Hidalgo (Blu-ray) Walt Disney Home Entertainment / 2004 / 136 Minutes / Rated PG-13
Street Date: April 01, 2008
Overall Grade 
Genres: Action, Adventure
Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Zuleikha Robinson, Omar Sharif
Director: Joe Johnston
Disc Features:
While the Blu-ray edition of 'Hidalgo' preserves the standard DVD's full supplemental package, that isn't saying much. For a film of such sweeping scope, we are offered mere crumbs of details about the production and the horse races themselves. Thankfully, a video featurette that was formerly a DVD-ROM feature is now a fully accessible bonus on the disc itself.
- Sand and Celluloid (SD, 9 minutes) -- This EPK featurette attempts to cover the breadth of the production with a series of talking heads and film clips. While it manages to dip into the many challenges a desert shoot presented, it doesn't last long enough to pick up any steam and it amounts to little more than promotional fluff. Stick to the film itself and skip this sickly featurette.
- America's First Horse (SD, 22 minutes) -- This is an excellent (albeit dry) mini-doc about the Spanish mustang and its introduction to the Americas. Easily besting the making-of featurette, it offers plenty of information about the abuses the breed suffered over the years and modern attempts to preserve its heritage. It certainly won't appeal to everyone, but anyone with a mild interest in horses should check this one out.
- Trailers (HD, 4 minutes) -- There's no original theatrical trailer, but Disney has included previews of 'National Treasure: Book of Secrets' and 'Prince Caspian,' the second entry in 'The Chronicles of Narnia' series.
Coyote Ugly (Blu-ray) Walt Disney Home Entertainment / 2000 / 108 Minutes / Unrated
Street Date: April 01, 2008
Overall Grade 
Genres: Drama
Starring:Piper Perabo, Adam Garcia, John Goodman, and Maria Bello
Director: David McNally (II)
Plot Synopsis: From hit-making producer Jerry Bruckheimer (Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy) comes the unrated extended cut of Coyote Ugly. With an unbeatable cast of hot stars including Piper Perabo (The Prestige ) and Maria Bello (Payback), this sexy comedy is even more intoxicating on Blu-ray Disc®! Moving to New York to pursue her dreams of becoming a famous songwriter, Violet Sanford (Perabo) finds herself desperate and broke. Ironically, the shy, innocent Violet lands a job as a barmaid at the hottest nightclub in town: Coyote Ugly. Overflowing with attitude, the Coyotes spend more time on top of the bar than behind it, tantalizing the standing-room- only crowd with their outrageous antics! Drink in every frame of down-and-dirty fun as this wild adventure pours over you with sparkling visual clarity. Get up on your feet, move to the beat and revel in the spectacularly enhanced sound quality. The party never ends in Blu-rayTM High Definition!
Disc Features:
'Coyote Ugly' is one of those discs that has a ton of bulletpoints on the back of the box, but the material is so superficial it makes the movie's script look deep by comparison. This stuff is as flimsy as cardboard. (Disney also hasn't put much effort into buffing it up for high-def, as all the video-based extras are 480i/MPEG-2 only. English, French and Spanish subtitle options are also offered.)
- Audio Commentaries- The first is cutely dubbed the "Coyote Commentary," and features actresses Piper Perabo, Maria Bello, Tyra Banks, Bridget Moynahan and Izabella Miko (plus sporadic chime-ins by director David McNally and producer Jerry Bruckheimer). Despite the star wattage it's a meandering affair, with the girls telling mostly bland anecdotes about their first day on the set, their costumes, learning how to flip beer bottles, etc. Yawn -- by the halfway point, I was almost asleep. Best bit: Bello opening the track by commending Bruckheimer for making a movie "with females in the lead" -- I can't tell if she was trying to be funny.
Not to be upstaged, McNally and Bruckheimer return for their own discussion. Really, was this necessary? And did the pair need to take this utterly insignificant movie at all seriously? Much to my dismay, I realized after about 20 minutes that Bruckheimer in particular buys all the female empowerment jargon he's selling, and has only a dim awareness of how condescending his viewpoint on the material is. Of course, he's made millions, so who am I to judge? So give this a listen and see what you think. - Featurette: "Search for the Stars" (SD, 10 minutes) - This three-parter kicks off with "The Dreamer," a four-minute intro to Perabo as she prepares for leading lady debut in 'Ugly,' and she comes off her as nice, sweet girl. "Coyotes" (5 minutes) introduces us to the remaining coyotes, and includes riotous editing contradictions, as McNally and Bruckheimer praise the intelligence of their cast as the camera cuts to them flicking their hair in skimpy outfits. Finally, "Mr. O'Donnell (3 minutes) highlights lone male star Adam Garcia, who apparently hasn't gotten much work sense.
- Featurette: "Coyote 101" (SD, 7 minutes) - Another lame three-parter. "A Place to Get Ugly" (2 minutes) gives next to no valuable insight on the film's sets. "Shakin' It" (3 minutes) exposes the "sexy!' choreography. And "Calling the Shots" (2 minutes) is a quickie primer on how to flip a bottle like a coyote.
- Music Video/Featurette (SD) - A clip for LeAnn Rimes' "Can't Fight Moonlight" (a forgettable tune), plus a 4-minute making-of that takes us behind the scenes of this "monumental" collaboration between Rimes nd powerhouse songwriter Diane Warren.
- Additional Scenes (SD, 6 minutes) - You know a scene is bad when it not only doesn't make a film's theatrical cut, but also its unrated extended cut. It's all dull character bits, with scene titles that say it all: "Violet's Goodbye," "Driving With Gloria," "Stolen Goods," "Lil's Lesson" and "Gloria & Violet."
- Montage: "Action Overload" (SD, 1 minute) - Wrapping it up is a truly awful montage, which predictably highlights... boobs.
Unbreakable (Blu-ray) Walt Disney Home Entertainment / 2000 / 102 Minutes / Rated PG-13
Street Date: April 01, 2008
Overall Grade Genres: Suspense, Thriller
Starring: Bruce Willis, Samuel L.Jackson
Director: M Night Syamalan
Plot Synopsis: Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson star in a mind-shattering, suspense-filled thriller that stays with you long after the end of this riveting supernatural film. After David Dunn (Willis) emerges from a horrific train crash as the sole survivor -- and without a single scratch on him -- he meets a mysterious stranger (Jackson). An unsettling stranger who believes comic book heroes walk the earth. A haunting stranger, whose obsession with David will change David's life forever.
Disc Features:
As usual, Disney has ported all of the special features from the 2-disc Vista Series standard DVD (2004) to this new Blu-ray edition of 'Unbreakable.' Sure, a pair of Alex Ross illustration inserts are MIA, but the $10 rebate provided for those who already own the DVD more than makes up for it.
- Behind the Scenes (SD, 14 minutes) - The predictable and oft-used EPK format holds this underwhelming featurette back, allowing a parade of gushing cast and crew members to offer little more than praise to Shyamalan's brilliance. I really wanted to find a candid, fly-on-the-wall documentary packaged with this release (if for no other reason than to hear Shyamalan address the most common criticisms leveled against the film), but the presentation never manages to impress. It's so dry and plodding that it neglects the sort of details that would enhance a fan's appreciation of the film.
- Deleted Scenes (SD, 29 minutes) - Nearly a half-hour of deleted scenes make this collection a genuine treat for Shyamalan junkies. The director even pops up to discuss each scene and the reasoning he applied to each cut. My favorite bits included extra beats with David's son and I really dug every second of extra attention he received. Unfortunately, since I'm not a huge fan of the film itself, it's tough to tell how much these scenes will resonate with the flick's true believers.
- Comic Books and Superheroes (SD, 19 minutes) - The geek in me loved this exploration of the increasingly bleak and cynical nature of comics' favorite heroes and villains. Beginning with an examination of the sunny idealism of Golden Age comics, this featurette gains momentum as it examines the influence of current events, political upheaval, and shifting morals in American society. This is an excellent bonus that should keep your attention for the duration.
- The Train Station Sequence (SD, 4 minutes) - This all-too-brief featurette allows the viewer to switch between storyboards and the finalized train sequence from the film. I appreciate the interactive component, but would've enjoyed it far more if it was used to deconstruct more than one scene.
- Night's First Fight Sequence (SD, 3 minutes) - This mildly amusing quickie shows off a home movie Shyamalan made with two friends when he was a boy. This is a fun addition for fans, but everyone else will shrug their shoulders.
- Trailer (HD, 2 minutes)
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