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!

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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

READ MORE: Easy A Blu-ray announced and detailed

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
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