BBC / 2011 / 480 Minutes / Unrated
Street Date: April 26, 2011
Overall Grade 
Must own.Genres: Documentary
Starring: John Hurt
Plot Synopsis: Following in the footsteps of Planet Earth and Life, this epic eight-part blockbuster is a breathtaking celebration of the amazing, complex, profound and sometimes challenging relationship between humankind and nature. Humans are the ultimate animals - the most successful species on the planet. From the frozen Arctic to steamy rainforests, from tiny islands in vast oceans to parched deserts, people have found remarkable ways to adapt and survive. We've done this by harnessing our immense courage and ingenuity; learning to live with and utilize the other creatures with which we share these wild places. Human Planet weaves together eighty inspiring stories, many never told before, set to a globally-influenced soundtrack by award-winning composer Nitin Sawhney. Each episode focuses on a particular habitat and reveals how its people have created astonishing solutions in the face of extreme adversity. Finally we visit the urban jungle, where most of us now live, and discover why the connection between humanity and nature here is the most vital of all.
Disc Features:
Discs 1 - 3
- Behind the Lens (HD, 82 min.) — Like the other series that BBC has done, each episode comes complete with a behind-the-scenes look at what it took to film a certain segment of the episode. They play directly after the feature episode and run around 10 minutes each. These cover the extensive preparation, fatigue, and luck that the BBC camera crews had during their various visits to sites around the globe. It's amazing to see how they were able to get some of the shots that they did. They're always so inventive when it comes to creating one-of-a-kind panning shots that seem to the entire scope of what they're filming.
- Fez (HD, 11 min.) — This featurette is a behind-the-scenes look at what it took to film at the tannery in Morocco. How bad it stunk and how tough it was to film in a place that literally runs with pigeon poop.
- Volcano (HD, 10 min.) — This featurette covers the behind-the-scenes work of the crew who had the displeasure of filming at the Kawah Ijen Volcano in East Java. An acidic lake that spews forth sulfur gas so toxic that it's one of the most poisonous places on earth.
Criterion / 1981 / 108 Minutes / Unrated
Street Date: April 26, 2011
Genres: Crime, Thriller, Mystery
Starring: John Travolta, Nancy Allen, John Lithgow
Director: Brian De Palma
Plot Synopsis: Brian De Palma's 1981 thriller is something of a homage to Michelangelo Antonioni's masterful Blowup, though there are hints of Francis Ford Coppola's paranoia-inducing Conversation sprinkled throughout. John Travolta plays a sound-effects man who witnesses what appears to be a tragic car accident killing a presidential candidate. The audio tape he happened to be recording at that moment (adding to his collection of natural sounds), however, suggests but doesn't prove that a murderous conspiracy is afoot. Trying to tease a shred of evidence from murky doubt, Travolta's character turns to a hooker (Nancy Allen) for help and stumbles into a web of evil spun by a right-wing kook (John Lithgow). De Palma's fetishistic fascination with obscured truth in a universe ruled by chance makes Blow Out one of his most operatic films. It's also perhaps one of his most revealing about the inherent decadence of creating verisimilitude for art. Sometimes knocked for its outrageous camera technique, Blow Out contains several exciting sequences that underscore De Palma's amped-up admiration for many of Hitchcock's best moves.
Criterion / 1998 / 118 Minutes / Rated R
Street Date: April 26, 2011
Genres: Drama, thriller, life
Starring: Johnny Depp, Benicio Del Toro, Christina Ricci
Director: Terry Gilliam
Plot Synopsis: It is 1971, and journalist Raoul Duke barrels toward Las Vegas—accompanied by a trunkful of contraband and his unhinged Samoan attorney, Dr. Gonzo—to cover a motorcycle race. His cut-and-dried assignment quickly descends into a feverish psychedelic odyssey. Director Terry Gilliam (Time Bandits, Brazil) and an all-star cast headlined by Johnny Depp (Edward Scissorhands, Donnie Brasco) and Benicio Del Toro (The Usual Suspects, Che) show no mercy in adapting Hunter S. Thompson’s legendary dissection of the American way of life to the screen, creating a film both hilarious and savage.
Disc Features:
- Audio Commentary by director Terry Gilliam - Gilliam exudes a nice level of excitement and genuine enthusiasm for the film which makes for an engaging discussion. Topics touched upon include the pressure of staying true to the book, methods used to keep the budget low in order to avoid studio interference, the film's anti-materialism undertones, and Gilliam's refusal to clarify the narrative to provide easy answers.
- Audio Commentary by stars Johnny Depp, Benicio Del Toro, and producer Laila Nabulsi - The three participants here were recorded separately and then edited together for this track.
- Audio Commentary by author Hunter S. Thompson
- Deleted Scenes (HD, 11 min) - Three deleted scenes are provided here in stereo sound with optional commentary by director Terry Gilliam.
- Storyboards (HD) - Storyboards for seven scenes from the film are included in 1080p.
- Production Designs (HD)
- Stills Gallery (HD) - Ninety-five stills from the making of the film taken by set photographer Peter Mountain. Provided in 1080p.
- Depp-Thompson Correspondence (HD, 14 min)
- Hunter Goes to Hollywood (HD, 11 min)
- Audio discussion of WGA Dispute (17 min)
- A Dress Pattern (HD, 1 min)
- A Study in Marketing (HD) - The trailer for the film and seven TV spots provided in stereo sound.
- Biographical Essay
- The Revolt of the Cockroach People (HD, 30 min)
- Thompson on Acosta (8 min)
- Ralph Steadman Art Gallery (HD)
- Breakdown on Paradise Boulevard (8 min)
- Fear and Loathing on the Road to Hollywood (HD, 50 min)
Other releases/ Back catalog releases:
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