A Q&A Discussion with Andy Parsons, Rich Marty, and Paul Erickson About Blu-rays and the Future
Yesterday I was invited to join a round-table discussion with some of the leaders of the Blu-ray industry to discuss the evolution of the home entertainment market and how current technologies (Blu-ray Disc, digital steaming and downloads and disc-based digital extensions) complement one another to give consumers more flexibility and control over their content and viewing options than ever before. The discussion was moderated by Andy Parsons, Chair, BDA US Promotions Committee who also hosted the Q&A panel that followed afterwards along with Rich Marty, Vice President for Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and Paul Erickson, Senior Analyst for IMS Research. As you might expect, UltraViolet came up a lot in the discussion (including my own complaint about it) as well as hardware questions, 3D adoption and its market share, their thoughts on the future of the format, and a lot more. There was even some talk about the upcoming Lawrence of Arabia Blu-ray release. Read on for more details! Continue reading ‘A Q&A Discussion with Andy Parsons, Rich Marty, and Paul Erickson About Blu-rays and the Future’
FBI profiler Terry McCaleb almost always gets to the heart of a case. This time, that heart beats inside him. He’s a cardiac patient who received a murder victim’s heart. And the donor’s sister asks him to make good on his second chance by finding the killer. That’s just the first of many twists in a smart, gritty suspense thriller that’s “vintage Eastwood: swift, surprising and very, very exciting” (Jim Svejda, KNX/CBS Radio). Clint Eastwood produces, directs and stars in this edgy, acclaimed mystery based on Michael Connelly’s novel and scripted by Brian Helgeland (L.A. Confidential). With a superb cast brought to a hard boil playing characters to quicken your pulse and hold you spellbound, Blood Work represents another fine effort by Clint Eastwood as both an actor and as a director. 
Academy Award winners Kevin Costner and Clint Eastwood confront each other from opposite sides of the law in A Perfect World, an acclaimed, multi-layered manhunt saga (directed by Eastwood) that rumbles down Texas back-roads toward a harrowing collision with fate. Costner plays Butch Haynes, a hardened prison escapee on the lam with a young hostage (T.J. Lowther in a remarkable film debut) who sees in Butch the father figure he never had. Eastwood is wily Texas Ranger Red Garnett, leading deputies and a criminologist (Laura Dern) on a statewide pursuit. Red knows every road and pothole in the Panhandle. What’s more, he knows the elusive Haynes — because their paths have crossed before. 
Ladies and gentlemen, be alert. We are going to initiate a hard-target search for a fugitive in an ever-widening perimeter. We will wade through swamps, prowl Manhattan streets, search every house and doghouse. We’ll eat on the run, sleep tomorrow, watch our backs. And since Marshal Sam Gerard leads the hunt, we will experience suspense, action and daring twists every breathless step of the way. Returning to his Oscar-winning role from The Fugitive, Tommy Lee Jones is Gerard, joining an A-team including Wesley Snipes, Robert Downey Jr. and director Stuart Baird (Executive Decision) to deliver adrenaline-rush excitement. The suspect: armed, extremely dangerous, perhaps linked to a spy ring. The chase: highlighted by an out-of-control 727, a death match in a ship’s cargo hold, a 12-story plunge onto a moving train and more heart-pounding sequences. The movie: U.S. Marshals. 
It’s been 25 years since the action buddy film, Lethal Weapon, became a phenomenon in its genre and spawned a legacy of films on the heels of its success. Now Warner Home Video has debuted the ultimate Lethal Weapon Collection as a 5-Disc gift-set containing all four original theatrical releases in the series (Lethal Weapon, Lethal Weapon 2, Lethal Weapon 3 and Lethal Weapon 4). The franchise, directed by Richard Donner (Superman, Goonies) and starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover as L.A. detectives Riggs and Murtaugh, is one of the most successful in film franchise history, with a worldwide box-office gross and home entertainment sales totaling more than $1 billion. The Lethal Weapon Collection includes four featurettes (released for the first time in the US) about the genesis, legacy and making of each film in the franchise. Also included are deleted scenes, outtakes and two music videos; one starring Sting and Eric Clapton. Lastly, also included are two hours of 2010 cast interviews with Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Rene Russo, Joe Pesci and Richard Donner. The magic is back!
Ridley Scott, director of’ Alien and Blade Runner, returns to the genre he helped define. With PROMETHEUS, he creates a new mythology, in which a team of explorers discover a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth, leading them on a mysterious journey to the darkest corners of the universe. There, they must fight a terrifying battle to save the future of the human race and to discover the intentions of an alien race who may or may not have mankind’s best interest in their plans. 
From Academy Award–winning filmmaker Andrew Stanton comes John Carter – a sweeping action-adventure set on the mysterious and exotic planet of Barsoom (Mars). John Carter is based on a classic novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, whose highly imaginative adventures served as inspiration for many filmmakers, both past and present. The film tells the story of war-weary, former military captain John Carter (Taylor Kitsch), who is inexplicably transported to Mars where he becomes reluctantly embroiled in a conflict of epic proportions amongst the inhabitants of the planet, including Tars Tarkas (Willem Dafoe) and the captivating Princess Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins). In a world on the brink of collapse, Carter rediscovers his humanity when he realizes that the survival of Barsoom and its people rests in his hands. 
The DVD collectors set that fans of classic TV have been waiting for is finally coming out as Time Life will now start taking pre-orders for The Carol Burnett Show: The Ultimate Collection on DVD!! The 22-DVD set contains 50 episodes from the award-winning and influential TV series, featuring the funniest and most beloved characters and sketches. Fans and collectors can pre-order the DVD release of The Carol Burnett Show: The Ultimate Collection today! The DVD is available for preorder on 
In this stunning underwater adventure teeming with memorable comedic characters and heartfelt emotion, “Finding Nemo” follows the momentous journey of an overprotective clownfish named Marlin (voiced by Albert Brooks) and his young son Nemo (voiced by Alexander Gould). When the two are unexpectedly separated in the Great Barrier Reef, Nemo is carried far from his ocean home and deposited in a fish tank in a dentist’s office. Buoyed by the companionship of Dory (voiced by Ellen DeGeneres), a friendly-but-forgetful blue tang fish, Marlin embarks on a dangerous trek and finds himself the unlikely hero of an epic effort to rescue his son––who hatches a few daring plans of his own to return safely home. Finding Nemo swims into living rooms for the first time ever in high-definition Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D and Digital platforms on December 4, 2012. 
Celebrate the life, the legend and the beauty of Marilyn Monroe. The iconic blonde bombshell shines in high definition in the Forever Marilyn Blu-ray Collection. With classics like The Misfits and Some Like It Hot as well as new-to-Blu-ray titles How to Marry A Millionaire, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Seven Year Itch, There’s No Business Like Show Business and River of No Return this unique set of films, those that made Marilyn a star, is a collector’s dream. Marking the 50
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Academy Award-winning director Steven Spielberg’s magical adventure, celebrates its 30th Anniversary with its first-ever release on Blu-ray this October.Featuring an all-new, digitally remastered picture that delivers six times the resolution of DVD, as well as all-new 7.1 surround sound, the E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial Anniversary Edition Blu-ray Combo Pack includes the 1982 theatrical movie, an all-new interview with director Steven Spielberg, and “The E.T. Journals” featuring never-before-seen footage from the set of the film. The Blu-ray Combo Pack also includes UltraViolet, a DVD and a Digital Copy of the film, offering fans a chance to relive the mystery, laughter and wonder of the iconic movie anytime, anywhere on the platform of their choice. 
Critically acclaimed by critics and viewers alike, Ken Burns and Lynn Novick’s powerful and acclaimed documentary The War made its Blu-ray on May 15, 2012 from PBS Distribution and Paramount Home Media Distribution. Six years in the making, the epic, seven-part film directed and produced by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick explores the history and horror of the Second World War from an American perspective through the personal accounts of men and women from four quintessentially American towns. Revealing the most intimate human dimensions of a worldwide catastrophe, the 15-hour documentary paints a vivid portrait of how the war touched the lives of every family on every street in every town in America. The War is narrated by Emmy Award-winner Keith David and includes voiceovers from acclaimed performers such as Tom Hanks, Samuel L. Jackson, Josh Lucas, Adam Arkin and Eli Wallach and features recordings by Norah Jones and Wynton Marsalis, as well as war-era favorites from Benny Goodman, Nat ‘King’ Cole and more. Presented in pristine high-definition, the Blu-ray also boasts nearly two hours of special features including filmmaker commentary, deleted scenes, additional interviews and a making of featurette. 
Walt Disney Studios and the legendary Studio Ghibli (Ponyo & Spirited Away) proudly opened the doors to The Secret World of Arrietty on Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD, on May 22, 2012. Based on the acclaimed children’s book series “The Borrowers,” by Mary Norton, The Secret World of Arrietty is an imaginative tale of “little people” living furtively among us, and the unlikely friendship that forms when their hidden world is discovered. The heartwarming family adventure features beautiful, stylized animation and timeless themes of friendship, courage and determination. This visually stunning animated masterpiece stars an illustrious voice cast that includes Will Arnett, Amy Poehler, Bridgit Mendler, Moises Arias, David Henrie and the iconic and much beloved Carol Burnett. 
