Well, it’s about time! It was a year and a half ago that we began to catch wind of a European Blu-ray release for Spielberg‘s A.I. Since then, we’ve been waiting with bated breath for a hint of news that a North American version would be imminent. Finally, Paramount has come to the rescue, announcing a full featured Blu-ray release for this coming February. Looks like the Spielberg titles on Blu are beginning to fill out. Now we just have to cross our fingers that we’ll hear some news about the classics in 2011. It’s about time for those Indiana Jones films to turn up in high-def, don’t you think?

A.I.: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
(February 15, 2011 – MSRP $24.99)
Video: 1.85:1 1080p
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1

SPECIAL FEATURES:

• Creating A.I.
• Acting A.I.
• Designing A.I.
• Lighting A.I.
• A.I./FX
• The Robots of A.I.
• Special Visual Effects and Animation: ILM
• The Sound and Music of A.I.
• Closing: Steven Spielberg: Our Responsibility to Artificial Intelligence
• Two theatrical trailers (in HD)
• A.I. Archives

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Tomorrow: Animation on Blu-ray

MORE GIFT IDEAS:

* GIFT & BOXED SETS
* ANIMATION
* CLASSICS
* THE BEST OF THE YEAR

I hope you’ve been working out because HBO’s 13-disc Deadwood: The Complete Series Blu-ray boxed set is a seriously weighty affair. This is one solid brick of high-def western goodness! The discs, which feature all 36-episodes from the series’ three seasons as well as gobs of special features, are housed within the pages of a gorgeous, solid hardcover book – much the same as last years’ Rome: The Complete Series set. The packaging is honestly a beautiful thing to behold, providing a slipcase for the book and all of the discs to rest in. Along with stunning video transfers, DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 tracks that border on perfection and all of the special features from the previously issued DVD sets (17 audio commentaries and over 6-hours of HD docs and featurettes), you’ll be hard pressed to find anything to dislike about this amazing Blu-ray boxed set. Unless, of course, you have an aversion to foul-mouthed (VERY foul) cowboys.

READ MORE: HBO’s Deadwood: The Complete Series Blu-ray officially announced and detailed

AMAZON: $124.99

Following their hit WW II miniseries Band of Brothers, HBO brings us a kind-of sequel in The Pacific – a 10-part look at the allies’ struggles against axis powers in the far east. Producers Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg do their best to live up to Brothers‘ epic, emotional narrative and, for the most part succeed. The Pacific isn’t quite as engaging but proves to be equally cinematic and equally as memorable. The Blu-ray disc set consists of 5 discs in digibook packaging, housed in a tin case (almost exactly matching the Band of Brothers Blu-ray set, but a touch thinnner.) The series looks and sounds spectacular and features a great selection of quality of extras – “Enhanced Viewing Experience” picture-in-picture and “Field Guide” on all episodes as well as over an hour of docs and featurettes.

READ MORE: HBO The Pacific Blu-ray set announced and detailed

AMAZON: $66.99

Ah, Lost. It’s been over half a year since the groundbreaking series came to an end and I’m still not entirely sure how I feel about it as a whole. I mean, it had it’s high points (see my review of the Season 5 Blu-ray boxed set) and it’s dreadfully low points (remember Season 2?) But no matter how you feel about the series, there’s no denying it was infectious and quite memorable. Another point you can take to the bank is that it looks and sounds like a million bucks on Blu. In fact, I’d argue that it’s very nearly a different experience in high-bandwidth high-def. You can start over from the beginning with Lost: The Complete Series Blu-ray boxed set, pictured above – a comprehensive puzzle box filled with all 6 seasons worth of episodes along with scads of extras, collectibles and hidden secrets.

AMAZON: $179.99

The CG Clone Wars series has been my guilty pleasure now for a couple of years. I record and save new episodes as they air, hoarding them for those perfect Saturday morning marathons. The Blu-ray collections of the series do one better than just slapping the show on disc. These beautiful high-def presentations allow the Clone Wars to be seen as it was meant to be – in its original aspect ratio, instead of the cropped-for-TV versions we see on The Cartoon Network. The newest collection, Star Wars: The Clone Wars – The Complete Season Two features all 22 episodes, “Jedi Temple Archives“, featurettes and a 64-page book.

READ MORE: Star Wars The Clone Wars: The Complete Season Two Blu-ray Disc Review

AMAZON: $41.99

The Pillars of the Earth is the perfect gift for that person in your life who loves their sword fights and royal intrigue laced with a hefty dose of melodrama. This is a quality production from producers Ridley and Tony Scott that both looks and sounds great on Blu-ray. You won’t find a lot of special features here but no matter. The play’s the thing.

READ MORE: The Pillars of the Earth Blu-ray Disc Review

AMAZON: $44.99

I admit to not keeping up with Futurama since its miraculous return but am excited to catch up when this new Blu-ray boxed set turns up on December 21st. The 2-disc set includes all 13 new episodes and features such as deleted and extended scenes, audio commentaries and featurettes.

AMAZON: $30.99

Season 13 of The Simpsons marked the beginning of the shows return to form, after several seasons of less than spectacular episodes. Fans will definitely want to add this Blu-ray set to their collections for the exceptional DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack as well as the substantial batch of extras (commentary tracks on every episode!!) Take note that the episodes were produced in SD so the video presentation is a high-def encoded up-convert and a pretty nice one at that.

AMAZON: $40.99

Warner has packaged the three individual releases of the Peanuts holiday specials together into one handy boxed set. That means, if you or your loved one don’t already own the Christmas, Halloween and Thanksgiving Blu-ray discs, you’re in luck because you can now get them all together at a lower price. The discs and special features are identical to the individual releases, each one presenting an additional animated special and a short featurette. This is not reference material high-def but a definite improvement over whats previously been available.

AMAZON: $38.99

I think I can safely say, after watching two entire seasons of Fringe, that it’s hands-down the best genre show currently airing on TV. I actually held off watching season 2 for the entirety of the last year in anticipation of burning through it on Blu-ray. And burn I did!! The X-Files vibe takes even more of a back seat this season, in favour of furthering the story of agent Olivia Dunham, the Bishops and the secret experiments that tie them together. The episodes, once again look amazing on Blu. But, as they continued to do, WHV only serves up a compressed Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track. Ah well. Such a small disappointment in an otherwise amazing set. Special features include commentary on four episodes, a gag reel, a host of featurettes and more!

AMAZON: $45.99

My girlfriend got me into The Human Target last year. I wasn’t interested for the longest time but finally gave in and boy am I ever glad I did. What a fantastic, fun series this has been. This collection of first season episodes are so spirited and packed with adventure and fun and danger and… well, everything you’d want from a TV show adapted from a comic book.

Christoper Chance is a bodyguard and security expert for hire. Along with his crack team of operatives, he integrates himself into his client’s lives in order to draw out the forces that threaten them. The Blu-ray transfers are nice, if not a bit compressed (12 episodes onto 2 discs!) with Warner’s typical DD 5.1 audio mix souring the milk slightly. Special features include commentary on the pilot, deleted scenes and a couple of featurettes.

AMAZON: $35.49

From my review of the boxed set:

“With a cast of great characters and compelling b-movie storylines, True Blood is just as silly, soap operatic and supernatural in its second season as it was in its first. Perhaps even more so! And that fun transfers in whole to this exceptional Complete Second Season Blu-ray set!”

This is another killer (pun intended!) Blu-ray boxed set from HBO. As is par for the course, all episodes look and sound fantastic. Outside of the excellent commentary tracks the supplemental material is fairly anemic. See what I did there? With the blood-thing? Urgh…

READ MORE: True Blood: The Complete Second Season Blu-ray Disc Review

AMAZON: $47.49

And hey, speaking of vampires, here’s another great series about TV and film-goers’ favourite bloodsuckers! I didn’t expect to like The Vampire Diaries at all. AT ALL! And yet, after watching this first season on Blu-ray I’m hooked. It’s one of the shows I never miss on TV now, week to week. All 22 episodes are present and accounted for, all looking amazing in their high-def debut. Again WHV cheaps out on the audio, delivering only compressed DD 5.1 tracks. Not to worry though, they actually sound pretty good. Special features include a commentary track, tons of featurettes, a downloadable audio book and tons more!

READ MORE: Top 5 New Blu-ray releases for the Week of August 31

AMAZON: $45.99

Entourage has been another guilty pleasure for me for years. And this season, the sixth season feels like a climax of sorts. Despite the fact that the show has continued on into a seventh year, this Blu-ray boxed set collection gives a real sense of closure for the Hollywood escapades of movie star Vinnie Chase, manager Eric Murphy and all their pals by the time it ends. All 12 episodes look and sound better than they deserve, thanks to the wizards at HBO. Special features include commentaries, featurettes and a short film directed by Matt Damon!

AMAZON: $26.99

Thomas Jane stars in Hung as coach and “happiness consultant” (read: male hooker) Ray Drecker, doing what he does best with the gifts the good Lord has given him. Like, um…coaching sports and stuff. This half-hour drama is honestly a lot of fun but feels brief at a paltry 10-episodes. Collected in boxed set form, they just zoom by! The technical presentation isn’t quite up to HBO’s usual high standards but that doesn’t mean things look or sound grim here. The Blu-ray boxed set is, sadly a bit lite on the special features with a handful of commentary tracks being the most noteworthy.

AMAZON: $27.99

TV SHOWS ALSO AVAILABLE ON BLU-RAY
Clicking an image will take you to Amazon.com where you can learn more about and purchase the Blu-ray disc:

MORE GIFT IDEAS:

* GIFT & BOXED SETS
* ANIMATION
* CLASSICS
* THE BEST OF THE YEAR

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ARGH!! It’s another one of those killer, five-million-amazing-new Blu-ray-disc release weeks! Having so many great new titles out all at the same time makes it damn near impossible to choose a best and a second best release of the week. Unlike last week, where I felt the Alien Anthology was clearly the must-own newly released title, I wouldn’t blame you if you grabbed up any one of the discs listed below. They’re all equally amazing! But for the sake of the Top 5, here they are in somewhat arbitrary order…

1. THE SOUND OF MUSIC (45TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION)

There are a few classic releases out on Blu-ray this week but none sport a superior transfer or feature set to The Sound of Music: 45th Anniversary Edition. This is probably your best bet. Unless you hate musicals. In which case, I would usher you on to our number two pick this week.

For more information, read our rundown of the Blu-ray disc set here: The Sound of Music: 45th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray officially announced and detailed

Special Features:

Limited Edition Collector’s Set

• 2-Disc Blu-ray with all extras as detailed below
• Standard Definition DVD
• 45th Anniversary Soundtrack
• 100-Page “My Favorite Things” scrapbook
• Snapshots from Salzburg
• Reproduction of the original 1965 Souvenir program
• Exclusive “My Favorite Things” Music Box with letter of authenticity

Blu-ray Details: Blu-ray Disc 1:

• Feature Film Remastered in 1080p Hi-Def with 7.1 DTS-HD Sound
• Your Favorite Things: An Interactive Celebration — All-New Immersive Viewing Experience with Behind-the-Scenes Images, On-Screen Lyrics, Trivia Track and Location Quiz
• Music Machine Sing-Along
• Audio Commentaries with Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer and Director Robert Wise
• BD-LIVE**: Live Lookup™ Powered by IMDb®

Blu-ray Disc 2:

• Musical Stages: Creating The Sound of Music — All-New Interactive “Backlot Tour” with In-Depth Featurettes on the Songs, the Stage Show & Movie, the Film and Sound Restoration and the Real-Life von Trapp Family
• A City of Song — Virtual Map of Filming Locations in Salzburg, Austria
• Vintage Rodgers & Hammerstein and The Sound of Music Programs
• Screen Tests, Rare Treasures, Interviews, Photo Galleries & More!

DVD Disc:

• Feature Film In Standard Definition
  • Newly Remastered Picture and Sound
  • Optional Sing-Along Track
• Music Machine Sing-Along
• The Sound of Music Tour – A Living Story

Amazon: $19.99

ALSO AVAILABLE: The Sound of Music (Limited Edition Collector’s Set) – $59.99

2. THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI

David Lean on Blu-ray. ‘Nuff said, right? Well, The Bridge on the River Kwai is most certainly my personal top pick of the week but while it looks and sounds way better on Blu than ever before on a home video format, the disc itself is simply just not as technically impressive as The Sound of Music and doesn’t include anywhere near the exhaustive amount of special features as that title. Bridge is a must-own for any film fan but won’t blow you away, if you’re looking for the colour and pizazz of newer, slicker discs.

READ MORE: The Bridge on the River Kwai Blu-ray officially announced and detailed

Amazon: $20.99

3. TOY STORY 3

Toy Story 3 is, without question, one of the best films of the year. I finally got a chance to see it thanks to the Blu-ray screener that showed up last week and I have to say, the movie really delivers on every level. One of the finest to come out of Pixar. And, it goes without saying, that the digital-to-digital transfer is absolutely pixel-perfect, affording the Blu-ray disc one of the most stunning images of any disc released this year. The 4-disc combo pack includes a seemingly endless supply of special features as well as a DVD and digital copy of the film.

READ MORE: Toy Story 3 and Ultimate Toy Box 3-movie collection coming to Blu-ray

Amazon: $24.99

4. THE PACIFIC

I haven’t watched HBO‘s The Pacific yet (still waiting on my review copy!) but I’m setting this robust disc-set in the number-four position this week on the basis of the quality of it’s sibling show, Band of Brothers. If The Pacific is anywhere near as brilliant as Brothers, it’ll end up being one of my favourite TV shows of the year. And if the Blu-ray set is anywhere near as perfect as Brothers’, The Pacific could be a contender for TV-on-Blu set of the year!

READ MORE: HBO The Pacific Blu-ray set announced and detailed

Amazon: $56.99

5. CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG

Ian Fleming wrote more than James Bond novels back in the day. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is a Ken Hughes/Roald Dahl adaptation of Fleming’s children book about an eccentric professor and the fantastic car he invents. No screener for this one yet either but I’m hoping for the best for the transfer. The special features on the disc are, sadly, quite focused on the younger-set but thankfully offer up a few nuggets for cinefiles, like the “Remembering Chitty Chitty Bang Bang with Dick Van Dyke” and “A Fantasmagorical Motorcar” featurettes.

Amazon: $19.49

6. THE GOONIES (25TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION)

Another week with six films in the Top 5?! I just couldn’t let the list go without mentioning that The Goonies is out on Blu-ray today. I’m excited to see it for the first time in years in this new Blu-ray edition from Warner. If you’re not interested in picking up this huge boxed-set edition of the film, filled to the brim with goo-gahs and goodies, I’m certain that there will be a film-only release cropping up at some point in the next year. As much as I want to see the film again, I’ll be holding out for the version without the crap.

READ MORE: The Goonies: 25th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray coming in November

Amazon: $34.99

TV ON BLU-RAY: V: The Complete First Season

Despite my better sense, I really enjoy this revisionist modern version of V. I doesn’t have the impact of the original mini-series’ (naturally, as both the original and sequel series were finite stories with a definitive ending) but it certainly has its charms. The cast is strong and the sci-fi concepts are as fun as ever. I wish the show had a bigger budget or was given more production time though, as I find myself being taken out of the program every time the characters appear to be floating in their greenscreen environments. And they float a lot. The second season of V kicks off in January with a very special, very evil guest star from the original series! Can’t wait!

Amazon: $33.99

ALSO AVAILABLE ON BLU-RAY THIS WEEK
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I have to express my disappointment, however, that the studios have yet to dig deep into their catalogue releases to afford us nice, new high-def transfers of horror classics like the iconic black-and-white Universal monster films of the thirties and forties, or those fantastic, blood-red Eastman-color Hammer spectacles from the fifties and sixties. It’s a shame that such important classics perpetually get treated like second-class citizens by the major studios. I mean, even the DVD releases of groundbreaking Hammer releases The Curse of Frankenstein and The Horror of Dracula have only been offered in bare-bones, albeit relatively handsomely-transferred DVD editions. Why not assemble a new special feature packed collector’s edition Blu-ray, while some stars of the films are still willing and able to participate? And though Universal’s classic monster DVD editions are wonderful to behold, brimming with documentaries and commentary tracks, they could really use a high-def face lift, if you ask me.

All right, sorry for the rant. I know it’s only a matter of time before all of those amazing films find their way to Blu. I just hope we see them sooner rather than later. In the meantime, check out all the awesomeness now available to us in high-def. Some of these discs, newly released and listed below are truly great and are must-haves for all film fans!

Happy Blu-Halloween!

10. IT’S THE GREAT PUMPKIN, CHARLIE BROWN

The third prime-time animated Charlie Brown special has been a Halloween classic for almost fifty years now. It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown was released in 1966 and looks pretty decent on Blu, considering its age. The Blu-ray/DVD combo pack also includes It’s Magic, Charlie Brown as well as a short 14-minute featurette on the history of the animated specials.

Amazon: $18.49

9 . MANIAC

William Lustig‘s Maniac is one crazy-ass serial killer flik. It’s got Joe Spinell giving a sometimes nuanced, sometimes crazy performance of a lifetime as murderer Frank Zito and more gory make-up effects than you can shake a stick at, thanks to Dawn of the Dead splatter-guru Tom Savini. The new Blu-ray from Blue Underground looks pretty grim (black crush, noise and an overall dull image presentation) but packs a wallop in the extras department, with two commentary tracks, a host of interviews in HD and more spread over this two-disc set.

Amazon: $17.99

8. VAMPIRE GIRL VS. FRANKENSTEIN GIRL

I don’t want to beat a dead horse here but I think FUNimation‘s Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl is a pretty fun little piece of fluff. I covered the Blu-ray release in more depth in the full review of the disc (which you can read in full here) so I don’t want to go overboard heaping the praise on this bad boy, but let me just say in short, that if you think you might enjoy seeing monsters that look like attractive Japanese schoolgirls hacking away at each other while showers of blood spray the screen red, well, you’re in for a treat!

Amazon: $19.49

7. SPLICE

Ahhhh Splice. It’s been a week since my viewing of this film and I still don’t know how I feel about it. It’s pretty creepy, that’s for sure – following Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley‘s misadventures with genetic mashups and the strangely attractive, sometimes naked girl-thing that the experiments produce. The disc looks and sounds pretty great and has a few featurettes that give a fairly decent look behind the scenes of the production. All in all, pretty cool, in a gross, Cronenberg kind of way…

Amazon: $26.99

6. RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD

BRAAAAAIIINNNSSS!!! I’m pretty sure that no zombie had ever moaned for brains before Dan O’Bannon‘s groundbreaking Return of the Living Dead. Am I wrong? These are some damn chatty living dead! The film is equal parts horror and comedy and eighties rock and roll through and through. The Blu-ray presents the film looking and sounding way better than ever and includes a nice selection of bonus features (commentary, featurettes, zombie-subtitles and more). Fans will want to scoop this one up immediately!

Amazon: $11.49

5. THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW

I can’t get over just how stunning the Rocky Horror Picture Show disc looks and sounds on this newly released Blu-ray disc. I mean, I’m not a huge fan of the film. I’ve seen it a number of times over the years but never, ever has it been so visually vivid or sonically dynamic! The image is derived from a 2K/4K master struck from the original camera negatives and the audio is presented in a haunted-house rocking DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1! This is one amazing Blu-ray disc, packaged in a really nice hardcover digi-book and brimming with special features. It’s a must-have for any fan of the film!

Amazon: $18.49

4. HOUSE (HAUSU)

I feel like I’ve been waiting for this Criterion Collection Blu-ray release of House (also known as Hausu in its native Japan) forever! After almost a year of hints that the film would join the collection, House finally hits shelves this week and it is tremendous. As you’d expect from any Criterion release, the film has never looked or sounded so good and never been released in any home video edition that featured as many special features as this. For a full rundown of the disc, read our previously published article here: Criterion announces October Blu-ray titles: Seven Samurai, The Magician, Paths of Glory, House, The Darjeeling Limited

Amazon: $34.99

3. POLTERGEIST

This isn’t the first release of Tobe Hooper‘s (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) Poltergeist on Blu-ray. In fact, the initial 2008 digi-book release is superior to this newly released one in one critical way – the hardcover digi-book packaging! That said, this is a great, genuinely spooky movie, with a solid script and some wonderful performances. The Blu-ray disc is the same as in the 2008 package, featuring a really rock-solid transfer, a surprising killer Dolby TrueHD 5.1 audio track and a 30-minute, two-part look at real-life ghost hunters.

Amazon: $15.99

2. PSYCHO

Alfred Hitchcock‘s horror classic Psycho has never looked or sounded better than on this brand new, remastered 50th Anniversary Blu-ray edition. The previously available DVD transfer was sorely lacking and Universal has gone to great pains to improve upon it for the films high-def debut. The robust collection of supplemental material is truly impressive, featuring all of the DVD extras in addition to a brand new commentary track, “Hitchcock/Truffaut” audio interviews and a couple of featurettes.

Amazon: $17.99

1. THE EXORCIST

This incredible two disc Blu-ray edition of The Exorcist is, hands down, the finest new horror release on the format this season. Aside from the fact that the film is probably the best of the bunch on my list, the rest of the package also reigns supreme, featuring a gorgeous, hardcover digi-book, both versions of the film (original theatrical and extended cuts) and so many special features it’ll make your head spin (pun intended)! Read our previously published article for a full breakdown of the 2-disc Blu-ray set details: The Exorcist coming to Blu-ray in October.

Amazon: $25.99

ALSO NEWLY AVAILABLE ON BLU-RAY THIS HALLOWEEN
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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Here’s a great way to lead into the weekend – a sneak peek at one of the bonus features from the upcoming Back To The Future: 25th Anniversary Trilogy Blu-ray set! The discs will be available on October 26th packed to the gills with special features and purportedly sporting a very fine, newly minted HD transfer.

As a little bonus, and just to whet your appetite for experiencing the films in 1080p for the first time, check out the clip below, in which old George McFly serves his nemesis Biff a tasty knuckle sandwich. God, I love Crispin Glover! He’s just so damn weird!!

Read more: Back To The Future Trilogy Blu-ray Boxed Set Officially Announced

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It’s Blu-ray trailer day, here at The Blu-ray Blog! Here’s a look at another big October release – possibly *THE* October release – the trailer for the Back To The Future: 25th Anniversary Trilogy set.

That 1:16-minute trailer zooms by pretty quickly, making the film and special features look like a million bucks but I’ve got to tell you, more than anything else, those little sneak-peeks behind the scenes have got me salivating for more BTTF. I haven’t watched the films in an age but they were among my favourites growing up and, never having owned the DVD editions, getting a chance to watch all of that on-set footage for the first time is going to be a thrill. By all accounts, it looks like these new “restored” Blu-ray editions are going to be definitive. The Back To The Future: 25th Anniversary Trilogy Blu-ray boxed set hits store shelves on October 26th.

Read more: Back To The Future Trilogy Blu-ray Boxed Set Officially Announced

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After at least a years worth of solid rumours, Universal has finally just confirmed the upcoming Blu-ray release of the Back to the Future Trilogy boxed set! We had pretty decent studio confirmation that the discs would street sometime in 2010, after the fake trade ad debacle of a few months back but now we’ve got all the details and a firm release date of October 26th straight from the horses mouth!

As excited as I am to check out these new “restored” editions of the films in their brand spanking new high-def transfers, I’m equally as jazzed to sink my teeth into the 2-hours worth of newly produced special features! I know that the ‘Tales from the Future‘ six-part doc will be a highlight for me (if you read The Blu-ray Blog with any frequency, I’m sure you’re aware of my deep appreciation for a feature length behind-the-scenes documentary) but I’ve got to say that I’m especially thrilled to see what physicist Dr. Michio Kaku has to say in ‘The Physics of Back To The Future‘. I remember him fondly from his appearances on The Screen Savers with Leo Laporte, back in the glory days of Tech TV before it got chewed up and spit out as G4. Sigh…memories…

Special Features:

• U-Control (BD-exclusive):
  • Setups & Payoffs: As you watch each of the three films, each “set up” showcases items in the scene that prepare you for a future plot point. When you get to that moment in the film, the “payoff” is shown to complete the correlation.
  • Storyboard Comparison: Compare key scenes in the movie with the original storyboards.
  • Trivia Track: Get inside trivia and facts while you watch the movies
• Q&A commentaries with director Robert Zemeckis and producer Bob Gale
• Feature commentaries with producers Bob Gale and Neil Canton
• Back to the Future Night: hosted by Leslie Nielson, this original 30-minute special aired on NBC prior to the first television screening of the Back to the Future (new, BD-exclusive)
• Tales from the Future: new six-part retrospective documentary featuring interviews with Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Director Robert Zemeckis, Producers Bob Gale and Neil Canton, plus Executive Producer Steven Spielberg*
  • In the Beginning…: Delve into the genesis of the project, casting, re-casting, the DeLorean, sets and overall pre-production.
  • Time to Go: Production stories through the release of the first film.
  • Keeping Time: The score and the songs of the Back to the Future Trilogy.
  • Time Flies: Learn more about how the sequel came about, the futuristic look, the special and visual effects, recreating 1955 and more.
  • Third Time’s the Charm: Learn about building a western town, Doc Brown’s love story, the casting of Mary Steenburgen, the train sequence and completing the Trilogy.
  • The Test of Time: Back to the Future becomes a phenomenon! President Reagan quotes the film, the Back to the Future ride opens at Universal Studios theme park and fans rebuild the iconic DeLorean. The film’s cast and crew take a look back and discuss why these beloved movies live on.
• The Physics of Back to the Future: A discussion with celebrity best-selling author and physicist Dr. Michio Kaku about the overall appreciation of the science in the Back to the Future Trilogy*
• Nuclear test site ending storyboard sequence: Storyboard sequence of the original proposed ending of the film.*
• Sixteen deleted scenes
• Michael J. Fox Q&A
• Archival featurettes:
  • Making the Trilogy: Chapters One, Two & Three: Original 2002 DVD documentary that takes a look back in time.
  • The Making of Back to the Future Part I, II & III: Provides a vintage and historic first look at the making of all three films.
  • The Secrets of the Back to the Future Trilogy: a televised special hosted by Kirk Cameron addressing fans unanswered Back to the Future questions.
• Behind-the-scenes:
  • Outtakes
  • Original makeup tests
  • Production design
  • Storyboarding
  • Designing the DeLorean
  • Designing time travel
  • Hoverboard test
  • Designing Hill Valley
  • Designing the campaign
• Back to the Future: The Ride
• Music Videos:
  • Huey Lewis and the News “Power of Love”
  • ZZ Top “DoubleBack”
• Photo galleries, including production art, additional storyboards, photographs, marketing materials and character portraits
• Theatrical trailers
• BD-Live
• My Scenes
• pocket BLU: USHE’s pocket BLU app uses iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Blackberry, Android, Windows and Macintosh computers and more to work seamlessly with a network-connected Blu-ray player and offers advanced features such as:
  • Advanced Remote Control: A sleek, elegant new way to operate your Blu-ray player. Users can navigate through menus, playback and BD-Live functions with ease.
  • Video Timeline: Users can easily bring up the video timeline, allowing them to instantly access any point in their favorite episode.
  • Mobile-To-Go: Users can unlock a selection of bonus content with their Blu-ray™ discs to save to their device or to stream from anywhere there’s a Wi-Fi network, enabling them to enjoy exclusive content on the go, anytime, anywhere.
  • Browse Titles: Users will have access to a complete list of pocket BLU-enabled titles available and coming to Blu-ray. They can view free previews and see what additional content is available to unlock on their device.
  • Keyboard: Enter data into a Blu-ray player with your device’s easy and intuitive keyboard.

* Denotes new footage debuting on the 25th Anniversary Trilogy

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Well, this has been a long time coming! The Goonies make their high-def debut this November in a 25th Anniversary Ultimate Collector’s Edition Blu-ray boxed set. While I’m completely stoked to watch a brand spanking new transfer of the film on Blu-ray, I can honestly do without all the memorabilia and goo-gahs in this UCE box. Following Warner‘s general release pattern, I would put money on it that we’ll likely see a stand alone Blu-ray disc release in 2011. That’ll be the one for me! Details below:

THE GOONIES
(November 2, 2010 – MSRP $49.99)
Video: 2.39:1 VC-1 1080p
Audio: Dolby TrueHD 5.1

Special Features:

• Cast-and-crew commentary track
• Making-of documentary
• Deleted scenes
• TrailersM
• Music video, Cyndi Lauper, “The Goonies ‘R Good Enough.”
• New board game
• Collectible storyboard prints
• 1985 souvenir magazine
• Reprint of a 2009 article with cast and creator updates

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Did you see HBO‘s magnificent Band of Brothers series? Did you pick it up on Blu-ray? So, so good. Sadly, I haven’t yet checked out the sequel series, The Pacific, that’s been airing this year but I’m willing to bet it’s going to blow me away when it hits Blu this coming November. Details below:

THE PACIFIC

Special Features:

• The Pacific Enhanced Viewing: with Enhanced Viewing, a 10-part, 10-hour, picture-in-picture experience makes it possible to learn more about the Marines and gain a deeper historical understanding of the battles while watching the miniseries. Exclusive content includes interviews with historians and veterans, archival footage, maps and more.
• The Pacific Field Guide: allows viewers to navigate through the major events featured in The Pacific in this standalone, interactive Field Guide. Search within to view exclusive content including animated maps, extensive interviews with historians and veterans, historical footage, photographs and more.
• Historical Backgrounds: the five-minute prologues that set the stage for each episode and additional historical footage narrated by Tom Hanks.
• Making The Pacific: go behind the scenes and take an inside look at the making of this miniseries.
• Profiles of The Pacific: delve into the lives of the real Marines featured in The Pacific. Get a personal perspective on their families, their war experience and their lives after the war in these intimate portraits.
• Anatomy of the Pacific War: explore the historical influences and cultural perceptions that led to the merciless brutality in the Pacific theater of World War II.

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Oh geez. I’m all confused here. There are just too many titles hitting shelves again this week but no obvious “must-buy” disc, as far as I’m concerned. The new Hollywood blockbuster remakes all stumble in the storytelling department, the catalogue titles feature far-from-perfect presentations and there are just no damn Criterion titles as far as the eye can see! But don’t fear, if none of the brand spanking new titles do it for you this week, I’m sure you can find something in the massive batch of Eastwood newly released or re-released, as the case may be, on Blu-ray! Seriously, how many movies did has that guy made?!

1. THE WOLFMAN

Yeah. Crucify me. Shoot me with a silver bullet. This movie doesn’t work where it should – some would even go so far as to say it sucks – but I’m a die-hard Universal Monsters fan and, like it or not, this is the title that I’m most excited about this week. I wasn’t sent a review copy of this Blu-ray (c’mon Universal, what have I ever done to you!) so I can’t tell you for certain whether it’s worth your dime or not, but I’ll be the first in line to pick up The Wolfman today. I’m really hoping that the extended “Director’s Cut” will help the film out but I fear the worst.

The biggest disappointment with this Blu-ray, however, has nothing to do with the new 2010 remake but the 1941 original Lon Chaney Jr. film – while the original film is included in the package, it’s only available as a stream and not on the disc. I’d gladly be bitten by a whole pack of werewolves if Universal would put the original black-and-white films on Blu!

Amazon: $26.99

2. ALICE IN WONDERLAND

So, here’s the second of two big-budget Hollywood remakes new on Blu-ray this week, both with big problems in the story department. But you already knew that, didn’t you? You’ve either already seen Tim Burton‘s Alice in Wonderland and were dissapointed by its outcome or you found the overuse of CGI too offensive to even get you as far as buying a ticket to see the film. Look, here’s the thing. It’s Tim Burton. The CGI is just another tool in his garish visual arsenal. Story will always take a back seat in a Burton film (unless you’re talking the brilliant, nearly-perfect Ed Wood or strikingly original Pee Wee’s Big Adventure) as design takes control of the ride. Luckily, that makes this Blu-ray as sweet as candy for the eyeballs! It looks and sounds great. Too bad about that script…

Full review coming this week!

Amazon: $19.99

3. LIFE

Did you love the BBC series Planet Earth? Do you use the Blu-ray discs on a regular basis to show off your HD system? Well, you’re in luck! The BBC and noted naturalist and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough are bringing us a brand new look at life on our planet, aptly titled Life! Sadly, Warner is making you choose between a couple of slightly different versions of this new Blu-ray set – one narrated by the man himself, Sir David, or the other, the version that aired on the Discovery network in the US narrated by Oprah Winfrey. Both feature the exact same footage in the exact same show. Only difference here is the voice that tells you whats what. Me? I’ll stick with the original, Sir David track. But seriously, you’re not going to pick this up for the audio. Life is another visual treat that you’ll be happy to enjoy in any language, or with the sound turned right down.

Amazon: $48.99

4. WAR OF THE WORLDS

Here’s big-budget remake number three this week. And man, is War of the Worlds a disappointment. Perhaps even more so than Wolfman or Alice, simply because it just starts out so damn strong! This film tricked me into believing it would deliver the goods Close Encounters-style until around the halfway mark when it just completely goes off the rails with ridiculous character choices and over-the-top silly CGI nonsense. I realize that Spielberg is trying to offer a sort of homage to the old b-movies during the second and third acts but it just misses the mark. And it’s really a shame because the Blu-ray edition of the film completely shines in every other department! It looks amazing, damn-near perfect I’d say, sounds incredible and is packed with enough special features to keep this reviewer happy. I just wish the last half of the film was as well put together and thought out as the Blu-ray itself.

Amazon: $19.99

5. THE MAN WITH NO NAME TRILOGY

I haven’t had a chance to get a look at this set of films on Blu-ray yet but I doubt that I’ll be terribly dissapointed in any new editions of these three brilliant Sergio Leone films. Of the three “spaghetti western” films in the box, all starring Clint Eastwood at his most brilliant, only The Good, The Bad and The Ugly has been previously available on Blu in a much maligned edition with an uneven, sometimes DNR scrubbed image. But you know what, it’s still the best the film has ever looked. And if A Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More look anywhere near as decent as the third part of the trilogy of films, I’ll be more than happy with this new Blu-ray set.

Amazon: $54.99

MORE CLINT ON BLU THIS WEEK:

Just in case the Man With No Name Trilogy Blu-ray set doesn’t offer you enough high-def Eastwood this week, Warner has got your back with a couple of new boxed sets, single and double-feature releases and re-releases on Blu. Check it out:

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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