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Here's a look at the hottest new DVD and Blu-ray Disc releases for the week of January 26, 2010:
BLU-RAY MOVIES:
Atonement (Universal)
Fame (1980) (Warner)
Give 'Em Hell Malone (National Entertainment Media)
Michael Jackson: This Is It (Sony)
Paris, Texas (Criterion)
Pride & Prejudice (2005) (Universal)
Saw VI (Lionsgate)
Soul Power (Sony)
Surrogates (Disney)
The Toolbox Murders (Blue Underground)
Whip It (Fox)
Wild Ocean: IMAX (Image)
DVD MOVIES:
The Boys are Back (Disney)
Bright Star (Sony)
Give 'Em Hell Malone (National Entertainment Media)
I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell (Fox)
Little Ashes (E1)
Michael Jackson: This Is It (Sony)
Paris, Texas (Criterion)
Pontypool (MPI)
Pride & Prejudice (2005) (Universal)
Roberto Rossellini's War Trilogy (Criterion)
Saw VI (Lionsgate)
Soul Power (Sony)
St. Trinian's (Sony)
Surrogates (Disney)
The Toolbox Murders (Blue Underground)
Whip It (Fox)
Wild Ocean: IMAX (Image)
TV-on-DISC:
Bonekickers (Acorn)
Bridget's Sexiest Beaches: Season 1 (Image)
MI-5: Vol. 7 (BBC/Warner)
Naruto Shippuden: Box Set 1 (Viz)
Parker Lewis Can't Lose: Season 2 (SHOUT! Factory)
Pawn Stars: Season 1 (A&E)
Southland: Season 1 (Warner)
WWII in HD (A&E)
HIGHLIGHTS:
Atonement – For such a young actress, it's startling just how many period romances Keira Knightley has anchored. This time out she stars opposite James McAvoy (Wanted) in a tangled tale of love and regret. Of the two Knightley romances hitting the street this week, Pride & Prejudice is definitely the better bet, but Atonement does has its merits. Universal brings Atonement to Blu-ray boasting a superior technical presentation saddled with a fairly sparse array of bonus material.
Fame – Forget the recent (and unnecessary) Fame remake. If you want to learn how to how to fly or you want to live forever, look no further than Alan Parker's 1980 original film of the same name. I won't say that time's been good to the film – especially with some of the fashion on display – but the film does have a decidedly more realistic, down-to-earth vibe than does its recent retread. Warner brings the film to Blu-ray Disc with a 1080p transfer that's respectable but hardly noteworthy. The same can be said of its Dolby TrueHD soundtrack, though if anything it fares a touch better than the video. Extras are somewhat scant but the highlight is a commentary track with Director Alan Parker.
Give 'Em Hell Malone – As a rule, when you've got a film called Give 'Em Hell Malone starring Ving Rhames with characters named Boulder, Match Stick, Bucktooth and Eddie the Pimp, you automatically have to watch it. It's just a rule; don't try to fight it. As luck would have it, this blood-soaked, action-packed film noir is actually a lot of fun. National Entertainment Media brings the film to Blu-ray packing DTS-HD Master Audio plus interviews with stars Thomas Jane (“Hung”), Doug Hutchinson (The Green Mile) and the sizzling Elsa Pataky (Snakes on a Plane).
Paris, Texas – In addition to Criterion's impeccable track record for consistently assembling some of the finest DVD and Blu-ray Disc packages, they've also got the market cornered on beautiful, original cover art. Their latest work of art of is Wim Wenders' moving Paris, Texas starring Harry Dean Stanton (Alien), Nastassja Kinski (Cat People) and Dean Stockwell (Blue Velvet). Criterion's handsome Blu-ray edition features a newly-restored HD transfer, a Wenders commentary and interviews plus loads more.
Pride & Prejudice – Look! It's another Keira Knightley period film! A superb adaptation of Jane Austen's classic tale of romance, this 2005 production gives us Knightley as Elizabeth Bennet opposite Matthew McFadyen (“MI-5″) as Mr. Darcy. Universal's Blu-ray edition sports an attractive high-def transfer coupled with a surprisingly capable DTS-HD soundtrack and a respectable handful of standard-def featurettes and interviews.
SAW VI – After six of these films in as many years, one has to assume that someone out there is enjoying them. I am not that someone. However, I must give kudos to Lionsgate for including a Blu-ray copy of the original Saw as part of this set's supplements package. Nice touch.
Surrogates – Say what you will about Hudson Hawk (I loved it, so what do I know?) – it's hard to find a truly bad Bruce Willis movie. (Although his upcoming Cop Out with Tracy Morgan may have me eating those words soon.) The guy is just plain fun to watch. Jonathan Mostow's (U-571) Surrogates isn't one of Willis' better films, but this sci-fi actioner does play around with a number of interesting ideas. And while the film itself may only be a middle-of-the-road affair, Disney's Blu-ray is anything but. Extras are limited to a small handful of HD featurettes – including one interesting look at the film's graphic novel origins – but the real story is the top shelf DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack and impressive 1080p video. This lossless DTS mix is quite aggressive with a constant feeling of immersion thanks to plenty of activity in the surround channels. At the end of the day, Surrogates is worth a rental, and perhaps a purchase for you “die hard” Willis fans.
This Is It – I'll leave it up to you to decide if this is even a film. But as curiosities go, they don't get much curiouser (look it up) than This Is It. Considering most of this Michael Jackson concert prep footage was never intended to be seen by the population at large, the end result isn't half bad. The HD segments look surprisingly good but the mixed-in standard definition footage quickly draws attention to itself. All that said, This Is It is definitely worth a spin for Jackson fans.
Whip It – After Juno, I'll follow Ellen Page anywhere – even if it's to Bodeen, Texas. The directorial debut of Drew Barrymore, Whip It struck a popular chord with moviegoers this year and it's easy to see why. Barrymore admits to borrowing heavily from her own rebellious youth (and her love of Austin) to lend an air of authenticity to her roller derby, girl power, coming-of-age comedy. Fox brings the film to Blu-ray with a great-looking 1080p transfer and a rockin DTS-HD soundtrack. The disc sports numerous deleted scenes, an alternate opening plus a Barrymore commentary. Spin it.
Wild Ocean – Designed for IMAX 3D screens, this 40-minute documentary gives us a stirring look – both above and below – the waters of South Africa's “Wild Coast.” Like many IMAX films, this 70mm production looks truly incredible on 1080p Blu-ray. Image rounds out the excellent package with a handful of HD featurettes and interviews covering the making of the film. Good stuff.
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 HDMI interconnects
UltraLink speaker wire
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