Tag: Blu-ray bonus features (Page 3 of 3)

Blu Tuesday: A Bug’s Life, Batman and Terminator 2

May 19, 2009 /

The wealth of Blu-ray titles being released this week is actually pretty incredible (in fact, most of the month has yielded a nice selection for HD enthusiasts), but you’d be wise to get in on the fun now, because the future is looking pretty dim – at least in the short term. Nevertheless, there are plenty A-list titles to last you through the upcoming drought, and most of them are good enough to warrant headlining their own column.

“A Bug’s Life” (Walt Disney)

It may not be one of Pixar’s most popular films (in fact, it’s curiously missing from just about every marketing campaign of the last decade), but “A Bug’s Life” is still a solid entry in the studio’s 14-year history. A clever reimagining of Akira Kurosawa’s “Seven Samurai,” the film features all of the usual Pixar trappings (humor, heart and charm), not to mention an awesome voice cast including the scene-stealing Kevin Spacey and Richard Kind as the villainous grasshopper and his dim-witted brother, respectively. Oh, and that cute little girl providing the voice of Dot? It’s none other than “Heroes” hottie Hayden Panettiere in one of her very first film roles. What’s ultimately so great about the new 10th anniversary Blu-ray release, however, is that it not only includes the previously released bonus material, but two brand new special features as well. The first is a 21-minute roundtable discussion with co-directors John Lasseter and Andrew Stanton and producers Darla K. Anderson and Kevin Reher where they reflect on the making of “A Bug’s Life” with stories about pitching the idea to Disney and screening the film for President Clinton at Camp David, while “A Bug’s Life: The First Draft” offers a never-before-seen look at the film’s original concept starring a completely different main character. It’s exactly the kind of fan service moviegoers don’t see enough of these days, but when it comes to a company like Pixar, you shouldn’t expect any less.

“Batman” (Warner Bros.)

It’s hard to imagine anyone that wanted a copy of “Batman” on Blu-ray didn’t pick up the anthology box set collecting the first four films when it was released a few months ago, but those holding out strictly for the Tim Burton original will be pleased with Warner’s new digibook release. Though the 1989 film doesn’t quite hold up when compared to Christopher Nolan’s reboot of the franchise, it’s still a solid entry in the history of comic book films that, if nothing else, offers a great performance from Jack Nicholson as a more classic version of the Joker. The set is also jam-packed with all of the special features from the 2005 DVD reissues including a director commentary, an in-depth look at the history of Batman, and hours of production featurettes about the making of the film. The digibook release also features slick packaging with a 48-page booklet filled with essays and a script excerpt, as well as a digital copy for those on the go.

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Blu Tuesday: Taken, Star Trek and Underworld

May 12, 2009 /

It’s been awhile since my last Blu-ray column (two weeks ago, I attended a brand retreat in Walt Disney World with Hanes and returned with a non-swine flu), but luckily, I didn’t miss too much. In fact, with the exception of “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (which you should definitely pick up, by the way), there were no other major releases last week. This week is a different story, however, with a few A-list titles, a slew of movies from the Paramount and MGM vaults, and an awesome collection that sci-fi fans are going to want to check out.

“Taken” (20th Century Fox)

By far the biggest surprise of the year, Pierre Morel’s “Taken” is a good old fashioned action thriller that doesn’t waste a single minute on pointless exposition or silly subplots. Liam Neeson is excellent as the Jack Bauer-type who jets off to Paris when his teenage daughter is kidnapped by human traffickers, and then proceeds to kick the ass of each and every person involved until there’s no one else left to punish. Though I’ve yet to actually check out the extras on the Blu-ray release, the U.K. edition sported some pretty cool bonus material including a picture-in-picture geographical locator, a making-of featurette, and side-by-side comparisons for six of the film’s key sequences. I’d expect the U.S. version to feature the same, but here’s hoping we get a few exclusives as well.

“Star Trek: Original Motion Picture Collection” (Paramount)

With J.J. Abrams’ big screen reboot of the sci-fi classic tearing up the box office in its first week in theaters, it’s really no surprise that Paramount would want to take advantage of the hype train by releasing all six of the original “Star Trek” films on Blu-ray for the first time. As we’ve already seen from the Season One release, however, Paramount’s HD reissues are more than quick cash grabs, but rather serious undertakings meant to please the most loyal of fans. The same appears to be true of the “Star Trek: Original Motion Picture Collection,” a seven-disc box set that includes remastered editions of all six movies (sorry, no director cuts this time around) and an additional disc of bonus material entitled The Captain’s Summit. Suffice it to say, this is a no-brainer Day One purchase for any real “Trek” fan, but at such a great price ($79.99 on Amazon), I’d even say it’s worth it for the casual fan as well.

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Blu Tuesday: Star Trek, JCVD and The Reader

April 28, 2009 /

It’s been quite some time since so many major titles were released on one day, and while most of them (even the ones I’m covering in more detail) aren’t exactly the kind of films you would consider must-see, there’s still something for everyone. From Oscar nominees and indies to a re-issue of an old favorite, let’s not waste any time in getting to my picks of the week.

“Star Trek: The Original Series: Season One” (Paramount)

With the exception of the feature films, I’ve never really been a fan of “Star Trek” (especially “The Original Series,” as it’s now being dubbed), so when the first season arrived on my doorstep a few weeks before JJ Abrams’ big screen reboot, I decided to give the series another shot. As it turns out, I feel the same way about the sci-fi classic now as I did before, but Paramount has done such a good job with the Blur-ray release that I’m actually considering holding on to it. For starters, both the original broadcast version and a new remastered version (with updated visual effects) of all 29 episodes are available in high definition, and though purists may want to stick with the former, the remastered episodes are almost too gorgeous to pass up. The DTS 7.1 audio track is equally impressive, while nearly all of the extras from the HD-DVD release (like the Starfleet Access video commentary tracks) has also been included. Though diehard fans likely already have the series in several different formats, it’s hard to deny that the Blu-ray release is the best version on the market. Here’s hoping it sells well, because if there’s one thing that would benefit from the HD treatment more than classic movies, it’s classic TV shows.

“JCVD” (Peace Arch)

There are a few things you should know before going into “JCVD.” First, it’s not like most Jean-Claude Van Damme movies in that it’s a low-budget drama – which means that with the exception of a cool tracking shot that opens the film, there’s very little action. Second, while Van Damme’s performance has been acclaimed as award-worthy (TIME Magazine is even quoted on the cover), it’s not. With that said, however, “JCVD” is one of the best surprises of the year. Van Damme stars as a fictional version of himself, a direct-to-DVD action star who’s caught up in the middle of a bank heist that the cops think he planned. Though he’s essentially just playing himself, Van Damme proves here that he isn’t just the Muscles from Brussels, but a regular guy who lucked his way into Hollywood. In a scene towards the end of the film (where Van Damme truly breaks the fourth wall in order to deliver a heartfelt speech), the actor proves that he’s just that – an actor. That likely won’t impress loyal fans that would rather just see him kick ass, but for everyone else, it has to be seen to be believed.

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Blu Tuesday: The Wrestler, Frost/Nixon and Sin City

April 21, 2009 /

The Blu-ray community is positively obsessed with the technical specs of every high-def release, but that doesn’t mean you should only invest in movies that make the most of that technology. While there are some titles this week that look and sound great because of it, there are a few others that still belong in your collection – even if they don’t exactly benefit from the enhanced audio and video that Blu-ray delivers.

“The Wrestler” (Fox Searchlight)

With each passing year, the Academy Awards become easier and easier to predict. There are so many awards given out by different organizations before the big night that by the time it finally arrives, the race has already been won. This year was a little different – Sean Penn stole the Best Actor prize when the Academy decided to make a political statement following the passing of Proposition 8, even if that meant denying comeback kid and frontrunner Mickey Rourke from completing the collection – but that shouldn’t take anything away from Rourke’s touching performance as an aging professional wrestler. Though the movie is pretty simple in terms of story and filmmaking (especially considering Darren Aronofsky is the one behind the camera), “The Wrestler” is a must-have for anyone searching for a good American drama. The included bonus features aren’t particularly enticing (the lack of a commentary is the biggest offense), but for a movie as gritty as this, it sure looks good in HD.

“Frost/Nixon” (Universal)

Another film that’s dependent almost entirely on the strength of its performances, “Frost/Nixon” was one of the 2008’s best movies, but you wouldn’t know it from the little attention it did receive during awards season. Ron Howard is the kind of director who isn’t as talented as the material he’s working with, but he sure knows how to pick a good story. Based on the Tony Award-winning play of the same name (which was in turn based on David Frost’s famous series of interviews with then former president Richard Nixon), “Frost/Nixon” blazes through its tension-filled 122-minute runtime so fast that you almost forget to breathe. Constructed like a boxing match where the opponents take jabs at each other with words instead of punches, Peter Morgan’s script is filled with the kind of dialogue-heavy scenes that you’d expect to find in a stage play, but wouldn’t expect to work as well on film. Remarkably, it does, but without Frank Langella and Martin Sheen in the lead roles, “Frost/Nixon” wouldn’t be quite as captivating. Add to that some pretty cool extras, and you’re looking at one of the unlikeliest films to prosper on Blu-ray.

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Action Movies, External Movie DVDs, Movie Dramas, Movie DVDs, Movies

Blu Tuesday: The Spirit, Pride & Prejudice and Mean Girls

April 14, 2009 /

Not every week can offer the kind of choice titles that we’ve been seeing lately, but while today’s sole major release is a bit of a dud, there are still plenty of decent catalog titles to check out as well. Okay, so maybe it’s not the best week for my Blu-ray collection, but that doesn’t mean everyone else will feel the same way.

“The Spirit” (Lionsgate)

Frank Miller’s “The Spirit” might just go down as one of the biggest disappointments of 2008. When the project was first announced, fanboys were ecstatic at the possibility of another comic book movie in the same vein as “Sin City” (especially when they had already waited so damn long for a sequel), but as soon as the first clips of the movie hit the net, any excitement was quickly deflated. If memory serves correct, there wasn’t a soul on the planet that was begging for a live-action Spy vs. Spy movie, but that’s exactly what Miller has delivered with “The Spirit.” The performances are terrible, the dialogue is even worse, and though Scarlett Johansson looks hotter than ever, there’s not a single redeeming element to be found. The few fans the movie does have will be pleased to discover that the Blu-ray release includes a nice selection of extras (including a director commentary, a making-of featurette, and an interview with Miller) but that’s about the only positive thing I could possibly say.

“Pride and Prejudice” (A&E)

If there’s one novel I hate more than any other, it’s Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice.” Then again, I’m a guy, so that’s hardly a surprise, but that doesn’t mean I abhor everything to do with the book. Joe Wright’s 2005 adaptation was certainly more enjoyable than expected, while the recently released mash-up novel, “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies,” is an absolute riot. Unfortunately, I just don’t feel the same way about the BBC’s six-part miniseries, which has long been considered the ultimate film version thanks to Colin Firth’s star-making role as every female’s nightmare/dream man, Mr. Darcy. My personal biases aside, “Pride and Prejudice” has long been considered a classic, so it’s nice to see that A&E has taken the time to restore the film in HD using the film’s original 16mm negatives. The end result is nothing short of amazing (in place of what looked like a storm cloud hovering overhead in every scene, there’s actually a burst of color) and should be considered a must-own by any fan.

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