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'The Stranger' Announced for Blu-ray[teaser]The 1946 Oscar nominated Orson Welles classic will be no stranger to Blu-ray in a few short weeks! [/teaser] In a rather late-breaking announcement to retailers, Film Chest and Virgil Films & Entertainment will be releasing 'The Stranger' for a high-definition release on February 15. Considered one of early cinema’s greatest talents, filmmaker Orson Welles ('F for Fake,' 'Chimes at Midnight,' 'Touch of Evil,' 'Citizen Kane') directs and stars in the film noir classic as a Nazi war criminal, Franz Kindler, who has assumed a new identity following World War II. Now Charles Rankin, Kindler is a professor at a prep school, residing in a quiet Connecticut town with his new American wife, Mary (Academy Award-winner Loretta Young, 'The Farmer’s Daughter,' 'The Bishops Wife,' 'Come to the Stable'), the daughter of a Supreme Court Justice. Although Kindler has held strong to his fascist ideals, he has effectively erased his identity and left nary a shred of evidence – not even a photograph – to identify him as a notorious mastermind of the Holocaust. But Mr. Wilson (Edward G. Robinson, 'Key Largo,' 'Double Indemnity,' 'Kid Galahad,' 'Little Caesar'), an agent from the U.N.’s War Crimes Commission, is relentless in his determination to track Kindler down and expose his lurid secrets. Releasing a former comrade from prison, Wilson follows him to the states and his prey … but the man is killed before he can identify Kindler. With little hope of convincing the townspeople or Kindler’s naive new wife who the stranger in their midst really is, Wilson must come up with a plan before Kindler – who feels his past closing in – decides to eliminate his bride as well. The release will be a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack with digitally restored video in high-definition from the original 35mm film assets presented in 4:3 aspect ratio, the original sound plus a new 5.1 mix, and special features will include Before-and-after film restoration demo and a trailer. Also included will be a collectible postcard reproduction of the original movie poster. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $15.99. You can find the latest specs for 'The Stranger' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it is indexed under February 15.Posted Tue Feb 1, 2011 at 08:00 AM PST by: -
Save $10 on 'Alice in Wonderland' Blu-ray[teaser]Disney's latest promotion offers $10 off the 60th anniversary edition of the animated classic on Blu-ray! [/teaser] Here's another coupon offer to save $10 on the 'Alice in Wonderland' Blu-ray, though this one requires the UPC from a qualifying Disney title to receive the offer (Pssst... 717951000439). Click this link to access to the page where you can enter the UPC code and print out your coupon valid at participating retail stores. Printable coupons are available for both the U.S. and Canada, and the promotion is valid now through February 7. Thanks to forum user Barmat for providing the UPC!Posted Tue Feb 1, 2011 at 07:00 AM PST by: -
'Game of Death' Blu-ray Features Added[teaser]Features have been detailed for the Wesley Snipes direct-to-video thriller headed for Blu-ray this February. [/teaser] As previously reported, Sony has revealed 'Game of Death' co-starring Robert Davi and Zoe Bell for Blu-ray on February 15. In one of his most explosive and riveting films yet, Snipes delivers the perfect ride of non-stop, kick-ass thrills as a rogue CIA agent charged with fending off some of the world’s top assassins. Specs have yet to be revealed, but supplements will include six featurettes: A Look at the Story, The Action Game of Death, The Cast, Working with Director Giorgio Serafini, Behind the Stunts, and Shooting in Detroit. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $30.95. You can find the latest specs for 'Game of Death' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under February 15.Posted Tue Feb 1, 2011 at 06:00 AM PST by: -
Amazon May Be Introducing an Unlimited Streaming Service[teaser]If Amazon jumps into the ring, Netflix will finally have a real competitor. [/teaser] There are plenty of digital video rental services out there, but there's only one that really stands out as wildly successful. Netflix is sitting pretty right now as the only streaming service to offer unlimited streaming with a low monthly fee, but that isn't going to last forever. According to the folks over at Engadget, we may be seeing Amazon jump into the ring very soon. A source of theirs revealed some screenshots that he took of Amazon's new service and it could be a contender. The tipster said that the option appeared under a new menu option - "Unlimited Instant Videos." The screenshots indicate that only Prime members are able to use the service, but that the service is free for Prime members. That means the Amazon streaming service would run around $6.50 a month and have added benefits to boot. The option has already disappeared from Amazon's page, and we're left with a great deal of questions. Early screenshots revealed 480p streaming only, but could HD be on the way? Will this new service offer access to all of the video content on Amazon including television? Even more importantly, will we be able to access this service on our Blu-ray players, game consoles and connected TVs? Source: EngadgetPosted Mon Jan 31, 2011 at 03:40 PM PST by: -
'Let Me In'-terview: Director Matt Reeves Talks About His Vampiric MasterpieceHigh-Def Digest's Drew Taylor has been pretty outspoken on the blog about his love of Matt Reeves' 'Let Me In.' He took what was essentially a new classic, the Swedish vampire story 'Let the Right One In' and did the unthinkable: he made it better. It's sexier, more political, and more emotional. And it's finally out on Blu-ray and DVD this week, so all of you chumps that ignored it when it was in the theater (sorry, no sparkly vampires here) can finally see it for yourselves. [teaser]Drew Taylor got a chance to talk to the director (who, between this and his work on 'Cloverfield' has established himself as one of the most amazing genre filmmakers working today), and they discussed the movie's subtext, its gender politics, and what it was like being the first new Hammer Film in decades. [/teaser] HDD: What was your approach to remaking 'Let the Right One In' in terms of the subtext you wanted to emphasize? Matt Reeves: Well, you know… I don't need to be semi-distracted but I think it's literally the USC Marching Band is playing across the street from my house. That's so weird. I have no idea why. I'm trying to focus my thoughts as they're playing… [he starts humming some marching band song] Um… You know, that was the whole reason I wanted to make the movie in the first place, was the subtext. What I loved about the story was that it was using the vampire myth to explore the pain of adolescence. I thought it was an original take and a really heartfelt take. And so the subtext was what drove everything. To me, creating Owen's world and trying to tell the story through his point of view and in the depiction of Abby, you know, when Chloe and I were talking, wanting to ground what she was in some kind of reality. You know, as strange as it sounds, the mission was to take this fantasy and make it as real as possible, to ground it in emotions that felt real and to create that level of alienation. It really mattered to me when, like, I was hiring my production designer, you know, a lot of production designers would come in and say, well, "I imagine that color" and that sort of thing. And there's definitely artistry to that. But my production designer, when he came in to meet with me, he said, "You know I think that in Owen's house his mother got this kind of brief burst of influence after she and her husband split up and then it hit her how she really felt and the house fell to hell after that." And I knew exactly what he was talking about, I knew what that would look like when it came to the detail of how to realize that. But I realized he was talking about the space as occupied by the people who lived there and affected by their emotions. So everything was about that subtext. I also tried to bring out some of the subtext of the time, this idea of the Reagan era, but what all that was about was creating a context for Owen's story. Because in the story, I mean Oskar in the novel and in the first film and in our's, has these tremendous fantasies of revenge and [original novelist and screenwriter [John Ajvide] Lindqvist grew up in the 80s and I did at the same time, we're about the same age. And in the United States it was really the Reagan Era and there was that Evil Empire speech he was making and I thought, as I was musing about how to adapt it and thinking about it, I thought – What would it be like to be a 12-year-old who is brutally bullied every day and who has these dark thoughts, to be told by adults and the world around him that evil isn't something inside of us, but it's something outside of us. Like the Soviets were supposed to be evil, and Americans were fundamentally good. And I thought that all of this would make him feel like more of an outsider – that he couldn't talk to anyone around him and he wouldn't know how to express his darkest feelings. And then when she would arrive, it would be someone who could finally understand him. [Pause] Did that answer your question? [laughter] So was the removal of the neighbor's detective story line an effort to make it more from Owen's point of view? That's was the whole thing, yeah. I wanted to, as much as possible, change it to be more from his point of view. And in aspects that would affect his story. So the introduction of the policeman… I mean there's a character in the book who is a policeman and that opening sequence is loosely based on a scene that's in the book. But I thought of the policeman, in terms of how he functions in the story, as Fate approaching, ever closer, into the Romeo & Juliet story that is the relationship between Owen and Abby and so I wanted that line to move in even closer. But everything else is, as much as possible, from his point of view. And I thought – how can I use the neighbors? And my thought was to use them, through his point of view, to highlight the coming of age story, to show the neighbor as his first fascination with sexuality, and all that stuff that goes along with preadolescence and discovering the world of adults around you. It's somehow alluring but also overwhelming and frightening. So I wanted to take the neighbors and shift them, to put them through that prism. Because, in reading the book (which I loved), the only way to be totally faithful would be to make a very long, what would have had to have been a miniseries. The thrust of it is of course Oskar's story and it's a coming of age story, but many chapters change point of view and follow the neighbors, there's a whole separate story that happens with the father figure, in the book. And all of that would have overshadowed, in a 2 hour movie, the focus that was important to me, which was to take out that coming of age story and make it central to everything. Now you talk about the sexuality of the movie, and there's a lot of interesting gender stuff in the movie. He's called "little girl" instead of "little piggy." Yes! Yes! But then you hold back on one of the big moments from the original, which is the implication that Abby could have, at one point, been a boy. Why would you go so far and then hold back? I guess because I saw the film before I read the book, and this was all about a year before the film even came out, and I didn't understand that she was once a boy until I read the book. And, again, in terms of trying to focus the story to what you understand, unless I was going to be able to truly give the back-story for that, I felt that it would be something that would just pull you out. I feel like that is a detail that you only really contextualize because you know the story. When I saw it, at least, my experience was I didn't know quite what I was seeing. I thought it was him watching her dress and being fascinated that she was different than him. And that was my interpretation of it. So when I did this version of the story, I had read the book, and I did know what the back story was, but there was no way, I felt, within the time frame of the movie, to create that part of the story in a way that wouldn't do anything but pull you out. Because it would create an emotional distance where you're thinking about what happened and where did it happen, instead of making it this thing about two kids where, there's an androgyny to that age, and as a kid I was often mistaken for being a girl. And that level of humiliation and confusion is all part of that adolescent moment. But that story point, as it was used in the first film, and as much as I love that movie, I didn't understand what that point was, except in the context as I viewed it, which was a coming of age moment. So what I did was, I didn't do that shot, because I didn't want that moment to be some strange, left-field moment like "What is that?" But at the same time I did keep the camera on his face so that those people who had read the book and wanted that interpretation, there's nothing in the movie to say that that isn't the case. But, for people who don't know the story, it doesn't pull you out, like "wait a a minute, I'm confused, what was that?" And that was just an emotional decision of mine. Now can you talk about Michael Giacchino's score and what your approach was for that? It seems like one of the more openly gothic elements of the film. Well, you know, it's interesting because we had worked together on 'Cloverfield,' andnd there's no music in 'Cloverfield,' no score, except for the end, and he was a huge fan of 'Godzilla' movies and when he found out we were doing the movie he was like "Oh my god! I can't wait to score it!" And then I had to say, unfortunately, there's no score. And he said "Oh no! Well, you have to let me write this closing credits overture." Because he had to exorcise some Godzilla-themed demon inside of him. I loved working with him, I thought he was so great. And so I was really hoping he'd do this. And I showed him and he was really excited about it and one of the things he was really excited about was, even though he was a huge fan of Bernard Hermann and had done so much great darker stuff on 'Lost' in addition to the great stuff for Pixar and all the other big movies he had done, he had never done a horror film. And he was excited about that, and doing the gothic side of things. But what he liked most of all, and what drew me to it, was that it was an emotional story. And a tender story. And we sat down together and he did these sketches and we would talk about them and it was a great experience. I just think he's an amazing composer. And he wanted to bring out that sort of darker side. We talked a lot about [experimental Polish composer Krysztof] Penderecki and we talked about some composer and listened to some music. And then he created what he created, which I thought was just tremendous. Was there any pressure on your end that this was going to be the first Hammer Horror move in a long time? And how jazzed were you to see that logo at the front of your movie? I thought that was great! It was very exciting, I mean, to be part of that tradition and the re-launching of that label. To be honest, there wasn't much of a pressure. There was another movie they were making [presumably the straight-to-home-video Hilary Swank vehicle 'The Resident'] and I was worried that the other movie would be the first movie to be the Hammer film. And I just really wanted to be the first one. And I was like "Ah, really? It should be this one!" And I was really excited and they decided it would be. Can you talk about the car crash sequence? I know on the Blu-ray you talk about being inspired by a similar sequence in 'Dial M for Murder' but were there any specific long shots that you took inspiration from? Well, it was more… The whole approach was to filter through point of view as much as possible. And that sequence wasn't from Owen's point of view, obviously, but I wanted to do that with the father's point of view, to take you through this experience and bring you down the hill. And it was sort of in the script that way. From one moment, you're watching him get away from these kids and looking at them through the windshield and the tension that he's escaping is right in front of you on camera. And in an instant, suddenly realize that the whole world had turned upside down and this escape was not to be and to take you down that crash with him so you would feel the disorientation and, in the end, the tragedy of it. There are a lot of long shots in movies that I love. Certainly that long shot in 'Children of Men' is a shot that I probably thought of, although that's so different because it's such an elaborate shot and ours is such a simple shot. But I remember being absolutely blown away by that shot. And this is obviously a much simpler version of that idea. But it was really taken from trying to take you through, in a point of view way, the experience of what the character was going through cinematically.Posted Mon Jan 31, 2011 at 02:00 PM PST by: -
'Let Me In'-terview: Richard Jenkins On Playing a Murderous FiendThis week, the criminally underrated horror remake 'Let Me In' makes its splashy, blood-soaked debut on high-definition. It was one of 2010's very best movies… and one of its most under-seen. If you've seen the original Swedish film 'Let the Right One In,' well you'll have a pretty good understanding of the basic story beats, but director Matt Reeves, along with his supernaturally talented cast, which includes Kodi Smit-McPhee ('The Road') as a lonely young boy and Chloe Grace Moretz ('Kick-Ass') as the vampire that befriends him. [teaser]Richard Jenkins, in the remake, assumes the iconic role of Moretz's guardian, a serial killer who operates just so he can feed his vampire companion. [/teaser] HDD's Drew Taylor got to talk to Richard Jenkins about his performance, the film, being in Joss Whedon's 'Cabin in the Woods' and whether or not there'll ever be a 'Step Brothers 2.' HDD: You're known for your small-scale comedies and dramas, but 'Let Me In' is very much a horror film. What attracted you to doing a genre piece? Richard Jenkins: I didn't look at it like, "Gee, I'd like to do a genre piece." I looked at the character. And I really liked the story, I loved Matt's script. I didn't know there was a Swedish movie of this when I signed on and I just liked the whole idea of the film. And I loved being the oldest person on set, which for the past ten movies, I have been. [Laughs] Now you did [Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard's horror movie send-up] 'Cabin in the Woods' before 'Let Me In,' right? What was that experience like? That was incredible! This is a whole group of really talented young folks, from Joss Whedon to Drew Goddard to Matt Reeves. They're all friends, they all kind of came in together, and they're all really gifted and sweet and fun. And the two movies, to make them, was a ball. 'Cabin in the Woods' was such a ball. Do you have any idea when that's coming out? [Due to a prolonged post-production process in which 'Cabin in the Woods' was up-converted to 3D and then financial ruin struck MGM, when, exactly, the long-completed film is scheduled to be released is anybody's guess.] I think it's a week from next Thursday… I don't know! I don't think anybody knows. I have no idea. So, you didn't know there was an original Swedish film when you read the script. Did you go back and watch it later? I did after I finished the film, yep. And what were your thoughts on that? It was incredible. I had read the book before I read the movie. Was there anything you took from the book that you applied to the movie? Well, I thought he was different in the movie. I try to just take what's there, on the page, and deal with that. But, you know, I started to shoot and Matt said, "Have you seen the Swedish movie?" And I said I didn't know there was one. And he said, "Well, wait until we're finished before you watch the other movie." And I did and it's an amazing film. So you didn't know how sort-of iconic the original movie was? Well, it didn't take me long to figure it out. It's one of those movies that not a lot of people saw but those that did just… Well, it's just a brilliant film. Can you talk about what it was like shooting the scene in the back of the car with the botched murder attempt? Well, it was fun. It was really fun. We did it one night. We kind of had to cancel it because we had to do it with the roof off the car, so we could get into my face, or the bag over my head, and it was snowing. And we had to go back and do it again. But I don't want to give away how he did it, but I think he's going to do that on the [Blu-ray]. Isn't he? I haven't gotten a chance to look at the Blu-ray yet. [Since the interview I have looked at the Blu-ray, and there is an amazing little documentary on how they pulled off the shot.] It's cool. It's really, really cool. And when you see it, you kind of go – oh, right. It's like a magic trick. It's always easier than you think it is when you know the trick. And it was a really smart idea that he had. And he had a great editor and they put it all together. But it was fun. The young guy, who I ended up putting to sleep there, was really struggling. He was a stunt guy but he was like "Geez!" It was fun. I had to hang on. Can you talk about what about the story and the character appealed to you so much? Well… I liked the fact that he was kind of… There weren't a lot of words. That's always a challenge to see if you can create a life and a human being without a lot of dialogue. I always love when film does that. It's one of the things that it can do and we don't do it as much as we should, I think. And I love that. I like Matt. I met Matt before this movie… It was announced that he was going to do it. But I liked him, I thought it was a really smart guy. I thought – "What the heck?" This sounds be fun, you know, running around the snow with a half-gallon of blood. Could be a good time. You talk about being the oldest actor on the set and a majority of your scenes are with children. What was that like? I kept looking at them like, "Let's see, when I was their age I was trying to figure out how to tie my shoe so I could untie it later." You know, it's a whole different world. These kids are really sophisticated and sweet but still kids, and really bright and fun. It always amazes me when I work with young actors like that. It seems like Chloe is going to be the next Meryl Streep or something. Oh yeah. Chloe. She's going something, man. And he does too! They're just really good. Now, it's made more explicitly clear in the remake but the implication seems to be that Kodi's character is going to grow up to be the next version of your character. Is that your understanding too? That's how I played it, yeah. I mean, whether or not… That was my interpretation. From reading the script and looking at it... That was my fear. That's what I was going to ask you about, was how you brought this kind of resigned melancholy to your character. There's a way that you light your cigarette that is so kind of mournful. What was it like creating that character? I mean, nobody ever thinks they're a really bad person, I don't think. And that's part of the fun of being an actor, is you get to stand in other people's shoes and look at it from their perspective and their point of view. And this is someone who is trying to do his best to keep someone he cared about alive. That's how I looked at it. It's not that I enjoyed doing what I did. In fact, I didn't. It's what I had to do, it was the life I had chosen. I felt regret. I felt – why am I here? What is this? What does this lead to? I've always said about this movie, part of the reason I love it, is that vampire movies are always so glamorous. And you look at this, you think – I don't want to be a vampire, you know? Cardboard over the windows, sleeping in the bathtub, it couldn't be worse or more depressing and almost sad. Were you disappointed by the lack of commercial appeal for the film? I was. I was surprised. But, you know, the longer you do this the more you realize that you don't know anything. That's the line from William Goldman's book, you know, nobody knows anything. And it's the truth. But I was a little surprised, because I saw it at the premiere and really loved it. I thought, gosh he did a great job. Matt is a really talented guy. After the fact, everybody says – why? Everybody knows after but nobody knows beforehand. But I was surprised. I was. There's one quick throwaway question. I saw something online about a 'Step Brothers 2.' Is that something you look to revisit? Well, no, I haven't heard anything. I think I mentioned once that Adam McKay had mentioned to me something in passing. I think I read something on the web – "He says it's a done deal?" But… no, no. I have not heard a thing about it. I did hear that they're doing a rap album. I don't even know if that's true. Thank you so much, Richard. I really hope people check it out on home video. I do too. I do too.Posted Mon Jan 31, 2011 at 01:15 PM PST by: -
'Betty Blue' Blu-ray Announced[teaser]The French cult classic also known as '37.2 Degrees Celsius in the Morning' has been announced for Blu-ray this April. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, Cinema Libre will be bringing 'Betty Blue' to high-definition on April 26. The film received both a BAFTA and Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film in 1986, as well as winning a César Award for Best Poster. In 1992 it was awarded the Golden Space Needle of the Seattle International Film Festival.. Specs and supplements have yet to be revealed, but the suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $29.95. You can find the latest specs for 'Betty Blue' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under April 26.Posted Mon Jan 31, 2011 at 12:00 PM PST by: -
Sharp is Bringing Back Pioneer's Elite TVs[teaser]But will the quality live up to the name? We'll have to wait to find out. [/teaser] HDTV enthusiasts remember the Pioneer Elite line fondly - especially the Kuro, which is still held up as one of the best ever on the market. Sharp knows this, and has licensed the Elite brand from Pioneer to market a new TV line. Sharp says that the new Elite televisions will be among the company's premium offerings, and will consist of high-quality large-screen TVs. What you might not have expected is that all of Sharp's Elite TVs will be LCD. "Adding a line of high-end flat panel TVs fills a market need in the industry and will help reinforce the strength of a complete Elite home theater offering," says Pioneer's Russ Johnston. "With its cutting edge LCD technology and unmatched production capabilities, Sharp is an important strategic collaborator that will deliver a whole new dimension to the large-screen home theater experience." Source:Posted Mon Jan 31, 2011 at 11:00 AM PST by: -
'S.W.A.T.: Firefight' Blu-ray Detailed[teaser]The direct-to-video action thriller dated for March has been detailed. [/teaser] As previously reported, Sony has revealed 'S.W.A.T.: Firefight' for Blu-ray on March 1. Robert Patrick ('Terminator 2,' 'The Men Who Stare at Goats') stars as an insidious and unstoppable villain, determined to exact his revenge on the new, hot-shot instructor of Detroit’s most elite crime fighting team. The Blu-ray will feature 1080p, a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack, and the only supplement will be Sharp Shooting: On the Set. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $30.95. You can find the latest specs for 'S.W.A.T.: Firefight' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under March 1.Posted Mon Jan 31, 2011 at 10:00 AM PST by: -
Early-Purchase Oppo BDP-95 Players Sold Out - Shipping in February[teaser]Oppo offered customers the chance to buy a BDP-95 early and they sold out fast! [/teaser] The BDP-95 is the latest player from Oppo, a company that's quickly become a favorite of many HD enthusiasts. It's a player designed for audiophiles - those who really care about their sound. Oppo sent out emails on Thursday to alert customers that early versions of the BDP-95 were available, and the units quickly sold out. Customers receiving the email can now pre-order the unit to receive it in March. Those lucky enough to pick up an early release BDP-95 will be getting theirs shipped between February first and fourth, so you can expect to hear some reports on the player soon. According to Oppo, stability of the player isn't an issue, since it uses the same firmware as the BDP-93. The players will be shipped with the most up-to-date firmware.Posted Mon Jan 31, 2011 at 09:00 AM PST by:
