The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo Blu-ray coming March 20th

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment have announced their plans to release Director David Finchers' adaptation of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. The film starring Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig, is set to be released on Blu-ray March 20, 2012. The film will be presented in the original aspect ratio of 2.39:1 that will be accompanied by a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. Below is the lone special feature. I expect a future double dip on this film more than likely around the time of the sequels release to theaters.

**SPECIAL FEATURES**

* Commentary with David Fincher

83rd Academy Awards Nominations Announced - Full List

83rd Academy Awards® Nominations Announced

Beverly Hills, CA – Nominations for the 83rd Academy Awards were announced today (Tuesday, January 25) by Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Tom Sherak and 2009 Oscar® winner Mo'Nique.

Sherak and Mo'Nique, who won an Academy Award® for her supporting performance in "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire," announced the nominees in 10 of the 24 Award categories at a 5:38 a.m. PT live news conference attended by more than 400 international media representatives. Lists of nominations in all categories were then distributed to the media in attendance and online via the official Academy Awards website, www.oscar.com.

Academy members from each of the branches vote to determine the nominees in their respective categories – actors nominate actors, film editors nominate film editors, etc. In the Animated Feature Film and Foreign Language Film categories, nominations are selected by vote of multi-branch screening committees. All voting members are eligible to select the Best Picture nominees.

Nominations ballots were mailed to the 5,755 voting members in late December and were returned directly to PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), the international accounting firm, for tabulation.

Official screenings of all motion pictures with one or more nominations will begin for members this weekend at the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater. Screenings also will be held at the Academy's Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood and in London, New York and the San Francisco Bay Area.

All active and life members of the Academy are eligible to select the winners in all categories, although in five of them – Animated Short Film, Live Action Short Film, Documentary Feature, Documentary Short Subject and Foreign Language Film – members can vote only if they have seen all of the nominated films in those categories.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2010 will be presented on Sunday, February 27, 2011, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network beginning at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.

Nominations for the 83rd Academy Awards

Performance by an actor in a leading role

* Javier Bardem in "Biutiful" (Roadside Attractions)
* Jeff Bridges in "True Grit" (Paramount)
* Jesse Eisenberg in "The Social Network" (Sony Pictures Releasing)
* Colin Firth in "The King’s Speech" (The Weinstein Company)
* James Franco in "127 Hours" (Fox Searchlight)

Performance by an actor in a supporting role

* Christian Bale in "The Fighter" (Paramount)
* John Hawkes in "Winter’s Bone" (Roadside Attractions)
* Jeremy Renner in "The Town" (Warner Bros.)
* Mark Ruffalo in "The Kids Are All Right" (Focus Features)
* Geoffrey Rush in "The King’s Speech" (The Weinstein Company)

Performance by an actress in a leading role

* Annette Bening in "The Kids Are All Right" (Focus Features)
* Nicole Kidman in "Rabbit Hole" (Lionsgate)
* Jennifer Lawrence in "Winter’s Bone" (Roadside Attractions)
* Natalie Portman in "Black Swan" (Fox Searchlight)
* Michelle Williams in "Blue Valentine" (The Weinstein Company)

Performance by an actress in a supporting role

* Amy Adams in "The Fighter" (Paramount)
* Helena Bonham Carter in "The King’s Speech" (The Weinstein Company)
* Melissa Leo in "The Fighter" (Paramount)
* Hailee Steinfeld in "True Grit"(Paramount)
* Jacki Weaver in "Animal Kingdom" (Sony Pictures Classics)

Best animated feature film of the year

* "How to Train Your Dragon" (Paramount), Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois
* "The Illusionist" (Sony Pictures Classics), Sylvain Chomet
* "Toy Story 3" (Walt Disney), Lee Unkrich

Achievement in art direction

* "Alice in Wonderland" (Walt Disney), Production Design: Robert Stromberg, Set Decoration: Karen O’Hara
* "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1" (Warner Bros.), Production Design: Stuart Craig, Set Decoration: Stephenie McMillan
* "Inception" (Warner Bros.), Production Design: Guy Hendrix Dyas, Set Decoration: Larry Dias and Doug Mowat
* "The King’s Speech" (The Weinstein Company), Production Design: Eve Stewart, Set Decoration: Judy Farr
* "True Grit" (Paramount), Production Design: Jess Gonchor, Set Decoration: Nancy Haigh

Achievement in cinematography

* "Black Swan" (Fox Searchlight), Matthew Libatique
* "Inception" (Warner Bros.), Wally Pfister
* "The King’s Speech" (The Weinstein Company), Danny Cohen
* "The Social Network" (Sony Pictures Releasing), Jeff Cronenweth
* "True Grit" (Paramount), Roger Deakins

Achievement in costume design

* "Alice in Wonderland" (Walt Disney), Colleen Atwood
* "I Am Love" (Magnolia Pictures), Antonella Cannarozzi
* "The King’s Speech" (The Weinstein Company), Jenny Beavan
* "The Tempest" (Miramax), Sandy Powell
* "True Grit" (Paramount), Mary Zophres

Achievement in directing

* "Black Swan" (Fox Searchlight), Darren Aronofsky
* "The Fighter" (Paramount), David O. Russell
* "The King’s Speech" (The Weinstein Company), Tom Hooper
* "The Social Network" (Sony Pictures Releasing), David Fincher
* "True Grit" (Paramount), Joel Coen and Ethan Coen

Best documentary feature

* "Exit through the Gift Shop" (Producers Distribution Agency), A Paranoid Pictures Production, Banksy and Jaimie D’Cruz
* "Gasland", A Gasland Production, Josh Fox and Trish Adlesic
* "Inside Job" (Sony Pictures Classics), A Representational Pictures Production, Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs
* "Restrepo" (National Geographic Entertainment), An Outpost Films Production, Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger
* "Waste Land" (Arthouse Films), An Almega Projects Production, Lucy Walker and Angus Aynsley

Best documentary short subject

* "Killing in the Name", A Moxie Firecracker Films Production, Nominees to be determined
* "Poster Girl", A Portrayal Films Production, Nominees to be determined
* "Strangers No More", A Simon & Goodman Picture Company Production, Karen Goodman and Kirk Simon
* "Sun Come Up", A Sun Come Up Production, Jennifer Redfearn and Tim Metzger
* "The Warriors of Qiugang", A Thomas Lennon Films Production, Ruby Yang and Thomas Lennon

Achievement in film editing

* "Black Swan" (Fox Searchlight), Andrew Weisblum
* "The Fighter" (Paramount), Pamela Martin
* "The King’s Speech" (The Weinstein Company), Tariq Anwar
* "127 Hours" (Fox Searchlight), Jon Harris
* "The Social Network" (Sony Pictures Releasing), Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter

Best foreign language film of the year

* "Biutiful" (Roadside Attractions), A Menage Atroz, Mod Producciones and Ikiru Films Production, Mexico
* "Dogtooth" (Kino International), A Boo Production, Greece
* "In a Better World" (Sony Pictures Classics), A Zentropa Production, Denmark
* "Incendies" (Sony Pictures Classics), A Micro-Scope Production, Canada
* "Outside the Law (Hors-la-loi)" (Cohen Media Group), A Tassili Films Production, Algeria

Achievement in makeup

* "Barney’s Version" (Sony Pictures Classics), Adrien Morot
* "The Way Back" (Newmarket Films in association with Wrekin Hill Entertainment and Image Entertainment), Edouard F. Henriques, Gregory Funk and Yolanda Toussieng
* "The Wolfman" (Universal), Rick Baker and Dave Elsey

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)

* "How to Train Your Dragon" (Paramount), John Powell
* "Inception" (Warner Bros.), Hans Zimmer
* "The King’s Speech" (The Weinstein Company), Alexandre Desplat
* "127 Hours" (Fox Searchlight), A.R. Rahman
* "The Social Network" (Sony Pictures Releasing), Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)

* "Coming Home" from "Country Strong" (Sony Pictures Releasing (Screen Gems)), Music and Lyric by Tom Douglas, Troy Verges and Hillary Lindsey
* "I See the Light" from "Tangled" (Walt Disney), Music by Alan Menken, Lyric by Glenn Slater
* "If I Rise" from "127 Hours" (Fox Searchlight), Music by A.R. Rahman, Lyric by Dido and Rollo Armstrong
* "We Belong Together" from "Toy Story 3" (Walt Disney), Music and Lyric by Randy Newman

Best motion picture of the year

* "Black Swan" (Fox Searchlight), A Protozoa and Phoenix Pictures Production, Mike Medavoy, Brian Oliver and Scott Franklin, Producers
* "The Fighter" (Paramount), A Relativity Media Production, David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman and Mark Wahlberg, Producers
* "Inception" (Warner Bros.), A Warner Bros. UK Services Production, Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan, Producers
* "The Kids Are All Right" (Focus Features), An Antidote Films, Mandalay Vision and Gilbert Films Production, Gary Gilbert, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte and Celine Rattray, Producers
* "The King’s Speech" (The Weinstein Company), A See-Saw Films and Bedlam Production, Iain Canning, Emile Sherman and Gareth Unwin, Producers
* "127 Hours" (Fox Searchlight), An Hours Production, Christian Colson, Danny Boyle and John Smithson, Producers
* "The Social Network" (Sony Pictures Releasing), A Columbia Pictures Production, Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca and Ceán Chaffin, Producers
* "Toy Story 3" (Walt Disney), A Pixar Production, Darla K. Anderson, Producer
* "True Grit" (Paramount), A Paramount Pictures Production, Scott Rudin, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, Producers
* "Winter’s Bone" (Roadside Attractions), A Winter’s Bone Production, Anne Rosellini and Alix Madigan-Yorkin, Producers

Best animated short film

* "Day & Night" (Walt Disney), A Pixar Animation Studios Production, Teddy Newton
* "The Gruffalo", A Magic Light Pictures Production, Jakob Schuh and Max Lang
* "Let’s Pollute", A Geefwee Boedoe Production, Geefwee Boedoe
* "The Lost Thing", (Nick Batzias for Madman Entertainment), A Passion Pictures Australia Production, Shaun Tan and Andrew Ruhemann
* "Madagascar, carnet de voyage (Madagascar, a Journey Diary)", A Sacrebleu Production, Bastien Dubois

Best live action short film

* "The Confession" (National Film and Television School), A National Film and Television School Production, Tanel Toom
* "The Crush" (Network Ireland Television), A Purdy Pictures Production, Michael Creagh
* "God of Love", A Luke Matheny Production, Luke Matheny
* "Na Wewe" (Premium Films), A CUT! Production, Ivan Goldschmidt
* "Wish 143", A Swing and Shift Films/Union Pictures Production, Ian Barnes and Samantha Waite

Achievement in sound editing

* "Inception" (Warner Bros.), Richard King
* "Toy Story 3" (Walt Disney), Tom Myers and Michael Silvers
* "Tron: Legacy" (Walt Disney), Gwendolyn Yates Whittle and Addison Teague
* "True Grit" (Paramount), Skip Lievsay and Craig Berkey
* "Unstoppable" (20th Century Fox), Mark P. Stoeckinger

Achievement in sound mixing

* "Inception" (Warner Bros.), Lora Hirschberg, Gary A. Rizzo and Ed Novick
* "The King’s Speech" (The Weinstein Company), Paul Hamblin, Martin Jensen and John Midgley
* "Salt" (Sony Pictures Releasing), Jeffrey J. Haboush, Greg P. Russell, Scott Millan and William Sarokin
* "The Social Network" (Sony Pictures Releasing), Ren Klyce, David Parker, Michael Semanick and Mark Weingarten
* "True Grit" (Paramount), Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff and Peter F. Kurland

Achievement in visual effects

* "Alice in Wonderland" (Walt Disney), Ken Ralston, David Schaub, Carey Villegas and Sean Phillips
* "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1" (Warner Bros.), Tim Burke, John Richardson, Christian Manz and Nicolas Aithadi
* "Hereafter" (Warner Bros.), Michael Owens, Bryan Grill, Stephan Trojanski and Joe Farrell
* "Inception" (Warner Bros.), Paul Franklin, Chris Corbould, Andrew Lockley and Peter Bebb
* "Iron Man 2" (Paramount and Marvel Entertainment, Distributed by Paramount), Janek Sirrs, Ben Snow, Ged Wright and Daniel Sudick

Adapted screenplay

* "127 Hours" (Fox Searchlight), Screenplay by Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy
* "The Social Network" (Sony Pictures Releasing), Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin
* "Toy Story 3" (Walt Disney), Screenplay by Michael Arndt, Story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich
* "True Grit" (Paramount), Written for the screen by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
* "Winter’s Bone" (Roadside Attractions), Adapted for the screen by Debra Granik & Anne Rosellini

Original screenplay

* "Another Year" (Sony Pictures Classics), Written by Mike Leigh
* "The Fighter" (Paramount), Screenplay by Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson, Story by Keith Dorrington & Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson
* "Inception" (Warner Bros.), Written by Christopher Nolan
* "The Kids Are All Right" (Focus Features), Written by Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg
* "The King’s Speech" (The Weinstein Company), Screenplay by David Seidler

The Social Network - Blu-ray Disc Review

***SYNOPSIS***

David Fincher’s The Social Network is the stunning tale of a new breed of cultural insurgent: a punk genius who sparked a revolution and changed the face of human interaction for a generation, and perhaps forever. Shot through with emotional brutality and unexpected humor, this superbly crafted film chronicles the formation of Facebook and the battles over ownership that followed upon the website’s unfathomable success. With a complex, incisive screenplay by Aaron Sorkin and a brilliant cast including Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield and Justin Timberlake, The Social Network bears witness to the birth of an idea that rewove the fabric of society even as it unraveled the friendship of its creators.


***MOVIE REVIEW***

Believe the hype. This is a landmark film and one of the best of this young century. While I personally would choose Inception as the best film of the year, 'The Social Network is in no regard a lesser film or achievement. The rapid fire dialogue and wit of Aaron Sorkins' script is handled with ease by the game cast. Jesse Eisenberg is a revelation and erases the "other Michael Cera" feeling that his previous performances had shown. His portrayal of Facebook mastermind Mark Zuckerberg is the perfect mix of asshole genius that also garners some light sympathy by the end because even with all his business acumen, raw computing talent, and money he is socially inept and alone. The film is an exploration of human connection, frailty , betrayal, and friendships that are broken due to business relationships taking precedent. David Fincher takes what could have been just a film about Facebook with another director and instead has directed a film that will be remembered for years to come as a a commentary of its generation. 9/10

***VIDEO QUALITY***

"The Social Network"arrives on Blu-ray with a 1080p transfer in the aspect ratio of 2.40:1. The presentation that Sony has brought to Blu-ray perfectly recaptures the look and feel of the film when I saw it in the theater. The first thing you will notice is that the look of the film is noticeably a couple shades darker than your average Blu-ray and that it was the intention of David Fincher. Black levels were deep and rich with no crush which allowed for good shadow detail. Colors are decidedly muted but help to make scenes with more vibrant colors stand out. Fine detail was very good with textures of buildings and clothing, computer screens, offices, etc. There were no signs of compression artifacts or edge enhancement. A wonderfully filmic transfer that complements the movie well. 9/10


***AUDIO QUALITY***
Audio is provided by a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. The dark, hypnotic score by Trent Renzor and Atticus Ross is the real star of the audio presentation and it fills the soundstage with a full bodied sound. LFE is outstanding with deep, rich notes that provide some of the best, tightest bass performance overall on Blu-ray. There is scene later in the film that takes place at a nightclub and the bass performance is without a doubt pure demo material. With a script that is filled with rapid fire dialogue from Aaron Sorkin it is crucial you can understand every syllable and the listener is provided with crisp and clean dialogue throughout. Surrounds are used for subtle sense of environment and allows for some of the score to breathe to the background. This is a reference track. 10/10


***SPECIAL FEATURES***

DISC ONE

* Audio Commentary - Director David Fincher continues his streak of excellent commentary tracks with an informative track that was never dull.

* Audio Commentary - Writer Aaron Sorkin is joined by cast members Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, Josh Pence, and Armie Hammer. A good track that will provide fans even more insight into the making of this landmark film.

* BD-Live


DISC TWO

* How Did They Ever Make a Movie of Facebook? (1hr32min, HD) - An excellent feature length documentary that is one of the best so far. Insight into every aspect of the production is provided. A must watch.

* Jeff Cronenweth and David Fincher on the Visuals (7min48sec, HD)

* Angus Wall, Kirk Baxter, and Ren Klyce on Post (17min24sec, HD)

* Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, and David Fincher on the Score (18min52sec, HD) - An informative look at the creation of one of the best film scores in years.

* In the Hall of the Mountain King: Music Exploration (3min2sec, HD)

* Swarmatron (4min28sec, HD) - A look at the fascinating musical instrument that was utilized in the creation of the score.

* Ruby Skye VIP Room: Multi-Angle Scene Breakdown (18min54sec, HD)

Fight Club - Blu-ray Disc Review

Clever,savagely witty clever and dark,Fight Club:10th Anniversary Edition has made it's long awaited Blu-ray Dosc debut.Based on the book by Chuck Palahniuk (Choke), Fight Club was directed by acclaimed Filmmaker and Golden Globe-Nominee* David Fincher (Seven, The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button) and stars Edward Norton (25th Hour, Primal Fear) and Brad Pitt (Mr & Mrs. Smith, Inglorious Basterds) whose characters bond over a mutual disgust for corporate hypocrisy and find release in an eccentric,shocking new form of therapy - Fight Club

***SYNOPSIS*** A lonely,isolated thirty-something young professional in an unidentified, semi-stylized city, seeks an escape from his ordinary life with the help of a devious soap salesman.They find their release from the prison of reality through underground fight clubs, where men can be what the world denies them.


***VIDEO QUALITY***This release comes in full 1080p using the AVC MPEG-4 codec in the 2.40:1 aspect ratio.Fans of Fight Club are in for a real treat.Director David Fincher himself had a hand in a brand new master for this 10th Anniversary Edition of the American classic.First I want to point out that although blacks are inky and solid,some televisions due to your settings might show a slight black crush due to this transfer being dark as the director has intended.If your display exhibits this adjust your Brightness/Black Level on your monitor accordingly and remember what you original setting is to return the levels back to their normal viewing setting.This new transfer is striking and is night and day in DVD vs. Blu-ray comparisons.I noticed natural film grain that is never obtrusive and added to the feel of watching film rather than a video signal.All print anomalies,defects,dirt ,etc. have been cleaned up giving the image razor sharp clarity without any signs of DNR (Digital Noise Reduction).Edge Enhancement as well is non-existent.

Colors have been corrected for this new master and the palette has been slightly changed for a more natural appearance.Fleshtones were perfectly accurate and detail in close up shots are stunning.Once you see this new transfer you will never play your DVD copy again.My reccommendation is to give your old DVD set to a friend or family member who has never seen the film.This is the way Fight Club should look from now on and it is truly a revelation to see it in it's high definition debut.In every sense of the word this is reference material. 10/10.


***AUDIO QUALITY***Presented in DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio.As stated in in the video quality section the audio is also "DEMO MATERAIL".Right from the opening credits with "The Dust Brothers" bombastic score through to "The Pixies" closing with "Where Is My Mind?" this soundtrack kicks you in the chest with tight,deep bass and a 360degree soundscape.For all the fans wondering how the flight and car crashes sound,two word's sum it all up "Jaw Dropping".The impact of the crashes make you feel as though you are about to be knocked out of your chair yet everything remains clear and never strains.Individual sounds of glass braking and seats crushing ,bones snapping are all audible.The fights themselves are bone-crunching and I felt like I was right there with Tyler Durden and The Narrator in the grungy basements.Surrounds are engaged throughout the film.It all blends seamlessly with the front channels creating the previously mentioned 360-degree soundscape.

My hats off to FOX and especially sound designer Ren Klyce.I personally have always considered the DVD realease of 'Fight Club' to be demo material and in the top of it's class.This new Blu-ray has exceeded my expectations and this will be a disc I'm sure myself and fans will be revisiting many times over. 10/10.


***SPECIAL FEATURES***

* NEW A Hit In The Ear:Ren Klyce and the Sound Design Of Fight Club - Contains the following four scenes which you can remix with the assistance of Ren Klyce who offers introductions as you remix the scenes.A video Introduction by Ren Klyce which a welcomed addition. Below are the the four scenes that you are able to remix.
*Welcome To Fight Club *Angel Faces Beating *The Crash *Tyler's Goodbye
* NEW Flogging Fight Club- A cool little 10 minute featurette that showcases 'Fight Club's' award in the "Guy's Movie Hall Of Fame" that was aired on "Spike TV".Here we get behind the scenes moments of Fincher,Pitt,and Norton preparing their speech and some of it is absolute gold.Pitt calls the author of one of several negative reviews the film received a "Cock".Exclusive to this 10th Anniversary Edition.
* NEW Insomniac Mode:I am Jack's Search Index, Commentary Log, Topic Search - You can search a huge alphabetical topic list and then your brought to the scen in which the subject is shown or mentioned.The best feature is when playing a commentary track you can access a pop-up menu to see what talking pints are featured for all 4 commentaries during the particular scene you are watching.A really fun feature that would be appreciated in the future on releases that have more than one commentary track.
***ORIGINAL DVD SPECIAL FEATURES PORTS***

*Behind the Scenes Vignettes: Production, Visual Effects, On Location
*Edward Norton Interview
*Commentary by David Fincher
*Commentary by David Fincher, Brad Pitt, Edward Norton and Helena Bonham Carter
*Commentary by Chuck Palahniuk and Jim Uhls
*Commentary by Alex McDowell, Jeff Cronenweth, Michael Kaplan and Kevin Haug
*Seven Deleted Scenes and Alternate Scenes - Includes:
“Chloe and Rupert” (0:53) “Marla’s Pillow Talk” (0:35) “Copier Abuse” (3:15) “Tyler Quits Smoking” / “Jack Quits Work” (1:28) “Angel Face’s Beating” (3:14) “Walter” (1:39) “Tyler’s Goodbye” (1:55)
*Trailers- Includes:
“Theatrical Teaser” (0:47) “Theatrical Trailer” (2:26) “The Eight Rules of Fight Club” (0:46)
*12 TV Spots
*Public Service Announcements
*Music Video
*Five Internet Spots
*Promotional Gallery
*Art Gallery
*Edward Norton Interview