Welcome to the latest column on Premium Hollywood, Blu Tuesday, where I’ll be covering some of the best and biggest high-def titles of the week. For those hoping this was a post about a New Order/Rolling Stones tribute band, I apologize, but you’ll have to keep holding your breath for that one, whoever you may be.

You see, when Blu-ray first hit the market, there weren’t very many titles to talk about other than the new releases that were already coming out on DVD. Now that the format is more popular with studios, however, my office has become overrun with high-def titles, and well, I just don’t have the time to cover every one in as much detail as I’d like. That doesn’t mean they don’t deserve to be covered at all, however, and so I’ve created this column to help cleanse my conscience (and some office space) and keep you all in the know on some Blu-rays you might be looking forward to, as well as a few others you should add to your shopping list.

“Pinocchio” (Walt Disney)

One of my least favorite Disney classics after “Dumbo” and “Bambi,” “Pinocchio” is still a no-brainer when it comes to diehard collectors and fans of animated films. It’s been years since Disney last released this from their ominous vault and so they’ve not only put out a new DVD edition to celebrate the occassion, but a high-def version as well. As expected, the new digital restoration is incredible. The colors pop off the screen like they were freshly painted, and were it not for the fact that hand-drawn animation is virtually extinct, you’d swear this was made yesterday. The best part about the three-disc set, though, isn’t the new transfer or the fact that you get three different versions of the movie (Blu-ray, DVD and a digital copy), but the hours of bonus material that have been lovingly crammed onto the disc. You get all the usual stuff that you’d expect from a typical new release (audio commentary, making-of, deleted scenes), but somehow they just feel more special on a movie this old.

“Let the Right One In” (Magnolia)

Many have called it the best vampire movie ever made, and while that may very well be the case, “Let the Right One In” is so much more than your average monster flick. In fact, it’s just as much a coming-of-age tale about two lonely kids (one of which just happens to be a vampire) than a horror movie, and though Hollywood has already greenlit a remake, there’s no way it will be even remotely as good as the original. Both of the child actors deliver solid performances considering the adult nature of the material, but it’s the film’s disturbing yet poetic love story that makes the movie so memorable. The Blu-ray edition doesn’t feature any extras you won’t find on the DVD, but between the contrasting white snow and black night, it definitely looks better in HD.

“The French Connection” / “French Connection II” (20th Century Fox)

You don’t always get what you want, and sometimes, you just get it late, so while this twofer from 20th Century Fox actually came out a few weeks ago, there’s no way I was going to leave it off the list. There’s been a resurgence in Hollywood lately of gritty crime thrillers (heck, even the James Bond franchise has edged closer to that style), and there’s none quite as good as “The French Connection.” It’s ones of the godfathers of the genre and has gone on to influence not only other movies, but television shows (“The Wire”) and video games (“Grand Theft Auto IV”) as well. Anyone that’s seen the film can discuss the merits of Friedkin’s direction and the coolness of Gene Hackman, however, so is there really any point? I know it’s a classic and you know it’s a classic, so what are you waiting for? The film’s sequel isn’t quite as easy to love (and it doesn’t have nearly as many extras), but fans of the original have learned to embrace it over the years. Plus, you could probably find a pretty good deal selling the pair together, and that’s good enough for me.

Also Out This Week:

“Milk” (Focus Features)
“Role Models” (Universal)
“Synecdoche, New York” (Sony Pictures Classics)
“Transporter 3” (Lionsgate)