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HDD's 2012 Oscars Live-Blog Is Happening NOW! Join the fun![teaser]Join High-Def Digest's The Bonus View for our second annual Oscars Live-Blog! You supply the refreshments, we'll deliver the prizes! It's happening RIGHT NOW![/teaser] There are many reasons to join us. Wit, prizes, world weary wisdom, prizes, film trivia, prizes, priceless snark, and did we mention prizes? With last-minute replacement Billy Crystal hosting for the 74th time, not to mention a huge assortment of behind-the-scenes fiascoes with the production, the ceremony itself promises to be yet another overlong, self-important, and generally boring slog, if not an outright clusterfrack. We'd settle for nothing less! We will do our best to liven up the proceedings by making fun of them and giving away lots of free Blu-ray goodies! Don’t miss out! Check out The Bonus View's 2012 Oscars Live-Blog right here!Posted Sun Feb 26, 2012 at 12:00 PM PST by: -
HDD Deal of the Week: 'Citizen Kane: 70th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition' Blu-ray Set is $28.99 at Amazon[teaser]The ultimate collector's edition of the Orson Welles' classic on Blu-ray is over fifty percent off this week at Amazon! [/teaser] The online retailer is selling 'Citizen Kane: 70th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition' for $28.99 (55% off suggested list price). Depicting the controversial life of an influential publishing tycoon, this Best Original Screenplay Academy Award® winner (1941) is rooted in themes of power, corruption, vanity -- the American Dream lost in the mystery of a dying man's last word: "Rosebud." This set includes a 48-page collector's book, 20-page reproduction of the 1941 program, lobby cards, and production memo and correspondence reproductions. Click here to order this definitive edition of the landmark film today and this offer is valid from now through March 4.Posted Sun Feb 26, 2012 at 09:21 AM PST by: -
Bonus View Digest - February 24, 2012Well February sure flew by, didn't it? [teaser]This has been a special week at The Bonus View. We've been gearing up for the Oscars, which will air this Sunday night, and once again, we'll be live-blogging them![/teaser] We know we shouldn't care so much about them, but because we love movies we're drawn to them like bugs to a bug zapper. If you're as excited as we are for Sunday or just want to have a good time with some fun people then you'll definitely need to check out our Live-Blog of the Oscars. We did this a few weeks ago with The Golden Globes and it's always a hit. It's a great way for us as writers to communicate, in real time, with our hilarious and witty readers. Even if you couldn't care less about who wins, it's still a good time. We'll have polls, pictures and best of all contests! During the Golden Globes Live-Blog we gave away a stack of free Blu-rays. Participating in these contests are the best possible odds you'll ever have on any online contest, trust us on that. We want as many people as possible to walk away with prizes. We're still not set on the prize structure of this week's live-blog, but we promise that you'll have great chances of winning. Even if somehow you don't win, then you still came and had a good time talking about/making fun of the Oscars and their overly long telecast. Truthfully, it's the only way to enjoy this back-patting festival that the Academy puts on for themselves. Yet, there's something about it. Something that draws us in. We want to know who is going to win. Hopefully, it will validate our own personal choices of what was The Best in 2011. At least that's what I'm hoping for. It's a good time. It really is. If nothing else, please come and chat and win some free Blu-rays. The Oscars This week was full of Oscar-related posts. In our gearing up for the telecast we have all kinds of articles that will keep you excited for the events on Sunday. First, check out Aaron's predictions of who will win each of the major categories. First up was the Visual Categories, followed by the Sound Categories. After that Aaron tried to predict how the categories of Acting, Writing and Directing will all play out. A prediction post of the Best Picture Categories will be along soon, so don't miss it. Our Mid-Week Poll was even about the Oscars. We asked you who you think will win the Best Picture Award and also who you think should win the Best Picture Award. The votes on both sides are overwhelmingly in favor of 'The Artist', do you agree? Please let us know in the poll. Home Theater News Josh showed us how he, an ardent collector of movies and their packaging, has finally given in to his space needs and reduced much of his collection to disc sleeves and a big decorative trunk. Are your movies beginning to overtake your shelves? Your living room? Your house? Then Josh's solution to the problem may be the answer you're looking for. We've all had them. Home Theater Headaches! They're awful. We turn on our theater and something isn't working, then we spend more time to fix the problem than it would've taken us to watch the movie in the first place. Find out about Josh's recent run-in with his Laser Disc player. Theatrical News Luke stopped by the cinema this week and saw the two big movies that are opening this weekend. Find out what he thought about the oh-so realistic Navy Seals movie 'Act of Valor' and his thoughts on the new Paul Rudd R-rated comedy 'Wanderlust'. In The Trailer Park E discusses some of the reboots that will be making their way to theaters shortly. Special Features This week's Weekend Roundtable we took a nit-picky look at our favorite films. Even though we love these films, there are one or two things about them that really, truly bug us. Find out what they are. That's it for this week! We really hope you stop on by this Sunday for our Live-Blog of the Oscars. We're going to be starting the blog at 7 PM Eastern so make sure you make the proper time adjustments for your respective time zone (6 PM Central, 5 PM Mountain, and 4 PM Pacific). We'll start with the pre-show and talk as the stars arrive on the red carpet, then we'll go into the wee hours of the morning until we're all delirious from our overdose of Billy Crystal. What do you say? Sounds like a great time eh? If that doesn't make you want to join us then FREE Blu-rays should. Come. Win something. Stay awhile. We hope to see you all there!Posted Fri Feb 24, 2012 at 11:00 AM PST by: -
'The War' Announced for Blu-ray[teaser]The critically acclaimed World War II documentary miniseries will enlist to Blu-ray in May. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, Paramount is readying 'The War' for Blu-ray on May 15. Six years in the making, the epic, seven-part film directed and produced by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick explores the history and horror of the Second World War from an American perspective through the personal accounts of men and women from four quintessentially American towns. Revealing the most intimate human dimensions of a worldwide catastrophe, the 15-hour documentary paints a vivid portrait of how the war touched the lives of every family on every street in every town in America. 'The War' is narrated by Emmy Award®-winner Keith David and includes voiceovers from acclaimed performers such as Tom Hanks, Samuel L. Jackson, Josh Lucas, Adam Arkin and Eli Wallach and features recordings by Norah Jones and Wynton Marsalis, as well as war-era favorites from Benny Goodman, Nat ‘King’ Cole and more. Presented in pristine high-definition, the Blu-ray also boasts nearly two hours of special features including filmmaker commentary, deleted scenes, additional interviews and a making of featurette. The release is timed with repeat airings on PBS May 20th and May 27th. Suggested list price for the 6-disc Blu-ray set is $129.99. You can find the latest specs for 'The War' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it is indexed under May 15.Posted Fri Feb 24, 2012 at 10:45 AM PST by: -
Top Sales and Rentals: Week Ending February 19th[teaser] ‘Twilight’ dominates and practically no one buys ‘The Help’ on Blu-ray[/teaser] And the number one movie sold last week was… ‘The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1.’ Anyone surprised? ‘Twilight’ took the top spot in DVD and Blu-ray sales and had a 25% Blu-ray share, meaning that out of four discs sold, one was Blu-ray. Few movies in the top 10 had significant Blu-ray presence. ‘The Rum Diary’ boasts 36%, ‘Real Steel’ has a 20% share, but that’s all there was in the 20% and up range. ‘The Smurfs’ and ‘The Help’ tied at lowest, with just a 4% Blu-ray share. Only one movie came anywhere close to selling as much as ‘Twilight’ did on Blu-ray and that’s ‘Lady and the Tramp,’ which still only sold half as much. ‘The Rum Diary’ was the number three selling Blu-ray and it brought in just 9% of what ‘Twilight’ was able to do. Going by Blu-ray share, ‘Battle: Los Angeles’ came in at the top with a 79.66% Blu-ray preference. It didn’t sell well, but when it sold it almost always sold Blu. These numbers don’t count titles that are Blu-ray exclusive, or are only sold in Blu-ray/DVD combo packs. All and all it hasn’t been a bad week for Blu-ray, but we’ve seen better. Source: Home Media MagazinePosted Fri Feb 24, 2012 at 10:15 AM PST by: -
'The Front Line' Announced for Blu-ray[teaser]The Academy Award nominated war film from South Korea is planned for Blu-ray in May. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, Well Go USA is prepping 'The Front Line' for a Blu-ray release on May 8. Towards the end of the Korean War, an uneasy ceasefire is ordered, but out on the Eastern front line of the Aerok Hills, in an expanse of land called the Aero.K, fierce fighting continues. A race to capture this strategic point to determine a new border between the two Koreas is the ultimate prize.. Specs and supplements have yet to be revealed, but suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $29.98. You can find the latest specs for 'The Front Line' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under May 8.Posted Fri Feb 24, 2012 at 10:00 AM PST by: -
Samsung and Blockbuster Team for Streaming Service in Australia[teaser]The rumor mills say we can expect that service to hit the U.S. in September. [/teaser] The folks over at Samsung Australia have just signed a deal with Blockbuster to provide phone, tablet and TV owners with access to thousands of streaming movies. It's not being billed as Blockbuster on Demand though - from the sound of things, it may be a subscription based service. The plan, according to Rich Trenholm at Cnet.uk is to launch worldwide, all at once. This would prove an interesting strategy and could certainly make the pairing competitive with other streaming services. Like other recently announced services, this would be exclusive to one brand - in this case Samsung. Both Blockbuster and Samsung are, as is to be expected, silent on the rumor. Source: Cnet UKPosted Fri Feb 24, 2012 at 09:00 AM PST by: -
'Contraband' Announced and Detailed for Blu-ray[teaser]The action-packed crime thriller starring Mark Wahlberg and Kate Beckinsale will explode on Blu-ray in April. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, Universal Studios says 'Contraband' will have a Blu-ray release on April 24. Check out our theatrical review over on The Bonus View blog here. Chris Farraday (Wahlberg) long ago abandoned his life of crime, but after his brother-in-law botches a drug deal, Chris is forced back into running contraband. Things quickly fall apart, and Chris must use his skills to navigate a treacherous criminal network of brutal drug lords, cops, and hit men before his wife and sons become their target. The Blu-ray/DVD/Ultraviolet Digital Copy combo pack will feature 1080p video, a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack, and supplements will include: Commentary with director/producer Baltasar Kormakur and producer Evan Hayes; Under The Radar – The Making of Contraband; Reality Factor – The Stunts and Action of Contraband; and Deleted Scenes. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $34.98. You can find the latest specs for 'Contraband' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under April 24.Posted Fri Feb 24, 2012 at 08:00 AM PST by: -
Bang & Olufsen's 65 Inch Ultra-Slim 3D Plasma Comes to the US[teaser]The BeoVision 12-65 isn't cheap, but it sure is pretty looking. [/teaser] Bang & Olufsen aren't what you'd call a bargain brand. You won't find their TVs at Best Buy or Walmart, and unless you're making a really significant amount of money, you probably can't afford one. The BeoVision 12 hasn't been priced yet, but it's a safe bet that you can expect the same incredibly high pricing pattern based on everything B&O is throwing at this set. The BeoVision 12-65 is a 65" 3D capable plasma TV designed to look as good as the video you watch on it. The frame is thin - just a few millimeters - and the two aluminum profiles surrounding the screen bend inward to create a nice optical illusion. One thing unique to the BeoVision 12-65 is the integrated center channel speaker. Though it's mounted under the TV, B&O assures that the sound will seem as if its straight from the center of the set. "The arrival of the BeoVision 12 solidifies our commitment to the premium segment of wide-screen home cinema solutions," says Bang & Olufsen president Zean Nielsen. "Furthermore, it strengthens our 3D large screen TV portfolio and complements our home integration and personalized installation services." Source: PR NewswirePosted Fri Feb 24, 2012 at 07:00 AM PST by: -
'The Shock Labyrinth - 3D' Announced for Blu-ray[teaser]Takashi Shimizu's 2009 Japanese horror film is coming to Blu-ray 3D in May. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, Well Go USA is working on 'The Shock Labyrinth - 3D' starring Yûya Yagira, Ai Maeda, and Misako Renbutsu for a Blu-ray release on May 8. The film follows a group of teenagers who get lost in a labyrinth after taking one of their friends to the hospital. Specs and supplements have yet to be revealed, but suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $39.98. You can find the latest specs for 'The Shock Labyrinth - 3D' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under May 8.Posted Fri Feb 24, 2012 at 06:00 AM PST by:
