E.T. The Extra Terrestrial coming to Blu-ray Fall 2012

Universal Studios Home Entertainment has released some new artwork and a preview trailer for what is one of the most sought after Blu-ray titles to arrive on the format. This Fall, Director Steven Spielberg's beloved film E.T. The Extra Terrestrial will make it's High Def debut as a Blu-ray+DVD+Digital Copy+Ultraviolet Combo Pack. The release will be filled with hours of bonus features (specifics yet to be announced), a newly struck transfer from the 35mm film elements source, and a DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track. Below is the official preview trailer.

The Complete Indiana Jones Blu-ray Collection coming Fall 2012

Paramount Home Entertainment have announced their plans to release Director Steven Spielberg's classic film series The Complete Indian Jones Collection on Blu-ray this fall. Here are details so far from the official press release:

"The man with the hat is back – and looking better than ever! The world’s favorite globe-trotting archaeologist is, at long last, embarking on his greatest adventure – when The Complete Indiana Jones Blu-ray Collection comes to Blu-ray Disc from Lucasfilm Ltd. and Paramount Home Media Distribution. The Complete Indiana Jones Blu-ray Collection will be excavated in the fall of 2012 and will include all four of Indy’s thrilling adventures, using the highest possible high definition picture and audio presentation – along with a best of collection of documentaries, interviews, featurettes and a few new surprises."



Will keep you all up to date with more details as they are announced.

Steven Spileberg's Jaws coming to Blu-ray on August 14, 2012

2012 will be a great year for Steven Spielberg fans if Universal Studios Home Entertainments plans hold true. The original summer blockbuster Jaws is expected to be releases on Blu-ray August 14, 2012. That major release will more than likely be followed by a 30th Anniversary Edition of the beloved classic E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial.

By the way, there are rumors that one or more of the sequels to Jaws may find their way to Blu-ray on the same day. Stay tuned.

Hook - Blu-ray Review

***SYNOPSIS***

A high-flying adventure from the magic of Steven Spielberg, Hook stars Robin Williams as a grown-up Peter Pan and Dustin Hoffman as the infamous Captain Hook. Joining the fun is Julia Roberts as Tinkerbell, Bob Hoskins as the pirate Smee, and Maggie Smith as Granny Wendy Darling, who must convince the middle-aged lawyer, Peter Banning, that he was once the legendary Peter Pan. And so the adventure begins anew, with Peter off to Neverland to save his two children from Captain Hook. Along the way, he rediscovers the power of imagination, of friendship, and of magic. A classic tale updated for children of all ages, Hook was nominated for five 1991 Academy Awards(r) including best visual effects.


***MOVIE REVIEW***

I remember seeing this film in the theaters the first weekend and not being to thrilled by it. By the time it arrived on VHS and I watched the cassette at least 100 times you could say I was a fan of this guilty pleasure. Steven Spielberg does a masterful job starting the film with Peter Pan as a grown up in the real world and is now an overworked man who has no time for his family. Robin Williams in my opinion was a good choice for the role of Peter and once he remembers who is it is a real joy to see him be so into the role.

Dustin Hoffman portrayal of Captain is a real hoot and the best thing about he movie and there are some dark tones that he plays to perfection. The children who play Peter's son and the Lost Boys aren't caricatures but real people that you warm up to as the film plays. As for Julia Roberts as Tinkerbell, I felt that had a few too many scenes but she did a fine job. The production values and set pieces are a real treat and John Williams musical score is another standout in a long career of masterpieces. Until I put the Blu-ray in my player the other night I had not watched Hook for about 5 years and it was great to see all my old favorites from years ago in this enchanting family film. 8.5/10



***VIDEO QUALITY***

Hook arrives on Blu-ray with a 1080p transfer in the original aspect ratio of 2.40:1. This is stated to be a new remaster and it certainly shows. Colors were perfectly saturated with the lost boys colorful food fight being a highlight. Fine detail was very good and I could make out all the little details on Dustin Hoffman's costume for the film.

Black levels were superb with an inky richness to them. There were no signs of digital enhancement. I'm sure some viewers will notice instances of some softness in the image, but that was due director Steven Spielberg's stylistic choice when filming not the fault of this transfer. So in short if you haven't seen Hook in a few years you'll be surprised by how beautiful this presentation is. 9/10


***AUDIO QUALITY***

Audio is provided by a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. This is a real treat for fans of the film. Surrounds are used perfectly to create a sense of environment, especially aboard Captain Hooks ship. Dialogue was crisp and clean but I will say it was a bit low in the mix. LFE was deep and helped to add richness to John Williams musical score, which is the standout in this excellent presentation. 9/10

Steven Spielberg confirms Jaws is coming to Blu-ray

Ain't It Cool News has posted an excerpt from their exclusive interview with Steven Spielberg with the Director confirming that work has already begun a future Blu-ray release of his 1975 blockbuster Jaws. In the interview he states that "Yes, there is. Yes, there is. I've already seen some of it. I don't have a date yet, but there's a Blu-ray absolutely in the works."

He also went on to state his displeasure with digitally tinkering with the original special effects and he will no longer CGI upgrade any effects from his previous films going forward. This is the best news for Blu-ray fans for quite some time and I can't wait until Universal Home Entertainment makes the release official. Stay tuned.

My Most Wanted Blu-ray Titles Yet To Be Officially Announced

Hello dear readers. It's been a slow week for me here and was thinking of what movies still have not been announced or released yet on Blu-ray that I'm hoping for the most. Below is a list of my most wanted titles in no particular ranking.

STAR WARS SAGA

The best possible version I can imagine would be all 6 films in full 1080p with DTS-HD MA 5.1 tracks. The prequels would include all the deleted scenes with the choice to watch them reintegrated into the films or the original theatrical versions. The original trilogy would include both the original theatrical versions and special editions as a choice. A great addition would be the deleted scenes from those 3 films digitally restored and put back into the films. As for the special features I really enjoyed all the footage that has been included on the previous DVD releases of the saga so a nice surprise would be HD special features when available and more fly-on-the-wall footage from the prequels that made "The Phantom Menace" DVD worth owning just for the making-of documentary. I would be in heaven if their was a Blu-ray disc that included all of John Williams greatest score. I hope George Lucas and 20th Century Fox come through with this megaset in the next year or two.

LAWRENCE OF ARABIA

Imagine a new 4k transfer of David Lean's masterpiece with a new DTS-HD MA track to envelop you with the beautiful score by Maurice Jarre. I cannot even fathom how gorgeous the sunrise sequence is going to look in HD . Special features ported over from the 2- disc DVD edition plus maybe a longer documentary would be fine.

THE TALENTED MR.RIPLEY

The late director Anthony Minghella created a masterpiece of storytelling an tension and this is one of the very best films of the last 15 years. From the perfect performances from everyone involved to the perfect soundtrack and accompanying score this is a film I watch at least 3 times a year. This would be an excellent addition to Paramount's Sapphire Series and would hopefully include an isolated score and a new retrospective documentary.

BACK TO THE FUTURE TRILOGY

"88 miles per hour" ...I love all three films and correctly framed transfers (the DVD release was not framed properly until replacement discs were pressed) with DTS-HD MA tracks would be the start. The special features from the DVD release would be welcomed ports as well as maybe some new documentaries. A nice bonus disc would be all the classic songs that featured in the films on a Blu-ray disc. I feel Universal will be revisiting this trilogy soon.

JAWS

One of the greatest films of all time that I can rewatch at least 5 times a year. You know the drill, new transfer in full 1080p with a new DTS-HD MA track to highlight John Williams's iconic score. The special features on the last DVD release were very well done so ports of those would be appreciated and if possible an HD presentation of the documentary "The Shark Is Still Working".

E.T. THE EXTRA TERRESTRIAL

E.T. is my favorite film. I still remember that warm summer afternoon that my Mother took me to see this beautiful tale of an adorable alien botanist who is left all alone on Earth and is in a race against time to return to his home. The bond that form between E.T. and Elliot is heartbreaking and the performance by Henry Thomas is the most natural I've ever seen by a child actor. John Williams's score is exquisite. Steven Spielberg created in my opinion his best and most personal film(Yes even over Schindler's List). Seriously just a new transfer of the theatrical version of the film and a new DTS-HD MA track plus isolated score would be enough for me. Any new features past the already well made extras for the Special Edition DVD would be icing on the cake.

JURASSIC PARK TRILOGY

Frankly just the first, classic film would be good for now. But if Universal decides to release all 3 as a box set count me in as well. Steven Spielberg brought back a sens of wonder to film in 1993 when Jurassic Park was releases. I remember having tears in my eyes , my dad included when we saw our first dinosaur and another iconic score from John Williams's kicked in to add to the emotion of seeing a realistic dinosaur on the big screen for the first time. The artists at ILM have to be commended as well for their innovation in the CGI effects used in the film. DTS-HD MA tracks are a must and any new bonus features would be welcomed. I would hope that no Digital Copies are included as these film's need to be watched on a large screen.

MOULIN ROUGE!

Can you imagine the jaw dropping images of Baz Luhrmann's musical masterpiece in a stunning HD transfer and a DTS-HD MA track pumping out the wonderful musical choices made for this film? I can and it looks glorious, I hope Fox makes this a reality soon. The Special Edition DVD had more bonus material than one could ask for on one production so ports would be fine and it would be great to have a look back with the primary cast and crew. Maybe a 10th Anniversary Edition in 2011? one can hope.

INDIANA JONES TRILOGY

Since "Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull" is already available on Blu I would hope Paramount would just release the original 3 films as a box set. New 4k transfers and DTS-HD MA tracks to showcase John Williams's iconic scores for all 3 films. The DVD versions are of the highest order and upconverted look almost HD in some scenes but these Steven Spielberg films deserve to be seen in the highest quality possible. I really enjoyed the previous extras from the DVD Trilogy release so anything that would continue a great set of features would be welcomed. A nice faux leather box would really set this off perfectly.