Who’s got a pile of cash burning a hole in their wallets? You do?! Would you like to buy me all these pretty Blu-ray discs please? I’ll be your best pal forever…

Urgh. What’s wrong with these studios? Why are they piling on the Blu-ray discs this week, when they all know damn well that this is Star Wars week? The public has blinders on, I tell you. All they want is lightsabers and gungans. Okay, maybe not gungans but you know what I mean. I’m really hoping some of these amazing discs don’t get lost in the shuffle. There are so many quality titles hitting today, I could only cover a handful of them. So, scour the listing images down below this week as you’re bound to find some gold in them thar hills (like Trainspotting, Hesher, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, O Brother, Where Art Thou, and so many more!)

As always, clicking the Blu-ray package art will zip you over to Amazon where every purchase you make through our links helps the site stay on its feet. We appreciate every single click and thank you again for continuing to read The Blu-ray Blog.

Blu-ray disc of the week: STAR WARS: THE COMPLETE SAGA

“Star Wars Complete Saga includes Episodes I-VI, Star Wars Documentaries, deleted extended and alternate scenes; prop, maquette and costume turnarounds; matte paintings and concept art; supplementary interviews with cast and crew; and more “

This is it! Potentially the biggest Blu-ray release of the year, if not of all time. The Star Wars saga is finally on Blu-ray this week (Friday, September 16th, to be exact.) It feels like we’ve been writing about these discs for years – speculating, reporting, commenting – and now they’re nearly in our hands. I don’t have a review copy yet but plenty of folks around the internet do and are offering up reports on the transfers and special features. Some are disturbed that the presentation “isn’t the home run that it should be” (The Digital Fix) while others hale it as “wonderful” (Blu-ray.com). I’ll reserve judgement until I lay eyes on the films themselves. I’m hoping to get my hands on a copy before the end of the week. Despite my best efforts to temper my inner-nerd, I think I’m pretty excited to dive into this boxed set!

READ MORE: Star Wars Blu-ray Round-up

AMAZON: $79.99

Also available: STAR WARS: THE ORIGINAL TRILOGY and STAR WARS: THE PREQUEL TRILOGY

AMAZON: $39.99 each

CITIZEN KANE

“Orson Welles’ timeless masterwork is more than a groundbreaking film. Presented here in a magnificent 70th anniversary digital transfer with revitalized digital audio from the highest quality surviving elements, it is also grand entertainment, sharply acted and superbly directed with inspired visual flair. Depicting the controversial life of an influential publishing tycoon, this Best Original Screenplay Academy Award Winner (1941) is rooted in themes of power, corruption, vanity—the American Dream lost in the mystery of a dying man’s last word: “Rosebud.” “

Speaking of “biggest Blu-ray releases of the year”, it would be criminal not to add Citizen Kane to that list. “The #1 greatest film of all time” deserves at least as much recognition upon it’s arrival on Blu-ray as Lucas’ space opera epic does. It’s unfortunate that Warner chose to release their 70th Anniversary boxed set the same week that Star Wars madness has taken hold. Perhaps it’s counter programming, thinking that all those jaded film fans will stand in front of both BD sets this week at the shop and choose the righteous path, away from the dark side and toward bringing home a copy of Kane? I know I’d have trouble choosing right about now. Again, I haven’t laid eyes on the boxed set but I doubt that Warner would deliver a sub-par Blu for one of their prize titles, knowing damn well that the market for the release is exactly the cinephiles who will be the most critical of the transfer and the bonus features. I expect great things from this boxed set. I’ll chime in again on it when I get it in my grubby hands!

AMAZON: $39.99

THOR

“The world has many heroes… but only one is a god. When the arrogant warrior Thor (Chris Hemsworth, “Star Trek”) is banished to Earth from his homeworld of Asgard, he must fight to reclaim his lost powers. Pursued by an invasion force sent to destroy him, the fallen God of Thunder must rise to the battle and learn what it takes to become a true hero. Natalie Portman (“Black Swan”) and Anthony Hopkins (“Beowulf”) also star in the blockbuster adventure critics are calling “thrilling, entertaining and cool.” (Harry Knowles, Ain’t It Cool News).“

I really enjoyed Thor. Hemsworth just nails the joy and the weight of the character, as does Tom Hiddleston as his mischievous brother Loki. The film is best when it’s Shakespearean, focusing on the brothers and their family and weakest when the action shifts to Earth, away from their home – the design-heavy, alien god-plane of Asgard. For more of my thoughts on this excellent Blu-ray release, check out my full review, linked to below.

READ MORE: Thor Blu-ray Disc Review

AMAZON: $22.99

3 WOMEN and MY LIFE AS A DOG

After the onslaught of Jean Vigo, Orpheus and If…. in the final week of August, Criterion gave our wallets a break last week, pausing to catch its breath before starting into its September titles. I have to say, My Life as a Dog and 3 Women are the least exciting discs the studio will release this month. Neither can hold a candle to the power of Carlos, the significance of The Phantom Carriage or the influence of the two Claude Chabrol films coming next week. Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited to watch both discs and will be picking them up at the first opportunity. But neither film are the best thing this week or in this month’s slate of Criterion releases.

AMAZON: $27.99 each

INCENDIES (Can. Edition)

“When notary Lebel (Rémy Girard) sits down with Jeanne and Simon Marwan (Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin, Maxim Gaudette) to read them their mother’s will Nawal (Lubna Azabal), the twins are stunned to receive a pair of envelopes – one for the father they thought was dead and another for a brother they didn’t know existed. With Lebel’s help, the twins piece together the story of the woman who brought them into the world, discovering a tragic fate forever marked by war and hatred as well as the courage of an exceptional woman.“

Denis Villeneuve‘s Incendies was the Canadian Academy Award-nominee for Best Foreign Film at the 2011 Oscars. We didn’t win (damn you, In a Better World!) but the nomination made cinephiles around the world sit up and take notice of Villeneuve, whose Polytechnique brought him much local acclaim in 2009. Incendies, adapted from a play by the Lebanese-born Wajdi Mouawad, mines the same undercurrent of ratcheting tension and the unflinching eye of his previous work. It’s a gripping drama about unbridled, undying rage born of a society fractured by men and their misplaced dogma. It’s also a mystery that’ll keep you guessing right up until the the film’s shattering conclusion.

eOne released Incendies on Blu-ray months ago, in a French language only edition that didn’t have subtitle or dub options. Why they chose this double release strategy is beyond me (I’m assuming it’s something to do with distribution agreements with Sony, who have the title in the US, and are also releasing the film on Blu today.) This new “Bilingual” edition of the Blu-ray from eOne seems to share both the presentation of the previously released disc and the Sony, as best as I can tell. It’s far from demo material, looking soft in quite a few spots, but is a perfect representation of the source material. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is still French (and Arabic) only but it sounds clear and full, providing the phenomenal score by Grégoire Hetzel plenty of headroom to do its work. Subtitles are available in English.

While our very fine Canadian Blu-ray release of Incendies includes the excellent 40-minute documentary Remembering the Ashes: Incendies Through Their Eyes by Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette, we’re lacking Villeneuve’s commentary track which can be found on the US BD edition of the film. Pretty disappointing that we locals get fewer supplements, I think.

AMAZON: CDN$ 23.09

Also available: INCENDIES (US Edition)

AMAZON: $28.99

SPARTACUS: GODS OF THE ARENA

“The House of Batiatus has towered above the city of Capua for many years. Spartacus: Gods of the Arena will explore its deadly history before the arrival of Spartacus, and the death he carried with him. Loyalties will be tested, lives shattered, and battles waged in this thrilling prequel to Spartacus: Blood and Sand. “

And now a few words from our reviewer, Chris Tucker:

Anyone who was a fan of Starz‘s Spartacus: Blood and Sand will be happy to hear about today’s Blu-ray release of it’s mini prequel Spartacus: Gods of the Arena. You’re not left out on anything by missing Blood and Sand. In fact you can do no better than to start here and get the story behind the story.

This six episode arc precedes Spartacus’ arrival at the house of Batiatus but thankfully, it’s still a time when huge naked beefcakes ripped each other apart in various creative ways while spilling gallons of blood and where women seem to say hello by taking out their boobies. If it sounds like a stupid good time it’s because it is. John Hannah is great as Batiatus and Xena, I mean Lucy Lawless, is his ever succulent wife. Peter Mensah, Dustin Clare, Manu Bennett, and a bunch of other Kiwi and Aussie actors fill out the cast that make Russel Crow‘s Gladiator look like a soggy bag of turds swingin’ a rusty spike. Oh, and Jaime Murray shows us how good a fake cooter can look, reason alone to check out the series.

Sadly this series was developed in the interim after the titular star of Blood and Sand, Andy Whitfield, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He passed away this week at the age of 39, though no-one could have guessed his “advanced” age by his youthful physique. Another Australian, Liam McIntyre, will raise the gladius and shield in the upcoming season.

Spartacus: Gods of the Arena looks mighty on Blu-ray! If you watched the show on cable and enjoyed the way the digital-shot footage looked, wait’ll you see it on Blu, presented clearer and at a much higher bitrate. The transfers are so strong that it often shows off weaknesses in the source, in particular the TV-budget CGI often sticks out like a sore thumb. Detail, colour and blacks are muscular throughout. The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 audio track is even more powerful, spreading itself judiciously around the sound field, offering plenty of dynamic range for thunderous blows in the arena and the fullness of the score, all the while keeping dialogue clean and clear up the middle.

Special features are plentiful and are, for the most part, found on the second disc of the 2-disc set. Getting to the commentary tracks can prove to be a challenge and involves clicking through too many menus but are ultimately well worth the effort. The main featurette runs almost 15-minutes long and is a fairly standard studio EPK piece. The rest of the features are quite short, all running around 5-minutes in length, give or take a minute, but offer plenty of fun looks behind the scenes, interviews and bloopers.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

• Gods of the Arena: Featurette
• Weapons of Mass Disruption
• Battle Royale: Anatomy of a Scene
• On Set With Lucy Lawless
• 10 Easy Steps to Dismemberment
• Post Production: The Final Execution
• Enter The Arena: Production Design
• Dressed to Kill
• Convention Panel
• Arena Bloopers
• 3D “Ring of Fire” Battle Sequence
• Extended Episodes
• Audio Commentaries On All Episodes (including: Writer/Creator/Executive Producer Steven S. DeKnight, Executive Producer Rob Tapert and actors John Hannah, Lucy Lawless, Dustin Clare, Jaime Murray, Peter Mensah – and more)

AMAZON: $24.99

SANCTUARY: THE COMPLETE THIRD SEASON

“Dr. Helen Magnus (Amanda Tapping) is a beautiful and enigmatic scientist who seeks out all manner of monstrous creatures. Aided by forensic psychiatrist Dr. Will Zimmerman (Robin Dunne), tech expert Henry Foss (Ryan Robbins), professional con artist Kate Freelander (Agam Darshi), and the mysterious and unpredictable John Druitt (Christopher Heyerdahl), the Sanctuary team tracks down, studies and protects the strange and often terrifying creatures that secretly populate our world.“

Three seasons in, Sanctuary is more impressive than ever, born of short webisodes and stepping up to be one of the premiere sci-fi series on television today. The best news is that this success has allowed the series to balloon it’s seasonal episode number from a modest 13 to a full 20 this year. As a result, ongoing subplots are given more room to breathe, allowing for a more subtle and complex development of storylines that we’d otherwise not get to see. After the season opener wraps up the “Kali” thread left hanging at the end of season 2, the series plunges headlong into the kind of standalone stories it does best, offering some of the best “abnormal” action and mystery since its debut in 2007. Sanctuary continues to be produced on a television budget but uses the HD RED camera and a whole heck of a lot of green-screen work to make it look more like its big screen Hollywood counterparts, with varying degrees of success. While the CGI might be evident at times, it doesn’t really detract from the thrills of the series.

Speaking of the look of Sanctuary: The Complete Third Season, the Blu-ray discs once again do the series justice. Shots set against practical sets look best, full of detail and depth while composited images appear a bit flat and tad more soft. All in all, though, episodes are well represented here, looking vastly improved from their broadcast versions. The DTS HD Master Audio tracks are also once again outstanding, considering their TV origins, always immersive and often quite powerful.

There are a ton of bonus goodies on these 4 discs including commentary, bloopers, deleted scenes and more. All well worth checking out if you’re into the series at all.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

• Commentary on Select Episodes
• Visual Effects of Sanctuary Season 3
• Amanda Tapping Directs “One Night”
• Hollow Earth
• Damian Kindler: In the Director’s Chair
• The Music of Sanctuary
• Behind the Scenes: Normandy
• Character Profile: Nikola Tesla
• Sanctuary for Kids
• Bloopers/Outtakes
• Deleted Scenes

AMAZON: $37.99

Don’t miss:

This is just such a killer Blu-ray week, there’s no way I can find the time to comment on each and every disc worth checking out. So here’s a little round-up of the best of the rest.

Early reviews note that Meek’s Cutoff and The 10th Victim are both stellar releases, looking and sounding spectacular. Le Quattro Volte is well worth your time but, according to DVDBeaver, the Blu-ray release isn’t as “breathtaking” as they’d hoped. Recent films Nostalgia for the Light and Lourdes should look like a million bucks on Blu, as should Julie Taymor‘s stylish take on Shakespeare’s The Tempest, while Peter Jackson‘s The Frighteners and Yuen Woo Ping‘s True Legend should satisfy genre fans no matter what their transfers are like. This group of Blu-ray discs makes me wish I had won the lottery this week.

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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The entire Star Wars saga is now on Blu-ray and we’ve got a round-up of all the disc details, news and videos related this landmark home video release.

Star Wars Blu-ray controversy/screencaps/unboxing
It’s only a handful of days now until the Star Wars Blu-ray discs hit shops here in North America. You lucky folks in the UK get yours scant few hours from now. Over the past week or so, as the discs have moved through distribution channels, both media and a variety of ne’re-do-wells have been leaking information and a plethora of audio and video clips to forums and blogs. I’m sure you’ve seen by now, as I have, the many digital alterations and “touch-ups” that have been performed on the updated transfers of the films (and if, by chance, you’ve been living in a cave on Tatooine and missed them all, check out the video embed below.) There’s been a ton of fan outcry and a ton of media coverage of both the changes and the fan reaction. I’m sure I don’t need to pick over them again for you as, by now, they’ve been analyzed to death. But, as a number of you have asked for my thoughts on the matter, I thought I’d chime in. …Continued…

Star Wars Blu-ray first impressions and list of deleted scenes
I guess it’s kind of a big day for Star Wars Blu-ray discussion. I woke up to Bill Hunt‘s (of The Digital Bits‘ Bill Hunts) impressions of the upcoming 9-disc Complete Saga boxed set, from a tour of the product at Skywalker Ranch, given exclusively to a handful of journalists. It sounds like he was impressed, which just makes me want to have it in my hands that much more. …Continued…

[VIDEO] Another Star Wars: The Complete Saga Blu-ray trailer
Okay. One more trailer pimping the Star Wars: The Complete Saga Blu-ray set before it hits US and Canadian shops on September 16th. …Continued…

Star Wars: The Complete Saga Blu-ray preview with Holiday Special easter egg
In less than a month and a half, this will all be over. We’ll all have our copies of the Star Wars: The Complete Saga Blu-ray sets and our collective journey to the dark side of disc collecting will be complete. All speculation about the quality of the transfers and exactly what extras are included will be put to rest like a 900-year old Jedi becoming one with the force. But until September 16th, we’ll continue to wonder just what these discs are going to look and sound like, just what deleted scenes will be included, and what fresh digital alterations Lord Lucas has had imposed on his poor, unsuspecting films. Well, thanks to Fox we now have our first look at the packaging of the 9-disc set, awful cover painting and all, with its book-style disc trays splayed open for all to see. …Continued…

[VIDEO] Star Wars Blu-ray Deleted Scenes preview
You know, I’m not too sad I’m missing Comic Con this year, when there are so many amazing films to be seen at Fantasia, here in Montreal. But I do really feel the burn of missing out on all the Blu-ray previews and breaking news. Thankfully, we’ve got a lot of pals gathering pics, news and preview videos from the halls of the con. Just like the one you’ll find above, uploaded by our buddy Justin over at High Def Disc News. The video, screened earlier today at the San Diego Con, previews a ton of deleted scenes from the original Star Wars trilogy that will be featured in the upcoming Blu-ray set. …Continued…

Final Star Wars Blu-ray package art is the worst thing ever
I’m at a loss for words. I mean, i know it’s just package art and the only thing that really matters with these Blu-ray releases of the Star Wars films is the quality of the films themselves. Oh, and the awesomeness of the bonus stuff, of course. But I can’t help but feel grossed out by the cover art for the three Blu-ray boxed sets. It’s really not good. At all. In fact, I find it off-putting. …Continued…

Star Wars Blu-ray details revealed
Finally, the details of the Star Wars: The Complete Saga 9-Disc Blu-ray set are revealed. And they’re…interesting? …Continued…

[VIDEO] Star Wars: The Complete Saga Blu-ray Trailer
… 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! …Continued…

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

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• [VIDEO] Another Star Wars: The Complete Saga Blu-ray trailer (0)
• Wish List: The Making of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back HC Book (1)

It’s only a handful of days now until the Star Wars Blu-ray discs hit shops here in North America. You lucky folks in the UK get yours scant few hours from now. Over the past week or so, as the discs have moved through distribution channels, both media and a variety of ne’re-do-wells have been leaking information and a plethora of audio and video clips to forums and blogs. I’m sure you’ve seen by now, as I have, the many digital alterations and “touch-ups” that have been performed on the updated transfers of the films (and if, by chance, you’ve been living in a cave on Tatooine and missed them all, check out the video embed below.) There’s been a ton of fan outcry and a ton of media coverage of both the changes and the fan reaction. I’m sure I don’t need to pick over them again for you as, by now, they’ve been analyzed to death. But, as a number of you have asked for my thoughts on the matter, I thought I’d chime in.

I’ve been a lifelong Star Wars fan and I can honestly say that these changes don’t have much effect on me at all. I’ll admit, I couldn’t help but groan in disappointment as I watched the leaked clips but I can’t say that any of the added cries, Ewok-blinking or enlarged, iron doors surprised me. And ultimately I can’t really say that I care. You see, to me, the “Special Edition” versions of the films that were introduced in ’97 (you know, the original “Greedo shoots first”/”Han steps on Jabba’s tail” Special Editions) are far enough away from the versions that I loved as a child that any additional changes built upon that base, including alterations made for the 2004 DVD releases as well as these most recent ones, are of little consequence. And frankly, I’m surprised that anyone is making noise about any of Lucas‘ revisions after all this time. What’s done is done. The “Special Editions” will never be what you want, no matter what is done to them at this point. If you ask me, the fan outcry should simply concern the lack of unaltered, original versions of the films on Blu-ray. That’s the holy grail. That’s what we all really want, right? And until we get those versions of the original Star Wars trilogy on Blu-ray, we’ll never truly be happy.

That said, early word on the Blu-ray discs is pegging the 9-disc set as a must-have for collectors and fans still on board with the franchise, with reference-quality transfers on all six films and a great collection of bonus goodies. I’ll reserve my judgement on this set until I get a chance to lay eyes on it myself but these screengrabs from the AVS Forum (courtesy of user “Dark_zero“) have got me thinking that the presentation of the films on Blu (potential teal-shift aside) might be thrilling enough to warrant the purchase for even the most jaded or lapsed fan. Check ‘em out!

Don’t forget to CLICK to ENLARGE!

And for those of you who can’t wait ’till Friday or just enjoy “Unboxing” videos, here’s a few minutes of some lucky geezer here in Quebec who got his hands on the 9-disc set early, showing you what the box, book-packaging and discs look like. How do I know he’s from Quebec? A combination of the little ratings sticker on the back of the disc set and his “outrageous French (Canadian) accent” gave away the game! Oh, and his Facebook page says he’s from Montreal. Ahem…

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• [VIDEO] Another Star Wars: The Complete Saga Blu-ray trailer (0)
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I guess it’s kind of a big day for Star Wars Blu-ray discussion. I woke up to Bill Hunt‘s (of The Digital Bits‘ Bill Hunts) impressions of the upcoming 9-disc Complete Saga boxed set, from a tour of the product at Skywalker Ranch, given exclusively to a handful of journalists. It sounds like he was impressed, which just makes me want to have it in my hands that much more. But aside from assurances that the A/V quality is up to snuff this time (I get the feeling this show-and-tell was Lucasfilm‘s way of assuaging those of us who felt the DVDs were rushed and cut massive corners) there aren’t any serious revelations to be had. Then again, it sounds as if he’s holding back some crucial new info, perhaps under NDA for a time, so expect the unexpected when the discs arrive (like maybe, just maybe, the inclusion of the Boba Fett cartoon from the Star Wars Holiday Special as a hidden Easter Egg!)

A few hours later I stumbled over to Movies.com, who have posted a list purporting to reveal the complete collection of deleted scenes that will be featured on the Blu-ray discs. It looks pretty solid but I wouldn’t be surprised to see it bloom a little beyond this size, whether officially or with the addition of Easter Egg content (cough…animated Boba Fett), by the time the September 16th release rolls around.

EPISODE I

Trash Talking Droids
The Battle Is Over
Anakin's Return
Battle On The Boarding Ramp
Extended Podrace Wager
Bail Organa of Alderaan

EPISODE II

Extended Speeder Chase
The Lost Twenty
Anakin's Nightmares
Anakin and Ruwee
Raid On The Droid Control Ship and Extended Arena Fight

EPISODE III

Elevator Antics
Escape The Hangar
Changes To The Constitution
Utapau Chase Animatics
Mustafar Duel Animatics
Mustafar Duel
Lava River Animatics
Kashyyyk Attack and Order 66 Animatic
Anakin kills Shaak Ti
Jedi Imposters at the Temple
Senate Duel Anamatic
Yoda Communes with Qui-Gon

EPISODE IV

Tosche Station
Old Woman on Tatooine
Aunt Beru's Blue Milk
The Search for R2-D2
Cantina Rough Cut
Stormtrooper Search
Darth Vader Widens the Search
Alternate Biggs and Luke Reunion

EPISODE V

Han and Leia: Extended Echo Base Argument
Luke's Recovery
Luke and Leia: Medical Center
Deleted Wampa Scenes
The Fate of General Veers
Yoda's Test
Hiding in the Asteroid
Alternate Han and Leia Kiss
Lobot's Capture
Leia Tends to Luke

EPISODE VI

Vader's Arrival and Reaching Out to Luke
Tatooine Sandstorm
Rebel Raid on the Bunker
Jerjerrod's Conflict
Battle of Endor: The Lost Rebels

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Okay. One more trailer pimping the Star Wars: The Complete Saga Blu-ray set before it hits US and Canadian shops on September 16th (a few days earlier in the UK, on the 12th.) There’s nothing really new here outside of a few more clips of rarely seen cut scenes. Looks pretty good but I’m getting tired of all the previews of these same old things. How about more hints at hidden easter-eggs on the discs? Or just shipping me a review copy super early, so that I can get all of this anticipation out of my system? Huh? What ‘dya say, Fox? Anybody out there?

Ahem. In somewhat exciting Star Wars pricing news, Amazon has dropped the pre-order prices of the individual trilogies to under $40 each, which is great for you Prequel haters out there. The real bummer of the deal is that if you don’t pony up for the complete 9-Disc package you’ll be missing out on a lot of those bonus features – a good part of the reason to re-buy these films on disc in the first place. But go ahead and do as you will. I’ve offered fair warning…

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• Star Wars: The Complete Saga Blu-ray Release Date Revealed (2)
• Star Wars: The Complete Saga Blu-ray preview with Holiday Special easter egg (2)

In less than a month and a half, this will all be over. We’ll all have our copies of the Star Wars: The Complete Saga Blu-ray sets and our collective journey to the dark side of disc collecting will be complete. All speculation about the quality of the transfers and exactly what extras are included will be put to rest like a 900-year old Jedi becoming one with the force. But until September 16th, we’ll continue to wonder just what these discs are going to look and sound like, just what deleted scenes will be included, and what fresh digital alterations Lord Lucas has had imposed on his poor, unsuspecting films. Well, thanks to Fox we now have our first look at the packaging of the 9-disc set, awful cover painting and all, with its book-style disc trays splayed open for all to see.

In addition, James Finn over at Fox has revealed an additional look inside the packaging via his Twitter account, which features artwork by Ann Hanson – a piece called “On the Hunt” which appeared in the Star Wars Art: Visions book and is clearly inspired by the character’s animated debut in the much-derided Star Wars: Holiday Special. Is this page a hint at a hidden special feature? Will the Holiday Special or even just the short animated spot be an easter egg on the Blu-ray disc or appear as a “Deleted Scene”? We’ll know for sure on September 16th when Star Wars: The Complete Saga is released.

In the meantime, check out our pal Justin Sluss‘ look at the Star Wars Blu-ray: Early Access App in his video embedded below. Justin runs the site High Def Disc News and does a great job here, walking you through the iPad application, which allows you to preview a decent amount of special features from the upcoming boxed set. The Star Wars Blu-ray: Early Access App is available for free download at the iTunes store for all iOS devices.

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Okay, I had no idea that LEGO was making TV specials now. This is kind of cool. My nephew plays the crap out of all of those LEGO video games on his XBOX 360. I’ve played a few myself and I’ve got to tell you, they’re way fun. Really well put together with a great sense of humour. From the look of the trailer above, the LEGO Star Wars special, The Padawan Menace, shows all the signs of capturing the kid-friendly mayhem of the games. Apparently, the show premiered on The Cartoon Network last week and has now been announced for release on Blu-ray this coming September 16th, the same day its big brothers, the actual real Star Wars films arrive on Blu. For the time being, though, the LEGO disc is a Walmart exclusive. We’ll see how long that lasts…

LEGO STAR WARS: THE PADAWAN MENACE
(September 16, 2011 – MSRP $19.99 )
Video: 1080p
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1

Special Features:

• Hunt for R2-D2
• Bombad Bounty
• Star Wars in Two Minutes (Part 1)
• Star Wars in Two Minutes (Part 2)
• Star Wars Clone Wars In Cinema
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You know, I’m not too sad I’m missing Comic Con this year, when there are so many amazing films to be seen at Fantasia, here in Montreal. But I do really feel the burn of missing out on all the Blu-ray previews and breaking news. Thankfully, we’ve got a lot of pals gathering pics, news and preview videos from the halls of the con. Just like the one you’ll find above, uploaded by our buddy Justin over at High Def Disc News.

The video, screened earlier today at the San Diego Con, previews a ton of deleted scenes from the original Star Wars trilogy that will be featured in the upcoming Blu-ray set. There are a lot of snippets of great stuff here. Footage we’ve only been hearing about for years like the Echo Base wampa attack and the post-Sail-Barge-attack sandstorm sequence. This is the stuff of nerdy wet dreams! I’m now officially excited for September 16th, even with my package art issues.

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It was almost exactly a month ago that Amazon.ca leaked the package art and release date for The Clone Wars: The Complete Season Three Blu-ray set. Well, they got the art right but the date was actually a week off. Warner has officially announced the set for an October 18th release, with a collection of special features that mimic earlier sets. Expect further details in the near future, like the announcement of digibook packaging (I’m going to be pissed if they skimp out on the book this time!) and the non-revelation that the episodes are only encoded in compressed audio.

STAR WARS THE CLONE WARS: THE COMPLETE SEASON THREE
(October 18, 2011 – MSRP $59.99)
Video: 2.39:1 1080p
Audio: TBA

Special Features:

• 22 Action-Packed Episodes Featuring New Characters in Thrilling, New Adventures
• Behind-the-Scenes Featurettes with Director and Artist Commentary on Each Disc
• Exclusive to Blu-ray for a limited time! – The Jedi Temple Archives: Extensive Database of Early Test Animation, Concept Art and 3-D Turnaround

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Wow! This news is unexpectedly early. Amazon.ca (a source of tons of early Blu-ray info this week!) has posted their pre-order page for the upcoming Star Wars: The Clone Wars The Complete Season Three Blu-ray boxed set. The release date is listed as October 25th, which matches up to the time frame of previous Clone Wars boxed set street dates. Canadian retail price is $74.98, which is identical to the MSRP of Season 2 and translates to US $59.98 (Yeah, we really get hosed up here, north of the 49th parallel, don’t we?) Don’t be surprised if special features mimic previous sets exactly, with behind-the-scenes featurettes, Jedi Temple Archives and included hardcover book packaging. We’ll know more when the multi-disc Blu-ray set is officially announced.

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