It’s late at night. Or early morning, if you like. And I’m just wrapping up this new release post. It’s another late one but I’m determined to get it online before I go to bed. Lots of sci-fi thrills, some quality films and at least one massive disappointment this week. I hate it when that happens…

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1. SOURCE CODE

“When soldier Captain Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) wakes up in the body of an unknown man, he discovers he’s part of an experimental government program called the “Source Code” that enables him to cross over into another man’s identity in the last 8 minutes of his life. Armed with the task of identifying the bomber of a Chicago commuter train, Colter must re-live the incident over and over again, gathering clues until he can solve the mystery and prevent an even deadlier second terrorist attack. Captivating from start to finish, “Source Code” is the mind-blowing action thriller Richard Roeper calls “Confounding, exhilarating, challenging – and the best movie I’ve seen so far in 2011″.“

Duncan Jones is one hell of an exciting filmmaker. Moon was an instant sci-fi classic and, while his latest offering, Source Code will have to fight to attain that status, it’s a film that’ll stick with me and that I’ll no doubt return to time and again. Jones’ sensibilities are right on the money, from his choice of script – shooting a challenging, mind-bending bomb-on-a-train story – to his shooting style, right down to the sound mix and final edit. He handles the Groundhog Day repetition of scenes with great panache, never allowing Captain Stevens’ replay of those critical eight-minutes on the train to become dull or boring.

My only disappointments with the film were the production design, which I found pedestrian and uninspired relative to the look of Moon, and the fact that I was able to see all the major plot points and twists coming. I understand that the design of Source Code shouldn’t be compared to Moon as they’re far different stories that need to accomplish different things with their visuals. But, while watching the film I couldn’t help but wish there was something prettier to look at (aside from the stunning Michelle Monaghan, that is). To the latter issue, being able to guess the twists and turns of the story isn’t really the fault of the script or of Jones at all. I blame myself. Source Code riffs on a type of sci-fi that I’m way too familiar with – the Philip K. Dick/Grant Morrison sci-fi identity quest – and the answers to all of Captain Stevens’ questions were the ones that fit best in that sub-genre. Anyway, this is good stuff and shouldn’t be ignored. But the biggest question the film has left me with isn’t related to the story at all. When the credits rolled I couldn’t help but wonder what sci-fi gem Jones will tackle next!

Source Code looks fantastic on Blu-ray. I screened the Canadian edition from eOne Films but I don’t doubt that it’s identical to the US disc from Summit. The colour pallet here is fairly cool and well represented in this detailed, vibrant transfer. The DTS-HD MA 5.1 is even more impressive, really coming to life when the danger (read: explosions) kicks in. Dialogue is clean and clear, music is rich and dynamic and surround activity is plentiful. This is, technically, a pretty great Blu-ray disc.

Despite the list of special features touted for the disc, there are really only a couple – the commentary track and a picture-in-picture interactive experience. Luckily, both extras are exceptional. The commentary, which features Jones, Gyllenhaal and screenwriter Ben Ripley, is lively and informative. The PIP track bounces between popup text and interview snippets, all of which can be accessed and skipped to through the on-screen interface. Pretty cool.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

• Audio Commentary
• Cast and Crew Insights
• Expert Intel
• Focal Points
• Did You Know?Tales of Time Travel

AMAZON: CDN$ 22.99

ALSO AVAILABLE: SOURCE CODE US ED.

AMAZON: $17.99

2. HIGH AND LOW, LEON MORIN, PRIEST, LIFE DURING WARTIME

Criterion hits us with another bank-buster this week – three new Blu-ray discs, two of which are must-owns, in my opinion. I didn’t receive a screener of Akira Kurosawa‘s High and Low but it’s a classic and if you don’t already own the DVD edition this is an easy blind buy. Jean-Pierre Melville‘s Leon Morin, Priest, while not as well known or celebrated, is also a classic. I’ve had a chance to watch this new Blu-ray edition of the film and it’s fantastic. I can’t recommend it highly enough. It looks and sounds better than ever, now in restored 1080p, and features a nice, yet small, package of bonus features. The third release, Life During Wartime, however, is another story altogether.

I can’t recommend the Blu-ray disc on the basis of the film alone. Honestly, I really didn’t care for it. And I’ve loved a great deal of writer/director Todd Solondz‘ previous films. This one just feels too forced and way too insincere for me to connect with it. The disc, on its own merits, is beyond reproach, with a killer transfer, solid lossless multi-channel audio and a ton of extras. If you love the film, this is the disc for you.

I’ll have more on both Leon Morin, Priest and Life During Wartime later this week.

AMAZON: $28.99, $29.99, $27.99

3. BLUES BROTHERS, ANIMAL HOUSE

I’ll tell you a little secret – I’m going to see director John Landis in person tomorrow at the Fantasia Festival, here in Montreal. He’ll be presenting his new film Burke and Hare and receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award before the screening. Yeah, I’m pretty stoked. And just in time to celebrate, two of the director’s finest films, The Blues Brothers and Animal House have just been released on Blu-ray! I haven’t seen either disc but, from all accounts, they put the previously available DVDs to shame. As I’ve never owned a copy of either film, this is a perfect opportunity to pick them up.

AMAZON: $19.99 each

4. JUSTICE LEAGUE: SEASON TWO, SUPERNATURAL: THE ANIME SERIES

Here’s another couple of Blu-ray releases I haven’t had a look at yet but am totally psyched (yes, I said psyched) about. I love the Justice League TV show and have been waiting with bated breath to get my hands on the high-def upgrade of further seasons of the show, since Season One was released way back in August of 2008. I’m still a little bummed that those episodes were transferred in full frame, not matted for widescreen presentation as they were composed to be. Here’s hoping the second season doesn’t fall prey to the same issue.

Regarding the Supernatural Anime series – I’ve never seen an episode. Hell, I’ve never even watched the CW live-action series on which it’s based. But I love a good…um, supernatural anime series. Y’know, a show with ghosts and demons and stuff. And this one, animated by the geniuses at Madhouse (Ninja Scroll, Tokyo Godfathers), looks like a hell of a lot of fun. Can’t wait to watch it!!

AMAZON: $27.99, $36.49

5. SOLDIER, RED PLANET

Warner sent me both Soldier and Red Planet Blu-ray discs to check out. Both are films that I avoided seeing at their respective times of release, as I thought they both looked pretty cheap and trashy. And you know what? They kind-of are cheap and trashy. But I really enjoyed watching both films! I suspect Fantasia has got me in the mood for a heap of speculative spectacle at the moment. So, these films are well timed for me.

Soldier is a 1998 film directed by that purveyor of poopy-pop cinema Paul W.S. Anderson (Resident Evil), AKA Mr. Milla Jovovich, and starring an characteristically taciturn Kurt Russell. His silence is really my only big problem with this simplistic, shot-by-numbers sci-fi flik. When you get Russell in a picture, you should probably get a little bit of his trademark sass up there on the screen. But Anderson uses him as a burned out tough guy – a genetically engineered soldier without purpose, replaced by a newer, tougher, more muscular Jason Scott Lee-looking guy (played by Jason Scott Lee) and left for dead on a garbage planet. Luckily, that planet is populated by friendly survivors of a spaceship crash who now live off the garbage-land. Soon, however, Scott Lee and his steroid-boys arrive and, for some reason, set to cleanse the planet of the innocent castaways, with only the former soldier, Russell to oppose the brutes. Predictable but fun sci-fi action.

Red Planet, on the other hand, fancies itself something of a story grounded in real science. But it doesn’t linger too long on exposition through character, opening instead with a torrent of Carrie Anne Moss narration that sets up the story and shoots you right on toward Mars. There, the crew of Val Kilmer, Terence Stamp, Tom Sizemore, Benjamin Bratt, Simon Baker and Moss find that their efforts to terraform the planet to make it habitable by humans has gone awry. They have to figure out why before they lose their lives to the hidden dangers of the red planet. It’s a fun, if somewhat predictable mystery. The cast is great and there’s enough action to keep the pseudo-science from getting too dull. The film’s greatest weakness is its dated CGI effects but they won’t keep you from having a good time with it.

Both features look great on Blu but not quite good enough to be your new demo discs. The transfers are slightly dated, looking softer than the best modern presentations, with a hint of digital enhancement evident to those with an eagle eye. Both discs also feature DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 tracks with Soldier being the more aggressive of the two and Red Planet sporting a superior sound-stage.

Both discs come packing a couple of passable bonus goodies each. Soldier includes a commentary track with Anderson, co-producer Jeremy Bolt and co-star Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy!!!) along with the theatrical trailer. Red Planet has a bunch of additional and deleted scenes and a trailer.

AMAZON: $15.99, $14.99

And…

New this week in Canada: SHARK WEEK: RESTLESS FURY

“Lurking silently beneath the ocean’s surface is one of nature’s most terrifying creatures – a powerful predator who can rip its prey apart in a matter of seconds! Now experience actual shark attacks and rescues captured on film. Learn why these attacks are increasing at an alarming rate and see the awe-inspiring lengths sharks will go to when they’re after prey. Explore the science, myths and mystery of this fearless predator. Includes these jaw dropping delights: Into the Shark Bite, Ultimate Air Jaws, Day of the Shark III, Shark Attack Survival Guide, Sharkbite Beach, and Shark Week’s Best Bites.“

My eleven-year old nephew was visiting last week when eOne Films sent over their Shark Week: Restless Fury Blu-ray and, without a word of a lie, he burned through the 2-disc set, devouring every episode of the series like a hungry great white does the contents of a chum-bucket! I’ll admit, these shows are far from my thing, but there’s a certain joy in sitting with a kid and experiencing the thrill of the “bite cam” – that’s right, a camera that actually goes inside the shark’s mouth so we can really get a good look at those rows and rows of jagged, flesh-rending teeth in action.

There’s hours and hours of content here, with five episodes spread over the first Blu-ray platter and a “Best-of” and three “Bonus” episodes on the second. The listing for the disc states that the whole ting clocks in at 540-minutes of shark-biting, jumping, hunting, petting action. That’s, like, nine hours of TV!! Seems like a pretty great deal for less than twenty-bucks, if these shows are your cup of tea.

All the content here was shot in HD and looks surprisingly great on Blu in these 1080i presentations, despite the fact that so much video is crammed onto only a couple of discs. Colours pop and there’s plenty of gross, toothy detail on screen. As you’d expect, there is artifacting to be seen here and there but significantly less than you’d see in the broadcast versions of the these shows. You’ll also notice colour banding, particularly in the on-screen computer graphics and animation but I wouldn’t be surprised if a good deal of that comes from the source material. Audio is presented in compressed Dolby Digital 5.1. Not impressive by any stretch of the imagination but more than serviceable for this sort of TV content. Ditching lossless also makes room for additional episodes on the discs.

The Blu-ray features three “Bonus” episodes of the show and a few trailers for other eOne films.

AMAZON: CDN$ 18.89

ALSO AVAILABLE ON BLU-RAY THIS WEEK
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