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'Annie Hall,' 'Manhattan,' 'Notorious,' & 'Rebecca' Dated for Blu-ray[teaser]Two more classics from both Woody Allen and Alfred Hitchcock are bound for Blu-ray in January. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, MGM/UA is working on 'Annie Hall,' 'Manhattan,' 'Notorious' and 'Rebecca' for Blu-ray on January 24. Woody Allen's 'Annie Hall' was nominated for four Academy Awards and won for Best Director and Best Picture, while his 'Manhattan' scooped up BAFTA Awards for Best Screenplay and Best Film. Hitchcock's 'Rebecca' starring Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine won Oscars for Best Cinematography (Black-and-White) and Best Picture, and 'Notorious' which stars Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman received a nomination for the Grand Prize at the 1946 Cannes Film Festival. Specs and supplements have yet to be revealed, but suggested list price for each Blu-ray is $24.99. You can find the latest specs for 'Annie Hall,' 'Manhattan,' 'Notorious,' & 'Rebecca' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where they're indexed under January 24.Posted Fri Dec 2, 2011 at 10:45 AM PST by: -
Analyst Michael Pachter Says Netflix is Broken - 11 Million Lost Hybrid Subscribers by 2012[teaser]Of those 11 million, he predicts that seven million will downgrade their plans and the rest will leave Netflix completely. [/teaser] Right now, the future of Netflix is unclear. Things could go one of two very different ways for the company thanks to an incredibly aggressive plan for growth. Netflix is expanding to other countries, acquiring new contentw, and doing everything it can to get new customers, but that may be at the root of the problem. "In our view," writes Michael Pachter of Wedbush Securities, "the company’s business model was broken when it raised prices for its hybrid customers, and continued customer defections will require it to invest ever-increasing amounts in marketing." Pachter suggests that Netflix will lose 11 million hybrid accounts, meaning accounts that subscribe for both disc delivery and streaming. He says that four million will leave the service and the rest will downgrade to just streaming or just discs. This loss is just the beginning of what Pachter says will be a big loss for Netflix. Source: Home Media MagazinePosted Fri Dec 2, 2011 at 10:20 AM PST by: -
'Game of Thrones: The Complete First Season' Blu-ray Announced[teaser]The first season of the acclaimed series based on George R.R. Martin's best-selling novels is coming to Blu-ray in March. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, HBO will release 'Game of Thrones: The Complete First Season' on Blu-ray on March 6. One of the best reviewed shows of the year stars Sean Bean ('The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring') and Lena Headey ('Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles') and currently holds an impressive 9.5/10 rating on IMDb.com. Specs have yet to be detailed, but supplements will include: Seven audio commentaries with cast and crew including David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, George R.R. Martin, Emilia Clarke, Peter Dinklage, Kit Harrington, and more; Character profiles of 15 major characters as described by the actors portraying them; and five behind-the-scenes featurettes. Blu-ray-exclusives include: Complete Guide to Westeros compendium with twenty-four exclusive histories of the Seven Kingdoms; Anatomy of an Episode on "A Golden Crown"; In-Episode Guide that provides real-time background information on each episode; and Hidden Dragon Eggs with never-before-seen hidden content. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is set at $79.98. You can find the latest specs for 'Game of Thrones: The Complete First Season' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under March 6.Posted Fri Dec 2, 2011 at 09:55 AM PST by: -
Sony Adds Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and more to Bravia TVs[teaser]The latest firmware update to 2011 Bravias brings plenty of added functionality, including laptop control. [/teaser] Receivers, Blu-ray players and TVs are more and more frequently offering customers the ability to control their devices via a smartphone or tablet. If you can control your set from a less capable device, why not a laptop? That very functionality is being implemented in the newest update to Sony's 2011 Bravia televisions. You'll be able to control different aspects of the set through your laptop including, thankfully, apps that would normally require you to pick letters one-by-one with your remote. Also new to the TVs are YouTube HD for your high definition Epic Meal Time enjoyment and Facebook integration allows you to share those YouTube videos with your friends. Another new feature is the Twitter Ticker, which displays messages from your Twitter feed across the bottom of your screen as you watch. Could be a fun setup for sharing your thoughts on the game, the Oscars or whatever event you watch with friends. Source: EngadgetPosted Fri Dec 2, 2011 at 09:00 AM PST by: -
HDD Deal of the Day: 'Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series' Blu-ray $94.99 at Amazon[teaser]Today's Gold Box deal at Amazon is the entire run of the re-imagined sci-fi series on Blu-ray! [/teaser] Amazon has reduced the price on the reissued 'Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series' Blu-ray for $94.99 (68% off suggested retail price. This collection includes all four seasons, the miniseries, 'Battlestar Galactica: Razor,' as well as 'Battlestar Galactica: The Plan.' Click here to be linked to the offer.Posted Fri Dec 2, 2011 at 08:27 AM PST by: -
'On the Bowery' Announced for Blu-ray[teaser]Lionel Rogosin's classic 1957 film is planned for high-definition in February. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, Milestone is preparing 'On the Bowery' for Blu-ray on February 7. 'On the Bowery' chronicles three days in the drinking life of Ray Salyer, a part-time railroad worker adrift on New York s skid row. When the film opened it 1956, it exploded on the screen, burning away years of Hollywood artifice, jump-starting the post-war American independent film movement and earning an Oscar nomination. Now gloriously restored by the Cineteca di Bologna, 'On the Bowery' is both an incredible document of a bygone era and a vivid and devastating portrait of addiction that resonates today just as it did when it was made. Specs have yet to be finalized, but supplements will include: Introduction by Martin Scorsese; The Perfect Team: The Making of On the Bowery documentary; Complete and restored version of Rogosin's Good Times, Wonderful Times; Five short featurettes; and trailer. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray set is $39.95. You can find the latest specs for 'On the Bowery' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under February 7.Posted Fri Dec 2, 2011 at 08:00 AM PST by: -
The BBC iPlayer Makes it to Canada[teaser]It's coming to the US soon, but until then we have reason to be jealous of our neighbors to the north. [/teaser] Canadian fans of British television now have access to the BBC iPlayer, an app for the iPhone that allows subscribers to watch shows from the BBC any time they want. It's a bit like a British Hulu. The BBC is adding a little bit of incentive for Canadian customers to use the service too. They'll be giving up one piece of entertainment a day until Christmas. They're hoping, of course, that this taste of what you can watch on the iPlayer will inspire viewers to pay the $8.95 a month subscription for the rest of the content. Canada is the 16th territory to get access to the program and the first in North America. A US release date hasn't been announced, but the BBC has confirmed that the iPlayer is on the way to the states. Source: EngadgetPosted Fri Dec 2, 2011 at 07:00 AM PST by: -
'The Whistleblower' Blu-ray Announced and Detailed[teaser]The heart-pounding political thriller will expose Blu-ray's truth in January. [/teaser] In an early retailer announcement, 20th Century Fox has revealed 'The Whistleblower' is coming to Blu-ray on January 24. Inspired by true events, 'The Whistleblower' has been met with praise by critics and heralded at the Palm Springs International Film Festival (“Best Narrative Feature”), Seattle Film Festival (“Best Director”) and Whistler Film Festival (“Best Film,” “Best Narrative Feature”). Academy Award winners Rachel Weisz ('The Constant Gardner') and Vanessa Redgrave ('Julia') head a powerful cast that includes Oscar® Nominee David Strathairn ('Good Night and Good Luck') in writer-director Larysa Kondracki’s harrowing dramatic thriller. When Nebraska cop Kathryn Bolkovac (Weisz) accepts a U.N. peacekeeper position in post-war Bosnia, she uncovers a deadly sex trafficking ring. After learning that fellow peacekeepers and military contractors are involved in the ghastly practice and its cover-up, Bolkovac risks her own life to save the lives of others and expose the corruption. With masterful acting and a heart-racing plot, 'The Whistleblower' is an acclaimed film inspired by actual events and includes stellar supporting performances from Benedict Cumberbatch (“Sherlock”), Monica Bellucci ('The Matrix Reloaded') and David Hewlett (“Stargate: Atlantis”). The Blu-ray will feature 1080p video, a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack, and supplements include cast and crew interviews. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $29.99. You can find the latest specs for 'The Whistleblower' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under January 24.Posted Fri Dec 2, 2011 at 06:00 AM PST by: -
High-Def Holidays: Ho-Ho-Hi-Def!by Dick Ward [teaser]Need help picking out a few movies for your Christmas marathon? This isn't the list for you. We'll have that list of course, but this one's all about celebrating those holidays that slip under the radar. The weird ones celebrating things that just don't need celebrating. The holidays that you didn't even knew existed.[/teaser] Okay, Christmas people, I'll throw you a bone. 'Die Hard.' Hi Neighbor Month It's true, people don't really talk to their neighbors like they used to. So they want you to say hi. Fine. I say do it one better and make it High-Def neighbor month. Get your player hooked on Blu-ray with my personal favorite disc to date and one that I think really shows the power of the format - 'Star Trek.' Give 'em a taste of what they're missing out on. Read a New Book Month Reading books can take you on wonderful new adventures, teach you lessons about humanity and about yourself, and help you learn the meaning of words like "inconceivable." But why read a book when you could watch 'Princess Bride,' a movie about people reading a book? It's faster than a proper book and has way more Peter Falk. Of course... if you're still dying to read an actual book, why not check out HDD Editor-in-Chief Mike Attebery's latest release: Seattle On Ice available as a $2.99 Kindle edition and $9.50 paperback (Makes a great gift!). December 5th - Walt Disney's Birthday Just seconds after you hit play on a Disney movie you'll see an opener that pulls out to reveal Cinderella's Castle to the music of "When You Wish Upon a Star." It's from "Pinocchio" and is one of the sweetest and most beautiful songs put into a Disney film. December 6th - Ira Gershwin's Birthday Ira who? No, Ira Gershwin. Ira, along with his brother George, is responsible for some incredibly memorable music that you should really know. ' A Star is Born' is debatably the last great work of Ira Gershwin. It stars Judy Garland and James Mason. Also it's great. December 12th - Sinatra's Birthday Boy do I love Sinatra. The man had style, composure, mob ties, excellent comedic timing, and a great voice. All right, the mob ties aren't exactly a plus but the other bits are. As much as I do love the 2001 version, nothing beats Frank, Dean, and Sammy in ' Ocean's Eleven.' December 17th - Underdog day Sean Astin is the king of the underdogs. The absolute king. For starters, he was Rudy in 'Rudy,' a movie about a guy that might just be the ultimate football underdog. But that's not all. He was Mikey in 'The Goonies,' a tale of a group of underdogs who beat out a crime family and saved their home. Not enough? How about his role as the fat, lazy, unwilling Samwise Gamgee from 'Lord of the Rings.' No one thought he'd ever really help out on the adventure but when times got tough he was the one who managed to overcome significant adversity and get Frodo to where he needed to be. See? King of the underdogs. December 20th - Games Day Games play an important part in a lot of movies, from the drunken festivities of 'Beer Fest' to the Ouija board in 'Paranormal Activity.' No other movie completely revolves around a game in the way 'Jumanji' does though. If nothing else, watch the movie for Van Pelt - best character by far. December 28th - Card Playing Day Matt Damon, Edward Norton, John Turturro, Gretchen Mol, Famke Janssen, John Malkovich. That should be all you need to hear about ' Rounders' until you go out and buy it and watch it and love it. Oh, it's about poker. December 29th - Pepper Pot Day I have no idea what a Pepper Pot is, but I know who Pepper Potts is and I know that she's played really nicely by Gwyneth Paltrow in both the original and 'Iron Man 2.' December 29th is also my roommate's birthday, and I'm sure he'd love a Pepper Potts of his own. If anyone knows where I can get a brilliant and sexy personal assistant on the cheap, hit me up. December 31st - New Year's Eve Before the movies started to get funny and long before they added Chris Rock and turned the films into self-parody there was a wonderful and dark movie called 'Lethal Weapon.' It starts just after Christmas and on through New Year's.Posted Thu Dec 1, 2011 at 03:45 PM PST by: -
A Sneak Peak at 'The Smurfs' Second Screen and Exclusive Blu-ray Special Featuresby Michael S. Palmer As Black Friday madness recedes into memory, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is offering families an unofficial alternative on December 2nd -- Blue Friday -- with 'The Smurfs' launching on Blu-ray and other digital rental / purchase platforms. [teaser]Our friends at Sony Pictures Imageworks were kind enough to invite HDD to their studio lot in beautiful Culver City, California to learn se about the various Blu-ray editions, test out Smurf-O-Vision: Second Screen Experience and some family friends apps, and enjoy an early look at 'The Smurfs: A Christmas Carol.'[/teaser] A Smurf-sized Film and Why I Wish it Was HD Christmas may be my favorite holiday. My wife and I often decorate before Thanksgiving, I usually leave a string or two of lights up in my living room as cheap "cinema lighting", and one time I purposefully left up the office Christmas Tree until March to see just how long it would take my passive aggressive supervisor to directly request its removal (a hilarious and cheerful three months, it was!). So while the growing multitude of Dickens adaptations may be boring to some, I'm always up for a new twist on the classic tale. 'The Smurfs: A Christmas Carol' doesn't disappoint. This heartwarming, visually striking short utilizes both modern CGI animation as well as 2D cell animation reminiscent of the old TV show. The only catch, my HD-loving friends, is that it's exclusively available on DVD as part of the 3 Disc Holiday Gift Set (see below). A shame, because yesterday we were able to see an HDCAM copy of the short, which is richly detailed, colorful, and would have popped on ye olde HDTVe. However, after a bit of technical difficulty, we watched the most of the short projected from the DVD, and it admittedly looks pretty good in SD too. Second Screen Smurfs Next on our tour was a look at Smurf-O-Vision, also available exclusively on the 3-Disc Holiday Gift Set. While most Second Screen applications act like behind the scene featurettes, allowing users to dive into production designs and concept art, Sony did something quite different and really fun with 'The Smurfs'. Smurf-O-Vision is a free app that allows kids to play along with the movie in 15 unique activities. For example, if a character on screen is blowing bubbles, bubbles appear on your iPad and you pop them. There's also Smurfberries to poke, popcorn to pop, and flies to squash among other things. Sony was smart to make the Smurf-O-Vision application easy to use in a variety of scenarios. Users can sync the app to the film using a manual setting or WiFi (if your Blu-ray player is connected to your home network). And let's say your adorable little ones want to play Smurf-O-Vision, but you don't want to watch the film for the three trillionth time, or you're on the road with no Blu-ray available, the app still works as a standalone. The kiddies can play any of the 15 activities in any order they wish. Cleverly designed, oddly addictive, and technically you don't even need to buy the Blu-ray to ever use it. In fact, over 35 thousand people are already enjoying it. Smurftacular Apps The Smurfs Village Game (available for Apple iOS or Android) has been around for a while, but it has a new Holiday Quest update featuring all new holiday-themed quests inspired by 'The Smurfs: A Christmas Carol', such as growing blackberries for holiday Smurfberry Nog, or helping the holiday-decorated mushroom village build a SnowSmurf. Another fun and free (my favorite price) app is GoldRun, which allows you to take family pictures with one of six Smurf characters. Simply adjust the characters' size and screen position to make it appear as if the Smurf was really standing next to you or the group. Then upload to your favorite photo-sharing or social networking site. How Many Different Ways Can I Buy the Smurfs? Excellent question. For Blu-ray fans, there are two versions to consider: First, there's the 3D Blu-ray + DVD edition, which includes one Blu-ray with both 3D and 2D versions of the film along with The Smurfs Fantastic Adventure Game, and one DVD, which includes a Find The Smurfs Game. Both discs also host a number of behind the scenes featurettes and audio commentaries. Next, there is a 3-Disc Holiday Gift Set (which we just reviewed). This package features one 2D Blu-ray along with the Smurf-O-Vision: Second Screen Experience, a DVD of the movie, and a DVD of an all new animated short, 'The Smurfs: A Christmas Carol'. As part of a Walmart exclusive, the 3-Disc Holiday Gift Set includes a plush Smurf toy and a $5 credit for Walmart's Vudu streaming service. All retail editions of 'The Smurfs', including the DVD-only edition, include an UltraViolet digital redemption code for streaming and/or download from your Digital Locker in the Cloud. Why in the Smurf Would I Buy It? Look for our full review coming soon, but after finally getting a chance to see the film last night, I was really surprised. 'The Smurfs' is a fun family film sure to delight the kiddies, not bore the adults, and it looks and sounds pretty darn spiffy on Blu-ray (though the rear channels in the otherwise delightful 5.1 DTS-HD MA surround track seem to be mixed a little hot at times). Pick up 'The Smurfs' on Blu-ray Friday, December 2nd! In addition to the physical copy editions mentioned above, the film will also be available day and date on various OnDemand, streaming, and digital download services such as Vudu and iTunes. Thanks again to Sony Imageworks and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment for a fun afternoon.Posted Thu Dec 1, 2011 at 02:35 PM PST by:
