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Green Lantern Blu-ray Disc Review

Brenden — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 14:57:13 +0000

GREEN LANTERN (2011, Blu-ray released October 14, 2011 – MSRP $35.99)

MOVIE:	★★☆☆☆
VIDEO:	★★★½☆
AUDIO:	★★★★½
EXTRAS:	★★★★☆
BLU-RAY:	★★★½☆

Green Lantern is a whole mess of missed opportunity. What could have been a killer first salvo in Warner‘s next franchise attack on the hearts, minds and wallets of the movie-going public has turned out to be a dud, due to some tragic missteps in craft and casting. And while the Blu-ray offers a lot of value and a powerful lossless soundtrack, the transfer on this bad boy just doesn’t cut the mustard.

In a universe as vast as it is mysterious, an elite force of protectors for peace and justice has existed for centuries. They are the Green Lantern Corps. When a new enemy called Parallax threatens to destroy the Universe, their fate and the fate of Earth lie in the hands of the Corps’ newest recruit, the first human ever selected: Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds). Bringing the popular superhero to the big screen for the first time, “Green Lantern” also stars Blake Lively (“Gossip Girl”), Peter Sarsgaard (“Orphan”), Mark Strong (“Sherlock Holmes”), Academy Award(R) nominee Angela Bassett and Academy Award(R) winner Tim Robbins.

I was rooting for Green Lantern from the moment it was announced until I finally sat through it in the theatres. At that point, I just gave up, not willing to waste any more good will and enthusiasm on such a failure of artistic and corporate momentum. Green Lantern has everything going for it – a great concept, fun designs and years of story backlogged in thousands of comics and cartoons. It also has the fabled and exhaustive Green Lantern Bible written by sci-fi great Larry Niven for DC comics in its corner, but that’s another story all together. Since GL’s willpower-and-imagination based energy constructs were really the only genuine obstacles in the path of bringing this story to screen for years – a hurdle now easily cleared through the magic and ubiquity of CGI – making a decent film should have been child’s play for the studio. Sadly, the script suffers from problems a first-year screenwriting student could spot and likely fix (a shallow and unlikable protagonist who never has to struggle to be the best pilot, a chick magnet or the recipient of magic powers and who suffers no ill effect for his petulant and privileged shortcomings, for starters) and the tone of the work is all over the map. Worst of all is Ryan Reynolds in the title role.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I dig Reynolds. And he does his level best here. But no matter how much CGI is slathered over him, no matter how he desperately tries to slip seamlessly into the material, he’s always just Ryan Reynolds up there on the screen, looking green and like he’s hard at work trying to be the right guy for the role. And he’s not. He never was. Never mind the rest of the film’s problems. This is the biggee. You know how Superman 3 and 4 are real stinkers but every time Christopher Reeve steps on screen as Superman you totally forget that the movie sucks because… well, damn, that’s Superman up there on screen? That never happens in Green Lantern. It’s always, always Reynolds on screen. And that’s why this movie fails. The audience wants to see Green Lantern, not an actor dressed up as Green Lantern. And the film just doesn’t deliver the goods.

Speaking of not delivering the goods, what’s up with this Blu-ray transfer?! When I look at the muddy, dark presentation of Green Lantern I can’t help but recall the studio head’s quote about making the sequel more like Nolan‘s The Dark Knight and that maybe, someone got the idea that cranking down the brightness on this bad boy might be a great first step at righting the wrongs of the film. If that’s the case, it’s an extremely dumb idea. The one thing the movie had going for it in the theatre was it’s look – bright green and alien when at its best. Now, most of the film is cast in shadow, which in turn throws off colours resulting in some pretty funky skin tones. What a shame. This could have at least been a fantastic Blu-ray disc instead of another case of the studio not having a clue how to tackle this character. The good news here is that the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track kicks all kinds of ass, delivering booming lows through your sub and tons of spacial effects through the surround channels. Finally, something to get excited about!

Aside from a kicking, lossless audio track, the other reason for fans to be excited about the Green Lantern Blu-ray is the reasonable bounty of special features included on the disc, best of which is Warner’s famous Maximum Movie Mode, in this case, featuring DCE Chief Creative Officer and Green Lantern comic scribe Geoff Johns in the host’s chair. This isn’t the MMM at its best though, the sort where directors like Zack Snyder step into frame, the film receding onto screens behind them as they fast forward, rewind and zoom in on small moments to blow out and examine the details of their movie making process. This is more like a run of the mill picture-in-picture track, with pop-up info, behind the scenes clips and nuggets of interviews. It’s still good stuff, just not quite as cool as what Warner has done in the past. The 47-minutes of ‘Focus Points‘ featurettes are also available to be watched outside of the MMM.

The other significant feature of note is the inclusion of the Extended Cut of the film, which adds back the prologue scenes that set up critical character relationships and detail the moments where Hal lost his father. In my opinion, it was a big mistake to cut this sequence. The final, theatrical cut of the film uses scenes from it in flashback when Hal is in jeopardy early on in the film (the Extended version of the film foolishly leaves them cut in at full length and would have been better served simply flashing images of Hal and his dad, since we’ve now watched the entire scene play out.)

NOTE: The US version of the Blu-ray disc includes a digital copy of the film via the brand new (and apparently hinky) Ultra Violet streaming service. The Canadian disc that I reviewed, which is otherwise identical in every way, was intended to include a standard digital copy of the theatrical cut of the film but due to a manufacturing error was left out. I haven’t heard about a fix for this yet but I’ll let you know as soon as Warner announces one.

Special Features:

Theatrical Film
Extended Cut
Maximum Movie
Mode with Picture in Picture Pods
The Universe According to Green Lantern
Ryan Reynolds Becomes Green Lantern
Justice League #1 Digital Comic
Additional Scenes
Preview of Green Lantern: The Animated Series
BD-Live
Access code for Sinestro Corp Batman Skin on the Warner Bros. Interactive video game Batman: Arkham City

Top New Blu-ray releases for the Week of October 4

Brenden — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 19:06:16 +0000

Wow. I’m still reeling from the pick of the week. It’s hard to even look at anything else here. Make sure you check it out (as if you can miss it) but also scroll all the way to the bottom of the page and take a gander at some of the other interesting discs hitting shelves this week: new season sets of Chuck and Bones, excellent TV horror Dark Night of the Scarecrow and several recent Jane Austen PBS mini-series.

As always, clicking the Blu-ray package art will zip you over to Amazon where every purchase you make through our links helps the site stay on its feet. We appreciate every single click and thank you again for continuing to read The Blu-ray Blog.

Blu-ray disc of the week: TREE OF LIFE (CANADA)

From Terrence Malick, the acclaimed director of such classic films as “Badlands”, “Days of Heaven” and “The Thin Red Line”, “The Tree of Life” is the impressionistic story of a Midwestern family in the 1950s. The film follows the life journey of the eldest son, Jack, through the innocence of childhood to his disillusioned adult years as he tries to reconcile a complicated relationships with his father (Brad Pitt). Jack (played as an adult by Sean Penn) finds himself a lost soul in the modern world, seeking answers to the origins and meaning of life while questioning the existence of faith. Through Malick’s signature imagery, we see how both brute nature and spiritual grace shape not only our lives as individuals and families, but all life.

I’m not sure that there’s a more important film released this year than The Tree of Life. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anything that can compare, to be honest – the unprecedented marriage of sounds and images in perfect subjective symmetry. I have a feeling this film will become a touchstone for generations of artists, including those already working today. Malick is able to use the form in ways that seem to escape most in the business, particularly those caught in the gears of the plastic Hollywood machine. His ability to juxtapose disparate images to imply new narrative threads is rare and, in my experience, usually only found at this level in the best comics, where the use of image-as-concept is often the only tool in the creator’s pallette. The Tree of Life is pure art. A two-and-a-half hour long tone poem of a sort, but with a backbone of narrative to support it. As far as I’m concerned, this is the best film of 2011. And one of the best Blu-ray presentations as well!

I received the Canadian version of The Tree of Life Blu-ray from eOne. The disc is identical to the US release from Fox (save the studio marker at the beginning) and is one of the most stunning high-def releases of the year. Honestly, I don’t think any film has ever looked better on my projector. Colours pop, detail is out of this world and blacks are deep and dark. Combine the reference quality image with the near-perfect 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track and The The Tree of Life is the perfect demo disc to show off your home theatre. No matter what you think of the deliberately paced story and the gentle, subjective style of film-making, you’ll want to own a copy of this disc just to wow your neighbours and friends. It’s the Planet Earth purchase of 2011.

Special features are limited to a single half-hour long documentary called “Exploring the Tree of Life.” Don’t sell this little gem short, though. It’s created by home-video producer extraordinaire Laurent Bouzereau (Jaws, Avatar, Indiana Jones disc and doc producer, to name a few) and it’s wonderful and insightful, covering not only the various facets of the production, but also looking to other contemporary filmmakers (Christopher Nolan and David Fincher to be exact) for comments on Malick and his style. If, after watching the film, you find yourself a little lost, give this doc a watch. It’ll set you on the path to understanding the work and what went into assembling it. Magnificent. As is to be expected, the reclusive auteur, Malick himself, doesn’t make an appearance. The theatrical trailer is also included.

Highest possible recommendation.

Special Features:

Exploring the Tree of Life, a 30 minute making-of documentary
DVD (and Digital Copy in the US) of the film

AMAZON: CDN$ 24.99

Also available: TREE OF LIFE (US)

AMAZON: $24.99

THE FOUR FEATHERS

This Technicolor spectacular, directed by Zoltán Korda, is considered the finest of the many adaptations of A. E. W. Mason’s classic 1902 adventure novel about the British empire’s exploits in Africa, and a crowning achievement of Alexander Korda’s legendary production company, London Films. Set at the end of the nineteenth century, The Four Feathers follows the travails of a young officer (John Clements) accused of cowardice after he resigns his post on the eve of a major deployment to Khartoum; he must then fight to redeem himself in the eyes of his fellow officers (including Ralph Richardson) and fiancée (June Duprez). Featuring music by Miklós Rózsa and Oscar-nominated cinematography by Georges Périnal and Osmond Borradaile, The Four Feathers is a thrilling, thunderous epic.

Another landmark release from The Criterion Collection, The Four Feathers has been long in need of a respectful resurrection on home video. I haven’t received my copy of the film yet but I’m so looking forward to delving into it. Early reviews point to the image being far from perfect but, without question, the best the film has ever looked on any format. Special features include a commentary track, a half-hour long interview with the director’s son, filmmaker David Korda, a vintage promo film, the theatrical trailer and the usual printed booklet.

AMAZON: $26.99

BEAUTIFUL BOY

“Beautiful Boy” is an unconventional love story that explores the journey of a married couple on the verge of separation, who must live with unimaginable heartbreak, and find healing through the darkest days of their lives. Bill (Michael Sheen) and Kate (Maria Bello) hopelessly try to find some hint of an explanation after finding out that their only son committed a mass shooting at his university before taking his own life. They struggle numbly through the funeral, the media onslaught, and the awkward pity from relatives and friends. Their already strained marriage is tested as they realize all they have left with each other is their shared grief and confusion – and the unfortunate legacy of their son. This life-altering event forces Bill and Kate to face their feelings of guilt, rage, blame, self-discovery – and ultimately hope – so that they can finally see each other and their chance for happiness again with clear eyes.

Beautiful Boy has a lot in common with The Tree of Life. (I wonder if its home-video release was timed to coincide?) Both films revolve around a narrative dealing with loss and attempts to find one’s self after suffering profound tragedy. Shawn Ku‘s film, however, deals with things head on, in as direct a fashion possible, with a linear narrative that examines a couple pulling apart and ultimately together to cope with great loss. It’s a moving and poignant portrait of a couple of well rendered people, played to perfection by master thespians, Michael Sheen and Maria Bello. It’s far from a fun film but a thoroughly rewarding drama by a bright young filmmaker with great promise.

Anchor Bay presents the film in an attractive, film-like Blu-ray edition that appears to accurately replicate the source material. There’s a fair amount of grain on display but if you’re at all like me, you love it and love that source-accurate discs like this give the feeling of actually watching film. And that’s when Blu-ray is at its best. This isn’t the prettiest looking film, but the presentation on the disc is detailed and just about perfect, for what it is. The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround mix is front heavy, as is to be expected in a drama of this sort, without very many opportunities to show off. It’s a good, solid lossless track but not very exciting.

Special features are limited to a couple minutes of fairly dry deleted scenes and one of the sleepiest group commentary tracks I’ve ever heard. Keep that coffee at arms length if you plan to listen to writer/director Shawn Ku, editor Chad Galster and cinematographer Michael Fimognari talk about the production for any longer than a few minutes. They’ve got a lot to say and they certainly amp up the energy as the track moves along but boy, is this one a tough slog. The disc is rounded out with the theatrical trailer.

AMAZON: $19.99

GREEN LANTERN

In a universe as vast as it is mysterious, an elite force of protectors for peace and justice has existed for centuries. They are the Green Lantern Corps. When a new enemy called Parallax threatens to destroy the Universe, their fate and the fate of Earth lie in the hands of the Corps’ newest recruit, the first human ever selected: Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds). Bringing the popular superhero to the big screen for the first time, Green Lantern also stars Blake Lively (Gossip Girl), Peter Sarsgaard (Orphan), Mark Strong (Sherlock Holmes), Academy Award® nominee Angela Bassett* and Academy Award® winner Tim Robbins**.

I haven’t seen the Green Lantern Blu-ray yet and I don’t know that I want to. This is probably the worst big-budget, mainstream superhero film to be released in years. How this clunker of a script got by the gatekeepers of quality at Warner and DC is beyond me. Very little in the story makes sense for the characters and the plot is a mess, when it’s not too busy being pedestrian. What a let down. That said, the extras on the Blu-ray look like they’ll be fun to watch. And I’m sure the A/V quality of the thing will be stellar. Any way you slice it, it’s one of the biggest releases of the week and worth noting here. Green Lantern will be on store shelves this Friday, October 14th.

AMAZON: $24.99

HORRIBLE BOSSES

Management candidate Nick Hendricks has been logging 12-hour days and eating everything his twisted supervisor dishes out, toward the promise of a well-earned promotion. But now he knows that’s never going to happen. Meanwhile, dental assistant Dale Arbus has been struggling to maintain his self-respect against the relentless X-rated advances of his D.D.S. boss when she suddenly turns up the heat. And accountant Kurt Buckman has just learned that his company’s corrupt new owner is not only bent on ruining his career but plans to funnel toxic waste into an unsuspecting population. Quitting is not an option. These monsters must be stopped. So, on the strength of a few-too-many drinks and some dubious advice from a hustling ex-con whose street cred is priced on a sliding scale, the guys devise a convoluted but foolproof plan to rid the world of their respective employers… permanently. But even the best-laid plans are only as good as the brains behind them.

I’m sticking Horrible Bosses up here this week because I’m kind of excited to see it, despite the mixed reviews it received. C’mon, how can any film with Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, Kevin Spacey and Colin Farrell, who just happens to be sporting a bald wig and bad comb-over, possibly be anything but brilliant? I’ll let you know, when my review copy shows up.

AMAZON: $24.99

THE BAD SEED

Rhoda Penmark (Patty McCormack) is a well-mannered 8-year-old little lady – and an efficient, unfeeling killer. And in this spellbinding chronicle of evil, whatever Rhoda wants, she ruthlessly gets. Her mother Christine (Nancy Kelly), reluctantly made to see her offspring’s moral blindness at work, is heartrendingly torn between the love for the child she bore and grief for Rhoda’s victims. From Maxwell Anderson‘s stage hit, “The Bad Seed” ticks like a time bomb under the skillful direction of Mervyn LeRoy, who cast several Broadway production originals, including Kelly (recreating the role that won her a Tony), McCormack and Eileen Heckart. their harrowing performances captured three of this suspenseful movie’s four Academy Award(R) nominations – and make this thriller one of the great ones.

If The Bad Seed were a modern film, it would be the campiest of productions this side of Desperate Houswives. In fact, it’s hard to take it seriously, even now, watching this classic 1956 stage adaptation. The performances are all overheated, the story, right on the nose and that ending – my, God, that ending! Watching The Bad Seed felt like experiencing an old, lost episode of Dark Shadows or something, without the supernatural element to it. Young Patty McCormack is something to behold, as the bitchy little so-and-so who takes what she wants and deals out her ruthless vengeance to those who resist or threaten. Apparently, she perfected her duplicitous persona on stage in the role before heading to the big screen. It would explain why director LeRoy could coax such an assured and solid, yet theatrical, performance from such a young actress. But, sadly, in the end, as entertaining as The Bad Seed is to watch, it feels like an overlong television production, with uninspired shots and stagey setups. It’s still a classic and worth a look but don’t expect a grand Hollywood production here.

Warner brings The Bad Seed to Blu-ray in a presentation that appears uneven at the best of times. If I had to guess, I would put my money on the source material here being the best of the films surviving elements, with some shots looking fairly clear and detailed, as if transferred from 35 mm and others appearing dull, flat and without detail, as if scanned from a 16 mm dupe or even pulled from old tape. Yes, some scenes almost look that bad. But it’s the inconsistency, and the fact that there are moments where this disc looks pretty great, that makes me believe Warner did the best with what they’ve got. I wish I knew more about the source here. Just know going in that The Bad Seed looks way better on Blu than it did on DVD. But this disc is not going to blow you away. The mono DTS-HD Master Audio track is clean and clear, with limited range, as is to be expected from a film of this age.

McCormack provides most of the Blu-ray discs special features, carried over from the DVD, in the form of a 15-minute interview and a very lively, entertaining commentary track. While the interview is quite fine and informative, I would actually recommend checking out the commentary track, if you’re only going to hit up one of the extras here. Playwright/actor Charles Busch chats informally with McCormack for the length of the film, the two sharing laughs and stories, providing a very easy and pleasant listen. The disc is rounded out, as most are this week, with the theatrical trailer.

AMAZON: $13.99

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:

Green Lantern Ultra Violet Digital Copy video

Brenden — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 20:00:16 +0000

The much derided Green Lantern film from this past summer will be released on Blu-ray next Friday. Along with it (and the October 11th release of Horrible Bosses) comes Warner‘s initial foray into the world of cloud-based content – Ultra Violet. The Green Lantern Blu-ray will contain a code to verify that you’ve purchased the disc, which will then allow you stream the film from Ultra Violet onto any device at any time. Or, at least, that’s how it seems it’s going to work. Check out the Green Lantern promo video above for a look at the service and visit uvvu.com for more details and to sign up.

GREEN LANTERN
(October 14, 2011 – MSRP 3D Combo Pack $40.99, Blu-ray Combo Pack $35.99)
Video: 2.40:1 1080p
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1

Special Features:

Theatrical Film (3D & 2D)
Extended Cut (2D only)
Maximum Movie
Mode with Picture in Picture Pods
The Universe According to Green Lantern
Ryan Reynolds Becomes Green Lantern
Justice League #1 Digital Comic
Additional Scenes
Preview of Green Lantern: The Animated Series
BD-Live
Access code for Sinestro Corp Batman Skin on the Warner Bros. Interactive video game Batman: Arkham City

Green Lantern on Blu-ray in October with Extended Cut

Brenden — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 16:20:54 +0000

I’ve never been a big fan of Green Lantern but I had really high hopes for this film for a number of reasons. I mean, I really want to see DC and Warner succeed in bringing their entire stable of superheroes to the big screen. But honestly, after GL, I’m not sure they’ve got it in them, unless they’re able to get out of the way and trust the filmmaking to an auteur with a vision. Green Lantern is a mess, from poor casting decisions to one of the most sloppy, choppy screenplays to come out of Hollywood this year. And yet still, their are visuals in the film that make it worth a look. For that reason alone, it could make a fun Blu-ray experience. The film is set to hit Blu-ray on October 14th, in two combo-pack editions – one with 3D and one without. There are two cuts of the film included in each (the 3D presentation is of the Theatrical Cut only), the Extended Cut adding a mysterious 6-minutes of previously unseen footage. Both sets include a redeemable code for a Sinestro Corp Batman Skin to be used with the upcoming PS3 version of the Batman: Arkham City videogame.

GREEN LANTERN
(October 14, 2011 – MSRP 3D Combo Pack $40.99, Blu-ray Combo Pack $35.99)
Video: 2.39:1 1080p
Audio: TBA

Special Features:

Theatrical Film (3D & 2D)
Extended Cut (2D only)
Maximum Movie
Mode with Picture in Picture Pods
The Universe According to Green Lantern
Ryan Reynolds Becomes Green Lantern
Justice League #1 Digital Comic
Additional Scenes
Preview of Green Lantern: The Animated Series
BD-Live
Access code for Sinestro Corp Batman Skin on the Warner Bros. Interactive video game Batman: Arkham City

All-Star Superman Blu-ray Disc Review

Brenden — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 15:25:00 +0000

ALL STAR SUPERMAN (2011, Blu-ray released February 22, 2011 – MSRP $24.98)

MOVIE:	★★★★☆
VIDEO:	★★★½☆
AUDIO:	★★★★☆
EXTRAS:	★★★★☆
BLU-RAY:	★★★½☆

Aside from Richard Donner‘s film from the ’70s, All Star Superman is the finest portrayal of the character on film to date. And despite a few shortcomings in its technical presentation, it’s also one hell of a Blu-ray.

Fueled by hatred and jealousy, Lex Luthor masterminds an elaborate plot to kill the Man of Steel – and it works. Poisoned by solar radiation, Superman is dying. With weeks to live, he fulfills his life’s dreams – especially revealing his true identity to Lois Lane – until Luthor proclaims his ultimate plan to control the world with no alien hero to stop him. Powers fading, Superman engages in a spectacular deadly battle with Luthor that could truly trigger the end of Earth’s Greatest Protector. This startling and gripping DC Universe Animated Original Movie stars the voice talents of James Denton, Anthony LaPaglia, Christina Hendricks and Ed Asner.

It’s tough to judge the film on its own merits without comparing it to the brilliant 12-issue All Star Superman comic book series by writer Grant Morrison and illustrator Frank Quitely from which it was adapted. At a fleeting 77-minutes, par for the course for direct-to-video animated projects, the filmmakers are tasked with whittling down the juggernaut of a story that appeared on the comic page into a tight, yet still epic film. And they succeeded on most every level. The film version maintains the episodic nature of the comic series, cherry-picking which events to document in animation while preserving the over-arching narrative – a story that manages to be the most touching Superman tale ever written.

All Star Superman can look impressive on Blu-ray but suffers from a presentation with a fair amount of flaws that might disturb those with a critical eye. You’ll see banding, artifacts and aliasing in the image, if you’re sensitive to such things. Those merely watching with an eye toward a slick, high-def image will enjoy the bold colours and detailed linework. It doesn’t look bad at all but it’s far from demo quality. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, on the other hand, is all kinds of awesome, with active lows, crisp, clean highs and active surround channels.

The special feature collection on the All Star Superman Blu-ray disc might just be the finest that Warner and DC have ever assembled. The headline extra is a wonderfully produced 30-minute featurette called “Superman Now” which examines Morrison’s re-imagining of the character, Quitely’s artwork and the journey to realize All Star Superman. But for me, the most incredible feature on the disc has got to be the feature length audio commentary by producer (and DC Comics animation God) Bruce Timm and Morrison. This is a fantastic listen that I’d highly recommend to any fan of the animated programs or the comics. The disc is rounded out with “The Creative Flow: Incubating the Idea with Grant Morrison” featurette, “Virtual Comic: All-Star Superman #1“, a sneak peek at the next DC Comics animated masterpiece, Green Lantern: Emerald Knights, a couple of episodes of Superman: The Animated Series from the ’90s and a bunch of trailers for other DC and Warner discs.

Top 5 New Blu-ray releases for the Week of February 22

Brenden — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 02:21:46 +0000

I probably could’ve finished this Top 5 list on time yesterday, but for some reason I had a hell of a time deciding which disc should end up in the number one slot this week! I know, that’s a ridiculous reason to hold an article but… well, you’re right. That wasn’t the only hold up. I also had a long day in the office that kept me from it. Never a dull moment in the world of journalism.

So, here it is now, this week’s Top 5 list, a day late but hopefully still useful to you in deciding which Blu-ray discs to pick up this week. As always, clicking the Blu-ray package art will zip you over to Amazon where every purchase make through our links helps this site stay on its feet. We appreciate every single click and thank you again for continuing to read The Blu-ray Blog.

1. GET LOW

“Academy Award winner Robert Duvall (1983, Best Actor, Tender Mercies) is Felix Bush, the “Hermit of Caleb County,” a man so haunted by his secrets that he has lived in quiet desolation in the Tennessee backwoods for over 40 years. Realizing that he is near his own mortality, Bush decides to have a “living funeral party,” inviting people to tell their stories about him. Enlisting the help of Frank Quinn (Golden Globe winner Bill Murray, 2004, Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, Lost in Translation) and Buddy Robinson (Lucas Black, Legion), Bush goes through a process of self-discovery, allowing him to deal with his past secrets, including ones involving old flame (and new widow) Mattie (Academy Award® winner Sissy Spacek, 1980, Best Actress, Coal Miner’s Daughter). ”

Get Low really came out of nowhere for me. Until seeing a trailer for the film on an earlier Sony Blu-ray disc, I had no idea it existed. It’s the feature film debut of director Aaron Schneider, who previously won an Academy Award for his 2003 short film Two Soldiers, and it’s one hell of an effort. For starters, this thing looks gorgeous. And I guess it should, seeing as how Schneider comes from a background of cinematography. Add to that a brilliant, nuanced script (apparently based on a true story) and a cast that’s beyond reproach and you’ve got a real winner on your hands. One of the best films I’ve seen in ages. And a film that will probably float under the radar, eclipsed by more high-profile releases. What a shame.

Sony affords Get Low a damn-near perfect Blu-ray presentation with rich colours, deep blacks and tons of detail. I can’t get over how beautiful this Blu-ray is. And it sounds just as nice, with a clean, crisp DTS- HD Master Audio 5.1 track that won’t rattle the china but provide a pleasant, well-defined sound stage.

Highly recommended!

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Commentary with Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek, Director Aaron Schneider & Producer Dean Zanuck
The Deep South: Buried Secrets
Getting Low: Getting Into Character
A Screenwriter’s Point of View
Cast & Crew Q&A
On the Red Carpet

AMAZON: $24.99

2. 3 from Criterion: FISH TANK, SENSO, SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS

Yeah. Three new Criterion Blu-ray discs in one day. What more is there to say? You’re about to break your bank account.

Fish Tank is a modern masterpiece by British director Andrea Arnold (contender for the number one slot this week) and one of the finer films to be released on Blu-ray so far this year. Senso is far from Visconti‘s best film but you’ll want to take in the luscious visuals via this lush Blu-ray transfer. And Sweet Smell of Success is awash in neon-noir city landscapes, painted with biting, smart dialogue from Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis, looking better than ever on Blu.

All three are highly recommended.

AMAZON: $24.99 each

3. ALL -TAR SUPERMAN

“Fueled by hatred and jealousy, Lex Luthor masterminds an elaborate plot to kill the Man of Steel – and it works. Poisoned by solar radiation, Superman is dying. With weeks to live, he fulfills his life’s dreams – especially revealing his true identity to Lois Lane – until Luthor proclaims his ultimate plan to control the world with no alien hero to stop him. Powers fading, Superman engages in a spectacular deadly battle with Luthor that could truly trigger the end of Earth’s Greatest Protector. This startling and gripping DC Universe Animated Original Movie stars the voice talents of James Denton, Anthony LaPaglia, Christina Hendricks and Ed Asner.”

I’ll have a full review of this disc up shortly. In short, if you’re a fan of Superman or DC Comics superheroes or animation in general you owe it to yourself to pick up a copy of All-Star Superman. Not only is it a brilliant story that gets to the heart of the character but the disc is packed with some of the best features WHV and DC have conjured up for their line of straight-to-video animated specials thus far.

AMAZON: $17.49

4. MEGAMIND

““A smart, funny and original treat,” Michael O’Sullivan, The Washington Post, Megamind puts a whole new hilarious twist on the superhero movie. Packed with high-flying action and non-stop laughs, the smash hit starring Will Ferrell, Brad Pitt, David Cross and Tina Fey will debut in DreamWorks Animation’s Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack which includes the all-new comedy-adventure MEGAMIND: THE BUTTON OF DOOM, plus hours of bonus features and exclusive interactive Blu-ray features including picture-in-picture storyboards, behind the scenes footage, interviews, music videos, the lost scene, a comic book creator, an insider tour of Megamind’s Lair, interactive games, and so much more. ”

Megamind actually doesn’t hit the shops until this Friday, February 25th. We’ll be giving away a copy of the Blu-ray disc in the next couple of days so keep your eyes open!!

AMAZON: $19.99

5. BIRDEMIC: SHOCK AND TERROR

“It is a tender love story. A graphic horror shocker. An urgent ecological warning. And around the world, it became the must-see midnight movie sensation of the year: From writer/producer/director/visionary James Nguyen The Master Of The Romantic ThrillerTM comes the story of a sexy lingerie model (Whitney Moore) and a successful software salesman (Alan Bagh) on a weekend getaway to a quaint Northern California town. But when the entire region is attacked by millions of homicidal birds, their picturesque paradise becomes a winged hell on earth. Can mankind now survive the avian onslaught of BIRDEMIC? Hollywood legend Tippi Hedren of Hitchcock’s THE BIRDS co-stars in the global cult movie phenomenon that Videogum says might end up being the greatest film of all time! ”

I haven’t seen Birdemic for myself but it looks like a barrel of fun. The perfect modern late-night film to share, intoxicated with your best pals. I can’t wait to check this one out!

AMAZON: $16.49

ANIME OF THE WEEK: FLCL: COMPLETE COLLECTION

“When the three powerhouse creators of Eden of the East, Gurren Lagann and Neon Genesis Evangelion bumped heads, they spawned the series that broke all the rules – then broke the mold. Naota is a detached sixth-grader afflicted by the pangs of puberty. He’s fooling around with his brother’s ex-girlfriend when a crazed girl on a motor scooter runs him over, brains him with a bass guitar, and moves into his house. This pink-haired girl, Haruko – who claims she’s an alien – hurls Naota into the middle of a mega-corporation’s secret agenda. Oh, and now giant battling robots shoot from his skull. Mix in mind-bending animation and tunes that echo through your cerebellum to top off the trip that will have you falling hard for FLCL. ”

Outside of Macross and the animation of Studio Ghibli, FLCL is the absolute best that Japanese animation has to offer. It’s wild, imaginative and always stunning to look at. There’s more heart and more creativity in each frame of this short 6-episode series than any other I’ve seen in my last twenty-five years of anime viewing. Sadly, I understand this Blu-ray presentation is another up-conversion from FUNimation and far from the most impressive high-def image we’ve seen on Blu. I’d like to see the results for myself before making on the call on the discs but I’ll stand behind the series itself as one of the best ever.

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:

All-Star Superman Blu-ray announced and detailed

Brenden — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 05:18:18 +0000

There are about five-million reason to be excited about this next animated release from Warner and DC, chief among them is that it’s an adaptation of one of the all-time best Superman stories ever told! Aside from the story itself, the aspect of the the upcoming All-Star Superman Blu-ray disc that has got me crapping my pants with excitement is the fact that it includes a commentary track. And it’s not just any old commentary track, oh no. THIS IS A GODDAMN GRANT MORRISON COMMENTARY TRACK!!! You heard me correctly. Morrison, the crazy/brilliant/visionary/under-the-influence Scottish writer responsible for the original graphic novel on which the film is based, is going to talk you all the way through the plot, along with producer Bruce Timm. Now, if only DC could convince him to record a commentary that would clear up what in the hell happened in his Final Crisis and Return of Bruce Wayne books, we’d have something there.

ALL STAR SUPERMAN
(February 22, 2011 – MSRP $24.98)
Video: 1080p
Audio: TBA

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Sneak Peak at Green Lantern: Emerald Knights, the next DC Universe Animated Original Movie
Featurette: “Superman Now” – In a moment of inspiration, Grant Morrison was provided an opportunity to revamp the Man of Steel into something modern, something more relevant for today’s audience. This is the story of All-Star Superman – where it all started, and what it came to be
Two bonus episodes from animated television series handpicked by Bruce Timm
Featurette: “Incubating the Idea” – A conversation with Grant Morrison
Audio Commentary: Bruce Timm and Grant Morrison
All-Star Superman Digital Comic Book
Standard and high definition versions of the feature film
Digital copy on disc of the feature film

Jonah Hex Blu-ray Disc Review

Howard — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 22:09:04 +0000

JONAH HEX (2010, Blu-ray released October 12, 2010 – MSRP $35.99)

MOVIE:	★★½☆☆
VIDEO:	★★★½☆
AUDIO:	★★★☆☆
EXTRAS:	★★½☆☆
BLU-RAY:	★★★½☆

Shootin’, sneering and cussin’ should be enough to deliver a wild, western, action thriller with a dash of the paranormal. Jonah Hex draws and fires, but it’s only a flesh wound. This recent release from Warner Bros. misses the mark, but not by much.

The character of Jonah Hex is comicdom’s most recognizable badass cowboy. He’s ugly, mean and deadly, and although he’s not a household name, he’s been around for quite some time. Josh Brolin plays the role well, but his depiction may not be enough to save a film lacking a real center and complicating a revenge tale that should have been more plainly told.

This was the first of two DC character-related films that John Malkovich has appeared in this year. The second is the action-comedy, RED. Malkovich’s performance is a little uninspired in Jonah Hex as he moseys half-asleep through his villainous part. In fact, I’d have to say that on the whole, the majority of the characters in this film are fairly two-dimensional. Megan Fox plays Lilah, a prostitute and confidant to Hex. The necessity of her role is unclear to me.

Hex’s origin is satisfactorily explained within the first six minutes of the big-screen comic book adaptation, which leaves 76 additional minutes for shoot ‘em ups, fisticuffs and chases. The film does manage to deliver a lot of this, but not in any way that you would remember it the next day. In general, it’s entirely forgettable, but the set design is impressive and costuming top-notch. Unfortunately, the accuracy of the look of the period director Jimmy Hayward does manage to achieve is over-shadowed by the heavy-handed treatment of the film itself.

A good western needn’t be overly effect-y. A Jonah Hex story, even with the mystical aspects, should still be a dusty, action-packed western. The special effects here, however are too visibly obvious and for the most part, unnecessary, like making Fox’s eyes bluer…I mean really…? The overall treatment of the colors and textures in the film give it a feeling that is altogether far too unreal.

The transfer itself is very sharp and the colors, although rich, are a little garish and distracting at times. While not related to the finely textured 1080p VC-1 transfer, the color (over) treatment does get in the way a little, but the deep blacks are great, without crushing any detail.

On the sound front, we are treated to a blaring dts-HD Master Audio soundtrack. It’s loud and occasionally mis-directed out of the speakers. We lose a sense of where some sounds are originating from, unfortunately. The sound effects themselves are terrific and add to the experience nicely…you’ll just have to ride volume button a little.

The extras are few, but what you would expect. “The Inside Story of Jonah Hex” is a collection of interviews with past and current creators of Jonah Hex comics, giving us a sense of the history of the character. “The Weird Western Tales of Jonah Hex” takes the place of a commentary track. Running along the entire length of the film, it’s a picture-in-picture feature showing concept artwork, interviews with cast and crew and other behind-the-scenes peeks of the making of Jonah Hex. A couple of deleted scenes are also included and, as it is with most Warner Bros. Blu releases, the BD-Live feature is also available.

Those who saw the animated Jonah Hex short included on the Batman: Under The Red Hood Blu-ray have seen a great example of a Hex story. The mood and feel was right on, and the live-action film could have benefited from what was accomplished there, but that isn’t to say that this film was a waste of time. This one just may have been over-thought a bit.

Animated All-Star Superman Blu-ray teaser, Batman: Year One announced

Brenden — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 17:25:37 +0000

I’m thrilled that DC and Warner‘s animation division are taking on Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely‘s All Star Superman! I actually just read the 12-issue series and was blown away by both the story and the art. To see even a hint of it translated into animation is like a dream come true.

The trailer above comes courtesy of MTV, who got the exclusive today. It’s tough to tell with all the compression artifacts marring the image but I think this thing is going to look pretty great, with character designs that carry over some of Quitely’s style, perhaps pushing it slightly into Peter Chung (Aeon Flux) territory. All Star Superman stars James Denton (Desperate Housewives) as the voice of the Man of Steel, Christina Hendricks (Mad Men) as Lois Lane, and Anthony LaPaglia as Lex Luthor (Without a Trace) and should appear on store shelves in January or February 2011.

Following the release of All Star Superman on Blu-ray (and DVD, of course), Bruce Timm and his team will deliver an animated Green Lantern anthology (to compliment next summers film starring Ryan Reynolds, much as they released the Gotham Knights film alongside The Dark Knight in 2008) followed by an adaptation of Frank Miller and David Mazzuchelli‘s brilliant Batman: Year One in the fall. Few details are available yet but in the video interview below, Timm states that the story will be faithful to the classic tale, with art reminiscent of Mazzuchelli’s. I can’t wait!

Upcoming TV and Animation on Blu-ray from Warner Home Video: Friends, DCU Animated, Scooby Doo, more

Brenden — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 18:50:29 +0000

Every now and then, Warner Home Video throws open its virtual doors and allows their executives to participate in an online “chat” with consumers. These sessions generally involve a lot of requests for TV shows and films that are either steeped in legal issues, in really desperate need of an expensive remaster/restoration or so niche that there’s barely an audience to warrant distribution. That’s another way of saying that most of the stuff we ask for gets shot down. This past Monday, the Home Theatre Forum hosted another chat with WHV, this time with execs from the TV and Animation divisions. The full transcript is available to read here but we’ve culled the pertinent Blu-ray news from the lengthy document so you don’t have to wade through it yourself.

Sadly, there’s not much Blu-ray news this time around. It looks like the studio is working on bringing the hit sitcom Friends to Blu-ray as well as actively evaluating the DC Animated Universe programs for a high-def re-issue:

“We hope to release Friends on Blu Ray but we cant share any further details at this point but its looking good ”
“We are evaluating the entire DC Comics animated library for Blu-ray”

The studio also stated that they’re looking at the classic Scooby Doo series, Looney Tunes, earlier seasons of Smallville and the Peanuts series for release on Blu. They also seem interested in finding a way to release Babylon 5 in high-def but the standard-def CGI effects might keep this from happening.

“we’ve definitely considered releasing Babylon 5 on Blu Ray, however, there are some technical issues with the CGI that make this release difficult. We’ll continue to investigate further in the event we’re able to address it.”

Sadly, there are currently no plans to bring programs like V (“Remastering costs are high so there are no specific plans at this point.”), the classic Lynda Carter Woman Woman series (“right now our focus is on current shows that have been shot in hi def”), One Tree Hill (“We don’t feel the time is right”), The Big Bang Theory‘s first two seasons (Season 3 is out on Blu on September 7), Aqua Teen Hunger Force and Robot Chicken to Blu-ray.

Personally, I’m really hoping to see the Batman: Animated Series on Blu-ray, as well as additional seasons of Justice League, this time with a correct 16:9 presentation and lossless audio!

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