The Blu-ray Blog » Weekly Picks

Top 5 New Blu-ray releases for the Week of February 16

Brenden — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 16:19:27 +0000

Oh geez. I can’t afford this. Nobody can afford this. This is an inordinate amount of awesomeness for one week. Three Criterion discs, three classics from Studio Canal, a Scorsese, an anime anthology, Audrey Tautou and faux-vintage blaxploitation. How’s a guy supposed to pick a top five out of all this greatness?! Sigh…I’m going to cheat, that’s how.

1. 3 New from Criterion: REVANCHE, LOLA MONTÈS, HUNGER

Uh…yeah. Do I even need to type anything here? By now, you’re all well familiar with my obsession with the Criterion Collection and my need to buy every single Blu-ray disc they release. Essentially, these discs are the best of the best. Hand picked titles, both art house and Hollywood, restored and remastered to incredibly exacting standards. Home video releases as close to the original film versions as technology will allow. Sigh…

These three releases mark an incredibly strong week for Criterion. Both Hunger and Revanche are a part of the companies deal with IFC to distribute some of the best modern cinema has to offer. And Lola Montès, Max Ophuls‘ vibrant, stunningly beautiful final film, is bound to be a revelation on Blu!

2. 3 New from Lionsgate/Studio Canal Collection: RAN, THE LADYKILLERS, CONTEMPT

As if it’s not enough to have three new releases from Criterion this week, Lionsgate has decided to unleash its new Studio Canal Collection discs on us at the same time! Six film classics on Blu-ray in one week! This collection has sparked a lot of controversial conversation and consternation from collectors and film buffs (read all about it here and here) but in the end, is likely to provide us with more catalogue and foreign films on Blu-ray than we would see otherwise. I’m excited to check them out for myself.

3. BLACK DYNAMITE

This movie looks like so much fun! I’m putting it at number three this week on the merit of its trailers alone. I don’t know if I’ll rush out to pick up Black Dynamite on Blu-ray, sight unseen, but I’ll gladly borrow it from a buddy or give it a rental.

I don’t usually do this half way through a list but you’ve just GOT to watch the trailer:

AWESOME!

Amazon: $21.99

4. HALO LEGENDS

I find it tough to be disappointed with Halo Legends, a new anime anthology based on the hit XBOX 360 video game. I’ve never played the game and knew very little about the franchise going in. So, I consider my viewing of the Blu-ray a kind of education on the world of Master Chief. I had no expectations and therefore wasn’t let down by my experience. That being said, it is an anthology. And like all anthologies it has its high and low points. Some of the stories are compelling. Some of the animation is beautiful. And it’s for those moments that I recommend this disc to Halo fans.

Amazon: $19.99

5. COCO BEFORE CHANEL

I love Audrey Tautou. ‘Nuff said.

Amazon: $22.99

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:

Blu-ray Picks for the Week of February 2

Brenden — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 17:12:57 +0000

Okay, this is just ridiculous. I can’t afford all of these discs in one week! I had no idea that February would be such a big release month. I thought March was going to be my bank-breaker and that I’d have another month to save up for the big titles but this week is going to make me reevaluate. As always, we appreciate any Amazon purchase you make through our links. Your clicks help keep the site on its feet!

ZOMBIELAND! This is such a fun movie and you’re really doing yourself a disservice if you don’t check it out. It’s a great little horror/teen-comedy/action mash-up that looks and sounds fantastic on Blu. I’ll have my full review up for you later in the week. Don’t miss this one if you can help it!

Amazon: $23.99

Tony Jaa is our generation’s Bruce Lee. This guy is incredible! And Ong Bak, available today on Blu from Fox, is the movie that introduced him to the world. I’m picking this one up as soon as possible. Here’s hoping the transfer does the 2003 Thai hit film justice!

Amazon: $15.99

More Tony Jaa!!! Ong Bak 2: The Beginning, the 2008 sequel is set in the past and Jaa plays a totally different character so there’s no need to see Ong Bak before this film. It might not be quite as strong as the original but Ong Bak 2 is so well shot and the fight scenes are so stunning it’s definitely worth checking out.

Amazon: $14.99

Did you see The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus? Awesome. I mean, it’s not perfect but it felt like a bit of a return to form for Terry Gilliam. I enjoyed it. And I also really enjoy Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, released on Blu-ray today. I don’t count it among Gilliam’s finest but it’s so bat-shit crazy, filled with amazing imagery and performances it can’t be ignored. This Blu-ray doesn’t include the awesome extras form the Criterion DVD but the 1080p transfer makes it worth adding to your collection.

Amazon: $18.99

Today is the day that Disney rights their wrongs and apologizes to Martin Scorsese and cinematographer Michael Ballhaus for the visual butchery of the initial Gangs of New York Blu-ray release with this brand new, remastered edition. Check out this screenshot comparison of the two Blu-ray releases to see just how improved this new edition is!

Amazon: $25.99

House of the Devil is a retro-style horror film, crafted to feel like something straight out of the 80s. The studio has even gone so far as to promote it by sending out VHS copies of the film to the press (which you can now order for yourself in this limited collector’s edition DVD/VHS bundle!) Reviews and word of mouth have been pretty good on this one and I’m anxious to get my hands on the Blu-ray to see what all the hype has been about.

Amazon: $21.99

Speaking of scary movies with great word of mouth, Triangle is the story of a group of friends who go sailing on a yacht and come upon a seemingly deserted ocean liner during a storm in the Bermuda Triangle. They soon realize they’re not alone. The premise doesn’t sound electric to me but a million positive reviews can’t be wrong. Worth a look!

Amazon: $18.99

I’m not a big Doctor Who fan (the psychological scars it inflicted on me as a child have yet to heal) but I know this show is kind of a big deal. In addition to this Blu-ray box collection of the Complete Specials, BBC is releasing all of them (The Next Doctor / Planet of the Dead / The Waters of Mars / The End of Time Parts 1 and 2) in individual editions!

Amazon: $44.99

What’s that? You love Casablanca but you didn’t want to buy that big, overpriced Blu-ray box set of goo-gahs and crap it was previously packaged in? Well, today is your lucky day! The beautiful Blu-ray disc edition of the film is now available all on its own at a really great price. You owe it to yourself to own this film on Blu if you’re a film lover.

Amazon: $16.49

And speaking of films you love now in a cheaper package, Paramount has made both Godfather and Godfather Part 2 available in individual Blu-ray releases under their premium Sapphire label. These are the same discs from the previously available boxed set and look and sound brilliant! Full reviews coming this week.

Amazon: Godfather – $23.99
Godfather Part 2 – $22.99

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:

Blu-ray Picks for the Week of January 26

Brenden — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 15:26:55 +0000

I don’t know. I don’t think this is a particularly exciting week of Blu-ray disc releases. But who am I? There are a few neat titles, for sure. Hell, there’s something new again from Criterion! But none of these titles are really inspiring me to get out to the shops and buy today, if you know what I mean. Anyway, have a gander at what’s new and see if anything tickles your fancy. As always, we appreciate any Amazon purchase you make through our links.

I guess I kind of went through a Jacko phase when I was, like, nine or something. But you’ve got to give me some leeway there, as the whole world was buzzing about the Thriller album at the time. Needless to say, it didn’t last long. And here I am now, an old man in his thirties, pretty apathetic about the film This Is It and all the hype surrounding Michael Jackson‘s last recorded days. If you’re a fan, though, this is a must-buy!

Amazon: $23.99

I didn’t mind Surrogates. I’ll get my full review up here shortly but I’ll just tell you now that it’s pretty entertaining. I was distracted, however by the weird digital-noise-reduced look of some scenes. I don’t believe they actually were DNR’ed at all but in an effort to make humans look like robots, there’s just a lot of smoothed-over detail, which pretty much kills the thrill of high-def. Anyway, Surrogates is Philip K. Dick-lite, starring Bruce Willis in a shitty blonde hairpiece. Check it out. Have a good time with it.

Amazon: $23.49

Whip It looks like a lot of fun. I’ve requested a screener from Fox and am hoping to be able to review it soon (Fox always sends review discs out after the title has been released.) I’ve heard good things about this one. I really like Ellen Page and Drew Barrymore and have high hopes that the movie delivers. And as it’s a brand new film I’m certain the Blu-ray will look and sound great. Ahem…cough…lookin’ at you here, Fox!! No pressure…

Amazon: $23.99

Remember when I said there wasn’t anything out today that excited me? Yeah, well, I guess I was kind of lying. Because I’m actually pretty stoked to see Wim Wenders‘ Paris, Texas, new on Blu-ray today from the wonderful Criterion Collection. I really like Wenders. But more importantly, in this case, I’m in love with the cast of the film. Starring Harry Dean Stanton, Dean Stockwell and Nastassja Kinski, Paris, Texas features a quirky/cool line-up of talent David Lynch would be proud of. If you picked up Criterion’s recent perfect release of Wenders’ Wings Of Desire on Blu-ray, you owe it to yourself to grab this film that preceded it by three years.

Amazon: $26.49

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:

Blu-ray Picks for the Week of January 19

Brenden — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 16:58:30 +0000

It’s another Tuesday with another handful of great Blu-ray releases. In the mix this week we’ve got a comic book adaptation, a couple of fantastic PTA fliks and another incredible release from the Criterion Collection. As always, making a purchase through our Amazon links keeps The Blu-ray Blog on its feet and we thank you for every single one!

Whiteout stars Kate Beckinsale and is an adaptation of a fantastic comic book by Greg Rucka and Steve Leiber. I just got the disc in the mail today and am excited to check it out! I’m listing it as my pick of the week on the strength of the comic book alone. I’m really hoping that the film measures up…

Amazon: $19.99

I’ll watch anything with Ricky Gervais. Hell, I even checked out the Golden Globes this year!!. I hate award shows with a passion but man, his brief moments at the podium made the whole affair worthwhile. What really gets me excited about The Invention of Lying (aside from the interesting concept) is the fact that it not only stars Gervais in the lead but is also co-written and co-directed by the man! If this film isn’t funny or rewarding in some way I’ll be shocked! SHOCKED, I say!

Amazon: $19.99

I’m a big fan of Paul Thomas Anderson. And I really, really love both Boogie Nights and Magnolia. And while both films have been available on Blu-ray for the last little while, they’ve both been retail exclusives, only sold through particular outlets. Well, today they’re free!! No, not free to purchase, but free to be sold anywhere and everywhere! So hop on over to Amazon and treat yourself to some PTA!

Amazon: Boogie Nights – $19.99, Magnolia – $18.99

What can I say? It’s a Criterion release. You should buy it, if you know what’s good for you!!

Read all about the Che Criterion Collection Blu-ray discs here – New Criterion Blu-ray Announcements: Che

Amazon: $34.99

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:

Blu-ray Picks for the Week of January 12

Brenden — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 22:29:31 +0000

Oh geez. I usually like to pick a top disc release every week. I usually like to be able to recommend a single title for you to pick up, you know, if you’ve got a tight budget, or just want to see the best of the best. But I can’t really do it this week. There are too many brilliant Blu-ray discs out this week! I’ll highlight a few of them but please comb through the whole list. There’s something for everyone here!

Moon is one of the best films of the year. And it’s also a really fine Blu-ray disc. Don’t just pick it up for the quirky sci-fi story or the brilliant performance by Sam Rockwell. Pick it up because its a great all-round debut from a fine filmmaker (I’m looking at you, Duncan Jones!) given a spectacular Blu-ray disc treatment courtesy of Sony. Oh, and the score by Clint Mansell is probably my favourite of 2009!

Amazon: $24.49

I love, love, love The Brothers Bloom! We got it on Blu-ray here in Canada a few months ago (read my full review here). Glad to see that you folks south of the 49th parallel will finally have a chance to check it out too! Great film!

Amazon: $19.99

What can I possibly say about Federico Fellini‘s classic film 8 1/2 that hasn’t been said a million times before? Except maybe that it holds the honour of being the first title from my list of Top 10 Criterion DVDs that deserve a Blu-ray upgrade to graduate to high-def! I can’t wait to get my hands on this and ditch my old, very nearly worn out DVD set. Any takers out there? Anyone still satisfied with standard-def? (Sorry, just cultivating my High-Def snobbishness!)

Amazon: $26.99

High-Def Simpsons on Blu-ray!! This is such a great, little compact set, with the whole season spread over 2-Discs! Great. I just got my hands on it but haven’t had a chance to screen any episodes yet. I’m curious to see how much compression Fox had to use to cram them all onto the discs. Full review coming later in the week!

Amazon: $36.99

I’d love to see The Hurt Locker! It’s another in the long line of potentially great films I missed out on in the theatres this past year. I understand it’s one of the best of the best and though I can’t speak from personal experience, I’ve included it here, in the top releases of the week on reputation alone.

Amazon: $24.49

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:

Blu-ray Picks for the Week of January 5

Brenden — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 23:50:49 +0000

Happy new year! I hope you managed to score a bevy of excellent films on Blu-ray over the last couple of weeks. I know I sure did. I was finally able to pick up the Black Friday orders I had placed with Amazon (I ship to my Aunt in Florida and pick up when I can. Shipping here to Montreal from the USA is waaaaay too expensive!) I’m pleased to say that my collection of Criterion Blu-ray discs has just multiplied by a factor of three! I’m very excited to crack into them.

But never mind the holidays, we’ve got a new year on our hands here and a ton of new Blu-ray discs, released only this week for our enjoyment.

I wasn’t really sold on Columbia/Sony Animation‘s Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs until recently, when the Blu-ray showed up at my door for review. This is a surprising little film that, while not quite able to compete with the Pixar giants out there, provides a lot of entertainment value for kids and adults alike. Good stuff!

Amazon: $24.99

Oh yeah! More of the Duke on Blu! It’s always cause for celebration when another John Wayne film shows up in high-def and I, for one, am really looking forward to checking out Warner‘s newest edition of The Green Berets. If the transfer is up to Warner’s current standards we’re in for a real treat.

Amazon: $18.99

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:

Blu-ray Picks for the Week of December 29

Brenden — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 02:05:01 +0000

It’s almost the end of 2009 but the year has a few more choice Blu-ray releases for us!

I have a feeling that Jennifer’s Body is going to do all right on home video. The film took a lot of flack for being a vapid Megan Fox vehicle when it hit theaters a few months ago but there seems to be a lot of enthusiasm for the Blu-ray now. Or is everybody just flocking to my post announcing Jennifer’s Body on Blu-ray for the accompanying risqué video?

Amazon: $22.99

Okay. I’ve been kind of down on 9. I really don’t care for the design of it. But I have to admit to being quite sad that I haven’t had an opportunity to see it yet. I’m a sucker for anything animated. And I love me some Tim Burton. Maybe I’ll treat myself to a 9 New Years Blu-ray gift!

Amazon: $24.99

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:

Blu-ray Picks for the Week of December 22

Brenden — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 15:56:33 +0000

We’re only a few days away from Christmas, which means there’s not much time left to pick up that perfect gift for the Blu-ray fanatic in your life. If you’re having trouble finding something, we recommend using our handy-dandy gift guide, full of ideas from boxed gift sets to the best Blu-ray player in the world. If you still don’t see anything you like, maybe one of these new releases will float your boat.

I just watched District 9 on Blu-ray. This is one of the best films of the year. I’m blown away! And not only is the film itself amazing but the Blu-ray is damn fine as well. Great looking, packed with great special features and a killer demo of God of War 3 for the PS3 which cost me several hours of my Sunday evening. Super-extra-highly recommended!

Amazon: $17.99

I’m not a big fan of Family Guy. But I loves me some Star Wars! So I’m game to check out any send-up of the franchise. I watched the Blue Harvest Family Guy film and wasn’t that impressed but I can’t say I didn’t have any fun watching it. There’s something kind of cool about how slavishly they follow the original films. Anyway, I’m looking forward to watching Family Guy Presents: Something Something Something Dark Side.

Amazon: $18.99

I literally just accepted delivery of my review copy of (500) Days of Summer a couple of minutes ago. I’m so excited to see this! There’s been a lot of talk about this film being one of the better releases of the year. A sort-of romantic comedy for intelligent people. Let’s hope it lives up to the hype!

Amazon: $24.99

Extract is the new film from Mike Judge, the man who brought us Office Space and the King of the Hill animated TV series. Word of mouth on this film has been less-than stellar. In fact, some folks flat-out don’t care for Extract. But I think high-expectations, based on Judge’s stellar Office Space, have muddied the waters a bit, not allowing the film to be judged on its own merits. I’ve got my review copy here and hope to see for myself tonight. Review pending…

Amazon: $24.49

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:

Blu-ray Picks for the Week of December 15

Brenden — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 16:52:42 +0000

I’m a day late getting my Blu-ray picks posted. Sorry ’bout that. Yesterday was pretty packed with news and with the limited time I had, I could only squeeze so many posts in. But here we are now, a little light on titles overall but with some quality Blu-ray discs nonetheless. Guess which boxed set I’m most excited about this week…

All right, this isn’t really my top pick. But it’s probably the biggest release of the week so it seemed right to shine the spotlight on it. I still haven’t seen The Hangover yet (WHV sent me the DVD to review…Still trying to explain to them that the site is about the Blu-ray format…sigh…) but I’m really looking forward to it. My pals tell me it’s one of the best comedies they’ve seen in a long while. And I always believe my pals. Read all about the Blu-ray release in our post here: The Hangover Blu-ray announced and detailed

Amazon: $15.99

And yet another film I missed out on in the cinema. Word on the street is that this Blu-ray edition of Tarantino‘s Inglourious Basterds is not to be missed. I’ll be picking up a copy today. I’m pretty excited to finally get a chance to see it. Tarantino doesn’t always knock it out of the park for me but as a fan of the original Inglorious Bastards and the Dirty Dozen, I can’t wait to check out what he does when he sinks his teeth into the genre! Read all about the Blu-ray release in our post here: Inglourious Basterds announced and detailed!

Amazon: $17.99

This is the biggest release of the week for me. I’m constantly amazed at the quality of these Star Trek: The Original Series Blu-ray disc sets. They’re absolutely beautiful! I never thought these old episodes could possibly look or sound this good. Yeah, this set contains the worst episodes of the series but if you’ve picked up the first two seasons (and I really hope you have…they’re some of the best Blu has to offer!) you’ve got to grab this up to complete the set. If you don’t have any of the season sets yet, Paramount is offering a bundle with all three together, the entire series for a slight discount.

Highly recommended!!

Amazon: $52.99

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:

Blu-ray Picks for the Week of December 8

Brenden — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 16:16:10 +0000

Oh, what a weird day today! Was awakened at 5AM by bad porch kitten, iPhone died around 7AM, almost choked on a Cinnamon Streusel Mini-Wheat at 9AM, now I’m left exhausted, out-of-touch and coughing, to wade through this weeks new Blu-ray releases. Thankfully, there aren’t a lot of quality discs out today (there is a whole pile of crap, direct to video kind of stuff I’ll just ignore) but the discs worth noting are most certainly worth rushing out to pick up.

I just watched Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince a couple of nights ago. Amazing! I’m in love with this series. I’m not sure that I can even be objective about the individual films anymore. I loved this film to the extent that I’d be happy to pop it on again tonight and watch it all over again. And the Blu-ray package is a fantastic one as well, stuffed with incredible special features. Chief among them is the Maximum Movie Mode, which allows you to watch the film alongside the actors and production crew, who explore elements of the film through conversation, stills and focus featurettes. Awesome!

And if you’re half the Harry Potter nut that I’ve become, you’re going to want to grab up these new Ultimate Editions of the first two films. They come complete with everything included on the old versions of the discs and have added extended cuts of the films, more special features and come packaged with collectables and books. Read our full run-down of the releases for more details.

Best. Season. EVER! With season 5, Lost went from a pretty good show to absolutely great! And this Blu-ray set will let you relive every moment in stunning 1080p. Really, these episodes are gorgeous in HD. You haven’t seen a thing until you’ve seen them on the Blu-ray disc. The Season 5 disc set contains a ton of extras, the coolest of which is the online Lost University, which you can enroll in today via BD-Live.

And if you’re a super-mega fan of Lost, you’ll want to get your hands on this Dharma Initiative Orientation Kit edition of the Season 5 set. It includes a VHS Orientation Video for New Recruits, Limited Edition Collectible embroidered DHARMA Patches (MAY Include The Exclusive Submarine Patch), Orientation Guides to the Compound, Motor Pool, Security and Cafeteria and an exclusive CD of Geronimo Jackson’s “Dharma Lady” and more!

And if you’re up for a killer deal today (Tuesday, Dec. 8th only!) Amazon.com has Lost: Seasons 1-5 in their Gold Box Deal today for 70% off the MSRP! Take advantage of this deal before it’s over and get every episode of Lost that’s aired so far for only $108.99!

This film was surprisingly good! We watched Julie and Julia last night and while I would take issue with some of the more ham-fisted lines of dialogue and moments of over-acting littered throughout, the whole film plays quite well overall. It is sweet, in that Rom-Com kind of way but that’s to be expected from a director like Nora Ephron (Sleepless in Seattle, You’ve Got Mail). But this isn’t a Rom-Com. It’s a study of two lives that run in parallel over two different time periods – one, a young girl in 2002 lost in the doldrums of her life and the other, a lady approaching middle age, who would become famous for bringing French cuisine to the USA. And Meryl Streep is simply outstanding in the role of famous chef Julia Child. It’s worth checking out the movie for her portrayal alone. Great film and a wonderful Blu-ray from Sony.

I haven’t had a chance to screen this Blu-ray yet but I really enjoyed Public Enemies in the theatre. I’ll get behind any Michael Mann film, of course, but I think this one is really worth checking out. If for no other reason than the very peculiar way a period film plays when shot on High-def video!

The Blu-ray Blog » Weekly Picks

Top 5 New Blu-ray releases for the Week of February 16

Related posts

Blu-ray Picks for the Week of February 2

Related posts

Blu-ray Picks for the Week of January 26

Related posts

Blu-ray Picks for the Week of January 19

Related posts

Blu-ray Picks for the Week of January 12

Related posts

Blu-ray Picks for the Week of January 5

Related posts

Blu-ray Picks for the Week of December 29

Related posts

Blu-ray Picks for the Week of December 22

Related posts

Blu-ray Picks for the Week of December 15

Related posts

Blu-ray Picks for the Week of December 8

Related posts