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Top 5 New Blu-ray releases for the Week of December 21

Written by Brenden on Dec 21, 2010 in Top 5 New on Blu

There are scant few days left before Christmas and yet still, a whack of new Blu-ray releases are hitting shops. If you don’t find anything you like here and are still searching for that perfect present, be sure to check out our fairly comprehensive BLU-RAY HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE. There are a lot of great ideas in there!

As always, clicking our Amazon links supports The Blu-ray Blog and we appreciate every purchase made through them. Thank you so much and have a Happy Holiday!

1. EASY A

There are undoubtedly bigger, more high profile Blu-ray releases this week but if I have to pick my favourite of the new titles, it would have to be Easy A. This modern day take on The Scarlett Letter is extremely intelligent, extremely self aware and most importantly, quite funny. Emma Stone is clearly the breakout star here but her extraordinary co-stars manage to steal scenes on occasion (in particular Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson playing the coolest parents to ever live!) Despite being based on a classic story, the film itself owes its style and many of its key moments to the films of the 80s, particularly the work of John Hughes.

The disc itself is a winner as well, across the board. The transfer is sparkling clean and rock solid, with vibrant colours and a ton of detail. The DTS-HD MA 5.1 is a real treat – more expressive than you’d expect from a comedy, with the films many musical tracks sounding dynamic and rich. Special features also seem to go beyond the call of duty for a film of this ilk, offering up a good combination of behind-the-scenes material, fun, and context for the films creation.

Highly recommended!

Special Features:

Commentary with Director Will Gluck and Emma Stone
Emma Stone’s Webcam Audition Footage
Extra Credit: Pop-Up Trivia Track (BD-exclusive)
The Making of Easy A (BD-exclusive)
The School of Pop Culture: Movies of the Eighties (BD-exclusive)
Vocabulary of Hilarity (BD-exclusive)
Gag Reel
movieIQ+sync
BD-Live

AMAZON: $19.99

2. SALT

I wanted to like Salt far more than I actually did. It tries oh-so-hard to be a new Bourne film, with a female lead and succeeds for a time. But so much of it just goes too far over the top that I lost that feeling that what I was watching could actually be real. Angelina Jolie is, of course, incredible as the lead character Evelyn A. Salt – FBI agent now purported Russian sleeper-agent on the run – but can’t keep the plot from overwhelming her reality.

From watching the multiple cuts of the film and all the special features, it seems like the ideal version of Salt got lost along way, between the original draft (which had a male in the lead, Edwin A. Salt), the budget restraints and cuts to retain a more age-friendly rating.

Technically, the Blu-ray is another astounding feat from Sony, who deliver a near-flawless disc which looks and sounds amazing. It’s also feature-packed with enough featurettes, audio interviews, commentaries and the like to keep you engaged for hours.

AMAZON: $19.99

3. FUTURAMA: VOLUME 5

How could a network ever possibly cancel a show in its prime? Thank goodness for Comedy Central who’ve been keeping the life support engaged for Futurama, the sci-fi spoof from the creators of the Simpsons. This latest collection of episodes – thirteen in total – constitute the last season’s worth of goodness from the network. The boxed set literally just turned up at my door a few minutes ago so I can’t comment on the quality of them technically or artistically but I’m excited to dive in! Review forthcoming…

AMAZON: $30.49

4. WALL STREET: MONEY NEVER SLEEPS

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps is Oliver Stone‘s follow up to his successful and influential film from 1987. Michael Douglas is back as Gordon Gekko, newly released from prison and looking to make up for lost time. He takes his daughter’s fiance, Jacob (Shia LaBeouf) under his wing but soon turns from the path of redemption. I haven’t seen the Blu-ray disc yet but the profile of the film, its director and stars make this a sure-fire bet this week. Features include a Stone commentary track, deleted and extended scenes, featurettes and interviews and the Blu-ray exclusive “Money, Money, Money: The Rise and Fall of Wall Street” – a five-part look at the real Wall Street!

AMAZON: $22.99

5. FAMILY GUY: IT’S A TRAP

Okay, you know what? I’ve had my fill of The Family Guy. Yep. That’s it. Done. That includes this latest (and perhaps last?) Star Wars send-up, It’s A Trap. I kinda, sorta enjoyed their first crack at the game but found the second one sorely lacking. I’m not even going to waste my time with this third episode. But I include it here, at number 5, simply for interests sake. Maybe you’re still interested? If so, you should know that all three shorts are also now available in a boxed set – Laugh It Up Fuzzball: The Family Guy Trilogy – which you can see pictured below.

AMAZON: $17.99

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:

Blu-ray Holiday Gift Guide 2010: The Best of the Year

Written by Brenden on Dec 20, 2010 in Gift Guides

Even a relatively comprehensive gift guide won’t quite cut the mustard if it ignores the best of the best. The following titles represent some of the finest new films released on Blu-ray this past year.

Next up: The Best Blu-ray Player

MORE GIFT IDEAS:

* GIFT & BOXED SETS
* TV ON BLU
* ANIMATION
* CLASSICS

Nothing beats the heavyweight champ. The biggest film of the year or possibly even of all time. James Cameron’s Avatar makes its triumphant return to Blu-ray in a 3-disc set that should find its way under every Blu-ray fan’s Christmas tree this year.

Not only is this Extended Collector’s Edition packed to the gills with the deleted scenes and extras you’ve been waiting the year to see but it also features three cuts of the award winning film, all demo-disc worthy. With the technical quality of the video and audio presentation off the charts (and surprisingly equal to the stand alone disc available earlier this year) this Blu-ray set has claimed the crown of high-def title to beat! Bring on the challengers!!

AMAZON: $23.99

Inception (Three-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy) (2010)

Christopher Nolan‘s Inception might have been my favourite Hollywood film of 2010. I’m fully aware of all the character deficiencies and possible plot holes in the script but I don’t care. The film managed an incredible feat, as far as I’m concerned and spent the first three-quarters of the narrative setting it up – a storytelling gag wherein a group of characters live and interact at different speeds within different dream states. It’s a fantastic narrative gymnastic feat that has never been attempted before and I think it succeeds in a marvelous way. Also, I can’t stop listening to Hans Zimmer‘s incredible score for the film. Seriously. Every time I put my iPod on it’s Inception. I think it might be bordering on unhealthy.

AMAZON: $17.99

I skipped this one in the theatres. I love, love, love Sherlock Holmes stories and had no desire to see Guy Richie butcher the character with his ‘enslickened‘ boy-with-guns style, so I just avoided the film all together. I honestly couldn’t have been more wrong about it. It’s so good, from top to bottom! I hate to say it but it works on almost every level – it’s well designed, well performed and, as much as it pains me to admit, it was quite well directed. And the Blu-ray disc is spectacular to boot, replete with a killer transfer and some incredible special features.

AMAZON: $15.49

The coming-of-age story of An Education, young girl being wooed by older man, is fairly well worn but the wonderful performances here in this film really make it shine. Carey Mulligan emerges as the breakout star, practically painting herself as this generation’s Audrey Hepburn. Great film. Great Blu-ray disc.

AMAZON: $20.99

The Karate Kid (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy) (2010) (2010)

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

Combine the HBO prison drama OZ with a touch of the Godfather and you’ve got a glimpse of where Jacques Audiard‘s A Prophet will lead you. It feels epic at its monster 149-minute run-time but honestly doesn’t waste a minute of screen time. This is two-and-a-half very tense hours that will fly right by. One of the best films of 2009 and highly recommended on Blu-ray!

AMAZON: $28.99

If you can’t handle the heat, get out of the kitchen. And if you can’t handle being disturbed and unsettled by a film, you’d best avoid Michael Haneke‘s latest unflinching gaze into the darkest heart of mankind, The White Ribbon. Great, ghostly black and white visuals add the sinister tale a layer of subtle depth. Highly recommended for those who can handle it.

AMAZON: $28.99

The Secret in Their Eyes [Blu-ray] (2010)

The Secret in Their Eyes (El Secreto de Sus Ojos) is, without question one of the finest films of the last year and long overdue for a domestic Blu-ray release. In direct competition with Michael Haneke‘s The White Ribbon for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film this past year, Secret edged out the popular pick to take the prize. And it deserves it.

Highly recommended!

AMAZON: $27.99

The Ghost Writer (Single-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo) (2010)

Roman Polanski‘s The Ghost Writer is one of the best films I’ve seen all year and one of the director’s absolute best in decades. It’s got a great script by Robert Harris (adapting his novel of the same name) with some incredible performances by some of my favourite actors (I’ll watch pretty much anything starring Ewan McGregor.) Highly Recommended.

AMAZON: $23.99

I fully understand that this won’t be a very popular sentiment, but Cemetery Junction is one hell of a great little film. One of the most enjoyable I’ve watched all year, in fact! It’s a light, comedy-infused drama from the brilliant minds of The Office creative team of Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant (who both wrote and directed the film!), both of whom turn up on screen in smaller yet brilliant roles. Aside from being a fantastic film about growing up in 1970s England, the Blu-ray is so packed full of amazing bonus features, you’ll feel like you’re getting two entire, extremely entertaining packages for one price!

AMAZON: $23.49

Red Cliff International Version - Part I & Part II [Blu-ray] (2009)

Red Cliff is, without question, a return to form for director John Woo. This is the film we’ve been desperate to see from him for years now. There are two versions on the market – the extended version, consisting of both Parts 1 and 2 of the film and the truncated, edited down version that cuts them both into one, much shorter film. Take my advice and get yourself or your loved one the Extended Edition. You’ll thank me later!

AMAZON: $18.99

Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet can do no wrong in my eyes. The French auteur’s latest opus of quirk and style, Micmacs, might not be able to compete with his best work ever (Amelie!) but that doesn’t keep it from being one of the best films out on Blu this year.

AMAZON: $26.99

I really, really wish that I loved Shutter Island a lot more than I did. I mean, it’s a great looking film with some amazing performances and a killer vibe but ultimately it just plays its hand way too early and too fiercely to be as effective as I would like it to be. Nevertheless, even the worst Martin Scorsese film is a work of genius and worthy of checking out. And this is far from the worst Scorsese film.

The Blu-ray from Paramount looks and sounds like a million bucks. Sadly, it’s damn light on special features. But if this is a flik you love and you’re not bothered by the lack of extras you could find a brand new demo disc with this one!

AMAZON: $24.99

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus [Blu-ray] (2008)

If you’ve read this blog in the past, you know that I’m an unabashed Terry Gilliam fan. And while there are a whole host of his films that just plain don’t work for me, I can’t count the The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus among them. It’s not his best flik, by far, but it manages to incorporate so many themes and images from his past work that I couldn’t help but feel warmly toward it. It’s good stuff.

AMAZON: $18.49

Predators ( + Digital Copy) [Blu-ray] (2010)

Predators wasn’t my favourite film of 2010 but it’s certainly one of the most fun, action packed Blu-ray discs to come out this year. The film can’t really measure up to the original but it’s paced with enough original ideas and call-backs to the 80s to make it feel worthy of its title. The film looks and sounds like a million bucks on Blu and is definitely worth a look.

AMAZON: $18.99

If you don’t like a zombie movie, we can’t be friends. Slap an “…of the Dead” suffix on just about any film title and I’m there! Whether it’s high-grade Hollywood fare or low-rent, B-movie imports made on a shoestring and shipped over from Italy, I’ll watch just about anything with a staggering, lurching undead brain-eater in it. Joining the ranks of the best zombie action captured on celluloid is Sony‘s Zombieland, a truly excellent adventure/teen-romance/zombie film captured on a truly excellent, feature packed Blu-ray!

AMAZON: $13.99

I can’t believe how much I really loved this movie. Like I said in my review, I loathe sports and I possess an even greater loathing for films about sports. The fact that I could enjoy it at all makes The Damned United a pretty special movie, in my books. But ultimately, it’s less about the game than it is about the rise and fall of football club manager, Brian Clough, played brilliantly here by Michael Sheen. Watch the film for his performance, if nothing else.

AMAZON: $26.99

Moon is one of the best films of the year. And it’s also a really fine Blu-ray disc. Don’t just pick it up for the quirky sci-fi story or the brilliant performance by Sam Rockwell. Pick it up because its a great all-round debut from a fine filmmaker (I’m looking at you, Duncan Jones!) given a spectacular Blu-ray disc treatment courtesy of Sony.

AMAZON: $13.99

I’m not one of those crazy Steven Soderbergh fans. I’m not one of those art-jerks who’ll drool over everything the man touches (I thought Full Frontal was absolute garbage) but everything he’s touched lately seems to me to be quite brilliant. That goes for Che and that certainly goes for his newest release, The Informant! (and yes, that exclamation mark is a part of the title.) It’s a cracking, fun little story, told with a ton of style, beautiful photography and the best Marvin Hamlisch score I’ve ever heard. And Matt Damon is not half bad in it either…

AMAZON: $13.99

I loved Broken Embraces. Not only does this look and sound fantastic on Blu but it’s a wonderful all-around film as well. As per his usual, Almodóvar delivers a rich, finely textured tale of damaged people and, once again, provides the lovely Penélope Cruz an opportunity to break our hearts. Wonderful all around!

AMAZON: $21.99

MORE GIFT IDEAS:

* GIFT & BOXED SETS
* TV ON BLU
* ANIMATION
* CLASSICS

Blu-ray Holiday Gift Guide 2010: Classics

Written by Brenden on Dec 19, 2010 in Gift Guides

Almost there. We’re less than a week away from Christmas morning and thankfully, I’m almost through my yearly gift guide. This list of classics on Blu represents some of the best and most exciting high-def releases of the past year. Every last one of them would make an ideal gift for the real film fan in your life.

Next up: The Best New Blu-ray Discs of the Year!

MORE GIFT IDEAS:

* GIFT & BOXED SETS
* TV ON BLU
* ANIMATION
* THE BEST OF THE YEAR

Seven Samurai (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]

Bigger Than Life (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray] (1956)

Walkabout (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray] (1971)

8 1/2 (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray] (1963)

Stagecoach (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray] (1939)

M (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray] (1931)

Black Narcissus (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray] (1947)

The Red Shoes (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray] (1948)

The Night of the Hunter (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]

The Leopard (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray] (1963)

Modern Times (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray] (1905)

Lola Montès (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray] (1905)

Charade (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray] (1963)

The Magician (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]

Breathless (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray] (1960)

Black Orpheus (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]

What can I say? I’m a massive, unadulterated fan of just about everything that comes out of The Criterion Collection. To me, the studio can do no wrong. I fork over a decent amount of my salary to them each and every year and 2010 has been no exception. Some of the most exciting titles to come out of Criterion are the older, more classic catalogue releases, quite often lovingly restored and always looking and sounding better than ever. The images above represent a handful of the classics Criterion published on Blu-ray this year. They all come highly recommended.

READ MORE:

AMAZON: Click for price list

The Complete Metropolis [Blu-ray] (1927)

The Complete Metropolis is unquestionably one of the finest and most important Blu-ray releases of the year. This restoration, incorporating 25-minutes of newly discovered footage back into the film for the first time in decades, is absolutely stunning in high-def and is necessary viewing for every film fan. This disc receives our highest possible recommendation.

AMAZON: $29.49

The Bridge on the River Kwai [Blu-ray] (1957)

David Lean‘s Lawrence of Arabia might not be available on Blu yet but Sony has given us the next best thing in their brilliant new high-def transfer of The Bridge on the River Kwai. The boxed set contains a bunch of unnecessary collectibles, but the disc is to die for!

AMAZON: $19.99

Doctor Zhivago Anniversary Edition (Blu-ray Book) (1965)

And speaking of Lean, his very fine and highly under-rated Doctor Zhivago was released on Blu-ray earlier this year in a nice, new digi-book edition from Warner. If the photography and the music don’t get you, Omar Sharif surely will. Purely briliant!

AMAZON: $28.99

Who doesn’t just absolutely love the original King Kong?! The Merian C. Cooper film has inspired a couple of remakes, tons of knock-offs and countless filmmakers over the years. And it’s never looked or sounded better on home video than on this gorgeous new Blu-ray edition from Warner. Highly recommended!

AMAZON: $25.99

And while we’re on the subject of brilliant films made with stop-motion animation, don’t miss out on the incredible Blu-ray edition of Ray Harryhausen‘s Jason and the Argonauts! I still can’t get over what a great job Sony did restoring and transferring this to Blu. You have to see it to believe it!

AMAZON: $20.99

As I stated in my review of the A Star is Born Blu-ray, I really hate musicals. But I’m always willing to make an exception for a well made film presented in a pretty great Blu-ray edition. This is classic Judy Garland and James Mason in a classic George Cukor film. Don’t miss this WHV digi-book edition of the Blu-ray!

AMAZON: $24.99

Mutiny on the Bounty [Blu-ray Book] (1935)

There aren’t a whole lot of special features on this new Blu-ray edition of the 1935 version of Mutiny on the Bounty but the film itself has never looked or sounded better on home video. This isn’t a flawless restoration here but it’s a great package, including a hardcover digibook, that most collectors and fans will be satisfied with.

AMAZON: $22.99

This gorgeous restoration has been a long time in coming! We film fans have been waiting to get our grubby mitts on a cleaned up, digital copy of The African Queen for ages. It’s one of those few titles that didn’t appear on DVD at all until just this year, when it also saw release on Blu-ray. John Huston‘s classic starring Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn has never looked or sounded better and is a must for all film fans.

AMAZON: $24.99

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre [Blu-ray] (1948)

Speaking of Bogey and Huston, Warner recently hit us with amazing Blu-ray editions of a couple of their finest collaborations – The Treasure of the Sierra Madre and The Maltese Falcon! Both look fantastic, considering their ages, with the transfer for Treasure often quite breathtaking. The discs both contain a myriad of special features, which you can read about here.

AMAZON: $18.49, $17.49

Kino has been absolutely killing it this year with silent film releases on Blu-ray! Aside from their killer high-def version of Metropolis, I think my favourite title has to have been Douglas Fairbanks‘ The Black Pirate. I never thought a two-strip Technicolor film of this age could look this good in high-def! Amazing!

AMAZON: $22.99

ALSO AVAILABLE FROM KINO:

Sherlock Jr. / Three Ages [Blu-ray] (1924)

Nuts to the Coen brothers! This here original version of True Grit is the real deal. This classic John Wayne film co-starring the likes of a very young Dennis Hopper and Robert Duvall, is pretty stunning here in its new Blu-ray incarnation. The special features are all carried over from the previously issued DVD but hold up well.

AMAZON: $17.99

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

Ocean's 11 (50th Anniversary) [Blu-ray] (1960)

Psycho (50th Anniversary Edition) [Blu-ray] (1960)

White Christmas (Anniversary Edition) [Blu-ray] (1954)

MORE GIFT IDEAS:

* GIFT & BOXED SETS
* TV ON BLU
* ANIMATION
* THE BEST OF THE YEAR

Disney’s Tangled coming to Blu-ray in 2D and 3D

Written by Brenden on Dec 18, 2010 in Release News

Disney‘s latest (and reportedly final) foray into Princess-dom, Tangled is available for pre-order on Blu-ray from Amazon, complete with a full listing of special features and a coupon for $8 off!

TANGLED

(March 29, 2011 – Four-Disc Combo Pack MSRP $49.99)
Video: 1.85:1 1080p
Audio: DTS-HD MA 7.1

Special Features:

Two original storybook openings
50th Animated Countdown
Three deleted scenes
The Making of a Fairy Tale
Two extended songs
Nine Theatrical Teasers

Blu-ray Holiday Gift Guide 2010: Animation on Blu

Written by Brenden on Dec 18, 2010 in Gift Guides

All right, time is running out to get these Blu-ray gift guide recommendations posted so let’s get back to it! I’ll keep the commentary to a minimum here, in order to hasten the process.

Next up: Classics on Blu-ray

MORE GIFT IDEAS:

* GIFT & BOXED SETS
* TV ON BLU
* CLASSICS
* THE BEST OF THE YEAR

Ponyo (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo) (2008)

Animation just doesn’t get any better than the work of Hayao Miyazaki. His latest film, Ponyo is also his first on Blu-ray. This is not only a perfect gift for kids and animation fans but also for film fans of all ages.

Highest possible recommendation!!