way all this week, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled for them!

Now then… as promised, we have the complete list of 245 titles that are hitting Movies Anywhere tomorrow, on Tuesday (June 9)!

The thing to know is that if you’ve redeemed codes for any of these films previously from Lionsgate 4K or Blu-ray titles, they should start appearing in your MA library shortly.

And the way it’s going to work thereafter, is that every month new titles will follow (including a 100 more titles in July, which we’ll share with you next month). [Read on here...]

We’ve got a bunch of new disc reviews for you to check out today, including…

Tim’s take on Charlie Chaplin’s A Woman of Paris (1923) on Blu-ray from the Criterion Collection, Taylor Wong’s Buddha’s Palm (1982) on Blu-ray from Arrow’s Shawscope: Volume Three box, and J. Lee Thompson’s 10 to Midnight (1983) in 4K Ultra HD from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

Stephen’s thoughts on Robert Wise’s The Haunting (1963) in 4K Ultra HD from Scream Factory, John “Bud” Cardos’ Mutant (1984) in 4K Ultra HD from Vinegar Syndrome, and Clive Barker’s Nightbreed (1990) in 4K from Arrow Video.

Todd’s review of Spike Lee’s Highest 2 Lowest (2025) on Blu-ray from A24, Timur Bekmambetov’s Mercy (2026) on Blu-ray from Amazon MGM, and Tony Scott’s The Fan (1996) and David Greene’s Hard Country (1981) on Blu-ray from Imprint Films.

Stuart’s look at Hobart Henley’s Night World (1932), Anthony Mann’s Bend of the River (1952), Allen Smithee’s Death of a Gunfighter (1969 – actually directed by Robert Totten and Don Siegel), and Christian-Jaque’s The Second Twin (1966) all on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

And Dennis’ thoughts on William Keighley’s The Man Who Came to Dinner (1941) on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection.

Also today, be sure to check out my recent special feature articles on Apple TV’s For All Mankind and Star City series, as well as Warner’s remastering the Wachowskis’ Speed Racer (2008) in 4K Ultra HD! [Read on here...]

John Daro is a highly experienced Lead Digital Intermediate colorist with Warner Post Production Creative Services, someone I first met late last year while attending a Digital Entertainment Group (DEG) event on the Burbank lot on the latest developments in Filmmaker Mode.

It was clear to me then that John is extremely good at what he does, and it just so happens that he’s a great guy—someone who’s very enthusiastic about his work, and who ensures that the 4K HDR images we see on Ultra HD releases look as good as they possibly can.

As it also turns out, like me, he’s a huge fan of the Wachowskis’ Speed Racer (2008) and the original 1960s Speed Racer anime as well. So I was thrilled to have the chance recently to speak with John about his work on the new 4K remaster of the film. Here’s a transcript of our conversation, edited for clarity…

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Bill Hunt (The Digital Bits): First of all, let me just say: I’ve had the Speed Racer disc for about a week now, and I love it. You guys absolutely nailed it. I first saw this film in the Ross Theatre on the Warner lot back in 2008, and I walked out of it thinking I’d just seen a masterpiece. But it seemed like I was the only person who felt that way.

John Daro (Warner Bros.): Well, you know, I’ll stand behind this. I think it was a little too… probably five years ahead of its time. I don’t think the world was ready for that kind of style.

BH: Yeah, that’s exactly right. And yet more recently, Mad Max: Fury Road, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Everything Everywhere All at Once… even Barbie… they all follow in its footsteps.

But back in 2008, when the film first came out on Blu-ray, it was only on a BD-25 disc. So the image was compressed and the film didn’t have lossless audio. Unless you saw Speed Racer in a theater, you really missed out on the best possible experience.

JD: Well, that’s the through line, right? It’s the technology of the time. In many ways, even just the visual effects of the film, that is what you could do at the time. Now, we get to breathe a little bit more life into it. And with the technology today, it’s gonna be as good as it can get. [Read on here...]