It’s not a particularly overwhelming week in terms of sheer numbers of discs hitting the shops but damn, are there ever some amazing new titles coming out today, including a Blu-ray that could potentially be one of the best releases of the year! You read that right, it’s only the second week of 2011 and we may already have one of the best Blu-ray discs of the year on our hands. And it’s not even from Criterion!!

1. THE SOCIAL NETWORK

I can’t really even put into words what a classy affair Sony‘s The Social Network Blu-ray release is. Do you see that package art above? Yeah, that’s not even the actual sleeve. It’s a little bit of paper folded over the package, detailing its contents. When you buy The Social Network Blu-ray disc, unwrap the plastic and peel back the paper slip-cover, what’s revealed is a gorgeous, waxy, jet-black paper sleeve, with the film’s tagline embossed into it. Nothing else. Just classy and simple. And gorgeous in every way. The two Blu-ray discs themselves are within and just as nice to behold.

And then there’s the movie itself. Without question, one of the finest of 2010. It tells the tale of the men (the boys) who built Facebook, sharply written and smartly directed by the superstar creative team of Aaron Sorkin and David Fincher, respectively. The Social Network Blu-ray is beyond reproach, arriving in a 2-disc set that allows the encode of the film to breathe, alone but for a couple of commentary tracks on a dual-layer disc. It looks and sounds fantastic! The second disc is crammed full of wonderful bonus content including a very watchable and informative feature length doc.

Highly recommended!

SPECIAL FEATURES:

• Two audio commentaries:
• David Fincher
• Writer Aaron Sorkin and cast
• How Did They Ever Make a Movie of Facebook?: a feature-length documentary in four parts
• David Fincher and Jeff Cronenweth on the Visuals
• Angus Wall, Kirk Baxter and Ren Klyce on Post
• Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and David Fincher on the Score
• Ruby Skye VIP Room: Multi-Angle Scene Breakdown
• In the Hall of the Mountain King: Reznor’s First Draft
• Swarmatron

READ MORE: The Social Network coming to Blu-ray

AMAZON: $34.95

2. ARMY OF SHADOWS and ROBINSON CRUSOE ON MARS

It’s another one of those killer double-Criterion days, where our favourite boutique home video studio releases more than one new Blu-ray disc at a time, squeezing another couple of twenty-dollar bills from our already hemorrhaging wallets! The first Criterion discs of 2011 make an odd couple indeed – a gripping film about the French resistance in their battle against the Nazis and a somewhat psychedelic, colourful ’60s adventure of an astronaut stranded on Mars. It goes without saying that both discs, upgrades from previously issued DVDs, look and sound much better than ever before, in their stunning, high-def debuts. Army of Shadows benefits from a somewhat famous 2006 restoration (the 1969 Jean-Pierre Melville film had gone unseen on this side of the Atlantic before then) while Robinson Crusoe on Mars‘s move to 1080p reveals the limitations of old-school optical effects.

Both discs come highly recommended!

Army of Shadows Special Features:

• High-definition digital transfer of the 2004 restoration, supervised by director of photography Pierre Lhomme with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
• Optional DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
• Audio commentary featuring film historian Ginette Vincendeau
• Interviews with Lhomme and editor Françoise Bonnot
• On-set footage and excerpts from archival interviews with director Jean-Pierre Melville, cast members, writer Joseph Kessel, and real-life Resistance fighters
• Jean-Pierre Melville et “L’armée des ombres” (2002), a short program on the director and his film
• Le journal de la Résistance (1944), a rare short documentary shot on the front lines during the final days of German-occupied France
• Film restoration demonstration by Lhomme
• Theatrical trailers
• PLUS: A booklet featuring essays by critic Amy Taubin and historian Robert O. Paxton, as well as excerpts from Rui Nogueira’s Melville on Melville

Robinson Crusoe on Mars Special Features:

• Restored high-definition digital transfer with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
• Audio commentary featuring screenwriter Ib Melchior, actors Paul Mantee and Victor Lundin, production designer Al Nozaki, Oscar-winning special effects designer and Robinson Crusoe on Mars historian Robert Skotak, and excerpts from a 1979 audio interview with director Byron Haskin
• Destination Mars, a video featurette by filmmaker and space historian Michael Lennick detailing the science behind the film
• Music video for Lundin’s song “Robinson Crusoe on Mars”
• Stills gallery
• Theatrical trailer
• PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by Lennick as well as Melchior’s “Brief Yargorian Vocabulary” (a glossary of original alien dialect) and a list of facts about Mars, both from his original screenplay

READ MORE: Criterion January Blu-ray titles: Army of Shadows, Robinson Crusoe on Mars, Broadcast News

AMAZON: $39.95 each

3. DANCES WITH WOLVES

I’ve been waiting years to finally see Dances With Wolves and now, with this new Blu-ray release I might finally get my chance. I haven’t gotten my hands on a review copy yet but I understand that despite the films extended 4-hour run-time, it looks incredible on Blu-ray. By all accounts, Fox/MGM have delivered another winner here, in a 2-disc set that carries over most, if not all of the special features from the previously available DVD edition of the film, while adding a couple of new, Blu-ray exclusive interactive extras and a featurette.

READ MORE: Dances with Wolves coming to Blu-ray

AMAZON: $29.99

4. RAGING BULL

If you missed out on the 2009 release of Raging Bull on Blu-ray, this new 30th Anniversary Edition presents the perfect opportunity to grab up this amazing Martin Scorsese/Robert DeNiro classic in gorgeous 1080p. It includes over 50-minutes of brand new special features along with the same acclaimed high-def transfer afforded the film in its previous edition.

AMAZON: $29.99

5. ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA

Another DeNiro classic! Sergio Leone‘s complex, flawed gangster epic, Once Upon a Time in America makes its Blu-ray debut today, presented in an edit closer resembling the director’s vision, shifting through time via flashbacks (as opposed to the US distributor’s chronological cut). Sadly, the nearly 4-hour film is crammed onto a single disc and, encoded at a fairly low bitrate, looks all the lesser for it. The Blu-ray is still a clear improvement over the previously issued DVD, and carries over most of its special features.

AMAZON: $24.98

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:

Related posts

• Criterion January Blu-ray titles: Army of Shadows, Robinson Crusoe on Mars, Broadcast News (3)
• The Criterion Collection: Army of Shadows Blu-ray Disc Review (0)
• The Social Network coming to Blu-ray (1)
• The Criterion Collection: Robinson Crusoe on Mars Blu-ray Disc Review (0)
• Dances with Wolves: 20th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray Disc Review (1)

Goodfellas is twenty years old? Get the f*$& outta here! There’s no denying that this is one of the finest mob movies, if not one of the finest films that has ever been made. And the new Blu-ray from Warner, celebrates the anniversary with a new silk suit and haircut but, sadly the mobster inside remains the same. Um…by that, I mean that this is the same disc they released three years ago in a new package.

You don’t need me to tell you the story of Martin Scorsese‘s Goodfellas, do you? I mean, in the twenty years since its release it’s managed to become the ultimate depiction of the mob, inspiring damn near every subsequent mafia film that’s emerged in its wake. Not to slight the Godfather films in the least, but Goodfellas seems to have eclipsed the famous Francis Ford Coppola trilogy in the minds of younger generations. And that fame and level of import are only a few of the reasons that this 20th Anniversary Blu-ray release is a bit of a let-down.

This is the same Blu-ray disc that was released in 2007. The same transfer, the same extras. Same, same, same. If you already count Goodfellas among your Blu-ray disc collection, you won’t find anything new here. And that’s a disappointment. The quality of the transfer isn’t awful. But it’s not great either. It didn’t win any awards back in 2007 and it only looks that much worse now, when our expectations for what a good transfer can be have been raised so high. But a lot of the problem here isn’t necessarily the fault of the disc. The film could really use a restoration (for instance, there’s a moment about an hour into the film when a very distracting line runs down the entire screen) despite its relative youth. I’m sure, given the cost of such a job, we won’t be seeing an improvement here anytime soon. With that in mind, you can feel confident that this version of Goodfellas is best this film will look on home video into the immediate future. But enough about the problems of the disc set, let’s talk about what’s great here.

Lots. First of all, Goodfellas comes packaged in a beautiful hardcover book. I really love these things. Warner should reissue as many films as they can in nice “digibook” editions. I think it’s the classiest way to display a Blu-ray collection. Inside the little book, you’ll find two discs – the Goodfellas BD and Public Enemies: The Golden Age of the Gangster Film on DVD, a feature length documentary about mob movies that, until now was an exclusive addition to the Warner Gangsters Collection Vol. 4.

While they may not be exactly new, the special features on the Goodfellas Blu-ray disc are quite nice. Anytime you can get a Scorsese commentary track you know you’re in for a treat. And his commentary here is shared with author/screenwriter Nicolas Pileggi, producers Irwin Winkler and Barbara De Fina, cinematographer Michael Ballhaus, editor Thelma Schoonmaker, and cast members Ray Liotta, Lorraine Bracco, Paul Sorvino and Frank Vincent. As excellent and informative as this cast and crew track is, you may prefer to listen to the Cop and Crook Commentary, featuring the real Henry Hill (the man whose real-life story is told in the film) and FBI agent Edward McDonald. An awesome and truly inspired inclusion!

Rounding out the extras on the disc are a handful of fairly good featurettes – a standard, half-hour “making-of”, a 14-minute piece examining the legacy of the film, an 8-minute look at real-life mobsters and a storyboard comparison. In addition, the second disc (the gangster doc DVD) includes half an hour of gangster related Looney Tunes and Merrie Melody cartoons. All bonus features are in standard definition.

Previously on The Blu-ray Blog: Goodfellas 20th Anniversary Blu-ray coming in February

Related posts

• Goodfellas: 20th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray Disc Details, Package Art (0)
• Goodfellas 20th Anniversary Blu-ray coming in February (4)
• Top 8 Blu-ray Discs to get Dad for Father's Day (1)
• Top 5 New Blu-ray releases for the Week of September 7 (1)
• Top 5 New Blu-ray releases for the Week of June 8 (1)

We’ve finally got some details on Warner Home Video‘s upcoming Goodfellas: 20th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray Disc set. Not only do I love this film but I love the idea that we’re getting a new edition of it packaged in a digibook along with a whole host of additional special features. I fear, however, that Disc-1 of the 2-disc set, the one with the feature on it, will just be a re-purposing of the previously available release. If that’s the case, we may have to wait until a possible 25th Anniversary Blu-ray edition of the film to get an audio upgrade from the 2007 lossy Dolby Digital to a lossless soundtrack.

GOODFELLAS: 20TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION
With 34-page digibook with film facts, insider info, and photos
(February 16, 2010 – MSRP $34.99)
Video: 1.78:1 VC-1
Audio: TBA

Special Features:

• Commentary with cast and crew
• Commentary with Henry Hill and Former FBI Agent Edward McDonald
• 3 featurettes (“Getting Made”, “Made Men: The GoodFelllas Legacy”, “The Workaday Gangster”)
• Storyboard-to-Screen Comparisons
• “Public Enemies: The Golden Age of the Gangster Film” documentary
• Classic Gangster Themed Cartoons (“I Like Mountain Music”, “She Was an Acrobat’s Daughter”, “Racketeer Rabbit”, “Bugs and Thugs”)
• Theatrical trailer

  Previously on The Blu-ray Blog: Goodfellas 20th Anniversary Blu-ray coming in February

  Related posts

  • Goodfellas 20th Anniversary Blu-ray coming in February (4)
  • Goodfellas (20th Anniversary Edition) Blu-ray Disc Review (0)
  • Top 8 Blu-ray Discs to get Dad for Father's Day (1)
  • Top 5 New Blu-ray releases for the Week of September 7 (1)
  • Top 5 New Blu-ray releases for the Week of June 8 (1)
  ]]> http://www.theblurayblog.com/2009/11/goodfellas-20th-anniversary-edition-blu-ray-disc-details-package-art/feed/ 0 http://www.theblurayblog.com/2009/10/goodfellas-20th-anniversary-blu-ray-coming-in-february/ http://www.theblurayblog.com/2009/10/goodfellas-20th-anniversary-blu-ray-coming-in-february/#comments Mon, 26 Oct 2009 06:13:45 +0000 Brenden http://www.theblurayblog.com/?p=5333

  You might remember that I picked Goodfellas as one of my Top 8 Blu-ray Discs to get Dad for Father’s Day this year. I had to. It’s one of those films that my father will watch over and over and over again. Clearly it plays well to the over-50-with-adult-children set. Hell, it plays well to damn-near everybody! What a perfect film. And now it’s getting a new edition to celebrate its 20th Anniversary.

  Home Media Magazine is reporting that Warner will ship a Blu-ray Book Edition version of the film on February 16. In addition to the standard hardcover 34 page book packaging, the Blu-ray will include a TCM feature-length documentary called Public Enemies: The Golden Age of the Gangster Film (available on DVD from Amazon here), four Warner Bros. mob-themed cartoons and the rest of the bonus content from the previously available Blu-ray disc.

  We’ll update you when we find out more about this release!

  Related posts

  • Goodfellas: 20th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray Disc Details, Package Art (0)
  • Goodfellas (20th Anniversary Edition) Blu-ray Disc Review (0)
  • Top 8 Blu-ray Discs to get Dad for Father's Day (1)
  • Top 5 New Blu-ray releases for the Week of September 7 (1)
  • Top 5 New Blu-ray releases for the Week of June 8 (1)
  ]]> http://www.theblurayblog.com/2009/10/goodfellas-20th-anniversary-blu-ray-coming-in-february/feed/ 4