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'Hellboy II' Blu-ray to Include Exclusives, BD-Live[teaser]Universal has unveiled final specs for the two-disc Blu-ray release of 'Hellboy II: The Golden Army,' which will hit high-def with hours of exclusive content and DTS-MA 7.1 audio.[/teaser] As previously announced, the $75 million-grossing fantasy sequel will make its Blu-ray debut on November 18 (day-and-date with the standard DVD) in two-disc special edition and 3-disc limited edition versions. Now full specs are in for the two-disc version, which is sure to impress fans with its wealth of features. Confirmed extras include a pair of audio commentaries with director Guillermo del Toro, and cast Jeffrey Tambor, Selma Blair & Luke Gross, multiple featurettes ("Hellboy: In Service of the Demon," "Troll Market Tour with Guillermo del Toro," "Production Workshop"), deleted scenes (including an animated "Comic Zinco Epilogue" to the film), a "Comic Book Builder" interactive feature, multiple still galleries, the complete script, and Digital Copy. Exclusive to the Blu-ray are numerous U-Control and BD-Live extras, including the "Scene Explorer: Schufftan Google View" mode, the "Director's Notebook" featurette, additional "Set Visits" footage, a conceptual art gallery, MyChat and MyScenes BD-Live functionality, and more exclusive content to be made available online with the disc launches. Tech specs boast a BD-50 dual-layer presentation of the film in 1080p video and English DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 Surround. Though Universal has not yet confirmed details for the three-disc set, it is expected to contain all of the features of the two-disc plus additional extras and collectibles to be announced. We'll keep you posted. Suggested list price for the two-disc Blu-ray has been set at $39.98, and $64.98 for the 3-disc edition. You'll find the latest specs for 'Hellboy II: The Golden Army' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under November 18.Posted Wed Sep 24, 2008 at 08:00 AM PDT by: -
Paramount Revving Up 'Hot Rod' for Blu-ray[teaser]Paramount has announced a mid-December bow for the Andy Samberg racing comedy 'Hot Rod.'[/teaser] Trailing the late-2007 HD DVD release by over a year, Paramount will debut the $25 million-grossing racing farce on Blu-ray December 16 (timed to coincide with the Blu-ray release of another just-announced comedy, 'Old School'). Mirroring the previous HD DVD, among the three hours of announced bonus materials are an audio commentary with director Akiva Schaffer and stars Andy Samberg and Jorma Taccone, the "Ancestors Protect Me: Behind the Scenes of 'Hot Rod'" featurette, a collection of "Kevin's Videos" featuring ten behind-the-scenes vignettes recorded by Taccone on the set, a set of deleted scenes with optional commentary, an outtake reel, additional scoring session footage, and the film's theatrical trailer. Tech specs include 1080p video, along with a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Surround track (at 48kHz/24-bit), plus optional mixes in English, French and Spanish Dolby Digital-Plus 5.1 Surround. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $29.99. You'll find the latest specs for 'Hot Rod' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under December 16.Posted Wed Sep 24, 2008 at 06:00 AM PDT by: -
'Into the Wild' Coming to Blu-ray[teaser]Announcing its latest "catch up" title for Blu-ray, Paramount has set a mid-December debut for the acclaimed drama 'Into the Wild.'[/teaser] Previously released on HD DVD earlier this year, the Oscar-nominated Sean Penn drama will hit Blu-ray on December 16. Tech specs will compare to the previous HD DVD, with 1080p video and English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Surround audio. The slim extras include a pair of featurettes ("Into the Wild: The Story, The Characters," "Into the Wild: The Experience") and the original theatrical trailer. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray has been set at $29.99. You'll find the latest specs for 'Into the Wild' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under December 16.Posted Tue Sep 23, 2008 at 12:00 PM PDT by: -
Rush to Debut First Blu-ray with 'Snakes & Arrows Live'[teaser]Classic rockers Rush are set to debut their first-ever concert Blu-ray release with the late-November release of 'Snakes & Arrows Live.'[/teaser] Marking the next-gen debut of indie Zoe Vision (in association with Anthem Entertainment) the three-disc 'Rush: Snakes & Arrows Live' will debut on November 25, day-and-date with the standard DVD. Captured entirely with HD cameras during a stop on the band's recent world tour, 'Snakes & Arrows' will include over two dozen of the band's classic hits. Tech specs will see the complete concert spread across two Blu-ray discs, presented in 1080p video (1.78:1) with English PCM 5.1 Surround and Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround audio options. Extras on the third disc include a four-song "bootleg" mini-concert, the "What's That Smell?" featurette, outtakes, alternate takes of songs, and the bonus track "Red Sector A." There's no suggested list price as of yet, but we'll keep you posted. You'll find the latest specs for 'Rush: Snakes & Arrows Live' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under November 25.Posted Tue Sep 23, 2008 at 10:00 AM PDT by: -
Paramount Readying 'Election' Blu-ray for January[teaser]Just in time for the inauguration of our next president, Paramount has announced a January Blu-ray bow for the 1999 cult comedy 'Election.'[/teaser] Starring Reese Witherspoon and Matthew Broderick, the teen satire of high school politics was previously released on DVD in 2000 as a relatively bare bones edition. Paramount has set a January 20 street date for the Blu-ray. There are no tech specs or supplemental details as of yet, or any word on whether Paramount is planning to update the film with new bonus features. We'll keep you posted. Suggested retail price for the Blu-ray has been set at $29.95. You'll find preliminary specs for 'Election' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under January 20.Posted Tue Sep 23, 2008 at 08:00 AM PDT by: -
Sony Bringing Pair of Luc Besson Favorites to Blu-ray[teaser]Sony Pictures has announced it will release a pair of Luc Besson films to Blu-ray in early December, 'La Femme Nikita' and 'The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc.' [/teaser] Both the cult classic 'Nikita' and Besson's ill-received 'Joan of Arc' update will receive a concurrent next-gen street date of December 2. (Sony has previously released special edition DVD versions of both titles.) There are no tech specs or supplement details as of yet, but 1080p video and some high-res audio are expected, as well as an extras package comparable to the DVD editions. We'll keep you posted. Suggested retail price for each Blu-ray has been set at $28.95. You'll find the latest specs for 'La Femme Nikita (1990)' and 'The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under December 2.Posted Tue Sep 23, 2008 at 06:00 AM PDT by: -
Amazon Offering Sony BDP-S300 for Under $200[teaser]Amazon is offering the Sony BDP-S300 for just under $200 while supplies last.[/teaser] We haven't been given any specifics on this deal or how long it will last (assuming the players don't all fly off the shelves in the next hour), but folks in the market for some early holiday bargains may want to check out the special pricing Amazon has just rolled out on the Sony BDP-S300 Blu-ray player. According to the Amazon page, tech specs on the player include the following: Full HD 1080/60p and 24p True Cinema Video Output, DVD Upscaling to 1080p via HDMI, BRAVIA Theatre Sync (HDMI-CEC), BD/DVD/CD playback(4) and AVC-HD with x.v.Color output, and Multi-channel Linear PCM & Dolby Digital Plus Decoding. This one looks like a pretty good deal. What else is there to say? It's less than 200 bucks! Check it out here!Posted Mon Sep 22, 2008 at 12:00 PM PDT by: -
Fox to Unbox 'Apes' Films for Blu-ray[teaser]Fox has confirmed that in addition to bringing all five classic 'Planet of the Apes' films to Blu-ray this November in a box set, it will also make each available as individual stand-alone releases.[/teaser] As previously reported, Fox has set a November 4 street date for the ambitious six-disc 'Planet of the Apes: 40-Year Evolution Collection' box set, which will feature all five 'Apes' films plus a sixth bonus platter with extensive bonus features and all-new exclusive material. In addition, Fox will also bringing each of the five films -- the original 1968 'Planet of the Apes,' 'Beneath the Planet of the Apes,' 'Escape from the Planet of the Apes,' 'Conquest of the Planet of the Apes' and 'Battle for the Planet of the Apes' -- to Blu-ray on the same day, each with identical specs and bonus features to the individual versions found in the box set. (The sixth disc of additional supplemental material will only be available on the 'Evolution Collection.') Exclusive to the Blu-ray releases will be a slew of bonus materials. Included on all five films will be an isolated score in DTS-MA 5.1 Surround audio, while the original 'Planet of the Apes' also gets a Bonus View (Profile 1.1) picture-in-picture track dubbed "Science of the Planet of the Apes," which explores the scientific background of the series. Additional exclusives include a new HD featurette for each film ("Evolution of the Apes," "Impact of the Apes," "The Secret Behind Escape," "Riots and Revolutions: Confronting the Times," "End of an Epic: The Final Battle"), the BD-Java interactive game "Beyond the Forbidden Zone," and a PSA from NASA. Tech specs for each are identical, with BD-50 dual-layer presentations featuring 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 transfers (2.35:1) and English DTS-HD Lossless Master Audio 5.1 Surround audio. Suggested retail price for each individual Blu-ray has been set at $34.99. You'll find the latest specs for all six titles in Fox's 'Planet of the Apes' saga linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where they're indexed under November 4.Posted Mon Sep 22, 2008 at 10:00 AM PDT by: -
ESPN Kickstarts Blu Support with 'Dale Earnhardt Story'[teaser]Next-gen newcomer ESPN has announced their first Blu-ray release, setting a mid-November debut for the telefilm '3: The Dale Earnhardt Story.'[/teaser] Starring Golden Globe and Emmy-nominated Barry Pepper as Earnhardt, the acclaimed biopic of the racing legend will mark ESPN's first Blu-ray release when it hits stores on November 11 (ESPN previously released a standard DVD version last year). There are no tech specs or supplement details as this early date, but ESPN does promise a collector's edition so we expect lots of extras. As always, we'll keep you posted. Suggested retail price for the Blu-ray has been set at $34.95. You'll find the latest specs for '3: The Dale Earnhardt Story' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under November 11.Posted Mon Sep 22, 2008 at 08:00 AM PDT by: -
Sony Music Brings Sara Bareilles 'Live At The Filmore' to Blu[teaser]In an early alert to retailers, Sony Music has announced it will bring Sara Bareilles' debut high-def release 'Between the Lines' to Blu-ray in late October.[/teaser] Filmed at Philadelphia's legendary Filmore theater during a stop on the chanteuse's recent world tour, 'Between the Lines: Sara Bareilles Live at the Filmore' was captured entirely with HD cameras and features a setlist culled largely from Bareilles' recent "Little Voice" CD. Sony will release the Blu-ray on October 28, day-and-date with the standard DVD. The studio has yet to announce tech specs or supplement details, but we'll keep you posted. Suggested retail price for the Blu-ray has been set at $29.98. You'll find the latest specs for 'Between the Lines: Sara Bareilles Live at the Filmore' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under October 28.Posted Mon Sep 22, 2008 at 06:00 AM PDT by:
