Bergman! Blu-ray! Bliss!

Yes, it’s another Criterion week! I’m not going to waste your time with another impassioned rant about the quality of their work and why you should be snatching up every single one of their Blu-ray releases. Let’s cut to the chase and talk about Bergman and the Seventh Seal.

I know there are a few of you out there who won’t be able to watch this disc without thinking of Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey. Yeah, that movie ruined The Seventh Seal for a lot of people. If you’re not familiar with either film, they both feature a depiction of “Death” as a man with a white face, black robes and a penchant for board games. Famously, in the case of Ingmar Bergman‘s Seal, chess. Death’s opponent in the game comes in the form of a war-weary knight of the Crusades, played by Max Von Sydow. He struggles to find his way home to his wife through the plague-ravaged land, while wrestling with his beliefs, the meaning of life and a strategy to beat death at his own game.

We outlined the copious bonus features on the Blu-ray disc previously on The Blu-ray Blog. You’ll find a ton of stuff here, all well worth watching. We don’t have a copy to review yet but from what I understand, Criterion’s new high-def transfer is absolutely stunning and not to be missed.

ANOTHER PICK – GHOSTBUSTERS

It’s finally here – Ghostbusters is available this week in HD! The disc is loaded with special features, most ported over from the previously available DVD editions. Not bad. The transfer is controversial. I haven’t seen it myself, but the forums are going mad comparing the Blu-ray disc to older DVDs. Some take issue with alterations to colour timing, others the shifting contrast and brightness and even more complaining about a proliferation of grain. At the end of the day, all you need to know is that the Ghostbusters Blu-ray sports a transfer approved by the Director of Photography and that it’s film-accurate, faithfully representing what was up on screen, with all the limitations and shortcomings of 80s filmmaking and special effects work. I, for one, can’t wait to get my hands on the disc!

ALSO AVAILABLE THIS WEEK
Clicking an image will take you to Amazon.com where you can learn more about the Blu-ray:

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University parapsychologists Dr. Peter Venkman (Murray), Dr. Raymond Stanz (Aykroyd) and Dr. Egon Spengler (Ramis) lose a research grant when their experiment methodology is proven to be bogus. The team decides to go into business for themselves and open ‘Ghostbusters,’ a ghost removal service. After struggling to get on their feet, they are summoned to investigate the strange happenings in Dana Barrett’s (Weaver) Central Park West apartment. What they discover is that all Manhattan is being besieged by ghosts and other worldly demons through a portal in her building.

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Holy crap! It’s a frickin’ deal a minute here on the The Blu-ray Blog today!

It’s come to our attention, thanks to fantastic sites like The Digital Bits and High-Def Digest that a couple of secret codes are kicking about, playing at being the Key-master to Amazon‘s Gate-keeper of Gozarian savings! Use both the codes sonypic5 and ghostblu when purchasing Ghostbusters on Blu-ray and you can save yourself a whopping 10 bucks off the $19.99 purchase price! Remember to use both codes, as each is only worth $5. There’s no guarantee how long these babies will last either, so hurry over to Amazon and snatch up some Ectoplasmic goodness.

Bustin’ prices makes me feel good!

…. Uhhhhh…. Sorry….

UPDATE: Looks like Amazon has gone and killed the $10 off deal already. You can only use one of the codes now….Sigh…That didn’t last long. Oh well, $5 off is nothing to sneeze at, right?

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Who ya gonna call on Blu-ray? GHOSTBUSTERS!!!

Sony has finally confirmed a June 16th release date for the 80s blockbuster Ghostbusters on Blu-ray. The hit film starring Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd will arrive newly remastered on a BD-50 dual-layer disc in 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 video. In addition to the previous DVD’s commentary, featurettes, deleted scenes and storyboard comparisons, the new 25th Anniversary Edition will include these BD exclusives: “Slimer Mode” picture-in-picture “Graphical Viewing Experience”, an in-depth exploration of the creatures in the Ghostbusters mythology, behind-the-scenes discussions of making the movie, and new cast, crew and special effects artists interviews. Also available: a new featurette called “Ecto-1: Resurrecting the Classic Car,” the “Ghostbusters Garage” still gallery and a collectible 32-page booklet.

No word on the disappointing sequel, Ghostbusters 2 yet. We’ll keep you posted.

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