Top New Blu-ray releases for the Week of December 13

Top 5 New on Blu

Top New Blu-ray releases for the Week of December 13

By Brenden ⋅ December 14, 2011 ⋅ Post a comment

Filed Under Andy Serkis, Brian Cox, Criterion, Fox, Freida Pinto, James Franco, Joe Johnston, John Lithgow, Planet of the Apes, Rupert Wyatt, Seijun Suzuki, Timothy Dalton, Tom Felton

Ha! Almost right on schedule this week. Just a few hours late. But a vast improvement, right? RIGHT?! Urgh…

There’s a lot of great stuff new on Blu-ray this week, folks. There are at least five discs listed below that could’ve easily been the Pick of the Week. But I went with the easy one. Seriously, though, don’t miss out on the others. Enough chit chat, let’s get to the reviews!

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: RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES

“

Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a revolution; an action-packed epic featuring stunning visual effects and creatures unlike anything ever seen before. At the story’s heart is Caesar (Andy Serkis), a chimpanzee who gains human-like intelligence and emotions from an experimental drug. Raised like a child by the drug’s creator (James Franco), Caesar ultimately finds himself taken from the humans he loves and imprisoned. Seeking justice, Caesar assembles a simian army and escapes — putting man and primate on a collision course that could change the planet forever.

I’m not embarrassed to say it – Rise of the Planet of the Apes is not only one of the best summer blockbusters of 2011, it’s also one of the best films I’ve seen all year! Who’d have guessed that Fox could successfully reboot two of their most important franchises within a couple of months of each other this past summer? (X:Men First Class debuted the first week of June and Apes hit screens almost exactly two months later.) While I enjoyed the heck out of the X:Men reboot, I think director Rupert Wyatt knocked Apes out of the park. It doesn’t hurt, though, that the film boasts one of the tightest genre scripts in recent memory, a handful of fantastic actors who’re able to overcome the cardboard nature of their characters (Brian Cox, John Lithgow and Frido Pinto are pretty much the best ever), and some of the best motion capture/animation seen thus far in a live-action film. I don’t know that I’d give Serkis the Oscar for his lead role as Caesar, the leader of the apes, but his character is certainly the most compelling in the cast and the underlying tech that brings him to life is remarkable. Would it surprise you to learn that the film ends with a perfect setup for a sequel? Of course not. And I, for one, can’t wait to see it (Rise of the Battle for the Planet of the Apes?)

Rise of the Planet of the Apes offers one of the stronger Blu-ray presentations of the year. Depth and detail are out of this world on this disc. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 is equally as muscular, with great dynamic range and clarity. It’s an aggressive and exciting track that you can easily use to show off your audio setup, especially if you fast-forward to the action-packed final act of the film.

Special features are numerous, as you can see if you scroll down to the list below. Most are deleted scenes (with unfinished effects) and brief featurettes that generally run under 10-minutes apiece. The real stars of the bonus goodies are the two commentary tracks, both packed with great information – the first from director Wyatt and the second from screenwriters Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver. There’s so much more here, including multi-angle features and BD-Live exclusives that I haven’t had the time to explore yet but it’s all indicative of the care and passion for this project and the production of this Blu-ray release. My only wish is that it had included a feature-length documentary but hey, you know me, that’s what I want from every disc release.

Highly recommended!

Special Features:

Feature Film
Deleted Scenes
- Alpha Gets Shot
- Will’s Meeting with Lab Assistants
- Will Discovers Caesar Has Solved Puzzles
- Caesar Plays with Bicycle
- Caesar Questions His Identity
- Caesar Bites Off Neighbors Finger
- Will Ignores the Risks of an Airborne Mutated Virus
- Rodney Gives Caesar a Cookie
- Rocket Gets Hosed by Dodge
- Caesar Destroys the Lab and Koba’s Attempted Revenge on Jacobs
- Caesar Pushes Helicopter
- Koba with Shotgun
Pre-vis for The Future
Capturing Caesar – Script to Screen
Studying the Genius of Andy Serkis
Multi-Angle: Rocket Cookie Scene
A New Generation of Apes
Breaking Motion Capture Boundaries
Breaking New Sound Barriers: The Music and Sound Design of Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Ape Facts
- Chimpanzee
- Gorilla
- Orangutan
Audio Commentary by Director Rupert Wyatt
Audio Commentary by Writers Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver
Character Concept Art Gallery
Three Theatrical Trailers
Digital Copy

AMAZON: $22.99

FRIGHT NIGHT (2011)

Senior Charley Brewster (Anton Yelchin) finally has it all – he’s running with the popular crowd and dating the hottest girl in high school. In fact, he’s so cool he’s even dissing his best friend Ed (Christopher Mintz-Plasse). But trouble arrives when an intriguing stranger Jerry (Colin Farrell) moves in next door. He seems like a great guy at first, but there’s something not quite right – yet no one, including Charley’s mom (Toni Collette), seems to notice! After witnessing some very unusual activity, Charley comes to an unmistakable conclusion: Jerry is a vampire preying on his neighborhood. Unable to convince anyone that he’s telling the truth, Charley has to find a way to get rid of the monster himself in this Craig Gillespie-helmed revamp of the comedy-horror classic.

I skipped out on seeing the Fright Night remake in the theatre. I thought it looked like trash. I guess it is, you know? But it’s incredibly fun and imaginative trash. The best kind! Outside of the leading characters and the basic premise, it’s fairly safe to say that the whole story has been re-imagined. Okay, maybe re-imagined is a strong term here. Perhaps boosted, broadened, lengthened or deepened are better descriptors. The original narrative of the 1985 film was fairly straightforward but the remake adds complexity into the mix – Charlie’s social standing, Peter Vincent’s (David Tennant) traumatic childhood, Gerry’s lengthy, checkered past. There’s far more to digest here – and the original versions lean and mean approach to the same content proves that none of it is necessary – but director Gillespie handles it all with aplomb. He never forgets that at the film’s core, it’s a dark comedy. And he plays to those strengths leaving the big scares for the climax (which, though quite different and far more grandiose, pays tribute to the original.)

Fright Night comes to Blu-ray boasting a strong transfer with a healthy, high bit-rate transfer. This is a pretty dark film and there’s some crush built into the source but overall, this presenation looks detailed and film-like. The DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track is reference quality, with a robust surround presence and plenty of dynamic headroom to accurately reproduce the chilling Ramin Djawadi score and rattle your china with explosive lows. Great stuff!

I’m a little surprised that Disney and Dreamworks didn’t pack more bonus features into this 2-disc Blu-ray/DVD package. Outside of an 8-minute long featurette called “The Official “How to Make a Funny Vampire Movie” Guide” there’s very little sense given of what went into making the film. Beyond that, the disc offers a few minutes of deleted/extended scenes, a gag reel, a music video and a couple of short pieces culled from within the film.

AMAZON: $22.99

FRIGHT NIGHT and RAPTURE

If you’re like me and you love the original Fright Night you’ll be glad to learn that it’s also available on Blu-ray today. Here’s the catch though, it’s only available through Twilight Time (a studio within Screen Archives Entertainment that began licensing Sony titles for exclusive release a few months ago) and in a very limited release of 3000 units. So, if you want one, click on over there and grab it up as soon as you can. The studio is also releasing John Guillermin‘s 1965 dark fairy tale Rapture in limited edition Blu today. I’ve never seen the film but it looks like it might be a blind buy for me!

TWILIGHT TIME: $29.95 each

KUNG FU PANDA 2

“Kung Fu Panda 2“: An “A” with audiences everywhere, “Kung Fu Panda 2″ is “hilarious and full of heart” (Sandy Kenyon, WABC-TV) and a “winning sequel” (Scott Bowles, USA TODAY) to the Academy Award(R) nominated original film. “Kung Fu Panda 2″ packs a powerful punch, combining non-stop action, beautiful storytelling and stunning animation in this awesome adventure. “Kung Fu Panda: Secrets Of The Masters”: In this all-new “Kung Fu Panda” adventure debuting exclusively on DVD and Blu-ray, Po and the Furious Five uncover the legend of three of kung fu’s greatest heroes: Master Thundering Rhino, Master Storming Ox, and Master Croc.

Is Kung-Fu Panda 2 one of the best animated films of the year or one of the best films of the year, full stop? Tough for me to say right now, as I’ve only just watched it but damn, is it ever a winner! I mean, I enjoyed the first one as much as the next animation aficionado but I was blown away by this sequel. To be fair, I’m a bit of an aestheticist (is that even a word? No. No, it’s not…) – I’m a sucker for good design. And Kung-Fu Panda 2 has good design in spades. This is a fantastic looking movie! The crew of designers, illustrators and animators journeyed to China to gather reference and it shows. There’s so much gorgeous detail in every frame it’s almost distracting!

Thankfully, this isn’t just a great looking film, it’s also a fairly well written follow up to the 2008 original. The structure and outcome are a bit ho-hum, playing on typical themes in very predictable ways but the subtlety and comedy of the characters carry the show. Oh yeah, there’s also some incredible martial arts action here to hold your interest, just in case the funny and beautiful aren’t enough for you.

Like I said, Kung-Fu Panda 2 looks like a million bucks. And thankfully, so does the Blu-ray edition of the film. In fact, this is one of the best looking discs to be released this year. The digital-to-digital transfer is just about as perfect as the format gets, looking ridiculously detailed and colourful. The Dolby TrueHD 7.1 track is also reference quality. Actually, I’ll just say it, the audio here is perfect too. I can’t imagine a better sounding lossless track. This Blu-ray is definitely your new demo disc.

The hits just keep coming with the supplemental package on the Kung-Fu Panda 2 Blu-ray disc. The 2-disc set (Blu-ray and DVD) goes way beyond the call of duty and beyond the standard set of extras included on the average release. Aside from the ubiquitous commentary track, featurettes and trailers, the Blu-ray disc also includes a picture-in-picture “Animators’ Corner” which covers just about everything you’d ever want to know about the film and includes interviews, animatics, storyboards, art and much more! If that’s not enough KFP2 info for you, try out the pop-up “Trivia Track”, which covers even more ground. There’s a handful of deleted scenes with intros from director Jennifer Yuh Nelson and a couple interactive games for the kids. But wait, there’s more! To round out the set, the studio has included and all new short, the 23-minute “Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Masters” which delves into the background of the martial arts masters. And when you’re through with that, you can check out a preview episode of the upcoming Nickelodeon animated series, “Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness.”

Super extra highly recommended!

AMAZON: $22.99

THE ROCKETEER

Celebrate the 20th anniversary of director Joe Johnson‘s (“Captain America: The First Avenger”) action-filled, witty “The Rocketeer“. And now with state-of-the-art digital restoration and enhanced high definition sound, experience it as it jets off for the first time on Blu-ray(TM). The discovery of a top-secret jetpack hurls test pilot Cliff Secord into a daring adventure of mystery, suspense, and intrigue! Cliff encounters an assortment of ruthless villains, led by a Hollywood screen star who’s a secret Nazi spy (Timothy Dalton). With the help of his actress girlfriend, the young pilot battles enormous odds to defeat his foes who are anxious to use the device in an evil plan to rule the world! The dangerous mission transforms the ordinary young man into an extraordinary hero.

Hey, remember The Rocketeer?! It was Disney’s attempt to ride the superhero movie wave created in the wake of Tim Burton‘s 1989 Batman film. While it wasn’t a great success at the box office back in the day, it’s garnered something of a cult following these past twenty years. And for good reason. For all the fits and starts in its storytelling, it’s really a fun little period piece. In fact, it’s more relevant now then ever with director Joe Johnston having only just returned to the era of the Nazi-bashing hero this past summer with Marvel‘s über-successful Captain America: The First Avenger. The two films actually have a whole lot in common – tone, structure and genre being the most obvious – but both remain fairly true to their comic book origins.

The Rocketeer, much like its source material, is a bit stiff and very reverent to its influences. It does, however, feature some breakout performances from a young, clean cut Billy Campbell and the-girl-from-Labyrinth-grown-up Jennifer Connelly. Also, look for Terry O’Quinn (John Locke in Lost) as Howard Hughes! The Rocketeer isn’t the best or most exciting comic book film on Blu-ray but it’s a welcome addition to any fan’s library.

The film looks better than ever on Blu-ray. Sadly, I think it might be a little constrained on this single-layered platter. As colourful and detailed as this transfer appears, I can’t help but feel it would look more film-like or have a greater sense of depth if allowed to breath on a dual-layered BD-50 disc. But hey, like I said, this still looks great. Better than I’ve seen it looking since I watched it on the big screen twenty-years ago. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track can’t quite measure up to modern ones but it’s impressive nonetheless. James Horner‘s score is afforded plenty of headroom to breath, the LFE is given a reasonable workout and dialogue is always clean and clear.

The real crime of this Anniversary Blu-ray release is the fact that there are no special features included on it! You read that right, an anniversary release with no bonus goodies. Okay, I mean, there’s a standard-def trailer on here but come on, that’s barely a “feature”. It’s more like mocking the absence of features. Sheesh. Can you tell I’m a little steamed here? I was really looking forward to a commentary track, a Dave Stevens memorial (the creator of The Rocketeer passed away in 2008) or, if nothing else, a short cast and crew retrospective. But to no avail. The Rocketeer gets the shaft yet again. Why cain’t the man get him no respect?!

AMAZON: $18.99

MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS

St. Louis 1903. The well-off Smith family has four beautiful daughters, including Esther and little Tootie. Seventeen-year old Esther has fallen in love with John, the boy next door who has just moved in. He, however, barely notices her at first. The family is shocked when Mr. Smith reveals that he has been transferred to a nice position in New York, which means that the family has to leave St. Louis just before the start of the St. Louis 1904 World’s Fair.

A lot of people have been waiting a long time for a Blu-ray release of the Vincente Minnelli classic Meet Me in St. Louis, and now that day has finally arrived! As decent as the 2004 2-disc DVD release was, fans of the 1944 musical will be bowled over by the improvements here on Blu-ray. To begin with there’s slightly more picture in the frame and that image is now resplendent with fine grain. You can imagine, if grain is visible then there’s a ton of detail on display. But the improvements don’t end there. The early pallet of Technicolor tones is far more vibrant and stable than in the past, making this transfer easily the most film-like edition of Meet Me in St. Louis available to date. The original mono audio has been “upgraded” to a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track. Thankfully, it’s fairly respectful to the original intent and only seems to fill the sound field when the music kicks in. Though it’s not exactly representative of the tracks origins, the sound does benefit from the lossless audios added dynamic range and fidelity.

Along with this fantastic new Blu-ray presentation, the Meet Me in St. Louis disc ports over the entire bounty of special features from the previously released DVD Special Edition, including the exceptional commentary track by Judy Garland biographer John Fricke with Margaret O’Brien, screenwriter Irving Brecher, songwriter Hugh Martin and daughter of producer Arthur Freed, Barbara Freed-Saltzman. There’s a half-hour long “making of” doc, as well as a 45-minute long TCM special on Judy Garland called “Becoming Attractions” that are both very much worth watching. The 1972 “Hollywood: The Dream Factory” doc is narrated by Dick Cavett and runs 50-minutes but, as you can imagine, is quite a dated affair at this point. The disc is rounded out with some archival shorts, an “Audio Vault” with a music only track, outtakes and more, the theatrical trailer and an intro to the film by Garland’s daughter Liza Minnelli. The Blu-ray and a 4-track CD Sampler are packaged within a 42-page digi-book.

AMAZON: $25.99

BRANDED TO KILL

and TOKYO DRIFTER

Criterion‘s got two critical Blu-ray upgrades out in shops today. Two Seijun Suzuki films that the studio issued on DVD over a decade ago, both of which have been desperate for some TLC, have been cleaned up, restored and given sparkling new transfers that reveal more detail (and in one case, a good deal more of the image on all sides) and offer up new supplements. Both Branded to Kill and Tokyo Drifter top my Christmas list this year. Hope my family is reading…

AMAZON: $35.99 and $27.99

VELVET GOLDMINE

Ewan McGregor (Angels & Demons), Jonathan Rhys Meyers (“The Tudors”) and Christian Bale (The Dark Knight, The Fighter ) star in this alluring journey through rock ’n’ roll’s most outrageous era. It’s been 10 years since glam-rock superstar Brian Slade (Rhys Meyers) faked his own death and vanished from the spotlight. Now, it’s the job of an investigative reporter (Bale) to uncover the truth behind his disappearance. Directed by Todd Haynes (I’m Not There) and acclaimed by critics, VELVET GOLDMINE delves into the vibrant ‘70s music scene with an all access pass and an uncompromising look at the flamboyance and excesses of its larger-than-life stars.

I really didn’t care for Velvet Goldmine the first time I saw it. It seemed at times indulgent and at times utterly confused. It didn’t occur to me until much later that both impressions follow the state of Bale’s character as he delves deeper into the upside down world of glam-rock stardom. I found myself coming back to the film over the years, running across it on late night TV, sitting at home, flipping channels or looking for something to watch while visiting my parents, exploring their endless number of satellite TV stations. It’s one of those strange films that seems to take time to grow on you. And now that it has, I can’t escape it.

Velvet Goldmine is better now than it was when it was released in 1998. It’s Citizen Kane as glam-pop mystery, looking backward at rock-god characters who strongly (and often directly) echo David Bowie and Iggy Pop. The film is best when re-imagining the glory days of glam but serves as just about as wonderful an ode to the cinematic style of Orson Welles as it does to that era of music. I think Haynes might have created the ultimate medium mash-up here.

Velvet Goldmine looks fairly soft on Blu-ray, presented in a single-layer disc transfer that does its best to feel its way around the various types of footage in the film. It’s not bad by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, this is the best it’s ever looked on home video but it’s not the sort of presentation that’s going to “wow” you. Solid but not brilliant. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 sound track, on the other hand, just might take your breath away. All the music in the film – and there’s a lot of it – sounds absolutely stellar throughout.

The Canadian release I had the pleasure of reviewing (from Alliance – the US is out today from Miramax and Lionsgate) doesn’t include much in the way of special features but the newly recorded commentary track from Haynes and producer Christine Vachon is a really engaging listen. If you love the film, the director or the era the film covers you owe it to yourself to check this out. The only other bonus goodie on the disc is the theatrical trailer. The Canadian release also includes a DVD version of the film.

AMAZON: CDN$ 22.09

Also available: VELVET GOLDMINE (US Edition)

AMAZON: $14.99

In Canada only: BLACK SHEEP

When sheep-aphobic Henry returns to sell his share of the family farm, he finds his brother has been genetically altering the animals. The resulting monsters go on a murderous rampage, and it’s up to Henry to stop them. With frighteningly grotesque effects courtesy of Peter Jackson’s WETA workshop, Black Sheep is “rife with bloody gore and funny gags”! (Sam Adams, Los Angeles Times )

Okay, look, I know that these types of films aren’t for everyone but I totally love Black Sheep. Forget for a moment that the effects are done by the Lord of the Rings guys (on a severely tight budget, but still…) and just drink in that this is a movie about zombie sheep in New Zealand. Not sold yet? All right, well, I’ll tell you a secret (a small spoiler, really) – it’s not just about zombie sheep, it’s also about WERE-SHEEP!! Giant, furry were-sheep, frothing at the mouth and damned if they’re going to be sheared!

Honestly, this is great stuff. It’s like a Kiwi Shaun of the Dead. That same type of tone – reverential to the horror films that inspired it but fresh and new and none too serious. I know the film has been kicking around on video and playing the circuit now for about four or five years. I honestly can’t believe it’s taken me this long to see it. Don’t you wait any longer, if this sounds like it might be your cup of tea. Order it, rent it, whatever. Black Sheep is fantastic low-budget comedy/horror!

All things considered, the film looks pretty decent on Blu-ray. Though it’s on a single-layered disc (yes, another one) it retains some depth and offers plenty of gruesome, bloody detail, especially in the brighter scenes. Audio is, sadly, only offered in a compressed Dolby Digital 5.1 surround track. No lossless on this bad boy! But what you get doesn’t sound any too awful, for what it is. You won’t be too disappointed at the lack of lossless here.

There are plenty of extras on the disc including a commentary track with writer/director Jonathan King and actor Nathan Meister, a half hour “making of” doc, a collection of deleted scenes with optional commentary, a blooper reel and the trailer.

AMAZON: CDN$ 19.99

HEAVENLY CREATURES

From acclaimed director Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings, King Kong) comes a true-life story of the shocking crime that stunned a nation. When circumstances bring together two imaginative teenage schoolgirls, they quickly form an unwavering bond, creating a fantasy world that only they can share. But then their parents become disturbed by the intensity of the friendship, and threaten to keep them apart. In retaliation, the girls vow to stay together, devising a secret plan that leads to shocking consequences. Thrilling and provocative, HEAVENLY CREATURES stars Academy Award® winner Kate Winslet in her screen debut.

Heavenly Creatures in out in the US today but hit Blu-ray here in Canada last week. I posted my thoughts on the disc in last week’s roundup of new releases. You can check it out here.

AMAZON: $14.99

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: