DISC JUST IN for 3/17/09

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

BLU-RAY DISC:
Bolt (Disney)
The Princess Bride (MGM)
Punisher: War Zone (Lionsgate)
Quo Vadis (Warner)
The Robe (Fox)
Twilight (Summit)

DVD:
Barbie Presents: Thumbelina (Universal)
Bolt (Disney)
Chrysalis (Anchor Bay/Starz)
Dodes’ka-Den (Criterion)
Elegy (Sony)
GOAL II: Living the Dream (Genius)
The Princess Bride (MGM)
The Prince’s Quest (Genius)
Punisher: War Zone (Lionsgate)
Quo Vadis (Warner)
Return of the Outlaws (Lionsgate)
The Robe (Fox)
Twilight (Summit)
The Velveteen Rabbit (2009) (Anchor Bay/Starz)
Walled In (Anchor Bay/Starz)

TV-on-DVD:
Barney Miller: Season 3 (Sony)
Bleach-Vol.15 The Rescue (Viz)
Degrassi-The Next Generation: Season 7 (Echo Bridge)
Head Case: Season 1 (Anchor Bay/Starz)
JAG: Season 8 (Paramount)
Married with Children: Season 10 (Sony)
Mr. Belvedere: Seasons 1-2 (Shout! Factory)
The Nanny: Season 3 (Sony)
The Three Stooges: Vol.5 (Sony)

HIGHLIGHTS:

A week ago, we had a feast. This week it’s more of a famine. There are a FEW tasty morsels though, so let’s get to it:

The Princess Bride – "Wuv. Twoo wuv…"  Rob Reiner’s near-perfect adult fable is an absolute joy and belongs on every movie lover’s shelf. MGM at long last brings the film to Blu-ray and it was worth the wait. In addition to a 1080p presentation of the film on Disc One, you also get a standard definition DVD copy of the film on Disc Two. This is but the latest title participating in this wonderful and long-overdue Blu-ray trend. You can read more on the subject in my recent blog entry.

Punisher – I don’t pretend to be an expert on Punisher lore, but how many swings are they going to take at this character before they get him right?  First they give us Ivan Drago. Then we get John Travolta as a villain. And now? Titus Pullo as Frank Castle? Really? As luck would have it, he’s not half bad. The film is a bloody mess (and I do mean bloody) but it’s also the closest we’ve come yet to a solid Punisher flick. Lionsgate’s Blu-ray sports acceptable 1080p video but quickly redeems itself thanks to a fantabulous DTS-HD soundtrack.

Quo Vadis – Friends, Romans, Countrymen! Lend me your ears. Warner Bros. brings to Blu-ray another old school Hollywood epic, this time in the form of 1951′s Quo Vadis starring Robert Taylor and Deborah Kerr. Nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Quo Vadis looks quite good in high definition. Though a bit on the soft side, the 1.33:1 image is crisp and colorful with sufficiently deep blacks. Audio is the original mono and it sounds perfectly fitting considering the age of the film.

The Robe – Speaking of restorations, next up is The Robe, this one courtesy of the folks at Fox Home Entertainment. A biblical epic from 1953, The Robe was also heavy on the Oscar nominations. In addition to its nom for Best Picture, The Robe also earned Richard Burton a Best Actor nomination for his role as Marcellus Gallio, the leader of the team of men tasked with Christ’s crucifixion. I’d never seen the film before, but the 1080p video on this one is simply gorgeous. There are moments here that easily rank right up there with the work done on the Blu-ray transfers for How the West Was Won and The Godfather.

Twilight – Speaking of wuv, twoo wuv… here’s another take on it. Only this time out, the lovers are teenagers and "the man in black" is a pasty-faced vampire. Twilight is no Princess Bride, but in its defense it’s not trying to be. Nothing I say or do will stave off Twilight‘s enormous fan base, so let’s keep this short and sweet. Colors are intentionally bleak but the high definition transfer is about as sharp and detailed as you could hope for. The DTS-HD soundtrack is excellent. If you were happy with the book’s film adaptation, don’t hesitate to pick up this feature-laden, BD LIVE-enabled disc from Summit Home Entertainment.
 

Greg’s Pick of the Week:

Bolt (Blu-ray)

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment | Rated PG | 103 minutes | $39.99

Ordinarily, I’d give the nod to The Princess Bride here. After all, it’s one of my all time favorites. However, Bolt represents something truly special – for several reasons – so I have to give credit where credit is due. First, the movie.  Bolt is a surprisingly entertaining effort from the folks at Disney and it seems as though the presence of animation overlord John Lasseter is starting to have a very positive effect over at the Mouse House.

If you were a super dog and all you did was save the world day everyday, you too might start believing your own press. The problem is, Bolt is merely the star of a CGI-enhanced Hollywood series about a super dog, but he’s not an ACTUAL super dog. When Bolt escapes from the studio, you can imagine his surprise when confronted by things such as gravity and the laws of physics. The John Lasseter-produced Bolt bounds to Blu-ray with an absolutely stellar looking AND sounding transfer. This one is demo material folks. And to top it off, you also get numerous BD exclusives including BD Live functionality.  

Now let’s get back to why this Bolt release is so special. As I said in my recently blog entry, this Bolt Blu-ray is remarkable for it contains not one, not two but THREE different versions of the film. And I’m not talking about unrated director’s cuts here. I’m talking one Blu-ray, one DVD and one Digital Copy. Three copies of the film on three different platforms means all of your Bolt needs are instantly met. Why would anyone buy anything else? The Princess Bride came close, offering both a Blu-ray and a DVD, but Bolt deserves props for delivering the trifecta in one high quality package. Bravo Disney and keep it up!

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
Definitive Technology ProCinema 1000 speakers
Datacolor SpyderTV PRO 2007 video calibration
Monster Power HTS5100 power center
BetterCables interconnects
UltraLink speaker wire