Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Blu-ray 9th June Release

Gran Torino (+ Digital Copy and BD-Live) [Blu-ray]

Warner Home Video / 2008 / 116 Minutes / Rated R
Street Date: June 09, 2009

Overall Grade 3.5 out of 5






Genres: Action, Thriller

Starring: Clint Eastwood, Brian Haley, Christopher Carley
Director: Clint Eastwood

Plot Synopsis: Clint Eastwood's Gran Torino, an unassuming picture shot during a post-production lull on his elaborate period piece Changeling, was quietly rolled out at Christmastime 2008, whereupon it proceeded to blow away all the Oscar-bait behemoths at the box office and win its 78-year-old star the best reviews of his acting career. Both film and performance are consummately sly--coming on with deceptive simplicity, only to evolve into something complex, powerful, and surprisingly tender. Just as Unforgiven was a tragic reflection on Eastwood's legacy in the Western genre, Gran Torino caps and eloquently critiques the urban heritage of Dirty Harry and his violent brethren. And on top of that, the movie becomes a savvy meditation on America in a particular historical moment, racially, economically, spiritually. Call it a "state of the union" message. But call it that with a wry grin. The latest Dirty Harry is actually a grumpy Walt: Walt Kowalski (Eastwood playing his own age), widower, Korean War veteran, retired auto worker, and the last white resident of his Detroit side street. It's hard to say who irks him more--his blood kin (a pretty lame bunch) or the Hmong families who are his new neighbors. Kowalski's a racist, because it has never occurred to him he shouldn't be. Besides, that's the flipside of the mutual ethnic baiting that serves as coin of affection for him and his working-class buddies. Circumstances--and two young people next door, the feisty Sue (Ahney Her) and her conflicted brother Thao (Bee Vang)--contrive to involve Walt with a new community, and anoint him as its hero after he turns his big guns on some ruffians. The trajectory of this may surprise you--several times over. Eastwood opted to film in economically blighted Detroit--a shrewd decision, but it's his mapping of Walt's world in that classical style of his that really counts. Every incidental corner of lawn, porch, and basement comes to matter--and by all means the workshop/garage that houses the mint-condition Gran Torino which Walt helped build in a more prosperous era. This is a remarkable movie.

Disc Features:
  • Featurette: "The Eastwood Way" (HD, 19 minutes) – 'Gran Torino' is Eastwood's first acting gig in four years, and this absorbing featurette begins by detailing what attracted him to the part of Walt Kowalski, and how the role fits into his career arc. From there, the piece focuses on exposing audiences to the Hmong people, the difficulties of casting within the Hmong community, and Eastwood's authentic filmmaking style. Audition tapes and on-set footage are sprinkled throughout, as well as plenty of Eastwood testimonials.
  • BD-Live – A link to Warner's BD-Live site is included. Registration is required to access content, and at press time, the only 'Gran Torino' exclusive was the original theatrical trailer.
  • Digital Copy – A separate disc is included to transfer 'Gran Torino' onto portable media via iTunes and Windows Media Player.


The International [Blu-ray]

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / 2009 / 118 Minutes / Rated R
Street Date: June 09, 2009

Overall Grade 3.5 out of 5





Genres: Action, Thriller

Starring: Clive Owen, Naomi Watts
Director: Tom Tykwer

Plot Synopsis: The International is actually two movies in one: A highbrow thriller about a sprawling bank that resorts to murder and arms sales to retain its power, and a sleek visual essay on how architecture and interior design shapes your perceptions. Interpol agent Louis Salinger (Clive Owen, still not quite a star despite Inside Man and Children of Men) has been on the brink of conclusive evidence against the villainous international bank, but his sources always end up dead. With the aid of a Manhattan district attorney (Naomi Watts in a woefully underwritten part), he stumbles on the trail of the bank's favorite hit man, who might provide the (literally) smoking gun Louis needs. The International starts out smooth and silky, with visual style to burn and Owen's intense fervor. The plot gradually bogs down in incoherent moralizing, but along the way there are some taut sequences, including a bloody shootout in the Guggenheim Museum where alliances shift unexpectedly. But what makes The International worth seeing is director Tom Tykwer's astute eye for public space: Chic postmodern buildings, broad Italian plazas, Turkish rooftops like mountain paths--Tykwer orchestrates actors through these architectural shapes, his hypnotic visual sense creating far more tension and excitement than the plot. Also featuring Armin Mueller-Stahl (Eastern Promises) and Ulrich Thomsen (The Celebration) as malevolent Europeans.

Disc Features:


Fired Up [Blu-ray]
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / 2009 / 90 Minutes / Unrated
Street Date: June 09, 2009








Plot Synopsis: Shawn Colfax and Nick Brady, the stars of the Gerald R. Ford High School football team, are dreading the prospect of another summer at football camp. When Nick hatches a scheme for the two to join their school's cheerleaders at cheer camp instead, they find themselves awash in a sea of gorgeous young women. It all goes great until Shawn falls for Carly, the beautiful head cheerleader who sees right through them.

Disc Features:
• Audio Commentary with Director Will Gluck, Nicholas D'Agosto and Eric Christian Olsen
• Featurette: "This is Not a Cheerleading Movie: The Making of Fired Up!", "Double Duty," "Fired Up! Press Junket - Hour 12"
• Gag Reel - Uncensored Version

Back Catalogue Blu-ray:



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