BLU-RAY REVIEW
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Blu-ray Review GAMERA
Most people don’t realize that in the early 1960’s the rival to TOHO’s Godzilla was Gamera; the flying turtle that breathed fire and was able to fly by rotating his shell with jet accuracy. The older films were a bit on the cheesy side but maybe that is what made them so damn good! In the latest reboot, Gamera is faster, meaner, and just as cheesy! That translates to you must buy this blu-ray right now. All 3 feature films from the Heisei Gamera trilogy have been remastered in HD glory and include more bonus material than you can shake a turtle at-unless he breathes fire?
Gamera: Guardian of the Universe (1995)
Don’t mess with this turtle- and don’t call him a turtle! Gamera: Guardian of the Universe is updated under the direction of Shusuke Kaneko. As with most of the reboots, the backstory plays a large role in the film; as much as the giant monsters fighting the military. Thanks to the innovations in CGI and general special effects the movie feels much more realistic. Watch out Tokyo- this fight is going to get ugly! Gamera is a monster not to mess with thanks to the help of CGI.
Gamera 2: Attack of Legion (1996) Color 114 mins Not Rated
From the same crew who brought us the effect-juiced Gamera: Guardian of the Universe now comes an even more CGI-enhanced adventure for our tortugan hero. A freak meteor shower near Sapporo, Japan brings with it more than just a killer light how. Electrical problems, over-grown plant life and a whole slew of rather irritable critters also drop in to threaten the human race. Local science instructor Midori Honami (Miki Mizuno) is called to assist the brave Colonel Watarase (Toshiyuki Nagashima) in the military s oft-confused attempts to save mankind. They must find a way to successfully combine efforts with their reptilian protector, or both will face ultimate destruction from the Earth s bugged-out invaders. Join the battle as Gamera and his bipedal pals work to repel the Attack of Legion!
Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris (1999) 108 minutes / Color / Not Rated
Still reeling after the hard-fought battle to repel Legion, Japan is now reminded of a deadly foe from the past. The Gyaos have returned, and this time the ornery man-eating birds have not only increased their numbers, but also added a menacing new member, Iris, to their destructive little club. Raised by a young girl whose parents Gamera accidentally squished, the flying blood-sucking squid monster Iris takes her learned hatred and goes out on the warpath. Dr. Nagamine and Inspector Osaka are reunited to help Gamera in his relentless quest to protect and save the human race. Can Gamera ground the Gyaos? Can the turtle tie up the terrible tentacles? Do the hapless humans and the rowdy reptile have what it takes to thwart the revenge of Iris?
This Limited Edition Box Set Includes All 3 Feature Films, All Beautifully Re-Mastered in Stunning High Definition!
BONUS MATERIALS:
Gamera 1: Gamera Behind the Scenes, Camera Test and Special Effects
Gamera 2: Uncut version of the The Salvo Scene, Behind the Scenes of the Kasum
| Actors:Tsuyoshi Ihara, Akira Onodera, Shinobu Nakayama, Ayako Fujitani, Hatsunori Hasegawa Director:Shusuke Kaneko Format: Color, DTS Surround Sound, NTSC Language: Japanese, English Subtitles: English, Spanish Aspect Ratio:1:85:1 Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Studio:Mill Creek Entertainment Number of discs:2 Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) DVD Release Date: September 27, 2011 Run Time: 326 minutes |
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Blu-ray Review Elephant in the Living Room
Praised by critics as one of the best films of the year, The Elephant in the Living Room takes viewers on a journey deep inside the controversial American subculture of raising the most dangerous animals in the world, as common household pets. Set against the backdrop of a heated national debate, director Michael Webber chronicles the extraordinary story of two men at the heart of the issue - Tim Harrison, an Ohio police officer whose friend was killed by an exotic pet; and Terry Brumfield, a big-hearted man who struggles to raise two African lions that he loves like his own family. In the first of many unexpected twists, the lives of these two men collide when Terry's male lion escapes its pen and is found attacking cars on a nearby highway. Winner of 5 Best Documentary Awards, the film courageously exposes the shocking reality behind the multi-billion dollar exotic pet industry with stunning photography.
| Actors:Tim Harrison Director:Michael Webber Format: NTSC, Widescreen Language: English Subtitles: English, Spanish Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.) Studio:Level 33 Number of discs: 1 Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) DVD Release Date: February 07, 2012 Run Time: 96 minutes |
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Blu-ray Review INSIDIOUS
Finally the long awaited Blu-ray release of Insidious. Let me start with the technical aspects of the transfer- The film looks a little brighter than the theatrical version with a high contrast that really shows the dark scenes of the film yet a crisp enough picture that is bright enough to show the things hiding in the dark! In other words the film looks magnificent. We put the sound through an AC-3 receiver and switched to Dolby and we actually were able to get a better sound from the Dolby setting with better articulation from dialogue to soundtrack. The real test was the mono record playing in the background at the end of the film- nice use of separating sound. The transfer was done well.
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As for the people reading this review who have not seen Insidious, please do not read the rest of
this article. The film starts with a strange event that puts a young boy into a strange coma. At first the parents believe that the strange mishap was just an accident but soon strange things begin to happen in the house. At this point the creepy factor begins to slowly rise fast. Director James Wan is very insidious in his use of subtle imagery and shadows; using old scare techniques instead of gore. One of the most frightening sequences takes place when we see the boy in bed and the camera slowly pulls back to reveal a demon hiding against a dark wall watching the child.
Spoiler Alert- what really makes the film work is the twist ending showing that the father was able to project his mind outside his body like the son and what he brings back at the end- this film was such a breath of fresh air because it really does try to scare you. I love horror movies but so many have been guilty of using the standard formula of scaring that the audience knows what to anticipate before the scare. In other words Insidious is very good at doing what it sets out to do-Scare you! Buy Insidious- be scared- stay away from that creepy thing with white hair!
| Actors: Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne Director: James Wan Format: AC-3, Dolby, Subtitled, Widescreen Language: English Subtitles: English, Spanish Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.) Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1 Number of discs: 1 Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) DVD Release Date: July 12, 2011 Run Time: 103 minutes |
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Alien Box Set |
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ALIEN BOX SET
ON BLU-RAY, EVERYONE WILL HEAR YOU SCREAM
The ALIEN ANTHOLOGY is a truly unique home entertainment experience. For the first time ever, the studio has united the material from every home video release of the ALIEN saga including the 1991/1992 laserdisc releases, the 1999 “Legacy” release and 2003’s groundbreaking ALIEN QUADRILOGY release into one complete Blu-ray collection. The set also includes two versions of each film and over four hours of previously unreleased exclusive material such as original screentests of Sigourney Weaver prior to filming the original ALIEN, unseen deleted scenes, thousands of still photographs from the Fox archives, the previously unseen original cut of “Wreckage and Rage: The Making of ALIEN3,” and much, much more.
| DISC ONE: ALIEN 1979 Theatrical Version 2003 Director’s Cut with Ridley Scott Introduction Audio Commentary by Director Ridley Scott, Writer Dan O’Bannon, Executive Producer Ronald Shusett, Editor Terry Rawlings, Actors Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton and John Hurt Audio Commentary (for Theatrical Cut only) by Ridley Scott Final Theatrical Isolated Score by Jerry Goldsmith Composer’s Original Isolated Score by Jerry Goldsmith Deleted and Extended Scenes MU-TH-UR Mode Interactive Experience with Weyland-Yutani Datastream |
DISC TWO: ALIENS 1986 Theatrical Version 1991 Special Edition with James Cameron Introduction Audio Commentary by Director James Cameron, Producer Gale Anne Hurd, Alien Effects Creator Stan Winston, Visual Effects Supervisors Robert Skotak and Dennis Skotak, Miniature Effects Supervisor Pat McClung, Actors Michael Biehn, Bill Paxton, Lance Henriksen, Jenette Goldstein, Carrie Henn and Christopher Henn Final Theatrical Isolated Score by James Horner Composer’s Original Isolated Score by James Horner Deleted and Extended Scenes MU-TH-UR Mode Interactive Experience with Weyland-Yutani Datastream |
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| DISC THREE: ALIEN3 1992 Theatrical Version 2003 Special Edition (Restored Workprint Version) Audio Commentary by Cinematographer Alex Thomson, B.S.C., Editor Terry Rawlings, Alien Effects Designers Alec Gillis and Tom Woodruff, Jr., Visual Effects Producer Richard Edlund, A.S.C., Actors Paul McGann and Lance Henriksen Final Theatrical Isolated Score by Elliot Goldenthal Deleted and Extended Scenes MU-TH-UR Mode Interactive Experience with Weyland-Yutani Datastream |
DISC FOUR: ALIEN RESURRECTION 1997 Theatrical Version 2003 Special Edition with Jean-Pierre Jeunet Introduction Audio Commentary by Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Editor Hervé Schneid, A.C.E., Alien Effects Creators Alec Gillis and Tom Woodruff, Jr., Visual Effects Supervisor Pitof, Conceptual Artist Sylvain Despretz, Actors Ron Perlman, Dominique Pinon and Leland Orser Final Theatrical Isolated Score by John Frizzell Deleted and Extended Scenes MU-TH-UR Mode Interactive Experience with Weyland-Yutani Datastream |
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| DISC FIVE: MAKING THE ANTHOLOGY In addition to over 12 hours of candid, in-depth documentaries, you now have the ability to go even deeper into Alien Anthology history with nearly five hours of additional video Enhancement Pods created exclusively for this collection, presenting behind-the-scenes footage, raw dailies and interview outtakes from all four films. At topical points in the documentaries, you may access these pods to enhance your experience, or watch them on their own from the separate Enhancement Pod indexThe Beast Within: Making ALIEN Star Beast: Developing the Story The Visualists: Direction and Design Truckers in Space: Casting Fear of the Unknown: Shepperton Studios, 1978-The Darkest Reaches: Nostromo and Alien Planet-The Eighth Passenger: Creature Design-Future Tense: Editing and Music-Outward Bound: Visual Effects-A Nightmare Fulfilled: Reaction to the Film Enhancement Pods Superior Firepower: Making ALIENS 57 Years Later: Continuing the Story Building Better Worlds: From Concept to Construction-Preparing for Battle: Casting and Characterization This Time It’s War: Pinewood Studios, 1985-The Risk Always Lives: Weapons and Action-Bug Hunt: Creature Design Beauty and the Bitch: Power Loader vs. Queen Alien-Two Orphans: Sigourney Weaver and Carrie Henn The Final Countdown: Music, Editing and Sound-The Power of Real Tech: Visual Effects-Aliens Unleashed: Reaction to the Film-Enhancement Pods-Wreckage and Rage: Making ALIEN3 Development Hell: Concluding the Story-Tales of the Wooden Planet: Vincent Ward’s Vision-Stasis Interrupted: David Fincher’s Vision Xeno-Erotic: H.R. Giger’s Redesign The Color of Blood: Pinewood Studios, 1991-Adaptive Organism: Creature Design-The Downward Spiral: Creative Differences-Where the Sun Burns Cold: Fox Studios, L.A. 1992 Optical Fury: Visual Effects Requiem for a Scream: Music, Editing and Sound-Post-Mortem: Reaction to the Film-Enhancement Pods One Step Beyond: Making ALIEN RESURRECTION From the Ashes: Reviving the Story French Twist: Direction and Design Under the Skin: Casting and Characterization-Death from Below: Fox Studios, Los Angeles, 1996 In the Zone: The Basketball Scene Unnatural Mutation: Creature Design Genetic Composition: Music Virtual Aliens: Computer Generated Imagery-A Matter of Scale: Miniature Photography-Critical Juncture: Reaction to the Film-Enhancement Pods -U-TH-UR Mode Interactive Experience to Access and Control Enhancement Pods..Screen Format: ALIEN: Widescreen 2.35:1 ALIENS: Widescreen 1.85:1 ALIEN3: Widescreen 2.35:1 ALIEN RESURRECTION: Widescreen 2.35:1 Audio: ALIEN: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English 4.1 Dolby Surround, English Dolby Surround, French 5.1 DTS, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, Portuguese 5.1 Dolby Digital ALIENS: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English 4.1 Dolby Surround, English Dolby Surround, French 5.1 DTS, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, Portuguese 5.1 Dolby Digital ALIEN3: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English, French 5.1 DTS, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, Portuguese 5.1 Dolby Digital ALIEN RESURRECTION: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English, French 5.1 DTS, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, Portuguese 5.1 Dolby Digital Subtitles: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese U.S. Rating: R Total Run Time: 1020 Minutes Closed Captioned: Yes |
DISC SIX: THE ANTHOLOGY ARCHIVES ALIEN Pre-Production First Draft Screenplay by Dan O’Bannon Ridleygrams: Original Thumbnails and Notes Storyboard Archive The Art of Alien: Conceptual Art Portfolio Sigourney Weaver Screen Tests with Select Director Commentary Cast Portrait Gallery Production The Chestbuster: Multi-Angle Sequence with Commentary Video Graphics Gallery Production Image Galleries Continuity Polaroids The Sets of Alien H.R. Giger’s Workshop Gallery Post-Production and Aftermath Additional Deleted Scenes Image & Poster Galleries Experience in Terror Special Collector’s Edition LaserDisc Archive The Alien Legacy American Cinematheque: Ridley Scott Q&A Trailers & TV Spots ALIENS Pre-Production Original Treatment by James Cameron Pre-Visualizations: Multi-Angle Videomatics with Commentary Storyboard Archive The Art of Aliens: Image Galleries Cast Portrait Gallery Production Production Image Galleries Continuity Polaroids Weapons and Vehicles Stan Winston’s Workshop Colonial Marine Helmet Cameras Video Graphics Gallery Weyland-Yutani Inquest: Nostromo Dossiers Post-Production and Aftermath Deleted Scene: Burke Cocooned Deleted Scene Montage Image Galleries Special Collector’s Edition LaserDisc Archive Main Title Exploration Aliens: Ride at the Speed of Fright Trailers & TV Spots ALIEN3 Pre-Production Storyboard Archive The Art of Arceon The Art of Fiorina Production Furnace Construction: Time-Lapse Sequence EEV Bioscan: Multi-Angle Vignette with Commentary Production Image Galleries A.D.I.’s Workshop Post-Production and Aftermath Visual Effects Gallery Special Shoot: Promotional Photo Archive Alien3 Advance Featurette The Making of Alien3 Promotional Featurette Trailers & TV Spots ALIEN RESURRECTION Pre-Production First Draft Screenplay by Joss Whedon Test Footage: A.D.I. Creature Shop with Commentary Test Footage: Costumes, Hair and Makeup Pre-Visualizations: Multi-Angle Rehearsals Storyboard Archive The Marc Caro Portfolio: Character Designs The Art of Resurrection: Image Galleries Production Production Image Galleries A.D.I.’s Workshop Post-Production and Aftermath Visual Effects Gallery Special Shoot: Promotional Photo Archive HBO First Look: The Making of Alien Resurrection Alien Resurrection Promotional Featurette Trailers & TV Spots ANTHOLOGY Two Versions of Alien Evolution The Alien Saga Patches and Logos Gallery Aliens 3D Attraction Scripts and Gallery Aliens in the Basement: The Bob Burns Collection Parodies Dark Horse Cover Gallery Patches and Logos Gallery MU-TH-UR Mode Interactive Experience | |
| RAGING BULL! 30th Anniversary |
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Blu-ray Review
Raging Bull is an iconic classic Scorsese film that deserves to be on Blu-ray not because of the 30th anniversary but more for the prime example of great filmmaking. This is the film where Robert De Niro had to transform his body to fit the "in-shape" young Jake La Motta and the older overweight version of the retired boxer. This is not a boxing movie but a film about a man who destroys everything he touches. This is also a story of a tumultous relationship between two brothers. This new edition has over 50 minutes of new features, including exclusive new interviews with De Niro and Scorsese. If you are a Scorsese fan you probably already own Raging Bull; so here is a list of features that are new to the Blu-ray in addition to legacy features.
| Disc 1 (Blu-ray) • Feature Film • Marty & Bobby Feature (New) • Raging Bull: reflections on a Classic (New) • Remembering Jake (New) • Marty on Film (New) • Cathy Moriarty on the Tonight Show-Johnny Carson 1981 (New) • Raging Bull: Fight Night • The Bronx Bull • De Niro vs. La Motta • LaMotta Defends Title |
Disc 2 (DVD) • Feature Film • Commentary by Martin Scorsese and Editor Thelma Schoonmaker • Commentary Cast and Crew • Storytellers Commentary All Commentaries are included on the Blu-ray edition. |
The mastering of the film to Blu-ray is flawless. The picture pops in beautiful black and white with nice contrast levels. Technically and artistically this is a winner. I highly recommend Raging Bull on Blu-ray. This is a must have for any collector
