I’m late with the Top 5 column this week. Sorry about that. So instead of chatting your ear off (reading your eyes out?) about this new crop of Blu-ray discs let’s just get to it!

Oh wait, I should mention that the godawful Mortal Kombat films are out on Blu today and that our own Howard has posted his review of the original 1995 film, starring the Highlander, Christopher Lambert and directed by the hack-tastic Paul W.S. Anderson of Resident Evil and marrying supermodel Milla Jovovich fame. Read the Blu-ray disc review here.

As always, clicking the Blu-ray package art will zip you over to Amazon where every purchase you make through our links helps the site stay on its feet. We appreciate every single click and thank you again for continuing to read The Blu-ray Blog.

1. THE KING’S SPEECH

“After the death of his father King George V (Michael Gambon) and the scandalous abdication of King Edward VIII (Guy Pearce), Bertie (Colin Firth) who has suffered from a debilitating speech impediment all his life, is suddenly crowned King George VI of England. With his country on the brink of war and in desperate need of a leader, his wife, Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter), the future Queen Mother, arranges for her husband to see an eccentric speech therapist, Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush). After a rough start, the two delve into an unorthodox course of treatment and eventually form an unbreakable bond. With the support of Logue, his family, his government and Winston Churchill (Timothy Spall), the King will overcome his stammer and deliver a radio-address that inspires his people and unites them in battle. Based on the true story of King George VI, THE KING’S SPEECH follows the Royal Monarch’s quest to find his voice. “

The one-ton, Oscar-winning gorilla in the video shop today, The King’s Speech throws its weight around on Blu-ray. This isn’t the best new title available this week, if you ask me. And it’s certainly not the best looking transfer of these new discs nor does it sport the most impressive lossless audio track or collection of special features. What it does have going for it though, and the reason I’m sticking it up in the number one slot today, is its renown. As winner of the Best Picture academy award, The King’s Speech is the disc most people will be snatching up today. It’s a great film and worthy of all the praise it’s received. It’s just maybe not the best thing out on Blu today, in my opinion.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

• Audio Commentary
• Making Of Featurette
• Deleted Scenes

AMAZON: $19.99

2. KES and SWEETIE

Now, if you want to talk about awesome looking, stacked Blu-ray releases, you need look no further than the two newest releases from The Criterion Collection. Both Kes and Sweetie are classics of English-speaking world cinema that are rarely seen on these shores (in fact, this is the first time Kes has been on home video in North America). The former, Ken Loach‘s touching, nuanced portrait of a young boy’s struggle to find an escape from the torment of working-class Northern England and the latter, Jane Campion‘s quirky, colourful examination of a long-afflicted family, and the two sisters whose differences stand to tear it apart.

I’ve had a chance to screen both discs are believe me when I tell you, they’re stunners! I have a full review of Kes already posted and will be posting the Sweetie review shortly.

READ MORE: The Criterion Collection: Kes Blu-ray Disc Review

AMAZON: $27.99 each

3. RABBIT HOLE

“This is the extraordinary story of Becca (Nicole Kidman) and Howie (Aaron Eckhart). Eight months ago, they had a picture-perfect life with their young son. Now, they are posing as normal in the wake of an enormous loss; blindly looking for footing in a sea of new emotions. This is the remarkably moving journey of a couple finding their way back to love. “

Rabbit Hole is one of the most powerful films of 2010 and makes its Blu-ray debut sporting a nice, rich 1080p transfer. Special features include an audio Commentary with the director John Cameron Mitchell, writer David Lindsay-Abaire , and director of photography Frank G. DeMarco, deleted scenes and a trailer.

AMAZON: $19.99

4. THE WAY BACK

“Four-time Oscar nominee, Ed Harris (Apollo 13), Jim Sturgess (Across the Universe) and Oscar nominee Saoirse Ronan (Atonement) and Colin Farrell (In Bruges) star in this epic saga of survival from six-time Oscar-nominee Peter Weir (Witness, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World). Inspired by an incredible true story, The Way Back begins in 1940 when seven prisoners attempt the impossible: escape from a brutal Siberian gulag. Thus begins a treacherous 4,500-mile trek to freedom across the world’s most merciless landscapes. They have little food and few supplies. They don’t know or trust each other. But together, they must withstand nature at its most extreme. Their humanity is further tested when they meet a teenage runaway who begs to join them on their quest. A compelling testament to the human spirit, this gripping wilderness adventure is “Peter Weir at his hypnotic best” (Telluride Film Festival). “

The latest opus from the cinematic genius of Peter Weir (Picnic at Hanging Rock, Witness ), The Way Back finds its way to Blu with a very fine high-def transfer and a powerful, ass kicking DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. Supplements, however, are quite slim here featuring only a half-hour long making-of doc called “The Journey of the Journey“. It’s quite good but one hopes for a more thorough package of bonus material for such an exceptional film. Oh yeah, there’s also a trailer.

AMAZON: $15.99

5. IP MAN 2

“International superstar Donnie Yen reprises his iconic role as the real-life kung fu Grandmaster Ip Man, widely known as the man who brought Wing Chun to the world with the help of his star pupil, Bruce Lee. Master Ip, a new arrival in British-occupied Hong Kong, wants to open a martial arts academy to teach his unique Wing Chun style. A corrupt group of martial arts masters, led by Master Hung (Sammo Hung) refuses to allow him to teach in peace until he proves himself as a kung fu master. Ip s troubles continues when he is forced to enter a brutal King of the Ring boxing match against Twister, a Western-style boxer who insults the Chinese locals, in a East versus West knock-down, drag-out fight to the finish.“

Donnie Yen is back, kicking ass and taking names in Ip Man 2. The Blu-ray disc features a transfer that won’t quite knock your eyeballs out but is fairly decent all the same, sporting a more colourful pallete than its predecessor, nice black levels and a lot of detail. There are three DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 tracks on the disc – one each in the original Cantonese, Mandarin and an English dub. Special features on the 2-disc Collector’s Set are plentiful and include a nearly-20-minute “making of”, a series of interview ranging from 3 to 15-minutes, deleted scenes, “Behind the Sets”, a shooting diary and trailers galore.

AMAZON: $18.99

ALSO AVAILABLE ON BLU-RAY THIS WEEK
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