… and here’s the official Star Wars Blu-ray trailer from Fox that I was just telling you about, touting the upcoming September 2011 release of the Complete Saga in a 9-disc set! For more details, read our previous post here:

9-Disc Star Wars: The Complete Saga Blu-ray box coming in September

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Whoa! (Allow me to trade in my ‘Whoa’ for a more conservative “Hm, that’s exactly what I was expecting” as I don’t see any surprises here, aside form the fact that both Trilogies will be available in individual sets, alongside the Complete Saga mega-box. I guess I’ll save my “Whoa” for the reveal of specific special features. That’s the only place a surprise or two might lie at this point.)

The news is coming in fast and furious now about the upcoming 9-Disc Star Wars: The Complete Saga Blu-ray box due to hit stores this coming September!

Here’s what we’ve got so far from the Star Wars.com and Amazon pre-order pages. I’ll keep this updated as we learn more (and when I can nab a copy of that Blu-ray trailer to put on the page!):

UPDATE: According to Bill Hunt over at The Digital Bits.com, the Blu-ray discs will all be “BD-50s with a bit rate of up to 40mbps. The project is being personally supervised by George Lucas himself. ” That’s really the best news about this disc set. These will be super-high bitrate, reference quality transfers, from the looks of things.

Darth Vader and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment President Mike Dunn at the Consumer Electronics Show

“The most anticipated Blu-ray release ever — the Star Wars Saga — emerges from light speed this September 2011. For the first time, all six of George Lucas’ epic films (Episodes I-VI) are united in one complete set. Fans worldwide are able to pre-order now with online retailers.

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment will release Star Wars in three distinct sets to meet the needs of every Star Wars fan:

* Star Wars: The Complete Saga on Blu-ray (9-disc Set includes all six films)
* Star Wars: Prequel Blu-ray Trilogy (3-disc set includes Episodes I-III)
* Star Wars: Original Blu-ray Trilogy (3-disc set includes Episodes IV-VI)

Star Wars: The Complete Saga on Blu-ray will feature all six live-action Star Wars feature films utilizing the highest possible picture and audio presentation, along with three additional discs and more than 30 hours of extensive special features including never-before-seen deleted and alternate scenes, an exploration of the exclusive Star Wars archives, and much more.

Star Wars: The Complete Saga on Blu-ray will be available for $139.99 US/$179.99 CAN and the Star Wars: Trilogy Sets for $69.99 US/89.99 CAN. Pricing for each set will vary by international territory.

Flanked by a legion of his finest Imperial stormtroopers, Darth Vader himself joined Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment President Mike Dunn at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) to announce the release, vowing “The forces of the Empire will be at your disposal to assure the success of this endeavor.”

“The Star Wars Saga is the most anticipated Blu-ray collection since the launch of the high-def format,” Dunn said. “The epic franchise pioneered sound and visual presentation in theaters and is perfectly suited to do it again in the home, with a viewing experience only possible with Blu-ray.”

“With all six episodes available for the first time in one collection, this is a great way for families and home audiences to experience the complete Saga from start to finish,” said Doug Yates, Vice President of Marketing, Online, Distribution, Lucasfilm Ltd. “And with the quality of high-definition, Blu-ray provides the most immersive home experience possible.”

“The Star Wars franchise has been the most anticipated Blu-ray release by Amazon’s customers,” said Bill Carr, Vice President of Music and Video at Amazon.com. “We think that Star Wars will be incredibly popular with our customers, and we expect pre-orders to be very strong.”

Pre-order Star Wars: The Complete Saga on Blu-ray and the Star Wars: Trilogy Sets at Amazon.com today

!”

UPDATE: WATCH THE TRAILER!!!

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This is ridiculous. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen so many brilliant titles being released on Blu-ray disc on a single day! I’m not quite certain how a film or Blu-ray fan is meant to survive, you know, afford food and rent while keeping up with all of this awesomeness! Sigh…second and third jobs, here I come!

As always, we appreciate every click on our Amazon links and any purchases you make through them. Those clicks keep The Blu-ray Blog and this column in particular alive, so thanks so much.

1. APOCALYPSE NOW: THREE DISC FULL DISCLOSURE EDITION

Despite the incredible force of new Blu-ray disc releases this week, Francis Ford Coppola‘s dangerous masterpiece of war and death, Apocalypse Now battles its way to the top of the heap. This feature-packed 3-disc set seems to be the definitive edition of the film, presented here with both cuts enjoying stunning new transfers and kitchen-ware rattling sound. This is without question one of the most highly anticipated Blu-ray discs of the year among cinephiles and it delivers in every regard. Don’t miss out on it!

Special Features:

• Apocalypse Now – The 1979 Cut and Apocalypse Now Redux
• “Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse” including optional audio commentary with Eleanor and Francis Ford Coppola
• 48-page collectible printed booklet with special note from Francis Ford Coppola, never-before-seen archives from the set, behind the scenes photos and more
• John Milius Script Excerpt with Francis Ford Coppola Notes
• Storyboard Gallery
• Photo Gallery, including images from photographer Mary Ellen Mark
• Marketing Archive
• “A Conversation with Martin Sheen” interview by Francis Ford Coppola
• “An Interview with John Milius” interview by Francis Ford Coppola
• Complete Francis Ford Coppola interview with Roger Ebert at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival
• Monkey Sampan “lost scene”
• Additional Scenes
• “Destruction of the Kurtz Compound” end credits with audio commentary by Francis Ford Coppola
• “The Hollow Men,” video of Marlon Brando reading T.S. Eliot’s poem
• “The Birth of 5.1 Sound” featurette
• “Ghost Helicopter Flyover” sound effects demonstration
• “A Million Feet of Film: The Editing of Apocalypse Now” featurette
• “The Music of Apocalypse Now” featurette
• “The Synthesizer Soundtrack” article by music synthesizer inventor Bob Moog
• “Heard Any Good Movies Lately? The Sound Design of Apocalypse Now” featurette
• “The Final Mix” featurette
• “Apocalypse Then and Now” featurette
• “The Color Palette of Apocalypse Now” featurette
• “PBR Streetgang” featurette
• “The Color Palette of Apocalypse Now” featurette

Amazon: $41.99

Also available in a 2-Disc Special Edition: $26.99

2. SEVEN SAMURAI

All right, this is a total no-brainer. In fact, this disc should have been out years ago and been every Blu-ray owner’s very first purchase. But the extra time with the film elements has afforded Criterion the opportunity to improve upon the insanely great transfer they offered up on the last DVD edition of The Seven Samurai, allowing them to knock this very first North American high-def presentation of the film out of the park! You’re going to have to see it to believe it. Very highly recommended!

Special Features:

• All-new, restored high-definition digital transfer
• Two audio commentaries: one by film scholars David Desser, Joan Mellen, Stephen Prince, Tony Rayns, and Donald Richie; the other by Japanese-film expert Michael Jeck
• A 50-minute documentary on the making of Seven Samurai, part of the Toho Masterworks series Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create
• My Life in Cinema, a two-hour video conversation between Akira Kurosawa and Nagisa Oshima produced by the Directors Guild of Japan
• Seven Samurai: Origins and Influences, a new documentary looking at the samurai traditions and films that impacted Kurosawa’s masterpiece
• Theatrical trailers and teaser
• Gallery of rare posters and behind-the scenes and production stills
• New and improved English subtitle translation
• PLUS: A booklet featuring essays by Peter Cowie, Philip Kemp, Peggy Chiao, Alain Silver, Kenneth Turan, Stuart Galbraith, Arthur Penn, and Sidney Lumet and an interview with Toshiro Mifune

Amazon: $36.49

3. PSYCHO

That’s right. Coppola. Kurosawa. Now Hitchcock. Incredible! Now, I haven’t gotten my grubby hands on a screener of Psycho so I can’t speak to the quality of the transfer here. But this release is a pretty big deal for Universal and I would be shocked if they buggered it up to any degree. I suspect that the film is going to look and sound better than ever, now on Blu and packed to the gills with a great set of extras.

Amazon: $17.99

4. PREDATORS

Aaargh!! Predators!!! Fox sent me an early review copy of the film…ON DVD!!! I really got a kick out of it – so much better than Predator 2 or any of the “Aliens vs.” films but nowhere near as genius as the Governator original – but I have no idea what the Blu-ray looks and sounds like. It was a pretty dark film but considering that it’s a brand-spanking-new release, it should by all rights be brilliant in high-def.

Amazon: $24.99

5. MOULIN ROUGE and ROMEO + JULIET

Add director Baz Luhrmann to the long list of esteemed directors with classic films debuting on Blu-ray today, though in his case, as classic as his films may have become they aren’t nearly of similar vintage. Nevertheless, these are both wonderful, colourful movies that have both been given a great deal of attention in their transition to Blu-ray by the director himself, to ensure that the transfers were handled in the best possible fashion to suit his vision. I honestly can’t wait to sit down with both films myself and witness the results!

Amazon: $18.49 each

6. THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW

What? Huh? There’s a sixth entry this week? But..this is a Top 5 list, isn’t it?

Okay, yeah, I’m cheating but damn, I can’t let the week pass without pointing out this incredible Rocky Horror Picture Show Blu-ray package. Again, I haven’t received my review copy yet (the perils of being a Blu-ray reviewer in Canada!) but from all accounts the film looks and sounds stellar, better than it deserves to considering its origins. There are a ton of special features and the whole thing is packaged up in a nice hardcover digibook, perfect for your upcoming Halloween cross-dressing party!

Amazon: $18.49

ANIME OF THE WEEK: Eden of the East: The Complete Series

It’s very possible that Eden of the East might go beyond “anime of the week” to be classified as “anime of the year”! This eleven episode animated series created by Kenji Kamiyama, writer-director of the popular Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex series, proved so popular with audiences in Japan that two feature films were rushed into production following its conclusion (the Blu-ray boxed set includes the series’ episodes only but I’m certain that we’ll see both The King of Eden and Paradise Lost on the format in the coming months).

The story centers on Akira Takizawa, a young man with no memories, dropped into the middle of a layered conspiracy with nothing more (and when I say nothing more, I mean nothing more) than a gun and a cell phone with access to billions of Yen and a woman who can make any request he makes a reality. It sounds bizarre but Akira quickly discovers that he is one of 12 chosen individuals, agents called Seleção who have the power to save a Japan that has grown dangerously lackadaisical and “careless”. And if, for some reason, he fails in his mission, he will be murdered.

The excellent, well designed Production I.G. animation of Eden of the East looks great on Blu-ray, if not a bit soft. I have to believe that the haze over the image is a stylistic choice and not a result of poor up-resing of the animated elements. Either way you slice it, the shows are a joy to watch in high-def. The original Japanese Japanese Dolby TrueHD 5.1 audio track is pleasant and immersive, while not overly expressive. There’s also an English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 for those who prefer to avoid subtitles.

Disc-2 of the set provides a host of excellent special features, the finest of the lot being the multiple interview featurettes with most of the primary creatives and performers from the show. There are also trailers, TV spots and a textless version of the closing song animation.

Highly recommended!

Amazon: $36.99

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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I know that this isn’t exactly Blu-ray news – well, it’s not Blu-ray related at all, to be honest – but this is so relevant to those of us who love movies. And beyond relevant to those of us who love (or loved) the Star Wars movies. The upcoming Del Rey book, The Making of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back is like the ultimate special-features collection, jam-packed full of never-before-seen photos and art from the film, along with new interviews, script-page reproductions, hand-written notes and much, much more. If you saw author J.W. Rinzler‘s 2007 The Making of Star Wars book, you’ll know what I mean when I say this book is going to be every nerds wet dream. And the trailer above is just a little taste of what the book has in store for you, when it hits shops on October 12.

Via: Topless Robot

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The Apocalypse Now Blu-ray sets are some of the most highly anticipated of the year. And in a year where we’re seeing the debut of film collections like The Alien Anthology and The Back to the Future Trilogy on Blu, that’s saying something.

I anticipate that these transfers are going to be rock solid, reference quality jobs, much like Coppola‘s Godfather set, with little-to-no DNR and edge enhancement used to process the image. We’ll know for sure in just under two-months! In the meantime, until the Blu-ray discs hit store shelves on October 19th, check out this trailer promoting the Lionsgate releases.

Read more: Apocalypse Now, Hearts of Darkness doc coming to Blu-ray in October

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Looks like our buddies over at The Force.net were able to upload a cam version of the Return of the Jedi deleted scene that was just screened at the Star Wars Celebration, and that will eventually turn up on the Blu-ray collection next year. Here it is, in all its streaming YouTube glory. Watch it quickly before Lucasfilm attacks and has it yanked from the interwebs!

[UPDATE: It's been yanked from The Force.net's YouTube channel! Luckily, many other good folks have uploaded it to theirs. I've updated the embed above. Watch quickly before it's gone too!]

From the description we’ve got of the scene, as it was filmed and originally edited, this clip ends a bit prematurely. I guess Uncle George wants to leave a few surprises for the eventual boxed set.

Read all about the cut scene and what to expect from the Blu-ray set in our previously published post, here: George Lucas confirms Star Wars Blu-ray set for 2011, previews never-before-seen deleted scene

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I’m not exactly sure how many times it needs to be confirmed but George Lucas just re-iterated on stage at the Celebration V convention that he’s going to unleash the Star Wars saga on Blu-ray disc. This time, however, we’ve got a rough release window to look forward to – the discs will hit shops next year, in 2011. And they will include never-before-seen deleted scenes!!

According to Newsarama who were live-blogging the on-stage interview of Lucas by Jon Stewart, near the end of the event Mark Hamill, Luke Skywalker himself, made an appearance on stage to introduce one of those deleted scenes. From their live-blog:

“* Mark Hamill comes out to a HUGE pop from the crowd.
* Mark “Take a deep breath, and sit down, you’re cutting into George time!”
* Mark: I just saw this clip for the first time on a golf cart on a computer.
* This is my natural entrance as a Jedi.
* When they told me, I said “I vaguely remember this” and when they showed me I really remembered it. It’s very short, but it’s very special.
* For all you ultra-passionate fans, it’s special for you because let’s face it you’re like family.
* This is my original entrance into the film Return of the Jedi.
* Darth Vader walks down a hall, and into a chamber, meditating, reaching out to Luke telepathically.
* Luke is shown in robes, MAKING HIS Lightsaber.
* He turns it on, glowing green, nods, and turns it off.
* Wow. Very cool.
* It was a bit ominous, and was meant to make fans wonder until that Green lightsaber turned on, whether he’d join his father on the darkside or not. “

Check out the two storyboard images and the painting above for an idea of the imagery involved (UPDATE: Watch the deleted Star Wars scene here while you still can!) And just in case that’s not enough for you to chew on, here’s an even more vivid description of the scene we’ll see on the Blu-ray next year, from the Return of the Jedi soundtrack booklet:

“After a bold resolution of Vader’s theme, the music continues with TATOOINE RENDEZVOUS, most of which accompanies a sequence eliminated from the film. In it, Vader uses the Force to contact his son, Luke Skywalker. The tone of the music changes with the appearance of a synthesizer and dissonant strings, which Williams uses to gracefully transform the setting to the desert planet Tatooine. The next thirty minutes of music are imbued with dark complexity as Luke and his companions embark on the rescue of Han Solo from the notorious gangster, Jabba the Hutt. Eerie tonalities of wailing woodwinds and abrasive brass seem to emerge directly from the dingy, cavernous environment as the heroes encounter a repulsive den of bizarre alien creatures. The sequence begins with the brief telepathic exchange between Luke and Vader, which is broken by the appearance of droids Artoo-Detoo and See-Threepio, accompanied by Luke’s theme and a playful bouncing wind melody as Luke places a newly constructed lightsaber inside Artoo’s domed head.”

We’ll know doubt learn much more about this Blu-ray release in the near future.

UPDATE: We’ve learned from an article on NYTimes.com that the original trilogy will only be presented in its “Special Edition” format. I wish I could say that I’m surprised by this. Meanwhile, the official site has posted a press release.

From StarWars.com:

“The Star Wars saga will at long last be released in a high-definition home video format as all six movies come to Blu-Ray in Box Set in Fall 2011, as announced by George Lucas this morning at Celebration V. The fan convention’s Main Event, thousands of Star Wars fans braved the muggy heat of an Orlando morning to queue for a one-time only stage session between George Lucas and The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart. Stewart asked Lucas questions submitted from the fan community, and one of the most frequently asked questions submitted online prior to the Main Event was about the saga’s release on Blu-Ray.

“I wish I could say it was coming out this year,” said Lucas, “but it will come out next year.”

The set will feature all six live-action Star Wars feature films, with the highest picture and audio quality, along with extensive special features.

Star Wars fans were treated to a glimpse of bonus material, in the form of a long-lost deleted scene from Return of the Jedi. The scene has long been talked about online — a sequence that depicts Luke Skywalker assembling his new, green-bladed lightsaber prior to infiltrating Jabba the Hutt’s palace. After completing the Jedi weapon, Luke stashes it in R2-D2′s dome. What makes the Jedi deleted clip so remarkable is that it made it all the way to postproduction before it was cut, so it is a rare example of a cut scene with completed visual effects and music.

Actor Mark Hamill came out to describe the scene, remarking that once again his original introduction in a Star Wars film was cut out (his Anchorhead introduction was, of course, cut from A New Hope). Luke’s intro is purposely played as ominous, with his face cowled in shadows and his intentions unclear.”I had the black cloak, the glove, and I thought, wow, this time around I get to be the antagonist. Little did I know I was predicting the path of the prequels,” said Hamill, noting the similarities to Luke in this scene and Anakin Skywalker’s appearance.

Keep checking StarWars.com for more updates from Celebration V as the weekend continues.

Images via: http://www.starwarz.com/

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This has got to be some of the most exciting Blu-ray news so far this year. And that’s really saying something in a year jam-packed with incredible news and releases on the format! Lionsgate and American Zoetrope, Francis Ford Coppola‘s film studio, have announced a multi-year home entertainment distribution agreement which will see them bringing his acclaimed film Apocalypse Now to Blu-ray this October. Even more exciting, as far as I’m concerned, is that this deal will cover the eventual release of Coppola’s The Conversation, a film I consider to be his finest and one of my all-time favourites from any director.

From the press release:

“With new transfers supervised directly by Coppola, Apocalypse Now will premiere on Blu-ray in two deluxe editions: the 2-Film Set and the 3-disc Full Disclosure Edition. The 2-Film Set will include both Apocalypse Now – The 1979 Cut and Apocalypse Now Redux and will also include over nine hours of special features. The Full Disclosure Edition will include the seminal making-of documentary Hearts of Darkness, a 48-page collectible booklet and storyboard, photo and marketing archives.”

No word yet regarding the timing of the release of The Conversation on Blu but rest assured, we’ll stay on top of it and let you know as soon as we hear anything.

Special Features:

• Apocalypse Now – The 1979 Cut and Apocalypse Now Redux
• “A Conversation with Martin Sheen” interview by Francis Ford Coppola
• “An Interview with John Milius” interview by Francis Ford Coppola
• Complete Francis Ford Coppola interview with Roger Ebert at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival
• Monkey Sampan “lost scene”
• Additional Scenes
• “Destruction of the Kurtz Compound” end credits with audio commentary by Francis Ford Coppola
• “The Hollow Men,” video of Marlon Brando reading T.S. Eliot’s poem
• “The Birth of 5.1 Sound” featurette
• “Ghost Helicopter Flyover” sound effects demonstration
• “A Million Feet of Film: The Editing of Apocalypse Now” featurette
• “The Music of Apocalypse Now” featurette
• “The Synthesizer Soundtrack” article by music synthesizer inventor Bob Moog
• “Heard Any Good Movies Lately? The Sound Design of Apocalypse Now” featurette
• “The Final Mix” featurette
• “Apocalypse Then and Now” featurette
• “The Color Palette of Apocalypse Now” featurette
• “PBR Streetgang” featurette
• “The Color Palette of Apocalypse Now” featurette

Special Features:

• Apocalypse Now – The 1979 Cut and Apocalypse Now Redux
• “Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse” including optional audio commentary with Eleanor and Francis Ford Coppola
• 48-page collectible printed booklet with special note from Francis Ford Coppola, never-before-seen archives from the set, behind the scenes photos and more
• John Milius Script Excerpt with Francis Ford Coppola Notes
• Storyboard Gallery
• Photo Gallery, including images from photographer Mary Ellen Mark
• Marketing Archive
• “A Conversation with Martin Sheen” interview by Francis Ford Coppola
• “An Interview with John Milius” interview by Francis Ford Coppola
• Complete Francis Ford Coppola interview with Roger Ebert at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival
• Monkey Sampan “lost scene”
• Additional Scenes
• “Destruction of the Kurtz Compound” end credits with audio commentary by Francis Ford Coppola
• “The Hollow Men,” video of Marlon Brando reading T.S. Eliot’s poem
• “The Birth of 5.1 Sound” featurette
• “Ghost Helicopter Flyover” sound effects demonstration
• “A Million Feet of Film: The Editing of Apocalypse Now” featurette
• “The Music of Apocalypse Now” featurette
• “The Synthesizer Soundtrack” article by music synthesizer inventor Bob Moog
• “Heard Any Good Movies Lately? The Sound Design of Apocalypse Now” featurette
• “The Final Mix” featurette
• “Apocalypse Then and Now” featurette
• “The Color Palette of Apocalypse Now” featurette
• “PBR Streetgang” featurette
• “The Color Palette of Apocalypse Now” featurette

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This might not be the biggest, most overwhelming release week of the year but there are a couple Blu-ray discs here that any serious collection simply can’t be without. And everything else this week somehow seems lesser as a result. That’s not to say the other films aren’t worth watching but when you’ve got two behemoths of cinema vying for your attention as these discs are, it’s tough to validate giving their competitors even the slightest regard. But then again, there’s Snake Plissken on Blu-ray. What’s a nerd to do?

1. SAVING PRIVATE RYAN

Saving Private Ryan was sitting in my number two slot in this list for the longest time. And that’s where I would rate it in terms of necessary purchases this week. In terms of the importance of the films as cinema classics. But, I changed my mind at the last minute to better reflect the real world demand for the titles. This is the one most people want. And with good reason. This is a killer Blu-ray disc with a nearly perfect transfer. It could be the new go-to demo disc!

Read more about the Blu-ray disc here: Paramount brings Saving Private Ryan to Blu-ray

Amazon: $22.99

2. DOCTOR ZHIVAGO

Ahhh. David Lean. This is my personal top pick for the week – the disc I’m most desperate to get my dirty little mitts on. Everything Lean touched just screams cinema and “big screen”. The perfect content to bring to Blu! If I’m going to be brutally honest here, I would, of course, rather have Lawrence of Arabia or Bridge on the River Kwai in high-def but watching Doctor Zhivago, in all its restored, 1080p splendour is like the ultimate warm up for those, arguably Lean’s finest and most epic films.

Amazon: $28.99

3. TETRO

You know it’s an imperfect Top 5 list when a new Coppola flik pulls in at number 3! But bear with me and with Tetro. It’s an imperfect film from a filmmaker who seems to be slowly but ever so surely crawling out of his two decade long rut. Tetro is no Godfather or The Conversation but it is a thoughtful effort full of ideas. And hey, who doesn’t love Vincent Gallo?!

Amazon: $29.99

4. HAMLET

This one is for all you Doctor Who and Star Trek fans out there. Oh yeah, and anyone who just can’t get enough of the old bard. This is Hamlet re-imagined as a modern psychological thriller, starring David Tennant as the tortured Danish prince and Captain Jean-Luc Picard as his treacherous uncle. The language might be old school but everything else about this production is contemporary and quite riveting! A stellar take on an old favourite with a stellar cast!

Amazon: $16.99

5. DIRTY DANCING: LIMITED KEEPSAKE EDITION

Word on the street is that this bulked up Dirty Dancing Blu-ray package contains an all new transfer of the film, which easily bests the garbage that Lionsgate foisted on its audience in the earlier 2007 edition of the film. I can’t speak from first-hand experience about the quality of the Blu-ray presentation (still can’t get Lionsgate to acknowledge my existence and send out some screeners!) but I can say that it comes with a 52-page book and a featurette tribute to my boy, Jerry Orbach. Nobody puts Lenny Briscoe in a corner!

Amazon: $23.99

ANIME OF THE WEEK: Tsubasa RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE: Collected Memories Box Set

Tsubasa might not be exactly to my tastes but then again, I’m a couple of decades out from the age of its target audience. This is the stuff that my nephew would totally eat up! And this amazing, comprehensive collection from FUNimation really delivers for fans. You get every single episode of the show as well as the “film”, The Princess in the Birdcage (also available this week on the Clamp Double Feature: Tsubasa RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE and xxxHOLiC Blu-ray disc) along with a bunch of decent extras. Be warned, however, that you won’t want to pick this up if you already own the season 1 set as you get both season 1 and 2 in this box. If that’s you then just gran the stand-alone season 2 set. Fans with a keen eye will be happy to learn that transfer quality improves slightly into the second season.

Amazon: $91.99

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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All of our nerd dreams have come true. Lord Lucas has finally deigned to bring his coveted six-film Star Wars opus to Blu-ray, according to reports of an announcement just made by Lucasfilm representative Steve Sansweet from a panel at the C2E2 comic book convention in Chicago.

While an actual quote has yet top be published, twitter reports began arriving within moments of Sansweet’s announcement:

@loquaciousmuse – “Star Wars Blu Ray of all 6 movies w/ tons of newly found extra material coming soon, no date yet.”

@NebsTV - “Star Wars Blu-ray pack with all 6 movies is in the works, loaded with new extras.”

Rest assured, when more info pours in, we’ll update the story. In the meantime, I have to say, while new information hasn’t really been revealed here (Still no date, still no details), it’s always nice to hear the confirmation that the studio is actively working on getting these films released on Blu-ray. I’m curious to know what this “newly found extra material” is, though. I’m personally hoping for nothing beyond the inclusion of the original cuts of the first trilogy. You might be tired of hearing it but Greedo should never shoot first!

UPDATE: Here the actual quote from Sansweet, thanks to IGN:

“We have been at work for a couple of years working on – I won’t call it the Ultimate Set because we keep finding stuff – but, a very full set of all six movies on Blu-ray with lots of extra material. We’re finding all kinds of scenes from dailies that have never been seen before. Beyond all of those things that you know about… there are some real treasures.”

Read more: Wish List: The Star Wars Saga on Blu-ray

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