Blu-ray 30th September Release

Iron Man (2008) (Blu-ray)

Paramount Home Entertainment / 2008 / 125 Minutes / Rated PG-13
Street Date: September 30, 2008

Overall Grade Highly Recommended. Must have.





Genres: Action, Comic Book

Starring: Robert Downey Jr.

Plot Synopsis: You know you're going to get a different kind of superhero when you cast Robert Downey Jr. in the lead role. And Iron Man is different, in welcome ways. Cleverly updated from Marvel Comics' longstanding series, Iron Man puts billionaire industrialist Tony Stark (that's Downey) in the path of some Middle Eastern terrorists; in a brilliantly paced section, Stark invents an indestructible suit that allows him to escape. If the rest of the movie never quit hits that precise rhythm again, it nevertheless offers plenty of pleasure, as the renewed Stark swears off his past as a weapons manufacturer, develops his new Iron Man suit, and puzzles both his business partner (Jeff Bridges in great form) and executive assistant (Gwyneth Paltrow). Director Jon Favreau geeks out in fun ways with the hardware, but never lets it overpower the movie, and there's always a goofy one-liner or a slapstick pratfall around to break the tension. As for Downey, he doesn't get to jitterbug around too much in his improv way, but he brings enough of his unpredictable personality to keep the thing fresh. And listen up, hardcore Marvel mavens: even if you know the Stan Lee cameo is coming, you won't be able to guess it until it's on the screen. It all builds to a splendid final scene, with a concluding line delivery by Downey that just feels absolutely right. --Robert Horton

Disc Features:

Disc One:

• Documentary: "The Invincible Iron Man" (HD, 49 minutes) - This six-parter chronicles the creation, evolution of the original Iron Man comic book character. A host of comic book types are interviewed, including Marvel kingpin Stan Lee, writer Gerry Conway, and artists John Romita, Jr. and Gene Colan. This offers great context for better appreciating the feature film, as it reveals details that I (being comic book-stupid) had no idea about, including Lee's intention for Iron Man to be a very un-Marvel-like, his surprising appeal to women readers, and the sociopolitical underpinnings to the character. A excellent doc. The six parts are: "Origins" (8 minutes), "Friends & Foes" (4 minutes), "Definitive Iron Man" (5 minutes), "Demon in a Bottle" (2 minutes), "Extremis and Beyond" (26 minutes) and "Ultimate Iron Man" (4 minutes).
  
• Hail of Armor (HD) - This interactive function is not a featurette so much as a fully-controllable 3-D still gallery. Here you enter the "Stark Database" and its three Iron Man suits, as well as the Iron Monger. You can check out detailed images of each, as well as "zoom" around each suit to get a closer look. Very nicely done.
  
• Deleted/Extended Scenes (HD, 24 minutes) - There are eleven scenes in total. The extended clips are of little interest, with most mere dialogue padding that don't add up to much. However, there are a couple of nice additions to the final battle which deliver more action, which are probably the highlights here.

Disc Two:

• Documentary: "I Am Iron Man" (HD, 111 minutes) - This seven-parter is the heart of the making-of materials. This is a glossy but comprehensive doc, and running nearly two hours, is like a movie in and of itself. Every major player is interviewed on-set, including director Jon Favreau, actors Robert Downey Jr., Gwenyth Paltrow, Terrence Howard, and Jeff Bridges, co-screenwriters Mark Fergus & Hawk Ostby, most of the production and tech teams, and the folks from Marvel including Stan Lee. The pacing is excellent, with the talking heads balanced with extensive making-of and video diary footage. Also well done is the overall narrative arc, as this is the first full in-house Marvel production, which adds an element of tension missing from most docs like this. This is easily one of the best making-of docs I've seen on a new release in quite some time. The seven parts include: "The Journey Begins" (21 minutes), "The Suit that Makes Iron Man" (10 minutes), "The Walk of Destruction" (22 minutes), "Grounded in Reality" (15 minutes), "Beneath the Armor" (16 minutes), "It's All in the Details" (14 minutes) and "A Good Story, Well Told" (12 minutes)
  
• Featurette: "Wired: The Visual Effects of Iron Man" (HD, 27 minutes) - Not sure why this wasn't integrated into the main doc (perhaps it is too technical), but in any case it's a fine look at the film's A-list CGI effects. The Iron Man suits are of course the main attraction (the footage of the practical costumes is especially cool), as well as how the team of animators had to bridge the real with the computer-generated. Downey is also amusing as always in describing what it's like to act in giant pieces of metal and rubber.
  
• Rehearsal Footage (HD, 11 minutes) - There are two clips here, "Robert Downey Jr. Screen Test" (6 minutes) and "The Actor's Process" (4 minutes), which is just run-through material with the main cast. The Downey screen test is great to watch -- the actor had to heavily campaign for the role, but shows here why he nailed it. It's now hard to imagine anyone else in the role.
  
• Still Gallery (HD, 5 minutes) - We have four galleries here: "Concept Art," "Tech," "Unit Photography" and "Posters." The interface is slick and easy to use, with basic manual controls and a nice interface with snazzy HD resolution.
• Theatrical Trailers (HD) - Finally, we have three trailers -- two domestic, one international. All are in full HD video.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall (Blu-ray)

Universal Studios Home Entertainment / 2008 / Rated R
Street Date: September 30, 2008

Genres: Comedy

Starring: Jason Segal, Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis
Director: Nicholas Stoller

Plot Synopsis: Breaking up is hard to do--but that doesn't mean you can't have some belly laughs about it. Forgetting Sarah Marshall provides that rare treat: a romantic comedy about breakups, that is both romantic and funny. The laughs, especially from writer-star Jason Segel, are both heartfelt and raunchy, and the film is just unexpected enough that it keeps the viewer's attention till the end. The touches of producer Judd Apatow, who's famously retooled rom-coms to appeal to guys as much as women, are woven throughout the film, but Segel's script, reportedly based on many of his own experiences, is fresh and original. And adult. Forgetting Sarah Marshall features male genitalia laffs presented in unexpected and human ways (the nude breakup scene is played for giggles but also deep poignancy), and the language and sex scenes are strictly for grownups--and rightly so. Segel's script, and his performance as Peter, show that he understands the true nature of adult relationships, which provides the refreshing difference between this film and some of Apatow's other crude creations. The cast is sublime; Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars) plays title character Sarah, a self-absorbed actress, and Russell Brand is her new British honey who accompanies her to--what are the chances?--the exact same Hawaiian resort as Peter, who's nursing his broken heart. Mila Kunis plays Rachel, the resort employee who gives Peter a reason to hope, and Paul Rudd is the surfing instructor who gives him his own brand of heartfelt advice ("When life gives you lemons, just say 'F--- the lemons' and bail," he says cheerily). The pacing is screwball, and the absurdities fly (a "Dracula" musical puppet show, and a surprisingly lovely Hawaiian version of "Nothing Compares 2 U"). Nothing the viewer will forget any time soon.

Disc Features:
• Visual Commentary: With director Nick Stoller, executive producer Rodney Rothman, producer Shauna Robertson, writer/star Jason Segel and cast members Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis, Russell Brand and Jack McBrayer
• Extended Feature Audio Commentary: With director Nick Stoller, executive producer Rodney Rothman, producer Shauna Robertson, writer/star Jason Segel, and cast members Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis, Russell Brand and Jack McBrayer
• R-Rated Feature Audio Commentary: With director Nick Stoller, executive producer
Rodney Rothman, producer Shauna Robertson, writer/star Jason Segel, and cast members Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis, Russell Brand and Jack McBrayer.
• Featurette: "A Taste for Love"
• Video Diaries: Watch video footage from over 20 days of shooting
• Deleted/Extended Scenes: Over 2 hours of deleted and extended scenes
• Line-O-Rama: See your favorite scenes again but this time with different jokes!
• Sex-O-Rama: Montage of Jason Segel's sex scene
• Drunk-O-Rama: Montage of Jason Segel's drunken Hawaiian night
• Gag Reel: Watch hilarious outtakes one after the other
• Karaoke: Six songs from the film you can sing-along to
• Music video: "We've Got to Do Something"
• "Dracula's Lament": Jason Segel's table read version of the film's hilarious Dracula song
• Raw Footage: Watch the video chats between Jason Segel and Bill Hader.
• Puppet Break-Up Watch the hilarious behind-the-scenes footage of Jason Segel and the puppet break-up scene.
• Russell Brand "Aldonus Snow:: Get to know the British rock star!
• "The Letter U": Aldous Snow's (Brand) television show for kids.
• "Sarah's New Shows": Watch Alternate versions of Sarah Marshall's (Bell) television shows
• Digital Copy

HD Exclusive Content:
• Picture-in-Picture Video Commentary: Watch the full-length film with commentary from director Nick Stoller, executive producer Rodney Rothman, producer Shauna Robertson, writer/star Jason Segel and cast members Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis, Russell Brand and Jack McBrayer
• My Scene Sharing: Pick your favorite scenes from the film to create your own video montage
• BD-Live: Connect your BD-Live enabled player for access to interactive content from Universal Studios Home Entertainment


Knocked Up (Blu-ray)

Universal Studios Home Entertainment / 2007 / 133 Minutes / Unrated
Street Date: September 30, 2008

Genres: Comedy

Starring: Seth Rogen, Katherine Heigl, Paul Rudd
Director: Judd Apatow

Plot Synopsis: The writer and director of The 40-Year-Old Virgin delivers another a hilarious hit comedy! They say that opposites attract. Well, for slacker Ben (Seth Rogen) and career girl Alison (Katherine Heigl), that's certainly the case - at least for one intoxicated evening. Two months and several pregnancy tests later, Ben and Alison go through a hysterically funny, anxious and heartwarming journey that leads to huge laughs in the most outrageous comedy of the year!

Disc Features:

• Audio Commentary - The highlight of the extras, this is a screen-specific discussion with director Judd Apatow and stars Seth Rogen and Bill Hader (although Hader is barely in 'Knocked Up,' he is featured heavily in the Apatow-produced). Simply put, not only is this track non-stop, it's frequently hilarious -- and totally un-PC. From an off-the-cuff discussion of abortion to X-rated impersonations of everyone from Katherine Heigl (who was initially "terrified" of the vulgar Rogen) to Vincent Price, I'm surprised Universal didn't edit the heck out of this track. But the legal department's loss is our gain, and this track had me laughing for much of its 133-minute runtime. Any fan of the Apatow school of comedy simply has to listen to this one.
  
• Featurette: "Finding Ben Stone" (SD, 29 minutes) - This is a very funny, very ambitious pseudo-documentry. Apatow creates a whole fake backstory for the casting of Rogen, even going so far as to re-shoot scenes with Katherine Heigl and big-name actors who supposed auditioned for the role first. Among the game participants are James Franco, Orlando Bloom, David Krumholtz, Bill Hader and Justin Long. Though rather too long, I found myself laughing at this quite a bit.
  
• Featurette: "Directing the Director" (SD, 7 minutes) - A mildly-amusing mockumentary, fictionalizing a set visit by a "replacement" director for Apatow (played by 'Capote' director Bennett Miller), whom we are to believe Universal wanted pulled from the film for ineptitude. This was funny for a couple of minutes, but overstayed its welcome fairly quickly.
  
• Featurette: "Gummy: The 6th Roommate" (SD, 6 minutes) - Another bit of fakery, this time featuring Krumholtz, who allegedy was to play a sixth roommate before dropping out to do a Woody Allen movie. How Apatow comes up with this stuff...
  
• Featurette: "Rollercoaster Doc" (SD, 4 minutes) - This is bizarre -- a "making of" detailing a few shots during the opening credit sequence (with the cast on a rollercoaster). Did this really need its own featurette?
  
• Featurette: "Loudon Wainwright III Scoring Sessions" (SD, 6 minutes) - Features the famous musician recording the film's score. Also includes performance excerpts of the tunes "Daughter" and "Grey in L.A.," plus a full version "You Can't Fail Me Now."
  
• Video Diaries/Kuni Files (SD, 12 minutes) - This series of vignettes features Apatow with wrap-up comments at the end of a day's shooting. Plus, there is the "Kuni Files," another diary with featuring comedian Ken Jeong (who appears as Dr. Kuni).
  
• Deleted/Extended Scenes (SD, 24 minutes) - The next best extra after the audio commentary is the collection of 16 deleted scenes. Running nearly 17 minutes, there is some real substance here that's superior to the vast majority of excised scene compendiums you get on most Blu-rays these days. Forget the throwaway alternate ending, but the others are full-on meaty scenes. Granted, only a couple of sequences expand the narrative or deepen the conflict between the Ben and Alison characters, but they are hilarious all the same. The disc also has four additional extended scenes, running about 6 minutes, under their own heading. This stuff is far more forgettable, and is mostly comprised of jokes that were wisely cut for pacing. (Who thought giving Ryan Seacrest more screen-time was a good idea!?)
  
• Topless Scene: Web Design Company (SD, 1 minute) - This is literally a 30-second alternate shot that includes some behind-the-actors nudity cut to get the flick a PG-13 rating. Probably should have been stuck in the deleted scenes, as it hardly stands on its own as a legitimate extra.
  
• Gag Reels (SD, 38 minutes) - The "Gag Reel" proper (3 minutes) is funny, but not nearly as gut-busting as the actual film or the deleted scenes. "Topless Scenes" is amusing, featuring alternate verisons of scenes that were shot with Rogen, sans shirt. A nice play on female exploitation. "Kids on the Loose" is 5 minutes of outtakes of Apatow's children, who appear in the film. Finally, "Raw Footage" features two very long scenes, "Geisha House" (11 minutes) and "Swingers" (7 minutes), that include much riffing and improv'ng with the cast.
  
• Line-O-Rama/Bread-O-Rama (SD, 7 minutes) - An Apatow staple. This is another montage of some of the film's best cut and messed-up lines. Plus, the "Bread-O-Rama" offers similar goofiness involving star Martin Starr and his facial application make-up process.
  
• Audition Reel (SD, 5 minutes) - Katherine Heigl's original audition tape wrap things up, and features the actress (who famously later dissed the film) running lines with Rogen.

The 40-Year-Old Virgin (Blu-ray)

Universal Studios Home Entertainment / 2005 / 133 Minutes / Unrated
Street Date: September 30, 2008

Genres: Comedy

Starring: Steve Carrell, Catherine Keener, Paul Rudd
Director: Judd Apatow

Plot Synopsis:
The outrageous and unforgettable comedy delivers more laughs in this all-new special edition filled with hours of never-before-experienced pleasures! With loads of new bonus features and deleted scenes, this hilarious 2-disc set is even better than the first time. Comedy sensation Steve Carell is Andy Stitzer, a nice guy who has somehow managed to go forty years without "doing it." When his pals make it their mission to help him score, their misguided advice takes him on a hilarious journey toward love.

Daredevil: Director's Cut (Blu-ray)

Fox Home Entertainment / 2003 / 124 Minutes / Rated R
Street Date: September 30, 2008

Genres: Action, Comic Book

Starring: Ben Affleck, Colin Farrell, Jennifer Garner
Director: Mark Steven Johnson

Plot Synopsis: Ben Affleck is a blind lawyer who becomes a superhero at night, and much of this new comic-book spectacular is so dark that you can't see it. Not that you're missing anything. What can be seen is derivative, flat, and halfhearted. Dressed in a maroon jumpsuit, Affleck flips from nowhere to nowhere in a digital New York that seems based on sketches rejected by the creators of the first "Batman" movie. Affleck tries for a light-voiced, unemphatic presence, and he registers no more powerfully here than he did in "Pearl Harbor." He seems a put-on movie star, a lazybones puffed by helium bursts of publicity.

Disc Features:

• Audio commentary by Mark Steve Johnson and Gary Foster / Audio commentary by Mark Steve Johnson and Avi Arad

ª Text commentary
• Documentary: "Beyond Hell's Kitchen: Making Daredevil"
• Featurettes: "The Comic Book," "Men Without Fear: Creating Daredevil," "Shadow World Tour"
• Alternate takes
• Music videos: "Won't Back Down" by Fuel / "For You" by The Calling / "Bring Me to Life" by Evanescence
• Still galleries
• Storyboards
• Theatrical trailers


The Sixth Sense (Blu-ray)

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment / 1999 / Rated PG-13
Street Date: September 30, 2008

Genres: Suspense, thriller, horror

Starring: Toni Collette, Bruce Norris, Bruce Willis

Plot Synopsis: A gripping ghost story with a stunning finale, The Sixth Sense became a surprise blockbuster shortly after its release. The film features Oscar-nominated performances by the startlingly intense Osment and the fiercely maternal Collette, as well as a subtle, subdued turn by Willis. Shyamalan directs his intriguing script with almost clinical precision, using carefully framed visuals to create the film's distinctly chilling atmosphere. On the strength of its pitch-perfect acting and direction, The Sixth Sense has become the most successful thriller of all time.


Dawn of the Dead (2004) (Blu-ray)

Universal Studios Home Entertainment / 2004 / 110 Minutes / Unrated
Street Date: September 30, 2008

Overall Grade



Genres: Suspense, thriller, horror

Starring: Jayne Eastwood, Matt Frewer, Sarah Polley

Plot Synopsis: Some may have forgotten, and others may never have experienced, the hilarious shocks that George Romero, Sam Raimi, and their fellow horror-meisters offered audiences a decade or two ago. The audacity of films like "Evil Dead 2" and the original "Dawn of the Dead" surprised audiences with surreal images of graphic, unnatural violence. In this remake of Romero's zombiefest, the director Zack Snyder brings back the cringe-inducing gore of yore as his flesh-eating zombies attack a Wisconsin mall in search of fresh meat (Sarah Polley and Ving Rhames among a cast of tasty others). The story hacks away most of the original film's satirical subtext of a consumer society gone wild, but it has retained much of the suspenseful action sequences and the fabulously disgusting makeup effects. The movie may be as mindless as a swarm of the undead, but it's fun in its splatter-filled way.


Land of the Dead (Blu-ray)

Universal Studios Home Entertainment / 2005 / 97 Minutes / Unrated
Street Date: September 30, 2008

Overall Grade





Genres: Suspense, thriller, horror

Starring: Simon Baker, John Lequizamo, Dennis Hopper

Plot Synopsis: Packed with more heart-pounding and blood-curdling thrills than any theater could show, this special Unrated Director's Cut unleashes the ultimate vision of George A. Romero's latest living-dead shock-fest! Starring Simon Baker, Dennis Hopper and John Leguizamo, Land of the Dead finds humanity's last remnants battling to survive the unspeakable truth: The ravenous zombie hordes besieging their fortified city…are evolving!

Disc Features:

• Audio Commentary - The main extra is this screen-specific audio commentary with George Romero, producer Peter Grunwald and editor Michael Doherty. I was taken aback at how weak a track it is. All seem so subdued as to be on the verge of narcolepsy, and what information that is imparted is dull and boring. I always hate commentaries where the participants simply regurgitate what is happening on the screen, or tell me which effects were CGI and which weren't. Given the rich history of the 'Dead' films, this commentary is surprisingly bloodless. A major disappointment.
  
• Featurette: "When Shaun Met George" (SD, 8 minutes) - My favorite extra on the disc. Longtime 'Dead' fan and 'Shaun of the Dead' filmmaker Simon Pegg, who is vastly entertaining, is joined by his collaborator Edgar Wright, who both got cameos as zombies in the film. They also get to meet their hero, Romero. A fun, affectionate little feature.
  
• Featurette: "Zombie Effects" (SD, 5 minutes) - This quickie features a set of before-and-after shots of the film's digital effects work -- we're certainly a far cry from the simplistic gore of the original 'Night of the Living Dead.'
  
• Storyboards (SD, 8 minutes) - This eight-minute set of comparisons is dubbed "Bringing the Storyboards to Life," and it's just that. The split-screen features the original storyboard on one side, and the final composite on the other.
• "The Remaining Bits" (SD, 3 minutes) - A collection subtitled "not your average deleted scenes!" Unfortunately, at less than three minutes, it seems all the good stuff was already reinstated into the Director's Cut.
  
• "Scream Tests: Zombie Casting Call" (SD, 1 minute) - A simple CGI test of zombies dancing. Even at one minute, it's quite tiresome.
  
• Montage: "Scenes of Carnage" (SD, 3 minutes) - Finally, we have this spliced-together music video of gory clips, but it's lame. I immediately forgot it a moment after seeing it.
  

The Thing (1982) (Blu-ray)

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Universal Studios Home Entertainment / 1982 / 109 Minutes / Rated R
Street Date: September 30, 2008

Genres: Suspense, thriller

Starring: Kurt Russell

Plot Synopsis: Horror-meister John Carpenter (Halloween, Escape from New York) teams Kurt Russell's outstanding performance with incredible visuals to build this chilling version of the classic The Thing. In the winter of 1982, a twelve-man research team at a remote Antarctic research station discovers an alien buried in the snow for over 100,000 years. Soon unfrozen, the form-changing alien wreaks havoc, creates terror and becomes one of them.

Disc Features:

• Audio Commentary - My favorite supplement on the previous HD DVD and DVD versions of 'The Thing' was the 85-minute documentary "Terror Takes Shape: The Making of 'The Thing.'" It still stands as one of the best documentaries ever produced on a horror film. Featuring recollections from John Carpenter, Rob Bottin, director of photography Dean Cundey, Kurt Russell, and most of the major cast, "Terror Takes Shape" left no stone unturned and pulled no punches when it comes with the difficulties of the film's shoot (or the vicious critical backlash after its release). Unfortunately, by chopping up the doc into a PIP track, Universal has kept the meat but lost a lot of its flavor. There are frequent gaps of silence, with the main points hit but some of the fun little stories (mostly from the cast) missing. This is a fine PIP track in its own right, but fans certainly will miss the complete doc.
  
• MyScenes - Universal also provides the option of marking your favorite chapters, and saving them for future, instant access even after you pop the disc out of the player. Also provided is the option to share your scenes with others over the internet, if you're player is BD-Live-compatible. (At presstime, there are no other BD-Live features active.)

Roy Orbison: A Black & White Night (Blu-ray)

Image Entertainment / 1997 / 64 Minutes / Unrated
Street Date: September 30, 2008

Genres: Music

Starring: Roy Orbison
Plot Synopsis: A special one-time event documenting one of rock and roll's greatest and most unique performances. Recorded live at the Cocoanut Grove in Los Angeles, Roy Orbison is joined by an eclectic ensemble of rock and roll superstars. Highlighting this all-star line-up are Jackson Browne, Elvis Costello, T-Bone Burnett, J.D. Souther, Jennifer Warnes, k.d. lang, Bonnie Raitt, Bruce Springsteen and Tom Waits. Orbison and fellow performers spend a scintillating hour performing many of his greatest hits.

Songs: Only the Lonely, Dream Baby, The Comedians, Ooby Dooby, Leah, Running Scared, In Dreams, Crying, Candyman, Go Go Go, Mean Woman Blues, It's Over, Oh Pretty Woman, Dream You, Blue Bayou, Claudette, Uptown, Blue Angel.

Disc Features:
• Bonus Song: "Blue Angel"


When We Left Earth: The NASA Missions (Blu-ray)

Image Entertainment / 2007 / 258 Minutes / Unrated
Street Date: September 30, 2008

Genres: Documentary

Starring: Gary Sinise
Plot Synopsis: Since the dawn of mankind, we have stared up at the lights in the sky and wondered... Now join the heroic men and women who have dared the impossible on some of the greatest adventures ever undertaken - the quest to reach out beyond Earth and into the great unknown of space! To celebrate 50 years of incredible achievements, the Discovery Channel has partnered with NASA to reveal the epic struggles, tragedies and triumphs in a bold chapter of human history. Along with the candid interviews of the people who made it happen, hundreds of hours of never-before-seen film footage from the NASA archives - including sequences on board the actual spacecraft in flight - have been carefully restored, edited and compiled for this landmark collection.

Disc Features:
• Interviews with Gene Kranz, John Glenn, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Jim Lovell, Fred Haise, Bob Crippen, and John Young.