Warner Home Video/New Line

This will be the third holiday title released in a tin, former titles being A Christmas Story and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. The disc will be identical to the previous Blu-ray release.

Bonus Features:

• 5-track Soundtrack CD Sampler
• 14″ Plush Elf Holiday Stocking
• 15 Gift Tag Stickers
• 5×7″ Magnetic Elf Picture Frame with 4×6″ Magnet

“DVD2Blu is a great way for consumers to start or expand their Blu-ray Disc collection,” said Dorinda Marticorena, senior vice president, Worldwide Marketing and High Definition, Warner Home Video.  “We’re launching the program with a wide range of titles that will appeal to a broad audience.  In the coming months, we’re looking to expand the program and make additional titles available.”

The DVD2Blu program debuts at a time when consumers are rapidly adopting Blu-ray Disc.  According to figures compiled by the Digital Entertainment Group through the first three quarters of 2009, Blu-ray Disc set-top player sales grew 112 percent over the same period last year.  This holiday season, consumers can expect to see Blu-ray player prices starting around $100, making it much easier for home audiences to see films the way they were meant to be seen on their HDTV.

Through DVD2Blu, consumers can now experience their favorite movies again for the very first time in stunning 1080p picture quality and crisp, superior sound that only comes from a Blu-ray Disc.  Titles such as “Training Day,” “Deliverance” and “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” can be upgraded for as little as $7.95 plus shipping.  Consumers who place orders over $25 will receive free shipping.

The process to upgrade is simple.  Consumers select the titles they want to upgrade on DVD2Blu.com, mail in their standard DVDs with pre-paid postage and a short time later receive copies of the same film on Blu-ray Disc.

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group is proud to be a leader in environmental stewardship and is committed to recycling the DVDs that consumers send in as part of the DVD2Blu program.  The intellectual property is fully destroyed and all of the physical components are reused or recycled. For more information on Warner Bros. environmental initiatives, please visit http://wbenvironmental.warnerbros.com/.

DVD2BLU Eligible Titles:
10,000 B.C.
Rush Hour 3
Full Metal Jacket
Pan’s Labyrinth
Ocean’s Thirteen
Christmas Story, A
Elf
We Are Marshall
Speed Racer
Body of Lies
The Golden Compass
The Orphanage
Superman Returns
The Searchers
Blazing Saddles
2001: A Space Odyssey
History of Violence
A Clockwork Orange: Special Edition
Risky Business
Scanner Darkly
The Wedding Singer: Totally Awesome Edition
Alexander Revisited
Michael Clayton
Swordfish
Rumor Has It
American History X
Final Destination
Beetlejuice
Taking Lives
Wyatt Earp
The Fugitive
The Aviator
Eraser
Dirty Dozen
Collateral Damage
Last Samurai
Dark City, Director’s Cut
Rio Bravo
Training Day
Gods and Generals
The Shining: Special Edition
The Perfect Storm
Pride and Glory
Constantine
The Lost Boys
Journey to the Center of Earth (2008)
Wedding Crashers Uncorked (Unrated)
Any Given Sunday (Director’s Cut)
Bucket List, The
Superman II: Richard Donner Cut
Harold and Kumar Go To the White Castle
An American in Paris
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
Deliverance
Dumb and Dumber (Unrated)

Video

The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 comes to Blu-ray with a 1080p AVC/MPEG-4 video presentation. Like most new releases, the presentation looks very strong. Detail is very impressive whenever the shot allows, sometimes things are a bit skewed by the way the film is shot, using weird angles and perspectives while Travolta is on screen, but can often shine too.

Colors on this release are rich and vibrant, black levels are also very very good. Whether the shot be close-up or wide-shot, the amount of detail in depth in the picture always shines and always impresses. There was not one scene where I thought it looked bad in the slightest. 9/10.

Audio

English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio is included. Other language tracks to get DTS-HD Master Audio treatment on this release include French and Spanish. There is even an English Descriptive Service track present on this release, like other recent Blu-ray releases.

The mix on this release is very impressive, but to be honest I expected it to be. Despite the film being a very dialogue heavy film, there is still a lot of opportunities to create environment and space, including the busy and later quiet subway station and the always busy city of New York. I’m happy to say they paid great attention to the environment, with good placing of effects throughout the film.

This mix has everything a top notch audio presentation should, with the only thing keeping this from the best audio mixes is the actual film itself. I believe the track is about as impressive as it could have sounded, but it’s still not one of the best audio experiences on the format. 9/10.

Extras

MovieIQ (BD-Live)
BD-Live connects you to access real-time information on the cast, music, trivia and more while watching the movie.

Cinechat (BD-Live)
Send on-screen instant messages to your friends around the world while you watch the movie together.

Commentary with Director Tony Scott

Commentary with Writer Brian Helgeland and Producer Todd Black

No Time To Lose: The Making of Pelham 123 (30:26) (HD)
A nice in-depth look at remaking the film, casting, and plenty of behind-the-scenes footage.

The Third Rail: New York Underground (16:16) (HD)
All about the subway system in New York, as well as the importance of it. The cast and crew also talks about filming on the tracks.

From The Top Down: Stylizing Character with Danny Moumdian (5:17) (SD)
All about hair stylist Danny Moumdain and his inspiration.

Marketing Pelham (7:04) (HD)
See the different theatrical trailers for the film, clearly marketed to appeal to action fans.

Previews (HD)

Digital Copy
Compatible with iTunes, Windows Media, and PSP.

Overall we get a solid supplements package, I liked the behind-the-scenes look at production of the film, and the Blu-ray exclusive Digital Copy is nice for those who enjoy them. 6/10.

Blu-news Summary

The Taking of Pelham 123 is a film that I was very excited to see. The trailer looked very good, and I’ve always been a big fan of Denzel Washington. John Travolta playing the terrorist was an interesting idea, I mean seriously? But to be honest Travolta does a fantastic job as the villain of the film, creating a character like never before in his career. It’s definitely a great improvement from Wild Hogs to say the least.

Pelham is marketed like quite the action flick, but to be honest it’s not some huge action movie but rather a thriller. Some may find it underwhelming compared to the trailers for the film, as everything looks so fast-paced, but I don’t think anyone will find it disappointing. It picks up quite a bit in the action category during the last half hour of the film at least.

The film runs close to two hours, but you’ll never find yourself looking at your watch. The conversations between Garber (Washington) and Ryder (Travolta) will have you both interested in their characters as well as wondering what will happen next.

The situation is similar to Air Force One, only it doesn’t involve important political figures as hostages and there isn’t quite the amount of action, but there are quite a few deaths. I like the approach for this film, I think it may have been improved if we actually cared about anyone on the subway, as everyone aboard is quite bland, but ultimately was just fine.

Despite a few things I disliked about the film, I found it definitely above average, I certainly enjoyed it very much and I would be willing to bet you would too. Definitely watch this movie, whether it be a purchase or a rental, you won’t regret it. 8/10.

The Blu-ray release is strong, featuring impressive video and audio, and a nice little supplements package. Overall this release is easily ‘Recommended.‘

Officially unveiled at ICE at Santa Monica, Downtown Santa Monica’s outdoor ice skating rink, the project took months of collaboration to create, with artists from Blue Sky Studios developing the overall look of the ice sculpture depicting lovable squirrel Scrat and his giant acorn. Over 133,000 pounds of ice, gathered across four states, was used as a team of 14 skilled sculptors from Ice Bulb worked four straight days to finish the job.

“It’s only fitting that we build a record breaking Scrat Ice Sculpture to go along with the massively successful Ice Age franchise, and unveil it on the day that Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs arrives on Blu-ray Disc and DVD,” said Mary Daily, Executive Vice President, Marketing, North America for Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. “It is just more reason to celebrate.”

The previous record for Tallest Ice Sculpture of 40.28 feet was held by Michel Amman in Ski Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates on April 20, 2006. This new record was verified by Guinness World Records® official, Danny Girton Jr. who was on-site to inspect the sculpture.

“The effort and workmanship that went into creating this ice sculpture is truly astounding. This type of record takes serious time and commitment and we’re happy to recognize a new Guinness World Record today,” Girton said.

We have time lapse video of the sculpture being built below! Check it out and make sure to read our review of this terrific Blu-ray release.

No details are currently available yet, but the film is expected to release on Blu-ray and DVD late January/early February.

Tech specs and bonus features are unknown at the moment, but I would expect it to feature the same content as the previous DVD release. The collection is currently available for pre-order for 29.99.

Universal Studios Home Entertainment released a press release revealing the bonus features for the upcoming November 24th release of Funny People. The release will feature a 1080p video presentation with 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, and will feature both the theatrical and unrated versions of the film.

Bonus Features:

Throughout the production of the film, Judd Apatow and his entire production

team were mindful of home entertainment audiences, gathering exclusive footage of the filmmaking process and creating special features that they knew fans would love. Accordingly, both the two-disc Collector’s Edition Blu-ray and DVD come loaded with exclusive bonus features, including:

— Hilarious gag reels
— Deleted & Extended / Alternate Scenes
— Line-O-Rama: Re-watch some of the movie’s funniest scenes, but this time with alternate punch lines
— Feature Commentary with director Judd Apatow and stars Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen
— Documentaries:
— Funny People Diaries: A documentary in four parts which takes audiences inside all aspects of the filmmaking process from early cast table reads and joke brainstorming sessions, to the various filmmaking techniques employed throughout the production.
— Judd’s High School Radio Show
— Raaaaaaaandy!: This mockumentary takes fans on the road with Aziz
Ansari’s Randy character from the film.
— Music from Funny People: Listen to music from and inspired by the film from James Taylor, Adam Sandler, Jon Brion and RZA
— From the Archives: Watch Adam Sandler and Judd Apatow on a 1990 episode of The Midnight Hour with Bill Maher; Sandler’s first appearance on David Letterman; and Seth Rogen doing stand up at 13!
— The Films of George Simmons: Watch footage from George Simmons’ greatest films including Sayonara Davey and Merman
— Prank Call 1990: Watch Sandler as he performs an actual prank phone call, in this archival footage from Judd Apatow’s personal video library

— “Yo Teach…!”: Go “behind-the-scenes” of “Yo Teach…!”, the television show featured in the film Funny People

Funny People on Blu-ray Hi-Def includes everything on the two-disc Collector’s Edition DVD, plus more exclusive content and interactive features, including:

— Enjoy more hilarious laughs with two more Line-O-Rama’s
— Watch additional Deleted, Extended and Alternate Scenes
— Additional music and an extensive look at James Taylor on the set
— Over an hour of stand up performances by the film’s cast
— Additional archival material including Sandler’s second Letterman appearance, Sandler at Los Angeles’ famed Comedy & Magic Club and Judd Apatow performing on The Dennis Miller Show
— Hilarious prank calls from Adam Sandler and Judd Apatow
— Adam Sandler and Judd Apatow’s appearance on “Charlie Rose”
— U-Control: Funny People music: Universal’s exclusive signature feature puts the viewer just a click away from additional insights into the music in the film without ever leaving the movie.
— BD-Live: Access the BD-Live Center through any Internet-connected player to download more exclusive content, the latest trailers and more!
— My Chat: Using any Internet-connected player, host a text chat with friends while watching the movie in synchronization — My Funny People Commentary: Create play-by-play video, audio or text movie commentary and share it with friends through UniversalHiDef.com and the BD-Live Center

— My Scenes Sharing: Bookmark favorite scenes from the movie to share with BD-Live buddies!

Bonus features include:

• movieIQ
• cinechat
• Joburg From Above: Satellite and Schematics of the World of District 9 – Interactive Map
• Director’s Commentary
• Koobus Big Gun
• The Alien Agenda: A Filmmaker’s Log Three-Part Documentary
• The Alien Agenda: A Filmmaker’s Log – Chapter 3: Refining District 9
• Metamorphosis: The Transformation of Wikus
• Innovation: Acting and Improvisation
• Conception and Design: Creating the World of District 9
• Alien Generation: Visual Effects

Bonus features include:

• BD-Live Portal
• Trailers
• “Where No Fan Has Gone Before”: the restored, unaired alternate pilot episode
• David Gerrold Hosts “2009 Convention Coverage”
• Life Beyond Trek: Walter Koenig
• “The Anthropology of Star Trek” ComiCon Panel 209
• Chief Engineer’s Log
• “The World of Rod Roddenberry” ComiCon 2009
• Memoir From Mr. Sulu
• Captain’s Log: Bob Justman
• Billy Blackburn’s Treasure Chest: rare home movies and special memories Part 3
• “To Boldly Go…” Season Three
• Collectible Trek
• Star Trek’s Impact