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

Related posts

• HBO’s Deadwood: The Complete Series Blu-ray officially announced and detailed (3)
• HBO's Deadwood: The Complete Series Blu-ray available for pre-order (1)
• HBO The Pacific Blu-ray set announced and detailed (2)
• Top 5 New Blu-ray releases for the Week of November 2 (1)
• [VIDEO] Star Wars: The Clone Wars Complete Season One Blu-ray and DVD Trailer (0)

I should know by now that the Toy Story films have grown as I have, over time. And Toy Story 3 speaks more clearly to me now than its predecessors do. It’s a story about change and how we accept it or fight to stave it off. Absolutely brilliant. The little-boy-that-was is now grown to a young man, preparing to move off to a college life and leave his childhood behind. That childhood, of course, consists of toys – Sheriff Woody, Buzz Lightyear et al. In this animated universe, however, those toys don’t drift off silently into the twilight (or garbage truck, or what have you.) These toys fight back. And they won’t be abandoned or destroyed. They will be played with. They will be loved. And they will make you cry.

Yeah, I got choked up a bit. The story is great here. The performances by the old standards (Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles, Joan Cusack etc.) and the new crew (Ned Beatty, Michael Keaton) are spot on. And the animation is beyond reproach – miles beyond what Pixar was able to accomplish in their last outing with the franchise. Toy Story 3 is as close to perfection as modern animated filmmaking can be.

Speaking of perfection, I can’t find even the slightest fault with the digital-to-digital transfer of the Blu-ray disc. This is phenomenal work from the folks at Disney/Pixar. Vibrant, pitch perfect colours, deep, dark blacks and incredible detail are the hallmark of every Pixar Blu-ray presentation and Toy Story 3 is amongst their finest. The same can be said for the stunning DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 surround track. With clean, clear voices up the middle, ever-present ambiance from the rear and a thundering LFE presence, this soundtrack is some of the finest demo-material you’ll find on Blu-ray this year. All around technical perfection!

Where do I start with the extras? Hmm… Well, there’s a ton of them. Enough to keep you engaged with this 4-disc combo pack for hours beyond your initial viewing of the film. There are two excellent commentary tracks, both found on the second Blu-ray disc of the set. Strange, I know, but I have a feeling that since the primary commentary track comes with picture-in-picture content in tow, the powers that be decided to move it over to the bonus repository where they could crunch the heck out of it (compress it down, taking up fewer gigs of precious disc space), leaving more bandwidth for the feature presentation on Disc 1. Good move! I don’t mind at all, Disney! They did leave enough room on that first disc, however, for the requisite accompanying short film. Day and Night screened alongside Toy Story 3 in theatres and is a wonderful complement here on the Blu-ray disc as well.

The bulk of the remaining extras are featurettes (you’ll find a couple of featurette clips above) covering every aspect of production from “Beginnings: Setting a Story in Motion” all the way to a look at film editing in “Paths to Pixar“. They can be found on the second Blu-ray disc of the set, organized into to convenient categories for easier consumption – “Film Fans” Featurettes and “Family Play” Features along with additional categories “Games and Activities” (containing the lone game, the “Toy Story Trivia Dash”) and “Publicity” (trailers, promos and posters.) The third disc in the set is a DVD copy of the film with the fourth a digital copy.

For a detailed list of the ample collection of special features, read our previous post here: Toy Story 3 and Ultimate Toy Box 3-movie collection coming to Blu-ray

Related posts

• Toy Story 3 and Ultimate Toy Box 3-movie collection coming to Blu-ray (2)
• Top 5 New Blu-ray releases for the Week of November 2 (1)
• [VIDEO] Toy Story and Toy Story 2 Blu-ray Trailer (0)
• Toy Story and Toy Story 2 Blu-ray Disc Review (2)
• Toy Story 1 and 2 Coming to Blu-ray in March (1)

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
Clicking an image will take you to Amazon.com where you can learn more about and purchase the Blu-ray disc:

Related posts

• [VIDEO] The Sound of Music (45th Anniversary Edition) Blu-ray Trailer (3)
• [VIDEO] Fox Blu-ray Demo features Alien Anthology, Sound of Music, Moulin Rouge and more! (1)
• The Sound of Music: 45th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray officially announced and detailed (3)
• Blu-ray Holiday Gift Guide 2010: Gift Sets (5)
• Toy Story 3 Blu-ray Disc Review (1)

Still catching up on news announcements, here’s a look at all the great new Toy Story Blu-ray stuff coming out in November – a couple of different versions of Toy Story 3 and the full 3-movie, 10-disc Toy Box Collection.

Toy Story 3 comes in a standard 2-disc Blu-ray edition as well as a 4-disc Combo Pack that comes with a DVD and a Digital Copy. The Toy Box Collection (MSRP $100.00) simply contains the 3 Combo Pack versions of all 3 films. No extra content there, so no real reason for fans who’ve already got the first two films on Blu to re-purchase.

Special Features:

• Day & Night: The innovative and entertaining short from the imagination of Pixar artist and director Teddy Newton.
• Making of Day & Night: The story behind the unique 2D/3D blended short (BD-exclusive)
• Cine-Explore: commentary by director Lee Unkrich and producer Darla K. Anderson (BD-exclusive)
• Beyond the Toybox: an alternative commentary track featuring leads from story, tech, art and animation – commentary by story supervisor Jason Katz, supervising technical director Guido Quaroni, production designer Bob Pauley and supervising animators Bobby Podesta and Michael Venturini (BD-exclusive)
• Beginnings: Setting a Story in Motion – Screenwriter Michael Arndt analyzes successful opening scenes from Toy Story, Finding Nemo and The Incredibles (BD-exclusive)
• Bonnie’s Playtime: A Story Roundtable: A roundtable discussion with Director Lee Unkrich and the story artists who brought the “Bonnie’s Playtime” scene to life (BD-exclusive)
• Roundin’ Up a Western Opening: The development of the movie’s exciting opening scene (BD-exclusive)
• Life of a Shot: Toy Story 3 artists and technicians describe their contributions to a few of the shots in the film’s “Western Opening.” (BD-exclusive)
• Goodbye Andy: an exploration of character design, acting and animation in the scene “Andy’s Goodbye.” (BD-exclusive)
• Accidental Toymakers: by creating the Toy Story characters, the Pixar filmmakers found themselves in the unlikely role of toy designers. Meet the toy company that took a chance on manufacturing the now iconic toys and learn of their incredible success that began with a modest number of Woody and Buzz Lightyear toys 15 years ago. (BD-exclusive)
• Toys!: A closer look at all of Toy Story 3′s beloved toys from updating the classic characters to the creation of the Sunnyside Daycare and Bonnie’s Room toys.
• Buzz Lightyear Mission Logs – The Science of Adventure: Produced in conjunction with NASA, this hybrid animation documentary of Buzz’s visit to the International Space Station focuses on research in zero gravity and Buzz’s triumphant return to Earth.
• Paths to Pixar – Editorial: Pixar editors, past and future share anecdotes about their careers.
• The Gang’s All Here: A touching look at the returning voice talent for Toy Story 3 and an introduction to the voices of the new characters.
• A Toy’s Eye View – Creating a Whole New Land: A sneak peek at the new Toy Story-themed playland at Hong Kong Disneyland.
• Studio Stories – A series of amusing animated anecdotes about life at Pixar.
  • “Where’s Gordon?” – An animator finds a hidden room at Pixar.
  • “Cereal Bar” – The majestic and expansive Pixar cereal bar is explored.
  • “Clean Start” – The Toy Story 3 animators shave their heads to mark the start of the film.
• Toy Story Trivia Dash – This game challenges you to sprint to the finish with Woody, Buzz, Jessie and Rex as you quickly answer questions about all three Toy Story movies (BD-exclusive)

Related posts

• Toy Story 3 Blu-ray Disc Review (1)
• Top 5 New Blu-ray releases for the Week of November 2 (1)
• [VIDEO] Toy Story and Toy Story 2 Blu-ray Trailer (0)
• Toy Story and Toy Story 2 Blu-ray Disc Review (2)
• Toy Story 1 and 2 Coming to Blu-ray in March (1)

As I sat watching Sam Mendes‘ brilliant Road to Perdition last night, I sat in awe, wondering how I could’ve possibly missed out on this film for so many years. It’s a well written adaptation of a not-too-popular comic book by author Max Allan Collins and illustrator Richard Piers Rayner, starring an A-list cast (Tom Hanks, Paul Newman, Jude Law) shot by one of the best photographers in the biz (the late, great Conrad Hall) and scored by a very talented composer (Thomas Newman) known for his ability to accentuate the melancholy in just about any scene. One wonders what exactly director Sam Mendes was able to add to such a gifted mix? Well, if there’s any doubt about his contribution to the film or his absolute knowledge of every aspect of its assembly, his wonderful, engaging and comprehensive commentary track will put it to rest. This is Mendes’ film. And it is wonderful in just about every way!

Perdition is a familiar tale of family and bloody vengeance – like The Godfather in theme, echoing Gordon Willis‘ imagery from Coppola‘s film in the dark cut of Hall’s every shadowy composition. Hanks plays Michael Sullivan, betrayed by the jealous, murdering son (Daniel Craig) of his mob-boss employer/surrogate-father (Newman.) Now, after the cold blooded murder of his family, Michael is on the run with his surviving son, fighting to survive and desperate for revenge in prohibition era Chicago. The story doesn’t hit a single sour note, as all characters caught up in a sea of violence and despair are forced into actions they would otherwise have avoided. And their internal struggle, knowing how much happier they would be if they didn’t have to pull the trigger, is captivating from beginning to end. All the way down the Road.

The bleak colour pallet and rigid, emotive shadows of Conrad Hall’s photography are wonderfully rendered on the damn-near perfect transfer of the Road to Perdition Blu-ray. This thing is stunning! It’s a Blu-ray that exemplifies the finest aspects of the medium, providing a very true, film-like experience on the small home theatre screen. This isn’t one of those colour popping, eye gouging, three-dimensional images. Hall’s work here is dark, desaturated and very textured. And the disc delivers on every level – deep, dark, inky blacks, clear yet subtle details and a vivid sheen of film grain. If you want to see how close Blu can come to the cinematic experience, this is the disc to watch.

The DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio mix is, without question, a reference quality track, presenting a seamless soundstage with a sense of fidelity that’s tough to match. I haven’t been as immersed in an audio track for a long time. Newman’s score sounds full and rich, with a dynamic range that’s bound to impress.

Road to Perdition arrives on Blu-ray with an incredible set of special features, highlighted by the afore mentioned director’s commentary track. Mendes also provides a new introduction to the film on Blu-ray, praising the transfer and lamenting that Hall is no longer alive to see how well his photography has been translated onto disc. Speaking of Hall, there is a truly wonderful 30-minute tribute to the man and his work, wherein just about every single surviving master of the art praises his cinematography! “The Library: A Further Exploration of the World of ‘Road to Perdition‘” is an interactive experience that allows users to dig deeper into the film via branching featurettes. This wonderful Blu-ray disc release is rounded out with a run-of-the-mill, half-hour “making-of” featurette and a collection of deleted scenes with optional director’s commentary.

Highly recommended!

Related posts

• UPDATED: Paramount brings Saving Private Ryan, Escape from L.A. and K-19: The Widowmaker to Blu-ray (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 21 (2)
• Top 5 New Blu-ray releases for the Week of November 2 (1)
• Top 5 New Blu-ray releases for the Week of May 4 (0)

This is some shocking and very welcome news! You might recall all the hubbub surrounding the release of Paramount‘s Gladiator: Sapphire Series Blu-ray last year (read our full review of the disc here.) Fans and critics were truly disappointed when the highly anticipated disc turned up with a less-than-stellar transfer, complete with edge enhancement and DNR (Digital Noise Reduction) which effectively turned the film into a muddy mess. Well, now a new Blu-ray release of the film has been unleashed on European audiences, sporting a gorgeous new 4K transfer. And, according to Paramount, those who purchased the previously issued, flawed disc here on this side of the Atlantic, will be able to exchange it for an updated version featuring the same 4K transfer from overseas!

Those screengrabs above, along with several more examples of the new transfer can be found at comparescreenshots.slicx.com. Now, we don’t have all the details of the exchange program yet but rest assured, it’s happening. Here’s Paramount’s official statement on the matter:

“We are implementing a limited exchange program. This program is only for those consumers that may have preferential issues with some of the technical DVNR (digital video noise reduction) and EE (edge enhancement) choices made in the original source transfer, and so would prefer to exchange it for one that addresses those preferences in a different manner.

While the version that we originally distributed was of the highest quality, some enthusiasts may prefer to view it without the Edge Enhancement and DVNR implemented as standard process in bringing the film to hi-def. This new master resolves those issues.”

Apparently, a running change will be made to the current Gladiator release which will see all future shipments of the title being revised with the updated transfer. Call Paramount Home Entertainment’s customer service hotline number (323-956-3010) for more details and to arrange your exchange.

Related posts

• Paramount Sapphire Series Blu-ray Discs Announced: Gladiator, Braveheart, Forest Gump (4)
• Gladiator Blu-ray Disc Review (3)
• Braveheart, Gladiator, Star Trek: The Next Generation Films Coming To Blu-ray (1)
• Top 5 New Blu-ray releases for the Week of September 21 (2)
• UPDATED: Paramount brings Saving Private Ryan, Escape from L.A. and K-19: The Widowmaker to Blu-ray (0)

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.

Related posts

• Blu-ray Holiday Gift Guide 2010: TV on Blu (5)
• Top 5 New Blu-ray releases for the Week of November 2 (1)
• Top 8 Blu-ray Discs to get Dad for Father's Day (1)
• Top 5 New Blu-ray releases for the Week of May 4 (0)
• [VIDEO] Wish List – Where the Wild Things Are Documentary – Tell Them Anything You Want: A Portrait of Maurice Sendak Blu-ray (1)

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?

1. SAVING PRIVATE RYAN

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

Amazon: $22.99

2. DOCTOR ZHIVAGO

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.

Amazon: $28.99

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?!

Amazon: $29.99

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!

Amazon: $16.99

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!

Amazon: $23.99

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.

Amazon: $91.99

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

• UPDATED: Paramount brings Saving Private Ryan, Escape from L.A. and K-19: The Widowmaker to Blu-ray (0)
• Top 8 Blu-ray Discs to get Dad for Father's Day (1)
• Rumoured Blu-ray Releases Pushed Back: Alien Quadrilogy, The Indiana Jones Trilogy, Back to the Future Trilogy, More (2)
• Top 5 New Blu-ray releases for the Week of October 5 (0)
• Top 5 New Blu-ray releases for the Week of June 22 (3)

How does this even happen?! How do the studios deliver so many incredible weeks of amazing releases in a row, only to wind up with this anemic offering? Sheesh. I have to admit, aside from my number one pic there isn’t much I’m excited about this week. I’ll probably use my purchase dollars to pick up something from weeks past that I’ve missed out on…like The Lord of the Rings Trilogy or Red Cliff.

1. APOLLO 13 (15TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION)

This is the clear winner this week. Hands down the most anticipated release. The number one spot would’ve gone to Gone With The Wind, of course but that it’s been out on Blu in another, much beefier, goo-gah filled edition for quite some time. As it stands, it’ll be nice to get my hands on a copy of Apollo 13, as I believe it’s a film that might be the finest work of a lot of the folks involved. I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed a Ron Howard film more. The disc contains some nice looking special features like director’s commentary, a couple of lengthy docs about the space race and, best of all, a commentary track with real-life astronaut Jim Lovell and his wife, Marilyn!

Amazon: $18.99

2. GONE WITH THE WIND (THE SCARLETT EDITION)

Like I said in my comments about the number one pick this week, Apollo 13, Gone With The Wind has been on Blu for quite some time. This new “Scarlett Edition“, however, is the one you’ve really been waiting for. The one without the books, the velvet box, the prints and all the other stuff you’ll lose in a closet somewhere because it didn’t fit on your media shelf. This new set contains everything you need – the film and its special features. Booyah!

Amazon: $34.99

3. PIRATE RADIO

If I had to choose the Blu-ray that I most want to see this week, it would be Pirate Radio. It could be crap, for all I know, but it certainly sounds amazing – a pirate rock and roll radio station broadcasting from a boat in the North Sea staffed by a crew of eccentric deejays! The film stars Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy, Rhys Ifans, Nick Frost and Kenneth Branagh and is directed by Richard Curtis (Love Actually). I’ll happily tune in for that cast!

Amazon: $23.99

4. A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET

With the remake of Elm Street about to hit theatres in a couple of weeks, it’s no surprise that Warner decided that this is the right time to get the original out there on Blu. If you like 80s horror films, you can’t go wrong with this classic Wes Craven flik that introduced Freddy Krueger into the public consciousness. Or should I say, unconsciousness. You know…because he’s…in your dreams or something…

Amazon: $16.99

5. THE SLAMMIN’ SALMON

Okay. This looks terrible. But since I had one of the most hilarious nights of my life, watching Super Troopers with my buddies when it was in theatres years and years ago, I’ll always give these Broken Lizard jokers a pass. I won’t be picking this up, but if my pals come by for a movie some time in the near future, I could be persuaded to give it a rental.

Amazon: $20.99

Related posts

• Blu-ray Picks for the Week of November 24 (0)
• Blu-ray Picks for the Week of November 17 (0)
• Blu-ray Picks for the Week of December 8 (0)
• Blu-ray Picks for the Week of December 1 (0)
• [VIDEO] Halloween Wish List – Karloff & Lugosi: Horror Classics on Blu-ray (0)

I have to say, I was pretty taken aback by Toy Story when I popped the new Blu-ray disc in. And not in a good way. I forgot how long ago this film was made and boy, have Pixar and computer generated animation come a long way since then. The film looks shockingly simplistic and plain when compared with snazzy, modern CGI fare like Up! and Monsters Vs. Aliens. It has all the visual flare of a low budget television production. But that was the best the technology could deliver, way back in 1995. And in some ways, if you’re able to get by the dated visuals, they really draw attention to how well put together the film is. With a perfectly tight script, more character development than your average Hollywood drama and thoughtful, nuanced direction, Toy Story still shines.

And just when you think you’ve found the most well crafted computer animated film from the 90s, along comes the sequel, Toy Story 2. This thing manages to do just about everything better than its predecessor. The writing is tighter. The characters more well rounded. The animation is leaps and bounds beyond the first film. And even the music, I dare to say, is better this time around! I can safely say that along with The Dark Knight and The Wrath of Khan, Toy Story 2 numbers among the very few sequels that outshine the originals. It’s a remarkable film that, I’m hoping, will only be outdone by its sequel, Toy Story 3, coming this June 18th to theatres.

Speaking of outdoing predecessors, Toy Story and Toy Story 2 have never, ever looked this good on home video. These new Blu-ray editions of the films are perfect and dwarf the DVD versions in just about every way. They look spectacular! I mean, it’s no big shock that they look so good, seeing as how the original digital files were transferred directly to disc, digital-to-digital. But still, you’ll find yourself breathless, lost in the reference-quality video presentation on display here. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 tracks, on the other hand, are a total revelation. They sound every bit as incredible as the films look on Blu – perfect!

Both discs offer a totally robust bonus feature package that will impress most everyone who decides to invest in these new Blu-ray editions of the films. BUT – and this is a big but – those fans who are completists and who already own the Toy Story: Ultimate Toy Box DVD set should not look to these discs as a replacement. There’s a ton of content here, both old and new, but not everything from the Toy Box is present so don’t ditch those old DVDs quite yet. Everyone else will marvel at the bountiful collection of extras – wonderful commentary tracks, deleted scenes, animated “Studio Stories, featurettes on everything from design to story to production” – with all new content presented in HD. The disc sets are rounded out by DVDs of the feature films and “Sneak Peeks” of the story and characters of the upcomingToy Story 3!

For a full and complete list of special features, read our previous post here: Toy Story 1 and 2 Coming to Blu-ray in March

Related posts

• [VIDEO] Toy Story and Toy Story 2 Blu-ray Trailer (0)
• Toy Story 1 and 2 Coming to Blu-ray in March (1)
• Toy Story 3 Blu-ray Disc Review (1)
• Toy Story 3 and Ultimate Toy Box 3-movie collection coming to Blu-ray (2)
• Top 5 New Blu-ray releases for the Week of November 2 (1)