Universal’s 100th Anniversary Blu-ray releases include restored Dracula, Frankenstein, Jaws, All Quiet on the Western Front, The Birds and more!

This has been a stunning week of Blu-ray news (most of which I’ll get to posting in due time), all released surrounding the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The news that walloped me the hardest is that 2012 will be the year that Universal will finally offer up select titles from it’s beloved collection of monster films in new, restored Blu-ray releases!! That’s right, the gods of monsters and the gods of HD have, at long last, seen fit to allow me to own the original 1930s Dracula and Frankenstein films in glorious 1080p! …Continued…

Top New Blu-ray releases for the Week of December 6

This week’s new Blu-ray releases include ‘À BOUT PORTANT (POINT BLANK)’, ‘THE LADY VANISHES’, ‘A DESIGN FOR LIVING’, ‘THE DEBT’, ‘TORA! TORA! TORA!’, ‘HEAVENLY CREATURES’, ‘THE SIMPSONS: THE FOURTEENTH SEASON’, ‘DRAGON TATTOO TRILOGY: EXTENDED EDITION’, ‘THE HANGOVER: PART II’, ‘MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – EXTREME BLU-RAY TRILOGY’ and many, many more!

Annie Hall, Midnight Cowboy, Rebecca, Notorious, Spellbound and The Apartment coming to Blu-ray in January

Oh man, this is non-Criterion news that just happens to read like a Criterion Collection title announcement (in fact, a number of these films have actually had a Criterion DVD release in years past but have since fallen out of print.) Early pre-orders posted on Amazon.ca indicate that MGM plans to release 6 of their finest films on Blu-ray this coming January 24, 2012, including three early Hitchcock films (Rebecca, Notorious, Spellbound), Billy Wilder‘s The Apartment, John Schlesinger‘s Midnight Cowboy and Woody Allen‘s signature film, Annie Hall. …Continued…

Criterion December Blu-ray titles: Branded to Kill, Tokyo Drifter, Design for Living, The Lady Vanishes,

This is it! The announcement of the final Criterion Blu-ray releases for 2011. And look at that, there are only four titles! It makes sense, given that many of us are kind of done with the whole spending thing near the end of December. So, two weeks with two titles each is going to do it. Surprisingly, there’s only one film new to the collection here. Ernst Lubitsch’s Design for Living was, as far as I know, only available in a bare-bones DVD release as part of the Gary Cooper Collection from Universal up to this point. It’s going to be great to see getting the attention if deserves. While I’m also excited to see Hitchcock’s classic The Lady Vanishes, I’m really jonesing to get my grubby mitts on the two Seijin Suzuki titles – Branded to Kill and Tokyo Drifter. I have a feeling the new HD transfers on those already stunning widescreen Japanese-gangster epics will blow me away. …Continued…

Top 10 New Blu-ray Discs for Halloween 2010

Halloween is upon us yet again and this years crop of holiday-themed and horror Blu-ray discs are spectacular!

Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho announced for Blu-ray

Still catching up on recent disc announcements, I’m excited to report that we’ll finally be seeing another Hitchcock film making it’s way to Blu! Universal has announced a new “meticulously restored” 50th Anniversary Edition of Psycho on Blu-ray for release this October. The studio owns the rights to many of the famous director’s most highly acclaimed films. Let’s hope this release marks the beginning of a long run of Universal Hitchcock titles making their way to Blu-ray! Details below: …Continued…

North By Northwest: 50th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray Disc Review

We’re entering into an unprecedented era of film restoration. As time marches on, we run the risk of losing our cellulose acetate film treasures to vinegar syndrome, fire and neglect. Luckily for us, Warner has stepped in on this count and delivered a revelatory new edition of Alfred Hitchcock’s North By Northwest. This is, no doubt the finest presentation the film has seen since first being exhibited in theatres fifty years ago! …Continued…

North by Northwest Blu-ray announced for Digibook release

Ever since getting my hands on the 300: The Complete Experience Digibook packaging, I’ve been sold on the idea. What a great little book! To me, this is such a fantastic combination of content and form. And what better content to include in deluxe packaging than the films of the master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock!

First up is Hitchcock’s North by Northwest starring Cary Grant in one of his definitive performances. Here are the disc details: …Continued…