Annnnnd we’re back. It’s been a long, long weekend for The Blu-ray Blog. Everyone was taking some time off, spending the days with family and just taking the opportunity to get in some rest and relaxation. I traveled back home to Ontario to celebrate my nephew’s tenth birthday! Many video-games were played. Many Blu-ray discs were watched. Many cupcakes were scarfed down. I think, between the sedentary celebrations and the cornucopia of food this weekend I probably put on a few pounds. Time to work them off by…writing this exciting Top 5 Blu-ray discs column? I think I’d probably burn more calories by playing more Tekken 6.
1. THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE MOTION PICTURE TRILOGY
This is, without question, the release of the week. But it sure isn’t for everyone. Aside from the ongoing arguments regarding the potentially flawed picture quality of the discs, The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy set only features the theatrical cuts of all three films. Now, that’s not a big problem for guys like me, who enjoy watching both these and the longer, truer-to-the-book extended cuts, but I understand that this is heresy to some. Rest assured, the extended editions will make their way to Blu in due time. But if you count yourself among the few fans who aren’t crying “double dip” and can’t wait for the longer cuts to hit the shops, you can grab your own copies of the films on Blu today.
Also available today from Warner: Ralph Bakshi‘s animated version of The Lord of the Rings.
2. BAD LIEUTENANT: PORT OF CALL NEW ORLEANS
Absolute, bat-shit crazy Werner Herzog adaptation of Abel Ferrara‘s bat-shit crazy, original cult film. This time around, featuring a mind-altering performance by Nicolas Cage that reminds us, for the first time in years, that the man is actually talented and can bust it up onscreen when he feels so inclined. I can’t speak to the quality of the Blu-ray disc itself but at this super-low Amazon price, I doubt you’ll go wrong by taking the risk and buying blind.
Read more: First Look bringing Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans to Blu-ray
3. THE NATURAL
Once upon a time, before the days of Sphere and Jimmy Hollywood, director Barry Levinson made films as great as The Natural. This is one I didn’t think we’d see on Blu-ray any time soon, as I assumed it would need a lot of t.l.c. to make it shine in 1080p. I’m not sure what magic elixir Sony used to bring it to life in high-def but man, this is a beautiful Blu-ray disc! Packed with tons of extras, an incredible transfer and a killer lossless audio track, The Natural is a…home run.
Sorry. I couldn’t resist….it really is that good!
Full review later in the week!
Another adaptation this week which sees a classic film being recreated into a second, more contemporary yet still awesome film. The Thomas Crown affair took the Steve McQueen/Faye Dunaway original and gave it a slicker, more action packed pace, along with some electric chemistry between stars Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo. Much like the Bad Lieutenant film, I haven’t given this one a look yet so I can’t attest to the quality of the audio and video. But priced at only $11.99 on Amazon, how can you possibly pass this one up?
5. COCOON
Ahhhh…Steve Guttenberg, aliens and old people. The ideal mix of ingredients to make cinema magic, right? Uhhhh… I was never a big fan of Cocoon growing up but it’s a really well done, classic 80s film from director Ron Howard, finally available on Blu-ray this week. For less than twenty bucks you get the film, an Opie commentary, a bunch of featurettes and trailers. Sounds pretty good for those of you who are fans of 80s movies, Ron Howard or magical grandparents.
HONOURABLE MENTION: Shaw Brothers Films on Blu-ray
DEAL ALERT: BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: THE COMPLETE SERIES
As it has been for a while now, the brand new boxed set edition of the BSG: Complete Series is priced well below the MSRP on the Canadian Amazon site. As well as being priced well below its US counterpart. If you’re at all interested in this Blu-ray set, updated with BSG: The Plan and a trimmer, more practical case, you should jump on this low price now before Amazon.ca jacks up their price.
Amazon.ca: $149.99 CDN
Amazon.com: $209.99 US
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:
![The Protector [Blu-ray]](/wp_content/uploads/2010/04/51fftyhqstl_sl500_aa300__150x150.jpg "The Protector [Blu-ray]")
![Sharpe's Peril [Blu-ray]](/wp_content/uploads/2010/04/61sq7eyqdal_sl500_aa300__150x150.jpg "Sharpe's Peril [Blu-ray]")
![Sharpe's Challenge [Blu-ray]](/wp_content/uploads/2010/04/51o1iek7zal_sl500_aa300__150x150.jpg "Sharpe's Challenge [Blu-ray]")
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The new slimmer packaging for Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series
It was just over a month ago that we told you all about the reissue and repackaging of the Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series Blu-ray boxed set. This new box packs the same old content into a slicker, slimmer package that will fit on your shelf, as opposed to the last version which was so big and bulky that it could double as a house for your cat. It also now includes the straight-to-video film, The Plan, which was released after the original collection was issued. But you know all of this already, right? And you’ve probably already seen this updated package art, right? What you want to know is how to get this new edition of the BSG box set on the cheap. Well, let me tell you how…
Amazon.ca is the answer. That’s right, Canada’s very own Amazon store is selling the new Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series Blu-ray for the low, low price of $149.99 CDN (around $146 US!!) That’s a whole hell of a lot cheaper than the Amazon.com discount price of $209.99. Now, I don’t know what the shipping is from here in Canada down to you folks in the States but I’m sure even when you factor that into the cost, the Amazon.ca price will still come out on top by a long shot. There’s no guarantee that the price will stay this low (and if the US price is any indication, it’ll shoot back up before long!) so if you’re a BSG fan you might want to jump on this deal in the very near future!
Previously on The Blu-ray Blog: Repackaged Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series Blu-ray Announced
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]]>Have you been watching Caprica, the follow-up series/prequel to Battlestar Galactica? I haven’t taken the plunge yet but I have a feeling this might just be the weekend I give the new SyFy series a shot. I’m honestly still a little Battlestar-ed out from last years final season and all the news leading up to the release of the Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series Blu-ray boxed set. Yet, here we are again, less than a year later with an almost identical announcement from Universal, for another release of the series on Blu. What can you expect from this new edition? Read on and I’ll tell you…
At its core, this is just a repackaging of the series in newer, slimmer, standard digipacks that will fit happily on your movie shelf (No package art is available yet). The bonus here is that, not only will this set be cheaper ($299.98 down from $349.98 MSRP) but it will also include last years direct-to-video film The Plan, in its extended, unrated version! This is great news for those of us who felt the previous set was lacking the necessary components to call itself “Complete“, bringing it one step closer to deserving its name.
Sadly, however, it seems that Universal is still reluctant to include the webisodes that led into the final season of the series – The Face of the Enemy. We reported on its omission from the original set last year, when a storm began brewing around the notion that the studio was trying to bury the shorts for outting one its core characters. Seems like a silly reason to omit content to me. People were getting outted as robots on a weekly basis on Galactica. I think one man’s sexuality was of a much lesser concern to fans than the revelation of the identity of the final Cylon! Home Media Magazine has spoken to Universal who seem inclined to keep the webisodes an online exclusive into the forseeable future.
The 2009, original bulky packaging for Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series
On a positive note, our pals over at TV Shows on DVD have uncovered a packaging trade-in program! If you already own the set and would prefer the new digipacks to fit the discs on your shelves, Universal is ready to help you out. Hop on over to their site for details!
The new edition of Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series is currently available for pre-order on Amazon.com for $177.99. The original edition, released July 28, 2009 is currently reduced to only $185.49.
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]]>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!
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.
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:
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]]>Hey. Hello there, Battlestar! Where’ve you been hiding? Haven’t seen you in a while.
It felt like I was posting about Battlestar Galactica about once a day, a while back. Since the Complete Series Blu-ray Box hit the stores, I think I’ve been a bit lost. I’ve actually had to post about – gulp – films! Luckily, I’ve also had lots of Star Trek to keep me busy. I’m happy to say, however that there’s a little more Battlestar to come our way fairly soon, in the fashion of the direct-to-video prequel/sequel – Battlestar Galactica: The Plan. I got the press release and full disc details out to you a few weeks back but there was no hint of Blu-ray cover art at the time. Well, finally, Universal has delivered. Here you go. Have a look:
Read the full press release and all Blu-ray details in our article here: Battlestar Galactica: The Plan Blu-ray Announced, Complete Series Box Set Reviewed
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That’s right fans, he has used the ACTUAL binders from the show! You can too. Bill tells you how over at the Bits. But that’s not the coolest thing. He has made individual inserts for every Blu-ray, listing all episodes and bonus features on each disc, so you know where to find what you’re looking for. This is something that Universal didn’t think about when designing their “too-cool-for-school” packaging. Luckily, your uncle Bill has come to the rescue:
The inserts are available for you to download at The Digital Bits. If you grab them and make your own packaging, shoot him a note of thanks, will ya? Learn more about Bill Hunt’s custom packaging here: DAILY COLUMN: Claudette box films, Watchmen UCE & custom BSG packaging
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]]>Universal Studios Home Entertainment sent out a press release yesterday announcing their upcoming Battlestar Galactica: The Plan, the direct-to-video coda to the highly acclaimed Sci-fi television series. While it gives a pretty solid run-down of what we can expect to see on the Blu-ray and DVD discs, I still have no clue where this fits into the overall Galactica story!
I know the fraking cylons are supposed to have a plan. But was it just about killing off all the humans? And, so what happened to that plan when they didn’t all evaporate in the first attack? Did they just give it up? Doesn’t that make this whole DTV movie a bit of nonsense?!
Urgh… I’m THIS close to being done with Battlestar…
On a related note, Bill Hunt, the lucky son-of-a-gun, has gotten himself an early copy of the giant Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series box set and has posted a rather thorough review of it over on his site, The Digital Bits. Sounds like it’s all a Battlestar fan could’ve hoped for, save for the exclusion of a few bits and bobs (like the Face of the Enemy webisodes, as we reported on earlier). Go give his review a read!
And now, on to the Battlestar Galactica: The Plan press release!
BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: THE PLAN
(October 27 2009, MSRP $39.98)
Video: 1080p VC-1
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Special Features:
- • MY SCENES: Bookmark your favorite scenes from the movie. (BD Exclusive)
• BATTLESTAR GALACTICA TRIVIA: All-new trivia game. (BD Exclusive)
• DELETED SCENES
• FROM ADMIRAL TO DIRECTOR: EDWARD JAMES OLMOS AND THE PLAN – A day-in-the-life with director and actor Edward James Olmos, as he tackles the most ambitious Battlestar Galactica production to date.
• THE CYLONS OF THE PLAN – Features interviews with the actors who play the film’s key Cylons, including Dean Stockwell, Tricia Helfer, Grace Park, Michael Trucco, Rick Worthy and Michael Bennett.
• THE CYLON ATTACK – This featurette takes viewers behind the scenes for the planning and execution of one of Battlestar Galactica: The Plan’s major action sequences.
• BEHIND THE PLAN – An in-depth look at some stunning visual effects and the role post-production plays in bringing the world of Battlestar Galactica to life.
• FILMMAKER COMMENTARY
UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif., July 17 — Television’s most thrilling science fiction adventure makes a stunning turnabout when Battlestar Galactica: The Plan debuts on Blu-ray(TM) Hi-Def and DVD on October 27, 2009 from Universal Studios Home Entertainment. For the first time ever, fans can experience the uncut and uncensored story of humanity’s futuristic fight for survival through the eyes of their deadly adversaries, the Cylons. This never-before-seen perspective of the Cylon plan reunites the series’ original television cast, including Emmy((R)) Award winner Edward James Olmos (Stand and Deliver), Dean Stockwell (JAG), Tricia Helfer (Burn Notice), Grace Park (The Cleaner) and Callum Keith Rennie (Californication). Ronald D. Moore and David Eick return as executive producers.
Battlestar Galactica: The Plan‘s executive producer and writer Jane Espenson added, “Edward James Olmos was our director on the movie, and he did an amazing job. He also shot some great footage that we are not able to show on TV, so I’m thrilled that viewers can experience it uncut as our director envisioned it.”
Battlestar Galactica: The Plan includes the uncensored 90-minute feature and revealing bonus features that take viewers onto the set of the most unexpected twist ever in the intergalactic saga’s history. Interactive features available exclusively on Blu-ray(TM) Hi-Def include the new Battlestar Galactica Trivia Game, as well as Universal’s acclaimed U-CONTROL(TM) and BD-Live(TM) experience. With Blu-ray(TM) Hi-Def, viewers can enjoy Battlestar Galactica: The Plan‘s stunning visuals with perfect picture and the purest digital sound available.
During four spellbinding seasons on the SCI FI Channel (now Syfy), Battlestar Galactica‘s vivid reimagining of the classic television series earned a legion of devoted fans, as well as unfettered critical acclaim, and Emmy((R)) Awards for Outstanding Special Visual Effects in 2007 and 2008 and a Peabody Award in 2008. Battlestar Galactica: The Plan is priced at $39.98 SRP on Blu-ray(TM )Hi-Def and $26.98 SRP on DVD. Preorder close is Sept. 8, 2009.
SYNOPSIS
Battlestar Galactica: The Plan.. The Cylons began as humanity’s robot servants. They rebelled and evolved and now they look like us. Their plan is simple: destroy the race that enslaved them. But when their devastating attack leaves human survivors, the Cylons have to improvise. Battlestar Galactica: The Plan tells the story of two powerful Cylon leaders, working separately, and their determination to finish the task.
An inspired, visually stunning reimagining of the 1978 series of the same name, Battlestar Galactica captured the imaginations of a new generation of fans with its gritty realism, compelling storylines and commanding performances. The show garnered numerous awards, including two Emmys(R) and the prestigious George Foster Peabody Award and was recognized by the American Film Institute (AFI) as one of the most outstanding television programs of the year for two years running. In March 2009, Battlestar Galactica‘s impassioned explorations of today’s hot-button issues, including politics, terrorism, treatment of prisoners and religion, even inspired the United Nations to host a special panel to discuss the questions it has raised. The series is from Universal Cable Productions and is executive produced by Ronald D. Moore and David Eick.
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Look what happens when you’re not paying attention. Amazon has just dropped the price on the mammoth Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series Box Set! When they had offered it initially, the online retailer had it listed at a 30% discount. A scant few weeks later, Amazon has dropped the price a further 7%, bringing the 20 disc set down to only $219.99. Not bad for all 4.5 season, a mini-series, original movie, Cylon action figure and more, stuffed into fancy exclusive packaging.
Read our article for a complete list of Bonus Features and package contents.
Can’t wait to get my hands on this set!
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]]>Bugger….
It’s hard to say exactly what this “stuff” is going to be but we know from the Amazon listing what form it’ll take. Apparently, there will be a couple of exclusive books (18cmx13cm, 32 pages) called ‘So say we all’ and ‘By Your command’. I know. Not really that exciting. But there’s more.
Reportedly coming in the DVD collection, but not listed as “exclusive” is a “Battlestar Galacatica Book” (huh?) and…wait for it…”A BONUS DISC OF NEVER BEFORE SEEN FOOTAGE“!!! What the hell?!?! Where did this come from? What footage? Never before seen?! Are these deleted scenes? Making-of docs? Home movies? The infinite possibilities are overloading my positronic matrix!
I’ll tell you this for sure, if this bonus DVD contains the webisodes missing from the “Complete” series Blu-ray set, I’m going to be mighty steamed…
BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: THE COMPLETE SERIES (UK EDITION)
(September 21, 2009 – MSRP £159.99)
Running time 4077 minutes (approx. 68 hours)
Video: 1.78:1 VC-1
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Subtitles: English, French and Spanish
Special Features:
• Audio/Podcast Commentaries
• Deleted Scenes
• Battlestar Galactica: The Lowdown
• Extended Episodes
• Minisodes
• Sneak Peek at Caprica
• David Eick’s Video Blogs
• ‘What the Frak is Going on with Battlestar Galactica?’
• ‘Evolution of a Cue’
• Behind the Scenes Featurettes
• Sketches and Art
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]]>What the hell? How did this happen? How does Universal consider this Battlestar Galactica: Complete Series Box-Set ‘complete’ without this little web-exclusive chapter of the show included on the forthcoming Blu-ray set?! When we posted the full Special Features breakdown of the set, I didn’t even notice the absence of ‘The Face of the Enemy’ Webisodes. I took it for granted that they were there, hidden somewhere in the twenty-million-page long list of extras. Hell, every other season release of BSG has included the relevant webisodes, why exclude them from the Complete Series Box? Not that i’ll miss them (it was a struggle to plod through all ten episodes to be honest) but we nerds are nothing if not completists. When we commit to a series, be it comics, Blu-ray discs or TV shows, we’ve gotta get ‘em all!
Gay-themed blog AfterElton.com is concerned that the exclusion of the episodes is a result of prominent character Lieutenant Felix Gaeta being outed in ‘The Face of the Enemy’. They contacted Universal and received this response:
- “Thank you for contacting Universal Studios Home Entertainment. We strive to provide the highest standard in product quality and customer care.
Because “Battlestar Galactica” has such loyal and passionate fans, we include as much bonus content as possible to enhance each DVD release. Sometimes, however, legal clearances, timing issues, disc capacity or other issues prevent existing material from being included.
Again, thank you. We appreciate your patronage and hope that you will continue to enjoy our releases.”
Yikes. That’s either a boilerplate response to questions about Special Features on the set or Universal has their shields activated, spinning up their FTL drives for a quick retreat!