LATEST ADDITIONS

Anton van Beek  |  Feb 06, 2013  |  0 comments

Fans of Frank Oz's blackly comic musical about a man-eating plant are well-served by this recent region-free US Blu-ray release. Not only do the (authentically grainy) AVC 1.78:1 1080p encode and remixed DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio make it look and sound better than ever, but the disc also includes the option to watch the 'Director's Cut' of the film which features a meticulous restoration of the original downbeat - and somewhat more spectacular - finale. Also included on the disc are a director's commentary (plus a separate chat-track for the alternate ending), two retrospective featurettes, outtakes and deleted scenes and two trailers.

Mark Craven  |  Feb 05, 2013  |  0 comments

For a period during the late 1970s and early '80s, everything director Walter Hill touched turned to solid gold. The Driver, The Warriors, The Long Riders, 48 Hrs and Streets of Fire sandwich 1981's Southern Comfort to complete a triumphant run of movies that marked him out as one of Hollywood's greats. Then he made Brewster's Millions and everything went downhill.

Richard Stevenson  |  Feb 05, 2013  |  0 comments

A grand for a Blu-ray player in a home cinema market heading uncertainly towards download content? That may seem like a big ask, but manufacturer Oppo has a history of delivering the goods – so much so that other kit-makers have been using Oppo’s core BD player architecture as the basis for their own machines. The BDP-105EU is the latest flagship player from the brand, adding a bunch of audiophile loveliness to the stellar picture processing already raved about in our previous review of the BDP-103EU.

Anton van Beek  |  Feb 05, 2013  |  0 comments

The law of diminishing returns continues to work its magic with this fourth outing in the popular cartoon franchise. This time, when Scrat's lust for acorns inadvertently causes the continental divide (don't ask) Manny, Sid and Diego find themselves stranded on an iceberg and at the mercy of prehistoric pirates as they try to get back home. What follows is a surprisingly mirth-free adventure that is so short on ideas that it gives almost as much screen time to a preachy plot involving an annoying bunch of new teenage characters. Yawn.

Anton van Beek  |  Feb 05, 2013  |  0 comments

Gallows humours abounds in this six-part 1964 serial set during the French Revolution that marked the end of the show's first series. Sadly, only four of the episodes still exist, but for this DVD release, the two missing episodes have been recreated using the surviving soundtracks and some stylish (if rather rapidly edited) animation. Unsurprisingly, the archival 1.33:1 video looks pretty rough, but the audio for all six episodes is excellently rendered. The usual plethora of extras is supplemented by a gallery of animation character models and a closer look at the animated sets.

Anton van Beek  |  Feb 04, 2013  |  0 comments

The Phantom, the latest book in Jo Nesbro's phenomenally popular Harry Hole crime series, was released in paperback in the UK at the start of January - and features a surprise reference to Pioneer's much-loved Kuro TV technology.

Anton van Beek  |  Feb 04, 2013  |  0 comments

This tense psychological thriller stars Toby Jones as an English sound engineer working on the audio mix for a horror film in '70s Italy. Heavily indebted to the films of Argento, Fulci and their ilk, it's an impressive homage, albeit one that can't quite deliver a suitably grandiose pay-off to its escalating build-up. The BD offers satisfyingly rich and warm AVC 1.85:1 1080p visuals, plus plenty of extras, but (fittingly) the real star is the DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack, with its almost fetishistic attention to detail and uncanny ability to unsettle in a way visuals rarely manage.

Anton van Beek  |  Feb 04, 2013  |  0 comments

When 007's latest mission goes awry, M finds herself under threat from forces both at home (an inquiry into her role in the mission's failure) and abroad (a mysterious terrorist with a personal vendetta) in this 23rd outing in the continuing adventures of Britain's favourite secret agent.

Anton van Beek  |  Feb 03, 2013  |  0 comments

Following on from Universal's bumper box of Hitchcock Blu-rays (reviewed here) Warner Home Video's new triple-pack brings together the studio's two previous stand-alone hi-def Hitchcock releases – North by Northwest (released back in 2009) and Dial M for Murder (reviewed here) – with hi-def debutant Strangers on a Train. The AVC 1.33:1 1080p black-and-white encode of the latter impresses from the start with its combination of sharpness, clarity and excellent contrast, and is ably supported by an equally well restored DTS-HD MA mono mix. Extras take the form of a commentary, five featurettes, the theatrical trailer and a standard-def version of the Preview Version of the film.

Anton van Beek  |  Feb 03, 2013  |  0 comments

Even a decade-and-a-half after its original release, Vincenzo Natali's ruthlessly efficient sci-fi shocker remains a textbook example of how to make the most of a miniscule budget. This hi-def outing's AVC 1.78:1 1080p encode isn't what you'd call glossy, but it captures the grainy nature of the source material. The audio, however, has been upgraded, resulting in an atmospheric DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundscape that belies the film's micro budget. Sadly, there are no new extras on this 15th anniversary release, just a brief interview with actress Nicole deBoer, storyboards and a commentary taken from the film's old DVD incarnation.

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