National Treasure 1 & 2 Plus Other Great Releases On Blu-ray 20th May

National Treasure: Book of Secrets (Blu-ray)

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment / 2007 / 124 Minutes / Rated PG-13
Street Date: May 20, 2008

Overall Grade Compulsory collection.





Genres: Action, thriller

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Justin Bartha, Diane Kruger, and Jon Voight
Director: Jon Turteltaub

Plot Synopsis: Join Nicolas Cage on a heart-pounding adventure that will have you on the edge of your seat in a race to find the Lost City of Gold. Grounded in history imbued with myth and mystery Disney's NATIONAL TREASURE 2: BOOK OF SECRETS takes you on a globe-trotting quest full of adrenaline-pumping twists and turns -- all leading to the final clue in a mysterious and highly guarded book containing centuries of secrets. But there's only one way to find it -- Ben Gates must kidnap the President. Packed with fast-paced action and crackling humor NATIONAL TREASURE 2: BOOK OF SECRETS is a movie your entire family will want to rediscover again and again.

Disc Features:

'Book of Secrets' hits Blu-ray and DVD day-and-date, and it comes with a wealth of extras. Disney has also bumped up all the video extras to full 1080 resolution, so they look great, too. (Optional subtitles are provided on all of the supplements in English, Spanish, Portuguese and Chinese.)

• Audio Commentary - Director Jon Turteltaub is joined by actor Jon Voight for a lively if technical chat. Turteltaub occasionally goes on and on (and on) about setting up a shot or some uninteresting production hurdle that had to be surmounted, but when he and Voight get into the story and the cast, it's much more interesting. There's still a workmanlike feel to the comments, however, as 'Book of Secrets' is a popcorn movie with little substance, so don't expect much meat on this track.
  
• Documentary: "Secrets of a Sequel" (HD, 59 minutes) - This eight-part doc has a promotional feel, but its sheer slickness elevates it to the category of highly watchable. The segments start off with "Secrets of a Sequel" (7 minutes) which introduces Turteltaub and producer Jerry Bruckheimer, and shows how the project got off the ground. "On Location" (10 minutes) gives a tour of the main location setpieces, and also introduces the cast, including Nicolas Cage, Justin Bartha, Jon Voight, and Helen Mirren. "Street Stunts" (10 minutes) goes inside the film's major setpiece, the London Chase. "Inside the Library of Congress" (9 minutes) details the massive, fully-constructed set. "Underground Action" (7 minutes) goes deep into the dank tunnels of the film's climax. "Cover Story" (5 minutes) details how they created the President's Book prop that's key to the film's action. And finally, "Evolution of a Golden City" (10 minutes) features screenwriters Marianne and Cormac Wibberley, who discuss the inspiration behind the Golden City location, as well as the set design and visual effects used to realize the sequence.
  
• Deleted Scenes (HD, 20 minutes) - There are seven scenes in all (two exclusive to the Blu-ray). They're introduced by comments from Turteltaub, who explains in detail what was snipped and why. There are a few good extensions here, some that looked awfully expensive with big sets and locations. Nothing here is essential, but still worth a watch.
  
• "The Treasure Reel" (HD, 5 minutes) - Your standard bloopers and outtakes reel. Mildly amusing.
  
• Theatrical Trailers (HD) - Finally, Disney includes trailers for 'Thinker Bell', 'Sleeping Beauty', 'Wall-E' & 'Nightmare Before Christmas'
  

There are two features exclusive to the high-def version, including one that makes particularly unique use of the Blu-ray format's interactive capabilities.

• "Book of History: Fact and Fiction of National Treasure" (HD) - Not a picture-in-picture commentary as you might expect, "Book of History" is actually a combination of branching video integrated into the main feature, combined with an interactive, graphic-based game. Activate the feature, and as the film progresses, icons will appear that, when activated, will take you to short vignettes about the history behind the movie. Meanwhile, questions will appear at random that you must answer, based on what you've watched. By the end of the movie, you have to answer enough questions right to earn a big score and maybe a surprise or two. It's fun, if a bit of a slog -- luckily, Disney offers the option to save your progress, so you don't have to complete it all in one sitting.
  
• Deleted Scenes (HD) - This Blu-ray includes two bonus deleted scenes that are not on the standard DVD -- however, they're integrated into the main Deleted Scenes featurette (described in the standard-def supplements above).

National Treasure (Blu-ray)

Buena Vista Home Entertainment / 2004 / 131 Minutes / Rated PG-13
Street Date: May 20, 2008

Overall Grade Recommended





Genres: Action, thriller

Starring: Sean Bean, Nicolas Cage, Harvey Keitel
Director: Jon Turteltaub

Plot Synopsis: From Jerry Bruckheimer producer of PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN comes the definitive NATIONAL TREASURE. Get closer to the edge of your seat with the 2-Disc Collector's Edition Blu-ray of this thrilling adventure starring Academy Award(R) Winners Jon Voight (Best Actor COMING HOME 1978) and Nicolas Cage (Best Actor LEAVING LAS VEGAS 1995) as Benjamin Franklin Gates. Since boyhood Gates has been obsessed with finding the legendary Knights Templar Treasure the greatest fortune known to man. As he tries to find and decipher ancient riddles that will lead him to it Gates is dogged by a ruthless enemy (Sean Bean THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy). Now in a race against time Gates must steal one of America's most sacred and guarded documents -- the Declaration of Independence -- or let it and a key clue to the mystery fall into dangerous hands. Heart-pounding chases close calls and the FBI turn Gates' quest into a high-stakes crime caper and the most exciting treasure hunt you've ever experienced now with a treasure trove of new special features.

Disc Features:

• Behind-the-Scenes Documentary (SD, 44 minutes) -- This lengthy documentary is divided into six chapters: “Exploding Charlotte” focuses on practical effects in the opening scene, “To Steal a National Treasure” looks at the origins and writing of the script, “On the Set of American History” explores the real-life Washington landmarks used in the film, “On Location” looks at the foreign locations, “Treasure Hunters Revealed” is a character-centric mini-doc, and “The Templar Knights” presents a fairly shallow history of the Templar brotherhood. Flashy and didactic, the individual chapters tend to strike the perfect balance between entertaining material and worthwhile information. At times, this series of featurettes feels like an extended EPK, but more often than not the documentary was well worth my time.
• Ciphers, Codes, and Codebreakers (SD, 12 minutes) -- I’m a sucker for secret societies through the ages. This high-def short explores their cryptic messages, their need for secrecy, and the devices they used to ensure the integrity of these secrets. I would have preferred to find a series of History Channel specials on the subject, but this featurette makes for a decent (albeit short) substitute.
• Deleted Scenes (SD, 15 minutes) -- Presented with optional commentary by director Jon Turtletaub, these seven scenes allow the actors to flesh out their characters. The scenes feel a bit repetitive in light of the final edit, but they provide some fun beats for anyone who enjoyed the ensemble banter in the film.
• Alternate Ending (SD, 2 minutes) -- While this cute but aimless alternate scene didn’t slap a grin on my face like the original ending, it was amusing to take in. Like many of the additional scenes, this ending includes optional comments from the director.
• Opening Animatic (SD, 3 minutes) -- The director’s early vision of the film’s opening is presented with storyboards and an optional commentary track.

Bee Movie (Blu-ray)

DreamWorks Home Entertainment / 2007 / 90 Minutes / Rated PG
Street Date: May 20, 2008

Genres: Animation, Comedy, Family

Starring: Oprah Winfrey, Matthew Broderick, Renee Zellweger, Jerry Seinfeld
Directors: Simon J. Smith, Steve Hickner

Plot Synopsis: Barry B. Benson, a bee who has just graduated from college, is disillusioned at his lone career choice: making honey. On a special trip outside the hive, Barry's life is saved by Vanessa, a florist in New York City. As their relationship blossoms, he discovers humans actually eat honey, and subsequently decides to sue us.

Disc Features:
• Audio Commentary with Jerry Seinfeld & Filmmakers
Jerry & Filmmaker Commentary • "TV Juniors": Hilarious "behind the scenes" segments with Jerry Seinfeld that aired on NBeeC
• Live Action Trailers--Early trailers for Bee Movie that only Jerry Seinfeld and his friends (including Chris Rock and Steven Spielberg) could have come up with
• Alternate Endings • Featurettes: "Jerry's Flight Over Cannes," "Inside The Hive: The Cast of Bee Movie," "Tech of Bee Movie," "Meet Barry B. Benson"
• Deleted Scenes with optional commentary
• Music Video: "We Got The Bee"
• DreamWorks Animation Kids: "The Buzz About Bees," "The Ow! Meter," "That's Un-BEE-lievable!", "Pollination Practice," "Be A Bee"

HD Exclusive Content:
• "The Animators' Corner" feature-length picture-in-picture storyboard reel
• "My Menus": Customize your menus with themes based on your favorite character
• "Barry's Trivia Track" Fun pop-up trivia
• "The World Of Bees" movie guide with biographies of talent and characters from the film (Web-Enabled)
"Build-A-Bee Avatar" create your own Bee avatar"(Web-Enabled)
• "Barry's Digital Coloring Book" interactive feature allows you to digitally paint your favorite characters (Web-Enabled)

Blades of Glory (Blu-ray)

Paramount Home Entertainment / 2007 / 93 Minutes / Rated PG-13
Street Date: May 20, 2008

Genres: Sports comedy

Starring: Will Ferrell, Jon Heder, Will Arnett
Director: Josh Gordon, Will Speck

Plot Synopsis: Blades of Glory is pure hilarity a gold medal comedy winner staring comic superstar Will Ferrell (Talladega Nights) and John Heder (Napoleon Dynamite). Bitter figure skating rivals Chazz Michael Michaels (Ferrell) and Jimmy MacElroy (Heder) brawl after tying for the gold medal at the world championships. Banned for life from men s competition these archrivals beat the system thanks to a loophole that allows them skate again in pars; competition!

Disc Features:

• Featurette: "Return to Glory" (HD, 15 minutes) - The "centerpiece" featurette is a typical EPK piece. The directorial team of Josh Gordon and Will Speck, co-screenwriter siblings Jeff and Craig Cox, and most of the main cast including Will Ferrell, Jon Heder, Will Arnett and Amy Poehler contribute on-set interviews, which are hardly serious. I don't think Ferrell contributes one on-the-level comment through the entire featurette, which is generally amusing, but grows a bit tiresome even after only 15 minutes.
  
• Featurette: "Cooler Than Ice: The Super-Sexy Costumes of Skating" (HD, 5 minutes) - Costume designer Julie Weiss to the interviewee list, and she had a tough job -- as Ferrell jokes, "It's the first time I've ever been interviewed in a unitard!"
  
• Featurette: "Celebrites on Thin Ice" (HD, 6 minutes) - This one chats up choreographer Sarah Kawahara, who faced an equally challenging situation -- make these decidedly non-athletes come off as at least passable fake-skaters. Unfortunately, some of this material is simply rehashed directly from the EPK, making this one feel fairly redundant.
  
• Featurette: "Arnett & Poehler: A Family Affair" (HD, 5 minutes) - Quite funny, even if again Arnett and Poehler's attempt to be "serious" only last about 12 seconds.
  
• Featurette: "20 Questions with Scott Hamilton" (HD, 5 minutes) - A sit-down chat with the highly-decorated skating legend, who comes off as extremely likable, and a good sport to boot.
  
• Featurette: "Hector: Portrait of a Psychofan" (HD, 4 minutes) - A segment of riffing with actor Nick Swardson, who plays Jimmy's stalker in the movie. Cute, but more of an outtake than an actual featurette.
  
• "Moviefone Unscripted" Promotional Interview (SD, 10 minutes) - 'The 6th Day' is the first Sony title to include D-Box motion codes, so if you have one of the company's swanky home theater seats, you'll get a little rumble down where it counts.
  
• Photo Gallery (HD) - Straightforward selection of publicty and on-set stills, about two dozen in all.
  
• Deleted Scenes (HD) - Next we have a clutch of four Deleted Scenes, totaling nearly 10 minutes. Nearly all of these were very funny, and almost as good as anything in the film. I suspect they were only cut because they're narratively superfluous.
  
• Outtakes/Alternate Takes (HD, 10 minutes) - Speaking of outtakes, there is also a short but funny 2-minute Gag Reel, plus a much better 8-minute montage of Alternate Takes. Ferrell is particularly inspired here, ad-libbing incessantly and coming up with some great off-the-cuff pop culture references -- this one is definitely worth watching.
  
• Music Video (SD) - More (unintentional) yuks come with the music video for the Bo Bice song "Blades of Glory," which I originally thought was also a parody, although by the end of the clip, I got the scary impression that Bice didn't mean it as a put-on...
  
• MTV Interstitials (SD, 10 minutes) - Rounding it out are these interstitials, which are essentially promo spots. (Note that these last two video features are the only ones on the disc not in HD, but 480p/MPEG-2 video only.)

Next (Blu-ray)

Paramount Home Entertainment / 2007 / 96 Minutes / Rated PG-13
Street Date: May 20, 2008

Genres: Action, Science Fiction, Thriller

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Julianne Moore, Jessica Biel
Director: Lee Tamahori

Plot Synopsis: Las Vegas showroom magician Cris Johnson has a secret: he can see two minutes into the future. Sick of the government and scientific interest in his gift he lies low in Vegas performing cheap tricks and living off small-time gambling winnings. But when a terrorist group threatens to detonate a nuclear device in Los Angeles government agent Callie Ferris must use all her wiles to capture Cris and convince him to help her stop the cataclysm.

Disc Features:

• Featurettes (HD, 36 minutes) - The heart of the package is a suite of four making-of featurettes, running a total of about 35 minutes. "Making the Best 'Next' Thing" (17 minutes) and "Visualizing the 'Next' Movie" (12 minutes) are the most substantial of the bunch, featuring slick interviews with the film's stars and crew, alongside some nicely presented behind-the-scenes footage. Granted, a good portion of "Making" is plot recap, but Cage in particular weighs in on some of the meatier themes that attracted to him to the project, so at least it isn't all fluff. The same can't be said for "The Next 'Grand Idea'" (6 minutes) and "Two Minutes in the Future with Jessica Biel" (2 minutes). Both are just too slight to register, with Biel's simple answer to the question "Would you want to see into the future?" seeming like total padding to get an extra bulletpoint on the back of the box.
  
• Theatrical Trailer (HD) - The only other included extra is the film's Theatrical Trailer

Face/Off (Blu-ray)

Paramount Home Entertainment / 1997 / 140 Minutes / Rated R
Street Date: May 20, 2008

Genres: Action, Science Fiction, Thriller

Starring: John Travolta, Nicolas Cage, Joan Allen
Director: John Woo

Plot Synopsis: FBI Special Agent Sean Archer (Travolta) tries to find a biological weapon placed in Los Angeles by a sadistic terrorist-for-hire and criminal mastermind named Castor Troy (Cage). Archer has hunted Troy for the last 8 years, and is consumed by revenge because Troy is responsible for the death of Archer's son. To do this, Archer must "borrow" Troy's face using a surgical procedure to go undercover as Troy, but things go wrong when Troy assumes the identity of Archer.

Disc Features:
• Audio Commentaries
• Featurettes
• Deleted Scenes
• Theatrical Trailer

Anger Management (Blu-ray)

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / 2003 / 106 Minutes / Rated PG-13
Street Date: May 20, 2008

Genres: Comedy, drama

Starring: Adam Sandler, Jack Nicholson
Director:


Plot Synopsis: After a small misunderstanding aboard an airplane escalates out of control timid businessman Dave Buznik (Adam Sandler) is ordered by the court to undergo anger management therapy at the hands of specialist Dr. Buddy Rydell (Jack Nicholson). Dave reluctantly accepts the doctor's counseling but after another mishap Buddy steps up his aggressive and unorthodox treatments by moving in with Dave. As Buddy wreaks havoc with every aspect of his life Dave must decide whether to crawl back into his shell or finally stand up for himself. Laugh like crazy at this outrageous comedy that will drive you mad with laughter. The top-notch supporting cast includes Marisa Tomei Luis Guzman Woody Harrelson John Turturro and Heather Graham.

Disc Features:

• Audio Commentary -- Jack Nicholson’s absence makes this commentary a shallow, chucklehead affair between director Peter Segal and Adam Sandler. Not only do the two men quote the movie and continually narrate the on-screen events, they forget to actually talk about the production, the script, or the on-set antics of its stars. Instead, Segal and Sandler congratulate each other on a regular basis, pausing to point out the comic stylings of every major and minor player that makes an appearance. Skip this pileup and visit the other features on the disc instead.
• Skull Session (SD, 18 minutes) -- Thankfully, this well-rounded EPK featurette steps up and provides far more information about the film’s production than the audio commentary. While it’s a bit heavy on film clips, the cast and crew interviews, behind-the-scenes footage, and casting tidbits were decent even for a guy who didn’t enjoy the flick. It covers a lot of ground for its runtime and ends just as it starts to grow tiresome.
• Deleted Scenes (SD, 10 minutes) -- I was surprised by this collection of cuts simply because two of the scenes are quite funny. I imagine fans will enjoy these bits as much as the film itself.
• Gag Reel (SD, 6 minutes) -- This dry collection of outtakes will only appeal to folks hunting for every last laugh they can find. Repetitive and meandering, these “gags” consist of the predictable gaffes and mistakes common to such a feature.
• My Buddy Jack (SD, 4 minutes) -- This embarrassing EPK love letter to Jack Nicholson is a sad excuse for a featurette simply because it gives the cast and crew one last chance to suck up to the legendary actor.

V for Vendetta (Blu-ray)

Warner Home Video / 2006 / 133 Minutes / Rated R
Street Date: May 20, 2008

Overall Grade Recommended






Genres: Action, thriller

Starring: Natalie Portman, Hugo Weaving, Stephen Rea
Director: James McTeigue

Plot Synopsis: Set against the futuristic landscape of totalitarian Britain V For Vendetta tells the story of a mild-mannered young woman named Evey (Natalie Portman) who is rescued from a life-and-death situation by a masked man (Hugo Weaving) known only as "V." Incomparably charismatic and ferociously skilled in the art of combat and deception V ignites a revolution when he urges his fellow citizens to rise up against tyranny and oppression. As Evey uncovers the truth about V's mysterious background she also discovers the truth about herself - and emerges as his unlikely ally in the culmination of his plan to bring freedom and justice back to a society fraught with cruelty and corruption.

Disc Features:

• Featurette: "Freedom! Forever!: Making 'V for Vendetta" (SD, 16 minutes) - Kicking things off is "Freedom! Forever!" offers a good quick overview of the movie from graphic novel through production. All the expected participants are here via on-set interviews and making-of footage, including director James McTeigue, Natalie Portman, Hugo Weaving and producer Joel Silver. Only the Wachowski Brothers are nowhere to be found, but given their very low public profiles, that's no surprise.
• Featurette: "Remember, Remember: Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot" (SD, 10 minutes) - Thankfully, we get more than just one decent if clearly promotional featurette. This is absolutely essential viewing for a movie like this, especially for the uninitiated. Though some of the academics interviewed for the piece are a bit dry, I was surprised at the viciousness that continues to be directed at Fawkes, if only because it is startling that a holiday exists solely to burn Fawkes in effigy and celebrate his demise. Some of the film's English cast members also offer their thoughts on this piece of their history, one still largely unknown to us Stateside citizens.
• Featurette: "England Prevails: V for Vendetta and the New Wave in Comics" (SD, 15 minutes) - As much about the evolution of '80s comics into what have become more literary-minded (and respected) "graphic novels" as it is specifically about 'V for Vendetta.' Which is probably a good thing, as Alan Moore, who created the original graphic novel, has disowned the film. There is some detail here on the changes made (for better or worse) to Moore's original vision, though some is already pretty obvious just by watching the movie. I hoped for a bit more of an edge to this one, given the controversy surrounding the film adaptation, but this is still important to watch if you want to truly understand the story's translation to the big screen.
• Featurette: "Designing the Near Future" (SD, 17 minutes) - At first, this seemed anticlimactic -- yet another making-of on a film's production design? But 'V for Vendetta' is one good-looking movie, and it is genuinely fascinating how they transformed modern Berlin into a retro-futuristic London. Right down to the most minute details, such as the individual props in characters' homes. Pretty cool stuff, actually.
• "Cat Power" Montage (SD, 4 minutes) - Essentially a makeshift music video for the film's end credits tune.
  
• "Saturday Night Live" Digital Short Parody (SD, 4 minutes) - This "Saturday Night Live" parody (made famous after becoming a YouTube sensation) is absolutely hilarious -- you'll never look at Natalie Portman the same way again.
  
• Theatrical Trailer (SD) - A 16:9 widescreen (but not high-def) trailer for the film is included.

Short Circuit (Blu-ray)

Image Entertainment / 1985 / 88 Minutes / Rated PG
Street Date: May 20, 2008

Genres: Adventure, Comedy, Science Fiction

Starring: Steve Guttenberg, Ally Sheedy, Fisher Stevens
Director: John Badham

Plot Synopsis: Something wonderful has happened-- Number Five is alive! Steve Guttenberg and Ally Sheedy co-star in this high tech comedy adventure about Number Five, a robot who escapes into the real world after he short circuits in an electrical storm and decides that he's human. Because he's carrying destructive weapons, the Defense Department and his designer (Guttenberg) are desperate to find him. But Number Five is being protected by a young woman (Sheedy) who is teaching him a gentler way of life.

Disc Features:
• Audio commentary with director John Badham and screenwriters S.S. Wilson and Brent
Maddock
• Isolated music and effects track.


Company (2007) (Blu-ray)

Image Entertainment / 1982 / 132 Minutes / Unrated
Street Date: May 20, 2008

Genres: Comedy

Starring: Raul Esparza, Elizabeth Stanley, Keith Buterbaugh, Matt Castle
Plot Synopsis: Sweeping all the major theater awards for Best Revival of a Musical, this beloved Stephen Sondheim-George Furth classic is more relevant today than ever before. Far ahead of its time with its unconventional look at love and commitment in modern Manhattan, Company is an honest, funny and sophisticated portrayal of the pros and cons of marriage as seen through a 35-year-old confirmed bachelor and his enthusiastically married, slightly envious friends. With a wise and witty score including "Another Hundred People," "Side by Side by Side," "The Ladies Who Lunch" and "Being Alive," this Broadway production of Company offers musical comedy at its finest.

Disc Features:
• Featurette: "An Audience with Stephan Sondheim"
• Video Interviews: Raul Esparza, John Doyle


Documentary Releases On Blu-ray:
Nature: Desert Lions (Blu-ray)

Questar / 2008 / Unrated
Street Date: May 20, 2008

Nature: Shark Mountain (Blu-ray)

Questar / 2008 / Unrated
Street Date: May 20, 2008

Nature: In the Valley of the Wolves (Blu-ray)

Questar / 2008 / Unrated
Street Date: May 20, 2008

Nature: Under Antarctic ice (Blu-ray)

Questar / 2008 / Unrated
Street Date: May 20, 2008