The Matrix On Blu Ray

Neo Noir 5: Thief (1981)

One of Michael Mann's earliest films; we have recently acquired a copy on Blu Ray and watching it for the first time.  It looks terrific!!  There is a lot of dark and wet scenes in the film that the DVD has never done justice to....never mind VHS!!  Highly recommended if you are a crime flick fan or like Mann's films.  Music my Tangerine Dream.

Scream On Blu Ray

OK, this is actually a set, I'm just choosing to view the first film.  This set is billed as a "5 Film Set," which, technically, it is, though at first blush it's misleading.  To those uninitiated to the Scream franchise, the set could easily be mistaken as Scream 1-5.  Those of us who are horror movie buffs know that there are actually (at least of this writing) only 4 Scream films, and the last of those was not released until last year, as of the release of this set, Scream 4 was not yet released in any form for home purchase.  The features 4 & 5 are actually feature length documentaries.  Scream:  The Inside Story is a 90 minute documentary on the first Scream film, with an in depth inside look at the original cast and crew and explores how it went on to spawn the now famous Wes Craven horror series, newly produced in 2011, it was directed by Daniel Farrands..  Still Screaming:  The Ultimate Scary Movie Retrospective explores the cast and crews of all four Scream films and was directed by Ryan Tubek, it runs 93 minutes.  Other than the two featured docs, there is not a great deal of special features in the set; of course, the films all have the obligatory commentary.  What is nice is the price:  $20.95 at Amazon, so in this horror film lover's opinion the set is worth it.

Scream (1996) - Part 1 from Rashed Al-Assiri on Vimeo.

Scream (1996) - Part 2 from Rashed Al-Assiri on Vimeo.

Scream (1996) - Part 3 from Rashed Al-Assiri on Vimeo.

Scream (1996) - Part 4 from Rashed Al-Assiri on Vimeo.

Scream (1996) - Part 5 (Final) from Rashed Al-Assiri on Vimeo.

For The Peanut: Monsters vs. Aliens On Blu Ray

This is the "Kid's Choice" for the day.  This is new to the household, so I can't comment on the look of the disc, since I writing this at the beginning of the film; I have been told by other people that it looks great.  This is the original Blu Ray release of the film, not the 3D version.  I can say that it comes in one of the really nice and super convenient 2 disc packs, with one the Blu Ray itself, and the other a regular DVD copy, for when Peanut heads out to his Goopy's where there is no Blu Ray in the house.  Each disc also features it's own set of special features.  The Blu Ray features, amongst other stuff, Animator's Corner, B.O.B. Big Break in 3D, Paddle Ball Game in Monster 3D, Top Secret Files, a Karaoke Music Parts in HD and a Trivia Track.  The DVD disc features deleted scenes, Modern Monster Movie-Making, Dreamworks Animation Juke Box, The Tech of Monsters vs. Aliens, and filmmakers commentary.  The film runs 94 minutes and is rated PG.

Assault On Precinct 13 (1976) On Blu Ray

John Carpenter's original is only 91 minutes long, but feels longer.  The Blu Ray edition is completely restored and looks as good as low budget film from the 1970's is going to look in High Definition and from a transfer from the original Panavision® anamorphic widescreen.  It features commentary by Carpenter, who not only directed the film, but also wrote it.  The single disc speacial features also include an interview with Carpenter and actor Austin Stoker, radio spots which Carpenter loved so much that he put some in The Fog, the theatrical trailer, and a gallery of stills.  The one thing that I personally think is the coolest feature is the option for John Carpenter's score of the film to be played in isolation!  I happen to be a fan of his scores.

The Shining On Blu Ray

Got a new Blu Ray player recently, so thought it would be fun to do another Friday featuring horrors in High Def.  The first player we had was a first generation player and it got to a point where a lot of newer Blu Rays were not loading because it's processor wasn't able to decode all of the newer discs loaded with so much information that the poor thing would just shut down.  As a result there was an ever growing pile of Blu Rays that it just couldn't handle.  

As far as The Shining on Blu Ray goes, it's not one of the super sophisticated combo packs that have become so popular.  It's jut your basic single disc pack with some nice extras on it that include Vivian Kubrick's on set documentary The Making Of The Shining, movie commentary by Steadicam Inventor and Operator Garrett Brown and Historian John Baxter, and 3 new featurettes:  View From The Overlook:  Crafting The Shining, The Visions of Stanley Kubrick and Wendy Carlos, Composer, and, of course, the Theatrical Trailer.  Some have rated the picture quality as so-so on Blu Ray rating sites; this I have to disagree with, I think it's looks great, especially the night scenes in the snow covered maze!

SPIKE
The Shining - Theatrical Trailer
www.spike.com
Spike Full Episodes Spike Video Clips Spike on Facebook Theatrical Trailer Courtesy of Spike TV

No Country For Old Men Blu Ray

Newer films, of course, are released both on Blu Ray and DVD at the same time, so there's not a lot to say about the way the film looks as opposed to, say, how it used to look on VHS.  The one thing that is important are the special features, many are manufactured especially for the Blu Ray editions and have production values that are impressively high .  The Blu Ray for "No Country" contains pretty extensive special features which include, "The Making of No Country For Old Men," "Working With the Coens, and "Diary Of A Country Sheriff."  Amazon sells the single disc edition for $11.64 which is not bad, but apparently there is a two disc version out there that is better--much more loaded with special features

Barton Fink Blu Ray

Just finished watching the imported region free Blu Ray of Barton Fink.  I absolutely think that the purchase of the set from the UK is worth every bit of extra wait time for it's arrival just for this one film.  Not only is this the absolute closest that any Coen film gets to a horror film (in my mind it is a horror flick), it is also set during a time in Hollywood when writers were corralled like cattle at the behest of the human munching, career eating studio system...so, again, there are a lot of moments of dark shadows and brooding room shots.  The blu ray hi-def does this justice.  For example, when Barton is sitting at his typewriter in his room, the shadows cast on his shirt were always "noisy"--they didn't look really solid on DVD, on blu ray they are absolutely crisp.  The blu ray also shows of the stark contrast between the dark, moody, brown and peeling world that Barton lives in, where it seems that the sun is never shining, and the bright world outside of this in the rich world of studio executives with light colored suits, fancy windows and state of the art (for the day) swimming pools.  Every bit worth the wait and the price!

Blood Simple Blu Ray

As one of the best neo noirs of the 1980's, Blood Simple has plenty of dark moments, literally--which is where the Blu Ray High Definition excels.  I was a bit sceptical that the film would hold up well with the blu ray "treatment."  I'm stoked to say that it looks great.  It's well known that the Coens have never made a straight out horror movie, but this film and the film coming up next on tonight's playlist, Barton Fink, come as close as any.  I've always had a great affection for this dark Texas thriller, but even after it's restoration, it had troubled parts, especially during the fully lit scenes.  I'm happy to say that the Blu Ray, though it has a few--mostly toward the very beginning of the film--it is a VAST improvement over any other edition or format available.  It is also part of the set of five that are available for a good collective price.  Special features include commentary by Kenneth Loring from Forever Young Films that was made after it's restoration for DVD and the original trailer.

Intolerable Cruelty Blu Ray (Overseas Set)

Amazon claims that the blu-ray for this more obscure Coen film listed for a whopping $44.98, which they in turn sell for the still whopping price of $19.95 and that is just for an edition featuring 1 disc with standard special features.  Of course, it is available from vendors for slightly OK prices, but it turns out that there is a better way to acquire the film on Blu Ray from across the great pond.

This UK edition, originally put out on DVD in Region 2 only, was later put out in a Blu Ray edition that is region free for 14 pounds 99.  OK, first of all, yes I know what the US/UK exchange rate is, and people assume that the shipping will be prohibitive.  But the set includes 5 movies, including two that I've already give blu ray info. on today (Lebowski and Burn), plus this film, and A Serious Man.  PLUS, and this is the kicker, it also contains Barton Fink, which has never been released on Blu-Ray domestically.  Additionally, Amazon gives some breaks on shipping overseas back to the US.  So all and all a good deal.  Also, you get the same special features that come with the individual domestic blu rays.  Not bad.

The Big Lebowski Blu Ray

Other than a region free blu ray set from Europe (more on this later), for the longest time fans of The Big Lebowski complained that they couldn't get a Hi-Def copy of their favorite Coen Bros. movie--well that's changed.  It was finally released State side in a deluxe book limited edition with an original print interview with the Jeff Dowd (the real Dude) "The Inspiration For The Dude" in tow.  The book also includes interesting trivia tidbits, full cast information, original set photos, a recipe for a proper "Caucasian,"  AND a complete Duderology test.  Amazon sells it for a reasonable price of $14.99