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'The Fighter' Announced for Blu-ray[teaser]The film chronicling the early years of boxer Micky "Irish" Ward (played by Mark Wahlberg) will knock out Blu-ray next month. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, Paramount has revealed 'The Fighter' will be available on Blu-ray on March 15. The drama is currently ranked #218 in IMDb.com's Top 250 and was nominated for seven Academy Awards including Best Supporting Actress (Amy Adams, Melissa Leo), Best Supporting Actor (Christian Bale), Best Achievement in Directing (David O. Russell), and Best Picture of the Year. Specs have yet to be revealed, but supplements will include: Commentary by director David O. Russell, The Warriors Code: Filming The Fighter, Keeping the Faith, Deleted scenes (with optional commentary), and Theatrical trailer. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $39.99. You can find the latest specs for 'The Fighter' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it is indexed under March 15.Posted Thu Feb 3, 2011 at 08:00 AM PST by: -
Warner is Raising Fees for Netflix and Redbox[teaser]The company is pushing towards movie ownership instead of streams and rentals. [/teaser] Netflix is making a lot of money streaming movies and the folks at Warner want a piece of it. In a call about the company's fourth quarter results, CEO Jeff Bewkes said that the company would be raising the licensing fees that Netflix and Redbox are paying for movies. It seems as if Warner underestimated both Redbox and Netlix and priced their content accordingly. "The current terms are not commensurate to the value of our films,” said Bewkes in the call. “The value should be considerably higher than what we are getting now.” In addition to raising the price to Redbox and Netflix, Warner is introducing premium Video on Demand (VOD) content which would let viewers watch movies on demand just 60 days after the theatrical window. Warner is pushing hard for disc ownership as well, especially with the new Ultraviolet digital rights management system. "Ultraviolet should dramatically increase the appeal of owning movies," says Bewkes. Home Media MagazinePosted Thu Feb 3, 2011 at 07:00 AM PST by: -
'A.I.: Artificial Intelligence' Blu-ray Pushed Up a Week[teaser]Steven Spielberg's dark sci-fi film is now coming a week earlier after a two month delay. [/teaser] As previously reported, Paramount had originally announced 'A.I.: Artificial Intelligence' starring Haley Joel Osment and Jude Law for high-definition on February 15, then the date changed to April 12, and now the studio seems to have finally settled on April 5. Maybe. The movie is based on a short story by Brian Aldiss and was originally to be directed by Stanley Kubrick, but after his passing the torch was passed to Spielberg. The Blu-ray will still feature 1080p video, a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack, and supplements will include: Creating A.I.; Acting A.I.; Designing A.I.; Lighting A.I.; A.I./FX; The Robots of A.I.; Special Visual Effects and Animation: ILM; The Sound and Music of A.I.; Closing: Steven Spielberg: Our Responsibility to Artificial Intelligence; Two theatrical trailers (in HD); and A.I. Archives. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $29.99. You can find the latest specs for 'A.I.: Artificial Intelligence' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under April 5.Posted Thu Feb 3, 2011 at 06:00 AM PST by: -
HDD Spotlight Bargain: 'Fantastic Mr. Fox' Blu-ray $12.99 at Amazon[teaser]Wes Anderson's stop-motion adaptation of Roald Dahl's famous children's book is now only $13 at Amazon! [/teaser] Amazon is offering 'Fantastic Mr. Fox' starring the voices of George Clooney and Bill Murray for $12.99 (48% off suggested list price). Click here to own this highly recommended title on Blu-ray!Posted Wed Feb 2, 2011 at 12:15 PM PST by: -
'The Outlaw Josey Wales' + 2 Clint Eastwood Double Features Announced for Blu-ray[teaser]It's that time of year again! Clint Eastwood turns another year older and Blu-ray enthusiasts are the ones who can enjoy some extra squinty party favors this June! [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, Warner Brothers is preparing 'The Outlaw Josey Wales' for a Blu-ray release on June 7. Specs have yet to be revealed, but the release will be a digibook and will include the following supplements: Introduction from Clint Eastwood, a new audio commentary by Richard Schickel, a new Clint Eastwood's West: documentary (featuring Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, Oliver Stone, and James Mangold), Hell Hath No Fury: The Making of The Outlaw Josey Wales, Vintage featurette: Eastwood in Action, and a trailer. On the same date, the studio will also release the double features 'Every Which Way But Loose / Any Which Way You Can' and 'Firefox / Heartbreak Ridge' on Blu-ray. 'Firefox' will include a vintage featurette Clint Eastwood: Director and a theatrical trailer, and 'Heartbreak Ridge' will just have the trailer. The suggested list price for each release is still undetermined at this time. You can find the latest specs for 'The Outlaw Josey Wales' and both double features linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where they're indexed under June 7.Posted Wed Feb 2, 2011 at 12:00 PM PST by: -
Best Buy Pushes Blu-ray Exclusives![teaser]The trend towards Blu-ray exclusivity increases as Best Buy looks to take hold of the market. [/teaser] When it comes to 3D Blu-rays, one of the big annoyances is exclusivity. If you want 'Avatar' in 3D for example, you can either buy a qualifying Panasonic product or pay upwards of $100 on eBay. It's not just 3D fans that are feeling the effects of exclusivity though. The folks at Best Buy are looking to corner the Blu-ray market, or at least a pretty big chunk of it. Best Buy was the go-to place for DVDs after all, so why shouldn't the company make a big Blu-ray push? That push has come in the form of a glut of exclusive Blu-rays only available at Best Buy. Some are truly exclusive like 'The Cove' and 'Dead Man Walking' while others like 'Hannibal' are available elsewhere as part of a pack, but not individually. Time will tell just how effective this is, but it certainly puts some pressure on popular sellers like Amazon. Thanks to Derek Price for the tip and the pics!Posted Wed Feb 2, 2011 at 11:35 AM PST by: -
Do Studios Need to Cut Theatrical Window to Eight Weeks?[teaser]One analyst says an earlier release window, before Redbox and Netflix, is the solution. [/teaser] Studios have been wrestling with the problem of low cost rental services like Redbox and Netflix, and they haven't come up with a great solution. Some push back the availability to these services by a few weeks, but analyst Richard Greenfield says that isn't the answer. "Studios need to create an earlier release window where consumers do not have the ability to choose low-priced options such as Redbox or Netflix," writes Greenfield. He suggests that full priced versions available on demand through cable providers and services like Vudu are the way to go. With fewer people heading to the theater to see movies, Greenfield sees electronic distribution as the future. "Disregarding what consumers want in a period of rapid technological change/development is a recipe for disaster," he warns. Source: Home Media MagazinePosted Wed Feb 2, 2011 at 11:00 AM PST by: -
'Made in Dagenham' Blu-ray Announced[teaser]Nigel Cole's take of the 1968 strike at the Ford Dagenham car plant protesting against sexual discrimination is coming to Blu-ray in March. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, Sony says 'Made in Dagenham' starring Sally Hawkins, Bob Hoskins and Miranda Richardson will come to Blu-ray on March 29. The film was nominated for three BAFTA awards including Best Costume Design, Best Make-Up/Hair, and Best Supporting Actress (Miranda Richardson). Specs have yet to be revealed, but supplements will include: Commentary with director Nigel Cole, The Making of Made in Dagenham, and Outtakes. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $34.95. You can find the latest specs for 'Made in Dagenham' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under March 29.Posted Wed Feb 2, 2011 at 10:30 AM PST by: -
'Glorious 39' Blu-ray Announced[teaser]The acclaimed 2009 drama has been announced for Blu-ray release in two weeks. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, Entertainment One will be bringing 'Glorious 39' to Blu-ray on February 15. This taut, star-studded historical drama of wartime conspiracy shows the formidable Keyes family on the eve of World War II who try to uphold their traditional British way of life. Their eldest daughter Anne (Romola Garai, 'The Other Man') unravels sinister secret recordings of a pro-Hitler appeasement movement in this Hitchcockian thriller from Stephen Poliakoff. Specs and supplements haven't been revealed yet, but suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $29.98. You can find the latest specs for 'Glorious 39' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under February 15.Posted Wed Feb 2, 2011 at 10:15 AM PST by: -
'The King's Speech' Announced for Blu-ray[teaser] The acclaimed biopic of King George VI is slated for Blu-ray this April. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, Starz/Anchor Bay says 'The King's Speech' will be available on Blu-ray on April 19. The drama is currently ranked #107 in IMDb.com's Top 250 and was recently nominated for a dozen Oscars including Best Actor (Colin Firth), Best Supporting Actor (Geoffrey Rush), Best Supporting Actress (Helena Bonham Carter), and Best Picture of the Year. Specs have yet to be revealed, but supplements will include: Commentary with director Tom Hooper, The Making of The King's Speech, and King George VI. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $39.99. You can find the latest specs for 'The King's Speech' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it is indexed under April 19.Posted Wed Feb 2, 2011 at 09:50 AM PST by:
