William David Lee
It should come as no surprise that the inaugural title would be "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," the film that cemented Disney's status as the kingpin of animation. It's stunning to believe that people were calling it "Disney's Folly" and predicting it to be the "Waterworld" of its time. The Diamond edition features a 2-disc Blu-Ray version of "Snow White" along with a standard DVD copy and comes in both Blu-Ray and DVD packaging.
You'd think a film from Judd Apatow and Harold Ramis starring Jack Black and Michael Cera would be something of a laugh riot. However, "Year One" was a critical and commercial flop appearing like a half-baked knockoff of Mel Brooks' "History of the World, Part I." Still, the movie does boast a pretty talented supporting cast that includes Olivia Wilde, Paul Rudd, David Cross, Bill Hader, and Hank Azaria so it can't be a complete disaster, right? Well, be sure to tell me. "Year One" comes out on DVD (in separate Theatrical and Unrated editions) and on Blu-Ray (which contains both versions).
This being October and Halloween just a few weeks away, we'll be seeing plenty of horror films hit theaters and retailers. Tuesday sees the long awaited release of "Trick 'r Treat." Originally scheduled for a theatrical release in October of 2007, "Trick 'r Treat" fell off Warner Brothers' radar until now. The movie did get several screenings at select festivals and Comic-Con where it received rave reviews from attendees. Starring Anna Paquin, Brian Cox, Leslie Bibb, Dylan Baker, and "Battlestar Galactica's" Tahmoh Penikett, "Trick 'r Treat" will be available on both DVD and Blu-Ray.
If you're looking for more chills and thrills, you can't go wrong with Takashi Miike's "Audition." Previously released in the US by First Look and Lionsgate, Shout Factory is releasing "Audition" in a new 2-disc special edition on both DVD and Blu-Ray. "Audition" is one of Miike's best films and it builds to an ultra-creepy and unsettling conclusion. Highly recommended.
Not enough scares for you? You might also enjoy the Jack Nicholson werewolf film "Wolf" and Kenneth Branagh's adaptation of "Mary Shelley's Frankenstein," both of which debut on Blu-Ray. Not quite a spooky picture, but very appropriate for Halloween is "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory" which also makes its debut on Blu-Ray. All the extras from the 30th anniversary edition have been ported over to compliment a new high definition transfer and lossless audio track. That should make "Willy Wonka" a scrumdiddlyumptious experience. For more read John J. Puccio's Blu-Ray review.
We're still less than three months away from Christmas, but that hasn't stopped the studios from releasing a few choice holiday movies. The animated adaptation of Dr. Seuss's classic "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" comes out on Blu-Ray as does "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York" and "Miracle on 34th Street" (both the original 1947 version and the 1994 remake).
Rounding out the Blu-Ray releases for this week are: "Contact," "The Number 23," and the Beatles classic "A Hard Day's Night."
The Ken Burns documentary, "National Parks: America's Best Idea" hits stores on DVD and Blu-Ray as do a pair of really fun documentaries; "Anvil: The Story of Anvil" about a 70's Canadian metal band still trying to rock and "Not Quite Hollywood," a chronicle of the Australian film industry.
The biggest television release of the week has to be the "Ally McBeal: The Complete Series" boxset which also sees a separate release for just the first season. The series didn't just make a star of its lead actress, Calista Flockhart, but of co-stars Lucy Liu ("Kill Bill"), Portia de Rossi ("Arrested Development," "Better Off Ted"), and Jane Krakowski ("30 Rock"). Out on DVD and Blu-Ray will be "Bones: The Complete 4th Season" and "Nip/Tuck: Season 5, Part 2." On DVD only will be "The Medium: The Complete 5th Season" and the television classics "The Mary Tyler Moore Show: The Complete 5th Season" and "Mister Ed: The Complete 1st Season."
And there you have it, just some of the major releases for the week. We'll be back next time with a quick look at Sam Raimi's return to horror, "Drag Me to Hell," and the Will Ferrell flop, "Land of the Lost."
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