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Top 5 New on Blu

Top 10 New Blu-ray releases for the Week of February 1

Holy crap! I had no idea today was such a huge, overwhelming release day. I mean, there aren’t a ton of brand new titles hitting shops (most are older, catalogue films) but they’re hitting in vast numbers. And a lot of them are outstanding! In honour of this cornucopia of goodness, I’ve expanded the list to an unheard of ten recommended titles this week, transforming it into … wait for it … A TOP 10 LIST!!!

I know. Pretty exciting stuff.

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1. THE DOUBLE LIFE OF VÉRONIQUE

THE DOUBLE LIFE OF VÉRONIQUE Criterion Collection Blu-ray


This is such an exciting day for film nerds like me. It marks the very first time a Kieślowski film is available in high-def in North America. And what a film to debut on Blu!

The Double Life of Véronique sees writer/director Krzysztof Kieślowski (Decalogue, the Three Colors trilogy) at his best. Irène Jacob (Red, Othello) plays dual roles here, as a singer and her double, a music teacher. Both living separate lives, unaware of the other but sharing an uncanny emotional bond.

As it’s to be expected, Criterion has delivered a knock-out of a disc, with a stunning technical presentation and more special features than you can shake a stick at. The film looks better than ever, highlighting the extraordinary colourful photography of Slawomir Idziak in all it’s rich, vibrant glory. The DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack is a faithful representation of the source, eschewing a modern 5.1 mix for the original theatrical stereo while remaining crisp, clear and film-accurate throughout.

The Double Life of Véronique receives our highest possible recommendation!

Special Features:

  • Restored high-definition digital transfer with DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
  • Audio commentary by Annette Insdorf, author of Double Lives, Second Chances: The Cinema of Krzysztof Kieślowski
  • Three short documentary films by Kieślowski: Factory (1970), Hospital (1976), and Railway Station (1980)
  • The Musicians (1958), a short film by Kieślowski’s teacher Kazimierz Karabasz
  • Kieślowski’s Dialogue (1991), a documentary featuring a candid interview with Kieślowski and rare behind-the-scenes footage from the set of The Double Life of Véronique
  • 1966-1988: Kieślowski, Polish Filmmaker, a 2005 documentary tracing the filmmaker’s work in Poland, from his days as a student through The Double Life of Véronique
  • A 2005 interview with actress Irène Jacob
  • New video interviews with cinematographer Slawomir Idziak and composer Zbigniew Preisner
  • New and improved English subtitle translation
  • PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by Jonathan Romney and a selection from Kieślowski on Kieślowski

AMAZON: $25.99


2. ALICE IN WONDERLAND: 60TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION

Alice In Wonderland (Two-Disc 60th Anniversary Blu-ray/DVD Combo) (1951)

As has become fairly standard with these Disney animation catalogue releases, I’m simply in awe of how great Alice in Wonderland looks and sounds on this new 60th Anniversary Blu-ray disc. I won’t elaborate here (you can read my full review for my thoughts on this extraordinary release) but most everything about this disc is pitch perfect. If you’re a fan of animation you owe it to yourself to pick this one up!

READ MORE: Disney’s Alice in Wonderland: 60th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray Disc Review

AMAZON: $19.99


3. NEVER LET ME GO

Never Let Me Go [Blu-ray] (2010)

Academy Award® Nominees Carey Mulligan and Keira Knightley, co-star with talented newcomer Andrew Garfield (The Social Network) in this poignant and powerful film. Kathy (Mulligan), Ruth (Knightley) and Tommy (Garfield) are best friends who grow up together at an English boarding school with a chilling secret. When they learn the shocking truth–that they are genetically engineered clones raised to be organ donors–they embrace their fleeting chance to live and love. Based on the acclaimed novel by Kazuo Ishiguro (The Remains of the Day), Never Let Me Go is an intriguing exploration of hope and humanity.

When I think of Mark Romanek‘s Never Let Me Go, I can’t help but think about how it was robbed of so many well deserved award nominations this year. Did everyone just forget that this astonishing, beautiful, perfect film exists? Thank God for Blu-ray. If you missed this one, now is your chance to set the world ever so slightly more right.

AMAZON: $26.99


4. ALL ABOUT EVE

All About Eve [Blu-ray] (1950)

From the moment she glimpses her idol on Broadway, Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter) strives to upstage Margo Channing (Bette Davis). After cunningly stealing Margo’s role, Eve disrupts the lives of anyone close to the actress in this timeless cinematic masterpiece that earned a record 14 Oscar® Nominations*, winning six — including Best Picture!

Well, the sheer number of Oscar nods this film received (still a record best, I believe) should tell you a little something about how great All About Eve is. And the quality of the Blu-ray transfer does the film justice. This disc looks incredible! Replace that ugly, digital mess of a DVD today with this gorgeous, feature packed new Blu-ray. You won’t regret it.

AMAZON: $22.99


5. AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER

An Affair to Remember [Blu-ray] (1957)

In this poignant and humorous love story nominated for four Academy Awards, Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr meet on an ocean liner and fall deeply in love. Though each is engaged to someone else, they agree to meet six months later at the Empire State Building if they still feel the same way about each other. But a tragic accident prevents their rendezvous and the lover’s future takes an emotional and uncertain turn.

Along with All About Eve, Fox is also releasing An Affair to Remember on Blu today. It’s packaged in a very nice digibook and easily bests the previously issued DVD in just about every way. All of the special features from the DVD are carried over to the new Blu-ray, so feel safe in upgrading this one too!

AMAZON: $23.99


6. LET ME IN

Let Me In [Blu-ray] (2010)

From Matt Reeves – the writer/director of Cloverfield – comes the new vampire classic that critics are calling “chillingly real” (Scott Bowles, USA Today) and “one of the best horror films of the year” (Cinematical). In bleak New Mexico, a lonely, bullied boy, Owen (Kodi Smit-McPhee of The Road), forms a unique bond with his mysterious new neighbor, Abby (Chloë Grace Moretz of Kick-Ass). Trapped in the mind and body of a child, however, Abby is forced to hide a horrific secret of bloodthirsty survival. But in a world of both tenderness and terror, how can you invite in the one friend who may unleash the ultimate nightmare?

This is one of the more exciting releases of the week for me. I’m a big fan of vampire movies in general and have strong feeling about the first version of this story on film, Let The Right One In. I haven’t yet been able to catch a screening of Matt Reeves‘ English-language remake (produced by the new Hammer films, freshly risen from the crypt!) but I’ve heard nothing but great things.

AMAZON: $19.99


7. MONSTERS

Monsters Special Edition + Digital Copy [Blu-ray] (2010)

Six years ago NASA discovered the possibility of alien life within our solar system. A probe was launched to collect samples, but crashed upon reentry over Central America. Soon after, new life forms began to appear and half of Mexico was quarantined as an INFECTED ZONE. Today, the American and Mexican military still struggle to contain the creatures … Our story begins when a U.S. journalist agrees to escort a shaken American tourist through the infected zone to the safety of the U.S. border.

Another film that I’m extremely excited to check out, director Gareth EdwardsMonsters has both film and nerd communities buzzing that it’s this years District 9 – a low budget sci-fi epic with brains and fantastic effects that betray its modest origins. Count me in!

AMAZON: $15.99


8. SHOPPING

Shopping [Blu-ray]

Billy and his girlfriend Jo steal expensive cars and speed them into shop windows (ram-raiding), which they find exciting and gives them an addictive adrenaline rush. There are many fast chases and encounters with the police. Rivalry grows between Billy and Tommy, as both want to be seen as “the hero”. Jo wants her and Billy to change their way of life, but Billy wants first to ram-raid the Shopping Mall, because it has never been done before. But, who will get there first, Billy or Tommy? Hard-hitting, fast-moving, ultraviolent drama.

Yeah, Paul Anderson (the one with the W.S. in his name, not the one who made Magnolia) has made a lot of crap in his time. But you know what, I find that more often than not, I actually get a kick out his work. I wasted a lot of energy hating on Resident Evil before I finally saw it and enjoyed the heck out of it. By that token, I’m more than willing to give Shopping a look. And having the Severin seal of approval doesn’t hurt my anticipation any either. I tend to enjoy their particular brand of genre cinema and their Blu-ray discs (Santa Sangre, Hardware) are, generally speaking, quite remarkable.

AMAZON: $22.49


9. BAD BOYS

Bad Boys [Blu-ray] (1983)

Academy Award(R) winner Sean Penn (2003, Best Actor in a Leading Role, Mystic River) is Mick O’Brien, a young Chicago street thug torn between a life of petty crime and the love of his girlfriend (Ally Sheedy). But when the heist of a local drug dealer (Esai Morales) goes tragically wrong, Mick is sentenced to a brutal juvenile prison where violence is a rite of passage and respect is measured in vengeance. Can a bad boy on the edge of salvation find the heart to survive a manhood on the verge of murder? Reni Santoni, Clancy Brown and Eric Gurry costar in this gritty drama that sealed Sean Penn’s reputation as the greatest young actor of his generation. Bad Boys is presented complete and restored to its original theatrical format.

Sean Penn as he was becoming “Sean Penn”. This is a powerhouse performance not to be missed. Here’s hoping the Blu-ray delivers.

AMAZON: $14.99


10. A WOMAN, A GUN AND A NOODLE SHOP

A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop [Blu-ray] (2010)

Wang is a gloomy and cunning noodle shop owner in a desert town in China. Feeling neglected Wang s wife secretly goes out with Li one of his employees. A timid man Li reluctantly keeps the gun the landlady bought for killing her husband later. Every single move they make however does not escape the boss notice. Wang decides to bribe patrol officer Zhang to kill the illicit couple. It looks like a perfect plan: the affair will come to a cruel but satisfying end or so he thinks but the equally wicked Zhang has an agenda of his own that will lead to even more violence.

Just as the Coen Brothers were re-making cowboy classic True Grit, famed Chinese director Zhang Yimou (House of Flying Daggers, Curse of the Golden Flower) was crafting his rendition of their first feature, Blood Simple into A Woman, A Gun and a Noodle Shop. The film isn’t a complete success but Yimou never fails to offer up heaps of tasty eye candy. The film looks spectacular, just as all his work does. The Blu-ray disc features a nearly 2-hour long documentary on the making of the film.

AMAZON: $26.99


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:

Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2 (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy)Hatchet II [Blu-ray] (2010)Conviction [Blu-ray] (2010)Pleasantville [Blu-ray] (1998)



You've Got Mail [Blu-ray]Masterpiece Classic: Downton Abbey [Blu-ray]10 [Blu-ray] (1979)The Tillman Story [Blu-ray] (2010)



Welcome to the Rileys [Blu-ray] (2010)Ray [Blu-ray] (2004)Boys Don't Cry [Blu-ray] (1999)Chain Letter [Blu-ray] (2010)



Night Catches Us [Blu-ray] (2010)Hurricane Season [Blu-ray] (2009)Bad Biology Blu-ray DVD Combo (2008)Highlander 2-Film Set (Highlander / Highlander 2) (Anniversary Collection) [Blu-ray]



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  1. [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by theblurayblog, theblurayblog. theblurayblog said: Disney's 'ALICE IN WONDERLAND: 60TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION' Blu-ray is spectacular and available today: http://bit.ly/eGTNco #animation [...]

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