Akira Kurosawa

Top New Blu-ray releases for the Week of July 26

By Brenden ⋅ July 27, 2011 ⋅ Post a comment

This week’s new Blu-ray releases include ‘SOURCE CODE’ from eOne, ‘HIGH AND LOW’, ‘LEON MORIN, PRIEST and ‘LIFE DURING WARTIME’ from Criterion, ‘THE BLUES BROTHERS’ and ‘ANIMAL HOUSE’ from Universal, ‘JUSTICE LEAGUE: SEASON TWO’ and ‘SUPERNATURAL: THE ANIME SERIES’ from Warner and many, many more!

Criterion July Blu-ray titles: Beauty and the Beast, Naked, High and Low, The Music Room, Life During Wartime and Leon Morin, Priest

By Brenden ⋅ April 15, 2011 ⋅ One comment

What a way to end the work week! Criterion have announced their July slate of new Blu-ray discs and once again, it’s a knockout. I’m particularly excited about seeing Cocteau’s dreamy Beauty and the Beast in HD, though I fear it might look softer, hazier than I would hope. The thought of getting my grubby little mitts on Satyajit Ray’s The Music Room is also getting my blood pumping, as it looks to be one of the most feature-rich discs in the bunch (check out all of those extras!) I’m feeling a little guilty about the lack of enthusiasm I’m feeling for Todd Solondz’ Life During Wartime. I really, really want to be all fired about this, his newest flik but I feel like his style has just worn away at me over the years. I loved Happiness once upon a time but can’t bare to sit through it now. Ah well, I’m willing to give Wartime a shot if the good folks at Criterion deem it worthy. …Continued…

Top 5 New Blu-ray releases for the Week of October 19

By Brenden ⋅ October 19, 2010 ⋅ 4 comments

This is ridiculous. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen so many brilliant titles being released on Blu-ray disc on a single day! …Continued…

Criterion announces October Blu-ray titles: Seven Samurai, The Magician, Paths of Glory, House, The Darjeeling Limited

By Brenden ⋅ July 22, 2010 ⋅ 2 comments

I’m going to have to get a second job. There isn’t a single title in Criterion’s October release slate that isn’t a must-own for me. They are all films I love, most from directors I’m quite passionate about (Kurosawa, Anderson, Kubrick, Bergman.) What’s a film nut to do but offer up all of his hard earned cash to the gods of home video? …Continued…

Top 5 New Blu-ray releases for the Week of March 23

By Brenden ⋅ March 24, 2010 ⋅ Post a comment

This week is a killer. Seriously, this list could easily be a top 10. Or 15. I can’t recall a week in recent history when their was such a plethora of amazing titles hitting the shops on the same day! Four Criterion discs, two Pixars, Oscar, Emmy and Golden Globe winners…This weeks Blu-ray releases are going to put me in the poor house. …Criterion…

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

By Brenden ⋅ February 17, 2010 ⋅ Post a comment

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. …Continued…

[VIDEO] Studio Canal Collection Blu-ray Trailer

By Brenden ⋅ February 14, 2010 ⋅ 5 comments

Here’s a great little promotional trailer for Studio Canal’s new line of deluxe Blu-ray releases. Those of you lamenting the loss of some of these titles from the Criterion Collection will want to pay close attention here. There are a few titles like Godard’s Breathless and Renais’ Last Year at Marienbad, currently still licensed to Criterion which will clearly be the next DVD and Blu-ray discs on the chopping block. …Continued…

The Blu-ray of Kurosawa's 'Ran' is getting some bad buzz

By Brenden ⋅ January 26, 2010 ⋅ One comment

The Blu-ray of Kurosawa’s ‘Ran’ is getting some bad buzz http://is.gd/74M4r (via @aicnanime) Related posts [VIDEO] Studio Canal Collection Blu-ray Trailer (5) Top 5 New Blu-ray releases for the Week of February 16 (0) Lionsgate Announces Studio Canal Collection: Ran, The Ladykillers, Contempt on Blu-ray (2) Criterion Collection cancels the previously announced Blu-ray Disc release [...]

Criterion Announces Seven Samurai, Yojimbo and Sanjuro Blu-ray Editions – UPDATED!

By Brenden ⋅ December 15, 2009 ⋅ 2 comments

As most film fans know, Criterion is releasing a beautiful boxed set of 25 Akira Kurosawa films on DVD to celebrate the the director’s centenary. As incredible as the set seems, it has only served to depress me on a couple of levels – I already own a lot of the films in the set and they’re not making the 25 films available on Blu-ray. Well, they may not be on Blu anytime soon but the label did announce today via a blog post on their site that they’ve been struggling to create a month of high-def Kurosawa releases. They have, sadly not been entirely successful. Here’s what they had to say… …Continued…

Lionsgate Announces Studio Canal Collection: Ran, The Ladykillers, Contempt on Blu-ray

By Brenden ⋅ November 25, 2009 ⋅ 2 comments

How can Blu-ray news be so amazing yet so damned tragic all at the same time? I’ll tell you how – when a bunch of films you love get announced for Blu-ray but not in the editions you were hoping and praying for. Case in point – the Studio Canal Collection distributed in North America by Lionsgate. …Continued…