Cocoon - Blu-ray Disc Review

***SYNOPSIS*** - This emotional story of hope given to a group of elderly friends who feel as if they’ve lived long past their prime has become a classic of contemporary cinema that continues to touch generations of film fans. When visitors from a distant galaxy return to Earth on a secret mission, their other-wordly powers afford a group of senior citizens – who had expected nothing more from life than bingo, shuffleboard, aches and pains – the chance to recapture their youth. With Don Ameche (Trading Places) in his Academy Award-winning role and an all-star cast, Cocoon is a magical story of love, friendship and the human spirit.

***VIDEO QUALITY*** - 'Cocoon' arrives on Blu-ray with a 1080p transfer utilizing the MPEG-4 codec in the original aspect ratio of 1.85:1. A pleasing if not overwhelming catalog effort. Colors were natural as did skintones as well throughout. Contrast was in the middle with fairly good black levels. The image displayed was a little dim compared to more recent catalog titles. Detail came through like a champ especially in displaying the senior citizens moles, wrinkles, and liver spots in all their glory. I noticed a light amount of edge enhancement in a few scenes but nothing distracting. A thin layer of grain was present throughout and helped in giving the presentation a more filmic look. Overall I was very pleased with this transfer and this is without a doubt the best presentation of 'Cocoon' to date. 7.5/10

***AUDIO QUALITY*** - Audio is provided by a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. With dialogue being the main ingredient to the mix it came across really well with clean , intelligible voices. Ambient effects were held until later in the film with the climactic finale and scenes that take palce out on the water. James Horner's primarily synth driven score sounded quite good and engages all speaker channels when featured with rich bass. FOX has done a nice job bringing the films audio into the 21st century. 7/10

***SPECIAL FEATURES***

* Commentary by Director Ron Howard
* Behind the Scenes Featurette (SD,7min)
* Ron Howard Profile (SD,3min)
* Underwater Training (SD,4min)
* Actors (SD,3min)
* Creating Antareans (SD,4min)
* Theatrical Teaser (SD,55sec)
* Theatrical Trailer (SD,1min27sec)
* Three TV Spots (SD,1min33sec)
* Cocoon: The Return Theatrical Teaser (SD,1min20sec)

Where The Wild Things Are - Blu-ray Disc Review

***SYNOPSIS*** - "Let the wild rumpus start!" Nine-year-old Max runs away from home and sails across the sea to become king of the land Where the Wild Things Are. King Max rules a wondrous realm of gigantic fuzzy monsters--but being king may not be as carefree as it looks! Filmmaker Spike Jonze directs a magical, visually astonishing film version of Maurice Sendak's celebrated children's classic, starring an amazing cast of screen veterans and featuring young Max Records in a fierce and sensitive performance as Max. Explore the joyous, complicated and wildly imaginative wild rumpus of the time and place we call childhood.

***VIDEO QUALITY*** - 'Where The Wild Things Are' arrives on Blu-ray with a 1080p transfer utilizing the VC-1 codec in the original aspect ratio of 2.40:1. Spike Jonze's beautiful vision of this classic childhood story is brought to magnificent life with this striking transfer. Blacks are inky and contrast is rock solid. Colors, while staying with orange hues,browns, and yellows have a wonderfully warm glow to them. Skintones exhibited a pleasingly natural quality. There were a few instances of softness but nothing long enough to deter the strong detail on textures and the creatures wild fur. I did not notice any signs of artificial enhancement. Overall this is a solid presentation.9/10

***AUDIO QUALITY*** - Audio is provided by a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. Your LFE channel is gonna get a fun workout while watching this film. From the thunderous storm that brings Max to the creatures wild world to the "wild rompus" and every swing at a tree or heavy stamp of the creatures feet. Dialogue was crisp and clear throughout. The enchanting score by Carter Burwell and Karen Orzolek is perfectly represented within the mix. Surrounds are used for a haunting effect with ambient sounds and subtle breezes soaring through the listening room. This is a remarkable audio presentation that made me feel as if I was right there with Max in the middle of this hauntingly beautiful tale.10/10

***SPECIAL FEATURES***

**Disc One**

* Higglety Pigglety Pop! or There Must Be More to Life (HD,24min)
* HBO First Look (HD,13min)
* Maurice and Spike (HD,3min)
* Max and Spike (HD,7min)
* The Records Family (HD,7min)
* Carter Burwell (HD,5min)
* The Absurd Difficulty of Filming a Dog (HD,6min)
* The Big Prank (HD,3min)
* The Kids Take Over the Picture (HD,5min)
* Vampire Attack (HD,1min)

**Disc Two**

* Digital Copy (SD) - A Digital Copy of the feature length film is included.

MGM announces 'Showgirls: 15th Anniversary Sinsational Edition' Blu-ray for June 15

MGM has officially announced plans to release the 1995 Elizabeth Berkley NC-17 camp classic 'Showgirls: 15th Anniversary Sinsational Edition' Blu-ray for release on June 15,2010. The film was directed by Paul Verhoeven and also starred Gina Gershon and Kyle MacLachlan. The film will be presented in a full 1080p High Definiton presentation in the original aspect ratio of 2.35:1. Accompanying the video will be a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. According to the press release the following DVD special features will be included on an additional DVD disc:

•Pole Dancing: Finding Your Inner Stripper
•Lap Dance Tutorial Featuring the World-Famous Girls of Scores
•“The Greatest Movie Ever Made” – A Commentary by David Schmader
•Showgirls Fact-Up Trivia
•A Showgirls Diary

Fantastic Mr. Fox - Blu-ray Disc Review

***SYNOPSIS*** - Academy Award-winning Hollywood heavyweights George Clooney (Up In The Air) and Meryl Streep (It’s Complicated) lend their voices to the hilarious, heartwarming and dazzling stop-motion animated adventure from visionary director Wes Anderson (The Royal Tenebaums). In there-imagined classic family tale, Mr. and Mrs. Fox (Clooney and Streep) live a happy home life with their eccentric son Ash (Jason Schwartzman: The Darjeeling Limited) and visiting nephew Kristopherson. That is until Mr. Fox slips into his sneaky, old ways and plots the greatest heist the animal world has ever seen. When mean old farmers Boggis, Bunce and Bean join forces to surround Mr. Fox and his family, they don’t realize they are not dealing with any old fox – it’s Fantastic Mr. Fox and he has a fantastic master plan to save the day!

***VIDEO QUALITY*** - 'Fantastic Mr. Fox' arrives on Blu-ray with a 1080p transfer utilizing the AVC MPEG-4 codec in the original 1.85:1 aspect ratio. In a word this transfer is flawless. The best aspect of this presentation is the opportunity it affords to take in the superb character design and fantastically detailed sets. Colors are strikingly bold with no signs of bleeding. Everything is razor sharp to the point I felt as if I was there in person looking at the beautiful craftsmanship that went into this film. Detail reveals the lifelike fur textures and minute details on clothing and accessories were a delight to watch. Black levels are solid throughout. No signs of DNR or Edge Enhancement were noticed. FOX has done justice to this wonderous film with a breathtaking high definition presentation. 10/10

***AUDIO QUALITY*** - Audio is provided by a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. Wes Andersons' eclectic taste in music is the highlight of this crisp and detailed audio presentation. Choice cuts from The Beach Boys, Cole Porter, and more fit the look and feel of this film to a tee. Dialogue was clean and audible throughout. Surrounds were engaged with subtle effects of the natural nature sounds that were recorded for the film. The LFE channel comes through with tight, rich bass when called upon. In closing this track complements this delightful tale perfectly. 9/10

***SPECIAL FEATURES***

**Disc One**

* Making Mr. Fox Fantastic (HD,44min)
* The Look Of Fantastic Mr. Fox (HD,8min)
* From Script To Screen (HD,7min)
* The Puppet Makers (HD,8min)
* Still Life (Puppet Animation) (HD,7min)
* The Cast (HD,6min)
* Bill And His Badger (HD,8min)
* A Beginner’s Guide To Whack-Bat (HD,1min )
* Fantastic Mr. Fox: The World Of Roald Dahl (HD,3min)

**Disc Two**

* Fantastic Mr. Fox widescreen feature film DVD disc (SD)
* From Script to Screen (SD)
* Still Life (Puppet Animation) (SD)
* A Beginner’s Guide to Whack-Bat (SD)

**Disc Three**

* Digital Copy of the feature length film.