DISC JUST IN for 5/12/09

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Here’s a look at the latest DVD and Blu-ray Disc releases:

BLU-RAY DISC:
Big (MGM)
Black Sheep (Paramount)
CSI: Season 1 (CBS/Paramount)
Fargo (MGM)
Force 10 From Navarone (MGM)
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (MGM)
The Grudge (Sony)
License to Kill (MGM)
Major League (Paramount)
The Man with the Golden Gun (MGM)
Passengers (Sony)
Personal Effects (Screen Media/Universal)
Plague Town (Dark Sky)
S.Darko: A Donnie Darko Tale (Fox)
Seth MacFarlane’s Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy (Fox)
Star Trek: Motion Picture Trilogy (Paramount)
Star TreK: Original Motion Picture Collection (Paramount)
Taken (Fox)
There’s Something About Mary (Fox)
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (Sony)    
Underworld Trilogy (Sony)
Wayne’s World (Paramount)
Wayne’s World 2 (Paramount)
Without a Paddle (Paramount)

DVD:
Alexander Korda’s Private Lives (Criterion)
Doc (MGM)
Galaxy Quest: Deluxe Edition (Dreamworks)
The Grudge 3 (Sony)
High Hopes (Lionsgate)
In Tranzit (Peace Arch)
The King and Four Queens (MGM)
Northwest Frontier (MGM)
O Jerusalem (Anchor Bay)
Passengers (Sony)
Personal Effects (Screen Media/Universal)    
Plague Town (Dark Sky)
S.Darko: A Donnie Darko Tale (Fox)
Seth MacFarlane’s Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy (Fox)
Taken (Fox)
Taking Chance (HBO)
Time Limit (MGM)
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (Sony)    
Underworld Trilogy (Sony)
Wise Blood (Criterion)
Young Billy Young (MGM)

TV-on-DVD:
The Dana Carvey Show (Shout Factory)
The Jeff Foxworthy Show: Season 2 (Sony)
Kingdom: Series 2 (BFS)
Lovejoy: Season 5 (BBC)
Penn & Teller: Bullsh!t: Season 6 (Paramount)
Speed Racer: The Next Generation: Comet Run (Lionsgate)
Star Trek: Best of The Next Generation (CBS/Paramont)
Star Trek: Best of The Original Series (CBS/Paramount)
Two and a Half Men: Season 5 (Warner)

HIGHLIGHTS:

Big - There have been numerous imitations and knock-offs since 1988′s Big, but no one has given us a more convincing portrayal of a child trapped in an adult’s body than Tom Hanks. Fox’s new Blu-ray edition sports fine-but-unremakable picture and sound, but fans should enjoy the option to watch either the theatrical cut or a longer extended version of the film. Other goodies include a handful of deleted scenes and a smattering of featurettes.

Fargo - "Didja find somethin Margie?"  "Nope. Think I’m gonna barf." Arguably the Coen brothers’ finest film, and perhaps their most accessible, Fargo‘s edge hasn’t dulled one bit in the thirteen years since its release. More importantly, MGM’s new Blu-ray edition looks and sounds loads better than my aging DVD.

The Good, The Bad and the Ugly – The good: MGM has delivered a fantastic 1080p treatment of Sergio Leone’s ultimate spaghetti western. The bad: despite an improved DTS-HD mix, this film’s audio presentation, from a technical standpoint at least, will never be noteworthy. The ugly? That’s a tough one because MGM has put together a fantasic Blu-ray here. I guess if I had to nitpick, I preferred the deluxe cardboard packaging that came with the previous DVD edition. Overall, highly recommended.

License to Kill – Most Bond fans didn’t care to see Timothy Dalton donning 007′s tuxedo, but I’ve always liked him. (It may have something to do with my fondness of all things Rocketeer.)  Although I slightly prefer The Living Daylights, it’s great to see License - Dalton’s second and final Bond outing – on Blu-ray Disc from MGM. The Bond films in general look particularly good on Blu-ray but License to Kill still manages to look better than most.

Major League – You may not believe it, but before "Two and a Half Men" came along, Charlie Sheen was actually funny. Between Young Guns and (Ooh!) Navy Seals, Sheen was "Wild Thing" Rick Vaughn, the hottest ex-con pitcher on the Cleveland Indians’ pitching roster. Starring an eclectic cast of actors you’re more apt to recognize now than then – including a very funny Wesley Snipes – Major League delivers a perfect combination of laughter and excitement. Compared to the DVD, Paramount’s new Blu-ray offers a step up in the picture detail department but not much else stands out on this otherwise average catalog release. A healthy mix of extras rounds out the package. Recommeded primarily because short of Bull Durham, you won’t find a better baseball comedy.

Passengers - I can’t say I particularly enjoyed Passengers, but I do give Anne Hathaway credit for trying new things. After Brokeback Mountain and her Oscar-nominated turn in Rachel Getting Married, Hathaway would be justified in sticking to heavy dramas. Instead, she’s been trying comedy (Get Smart and the abyssmal Bride Wars) and now she’s going the supernatural thriller route with Passengers. She may not have the best nose for scripts, but more power to her for stretching a bit. Passengers is entertaining enough, but you won’t be jonesing to rewatch it any time soon. Sony’s Blu-ray delivers solid picture and sound, but the muted look of the film reduces the visual pop factor. Extras include a director/actor commentary, a few deleted scenes and a pair of HD featurettes.

Star Trek – Are you sick of hearing about Star Trek yet?  I’m not. Personally I’m thrilled to see Star Trek back in the limelight. It truly is a special franchise and it represents some of the best science fiction this country has ever put forth. As we all know, JJ Abrams recently performed a mission impossible by re-lighting Star Trek’s fire and boldly going where no Trek film has gone before: the bank. Although the original films never did box office like the new film, they’re still excellent films (some of them at least) and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan remains the greatest Trek story ever put to film.

On Blu-ray, you can purchase Khan two ways. It’s available in Paramount’s "Original Motion Picture Collection," which contains the first six Trek films, i.e. the films starring the cast of the original TV series. Alternatively, you can buy "The Motion Picture Trilogy," which contains only Star Trek II, III and IV - the "Genesis" story arch. I was only sent the trilogy, so I can’t comment on all of the films, but Khan is definitely the standout in the small set – as it should be. Khan was the only film to receive a soup-to-nuts overhaul and the results are evident on screen. Although III and IV look much improved over my aging DVDs, II looks absolutely pristine, sporting excellent contrast and bolder colors than I’ve seen on the film before. Whichever set you purchase to get it, the Blu-ray edition of Star Trek II is a must-own for Khan lovers everywhere.

Underworld Trilogy – The Underworld films all share three things in common: they’re fun, fast and forgettable. The high concept of an action franchise built around a centuries-old feud between vampires versus werewolves makes good sense on paper, but the excecution is somewhat lacking. The final chapter, Rise of the Lycans is now on Blu-ray, so Sony has of course delivered a box set of all three films. If you have a well-calibrated display, you might just make out some fast and furious action, but the film’s over-zealous editing definitely spoils a bit of the fun. The high point on these discs is definitely their top notch uncompressed audio. Although you may not be able to see what’s happening on screen, you’ll definitely hear it. Rise of the Lycans, starring a lovely but dull Rhona Mitra and the excellent Michael Sheen, includes a respectable smattering of extras including Digital Copy.

Greg’s Pick of the Week:

Taken (Blu-ray)
Fox Home Entertainment | Rated R | 93 mins | $39.99

John McClane. Harry Callahan. Jason Bourne. Jack Bauer. What do these men have in common? If you’ll pardon my French, they’re all bona fide badasses. To this list, we now need to add the name Bryan Mills. Who is Bryan Mills? Kidnap his daughter and you might just find out. Put simply: he will find you. And he will kill you.

Taken is the most fun I’ve had watching a movie in recent memory. It’s an intense, taut thrill ride that rarely lets you breathe in its ideal 90-minute run time. (Cue my best monster truck ralley announcer voice: "We’ll sell you the whole seat, but you’ll only need the EDGE!")

Taken‘s story is a simple one. Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) loves his daughter. His daughter goes to Paris. His daughter gets taken in Paris. Bryan Mills goes to Paris to get his daughter back. Trust me when I say you don’t want to get in his way. Some critics will over-analyze this one and make you feel guilty if you cheer for this vigilante father as he racks up an impressive body count on the  quest for his daughter. To those critics, I call BS. If you enjoy action and/or you love a good revenge story, Taken will thrill you from start to finish. End of story.

Fox brings Taken to Blu-ray in fine fashion, sporting an exceptional 1080p picture. The 1080p video exudes tremendous depth, natural skin tones and wonderfully deep blacks. More importantly (particularly with this type of film), the DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack is absolutely superb. With nicely-anchored dialogue, aggressive use of the surrounds and sufficiently deep bass, Taken is a winner. A healthy mix of extras, including Digital Copy, make Taken the clear choice for Pick of the Week. Highly recommended.

EVALUATION SYSTEM:
Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 1080 projector
Carada Masquerade screen system (92")
Panasonic DMP-BD35 Blu-ray Disc player
Oppo DV-983H DVD player
Onkyo TX-SR805 A/V receiver
Noble Fidelity L-55 LCRS speakers
Datacolor SpyderTV PRO 2007 video calibration
Monster Power HTS5100 power center
BetterCables interconnects
UltraLink speaker wire