You know it’s a massive week of important Blu-ray releases when there are two new titles from Criterion and neither is in the number one position on our Top 5 list! Shocking! We’ve had some big weeks lately but this might just be the most incredible one of all. Hope you’ve been saving up.

1. THE ALIEN ANTHOLOGY

The brand new Alien Anthology Blu-ray set from Fox is perhaps the finest collection of films and supplemental material ever assembled in a single home video package! Special Edition disc producer Charles de Lauzirika, the genius behind the endlessly impressive ultimate Blade Runner set from a few years back, has really outdone himself here. In addition to brand new, stunning high-def transfers of the first two films, de Lauzirika has reassembled and recreated sound elements for the Alien³: Special Edition audio track, including re-recording dialogue with the original actors from those unfinished scenes that were inserted into the cut, to deliver an experience far more akin to a polished, final release film than has ever been seen before. Oh, and did I mention that each film is afforded two different cuts? And did I mention that there are over 60 hours of extras spread over the 6-discs? And did I mention that this is probably the best boxed set, perhaps even the best Blu-ray title of the entire year?

Yeah, the Alien Anthology Blu-ray set is pretty much the best thing ever. You need to grab it up today. Right now. Get going!!

The special features are too voluminous to list here. For full details, read our breakdown of the set: Alien Anthology Blu-ray Boxed Set Officially Announced and Detailed

Amazon: $89.99

2. BACK TO THE FUTURE: 25TH ANNIVERSARY TRILOGY

If this Back to the Future: 25th Anniversary Trilogy Blu-ray set had been released on any other day of the year, it most likely would have won the crown and taken the top spot on my Top 5 list. But competing against the juggernaut that is the Alien Anthology, Marty McFly and Doc Brown will have to settle for number two. Universal won’t send me a review copy, so I’m relying on the reviews of others here, to recommend this set on anything other than the fame of the films alone. But for all intents and purposes, it looks like this set is a pretty good one, featuring all new high-def transfers for the three films and a crap-load of new special features.

Amazon: $47.99

3. HOUSE

Without the two killer boxed sets of popular films warring it out for the top slots, this would easily have been my number one pick of the week. As I said in the Top 10 New Blu-ray Discs for Halloween 2010 list, it feels like I’ve been awaiting the Criterion Collection edition of House for almost a year now. It’s not a particularly scary film for modern audiences but it is incredibly imaginative and super-fun for a horror film. Criterion has, of course, pulled out all the stops here, delivering a stunning, cleaned up transfer and crisp, clean audio, along with a host of brand new special features that are sure to please any fan.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

• New, restored high-definition digital transfer (with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition)
• Constructing a House, a new video piece featuring interviews with director Nobuhiko Obayashi, story scenarist and daughter of the director Chigumi Obayashi, and screenwriter Chiho Katsura
• Emotion, a 1966 experimental film by Obayashi
• New video appreciation by director Ti West (House of the Devil)
• Theatrical trailer
• New and improved English subtitle translation
• PLUS: An essay by Chuck Stephens

Amazon: $34.99

4. PATHS OF GLORY

I don’t think I really need to push Paths of Glory too hard on any film fans out there. This is a brand new Criterion Blu-ray disc of a classic Stanley Kubrick film starring Kirk Douglas. That should be enough hot button keywords right there to tell you that you need to grab this one up as soon as possible! As per Criterion’s usual treatment, the film has never, ever looked this brilliant and vivid and has never been afforded so many insightful special features as on this Blu-ray disc. Paths of Glory is a must for every film fan!

SPECIAL FEATURES:

• New, restored high-definition digital transfer (with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition)
• New audio commentary by critic Gary Giddins
• Television interview from 1979 with star Kirk Douglas
• New video interviews with Kubrick’s longtime executive producer Jan Harlan, Paths of Glory producer James B. Harris, and actress Christiane Kubrick
• Excerpt from a French television program about real-life World War I executions similar to the events dramatized in Paths of Glory
• Theatrical trailer
• PLUS: An essay by Kubrick scholar James Naremore

Amazon: $29.49

5. STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS – THE COMPLETE SEASON TWO

I’d really love to say that I’m so over Star Wars, after the years of suffering through the dreadful prequel films but damn, if these animated Clone Wars episodes don’t keep me coming back for more! Why can’t I quit you, Star Wars?! Why?!

This new Complete Season Two boxed set picks up directly from the Season One set we reviewed last year, with fantastic transfers in the never-before-seen, director approved aspect ratio, amazing digi-book packaging full of artwork and a ton of great special features.

READ MORE: Star Wars: The Clone Wars The Complete Season Two Blu-ray set officially announced

Amazon: $41.99

WARNER DIRECTOR COLLECTIONS: Oliver Stone Collection, Martin Scorcese Collection

Warner is releasing two new Director Collections today, featuring three films each from Oliver Stone and Martin Scorsese. At a discount, both are a good value for the money. Each box consists of a single Blu-ray case with three trays inside. The discs are all re-packaged from previous releases. I’ve only gotten my hands on the Scorsese set so far and can confirm that Goodfellas, The Departed and The Aviator all match up to the versions already in stores, with the same transfers and all the special features intact. I’ll update the post when I get a look at the Stone set in the near future.

If you already own any of these films, you’ll probably want to give these sets a pass and pick up the remaining titles on a holiday sale or something. If you don’t have any three in either box and you can find a good deal on a set, grab it up!

Amazon: $42.49, $54.99

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:

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Here’s a great way to lead into the weekend – a sneak peek at one of the bonus features from the upcoming Back To The Future: 25th Anniversary Trilogy Blu-ray set! The discs will be available on October 26th packed to the gills with special features and purportedly sporting a very fine, newly minted HD transfer.

As a little bonus, and just to whet your appetite for experiencing the films in 1080p for the first time, check out the clip below, in which old George McFly serves his nemesis Biff a tasty knuckle sandwich. God, I love Crispin Glover! He’s just so damn weird!!

Read more: Back To The Future Trilogy Blu-ray Boxed Set Officially Announced

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It’s Blu-ray trailer day, here at The Blu-ray Blog! Here’s a look at another big October release – possibly *THE* October release – the trailer for the Back To The Future: 25th Anniversary Trilogy set.

That 1:16-minute trailer zooms by pretty quickly, making the film and special features look like a million bucks but I’ve got to tell you, more than anything else, those little sneak-peeks behind the scenes have got me salivating for more BTTF. I haven’t watched the films in an age but they were among my favourites growing up and, never having owned the DVD editions, getting a chance to watch all of that on-set footage for the first time is going to be a thrill. By all accounts, it looks like these new “restored” Blu-ray editions are going to be definitive. The Back To The Future: 25th Anniversary Trilogy Blu-ray boxed set hits store shelves on October 26th.

Read more: Back To The Future Trilogy Blu-ray Boxed Set Officially Announced

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After at least a years worth of solid rumours, Universal has finally just confirmed the upcoming Blu-ray release of the Back to the Future Trilogy boxed set! We had pretty decent studio confirmation that the discs would street sometime in 2010, after the fake trade ad debacle of a few months back but now we’ve got all the details and a firm release date of October 26th straight from the horses mouth!

As excited as I am to check out these new “restored” editions of the films in their brand spanking new high-def transfers, I’m equally as jazzed to sink my teeth into the 2-hours worth of newly produced special features! I know that the ‘Tales from the Future‘ six-part doc will be a highlight for me (if you read The Blu-ray Blog with any frequency, I’m sure you’re aware of my deep appreciation for a feature length behind-the-scenes documentary) but I’ve got to say that I’m especially thrilled to see what physicist Dr. Michio Kaku has to say in ‘The Physics of Back To The Future‘. I remember him fondly from his appearances on The Screen Savers with Leo Laporte, back in the glory days of Tech TV before it got chewed up and spit out as G4. Sigh…memories…

Special Features:

• U-Control (BD-exclusive):
  • Setups & Payoffs: As you watch each of the three films, each “set up” showcases items in the scene that prepare you for a future plot point. When you get to that moment in the film, the “payoff” is shown to complete the correlation.
  • Storyboard Comparison: Compare key scenes in the movie with the original storyboards.
  • Trivia Track: Get inside trivia and facts while you watch the movies
• Q&A commentaries with director Robert Zemeckis and producer Bob Gale
• Feature commentaries with producers Bob Gale and Neil Canton
• Back to the Future Night: hosted by Leslie Nielson, this original 30-minute special aired on NBC prior to the first television screening of the Back to the Future (new, BD-exclusive)
• Tales from the Future: new six-part retrospective documentary featuring interviews with Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Director Robert Zemeckis, Producers Bob Gale and Neil Canton, plus Executive Producer Steven Spielberg*
  • In the Beginning…: Delve into the genesis of the project, casting, re-casting, the DeLorean, sets and overall pre-production.
  • Time to Go: Production stories through the release of the first film.
  • Keeping Time: The score and the songs of the Back to the Future Trilogy.
  • Time Flies: Learn more about how the sequel came about, the futuristic look, the special and visual effects, recreating 1955 and more.
  • Third Time’s the Charm: Learn about building a western town, Doc Brown’s love story, the casting of Mary Steenburgen, the train sequence and completing the Trilogy.
  • The Test of Time: Back to the Future becomes a phenomenon! President Reagan quotes the film, the Back to the Future ride opens at Universal Studios theme park and fans rebuild the iconic DeLorean. The film’s cast and crew take a look back and discuss why these beloved movies live on.
• The Physics of Back to the Future: A discussion with celebrity best-selling author and physicist Dr. Michio Kaku about the overall appreciation of the science in the Back to the Future Trilogy*
• Nuclear test site ending storyboard sequence: Storyboard sequence of the original proposed ending of the film.*
• Sixteen deleted scenes
• Michael J. Fox Q&A
• Archival featurettes:
  • Making the Trilogy: Chapters One, Two & Three: Original 2002 DVD documentary that takes a look back in time.
  • The Making of Back to the Future Part I, II & III: Provides a vintage and historic first look at the making of all three films.
  • The Secrets of the Back to the Future Trilogy: a televised special hosted by Kirk Cameron addressing fans unanswered Back to the Future questions.
• Behind-the-scenes:
  • Outtakes
  • Original makeup tests
  • Production design
  • Storyboarding
  • Designing the DeLorean
  • Designing time travel
  • Hoverboard test
  • Designing Hill Valley
  • Designing the campaign
• Back to the Future: The Ride
• Music Videos:
  • Huey Lewis and the News “Power of Love”
  • ZZ Top “DoubleBack”
• Photo galleries, including production art, additional storyboards, photographs, marketing materials and character portraits
• Theatrical trailers
• BD-Live
• My Scenes
• pocket BLU: USHE’s pocket BLU app uses iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Blackberry, Android, Windows and Macintosh computers and more to work seamlessly with a network-connected Blu-ray player and offers advanced features such as:
  • Advanced Remote Control: A sleek, elegant new way to operate your Blu-ray player. Users can navigate through menus, playback and BD-Live functions with ease.
  • Video Timeline: Users can easily bring up the video timeline, allowing them to instantly access any point in their favorite episode.
  • Mobile-To-Go: Users can unlock a selection of bonus content with their Blu-ray™ discs to save to their device or to stream from anywhere there’s a Wi-Fi network, enabling them to enjoy exclusive content on the go, anytime, anywhere.
  • Browse Titles: Users will have access to a complete list of pocket BLU-enabled titles available and coming to Blu-ray. They can view free previews and see what additional content is available to unlock on their device.
  • Keyboard: Enter data into a Blu-ray player with your device’s easy and intuitive keyboard.

* Denotes new footage debuting on the 25th Anniversary Trilogy

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Back to the Future is coming to Blu-ray in July! This rumour and the trade ad trumpeting the details, date and artwork (as seen below) have been kicking around for a while now but we’ve all assumed them to be fakes…until now!

Bill Hunt over at The Digital Bits has confirmed with his sources that this is in fact a real trade ad for the film trilogy release on Blu:

“Many of you will no doubt be aware that we’ve ALREADY confirmed with multiple industry sources (click here and here) that the Back to the Future films ARE currently planned by Universal for release on Blu-ray later this year, as 2010 marks the 25th anniversary of the original film’s release. (In fact, we posted information on this here at The Bits as far back as June of last year.) Having seen thousands of official studio sellsheets, this one just didn’t have the look of a fake to me. So over the last few days, we’ve gone back to our industry sources for confirmation on it, one way or the other. Just as I suspected, what you see above is authentic. It’s the real deal.“

Bill goes on to warn that this is still a rumour until officialy announced by Universal. So don’t be surprised if the final package art and disc details differ from what you see below.

UPDATE: So, it turns out that the sell sheet posted below is a fake. That means the package art is fake, the special features are fake and the release date is fake. However, studio reports confirm that we will see a Back to the Future Blu-ray Trilogy release some time this year. Check out Bill Hunt’s update from The Digital Bits.com:

“Sources we checked with at Universal initially informed us that they believed the sellsheet to be authentic, which is why we addressed the issue early this morning. However they’ve just gotten back to us again this afternoon with word that the sheet IS fake. The reason it was thought to be authentic is that it was based on an authentic sellsheet for the recent DVD re-release, so the formatting was authentic. Regardless, we’re made to believe that the title IS currently planned for Blu-ray Disc release later in 2010 – another factor that added to the confusion. So to summarize, the sellsheet is fake but the title is, in fact, real. Official announcements will reportedly be made in the months ahead. So just be patient and rest assured that we’ll post updates as they come in, and official details when the announcements are finally made. In the meantime, we hear that ZonaDVD has already patted themselves on the back for their ingenuity, though we’re not sure the incident enhances their reputation. We will admit, however, that a Jaws 19 3D short is EXACTLY the kind of silly thing we could see a studio coming up with to include on a new release like this, so give the some artist credit! In any case, despite the initial confusion, we’ve (finally!) gotten to the bottom of the issue here at The Bits. So there you go.“

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This is my 9-year old nephew Max and his 3-year old sister Olivia. They both take after me. They love movies. And they watch a lot of them. They count Ghostbusters, Hellboy 2, Lord of the Rings and the Harry Potter series amongst their favourites. Yeah, I may have influenced their tastes a little. But I had nothing to do with this review of Santa Buddies that they turned in. They screened the film, put these thoughts together themselves and sat for the filming like the good little Siskel and Ebert that they are. I’m pleased to present the very first Blu-ray Blog Kid Review:

How about that? A 4.5 out of 5! Well, it’s certainly a movie geared at the younger crowd. Parents would best be warned, however, that they’ll have a pretty tough time sitting through it themselves. It’s not for adults. Or even teens. Despite the fact that this fourth entry in the Buddies saga is slightly more entertaining than the previous film, Space Buddies and features TV stars we remember fondly (George Wendt, Norm from Cheers as Santa and Christopher Lloyd as evil dog-catcher, Stan Cruge) you’ll find it a struggle to make it through all 88-minutes of the film. The story is predictable, the performances uninspired and the low-budget CGI dogs are particularly distracting. Santa Buddies is for the young ones alone.

The movie might be a bit of a stinker but the Santa Buddies Blu-ray looks pretty great! Unfortunately, this well done, highly detailed transfer only highlights the poorer special effects work in the film. Those digital-dogs look horrible in HD! Not a big deal though, if you’re 10 years old or younger. Colour is saturated and blacks are deep. I can’t imagineSanta Buddies looking any better. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is front heavy but crystal clear with very little sense of immersion.

Special Features are limited, putting the focus on music with an HD selection of Sing Alongs and a Music Video. Sneak Peeks and BD-Live access round out the package. Disney may have included very little in the way of extras on the Blu-ray disc but they had the incredibly great sense to add a DVD version of the film for the little ones to enjoy in the car or at a friend’s house.

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