So, here I am, finally finishing off this post on Sunday afternoon. Almost five days after these discs have been released. And more than a week since anyone has posted on The Blu-ray Blog. Allow me to explain: I’m working super-extra-quadruple overtime right now at my real job (local Montreal alt-news weekly newspaper) which is leaving little time for much beyond office and bed. As a result, both my posts and those of the blogs contributors (sorry, Howard!) have gotten lost in the shuffle. So today, I’m playing a little catch up. Hopefully, you haven’t missed out on any of the gems below due to my negligence. If you have, I’m sure it’s not too late to place that Amazon order now!

1. THE EXORCIST

This is it! This is the big one in a week full of amazing releases. William Friedkin‘s The Exorcist, an adaptation of William Peter Blatty‘s novel of the same name, was one of the most terrifying films of the seventies and remains so today. This new Blu-ray editiion features both the original 1973 cut of the film and the updated 2000 extended director’s cut of the film. I’m happy to report that neither have received the revisionist colour-timing that Friedkin inflicted on the Blu-ray release of his film The French Connection. Both versions of The Exorcist remain as pure as they ever were and, in fact, look better than I’ve ever seen them. The new high-def transfers are wonderful!

Between the great audio/visual presentation here and the bevy of bonus features, grabbing up this disc set is a no-brainer, as they say back in my home town. Don’t wait for the holidays for this one, folks. You want to be showing off your HD set-up with this bad boy in the lead-up to Halloween, when The Exorcist has the greatest power to terrify impress!

For more information, including quotes on the disc from Friedkin and WHV, read our previous post here: The Exorcist coming to Blu-ray in October

Special Features:

Disc 1 – Extended Director’s Cut (2000)

• Commentary by William Friedkin
• NEW BD Exclusive: Raising Hell: Filming the Exorcist — set footage produced and photographed by Owen Roizman, camera and makeup tests, and interviews with director William Friedkin, actress Linda Blair, author/screenwriter/producer William Peter Blatty and Owen Roizman.
• NEW BD Exclusive: The Exorcist Locations: GeorgetownThen and Now — Featuring a tour of the iconic locations where the film was shot.
• NEW BD Exclusive: Faces of Evil: The Different Versions of The Exorcist — with director William Friedkin and author/screenwriter/producer William Peter Blatty discussing the different versions of the film and featuring outtakes from the film.
• Trailers, TV Spots & Radio Spots from the film’s 2000 release
• Trailers
  • The Version You’ve Never Seen
  • Our Deepest Fears
• TV Spots
  • Most Electrifying
  • Scariest Ever
  • Returns
• Radio Spots
  • The Devil Himself
  • Our Deepest Fears

Disc 2 – Theatrical Cut (1973)

• Introduction by William Friedkin
• Commentary by William Friedkin
• Commentary by William Peter Blatty with Special Sound Effects Tests
• The Fear of God: 25 Years of The Exorcist [1998 BBC documentary
• Additional Interviews with William Friedkin and William Peter Blatty
  • The Original Cut
  • Stairway to Heaven
  • The Final Reckoning
• Original Ending
• Sketches & Storyboards
• Trailers
  • Nobody Expected It
  • Beyond Comprehension
  • Flash Image
• TV Spots
  • Beyond Comprehension
  • You Too Can See The Exorcist
  • Between Science & Superstition
  • The Movie You’ve Been Waiting For

Amazon: $23.99

2. THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE and THE MALTESE FALCON

Believe me, it was a tough call placing both The Treasure of the Sierra Madre and The Maltese Falcon in the second slot this week but there's just no competing with the deluxe 2-disc, digibook extravaganza that is The Exorcist. That said, these two classic John Huston fliks starring Humphrey Bogart are both must-haves for all film fans, representing the finest presentation either has ever seen on home video, with Treasure actually looking quite spectacular! Both feature enough special features to please any fan or to educate any budding film student. Check it out!

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The Maltese Falcon

• Commentary by Bogart Biographer Eric Lax
• Featurette: The Maltese Falcon: One Magnificent Bird
• Breakdowns of 1941: Studio Blooper Reel
• Makeup tests
• Becoming Attractions: The Trailers of Humphrey Bogart
• Warner Night at the Movies 1941 – Short Subjects Gallery:
  • Newsreel
  • Musical Short: The Gay Parisian
  • Two Classic Cartoons:
    • Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt
    • Meet John Doughboy
• Trailers
  • The Maltese Falcon
  • Sergeant York
  • Satan Met a Lady (1936 previous Falcon movie adaptation)
• Audio-Only Bonus: Three radio show adaptations – two featuring the movie's original stars, plus another starring Edward G. Robinson

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

• Commentary by Bogart biographer Eric Lax
• Featurette: Discovering Treasure: The Story of The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
• Feature-length documentary profile: John Huston
• Outtakes
• Classic Cartoon: 8 Ball Bunny
• Warner Night at the Movies 1948 – Short Subjects Gallery:
  • Newsreel
  • Joe McDoakes Comedy Short: So You Want to Be a Detective
  • Classic Cartoon: Hot Cross Bunny
• Trailers:
  • The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
  • Key Largo
• Audio-Only Bonus: Radio show adaptation featuring the movie's original stars

Amazon: $17.49 each

3. THE KARATE KID

Okay, honestly, this Karate Kid remake is quite great. That's right. It's not just good. It's great. Nevermind that it's more Kung Fu now than Karate, with the location of the film transplanted from the California, USA of the original 1984 classic film to China 2010. And nevermind that aged Japanese sensei Mr. Miyagi has been replaced by Jackie Chan's far more genuinely skilled, and far more Chinese Mr. Han. This is a faithful representation of the tone and themes of the original with a whole new modern spirit and vastly improved photography and musical score. The Blu-ray disc is damn-near flawless, sporting one of the best transfers we've seen all year. The Karate Kid is a winner on Blu-ray!

Amazon: $22.99

4. THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS

The Last of the Mohicans is probably one of the most long awaited titles to make it to the world of high-def. And this week, it makes its debut on Blu is a fairly strong transfer that should please most fans. It’s a bit on the darker side and has a handful of scenes that border on murky but generally exhibits a great amount of detail and an overall accurate representation of the film. Fans of director Michael Mann won’t want to miss out on his thorough commentary track here. It might not be overly engaging, but if you follow his work or care for the film you’ll be enthralled. There’s also a great 42-minute “Making Of” documentary feature presented in 1080i for those who’d like to delve in a little deeper. The new HD transfer and doc definitely make this Blu-ray disc a worthy upgrade from the DVD!

Amazon: $18.49

5. GRINDHOUSE

FINALLY! How long have we been waiting for this combined Grindhouse release, featuring both Planet Terror and Death Proof? Like, forever?! Well, now you can have that theatrical experience all over again, with shorter cuts of both films and all the fake-trailers you can stomach (including Machete!) There are a lot of special features on this bad boy, but sadly, no lossless audio.

Amazon: $22.99

ANIMATION SPOTLIGHT

DISNEY’S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST: DIAMOND EDITION

Don’t miss out on this incredible Diamond Edition of Disney‘s Beauty and the Beast. I swear, it’s absolutely magnificent. I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen from the moment the film began. This is a truly beautiful Blu-ray that shouldn’t be missed by animation or high-def fans.

Read our full review here: Beauty and the Beast: Diamond Edition Blu-ray Disc Review

Amazon: $24.99

THE SECRET OF KELLS

Incredible. That’s about all I can say about The Secret of Kells. Every frame of this independently created 2D animation film can stand on its own as a stunning frame of art. It was nominated for Best Animated Feature Film at this past years Academy Awards for good reason. I haven’t seen the Blu-ray disc but understand it looks and sounds pretty close to perfect. I’ll be picking this one up as soon as I can!

Amazon: $34.99

ALSO AVAILABLE ON BLU-RAY THIS WEEK
Clicking an image will take you to Amazon.com where you can learn more about and purchase the Blu-ray disc:

Related posts

• Top 10 New Blu-ray Discs for Halloween 2010 (4)
• [VIDEO] The Exorcist: Extended Director’s Cut Blu-ray Trailer (0)
• The Exorcist coming to Blu-ray in October (3)
• Last of the Mohicans Blu-ray announced and detailed (0)
• Top 5 New Blu-ray releases for the Week of May 4 (0)