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Blu-ray Holiday Gift Guide 2011: TV on Blu

Brenden — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 23:35:43 +0000

Continuing with our look at what’s best to buy on Blu this year, here’s a fairly comprehensive guide to the years most extraordinary Blu-ray TV releases.

Next: Animation on Blu-ray

MORE GIFT IDEAS:

* GIFT & BOXED SETS

You can always tell that the holiday shopping season is approaching when the handsome boxed sets start showing up in stores. This new 13-disc collection of all ten episodes of HBO series Band of Brothers and all ten episodes of its follow up series, The Pacific is a real beaut. From the matte finish of the carboard box (watch out for greasy finger-prints on this one), reflective silver print treatment and hidden, magnetic lid lock, you know you’re in for a treat before you even remove the thick, weighty book from it’s housing. Lifting a ribbon attached to the bottom interior of the box raises the hardcover tome from it’s housing, revealing book-packaging of the sort used for the Rome boxed set, but at twice the width. Most of the glossy pages hold two Blu-ray discs full of episodes, with the exception of the pages that bridge the two series, which houses but a single disc containing the sole new feature in the set – He Has Seen The War, an hour-long documentary featuring the surviving members of both Easy Company and the 1st Marine Division whose exploits are dramatized in the series’. It’s an excellent doc but not worth re-purchasing both Band of Brothers and The Pacific on Blu-ray for, if you already own both boxed sets. The rest of the discs and all their features are identical to those previously available.

Highly recommended for those who don’t already own the series and for those ultimate fans who are completists.

AMAZON: $105.49

Season Three is the most disappointing Clone Wars season yet but it’s still some of the most entertaining, thrilling sci-fi TV out there. The series hits a handful of lows in this collection of 22-episodes, including a three-parter that lingers in a sort of “Force realm” where Anakin is taught allegorical lessons and far too many Jedi-free episodes, that instead feature Jar Jar and the droids. But the season is balanced out with some of the best episodes of the series thus far. The three part “Nightsisters” arc which pits Force-powerful witches and Darth Maul’s brother against the forces of the Jedi and the Sith is as awesome as the Clone Wars has ever been! The transfers are gorgeous, as usual, and audio is finally presented in a lossless format. The standard collection of featurettes and “Jedi Temple” bonuses are present but gone is the fancy digi-book packaging. Season 3 is packed in a run-of-the-mill snapper case, housed in a slipcase. Despite the relative drawbacks of this season set, I still highly recommend it.

AMAZON: $34.99

Justified follows US Marshall Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant), a quick-draw deputy of the sort you’d find in the wild west, forced to return home to Harlan County, Kentucky when questions arise over his shooting of a Miami drug cartel hit-man. His past quickly surfaces to bite him on the ass in the guise of an ex-wife he still loves, former school-mates on the wrong side of the law and family members of an unsavory variety.

The 3-Blu-ray disc set from Sony features the entire 13-episodes series and whole whack of special features. The image presentation can appear somewhat inconsistent through the season with uneven blacks and occasional banding (most likely a weakness of the production source) but is highly detailed and generally pleasing throughout. The DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio track is crisp, clear and full of kick.

Highly recommended!

AMAZON: $22.49

This is a fantastic package. It’s just really unfortunate that this isn’t what the studio released back in March, instead of the two-disc, feature-lite set that most fans picked up. I think they’re going to have a lot of irate customers on their hands – folks who wish they would’ve held off grabbing the first set in favour of waiting for this, more feature-rich release. If you didn’t buy the previous set, this is your huckleberry. If you did and you dig extras, better start looking for a painless way to trade up.

AMAZON: $24.99

One of the funniest and finest television comedies in years made its Blu-ray debut this past summer in a 2-disc set that contains all thirteen episodes of the first season. Louie might be a little crass for the most conservative viewers but it’s so original and such a clear breakout hit for comedian and star Louis C.K. that it’s worth a look by even the most timid of sitcom fans. The Blu-ray disc features a nice high-def presentation, culled from digital footage shot on the Red One camera, that only falters during the pilot episode. The 5.1 DTS-HD soundtrack is solid enough for this sort of program – clean and clear but not terribly immersive. There are 11 commentary tracks to check out in the set, over half and hour of deleted content and a 4-minute interview with the star.

AMAZON: $17.99

As usual, Dexter’s family life is in peril (no, I’m not going to tell you what’s tearing them apart this time) and he spends the season trying to sort out his place within it. Seeking solace, he returns to his criminal-eviscerating ways but, in the midst of disposing of one particular serial killer, inadvertently rescues the fiend’s next victim. Lumen, as played by Julia Stiles is damaged from her ordeal but far from helpless. She and Dexter develop a deep connection and open up to one another. But now that she knows the real Dexter, will their shared secrets put them at greater risk or will they become the ultimate dark passenger teamup?

As per Showtime, CBS and Paramount‘s norms, the 3-Disc Dexter: The Fifth Season Blu-ray set is technically marvelous! There aren’t any bonus goodies on the Blu-ray discs themselves but the package claims you’ll be able to access cast and crew interviews as well as episodes of other programs over the BD-Live portal once it goes live.

AMAZON: $40.99

If your loved one is a proper nerd, their fascination with fantasy doesn’t end with guys in capes and warp-drive powered starships. They probably love themselves some good old sword and sorcery too! With that in mind, why not hook them up with the first season of the classic, British Robin of Sherwood series, now on Blu-ray and looking better than ever? This ‘modern’, young take on the story of the bandits of Sherwood forest is far more gripping and real than any version before or since, despite the odd episode that relies too deeply on paganism and magic. The 4-disc set carries over all the special features of the DVDs and is worth every penny.

AMAZON: $59.99

Another year, another couple of boxed set collections of The Simpsons and Futurama. I just gave a thorough once over of the feature-packed Simpsons set in last week’s New Release post so I’ll direct you there if you want to read again about how much I enjoyed this boxed set, despite the fact that the feature content is up-converted from SD. I anxiously await the new Futurama 2-disc Blu-ray set, due for release on December 20th. If it’s anywhere near as good looking and hilarious as last year’s Blu-ray release it’ll be an absolute must-own. Bring it on!

AMAZON: $38.99 and $27.99

Season Three of Fringe continues to follow the exploits of FBI agent Olivia Dunham, crackpot-scientist Walter Bishop and the team as they fight the good fight against the weird stuff that’s taking over their world as a result of a breach into an parallel dimension. The season is compelling as it shifts back and forth between alternate versions of the characters – good Olivia trapped in another universe one episode, bad Olivia in ours the next. The show never ceases to be fun and if you or your loved one already have the first two boxed sets you won’t want to miss this one!

The big news about this boxed set is that Warner has finally seen fit to grace its TV-on-Blu releases with DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 tracks instead of the lossy mixes of the past. Fringe: The Complete Third Season is one the first titles to benefit and I expect great things. As usual, the discs are packed with extras including a few commentary tracks, featurettes, a gag reel, trailers and more.

AMAZON: $45.99

HBO‘s New Orleans drama Treme is a tough show to get into, you know, starting off slow and heating up over the course of the first half of this first season. But it’s a commitment that rewards the viewer in the end, leading into a fiery second season, which will be collected on Blu-ray before you can say “Chicken Gumbo”. This Blu-ray disc set looks and sounds great, as I’m sure you’d expect from HBO. As there’s a great focus on the music of the city in this series, you’ll be happy to know that the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 is absolutely pitch-perfect – a demo-quality soundtrack with great dynamic range during the musical interludes and convincing atmosphere throughout. Special features are abundant, with episode commentaries, music commentaries, “making-of” featurettes, and an interactive “Look at the Music and Culture of New Orleans“.

AMAZON: $45.99

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 the 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. 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 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.

AMAZON: $24.99

Oh my God, True Blood is addictive. The Complete Third Season proves to be the most compelling season yet. But not always for the best reasons. Watching True Blood feels a lot like how I would imagine reading a dirty, yet well crafted romance novel would make one feel. I know I’ve been sucked into pulpy, low-class fare full of naked skin, spilled blood and creatures of the night but damn, I just can’t stop watching. And I don’t feel guilty about it, either. Much like the previous two seasons, the writing is strong and unpredictable, production design is pulpy, sweaty and dark and performances are solid across the board.

HBO and Warner deliver another fang-tastic Blu-ray transfer (sorry) with True Blood: The Complete Third Season. If you’ve seen the first two seasons on Blu, you know what I’m talking about. Blacks are deep and striking, colours are vivid and detail abounds. I did note some compression issues in the blacks but unless you’re watching an improperly calibrated LCD from off-centre, you’ll never notice. The sound track is beyond reproach, with every neck bite and howl to the moon perfectly reproduced in ambient, dynamic DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. This third season features the best collection of extras for the series to date, with every episode awarded its own picture-in-picture ‘Enhanced Viewing Experience‘ and short ‘Post Mortem‘ follow-up. There are 6 commentary tracks, an 11-minute “Anatomy of a Scene” breakdown, an interactive guide to the characters, previews, recaps and a music video.

AMAZON: $34.99

Vampire Diaries feels as if it suffers from the same problems I perceive in a lot of series’ sophomore outings – random musical-chairs relationship shifting, out-of-character action to drive desperate plot contrivances and general, all around silliness. That said, it’s still a fun way to kill a few hours, if you’re into vampires, werewolves and teen-makeouts.

Warner‘s Blu-ray transfers look great, as you might expect. And, again, it’s one of the first Blu-ray season sets to receive DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 audio tracks from the studio. Kudos to them for finally seeing the light. Extras include one commentary (on the episode “Masquerade“), deleted scenes, Pages of the Wolf (3 behind the scenes werewolf featurettes totaling around 20-minutes or so), “The Perfect Love Triangle: Vampires, Werewolves, Witches“, “Her Own Worst Enemy: Elena, Katherine and Nina! “, “Second Bite” gag reel and BD-Live.

AMAZON: $42.99

Season One was all about set up. Getting Ray (Thomas Jane) comfortable in his new role as gigolo and Tanya (Jane Adams) comfortable in her new role as pimp. It’s safe to say that one worked out a little better than the other as Ray has …ahem… risen to the occasion while his business partner can barely …ahem… keep her end up. Season Two sees all relationships becoming as strained as possible to the extent that I often wanted to reach right into the TV set and strangle some of the characters (read: Tanya.) The fact that this show is getting me wound up at all is evidence that the creators are doing something right here. I don’t want to give any plot details away but there are big changes afoot by the time the season wraps up, with most characters exploring a new status quo. I don’t pretend to feel as if Season Three will bring any resolution but I can’t wait to see where the series goes from here.

As always, HBO delivers a solid Blu-ray release in Hung: The Complete Second Season. It’s far from the most attractive looking show on the air but the Blu-ray does it justice in just about every way, appearing source-accurate from beginning to end. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 tracks are more muscular than the image on the image on the disc, delivering concert-quality music reproduction, clean, clear dialogue and plenty of ambient sound. Extras on the disc include a “Hung: Inside the Series” featurette, deleted scenes and five audio commentaries with the creators, producers and writers of the show.

AMAZON: $28.99

I can’t believe it took me so long to get into this show! Eastbound and Down is one of the funniest things on TV these days. It’s a show about an egotistical ass of a down-and-out former baseball superstar who insists he’s still a superstar while crashing at his brothers house and substitute teaching at the local elementary school. Amazing. Uncomfortable. And never not funny. This is great stuff. Danny McBride is a comedic genius.

Both Season One and Two boxed sets are new this year and look as good as the source material allows. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 is a whopper and offers a more bang for your buck than you’d expect. Both sets feature commentary tracks, deleted scenes and featurettes.

AMAZON: $26.99 each

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:

Star Trek: The Next Generation on Blu-ray in 2012

Brenden — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 16:24:45 +0000

It’s been rumoured for a while now, but this past week, Paramount and CBS finally confirmed that Star Trek: The Next Generation will be making its way to Blu-ray in 2012! Just in time to celebrate the series’ 25th Anniversary, the entire run of 178 episodes is being transferred to HD from the original negatives, recut to resemble the original broadcast versions with digital special effects, “painstakingly recompositioned, not upconverted from videotape.” This is incredible news and an unbelievable undertaking by the studios. A four-episode “preview” will be released in January to show off the studio’s work and to tease the full season sets that will begin shipping later next year. It’s a pretty good time to be a Trek fan, that’s for sure. For more detail, see the full press release and details below and the official trailer above.

LOS ANGELES – September 28, 2011 – The beloved series STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION® will be transferred to high-definition for the first time ever and released on Blu-ray™, it was announced today by Ken Ross, Executive Vice President and General Manager of CBS Home Entertainment.

All 178 episodes from seven seasons will be transferred to true high-definition 1080p for release on Blu-ray and eventual runs on television and digital platforms both domestically and internationally.

“Fans have been clamoring for a high-definition release of STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION® for years,” said Ross. “Transferring the series to high-definition presented difficult technical challenges, but our team has come up with a process to create true 1080p HD masters with true HD visual effects. We can’t wait to show fans how pristine the series looks and sounds with our upcoming Blu-ray releases.”

Transferring STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION® to high-definition presented numerous challenges – The series was originally shot on film and then transferred to videotape, which was used to edit episodes together. In order to create true HD masters, CBS is going back to the original uncut film negative – all 25,000 plus film reels of it – and cutting the episodes together exactly the way they originally aired. The visual effects were all shot on film and will be painstakingly recompositioned, not upconverted from videotape. The newly cut film will then be transferred to true high-definition with 7.1 DTS Master Audio. Denise and Mike Okuda are consulting on the project.

While the first full season won’t be available until later in 2012, CBS Home Entertainment is releasing STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION® – THE NEXT LEVEL, a single Blu-ray disc to give fans a taste of the series in HD, on January 31, 2012. The disc will include the feature-length pilot – “Encounter at Farpoint” – as well as two more “fan favorite” episodes, “The Inner Light” (Season 5) and “Sins of the Father” (Season 3). The single disc will be available for a suggested retail price of $21.99.

One of the most popular series in the STAR TREK franchise, STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION® celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2012. It premiered in first-run syndication during the week of September 28, 1987 and ran through 1994.

Set in the 24th century on the Starship Enterprise, about 100 years after the original STAR TREK series took place, the series starred Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Jonathan Frakes as Commander William T. Riker, LeVar Burton as Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge, Marina Sirtis as Counselor Deanna Troi, Brent Spiner as Lt. Commander Data, Michael Dorn as Lieutenant Worf, Gates McFadden as Dr. Beverly Crusher and Wil Wheaton as her son Wesley Crusher.

STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION – THE NEXT LEVEL
(January 31, 2012 – MSRP $21.99)
Video: 1.33:1 1080p
Audio: 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio

Special Features:

Blu-ray Deal of the Week: The Twilight Zone season sets

Brenden — Mon, 09 May 2011 14:05:16 +0000

After a slight bit of controversy which saw prices bopping up and down, Amazon.com has finally settled on their Blu-ray Deal of the Week. You have until this Saturday night to pick up the first three seasons of The Twilight Zone on Blu-ray for $46.49 each, a discount of 54%! While the price still seems a bit steep on the surface, consider that each set normally retails for around $100 and provides 5 discs (4 in the case of the Season 2 set) packed with brilliantly restored episodes available for the first time in HD along with a shit-ton of bonus content. This is the lowest price any of these boxed sets have seen as yet so grab them up while you still can!

The Twilight Zone: Season 1 - $46.49 (54% off)

The Twilight Zone: Season 2 - $46.49 (54% off)

The Twilight Zone: Season 3 - $46.49 (54% off)

True Blood: Season 3 coming to Blu-ray

Brenden — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 16:05:16 +0000

Has it already been a year since I reviewed the second season box set of HBO‘s True Blood series? Well, not quite, but we’re close enough to the anniversary that Warner has announced the release of the follow up, the True Blood: The Complete Third Season Blu-ray boxed set. It doesn’t look too drop-dead impressive at first glance, what with only a single special feature, but the press release for the announcement explains that the PIP feature branches out to “Bonus Viewing Events” such as:

Character Perspectives, straight from the mouths of Jessica, Andy, Tommy, and Alcide; Flashback/Flash Forward, a move through time allowing for ‘Flashbacks’ to relive pivotal moments in the series or ‘Flash Forwards’ to reveal the significance of a certain scene; Vampire Histories/Character Bios, background stories on favorite characters in the show; and Hints/FYIs, for more trivia facts, show hints and clues

Seems pretty substantial to me. The season set will be in shops on May 31st.

TRUE BLOOD: THE COMPLETE THIRD SEASON
(May 31, 2011 – MSRP $79.98)
Video: 1.78:1 1080p AVC
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1

Special Features:

Picture-inPicture Enhanced Viewing experience on all 12 episodes

Blu-ray Holiday Gift Guide 2010: TV on Blu

Brenden — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 23:36:48 +0000

Continuing with our look at what’s best to buy on Blu this year, here’s a fairly comprehensive guide to the years most extraordinary Blu-ray TV releases.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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…

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!

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

[VIDEO] HBO Holiday Blu-ray ads: True Blood, Entourage

Brenden — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 18:33:41 +0000

With new HBO boxed sets like The Pacific and the incredible Deadwood: The Complete Series freshly unleashed upon the public it’s very possible to forget that the studio released some truly great gift-worthy titles earlier in the year. To make certain that you don’t overlook both the True Blood and Entourage Blu-ray season boxed sets, the studio has hit us with these fairly entertaining, if not mildly confusing ads. What do you think? Will you be putting either on your wish list this year or giving either as a gift?

The Pillars of the Earth Blu-ray Disc Review

Brenden — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 20:54:41 +0000

THE PILLARS OF THE EARTH (2010, Blu-ray released November 23, 2010 – MSRP $69.95)

MINI-SERIES:	★★★½☆
VIDEO:	★★★★☆
AUDIO:	★★★★½
EXTRAS:	★★☆☆☆
BLU-RAY:	★★★½☆

I missed out on The Pillars of the Earth when it aired a few months back so the 3-disc Blu-ray set served as my introduction. Despite a general aversion to the mini-series format I found myself quickly sucked into this brilliantly executed medieval melodrama, adapted from the bestselling novel by Ken Follett.

Whatever reservations I might have had, as I sat down to view episode one of The Pillars of the Earth, evaporated as soon as the credits for Ridley and Tony Scott rolled by. When you’ve got the directors of Blade Runner, Alien and Top Gun on your side, your project is bound to be somewhat amazing. But they alone are clearly not the only reasons to celebrate the creative side of this new cable television extravaganza. The Scott brothers and director Sergio Mimica-Gezzan (Battlestar Galactica, Heroes) have assembled a stellar cast for their 8-episode drama, including Donald Sutherland, Gordon Pinsent, Hayley Atwell, Ian McShane, Rufus Sewell and Matthew Macfadyen, to name but a few.

The multi-generational story set during the time known as The Anarchy or The Nineteen-Year Winter is one of “war, religious strife and power struggles which tears lives and families apart.” Encounters on bloody battlefields are punctuated with steamy bedroom scenes and naked frolics in English lakes – enough sex and violence to make any plot centering on religion and politics far more palatable. The only disappointment of the whole affair is the ending, which seems far too clean and trite when all revelations come to the fore, all the players gathered together at once, pointing fingers. And for all the political wrangling over who should wear the crown, little is made of the outcome of the struggle after eight hours of story.

The castles and bloody battles look great on the 3-disc Blu-ray set, despite the fact that the 8-episodes are actually encoded in 1080i (the back of the packaging incorrectly states that the encoding is 1080p.) You won’t be disappointed. This is a fabulous, detailed transfer of a great looking, digitally shot production. The epic DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack will leave you slack-jawed at its power and presence. I’ve never heard a TV show sound so cinematic!

Special features are few in this 3-disc Blu-ray set. Frankly, I’m happier to have that disc space spent on the episodes themselves, sacrificing extra content for a truer presentation of the films. The most compelling feature is easily “The Making of ‘The Pillars of the Earth’“, a half-hour featurette that provides a nice overview of the production. A brief featurette on the creation of the main titles, one on the digital effects and a collection of trailers round out the package.

Top 5 New Blu-ray releases for the Week of November 23

Brenden — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 17:56:40 +0000

This is an amazing week for Blu-ray – not only in that there are a handful of pretty amazing new releases (and some duds) to grab up but that there are more deals to be had this week on titles and players than at any time of the year, thanks to the incredible BLACK FRIDAY sales in the USA. If new releases aren’t your thing this week, you can find a handy, constantly-updated Black Friday Blu-ray Guide to sales and sale prices here.

1. AMERICA LOST AND FOUND: THE BBS STORY

I know I’ve said this a few times recently, but this really might be the Blu-ray release of the year. Criterion have assembled a box full of seven of the most important and influential films from the late 60s/early 70s, all made and produced by Bob Rafelson, Bert Schneider and Steve Blauner. And of course, each one has been prepped and transferred with the same love and care that Criterion give each standalone release, individually stacked with great special features.

Less well-known films, Head, A Safe Place and Drive, He Said hold up well amongst their popular siblings. In fact, though most film fans will pick up the boxed set for The Last Picture Show or Five Easy Pieces, I think the true delight will be the discovery (or re-discovery, as the case may be) of these hidden gems.

Higher profile Blu-ray releases and boxed sets might steal the spotlight this holiday season but the true coveted prize for any true film-fan will be this incredible, robust collection of films from Criterion. America Lost and Found: The BBS Story receives our highest possible recommendation.

FULL DETAILS HERE: Criterion Collection America Lost and Found: The BBS Story Blu-ray set contains Easy Rider, Last Picture Show, Five Easy Pieces

Amazon: $87.49

2. THE COMPLETE METROPOLIS

Speaking of incredible, influential and must-own releases of the week, The Complete Metropolis Blu-ray release from Kino is the newly released disc that you don’t put on your Christmas list – you run out and buy it today. Metropolis is inarguably one of the most important films ever made and now, for the first time in decades, we have the opportunity to see it in its complete form. Well, as close as technology and available resources allow.

The film was censored, ravaged from its initial length to a truncated 90-minutes. This version, which looks incredible on Blu-ray, for the most part, restores a good deal of the story and brings the run-time to a more film-accurate 145-minutes. This is a landmark Blu-ray release that shouldn’t be missed at any cost!

Amazon: $29.49

3. DEADWOOD: THE COMPLETE SERIES

On any other week, this would have easily been the number one release. The Deadwood: The Complete Series Blu-ray boxed set showed up at my door just as I was stepping out on vacation. As a result I haven’t been able to watch it yet but I’ll tell you, the damn thing weighs a ton! It’s packed with 13-discs of one of the best shows to ever have aired on television. And knowing HBO as I do, I’d be willing to bet that the quality of the packaging and the transfers are all beyond reproach. It’s an expensive set but an easy recommendation, even without having viewed a single one of the 13 discs.

Amazon: $137.99

4. THE EXPENDABLES

Ahhh, Sly. I totally missed this one in the theatres. (I know, you’re shocked, right?) But strangely, I have a feeling that this testosterone-fueled 80s callback will be better enjoyed on the smaller screen, just as we all truly fell in love with this type of film on cable and VHS back in the day. Call me crazy, but I’m actually more excited to check this out on Blu-ray than in the theatre. I’m looking forward to having the boys over, ordering pizza and busting out The Expendables very soon. Too bad the disc doesn’t have a VHS-quality transfer as one of the special features. … I can’t believe I just wrote that…

Amazon: $19.99

5. THE PILLARS OF THE EARTH

I have a feeling I’ll take a little heat for this but I loved The Pillars of the Earth! After steadfastly avoiding the television mini-series format for ages, I found myself quickly sucked into this brilliantly executed medieval melodrama, adapted from the bestselling novel by Ken Follett. Admittedly, the fact that the show is produced by Ridley and Tony Scott and stars a ton of amazing actors (Donald Sutherland, Gordon Pinsent, Hayley Atwell, Ian McShane, Matthew Macfadyen to name a few) makes watching what could have been a very weak movie of the week-style program an easier pill to swallow. The castles and bloody battles look great on the 3-disc Blu-ray set, despite the fact that the 6-episodes are actually encoded in 1080i (the back of the packaging incorrectly states that the encoding is 1080p.)

Amazon: $38.99

6. SALON KITTY

Another week, another sixth title in the Top 5 list. I’m sorry, but I can’t wrap up this column without pointing out that the lude, rude and all-together very nude (see what I did there, with the rhyming?) Salon Kitty has made its way to Blu-ray thanks to the dirty boys and girls of Blue Underground. Three years before he would shock the world with Caligula, Tinto Brass delivered a lengthy, somewhat muddled World War II-era film about a madame whose brothel is bugged in an attempt to gather bedside intel from unsuspecting Nazi soldiers. Brass takes the subject matter seriously but undermines his intent with over the top tits and ass. Fans of the film will be happy to know that Salon Kitty looks and sounds better than ever on Blu-ray and includes a limited but informative collection of extras (“Inside ‘Salon Kitty:’ Interview with Director Tinto Brass“, “Designing ‘Salon Kitty:’ Interview with Production Designer Ken Adam“, international trailer and three radio spots)

Amazon: $22.49

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:

Stargate SG-U: 1.5 Blu-ray Disc Review

Howard — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 14:30:43 +0000

STARGATE SG-U: 1.5 (2010, Blu-ray released July 27, 2010 – MSRP $39.99)

I’ve never been a huge fan of studios releasing a season one half at a time, but this time, it worked out nicely. Watching the first half of Stargate Universe on Blu-ray during the mid-season break turned out great for me. I was able to catch up and then continue along with the show as the new episodes aired (Yes, I still watch TV shows as they air). Even after watching the episodes on TV, I was super glad when the Stargate Universe 1.5 Blu-ray set was released. I am now a fan.

What can I say?–More of the same goodness. In the second half of this first season of SGU, we travel and explore a little more with the crew of the star-ship Destiny… Perhaps this is a good time for a “Previously on Stargate Universe” moment (Don’t worry, Disc 1 let’s you know where you left off). Our cast is made up of unfortunate military and civilian personnel, trapped on a mysterious ship traveling through space, millions of light-years from Earth. When the ships drops out of faster-than-light speed, the crew can visit planets and collect supplies and samples using the Stargate on board. They can also get into a air amount of trouble.

The first half of the season ends with a cliffhanger of sorts: The commanding officer, Col. Young (Justin Louis), strands his main rival, Dr. Rush (the ever-incredible Robert Carlyle), on a planet, after his attempt to frame the Colonel for murder. As you watch, the feeling of being on the ship is still present. The hand-held style of filming keeps you in the action, with a front seat view as the crew interact; either discussing the realities of their predicament, sneakily sharing secrets, and recounting stories unfolding back home, on Earth (thickening plots discovered with the use of the “communication stones”). There is plotting both among the crew and how best for them to deal with the new alien race obsessed with the ship.

Since the beginning of the season, the crew has started finding ways to deal with their situation. They have been forced to contend with the usual stuff, sources of food, replacement medical supplies, in addition to the unexpected, like wrestling back control of the ships navigation. Clearly, some of the crew are better at adapting to their situation than others. Some allegiances have proved surprising, and with new discoveries come new obstacles to overcome.

Picture and sound on the Blu-ray disc are impeccable…near perfect, once again. With every changing scene location, set décor and new extraterrestrial vista, you see that the transfer is crisp, that colors are convincing and the contrasts maintain mood beautifully with deep blacks and sharp detail. The lossless soundtrack keeps dialogue clear and skirmishes thrilling as all channels fully fire, creating an audible experience not felt with many films.

As a second-half of a complete season, SGU 1.5 has new material assembled as the same features: The in-character, personal KNO Diaries and the Destiny Star Map & Logs (SML) are expanded and, similar to the SGU 1.0 Blu-ray disc set, there is plenty of commentary where cast and crew participate. What is completely new this time is an interactive game called “Survival Instinct“, which, using actual footage from the show, tests your survival skills based on the decision you make in situations where there is a perceived threat. Another added bonus is the extra packaging provided to keep both SGU 1.0 and 1.5 together as a set. It’s a handy sleeve that will ensure that they are never far apart.

I, for one, am looking forward to start of Season 2 of Stargate Universe. It has had a strong start; standing out from the other Stargate shows in the franchise, while upholding the serious, story-oriented history behind them.

Lost: The Complete Sixth and Final Season Blu-ray Disc Review

Brenden — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 20:10:24 +0000

LOST: THE COMPLETE SIXTH AND FINAL SEASON (2010, Blu-ray released August 24, 2010 – MSRP $79.99)

Count me among the legion of viewers and fans who were left empty by the Lost series finale. What a disappointment. It was a lackluster conclusion to an imperfect season of television. The same can’t be said for the Lost: The Complete Sixth and Final Season Blu-ray disc set. Aside from the show itself, there’s very little to take issue with here.

I think my frustration with the final season of Lost is due to the myriad of story opportunities the show passed by in favour of extolling a collection of ideas and themes that the producers felt a strong connection to. This wasn’t always the case. Over the initial five seasons the show was most concerned with the careful balance of character moments and plot movement. It came out of the gates firing on all cylinders six years ago but quickly ‘lost’ itself in an endless mess of dull subplots and seemingly random threads of story that lead nowhere. Into the fifth season of the show, which I reviewed on Blu-ray last year, it had clearly become a television series that had once again found its way, presenting some of the most well crafted stories I’ve seen on TV. Leading into the final season, this past year, Lost felt to me like it was finally going somewhere. Like we were on the precipice of experiencing the most well thought out and satisfying conclusion of any series in television history. Sadly, that wasn’t to be.

After watching this final collection of episodes again on Blu-ray, it seems like the season actually had very few plot points to hit before drawing to its grand conclusion. A lot of the screen time is actually eaten up either attempting to hastily tie up dangling plot threads from previous seasons or pushing the series toward its overwrought and only loosely relevant finale. Which brings me to the now infamous “flash-sideways” elements of the story.

Previous seasons have used flashbacks to reveal character and flash-forwards to escalate the plot. I was certain that the “flash-sideways” device, which presents the characters off of the island, living their lives in an alternate universe, would amount to something of a revelation in the plot. Instead, this device which easily takes up half of every episode, ultimately adds nothing to the show, aside from the heavy-handed punctuation of some major themes that would have been better addressed within the main story threads. Watching the season over again hammers home what a wasted exercise this was for the show. One that detracts from the finer points of the entire series, if you ask me.

But enough grousing. Lost is still a fantastic show. Still one of the best things ever to air on network television. Season 6 might not hold a candle to season 5 in my eyes, but it’s got a whole lot going for it – adventure and intrigue, incredible action and mystery, touching, even tear-jerking moments with your favourite characters and, most importantly, some answers to long-burning questions. After these episodes, you’ll finally know who Jacob is, what the island is all about and why Jack, Sawyer, Kate and their fellow passengers of the doomed Oceanic flight 815 are so important to keeping it secret and safe.

Along with being a cracking good series, Lost: The Complete Sixth and Final Season is also one of the best looking and sounding TV shows ever! This Blu-ray disc presentation is as close to perfection as it gets, providing crisp, detailed and clean HD transfers for all 16 episodes. Colour fidelity is pitch perfect and blacks are deep and deliciously inky. Along with an aggresive, robust and dynamic DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless track, you’ll feel satisfied making the discs in this boxed set your new demo material. Seriously, television has never looked or sounded this good!

Much like previous seasons of Lost on Blu-ray, this newest disc set offers up a stunning collection of bonus features, with a couple of caveats. Let’s get those out of the way first – there’s a whole other disc full of content not present here (you’ll have to pick up The Complete Series boxed set to get your hands on that bad boy) and you’ll have to struggle through Disney‘s “Season Play” feature on all the Blu-ray discs. What’s this “Season Play“, you ask? It’s supposed to be a feature that makes keeping track of your viewing progress an easier process. But for me, it simply involved too many clicks, too much setup to enjoy using. And, in fact, before you can even use it, you have to sit through a commercial touting the feature you’ve already chosen from the menu! I would have much preferred to have a “Play All” feature on each disc than to have to click into my “account”, then choose the disc (despite the fact that there’s only a single disc in my player) and then choose the episode I want to watch. Much too labourious a process to play a single episode.

But those are small quibbles with an otherwise incredible set of extras. Along with four of the best commentary tracks you’re ever bound to hear on disc, featuring members of the cast and the creators of the show revealing more behind the scenes info than you can shake a stick at, you’ll be treated to a veritable ton of featurettes, deleted scenes and bloopers. In addition, the hit of the season 5 Blu-ray set, “Lost University” returns with another BD-Live Master’s Program, accessed through your players’ network connection. But wait, there’s more! The feature all Lost fans have been waiting for has got to be “The New Man in Charge” – the 12-minute denouement to the series, exclusively presented in this season set and the in the Complete Series collection. It’s a lot of fun and answers more questions in its brief runtime than the first four seasons combined! Well worth the wait and well worth the $48 on Amazon!

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Plus: A Lost Blu-ray & DVD exclusive – Go deeper into the world of LOST with a much-anticipated new chapter of the island’s story from Executive Producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse… and starring some very familiar faces
The End: Crafting A Final Season – Join the LOST team along with other producers of some of television’s longest running shows as they examine the challenges of ending a landmark series
A Hero’s Journey – What makes a hero? Which survivors of Oceanic 815 are true heroes? These questions and more are explored
See You In Another Life, Brotha – Unlock the mysteries of this season’s intriguing flash sideways
Bloopers
Deleted Scenes
Audio Commentaries

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