This Week on HD DVD and Blu-ray: February 05, 2008
Posted by Johnny Mercedes Categories: 20th Century Fox, Buena Vista, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Adaptation, Classics, Documentary, Drama, Foreign, Music, Musicals, Religious, Satire, Comedy, Thrillers, Home Entertainment, New Releases
As the 80th Annual Academy Awards inch ever closer, some of us are still scrambling to see the contenders in question before the big night. Those anxious to see their favorites before the inevitable acceptance speech or scowl-behind-forced-smile have the chance to watch a few in high-def this week.
On HD DVD is Elizabeth: The Golden Age, nominated for Cate Blanchett‘s performance and the opulent costumes. On Blu-ray are Across the Universe, nominated for its costumes, and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, nominated for Casey Affleck‘s supporting performance.
Look for other nominees, brought to you in crystal clear high definition, throughout the month.
Check out the full list of high-def releases after the jump.
Click to continue reading This Week on HD DVD and Blu-ray: February 05, 2008
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This Week on HD DVD and Blu-ray: January 29, 2008
Posted by Johnny Mercedes Categories: Sony, Warner Bros, Adaptation, Classics, Drama, Foreign, Music, Musicals, Religious, Satire, Comedy, Thrillers, Home Entertainment, New Releases
Happy Tuesday, all!
The big news this week is the release of Monty Python’s Life of Brian on Blu-ray. The classic film, walking the hyper-sensitive line between important social issues and side-splitting comedy, is easily one of the best from the Python team, and should have a place on every movie lover’s shelf. Why not own it in gorgeous 1080p resolution and Dolby 5.1 surround sound? The harmless religious satire is that much better.
On a side note, am I crazy, or has Warner started consistently releasing films on HD DVD weeks later than those released on Blu-ray? For instance, this week’s Blu-ray release, The Invasion, won’t come out on HD DVD until February 19. And it’s not this one time either—the list of upcoming titles from High-Def Digest shows a serious lag in Warner HD DVD releases. I realize that Warner is phasing the format out, but have they officially put HD DVD on the back burner?
Check out the full list of high-def releases after the jump.
Click to continue reading This Week on HD DVD and Blu-ray: January 29, 2008
This Week on HD DVD and Blu-ray: January 15, 2008
Posted by Johnny Mercedes Categories: Lionsgate, New Line, Adaptation, Documentary, Drama, Independent, Religious, Satire, Comedy, Home Entertainment, New Releases
Alright, yes—this article should have been written yesterday. But despite my lack of punctuality, I’ve decided to go ahead and post it anyway as part of a New Year’s resolution to write more. And this is a slow time for film in general, so I think I deserve a reprieve.
To be perfectly honest, little jumps out at me this week. We have the hilarious, slightly esoteric The Ten, helmed by some The State alumni and starring, well, just about everyone. Is there anything else worth mentioning? Could Girls Gone Wild: Baby Bash—Live and Uncensored be the best Blu-ray title this week? That seems a bit sad, doesn’t it? Don’t worry, HD DVD patrons—if you were looking for some girl-on-girl action, hold out until February 12th when it releases in your format.
I can’t wait for these sluggish few weeks to pass.
Check out the full list of high-def releases after the jump.
Click to continue reading This Week on HD DVD and Blu-ray: January 15, 2008
This Week on HD DVD and Blu-ray: January 08, 2008
Posted by Johnny Mercedes Categories: 20th Century Fox, Buena Vista, Fox Searchlight, Lionsgate, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Drama, Foreign, Foreign Language, Horror, Independent, Science Fiction, Sequels, Thrillers, Home Entertainment, New Releases
This week marks the release of the first batch of high-definition DVDs since on-the-fence Warner landed decidedly on the Blu side; I must admit, as an HD DVD man, the day feels a bit colder than normal. But no matter—the format war is far from over.
On a lighter note, both formats have some exciting titles to speak of, including the Blu-ray release of one of my favorite movies from 2007, Sunshine; Roman Polanski’s Oscar-winning film, The Pianist, on HD DVD; and the long-awaited special edition of David Fincher’s Zodiac, also on HD DVD. The DVD release from July contained nary a special feature, so this two-disc director’s cut ought to please those Fincher fans waiting for a decent version.
Check out the full list of high-def releases after the jump.
Click to continue reading This Week on HD DVD and Blu-ray: January 08, 2008
This Week on HD DVD and Blu-ray: November 6, 2007
Posted by Johnny Mercedes Categories: Buena Vista, Disney, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Short Films, Drama, Family, Foreign, Foreign Language, Period, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Distribution, Home Entertainment, Lists, New Releases
Disney/Pixar’s quaint animated story about Remy the rat and his penchant for the culinary arts releases on Blu-ray this week, shortly after taking the US and UK by storm. And with no other major title to contend with (Chuck & Larry do not count), Ratatouille is sure to take high-def home entertainment by storm too.
Other titles worth noting include a cross-format The Aviator from Warner, South Korean cult film Old Boy from Tartan, and some modestly-priced box sets from Warner and Disney.
Check the full list of high-def releases after the jump.
Click to continue reading This Week on HD DVD and Blu-ray: November 6, 2007
This Week on HD DVD and Blu-ray: October 30, 2007
Posted by Johnny Mercedes Categories: Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Documentary, Drama, Family, Foreign Language, Independent, Music, Romance, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Distribution, Home Entertainment, Lists, New Releases
This past fortnight, the HD DVD release of Transformers made high-definition history with over 100,000 units sold in the first day—a record that supplanted day-one sales across both formats. But this week Sony will inevitably pull the warring robots off their high horses—likely with a quick tug on some carefully aimed webbing.
The hugely profitable but ambivalently received Spider-Man 3 releases Tuesday and will undoubtedly be a smash hit for Blu-ray. And for those who can’t justify said purchase, the film will also release in a high-def trilogy.
Universal and Warner also have some decent contributions this week, but the real content explosion comes from DVD International and their HDScape series. Finally, I can sit in my tiny condominium and watch a high-definition fireplace, an exotic aquarium, or the slow but steady thaw of Antarctica.
Check the full list of high-def releases after the jump.
Click to continue reading This Week on HD DVD and Blu-ray: October 30, 2007
This Week on HD DVD and Blu-ray: October 23, 2007
Posted by Johnny Mercedes Categories: 20th Century Fox, MGM, Lionsgate, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Classics, Documentary, Drama, Family, Horror, Independent, Music, Mystery, Romance, Satire, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Distribution, Home Entertainment, Lists, New Releases
Whether you’ve made the choice and actually picked a side in this format war, one thing can be agreed upon by all sides—this is a good week for high-definition.
It so happens that Warner Home Entertainment has yet to pick a side in this battle of video/audio quality—a decision that, when the time comes, could end the war for good. For now, however, they are throwing down some pretty good releases to please everyone, and this week is no exception.
The late Stanley Kubrick, idiosyncratic director of some of America’s most cherished cinema, is honored this week with the release of a few classics in dual format—finally, we can all see Jack Torrance’s nose hairs as he axes the hotel door and screams his classic “Here’s Johnny!” After all, Halloween is quick approaching, and a high-def copy of The Shining might make the perfect late-night creepfest. And if horror is your bag, both formats have some decent titles this week. Check the full list after the jump.
Click to continue reading This Week on HD DVD and Blu-ray: October 23, 2007
This Week on HD DVD and Blu-ray: October 16, 2007
Posted by Johnny Mercedes Categories: Buena Vista, DreamWorks, Paramount, Sony, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Animation, Documentary, Drama, Family, Horror, Independent, Music, Political, Romance, Sequels, Thrillers, Home Entertainment, Lists, New Releases, Upcoming Releases
As the autumn season pulls the coats from our closets, warms our chocolate beverages, and turns our leaves from a verdant green to a rusty orange, the movie studios give us another reason to spend a comfy evening at home: summer blockbusters on DVD. And what better way to view these visual—if not always plausible—delights than in high definition?
The coveted two-disc special edition of Transformers releases this week on HD DVD, much to the chagrin of Blu-ray loyalists; without a major exclusive release, they’ll simply have to make do with some mediocre thrillers.
But aside from the inferior cinematic fare, the first and second volumes of Showtime’s Masters of Horror series is out just in time for Halloween. The anthology show gives modern horror directors a full hour to play without the restrictions of an MPAA rating or television censorship. Although it failed to garner much critical acclaim, the show ended up being quite successful and achieved what some could perceive to be cult status.
Check out the full list of high-def releases after the jump.Click to continue reading This Week on HD DVD and Blu-ray: October 16, 2007
This Week on HD DVD and Blu-ray: October 9, 2007
Posted by Johnny Mercedes Categories: 20th Century Fox, DreamWorks, MGM, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Animation, Classics, Drama, Family, Horror, Independent, Romance, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Home Entertainment, Lists, New Releases, Upcoming Releases
The war between Blu-ray and HD DVD rages on, but this week the battle looks particularly one-sided.
HD DVD has only one exclusive release this Tuesday (and not even a very good one), which can’t counter-balance the nine exclusive Blu-ray titles. Now, one could see this as merely a slow week for the format’s proponents—Universal has the one title, and Paramount has zilch—or maybe Fox, Sony and MGM have simply realized that the holidays are fast approaching, and that … well, this is a war! Whatever the case, HD DVD loyalists will find little to drool over this week. As for the Blu-ray fans, they’ll find three day-and-date releases plus a high-def 28 Days Later to supplement its impressive new-release sequel.
Have a look at this week’s HD releases after the jump.
Check out this week’s standard-definition releases,
or take a look at the TV-on-DVD titles.
Click to continue reading This Week on HD DVD and Blu-ray: October 9, 2007
This Week on HD DVD and Blu-ray: October 2, 2007
Posted by Johnny Mercedes Categories: 20th Century Fox, Paramount, Sony, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Animation, Classics, Documentary, Drama, Family, Horror, Independent, Musicals, Romance, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Distribution, Home Entertainment, Lists, New Releases
This Tuesday brings the release of some great titles, new and old. As expected, the studios are rolling out some Halloween-inspired classics, filled with zombies, vampires and serial killers; though sadly, only Blu-ray supporters seem to be taking advantage of the upcoming holiday.
HD DVD studios chose instead to use this week to re-release a bunch of titles that were previously only available in those obnoxious HD DVD/DVD Combo discs. You know, the $40 releases that were appealing to neither the HD owners nor the standard-definition owners? Those of you who rightly refused to make such a silly purchase can now have some great HD titles for a lower price, thanks to Warner Home Video coming to its senses. Any of the following films with an asterisk (*) in the title are the re-released versions.
Check out this Tuesday’s HD DVD and Blu-ray releases after the jump.
To see this week’s standard-definition DVD releases, click here.
To see this week’s TV-On-DVD releases, click here.
Click to continue reading This Week on HD DVD and Blu-ray: October 2, 2007
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