Starting off this week's new releases are, well... not "new" releases at all in a matter of speaking. We have two great movies seeing Blu-ray release this week that I would like to highlight, the first being Gladiator Extended Edition.
Ridley Scott's epic film is finally getting some hi-def love from Paramount. The Blu-ray will include two versions of the film, the original theatrical release and the extended version; both versions presented in 1080p High Definition with English 5.1 DTS-HD. Not to mention that there is over four hours of extra content included on this disc (full specs below). Fans of this film should be pretty excited about this today, this is one of those films that will just flat out look one-hundred times better in hi-def and is very deserving of the Blu-ray treatment.
Gladiator Special Features:
• Audio Commentary—Two separate commentaries accompany the original theatrical version and extended version of the film.
• The Scrolls of Knowledge—The original trivia track has been newly enhanced with focus points allowing viewers to access a series of new behind-the-scenes featurettes exploring key scenes and how they relate to the historical accuracy depicted in the film. The extended version of the film also includes a deleted scene marker.
• Visions From Elysium: Topic Marker—Viewers can tag moments of interest throughout either version of the film, allowing them to create “shopping lists” of topics to learn more about. Thanks to the Blu-ray player’s memory, the topics will automatically be loaded when Disc 2 is inserted, giving viewers immediate access to featurettes and galleries of interest.
• Strength And Honor: Creating The World of Gladiator—The definitive documentary on the origin, production and impact of the Oscar®-winning classic. The documentary includes an all-new Enhanced Viewing Mode allowing viewers access to additional interviews and behind-the-scenes material.
• The Making of Gladiator—HBO First Look special.
• Gladiator Games: The Roman Bloodsport—Learning Channel special.
• Hans Zimmer: Scoring Gladiator—An exploration of the rousing soundtrack.
• My Gladiator Journal—Personal diary of the young actor who played Lucius.
• Image & Design—Featurettes and galleries covering the production design, storyboards, costumes and more.
• Abandoned Sequences & Deleted Scenes
• VFX Explorations: Germania & Rome—Shot deconstruction with the visual effects artists.
The other film that is being released on Blu-ray this week is the Academy Award winning film, Braveheart. Again, another film that absolutely deserves to be presented in the best way possible in 1080p High Definition with English 5.1 Dolby TrueHD. Braveheart is one of those long-standing movies that I think people will be watching for a long time, so until something better than Blu-ray comes out (how "hi-def" can we get before we stop noticing?) this is the definitive version of this film; I highly recommend adding this to your Blu-ray collection.
Braveheart Special Features:
• Interactive Timelines—Three distinct timelines featuring a combination of video, images, text and audio that can be accessed linearly or randomly.
o Production: A comprehensive chronology of the motion picture from conception through theatrical release, from a behind-the-scenes point of view.
o Historical: Chronological modules feature Scotland’s greatest patriot, along with historical places, figures and events surrounding his life and struggle.
o Fiction: A comprehensive timeline identifying the chronological events of the film.
• Braveheart: A Look Back— Features new interviews with members of the cast and crew reminiscing about their experiences making the film and its enduring impact on cinema.
• Smithfield: Medieval Killing Fields—Relates the remarkable history of Smithfield, which for centuries was regularly filled with the roars of crowds, regal fanfares and rowdy games. Smithfield is also known as the site of
William Wallace’s execution, along with other terrifying spectacles when heretics, rebels and criminals were put to death.
• Battlefields of the Scottish Rebellion— Two major Scottish battlefields, Falkirk and Bannockburn, will be presented as 3D models that can be explored for further investigation into the military strategies and timetables employed in each. Topography, weapons, troop movements, and leadership data can also be accessed. An alternate playing mode will allow the story of each battle to unfold in an “automated” fashion, much like the interactive dioramas displayed at historical site museums around the world.
A true new-release that is hitting shelves today is Disney Nature earth. If you saw the Planet Earth series on Discovery last year and enjoyed it, then you should enjoy earth. It is essentially a lot of the same footage from various episodes of Planet Earth compiled together, edited differently, and narrated by James Earl Jones -and come on, who doesn't love listening to that voice for 90 minutes?! I was a big fan of Planet Earth, so even though I had seen a lot of the footage in earth before, it had been changed enough to keep it interesting and was no less spectacular. I really applaud Disney for distributing this film under their banner to get this movie a bigger audience here in the states (this entire series was actually produced by BBC). I saw this in HD in theaters while it was out, and while I thoroughly enjoyed the movie it was really neat to see all the kids in the theaters with their families enjoying a movie that wasn't animated, full of action, or slap-stick comedy. These youngsters were completely enthralled with these animals and nature, it was a refreshing sight to see.
I definitely recommend Disney Nature earth but would suggest picking it up in Blu-ray. I have seen the footage in both, standard and hi-def, and trust me, it's far superior on Blu-ray and is worth the extra couple of bucks.
Other notable releases this week: State of Play • Heroes (S3) • C.S.I. Crime Scene Investigation (S9) • Desperate Housewives (S5) • M*A*S*H (Blu-ray) • Rescue Me (S5/V1) • The Girl Next Door (Blu-ray)
As always, all of these titles are now available on Amazon!
Be sure to visit Salt Lake City Movie Examiner, Bryan Young, to check out his recommendations for this week's releases!
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