What a week! It might not seem overwhelming at a glance but there’s such an embarrassment of fantastic discs hitting the shops today, it’s tough to actually give them all time in the spotlight. Don’t miss those I didn’t cover in my highlights, including the controversial Blu-ray release of My Fair Lady (read more about the controversy here), the shiny, new How To Train Your Dragon cartoon, the Sigur Ros concert film, Inni and Hansjörg “Giorgio” Moroder‘s ’80s music version of Metropolis.

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.

Blu-ray disc of the week: THREE COLORS

“This boldly cinematic trio of stories about love and loss, from Krzysztof Kieślowski was a defining event of the art-house boom of the 1990s. The films are named for the colors of the French flag and stand for the tenets of the French Revolution—liberty, equality, and fraternity—but that hardly begins to explain their enigmatic beauty and rich humanity. Set in Paris, Warsaw, and Geneva, and ranging from tragedy to comedy, Blue, White, and Red (Kieślowski’s final film) examine with artistic clarity a group of ambiguously interconnected people experiencing profound personal disruptions. Marked by intoxicating cinematography and stirring performances by such actors as Juliette Binoche, Julie Delpy, Irène Jacob, and Jean-Louis Trintignant, Kieślowski’s Three Colors is a benchmark of contemporary cinema.“

This is the Criterion Blu-ray release I feel I’ve been waiting for all year. The culmination of everything the studio does well – grabbing up the rights to the best foreign and indie films, providing them the finest presentations possible and cramming the discs they’re on full of bonus goodies. And the Three Colors trilogy of films by Krzysztof Kieślowski are some of the most iconic foreign/indie films of the ’90s, easily deserving a place in the collection. In fact, many would argue that the inclusion of these films in the Criterion library is long overdue.

The transfers on all three films are just about everything a fan could hope for, with Red knocking it out of the park. The films look better than ever before on home video, and most likely better than most have seen them in the cinema. Though not as vivid and clear as modern, big budget presentations, Blue, White and Red all look like film, with tons of detail, accurate colour, a healthy amount of grain present and no hint of digital manipulation. The DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 tracks on all three discs are superb, exhibiting surprising dynamic range and depth, while clean and clear throughout. Fantastic!

As you expect from Criterion, the supplemental features are exhaustive, with the only unfortunate omission being the Annette Insdorf commentary tracks from the previously released Miramax DVD versions of the film. Thankfully, Insdorf chimes in here in a 20-minute long “video essay” on the Blue disc. Tony Rayns and Dennis Lim do the same for White and Red, respectively. “Kieslowski’s Cinema Lesson” featurettes are carried over, providing brief but valuable commentary on the films from the director himself. Also carried over from the DVD is a sequence of scenes from Blue with commentary by star Juliette Binoche. The White and Red DVDs had similar features with Julie Delpy and Irene Jacob but they don’t appear to have made the transition to Blu. But let’s nevermind the rest of the content from the old DVDs. What you’ll will find on these discs will blow you away, from exclusive interviews with cast and crew, to various documentaries on the man and his work to a couple of his student films, presented here for the first time in glorious HD. In fact, I should note that all the special features on the discs are in HD – just another little thing that makes Criterion the best at what they do!

Highest possible recommendation!

Special Features:

• New high-definition digital restorations with DTS-HD Master Audio
• Three cinema lessons with director Krzysztof Kieślowski
• New interviews with composer Zbigniew Preisner; writer Krzysztof Piesiewicz; and actors Julie Delpy, Zbigniew Zamachowski, and Irène Jacob
• Selected-scene commentary for Blue with actress Juliette Binoche
• Three new video essays, by film writers Annette Insdorf, Tony Rayns, and Dennis Lim
• Kieślowski’s student short The Tram (1966) and his fellow student’s short from the same year The Face, which features Kieślowski in a solo performance
• Two short documentaries by Kieślowski: Seven Women of Different Ages (1978) and Talking Heads (1980)
• Krzysztof Kieślowski: I’m So-So . . . (1995), a feature-length documentary in which the filmmaker discusses his life and work
• Two multi-interview programs, Reflections on “Blue” and Kieślowski: The Early Years, with film critic Geoff Andrew, Binoche, filmmaker Agnieszka Holland, cinematographer Sławomir Idziak, Insdorf, Jacob, and editor Jacques Witta
• Interviews with producer Marin Karmitz and Witta
• Behind-the-scenes programs for White and Red, and Kieślowski Cannes 1994, a short documentary on Red’s world premiere
• Original theatrical trailers
• New and improved English subtitle translations
• PLUS: A booklet featuring essays by critics Colin MacCabe, Nick James, Stuart Klawans, and Georgina Evans, an excerpt from Kieślowski on Kieślowski, and reprinted interviews with cinematographers Sławomir Idziak, Edward Klosinski, and Piotr Sobocinski

AMAZON: $55.49

Also new from Criterion this week: THE RULES OF THE GAME

“Considered one of the greatest films ever made, The Rules of the Game (La règle du jeu), by Jean Renoir, is a scathing critique of corrupt French society cloaked in a comedy of manners in which a weekend at a marquis’ country château lays bare some ugly truths about a group of haut bourgeois acquaintances. The film has had a tumultuous history: it was subjected to cuts after the violent response of the premiere audience in 1939, and the original negative was destroyed during World War II; it wasn’t reconstructed until 1959. That version, which has stunned viewers for decades, is presented here.“

AMAZON: $27.99

LOONEY TUNES PLATINUM COLLECTION: VOLUME ONE

“50 of some of the greatest Looney Tunes cartoon are together for the first time on Blu-ray(TM). Releasing in a digibook with rare images and cartoon guide by historian Jerry Beck, this collection has been digitally restored and remastered. This 3 disc collection contains some of the franchise’s most enduring shorts featuring all your favorite Looney Tune Characters! Disc One features 25 classics from the immortals: Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Road Runner, and Wile E. Coyote and more! Disc Two includes 25 shorts featuring One-Shot Classics and the complete collection for each of the following characters: Marvin the Martian, Tasmanian Devil, Witch Hazel, Marc Anthony and Ralph Phillips. Disc Three contains over 5 hours of content saluting animator Chuck Jones, insightful documentaries and rare shorts from Jones and others.“

You need to buy this 3-disc boxed set. I’m serious. If you don’t pick this one up there might never be another collection of classic Looney Tunes shorts in HD. Please support this one and ensure that Warner keeps cranking ‘em out into the future! My full review is inked to below.

Highly recommended!

READ MORE: Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume One Blu-ray Disc Review

AMAZON: $38.99

WEST SIDE STORY

“The greatest love story ever told…in the most acclaimed musical of all time…is now on Blu-ray! Experience every sensational song, dazzling dance number and magical movie moment of “West Side Story” in sparkling high definition with pure 7.1 digital sound – along with fascinating special features created exclusively for this 50th Anniversary Edition! Winner of ten Academy Awards(R), including Best Picture, this electrifying musical sets the ageless tragedy of Romeo and Juliet against a backdrop of gang warfare in 1950s New York. Featuring an unforgettable score, exuberant choreography and powerful performances by Natalie Wood, Russ Tamblyn, Richard Beymer, Rita Moreno and George Chakiris, “West Side Story” will forever resonate as a true cinematic masterpiece.“

As is par for the course with Fox and MGM releases, my review copy will turn up after release date. That means I can’t tell you from first hand experience whether or not this new West Side Story Blu-ray release lives up to all the hype. What I can say is that this is one of the most significant releases of the year. And, apparently, one of the most controversial. There seems to be a technical error in the transfer that has turned a dissolve from an image to the main title into a fade-out/face-in situation. In addition, critics on the web are noting faded opticals with poor flesh-tones and contrast. However, those same critics also speak of a brilliant, stable scan with exceptional colour. So, my advice at this point is to purchase with caution. I’ll chime in again on this one when I get my hands on a copy.

READ MORE: West Side Story: 50th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray in November

AMAZON: $16.99

BEGINNERS

“Golden Globe® nominee* Ewan McGregor (Star Wars I, II, III ), Academy Award® nominee† Christopher Plummer (Inside Man), and Mélanie Laurent (Inglourious Basterds) star in Beginners, an uplifting comedy about how funny and transformative life can be. When graphic designer Oliver (McGregor) meets free-spirited Anna (Laurent) shortly after his father (Plummer) has passed away, Oliver realizes just how much of a beginner he is when it comes to long-lasting romantic love. Memories of his father, who, following the death of his wife of 45 years, came out of the closet at age 75 to live a full, energized, and wonderfully tumultuous gay life, encourage Oliver to open himself up to the potential of a true relationship. Inspired by writer/director Mike Mills’ own father, it’s an original love story that critics cheer is “smart, poignant and often hilarious!” (Karen Durbin, Elle)“

Mike Mills‘ Beginners is a wonderful film. I reviewed the Canadian Blu-ray release a couple of weeks back and, let me tell you, it’s exceptional, all around. It’s linked to below. Check it out.

READ MORE: Top New Blu-ray releases for the Week of November 1

AMAZON: $24.99

BELLFLOWER

“Best friends Woodrow and Aiden spend all of their free time building “Mad Max”-inspired flamethrowers and muscle cars in preparation for a global apocalypse. But when Woodrow meets a charismatic young woman and falls hard in love, he and Aiden quickly integrate into a new group of friends, setting off on a journey of love and hate, betrayal, infidelity, and extreme violence more devastating and fiery than any of their apocalyptic fantasies.“

I think I’m having a love affair with Oscilloscope Labs. In my limited experience with this studio they appear not to be able to do any wrong, delivering unusual, unforgettable films in near perfect presentations with a nice smattering of bonus features! And Bellflower, the debut feature from 21st Century Mad-Max wannabe Evan Glodell, fits the bill to a tee. This is one crackerjack of a little film. It’s not perfect, mind you – it kind of goes off the rails near the end of the second act and never really recovers – but damn, if it hasn’t got it where it counts.

Glodell and his cohorts are the twisted sort who build home-made flamethrowers and Lord Humungous-style apocalypse-driving muscle cars in their spare time so it’s no surprise that Bellflower is fashioned around their particular proclivities. Sadly, the team also seem to be subconsciously effected by the storytelling cliches of modern “mumblecore” cinema and fall into the trap of actually filming a tepid indie romance instead of letting their killer hardware do the talking. And because of the direction the romantic angle leads the narrative, the powerful moments near the end of the film feel cheap and manipulative. Luckily, there are enough idiosyncratic character moments, in-your-face violence and gorgeous, gritty imagery courtesy of Glodell’s custom outfitted Silicon Imaging SI-2K Mini Digital camera to make Bellflower really sing.

Speaking of imagery, this Blu-ray disc looks fantastic! I mean, the film itself looks like nothing I’ve ever seen before – vibrant, and detailed, yet dirty, dark and dull at the same time. Oscilloscope’s transfer replicates every nuance of the oddball source and the results are breathtaking. Seriously, you need to see this to believe it. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 has got it where it counts but it drives home the budget nature of the voice recording in the production. Dialogue sounds thin and even clips at times. But this isn’t a fault of the disc. It’s the nature of the low-budget beast. Extras include an entertaining and informative 23-minute “making of” featurette, a 10-minute rundown of the completed “Medusa” Road Warrior muscle-car, 7-minutes of outtakes and the theatrical trailer for the film. All this packaged in another winning double-gatefold digipack made from recycled material. I love this studio!

AMAZON: $23.99

EVIL DEAD 2

“After a relaxing cabin vacation doesn’t go as planned, Ash (Bruce Campbell) is left with three dead friends, an undead girlfriend and an angry evil spirit on the loose. As nightfall approaches, Ash must prepare to again battle the legions of the damned if he wants to make it to dawn. Welcome to EVIL DEAD II, director Sam Raimi‘s infamous second film in his gleefully gory, cult classic EVIL DEAD franchise – starring Bruce Campbell as the most lethal and groovy hero in horror movie history! With over four hours of special features, this 25th Anniversary Edition of EVIL DEAD II: DEAD BY DAWN will leave you gasping for more!“

All right, horror nerds! Time to throw out your twelve DVD copies of Evil Dead 2 now because the big, bad Blu-ray has finally arrived to replace them. I know, Anchor Bay already released it on Blu a couple of years back. But seriously now, were you happy with that transfer and that paltry selection of extras? The correct answer is no, you weren’t, and you want more. Well now, thanks to Lionsgate (and Alliance, if you live in Canada, as I do) you can have more in this spiffy, new 25th Anniversary Blu-ray.

The studio was promising a better transfer for the film’s anniversary and I’m pleased to report that they have delivered! Evil Dead 2 has never looked better on home video. That’s not to say that this presentation is going to win any awards. It’s still uneven, with a fair number of soft shots and a grain structure that comes and goes in waves but on the whole, this is a vast improvement from anything I’ve seen before. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 is solid and seems to offer a slight uptick in dynamic response from the previous Blu-ray, with boomy lows and brighter highs.

As nice as it is to have a more respectable HD presentation of the film on Blu, this new edition of Evil Dead 2 really shines in the extras department. The new disc carries over the famous (and hilarious) commentary track from star Bruce Campbell, director Sam Raimi, co-writer Scott Spiegel and special makeup effects artist Greg Nicotero as well as a couple decent featurettes – the 17-minute long “Evil Dead II: Behind the Screams” and 32-minute long “The Gore the Merrier” – both of which are presented in their original SD. The highlight of the new HD extras is the feature-length doc “Swallowed Souls: The Making of Evil Dead II“. Split up into seven parts and running a total of 98-minutes when viewed together, this thing is comprehensive but most likely covers a lot of ground that hardcore fans already know. There’s also a half-hour’s worth of rough looking “behind the scenes” footage, consisting of Nicotero’s on-set home movies and deleted scenes and a brand new, 8-minute long trip back to the original location of the shoot. Cool stuff! The disc is rounded out with four stills galleries covering “Advertising & Memorabilia,” “Behind-the-Scenes,” “Special Make-Up Effects” and “Stop Motion Animation.”

The Canadian edition that I had the pleasure of screening, which is otherwise identical to the US version, also contains a DVD copy of the film.

AMAZON: CDN$ 22.09

Also available: EVIL DEAD 2 (US version)

AMAZON: $9.99

INFERNAL AFFAIRS

“The award-winning crime thriller that inspired THE DEPARTED has been hailed by critics everywhere for its gritty action and international superstars. Chan Wing Yan (Tony Leung, Hero) is a hard-nosed veteran cop sent undercover to infiltrate the notorious Triad crime ring. An expert at bringing down violent syndicates, Chan thinks it’s going to be a routine mission. What he’s not prepared for is the discovery that the Triad’s boss (Eric Tsang, The Accidental Spy) has planted a mole (Andy Lau, The Legend of Drunken Master) in the police department… and now Chan is being hunted down. In this battle of wills, only one cop can win!“

I don’t recall but were a lot of film fans claiming they like Scorsese‘s The Departed better when it was called Infernal Affairs back in the day, when it was first released? I hadn’t seen the original Chinese film at that point so the storyline was all new to me and decent enough. Maybe not the best Scorsese I’d ever seen but you know. Good movie. Infernal Affairs is a very different creature, to me. I mean, both films share the same narrative DNA but the tone is just so damn different and it’s paced like a rocket in relation to the US film. I think I might have ended up preferring Infernal Affairs if it weren’t for the twist ending which is just so damn…infernal! I mean, infuriating! In any case, this version of the story is the balls. Like I said, it’s really well paced, with just enough action, intrigue and humour to carry you through the 101-minute runtime (50-minutes shorter than Scorsese’s bloated film.)

I don’t know what to think of the Blu-ray presentation of the film. I mean, I know how it looks to me, on my screen, I’m just not sure why. My guess is that Lionsgate is working off the source material Miramax had in it’s possession back in the day, when they made the deal to distribute the film in North America, instead of seeking out the original negative or an interpositive that could provide a more faithful, film-like presentation on Blu. As a result, we’re left with a transfer that’s fairly dull and flat with signs of digital tampering to make it appear to pop a bit more in 1080p. The real shame of the whole thing is that this is probably the best we’ll do where this film is concerned unless we’re willing to import (there’s a Hong Kong Blu-ray release from 2007 that is well reviewed around the internets.) The Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, on the other hand, is excellent across the board, offering clean, clear dialogue, plenty of surround effects and some thunderous lows. There’s an English dub track as well but if you listen to that then you and I can’t be friends any more.

Special features are all carried over from previous DVD releases and are all in SD. They include a 15-minute “makine of” featurette, 6-minutes of “behind-the-scenes” footage, an alternate ending and a couple of trailers.

The Canadian edition from Alliance which I had the pleasure of screening and which is otherwise identical to the US version, also contains a DVD copy of the film.

AMAZON: CDN$ 22.09

Also available: INFERNAL AFFAIRS (US Edition)

AMAZON: $14.99

FARSCAPE: THE COMPLETE SERIES

“John Crichton. Astronaut. Flung through a wormhole and lost in a galaxy far from home. He finds himself in the middle of a prison break, surrounded by hostile aliens, soaring through space inside a glorious living space ship called Moya. Hunted by the relentless Peacekeepers, he allies himself with his unimaginably alien fellow refugees and searches for a way home. So begins the epic sci-fi classic “Farscape“. A fusion of live action, state-of-the-art puppetry, prosthetics and CGI, “Farscape” features mind-boggling alien life forms, dazzling special effects, edge-of-your-seat thrills, irreverent humor and unforgettable characters all brought to life by the creative minds at Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. No wonder it’s been called the most imaginative sci-fi series in television history. Here, in time for the series tenth anniversary, are all four “Farscape” seasons, 88 episodes, together for the first time in one epic collection. These are the adventures of Moya’s crew, Crichton, Peacekeeper Aeryn Sun, warrior Ka D’Argo, azure priestess Zhaan, spritely thief Chiana, Dominar Rigel, Pilot and many others. Like Moya herself, this package contains amazing surprises including hours of bonus materials, making-of featurettes, commentaries, interviews, deleted scenes and much more. Prepare for Starburst.“

Oh man, I loved Farscape and am totally stoked for this four-season boxed set. If you’re like me and jonesing to pick this up (which we should both probably do sooner than later as it’s relatively cheap on Amazon right now) keep in mind that this show was created in SD. While this case of SD-to-HD doesn’t appear to walk the same dangerous road taken by the Highlander series boxed sets, it does merit some research by the buyer before handing your credit card over to make the purchase. Bill Hunt at The Digital Bits has a great interview with New Video‘s Dan Kenny about the restoration of the series and the production of the Blu-ray discs. There are even some screencaps and Blu/DVD comparisons so go check it out before you buy!

READ MORE: Farscape: The Complete Series coming to Blu-ray

AMAZON: $96.99

ASSASSINS CREED: LINEAGE

““Assassins Creed: Lineage” is a prequel to the video game “Assassin’s Creed II”. It revolves around Ezio’s father, Giovanni Auditore da Firenze, and gives insight on the game’s backstory and universe. Giovanni is an assassin living during the Renaissance in 15th century Italy. At this dawn of a new era, a conspiracy is being plotted by one corrupt family to overthrow the powerful Medici family and destroy a unified Italy. As an assassin, Giovanni must face this threat and bring justice. The story introduces the situation before “Assassin’s Creed II”, and the enemies of both characters.“

I don’t quite know what to say about this Blu-ray release as I haven’t gotten received my copy as yet but the word on the street is that this little 45-minute live-action supplement film to the Assassin’s Creed story is pretty damn effective and entertaining! I’m looking forward to watching it and the bounty of film and video game related special features included on the disc.

AMAZON: $10.99

Exclusive to Canada: ANIMATION EXPRESS 2

” The NFB enriches the world of animation with unforgettable works through its collaboration with the most talented artists and artisans in a spirit of creativity and innovation. The Animation Express 2 compilation presents the best from the 2009-2011 crop, created by filmmakers of diverse cultural origins, including such luminaries as Paul Drissen, Amanda Forbis, Wendy Tilby, Co Hoedeman, Georges Schwizgebel and Koji Yamamura. A selection of 21 films that will delight audiences by taking them into unexplored regions. “

I guess it’s animation-on-Blu-ray week here in Canada. Not only do we get our hands on the first of hopefully many Looney Tunes collections but we’re also fortunate enough to receive the second collection of animated shorts from the National Film Board of Canada (we just call it the NFB or the ONF for those who parle français.) You might recall that the first Animation Express collection was released back in 2009 and featured a decidedly modern collection of shorts, adding a few classics in for flavour. Animation Express 2 is much of the same but focuses on the films created since the first disc was released. As in any collection of work from a variety of artists, this one is a mixed bag. But I think it’s safe to say there’s got to be something in the 27 provided shorts for just about everyone. And for the animation fan, the whole thing is very nearly a dream come true. This is high quality work from a broad range of voices and styles.

All 27 shorts are crammed onto a single dual-layer disc which sounds like a pretty decent idea on the surface. Until you realize that those 27 short films actually sport a combined runtime of over 5-hours long! That’s a lot of video to stuff onto a disc while expecting a decent HD image. So, much like the content of the disc itself, the 1080p presentations are a mixed bag, more often than not sporting decent amount of detail but appearing softer than they probably should in a perfect world, suffering here under a variable bitrate that often runs around the DVD mark. Keep in mind, that static images in animated films don’t require the same video bandwidth as live action but all the same, I feel like all the films on this disc would have looked sharper and had a greater sense of depth in their presentations if the content had been spread over two Blu-ray discs. Audio is also a compromise, offered in various language varieties of compressed Dolby Digital.

There are no special features on the disc (thank goodness – where would they have found the room?!) but 6 of the films are exclusive to the format, one of which is available here with an optional 3D presentation! Kind of cool, I guess, if you’ve got a 3DTV and are into that kind of thing.

AMAZON: CDN$ 27.97

ALSO AVAILABLE ON BLU-RAY THIS WEEK
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