Why So Blu?

The Daily Blu…November 24, 2009

It was another busy day today for Blu-ray news so let’s get caught up, shall we?  Paramount Home Entertainment has announced a December 29th Blu-ray release date for the monster low budget horror flick Paranormal Activity.  While I admit to liking the film in, I’m just very cautious on how the replay value will be, even on the Blu-ray format.  It will probably not be the same as seeing it for the first time, but I  will give it a looksee…especially if my name is in the credits.  There are no pre-orders up as of yet for the title.  I’m sure it will sell plenty though!

Warner Home Video has announced a February 23rd Blu-ray release date for animated straight-to-video film Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths.  Gregg should be happy with that news!

Lionsgate released news on a bunch of upcoming Blu-ray titles they have planned.  Instead of listing them all out why don’t I just print the entire press release below?  Well, that’s sounds like a great idea!  And here you go!

Lionsgate is proud to announce the upcoming DVD release of the LeBron James documentary More Than a Game on February 2nd.
 
Later that month arriving on February 16th, Lionsgate also releases Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever and From Mexico with Love coming to DVD, and the original Cabin Fever and StudioCanal Collection film classics Ran, The Ladykillers and Contempt coming to Blu-ray Disc.
 
February 2nd
More Than a Game
More Than a Game documents the incredible true story of basketball superstars LeBron James and the Akron Fab Five from their humble beginnings to national acclaim.   They may have been the best high school basketball team ever.  NBA superstar LeBron James, along with boyhood friends Sian Cotton, Dru Joyce III and Willie McGee began a journey that would take them from their local hometown streets to the world stage.  Joined by Romeo Travis in high school, the five fused their talents and, with the help of dedicated coach Dru Joyce II, rewrote Ohio basketball history.  More Than a Game chronicles the inspiring trials, tribulations and triumphs of five young men who became more than a team.
 
Critics have declared More Than a Game a slam dunk declaring it “a moving tribute to enduring friendship” (USA Today), “a knockout of a sports documentary” (Los Angeles Times), “exhilarating” (Vibe.com), “fascinating” (Wall Street Journal) and “heartwarming and amazing…we recommend this movie to everyone” (Newsday).  The DVD has a locker room full of exciting bonus materials including a film festival Q&A with the team, a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the documentary, a featurette that examines the psychology of team sports, the original pitch trailer for the film and features music from Jay-Z, Kanye West, Eminem, T.I. and Lil’ Wayne. 
             
February 16th 
StudioCanal Collection on Blu-ray Disc
The Ladykillers
Contempt
Ran
Lionsgate proudly presents the first three releases in the StudioCanal Collection – a new series of acclaimed and influential films debuting on Blu-ray Disc with superior picture and sound quality plus unique special features.  The films include Ran the Academy Award®-winning classic (Best Costume Design, 1985) from acclaimed director Akira Kurosawa (The Seven Samurai); The Ladykillers starring Academy Award® winner Alec Guinness (Best Actor, The Bridge on the River Kwai, 1957) and two-time Academy Award® nominee Peter Sellers (Best Actor in a Leading Role, Being There, 1979, Best Actor, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb,1964); and Contempt (Le Mépris) from acclaimed director Jean-Luc Godard (Aria) and starring Brigitte Bardot (Viva Maria!). Each film will be accompanied by a 20-page collectible booklet.
 

Ran Synopsis:
Akira Kurosawa’s brilliantly conceived re-telling of Shakespeare’s King Lear magically mixes Japanese history, Shakespeare’s plot and Kurosawa’s own feelings about loyalty in this epic masterpiece that was named one of Empire Magazine’s “500 Greatest Movies of All Time.”  Set in 16th century Japan, an aging ruler, Lord Hidetora announces his intention to divide his land equally among his three sons.  Hidetora’s decision to step down unleashes a power struggle between the three heirs when he falls prey to the false flattery bestowed upon him by the two older sons and banishes the youngest for speaking the truth.  That ruthless betrayal ultimately drives Hidetora insane, destroying his entire family and kingdom. Deep human emotion and outstanding acting combine to create one of the most acclaimed foreign films of all time that was hailed as “a great, glorious achievement” by the Chicago Sun-Times and “as close to perfect as filmmaking gets” by the San Francisco Chronicle.  The Blu-ray Disc is presented in 1080P High Definition Widescreen format with Japanese, English, Spanish, French, German and Italian DTS Master Audio.  Special features on the disc include “A.K.” – the acclaimed feature-length documentary on the making of the film, “Akira Kurosawa: The Epic and the Intimate” – documentary on the director, a Portrait of Akira Kurosawa by Japanese cinema expert and interpreter Catherine Cadou, “The Samurai” – documentary on Samurai art, “Art of the Samurai” – an interview with a Japanese art of war expert plus BD-Live and a 20-page collectible booklet.
 
The Ladykillers Synopsis:
Called “one of the greatest comedies ever made” by Entertainment Weekly, The Ladykillers showcases Guinness in one of his most unforgettable performances as Professor Marcus, mastermind of a gang of vicious bank robbers who rent a room from an elderly widow.  However, when the dear old woman begins to meddle in their “perfect crime,” the crooks decide that she might pose the biggest threat of all.  Co-starring Sellers in his first major screen role, The Ladykillers remains one of the most ruthless black comedies of all time and was nominated for the Academy Award® for Best Screenplay (William Rose, 1956).  The Blu-ray Disc is presented in 1080P High Definition Widescreen format with English, Spanish, French and German DTS Master Audio.   Special features include an introduction by filmmaker Terry Gilliam, “Forever Ealing” – a documentary on the famed British studio, audio commentary with film historian Philip Kemp, interviews with British filmmakers Allan Scott and Terence Davies and writer Ronald Harwood on the film, BD-Live (that includes a bonus interview with British filmmaker James Mangold) and a 20-page collectible booklet.
 
Contempt Synopsis:
The iconic Brigitte Bardot heats up the screen in this subversive drama about marriage, motive and the motion picture industry from French director Jean-Luc Godard, named the #4 “most influential director of all time” by Moviemaker Magazine. Called “a great movie” by Entertainment Weekly, this film within a film is, on the surface, about a director whose wife Camille falls out of love with him while he is rewriting an adaptation of Homer’s “Odyssey” for an American producer.   However, underneath this tragic tale of a doomed romance lies the true subject: the commercial film industry, which Godard shows his contempt for in a directing performance that is slyly subversive, darkly comic and completely original.  The Blu-ray Disc is presented in 1080P High Definition Widescreen format with French, English, Spanish and German DTS Master Audio. Special features on the disc include an introduction by British film producer and Godard expert Colin MacCabe, a “making-of” documentary “One Upon a Time There Was…Contempt,” a documentary on Godard’s legacy in film “Contempt…Tenderly,” a discussion between Godard and director Fritz Lang “The Dinosaur and the Baby,” the theatrical trailer, BD-Live and a 20-page collectible booklet.