Blade Runner is one of the most celebrated sci-fi movies ever made and to honor its 30th Anniversary, a Blu-ray box-set has been released featuring all the different cuts of the movie, commentaries, documentaries and more features then fans could think to wish for.
First Release
- Magic Mike (DVD and Blu-ray)
- Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (DVD and Blu-ray)
- Seeking a Friend For the End of the World (DVD and Blu-ray)
- Secret of the Wings (DVD and Blu-ray)
- Take This Waltz (DVD and Blu-ray)
- Tyler’s Perry’s Madea’s Witness Protection (DVD and Blu-ray)
Re-Release
- Sunday, Bloody Sunday (1971) (DVD and Blu-ray)
- Fear and Desire (1953) (DVD and Blu-ray)
- Blade Runner (1982) (Blu-ray)
- I, Robot (2004) (3D Blu-ray)
- Dracula (1931) (Blu-ray)
- Frankenstein (1931) (Blu-ray)
- Bride of Frankenstein (1935) (Blu-ray)
- The Mummy (1932) (Blu-ray)
- Quantum of Solace (2008) (Blu-ray)
Blade Runner (1982) (Blu-ray) *Recommendation of the Week*
Directed by Ridley Scott
Written by Hampton Fancher, David Peoples (screenplay), Philip K. Dick (novel)
Starring: Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Edward James Olmos
Blade Runner is often regarded as one of the best sci-fi movies ever made and one of Ridley Scott's best (impressive seeing he made films like Alien and Gladiator). Blade Runner is also a movie that has seen many versions over the years and this Blu-ray box-set has them all.
In 2019, bioengineered humans known as Replicants exist and they are used as slave labor on space colonies. Whenever any go rouge, “Blade Runners” are called to terminate them. One Blade Runner is Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), who is hired to stop four powerful replicants but is forced to question both the morality of his mission and his own sense of reality.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 92% (excellent)
Player Affinity Score: 9.0/10
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: Disc One: RIDLEY SCOTT'S ALL-NEW "FINAL CUT" VERSION OF THE FILM; Restored and remastered with added & extended scenes, added lines, new and cleaner special effects and all new 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio. Also includes: Commentary by Ridley Scott; Commentary by executive producer/co-screenwriter Hampton Fancher and co-screenwriter David Peoples; producer Michael Deely and production executive Katherine Haber; Commentary by visual futurist Syd Mead; production designer Lawrence G. Paull, art director David L. Snyder and special photographic effects supervisors Douglas Trumbull, Richard Yuricich and David Dryer; Disc Two: DOCUMENTARY DANGEROUS DAYS: MAKING BLADE RUNNER; A feature-length authoritative documentary revealing all the elements that shaped this hugely influential cinema landmark. Cast, crew, critics and colleagues give a behind-the-scenes, in-depth look at the film -- from its literary roots and inception through casting, production, visuals and special effects to its controversial legacy and place in Hollywood history.; Disc Three: 1982 THEATRICAL VERSION; This is the version that introduced U.S. movie-going audiences to a revolutionary film with a new and excitingly provocative vision of the near-future. It contains Deckard/Harrison Ford's character narration and has Deckard and Rachel's (Sean Young) "happy ending" escape scene.; 1982 INTERNATIONAL VERSION; Also used on U.S. home video, laserdisc and cable releases up to 1992. This version is not rated, and contains some extended action scenes in contrast to the Theatrical Version.: 1992 DIRECTOR'S CUT; The Director's Cut omits Deckard's voiceover narration and removes the "happy ending" finale. It adds the famously-controversial "unicorn" sequence, a vision that Deckard has which suggests that he, too, may be a replicant.: Disc Four: BONUS DISC - "Enhancement Archive": 90 minutes of deleted footage and rare or never-before-seen items in featurettes and galleries that cover the film's amazing history, production teams, special effects, impact on society, promotional trailers, TV spots, and much more; Featurette "The Electric Dreamer: Remembering Philip K. Dick"; Featurette "Sacrificial Sheep: The Novel vs. The Film"; Philip K. Dick: The Blade Runner Interviews (audio); Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep Cover Gallery (images); The Art of Blade Runner (image galleries); Featurette "Signs of the Times: Graphic Design"; Featurette "Fashion Forward: Wardrobe & Styling"; Screen Tests: Rachel & Pris; Featurette "The Light That Burns: Remembering Jordan Cronenweth"; Unit photography gallery; Deleted and alternate scenes; 1982 promotional featurettes; Trailers and TV spots; Featurette "Promoting Dystopia: Rendering the Poster Art"; Marketing and merchandise gallery (images); Featurette "Deck-A-Rep: The True Nature of Rick Deckard"; Featurette "--Nexus Generation: Fans & Filmmakers"; Disc Five: WORKPRINT VERSION
This rare version of the film is considered by some to be the most radically different of all the Blade Runner cuts. It includes an altered opening scene, no Deckard narration until the final scenes, no "unicorn" sequence, no Deckard/Rachel "happy ending," altered lines between Batty (Rutger Hauer) and his creator Tyrell (Joe Turkell), alternate music and much more. Also includes: Commentary by Paul M. Sammon, author of Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner; Featurette "All Our Variant Futures: From Workprint to Final Cut"
Amazon Price: $23.99 (Blu-ray), $49.99 (Collector’s Edition)
Score (DVDTalk.com): N/A
It is a big week of new releases, with Magic Mike and the comedy-drama Take This Waltz being the major highlights. The awesomely titled Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and Steve Carrel’s Seeking a Friend For the End of the World are also available. The re-releases includes the very rare Stanley Kubrick film Fear and Desire and four of Universal’s classic monster movies.
Magic Mike (DVD and Blu-ray)
Directed by Steven Soderbergh
Written by Reid Carolin
Starring: Channing Tatum, Alex Pettyfer, Cody Horn, Matt Bomer, Olivia Mann, Joe Manganiello, Matthew McConaughey
2012 has been a hell of a year for Channing Tatum, who starred in Haywire, The Vow and 21 Jump Street. His latest movie, Magic Mike, was loosely based on Tatum’s early career as a stripper. Tatum stars as Mike Lane, a stripper who takes a young man, Adam (Alex Pettyfer, I Am Number Four), under his wing.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 79% (very good)
Player Affinity Score: 7.2/10 (read our review)
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: Deleted Dance Scenes; Backstage On Magic Mike; The Moves of Magic Mike
Amazon Price: $14.96 (DVD), $18.99 (Blu-ray), $22.99 (Blu-ray/DVD Combo)
Score (DVDTalk.com): Content 4 stars, Video 4 stars, Audio 4.5 stars, Extras 1.5 stars, Replay 3.5 stars (out of 5). Highly Recommended.
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (DVD and Blu-ray)
Directed by Timur Bekmambetov
Written by Seth Grahame-Smith
Starring: Benjamin Walker, Dominic Cooper, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Anthony Mackie, Rufus Sewell, Marton Csokas
Author Seth Grahame-Smith loosely adapted his Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter novel for Night Watch and Wanted director Timur Bekmambetov to helm.
Abraham Lincoln (Benjamin Walker) is a man who has seen the worst aspects of humanity: slavery and vampirism. After his mother is killed by a vampire slave owner (Marton Csokas, Kingdom of Heaven), Lincoln swears revenge and ends up being tutored by vampire expert Henry Sturgess (Dominic Cooper, The Devil’s Double). But Lincoln sees how vampires use slaves and it becomes a further catalyst to his political career as well as his vampire-hunting duties.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 35% (poor)
Player Affinity Score: 5.8/10 (read our review)
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: Closed Caption; Dark Secrets: Book to Screen; Audio Commentary with Writer Seth Grahame-Smith
Amazon Price: $16.99 (DVD), $19.99 (Blu-ray), $24.99 (3D Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): N/A
Seeking a Friend For the End of the World (DVD and Blu-ray)
Written and directed by Lorene Scafaria
Starring: Steve Carell, Keira Knightley
Did you feel that Deep Impact and Melancholia needed to be more of a dramedy? Then Seeking a Friend For the End of the World is the movie for you. After all efforts to stop an asteroid from crashing into Earth have failed, the planet only has three weeks of life left. Dodge Petersen’s (Steve Carell) wife leaves him as disaster edges closer, but Dodge forms a friendship with his English neighbor Penny (Keira Knightley) and the two go on a road trip to find Dodge’s high school sweetheart.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 55% (average)
Player Affinity Score: 6.8/10 (read our review)
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: Outtakes; A Look Inside Seeking a Friend for the End of the World; Music for the End of the World: What's on Your Playlist? ; Feature Commentary
Amazon Price: $16.99 (DVD), $19.99 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): N/A
Take This Waltz (DVD and Blu-ray)
Written and directed by Sarah Polley
Starring: Michelle Williams, Seth Rogen, Sarah Silverman, Luke Kirby
Sarah Polley is best known for starring in movies such as Dawn of the Dead (2004) and Splice, but she is also an occasional writer/director. Take This Waltz is a romantic comedy-drama about a married woman Margot (Michelle Williams) who falls for her artist neighbor, Daniel (Luke Kirby, Sex Traffic).
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 77% (very good)
Player Affinity Score: 8.3/10 (read our review)
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: Closed Caption; Making of: Taking the Waltz; AXS TV: A Look at Take This Waltz ; Trailer
Amazon Price: $17.78 (DVD), $21.39 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): N/A
Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Witness Protection (DVD and Blu-ray)
Written and directed by Tyler Perry
Starring: Tyler Perry, Eugene Levy, Denise Richards, Romeo Miller, Doris Roberts
Tyler Perry’s name has been an entertainment brand, his latest movie Alex Cross is out in theaters and his latest entry in his Madea franchise has come out on DVD and Blu-ray. Witness Protection, the second most successful entry in the Madea franchise, follows a Wall Street investment banker’s family who was involved in a Mafia Ponzi scheme and is relocated to the Deep South to join Madea (Tyler Perry).
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 21% (very bad)
Player Affinity Score: N/A
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: Tyler Perry: Multi Hats & Costumes; Thank Yur, Hellur: Impersonating Madea; The Needlemans ; Madea's Fun House; Madea's Comedy Icons; ; Closed Caption
Amazon Price: $14.99 (DVD), $19.99 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): N/A
The Invisible War (DVD)
Written and directed by Kirby Dick
From the documentary filmmaker of This Film Not Yet Rated, Kirky Dick’s latest movie The Invisible War is an examination of rape and sexual assault within the American military and how it has been covered up.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 100% (excellent)
Player Affinity Score: N/A
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: Extended Interviews; Sundance Post-screening Speak Out; VetWOW Survivor Retreat; PTSD Therapy Deleted Scene
Amazon Price: $28.83 (DVD)
Score (DVDTalk.com): Content 4 stars, Video 3 stars, Audio 3 stars, Extras 2.5 stars, Replay 3 stars (out of 5). Highly Recommended.
Secret of the Wings (DVD and Blu-ray)
Directed by Roberts Gannaway, Peggy Holmes
Written by Roberts Gannaway, Peggy Holmes, Ryan Rowe, Tom Rogers
Starring: Mae Whitman, Lucy Hale
Secret of the Wings is the latest entry in Disney’s Direct-to-DVD Tinker Bell series as Tinker Bell (Mae Whitman, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World) meets the frost fairy Periwinkle (Lucy Hale, Pretty Little Liars) and goes into the Winter Woods to find the secret of fairy wings.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): N/A
Player Affinity Score: N/A
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: "Pixie Hollow Games" Bonus Adventure
Additional Blu-ray Special Features: Disc 1 - Blu-ray Feature Film + Bonus; Pixie Hollow Games Bonus Adventure; "Great Divide" Music Video Performed by McClain Sisters; "Dig Down Deeper" Music Video Performed by Zendaya (From Pixie Hollow Games); Pixie Preview: Fright Light; ; Disc 2 - DVD Feature Film + Bonus; "Great Divide" Music Video Performed by McClain Sisters; "Dig Down Deeper" Music Video Performed by Zendaya (From Pixie Hollow Games); Pixie Preview: Fright Light
Amazon Price: $16.99 (DVD), $22.99 (Blu-ray), $29.96 (3D Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): N/A
Sunday, Bloody Sunday (1971) (DVD and Blu-ray)
Directed by John Schlesinger
Written by Penelope Gilliatt, David Sherwin
Starring: Murray Head, Glenda Jackson, Peter Finch, Peggy Ashcroft
From the Criterion Collection this week is the re-release of the British movie Sunday, Bloody Sunday. Directed by John Schlesinger (Midnight Cowboy), Sunday, Bloody Sunday tells of a love triangle of a young man, Bob Elkin (Murray Head) who is sleeping with both a divorced woman, Alex (Glenda Jackson) and a Jewish doctor, Daniel (Peter Finch).
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 91% (excellent)
Player Affinity Score: N/A
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: New high-definition digital restoration, supervised by director of photography Billy Williams, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition; New video interviews with actor Murray Head, Williams, and production designer Luciana Arrighi; Illustrated 1975 audio interview with director John Schlesinger; New interview with writer William J. Mann (Edge of Midnight: The Life of John Schlesinger) about the making of Sunday Bloody Sunday; New interview with photographer Michael Childers, Schlesinger’s longtime companion; Trailer; PLUS: A booklet featuring essays by film critic Terrence Rafferty and cultural historian Ian Buruma, as well as screenwriter Penelope Gilliatt’s 1971 introduction to the film’s screenplay
Amazon Price: $24.99 (DVD), $34.99 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): N/A
Fear and Desire (1953) (DVD and Blu-ray)
Directed by Stanley Kubrick
Written by Howard Sackler
Starring: Frank Silvera, Kenneth Harp, Paul Mazursky
Fear and Desire was Stanley Kubrick’s first feature-length film and for years it was notoriously difficult to find after rumors that Kubrick was ashamed of his effort and tried to buy as many prints as possible. Kino Classics is now releasing the movie on DVD and Blu-ray as a group of soldiers stuck behind enemy lines and try to get back to their base.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 89% (excellent)
Player Affinity Score: 6.0/10
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: "The Seafarers," A short subject film, restored and remastered in HD (for the first time) by the The Museum of Modern Art & The Film Foundation.
Amazon Price: $24.99 (DVD), $29.99 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): Content 3.5 stars, Video 3.5 stars, Audio 3.5 stars, Extras 0 stars, Replay 2.5 stars (out of 5). Recommended.
I, Robot (2004) (3D Blu-ray)
Directed by Alex Proyas
Written by Jeff Vintar, Akiva Goldsman (screenplay), Jeff Vintar (story), Issac Asimov (short stories)
Starring: Will Smith, Bridget Moyanhan, Bruce Greenwood, James Cromwell, Alan Tudyk
It has finally happened; movies that were not originally made in 3D are now getting 3D home releases. The 2004 sci-fi action movie I, Robot has earned this dubious honor.
Loosely based on Issac Asimov’s sci-fi short stories, particularly his Three Laws of Robotics, I, Robot was a starring vehicle for Will Smith and had Alex Proyas (The Crow, Dark City) directing. In 2035, robots have made people’s lives a lot easier but one man, Del Spooner (Smith) does not truth them. One day a famous robotics expert, Dr. Lanning (James Cromwell), is found dead and Spooner believes a robot called Sunny (Alan Tudyk, Firefly) is the main suspect.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 58% (average)
Player Affinity Score: 7.6/10
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: The Making of I, Robot; Still gallery
Amazon Price: $24.99 (3D Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): N/A
Dracula (1931) (Blu-ray)
Directed by Tod Browning
Written by Garrett Fort (screenplay), Hamilton Deane, John L. Balderston (play), Bram Stoker (novel)
Starring: Bela Lugosi, Helen Chandler, David Manners, Dwight Frye, Edward Van Sloan
Based on both the novel and the play, the 1931 Universal version of Dracula is considered one of the definitive versions of the famous tale. Bela Lugosi stars as Count Dracula as he brings a wave of terror to London and famed vampire hunter Van Helsing (Edward Van Sloan) has to stop him.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 93% (excellent)
Player Affinity Score: 6.0/10
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: Includes the complete Spanish version, shot simultaneously on the same sets by by Paul Kohner, starring Carlos Villarias and Lupita Tovar; Documentary: The Road To Dracula an original documentary by David J. Skal; Poster and Photo Montage; Universal Web Link
Amazon Price: $33.28 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): N/A
Frankenstein (1931) (Blu-ray)
Directed by James Whale
Written by Francis Edward Faragoh, Garrett Fort (screenplay), John L. Balderston (adaptation), Peggy Webling (play), Mary Shelley (novel)
Starring: Colin Clive, Mae Clarke, John Boles, Boris Karloff
“It’s alive! Alive!” and now it’s on Blu-ray. The other 1931 Universal monster movie this week is the adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, telling how a mad scientist, Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive), wants to bring the dead back to life and his monster (Boris Karloff) has to deal with living again.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 100% (excellent)
Player Affinity Score: 8.0/10
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: Documentary: The Frankenstein Files: How Hollywood Made A Monster; Bonus Short Film: Boo!; Archival Photos; Film Highlights; Web Links
Amazon Price: $33.28 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): N/A
The Bride of Frankenstein (1935) (Blu-ray)
Directed by James Whale
Written by William Hurlbut (screenplay), William Hulbert, John L. Balderston (adaptation), Mary Shelley (novel)
Starring: Boris Karloff, Colin Clive, Valerie Hobson, Ernest Thesiger, Elsa Lanchester, Una O’Connor
The Bride of Frankenstein is a sequel to the 1931 version of Frankenstein and it is also a critically beloved monster movie. This sequel sees Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive) being forced back into mad science and forced to make the monster (Boris Karloff) a bride.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 100% (excellent)
Player Affinity Score: 8.5/10
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: N/A
Amazon Price: $33.28 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): N/A
The Mummy (1932) (Blu-ray)
Directed by Karl Freund
Written by John L. Balderston
Starring: Boris Karloff, Zita Johann, David Manners, Edward van Sloan
The fourth and final Universal Monster movie to earn a re-release is The Mummy. In 1921 British archaeologists discovery the mummy of an Egyptian prince, Imhotep (Boris Karloff). But Imhotep is actually the living dead and he sets out to resurrect his wife.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 92% (excellent)
Player Affinity Score: 8.0/10
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: N/A
Amazon Price: $33.28 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): N/A
Quantum of Solace (2008) (Blu-ray)
Directed by Marc Forster
Written by Paul Haggis, Neal Purvis, Robert Wade (screenplay), Ian Fleming (character)
Starring: Daniel Craig, Olga Kurylenko, Mathieu Amalric, Gemma Arterton, Judi Dench, Jeffrey Wright
The long-awaited 23rd Bond entry, Skyfall, is about to hit theaters and the 50th Anniversary boxset has recently been released. But if you want to own Bond movies individually then Quantum of Solace has been re-released onto Blu-ray.
Quantum of Solace is the only direct sequel to a previous Bond movie. Following the events of Casino Royale, Bond (Daniel Craig) follows up on an investigation of a shadowy organization known as QUANTUM that secretly influences governments and businesses and is planning to launch a military coup in Bolivia.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 64% (good)
Player Affinity Score: 6.3/10
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: Vignette/Documentary/Featurette: Music Video - "Another Way to Die"; Theatrical Teaser Trailer #1; Theatrical Trailer #2; Trailers: Valkyrie Trailer, The Day the Earth Stood Still Trailer, Australia Trailer
Amazon Price: $9.99 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): N/A
