Who doesn’t love a good deal? And who doesn’t love a good deal on James Bond Blu-ray discs? Well, this newest offer on Amazon.com is better than a good deal. It’s fracking amazing! All 11 of the James Bond films currently available on Blu-ray for less than $70! At just over $6.00 a film, you’re getting the best, lowest price these discs have ever seen. Interested? Here’s how you get that incredibly low price…
UPDATE: The code seems to only discount the set by $170 now, giving a final total of $99.99. Still an amazing deal, if you ask me!
First, do us the favour of using our Amazon link to click over to the Blu-ray set (Thanks, in advance!):
Then use this code:
AMZNBOND
Apply it at the final “PLACE ORDER” screen and Bob’s your uncle, you’ve got the deal and a savings of over $200 $170 on some of the coolest films ever made!
You’re welcome!
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You know, this movie is really not as bad as I remember it.
Roger Moore returns as Bond in The Man With The Golden Gun, his second outing as British super-spy, 007. I’ve never been a big fan of Moore’s wimpy, jocular characterization but his sense of suave doesn’t seem to get in the way here. This isn’t one of the “great” Bond’s but it far out-performs Moore’s later, geriatric efforts in Octopussy and A View to a Kill. He’s on point. Ready for business. And up against one of the coolest villains in Bond history – Dracula!
All right, I’ll fess up. Any affection I have for this movie comes as a result of being a Dracula fanatic. Christopher Lee, most famous for his portrayal of the undead Count in Hammer‘s series of horror films, cuts a fantastic, villainous figure no matter the film franchise: Evil wizard Saruman in Lord of the Rings, Sith Lord Count Dooku in Star Wars or tri-nippled hitman Francisco Scaramanga in The Man With The Golden Gun. The man is legend.
Britt Ekland and Hervé Villechaize round out a fairly strong cast (strangely, they would re-team on the 80s TV show, Fantasy Island) who manage to keep the pedestrian plot from sinking into complete malaise. The Man With The Golden Gun is not great cinema. The script is lazy, falling back on Bond and action/comedy cliches. But somehow, the dynamic personalities on-screen keep me interested. Keep the film alive!
The disc, like most of the FOX/MGM James Bond efforts on Blu-ray, looks better than ever! This isn’t a revelatory transfer, like Dr. No but crisp and balanced in every way. Colours seem true and and there’s a lot of detail to appreciate up on the screen. I would say, it’s so true to the film elements, in fact, that Scaramanga’s third nipple has never looked more fake than on Blu-ray!
Extras on this disc, like the Licence to Kill Blu-ray, reviewed earlier on The Blu-ray Blog are plentiful and echo the previously released DVD:
• Audio Commentary Featuring Sir Roger Moore
• Audio Commentary Featuring Director Guy Hamilton and members of the cast and crew
• Guy Hamilton: The Director Speaks
• Roger Moore and Herve Villechaize – The Russel Harty Show
On Location with The Man with the Golden Gun
• The Road to Bond: Stunt Coordinator W.J. Milligan, JR.
• Girls Fighting Featurette
• 007 Mission control: Interactive Guide into the World of The Man with the Golden Gun
• American Thrill Show Stunt Film
• Double-0 Stuntment: A Look at the Greatest Stunts and Stunt Performers in the Bond Films
• Inside The Man with the Golden Gun – An Original Documentary
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]]>Just in case he reads this: No dad, they don’t have The Full Monty or The Commitments on Blu-ray yet. Maybe you’ll get them next year.
THE TOP 8 BLU-RAY DISCS TO GET DAD FOR FATHER’S DAY
Once upon a time, Bruce Willis had hair and could take out an office tower full of terrorists while barefoot and bloodied. Those were the days. Relive Willis at his best here, in this box-set featuring all four Die Hard films. As you can imagine, if you recall all the films, you’ll also have the opportunity to relive Willis at his worst. Nevermind. Who doesn’t love a Die Hard film?
The Box set features a couple of lackluster transfers, a couple of great ones and bonus material that deserves an upgrade. On a positive note, you can usually get this thing for a steal! And c’mon, really…who doesn’t love a Die Hard film?
My dad has watched Goodfellas on TV about a hundred times. Rarely from beginning to end as his preference seems to be watching films from the middle onward, but he’s seen it a lot. At least he’s seen the end of it a lot. Needless to say, whenever it’s on the old boob-tube, dad flicks it on. It’s a favourite.
And this Blu-ray disc version of Goodfellas could easily become a favourite as well, what with the spiffy 1080p upgrade and a couple of the better commentary tracks on home video. Not only do you get a nice sit-down with director Martin Scorsese, his cast and crew but you also get a second track featuring the man whose life the film is based upon, Henry Hill and FBI agent Edward McDonald, the man who put him in witness protection. Fascinating!
6. STAR TREK: THE ORIGINAL SERIES – SEASON 1
Fascinating, indeed! I am simply blown away by this box set (full review coming soon) and anxious to show it to my dad. While not a Trekkie or Trekker, he always had a great appreciation for a good sci-fi show. And Trek ranked among the best in my house, growing up.
Paramount Home Video has gone above and beyond the call of duty in bringing these episodes of the original 60s TV show to Blu-ray. Star Trek has never looked this brilliant, vivid and saturated in lush colour. Packed to the brim with featurettes, commentary tracks and behind-the-scenes footage, you simply can’t go wrong picking up this box-set.
Bruce Lee at his best. I had forgotten how fantastic the man was until watching this film again recently on Blu-ray. This is a quintessential 70s action flik and no doubt a favourite of a lot of fathers.
The Blu-ray edition of Enter The Dragon ports over most of the generous portion of bonus features that Warner had assembled for their four releases of the film on DVD. These extras are amazing! Some might say, better than the film itself. If your dad has ever had any interest in the life of the martial arts master, he’ll be pleasantly surprised by the wealth of information packed within the many documentaries and featurettes on the Blu-ray. Oh, and to tempt you further, Enter the Dragon looks great for a 35 year old film. And you can usually pick it up pretty cheap! (Currently, $11.49 at Amazon)
4. THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY
I had to fit a western on here. And what better film than one of Sergio Leone and Clint Eastwood‘s finest spaghetti westerns, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. Mind you, this wasn’t an easy choice. John Ford‘s incredible The Searchers starring John Wayne was a definite contender, with it’s incredible restoration job and low, low price of $7.99 at Amazon. But ultimately I had to go with the film that I would pick up for my own dad. And Clint will always win over the Duke in my dad’s eyes.
While the film itself may not be the ultimate presentation of Leone’s epic shooter in it’s extended cut, with perhaps a bit too much digital processing in the wrong places, the package contains some incredible extras. Not least of which is a brand new commentary track historian and Leone expert, Christopher Frayling that contains more information about the ‘Dollar’ trilogy than you can shake a six-shooter at. All together, a great buy.
I couldn’t pick a single Bond film. Guilty as charged. It’s not that I’m necessarily indecisive. It’s just that there’s really a wealth of Bond-awesomeness to chose from on Blu-ray. Something for everyone, for every budget.
If it’s old-school Bond that floats your dad’s boat, you can find a good selection of the Connery and Moore films on Blu in individual releases. Or if you’re feeling wealthier and your father enjoys the entire series, you can pick up the Bond Collections, which feature 3 films each, chosen in a seemingly random fashion from amongst the eras. Last but certainly not least are the newer, Daniel Craig films, both excellent on Blu. The 2-Disc Casino Royale is currently quite affordable on Amazon at $14.99.
2. THE GODFATHER: THE COPPOLA RESTORATION GIFTSET
I don’t know a dad who doesn’t like The Godfather 1 and 2. In fact, I think a devout appreciation of Francis Ford Coppola‘s mob epic is a prerequisite of fatherhood. Also required, a hatred of the much-maligned Godfather Part 3.
If anything can make your dad give Part 3 another go, it’s this gorgeous giftset of the entire Godfather series on Blu. The first two films have undergone a drastic restoration process and have a look that some might find startling. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. While not gaining the sparkle of modern films, Godfather 1 and 2 are brighter and more detailed than ever before. Part 3 is well presented and, while the film isn’t the best of the series, it is nice to look at in 1080p. The set is rounded out by a ridiculous wealth of bonus features, including all the extra content from the 2001 DVD edition as well as brand-spanking new HD stuff. Great set!
This HBO TV series by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks is epic. It’s complex. It’s real. Based on Stephen Ambrose‘s book of the same name, Band of Brothers chronicles the story of the soldiers of Easy Company from basic training to the end of World War II in ten phenomenal, riveting episodes.
The box-set set of the complete series looks and sounds great on Blu and ports over all the bonus content from the DVD set. In addition, each episode features all new, Blu-ray exclusive Picture-in-Picture interviews/commentary with the surviving members of Easy Company. The veterans share haunting memories of WWII and discuss the accuracy of their on-screen representations. As if this wasn’t enough, each of the ten Band of Brothers episodes offer real time trivia, accessible video content, interactive maps, archive footage, and a glossary of WWII military terms, abbreviations, and slang in the feature called In the Field with the Men of Easy Company: Interactive Guides.
I’m going to be honest with you here: I don’t know if my dad has even seen this show. But I’ll tell you this, if I had to rush out and get him a Blu-ray gift that looked and sounded great, had tons of amazing bonus features and offered an incredible value, Band of Brothers would be at the top of the list.
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Weird…
This movie kicks my ass. Timothy Dalton kicks my ass. What was the public thinking back in the 80s, not turning out in droves to support the man in his second outing as super not-so-secret British agent James Bond? How were we not pining for him to return in a third film? How did we end up going from a balls-to-the-wall (minus the Wayne Newton factor) revenge thriller to the more anaemic Brosnan outings? Urgh…Thank M for the coming of the current Daniel Craig era.
Craig and Dalton have a couple of things in common: they both play Bond like a bad-ass. And that really works for the series. In fact, it’s the factor that people find most attractive about the latest films. You feel like no one in their right mind would mess with Craig. And I can safely say the same for Dalton. Dalton looks perpetually on-edge, even when smiling. Like he’s ready to snap your neck at the drop of a hat. Hell, I’d be afraid to even shake the man’s hand! If he has a failing in the performance of the character at all, it’s that he is perhaps the least charming of all the Bonds. He always seems less keen on a magical night under the covers and more interested in feeding crooked DEA agents to sharks, pulping henchman to a fine dust or setting drug czars on fire. But honestly, as a Bond fan, I’m more interested in his bad-assery than his romantic encounters. And this film delivers in spades.
Bond is out for revenge. His best pal, American CIA agent Felix Leiter is fed to the sharks and left for dead on his wedding day. Following the trail of the drug czar responsible, 007 kicks so many asses on US soil that MI6 yanks his licence to kill. Yeah…like Bond needs a licence. He enlists the help of gadget guru, Q, a hot CIA pilot (Carey Lowell from Law & Order!) and the girlfriend of the man he’s hunting (Talisa Soto – married to Benjamin Bratt from Law & Order!) to satisfy his thirst for dead bad guys! Exciting? You betchca!
And Dalton’s bad-assery has never looked better than on this Blu-ray disc. Licence to Kill comes to high-def in a nice, if far from perfect 2.35:1 1080p transfer using the AVC codec. I have the old DVD set that includes this film and I can safely recommend this new Blu-ray edition as an upgrade. You’re just not going to see as great a leap in quality as you did in previous Blu-ray Bonds (Dr. No left me breathless!) but if you don’t own a copy of Licence yet, this is an easy buy. You kind of need to own this, in fact, if you’re any sort of Bond fan.
The bonus features are all ported over from the DVD set. Nothing new here, as far as I can tell. The studio has, however re-constituted the old ‘making-of’ docs for all the Bond discs into hybrid SD/HD pieces. All interview footage remains SD (as it was shot) but all film stills and movie cuts have been upgraded to HD and look fantastic. Here’s a list of extras:
• DECLASSIFIED: MI6 VAULT Deleted Scenes With Director John Glen Introductions
• Audio Commentary featuring director John Glen and cast members
• Commentary featuring producer Michael W. Wilson and crew members
• On the Set with John Glen Featurette
• On Location with Peter Lamont
• Ground Check with Corky Fornoff Featurette
• Bond ’89
• 007 MISSION CONTROL Interactive Guide Into the World of Licence to Kill
• Inside Licence to Kill
• Production Featurette “Behind the Scenes”
• Kenworth Trucks Featurette
• Gladys Knight “Licence to Kill” Music Video
• Patti LaBelle “If You Asked Me To” Music Video
• Original Trailers & Photo Gallery
• Image Database
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I can admit that if this film hadn’t been based on actual events, I probably wouldn’t have been as impressed. In fact, it might have bored me. It’s a little wooden, moving with all the grace of an uptight schoolmarm, preoccupied with manners and perception. Director Edward Zwick is aware of all the notes he has to hit, plucking the right heart-strings at just the right moment. But to me, it all feels too packaged and prepared.
Nevertheless, the film works on a lot of levels. And the disc works on every level. What an impressive Blu-ray! Defiance looks so sharp and detailed in 1080p, despite the fact that it’s all shot under a dark canopy of forest leaves. It really has no business looking this good! It should, by all rights, be a touch muddy and soft, suffering from the diffusion of light in the forest but this thing looks bright and crisp.The photography is gorgeous and the transfer really goes that extra mile to bring it to life.
The Defiance Blu-ray is rounded out with a comprehensive package of bonus features: a somewhat dry commentary by director, Zwick, a handful of featurettes (notable among which is an excellent look at the scoring of the film) and a couple of trailers, all in beautiful 1080p HD.
Defiance is available for $25.99 at Amazon.com – 35% off the MSRP of $39.99
ANOTHER PICK – REVOLUTIONARY ROAD
Ok. This is far from my favourite movie but there’s something about director Sam Medes style and something about Thomas Newton‘s music…maybe it just reminds me of their previous success, American Beauty, a thematically similar but far superior film. That vibe they create, the feeling of this film, the sort of fanciful suburban Americana dreamland punctuated by the pain of reality is strangely attractive. Revolutionary Road has got some powerhouse performances, true. Leo and Kate (and unsung hero of the film, Michael Shannon) all perform their asses off. Roger Deakins shoots some sumptuous suburban images. Newton’s music always hits the right note. But for some reason, the film comes off a bit uneven – like an early draft of a stage play…
ALSO AVAILABLE THIS WEEK
Clicking an image will take you to Amazon.com where you can learn more about the Blu-ray:
