Items filtered by date: November 2009

This is a rare Saturday post with some important breaking news: Lucasfilm's Steve Sansweet has reportedly confirmed, during a panel today at the C2E2 comic convention in Chicago, that the company is now working on a Blu-ray Disc box set of all six Star Wars films loaded with extras, for release "in the not too distant future."

We're awaiting any kind of official statement from Lucasfilm - one MAY appear on Star Wars.com in the coming days. Nonetheless, MANY people who were in the panel began Tweeting reports of the news almost the moment the words left Sansweet's mouth. IGN has also reported the news with an actual quote from Sansweet: "We have been at work for a couple of years working on - I won't call it the Ultimate Set because we keep finding stuff - but, a very full set of all six movies on Blu-ray with lots of extra material. We're finding all kinds of scenes from dailies that have never been seen before. Beyond all of those things that you know about... there are some real treasures." There is no other official information at this time, but we'll post additional details when and if they come in. HOWEVER...

Our own industry sources have actually been checking in with us in recent weeks on this very subject. Our latest information is that Lucasfilm tentatively plans the official Blu-ray release to happen in October 2011. Now, we've been hearing reports like this on and off for years, and until now little has come of it. So we've been waiting to say something here on The Bits until we had a hint of more official confirmation. But now that Sansweet has begun talking about the release, we feel more comfortable reporting on the word from our sources. Plans could obviously change and again, even though Sansweet has hinted that it's coming, none of this constitutes an official announcement. But if current plans remain unchanged, our sources say you'll be enjoying The Force in 1080p next October.

Again, we'll post additional updates as they come in. As always, the above information is to be considered unofficial and subject to change until the studios in question make official announcements. Stay tuned...

- Bill Hunt

THE TAKING OF PELHAM 1 2 3 (Sony) 91% (Blu-ray), 78% (Film)

It's obscene to me that this third-rate remake of the original classic 70s nail-biter is on Blu-ray, but the Robert Shaw/Walter Matthau is MIA. Regrettably, the remake of Pelham seemed on paper to be a great idea. Tony Scott, a stylish and reliable director with a strong commercial sensibility, directing Denzel Washington and John Travolta seemed like a can't-miss notion. But unfortunately, like a poor marksmen, he keeps on missing the target. The new film is as bad as the original is good. The only thing it has going for it is the tech credits for the new BD are all excellent with near demo quality video and audio and the supplements are terrific, including a nice package on filming in the New York Subway System. But where the first film is a tight, clever, pressure-cooker with a memorable David Shire score, the remake is just big and dumb adding a ludicrous new twist to Travolta's caper that is absolutely absurd along with an over-the-top performance from the former Barbarino that is the opposite of the seething, silent menace of Robert Shaw in the original.

The Aughts are Over! Can I hear a chorus of halleluiah! And while few may miss the passing of this somewhat disdained decade, it's hard for fans of home entertainment to quibble that it was the best ten years yet for the medium. So here's a final look at back at the triumphs in the audio/video world from way back in January 2000 to the end of 2009. These are not necessarily the best movies of the decade, in fact, few of them actually are from the recent decade past, but they are the best of the formats from the dying days of laserdisc to the decade of DVD to the short-lived HD-DVD to the dawn of Blu-ray. If your library doesn't include any of these titles, run, don't walk to pick them up today (or, in this wired age, surf your way to Amazon) to add these to your sadly deficient collection. And while the list is top-heavy with genre titles, it's only because these films lend themselves to the video and audio strengths of the format and have tended to receive the most tender loving care from the studios due to their strong commercial appeal.

Okay... retail sources are telling us to expect Disney's animated The Princess and the Frog on 3/16 (available will be single-disc DVD and Blu-ray editions, along with a 3-disc Combo Pack including DVD, Blu-ray and a Digital Copy. Their live-action Old Dogs is also expected on 3/9.

Meanwhile, Universal is expected to release Brothers on 3/23.

Retailers are expecting Warner's Ninja Assassin on 3/16, followed by Sherlock Holmes and Under the Sea: IMAX on 3/30.

Fox's Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel is tentatively set for 3/30.

Finally, retail sources in Europe are reporting that James Cameron's Avatar will arrive on 2D DVD and Blu-ray from Fox sometime in June. We can't vouch for this, but if they're accurate it's possible the title will street some time around then in the States as well. We're expecting that a Blu-ray 3D version will arrive later in 2010, in time for the holidays.

As always, the above information is to be considered unofficial and subject to change until the studios in question make official announcements. Stay tuned...

- Bill Hunt

With all the talk about digital downloading and the implosion of home video sales, it's easy to lose of the sight of the fact that 2009 was another fantastic year for home entertainment. Blu-ray took another quantum leap forward as it penetrated further into the mainstream, although I could do with a little less bells and whistles as the tub thumping of BD-Live turned out to be much ado about nothing and I continue to loathe easter eggs. And DVD proved that while it was down, it definitely wasn't out. And most of the studios began amping up their release of vintage catalog titles on Blu-ray with Warner Bros leading the way with the great (The Wizard of Oz) to the good (Gone With the Wind) to the kitschy (Logan's Run). It was exceptionally hard to narrow down my favorite titles of the year to only ten (and, all of my Top 10 are Blu-ray titles with a few standard def DVD titles singled out among my runner-up's), but after many bleary eyed hours of re-sampling the candidates, here is my list of The Best Discs of 2009. Let the kvetching begin.

For this, the first installment of MOS DEF, here's some thoughts on new and recent Blu-rays I've enjoyed...

Whatever Works (Sony): B+

A pristine transfer, effective, but subdued DTS-HD Master Audio mix for the dialogue driven film and the first rate pairing of the irascible Larry David and the brilliant Woody Allen as writer/director seems like the ingredients for a film classic. But while the Woodman's latest is a delightful, amusing confection, it certainly doesn't rank alongside his classics like Annie Hall, Manhattan and Husbands and Wives to name a few, all notably (and inexcusably) absent from BD thus far. As is par for the course for all of Woody's films, the disc is completely devoid of special features, but is a welcome addition to his oeuvre (and anyone's Blu-ray collection) nonetheless.

It's no exaggeration to say that Richard Donner is one of the most influential filmmakers of the past thirty years. For all intents and purposes, he single-handedly invented the modern superhero movie with 1978's Superman. In 1987, he reinvigorated the buddy movie formula with Lethal Weapon, spawning three sequels and countless imitators. But like any filmmaker, there have been some disappointments along the way, both critical and commercial. Perhaps the biggest was the failure of Inside Moves, a low-key character study, to find an audience upon its release in 1980. The film garnered critical praise and an Academy Award nomination for Diana Scarwid in the Best Supporting Actress category. But an ineptly managed theatrical release all but insured that no one would ever see it. After its release on VHS in the early 80s, Inside Moves promptly vanished into obscurity.

Inside Moves
1980 (2009) - Lionsgate Home Entertainment

When you think of the films of Richard Donner, you likely think of big-budget action-adventures like The Goonies or the Lethal Weapon series. But back in 1980, Donner followed up Superman with Inside Moves, a quiet, low-key drama more in keeping with the films of Hal Ashby than Dick Donner. Despite a cult following and winning an Academy Award nomination for supporting actress Diana Scarwid, it's never been released on DVD. That is, until now.

The following is a comparison of anamorphic and non-anamorphic (letterboxed) widescreen DVD video, as displayed on Standard 4x3 and Digital 16x9 TVs. For this demonstration, we've chosen to use snapshots of actual DVD video from the film Good Will Hunting (aspect ratio is 1.85:1). Buena Vista's U.S. DVD version (on the left) is non-anamorphic. By contrast, Alliance's Canadian DVD release (on the right) is anamorphic.

As the editor of The Digital Bits, I'm proud to present you with The Ultimate Guide to Anamorphic Widescreen DVD for Everyone! - the Everyperson's bible to DVD's most important video quality feature.

You may remember the first editorial I did on this subject back in 1998: The Big Squeeze: The ABCs of Anamorphic DVD. Lots of you have let me know that the editorial helped you to better understand just exactly what anamorphic is and how it works. But we still get tons of e-mail from puzzled readers asking questions about it. I recently did some research of my own, and started looking at the various resources available on the subject (both online and in various print publications). What I discovered, is that while there are lots of good articles on anamorphic widescreen, most of them are written in very technical terms and are difficult for even reasonably savvy DVD consumers to understand. Given the vigorous position in support of anamorphic widescreen that we've taken here at The Digital Bits, I decided to assemble what I hope will become the most clear and easy-to-understand guide on the subject. And it will always be just a click away, easily accessed by pointing your mouse at the familiar Anamorphic Widescreen logo found on every page of the Bits.