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Duncan Jones' Moon announced for Blu-ray in the U.K.

Duncan Jones' Moon announced for Blu-ray in the U.K.

Ahhhh! It kills me that I missed Moon in the theatres. I mean, there’s no guarantee that I would’ve fallen in love with the film but it certainly has all the ingredients to rank itself up there amongst my fav movies of the year – hard sci-fi, melancholy and a David Bowie connection. Writer/director Duncan Jones is Bowie’s son and, while stretching out into his own medium, Jones’ story finds itself riffing on imagery made popular by his father – that of the lonely astronaut trapped thousands of miles away from home. I’m happy to see that Sony is bringing this to the UK so soon. I only hope we’ll see it on this side of the Atlantic before the new year. Details of the Blu-ray disc release below:

Moon Blu-ray

MOON (UK)


(November 16, 2009 – MSRP £24.99)
(Blu-ray package art TBA)
Video: TBA
Audio: TBA

Special Features:

  • Commentary with Writer/Director Duncan Jones, Director of Photography Gary Shaw, Concept Designer Gavin Rothery and Production Designer Tony Noble
  • Commentary with Writer/Director Duncan Jones and Producer Stuart Fenegen
  • ‘Whistle’ a Short Film by Duncan Jones
  • The Making of Moon
  • Creating the Visual Effects
  • Science Center Q&A with Director Duncan Jones
  • Filmmaker’s Q&A at the Sundance Film Festival

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Adventureland Blu-ray Disc Review

Adventureland Blu-ray Disc Review

ADVENTURELAND (2009, Blu-ray released August 25, 2009 – MSRP $44.99)

Adventureland Blu-ray DiscI spent three summers working at an amusement park. Two of which I played a Klingon. Yes, that’s right. THAT kind of Klingon. The Star Trek variety. During that time I fell in love with a girl (my boss!), made some incredible friends and had one of the best summers of my life. Adventureland is kind of the story of my life, in a lot of ways. But with significantly less Klingon.

Director Greg Mottola follows up his 2007 hit, Superbad with a less audacious and wantonly comedic (some might say sophomoric) take on youth. Adventureland is…a teen drama? Kind of…I guess…All of the marketing, all of the packaging and everything surrounding this film led me to believe this was going to be another balls-to-the-wall dirty-ass fun fest. Instead, Mottola delivers a fairly sensitive and honest portrayal of his own youth and a summer spent working at an amusement park and falling in love. Man, this is a actually a pretty great movie! Far from perfect but thoroughly enjoyable. And not the kind of film I was expecting to see at all, I have to admit.

Newsflash – Adventureland is NOT a comedy! I mean, it has comedic moments, don’t get me wrong. SNL alums Bill Hader (genius!) and Kristen Wiig (also genius!) play supporting roles as park managers (or maybe the owners? I was never quite clear on that one…) so you know that there are moments that bring the funny. But where this thing really shines is when it decides to be genuine. When it lingers on the nuanced character moments. The comedy bits are all fine and good but I find myself more strongly fixated on the drama here. You know, the awkward moments common to young people struggling to make some money while winning friends and maintaining dignity at a crappy summer job.

Perhaps I just found myself relating strongly to the characters because of…well, you know…the Klingon thing…Either way, it’s a nice blend of styles – comedy and teen drama – that doesn’t always work but manages to maintain a certain charm throughout.

I’ve got to mention the music here. What an amazing soundtrack! All original music in the film is written by Yo La Tengo and supplemented by an incredible selection of random 80s tunes and a bucketload of Lou Reed, who provides one of the films running gags. Worth the price of the disc on its own.

Speaking of the Blu-ray disc, Adventureland looks quite good for a low-budget indie teen-dramedy. Again, like the story, the transfer is a mixed bag. Contrast can fluctuate but black levels are quite deep and seem stable. Colours are generally accurate. It’s not bad. Really nice to look at. It won’t win any awards but I loved it.

The special features are, again…say it with me…A MIXED BAG! Yeah, there’s a lot to like here but some of it honestly felt like filler. The three Blu-ray exclusive featurettes are entertaining but don’t carry much weight. I felt like the “Adventureland Commercials” were doing their best to replicate the style of Kristen Wiig’s fake ads on SNL but, unlike her TV work these spots didn’t make me laugh. It’s weird. I don’t quite get it. It seemed like they did everything right. Maybe they were just trying too hard. Maybe I wasn’t in the right mood.

The director and star (Jesse Eisenberg) commentary is the real winner among the extras. These two guys chat like they’re best pals! They have a lot to say about the film and while the conversation is not always illuminating, the commentary provides a great, informal listen. A “making-of” doc, some deleted scenes (with commentary!) and a feature that allows you to skip to your favourite tunes throughout the film are also included.

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Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen Announced and Detailed (Press Release)

Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen Announced and Detailed (Press Release)

Here it is, folks! The official word, straight from ParamountTransformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen will be in stores on October 20. Read the press release below for all the details.

Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen Blu-ray


FROM DIRECTOR MICHAEL BAY AND EXECUTIVE PRODUCER STEVEN SPIELBERG, THE BIGGEST MOVIE OF THE YEAR WORLDWIDE IS UNLEASHED ON BLU-RAY AND DVD

DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures’ $820+ Million Global Smash Returns to Earth October 20 Armed with Explosive Special Features to Bring the Epic Battle Home in Two-Disc Blu-ray and DVD Sets

TRANSFORMERS: Revenge of the Fallen
Street date: October 20, 2009
Runtime: 142 minutes
Pricing: $19.99 (Single-disc DVD)
$24.99 (Two-disc DVD)
$29.99 (Two-disc Blu-ray)
U.S. Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action violence, language, some crude and sexual material and brief drug material
Canadian Rating: PG for violence

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. – With more action and more thrills, TRANSFORMERS: Revenge of the Fallen captivated audiences to earn over $820 million at the box office and become the #1 movie of the year in North America and throughout the world. The latest spectacular adventure in the wildly popular TRANSFORMERS franchise will make its highly-anticipated DVD and Blu-ray debut on October 20, 2009 in immersive, two-disc Special Editions, as well as on a single disc DVD, from DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures in association with Hasbro; distributed by Paramount Home Entertainment. The eagerly-awaited home entertainment premiere will be accompanied by one of the division’s biggest marketing campaigns ever, generating awareness and excitement of galactic proportions.

From director Michael Bay and executive producer Steven Spielberg, in association with Hasbro, TRANSFORMERS: Revenge of the Fallen delivers non-stop action and fun in an all-new adventure that the whole family can enjoy. Featuring out-of-this-world heroes in the form of the mighty AUTOBOTS and a malevolent and powerful villain known as THE FALLEN, the film boasts some of the most sensational—and complex—visual effects in film history set against the backdrop of spectacular locations around the world. In addition to audience favorites OPTIMUS PRIME and BUMBLEBEE, the film’s human stars have returned to help save the world including Shia LaBeouf (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull), Megan Fox (How to Lose Friends & Alienate People), Josh Duhamel (“Las Vegas”), Tyrese Gibson (Four Brothers) and John Turturro (The Good Shepherd).

The TRANSFORMERS: Revenge of the Fallen two-disc Blu-ray and DVD feature over three hours of in-depth, immersive special features that let viewers further explore the world of the legendary ROBOTS IN DISGUISE. Among the engrossing content is a multi-chapter documentary, including interviews with the cast and crew, that chronicles the entire making of the film from development and design to filming in locations around the globe, working with the U.S. military, creating the groundbreaking visual effects and putting it all together to produce the biggest film of the year. The discs also include an all-access featurette following renowned director Michael Bay through an entire day, a comprehensive exploration of the “confidential files” on a dozen of the TRANSFORMERS characters featured in the film, multi-angle breakdowns of some of the most sensational action sequences and much, much more.

The Blu-ray and two-disc DVD packages also will feature augmented reality technology that will allow owners to interact with a holographic image of OPTIMUS PRIME utilizing their webcams and a special website. Fans will be asked to piece together the Matrix of Leadership to bring OPTIMUS PRIME back to life, help repair his armor and calibrate his weapons by actually controlling his aim during target practice.

As an added bonus, the Blu-ray will include an exclusive interactive feature that gives viewers the ability to customize their own robot characters and get a glimpse at a rogue robot. Out of all the available permutations, one will unlock an exclusive interview with Michael Bay about his plans for the next adventure.

Two-Disc Special Edition DVD & Blu-ray:
The TRANSFORMERS: Revenge of the Fallen two-disc Special Edition DVD is presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 televisions with Dolby Digital English 5.1 Surround, French 5.1 Surround and Spanish 5.1 Surround with English, French and Spanish subtitles. The Blu-ray will be presented in 1080p high definition with English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French 5.1 Dolby Digital and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital with English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese subtitles. The disc breakdown is as follows:

    Disc 1:
      • Commentary by Michael Bay, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman

    Disc 2:

      • The Human Factor: Exacting Revenge of the Fallen—This multi-chapter documentary chronicles the entire creation of the film and includes interviews with the cast and crew:
        o Seeds of Vengeance – Development and Design – After the overwhelming success of 2007’s Transformers, how do the filmmakers top themselves for the sequel?
        o Domestic Destruction – Production: United States – Michael Bay believes in going big: Big action and big explosions. Cast and crew are pushed to the limit as they traverse the U.S. from New Mexico to Pennsylvania.
        o Joint Operations – Production: Military – No other filmmaker in the world enjoys the kind of military access and cooperation Michael Bay has. Here we see just how efficient our armed forces are and the awe and respect shown by the cast.
        o Wonders of the World – Production: Middle East – You can’t really reproduce Egypt anywhere but Egypt so off we go to Giza and Luxor.
        o Start Making Sense – Editing – In order to turn over the massive amount of film as quickly as possible to VFX, four editors work tirelessly in a unique tag-team approach to shape the film.
        o Under the Gun – Visual Effects – Revenge of the Fallen features the most complicated VFX in film history. So complicated in fact that the filmmakers were unsure they would make the deadline. The DEVASTATOR VFX alone required 83% of ILM’s total render farm capacity.
        o Running the Gauntlet – Post-Production and Release – Working seven days a week, Michael Bay and company usher the film through sound design, Digital Intermediate color-timing and a globe-trotting whirlwind of premieres.

      • A Day with Bay: Tokyo—An intimate and fun all-access journey with Michael Bay as he travels to Tokyo, Japan tor the world premiere of the biggest film of the year.
      • 25 Years of TRANSFORMERS—Access an all-new featurette celebrating a monumental milestone for one of Hasbro’s most successful and popular franchises.
      • NEST: Transformer Data-Hub—Explore conceptual artwork created by the production for 12 of the most popular AUTOBOTS and DECEPTICONS from the film.
      • Deconstructing Visual Bayhem with Commentary by Pre-Vis Supervisor Steve Yamamoto— A series of multi-angle pre-visualization sequences allowing viewers to learn how some of the film’s most spectacular scenes were created with an introduction by Michael Bay.
      • Extended Scenes
      • Music Video: Linkin Park’s “New Divide”

    BLU-RAY EXCLUSIVE:

      • The ALLSPARK Experiment—Viewers get their chance to unleash the power of the recently recovered ALLSPARK shard on Earth vehicles. Begin by selecting and customizing a vehicle with a selection of parts and accessories. Then apply the ALLSPARK to this creation and watch what happens. Applying the ALLSPARK to certain custom combinations enables four new robot characters with special powers. If viewers discover all four, they unlock a fifth vehicle, which reveals a top secret message about the future of the TRANSFORMERS movie franchise.
      • NEST: Transformer Data-Hub—A database of some of the TRANSFORMERS characters that appear in the new film, offering users access to each robot’s confidential file including:
        o Innovative 3D spin galleries of each robot
        o A timeline for each TRANSFORMERS character charting its origins, back story and design evolution from toys to animated series to comics and finally feature films

      • Giant Effing Movie – A very personal look at the making of the movie.
      • The Matrix of Marketing—An archive of the film’s promotional media including trailers, posters and television spots.

A Message for All Mankind
The TRANSFORMERS: Revenge of the Fallen Blu-ray and DVD debut will be supported by one of the largest marketing and promotional campaigns in Paramount Home Entertainment’s history. In addition to a multi-million dollar advertising blitz spanning television, print, radio and online, a stellar array of partners has joined forces with the studio to ensure that the AUTOBOTS’ message is transmitted to all of the Earth’s inhabitants.

Chevrolet returns as a partner with an awesome sweepstakes offering participants the chance to win a dream garage. The winner will select two Chevy vehicles of their choice from the most diverse line-up on the planet, including the coveted Camaro, the all new Equinox, the critically acclaimed Malibu, the legendary Silverado and others. A huge online campaign will drive consumers to TransformYourGarage.com to enter to win. Papa John’s will launch a massive national promotion in over 2,500 locations and featuring a multi-million dollar national television campaign promoting a $3.00 coupon for the DVD and Blu-ray. Papa John’s will also produce over two million limited edition TRANSFORMERS-themed pizza boxes and promote the offer and DVD release on 25 million pieces of direct mail and over 250 million online impressions. Land O’Frost will feature a $3.00 DVD rebate inside five million packages of One Pound Premium® deli pouch lunch meats. The promotion will be executed across nearly 20,000 supermarkets. Perdue will feature a promotion on 2.5 million packages of PERDUE® Refrigerated Breaded Chicken products featuring a $5 DVD rebate that will be promoted through a full-page free-standing insert ad and in-store POP.

Synopsis:
The battle for Earth continues in this action-packed blockbuster from director Michael Bay and executive producer Steven Spielberg. When college-bound Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) learns the truth about the ancient origins of the TRANSFORMERS robots, he must accept his destiny and join OPTIMUS PRIME and BUMBLEBEE in their epic battle against the DECEPTICONS, who have returned stronger than ever with a plan to destroy our world.

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This Is Spinal Tap: Limited Marshall Amp Edition features 5 Discs, New Extras, UK Only

This Is Spinal Tap: Limited Marshall Amp Edition features 5 Discs, New Extras, UK Only

What the hell? Did we just get completely hosed, here in North America? Are we not worthy of receiving this completely amazing Limited Edition version of This is Spinal Tap? Urgh…I’m so upset…

As you might recall from my recent review of the Spinal Tap Blu-ray from MGM (the version available her in Canada as well as in the US) I wasn’t all that thrilled with the special features included on the disc. It’s not like they were awful. Some of them were quite good, in fact. My issue was really with the limited number of them presented on the disc. For a 25th Anniversary edition of the film, a film that’s had many videos, documentaries and live appearances attached to it, the Blu-ray felt a little feature-light.

Optimum Home Entertainment, on the other hand, seems to have scoured every nook and cranny of Spinal Tap‘s history to bring the UK the ultimate box set collection of the film. This thing looks incredible! There are new documentaries, interviews with Ricky Gervais, Kasabian and more comedians and musicians, CDs of the bands music and so much more, stuffed into a box shaped like a Marshall amp that goes to eleven! Oh, and you’ll also find a very real, very tiny, (iPod speaker size) Marshall amp that goes to eleven inside the box. While I don’t have my hands on an official, detailed press release, here’s a run down of what we know so far:

This is Spinal Tap - Limited Marshall Amp Edition (DVD and Blu-ray)

THIS IS SPINAL TAP: LIMITED EDITION MARSHALL AMP EDITION (UK)


(September 7, 2009 – MSRP £69.99)

Special Features:

    Disc 1:
      • Brand new 25th Anniversary Documentary featuring Ricky Gervais, Eddie Izzard, Martin Freeman, Anvil, Serge Pizzorno and more (43 mins);
      • Audio Commentary by the band;
      • Menu commentary by the band.

    Disc 2:

      • The Return of Spinal Tap Royal Albert Hall concert (57 mins);
      • 2007 Live Earth footage & Live Earth reunion short film (4 mins 20);
      • National Geographic Stonehenge interviews with Nigel (9 mins 1)
      • Sprinkle some ****in Fairy Dust On It – interview with Reg Presley of The Troggs (6 mins 54).

    Disc 3:

      • Outtakes (1 hr 7 mins)Original Trailers (7 mins);
      • 4 x Music Videos (12 mins 27);
      • TV Spots (1 min 37);
      • Cutting Room Floor Deleted Scenes including Heavy Metal Memories, Flower People, Cheese Roll trailer;
      • EPK featurettes (20 mins 50);
      • Creative Meeting & Bitch School Videos (4 mins 33).

    Disc 4:

      • This is Spinal Tap: The Original Soundtrack

    Disc 5:

      • This is Spinal Tap: Up to 11 Edition (Blu-ray)
      • Subtitles in French, German, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish
      
• Audio Commentary

      • This Is Spinal Tap: Up to 11
      
• “Sprinkle some ****in’ fairy dust on it
      
• 2007 Live Earth – short film and performance

      • The Return of Spinal Tap

      • Stonehenge Interviews with Nigel

      • Original Theatrical Trailers

      • Music Videos

      • Creative Meeting and Bitch School Video

      • Outtakes
• TV Spots

      • Heavy Metal Memories
      
• Cheese Roll Trailer
      
• Flower People Press Conference

      • Featurettes

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Early Look at Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra Blu-ray discs (UPDATE)

Early Look at Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra Blu-ray discs (UPDATE)

Transformers 2 and GI JOE

What the…? I was just about to hit the sack when I noticed this image at German website, AreaDVD. It’s a promotional sheet meant for retailers in Germany selling Paramount‘s upcoming Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra Blu-ray discs. Yeah, it’s really small. And it’s not really telling us much we didn’t already know. But this quick little look into the future kind of confirms what we had suspected – Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen will street sometime in November with G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra coming to Blu-ray just before the holidays, in December.

Additionally, Play.com from the UK has posted these two disc covers, for the single and double disc DVD versions of Transformers 2. Remember, until we get official studio confirmation, this information must be considered rumour and the package art mock-ups for pre-sale purposes only.

For a look at what we do know for sure about the TF2 Blu-ray, read our article here: Michael Bay Talks Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen Blu-ray, Confirms Shifting Aspect Ratios

UPDATEBlu-ray.com has posted a snap by one of its readers, revealing the Transformers release date as October 20 in the US and Canada, at least 10 days ahead of the projected UK release date. The image also show the DVD package art and the retailer’s “exclusive” steelbook packaging.

Hey, does anyone else think that ad is from Future Shop?

tf2onediscarttf2twodiscart

Via: Transformers Data Portal

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