Blu Monday: Heroes, Demons, Martians, Stoners, and Dead Men

By Movie Geeks | August 7, 2011

Your Weekly Source for the Newest Releases to Blu-Ray

Tuesday, August 9th, 2011

THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS: The Criterion Collection (1966)

Synopsis: One of the most influential political films in history, The Battle of Algiers, by Gillo Pontecorvo, vividly re-creates a key year in the tumultuous Algerian struggle for independence from the occupying French in the 1950s. As violence escalates on both sides, children shoot soldiers at point-blank range, women plant bombs in cafe’s, and French soldiers resort to torture to break the will of the insurgents. Shot on the streets of Algiers in documentary style, the film is a case study in modern warfare, with its terrorist attacks and the brutal techniques used to combat them. Pontecorvo’s tour de force has astonishing relevance today. (criterion.com)

Special Features:

• High-definition digital transfer, supervised by director of photography Marcello Gatti (with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition).
• Gillo Pontecorvo: The Dictatorship of Truth, a documentary narrated by literary critic Edward Said.
• Marxist Poetry: The Making of The Battle of Algiers, a documentary featuring interviews with Pontecorvo, Gatti, composer Ennio Morricone, and others.
• Interviews with Spike Lee, Mira Nair, Julian Schnabel, Steven Soderbergh, and Oliver Stone on the film’s influence, style, and importance.
• Remembering History, a documentary reconstructing the Algerian experience of the battle for independence
• États d’armes, a documentary excerpt featuring senior French military officers recalling the use of torture and execution to combat the Algerian rebellion.
• The Battle of Algiers: A Case Study, a video piece featuring U.S. counter-terrorism experts
• Gillo Pontecorvo’s Return to Algiers, a documentary in which the filmmaker revisits the country after three decades of independence.
• Production gallery.
• Theatrical and re-release trailers.
• PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by film scholar Peter Matthews, excerpts from Algeria’s National Liberation Front leader Saadi Yacef’s original account of his arrest, excerpts from the film’s screenplay, a reprinted interview with co-writer Franco Solinas, and biographical sketches of key figures in the French-Algerian War.

CAMERAMAN: THE LIFE & WORK OF JACK CARDIFF (2011)

Synopsis: Oscar-winning cinematographer Jack Cardiff had a career that spanned nine decades of moving pictures, providing a number of timeless classics such as “The African Queen” and “The Red Shoes.” Through his pioneering use of Technicolor photography, his work behind the camera altered the look of films permanently. (highdefdigest.com)

Special Features:

• Interview with Craig McCall by Ian Christie.
• Jack’s Actress Portraits.
• Jack’s Behind-the-Scenes Movies.
• Cinematographer and Director Relationship.
• Working with Three-Strip Technicolor.
• Photo Galleries.
• Original Theatrical Trailer.
• Other Strand Releasing Trailers.

Double Feature – CHILDREN OF THE CORN V: FIELDS OF TERROR / CHILDREN OF THE CORN 666: ISAAC’S RETURN (1998/1999)

Synopsis: Children of the Corn 5: Six college students take a wrong turn and find themselves lost in a strangely deserted rural town… only to discover that this deceptively quiet place hides a murderous cult of children controlled by evil forces. Eva Mendes stars. Children of the Corn 6: On a trip to Gatlin, Nebraska to find her birth mother, Hannah Martin picks up a dark stranger who kicks off a mysterious chain of events. Little does Hannah know, her journey may help fulfill a sinister prophecy made 19 years earlier by Isaac, the corn-cult’s original evil leader. Nancy Allen stars. (blu-ray.com)

Special Features: Unknown.

DAZED & CONFUSED (1993)

Synopsis: America, 1976. The last day of school. Bongs blaze, bell-bottoms ring, and rock and roll rocks. Among the best teen films ever made, Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused eavesdrops on a group of seniors-to-be and incoming freshmen. A launching pad for a number of future stars, Linklater’s first studio effort also features endlessly quotable dialogue and a blasting, stadium-ready soundtrack. Sidestepping nostalgia, Dazed and Confused is less about “the best years of our lives” than the boredom, angst, and excitement of teenagers waiting… for something to happen. (criterion.com)

Special Features:

• Deleted Scenes.
• “The Blunt Truth” featurette.
• The Music of Dazed and Confused.
• Retro Public Service Announcements.

DEAD MAN (1995)

Synopsis: Johnny Depp (The Tourist) delivers a remarkable performance in this highly acclaimed tale of adventure and intrigue in the wild, Wild West! A young man in search of a fresh start, William Blake (Depp), embarks on an exciting journey to a new town… never realizing the danger that lies ahead. But when a heated love triangle ends in double murder, Blake finds himself a wanted man, running scared-until a mysterious loner teaches him to face the dangers that follow a “dead man.” With an outstanding supporting cast including Gabriel Byrne (TV’s In Treatment) and Robert Mitchum (Cape Fear), Dead Man is another motion picture triumph from filmmaker Jim Jarmusch. (highdefdigest.com)

Special Features: Unknown.

FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH (1982)

Synopsis: Teenagers struggling with independence, sexuality, money, maturity, rock’n roll, Spicoli ordering pizza and high school. Oh and that pool scene. (blu-ray.com)

Special Features:

• Audio commentary with director Amy Heckerling and writer Cameron Crowe.
• “Reliving Our Fast Times at Ridgemont High” documentary.
• The Music of Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
• “Scene Companion” viewing option (PiP).
• Trailer.

Double Feature: 3-Disc 30th Anniversary Edition – THE FOX & THE HOUND / THE FOX & THE HOUND II (1981/2006)

Synopsis: A young fox named Tod and a bloodhound named Copper are the best of friends. When Copper bemoans the fact that he can’t seem to do anything right, Tod reassures him that eventually he’ll find something at which he excels and invites him to the fair. Opportunity knocks when a vocal dog group called “The Singing Strays” looses its lead singer Dixie, and Copper discovers that he’s a really good singer. Unfortunately, Copper’s newly discovered fame leaves Tod feeling jealous and abandoned and threatens to destroy the pair’s close friendship. (blu-ray.com)

Special Features:

• Passing the Baton: The Making of The Fox and the Hound.
• The Making of the Music.
• The Best of Friends Sing-Along Song.
• Music Video: “You Know I Will” – Lucas Grabeel.

JUMPING THE BROOM (2011)

Synopsis: Two very different families converge on Martha’s Vineyard one weekend for a wedding. (highdefdigest.com)

Special Features:

• Director and Cast Commentary.
• You’re Invited.
• Honoring the Tradition of Jumping the Broom.
• MovieIQ.

THE LOOKOUT (2007)

Synopsis: Chris “Slapshot” Pratt (Gordon-Levitt), whose once-bright future has been dimmed by a head injury, is a night janitor at a bank. Lonely and frustrated, Chris falls prey to a con man’s seductive promise of romance and a better life, and agrees to help rob the bank where he works. (highdefdigest.com)

Special Features: Unknown.

MARS NEEDS MOMS 3D: 4-Disc Blu-Ray/DVD Combo (2011)

Synopsis: A young boy named Milo gains a deeper appreciation for his mom after Martians come to Earth to take her away. (highdefdigest.com)

Special Features:

• Extended Opening.
• Life on Mars: The Full Motion-Capture Experience.
• 7 Deleted Scenes (4 Blu-ray Exclusive).
• Flower Power Easter Egg.
• Mom-Napping (3D Exclusive Alternate Scene).
• Martian 101.
• Fun with Seth.

PAUL: 2-Disc Blu-Ray/DVD Combo (2011)

Synopsis: Two British comic-book geeks traveling across the U.S. encounter an alien outside Area 51. (blu-ray.com)

Special Features:

• Feature Commentary with director Greg Mottola, stars Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and Bill Hader and producer Nira Park.
• Bloopers.
• The Evolution of Paul.
• Simon’s Silly Faces.
• Who the Hell is Adam Shadowchild?
• Photo Galleries, Storyboards and Posters.
• Between the Lightning Strikes: The Making of Paul.
• 5th Date Level Direction: The Cast on Greg Mottola.
• Mexico Zero: The Locations of Paul.
• The Many Pauls.
• Paul: The Musical.
• The Traveler Beagle.
• BD-LIVEâ„¢ (pocket BLUâ„¢, Advanced Remote Control Video Timeline, Mobile-To-Go).
• RV Doorway: The Cast of Paul On-Location.
• Runway Santa Fe: An Interview with Nancy Steiner.
• Smithereens.

THE PROPHECY 3: THE ASCENT (2000)

Synopsis: The conclusion to The Prophecy Trilogy. Once again, Christopher Walken returns as the Arch-Angel Gabriel. As the War in Heaven and on Earth rages on, Pyriel, the Angel of Genocide, rises to power, intending to destroy all of mankind. The only one who stands in his way is Danyael, who was born of an Angel and a woman, but Danyael is unaware of his purpose, until he runs into Gabriel, who has now become a human after the events of The Prophecy 2, and is acting as his secret guardian. Now, the fate of the world hangs in the balance as Danyael sets out to confront Pyriel and finally fulfill his destiny. (highdefdigest.com)

Special Features: Unknown.

SUPER (2011)

Synopsis: When sad-sack loser Frank (Rainn Wilson, ‘The Office’), a short-order cook, sees his ex-addict wife (Liv Tyler, ‘The Lord of the Rings’) willingly snatched away by a seductive drug dealer (Kevin Bacon), he finds himself bereft and unable to cope. But he decides to fight back under the guise of a do-it-yourself superhero called Crimson Bolt. With a red hand-made suit, a wrench, a crazed sidekick named Boltie (Ellen Page, ‘Juno’) – and absolutely nothing in the way of superpowers – Crimson Bolt beats his way through the mean streets of crime in hopes of saving his wife. (highdefdigest.com)

Special Features: Unknown.

TACTICAL FORCE (2011)

Synopsis: A training exercise for the LAPD SWAT Team goes terribly wrong when they find themselves pitted against two rival gangs while trapped in an abandoned Hangar. (highdefdigest.com)

Special Features:

• Inside ‘Tactical Force’.
• Fight Sequence.
• Trailer.

TWIN DRAGONS (1992)

Synopsis: On holidays in Hong Kong, Mrs Ma gives birth to identical twins. A criminal in the same hospital attempts to escape, taking one of the twins hostage. The child is lost during the confusion, and Mr and Mrs Ma return to New York with one child. Years later, John Ma is a famous conductor and pianist, unaware that his twin brother “Boomer” is a mechanic/race car driver/bodyguard in Hong Kong. When John travels to Hong Kong to give a concert, the twins get caught up in each other’s business, about which they are anything but experts. (highdefdigest.com)

Special Features: Unknown.

VENOM (2005)

Synopsis: Venom is a fright-filled voodoo thriller loaded with a sizzling cast of the screen’s hottest young stars! Set deep in the eerie swamps of southern Louisiana – Agnes Bruckner (Murder By Numbers), Jonathan Jackson (Tuck Everlasting) and Meagan Good (Roll Bounce) are among a group of teenagers trying to uncover the truth behind a friend’s mysterious death. What they find is an evil force more deadly than anyone could have imagined! Now they are the ones running for their lives! Also starring Bijou Phillips (Almost Famous) and Method Man (Garden State) – critics everywhere hailed this chilling and thrilling horror tale! (highdefdigest.com)

Special Features: Unknown.

YOUR HIGHNESS (2010)

Synopsis: When Prince Fabious’s bride is kidnapped, he goes on a quest to rescue her… accompanied by his lazy useless brother Thadeous. (blu-ray.com)

Special Features:

• Feature commentary with video intro from Director Gordon Green, Executive Producer/Co-Writer/Star Danny McBride, and Stars James Franco & Justin Theroux.
• Damn You Gods: Full-length “making of” documentary.
• Alternate scenes.
• Gag reel.
• Deleted Scenes.
• Extended Scenes.
• Line-O-Rama.
• Perverted Visions.
• A Vision of Leezar.
• BD-Live.
• D-Box.
• My Scenes.
• Pocket BLU app.