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J.J. Abrams Signed to Direct 'Star Wars: Episode VII'[teaser]At long last, a suitable director willing to take on the mantle has been found. [/teaser] When the folks at Disney started shopping around for someone to direct their new Star Wars film, a lot of the folks they reached out to said something unexpected. J.J. Abrams, among the many other candidates, declined the film. It's easy to see why – all the pressure from fans to make up for the prequels, the impossible task of living up to the original trilogy and, of course, the desire to sit back and enjoy the new films instead of being involved. At long last, J.J. Abrams has been swayed, and has signed on to direct the first of the trilogy. His experience with films like 'Super 8' and 'Star Trek' show that he can handle a big budget and a storied franchise. 'Super 8' in particular shows a nostalgia for the era of blockbuster films like 'Star Wars' and 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind.' "I've consistently been impressed with J.J. as a filmmaker and storyteller," says George Lucas. "He's an ideal choice to direct the new Star Wars film and the legacy couldn't be in better hands." Source: StarWars.comPosted Mon Jan 28, 2013 at 11:07 AM PST by: -
'Continuum: Season One' Announced and Detailed for Blu-ray[teaser]The first season of the hit Syfy series will make its Blu-ray debut in March. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, Universal is working on 'Continuum: Season One' for a Blu-ray release on March 26. In the year 2077, the ruthless leaders of a terrorist group called Liber8 escape execution by time traveling to 2012, taking tough-as-nails cop Kiera Cameron (Rachel Nichols, 'G. I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra') with them. A stranger in a strange land, Kiera poses as a government agent and joins forces with police detective Carlos Fonnegra (Victor Webster, 'Castle') and teen tech wizard Alec Sadler (Erik Knudsen, 'Jericho') to capture the terrorists before they can alter the future and turn the world upside down. The 2-disc Blu-ray set will present all 10 episodes with 1080p video, DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtracks, and supplements will include Meet the Makers, Protectors and Terrorists featurette. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $49.98. You can find the latest specs for 'Continuum: Season One' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it is indexed under March 26.Posted Mon Jan 28, 2013 at 10:00 AM PST by: -
'This Must Be The Place' Blu-ray Announced[teaser]Sean Penn goes gothic in the Palm d'Or nominee scheduled for Blu-ray in March. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, Starz/Anchor Bay is working on 'This Must Be The Place' for Blu-ray on March 12. When legendary Goth rocker Cheyenne (Two-time Academy Award® winner Sean Penn), long-retired in Dublin with his firefighter wife, Jane (Academy Award® winner Frances McDormand), learns his estranged father is dying, the childlike recluse travels to New York to seek reconciliation — only to arrive too late. Upon discovering his father’s unfulfilled quest for revenge against an ex-Nazi war criminal taking refuge in America, Cheyenne embarks upon his own journey of reawakening in this engaging and unpredictable road adventure from internationally acclaimed director Paolo Sorrentino. Specs and supplements have yet to be revealed, and suggested list price is still unknown at this time. You can find the latest specs for 'This Must Be The Place' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it is indexed under March 12.Posted Mon Jan 28, 2013 at 08:00 AM PST by: -
National Lampoon's 'Vacation: 30th Anniversary Edition' & 'Vegas Vacation' Announced for Blu-ray[teaser]The Griswolds will be back on Blu-ray this May. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, Warner Brothers is preparing 'National Lampoon's Vacation: 30th Anniversary Edition' and 'National Lampoon's Vegas Vacation' starring Chevy Chase for Blu-ray on May 21. Specs for each release have yet to be revealed, but supplements for 'Vacation: 30th Anniversary Edition' will include a new documentary Inside Story: National Lampoon’s Vacation; an Introduction by Chevy Chase, Randy Quaid and Matty Simmons; Commentary by Harold Ramis, Chevy Chase, Randy Quaid, Anthony Michael Hall, Dana Barron and Matty Simmons; Theatrical Trailer, while 'Vacation Vacation' will only have a trailer. Suggested list price for the Blu-rays is still undetermined at this time. You can find the latest specs for 'National Lampoon's Vacation: 30th Anniversary Edition' and 'National Lampoon's Vegas Vacation' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where they're indexed under May 21.Posted Mon Jan 28, 2013 at 06:00 AM PST by: -
HDD Deal of the Week: 'The Ultimate Matrix Collection' Blu-ray $24.99 at Amazon[teaser]This week's Gold Box special on Blu-ray enters the Matrix! [/teaser] Amazon is selling 'The Ultimate Matrix Collection' for just $24.99 (62% off suggested list price). The set includes 'The Matrix,' 'The Matrix Reloaded,' 'The Matrix Revolutions,' and 'The Animatrix.' Click here to take advantage of this offer valid from now through February 3.Posted Sun Jan 27, 2013 at 11:00 AM PST by: -
Bonus View Digest - Jan. 25, 2013[teaser]Whoa boy, this week has been a crazy one. Between Josh moving and Aaron being at Sundance, we've been stretched way too thin. Even so, the content has kept flowing. Come see what you might have missed this week on The Bonus View.[/teaser] Sundance Film Festival Make sure you catch up with Aaron's daily journals about the festival experience on the High-Def Digest home page. Over on The Bonus View you can find his individual reviews for each movie he sees. Check out reviews for 'Upstream Color,' 'Stoker,' 'Mud,' 'The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete,' and 'The Spectacular Now.' Keep an eye on the blog for the next week or two as we continue to post reviews from the festival! Blu-ray News Yikes! What a dismal week for new Blu-ray releases. However, if you're interested in a week where the most interesting release is a 20th anniversary edition of 'Cujo' then take a look at Josh's Blu-ray Highlights column. Home Theater News Did you know that Porsche is getting into the home theater market? In case you wanted to know what a 201-inch outdoor LED TV looks like, check it out. This thing is a marvel. Save your pennies! In other news Josh's home theater renovations continue to move along at a brisk pace. Find out what the new theater looks like with sheetrock and an ingenious trick used to move the entry way. Theatrical News Want to know what to see this weekend? Check in to see what Bryan has to say about all the latest releases. TV Recaps We have recaps of 'Suits,' 'American Horror Story,' 'Fringe,' and 'Happy Endings.' Special Features This week's Weekend Roundtable was the most popular post of the week with 116 comments. With the Oscar nominations still fresh in everyone's minds we decided to take a slightly skewed view. We asked what are the worst movies made by 2013's Oscar nominees. Join in on the conversation! That's it for this week. Coverage has been a little spotty here and there due to some hectic scheduling, but we're still working to bring you as much high-def content as our little fingers can type. Thanks for joining us for another week at The Bonus View.Posted Fri Jan 25, 2013 at 01:00 PM PST by: -
'Fringe: The Complete Fifth Season' Dated for Blu-ray[teaser]The fifth and final season of J.J. Abrams' sci-fi series is bound for Blu-ray in May. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, Warner Brothers has dated 'Fringe: The Complete Fifth Season' for Blu-ray on May 7, and a complete series box set is also expected on the same date. SPOILER ALERT: Critically acclaimed, fan-favorite series Fringe returns for its fifth and final season to deliver a climactic conclusion to the saga... in all worlds. Picking up from events depicted in the fourth season's flash-forward episode, the seemingly peaceful Observers have seized control of our universe in 2015. Now, in 2036, they have become ruthless rulers who stand unopposed. What awaits in the future, however, is the Fringe Team's final stand, which will bring together all they have witnessed in preparation for the final battle to protect our world. Joining Fringe scientist Water Bishop (John Noble), FBI agent Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv), Peter Bishop (Joshua Jackson) and the Fringe team is Olivia and Peter's now-grown daughter, Etta (Georgina Haig), in a final season filled with struggle, surprises, and sacrifice. The 3-disc set will feature 1080p video, a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack, and supplements include: Producer Commentary, Featurette: A Farewell to Fringe, Fringe Panel at Comic-Con 2012, and Gag Reel. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray sets are still undetermined at this time. You can find the latest specs for 'Fringe: The Complete Fifth Season" linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under May 7.Posted Fri Jan 25, 2013 at 10:00 AM PST by: -
Aaron's Sundance 2013 Journal: Day 5by Aaron Peck [teaser]Up until now there hadn't been many stand-out movies for me. It's a good thing that Day 5's plans included two of the festival's most anticipated titles 'Stoker' and 'Upstream Color.'[/teaser] 'Stoker' gained steam fast before the festival opened, mostly because it was Korean director Park Chan-wook's first English language film. His film 'Oldboy' had its North American premiere at Sundance in 2005. The man is a master at creating visually stunning movies and people were extremely interested to see what he'd come up with. The trailers depicted a creepy, unsettling film, which was exactly what was delivered. Before viewing 'Stoker' I stood outside in the cattle tent. Usually, it's easy to make conversation with people. You end up meeting some pretty fascinating film fans. Either they work in film or simply love it so much that they're willing to hop on a plane and come to frigid Utah for a week of movies and line waiting. I wasn't so lucky this time around though. A man and woman behind me in line were droning on about how terrible his ex-wife is. In front of me a girl from New Jersey was telling an older couple about her newly extracted wisdom teeth and candy addiction. A few days earlier, in this same tent, a stampede took place. Hundreds of people were lined up to see the premiere of 'Kill Your Darlings' when there was a loud hiss and then several pops that sounded like gunfire. People fled the tent like someone had opened fire. Turned out it was a fire extinguisher malfunction. Exciting and frightening things can happen while you're waiting in line, just not very often. 'Stoker' as expected, turned out to be a visual feast. I was a little taken back by how similar it was to Hitchcock's 'Shadow of a Doubt.' Eerily similar in fact. A young girl is taken with her new mysterious uncle that has come to live with the family. His name is Uncle Charlie. He has those same sweetly devious looks and flies off the handle at a moment's notice. Oh, and whenever he's about to do something really evil, he whistles. Apparently in the Q&A after the movie's premiere, which a few nights ago, he stated that he had no intention of having any Hitchcock references in the movie. The script was penned by Wentworth Miller ('Prison Break') and was finished before Chan-wook was attached to direct. Even then, he must have known that there were some Hithcockian references, because many of them are pretty blatant. (Pictured above left to right: Producer Michael Costigan, Nicole Kidman, Matthew Goode, Mia Wasikowska, Park Chan-wook, and his translator.) That said, 'Stoker' is a chillingly evil tale about killers. A bloodier, creepier version of 'Shadow of a Doubt.' In the Q&A after the movie, a press member (who, incidentally, comments at every single Q&A he attends) asked him the ridiculous question, "So, how does it feel to have out Hitchcocked Hitchcock." Chan-wook's interpreter relayed the remarks to the director. Calmly he put the microphone to his mouth, said a few words, and then put it back down. His interpreter grabbed the mic and said, "He says that he doesn't think he measures up to The Master. Not even an inch." Shane Carruth's 'Upstream Color' came next, in the same theater. Where to start? 'Upstream Color' is a magnificently bold and utterly confusing movie about worms, pigs, thieves, lovers, confusion, mind-control, and the life cycle. It's told 'Tree of Life' style. A movie constructed of a labyrinthine puzzle of images coupled with limited dialogue. There isn't one piece of standard exposition in the whole movie. You're left on your own to figure out what's happening, why worms can control people's brains, and why the same people are connected to swine surrogates. It's absolutely bizarre and at the same time breathtaking. I left the movie feeling simultaneously confused and euphoric. Carruth's Q&A was just as cryptic as his film. He had a hard time giving straight answers about the meaning of the film. He kept referring to the film as a "construct" of the life cycle. Although, he didn't seem so sure of what he was saying. Lastly, the audio in this movie is some of the most enveloping I've ever heard. When it eventually comes out on Blu-ray (it damn well better get a high-def release) it should contain some of the best demo-quality audio on the format. If it doesn't, I'll demand a refund. The last movie of the day was 'Manhunt,' which is being billed as the real-life story of 'Zero Dark Thirty.' Suggestion: stay with 'ZDT.' A good documentary should be able to take a subject that is unknown or inherently uninteresting and make it interesting for the audience. 'Manhunt' takes a subject that's already loaded with interest – espionage, spying, and the hunt for bin Laden – and ends up making a boring, repetitive doc. How you can take this material and make it appear mundane is a mystery to me, but they've done it. With the night closing in and the cold starting to once again seep through my layers of clothing I decided to call it a night.Posted Fri Jan 25, 2013 at 08:55 AM PST by: -
'The Thief of Bagdad' Announced for Blu-ray[teaser]Raoul Walsh's 1924 silent classic is getting the high-definition treatment in February. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, Cohen Film Collection is working on 'The Thief of Bagdad' for a Blu-ray release on February 19. Newly restored from two 35mm negatives and incorporating the color tints and tones of the original release prints, this definitive edition of 'The Thief of Bagdad' features silent film score maestro Carl Davis conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra, performing a magnificent score that intermingles Davis' own music with the iconic Orientalia of Rimsky-Korsakov. Specs have yet to be revealed, but supplements will include: Audio commentary by Fairbanks biographer Jeffrey Vance and a featurette including rare behind-the-scenes photographs. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $24.98. You can find the latest specs for 'The Thief of Bagdad' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under February 19.Posted Fri Jan 25, 2013 at 08:00 AM PST by: -
'Playing for Keeps' Blu-ray Announced and Detailed[teaser]The soccer-themed romantic comedy will be given a Blu card this March. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, Sony says 'Playing for Keeps' is in the works for high-definition on March 5. The film stars Gerard Butler as a retired soccer player who decides to coach his son's soccer team in an effort to give his failed marriage a second chance. Uma Thurman, Jessica Biel, and Dennis Quaid co-star. The Blu-ray will feature 1080p video, a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack, and supplements will include: Deleted Scenes Stacie Lectures George, The Playbook: Making Playing for Keeps, and Creating An All-Star Team: The Cast of Playing For Keeps. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is set at $35.99. You can find the latest specs for 'Playing for Keeps' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under March 5. 129190Posted Fri Jan 25, 2013 at 06:00 AM PST by:
