This dark and strange animated telling of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings by director Ralph Bakshi (Fritz the Cat, American Pop, Wizards, Cool World) has been released to coincide with Blu-ray release of Peter Jackson ‘s live-action Lord of the Rings trilogy.

It’s a bit creepy, has a unique visual style and, being the first official LOTR film, certainly helped to set the tone for future adaptations. You definitelyneed to watch this (with an open mind)…

While I’m in a BatMood, Waner Home Video today (September 26, 2008) announced that Dark Knight will be available on Blu-Ray and DVD on December 9, 2008.

Since Dark Knight was partially shot using IMAX cameras, the Blu-Ray release will include IMAX and regular ol’ HD footage. Warner is going whole hog with the Blu-Ray and including BD-Live features which, according to the press release, “allows users with web-enabled Blu-ray players to access exciting additional content and connect and share with other BD-Live users…”