Blogcritics The critical lens on today's culture & entertainment
The top 10 list of home video releases I definitely want to see before the end of 2009. These Blu-ray home video releases recapture some genuine film classics and give some recent film and television releases the royal treatment.
Monsoon Wedding (Criterion Collection), October 13 – Set in New Delhi, this vibrant story of an arranged marriage romance/comedy features audio in Hindi, Punjabi, and English. Also available on DVD.
Forrest Gump (Sapphire Series) Blu-ray, November 3 – Forrest Gump (1994) won six Academy Awards for the deep connections about life and legacy adapted from Winston Groom’s best-selling book. Also available in a “chocolate box” gift set on Blu-ray and DVD.
Watchmen: The Ultimate Cut, November 3 – Based on the original material written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons, superhero/vigilante hero characters dispense their justice style within an alternative United States set in the mid 1980s. Includes digital copy. Also available on DVD.
Up (4 Disc Combo Pack with Digital Copy and DVD), November 10 – This Disney/Pixar animated adventure version includes the interactive Global Guardian Badge Game, character featurettes, alternate endings and the short film Partly Cloudy plus a new short, Dug’s Special Mission.
Fight Club (10th Anniversary Edition), November 17 – Director David Fincher’s modern day classic adds four commentaries, two interactive featurettes, an “insomniac mode,” and seven deleted scenes and alternate scenes.
Gone With the Wind (70th Anniversary Ultimate Collectors Edition, November 17 – The 1939 classic Civil War drama includes the documentary Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Presents 1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year narrated by Kenneth Branagh, velvet packaging, art book, and several featurettes. DVD and two-disc DVD versions also available.
Leon: The Professional, November 17 – Director Luc Besson’s action/drama includes theatrical and extended versions of the film. Jean Reno plays title role as an experienced assassin yearning for a simple life who encounters a young girl named Mathilda, played by Natalie Portman in her big screen debut. Deluxe DVD edition also available.
Star Trek (Three-Disc + Digital Copy), November 17 – This high quality sci-fi “reboot” features BD-Live feature about recent NASA space exploration, a Starfleet Vessel Simulator, featurettes, deleted scenes with optional commentary and free trials for the upcoming Star Trek D-A-C game. Also available on two-disc DVD set, Limited Edition Replica Gift Set available exclusively on Amazon.com.
Terminator Salvation (Director’s Cut), December 1 – Warner Home Video has announced that it will release Terminator Salvation on Blu-ray on December 1, day-and-date with the DVD. As we told you in August, both the theatrical, PG-13 cut, and the director's R-rated cut will be included (not via seamless branching, but on separate discs). A digital copy of the theatrical version will also be included.
Lost Season 5 (Dharma Initiative Orientation Kit), December 8 – This specially packaged home video version features maps, VHS and related materials from the storyline’s memorable time flashes and 1977 initiative. Cast interviews, new bonus material, and deleted scenes are also included. Lost Season 5 on DVD/Blu-ray and Lost: The Complete Seasons 1 – 5 on DVD/Blu-ray also available.
