Blu-ray 1st July Release

Vantage Point (Blu-ray)

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / 2008 / Rated PG-13
Street Date: July 01, 2008

Genres: Action, Drama, Thriller

Starring: Dennis Quaid, Forest Whitaker, Matthew Fox
Plot Synopsis: During an historic counter-terrorism summit in Spain, the President of the United States is struck down by an assassin's bullet. Eight strangers have a perfect view of the kill, but what did they really see? As the minutes leading up to the fatal shot are replayed through the eyes of each eyewitness, the reality of the assassination takes shape. But just when you think you know the answer, the shattering final truth is revealed. VANTAGE POINT is a mindbending political action-thriller starring Dennis Quaid, Matthew Fox, Academy Award® Winner Forest Whitaker (Best Actor 2006, The Last King of Scotland), with Sigourney Weaver and Academy Award® winner William Hurt (Best Actor 1985, Kiss of the Spider Woman).

Disc Features:
• Audio Commentary with Director
• 2 Featurettes: "Coordinating Chaos," "Writing the Assasination of a President"
• Cast and crew interviews
• Surveillance Tapes: Outtake
• Una Conversacion Con Eduardo Noriega
• Theatrical Trailers

HD Exclusive Content:
• GPS Tracker


Meet the Browns (Blu-ray)

Lionsgate Home Entertainment / 2008 / 100 Minutes / Rated PG-13
Street Date: July 01, 2008

Genres: Comedy, Romance

Starring: Jenifer Lewis, Rick Fox, Angela Bassett
Director: Tyler Perry

Plot Synopsis: With nothing to lose, Brenda and her son travel from Chicago to small-town Georgia to meet a previously unknown side of the family. Nothing can prepare them for the fun-loving, crass Brown clan. Angela Basset and Rick Fox star in this romantic comedy about the power of love and family - from Tyler Perry.

Disc Features:
• 4 Featurettes: "Meet the Manns," "Angela and Rick: Meet the Lovebirds," "The Browns are Born: The Story of Meet the Browns," "Jenifer Lewis: Unleashed"
• Digital Copy

HD Exclusive Content:
• 3 Featurettes: "Mr. Brown’s Fashion Breakdown," "The Music of Meet the Browns," "Bakin’ It and Shakin’ It With Mr. Brown"


Get Smart's Bruce and Lloyd Out of Control, (Blu-ray)

Warner Home Video / 2008 / Unrated
Street Date: July 01, 2008

Genres: Comedy

Starring: Larry Miller, Patrick Warburton, Masi Oka
Director: Gil Junger


Sex and Death 101 (Blu-ray)

Starz Home Entertainment / 2008 / 117 Minutes / Rated R
Street Date: July 01, 2008

Genres: Comedy

Starring: Simon Baker, Winona Ryder
Director: Daniel Waters

Plot Synopsis: Written and directed by Daniel Waters ('Heathers,' 'Hudson Hawk'), 'Sex and Death 101' attempts to put a existential spin on the traditional sex comedy. Simon Baker stars as Roderick Blank (note the last name -- get it?), a womanizer who's about to marry his lovely fiancee (Andrea Bowen), until he receives a mysterious list detailing all of the sex partners he's had in his life -- as well as all of those he's ever going to have (a total which, not coincidentally, totals 101). That the list goes beyond his future wife is a fact not lost on Roderick, so he promptly dumps her and goes about searching for the remaining 72 women he hasn't yet bedded.

Disc Features:

• Audio Commentary - Writer and director Daniel Waters goes solo on this track. He's a lively, personable speaker, and wastes no time in diving right in and giving us an overview of the film, from concept to production. Unfortunately, I can't say this is ultimately a successful commentary, simply because Waters never sells me on the film. To his credit, some of his intended themes become more clear, and I can see what he was going for -- but man, is this film pretentious. However likable Waters is, I really didn't enjoy listening to this track much.
  
• Featurette: "101 Perversions" (SD, 9 minutes) - Your typical making-of featurette, with on-set interviews with Waters and the cast, including Simon Baker and Winona Ryder. Comments are all surface-level, however, and in light of how bad the film is, they seem pretty darn silly.
  
• Theatrical Trailer (HD) - Rounding it out is the film's original theatrical trailer, here in full 1080 and Dolby 5.1.

Mad Men: Season One (Blu-ray)

Lionsgate Home Entertainment / 2007 / 616 Minutes / Unrated
Street Date: July 01, 2008

Genres: Drama

Starring: Jon Hamm
Director: Various

Plot Synopsis: The ground-breaking new show from AMC that critics are calling "an instant Classic" is coming to Blu-ray Disc. Set in 1960 New York City, Mad Men explores the glamorous and ego-driven "Golden Age" of advertising, where everyone is selling something and nothing is ever what it seems. And no one plays the game better than Don Draper (Golden Globe-winner Jon Hamm), Madison Avenue's biggest ad man -- and ladies' man -- in the business.

Disc Features:
• Audio commentaries on all 13 episodes
• 3 Featurettes: "Establishing Mad Men," "The Desire of the American Dream," "Score Mad Men"
• Still Gallery: "Pictures of Elegance"
• Mad Men Music Sampler


Point Break (Blu-ray)

Fox Home Entertainment / 1991 / 122 Minutes / Rated R
Street Date: July 01, 2008

Genres: Action, Thriller

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Patrick Swayze
Director: Kathryn Bigelow

Plot Synopsis: Young FBI agent Johnny Utah (Reeves) goes undercover at the suggestion of his partner (Gary Busey) to learn if a group of wild surfers is actually a gang of bank robbers. He soon comes under the dangerous spell of the surfers' charismatic leader Bodhi (Swyaze) a mystical mastermind who'll do absolutely anything for a thrill - and expects his followers to do the same.

Disc Features:

• Featurettes (SD, 9 minutes) - Normally, I'd separate each of these out with a bulletpoint, but it's clear that Fox produced a single documentary and just split it up into a bunch of little parts to make the back of the box look more crowded. Assembled for new (to 2006) interviews are director Kathryn Bigelow, producer Rick King, some of the stunt/surfing crew, and cast members Keanu Reeves, Patrick Swayze, Lori Petty, and Gary Busey. Unfortunately, none really has much to say of depth about the film's "legacy" -- let's face it, this is 'Point Break,' not 'Star Wars.' The featurettes are competently shot and edited, however, and there is a small amount of behind-the-scenes footage. The four featurettes are: "It's Make or Break" (23 minutes), "Ride the Wave" (7 minutes), "Adrenaline Junkies" (7 minutes) and "On Location: Malibu" (8 minutes).
  
• Deleted Scenes (SD, 10 minutes) - There are eight in all, each a character nugget or extended scene. The changes are quite pithy compared to the finished cut, and at times there is literally a line or two of different dialogue. The quality is also poor, with the source appearing to be some sort of video edit.
  
• Still Gallery (SD) - This is honestly one of the weakest still presentations I've seen lately. There are barely a dozen or so stills, and all are boring PR shots. Even the controls are basic, so there is really nothing much to see here.

In the Line of Fire (Blu-ray)

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / 1993 / 128 Minutes / Rated R
Street Date: July 01, 2008

Genres: Action, Thriller

Starring: John Malkovich, Dylan McDermott, Clint Eastwood
Director: Wolfgang Petersen

Plot Synopsis: An assassin on the loose. A president in danger. Only one man stands between them...

Disc Features:
• Audio Commentary by director Wolfgang Petersen
• Documentary: "The Ultimate Sacrifice"
• 3 Featurettes: "Behind-the-Scenes with the Secret Service," "How'd They Do That?", "Catching the Counterfeiters"
• Deleted Scenes


Batman: The Movie (Blu-ray)

Fox Home Entertainment / 1966 / 105 Minutes / Unrated
Street Date: July 01, 2008

Genres: Action, Comedy, Comic Book

Starring: Adam West, Burt Ward, Burgess Meredith
Director: Leslie H. Martinson

Plot Synopsis: The four greatest super-criminals of The United Underworld -- The Catwoman, The Joker, The Riddler and The Penguin - combine forces to dispose of Batman and Robin as they launch their fantastic plot to control the entire world. Can the dynamic duo stop The United Underworld before it's too late?

Disc Features:
• Audio Commentary by actors Adam West and Burt Ward / Audio Commentary by screenwriter Lorenzo Semple, Jr.
• Isolated Score Track 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio (Lossless)
• 2001 35th Anniversary Piece Featuring Interviews with Adam West and Burt Ward
• Featurettes: "The Batmobile Revealed" • "The Batmobile Interactive Tour" 360 Degree Navigational Tour
• Fact Track: "Holy Pop-Up Trivia Track, Batman!"
• Original Teaser and Theatrical Trailers • Still Galleries: "From the Vaults of Adam West," "Interactive Pressbook," "Posters," "Production Stills," "Behind the Scenes," "Premiere"

HD Exclusive Content:
Featurettes: "Batman: A Dynamic Legacy," "Caped Crusaders: A Heroes Tribute," "Gotham City's Most Wanted"


Where the Light Is: John Mayer Live in Concert

Sony BMG / 2008 / 164 Minutes / Unrated
Street Date: July 01, 2008

Overall Grade





Genres: Musical, Concert

Disc Features:

• Featurette: "Slow Dancing on Mulholland Drive" (HD, 4 minutes) - I'm hesitant even calling this a "featurette," as it is just an unused interstitial from the show. Mayer talks briefly about his method, then performs a short little tune.
  
• Set Select - Not sure how Sony BMG even calls this a "special feature." It's simply a chapter selection menu, allowing you to play the three acts of the show individually, or go straight to a specific tune.
  
• Collectible Booklet - Rounding it out is a 12-page booklet, with a some on-stage and behind-the-scenes photos in both color and black & white. Note that Sony has opted not to use a standard Blu-ray keepcase for 'Where the Light Is,' instead going with a sort of slim version of Warner's Digi-Book packaging -- it's thin enough that I suspect some may find it less-than-sturdy.

• Steve/Pino Cam (Bonus View) (HD) - This picture-in-picture feature requires a Profile 1.1-enabled player. Choose from two different alternate views of the song "Who Did You Think I Was," allowing you to watch (in a PIP box) from either the position of Steve Jordan (drums) or Pino Palladino (bass). Two bad more songs weren't enabled with this option.
  
• Backstage Performance (BD-Live) - Available only if you have BD-Live enabled (Profile 2.0), here you can download a bonus backstage performance of the tune "Belief." Again, a nice extra, though hopefully Sony has even more rare tracks ready for us in the future.