DISC JUST IN for 12/8/09

Here’s a look at the hottest new DVD and Blu-ray Disc releases for the week of December 8, 2009:

BLU-RAY MOVIES

Alphabet Killer (Anchor Bay)
Behind the Mask: Rise of Leslie Vernon (Anchor Bay)
BluScenes: Classic Fireplace (BluScenes)
BluScenes: Coral Reef Aquarium (BluScenes)
BluScenes: Journey Through Space (BluScenes)
Coraline: Gift Set (Universal)
Cyclops (Anchor Bay)
Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets: Ultimate (Warner)
Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince (Warner)
Harry Potter & the Sorcerer’s Stone: Ultimate (Warner)
Harry Potter: Years 1-6 Gift Set (Warner)
Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer (Anchor Bay)
Julie & Julia (Sony)
Knut and Friends (Image)
Lost Treasure of the Grand Canyon (Anchor Bay)
Lower Learning (Anchor Bay)
Public Enemies (Universal)
Red Mist (Anchor Bay)
Sands of Oblivion (Anchor Bay)
Walled In (Anchor Bay)
While She Was Out (Anchor Bay)
World’s Greatest Dad (Magnolia)

DVD MOVIES

Beautiful Losers (Oscilloscope)
Brigitte Bardot Classic Collection (Image)
Coraline: Gift Set (Universal)
The Cove (Lionsgate)
Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets: Ultimate (Warner)
Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince (Warner)
Harry Potter & the Sorcerer’s Stone: Ultimate (Warner)
Harry Potter: Years 1-6 Gift Set (Warner)
Julie & Julia (Sony)
Knut and Friends (Image)
Lower Learning (Anchor Bay)
Moonlight Serenade (Lionsgate)
Public Enemies (Universal)
The Skeptic (MPI)
World’s Greatest Dad (Magnolia)

TV-on-DISC

Dhani Tackles the Globe: Season 1 (Image)
The Fugitive: Season 3, Vol.2 (Paramount)
Get Smart: Season 5 (HBO)
Lost: Season 5 (Disney) (BD)
Perry Mason: Season 4, Vol. 2 (Paramount)
Rescue Me: Season 5, Vol. 2 (Sony)

HIGHLIGHTS

BluScenes – Fans of serene, atmospheric background discs will definitely want to check out BluScenes’ debut trio of titles. Journey Through Space, Coral Reef Aquarium and Classic Fireplace each provide hours of serene calm and sparkling 1080p visuals. And they’re well engineered too; the last frame of each scene precedes the first frame, so a wisely placed cross-fade prevents harsh skips during Loop Play. 

HP Ultimate Editions – If you’re a Hogwarts fanatic, you probably already own the first two Potter films on Blu-ray. However, if you don’t, Warner’s new "Ultimate Editions" are indeed ultimate. Nestled in lovely, elaborate packaging, each film is given the royal treatment, with two cuts of each film, loads of extras, a hard-bound book covering one particular aspect of the Harry Potter cinematic universe plus a Digital Copy. Like the previous Blu-ray editions, audio and video quality are top notch on the films themselves. Highly recommended.

Julie & Julia – I can’t blame Julia Child for her love of food. I’m no stranger to the buffet table myself. Nora Ephron’s charming romantic comedy tells the story of NY blogger Julie Powell and her quest to cook her way through Julia Child’s cookbook. Meryl Streep shines as Julia Child and Sony’s Blu-ray looks and sounds absolutely delicious.

Public Enemies – I was a tad disappointed with this one. Michael Mann’s Heat is a personal favorite, but his recently-developed penchant for 100% handheld shaky-cams is a serious deal breaker. (Thanks again, Mr. Paul Greengrass!) That said, this tale of John Dillinger (Johnny Depp) and the agent on his tail (Christian Bale) has its moments and Universal’s Blu-ray features fantastic DTS-HD sound. Dialogue is uneven early on but later stabilizes, and those Tommy guns really do test your subwoofer when things heat up. 

While She Was Out – This film could have been a lot better, but nonetheless it remains a mildly entertaining (albeit totally unbelievable) thriller about a downtrodden woman (Kim Basinger) and the trouble she encounters while trying to do some last minute Christmas shopping. 

World’s Greatest Dad – A black, black comedy starring Robin Williams and directed by Bobcat Goldthwait. Do you really have to ask? You might want to watch the trailer on this one so you know what you’re in for.  This is no Old Dogs, that’s for sure.

GREG’S PICK OF THE WEEK

Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince (Blu-ray)
Warner Home Video | Rated PG-13 | 2009| 135 mins | $35.99

True to the books, the Harry Potter series of films continues to impress as it relentlessly delves into the deeper and darker story elements surrounding Harry and evil Lord Voldemort.

Kudos to Warner Bros. for bringing this latest installment, the sixth,  to Blu-ray packaged with a bonus DVD and Digital Copy. Extras are numerous, but the highlight to be sure is a BD-LIVE event, scheduled for THIS SATURDAY, December 12.  Starting at 12 noon PST, you can watch the film, hosted by and chatting with Harry himself Daniel Radcliffe, along with Director David Yates. To sign up and reserve your space in the screening, visit Warner’s official event site.  Don’t miss it!

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