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?
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
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.
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?!
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!
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!
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.
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
]]>
As I mentioned in the Top 5 Blu-ray release list, this disc had the misfortune of being swallowed by the hype of a very high profile new Disney princess release and a new chapter of the Twilight series on Blu during the week it hit shelves. How could a Spanish language import possibly compete with those two juggernauts? I’ll tell you how – by being awesome! I loved this film. In fact, it is without question one of the best movies I’ve seen in a long time. But it’s also a movie that’s beyond description.
Broken Embraces is not only Almodóvar’s best, in my opinion, but also his most enigmatic film to date. The story, involving a director, now blind, recalling his past love affair with an actress in one of his films and the fallout of their relationship, winds through a temporal maze in what I can only refer to as an structural feat of narrative acrobatics. The plot bounces us from present day, focused on the writer, his manager and her son, back to the nineties, outlining the life of the actress (played by the radiant Penélope Cruz) only to then thrust us into the film-within-a-film, which bears a striking resemblance to Almodóvar’s own Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. Don’t fret about the complexity of the storytelling, though. You’re in the hands of a master here and Almodóvar happily leads you by the hand all the way to films stunning and very moving conclusion.
There’s so much emotion at play in Broken Embraces that one can only marvel at Almodóvar’s ability to keep the proceedings feeling light and often playful. The film is extraordinary from beginning to end – a modern noir masterpiece that’s the furthest thing from dark. I can’t recommend it highly enough.
Broken Embraces arrives on Blu-ray disc in a transfer that’s technically accurate but less than dazzling. It delivers all the detail, contrast and black depth you’re hoping for but there’s very little that “pops” off the screen, including the colourful palette of the film. It’s not a bad transfer. It’s just not going to be your reference disc. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 does its best to be impressive but can only provide so many frills on a soundtrack that is all about the dialogue. Again, nothing wrong here. Solid work. It’s just not going to blow your mind.
The Broken Embraces Blu-ray Disc arrives with a modest selection of special features, including a nice little short film The Cannibalistic Councilor, that’s essentially a scene from the film-within-the-film, Chicas y Maletas, or Girls and Suitcases. It’s a nice little slice of fun that only served to further frustrate my girlfriend, who is quite distressed that she’ll never see the non-existent movie in its entirety! Also of note is the entertaining, 6-minute “Pedro Almodóvar Directs Penélope” – a series of candid behind-the-scenes shots of Almodóvar trying to get the performance he wants out of Cruz. Fascinating stuff! There is also a Q&A with Cruz, some red carpet premiere footage, deleted scenes and a trailer to round out the disc.
Related posts
]]>All right. I’m at an impasse here. When I make a Top 5 list should it represent the most important releases of the week, my favourite films, newly available on Blu that week or the top-quality Blu-ray discs of the week? I have no idea. The problem for me is that when new-release day rolls around every Tuesday, I haven’t necessarily seen everything yet. So how am I to accurately judge?! I guess I’ll have to keep shooting from the hip, as I have been doing, and list them as I feel appropriate, with caveats in place.
With that said, let’s dive into this weeks offerings…
1. The Twilight Saga: New Moon
I didn’t see the first Twilight film and I have no intention of checking out this sequel (unless, of course, it ends up in my mailbox!) That being said, I can’t deny the franchises following and I can’t deny that as a result of the mob’s of people drooling gobs of love upon these films, The Twilight Saga: New Moon Blu-ray needs to sit at the number one spot this week. Much as it might pain me.
I finally got around to screening The Princess and the Frog on Blu-ray last night. I have a hard time making a call on this film right now, as I nodded off several times during the 98-minutes it was playing. It’s not like it was late at night or anything but I had taken some antihistamines to quell the construction-induced allergy fiesta my nose was struggling with at the time. But I’ll tell you this, as beautiful as the 2D, cell-painted animation might be and as gorgeous as the Blu-ray presentation is, nothing can change the fact that there are way too many musical numbers in this film. And they are almost all dead boring. There, I’ve said it. Allergy pills and singing frogs put me to sleep.
I promise that I’ll give it another chance before I write up my final review, later in the week.
Amazon: $26.99 (3 Disc Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy Combo Edition)
I loved Broken Embraces. Not only does this look and sound fantastic on Blu but it’s a wonderful all-around film as well. By all rights, this disc should be number one on my list this week. But I understand that a Spanish-language art film will hold less interest than other, more North America-friendly discs for most, so I’ve demoted it to number three. I’m sorry, Broken Embraces. I hope you forgive me.
As per his usual, Almodóvar delivers a rich, finely textured tale of damaged people and, once again, provides the lovely Penélope Cruz an opportunity to break our hearts. Wonderful all around!
I admit, I’ve never seen Fallen Angels. And it kills me! I’ve been a fan of Wong Kar-Wai for years and years but have never had the opportunity to see this classic film. This new edition from KINO should, by all rights, be amazing. Wong Kar-Wai tends to make visually stunning films and KINO tends to release well-produced Blu-ray discs. So this title, for me, is a sure thing!
What a silly, silly movie. That said, Ninja Assassin looks awesome on Blu, stars the legendary Sho Kusugi as the evil Ninja Master, and has some of the best action sequences I’ve seen on film in ages! For those reasons, it sits in the number five slot this week.
Read my full review of the Blu-ray disc here: Ninja Assassin Blu-ray Disc Review
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:
