Blu-ray New Release Feb 26

30 Days of Night

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / 2007 / 113 Minutes / Rated R
Street Date: February 26, 2008

Overall Grade Strongly recommended



Genres: Action, suspense, thriller,

Starring: Josh Hartnett, Melissa George
Director: David Slade

Plot Synopsis: Josh Harnett (Black Dahlia, Pearl Harbor) crosses over to the dark side in this bone-chilling adaptation of the cult-hit graphic novel, brought to the screen in all its demonic glory. In a small Alaskan town, thirty days of night is a natural phenomenon. Very few outsiders visit, until a band of bloodthirsty, deathly pale vampires mark their arrival by savagely attacking sled dogs. But soon they find there are much more satisfying thirst-quenchers about: human beings. One by one, the townspeople succumb to a living nightmare, but a small group survives - at least for now. The vampires use the dark to their advantage, and surviving this cold hell is a game of cat and mouse - and screams.

Disc Features:
'30 Days of Night' comes to Blu-ray day-and-date with the standard-def DVD version, and both share the same spate of extras. No, there are not a ton of bullet points here, but the quality is generally high. Even better for the Blu-ray, too, is that all of the video-based material is presented in full 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 video and looks quite spiffy. Sink your teeth in and enjoy. (Note: Subtitles provided for the video-based extras include Spanish, Portuguese, Traditional Chinese, and Thai.)

• Audio Commentary - Actors Josh Hartnett and Melissa George are joined by producer Rob Tapert. Strangely, director David Slade does not take part, which makes the track somewhat of an oddity. Indeed, the conversation is largely awkward, with Hartnett sounding like he doesn't want to be there (was it a contractual obligation?), while George does little but chime in with high-fives for the cast. That leaves Tapert to take up the slack, but he spends much of the time informing us of the thought processes behind Slade's decisions, which gives the whole commentary a weird, third-person feel. I suppose this track is serviceable enough, but it's hard to get past a director's commentary without the director.
• Documentary: "The Making of '30 Days of Night'" (HD, 51 minutes) - Largely eschewing the usual EPK format of film clips and dull on-set interviews, "The Making of '30 Days of Night'" instead goes for the video diary approach, and is told almost entirely through fly-on-the-wall footage and some off-the-cuff interviews. Also a nice touch is that the doc also uses creative comic book panels as interstitials, so the whole affair feels quite well-crafted. Comprehensive but well-paced, it's the highlight of the disc's supplements, and one of the better docs I've seen on a Blu-ray in recent months. (The doc is broken up into eight parts, which are: "Pre-Production," "Casting," "Building Barrow," "The Vampire," "Night Shoots," "Stunts," "The Look" and "Blood, Guts & Nasty @#%!")
  
• Theatrical Trailer (HD) - Full 1080 trailers are included for fellow Sony Blu-ray releases 'Sleuth,' 'Steep,' 'The Messengers,' 'Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story,' and something called 'Fearnet.com,' which hasn't even been announced yet for Blu-ray.

Justice League: The New Frontier

Warner Home Video / 2008 / Unrated
Street Date: February 26, 2008

Genres: Action, Animated, Comic Book

Starring: Brooke Shields, David Boreanaz, Neil Patrick Harris
Director: Dave Bullock

Plot Synopsis: The New Frontier takes viewers on an action-packed adventure, exploring the origins of the Justice League. DC Comics legends Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are all featured in the film as well as Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter and The Flash – as they band together to form the legendary super team. Strangers at first, these very different heroes must overcome fear and suspicion to forge an alliance against a monster so formidable, even the mighty Superman cannot stop it alone. If they fail, the entire planet will be cleansed of humanity.

Disc Features:
• 2 Audio Commentaries: Comic Book Writer and Artist Darwyn Cooke / Filmmakers & Cast (participants TBA)
• Documentaries: "The Legion of Doom: The Pathology of the Super Villain," "Comic Book Commentary: Homage to the New Frontier"
• Super Heroes United!: The Complete Justice League History
• Sneak Peak: Batman: Gotham Knight
• Justice League Unlimited Bonus Episodes: "Dark Heart," "To Another Shore," "Task Force X"


Led Zeppelin: The Song Remains the Same

Warner Home Video / 1976 / 138 Minutes / Rated PG
Street Date: February 26, 2008

Genres: Music

Starring: Robert Plant, Jimmy Page
Directors: Peter Clifton, Joe Massot

Plot Synopsis: The best of Led Zeppelin's legendary 1973 appearances at Madison Square Garden. Interspersed throughout the concert footage are behind-the-scenes moments with the band. THE SONG REMAINS THE SAME is Led Zeppelin at Madison Square Garden in NYC concert footage colorfully enhanced by sequences which are supposed to reflect each band member's individual fantasies and hallucinations. Includes blistering live renditions of "Black Dog," "Dazed and Confused," "Stairway to Heaven," "Whole Lotta Love," "The Song Remains the Same," and "Rain Song" among others.

Disc Features:
• 40 minutes of added bonus material, including never-before-released performance footage of "Over The Hills And Far Away" and "Celebration Day"
• Performances of "Misty Mountain Hop" and "The Ocean"
• Rare 1976 BBC interview with Robert Plant and Jimmy Page
• Vintage TV footage from the Drake Hotel robbery during the New York concert stand
• Theatrical Trailer