2012 Blu-ray and DVD in Review
by David Blackwell
2012 saw some pretty great sets come to Blu-ray while the studios continue to strip extras more and more from the DVD
releases. Below are links to some of the best releases of 2012. I hope 2013 brings as many great stuff
to Blu-ray and DVD.
BEST SETS ON BLU-RAY of 2012:
PROMETHEUS Collector's Edition
TRANSFORMER: DARK OF THE MOON Limited Collector's Edition
Super Blu-ray/ DVD extras producer Charles de Lauzirika delivers with two great sets with the four disc Collector's Edition
of PROMETHEUS being the best set of the year with the great selection of deleted scenes, the web content video shorts, and
two audio commentaries. However, it gets even better with five hours of extras on disc three including the Noomi Rapace
screen test and the excellent three hour and forty minute making-of documentary, THE FURIOUS GODS: MAKING PROMETHEUS, which
is as great as the making-of documentary Charles made for the BLADE RUNNER 20th Anniversary release. He also produced
the extras for two other Blu-rays, the Limited collector;s Edition of TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON and THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN.
The amount and quality of the extras on the TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON Limited Edition win out over the extras of THE
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN which aren't as good of a selection (but some of it may not be in control fo the producer of the extras
since the movie studios do make the final call).
THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO (2011- 3 disc set)
The extras for David Fincher's adapatation of THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO are quite excellent with the great making-of
documentary and photos from various photo shoots Fincher did with Rooney Mara to dveelop the look of Lisbeth Salander.
Then the disc art for the DVD is quite cool making it look like a bootleg DVD causing confusion for some renters of the DVD.
BEST TV SHOWS ON BLU-RAY AND DVD:
HOMELAND Season One
WOLF LAKE the Complete Series
BEST COLLECTION OF MOVIES THAT WAS LIKE THE HUNGER GAMES ABOUT 10 YEARS AGO:
BATTLE ROYALE The Complete Collection
Before THE HUNGER GAMES, the Japanese touched on the same story of teens killing other teens in game of sport to
control the population. The movie was quite controversial which led DATTLE ROYALE never to get a popular
release until now. If you like THE HUNGER GAMES, you should rent this movie and compare. It might not
be the cup of tea for every fan of THE HUNGER GAMES, but it goes to show the Japanes were thinking on paralell lines before
Suzanne Collins wrote her books.
OTHER MOVIES YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT ON BLU-RAY OR DVD:
The following three movies are worth renting. Chris Evans (the guy who played Captain America and the Human Torch)
gives a movie performance in PUNCTURE while OUTPOST: BLACK SUN is great B movie fun with zombie Nazis. Then there is
the hypnotic visual mood piece known as BEYOND THE BLACK RAINBOW which is like if you had a movie directed by the love
child of David Cronenberg and Andrei Tarkovsky. The movie is like a mix of those two directors.
PUNCTURE
OUTPOST: BLACK SUN
BEYOND THE BLACK RAINBOW
BEST NEW IMPRINT FOR BLU-RAY AND DVD:
Scream Factory is bringing the love for sci-fi and horror from the 1970s and 1980s. Shout Factory did a great job
of thinking of this imprint and I can't wait for PHANTASM II and LIFEFORCE to hit Blu-ray in the Spring. Scream Factory
is a label for the fans with their close attention to everything from the film to the extras to offering great cover art (and
doing flip jacket sleeves showing the original poster art).
BEST LIMITED EDITION LABEL FOR BLU-RAY:
Twilight Time has been able to make available some movies to blu-ray with a limited pressing of 3000 copies that might
have never seen life on Blu-ray otherwise. The covert for each release is fantastic and this label is perfect for the
collector and fans of the films Twilight Time has released at the rate of two titles a month.
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