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'¡Alambrista!' Announced and Detailed for Blu-ray[teaser]Robert M. Young's acclaimed 1977 drama will make a run for the Blu-ray border in April. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, Criterion has revealed '¡Alambrista!' will arrive on Blu-ray on April 17. Vivid and spare where other films about illegal immigration might sentimentalize, Young’s take on the subject is equal parts intimate character study and gripping road movie, a political work that never loses sight of the complex man at its center. The Blu-ray will feature a 1080p transfer, DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 soundtrack, and supplements include: New audio commentary featuring director Robert M. Young and coproducer Michael Hausman; New interview with actor Edward James Olmos; Children of the Fields, a 1973 short documentary by Young - Accompanied by a new interview with the director; Trailer; and a booklet featuring an essay by film historian Charles Ramírez-Berg. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $39.95. You can find the latest specs for '¡Alambrista!' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under April 17.Posted Wed Jan 18, 2012 at 10:00 AM PST by: -
Take 'A Hollis Frampton Odyssey' on Blu-ray[teaser]A collection of twenty-four short films from the acclaimed director is coming to Blu-ray in April. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, Criterion is prepping 'A Hollis Frampton Odyssey' is coming to Blu-ray on April 9. Icon of the American avant-garde Hollis Frampton made rigorous, audacious, brainy, and downright thrilling films, leaving behind a body of work that remains unparalleled. DISC ONE: Early Films: Manual of Arms (1966 • 17 minutes • Black & White • Silent) Process Red (1966 • 3 minutes, 30 seconds • Color • Silent) Maxwell’s Demon (1968 • 4 minutes • Color/Black & White • Silent) Surface Tension (1968 • 9 minutes, 30 seconds • Color • Monaural) Carrots & Peas (1969 • 5 minutes • Color • Monaural) Lemon (1969 • 5 minutes • Color • Silent) Zorns Lemma (1970 • 60 minutes • Color • Monaural) DISC TWO: Films from Hapax Legomena (nostalgia) (1971 • 36 minutes • Black & White • Monaural) Poetic Justice (1972 • 31 minutes, 30 seconds • Black & White • Silent) Critical Mass (1971 • 25 minutes, 30 seconds • Black & White • Monaural) Films from Magellan The Birth of Magellan: Cadenza I (1977–1980 • 6 minutes • Color • Monaural) Pans 0–4 and 697–700 (1974 • 1-minute each • Color • Silent) INGENIVM NOBIS IPSA PVELLA FECIT, Part I (1975 • 5 minutes • Color • Silent) Magellan: At the Gates of Death, Part I: The Red Gate I, 0 (1976 • 4 minutes, 20 seconds • Color • Silent) Winter Solstice (1974 • 33 minutes • Color • Silent) Gloria! (1979 • 9 minutes, 30 seconds • Color • Monaural) The Blu-ray will feature a 1080p transfer, uncompressed mono soundtrack, and supplements include: Audio commentary and remarks by filmmaker Hollis Frampton on selected works; Excerpted interview with Frampton from 1978; A Lecture, a performance piece by Frampton, recorded in 1968 with the voice of artist Michael Snow Gallery of works from Frampton’s xerographic series By Any Other Name; and a booklet with an introduction by film critic Ed Halter and essays and capsules on the films by Frampton scholars Ken Eisenstein, Bruce Jenkins, and Michael Zryd. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $39.95. You can find the latest specs for 'A Hollis Frampton Odyssey' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under April 9.Posted Wed Jan 18, 2012 at 08:00 AM PST by: -
HDD Deal of the Day: 'Farscape: The Compete Series' Blu-ray $68.99 at Amazon![teaser]Save sixty-five percent on the box set of all four seasons of the cult sci-fi series on Blu-ray! [/teaser] Amazon is currently offering 'Farscape: The Compete Series' for $68.99 (65% off suggested list price). An imaginative fusion of live action, state-of-the-art puppetry, prosthetics and CGI, "Farscape," produced by The Jim Henson Company in association with RHI Entertainment, featured mind-boggling alien life forms, dazzling special effects, edge-of-your-seat thrills, irreverent humor and unforgettable characters...all brought to rich life by the creative minds at Jim Henson's Creature Shop. Strap in and hold on tight for the extraordinary adventures of astronaut John Crichton, (Ben Browder) who, after a freak accident, finds himself surrounded by hostile aliens and soaring through the cosmos aboard Moya, a glorious living space ship. Hunted by the relentless Peacekeepers, he allies himself with Moya's crew - Aeryn Sun (Claudia Black), Luxan warrior Ka D'Argo (Anthony Simcoe), azure priestess Zhaan (Virginia Hey), spritely Nebari thief Chiana (Gigi Edgley), Dominar Rygel, the deposed royal ruler of the Hynerian Empire and Pilot - to search for a way out of this inconceivably alien world and return home. A+E Networks Home Entertainment, one of the pioneers of TV DVD collectibles, and The Jim Henson Company have worked closely together to guarantee that this BLU-RAY EDITION will satisfy the series loyal fan base. "With FARSCAPE, we work hard to meet our fans' high expectations and this new Blu Ray release utilizes the highest quality source materials available so I know our audience will not be disappointed," said Brian Henson, Chairman of The Jim Henson Company and executive producer of FARSCAPE. "A+E Networks Home Entertainment has met all the challenges that, given the nature and age of the series, are inherent with a show like FARSCAPE, and the result is that all four seasons of FARSCAPE look better than ever before." The superb High-Def picture and sound isn't the only cause for celebration as this set also includes a BRAND-NEW documentary: Memories of Moya: An Epic Journey Explored featuring revealing new interviews with creators Brian Henson and Rockne O'Bannon, writer Richard Manning, and stars Ben Browder and Claudia Black as they look back at the legacy of the sci-fi classic. In addition to this new documentary, the FARSCAPE Blu-ray set also includes ALL of the bonus material from the bestselling DVD release: over 15 hours episode commentaries, featurettes, deleted scenes, trailers, promos and more. Click here to take advantage of this great deal and remember it only lasts until tomorrow!Posted Wed Jan 18, 2012 at 07:53 AM PST by: -
CES 2012 Set New Attendance Record and Boasted 20,000 New Product Announcements[teaser]This year's show was the biggest in the history of CES, which certainly bodes well for the industry. [/teaser] The Consumer Electronics Show may be an industry event but in no way is it industry exclusive. In addition to buyers, execs for big companies, TV news teams and writers, non-professional bloggers and fans find their way into the show. In fact, pretty much anyone who wants to go can find a way in. This year, an additional 13,000 made it to CES. The addition of 400 new exhibitors to the show was almost certainly instrumental in getting the number up from 140,000 attendees in 2011. All told, over 20,000 new products were announced and launched at the show and more people than ever were there to see them. That's certainly a sign of interest in the industry and something that will hopefully transform into growth. What should be interesting to see is what happens next year. Microsoft - a CES staple for both its booth and keynote speeches - has already said that it does not plan to return next year. If other companies follow suit, CES 2013 could see a decline. Source: PC MagPosted Wed Jan 18, 2012 at 07:00 AM PST by: -
'Late Spring' Announced for Blu-ray[teaser]Yasujiro Ozu's 1949 drama is getting the Criterion Blu-ray treatment in April. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, the Criterion Collection will release 'Late Spring' on Blu-ray on April 17. One of the most powerful of the family portraits by Yasujiro Ozu, 'Late Spring' tells the story of a widowed father who feels compelled to marry off his beloved only daughter. The Blu-ray will feature a 1080p transfer, uncompressed mono soundtrack, and supplements include: Audio commentary by Richard Peña, program director of New York’s Film Society of Lincoln Center; Tokyo-ga (1985), filmmaker Wim Wenders’s ninety-two-minute documentary about director Yasujiro Ozu; and a booklet featuring essays by critic Michael Atkinson and Japanese-film historian Donald Richie. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $39.95. You can find the latest specs for 'Late Spring' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under April 17.Posted Wed Jan 18, 2012 at 06:00 AM PST by: -
Ranking Steven Soderbergh's Top 10 Filmsby Aaron Peck It was the Sundance hit 'Sex, Lies, and Videotape' that put him on the map. The world of independent cinema would never be the same after his first feature-length film premiered at the festival in 1989. Since then, Steven Soderbergh's work has spanned genres. He's careful not to pigeonhole himself. He's taken on comedies, thrillers, and is about to take on the action/espionage genre with his new movie 'Haywire.' Every time he plans a new film, the ensemble cast seemingly appears out of nowhere. Actors and actresses who command leading roles are lining up just to play bit parts. He routinely gets casts that other directors would kill for. [teaser]This month has seen the Blu-ray release of his worldwide plague thriller 'Contagion' and the Criterion release of his masterpiece about the world of drug trafficking, 'Traffic.' So I'd like to take this time to rank what I believe are the top ten favorite Soderbergh films.[/teaser] 10. 'Erin Brockovich' There's flat character issues here, along with a paper-thin plot, but this was the film where Soderbergh was able to wrangle Julia Roberts' ultra-star power and bring her down to earth in the role of Erin Brockovich. Squeaking in at number ten, this is my least favorite of his top films, but it's hard to deny the drama and humor injected into the story and the great directorial job done with one of the world's biggest (and sometimes most insufferable) stars. 9. 'Solaris' The lovers and the haters of Soderbergh's remake of Andrei Tarkovsky's 1976 sci-fi masterpiece are pretty evenly split down the middle. Count me on the side that really enjoyed the minimalistic visual tone that he provided here. Yes, it's a slow, methodical movie, but Soderbergh does slow and methodical very well. Buoyed by a great Clooney performance, 'Solaris' had to make the top ten. 8. 'The Limey' If you haven't been able to catch 'The Limey' you really should make time for this first-rate crime thriller starring Terrance Stamp in one of the best performances of his illustrious acting career. There's a decidedly visual aesthetic applied here by Soderbergh, like in many of his other films, that makes watching the movie an entrancing experience. When are we gonna get a Blu-ray release? 7. 'Ocean's Eleven' It's the who's who of Hollywood. A gigantic ensemble cast that would make any director drool. Here superstars like George Clooney and Brad Pitt are working side by side, making Matt Damon look like he was called in to play a bit part. This is the only 'Ocean's' movie I enjoy watching. It's witty and clever, pure popcorn entertainment. It has that frenzied Soderbergh pace to it, bouncing around from character to character, but somehow we never get lost in the fray. 6. 'Contagion' I still think 'Contagion' was one of the best thrillers of last year. It's not packed full of action or intrigue, but it's plenty suspenseful. It was a fresh take on the disease thriller. Soderbergh created a world of fear which was much scarier than the disease itself. Plus (spoiler!), Gwyneth Paltrow got scalped. Scalped! Only Soderbergh can amass this cast of A-list actors only to chop the top off the head of one of the biggest names on the bill. 5. 'Che' Soderbergh's epic about Ernesto "Che" Guevara is long, and for that very reason you may have not ventured in to take a peek at it. However, once you start watching it you'll find it hard to stop. Benicio Del Toro is mesmerizing as the Cuban militant. There's something to be said for a director that can take a 270 minute epic and make it a compelling character study without veering off into snoozeville. 4. 'The Informant!' People may disagree with my high ranking of 'The Informant!' but I stand by it. Here's a movie that I didn't ever expect much from and instead got everything I could have wanted and more. The key is that it contains the best performance of Matt Damon's career; It's also his most underrated. Damon plays Mark Whitacre, a top employee in the agricultural industry who turns informer to report to the feds about the illegal dealings of his company. He loves the cloak and dagger routines they put him through. The movie is genuinely funny, and never really got its due. 3. 'Out of Sight' He had a good foundation. Any Elmore Leonard book is a good basis for a screenplay. However, from movies like 'Be Cool' we've learned that it's all too easy to screw up even some of the best fictional writing out there. 'Out of Sight' remains one of the great modern day crime thrillers. Soderbergh toned down the visual trickery and his at times oddball stylistic choices and was able to craft a very marketable caper film. The biggest story here though, isn't that 'Out of Sight' was when we kind of all took notice of Clooney and realized, "Hey maybe this guy can be a movie star." No, it was the fact that Soderbergh somehow got a borderline fantastic performance from one Jennifer Lopez. You know, the same woman who has starred in such hits as 'Maid in Manhattan,' 'The Wedding Planner,' and 'Monster In Law.' I don't know how he did it, but as director Soderbergh was able to squeeze out whatever acting ability Lopez has. 2. 'Sex, Lies and Videotape' It's a classic now. There's no way around it. It's the movie that really jumpstarted the whole independent film craze. A movie that showed everyone that low-budgets weren't barriers that couldn't be overcome. Soderbergh wrote the movie in less than two weeks. A thrilling psychological study, it remains a masterpiece. 1. 'Traffic' 'Traffic' is to Soderbergh what 'Schindler's List' is to Spielberg. It's his magnum opus. It's the rare time where all the quintessential Soderbergh elements – dozens of characters; intersecting storylines; experimental filming techniques – all meshed into a grandm unified whole. In 2000 Soderbergh was nominated as Best Director twice. Once for 'Traffic' the other for 'Erin Brockovich.' The fun part is that if you didn't know Soderbergh directed both of them you'd swear they were directed by different people. However, 'Traffic' truly bears his mark as a filmmaker (he also acted as cinematographer using the name Peter Andrews). It's experimental, it's large in scope, and it has that trademark ensemble cast that everyone fawns over. With all those elements he was able to weave together numerous tales of the way drugs and the war on them affects everyday life here in America. How would you rank Soderbergh's films? Are there some that were left off this list like 'King of the Hill,' 'The Underneath,' 'The Good German,' 'The Girlfriend Experience,' or 'Kafka,' that you would add to the list? Please let us know in the forums. Click on the link below and let us in on what movies would make your top ten list of Soderbergh films.Posted Tue Jan 17, 2012 at 02:15 PM PST by: -
'Harold and Maude' Dated and Detailed for Blu-ray[teaser]The classic 1971 May/December rom-com from Director Hal Ashby is in the works for Blu-ray in April. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, the Criterion Collection says 'Harold and Maude' will arrive on Blu-ray on April 17. With the idiosyncratic American fable 'Harold and Maude,' countercultural director Hal Ashby fashioned what would become the cult classic of its era. The Blu-ray will feature a 1080p transfer, uncompressed mono soundtrack (plus a remastered stereo track), and supplements include: Audio commentary by Hal Ashby biographer Nick Dawson and producer Charles B. Mulvehill; Illustrated audio excerpts of seminars by Ashby and writer-producer Colin Higgins; New interview with songwriter Yusuf Islam (formerly Cat Stevens); and a booklet featuring an essay by critic Michael Wood; a 1971 New York Times profile of star Ruth Gordon; and excerpted transcripts of two interviews, one from 1997 with star Bud Cort and director of photography John Alonzo and one from 2001 with executive producer Mildred Lewis. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $39.95. You can find the latest specs for 'Harold and Maude' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under April 17.Posted Tue Jan 17, 2012 at 12:00 PM PST by: -
'DragonHeart' Announced for Blu-ray[teaser]The 1996 medieval fantasy adventure will swoop down on Blu-ray this March. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, Universal is working on 'DragonHeart' for Blu-ray on March 27. The film is about a knight (Dennis Quaid) who must form an unlikely allegiance with the land's last dragon (voiced by Sean Connery) in order to end the reign of an evil king (David Thewlis). The Blu-ray will feature a 1080p video transfer, a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack, and supplements will include: The Making of Dragonheart featurette, My Scenes and Pocket Blu. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $19.98. You can find the latest specs for 'DragonHeart' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under March 27.Posted Tue Jan 17, 2012 at 10:00 AM PST by: -
'The Organizer' Dated and Detailed for Blu-ray[teaser]Mario Monicelli's 1963 drama is planned for an April Blu-ray release. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, the Criterion Collection says 'The Organizer' is coming to Blu-ray on April 24. This historical drama by Mario Monicelli is a beautiful and moving ode to the power of the people, brimming with humor and honesty. The Blu-ray will feature a 1080p transfer, uncompressed mono soundtrack, and supplements include: Introduction by director Mario Monicelli from 2006, Trailer, and an essay by film critic J. Hoberman. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $29.95. You can find the latest specs for 'The Organizer' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under April 24.Posted Tue Jan 17, 2012 at 08:00 AM PST by: -
Blu-ray Embarks on 'The Quest'[teaser]Jean-Claude Van Damme's 1996 directorial debut will roundhouse kick Blu-ray this spring. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, Universal is working on 'The Quest' for Blu-ray on March 27. The film stars Van Damme as a wanted criminal on the run in the 1920s New York who eventually winds up in a martial arts tournament in Tibet. The Blu-ray will feature a 1080p video transfer, a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack, and the only supplement appears to be My Scenes functionality. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $19.98. You can find the latest specs for 'The Quest' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under March 27.Posted Tue Jan 17, 2012 at 06:00 AM PST by:
