Jon Favreau and Willem Dafoe Discuss the Legacy of JOHN CARTER in New Blu-ray Featurette Clip

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: May 25th, 2012 at 8:34 am

John Carter is coming to Blu-ray and DVD on June 5, and I hope it finds a second life in home release.  I don’t know what it would take to justify a sequel, but for the sake of ambitious, lush science fiction like this, it would be unfortunate if the lasting legacy was that of a flop.  The expansive universe, as designed by Edgar Rice Borroughs, is really built for serialization.  We have seen this potential realized on screen in the many properties that were inspired by John Carter of Mars.  Jon Favreau points to Star Wars and Superman as two indelible franchises that benefit from the Mars mythos in the featurette, “Influence of John Carter,” which will appear on the Blu-ray.  We were provided a one-minute clip from the featurette, with supporting remarks by Willem Dafoe (the voice of Tars Tarkas in the movie), and we’d like to share it with you after the jump.

Exclusive Featurette from Ralph Fiennes’ CORIOLANUS Blu-ray

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: May 24th, 2012 at 12:31 pm

Coriolanus is due on Blu-ray and DVD May 29, and to give you a taste, we have been provided a featurette to share.  In the clip, director/star Ralph Fiennes comments on his adaptation of the Shakespeare play.  Fiennes updated the story to the modern day, but the story remains the same.  Things go awry during Coriolanus’ (Fiennes) campaign for the consulate, and he’s kicked out of Rome: “The banished hero then allies himself with his sworn enemy Tullus Aufidius (Gerard Butler) to take his revenge on the city.”  Brian Cox, Vanessa Redgrave, and Jessica Chastain also star.  Watch the featurette after the jump.

Daniel Radcliffe Talks THE WOMAN IN BLACK, HARRY POTTER 3D Re-Releases, KILL YOUR DARLINGS, and Wanting to Play The Flash

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: May 23rd, 2012 at 10:32 am

One of this year’s box office surprises was the thriller The Woman in Black.  Starring Daniel Radcliffe in his first major role following Harry Potter, the Gothic horror tale was based off of a 1983 novel by Susan Hill and made over $125 million at the worldwide box office.  In fact, the film was such a success that Hammer, Alliance Films, Cross Creek Pictures and author Hill are teaming up for a follow-up entitled The Woman in Black: Angels of Death. The film will be set 40 years after the events of the first film, and will follow a new couple’s experience in the same eerie house.  For more on The Woman in Black, here’s all our previous coverage which includes trailers, images, featurettes and clips.

With the film hitting Blu-ray and DVD this week, I recently did an exclusive phone interview with Radcliffe.  We talked about the success of the film and if he was relieved that he could open a film that didn’t have the words “Harry Potter” in the title, what he thought worked really well in the film and if there was something he wished he could redo, how many takes he likes to do, and more.  In addition, we talked about his thoughts on Warner Bros. eventually re-releasing the entire Harry Potter series in 3D, the drama Kill Your Darlings (in which he plays poet Allen Ginsberg), his criteria for picking future roles, and whether there’s a comic book role he’d like to play (The Flash).  Hit the jump to either read or listen to the interview.

THE HUNGER GAMES to Hit DVD, Blu-ray, and Digital Download at Midnight on August 18th

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: May 23rd, 2012 at 8:11 am

Lionsgate has announced that they will release the DVD, Blu-ray, and Digital Download for The Hunger Games at midnight on August 18th.  The studio will be trying to recreate the excitement for the film’s theatrical release by beginning a twelve-week countdown to the film’s release beginning this Friday when the movie will be available for pre-order.

Hit the jump for a list of special features, the cover-art, and a trailer for home-release.  The series’ next installment, Catching Fire, opens November 22, 2013.

WE BOUGHT A ZOO Blu-ray Review

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: May 23rd, 2012 at 7:00 am

At this point Cameron Crowe’s films have a feel that is distinctly his – he’s an auteur. Going in, you know the sort of music he’s going to use, and you know the sort of melancholy emotions he’s going to go for. With his latest, We Bought a Zoo, he’s totally in his wheelhouse and that’s going to be enough for people who want that Cameron Crowe feeling. Matt Damon stars as a widower who decides to take his children out of the city, and buys a country home that is also an operating zoo where Scarlett Johansson works. Our review of the Blu-ray of We Bought a Zoo follows after the jump.

David Lean’s IN WHICH WE SERVE, THIS HAPPY HOUR, BLITHE SPIRIT, and BRIEF ENCOUNTER Criterion Blu-ray Reviews

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: May 21st, 2012 at 7:00 am

David Lean has been canonized as one of the great directors, an honor that he’s earned, even if his body of work is inconsistent. If his later years were less good, and some of his earlier films are weak, it doesn’t matter. He directed Lawrence of Arabia and Bridge on the River Kwai. The Criterion collection has brought together his first four films, and they were all adaptations of Noel Coward’s work (hence the title David Lean “Directs Noel Coward”). The films are In Which We Serve, This Happy Breed, Blithe Spirit and Brief Encounter. And our review of the Blu-ray set of David Lean Directs Noel Coward follows after the jump.

THE DESCENDANTS Blu-ray Review

by Brad McKay    Posted: May 19th, 2012 at 7:00 am

Living in paradise is not as glamorous or care free as many outsiders may believe, and the King family is a perfect example of it.  The Descendants, an Alexander Payne film adapted from the novel of the same name by Kaui Hart Hemmings, follows Hawaii-based lawyer Matt King (George Clooney) on his painful, yet often comedic quest to reunite his family after his wife suffers a tragic accident.  While the film tugs on heart strings towards the end, it mostly infuses audiences with almost uncomfortable laughter and anticipation for when the story will kick into gear.  Hit the jump for our review of The Descendants on Blu-ray.

THE AVENGERS Blu-ray/DVD Hits Stores September 25; Includes Commentary, Deleted Scenes, Alternate Ending and More

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: May 18th, 2012 at 2:48 pm

Marvel’s The Avengers continues to Hulk Smash records at the box office, but we now have a release date and details regarding the film’s home media release.  Joss Whedon’s excellent superhero pic will hit Blu-ray and DVD on September 25th, and as expected the combo set is loaded with special features.  The 4-disc Blu-ray/DVD pack includes an audio commentary by Whedon, loads of deleted scenes (including an alternate ending), featurettes and much more.  Additionally, a 10-disc Blu-ray super set is also apparently being planned.  Hit the jump for details regarding the release.

A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE Blu-ray Review

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: May 18th, 2012 at 7:14 am

Sometimes a performance overwhelms a movie. On paper, Stanley Kowaski is an important role in A Streetcar Named Desire – of that there’s no doubt – but the showcase role should be Blanche DuBois. Blanche is a fragile woman who’s come to New Orleans after leaving her home city under dubious circumstances. And nothing against Vivien Leigh’s work in the film, but it’s Marlon Brando as Stanley who owns the movie. Brando was ready to pop when the film was released in 1951 – he’d done a film before, but when partnered with director Elia Kazan his method acting changed the way films were made. Seriously. Our review of the Blu-ray of A Streetcar Named Desire follows after the jump.

MARGARET Blu-ray Includes 3-Hour Extended Cut

by Matt Currie    Posted: May 15th, 2012 at 7:50 pm

Fans of Kenneth Lonergan’s emotional marathon Margaret will have something to look forward to. The oft-delayed film won its share of raves when it finally received a limited theatrical release last year, with critics singling out Anna Paquin’s performance as a high-schooler whose innocence is shattered when she believes herself responsible for a fatal bus accident. Several called it the best film of the year. Now comes news that it will receive a limited-time Blu-ray combo pack release on July 10 via Amazon; in that combo pack, you’ll get a bonus DVD featuring a 3-hour extended cut sporting over 30 minutes of added footage. It promises to be at least 20% more devastating than you remember (if you got to see it at all).

Hit the jump for more, including a full press release and the box art. Margaret also stars Mark Ruffalo, Matt Damon, Allison Janney, Jean Reno, Kieran Culkin, and Matthew Broderick.

EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE Blu-ray Review

by Jeff Ames    Posted: May 14th, 2012 at 9:44 am

Movies like Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close are difficult to review.  On the one hand, part of me wants to rip Stephen Daldry’s film to shreds and call it a manipulative, corny, over-the-top, Oscar-seeking mess.  But the other part of me wants to drop the cynicism and enjoy the heartfelt emotional journey for what it aspires to be: a film that attempts to cope with the aftershocks of 9/11, and mourn those we lost in the fire.

Watching Extremely Loud on Blu-ray over the weekend, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it.  While not exactly the masterpiece it thinks it is, Daldry’s film at least sidesteps the problems I had with the director’s previous efforts, especially the overtly saccharine The Reader and the morbid, depressing The Hours – both of which tried to do too much and therefore lacked focus.  Hit the jump for my review.

LET THE BULLETS FLY Blu-ray Review

by Rob Vaux    Posted: May 11th, 2012 at 10:33 am

You won’t see many Chinese movies as irreverent, mischievous or iconoclastic as Let the Bullets Fly. The nation is better known for works of gravitas and dignity: celebrating its rich history or exploring serious aspects of the human condition. Bullets is more Hong Kong than Beijing, with Stephen Chow its obvious spiritual kin. The distinction doesn’t necessary make it a great movie, though it certainly helps it to stand out from the crowd. Hit the jump for the full review.

CONTRABAND Blu-ray Review

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: May 9th, 2012 at 5:58 am

It’s nice to see a down and dirty action movie, and Contraband offers a number of things that are fun. It’s got Mark Wahlberg in the lead, and a supporting cast that includes Kate Beckinsale, J.K. Simmons, Ben Foster, Giovanni Ribisi, and Lukas Hass.  It’s got a no-nonsense plot about smuggling, and at least one good shootout. But it’s also imminently forgettable. Our review of the Blu-ray of Contraband follows after the jump.

HAYWIRE Blu-ray Review

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: May 4th, 2012 at 9:30 am

Steven Soderbergh approached Haywire as a chance to turn Gina Carano into a movie star. As she’s been cast in the next Fast and Furious movie, it’s likely that we’ll see more from her. But Soderbergh approached doing an action movie as an art project, so he played with the structure and style of the modern action film. It’s ambitious, and not entirely successful. But he was right on the money that Carano can carry a movie. Haywire costars Michael Fassbender, Channing Tatum, Ewan McGreggor, Michael Douglas, Antonio Banderas and Bill Paxton, and our review of the Blu-ray follows after the jump.

Details and Box Art for STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION Season 1 Blu-ray Release on July 24

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: April 30th, 2012 at 8:25 pm

The seminal first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation is coming to Blu-ray on July 24.  Although there will be no new special effects, the trailer shows the vast difference between what was previously available and the cleaned-up Blu-ray image.  The full details including special features were revealed today in a press release.  There discs are loaded with promos, featurettes, archival footage, interviews, and a gag reel.  (I’ll bet Patrick Stewart and LeVar Burton were an absolute hoot on the set of the Starship Enterprise.) Hit the jump for the full rundown, plus box art for season one.

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